Easter PJ's

Kash and Cole both passed down "Baby's First Easter" pj's to Kinley and Kason and they got to wear them on Saturday night! This happens to be the 3rd time I've changed their clothes within a few hours and Kason is worn out! They had just gotten baths at Grandma Donnell's and GiGi fixed Kinley's hair with one of the new bows that the Easter Bunny brought her :) They also got to use their Easter baskets that Aunt Bethanie bought them, too!

Easter Eve

On Saturday, we took a trip to Bartlesville to Nana & Papa Donnell's house. Pam came down from Kansas City and we celebrated Easter together. Gigi and Jim were there, too! Kason and Kinley got their first Easter Bunnies and they really played with them.....the first presents they have been able to play with so far!

They both had on matching patchwork outfits when we got there, but Kason poo'd on his right away. What is up with this boy? Grandma washed it and then he got to put it back on!

We ate their famous burgers and hung out with everyone. We had a great day and really enjoyed being with family!

HAPPY EASTER!!

Cool Shades

While in Dallas, we stopped for about 30 minutes at the outlet mall and picked up some cool shades for the kids! We were planning on being there longer, but Kinley had other ideas. Apparently, she doesn't like shopping yet....I am praying that this changes! She just HAS to want to go shopping with her mommy later!

Cranial Technologies

Well, as most of you know, we went to Dallas on Thursday night for the kids' consultation for the DOC bands (cranial helmets). The kids were great on the road trip and we only had to stop once to change them and get their cereal mixed up, etc. One of us rode in the back with them the whole time and tried to keep them awake :) That worked for a little bit! We got to the hotel about 9:30 and this was our first hotel visit. We let the kids sleep in bed with us and everyone slept great except Mommy! I woke up every single time one of them moved! Not good! About 2:00 am I heard Kason go to the bathroom, so I got up to change him.....as soon as I got his diaper off, he shot me and the couch with poo! It was everywhere, so I had to get Jason up to help us! (We did get it off the couch!) As I was calling Jason in to help, Kason decided to pee all over the wall! Then, he laughed :) which is what he always does at just the right time! Anyway, we made it through the rest of the night without any more poo mishaps!

We got up the next morning and got ready for the appointment at Cranial Technologies. The appt. was at 2:00 and we were there all the way until 6:00 pm! (We had lots of time to play on our tummies and explore the place)

First, they took photos of both of their heads in all kinds of positions. Then, they did measurements. It turns out that Kinley and Kason's head are both the same degree of bad. I won't put all the technical lingo in here, but they are both bad and both heads do need help. What is going on now is that they are continuing to grow wider but not longer. Their heads are both completely square and I didn't realize how much they were alike until I saw the photos! Their heads also slope upward instead of rounding out because of the flatness. You can really tell from the top and from the back and side, but not necessarily the front... yet. If we didn't get these problems fixed, they could experience all kinds of problems, headaches, jaw problems (which leads to all kinds of things) etc. Plus the fact the fact that they would look funky!

So, we decided to proceed with the helmets and went ahead and paid and ordered them. We pick up their helmets on April 21st and will stay the night in Dallas to make sure they can sleep with them, etc. They have to wear them for 23 hours a day! Poor kids :( After we decided to order them, they had to be scanned by this big machine thing. They had to put what looked like white pantyhose over their whole face (see Kason's photo) and be scanned to get the exact measurements and head shape for their helmets. After that was done, we were free to go. Normally, it wouldn't take 4 hours, but there were 2 of them and we didn't want to have to come back to Dallas just to get the scan. So, we asked for them to do everything at once. Everybody in the office was extremely nice and very accomodating. We also met some other parents while we were there and even a little 5 month old named Kasen!

I've been having a hard time with all of this, but I know it's for the best :( I know it's just going to be very hard when they first get them and it's going to make me so sad. The nurse said to just think of it as braces for your head. And she also said that it is a lot harder on the parents than the kids. They don't even know what's going on, so that made me feel a teensy bit better, but not much.

Starting the week of April 21st, we will have to travel to Dallas once a week (and not on weekends) to get their DOC bands adjusted. Their brains grow very rapidly from birth to 6 or 7 months and then slow down a bit. After they turn 7 months old, we will just have to go every other week. Hopefully, their heads will grow fast and they will only have to wear them 4 months or less!

If you would like to see what the facility is like or see what the DOC bands look like, just go to www.cranialtech.com

Watching the OU game

Daddy dressed them up in their OU gear while the OU men's basketball game was on last week. This time, the outfits didn't help :(

Baseball opening day

We all sported the Braves gear for the opening day of baseball season today! We think this is the reason they won tonight :)

Handsome and Gorgeous

Self-explanatory :)

Holding on!

Kason started trying to hold his bottle last week, and the very next day, Kinley started trying to hold hers! They really try hard, but most of the time, they just push it out :) These are a couple pics where it was actually working out!

Still Messy

Well, we have been practicing and are still defintely learning! Check out these messes :)

Learning to Eat

The kids have both started eating cereal! Kinley is the big eater, Kason could care less. She screams for more everytime :) This is their first time to eat! I made the mistake of feeding Kason when he was hungry and just wanted his bottle, so he was very mad at me! I waited until the next day to try again :)

I made the mistake of feeding Kason when he was hungry and all he wanted was his bottle! He was very mad at me, and I didn't try again until the next day!

Helmet update...

This Friday, we are taking both kids to Dallas to Cranial Technologies to get their free consultation for the DOC bands (helmets). So far, Kinley's head has only gotten worse and Kason's ratio stayed the same, but his head is bigger, so it's continuing to grow that way. If we hadn't been doing all of the repositioning, their heads would be even worse. So, we've come to the reality that they will both be wearing helmets...how long, we won't know, and we won't know when until all of the paperwork, etc. goes through. They will most likely have to wear them about 4 months and we will have to go to Dallas once a week. (It might increase to once every 2 weeks when they get a little older)

The good news is that Kinley's neck is getting stronger everyday and we are really working hard on the stretches and exercises each day! Their babysitter, Connie, is also helping Kinley do her stretches and strengthening exercises and we truly appreciate all that she does for our kids! We know how hard it is to have two little ones, and are happy that she cares about them so much :) She still has the "no-neck" problem, but it will eventually come around!

This video shows the first time that Kinley laughed out loud. It was for her physical therapist, not for Mommy!

Tummy Time

Kason and Kinley have been getting a lot stronger on their tummies! They are liking it better and better, which is great! We usually do tummy time right after they eat and are wide awake, otherwise, if we wait until they are too tired, we get little grumpy babies :)

Both are well and happy babies again finally! We have had a wonderful weekend full of smiles, laughs, and naps at the same time! Yay!

Sucky sucky

Kason has begun to do this cute thing! When he is tired, he will suck on his middle finger and fourth finger and put his hand in his hair! I woke up to check on them in the middle of the night and he was doing it, just slurping away really loud.

Bathtime

The twins took a bath with me in the big bathtub for the first time! I put them in their bumbo and we scooted around the tub like a little boat! They had fun! The bumbo's were very wobbly, so I had to be careful, but they really seemed to like it :)

Kinley's Torticollis

We went to our 2nd torticollis physical therapy appointment last Thursday. The PT showed my mom, Lynda, and Jason how to do all the stretches and exercises and explained quite a few things to them. We all took turns and practiced with Kinley in front of the mirror to make sure we were doing them correctly. She said that she should get much better with the neck muscles on the left side within 4-6 weeks. So, that is hopeful! We haven't noticed much change in her head shape, but it hasn't even been 2 weeks, so keep praying for her head!

Here are some photos of us doing the stretches and Kinley is completely passed out by the end of the session!

If you would like to read about this condition, click on this link: http://www.torticolliskids.org/faq

If you would like to read about plagiocephaly, (the head problem), click on this link http://www.plagiosupport.org/

Kinley's been a little sick :(

Well, we lasted almost 4 months without an illness! Kinley got sick this weekend.....threw up, had 101 fever, cranky as ever! We took her to a pediatric urgent care center on Sunday and they told us she has a virus. They were very thorough and did the flu test, blood tests, and urine test, but no infections. So, we were sent home to wait it out.... her fever was gone by Monday morning and she was still feeling a little under the weather today. I took her to see her pediatrician on Monday and she also thinks that her reflux was getting worse again as well because of some of the things she was doing. So, we switched her medicine to the kind that Kason takes and hope for the best! We shall see tomorrow!

Our First Trip to the Zoo!

Well, we took the kids to the zoo today, along with every single other parent in Tulsa! Connie's mom has a big zoo pass and Connie and her girls and their friend, Madeline, Sharon and Cap, and the four of us went to the zoo! Can you believe it was 85 degrees in Tulsa today? EEEEKKK! I can't even imagine what July and August might be like! Kinley and Kason made it through about 2 exhibits before they passed out, then slept most of the rest! They did wake back up for a short time, then Kason fell right back to sleep! You can see our journey and our tired babies! Cap, Kason, and Kinley were all exhausted! When we got home, I took a nap with Kason, my little Kuddlebug :)