Yesterday, while we were getting ready to feed the four o'clock bottle, I mentioned to our help that the babies were going to be 8 months old today. She said, "Well, I'm sure it hasn't seemed to go by quickly to you, but I can't believe they are already that old." Funny thing is, I'm not sure where the time has gone. I want to take a little time to tell you about each of the little ones and their adventures over the last 8 months.
Oscar James was born first, and weighed just 2.15 pounds. He was the smallest yet feistiest from the very beginning, and he didn't stay small for long. He loved to eat, and even when the doctor thought that they were ready to take as much as they wanted, they had to put a cap on his feedings. He just wouldn't stop...has his mama's appetite! As you can tell in the picture, he had a head full of dark hair and a darker complexion than the other three. He had a temper from day one, and not much has changed. He smiles the easiest, but when he isn't happy, look out! One day, when I was visiting them in the NICU, we had quite the scare with Oscar. His heart rate jumped to over 220 bpm (and he wasn't even throwing a fit). Before I new it, there were doctors and nurses all around him. They held a bag of ice on his head, and the heart rate began to drop. The next day, he had another episode. This time, it required medication to bring it down. He was diagnosed with SVT's, and spent 2 weeks longer than the others in the NICU while the doctors made sure they had his medication and reflux under control. We have come such a long way in the last 8 months. At our last trip to the heart doctor, he let us know that he is going to let him outgrow his medicine dosage. In March, we will begin weening him off all together. While he is still our feistiest, he is definitely no longer the smallest. Weighing over 15 pounds, he still LOVES to eat. This last month, we started feeding baby food. Oscar will eat anything I feed him. I am yet to find a food that he doesn't like! He can roll from his belly to his back and back to his belly, and he uses rolling as his way to travel around the living room. He pushes himself up, and looks like he would love to start crawling all over. He found his voice at about 5 months, and of course says mostly, "dadadada". He still has a head full of dark hair, and is such a charmer. He is quite the flirt for an 8 month old! He has a very pitiful fake cry and a very adorable smile. My heart just melts now that he has started to reach for me while he's sitting in the feeding table or the bouncy chair (which reminds me...we've now traded the swings that were so popular when they were younger for the bouncy/play seats.)
Next up, Benjamin Ryne. He has been our biggest from Day 1. Weighing in at just 3.8 pounds at birth, he now weighs over 18 pounds! His hospital stay was so easy. He was on a ventilator for the first couple days, and the rest of his 32 days in the NICU were spent feeding and growing. Things were a little different when we came home. I noticed that he sounded more wheezy than the others. At one of our wellness checks, I asked the doctor, and she said that his tonsils were bigger than the other's. It didn't seem to be a problem until the first time we all got colds. After a night at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital, and another trip to the emergency room, we now have a Nebulizer that we use when we notice that his breathing is labored. We have been very blessed that this is all it has taken. No more trips to the hospital for Benjamin. Benjamin is also progressing very well. He can roll both ways, and pushes himself up while he scoots backwards...can't quite crawl forward yet. He followed suit with his brother, and started saying "dada" shortly after Oscar. He loves to eat too! He really likes veggies, and makes the funniest faces when I feed him fruit. He really likes to be with his brothers and sister in the feeding table. He will sometimes look at the others and just laugh. He has a laugh that comes straight from his belly. It really sounds like something you would hear for a ring tone. His favorite seat is the jumparoo. He bounces until he falls asleep, wakes up, and bounces some more. I can't imagine what all of that energy is going to get me when he is able to run around!
Then, we have our precious little peanut, Jaylyn. She was only 3 pounds at birth, and now weighs just a little over 12 pounds. She is a dainty little thing, and everything about her lets you know that she's a girl. Her NICU stay was very uneventful as well. She came home at the same time as Benjamin and Harrison, just 32 days in. Our biggest issue since she's been home has been her reflux. She has always been a pretty big spitter, and of course, I worry since she is so little. Just like all of the boys, she takes Prilosec to help with the burning, and since they are eating more solid food now, she has been doing much better. A few months ago, we had First Steps evaluate the babies to see where they were developmentally. No one qualified for services, but she did qualify for a recheck for her muscle tone. I am really hoping that they come back soon to check her. She isn't quite keeping up with the boys. She doesn't roll over, and she doesn't use her arms to push herself up and hold her head up. When I put her in the bouncy seat, she picks her legs up instead of pushing to stand. She seems to be liking baby food better now that we've been trying it for the last week or so. At first, she would just spit it out, or gag until she puked it up. Now, she seems to tolerate pretty much anything I feed her. She makes me smile everyday with the noises she makes. She has definitely found her voice, and says things like "dada". She will click her tongue, mocking me when I do the same. She also has started entertaining herself with a gurgling sound. I love to hear Lilya talking to her. She always says, "Hi, JayRae...Hi, my pretty girl." I know they will have so much fun together some day.
Last but not least, Harrison Kerry. He's the baby of the group, and in the beginning, it seemed as if he would be the one to lag behind. He was the second biggest of the group, weighing 3.5 pounds, and now weighs 16 pounds. But, in the NICU, he was on oxygen longer than the others, and had his food put on a pump because of reflux. Just when we thought that he would need a longer stay, the doctors decided he was ready to come home with Benjamin and Jaylyn. He hasn't slowed down since. He and Jaylyn are so much a like. They look the most alike (other than size), and they make all of the same sounds. They are the only two that suck their fingers (no one takes a pacifier). Harrison shows a lot more strength though. He can roll to get to wherever he wants to go, but he is also pushing himself up like he will be crawling soon. He is also standing on his own now! If I put him next to something that he can hold onto (couch, bouncy seat, etc.), he will stand for long periods of time without me holding on to him. I really think that he will be our first walker. He enjoys the feeding table like the others. He is a good eater, and flaps his arms to let me know that he's ready for another bite. He has also started reaching for me, but seems to be patient when it's someone elses turn.
