My Brain is Fried

I really, really wish I had something interesting to blog about. But I don't. So I'll just tell you that Charlotte has finally cut her first tooth. And Gavin has 7.

Proof That Twins Aren't Always Alike

Gavin's tooth total is at 5. Charlotte? Zero.

Gotta Love Insurance Companies!

The babies had a 7-month checkup today. All went very well. Charlotte weighs in at 16 lbs, 3 ozs., and Gavin tips the scales at 17 lbs, 5 ozs. Our pediatricians and the NICU neonatologists have recommended that the twins receive the RSV vaccine this winter. Since they were born more than 2 months early and their immune systems are still developing, a case of RSV could do some serious damage. They would each need one shot once a month for 6 months, November - April, which is considered RSV season.

Except that our insurance company doesn't agree. Apparently, it was decided that the babies don't really need the shot. (Which begs the question: If 31-weekers don't need the shot, who does?)

They turned down our pediatrician's request to have the twins vaccinated, which means we would have to pay out-of-pocket for the vaccine. How much does an RSV vaccine cost, you ask? Somewhere around $1000 per shot. And remember, they need 6 shots. Per baby. Are you doing the math, people? That's $12,000 in shots.

Which means, unless the insurance company has a change of heart (let's all have a chuckle at that one), the babies will not be vaccinated against RSV this winter. Which means they will not be leaving our house this winter. We will be stockpiling food, water, and Purell, boarding up the doors and windows, and hunkering down for the winter. We'll send out an occasional digital photo just so you can see how we are faring. See you all in May!

Keeping Score

--Teeth--

Gavin: 2
Charlotte: 0

Early Intervention Update

The Early Intervention team came out to assess Charlotte and Gavin yesterday, at the suggestion of our pediatrician. They did a multidisciplinary evaluation for each baby that assessed areas of physical and verbal development. If either baby showed a 25% delay in any one area, they would qualify for services, and actually, I was kind of hoping they would qualify, just for the extra support.

Charlotte did not qualify. Since they based the assessment on their adjusted age (3 1/2 months) and not their chronological age (5 1/2 months), Charlotte behaved age appropriately. She coos, kicks, grabs with both hands, etc... just like a term 3-4 month old baby, which was good news!

Because he is hypertonic (has increased muscle tone), Gavin did qualify. A therapist will come out every other week to do some exercises and share some activities that I can do with him. I've blogged before about Gavin's rigidity, so I had a feeling this was coming. Everything else is right on target with Gavin, which is great news. Since he seems most tense after a feeding, the team suggested we take Gavin to a pediatric gastroenterologist to discuss his reflux. It seems the Zantac isn't helping as much as we had hoped, and he still appears uncomfortable. He rarely cries, however, because he is such a happy baby, so I think that can sometimes disguise how uncomfortable he really is.

Anyway, good news all around!