18 months (14 months adjusted)

I am long overdue on posting.  I've been lazy lately.  I've spent lots of time reading everyone else's blogs, but I haven't given my own any attention. 

Well, Camdyn and Cade are now 18 months old.  It's hard to believe they are that old (especially since Camdyn is the size of a 6-9 month old).  They are definitely in the toddler stage now.  They get into everything and make a huge mess all over the house!

Camdyn - Camdyn now weighs 17 lbs. 8 oz.  She hasn't gained much since her last weight check.  I don't know how she doesn't gain weight.  She eats great now and drinks high calorie Pediasure all throughout the day.  We are still adding oil and butter to most all of her food.  It is becoming hard to find clothes that fit her properly now.  They make baby clothes for chubby babies.  Everything falls off her shoulders and looks wide.  She would fit best into a 6-12 month SLIM size, and even though the waist of 6-12 month pants fits her, the length isn't long enough.  We need to be able to shop in the petite baby section!

Camdyn walks everywhere now.  Her gross motor skills look very good.  Her next goals in PT will be walking on uneven surfaces and kicking a ball.  She is doing a good job in OT as well.  Her personality gets in her way on these tasks though.  She sees no point in stacking objects that she would rather keep for herself or handing the therapist an object.  She also sees no point in putting shapes in the shape sorter when she can just open the top and drop them in that way.  I think that's advanced thinking!  Smart girl!  Camdyn's biggest challenge right now is speech.  She seems a bit stuck in this area.  She says only a handful of words, and she doesn't mimic many sounds or attempt to say words or sign.  She gets very frustrated and will not cooperate.  Her speech therapist is going to consult with her occupational therapist to create a plan of how to best help her in this area.  They think it may be partly sensory related.  I think it has more to do with her very stubborn personality.

Cute things:  Camdyn loves to be tickled and has a robust laugh for such a tiny girl.  It is so joyous to hear that belly laugh of hers.  I love how she'll come over to sit on my lap for just a few seconds in the middle of playing before returning to whatever she was doing.  After a few of our mommy & me music classes, she has learned how to do the gestures for "Itsy Bitsy Spider," so she'll come over to me with her tiny little thumbs pressed together wanting me to sing the song.  She doesn't have many words or signs, but she can "tell" me this very clearly.  I love it!  In other cute news, she is almost growing enough hair for a ponytail.  I can't wait to put her hair in a little ponytail with a bow!

This is Camdyn's foot now compared to her footprint when she was 5 days old.  To understand just how tiny that footprint is, her foot now is still only the size of my palm!

Above is Cade's foot now compared to his footprint when he was only 5 days old.  When I compare their footprints, Cade's seems so much bigger, when, in reality, he was only 6 ounces bigger at 1 lb. 8 oz. 

Cade - Cade has gained a good amount since his last weight check.  He now weighs 21 lbs. 10 oz.  He gained 1 lb. 10 oz.!  That's a great gain.  Cade now loves to eat.  Back in January when we were at the hospital for his g-tube surgery, I would have never imagined that we would be where we are now.  I feel so blessed.  At just about every meal, I thank God that my son eats!  Not only does he eat, he eats a lot.  I hope he continues to eat well and gain weight well.  He is still very skinny.  He could definitely use a few more pounds.  All of his jeans fall right off.  He also needs a SLIM size in baby clothes.  He is as tall as most 12-14 month olds with the waist of a skinny 6 month old!

Cade has made amazing progress in all areas recently.  He also walks everywhere now.  He is still a little unstable at times, but he has the walking thing down.  I don't think I ever posted a video of him walking, so here's an old one from last month.  He has improved a ton since we took this.  He is doing great in OT as well.  He loves stacking objects, putting shapes in the shape sorter, and figuring out how all the toys work.  Cade has the patience to sit down and figure out how all the toys work, while Camdyn just gets frustrated and says, "forget it."  Cade has also made a lot of progress in speech in the last few weeks.  He is saying a lot more and likes to mimic sounds.  Hopefully, his sister will start talking a lot more too.



Cute things:  Cade loves when I give him "neck kisses".  He thinks it is hilarious.  I love it too!  He starts laughing so hard that he becomes inaudible (from the vocal cord paralysis).  Maybe I should be a little sad by this as it is a sign that the vocal cord doesn't work, but the way that his face lights up when he is laughing so hard brings me so much joy.  I am going to have to try to record it and post it.  Below is a cute smiling picture of Cade.  His cousin, Brylee, was making him laugh.

Aunt BB is also great at making them laugh.

In non-baby news, I had the chance to go to Las Vegas with my sister last week.  She had to go for a work conference, and I got to tag along which meant the room was free!  We had so much fun.  It was my first vacation since having the babies, and I loved it.  It was nice to have time to put on make-up, get dressed, and fix my hair!  I didn't have to change diapers, pack diaper bags, school bags, or lunch boxes, go to any appointments (besides a spa appointment- woohoo!), push a double stroller, bathe anyone, dress anyone, or feed anyone.  It was a very nice break, but I was ready to come home and love on my kids.  I didn't miss changing diapers, but I did miss all of them!