Tag, your it.

Diane is sitting here next to me and said her title would have been "Seven and a half month update". My title is cooler because it makes you wonder, what the hell is he talking about now and makes you want to read on. Or you might think, Chris is drunk again, can't imagine how Diane puts up with him....Unfortunately, I'm not drunk and can't remeber the last time I was. Maybe I was so drunk that I cant remember anything about the last time I was drunk.

Mia and Wes are having their very first bbq and party the first Saturday of August. They wanted to throw me and the wife a birthday party. I'm told, repeatedly, that I am really old now since I'm turning 40 on the first. I dont feel that old, except for the two bad knees, failing eyesight, growing belly and occasional sore back. So, be sure to send me presents so I can enjoy them before I kick the bucket. If you want to come to the party, consider yourself invited. The festvities start at 2. No telling what fun and games the old lady has planned since she wont tell me what they are. I'm not sure why she is afraid of telling me since I probably wont remember what she said anyway.

I originally was going to title this "The answer is No". Since the kids are almost 8 months old, 7.5 is more accurate, there are lots of almost changes going on. Are the kids crawling yet, No. Do the kids have teeth, No. Are they pulling themselves up onto furniture, No. Have we figured out what is wrong with Wes, No. But there just werent enough nos to go around. Wes is almost crawling, he gets up on all fours and rocks back and fourth. Mia just tends to lay there looking adorable. Occasionally she will push herself up on her hands and sit there smiling. She has the greatest laugh, it is fun to listen to. Both kids are sitting up on their own. Wes can sit for a long time, Mia only for a short amount of time. Solid foods are on the menu and have been expanding the list of things they eat, not necessarily enjoy. So far they are eating: cereal, banannas, pears (which got threw up), squash, sweet potatos, carrots, peas (both hate them), prunes (which Mia loves to spit out at mom) and apples. Wes' favorite toy is the Jumperoo, he will spend lots of time playing in it and jumping up and down. Mia is just starting to warm up to it. It was really funny to see her when we first bought it since she just barely peeked out the top and couldnt touch the ground. She just sat there with her hands down by her side and cried. Both kids are starting to teeth. You can see the bumps where the bottom front two teeth are supposed to come in. They are both starting to get really chatty in their own little language.

Wes had another round of tests last week at the hospital. He had a ph probe and upper endoscopy performed to try and figure out the cause of his episodes. The results all came back normal. This wasnt really surprising because over about a two week period, he started acting a lot better while eating and we didnt have any reflux reactions while he was off his medicine for the 5 days prior to his tests. We are planning on taking him off his medicine and just hope he finally outgrew whatever it was. The doctors say 90% of kids grow out of GERD between 6 and 12 months of age. So far, so good without the medicine. He is eating well and hasnt shown any signs of having a breathing problem.

Oh, I bet you are wondering about the title still. It comes from what Mia likes best. He favorite thing to play with is the tags on anything around her. She will take some fun toy and turn it around until she finds the tag and then just grab a hold of it and feel it and play with it. You would think this would be something that just grabs her attention for a very short while, but that isnt the case. She will play with it for a long time.

Here are a few recent pictures we took.

Mid Term Update (Momma got a new purse)

About the title...Diane asked me what I was doing and I said, 'I'm trying to think of a title for the kiddos 6 months in this great family' (just ask the Nuetzels how great we are since they are always striving to be like us) and the response I get back is, 'I got a new purse, she how nice and shiny it is'. Now take a few minutes and feel for me. This isn't an unusual occurrence, neither me getting a totally off the wall comment or Diane getting a new purse. We are taking donations for my counseling sessions that I will probably need in the near future. Just yesterday, she starts having a conversation with me, which isn't unusual, but the unusual part is that she was in the kitchen and I was in the backyard. Now I know why she says that she told me stuff, but I don't remember the conversation.

The kids just had their six month checkup with the doctor a couple of weeks ago. They both got an A plus on all their skills. Wesley came in at 18 lbs 3 oz and Mia weighs 12 lbs 14 oz. Wes is 26.5 inches long and Mia is 24.25 inches. They didn't find anything wrong and said they are progressing perfectly.

Wes and Mia posing for their 6 month pics











We started them both on solid (I am told there is supposed to be an 's' placed here but I disagree), actually mushy, food a couple of weeks ago. Wes took right to it and Mia is getting there. She has gotten much better since the first day. The first day she would open her mouth and then do raspberries with her mouth full of the food. At least her mouth was full of food when she started. It ended up all down the front of her face and bib.

Wes had another episode the first day at daycare after we started him on the solids. It wasn't a total stop breathing episode, but the workers were worried since he was pale and a little blue around the mouth. Diane did some research and found out that kids with gerd sometimes don't do well with applesauce. We were mixing applesauce into the rice cereal. So we re-evaluated what we were doing and switched to bananas. Have not had a problem since then. This past weekend they got to try out butternut squash.

We decided to make most of our own foods to give the kids. Diane cooked up some carrots, applesauce and squash so far. It is all frozen in ice cube trays in one serving sizes.

Wes' first real meal


















Mia's first meal






I think Mia is going to be a true Chiefs fan. She really likes to do the tomahawk chop with her hand. It is really funny to watch. She will even get so into it that her matching leg will go in rhythm with her arm.

The kids really like to go on walks in their stroller. It is nice that we are finally able to use it some. We went several months without being able to use it. They like to look around and see everything. It also seems to calm them and make them sleepy, so we like to do it right before we feed them before bed.

When we go out in public, we are quite the circus show. People love to stop us in the middle of doing whatever it is we are doing and ask us questions. I don't think there has been a single time out of the house with the kids where we haven't been stopped by someone. Diane suggests putting a donation cup on a rope around each of their necks. We could collect donations to help pay off all the hospital bills we have accumulated. It isnt just when they are in their strollers. People in restaurants like to stop eating and come on over. It doesn't matter that we are in the middle of a meal. Mia has started to develop 'stranger danger', whenever strangers come over and bend down to get a better look at her, she thrusts out her bottom lip and then starts screaming. They bolt upright and pretty much run away. Another great laugh every time it happens.

An update on the purse....she says it is fabulous, was 30% off, and is woven fabric as she rubs it. I am supposed to feel jealous since I don't have one like it. According to the wifey, it is me tormenting her....not the other way around. Can you believe that she doesn't consider the pellet gun in the kitchen a decorative part of the house. I guess she would rather have pigeon crap all over the deck.

And I want to wish myself a Happy Fathers Day...twice over.


Wes air drying his arse from a bad case of booty rash out on the deck.













Mia's reaction from us taking Wes out on the deck to air dry his arse from a bad case of booty rash.

It is a lot like Diane's reaction when I walk out onto the deck in my boxer shorts.

Five Months and Counting

Diane goes Blog on us....except for the picture titles....


OK, so let me start by apologizing for what I am about to say.......Chris is an ass. Now that I have that off of my chest, I will follow that comment by saying that he is really good at creating the text for these blogs, and I will never be as funny as him.....but he refuses to type tonight so you all are stuck with me.


The twins are both doing really well. I can't believe how fast they are growing. Wes has now mastered rolling from front to back and also back to front. We also think it wont be long before he is sitting up on his own - the kid is a hoss. Wes' favorite thing to do is pull his pacifier out of his mouth and then scream for you to put it back in his mouth for him. He also laughs and smiles a lot.


Mia has finally shown us that she can roll from front to back - although she will only do it once and then cry if you try to get her to do it again. Her favorite thing top do these days is blow bubbles and make scary baby growling noises - hard to explain but really funny to hear. She also smiles a lot, but gets really angry if you wake her from a nap before she is ready to be awake.


It has been 6 1/2 weeks since Wes has had one of his stop breathing episodes. It seems since we switched his medicine to Prevacid and started thickening his formula he has done much better. We just finished up a 21 day heart monitor on him and should be getting the report sometime at the end of this week. We put him on it just to be sure that his heart was working ok and not the cause of his weird episodes. My understanding is that we would have been notified immediately if there was something critical going on with him - so we are assuming that the report will come back normal as we heard nothing during the 21 days. I have since found an online support group for parents that have babies with severe acid reflux - I actually read about other kids in this group stopping breathing because of acid reflux. Hard to believe that stomach acid could be the culprit of such craziness - but we are now really believing that it is the case. Anyways, the good news is that he will eventually grow out of it and in the meantime it looks like we have found the right medication and formula to keep it under control - keep your fingers crossed for us.


That's about it here in Colorado. We hope you enjoy the new pictures.






They really do like each other













The smiling one...almost always happy













Not always this happy, but is always ready to party.














Hey, thats my elephant....

Our Loft is Finally Finished !!!!

What should have taken about 4 weeks to finish only took us 3 months. We managed to fit it into many doctor visits and hospital stays. Luckily we had two weekends in a row without anyone getting sick to be able to finish it up.

Poopff

About the title. ...I have taken up making up new words in my spare moment or two. I came up with this one the other day after I put the dogs out to go to the bathroom. One of the dogs went #2, thus the poop part. I turned my back for a couple of minutes and when I turned back to let them all in, the pile had disappeared....thus the pff part (as in poof). So next time you have a pile of poop mysteriously disappear, it is called poopff. Another favorite word of mine, but I cant take credit for it, is shipoopy. Credit can be given to Family Guy. I think I have been changing too many diapers....

Since last time we talked, lots has happened, but I just cant seem to remember it all. Diane says it is because I am old, but I'm insisting that I have so much knowledge stuffed up there, I just can't fit anymore. The days fly by so fast, yes faster than Wes' fast pants and shirt. We seem to spend all of our work vacation time on doctor visits and hospital stays. Still have no definate answer on what is causing Wes' breathing spells. He has had a cardio evaluation, upper gi, EEG with an neurological exam, and an EKG with a cardiac exam done with nothing found on any of them. The best guess is still acid reflux disease or gerd (gasto esophogial relux disease). It has been three weeks since his last episode. Hopefully he will grow out of it soon.

We took the twins on their very first plane trip back to St Louis over Easter. It was quite the adventure. Being the smart parents we thought we were, or at least Diane is supposed to be smart, I just barely get by, we decided to feed them right before we boarded the plane. The great idea was based on thinking they would sleep right after feeding and there would be no problem. Wrong, at least on Wes' account. He had a 20 minute meltdown where he screamed the whole time. He wouldnt stop until we gave him another full bottle which he woofed down and then fell asleep. Doesn't everyone love flying next to a sceaming baby...thought so. Mia was great and didnt have any problems either way. On the way home we fed them right after we got up in the air and didnt have any problems. It was good to see everyone while home since it has been a while since we have been back.

Wes learned how to turn over the other day, Friday to be exact. He has done it several times since then too. Both kiddos are also sleeping through the night or at least we only have to get up once to give them a binky. Mia is finally getting over her latest cold where she got out of daycare for two days with a 102 temperature.

Our loft we added to the house is almost complete. We just have to finish painting and carpet the stairs, loft area and hallway upstairs. It will be great when finally finished. We are hoping to finish the painting next weekend and then get the carpet installed.



and here are some pictures:



Wes and the magic ring













Mia and Wes on Easter













Mia and her tasty treat













Newest Cardinals fan















Grandma Tepen and most of her great
grandkids (3 are missing cuz the stupid b*#^$
Rhonda wouldnt let them come)

Owee !!!!

Mia and Wes have started chatting in their own little language. Even though it may be hard to believe, Wes' favorite saying is owee. He will say this usually four times in a row. It is really cute to listen to him and actually fun to say yourself. Go ahead and give it a try....say it outloud four times in a row...'owee owee owee owee'. Wasn't that fun. It has recently become the Colorado Tepen's new motto!!!!

Unfortunately, it is also our new way of life. After Wes' long stay in the NICU right after birth, he has decided that he likes the hospital and doctors office more than home. Five weeks ago he started with an episode where he stopped breathing. Diane was able to bring him around and start breathing again, but ten minutes later he did it again. Once again, he came back around. That was the beginning of his episodes. We brought him into the doctor and they decided it was acid reflux disease and put him on medication. The second episode, he stopped breathing and was taken to the emergency room where he spent three nights in the hospital with RSV. They attributed his breathing problem to the RSV and was allowed home on oxygen. While he was at the hospital, both me and diane got sick where we were both home for an entire week. He came home on a Sunday about noon. That afternoon Mia started getting a lot worse with her breathing, a fever and color. So, it was back to the hospital for a one night stay about four hours after he got home. It was one of the hardest weeks of our lives, trying to care for both of them on oxygen while we were both sick.

This morning came another surprise for the both of us. Around ten this morning, he started acting weird while laying on the floor playing with one of his toys. We picked him up and he was really lathargic. A short while later his eyes dilated and rolled into the back of his head. Then he turned really rigid and stopped breathing. He started breathing again, but was still groggy and out of it. A few minutes later, the same thing happened. We called our doctor where they told us to take him to the hospital. Unfortunately, he didnt want us to drive him because he had a third seizure in half an hour. We called 911 and he got his first ambulance ride. They put him on seizure medicine and sent him home. He is supposed to see a neurologist sometime next week to get evaluated. We are hoping for the best.

Believe it or not, Wes isn't the only one playing the doctor game. On this past Monday, while Mia was at daycare, her attendant was holding her and tripped over another baby on the floor. On the way to the floor, Mia hit her head on one of the hard plastic toys laying on the floor. She was very unconsolable and she had to be picked up from daycare and taken to the doctors. She checked out ok but was very fussy the rest of the day. Fortunately, she was back to her old cheery self the next morning.

I was hoping to add pictures and talk about fun stuff, but will leave it for the next update.

Six Weeks of Pure Bliss

We cant believe it has been six weeks since the twins were born. Time flies by so fast because we basically dont have time to do anything but take care of the kids, cook some grub and get some sleep in.


We're watching you !!!










As an example, I've been trying to recount my two by fours for the basement now for about 2 weeks, I think one of the kids ate the piece of paper that had the first count on it or Diane threw it out, not sure which....she just flicked me for typing that, and it hurt like the dickens. She has now started calling me names, I think pansy was the last term she used, or at least the clean one I can use on the family blog we have here. But I digress....now it was moron cuz she doesnt like this sentence and the previous one I typed....all this coming from someone that up to this point has refused to type an entry. She claims to be a critique.

On to the fab two Tepens of Colorado. They made six weeks and are still pooping and peeing on perfectly clean diapers, Diane and changing table covers. We are able to see more of their eyes because they are staying awake a lot more as they get older, including the 3 am to 6 am time frame. I can occasionally sleep through the crying in the middle of the night. I think I learned that ability from trying to ignore Diane as much as possible. (another flick and was called moron again. ) We have joined the frequent diaper and formula club because we go through so many, cant image what it is like for people with more than two at a time. Here are some more pictures, enjoy, and we will put up more when we get the chance.


Fast Pants
look close, Wes has cars on his pants. I wish I had cars on my pants.










Nursery, Finally finished

notice the nice frames.....as i'm flicked for a third time in addition to the evil Gondira glare.










Bed Time for babies










And a picture of our newest family addition is included.

No more green screen !!!