our stork was lost, but we found him!!!!… » Max and Wes Milestones

Celebrate we will!

Kerry — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:46:41 +0000

Today marks the one year anniversary of the day our lives were finally complete. It makes all of those months and years of infertility and treatments and pain and tears and shots and more tears and making the HUGE decision to do IVF worth it. It makes the struggle with bed rest, emergency surgery, more bed rest, an early (emergency) c-section birth, 51 total days in the NICU, post-partum depression, tears, post traumatic stress disorder, more tears, frustration, etc, etc – worth it. And of course, the giggles, the smiles, the cuddles, hugs, kisses, the “mama’s” and the “dada’s”, the waves “hi” and “good-bye”, and yes – even the (sometimes) non-stop crying/fussing…yep. Still worth it.

Today marks one year from the day that our lives were forever changed. Again. =) And what a wild ride it’s been. How amazing that we’ve come through the last year virtually unscathed (minus a few weeks of hard-core therapy and a little broken arm). How amazing that Jeff and I’s marriage is stronger than ever, considering that every odd in the book was stacked against us (did you know that parents of multiples are more likely to get divorced that parents of singletons – who knew?). How amazing that we have these perfect little people – that our ALL OURS – to love and cherish and teach and appreciate and be so.damn.thankful.for…it’s all so…amazing.

We celebrated a year home with Weston by taking the boys out to dinner at one of ourtheir favorite places, BJ’s Brewhouse (thanks for the gift card, Aunt Jan!) – and they were being charming, as per usual, even though it was waaaaay past their bedtime.

And now, a look back – a year from today:

And tonight, double-fisting it, just like his mama dada:

What were YOU doing?

Jeff — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 03:57:03 +0000

Does everyone remember what they were doing one year ago today? We sure do. We were leaving Swedish Hospital with our friends, Joe (who was filming the whole thing) and Jenny, and Max! A year ago today, we brought the first half of the BoGo home – to our home – after spending 43 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Looking back, it’s hard to believe how little our guy was when we brought him home. Just look at him now, almost 20 lbs. and scootin’ like the wind, all around the house.

Today marks the day our lives changed forever.

It wasn’t the day Max and Wes were born, but the day we brought our little Max home, that made it all real. Having our babies in the NICU for so long, we felt so disconnected. Every time we started to feel a bond or connection, we had to put them back in their isolettes\cribs and then go home for the day\night. Having Max in the house, even that first night, brought on a whole new feeling – the feeling of FINALLY being a family. Even Rex thought so – he didn’t sleep at all that first night, he was up “protecting” his baby brother. Alas, our family was not complete. Just as they were born, Max came first, and Wes had to wait - and this time it wasn’t just a measly minute, it was eight days. Eight loooong days. Sure, having Max home was great – but leaving Wes there alone – without his “wombmate”\roommate – was sooo much harder than leaving the both of them.

Tonight, we celebrated Max’s coming home-a-versary by going out to Red Robin for dinner. Both of our little guys were perfect gentlemen, not making (much of) a mess, and keeping the surrounding tables entertained with their smiles, waves, and giggles. Tonight, we leave you with a snapshot, or two, of what life was like for us a year ago today – and then tonight. As always, thanks to everyone for their love and support!

Happy Birthday Max and Wes

Jeff and Kerry — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:56:01 +0000

And we’re back. Nothing changed with the blog, just wanted to focus on the boys for a while, without all the clutter. The post is now open for comments, as I am sure many of you had wanted to.

Has it really been a year? I know that it has, but it’s just so hard to believe. It seems like just last month we were still going to the NICU every night

to spend time with the boys. Every day brings something new, something we never thought we would have. One day they learned to drink from a bottle,

the next they learned to roll over. And then it was sitting, and then standing. Next it will be walking and talking.

Is it always easy? No. But we know it was all worth it. The 3 years of trying. The heartache every month of another pregnancy test that said NO.

The consultations. The blood work. The shots. The failed IUI’s. And finally the IVF. And now after all that, we have 2 happy, healthy, beautiful boys.

And it was all worth it!! No one can ever tell us otherwise, ever!

Can this all really be happening? Are our boys really growing this fast?

If you have ever taken a look at the slideshow in the sidebar of the blog you will recognize most of the pictures, however there is a new set at the end.

Since the blog has told so much of our story, we didn’t want to say too much. And, pictures say so much more than we ever could. So, without further adieu,

a year in photos…

Starting solids (a play-by-play)

Kerry — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:17:41 +0000

Whattya lookin' at?

Oh boy, I don't know if I'm ready for this...

Hey bro, I'll take some of that...

It's not quite what I was expecting...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

WHEN IS IT MY TURN?!?!?!?!?!?

I've been waiting so long for this!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!!

Ummmm, papa...I might be ready for my bottle now

I WANT MY BOTTLE!!!!! WAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

J&K

Seven months old!!!

Kerry — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:23:40 +0000

(gestational age is 20 weeks, or 5 months)

We couldn’t get the boys to smile AT ALL tonight (except in their picture together), so this is what you get (yes, they’re a day late, too – oopsie). The big news is that Max has surpassed his brother in weight for the first time in his whole seven months – according to our unofficial, but fairly accurate home scale!!! Go Max! And they can finally wear the adorable little baseball outfits that Grandma Bea picked out for them shortly after they were born. CUTE!

J&K

Wes “talking”

Kerry — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:20:34 +0000

I think he takes after his mommy…

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Kerry

Due date

Kerry — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:26:48 +0000

First off, I would like to express my gratitude to those of you who commented or sent me emails and messages on Facebook regarding my last post. It really means a lot to me to have the support and understanding from you all, and it also feels good to know that I’m not alone in this. I mean, I’m obviously not “alone” since I have Jeff and my friends and family to lean on, but it’s just a relief to know that what I’m going through isn’t shameful or wrong. So thanks. =)

It’s hard to believe that today is our due date. It’s April 26th, and we should have babies that are just a few weeks old today, and instead we have babies who will be 10 weeks old tomorrow (or 0 weeks old adjusted age, LOL). Pretty crazy ride we’ve been on, huh? We are commemorating the day by having our friend Kari come out to take photos of the boys (their first professional photo shoot), and maybe a few of us as well. Thankfully, Max and Wes let us have a little more sleep last night so Kari won’t have to spend too much time photoshopping the dark circles under our eyes.

Because I don’t have much else to say right now, I’ll just post a few pics we’ve taken over the last few days…

Wes and Max playing with "Auntie" Tiff

The boys crashed out on Tiff's lap

Daddy and Max taking a nappy

Aunt LeAnn loving on both the boys

LeAnn, the boys, Asher, and I talking to Aunt Kim and the fam via webcam

Kerry

Our Wes, tube-free

Kerry — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:38:23 +0000

Kerry

Our Max, tube-free

Kerry — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:28:20 +0000

Jeff has Weston at the opthamologist for his follow-up appointment, so I have been busy at home, snapping pictures of our sweet little Max without the stickers and tubing on his face. Just thought I would share…

Wes pictures coming soon…

Kerry

THIS JUST IN!!!!!!

Kerry — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:57:27 +0000

As of noon today, both of our sweet little boys are OFF OXYGEN!!!!! They passed their oxygen challenge with flying colors, so Dr. Brandon (the boys’ pediatrician) was confident that they would be just fine without it. We are going to keep the tanks around the house over the weekend “just in case”, but I don’t think we will need to go back to it for any reason – WOOOO HOOOO!!!!!

Words really can’t describe how I feel when I look at our sweet little guys without the big, ugly stickers and tubing on their faces – ahem – I get a little emotional and misty-eyed just writing about it. Nine and a half weeks later, we finally get to see our babies the way we were meant to. So.freakin.cool.

In other news, Max and Wes are doing CRAZY good in the weight gaining department. Today, Max weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz, and was 19 1/4″ long. Wes was 8 lbs, 10.5 oz, and was 20 1/4″ long. They are both gaining steadily at a little over an ounce a day, which is FANTASTIC. OMG, I’m getting teary again…maybe I’ll stop for now. We’re giving the boys a bath this afternoon, so we’ll post clean, cuddly, sticker-and-tubing-free pictures later tonight. YAY!

Kerry