Bananas!!!

The babies are becoming more and more interested in people food. The past two times we have been out to dinner they have studied us eating.



Based on their new interest, Grammie got us these new fruit feeders and the babies LOVE them! Each day this week, as a snack, I have filled the little mesh baggies with pieces of bananas and the babies have sucked them dry (kind of gross and messy but it sure does make them happy)!

Lauren Digs In!

Logan

On Monday, while Lauren was sleeping, I sat the boys in their highchairs and let them play with their bottles.

Lathan

And just for fun, I let Logan try a sippy cup (obviously we aren't ready yet but with a little more practice it shouldn't be much longer!

)

Messy Missy

Happy Lathan!

Dad went to the store today and bought more fresh fruit for them to try. Although they'll miss out on turkey for their first Thanksgiving, they may get to indulge on a little fruit salad!!!

And food isn't all we're in to these days...sometimes our toys are just as tasty!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Out to dinner...

Once a week, each week since the babies have been home, The Pool's treat us to dinner. We have recently been going out to restaurants which is a real treat...getting out of the house makes us feel so normal!!! Tonight was extra special, my Grandma came to town and we all bundled up and headed to Bucca di Beppo.

The babies as usual did very well and had a blast being passed around the table!

Lauren & Uncle Mark

Lathan & Roger

The babies ate out also, but instead of Italian they dined on Gerber.

Logan & Grammie, Lauren & Gail

Lathan & Roger

Gerber seemed good enough until the adult food came. Logan really wanted to try a little marinara!

Or just a little of Dad's water!

He was praying that something may accidentally end up in his mouth.

Lauren & Mommy

The girls sat on one side.

Boys on the other!

Lathan, Roger & Daddy

Logan munched on Uncle Mark's finger for dessert!

Lathan & Daddy

Lauren took a power nap on Roger's shoulder.

Logan REALLY wanted a taste of water!

He was determined!

Logan & Uncle Mark

Lathan thought the water looked good, too!

After a night of fun, we bundled the babies back up and headed home.

Thanks Roger and Gail for a really GREAT evening!!!

We stay busy, busy, busy around our house these days. The babies are increasingly more active and learning new things each day. Although it is exhausting at times, we are having a blast! Here's a little of our week in pictures...

Lathan on the move!

Lathan Bounces in the Bounce Bounce Baby

The Jumperoo is one of our favorites...

Logan & Lathan: Dualing Jumperoos

Lauren in the Jumperoo



Lauren in the Rocker

We've learned to grab. Here Logan grabs the Baby Einstein puppet from his Entertainer.

And now that we grab, EVERYTHING goes into our mouths!

Lathan

Every once in a while, we pause for a nap.

Logan falls asleep in the Jumperoo

Logan & Lathan

Logan curls up for a cat nap in his swing.


And we are now eating twice a day to fuel up for all our playtime!

Lauren & Gail

Logan & Grammie

Lathan & Aunt Pammie

Since a lot of our food ends up in places other than our mouths, daily baths are a MUST!

Lathan

Logan

Lauren

And after a day full of fun, we settle down for a long, restful night (wishful thinking on Mom and Dad's part!!!). As I type this Logan is sitting in my lap "helping" (its 12:30am). He's been down already once but I guess he decided I could use some company!

Lauren & Aunt Pammie

Lauren, Lathan & Logan

(yep that's Lathan wrapped up in a pink blanket and Lauren in blue...like I said it has been kind of hectic around here lately!!!)

Logan Plays Hide and Seek with Spongebob - the Non Participating Cat!

Last Weekend

I was sick last week and I got behind on my posts! Here are some pictures from LAST weekend. We spent the afternoon with family out at Patrick's cousin Greg's new house...

Lauren and Madeline

Lauren Shares a Beer with Maw Maw

Apparently Logan shared some, too! Here he is passed out on Maw Maw's lap!

My Grandma comes in town this Thursday...wonder what kind of mischief she'll have the babies in to!!! You have to watch these Great Grandma's you know!

Videos

Here are some videos from these past few days.

Lauren's new thing is to rub her eyes when she gets sleepy...



Logan wakes up happy (as usual)!!!

We're Home!

Lathan's surgery went well yesterday. They ended up keeping him overnight due to his history of chronic lung disease and apnea spells. They were also able to give him stronger pain relief than we would have been able to give him at home, which he clearly needed.

He was a very good baby throughout the whole ordeal. His last bottle of formula was at 5am and they didn't take him back until around 11:45pm. He fussed a couple of times but was easily distracted by Tad the Frog and some cool fish tanks.

Lathan takes a nap to pass the time.

Texas Children's was the place to be. They didn't take him from us until the absolute last second and waited to start IV's and mess with him until he was asleep (the little guy had evidence of multiple IV attempts in his hands, so we are thankful of this policy)! We were also comforted by the fact that his surgeon was the same guy who perfomed all three babies' heart surgeries in the beginning. If he could operate successfully on babies under 3lbs with hearts that tiny (we were told they were only the size of pecans), surely removing hernias and a cyst on a 15lb baby would be a piece of cake!

And it was. A little over an hour after they had taken him back, Dr. Bloss came to tell us that everything had been repaired (actually the hernia on his left side didn't need repair although they still had to make the incision to find that out) and that we could go see him. We could hear him crying as soon as they opened the double doors. Poor little guy had been given a local block to his lower half that was not working (he is clearly my child...I had to have 2 epidurals for the c-section because they couldn't get me numbed). I rocked him for a little while and we tried to comfort him but nothing was working. They decided that his pain was too much and so they knocked him out with some morphine. Almost immediately he fell asleep and didn't wake back up until after we had been transferred and settled into our new room on the surgical floor.

We hadn't been in the room 2 minutes before they came by with snow cones for the kids. Patrick dashed for the door and came back, probably happier than any kid on that floor, with Lathan's banana snow cone (which Daddy polished off for him).
Lathan sleeping peacefully thanks to some morphine. Daddy smiling thanks to free snow cones.

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful. Lathan was given shots of Demerol throughout the night for pain and woke up this morning much more comfy than he had been the day before. We were discharged this afternoon and got home around 2:30pm...Happy To Be Home!

A few bonus pics...

Lathan & Daddy (last night)

Lathan & Mommy (last night)


Battle Wounds (this morning)

And for some reason, Lathan felt the need to eat his IV today...

Lathan & Daddy

He still takes a good picture even though he feels rotten!