MaMaMa...BaBaBa

Rena and Sophi pose for a Christmas photo.

The past few weeks have flown by!! The girls are babbling nonstop...so much so, sometimes I miss their new sounds in all of their jabbering! Both are saying, "MaMaMa" now, especially when they are upset about something, "BaBaBa" for their ball, bus and baby, and "eat" which of course is the most important word to learn first! They know and use about 30 signs consistently and are learning new signs every day. It's amazing how quickly they pick signs and words up! Their favorite new sign is "monkey" and they both make an "e, e, e" sound with their sign.

Unfortunately, Sophi is scheduled for surgery again on Friday, December 22. The micro tube they put in her implanted ear is clogged and her inner ear is filled with fluid. The doctor explained that there are risks of infection either way...by leaving the tube in and risking an inner ear infection of the fluid or by replacing it and the risk of infection with surgery. We are opting with the surgery in hopes that it will release some of the pressure she has and make her a little more comfortable.

Developmentally, they are growing by leaps and bounds. We are scheduled with First Steps for our review the first week of January. The girls have already been "tested" for their developmental development and they are finally catching up! Most of the effects of prematurity are evaporating! It's been a long and slow journey, but it has been so worth it to see them be able to do things that doctors told us they may not ever do because of their prematurity. Both girls are up and walking with their walkers...it won't be long before they are walking on their own! It appears that there are no signs of mild cerebral palsy or other issues with Sophi's brain bleed....praise the Lord!!! What miracles!!

We're still in a bit of lock down. RSV season hit Louisville early this year and they've even had to close a couple of day care centers down for a few days because it is so bad. RSV is a respiratory illness that most children get before they are two. It typically looks like a cold, however, for preemies whose lungs are still fragile, it can send them back to the hospital and on a ventilator. Because the girls have mild chronic lung disease, our insurance pays for Synagis shots that they get once a month from September to April. The $3,900 a piece shots, gasp....wow, I know...we understand how serious RSV would be to our kiddos if our insurance is willing to shell out nearly $8,000 a month for shots, does not prevent them from getting RSV, however, the shots should help keep the illness to a runny nose and not a severe case of respiratory stress. We're just trying to stay away from RSV altogether, that's the safest bet!!

Because of that, we may miss out on seeing a lot of you at holiday functions, parties, etc. Please don't take it personally. We're trying to protect the girls. Today they are having a Christmas party at the Louisville Deaf Oral School thanks to the Kiwanis Club. We aren't able to go, however, we'll be there next year. They say by two, the girls lungs should be strong enough to handle germs. So...we'll be dressed in red and ready to party at all of the Christmas functions next year!

Thanks for your continued prayers!!