We're One Year Old!

Hello everyone! Can you believe it? We’re one year old!

One year ago, Mommy and Daddy got surprising news – that we were coming, ASAP!

On August 11, 2010, Katharine was born at 11:20 am, at three pounds, one ounce, and 16.5 inches. Christopher was born at 11:22 am, at three pounds, one ounce, and 17.5 inches. And we were both taken promptly to the NICU, where we stayed for seven weeks, until we moved to the NICU at Fair Oaks hospital for two more weeks. While we were there, we learned to breathe on our own, eat from a bottle, and regulate our body temperature outside of the controlled isolette environment. Mommy and Daddy were thankful to watch each of these developments. And when we were ready, we finally got to see our room at home on Saturday, October 16.

Through this year, Mommy and Daddy were thankful to see that the PDA in Katharine’s heart had disappeared, that our eyes and ears and lungs were healthy, and that little-by-little, we would begin to overcome the severe reflux that resulted from being born so early.

This year has been full of doctors’ appointments, developmental assessments, therapy sessions, and follow-up visits. There have been medicines and therapy, special formula and thickeners. There have been nearly sleepless nights (we slept great, but Mommy and Daddy have been yawning a little!), and worry.

There have also been overwhelming blessings and joy. Our laughter fills our home more often than our cries. We are tolerating the entry of our new teeth as bravely as we can. Our bodies are growing and strong. We have learned to roll over, sit up, crawl, and stand. We love to feed ourselves solid food in our high chairs (especially when icing is involved!). We can hold our sippy cups and even sip a little from them if we like (which we normally do not). And Katharine has become a master of the snack “trap”!
We love to laugh and babble to each other and to Mommy and Daddy, and say lots of interesting things, with increasing intensity and volume! We are very curious about everything! We love to move, investigate closely, experiment, and reach in and out of things.

We have seen so many new things this year, traveling to Ohio and California. We’ve learned about cats and dogs, trees and mountains, water and sand, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We’ve made lots of new friends to play with, and have had fun meeting Mommy and Daddy’s friends too!

And we are SO big now! On our birthday, Katharine is seventeen pounds and 28 inches, and Christopher is 21 pounds and 30.5 inches.

And we had a great birthday!

While we were at Fairfax Hospital (or as Mommy and Daddy used to call it, “Hotel Fairfax”) for our one-year follow up appointment, we decided to make some visits! We dropped off flowers and a photo thank you card at the NICU, and at Perinatal Associates, where Dr. Nies surprised us by coming out to see the kids for the first time since she delivered them! And we had a fun reunion with Mommy in the HRP wing, where we met a lot of the wonderful nurses who made such a difference during her stay there; Julia, Judy, Wendy, and Christine, who was her nurse the morning we were born!
It was a wonderful way to remember our journey into the world!

And after a great nap, we had a special dinner at home with Mommy and Daddy, and got to blow out birthday candles one more time and have a special animal-shaped birthday cupcakes Mommy made and decorated herself! ☺

And that is how we ended our journey to this one-year milestone! We still can’t believe it, but we’re so glad we’re one! Thank you for all your hugs and love this year!

And we can’t wait to share this next year of growing and adventures with you! Who knows what it will hold for our family?

Until then, here is a link for our Kodak Gallery of our birthday fun! Enjoy!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=9935327480105%3A1248595606&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top


Love,

Christopher and Katharine