A clean bill of health...times 2!

Everett and Sullivan were born at 35 weeks and 3 days because my water broke early. We think it broke because the boys decided to do a big flip and change positions. Anyways, we were lucky because even though they were born so early Everett was perfectly healthy and Sully only had a short stay in the NICU and we all went home together. Despite this we were warned that the boys may be a few weeks behind on milestones or may hit milestones at their "true" age based on their original due date of August 13th. This really hasn't been true so far, Everett has actually hit some milestones early and his brother is never far behind him. At the boys' first visit to their pediatrician in Madison she suggested having a hip ultrasound done on both boys because they had both spent time in the breech position during the pregnancy. If hip problems are caught early there are much easier techniques to treat the problems. This ultrasound had to be done around 2-3 months of age. A few weeks ago the boys had their ultrasounds done back to back. They didn't seem to mind it too much but they both peed on the radiologist. He was very understanding. The radiologist and our pediatrician determined that both boys have perfectly healthy hips. 

At the boys' 2 month check up the doctor heard a soft heart murmur in Sullivan. She wasn't overly concerned because he is hitting all of his developmental milestones and growing very well. Two weeks ago I took Sully to see a heart specialist at Children's Hospital in Wauwatosa. I love this hospital, they have phenomenal care for families all over the country. I was actually treated there as a young child for a kidney infection. Tim and I both wanted to be there but we didn't think it would be wise to drag the whole crew to the hospital (it's about 45 minutes away). So we decided to divide and conquer, I took Sully by myself. It was kind of exciting to spend the day with just one child. At night when I run errands I take turns taking either Ev or Sully with me so Tim only has to worry about two kids but this was a whole afternoon with my sweet boy. 

The first doctor who came in couldn't believe that Sullivan was growing so well, especially being a twin. This appointment was a few weeks after the 2 month appointment and this doctor said Sully had moved from the 50th percentile for growth up into the 90th. I can't wait for the 4 month exam to see where the boys are. The entire heart assessment and exam ended up taking about two hours, they ran several tests. During all of the tests Sullivan had to be in just a diaper. He is such a cute little guy and really loved all the attention he got from various doctors and nurses. In between each test we snuggled since it was a bit chilly in the room. Sullivan was awake and alert for every test and flashed lots of smiles at everyone. The doctors decided that Sully has what is called a "soft murmur". It could be a small whole in his heart but they wouldn't know that without a test that requires the child to be put under anesthesia. Since Sullivan is growing well and hitting all of his developmental milestones appropriately there is no need for us to put him through the test at this point. We will reassess at 6 months to see if the murmur has gone away. Thankfully this shouldn't affect him as a child or adult, he can play any sports and do anything he wants. Tim and I feel so blessed that both boys are so healthy.