Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Smiles and Parker lover her sister (A post from Mary Jane)

The girls started smiling and cooing in the past two weeks. It is awesome. I love it. I have attempted several times to capture their smiles on film, but it isn't too easy. Emma Jane started doing all of this first (ironically when she stopped eating- she had better things to do than eat. The girl loves to smile.) but Parker now has a lot to say and makes noises all day long. Here is are the best pictures I have so far... although I WILL get better ones:




Parker also has started licking everything... including her sister...




Then she felt bad for making Emma Jane cry and made it up to her by falling asleep on her (P.S. I didn't position them like this... it was all on their own).


As far as an eating update... Emma Jane seems to be doing better these last couple of days. We have been to the pediatrician and nothing seems to be wrong with either one of them except for a lack of desire to eat. Parker is now taking her turn (again) and appears to never be hungry. It is so frustrating. I have the dietitian telling me not to force feed them, only feed them when they seem hungry, etc... and then the pediatrician (and myself) knowing how much they need to take eat in a day in order to gain some good weight. I have relaxed the feeding schedule as much as I can, but I have several forces working against me. One, there are two of them and they need to eat roughly at the same time or else they are going to snack and eat at all hours of the day. Two, they are still so small and I am sure everyone who has ever had a preemie knows all you want them to do is gain weight. And three, lots of times babies with reflux don't show as many signs of hunger and only eat until the initial hunger feeling is gone- that is textbook what Parker does. She eats exactly the same amount and then the fight begins to get the rest down... I am supposed to make eating a "fun and bonding time", but no matter what I try... the result is the same- a battle of the will between me and Parker. Sometimes I don't know if she won't eat because it hurts or won't eat because she doesn't want to. Its hard to stay frustrated at her though. Lots of times as soon as I take the bottle out of her mouth, she smiles. And she is very happy and cute and fun when she isn't eating! All this is to say, prayers for Parker (and Emma Jane) to eat are appreciated.

In other news, I realize Jason never posted that we are officially done with the eye doctor!!!!!! The girls eyes look normal and we only go back for a routine check in 6 months. The good news is when we go back for that, they don't have to use the barbaric looking torture devices to look in their eyes.

Those are all the updates I think. I am going to go sleep for a few more hours. Happy reading...

2 comments:

Scott and Valerie Akerson said...

Hi Mary Jane
We still have to meet in person and the weekend you braved it with the girls I wasn't there. God doesn't have it in His plans for us to meet yet. Anyway I was reading this post and feeling like I wrote it 2 years ago. I am sure Jason has shared with you our ups and downs with Camryn and her eating. Anyway, no one ever seems as uptight about it as a mother. Don't get me wrong, Scott and I handle things together and almost always see eye to eye on things, but with this issue I personalized so much of it as a failure on my part and I am hear to tell you that it is not your failing and that things will improve. God bless you guys!
Valerie Akerson

Alexis Case said...

Hello my name is Alexis Case.
I am one of Emily Waldrops Friends. And i think it preety amazing how they grew an devrything. I'v been praying that they would grow to get better and would make it. well congrats.