Praise God or Zeke can hear!

Howdy!
Sorry for the delayed updates, we have been much too busy, taking a slow down this week!
Last week Zeke and I spent several hours with multiple specialists at the Children's rehab center with a load of audiologist. They were more than patient and kid-friendly. Each specialist had an assistant who's primary job was to entertain Zeke and make him feel comfortable, even with wires coming and going every which way!A long time late...results have been revealed! Zeke has normal to nearly normal hearing! He can not hear extremely high or extremely low frequencies, but come to find out basically all super preemie babies can not hear those frequencies. Therefore, my little man is perfectly designed by our Creator and he is simply choosing to not speak and only sign. Praise God! I went to the appointment knowing God was in control, but knew I might hear the words "your son is deaf", I basically heard the opposite. We are grateful o our Lord for blessing little ZekeMan with the ability to hear laughter, worship, His word, music, his Mommy and Daddy's voices, etc!


On a silly note..yesterday the sitters commented that one of my boys was perfectly behaved, never cried, never was fiesty with the other children, took turns, etc. I basically had to cut them off and say "let me guess which one..TAFT?" Yep! My little Zeke is just as adorable but a bit over the top sensitive and wild!

Friday!

Uncle Tom mounts our new swing and Mr. Zeke shows more personality each day, even if that persoanlity is Mr. Guilty and Mr. Style!

Backpacks

The boys begged for adorable miniature "Trucks" backpacks and I couldn't resist the urge to purchase them! They simply want to wear the around!

Build a BearMan

We were asked to attend the Desert museum to build a customized teddy bear that the boys design and even has a voice box that plays Daddy's voice! We had a great time playing with the stuffing and bear parts plus explored the museum and the critters in it. The TV station even interviewed us for a segment shown that evening on deployed families!

Colorado trip and Nene visits

We all had a blast at the recent Johnson Family reunion in CO, and have pictures to share. The men did good on their first plane trip with out Daddy and even managed the rental house with TOO many steps. The boys loved meeting extended family and having a blast with all the new loves in their life!

We love our multiples group!

We are 1.5!

Last Thursday the boys turned 1.5 years old. The day was complete with their Nene coming to town, friends visiting, a giant 1.5 cookie, new clothes, picnic table, indoor slide and singing with Daddy via skype. This year has gone by so fast, I am looking for the slow motion button and for some reason can not find it!

Zebra

Yes I rode a horse, but boy o boy this zebra is more fun!

Could we be more fun?

Only my kid does this during meals!

Towel kings

Edited so you will not have nightmares of post surgery healing boy parts that are naked under those towels. They refuse to let me ake the towels off ever!

We made a video at the children's museum!

http://video.snibbeinteractive.com/video/2011/07/04/v20110704-100124

Cars..aka Trucks!

Our Ethiopian Family buddies K & P from Phoenix were able to come and visit with our family recently, and brought gifts for our boys: Cars the movie and 2 little character Cars that talk! We had such a wonderful day enjoying their company! What great parents of a little Ethiopian they will be! The boys will watch maybe 5 minutes of the movie(first movie/TV they have ever seen so didn't expect much), but adore the cars and this has spawned the attack of everything CARS at our house. I can't go anywhere with out the kids literally unbuckling themselves and lunging from he stroller for anything that has those little Cars on it. Disney really works their marketing department because I have not been able to escape a single store with out buying something Cars...I blame K & P..wink wink! We have now been gifted or purchased the following:
Cars cereal
Cars Cheese-its
Cars Juice
Cars Toothpaste
Cars Body wash
Cars Band-aids
Cars story books
Cars story books that talk
Cars tshirts
Cars sippy cups
Cars bath puffs
Cars body paint
Cars stickers

Mommy is drowning in cars..aka "trucks"..but our boys are in heaven! K & P I think you have started a love obsession!!!!

Happy Aniversary

My precious husband knows how to surprise me and spoil me rotten!

Hematoma and more poop

Taft:
After many days of severe pain and swelling more and more, not less and less we made an emergency Urology appointment. Come to find out, as we suspected, the artery must have burst post surgery because the skin had already healed up causing the blood to collect and bubble under the skin surface. Our big guy now has a giant hematoma that will take approximaetly 4 weeks for the bood to disipate with nasty brusing and pain until fully healed. He is such a trooper for inly fussing when his diaper is changed and putting up with more pain than we ever expected for this little procedure.

Zeke:
After plenty of concern and calls abotu lack of poop from Mr. Zeke, the problem has been solved. At the gym they called me off the machines to check on my little guy, he was screaming in pain and wanted to me hold him. He used my neck and sholders as leverage as he finally pooped for a second time int he last 7 days..yikes! Change him and comfort him, back to excercise, 30 minutes later I get called back, once again same thing. I think the constipation has been solved, especially since he had a nasty NORMAL poop in the bath tub this evening as well. My little guy is working again!!!! Seems crazy to announce to the world, but after 7 days of him not eating and screaming in pain from a tummy ache this is MONUMENTAL!!!!

The nasty cut!..and POOP

My little men underwent yet another surgery with out Daddy around for support. For both faith and medical reasons out little guys were circumcised. Thankfully Memaw was here to help, but that doesn't change what we had done to them. Good thing it was both of them at once, otherwise I would not have the guts to have the second one done after seeing the aftermath. The surgery went well, we just adore their Urologist. Just as before the few moments that they come out of anesthesia are too hard on all of us. The kicking, screaming, lack of body control, etc, make for a very paranoid Mommy and sad little monsters. The few days that follow have not been easy on any one. I now see the advantages more clearly to circumcision at birth..THEY DON'T MOVE! The boys do not understand cause and effect! The take a few steps and then shudder in pain and fear, then take a few steps and repeat. They are old enough to take off their own diaper and grab at privates, breaking seals and spilling blood onto their little legs. I try and convince them to be still and listen to music, read stories, etc, but slowing them down just seems too hard. The faster they go the more they reach down to their crotch and scream in pain. My heart hurts not knowing how to take away the pain, on top of the fact it took both mom and I together holding them down to give the pain meds orally and ointment onto the skin. High chairs, car seats, and sitting down at all has proven the most painful so we are working on eventually being able to sit and put pressure down South again. Prayer is the only help now!

Poop
Yes I titled that poop. The meds and anesthesia once again constipated the boys after the surgery. Finally Taft pooped after screaming in pain for the 15 minutes leading up to it. I could tell it hurt by his face and the nightmare that I found in the diaper afterward. Our pediatrician is a fried, so I just confronted her and asked for any advice possible. After major diet changes and 4 doses of Mirolax they have both now gone. I guess the little pebbles in their diaper count as "going". I was so excited that we finally made progress I took a photo and sent it out to multiple people, pathetic mother I am! The best part of the poop story is Taft made his little gravel pile in his diaper, then ripped it off and shook the diaper until the pebbles were all over the floor. Now create your own mental picture of me chasing little poop pebbles around the floor, while Zeke is trying his hardest to grab one before I scoop it up. I know you are cracking up now!

4th of July

The little monsters decorated their own Independence day cookies, sported head to toe red, white and blue, spent the day at the Children's museum with Miss Jessica and Memaw(loved it so much we bought a family annual pass!), great lunch with the girls, bar-b-que grill out and root beer floats at the AFB celebration, glow stick necklaces followed by wonderful fireworks!

Ashley visits, Swim school, Memaw visits and a fabulous family vacation in Ruidoso!

FIRST pony rides!
FIRST Horse racing!
FIRST Quarter amusement rides!
FIRST Running wild on a golf course with four generations of extended family!
FIRST swim lessons at swim school..at which one of us mastered!!!!