Pre-Op Physical

Today I took Evie to Christ Hospital for her pre-op physical. She was really, really good--I was surprised--since she didn't take a good nap til we were on the way home, she hadn't eaten much, and we waited a long time for various procedures.

She didn't like it when the nurse practitioner examined her, or when the nurses drew blood, but other than that she was as cute as can be. She was charming the other people in the waiting room, as well as the ladies at the check-in station. Then while we were in our little room, some nurses that didn't even have anything to do with us were stopping by to see "the cute pretty little baby."
She is scheduled for surgery on Monday, June 2 at 11:30 am. We were hoping she would be the first one of the day, but it didn't work out that way (the nurses told me they take the youngest and /or most complicated baby first). We hope this surgery won't take as long as the February one (6 hours)! We will live-blog the surgery again, so watch this space on June 2 and say an extra prayer for Evie!

The Gift of Giggles

Today is our 9 year wedding anniversary! The kids did something totally sweet...this is just about the cutest thing they have ever done. I just walked into the room and they were doing this. I don't even have words to describe how adorable this is:

Francis thinks they are sharing an inside joke. I'm serious when I say they have their own language!

Mom's Day Out

Last Saturday, my cousin Susan married her fiance Dennis in Milwaukee. David, Brad, Diana, Kevin & I all piled into Di & Kevin's new Toyota FJ Cruiser and headed north. It was the longest I have ever been away from the kids...and I survived! It was a beautiful day (pish-posh on everyone who says it always rains on Memorial Day weekend) and I had a great time with my cousins, aunts, uncles, & siblings!

Francis and Nana & Grandpa Cermak watched the twins for the day...they survived too!







And I couldn't pass up posting this - Diana was attempting to take a picture of all of the snacks that David brought for the ride, when she realized the camera was on the wrong setting...

Evie's Next Surgery

We have been given a surgery date for Evie: June 2. This will be another unifocalization surgery - just like the one she had in February, except this time her surgeon will fix the blood vessels that connect to her left lung.

We have mixed feelings about seeing her go through surgery again - we know it is necessary and she did show a huge improvement after the first one. It is just so hard to watch her as she first recovers, feeling weak and fighting to get better. Please pray that she gets to come home after one week this time instead of two, and that she pulls through the procedure like a champ!

She has had a lot of energy lately...here she is kicking her legs just about as hard as we've ever seen her do it!




"Daddy, I think you should go with the yellow striped tie instead of these dots."


"Hello to all my fans out there in blog-land!"


"So many toys...but I want to play with my dolly."


"Hey Evie - Mom's holding that shiny silver box again. You're supposed to look at it."

"I know Gavin, but I'd rather look at my mobile right now!"

Here she is, quite interested in Daddy's hair and ear.

Mr. 95

Gavin had a physical last week, and he weighs 18 lbs 9 oz, and is 29 inches long (or as Grandma Cordes says, he's 2 feet 5). He is in the 50th percentile for weight & the 95th percentile for height - this means he weighs more than half the babies his age (and half weigh more than him), and he is taller than 95% of babies his age! We aren't too surprised at this, since Francis is 6 feet, I am 5'10", and all the men in my family are at least 6'1". Gavin's toe actually popped through his footed sleeper yesterday too.


"Well, of course I'm sitting up by myself!"


"That's no big deal - I 've been sitting up by myself for weeks already!"

Here's Gavin getting ready to crawl... time to set up gates and put latches on the cabinet doors!




Hanging out with Daddy on Saturday morning.

Twins' First Road Trip

Last Saturday, our longtime friend, Caresse, earned her PhD from Northern Illinois University and had a party to celebrate. Awesome job, Caresse - we are very proud of you!!! We loaded the twins into the car and headed to Dekalb to join in the fun.

Neither of the twins slept in the car. Luckily, Gavin had taken a 2 hour nap at home, so he was in a good mood. Evie was fussy though and had to take a nap while we were there, which she wasn't happy about. We stayed as long as they were both good, and then we had to head home to feed them and put them down to bed.

It was great to see so many of our friends and their own children, as it's been several months since we've been social. You forget how much fun it is to see everyone and how much their kids have grown. Baby Evie also has a special hello to her friend, Katie Leslie, whom she finally got to meet (very briefly!) for the first time.


Caresse with her daughter, Amelia - cute as a button and looks just like her Mom!


Uncle Mark with Evie... she didn't cry when he held her (like Gavin did!) It turned that Gavin just needed to be held so that he was facing away from Mark for awhile, and then he was fine!


Uncle Mark holding Gavin - all smiles now! Caresse's husband, Christian, is in the background.


We also got meet our friend Beth's new baby, Frankie (age 7 weeks)! He was adorable!


"So many people holding me! Can I go back to sleep now, Mom?"


Francis holding Frankie


Gavin was very interested in Beth's cold bottle of beer! Don't get any ideas, young man!

Storytellers

Evie & Gavin have had quite a lot to say lately. They will babble and sing to each other, their toys, whoever happens to be around, etc. I really think they are communicating in their own baby language!

Here, Evie has an important story to tell Uncle David:

And Gavin has to tell his version of it, complete with screeching sound effects:

One of their favorite things to chew on are these extra rings that you can buy (for the activity mat, or to hang things anywhere you want.) Never mind all the teething toys that Daddy brings home for them!

Gavin & Daddy

As you know, the twins are putting everything in their mouths lately. Gavin decided, "Daddy's face looks like it would be good to chew on!"



Gavin chomped down hard on Daddy's nose - it looks like Francis is in pain, and he really was!


"Ill go a little easier on your cheek."


"I love you, Daddy!"

Talking & Laughing

Last Friday when Francis got home from work, the twins were so happy to see him that they couldn't stop giggling and squirming happily in their pack-n-play:



Evie has been very talkative lately. Here she is working on new sounds:



Here she is laughing at Daddy:

Friday Cuteness

A Visit with Auntie Di & Uncle Kevin

This weekend, Auntie Di & Uncle Kevin visited us and helped Francis put up some wood molding in the living room. Diana & I took the kids out for a walk while the guys used the noisy nail gun and air compressor. The kids were on their best behavior the whole time!


Evie & Uncle Kevin


Gavin & Auntie Di


Evie hanging out in the living room


Somehow, Gavin managed to work his way underneath the bouncy seat...


...Then he decided to wrap himself up in his blanket.


Evie and Auntie Di


Evie is now chewing on her toys - before, she was just licking them. Maybe we'll see some teeth soon!

3rd Angiogram

Last Friday Evie had her 3rd angiogram. It seems that she will have one before every surgery, because the doctors want to see if anything has changed with her blood vessels (if they have narrowed or grown). Daddy and Evie left at 6 am, picked up Nana Cermak, and headed to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn.

Luckily, Evie was the first case of the day. The procedure started on time at 8:30 and lasted 2 hours. She did well - no fever like last time. The doctors told Francis that her arteries have grown, which is a great sign. The cardiac team will discuss her case on Wednesday night, and will decide when her surgery should be. We will be waiting for the call!

Here she is with Nana while Francis checks in at the desk. That big toy on her car seat is the TinyLove Clip & Go motorized mobile. It was a lifesaver throughout the day!



Below you can see the splint on Evie's arm. She had a IV, and with babies (who like to pull on IV's) they put on a splint and wrap it up.



Evie is in her hospital gown here... It doesn't seem like she will ever actually fit into one of those.



Evie and Daddy:



Here she is after the two-hour procedure, snoozing on Nana.



Evie had not been able to eat after midnight, so when the nurses gave the OK, she chugged 8 ounces of unflavored Pedialyte (which she usually hates), and then another 10 ounces of formula. (Why can't she eat like this at home?) She was in good spirits and wanted to pull her socks off.



When it was time to go home, approximately six hours after the procedure, the nurse started taking off her sensors. Evie got a head start and began puling out her heart monitor leads!



Finally the nurse took out her IV.



All dressed and ready to go home!



Here's a video of Evie in recovery. You would not know that this little girl had just had a camera in her vein, taking pictures of her heart!

A Visit with the Florys

The other weekend, Mark & Robin Flory and their kids Annie & Sam stopped by for a visit and some pizza. Mark & Robin are Gavin's godparents and have been dear friends of ours for years. We are godparents to Annie.

Robin told me a few months ago that Evie & Gavin would switch personalities - I just didn't think it would happen this soon! Evie used to be the very fussy one, never calm, never in that "quiet alert" state. Gavin was always really mellow, just watching everything around him.

Now, he cries whenever I put him down - he wants me to carry him ALL the time. Half the time I carry him & he just squrims to get down, then when I put him down he wants to be picked up again. (This is not really an option for a twin!) And Evie is perfectly happy to sit on her blanket with her chime garden toy and watch the world go by. She can hang out on her playmat for an hour if I need her to.

Robin told me that they will keep switching back and forth as they grow up. I will try to be prepared!



Aunt Robin & Evie


Annie, Aunt Robin, & Evie read a story


Uncle Mark & Gavin