Reasons to Smile: Birthdays! Cake! Boyfriends!

Well...we have all been doing really well. Avery's been feeling a lot better and her blood pressure is PERFECT! She seems to have gotten her appetite back on most days. She's not back 100%, but she's doing a LOT better! Thank you, Lord!

We helped Daddy celebrate his birthday a couple of weeks ago. The girls helped Momma make the cake (red velvet with cream cheese icing...Daddy's favorite)! They even got to sample it when it was done and even had a little taste of icing! There's a picture of that....

We've been really busy lately with football & school, as is the norm this time of year, but things have been going well. We've been trying to spend as much time as possible together as a family when we can. We've been going on walks at night, even though it's been cold lately. The girls love to get all bundled up for our walks. There are several neighbors who have tons of lights and yard decorations for Halloween. Big blow-up ghosts, pumpkins, witches, etc...and the girls LOVE just stopping in front of these houses and staring at their decorations! Kenadee even thinks she needs to TALK to the ghosts, haha. Speaking of Halloween...Avery and Kenadee are going to be Little Lambs for Halloween this year! We have already tried their costumes on them and loveeee them. We'll definitely post some pictures of that in a week or two.

Avery & Kenadee already have boyfriends! There is a picture of this above. Their boyfriends are Matthew & Caleb, who are also fraternal twins. They are 3 months younger than Avery & Kenadee but that's ok! They had a really great time on their first date, and they're hoping they get asked out again sometime :) haha

The little purple outfits the girls are wearing in the pictures above were from Great-Great-Aunt Doris & Great-Great-Uncle H.L. Thank you!! We love them!! :) Well, that's about it for this time...I'll update again when I can! Enjoy!

6 Month Pediatrician Appt & Some Medical Updates...

Avery & Kenadee had their 6 month check-up with the pediatrician a couple of weeks ago. Everything in their growth and development checked out perfectly. Avery weighed in at 16lbs even, and Kenadee weighed a whopping 17lb 2 oz! Avery's appetite has greatly decreased, therefore even though she's gaining weight, she's gaining at a lower rate than Kenadee is. They are both very much in the healthy range though. They don't have another appointment with the pediatrician until they are 9 months old (end of December).

A few medical notes on Avery...

Over the last several months when we've been at various doctor's offices, we've had Avery's blood pressure checked and it's been really high. For the average 6 month old, blood pressure is supposed to be roughly 80/50. Her top number got as high as the 140's and 150's at times, and her bottom number pretty much stayed in the 90's. It wasn't an "every now and then" type of deal. It was chronically high. So, after speaking with her pediatrician and endocrinologist, we decided to get an appointment with a nephrologist (blood pressure doctor). He ran some tests and did some blood work, and ordered an ultrasound on her kidneys. He believes it is her daily doses of hydrocortisone and florinef that are causing her blood pressure to go up because they both have significant amounts of salt in them (which she needs). So, he put her on blood pressure medicine (a low dosage), and within 24 hours, her blood pressure was down to 82/68...right in the normal range for a baby of her age and size.

Then, we had her regular check-up with the endocrinologist and her blood work showed that her sodium levels were low and her 17-hydroxyprogesterone level was extremely high. This will happen from time to time because as she grows and develops, her levels will change. As her levels change, her doses of medication will be adjusted as well. The decision has been made to up her doses of hydrocortisone & salt tablet because it is necessary in order to get all her levels back into normal range. The endocrinologist believes that the change in her levels is what has caused her decrease in appetite, and that with the adjustment in her medications, she should gain her appetite back (at least, we are hoping!). The increase in those two medications, however, will likely cause her blood pressure to go up again, but we are monitoring her blood pressure regularly, so when it goes up, the nephrologist will up her dosage of blood pressure medicine to accommodate.

Both babies have been eating baby food so well! They LOVE to eat "real" food. Avery, however, has decided that she doesn't want/need her milk. We've been basically forcing the milk down her because she needs it. The endocrinologist said that if her appetite doesn't go back to normal after a few days of adjusted meds, then it's a "taste" issue and she may just need to be switched to a different kind of formula b/c she may just not like the taste of it anymore. She has NO trouble eating real food, but she seems to never want her milk. I guess time will tell...

I guess that's it for this entry. I mainly just wanted to update everyone on the medical stuff. Life is good here...we're just staying busy with football & school. The girls are growing so fast! They are rolling over and over and over and over and OVER! They can get from one side of the room to the other super fast! Kenadee is really close to being able to crawl. They are playing more with toys and more with each other. It's really fun to watch them interact with each other. I only have one picture to put on here this time, but I'll post more when I can. That's it for now!