Aaaand We're Back...

Aaaaand we’re back. It’s been a while interwebs, we’ve missed you. Things at home have been hectic as ever, and we are eagerly awaiting warmer weather. It’s been a long winter on lock down and we can’t wait to be able to get outside with the girls. I’m sure they’re tired of seeing the same three rooms in our house too.

What can I say about the girls? We are continually shocked at how far they have come. Looking at them now, it’s hard to believe how very very tiny and fragile they were when they were born. I dare to say if you had just met them today, you wouldn’t believe they were born at a pound and a half each. We’re thankful that now it seems like many of the things we struggle with are “baby” problems, and not so much “preemie” problems.

Appointments have finally slowed down now. We’re down to a few home visits a week for now. They’ll pick up again here in a few months, but it’s nice not having to run to the doctor all the time. In our last post, we had mentioned that feeding had been one of our biggest struggles. Things have improved greatly in that aspect. Anna has gone from not wanting much to do with the bottle at all, to our defacto “dinner bell”. When she’s ready to eat, she’s ready, and if she doesn’t like the service, she’ll tell you.  It’s been quite a relief to us knowing that feeding isn’t the battle it used to be. We still have our moments, but nothing like it used to be.

Socially, the girls are really making great progress. They are starting to recognize familiar people, and get excited when they see them. It really makes for a good start to the day when you pop into their room to wake them up for the morning and you’re greeted with a great big smile because they are happy to see you.  They are also becoming quite the little chatter boxes as well. Don’t tell Mom, but we do work on “da da da” quite a bit more than other sounds when she’s not around. It’s really fun to watch them start to become interested in their toys and the things around them. Before we were seeing random movements at objects, but in the last few weeks, the movements have become deliberate, “I want that toy” movements. And of course, everything they can get their hands on goes straight to the mouth. Teeth can’t be that far away as much as their drooling these days. Anna’s new favorite thing is blowing spit bubbles…kinda gross, but super cute.

Sleep had been hard to come by at our house, but thankfully we’ve been able to cut out a feed during the night so we are able to sleep for a solid 5-6 hours now. We get the girls to bed around 9:00 or so, and for the most part, they sleep until about 3:30-4:00am. We still have to get up for pacifiers and swaddles, but at least it’s not the 1.5 hour feeding event. Lucy is going to be the first to get to try cereal, probably here in the next couple of days. We are excited to see how it goes. It could be an adventure with her. We may be packing in our dining room area rug a bit sooner than we expected. The other girls have some work to do on their head control, but they’ll get there soon enough.

I’m sure there is more, but honestly I’m not the best at remembering things these days. Sleep has eluded me for a while, and I’m afraid I’m not as sharp as I used to be, but it’s coming back. I’m going to end today with this. Angie and I, along with many of our friends and family members will be taking part in the March of Dimes March for Babies walk this year. The March of Dimes is an organization that raises money to help us understand and hopefully one day prevent premature births. I don’t have the words to describe the first 7 months of our girls lives. Many 25 weekers never make it home. Ours did, and we thank God every day. Many of you who follow this blog have already made a donation, and we thank you. If you have the desire, please consider visiting our team page (link) and making a donation.  Your dollar could be the dollar that funds a breakthrough that ensures a preemie goes home where they belong. Here is what the March of Dimes has done for us…

Anna

Brenna

Bundled up for a walk

Lucy

Uncle Ryan and the girls

Anna

Lucy and Anna - Staring Contest

Brenna after bath

Lucy

Anna

Lucy nomming rings

Three Little Monkeys

Cutest. Brenna. Bunny. Ever.

In His Name,

Brad, Angie, Anna, Brenna and Lucy Kamps