Hunter's Helmet & Gracie's Revenge

Hunter and Grace did a little on camera work a couple of days ago.  It was almost bed time.  So, they're pretty tired looking.  But, this is a pretty good example of their personalities:  (As always, better quality video can be found on our MobileMe gallery.) Hunter's Helmet [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y84IXh8maP4&feature=player_profilepage] For those of you wondering why Hunter is still wearing his football player Halloween costume, he's actually wearing the helmet to correct a flat spot on his skull. It's a condition known as plagiocephaly. He has a mild case.  His hair would likely cover it up eventually. But, we figured we'd give the helmet a try and see what happens. No sense putting up with all those flat head jokes later in life, if you don't have to. :) Gracie's Revenge [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64ZkGU3_thA&feature=player_profilepage] Both Hunter and Grace are definitely being themselves in these videos. Hunter is generally content to sit and play with a toy. Gracie is into everything. I wonder which is closer to me and which is closer to Jill?

Six whole months!

Gracie and Hunter turned six months old on Sunday.  To celebrate, we sang "Happy Birthday" and ate rice cereal. Today, the twins granted an audience to their pediatrician who promptly poked them and prodded them and declared that all is well.  The official statistics are as follows:
  • Hunter weighed 17 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 26.25 inches.  He is in the 50-75th percentile.
  • Gracie weighed 16 pounds, 6 ounces and measured the same as Hunter.  She is in the 50th percentile.
More good news:  Gracie's heart murmur was imperceptible.  But we're still going to take her back to the cardiologist in a couple weeks just to be safe. A little less-good news:  Hunter has developed a flat spot on the back of his head.  It's been that way for several months.  And, it's not getting better on it's own.  So, we're going to take him to the cranial/facial specialists at Children's Hospital to hear what can be done to correct the problem.  It's purely cosmetic.  But, it's probably better to get it done now, before he develops his Dad's infamously hard head. All in all, it was a fantastic doctor appointment.  To celebrate, we poked each baby in the leg three times - two immunizations and a flu vaccine.  Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!

Another "big" week for Grace and Hunter...

This week marked Grace and Hunter's four month birthday.  To celebrate, we took them to the doctor for four shots each.  They were not amused - though, they did seem to enjoy the liquid Tylenol.  Mmmm, cherry! The day after the shots, both babies ran a bit of a fever, which is to be expected with vaccinations.  We gave them one more dose of Tylenol and they slept a good bit that day.  By the day after that, they were back to their normal, happy, smiling, talking selves. Here's what else we learned from our doctor: Grace weighed 13 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 24.5 inches.  That's an increase of over five pounds and over five inches in four months, keeping Grace in the 50th percentile.  More importantly, the doctor could NOT hear the heart murmur that he identified in our first visit back in March.  (Gracie was born with a very minor ventricular septal defect (or VSD).  That's a long way of saying she had a very small hole in the wall of her heart between the left and right ventricles.)  This is VERY good news.  It means that as Gracie is growing, the hole is likely closing.  We'll go back to the cardiologist in another two months for an ultrasound to verify what our pediatrician is hearing through his stethoscope. Hunter weighed 14 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 25 inches, tripling his birth weight and growing over seven inches in length.  What's amazing about that?  Well, at birth, Hunter was in the 10th percentile in size.  Now, he's above the 50th percentile!  So, he's definitely caught up!  The only concern for Hunter is the flat spot that has developed on the left side of the back of his head.  The doctor wants more tummy time, to get him off his head, as well as interesting things to look at to Hunter's right when he is lying on his back.  If the spot is still there in a couple more months, Hunter may need to wear a helmet to protect his head and allow it to reshape correctly.  (Update: See Hunter's Head & Gracie's Revenge to get a look at Hunter's helmet.) Here's where the twins stand developmentally: Both are eating very well, as their growth numbers indicate.  Both are very happy babies, full of smiles - especially for Mom and Dad.  We're asked all the time if they're always so sweet.  The honest answer is no.  But, they're almost always that sweet.  Hunter is really good at blowing raspberries and pushing himself up when he's on his tummy.  Gracie has less patience for tummy time.  But, she's actually showing the ability to move herself around to get to the toy she wants.  (She slides along on her back, twisting her shoulders and pushing with her feet. We've received several requests for more pictures - especially those from our recent trips to Spokane and Sacramento.  I'll get to that soon.  Stay tuned...