Bubbles

A few updates from the week:

PREGNANCY: I passed my diabetes test this week but not without a hiccup. The first time I took it I went to pre-register at the hospital while I waited the hour for the gross, sugary drink to get into my blood sugar. The meeting went a little long, which I didn't anticipate to be a problem. Well, it was. You have to check your blood sugar within five minutes of an hour, and I was late. So I got to go back with the girls on Wednesday morning and do it again.

FEVERS: The girls have each had a day this week when they've been running a fever. Really they've had no other symptoms besides being whiny, and thankfully the fevers only lasted a day for each of them. This was the first time Jenna's had a fever since her seizure, so it made us a little nervous trying to keep it down and then putting her to bed hoping her fever wouldn't spike and cause a seizure.

BUBBLES: This morning we blew bubbles outside, and although we're starting to get the hang of blowing, we still have a ways to go. That's pretty clear in these pictures which show the girls "blowing"!


Jenna (L) / Lydia (R)

I love my sister!

Jenna and Lydia seem to have a unique desire to take care of each other and be together. They do fight over toys but not as often as I expected. Whenever one gets a toy or drink, usually they ask for one for their sister. They also love to feed each other, tickle each other, hug and kiss each other, and sit next to each other. In fact, Jenna wears us out with the number of times she asks about her sister when they're apart. A new development this week: Lydia sits down then pats the spot next to her and says, "Sissy!" Also this week we were walking through a parking lot, and AJ and I each had the hand of one of the girls. We asked if they wanted to hold their sister's hand, and sure enough our family was a long chain walking hand-in-hand through the parking lot. Too bad I don't have a picture of that one! It's so fun to watch them loving on each other!


Hug!


Kiss!



Sitting on the step together



New songs, words, and animal sounds

Thankful again

Good news! Jenna's MRI came back normal! Now we will move on since there's no findable cause for her seizure. We were told this was the best news we could get, so we're very thankful. Thanks for your prayers and concern.

Here's a picture from today of the girls doing one of their new-found favorite things: crawling up on the couch and looking at books or a picture album of babies (themselves). Jenna's on the left and Lydia's on the right.

Girly girls and the end of a tradition

Over the last few months, AJ and I have been amazed at the love Jenna and Lydia have for girl things. Their current favorite words are baby and flower, and you can usually find them playing with babies along with headbands used as bracelets, a shopping cart, swing, or purse. We really don't think it was intentional on our part; they just seem to have been made with a desire to mother and look pretty.

Well, today I was painting my toenails while they played, and the girls came to observe. Many of you know that Jenna's toenails have been painted ever since we came home from the hospital. It's my primary method to prove that I've never switched them! Many people (especially kids) use Jenna's toenail polish to identify her. I'm sorry to say that will no longer work.

You see, Lydia just kept watching me then eventually took off her shoes and saying "toes, toes" while pointing at her's. I got the message. She wanted her toenails painted. It was a hard decision, but I gave in and told her to sit still and I'd paint her toes. Wow did she sit still! Her toenails look better than Jenna's ever have because she was so enthralled by the process. So it's official. Both of my identical twin girls have painted toenails. I don't think it will help, but Jenna's are pink and Lydia's are red. Oh my, what have I begun?!


Swinging babies--usually two at once


Jenna with her purse and shopping cart after I asked her to smile

Happy brithday, Will! We loved your birthday party!

Jenna, Leila, Taylor, and Lydia eating ice at Will's party


Thanks for coming for Labor Day Weekend, Grandpa and Grandma! We love you!

Jenna has her MRI (which she has to be sedated for) on Monday morning. Please be praying for a good report and a smooth process. If everything is clear, we are done with tests as a result of her seizure in May. Yea!

Midwest Vacation

We had a wonderful time on our midwest vacation earlier this month. We saw lots of dear friends, enjoyed the cool weather, and squeezed in lots of fun outings. The girls were such troopers, and it was fun to watch them observe and explore new things. We flew in and out of Chicago and went to Wisconsin and Minnesota in between. We saw the Friscos, Reimers, Deweys, Fielders, and Scharfs and enjoyed our time to catch up. We got to experience an arboretum, planetarium, aquarium, a field museum, the Hancock building, cute Door County villages, a bike ride, picnics with beautiful views, a cheese factory, a Twins game, a children's museum, and a zoo. Our time was full and fun!

Here's a couple funny stories about traveling with two little girls and lots of stuff. On our flight from Dallas to Chicago we ended up on different flights (long story, mostly about us being cheapskates and taking a headache for a good deal). So...my flight (with Jenna) landed about three hours after AJ and Lydia arrived in Chicago. Everything went fine until I had to add a carseat and a large suitcase to my already large load of Jenna, a small suitcase, a diaper bag, and my purse. I broke the rule about leaving bags unattended and eventually got us and our things to a set of chairs where we would spend the next 2 1/2 hours. It was especially interesting when I convinced myself a man was eying us so he could take my stuff when I turned my back to grab Jenna. Later he offered to watch our stuff if I needed to use the restroom or anything and assured me he was a minister and very trustworthy. He was. Jenna needed changed, and all my bags were there when I returned.

Then, in Chicago we used public transportation to travel downtown and had a hilarious moment. Somehow our stop snuck up on us, and we were rushing to get both girls, the stroller, diaper bag, and backpack off the train in time. Well, I got off holding both girls, and the doors closed behind me leaving AJ on the train with all our stuff. I felt panicked at first, but mostly it was just funny, especially since he got back to us in 15 minutes. Thank goodness.

There are too many great pictures to post them all, so click here: Picasa to see more.

Jenna's EEG and results

Yesterday we drove to Lubbock to take Jenna to see a pediatric neurologist. He was great, so helpful, listened carefully, then told us he recommended continuing with more tests. He wanted an EEG that day in Lubbock and an MRI later back in Midland. Traci (my sweet friend from my teaching days at DeZavala Elementary), who lives in Lubbock now, graciously watched Lydia for a large chunk of the day during the appointment then the unexpected EEG--thanks again Traci!

The EEG was a little traumatic for Jenna, but it went quite well. It's notable that it was NOT sleep deprived (keep a person up for 8-12 hours before the test) like we were expecting before seeing this doctor. First they had to put all the probes on her head, which took at least 30 minutes. She fussed through some of it, but it was far from the screaming we are used to when doctors mess with her. Then they needed 2 hours to video her while the EEG recorded. Thankfully, she fell asleep about ten minutes in and was allowed to sleep for one hour for the test. Once we woke her up, she laid very still for close to 25 minutes then ate, read books, played with toys before she realized all that was connected to her and started crying. It wasn't bad, though, because she only had 15 minutes left, and I was still able to hold her and sit with her while she stayed connected. AJ, Jenna, and I were all worn out by the end, but we were so thankful to have it over with! Here's our poor little thing all hooked up.

We were able to hear the results already today! The EEG was normal, which is a great indication that Jenna does not have epilepsy and that hopefully the seizure was a strange, one-time event. We're so grateful and relieved.

Today I heard that news right after playing for a funeral. I couldn't help but think what it would have been like to lose our sweet Jenna. Today I'm again overwhelmed with thanks to God that Lydia cried for no apparent reason that night and that we found Jenna before her aspirating took her life. It's sweet--when we left Lydia at Traci's house yesterday, Jenna kept asking about her sister and pointing to her carseat. I hope they always share that special bond.

Walking videos

I posted three new videos if anyone is interested. Lydia does a puzzle, and each of the girls take some steps. To see them, click here: youtube.com/ajandmegan.