Aspirates.......

B's had an appointment with his food therapist today and they decided that they wanted him to have a swallow study to make sure he isn’t aspirating when he swallows liquids. 

His last study was when he was still in the NICU at only 2 months old, at which point he was still having a large amount of aspiration on his milk. 

at that time it was the hard for him and we never saw him take anywhere near a full feed by mouth. (Which he promptly puked up in spectacular fashion – aspiration was only one of our problems.) You see he is the kid that has aspirations when he sleeps, causing him to wake up a zillion times a night. Making it hard for his brother to sleep and for me to get up and comfort him and make sure he is okay. We need a few answers.  

We were lucky this time to be able to have Daddy with us. Brother was able to stay with MeeMa and Pop. F  was in good hands & I am sure he was being spoiled while we were able to get some one on one time with B. 

Anyways, we have a small reason to believe he is still aspirating now. At times when he drinks small amounts of water from sippy cups  he chokes and coughs, then other times without a problem and has had pneumonia 

(a tell-tale sign of a kid who aspirates). 

With that we wanted to be sure, so there we were.

B did exactly as I thought he would. He was slightly anxious in the waiting room, but completely lost his  mind as soon as we were brought down to the radiology suite. He screamed like he was being stabbed, and was only momentarily calmed by iPads, bubbles, and songs. But in the end, I got him to calm down enough to take a few sips from his cup 

(before he realized the barium was nasty), 

and they saw five or six successful swallows! 

We have to use thicker food and our food issues are far from over, but we did get a few answers and a few things that will start to help. 

We will be back in a few months to check in and do this test all over again. 

The thing I want most for him is to not struggle. To not hurt, to not panic when he chokes & aspirates.  

Wordless Wednesday..............( well maybe a few)

Brock. My Twin A. My little Man. My brave little boy. Next week will be Franky's turn. Where I must ask did the time go? Slow down... it is already going way to fast. 

                                        
                                                  

Those eyes of yours kill me every time. You melt my heart with just one look. 

Mommy loves you to the moon and back buddy. 

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday.

This is what is for dinner tonight. It has been a busy week with Doctors appointments for B. Then Hub's has been working over time a lot. He then has a ton of things to do outside the house and in the next week or two we will be painting the outside of our house.. Well when I say we I mean he. It is also a zillion degrees outside and even hotter in our house. So I am trying to find things to cook that will make it not become any hotter.  I found this recipe on Pinterest via Hi Its Jilly Make sure you check her blog out its totally cute. 

BLT Pasta Salad


Ingredients:
3 2/3 C. cooked pasta (about 8 oz uncooked)- You can use farfalle, elbow, rotini, fusilli, etc. The pasta in the picture above is rainbow radiatori.
4 C. chopped tomatoes, or you can use cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled or chopped 
3 C. thinly sliced romaine lettuce (do NOT use iceberg! Seriously! It is the nutritional equivalent to cardboard!)
1/2 C. low-fat mayonnaise  (I like the Mayo with Olive Oil)
1/3 C. plain, low-fat yogurt, drained
1 TB Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar, or your favorite sweetener
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper


Directions:
1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl, toss gently.
2. In a separate bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Stir well.
3. Add dressing to salad and toss gently. 


You can serve it immediately, or let it chill in the fridge for a few hours. Or, you can make it the night before without the lettuce, then add the lettuce right before serving it. I actually like the way it tastes after it's had some time to chill in the fridge. 


I hope you enjoy this recipe. It's a great meal to throw together in the morning, then go have some fun with your family without worrying about dinner. 

The Ocean Lodge Hotel.. Review....

We headed to the Ocean Lodge, it was as if we found the crown jewel of the Oregon coast. This is the kind of place that took your breathe away the second you drive up. Upon Entering the lobby I felt like I had been transformed into a time when it was a slower pace even with all the modern amenities but still all through out the resort you get a feel and see just the most subtle hints of a 1940's beach resort.

                                                 

The history of the lodge is present and in every detail. With the old time charm, wherever your eye wanders. When they were building the lodge the owners knew that this location where now the Ocean Lodge proudly sits was a once in a life time opportunity. They wanted to create a place that was going to be something that their family, generations from now could be proud of. They hired Raven Architecture of Seattle to help them create a lodge with the ambiance that the Raven Architecture has truly captured in the old meets new world feeling.

We got checked into the room, We booked the cottage. It is across from the main area of the Lodge. Our cottage had to offer had everything we could think of and couldn't ask for more. The front porch with a peak a boo view of the ocean. The room was spacious with all the comforts of home. The nice jacuzzi with jets in the bathroom, the showers that we had in our room was rather small but, sill it didn't take away from the experience. The bed was good and comfortable,  The wonderful gas fire place made it so relaxing to sit and gaze at all evening and long into the night at the flickering flames.

The lovely in room Kitchenette that we had was great. It certainly was helpful for us to be able to use some of the items that we brought from home, allowing us to enjoy home made waffles that next morning. To make that breakfast even better was the coffee pot, cafe style coffee cups & Sleepy Monk® Organic in-room coffee, that I have to say being a girl from Seattle gave the S word a run for the money!  It was a great start to a wonderful day at the beach.

So many extra touches that they do for their guest, A large selection of movies to play on your in-room DVD player (no rental fee!) homemade cookies in the lobby of the hotel that are always warm. Sleepy Monk® Organic Fair-Trade Coffee in the lobby 24 hrs a day. Free wifi access available for all the guests.The large private on site library of games and books to choose from that all guest can borrow. A large free breakfast for all the mornings that you stay there. For a family of four this is a must to help save on some money. The staff are hospitable and very helpful always informative and so friendly. 

The Lodge is on the south end of Cannon Beach, which is the most desirable beach town on the entire Oregon coast. with boutique shopping, art galleries and amazing 5 start restaurants. The location is great because it is only a little away from the heart of down town Cannon beach, letting you truly get away and relax! 

We were able to do things that we loved as well as things the fur babies loved and the boys. We were able to make smore's on the beach with the amazing kit that they have for only $99.00 it came with everything we needed to make the smores along with the firewood and fire starters, it came with a trail map for a family friendly hike we did on our second day. It came with a frisbee, and a kite, that the boys would love to do next summer when they are a little older. They did love the sand dollar paint project that came with brushes and paint to decorate them It was messy but it was fun. But this was a mommy fail because I didn't take pictures and sadly forgot them there. 

The Ocean Lodge believes that nobody has to stay at home when you come to visit Cannon Beach! There are so very many hotels along the coast, that don't feel this way.  The Ocean Lodge is delighted to welcome your pet and has designated select rooms with easy beach access to accommodate you and your pets. Your best-friend is welcome to share your lodging and vacation fun,  with a large variety of pet packages and goodies for your "Fur Babies". What I loved most is that they even go the extra mile by providing a dog wash in the front lawn.  There is a very reasonable small fee per night, per pet, but once you see all the amazing things that your dogs get you wont even thing twice about the fee. There is a two pet per room maximum, although they are so easy to work with I am sure that if you had a third they would be willing to work with you.Please make sure that you note there is a small pet fee of $15 per pet per night. 

 We truly enjoyed our stay and being able to sit and truly relax in the on site Adirondack chairs overlooking Haystack Rock and the beautifully scenic Oregon coast, It is really a wonderful place to let your cares and worries roll out with the waves.  I know that when I go back to Cannon beach I will be coming back to the Ocean Lodge! I added it to my speed dial in my cell phone for when the mood strikes my fancy! I know that I have taught my boys the love of the sea. This will be a wonderful visit each year that we look forward too! 

Xoxo,
Twinpeaks Mama. <3

Make sure you mention me when you book. Feel free to call them at 1-503-436-2241. 1-888-777-4047 or go to their website and book directly. The Ocean Lodge & make sure to ask for the Manager Wendy Higgins. They are located at 2864 South Pacific Street

Mailing address is P.O. Box 1037

Young at heart.

I hope when I am this ladies age that I am still young at heart. I love birthdays so much. I know when I am her age I will be that much more in love with them.  The boys are going to be 21 months old next week and I have been planning their birthday sense last spring. I get more excited to do their birthday then I have ever been exited for anything. 

I have a ton of friends with twin boys that are all around the same age so I wont post what I am planning, but it has something to do with Mickey Mouse. They are in love with that mouse!  I promise I will take pictures and let you know how I made everything or where I got the items. 

I hope you enjoy your weekend and enjoy this pictures as much as I do. :)

Having fun even on the hard days....

There are days as a mom that it can just be to much. To much of saying no, to much of saying get down, stop that, don't touch... and of course the famous word NO! There is also a part in which you and your spouse/partner become at times more like roommates. Two passing ships in the night.  You feel stressed and the because you know that they are the ones you can rip into and blow of steam and say the worst things to each other but at the end of the day you still love and need each other and love to much to not forgive and forget.  

We had a rough day yesterday. But half way though it I realized that the boys and I needed to laugh and giggle and have some fun. This is what raising boys is all about! This is what I wanted babies for. Because I am not going to remember what last weeks fight over Mac and Cheese was all about, but I and the boys will remember the time where we forgot everything else and laughed and had a fun time because I was silly enough to laugh at myself. 

I will always try to bring out some sunshine when our life has been a little covered with shade..... 

So lucky I am to be a twin MOM!

As a first-time mom, I got my ass handed to me with twin newborns. It was a hard year. Once we got past the one year mark and we saw some things getting easier....then the cold and flu season started. My boys go to the Doctors more then three times a week now, it did slow down They were sick all… the… time. RSV, ear infections, vomiting viruses, random fevers, colds, they caught it all. And then there were and still are the worries about developmental delays and Brock's CP.... I promised to write very openly about our experiences on my blog and even more honest about the difficulty of twins with my real-life friends. 

I’ve always been very honest.  I’m not the type to say, “Being a twin mom is the BEST thing to EVER happen to me EVER!!!” But that’s what I think.... I honestly believe having twins has been the biggest blessing of my life. Some days, I am stunned at how much love I have in my heart for both my boys. Sometimes they hug each other or laugh together and I can’t believe this is my life. I hear them call each other “bubba ” and I feel all melty and weepy and I wish everyone could see the instant replay in my head. Because having twins is the best thing I have ever been blessed with. 

          Here they are my favorite things about being a twin mommy...... 

 * Listening to the boys talk to each other over the monitor after they go to bed has lifted me up so many times when I’ve had a rough day. Their sweet little voices talking about their toys and their twin talk, oh it makes my heart overflow.

* There is always someone in a good mood. Inevitably if one kid is having a tantrum, the other is being an angel. 

* Baby interaction. I miss so baldy the two babies crawling, chasing each other around our kitchen island and laughing. Those are some of my favorite memories in my life. They would chase each other forever, giggling and panting. 

 * I pretty much feel like I can accomplish anything after surviving that newborn period. Bring it, 3 year old tantrums!! BRING IT! <3

* Not sweating the small stuff. I simply don’t have time to do it. I’ve tried my entire life to accomplish this. Now because of the two of them I am. ( for the most part) 

* Memories of nights, sitting with Chris, each of us holding a baby and talking to each other while we fed them. Imagining what our life would be like when they were boys instead of babies. Having twins brought me and my husband together in a way I can’t explain. We’re in this for the long road, together, every step of the way. Even when we fight I know its not going to break us, God will protect our marriage and our family.