Things We Love

We LOVE to READ!

Grandpa LOVES to read and sing to John-Raven, and John-Raven LOVES The Hungry Catapillar!

Mommy LOVES to read to William, and William LOVES Mother Goose!
It gets him quiet instantly. :)



The Family LOVES us some Halloween!

Mom and Dad recycled costumes from a few years back....wonder why? I can't think of any reason they didn't come up with new and creative costumes this year. The boys have Halloween shirts and Candy corn socks....Mom LOVES the dollar section at Target!




A few new additions to this year Boo-riarhood Party....other than the 4 new little ones on the street....Black Lights in the Garage! All the kids LOVED dancing in the glowing lights!


Most, but not all, of our beautiufl little girls in the hood. They LOVED the candy and getting to hang out together.

Mini Me's

Little Plummer looking studious in Dad's specs.




John-Raven our little nerd also in Dad's specs.



Mom and Dad got a night out thanks to our very gracious friends, the Chavarrias (also parents of identical twins....girls that are 10 weeks older than the boys). They had 2 extra tickets to see U2 and Muse at the new Cowboy stadium. It was worth the lack of sleep! We were able to make it from our home to our seats in 30 minutes! And the same coming home!

On a new note, we visited the Neurosurgeon this Tuesday. Both boys were had head sono's done. The tech had to switch cameras to get a good picture because their fontanelles are getting very small. It was an uneventful day. The doc said the shunt are working. There is still quite a bit of fluid from what he could tell, but the important part is that the shunts are doing their job. We inquired about helmets since the boys have plagiocephaly (flat spots on the back of their heads). He said he wouldn't if they were his kids, but he did give us names of places and prescriptions to have them done. He said he would leave that decision up to us. We will be doing our research and making a decision soon.

Woo Pig Sooie!

This is for all you Hog fans out there.


John-Raven loved calling the Hogs.....

...while William has on his serious game face.

And yes, mommy did teach us how to call the Hogs.

And we are GREAT at it! I bet they can hear us all the way in Fayetteville!

Thanks Jami and Jason for our Razorback tattoos.

La-Z-Boys

"You know, Dad, if you want this chair back, it's gonna cost you."

Alphabet Soup and an Updated Diagnosis

The biggest news we can offer now is the boys' revised diagnosis, which sortof has us swimming in alphabet soup.

Their diagnosis of HPE (holoprosencephaly) has been changed to ASP (absent septum pellucidum) possibly resulting from SOD (septo-optic displasia). Although ASP/SOD still could present some of the same developmental issues as less extreme cases of HPE, the new diagnosis is a better one overall. (In fact, I understand that ASP/SOD used to be listed as a mild form of HPE.)

We're glad for the new diagnosis, and especially thankful to its source, the Carter Centers for Brain Research in Holoprosencephaly and Related Malformations. We took the initiative to contact the nearest location of the Carter Centers (located in the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas) after the boys were dismissed from Harris Methodist. We sent over the boys' MRIs, and we were told that the Carter Centers couldn't help us because the boys don't actually have HPE. But that's a good thing -- with their rejection came a very detailed and helpful explanation of WHY they couldn't help us and why they don't have HPE. We've since been able to take that explanation to other doctors.

A couple of things we've learned about doctors and hospitals:

1) NEVER assume anyone is communicating with anyone else. Maybe they are, maybe not. Our first meeting with our neurosurgeon is a good example of that. (That story was pre-blog, so maybe I'll have to revisit it.)

2) A single doctor's diagnosis can have a lot of inertia and may rarely get challenged. The HPE diagnosis, which occurred in the NICU, had enough momentum to carry it along to every other specialist we've seen. Until, that is, the Carter Centers' diagnosis became the outside force that acted on the thing in motion. Challenge assumptions.

3) You are your best (and sometimes only) advocate. Do your own research. Join an online community/forum. Get second opinions. If your doctor doesn't specialize in your or your child's condition, find one who does.

So over the last few weeks, we've had our fair share of visits to/from healthcare professionals, including the neurosurgeon, the neurologist, the early intervention specialist, the occupational therapist, the geneticist, the pediatrician, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. (Some of these visits were scheduled, but one wasn't -- We had a little scare one day that John-Raven's shunt was failing, but thankfully, it was a false alarm.)

The boys have an improved diagnosis, they're putting on weight, they're happy (er, most of the time), and they're still cute little stinkers.

Speaking of cuteness...without further delay, I bring you CUTE BABY PICS.


Shirts read: MY MOM RULES and MY DAD IS RAD.
(Thanks, Deneise!)

John-Raven rockin' the horizontal stripes.

"Really, Mom? No Ed Hardy footy-pajamas?"

John-Raven comforts William. "It's okay, I don't think she'll eat us."

Daddy attempts to drink a beer while holding pacifiers. Epic Fail.

Obligatory baby-with-beer-bottle shot.

(Come on, I had to do it.)

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it...

No caption necessary.

When Babies Attack! (Or, The Deadliest Catch)

From May 2008 to May 2009, several nearby families have noted an increase in the population of small creatures commonly referred to as "babies". Warning signs of the creatures' appearance include the onset of flu-like symptoms resulting in extreme swelling in a woman's abdomen followed by the removal of one or more baby-shaped objects. After that, there's sleeplessness, crying, and an unexplained need to re-arrange things. And poo.

The recent rise in the local baby population has resulted in a rash of attacks around the neighborhood. It's an epidemic of...epidemic proportions! But our neighborhood babyhunters are on the case. Below, they gather round to assess their latest catch:

Scary, no? Our house has been attacked by not one but TWO, count them, TWO babies in recent months. Oh, the humanity!

We're learning more about babies every day. To be sure, the clever little creatures appear harmless enough:

But don't be fooled! Only ten minutes later, this candid picture reveals their true abilities:

That's right - NEVER let your guard down around babies. They have been known to strike without warning. Notice how the victim in the pictures below lies helpless from one baby's highly skilled attack:

What ferocity! What aggression! Remarkable!

I actually got close enough to touch one that was sleeping. There's no telling what mayhem would have ensued had he awakened. I'm lucky I lived to provide this rare photo to the public.

But fear not. We will be vigilant in our endeavors to continue to go forth and move on making progress as we take it to the next level going forward.

More pictures and updates to come...if we survive!

Slideshow: Maternity and Hospital Pics

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I'll get some fresh content up soon. In the meantime, for those who haven't seen the amazing slideshow done by our photographer friend Michelle, here's the link:

http://www.mppphotography.com/CobbBirth/index.html

(If you're prone to being emotional, you might want to have some tissues handy.)