Twins Update - 10 Months Old

Since the twins have been sick, they have not really been themselves. Well, Daniel hasn't really been his normal, happy, talking, playing, laughing self. Dennis still smiles right after he's done coughing so hard his eyes turn red and water. I think that is why we knew Daniel was really having a difficult time with his illness, but it was manageable. We didn't realize Dennis felt so poorly until we noticed his labored breathing. That's when we took him to the doctor, finally.


The doctor did a test for RSV, and it came back positive. So they sent us home with a breathing machine and a script for albuterol. We have only done one breathing treatment thus far. (Doc told us we could do when and if needed.) I bought a stethoscope to be able to hear the breathing better. He really has had very little wheezing since we took him in. So I think the worst is over, thankfully. Daniel didn't seem to have the same trouble with breathing; he's just been miserable.



Dennis and Daniel are 'talking' quite a bit these days (when not sick), and Daniel is so close to taking his first steps. Dennis 'sings' along with us when we sing Jesus Loves Me to them at night. It is so cute. He 'sings' for a line or two, then cuddles his cloth and sucks his thumb. Daniel is cozied in on your shoulder for song and prayer time. He sucks his thumb too, the opposite thumb from Dennis, and holds his cloth as well.



Daniel does 'sing' along with some of the toys in his room, especially the ABC song. It is adorable. He seems to pick up on certain things pretty quickly, especially mechanical things. It is so much fun to watch how different they are. I love it! It is such a special blessing to have twins in our family.




Delainey put the babies in a laundry basket for the first two pics. Daniel climbed onto the lower shelf of the changing table in their bedroom and became quite frustrated when he couldn't sit up straight in there to look at that book.


Dennis eating. Daniel fell asleep in the "kiddie playland" play yard we have set up in the living room. Poor baby, didn't feel well at all.

Oil Cleansing Method for Rosacea, Acne, or Seborrhoeic Dermatitis

I am not really certain with what 'condition(s)' my skin may be afflicted. One doctor a few years ago told me I have rosacea on my cheeks and chin specifically, and that he could prescribe me a nice drug to get rid of it. He also said that I shouldn't plan to get pregnant cause the drug could be devastating to the unborn child, and at the same time, the drug would render birth control ineffective. What kind of drug is that? No, thanks. I think red is starting to be my color.

Then, during one pregnancy, I developed acne for the first time since, umm, forever. As I have researched these skin issues, I have started to see that many of them are interrelated. Rosacea, acne, atopic and seborrhoeic dermatitis, eczema, keratosis pilaris, and who knows what else.. All of us have something going on in the skin department. Some say that many of these skin issues come from the same gene as allergies, asthma, and eczema. Interesting.

Oddly, right now, Daniel's skin issues are the most severe with seborrhoeic dermatitis and eczema. And Dennis has the most unaffected skin of the bunch so far. They eat and drink the SAME THINGS. Always. It is just one more fascinating side to having twins.

So, aside from some moist air in this dry house during the winter especially, I have been learning about some other natural remedies/helps for our skin. We started playing around with diets a bit to see what food allergens may or may not set it off for each of us. I need to take it more seriously maybe and start a rotation diet or something. Also, I found some information about the Oil Cleansing Method.

It sounds a bit like an oxymoron - oil to clean your face? I read about it. I thought about it. I bought the ingredients and left them in the cabinet for awhile. I made the concoction but didn't use it right away. Then, I took the plunge, and I must say that my skin felt silky when I was done, not at all greasy. I was surprised, really.

Anyway, I have only tried it twice, and I have read you have to give it a couple weeks. I made my recipe based on several I have found. I used equal parts extra virgin olive oil, Castor oil, and grape seed oil. I also added several drops of tea tree oil because I love that stuff. Different skin types may require different ratios of the various oils. And some have said they use different oils altogether except the castor oil. That is the constant.

There are some good instructions online. Below are a few sites, and I will try to update about how it works in a couple of weeks. If it works well for me, I may see how it works on some of the kids' skin afflictions.

The Oil Cleansing Method
OCM instructions and mixture ratios
OCM various instructions

It was Max!

Tacy, you know me too well. I was being all tricky. Sorry, Kerry. And, yes, Schaun, Max had much more hair than the twins have. But as I was looking over the pictures of Max, I thought it was interesting how he looked like one twin or the other at different times. I had thought he looked like Daniel, but when I looked through more pictures, he favors Dennis at times, too. Except for Dennis' ears.

Oh, the other sure-tell sign that it is Max was his left eye always pooling tears prior to surgery at one year.

The prize is you have bragging rights... ?