Stand By Me

There’s been a whole lot of moving and shaking going on in the Castellano house of late.

We officially got the ball rolling on ordering Gwendolyn a stander. What is a stander, you ask? Well, we figured out after trying to answer that question a few times for family and friends that it really is easier to show you a stander than it is to try and explain it. With that said, here’s an example of exactly what we are talking about:

As you can see, this particular stander is pretty neat because it not only promotes Gwen being in an upright position, but it has wheels that allow her some mobility at the same time. The obvious need for Gwendolyn is that she's getting to the age where most children are beginning to pull themselves up and stand while holding onto something. And while Gwen isn’t at the stage where she can do that all herself yet, we want to be sure that her body is getting used to that sensation of standing. That way, her legs and joints can continue to mature in a more normal fashion. Hopefully, as she continues to gain strength in the muscles she does have use of; she’ll render the unit unnecessary. Unfortunately, the ordering process takes about eight weeks to complete so it won’t be until well into the fall before Gwen can begin to use her new stander.

We’ve also got to take Gwen into Children’s Mercy soon to have molds made of her legs so that she can get her first leg braces made. Luckily, that process sounds pretty easy and her braces should be complete in only two weeks. Where the stander only comes in the color red for the version that Gwen will use, we’ll have a multitude of options for her braces and can’t wait to finalize that process as well.

Speaking of standing, Braelyn has been using her legs quite a bit. Unfortunately, she’s begun to pull herself up on her crib. Luckily, she hasn’t made a habit of it yet but while she gets a kick out of it, Mom and Dad shutter at her new-found "ability." She’s also in her little activity walker quite a bit and has taken to strolling down the hall or in the kitchen to check in with Mom if she’s feeling left out. Watching her little legs pump is something right out of a Fred Flintstone driven car.

Mom and Dad continue to miss the girls very much while at work but the twins still seem to be enjoying their new daycare. Other than that, there really hasn’t been a whole lot going on... Talk to you soon.