Don't Go Changing

This week I have been experiencing what all parents go though when their babies grow and transition from one stage to another. Part of me will always see my babies as those skinny 3 and 4 pounders in the NICU. But it hits me especially when I see new parents walking around walmart with their newborn babies in their carseats placed shopping carts. I realize that my boys are no longer newborns but are full on the move babies. As I have told my friends I cry every month they turn a month older. Their growing has been bittersweet for me, every development milestone is a victory, especially considering their start, and excitement comes with the new things that they can do. But it all just comes and goes too fast. Today I was going through the boys preemie and newborn cloths to give away to a lady who has had her baby in and out of the NICU. It made me cry, every outfit was a memory; their first doctors visit, first time to church, nights cuddling on the couch. They have grown so much and way too quickly.

While I am soo happy that the NICU, heart monitors, apnea, feeding problems and everything else is gone, I have some sort of nostalgia for those days when they are were soo tiny and helpless. Now they are energetic and on the go.

In the last 3 weeks I have seen my boys grow in leaps and bounds. Linden could barely sit up on his own 3 weeks ago, when he did he would fold over like a lawn chair and topple over. He then started to get the hang of it and learned how to go from a sitting into a crawling position, then came the getting on all fours and rocking back and forth. Now he is full on crawling and he is fast. I will put him in the living room and within seconds he in our kitchen. In addition Linden has a third tooth that is poking though.

Nolan was sitting pretty strong 3 weeks ago, but would eventually topple over too. over the last 3 weeks he has gone from army crawling, to full on crawling. Although he prefers to revert back to the army crawl because it is fastest for him.

And both boys are pulling and standing up on anything there is, even on our dog Snickers who wasnt too impressed. Brad and I have wished that our house was made out of foam because although they can stand for awhile they aren't completely stable and will eventually topple over, usually head first which freaks us out. But that doesn't them, they pull themselves up and stand up on anything around the house, even walls. Can you say Spider-babies?

I am now literally chasing after babies around the house. When I just get one back in the living room I hear crying because one has quickly made his way back to the kitchen, opened a drawer and shut his fingers in it. don't worry there is nothing dangerous in the drawers that they can reach, though Brad and I are going to do some major baby proofing with all our cabinets so there wont be any fingers getting crushed type of problems. It defiantly is a challenge watching, hovering over two fast babies who topple over in an instant.

In addition, this week the boys have started really interacting with each other, playing with each other and grabbing for the other. Today Nolan was in his jolly jumper and Linden stood up, grabbed onto it and they both started giggling and playing with each other.

Traci, the boys therapist with soonerstart is super impressed with the boys. Because the boys were almost 2 months the doctors go by their adjusted age, and right now the boys would be about 6.5 months. At this point the boys should just be getting sitting down, and on their first tooth, but the boys are way ahead and moving like two little locomotives! This week Traci taught me Sign language to teach the boys. She says languages comes after motor development, so babies can sign before they can talk. At every feeding now we do the signs for "eat", "drink", "more" and "all done".

I titled this entry as "Don't go changing" after Billy Joel's song that has been running through my head today. Here are the lyrics:

Don't go changing to try and please me
You never let me down before, mmm
And don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you any more

I would not leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far, mmm
I took the good times, I’ll take the bad times
I’ll take you just the way you are

I said I love you and that's forever
And it’s a promise from the heart
I couldn’t love you any better
I love you just the way you are

Nolan and Linden, I will love you forever, no matter what stage you are in, just the way you are. I am just trying to enjoy every minute of every stage before it passes me by too quickly. Every moment is precious.