Like Mother, Like children..

Kierra was just a baby, not more than about 3 months old. She was so tiny. She kept getting sick and the Dr. couldn't figure out why. She would throw up alot and was slow to gain weight. This went on until she was about 10 months old. I was willling to try anything at that point and a neighbor mentioned just trying to give her some whole milk instead of her baby formula. I did and it worked. It turns out she must have been allergic to the formula, and I was a naive new mom and her Dr. was an old quack! She thrived after that and gained weight quick.

Alexa & Tristan have the reverse. They had problems when they went off formula and started drinking milk. It turns out they are allergic to milk, and anything with citric acid.. tomatoes, chocolate, juices. They are gaining weight, but slowly. they are on Pediasure instead of milk and are being monitored closely by their pediatrician. Kierra had Hashimoto's Thyroid Disease and it can cause some problems with the babies as far as Thyroid, or metabollic disorders, so we are keeping a close eye on things. Kierra had flat feet and inverted ankles too. Tristan seems to have the inverted ankles, but they won't do anything about it until he is older. He will probably have to have shoe inserts like Kierra did when she was young.

Alexa has more hair then Kierra did at her age, but it is wispy and very blonde like Kierra's was when she was little. I see alot of her in both of them. Her smile and the infectious laugh they have. It is fun to watch and listen to them. They have their own language between them. Sometimes they will sit close together and gibber jabber to each other and then laugh so loud and hard. It is so much fun to see and hear. Kierra always laughed out loud, with her mouth open and a smile that spread accross her whole face and into her eyes. Tristan & Alexa both do that.

Kierra and I met Debbie Ficocelli and Becky Guilliame when I worked at Zayre's department store for a while when she was about a year old. They both were a big part of our lives then and when we lived there while Brian went to Belgium after Brianne was born. ( They remain very dear friends.) Brian was gone for over a year. Both my girls did what we called "the Becky look". It is when they tilt their head downward, but lift their eyes upward, then add a scowl.. Named after what Becky always did when someone made her mad! Both Tristan & Alexa do that too. Kierra also perfected rolling her eyes at you when she didn't like what you said.. she still did that.. I am sure her children will too.

I am hoping to avoid Kierra's old temper tantrum trick with Tristan & Alexa tho.. Kie would hold her breath when she got mad, to the point of passing out. Her Dr. told me to make sure she was safe and couldn't fall on anything hard, and let her pass out, she would then automatically start breathing. It only took a few times of me letting her pass out for her to realize it wasn't working to her advantage. The twins haven't tried that one yet!

I see so much of her in them. I wonder sometimes how I will ever do this.. then I remember I have done this before, at least the part of having 3 small children to care for.. of course I was alot younger then, but maybe not as experienced at it as I am now. And we lived far away from family and friends, although we made some great friends along the way.

Brianne pointed out to me the other day that I have some serious gray hair showing on my temples and in the front of my hair.. I laughed.. Kierra finally did what I was always telling her she would do.. she gave me gray hair!