| The Twins |
|
Tyler and Connor were born on
April 3, 2004 at Reston Hospital Center in Reston, Virginia. Tyler, the eldest by 20 minutes, was the smallest of the twins. He was kicked out of the womb by his younger brother as evidenced by Connor's bruised foot at birth. Tyler is an emotional boy who gets jealous when his brother receives any attention. His favorite activities include lounging in his bouncer, cuddling, and watching Baby Einstein videos. Connor, the "baby" twin, is definitely the big brother in terms of size and vocal ability. His set of lungs can belt out an ear piercing cry but he is easily soothed by the site of teddy bears. Connor is very observant of his surroundings and is extremely active. His favorite activities include swaying in his swing, eating, and taking walks outdoors. |
| The Family |
|
Tyler and Connor live with their parents,
Kaleen and Kevin, in a quiet
home in the bustling suburbs of Washington, D.C.
They also enjoy the company of their furry Golden Retriever,
Haley,
who acts as their second mother.
The arrival of the twins begin to balance out the battle of the sexes in the extended family. They are the 12th and 13th grandchildren of their paternal grandmother but only the 2nd and 3rd grandson. They have 11 cousins ranging in age between 7-16 years old spread geographically between Virginia and Colorado. Between 2 grandmothers, 1 grandfather, 5 aunts, and 5 uncles, there is an abundance of attention to go around. |
| The Pregnancy |
|
In September 2003, Kevin and Kaleen
learned that they were going to be parents. They didn't begin to
expect the there was a possibility of twins until they received the
pregnancy test back showing a high amount of HCG. Their twin suspicions
were confirmed at their first
sonogram when two embryos were
clearly present in the womb. Kaleen had a smooth first and second trimester with almost no morning sickness. She started showing early and gained a total of 70 pounds of additional belly. At the beginning of the third trimester, Kaleen began to develop several complications that alerted the doctors to carefully watch the growth of the twins:
At 32 weeks, the doctors decided it was best to deliver the twins to avoid any more issues with mom's health. The delivery went smoothly and both boys were delivered vaginally within 20 minutes of each other. After their initial greeting into the world of parents, doctors, nurses and specialists, they were quickly whisked away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where they stayed for 5 weeks. |
| The NICU Stay |
|
Tyler and Connor received 24 hour critical
care while in the NICU at Reston Hospital Center. Both boys
were diagnosed with premature lungs and jaundice and were given
medications to help mature their small bodies. Both responded well
to their treatments and were visited daily by their parents and
grandparents. Both gained weight quickly and learned the
suck/swallow reflex in order to be discharged.
On May 5th, Connor was released from the hospital leaving his brother behind. Tyler soon followed on May 9th (Mother's Day) to complete the family. Both came home on apnea monitors which eased Mommy and Daddy's fears but also increased them due to the high number of false alarms. To date, both boys have gained weight consistently and outgrew the need for the apnea monitors. |
| The Present |
| Today, both boys are growing fast and racing through baby milestones quicker than Mom and Dad can appreciate. Their colic has faded away and their reflux has almost subsided. Tyler's septal heart defect has corrected itself and Connor's cyst has not grown since birth. Overall, Mom and Dad are blessed to have healthy and active baby boys. |