Do You Think Sophie Is Teething?

Here is Sophie with her Mom and her "Lovie." She seems to be more and more attached to her "Lovie" which is a blanket with a bear head.

Sophie hangs on tight to a cold, wet washcloth and Mom's hand.

Sucking and biting away.

Good News

Yesterday we went to get tests done for Jack to test his urinary system. He had an ultrasound and a VCGU test done. Poor guy, he was so tired, and ended up screaming through the whole thing. As soon as it was over he fell asleep on my shoulder. Another hard day for mommy. God blessed us though, and Jack received a clean bill of health. His urinary system is in good working order. Jack was overly tired because we had to take Sophie to the Ped. Office to make sure she didn't have a UTI. She has been feeling really awful the last few days, and has had a fever. Sophie also has a clean bill of health. By the time we made it to Jack's appt. though, he was plenty tired. Poor baby. Thank goodness we are done! And thank God that everyone is healthy!

We Start Them Early

Jack Plays Ball

This is the most we have ever heard Jack laugh. He went on and on...

Sophie Steals Jack's Toys

Here is the video of Sophie stealing Jack's toys...

Stealing Toys

I had the twins in their Bumbo seats the other night, because they are sick of laying on their backs. Sophie was really cracking me up. Every toy I gave to Jack she would steal. It didn't matter if she had one on her lap, she still took his! Some of the toys he tried to hang onto, but she just wouldn't quit. She also like to pinch his chunky little belly if she can get her hands on it. Sophie seems so quite all the time, but Matt and I think she might be a little trouble maker at heart! HA HA! The pics aren't the best because it is later at night, and there isn't a lot of light in our house. It also looks better on the video, but until I can figure out how to upload video, here are the pictures:

Another LONG Day

Yesterday we all travelled to Hershey for more testing for Sophie. We had to be there at 10:15 to get an IV of fluid that they took pictures of at 1:30. It was a long day of just waiting. I'll spare you all the details of the test, but let me just say that the someone who designed a test that requires a five month old to be strapped down on her belly is crazy. I have never heard my child scream that loud or that long. The poor baby has bruises on her face from screaming that hard and long. I almost broke down a couple of times, and if it would have taken a second longer I probably would have pushed the camera out of the way and grabbed her off of the table. Needless to say she is not enjoying tummy time today!

We also had a consultation for the next course of action. Her Dr. would like to do surgery. :( It is scheduled for July 1. There is a lot going on in there, but hopefully when he is done, her urinary system will work properly. Hopefully there will be no reflux, and therefore no risk of damaging the kidneys from infection. We are just praying for God to take care of our little girl.

Jack has a few tests next week including a cathater. I'm not ready for more crying, but hopefully he will do well with it! We are praying for Jack, that they don't find anything but a normally functioning urinary system.

Thank you to everyone who is praying for us! It was hard for Matt and I to go from, "Oh whatever is showing up on the ultrasound(in utero) will most likely go away" to, "Your daughter needs surgery at eight months." We are trusting God completely in this situation, and praying for a healthy Sophie!

Just for fun, here is a pic of the twins in their car seats all ready to go...don't they look excited?

After Months of Trying...

He finally got his thumb!

Dad's Free Time

Matt had some free time this weekend and this is what he came up with:

I have to say though, Jack and Sophie did seem to enjoy it!

Sitting Pretty

Sophie sitting pretty in her boppie.

Jack helps dad pick out some new soccer gear from Eurosport Magazine.

Grandma and Grandpa Perini

Grandma Perini visited on Saturday and Grandpa Perini visited on Sunday this weekend.

Great Grandma and Grandpa Anderson

Great Grandma and Grandpa Anderson visited on Thursday and Friday this week.

Five Month Update

Five months! I can't believe it. This past month has gone so fast. Lots of changes are happening around here, and I am sure more are to come this month. Can we really only be one month away from the six month mark?

Sophie's new trick is to blow bubbles. The funny part is that she does this whenever she is mad at Matt or I. She lets us know we have done something she doesn't approve of. Here are few pics of her doing this.

Jack is starting to sit in the boppy. It is for short periods of time, but it is a start! Hopefully they will be sitting up soon, as they are very tired of laying down all day long. Here are some pictures of Jack sitting, and staring down a duck.

We also think both babies eyes are going to stay blue. Jack's are dark blue, and Sophie's are lighter with a yellow ring around the center. Hair color is still a mystery. Sophie is bald. Jack's looks blond some days and red on other days. We shall see in a few months.

I've been saying for awhile that I can't wait to see them do something new. I think we are on the cusp of some huge developments!

What a LONG Day!

Yesterday we took the twins to Hershey for Sophie's testing. She had to get a VCGU test done, as well as an ultrasound. The VCGU is a test that uses dye to tell where the urine in her body travels. She was quite the little trooper. She didn't cry much at all, and in fact I think she was most annoyed at the fact the one nurse was holding her legs tight at the same time I was holding her arms. Sophie hates feeling restricted. Jack was also a good boy for Daddy as he slept in the waiting room during the tests. The tests were done at 10:30 and 11:00, and then we had to wait until 2:30 to speak to a doctor. Ugh! Two five month olds, a double stroller, and a croweded waiting room. You get the picture! It was very tiring.

I will try to be short and use plain language about what we found out. Sophie has what is known as a "double collecting system." She has two ureters(tubes) on each side that go from her kidneys to her bladder. On the right side urine is refluxing back into the kidney. This would be really bad if she got a bladder infection, as it would spread to the kidney. Therefore, we need to keep her on daily antibiotics, and be on the lookout for fevers. The doctor said they might not do anything for now, or we might have to a non-invasive surgery done soon. She was going to talk to the surgeon and then give us a call. We could definitley use prayers right now. This is the type of situation that makes me want to run to my mommy...except I am the mommy. Also, we are so thankful that the kidneys are not damaged as of yet(although the doctor told us you cold sustain life on 10% of one kidney). We are also thankful that this is not a medical anomaly. While Sophie's case is unique to her, the doctors have dealt with type of thing before, so therefore can make educated decisions about what to do.

The Anderson Twins meet the Yorks

Last Friday and Saturday the Yorks came to visit us and meet Jack and Sophie for the first time. Jack was his usual social-butterfly self, and loved all the attention. He was laughing and playing with everyone. Sophie, who is a little more shy, took a little bit to get warmed up. Of course, she LOVED Peter! She smiled away at him. It was lots of fun, and we are looking forward to Jack and Sophie meeting more of our relatives this summer.

Happy Belated Birthday Delaney!

Birthday wishes to our cousin Delaney! I cannot believe it has been a year since she was born! Hope your day was good!

Hanging out in Bed

They look so happy and well rested...wish I could say the same for me.

Birth Announcement - Finally...

I finally got around to making the birth announcement (only 4 months late). The image is compressed here so it is a bit fuzzy. The official ones will be clearer. This is my Valentine present for Amy...better than chocolate.

Just a little news...and a prayer request

Yesterday we had an ultrasound for Sophie's left kidney. We have known since about 28 weeks (in utero) that Sophie had a possible problem with her kidney. The doctors were unable to tell what was wrong in utero. They only knew that there was extra water in her kidney/ureter(the tube that connects the kidney to the bladder. We found out yesterday, that the ureter does not connect to the bladder in the right spot causing a back up of fluid. We caught it at a good time because there has been no kidney damage thus far. What has happened though, is that the normal ureter turned into a "megaureter." The fluid is backed up, and the ureter keeps getting bigger. Our family doctor thinks the problem will have to be fixed, although no one has really explained how yet. Meanwhile, we will need to meet with a pediatric urologist at Hershey Medical for more tests and ultrasounds. Sophie is also on a daily antibiotic to make sure that she does not get any bladder infections.

Poor Sophie! She has had so much done to her in her short little life, but she is so brave and good. She didn't cry at all during her ultrasound(it doesn't hurt).

Matt and I are just praying that the doctors see what they need to see, and are able to fix it. We are also thanking God that her kindey has not been damaged. We know he is in control, and will take care of our little girl.

4 Month Well-Visit

The twins had their Four Month Well Baby Visit today. Everything looked great! Both babies are growing according to their own growth curve. They have both doubled their birth wieghts at this point, but yes, Sophie is still the size of a big newborn baby. The Dr. couldn't get over how happy Sophie was during the entire appointment. She was all smiles...until it was time for shots. Neither baby, as well as mommy, liked the shots. The Dr. reccommended that we start solids soon, and we are not in a rush, but the Anderson house is about to get a lot messier!