Now that all of the festivities from the birthday party have died down a bit, I finally have a chance to update you all on the DOC Bands.  Also, the babies all went for their 12 month pedi- checkup this week and I have the newest stats to prove it!  More on the stats later, but first I have to say that we feel so incredibly blessed with the health of The Fab Five!  To think that only 12 months ago, not one of these little guys weighed more than three pounds nor could they eat or breathe on their own simply blows us away!!  Today, the hum, beeps, and nerves of the NICU have been replaced by laughs and squeals and countless smiles to brighten our days…good stuff!

So, first with the DOC Bands…all is going very well! The pictures above are of our two little head-knockers getting measured for the bands. It’s a really cool process – the stocking over their faces helps to get a very accurate, 3D picture of their scalps by pulling their hair tight against it. With that picture, they create a full sized model of their skull so they can make the bands the exact right size and shape. Pretty amazing stuff! The bands are not tight in the least bit, but they provide very gentle pressure in the areas that we are “holding back” from growth which allows the other areas to round out as they should.

Jack and Lila, from the moment they had their bands on, have not noticed them a bit. It has not affected their moods, their sleep, or anything else at all (as you can probably tell from the pictures above and below)…thank God! Every once in a while, they will pull on them and the other three like to have their fun every once in awhile, but these times are rare. I don’t have any pictures that do the decorating justice so look for that in future pictures. All in all, it has been pretty seamless, except for when Ryan first saw Lila wearing her band…she pointed at her head and started cracking up!! It was really funny and so typical of Ryan!

Stats!  Stats!  I have stats!!  The babies all made the trek to the pedi- this week, Lila and Ryan on one day, Brooklyn, Britton, and Jack a few days later.  And let me tell you, they are doing great!  They are all caught up to a full term baby in terms of their motor skills and behavior development and only Britton is still small for her age.  There is a chance that she may catch up, but she may be a tiny thing her whole life…only time will tell.  The only issue we have now is with Jack, believe it or not.  There is a heart murmur that our doctor has been hearing consistently at each of his checkups. At this point, we do not believe it is an issue, but Dr. Ma recommended that we take him to see a cardiologist and we are doing that tomorrow.  Pray a little prayer for Jack, if you can!  Here are the stats and a couple of cute pics from the doc’s office…

– Brooklyn Faith:  weight, 18 pounds 10 ounces (25%), height, 30″ (90%)

– Britton Grace:  weight, 15 pounds, 8 ounces (3%), height, 25″ (3%)

– Jack William:  weight, 22 pounds, 1 ounce (55%), height, 30″ (75%)

– Lila Addison:  weight, 18 pounds, 15 ounces (30%), height, 28″ (40%)

– Ryan Elizabeth:  weight, 18 pounds, 11 ounces (25%), height, 28″ (40%)

In honor of the fast-approaching 1st birthday celebration for The Fab Five, I thought I’d share a little bit about each of the little crazies that make our world so joyfully unpredictable…emphasis on the unpredictable part!! In what will forever be unfair to Lila and Ryan, I’ll go in birth order for this little tribute… :-)

Brooklyn Faith, what a beauty! If I had to choose one to be the pageant queen, it would be Brooklyn, hands down. She has the most striking features of the five – big hazel eyes, full lips, super long eyelashes, and a killer smile! She is also, without a doubt, the sweetest of the bunch.  Quick story:  my “alarm” goes off every morning around 6:15 – the sound of babies laughing, squealing, and hollering at each other and at me, signaling the day’s beginning. So I trudge upstairs and take them out of their cribs one-by-one , change them, hand them their morning bottle, then head back in for the next one in line. When I start pulling them out to get the process going, I am greeted with pained shrieks of anguish from all but one of the remaining babies left bouncing in their beds. “How could you not pick me, Daddy?!,” they seem to be saying. But Brooklyn? Nothing but smiles! And that sums up Miss Brooklyn’s persona – sweet, patient, loving, and absolutely adorable!

Britton Grace – that smile says it all, doesn’t it? What would have been as appropriate and equally telling is if I had posted a picture of Angry Britton right next to this one. Yes, the little one, the one we most commonly call Little Bit, is also the uncontested diva of the bunch. Remember that story above about pulling the babies out in the morning – Britton usually goes first! She definitely has her moods – angry, fussy, inconsolable – but she also has a delightful feistiness that more than compensates for some of her less than delightful moods! She is still so, so tiny (she wears size one diapers!), but do not underestimate the might of this little one – I am certain she will be the first to do the many “firsts” among The Five!

Jack William – my boy! My lonely, mistreated, helpless little boy! Poor Jack has the unenviable fate of having six women determine his every move in life…every.single.move…Girlfriends? Only if the six approve. Dressing himself? Not without the girls’ consent. Thinking for himself? Not a chance! Fortunately, Jack seems to be well-designed for the gauntlet that awaits him in life…laid back, content, happy-go-lucky, easy as it goes…that’s Jack. No kidding, Jack is just happy, seemingly all the time. We are literally surprised when he is upset about something as if that is something babies are not known for! While the rest of our world swirls about at the pace of a chicken on crystal meth, Jack doesn’t seem to notice, or care for that matter. He is as content as content can be…for now, at least, and we are going to enjoy it while it lasts!

Lila Addison – the one we thought was as laid back as Jack has proven herself to be quietly mischievous. When Lila is quiet, something that happens less and less these days, she is probably venturing off to explore and get herself in trouble! She is our only babbler, was the first to say ma-ma and da-da (and mean it!), and I’m pretty certain will have no trouble competing with Britton and Ryan for the personality award! She is also the one that seems to be most connected to Eliot McKenna – read more on that here: http://www.joneslife.net/2009/10/a-special-bond/.  Her tongue is always waggling like you see above and her blue eyes absolutely sparkle…what a cutie!!

And then there was Ryan. Actually, if you are keeping up with this blog you are probably most familiar with Ryan Elizabeth, otherwise known as Ryan the Lion, as she has been the subject of many, many videos and blog updates…what can I say, she’s an easy subject for camera and keyboard alike!  She was the only one making any noise on the day of their birth and she hasn’t piped down yet! She is without a doubt the most colorful of the bunch! From her lightning quick smile to her equally ferocious roar to her collection of facial expressions and the accompanying sound effects, Ryan keeps us Smilin’…and laughing…and usually shaking our heads in bewilderment! First to crawl, first to walk, and she will probably be the first to pitch herself headfirst off of some high place, sending the whole gang of us off to the emergency room to watch her be the first to wear a cast…Ryan, Ryan, Ryan…oh my!

Can someone please identify the sound coming out of Ryan’s mouth on this video?  Seriously, Casey and I have never heard such a thing and we are beginning to wonder if our little Ryan really does have some animal genes coursing through her veins!  For awhile we’ve been calling her the little chinchilla because, well, of course that’s the kind of sound an animal called a chinchilla would make, right?!  But we really do not know what a chinchilla sounds like so now I’m beginning to think it is the same sounds those Velociraptors from Jurassic Park made right before they devoured whatever poor human happened to be present at the moment!  We’re not sure whether we should laugh about it or lock her in the walk-in freezer!  We’re open to other thoughts so please help us to identify this strange sound before we take drastic preemptive action!

In other news, thanks to a ridiculously persistent cough and cold that has been circulating around the house for about four months (I’m not kidding about that!), we have updated baby weights.

– Brookly Faith:  17 pounds, 4 ounces

– Britton Grace:  14 pounds, 8 ounces

– Jack William:  20 pounds, 15 ounces (that’s right, Big Bad Jack is a full 50% heavier than Little Britt!)

– Lila Addison:  17 pounds, 6 ounces

– Ryan the Velociraptor:  17 pounds, 11 ounces (that’s pre-human devouring weight, add 120 pounds or more when she has a full belly)

All of the babies got their turn going to the doctor to try to figure out how to kick the cold, to no avail I might add, but it’s always fun to get official stats on them all…great benefit to forking over all of those co-pays, right?  They all got flu booster shots and H1N1 shots.  Lila and Ryan also came home from the doc with a prescription for antibiotics for ear infections – Lila had infection in both ears!  Here is how you know you’ve got some pretty resilient babies – you have no idea they have ear infections because they never once acted fussy or troubled in any way by it…wow!

And in a final bit of news, it appears that Jack and Lila are going to be wearing those little head-shaper helmets for awhile.  They actually aren’t helmets, they’re called DOC Bands, but they do help to reshape their little misshapen heads. Lila’s head is really flat in the back and Jack’s head, well, for lack of a better term, it’s just plain jacked up!  Poor boy’s ears are about an inch out of alignment with each other and his eyes are not even close to being parallel.  You can clearly see how poor Jack’s head was smashed up against a rib or the side of Casey’s belly during the pregnancy.  Of course the cosmetic issue is something we would like addressed, but much more importantly is that their misshapen heads can lead to much greater problems in the future if they are not addressed.  They can have jaw problems, balance issues, ear infections, and all kinds of other nasty things as a result of their heads being so out of whack.  So look for some really funny/cute pictures in the next few weeks when we get them fitted for their new look!

We are really looking forward to Christmas this year since last year’s was so untraditional, you know, with that whole bed rest for Casey thing and that constant fear of dramatically pre-term labor issue we were dealing with.  This year, the whole family is coming to us so there will be 15 people in our home (counting the eight of us)…fun!  We’ve been taking some good pictures and I’ve got a good video to share so look for that early next week.

Y’all take care and God bless!

Here’s a quick update on the Fab Five from their nine month visit to the pedi last week…

– Brooklyn Faith:  16 pounds, 4 ounces, 30%; 27 inches, 75%
– Britton Grace:  13 pounds, 8 ounces, 3%; 24 inches, 3%…I told you she was tiny!!
– Jack William:  19 pounds, 8 ounces, 45%; 27 inches, 25%, and oh yeah, 90th percentile for head circumference…he still has some balancing out to do!
– Lila Addison:  16 pounds, 8 ounces, 45%; 26 inches, 25%
– Ryan Elizabeth:  16 pounds, 9 ounces, 45%; 26.5 inches, 50%

All of the babies are as healthy as can be and are developing as well as most full term, 9-month-olds.  The only developmental skill they were lacking was in the ability to pick things up with their fingers, every other milestone was checked off the list!  Thank you all for your prayers that helped to make this a reality!!!

The picture above is a sneak peek of the photos we got from our photo session yesterday at Mayfield Park, close to downtown Austin.  The babies had a great time at the park while completely ignoring the utter chaos swirling around them as we tried to get the perfect picture of the less than blissful moment!  Between me, Casey, Eliot, the photographer and a friend of hers, and our go-to helper, Tricia, I think we managed to make it happen.  Everyone was completely wiped out after an hour and a half of whooping, squeaking, jumping jacks, songs, smiles, and any other trick we could think of to get five 9 month-olds to look at the nice lady with the camera, but it was FUN, and you guessed it, CRAZY!!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

It’s been an eventful month for the Jones Clan as we have celebrated quite a few firsts with the babies!  We have teeth!  Six to be exact – two each on Jack, Brooklyn, and as of today, Miss Ryan Elizabeth.  All three babies have the bottom two front teeth…so cute!  Jack likes to show his off as he giggles which happens quite a bit these days.  Another first – Ryan can now move from her belly to the sitting up position on her own.  It’s pretty cool that she can do that and I hope the rest catch on quick – along with the greater mobility she seems to be able to entertain herself for longer periods of time.  All of the babies are starting to pull up on chairs and tables and I think it’s possible that Ryan will go from the army crawl to walking without ever doing a real crawl.  She is constantly pushing up on her hands and her toes…really funny!  It’s been busy keeping up with all of the changes, but we’re really having fun with them all now that survival mode is a thing of the past!

The babies have been doing great with their cereal and veggies and have been packing on the pounds.  Here are the latest not-so-scientific weights:  Brooklyn, Lila, and Ryan are all 15 pounds which is surprising to us because Brooklyn is quite a bit longer than the other two girls.  Big Bad Jack is tipping the scales at 19 pounds and Little Baby B, Britton Grace, is still a featherweight at a mere 13 pounds.  We’ll get an accurate count on all of the stats next month when we take them in for their nine month checkup.

It’s official – Laid Back Jack is gone and we have welcomed Mr. Adventure into our home!  He still isn’t crawling, but he’s mastered the army crawl with great speed…and, boy does he love to be on the move!  That kid is everywhere – crawling under the bouncey seats, wiggling his way down the hall, diving into the stacks of wipes, sneaking around behind the rocking chairs, and all points in between!  And, oh yeah, don’t get in his way ‘cuz he’s not changing course…several of the girls have had to learn this the hard way… :)  Check out the videos for Action Jack on the move!  And I have to mention one more of my boy’s new activities – every time I come upstairs to see the babies, Jack wastes no time crawling over to me, climbing up my leg, and giving me a huge, pick-me-up-daddy smile…as you might imagine, I love it!!  There is more to read below the videos…

We have another new addition to announce – we have welcomed Sparkle the Crown Tail Betta to our world!  In the picture above, where Eliot is in a yellow shirt standing next to what could pass as an empty vase, you will see Sparkle if you turn your head slightly right, close one eye, and stand very, very still…
Eliot has been very excited about her new little buddy and is doing a great job of taking care of her (and has held her off from begging for a dog for at least a little while longer)!!

This has been our best month so far since the babies arrived…it’s amazing what a regular sleep pattern can do for your state of mind!  The babies go down no later than 7:30 these days and Eliot is out an hour later, finally giving Casey and I some time together away from all of the demands that come with our new lives.  The babies are much happier and easier to manage during the days, Eliot is absolutely loving kindergarten and doing great, school is definitely working me over, but no more so than I’m used to by now, and Casey has been able to get a pretty good workout routine going (until she fell and hurt herself…bummer!).  Oh yeah, and another cool thing – we get to walk Eliot to school every day and most days we get to take a couple of babies along for the ride…they love their morning walks!  But of course, most importantly of all – college football is in full swing…oh yeah!!!!!  All in all, life is just a little bit easier as a tiny fraction of normalcy has begun to sneak its way back into the Jones home.  Hallelujah!!  October is just around the bend, hopefully along with some cooler weather…exciting times ahead!

Here are a couple of funny videos of the babies just before bedtime…they always seem to be in a great mood during Boot Camp! In one of the videos, Ryan and Jack seem to have their own little inside joke as they continue to crack each other up with nothing more than a look in each others’ direction. In the other one, Jack does his best serenade of the ladies as he slowly drifts off to sleep. This has become a common scene as Jack apparently has some things he’d like to say before he is done for the day!

Boot Camp, by the way, has been a fantastic success! I can officially say that our days of barely surviving the days because we were on two or three hours of sleep are behind us…yay!!! Survival mode no more! All in all, the babies are much more manageable and are really fun! Their personalities are coming through more and more, they are able to entertain themselves for longer periods of time, they are starting to interact with each other a bit, and even their limited mobility seems to be helping their moods as well. Next up – full on crawling – probably from either Jack or Ryan, but Little Britton has shown she has some moves of her own so who knows which one will be first?! Anyone up for another horse race…?

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net