Life with Toddlers

Time has gotten away from me as it has been SO long since I've been able to sit down and write.  These boys are sure keeping me busy!  They have such huge appetites I feel like I am cooking for them or feeding them all day long!  What a huge blessing, as we know so many micro preemies who have such difficulty with feeding.  Though we are still not able to drink from any form of cup/sippy cup/straw, I consider that to be so very minimal.

Both Warren and Dean are walking everywhere, climbing stairs, and getting in to EVERYTHING.  And once they find it, straight into the mouth.  Every toy, electronic device, ink pen, shoe, leave, and crumb must be tasted to make sure it's okay.  I remember when they were about 5-6 months old and not yet bringing hands to their mouth and how concerned we all were that they wouldn't have this oral learning stage.  Oh, how wrong we were!  I love watching them explore and learn, but I will be so excited to have this oral stage over so we can actually play outside.  Yesterday I had to pull a dead, dried worm out of Dean's mouth.  So gross.

Baby-proofing takes on a whole new level once children can climb.  Here's our week in review:

Yeah, I think that about sums it up!  I notice one particular face a little more often than the other...hmm...  Oh Dean, how many trips to the ER will we have with you during your childhood??  I've got to say, it is such a relief that Warren takes a few seconds to determine if the risk is worth the reward before jumping.  Dean, not so much.  Though they are clearly already working together to give me a heart attack.  "Don't worry brother, I'll shut the gate behind you.  Then Mom will never know!"  

But, what joy there is to see all these moments.  To know that our boys are thriving, walking, exploring, and wanting to learn.  We didn't know if they would survive in the womb, studied and poured over all the statistics as they reached each new week, trying to get as close to 28 weeks as we could for them to have the best outcomes.  I was prepared for surgeries, brain bleeds, delays, etc.  And yet, God continues to defy the odds as our little miracles move closer to catching up.