2 and 2!

The super sassy Ms. Kate after a long "photo session"



Lots of 2s going on at our house! Jack just turned 2 in May and is really taking to being 2; super sweet to temper tantrummy in the matter of 2 minutes. He has grown a little in the past six months and is now 24lbs. which is up to the 10%! These days Jack loves to be a big helper to his sisters and is CONSTANTLY giving the girls kisses and hugs, bringing them every pacifier he can find (everyone needs six pacifiers!) and every burp cloth as well. Although we can't understand him much of the time he is really talking a lot! Mostly he is saying "Outside" over and over again. He is a super sweet little boy who is adventurous and has a definite mischievous side.
The girls had their 2 month check-up and are doing great! Kate is 7lbs 12ounces and Mallory is 7lbs 4ounces, both are less than 3%, but that is to be expected since their adjusted age is less than 1 month old. Kate got her bone conducting hearing aid on Thursday. When we put it on her and she heard vibrations on her left side the look on her face was priceless...she was enthralled! Unfortunately, she was only able to wear it for a short time, her head stability is not perfect and everytime her head bobbed to the left she got terrible feedback/whistling. We will have her wear it 10-15 minutes each day and gradually increase the time as she becomes stronger. After having witnessed Kate's first moments hearing on her left side I am increasingly excited to have Mallory fitted with her aids. I received a emails from a couple of friends with a link to a Good Morning America segment where an 8 month old little boy had cochlear implants. The cameras were filming when they were turned on and he heard his mother's voice for the first time, truly amazing. Pretty incredible times we are living in! I hope to keep up on blogging better than I have been but times are busy!
Jack looking oh so cool!

This stroller is simply amazing...really not that difficult to maneuver and everyone is comfy!


You want to know how hard it is to get two babies to look at the camera at the same time? This is as good as it gets...Kate posing and Mallory looking scared!

Jack's Sisters!

Hello All,
Well as most all of you know we have had lots going on in the Nelson household...never a dull moment! I haven't had much time to catch up with everyone in the past five weeks but am ever so grateful for all of the support and prayers that you have sent our way.

Here is a quick update of all that is going on:

As most all of you know Kate was born with aural atresia and microtia of the left ear which basically means she did not have a developed left ear. There is a small 'ruffle' of skin where the ear would be, there is no true opening to the inner ear so she has no hearing in that ear. We got a CT scan when she was two weeks old and basically found out that she is too small to really get a good look inside to see if the inner ear is developed. We are looking at plastic surgery in the future to reconstruct her ear, but that is at least 5 years away. If there was any reconstruction considered of the canal that would occur after the plastic surgery. Until then we are getting fitted for a bone conducting hearing aid to help stimulate that side and help her brain make those vital connections between sound and localization. Kate's right ear passed with perfect hearing! The doctors do not think this will effect her language development and with some therapy will develop just like all other children with normal hearing.

Mallory failed her hearing screening tests in the NICU so follow-up was recommended. Our first experience with follow-up left us devestated as the ENT told us that Mallory was most likely completely deaf. (Brings tears to my eyes just writing that). Thankfully we sought out another follow-up with Children's Mercy where we got a two hour ABR (hearing exam) that told us she has mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss bilaterally. She can hear low tones and as pitch increases she has a progressive hearing loss. We are having ANOTHER ABR in five weeks to corroborate those findings and at that time will fit her for right and left over the ear hearing aids. With the amplification of the aids Mallory should be able to hear perfectly...we are not sure if her hearing will progress to more significant hearing loss but we were happy with the information we received and are taking it one step at a time.

All in all we have two beautiful baby girls that are a pure joy to love and care for, looking so forward to learning their individual personalities! They are super strong and healthy in every other way.

I will keep you all updated as I learn more about our futures and where we are headed. Again thank you all for your thoughts, I love you all!

Erin

P.S. Mallory is on the left and Kate is on the right

Indoor Play and More!

Playing at home gets old, for me and for Jack. We have had a great time at some indoor play places around town, and believe it or not these facilities have not cost us an arm or a leg!

Jumpin' Jack's is an indoor inflatable play area that is AWESOME! Here are a few pics of Jack figuring out how to climb to the top of the slides (and a pic of the traffic jam he created). Parents are also allowed to climb up these obstacles and participate with the kiddos! I somehow failed to capture a picture of Tom at the top of the slide with Jack! Not to worry, I am fairly confident that we will return.

This last photo is at the Mission Center Gymnasium that has open play through the winter. I think Jack has figured out that he is challenged in the height arena and he figured out, all by himself I might add, that he will need help. He walked over to the foam blocks, grabbed one to assist him in his dunking attempts....he still failed to make a basket, but the effort was definitely there!

February

Jack has recently decided that he is a reader. He will either grab a book or magazine and climb up into the large chair and start flipping through pages. His new favorite is the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition...seriously. I know Tom just loves this!
I am not sure why or how, but if Jack falls asleep in the car close to naptime he will not nap at all when we get home. This creates quite the obstacle when we meet others for lunch. Having Julie in the car to try and assist his staying awake is essential, although does not always yield success.

And finally, here is a video of Jack's new daredevil antics....he has decided to start jumping, or at least attempt, off of stairs. We have had some ouchies, but mostly just giggles of delight at his progress!

Long Absence!

Sorry, I have really, REALLY slacked on the updates. We are in the midst of trying to sell our house and all energy has been focused on projects...and let me tell you there is not much energy to be spoken of! Jack is doing fabulous...some brief moments of the terrible twos to come, but overall is doing well. Here are a couple of videos from my new flip video showing what crazy stuff is going on around our house!

Fashion Sense?

So Jack has decided that like his daddy, he loves hats....if he can get his hands on one it is surely to stay on his head. These are pictures from last week when he put on his hat, grabbed one of my purses and my keys and decided he was leaving for the day. Not so sure he has any fashion sense though, lets see if his sisters will be able to help him with that one!

On another note, here is one picture of Jack on a ride along tractor at the Mission Community Center. They have open play Tuesday-Thursday 9:30-11:30 for $2 a child. There are a million toys, bouncy houses and balls, etc... They are a wonderful place to go during this winter season for the kiddos to run off some energy; I highly recommend taking your children. Jack really enjoyed himself and was so tired on the way home that he promptly fell asleep before we had left the parking lot!

Cluck Cluck!

For Halloween Jack was a chicken! He really enjoyed the extra stuffing around his waist and kept waving his arms like a chicken, too cute!