Adventures in Preemie Outings #5: GI and Crash Bang!

Hi Everyone!
Cameron is typing the vowels while Evan is typing the consonants because Mommy is too sleepy to send out the update tonight. We kept her up aaaalllll last night fussing and whining and fussing some more.

Friday we ran errands to the mall in the wee early hours of the mall opening so that we'd avoid as many people as possible. That was nice and we had fun looking at all the sights. Many people liked to stop and stare but thankfully no one came to close. Saturday we had a great visit with Uncle Mike and Aunt Val and we were really well behaved then too, eating all of our bottle and hardly crying at all and even went to bed on time without a peep so that the grownups could actually have a nice evening to chat and play Banjo Kazooie.

We had such a great visit with Mommom & Poppop on Sunday. And it was great with Uncle Ray and Auntie Jenny at Bertucci's after we left Mommom & Poppop's too. Both of us slept and were in good moods the whole day, Cameron even ate his whole bottle at lunch. Bertucci's was fun because we got to watch another baby, Julian from accross the table. Mommy and Daddy had a great time being out like normal grown ups with Uncle Ray and Auntie Jenny, and Mommy is super excited about the extra clothes Julian gave us!! He's a snappy dresser. We like visiting and can't wait to do more of it once RSV season is over.

But today was only a so-so kind of day because we had our GI appointment at the University of Maryland. We were good boys but Cameron didn't want to eat his bottle in the doctor's office, and we thought it was great fun that both of us got to make a very smelly poo-poo surprise for the doctor to see. They are going to bump our caloric intake from about 22 calories in formula (takes 16 scoops of formula for 32 ounces of water) to 30 calories in formula (which will take 24 scoops of 32 ounces of water), which means we'll go from one and a half large cans of formula every day and a half to at least two cans every day and a half. At $29 a can that's a lot of formula. Yikes! Hope we like it.

We'll do this for about three weeks to see if we gain more weight and determine if our weight gain problem is also a metebolic issue as well as a reflux issue. At our next appointment they will see how much we gain and then talk about putting us on a allergen free soy based formula that requires a perscription so hopefully the insurance will pay for it because that can be upwards of $45 a can. Double Yikes! We'll also do blood work at that next visit to rule out infections and talk about other medications that might work, though it seems like they are happy that we're doing well with Prevacid. We like our cherry flavored nom-noms.

On our way home from the GI today we had quite an adventure. We were rear ended in a fender bender just a few blocks from the house. The poor lady behind us didn't realize we'd had to stop for someone ahead of us and she smacked real hard into our bumper. Every one is okay, we slept through it, and the damage is pretty minor. But poor Mommy is still a little shaken up because she saw it coming and couldn't do anything about it. It's okay though, we'll let her drive our red exersaucer car until she can convince Daddy to get her a new Toyota Sienna. Our exersaucer car goes real fast, makes vroom-vroom sounds, and bounces up and down. And it's made of plastic just like Aunt Val's car so it won't dent like Mommy's car did. :-P

Tomorrow we have our third shot to protect us from RSV but we're not looking forward to that because it really hurts. And on Wednesday we go back to University of Maryland for our 9 month old NICU follow up. Hopefully they will tell the state to give us more physical therapy.

That's all we have time to tell you about because Mommy and Granny Cathy said it's time for bed. Big hugs and slobbery kisses to everyone.

Love,
Cameron & Evan

Adventures in Preemie Outings #4 - LEGO Mania

On Saturday morning we decided that we need to get out of the house yet again and are feeling particularly brave. My husband is still in love with LEGOS and has read in the paper that there is a LEGO BrickFair about an hour and a half away in Northern VA. It's in a Sheraton hotel and we thought it would be nice get out and see some stuff besides the mall. Here's the link so you can see what we went to: http://www.brickfair.com/

We weren't sure what to expect, a big convention in the grand ball room or a small local dork fest in the basement. Either way it would be nice to stroll around looking at people's LEGO creations and marvel at the many hours spent staring at little plastic cubes.

We had a mission, a plan of attack and were ready to face the world. Our main concern was pushing the long-hauler mack truck stroller through a room full of tables with precariously positioned LEGOmania. In a stroke of brilliance Drew says we need a baby carrier! Off to Once Upon A Child consignment to pick up a cheap baby carrier. Out of the dozens of different ones to choose from we got a perfectly good though slightly worn Baby Bjorn for only $25. A far better deal than paying the full $80 to $130 at the store. I already had a Moby Wrap that I'd picked up at Target on a whim and because I had read it was good for preemies and reflux. This would be perfect: Drew can carry the chunky monkey with all his gear (oxygen, apnea monitor) as Cameron's now above the weight limit for a Bjorn carrier. I will deftly bundle tiny Evan to my chest in the as yet only tested once Moby Wrap and carry the diaper backpack. Now we could maneuver without making the customary beep-beep-beep of the reversing and turning of our extra long stroller.

We "throw" the kids in the mom-mobile and off we go. The car ride was uneventful except to say that the Volkswagen commercial has a wise parent on their marketing team. Just like in the commercial at every light we came to someone in the back seat started to fuss. As soon as the car hit 55mph they would settle right down. Future race car drivers! But there were moments when even mom's wicked radical driving skillz couldn't entertain the boys and they would begin their version of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" which sounds nothing like the version I know. I must be getting old. Their version has a lot more flats and sharps and can really hit some pitches, though the boys know how to do rounds pretty well and can harmonize nicely if they time it. Anyway, a note to new parents: There is a purpose for your AM radio besides baseball. That static is intentionally played so that parents can turn it on very loud and the babies in the car will fall right asleep. Works almost every time!

Upon arrival to the BrickFest hotel we realize we underestimated the magnitude of the event. This was not just your local Days Inn, this was THE SHERATON of Tysons Corners VA. Swanky nice place. And this was not your average Dork Fest as we had thought it might be. This was the Mother of All that is Holy and LEGO. And it was jam packed with parents, grandparents, and tons of KIDS!!! Germy, loud, oblivious to others Kids.
This is a great place to bring preemies! The line for tickets was out the door and down the hotel driveway. Parking was full so we drove two blocks and realized that we'd prefer to take the stroller because of the distance we had to park.

Getting into the very noisy lobby was a mess and Drew waited in line to get the tickets while I took eht boys to get freshened up and look for a place to sit and feed them before going into the convention hall. Finding the bathroom for the diaper change was tricky because the elevators to the restrooms were so packed with people by the time they were empty for us to get on the doors would close. And no one thought to lend a hand and hold the doors so they wouldn't slam on the stroller. Oh nooooo... That would be too thoughtful. DON'T YOU PARENTS REMEMBER THOSE DAYS!?!?!?! Finally made it to the diaper change and headed back to the lobby and both of us noticed there were several parents with double side by side strollers looking m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e and we decided that the carriers were the best thing.

Drew ran the stroller back to the car, moved the van to a much closer spot and dashed back. We fed the boys and during that time had a nice mom of twin 3 year old girls come up and ask permission to see the babies. Very thoughtfully she explained to the girls how they shouldn't get close, no touching, use soft voices for babies. It was refreshing to see someone who understood. And then we geared up for battle, I mean LEGO viewing chaos.

I have to tell you first that using a Moby Wrap is not for the feint of heart. The thing is 30 feet of quality cotton that you fold in half and pretzel twist around your body then insert hot stuffy baby. Once it's on it is soooo nice. Except that it's very hot. Sauna hot. I was really worried that I'd over heat Evan. But he instantly fell asleep which apparently, according to the instruction book, is the sign that you put it on right. Drew hooked up our brand new-ish Baby Bjorn and inserted Cameron who instantly started to wail. It never occurred to us that his inguinal hernia would not appreciate this contraption but in hindsight we probably won't be doing this until after we see the pediatric urologist. He did settle down and fall asleep. Drew then used his Camel Back water bag for hiking to hold the oxygen tank (fits perfectly) and then hung the apnea monitor over one shoulder. Here we go!


The convention was awesome and huge. There were over 12,000 square feet of space filled with tiny and massive LEGO creations, some from pre-designed kits but most from the imaginations of the Brick Builders (that's LEGO construction nerds call them selves). I'll post a few of the pics at the end of this posting. There were independently made stop animation LEGO movies being presented for viewing. There were huge LEGO cranes lifting banners. There were huge train sets, towns, chess sets and robots even a large cut away replica of the Nebeconezer from The Matrix. My husband was in dork heaven. I loved the castles with moving people, the working lit up carousel, the miniature city and town scapes, the dioramas of movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones, and the giant replica of he apartment high rise from The Jettsons cartoon. We couldn't fit in the Great Ball room where they had motorized sets moving objects like raquet balls, steal ball bearings and marbles around the room.

The whole place was very hot and very very crowded with germy people, kids everywhere. There were a few times where it was wall to wall people around us and visions of, of losing my balance or of sick babies were running through my mind. What were we thinking??? I had assumed that it would be big open aisles and lots of space but hadn't thought how crowded it would be. And being double wide with a baby in the front and gear on the back we both were anxious the whole time. We got lots of looks, and a couple of twin parents of teenagers assured us with knowing smiles the it gets better. I made them pinkie swear on it.

The boys slept through all of it. Eventually we made it down stairs to the area where they were playing the movies and it was much cooler. We changed the boys diapers and Evan was soaked both from sweat from him and I and from peeing out his diaper. (The fifth one in a row, time to go up a size I think). Cameron was happy to stretch out and be off of Daddy's sweaty chest. After we cooled off and freshened up it was time to go home.

There was another more enthusiastic round of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" from the babies most of the way home. It was a relief to be home. The boys thought so too and gave us hell about dragging them to NerdFest. Upon our return home it was their early dinner and they wanted nothing to do with it. They screamed inconsolably for over two hours and barely ate anything at all. Finally they were spent and fell asleep so hard that they used their amazing superhero Sleep While Eating abilities for their late dinner and barely woke up for the Midnight Meal. It's now 8am Sunday morning and they are still fussy but napping after a decent breakfast at 4am. Hopefully we'll get back on track this next bottle.

There is an extra price to pay for an outing like this... Overstimulated, over tired, over cranky babies. I only hope they didn't bring home any souvenirs like the flu or a cold, but we were as careful as could be and can't live in a bubble as much as I think we should. Besides once RSV comes there won't be trips to anywhere for a long time. Crossing my fingers.... I didn't think we could, but maybe we'll tackle our annual trip to our local Maryland Renn Fest this year after all.

Adventures in Preemie Outings #3 - Not So Silent and Almost Deadly

If you frequent Annapolis Mall, and plan on doing this in the next 24 hours, then consider this edition of Preemie Adventures a friendly warning. It's the least we could do for our loyal readers.

It's been such a lovely weekend outside but still just a little too warm and sticky and buggy to stay out too much. The mall is really the only temperature controlled environment that a stroller can go. And surprisingly it wasn't as crowded as we expected. We made the circuit of the mall and closing out our final lap we had to visit the Halloween Shoppe (it's freaking August people!!) as it's our favorite holiday. My dear husband has some crazy Halloween costume making skillz which I hope to showcase in another posting one day.

By this point we'd already been in the mall quite some time and had no agenda other than to stroll around, eat Auntie Annie's pretzels and drink lemonade, gafaw at the ridiculously adorable and expensive Janie & Jack baby clothes, and avoid the stares of strangers. After we'd just visited the Halloween Shoppe we noticed the Christmas Shoppe was right across the way (again, still August!!). Oh, and why do they spell it Shoppe instead of Shop like the rest of the world??

Anyway, it was a much larger store than the Halloween Shoppe and very empty of both items for sale as well as patrons for crowding. The bonus was it was nice and cold too. We could feel the air pouring out of the store entrance into the main thoroughfare. If you've read my earlier Preemie Adventure posts you'll agree this is a perfect place for both my big wheel long-hauler monster stroller and my polar bear-like husband, who prefers sub-arctic temperatures year round.

It was great. No other customers. Lots of space to do wheelies and stroller donuts without crashing into kitchy displays. There were lots of shiny things for the boys to look at too. The shoppe keeper lady was very nice, did the compulsory ooh and aww. She did ask the question "Are they twins?" (cringe, well duh? There are two of them.) Smile and respond "Yes, two boys" and some of the other typical niceties. During all of this chatter Drew, my husband, had been holding Evan in his arms because he was fussy and tired of being in his car seat. Actually, they both hate their car seats. And it's very difficult for them to pass gas in their car seats. Evan had been tooting his little six pound butt audibly all through the mall.

That's when Drew got a smartass smirk on his face and a proud Daddy glint in his eye and whispers to me, "It's not me, I swear! That one took all of twenty seconds for him to pass." I walk over to check Evan out and oh the smell!! It FILLED the store. Near by delicate ornaments were just wilting away. The poor shoppe keeper didn't say a word. I'm certain she thought it was one of us, but probably not the smallest baby she'd ever seen. It made my eyes water. Daddy was so proud he could hardly contain his fits and snorts of giggles as we left the store.

We really enjoyed our time in the Christmas Shoppe. It's a lovely store. But be forewarned, if you are planning to visit there you may want to give it some time to air out. Just saying... :- P

Happy 4th of July! Preemie Adventure #2

Happy 4th of July!

First let us start off by thanking Auntie Kirsten Stone for our totally awesome personalized bibs! They are way cool and now the boys can't fight over who's bib is whose.

This weekend was not the best weekend to show the boys their first holiday outside since coming home from the NICU. It was too hot, rainy, muggy and fireworks can scare the begeesuz out of a preemie. So we stayed in.

On Friday we did try our first trip to Arundel Mills mall which went very smoothly and no weirdo questions from anyone. Thankfully it wasn't crowded at all. We don' mind the standard ones, but some people will ask some odd questions. I am getting used to covering the car seats with blankets so people can't get a good look at the boys. It makes me feel like they're on display, and they both have their own issues that are glaringly obvious. This also works to keep them from being overstimulated with the sights and lights. It also keeps them warmer, which has a downside because the mall isn't well air conditioned and we were all burning up, especially in the stores with their overabundance of lighting.

Our adventure out wasn't that big a deal but more of a way to fend off some cabin fever without the kids coming into close contact with too many people. It was nice. But I do have a complaint to retail store owners everywhere. Stop putting random odd shaped crap in the aisles on the floor!! Sure it might be decorative but damn if it isn't a PITA to get around the store. There were so many stores (Pier 1, Kirkland's, and Carter's are major offenders) that have narrow cluttered aisles that we couldn't get 10 feet into the store. And I know my stroller is really really long, but it has a really great turn radius and is only as wide as our bathroom doorway and we still couldn't get down most aisles. It's really nice to set the store up with those walkways all akimbo with islands of tables and displays in random places but it's impossible to maneuver around. And it's really sad because all I could think was some person in a wheel chair can't shop comfortably in these places because they can't get even as far as we can with our stroller because a wheel chair is wider than our stroller.

Anyway, that won't stop us from perfecting our going-out-abilities. It really is a production to get out the door. Once Cameron can get off his oxygen we'll all breathe a collective sigh of relief (pun intended) because one major hurdle every day and all day is how to get around with his tubes and wires. If we could just eliminate the need for the oxygen assistance we'll be a thousand times happier. We're constantly trying to figure out how much portable oxygen he has, how long that will last, where we can go that won't be a breathing issue for the babies (try shopping for large area rugs with a baby in tow).

All in all it was a nice afternoon out. It will be a few more days before we try another one.

I hope everyone had a pleasant and inexpensive holiday weekend!!

Adventures in Preemie Outings... Edition #1

This was my first adventures in Preemie Outings
that I emailed out to friends and family:

I'm going to take Jenny's advice (thanks Jenn!) and start a blog so that you
guys can keep tabs on the crazy antics of the Mettee spawn. But in the mean
time I thought I'd share our first public outing experience with you because I
think you guys are all great, care about the boys so much, and can appreciate
how crazy things can get. It's a very different life now.

The Pediatrician said to get out of the house so we made our first trip to the
mall here in Annapolis on Thursday.

Wow, was that an adventure in stress. It only took two hours to get in the car,
and within the first 5 min. in the mall we felt like a neon sign with our huge
really long bright red and black infant carrier stroller. Then the freak show
started when people thought we had normal newborn twins noticed that one had
oxygen and a monitor (looks of pitty), then gasped at the other baby's 3lb size.
One teenage girl said to Drew "Why does he have tubes up his nose?" to which he
answered and then she wandered off telling her schmuck boyfriend how she wants babies.

But there were a lot of "Oh twins! You're doubly blessed!", we like that one
because it's so genuine and sweet. Then there's "Wow, they're so tiny! (insert
startled look here)" or "How old? But when were they born? (insert long story
about preemie birth here)"... Then they have to know their birth weights and how
much are they now, what are their names, two boys??, yadda yadda yadda. One lady
asked the usual questions and when she found out how old they were she just had
to show us her baby girl who's almost the same age and 12lbs for comparison. Our
boys combined weight is only a little over 9lbs. That was really depressing.

But the worst was some woman did a triple take and actually had to come back and
ask if Evan was real. I wanted to reply "No, it was a BOGO at Babies R Us so we
took two of everything...". We felt so weird being an attraction walking down
the mall and into stores. Women and old ladies just couldn't help themselves!
I've heard other moms talking about all this happening, and now it was our turn.
Boy was it really uncomfortable. And we just have to get used to it because
that's our life now.

But there were some good moments and luckily no one tried to get too close to
the boys. We were looking for a family restroom to change the boys and a couple
with kindergarten aged twin boys let us have it before them because they said
they understood we needed it more. That was really nice.

The day ended in my first (and hopefully last) dumb Mommy moment. We went to go
feed the boys their bottles and found out that I forgot the nipples. Panic!!
Luckily there was a high end, very expensive baby store near by that I was able
to buy a couple of Dr. Brown's with slow flow nipples, and some Medela quick
steam bags, and the shop girl let me use their store microwave and VOILA! Clean
bottles. The feeding was only 45min late. But we made it.

After that fiasco we went home. Not going to try that again for a couple more
weeks. I just need to build up the courage. It's very draining and a lot of work to
pull off, on top of mentally taxing. This is not for the faint of heart, just when you
think you have everything thought through your realize you have no idea what
you're doing.

Oh, and everyone assumed that Cameron is a girl just because he's wearing
yellow. We found it funny and plan on putting Evan in something gender neutral
next time to see if people will assume he's a girl too. For those who've chosen
not to know the baby's gender and go with neutral colors, do you feel awkward
when strangers mistake your baby for the wrong gender? No that it's an issue,
but It seemed weird to us because to us Cameron looks like a boy.

Okay, so that's our latest adventure. I will start working on the blog with
more photos this week. Today Drew's parents get to meet the boys for the first
time since they were in their isolettes in the NICU. This should be fun!