April 2011

We attempted some family pics when I was home in April. This one seemed to be one of the successful ones of the kids. Usually, Spencer is not the cheesy one. Kate had the giggles, but managed to give an adorable look. The babies are cute no matter what!

My visit wasn't long enough, but I did get some more purging & packing done. It has been the hardest thing to live separated from my family. I hope we never have to do this again.

Easter means candy at the Downing house. We
have cut back considerably since we have so much invested in the braces filled mouths of Spencer & Kate.

The Easter Bunny did include yogurt melts for the babies & a small tent with a tunnel. Spencer & Kate love going through it as much as the little boys.

Each year we have an egg hunt at the Mopps house. Then we have a delicious Easter dinner & spend time hanging out.

It has become difficult to hide the eggs from all these big kids. Of course, every year there are eggs hidden & not found. It is just too hard to remember where they were all hidden.

Spencer & Kate Have been getting a picture with the Easter basket on their heads for years. It was time to add the little boys to the tradition.

Carson looks so cute with his little teeth & cute face. Graham loves to smile for the camera, but didn't give his best on this one.

The Saturday before Easter, my family came over for a big brunch. Mom made her delicious peanut butter pie. We had ham, cheesy potatoes & all the works.

We also did an egg hunt before it rained. The big kids helped with the 5 little ones. Yes, mom has 5 grandchildren just over a year old. It makes for some interesting times when they are all together. All boys, except cute Delilah. Don't worry, she can hold her own!

This was my last visit home until we move. It was a great time with family & friends. I will miss the Taco Tuesdays & holiday gatherings. My next return was early June & we packed up everything we own. More on that later......

Where do I start?

Thank you to the Miller Family for letting me live with them. They are quite a fun bunch of people & I can't imagine living any where else during this transition. I have also learned to enjoy gluten free foods.

Thank you to Tam for making me laugh when I want to cry. Yes, I will make sure if I have a breakdown that you get to watch.

Thank you to my sister for helping with my family in my absence. She is graciously watching my children this weekend so my husband can visit. I am so excited!

Thank you to Spencer & Kate for being the best big brother & sister ever. You are helpful & caring and I appreciate all the things you are doing to help your dad at home. Graham & Carson love you & you are setting a good example.

Thank you to Susan, our gracious & kind baby sitter. She comes to our home & is so great with the boys. She bakes with Kate & keeps everyone happy when she is there. She even cleans my kitchen & makes the kids pick up. Are you sure you can't move with us?

Thank you for SKYPE! It has been wonderful to come home & see my family. Although I have to end conversations because I start to cry & miss them so much. It makes me happy to see all the cute faces!

The biggest THANK YOU......to my husband, John. You are amazing & a great dad. You have managed to survive without me & have been wonderful with the kids, showing the house & working at the same time. You are patient & have been exceptional at handling the chaos.

It will be over soon. We are on the last months of our separation. School gets out in early June & we will be making the move to Utah. I have begun the daunting task of finding a place to live & hope to locate something soon. I never want to do this again. Being separated from my husband & children has been the most difficult thing I have ever had to do in life.

I am so grateful for everyone that has been a support during this transition & separation. You are wonderful people & we are a blessed family to have such supportive friends & family.

December 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARSON & GRAHAM

Carson & Graham turned one year old on December 16th. I can't believe it has been a year. This was a very nontraditional 1st birthday. I am in Utah while John is being the best husband/single dad ever. Grandma Debbie came over & brought presents, they enjoyed cupcakes from Uncle Al & Aunt Mer, and Grandpa is taking them to get walking shoes in January when I come home to visit.

This past year, we have survived NICU visits, driving back & forth to Indianapolis every day, numerous doctor visits, Carson's heart surgery, shots, laughs, cries & sleepless nights. Wow! I am kinda glad this year is over because we are exhausted parents.

The boys are doing great! Carson is weighing in at 16lbs 2oz (prior to his December sickness) and Graham weighs in at 22 lbs 4oz. Graham is crawling everywhere & over everything, including his brother, Carson. He will be walking soon I do believe. Carson is slowly gaining on Graham & his crawling speed. He is getting on his knees more & more each day. He can easily sit up now & will stand assisted for a few minutes. However, unlike Graham, Carson waves & claps for just about everything. We started that when he wouldn't swallow & eat. We clapped every time he did eat or drink. It has worked....He is officially off his feeding tube & drinking from a cup now!

Graham still enjoys his bottle, but I think he will give it up soon just to stay with Carson. Graham also loves the camera. Bring it out & he is grinning from ear to ear.

Graham enjoying his birthday cupcake. I am not sure what he thinks, but he loves the icing. Of course, we have discovered that Graham has a wheat allergy & he had red rashy cheeks after having the cupcake. We are hoping this is something he outgrows, but the boys will get tested on their next doctor visit. Right, John?

My favorite picture of Carson enjoying his cake. He has such a cute personality. I can't wait to see what he becomes as he grows up. Carson is a daddy's boy. He knows what he likes & cries when he doesn't get it. Other than that, he is a happy kid.

This chocolate cake loving boy definitely belongs to me.
He needs to gain weight so he can have as much cake as he wants!

We enjoyed the lights at Temple Square.

It was a first for John & the kids. The weather was cold & Temple Square was crowded, but we had a nice time. Carson & Graham loved the colored lights & touching the trees.

We acquired another little girl, Chloe. Who needs another daughter when you have great nieces to take along with you? Kate & Chloe had much fun during their time together. We are so happy that they play well together & love spending time with each other. They were also great with the babies & never complained about helping.

Thank you girls!!

Finally....

I have twins now & have not mastered the time management...yet! However, I think I owe my few followers a brief update. Right? Here are a few things I have learned in the past 9 months....

• Graham & Carson rarely, very rarely, nap at the same time.
• The diaper bag for twins appears to look like a small carry on bag.
• The money spent on diapers could buy lots of shoes.
• A shower on my day off is a beautiful thing.
• Spencer & Kate are the BEST helpers. Good thing I had them first!
• Carson & Graham almost have more hair than John.
• Graham can crawl fast & puts everything in his mouth.
• Carson can pull out his feeding tube fast.
• Graham can pull out Carson's feeding tube fast.
• We are CRAZY about these babies!
• They have been so much work, but so much fun!

Carson has a speech & physical therapist come to visit every week. He is making progress, but is very stubborn when it comes to eating/swallowing. He will most likely skip the rest of bottle phase. He rolled over for the 1st time on September 8th. He likes to eat Gerber puffs & will occasionally let you get food in his mouth. We let him try anything in hopes that he will love it & start to eat. He does have 2 teeth & 2 more coming. He is very laid back. He has a quiet snickering laugh. He smiles a lot & is the happiest baby. He is currently out weighed by Graham by about 5lbs.

Graham has mastered crawling & fast. He is pulling himself up & will probably walk sooner than I think. He enjoys food, but has an allergy to wheat. We are hoping he outgrows it & doesn't have any others. Kix cereal has become a favorite snack for him. He gets excited easily. He loves to jump & bounce. He has 5 teeth & will not let you into his mouth. He doesn't want a pacifier any more. He has the cute & loud laugh. He reminds me of Kate when she was a baby....into everything & loves to watch other people.

I should mention the other two cute faces....Spencer just finished football. He played on the 8th grade team for Test Middle School. He didn't get much play time, but loves the game. He does well in school, wants to do something in the sports field as a career & is transforming into a handsome young man.

Kate started piano lessons after a summer break. She enjoys the social aspect of school & struggles with her school work more than I wish. She is tenderhearted & is a good friend. She still plays house & babies, but uses the twins instead of her baby dolls.

John & I are plugging away at work, home, church, etc. John is back teaching early morning seminary at our house. Bowling season has started & he squeezes a basketball game in almost every week. We try to go out for dinner or to Costco to buy diapers & food. I am entering my busiest time of the year...I love it! Aside from work, I don't do much. I try to clean up & stock up the house, read & sleep. We have had a crazy year & we are looking forward to the new adventures that next year will bring.

PS...I promise to post pictures soon!

Carson Surgery Update

I just wanted to take a minute to update everyone on Carson's surgery. Carson had open heart surgery on June 24th to repair his Tetralogy of Fallot. We were extremely excited for him to have the surgery, but nervous about it at the same time. Pre surgery, Carson had a blue tint to his skin, especially his hands & feet, his oxygen level was 65-70 and he would tire very easily eating a bottle. The surgery went very well. It took about 4.5 hrs and they had no unexpected problems. Immediately following surgery, Carson was a beautiful pink color. I couldn't believe it!

He looked so good, but the recovery is really the hard part. He has had a very slow recovery. Carson likes to do things at his own pace. He took his time leaving the NICU as a preemie & he is doing the same thing now. He was in the PICU for 5 days & is now recovering on the 3rd floor of Peyton Manning's Children Hospital in Indianapolis. John & I rotate each day & sleep in the room with him. One with Carson & one with the other kids....it is exhausting some days.

Carson's incision, heart & breathing are doing great. However, he is not eating well. He is on a special formula that is not very popular with the babies. It tastes terrible & he does not want to eat. The formula has a higher calorie count & has no fat. Of course, it doesn't take good. Fat is what makes food good, right? He now has a feeding tube to help him receive the nutrition he needs. This is allowing him to get rest & we can get some rest too!

We are so grateful for the family (especially my sister, Jenn) & friends that have helped us through this moment. We could not be more pleased with the success of Carson. He is off his oxygen, his fluid drainage from his chest is slowly decreasing & he had his last IV removed today. We are hoping he comes home soon. We are all anxious to snuggle & squeeze on him.

I will post some pictures later this week. Thank you for all the thoughts & prayers.

Family Update #2

Having twins has been so much fun, but so much work. John & I are finally getting some sleep, but we are having trouble finding time for each other. Spencer & Kate have been SUPER with the babies & help us out every day. We are slowly learning how to get other things accomplished in a day, like laundry, cleaning up & family dinner time. We have survived 6 months!

Spencer & Graham taking a break

Graham posing on the bed

Carson & Graham...They are starting to look more & more alike. Carson is slowly gaining weight & Graham is looking like a little chunk. Of course, they have blue eyes & very little (almost none) blond hair. They are definitely Downings!

Carson & Uncle Stacy at the Mopps house

Graham & Carson at 5 months old

Graham has acquired the nickname Buster or the baby baby & Carson is known as Peanut. The boys are really good & are very happy babies. They love to get baths, are great snugglers & Spencer says they are "awesomely cute" !

Graham grinning while hangin' with his big brother

They are smiling more & more every day. I can't compare them developmentally to my other 2 kids, but they are progressing well for preemies. Our doctors & specialists seem to think they will be caught up by the time they are 2-3 yrs old. We are very fortunate to have great support & help from family & friends. They are truly a blessing.

Family Update #1

We celebrated Kate's birthday on Feb 18th. She turned 11yrs old. She requested a homemade strawberry cake with cream cheese icing & chocolate shavings. She continues to be my social butterfly. It is hard to get her to focus on anything else, but she does find time to do piano & help with the babies. She is a great BIG sister & makes us laugh every day. She may be more funny than her dad! Kate also got braces in April with another expander. The first few days were torture of all of us, but she is doing great.

Kate was able to celebrate her birthday with a visit from Aunt Maureen, Tamera, Jill & Bea. We are so lucky to have them spend time with us & meet our new additions to the family. We had a good time & wish we could visit more often.

We were also able to bless the babies while everyone was visiting. I am so grateful that John has the priesthood & was able to give our boys their blessing. He did a wonderful job & the boys were great during the blessing too!

We had Easter dinner at my mom's house along with an Easter egg hunt. We got together the Saturday before Easter & had beautiful weather. We brought a dozen eggs each & mom had another 10 each for each child. It was about 100 eggs, but the kids had a fun time trying to find them. There are still a few unaccounted for in the backyard.

The boys are about 3 1/2 months old here. They are good babies & we are starting to see more of their personalities every day.

Family picture on Easter Sunday 2010

We had the NCAA Final Four visit Indianapolis this year. We went downtown Indy & took in some of the family festivities. We were able to watch the All-Star game & we went to Bracket Town. The kids got pictures with the NCAA trophy, played games & other sports activities. It was crazy busy, but a great experience for our sports junkie, Spencer.

Speaking of our sports junkie, Spencer turned 13 yrs old in March. He had an ice cream cake for his birthday, but it wasn't as good as we hoped. We went shopping & bought some new basketball shorts, an IU t shirt, and went to dinner at Noodles & Co. He has decided that he wants to be a sports journalist or sports announcer. He hopes to go to BYU, but is thinking about Ball State University in Muncie. He helps with the boys & loves watching sports with them.