Neonatal Cardiologist

Last week Tom went to his first cardiologist appointment, since he left the hospital. He was a perfect baby during the three hour visit and never cried! I am happy to report that he is gaining weight (he is a hefty 6 pounds 11 ounces) and all of his vital signs look good. Dr. Jones said Tom still needs to take his heart medication for his arrhythmia, but otherwise is happy with his progress.

Tom and I were excited to hear the good news and are encouraged that there is a chance that Little Tom may outgrow this condition. Nearly 40% of babies diagnosed will outgrow this in their first year of life and we hope Tom is one of those! Regardless, the condition is not life threatening and can be regulated with medication. Since this visit went so well, I decided to pack up the twins and spend some time in Birmingham. Needless to say this Powell family first road trip was definitely adventure - I will write more about this during the next post...I have some hungry babies on my hands!

As always, we ask for nothing more than prayers and continued support as we watch our babies grow and continue the doctor visits. In particular, we ask that you send prayers for Tom so he will, in fact, outgrow this arrhythmia and continue to have a strong heart; that he continues to eat and gain weight; and the past struggles are a distant memory that we will never need to repeat. Good reports from here on out! Please pray that proud parents will continue to find strength in each other to handle all that comes along with parenthood.

Here are a few photos from the doctor visit; both Toms did great!!

More "Firsts" Continue

Today the twins are six weeks old and really starting to fill-out! They have graduated from preemie clothes and are now wearing newborn and 0-3 months - I am thankful for so many reason, but now I can finally play dress-up. We were so excited to welcome VJ, my parents and my grandparents to Atlanta. Below are a few photos of the twins visiting with their Great Grandparents - Nana and Grandaddy, for the first time. After weeks of trying, we finally made it to Sunday morning mass and even lunch afterwards! This was the first offical outing for the expanded Powell family. The weather last weekend was so nice we decided to take the twins outside for a stroll around the neighborhood. I love our stroller it has all the bells and whistles, including six cup holders, two handle bars, shocks and room for two....but it is a work-out pushing it up hill! Enjoy the photos! I think their outfits are just too, cute, I had to include a close-up. Tom, reminds me of a fisherman and Elizabeth, looks like Blossom, modeling their matching outfits from Barcelona

Our second family photo, can you tell I am not wearing heals?

The Powells with the Great Grandparents

Nana feeding her first great-grandchild, Elizabeth

Mrs. Decker, great chef and quilt-maker!!!

After church, we headed to the club for lunch

The twins did great - they slept during the entire outing

Tom is used to driving trucks and earth moving equipment, but he is getting

used to his new set of wheels.

Time for a stroll before the Alabama vs. Arkansas game

Elizabeth and Tom are so excited about their first walk! The weather was

perfect - sunny and 80 degrees!

Many thanks to the Peltons and the Deckers for delicious meals last week, Tom and I feel like royalty with everyone taking care of us! We are so thankful for our friends and family, all of you are in our prayers daily. We have several doctors appointments over the course of the next three weeks, please continue to pray for good reports and I will be sure to post updates along the way. Love to you and your family - Roll Tide!!

Are you ready for some football?

Another weekend complete and another win for Alabama! Tom spent all day Saturday watching the kids and taking in every SEC football game on cable. The kids loved all the college upsets and anxiously await the day they can go to Tuscaloosa. Time is definitely going by quickly and both kids are starting to out grow some of their premie clothes; I cannot wait for the next doctor's appointment to see what the scale says. Dressed in the UA hats the twins cheered for the Tide. Tom is learning how to multi-task; he is feeding Elizabeth in his lap and rocking Tom in his carseat. A quick photo before the nightly bath-time. Tom and I are getting used to functioning on a few hours of sleep, at random hours. Many thanks to the parents out there that have assured us it gets better.

Happy Birthday!!!

In honor of football season and Alabama winning game #1, I decided to change the look of the blog - I hope you like it! I will be sure to add pictures tomorrow, since the twins will be spending all day with Tom watching college football....and thanks to the Flemings we have game-day gear for Elizabeth and Tom. Yesterday was an exciting day for us - the twins are officially one month old! I decided to dress them in the Northside Hospital t-shirt and take some pictures. It is amazing to do a comparison of how they looked in their shirts one month ago and how much larger they are today. Unfortunately, I cannot work our scanner to upload their hospital picture, but take my word, the twins definitely fill out their shirts more. Tom is very photogenic and does not mind pictures. Elizabeth is usually good for one or two pictures, before she begins to get a bit, shall we say fussy? Many thanks to Jill, Angela, Mike and Amy for providing dinners this week - it is so nice not cooking!

Me taking a little break with Elizabeth

Stay tuned for game day pictures - Roll Tide Roll!

Visitors and New Surroundings

I cannot believe that the twins are four weeks old! The past few days we have had multiple visitors and the twins made their first trip to the Powell Grandparent house....definitely a busy Labor Day. Birthday Boy / Uncle Robert smiles with three generations of Toms All geared up for a roadtrip and all we do is sleep A baby for each! Drew and Erin, soon to be parents (literally any day), get a little crash course before the arrival of their baby girl. Edward and Berkley stop by to see what parenting is all about.

Thank you to our friends and family that have come by to visit and brought food in hand. I love to cook, but the thought does not even cross my mind right now!