Getting Ready for The FLA

Typically, we wouldn’t post a blog saying that we are getting ready to leave town… Unfortunately in today’s times, that’s a green light for any predators that might be trolling these blogs in hopes of tracking down “out of towners” to clean out. And let’s face it, when you are rolling in luxury items like we are it would be such a haul… After all we are swimming in all sorts of disposal income what with twin infant girls around and all… Note our strong tone of sarcasm!

But censors are luckily not needed in this entry because Grandma McKee has been pressed into service in our stead. (And for that, we thank our lucky stars… The Good Lord only knows what we’d do if Grandma McKee wasn’t around to bail us out yet again!)

So, with that elongated disclaimer out of the way, all we can say is that we can’t wait to start our first official summer vacation trip with the girls to start later this week. Watch out Florida, here we come!!! Better yet, watch out blog followers because you’re about to get flooded with a bevy of photos that you’re likely find rather mundane but that we just adore!

I will caution that Mom and Dad are a little concerned about what twin nine-month olds might be like on a nearly three-hour flight south. Still, we are blessed in the fact that both Braelyn and Gwendolyn are very good when we take them out. Obviously this is a much longer stretch of time than snarffing down a meal at one of our favorite local eateries with the girls in tow, but fingers crossed that they (and more importantly Mom and Dad) survive unscathed. Better yet, if you are on a flight down to Florida tomorrow and notice a row of seats with a nice couple each holding an infant on their lap and an open center seat between them DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES SIT IN THAT SEAT… you will regret it!!!

;)

Not much on the update department as far as the girls are concerned. At Gwendolyn’s occupational therapy visit earlier this week, the decision was made that she needed an “oral vibrator” (no snickers from the Peanut Gallery please). The concern is that since her mouth is really only in use is when the binky is inserted (which granted is quite often) or when she consumes her small helpings of frozen solids during the course of the day, she’s falling behind in her oral development skills. As time continues on, she could be very late talking because of this. So, the idea that that she needs this oral vibrator to help stimulate her mouth. And until it arrives, we had to get Gwen an electric toothbrush to help fill in the time gap. Just a note, the moments when we’re giving the Gwenner this “treatment” at home really is equal parts hysterical and uncomfortable. And for some reason, Braelyn is deathly afraid of the electric toothbrush. So, whenever we get it out to use on Gwen, Braelyn has a look of horror and disgust on her face.

Speaking of Brae Bear, she’s getting some one-on-one time with Grandma McKee (there’s the girls’ resident angel of a grandmother in action again) this morning while Mom has Gwen at the hospital for a weekly round of physical therapy. Our oldest by two minutes still isn’t crawling but she does continue to stand while holding onto furniture… That is until she realizes she’s standing at which time her body goes limp and she crumbles to the ground in a heap of baby. It is amazing what a young child can do when they aren’t thinking about it… And then as soon as they do realize it, it’s like Superman and kryptonite.

Outside of that, our procrastination in the packing department is necessitating that we wrap this entry up… If not, we might be showing up in Florida with Braelyn, Gwendolyn and little else!

More Photos... Less Words

So let’s be honest, the reason the majority of you are still “reading” the blog has very little to do with the writing… Wit and Witticism this ‘aint. Since we’ve once again been provided a reprieve from any serious medical jargon in this blog post, we thought we’d make this entry a little more of a photo entry. The only real “updates” is that Gwendolyn will now get physical therapy twice a week, once at the hospital and once at home. By adding a second hour to her routine, we hope to continue the momentum on her marvelous progress. Braelyn is still rolling all around the house… that girl really is a trip!!!

We aren't sure who enjoys bath time more now, Braelyn...

... or Gwendolyn. Now that's one tough call!

Braelyn also loves her some "activity disk" time!

Not to be outdone, Gwen decides to relax with a serious case of "bed head" and one of her favorite toys, the "rattle ball."

Back in the Saddle Again

Back from a Father’s Day sabbatical from blogging, I’m here again to share stories of Braelyn McKee (a.k.a. Brae Bear) and Gwendolyn Marie (a.k.a. The Gwenner).

Before I dive into that, I want to thank my family for an AMAZING Father’s Day. It’s strange and I know I don’t need to tell any of you parents out there but you think you know what it’s like to be a Daddy until you actually become one. When I was looking over that “memory lane” of a blog that my wonderful wife posted, I started flashing back over the time our journey began. From the moment that we first heard the girls hearts beat during an ultrasound to where we sit here nearly nine months after their birth, it’s been such a wild ride. I still vividly remember finding out we were having twins, that they were both girls, and the moment they were born. Still, even with all the tears of pain and joy that have been shed, it has so very much been worth the trip. When I get home from work and see those smiling little faces as I climb the stairs each day… well, it just melts my heart.

As for an update on my three girls, Mom has really enjoyed having specialized time with Braelyn and Gwendolyn. Yesterday, Grandma McKee went on a shopping outing alongside the Castellano Three. Yes friends, it seems as though Mom continues to start the girls young on shopping expeditions much to my angst. She even introduced them to the restaurant Cheeseburger in Paradise when their shopping was complete… for those “Parrot Heads” out there like Heather, there’s no need to describe the décor I’m sure… for those casual Jimmy Buffett fans like me, it can best be described as burger joint meets the Florida Keys.

Outside of Mom giving the girls a different “road trip” experience of sorts each day, things are pretty status quo. Gwen infrequently needs oxygen at night but still will beep off a handful of times each night before she brings her oxygen levels quickly back to the safe zone herself. She’s likely to get that new sleep study in the short-term. Hopefully the progress she’s seemed to make at home carries over then when she’s wrapped like a mummy with all sorts of sensors.

Braelyn is the morphing into “Little Chuck” before our eyes (in fact, I’ll refer to Braelyn as “L.C.” just to get a rise out of her Mother… I’m happy to report that it often works!). One thing I learned with these two is to never assume. When they were first born I would have swore that it was Gwen who would become a carbon copy of her Daddy. She looked just like my baby pictures and was not bashful about vocalizing her displeasure. In the months that have followed, she’s become a bashful sort who often gets compared to her mother in the looks department (luckily for her). Instead, it is Braelyn that has become the most social of butterflies. She longs for constant attention (which we try not to always kowtow to) and now in addition to her personality, she really starting to look a lot like Dad.

Speaking of the girls’ looks, we keep hoping that there’s a closet redhead between the two of them but each day fosters little progress on that front. Perhaps it just isn’t meant to be.

I suppose that’s it for now… Like sands through the hourglass…

Happy Father's Day

Hi all! Well, it appears you are stuck with Heather writing the blog entry today. I figured with the observance of Father's Day I would give Chuck the weekend off. :)
Actually, I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all how wonderful my husband is. Not only is he the best husband in the world, but if it's possible he is an even better father. I was lucky enough to grow up with a father that set the precident extremely high. And it makes my heart smile every day watching Chuck with the girls because I know that my girls are going to be just as lucky as I was.
The past nine months have been the happiest and some of the most emotional of our lives. But through it all Chuck continues to be our strength. So, Baby..........THIS blog's for you!!!


Love you with all of our hearts,
Heather, Braelyn and Gwendolyn


Daddy spent many, many nights with Gwendolyn in the hospital so Mommy could stay at home with Braelyn overnight and never complained once:
Always there for his little lady:

Gwen loves her Daddy!!

Chuck takes some of the "little" free time he has to blog about his family:

Very Proud:

This is one of his favorite pictures:

Braelyn always did love snuggling with Daddy:

Always ready to give a bottle:

Lots of love in those eyes:

Daddy's just hangin with his girls: (and the dog) :-)

Gwen is working on her Father's Day present for Daddy:

Braelyn is working on her gift for Daddy:

Daddy likes our presents!!

The girls help to open Daddy's gift from Mommy:

Yep!!! Our Daddy is the best!!!

WE LOVE YOU DADDY!!!!!

Monday Road Trippin'

The past week has been a busy one, but not eventful... and boy do we like the lack of drama! Speaking of busy, Ms. Gwendolyn Marie has a road trip on her Monday itinerary. First, its off to the pediatrician for a checkup in the morning. Then, she's got a stop at the ENT clinic for a routine followup scan of her upper airway. We don't think that either of those trips will necessitate any urgent updates (fingers crossed). Braelyn will be along for the ride with Mom, Gwendolyn and Grandma McKee so she too has got a field trip of sorts on tap for her Monday. As always, we'll keep you updated as the girls' summer travels continue... Hopefully there won't be many more with a "medical" theme but we'll let you know how these doctor visits go all the same.

BTW, a special "thanks" goes out to Uncle Rich and Auntie Shannon for the wonderful dresses... the girls look smashing in them (of course) and Mom and Dad love how easily they unbutton when it's time to change dirty diapers!

Not All Water is Created Equal?

Braelyn & Gwendolyn had their first experience with a summer pastime on Sunday and their reaction isn’t quite what Mom and Dad thought. You see, Braelyn has loved bath time from the moment she came home from the hospital. Even Gwendolyn, who used to give her best fake cry during her baths, now smiles and splashes around when her number’s called for a proper washing.

Yesterday, Uncle Kyle and Aunt Susan brought over this wacky sprinkler doohickey. It was one of those things that you hook up to the garden hose and let the kiddos run though to cool off as it shoots water in all directions. Not so shockingly, that’s exactly what the girls’ cousins did. Needless to say, Mom and Dad took a cue from their nieces and grabbed the twins so we could slap on their swimsuits. All the time we were thinking that this would make for a fun-filled experience for Brae Bear and the Gwenner as well.

Much to our surprise, the girls did not feel the same about this water experience as they do bath time. Shrieks of horror were heard as we tried to gently introduce them to the sprinkler. Oh well, if nothing else, we’ll have the opportunity to try again later this summer when the girls take to the Florida beach with Nana and Poppa.

The Weekend's Here Already?!?!?!

Wow… How is it Friday already!?!?!? It seems like we just got back from Iowa and here we are with another weekend upon us. Luckily, Braelyn checks the blog frequently (as you can see) and she alerted Mom and Dad that it was most positively time for another update. So, here it goes:

One thing that we forgot to share in our excitement over our first family road trip was the result of Gwendolyn’s follow-up with her new Pulmonologist. It actually went much better than we could have expected. He said that after having observed “The Gwenner” both during her last hospital stay and at the office visit last week, it was evident to him that a tracheotomy is no longer part of her short-term prognosis. (Needless to say, Mom and Dad felt an immediate weight lifted from their shoulders when they heard that). There’s still some question about her congestion and occasional heavy breathing but the perspective taken by Gwen’s new doctor is that it isn’t a situation that’s causing her immediate distress, meaning the trach isn’t necessary.

The doctor actually gave us some homework in hopes that we can take Gwen off her evening oxygen supplementation. Each night we are documenting several criteria (i.e. Gwen’s blood/oxygen level, pulse, breathing, etc) while she sleeps. We alternate her so that we can chart how she does on her back, belly, right and left sides. Next week, we’ll fax the results to him and he’ll review it before we decide on what direction is best to take. Gwen will still have a follow-up sleep study upcoming as well but again, the Pulmonologist didn’t seem to make it sound like it was something that had a great deal of urgency tied to it.

Both Braelyn and Gwendolyn are done with daycare for the summer now. As a result, they enjoy their days with Mom. Some days are lazy ones at home while others are full of field trips to Target or Costco (fun, fun). One negative to this extended time at home is that Gwen is no longer able to receive her physical therapy in small increments at daycare. So, now she gets a singular hour session each week at home. Still, she seems to be doing just fine (you should see her stretch and move her legs now)… in fact, as you can tell she loves her some exercise ball!

Braelyn still hasn’t mastered crawling but she is a rolling fool. You can lay her on a blanket in the middle of the living room and in no time you’ll feel her tiny fingers tapping your foot. That girl is sure going to be a handful when she gets this whole movement thing down pat. Of course, all that activity leads to extra dirt and grime but that’s okay because that means she gets more baths (and subsequently we can wrap up “Brae Bear” in ducky robes like this:)

Well, we hope you enjoy your weekend as much as we will.

Talk to you all soon!!!