Living in the seventh layer of Hell

So it's been a while since we last posted. I blame that on the fact that my hands are literally melting off my body. It's so freakin hot here, I think we are actually living on the sun. It just doesn't seem right that one should sweat when all he or she is doing is breathing. Oi, I say.



I HEART YOU


When Monkey was a few days old, the doctor heard a slight heart murmur. He said that if she still had it when she went to her 2 month appointment, she would need to see a cardiologist. Well it didn't disappear, so last Wednesday, she went in to see Dr. Baker. As he was listening to her heart, she was flirting up a storm, smiling and looking at him through her eyelashes. Little Monkey, going for the older men!

Anyway, after a really long appointment including an echocardiogram, we found out that she has three defects in her heart structure. And now I get to dazzle you again with my fake medical knowledge:

• Periphoral Pulmonary Stenosis (which is causing the murmur): This is a narrowing of the main artery or arteries of the heart. The doctor thinks that E has a narrowing of both. According to the University of Virginia's website, some issues that can occur are swelling and fluid retention as well as heart infections. Eleanor's is not nearly this bad. She just needs to be watched.








• Right Aortic Arch with mirror image branching: Instead of the aorta going over one of the branches of the trachea that goes into the lungs, it wraps around the whole trachea and esophogus. What can happen is as she grows, that aortic arch could constrict the esophogus and trachea. This is another thing to watch.

• High takeoff of the left pulmonary artery: I think this is the main artery that goes to Monkey's left lung. It is high-arched, meaning, I think, that it could constrict blood-flow to her left lung. When she goes back, she will have to have a chest x-ray to make sure that lung is doing okay. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a picture of this.

So overall, she is fine. We will just have to watch the conditions, and, like Bear, she will have to be monitored by a specialist to make sure that things are doing okay.

Other news not as complex

Per usual, nothing new is going on. We both have the Fourth off, which is cool. I was so ready for a break, even though I have only worked 2 days this week!

Both babies are sounding sick, snotty, coughish, and somewhat lethargic. They are drooling like mad, so maybe it's teeth. Scary! Doesn't it seem like just yesterday that they were tiny?!

Well I should get back to my task at hand:embroidering kitchen towels for my cousin's wedding. And with no babies, this is my chance to motor through!

Take care and until next time, stay cool!

-s-

13 weeks and sweating

I will be your father figure, put your little hand in mine

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and father-figures out there. Life was pretty relaxed at Casa de Gato y Ninas for Chris's first day o the Pop. It was too bloody hot to do anything other than move at a snails pace, and even that was too much! Every day this week was over 90, which is fantastic when you don't have air conditioning in either your car or your home.
The babies faired okay with the heat for the most part, but we all pretty much hit the wall today. No amount of fanage, wet rags or undressing could help. And that was just the parents! Lemme tell ya, a semi-naked 13 week twin post-partum belly isn't pretty, so it's good that when it gets hot, most people lose their appetites.

I just want to bang on the drum all day

I made it through week 1 of back to work. It was tougher than I thought it was going to be, leaving the babies on Monday. I got a little misty, but was quickly distracted on Cedar Avenue where people were traveling 25 miles per hour in a 30. Let's just say that this font color really describes my language for that 20 minutes in time.
Being back at work reminded me of all the frustrations that I had before I left. Miraculously, they are still there, despite the fact that many of my co-workers are not. Thanks for the beautiful down-turn, Mortgage Market! You rock!

What's new Pussycat?

What else is new, you may ask? Not too much.
Monkey's tests came back negative for urine reflux. Yay E! Abigail is taking pro-biotics to help her tummy while she is on the amoxicilian. Pro-biotics are the natural cultures in yogurt and are helping to replace the good bacteria in her stomach that the antibiotic is killing off. She is a much happier Bear because of it and as are her parents and sister.
Tomorrow, June 18, the girls officially exit newborness and enter the world of infantism. Happy Birthday, Ladies!! Supposedly the big thing for this month is language and singing, so I have been practicing, hence the subtitles. They say that any songs and any voice will do. Somehow knowing all the words to "Fight the Power" and reciting them to an infant just doesn't seem right.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

So I guess that's it for today...time to haul myself to bed in my 88 degree bedroom. Until next time.
-s-

Longest Entry Ever.

You outta be in pictures
So I ripped this off from Sarah and Tim, too. Monkey and Bear have their own picture page now. Their web address is monkeybeargacek.googlepages.com/home. There is also a permenant link to it over on the right disguised as "Aren't we cute??" As the page says, this is the best of the best, since, following in the tradition of all first-born children born after the instamatic was invented, there probably a good 1000 photos of these guys out there in the world. The page is under constant construction, so don't be surprised if the layout and pictures change or have changed since last you were there.

Not exactly dinner-time reading
Since Abigail's disappointing diagnosis last week, today was Eleanor's big day at the doctor. What?! You didn't hear about the Bear's condition?! Well, let me not only enlighten you with specifics, let me dazzle you with my limited yet extremely impressive medical knowledge.
About 3 weeks ago, we took Abigail in to the doctor for a fever and a cough. After a long, painful appointment, it was determined that the main symptom for which she came in, the cough, was the least of her worries. She had a urinary tract infection, not a very common thing in babies her age.
Because she was so young, her doctor's fear was that she had Vesicoureteral Reflux (ves-i-ko-you-ree-te-al ree-fluks). Normally, urine flows down into the bladder where it waits until it's voided out of the body. But when a person has Vesicoureteral Reflux, the urine flows out of the kidneys toward the bladder, but refluxes back up toward the kidneys. Because urine is a waste product, it has a lot of bacteria and when it flows back up toward the kidneys, a urinary tract infection can happen. If it happens enough and the condition is at a high enough level, there can be kidney damage. The other bad thing about this is that this condition is hereditary; 30% of people who have this, have a sibling with it. With twins, the instance is 50%. Therefore, if Abigail had it, Eleanor has to be tested, since she has a 50-50 chance of having it.
In order to find out if this was happening to Abigail, she had to go to Children's Hospital and have a test called a Voiding Cystourethrogram, VCUG for short. Well, long story short, Bear has it and her's is level 2 of a 5 point scale. She has to be on a daily dose of Amoxicilan until she is 6 months old, then switches to a broader spectrum drug until it goes away. This is to keep the bacteria in her urine at a minimum so it doesn't create any more UTIs. The good news, according to our doctor, is "that she will probably grow out of this by the time she is 3 or 4!" Well thank GOD for that! Poor Bear. Poor Bear's bum. Think about what happens to you when you have been on antibiotics for a week and then think about Abigail. Let's just say we will be keeping the Butt Paste people in buisness for the next 4 years!
So back to Eleanor. Today was her big date with destiny. Monkey's scan was different than Abigail's. Since she wasn't symptomatic, she had a scan that uses a lower dose of radiation and simply detects how the lower parts of the urinary tract are operating. This test isn't read right away, so we won't know if she has the reflux for a few days yet. If she does, she will have to have the VCUG and be on the dose of antibiotics, too. Yuck.
But not only did the Monkey have her turn at radiology, she also went to see the regular doctor. Yes, Eleanor has a lovely, auditorily pleasing, hacking, wet cough which has been plaguing her (no pun intended) for about 2 weeks. Since this is my last day of leave, sniff, sniff, I thought she should be seen, just to make sure she didn't have something like pneumonia or consumption. Upon examination, we were releaved to hear that she just has a nasty chest cold, no Moulin Rouge/Rent/La Boheme reinactments will be taking place here. We also found out that little E is now 9lbs 7.5oz, a half a pound more than she was at last check-up. Way to go Monkey!

In closing...FINALLY!
Nothing else too exciting is happening...Miles and I have a bocce game going-I am winning 2 to 1, but I am sure he will kick my butt in the end. We are working on painting the trim to the house. It's an awesome celery green. I ca't wait to see it when it's done. And the Gaceks have nothing planned this weekend other than church on Sunday. What a good feeling!
Wish me luck on Monday. I will really need it. And wish the Monkey luck, too. 1 baby on antibiotics is really all our family needs. So until next time...paper.

Work Sucks, I know

T minus 2 days and counting until the return. I am so not looking forward to it. I haven't been at work to work since February 12. Since then, the job has changed, the work has been expanded, and a bunch of familar faces have left. I am really nervous. As much as some days at home are harried and overwhelming, at least these babies know that I am their superior. That isn't always the case at work. Ah well, no way around it, have to go through it.

Speaking of babies, they are well. I can't belive that they will be 3 months old soon. It seemed so far away when people said, "Oh she'll outgrow that by 3 months." Now it's here and I have to say that I am a little sad. By turning 3 months, they are no longer able to use the newborn monicker-they are now "infants." Infant seems so broad to me. I liked saying, "I have newborn twins. I can't possibly donate to the annual fund." "I have infant twins," is so much less impressive in my mind. Most people don't even hear the age part any way. They just focus on the word twins. They are a spectical even auditorily.

And speaking of specticals, what is it that makes people think that they can touch your child. I was in Target today and two different parties actually pushed up the visors on the car seats. Who does that? I mean I know we are somewhat asking for it by putting them side by side in a cart, but still...look with your eyes, not your fingers! Man, people tick me off.

Well I guess I have nothing else to say. I must get back to my dwelling on work, watching Abigail stare at whatever it is that she is staring at on the side of the laptop, and eating of Lorna Doones. Until next time.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Lack of original sin sits well with the girls. Although Saturday was extremely worrisome (Bear screamed and screamed and screamed and, well you get the idea). I was absolutely certain that they were going to yell through the whole thing. Much to our surprise, neither girl made a peep during the service. Thank GOD! Believe you me, I was doing some praying Saturday night!

And now we move into the TMI section...Abigail's got a serious case of diaper rash from her antibiotics. It's so bad that it melts the butt paste. On a brighter note, I am officially out of the milk business. The girls had their last bottle of breast milk today. Such a relief!

Not much else is happening...nothing funny, nothing overly notable, which is good I think.

Until next time.

Copy cats and other animals

Monkeys and Kitties and Bears, OH MY!

My friend Sez recently started a blog about her pregnancy. What a great idea. I should have started this months ago...could have kept me happier on bedrest, although it's really hard to type on your side. After reading that, and after all the searching on the net for information about twins, I came to the conclusion that I should start my own blog. Not that I am an expert, nor that interesting, but if the Monkey and Bear can bring a smile to just one more face, my work will not have been in vain. Yes, I am a copy cat, but I do mean well!

So welcome to the Monkey and Bear show. I am your host, Ringmaster Mama. Yes, some mothers call their children sweetheart or sugar bumps. Mine are Monkey and Bear for utilitarian reasons, really. Eleanor looks like a monkey and Abigail looks like a bear. And it really is like a circus here. You should see when they both are crying to eat and the Ringmaster is alone. I can get pretty creative, if I do say so myself. Fighting off cats and crying in a single bound. Gosh! I sound like a superhero!

In closing, what's news for Clan Gacek this week? Well, we are still waiting to hear when the newest Gacek (technically Flores) will be heading for home. Isabella Pena Flores was born on Monday and is having some issues with eating and breathing. Looks like she needs to come down and talk to the Bear. At 10 pounds 2 ounces, she could teach her a thing or two about both of those subjects. God speed, Isabella!

Also, the Gacek girls are being baptized on Sunday, so the fam is coming into town. It will be very nice to see everybody and have them meet the girls. I will publish some pictures of the doings for sure.

Well that should be all for now...until next time, courage.