Chazach: 11 month update

Zach and Chaz - sitting unassisted

GOOD NEWS: 
The pediatrician requested that the twins be observed by development specialists with a concern that they are slightly slower in development. The results show that they do NOT qualify for assistance because they fall within the "normal" range for 8 month olds (their adjusted age). This is good news!  They rate between the 14th and 42nd percentile for things like gross motor and fine motor skills but they are at 99.9%+ in social skills. Can anyone guess whose kids they are?! (Pretty good for having been locked away for most of their lives!). 
Since making that appointment they have progressed a lot. They are almost sitting unassisted and almost holding their bottles. They are excellent combat crawlers by pulling themselves around with their arms. They sleep well (from 8-7) and are beginning to play with each other. Chaz loves to play rough with Paxton; Zach prefers to watch. 

OTHER GOOD NEWS:
We have made it safely out of RSV season! We needed to keep Zach and Chaz away from crowds and sicky germs during the months of high risk to their sensitive lungs, but the virus numbers are low enough now that we can emerge from our cave. Which means we can go to church as a family! And to parties! And you can start inviting us over for dinner now! 

They fought ear infections which included diarrhea and vomiting for the past 2 weeks (which was probably harder on us than it was on them) but are now making up for lost time in their eating habits. Solid food skills are coming slowly but is on its way.

I can't believe we have been doing this for almost a year. James and I are off celebrating our 6th anniversary without the kids. Last year we celebrated while I was on bedrest in the hospital. Although the room service and "lovely Portland accommodations" were nice, it's much better being at Smith Rock than St. Vincent's. 

Full Body Art - Preschool Style

Painting a picture for Grandma slowly evolved into a hilarious and cute full body experience that I will remember forever.

First, I put my naked 2 1/2 year old into the bathtub with a few squirts of green paint (he was already painted with blue and green from the Grandma art project):

Then I had an idea... butt prints!:

We laughed hysterically the whole time. Especially when the paper got stuck in his crack.



The prints were so distinctive that they had to be turned into something. Behold:

 

Note: If you decide to try this, choose your type of paint with caution. I don't know much about paint but this stuff (I think it's regular acrylic paint?) slightly stained the tub. But that wont stop me from doing it again!! It's possible that our old cast iron tub just soaks up the color and it wont be a problem for regular fiberglass tubs. Plus, with a major paint project going on I didn't stop long to work on it.

Have fun!

My Day (a mom of twin infants and a toddler)

My Day.

7:24AM
Awoken by a toddler
Let him watch YouTube until a baby stirs
Change and feed the baby
The other baby wakes, put him in a swing
Make smoothies for Pax and me
Chug half the smoothie
Change and feed the other baby
Change my clothes while running from a roaring dinosaur
Haul all 3 kids downstairs (my warm up)
Successfully complete 20 min of my 30 min workout video in just under 55 minutes
Finish up by making a car out of Tinker Toys
Haul all 3 kids upstairs (my cool down)
Chug the other half of my smoothie while making snacks
Read books and act out characters
Change 3 diapers
Feed two babies
Bundle up babies and put them in bed
Realize one of them pooped
Change that baby again and put him in bed, both clearly tired but wide awake
Quickly shower
Hear Godzilla attacking the cribs
Stay in shower. As long as I hear crying I know they are still breathing
Console babies while still in towel
Bribe toddler to play quietly somewhere else
Realize the joke's on me
Put babies back in crib
Get dressed
Come out when I hear "Wake up babies! Wake up!"
Get amazed when I see both babies had fallen asleep in the midst of Godzilla; and STAYED asleep when he was pulling their eyelids open.
Sunshine outside. Lets have a picnic.
Bed time yet?
Nope. It's 11:30AM

Our Christmas Card That Wont Be Mailed This Year

Zach, Pax, and Chaz

Our 2012

January: Find out we are having twins! (Many mixed emotions about this)
February: Buy and move into our first house (and learn the hard, and cold, way that heating oil goes quickly).
March: Anatomy ultrasound: Two more boys!! Also, Courtney and Paxton stay a week in Medford so James can paint as much inside the house as possible w/o the two year old tornado to work around.
April: The amniotic sack of Baby A starts leaking and Courtney rushes to the hospital and doesn't return home for 6 weeks. We celebrate our 5 year anniversary at a "hotel" in Portland with "room service" (all paid for by health insurance!).
May: Courtney turns 30 in the hospital. May 27, Charles and Zachary arrive, Courtney is released from the hospital; Chaz and Zach remain in the NICU under great care.
June: Paxton turns 2. Chaz and Zach continue to grow.
July 15:  Zach comes home!!
August 15: Chaz comes home!!
September-December: A blur.

After 5 months combined of hospital stay, almost $1 million dollars in medical expenses, around 3,000 miles driven for medical purposes, and minimal psychotherapy for PTSD recovery, we have 3 healthy children, are debt free with a great job, and have 2 vehicles and a nice house. By God's grace we have family and friends who carried us through it all. Thank you, all, for your continued prayers and support of all kinds.

Merry Christmas from the Waltons


Photo: Zachary (7mo), Paxton (2 1/2) and Charles (7mo)

That’s Our House!

Months ago we started to consider buying a house. I met with a mortgage broker to see if it was even a possibility. We called a realtor and started scouting a real estate web site and soon a house popped up in Canby that I just KNEW was our house. I even exclaimed, “James! That’s our house!” It was the first one we looked at and within a few minutes of being there we decided to make an offer.

The house had only been on the market a few days but another offer was submitted on the same evening. The sellers chose the other buyers. I was a little confused; I just knew that was our house.

We continued to look at other houses but nothing compared to the location, quality, and size for the price of that first house. We looked at the house for sale next door; it was a great house but I knew I couldn’t live there because I didn’t want to hate my neighbors for living in “our house”. We made a few offers elsewhere but weren’t excited about them and were glad they didn’t get accepted. Then we found a fixer-upper just down the street.

Our offer was accepted on the fixer house and we entered the process. The contractors and sub-contractors came out to give us quotes on the remodel, and our realtor took our earnest money check up to the Beaverton office. After the contractors left the house I sat there with an uneasy feeling. I called Dave, the realtor, and asked, “did you turn in the check yet?” “No, I’m in the parking lot”. “Good,” I said, “don’t submit it. This isn’t right.”

We decided to pull our current offer and submit a lower offer just in case it was the price that I was feeling was so wrong. The next day, Dave called and said someone else offered higher and we didn’t get the house. “But…” he said,

“I have word from the selling agent of the first house that the other buyers couldn’t get financing and are about to pull their offer.”

“Great! That’s our house! Submit our offer again!” No need to discuss this with James; I knew we were in agreement.

Someone else submitted an offer also. Our wonderful realtor wrote a letter to the sellers describing us, in case that helped in the their decision.

It turns out the other people’s offer was a bit higher, but the sellers chose us.

Thank you, Lord, for letting us in on Your secrets, for guiding our ways, and for taking care of Your kids. You are good; may our lives in and out of this house reflect our thankfulness of your grace and mercy.

After a few months of paperwork, inspections, and repairs, we closed the deal on February 16, 2012.

That’s our house!

PS. For buying or selling a home, we suggest contacting David Peck, Realtor

Dizygotic What?

We found out on December 1 that we are having another baby. The first ultrasound was on January 9; it was a day that changed our lives forever.

I hadn’t been feeling nearly as miserable as I had been with Paxton. On the way up the hill to the clinic, I told James that I was preparing to hear that there was nothing in there. He agreed with me and we proceeded to the office.

Two months in a row previous to this pregnancy a cyst burst on my left ovary. As the ultrasound tech began her search on my abdomen I asked her to check out the ovaries to make sure they were clear; she kept silent. My mom, Paxton, and James were in the room with us and I tried to keep from crying as the technician pressed on my very full bladder for what seemed like an eternity, her continued silence making me even more concerned. Finally she said something.

“I have something else to tell you…”

I rose up to my elbows as my worst fear had been confirmed. “There’s nothing in there?”

She turned the screen to show me and said, “Here is baby number 1… and here is baby number 2.”

Say wha?!!!

My mom instantly burst into tears. So I cried. So Paxton started crying, not sure why we were crying but thinking it appropriate to join in. James just sat with his elbows on his knees and his rubbing his beard, every so often whispering, “Wow.”

We were flooded with emotions but only one word kept coming out of our mouths: Wow.

Since that day, I have gone through many phases that went something like this:

“WTF?!”

to

Blink…… Blink.

to

“We need a bigger car!”

to

“I’m going to be HUGE!”

and most recently, as we near the end of the first and exhausting/nauseating trimester, settling in to

“I hate being pregnant; its a good thing we're getting 2 for 1 because I am never doing this again.”



I know everything is going to be fine. I can come up with a gazillion Bible verses and promises that don’t actually make me feel any better because I have to process through this in my own way...with time. Having other people around me getting excited has been helpful. Having people offering help through the pregnancy and entering baby-mode has been relieving. But ultimately, I am just very aware of the fact that God gave us 30 weeks to adjust to this big news and for that I am very thankful.

It takes a lot for me to throw my hands up and give my life to the Lord because I’m a pretty capable person. But this? This was a zinger. And it’s exactly what He meant to do.

Somehow that gives me the most peace.

"Pre" means "before" (not "during")

The Circumstance
I haven't journaled since Nov 13. That's over 2 weeks ago. Part of my reasoning for blogging was to have an added motivation to consistently be in the Word and journaling. The last two weeks, however, have be like floating on clouds. I haven't needed to 'cry out to the Lord' with my frustrations or doubt or self pity; I have been pleasantly enjoying life, family, friends, and daily tasks. Yesterday I even thought, "Why did I ever feel like I needed to go to Library story times or Women's Bible Study? It just takes away so much time I could be spending with Paxton. We have so much fun together why would I want to be anywhere else?". And for me, it's hard to sit myself down and read and journal when life is pleasant. Does that mean I haven't read my Bible in 2 weeks? Honestly, yes. I have glanced, but I certainly haven't been preparing for battle. Now here I am, sitting in the lobby during Bible Study reading the Bible and journaling. Why? Rough morning all around! I had to pass Paxton off to someone else before things got ugly. Its times like these that send me to the Word in desperation.

The Word
Eph 6:17-18
And take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

The Application
A wise person prepares for battle before going into battle. Learning how to use the sword before needing to use it is how real warriors fight. Russel Crowe didn't just sit around on his break times and expect to be the top gladiator once he entered the ring. He trained. The high school jocks who sleep in on Saturdays don't get recruited to the best colleges; it's the guys to wake up early and train every morning, even in the off season, who do. This makes me think, "If I am consistent in the Word and pray always in the Spirit, being watchful for days like these, would I be able to handle these moments with more self control, emotional stability, grace, and love?". Yes, because it's all about me and how I choose to let the Holy Spirit work in me. (Note: these times wont be taken away, I'll just be more equipped to handle them). But it's not about me at all, it's about the Lord and what He wants. For me as a parent, it would be really hard if Paxton only came to me when things were awry. I love it when he runs to me and smothers me with sloppy kisses when he's happy or when he enjoys something and he wants to show me. If I then being human and limited in love feel like this, how much more will my Father in heaven desire to spend time with me and to share in my joy?