Two Year Pictures

Just Another Milestone

Well, with the frequency of the girls sinus and ear infections the decision was made to have their adnoids removed. It has been about 2 weeks since the surgery and, knock on wood, they are both doing great. They both seem heathy and happier, and I know that their mother and are are grateful that they have not been constantly sick.

For anyone contemplating this procedure I recommend it. It was quick and judging by how quickly they rebounded, relatively painless. Both of the girls were eating like they was no tomorrow just hours after the surgery. There was some crankiness but it was short lived and like I said there have been no infections, sniffles or runny noses since.

It was the worst of times

That's right forget about the best of times, these past 5 days have been absolutely miserable. It's not so much that I've been puked on about 100 times or that I've been up to my armpits in baby poop (in case you haven't figured it out the girls have had a nasty stomach virus), but it's the helplessness of not being able to really do anything to stop the suffering of my daughters. To see my normally lively girls in a near lethargic state lying around just waiting for their next vomiting session breaks my heart. I can't begin to, nor do I want to, imagine the suffering experienced by parents whose children with truly devastating diseases. To watch your child waste away must certainly be the worst torture any human can endure.

On a lighter note both of the girls are on the road to recovery and doing much better, I hope to report soon that they are both back to normal and eating their weight in chicken nuggets and mandarin oranges.

I ask for your prayers, and send out my own to all those suffering through an illness in their own family.

God bless.

A New Year

Hi ya'll,

Well it's February and the girls just had their second valentines day. Now that their in day care, or school as we call it around here, they got to exchange Valentines cards with all of the little friends. Kaitlin is definitely blossoming into the social butterfly of the pair, while Amanda is more reserved and inwardly reflective. Amanda shows incredible focus, so much so that we were beginning to think that she may be having some hearing problems, we are now convinced that she just chooses to ignore her mother and father when she is concentrating on her play time. Kaitlin has continued to excel in her speech, she learns new words every day and has started stringing words together into small sentences. Both of the girls are asserting their independence and testing their boundaries (and mine).

I find myself wondering how I ever had a life without those girls, not that I wasn't a happy person before their arrival, it's just that I can't imagine life without them any more. Fatherhood is truly the blessing that I thought it would be, I know that the road is long and difficult ahead, but these are the times that make life truly worth living and to be able to share those times with the woman that I love and adore makes me certain that I am truly the luckiest man on the face of this Earth.

God bless, here are some recent pictures for your enjoyment.

From the abyss

Hi all,

Well I know it has been quite a while since my last post, but raising twins does not allow for much computer time. The girls are now 18 months old and are thriving nicely. Amanda is quite the dare devil climbing anything in sight without fear and doing so quite proficiently. Kaitlin has become the chatter box of the duo, or "the parrot" as her mother has taken to calling her. Her vocabulary seems to increase each day and there is no doubt that she actually understands what she is saying rather than just mimicking sounds.

We are both excited about their second Christmas, this time I think their interest will extend beyond the paper and boxes.

Anyway below are a few pictures from Halloween and I will post the Christmas pictures when they become available.

Love to you all.

Halloween 2006

365 days

Wow, can you believe it's been a whole year already? It seems like just yesterday that we were counting every ounce that the girls ate to ensure they were getting the proper nutrition, now they're stuffing their faces with cake and hamburgers and anything else they can get their hands on.

In some ways the time is flying by, but in others it seems like it has been a lifetime. I can no longer imagine a life without them. We lived for so long as just the two of us and now that seems like such a foriegn concept.

Anyway check below for a couple of my favorite pictures from their first birthday party. I so glad that we took everyone's advice to take lots of picture.

Farewell,

John

Recent Pics 4/01/2006

Christmas, 2005

Learning the Basics

Amanda laughing at her Opa

Where the heck have I been?

Well I know it has been some time since my last post, things have been somewhat hectic around here with babies and all. It's been over five months now since the girls arrived. It really has been a roller coaster ride and I understand that "it's just the beginning". Kaitlin and Amanda are doing well, Kaitlin gave us a scare when the pediatrician thought she may be having seizures. All of the test to date have been negative for any abnormality, she still has one more test in about a week, an MRI, they intend to sedate her for the procedure. We had declined this test before because of the sedative, but the neurologist assures us that the process is safe and routine. Amanda, who barley uttered a sound during her first few weeks with us, has truly come out of her shell and has no problem sharing her emotion with us. Unfortunately her primary emotion seems to be PO'd, we think that she is having a tough time with the teething. We she's not crying, screaming, or whining she is a very happy baby, there are times when she will laugh and laugh. That laughing is one of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard. Kaitlin is truly the social butterfly now, generously offering smiles to all comers. Both of the girls are eating food from a jar in addition to their formula, so far we have tried sweet potatoes, green beans, bananas, squash, peaches and apple sauce. Everything went over well except for the peaches, they had a very tart flavor (I wouldn't eat them either). Amanda and Kaitlin both are starting to flip flop around on the mat; on the belly, on the back and repeat. Kaitlin spoke her first word, grrrprppprt, I haven't found it in the dictionary yet, but I'm sure that it was a word.

Well folks I'll stay in touch, I just can't say when.

JCF

We dressed the girls up in their very first holoween costumes and took them to the pumpkin patch at the United Methodist Chuch. That's Kaitlin blending into the backgroud in her pumkin costume and Amanda quackin up in her duckie outfit.

October, 28th 2005

Kaitlin dressed up in her trendiest outfit.

Things I've Learned

Well even though I have just begun this journey, I believe I have learned a few things already.

I've learned...

Babies cry............Alot
Petite little girls poop stinks too......really bad sometimes
All pregnant women will stop and smile at a newborn..............NO exception
Formula is really expensive
Babies sleep more during the day than they do at night
When your baby girl smiles at you at the end of a hard day, nothing else really matters

I'm still learning, Enjoy the photo.

The Hospital Portrait 

3 weeks and still standing

That's right folks, were still getting by. Although I'll tell you it hasn't been the walk in the rose garden that I imagined. Don't get me wrong I knew about the difficulties that come with parenthood, I guess I was more focused on the problems when they get older. The part that I find the most difficult is the communication barrier, I mean they only have one phrase "WAAAAAAAAAAH" and I'm not very good at the interpretation. Ok, first check diaper then feed, what neither of those, ok how about a burp, no not that either, for the love of God what do you want. It's not so bad at 6 in the evening, but at 4am, I can tell you I have been to the edge and looked over. Jamie on the other hand was born for the job, she functions on 1 hour naps, has the patience of Job and enough patience left over to calm me down.

As far as the twins go they are doing well. Both have had the sniffles, which we originally though was a cold they were sharing, but it lingered so long that our Pediatrician has switched them to a soy based formula thinking that an allergy may be to blame. They are both eating well and packing on that body fat. It really is amazing how fast they grow, it's only been three weeks and the changes are already very apparent. I'm not sure what their current weight is but I'm pretty sure that Kaitlin is over 6 lbs and her sister is not far behind.

Well the cries from the other room are my cue that is time to end this rant. Wish me luck ya'll I'm going back in.

The boss (Dexter) evaluating my work again, with Marci (L) and Lori (R) looking on. 

One of the shower organizers, Scarlett, and Aaron juicing it up in the backgroud. 

Some of the folks I work with held a baby shower for us. From left to right, thats Marci, Tillie, Shanella, Kemly and Lori in the foreground. 

Amanda with her cousin Wayne 

Kaitlin with her cousin Jessi 

The twins at 3 weeks. Really developing their own looks and personalities. 

Keep you posted?

If you would like to be notified of updates to this site please drop me an email at...

jferdon@verizon.net

Also if you are currently receiving an update, but would prefer not to, drop me a quick note as well.

Thanks

Comparison picture for scale. Thats Opa's hand with Kaitlin in the NICU. 

The twins together. Amanda left, Kaitlin right.

Daddy's girls 

Grandpa (John's Dad) with the twins. Thats Kaitlin on the left. 

Grandpa & grandma Karen with the twins 

Grandma & grandpa Willy with the twins 

Aunt TJ with Kaitlin in the NICU 

Mom with Kaitlin 

Nanny (Jamie's Mom) with Amanda 

Aunt TJ with Amanda 

Opa (Jamie's Dad) with Amanda 

The gangs all here

Well this will be a short post as I am functioning an very little sleep. Kaitlin has joined us at home and all is well. Both have a doctors appointment today after which I will provide an update.

Goodnight.

Let freedom ring...

But not too loudly yet. Our precious bundle Amanda has joined us at home, but her sister Kaitlin remains confined to the NICU. Good news is that the nurse says Kaitlin has been eating well and is anticipated to be released on Monday. Our first night with a baby in the house was probably pretty standard for what most new parents experience. Amanda was asleep in her crib cooing quietly, and after Jamie and I stood at the crib staring at her for a couple of hours we thought we would try to get some sleep. I thought I'd never get to sleep, I must have gotten up twenty times to check to make sure she still looked comfy and was still breathing. When we finally did get to sleep it wasn't for very long, the slightest sound from that crib sparked our intense scrutiny. She decided to eat at around two and then again at around four. After the four o'clock meal our darling girl decided that she wasn't ready to go back sleep just yet and made her objections quite clear. After a while she settled down and we slept for a couple of hours. Of course in the morning after her next meal Amanda slept for almost four hours straight. I'm sure our story is typical and many of you have had the same experience. All the advice and predictions in the world would not have changed that first night. A thousand times I've heard "get your sleep now" or "your life will never be the same", some have made that second statement in an almost negative tone, I thank God that my life will never be the same.

As I sat in my office holding my daughter playing her my favorite Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (Iz) song, somewhere over the rainbow, singing the words softly to her, I finally had that moment that I was told that I would have. The moment that you really realize that you are now a father, of course I've known that since 3:54 am on 5/24/05, but it was in this moment when the lyrics in the song proclaim that "dreams really do come true" that I was overcome with emotion and began to weep with a mix of mostly joy with a little fear mixed in. That is until I realized that my bride had chosen this moment to video tape my encounter. Not to tarnish the cold, hard exterior that I have worked so hard over these many years to develop I explained that I had just been poked in the eye by my little angel. (She didn't buy it either).

I have thanked you all for the support and prayer you have so graciously showered us with, and not to be greedy but I'll ask for your continued prayer and support. But I do want to proclaim publicly that it is God that I thank the most for this blessing he has bestowed upon us all. I know that is only through his grace that this miracle has been possible.

Amanda 

Kaitlin 

Let my people go...

As a result of the all knowing wisdom of the HMO, Jamie has been discharged from the hospital. The twins however remain under the watchful eye of the pros in the NICU. Amanda continues to surpass her sister in her eating skills making her the most likely candidate for release, we had hoped that she would be freed on Friday but the NICU doctor wants to ensure that her eating habits will continue. Kaitlin is quickly catching up eating the required amounts on most of her last feedings she is still somewhat slow in her consumption and still has the NG (Naso-Gastric) tube in place to deliver the needed nutrition which she does not take by mouth. The doc says that all other physical conditions seem perfect. With all that said things are going well and they should both be home very soon. My female readers can imagine the pain that Jamie is feeling having left the hospital without her two constant companions of these last 35 weeks. I find myself restless knowing that I should now be tending to my brood, and all that is heard in the house is silence. I eagerly await their homecoming.

John

A tale of two sisters

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Ok only kidding.

In all seriousness the blessed event has finally occurred. At about 1:30 in the morning on the 24th day of May the contractions flared to their most extreme and then the amniotic fluid began to flow. We made the mad dash from the house to hospital where we arrived at around 2:15, by 3:45 Jamie was prepped and ready for her cesarean. After I was ushered into my spot behind the concealing curtain shielding all but Jamie's head from my view the docs began their work, and worked like finely tuned machines they did. Within minutes the first of my daughters let loose her first soft cry of protest for being so rudely ripped from the only home she had ever known. I quickly learned that the sound of hearing your child echo her welcome into the world can only be surpassed by the sound of hearing your second child add her voice to the chorus. The docs quickly finished their work and proclaimed the procedure a complete success.

We welcomed Amanda Paige into the world at 3:54am and her sister, Kaitlin Faith, only a minute behind at 3:55. Kaitlin weighed in the heaviest at 5 lbs 1.06 ozs and measured the longest at 18 & 3/4 inches. Amanda had no problem starting her life at 4 lbs 10.7 ozs and at a length of 17 inches. Both girls are being closely watched in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) due to the prematurity of their births, but both are doing well needing no additional oxygen and both have begun to eat the first of many meals. Jamie is recovering from her procedure and is delighted with the storks delivery.

God bless you all for you prayers and your well wishes. Without God none of this would have been possible. Enjoy the photos.

John

Dad with the twins in the OR 

Amanda Paige