They Might Be Giants

Two and A Half

2011-03-01T08:50:00.000-08:00

Today G and D are two and a half.... 30 months... roughly 900 days have passed since they made their grand entrances....

It has been an amazing experience to watch them transform from babies into "little people" as Dave likes to call them.

Here's what they are doing at 2.5:

They are potty trained...woo hoo!! They go to the potty by themselves now without being reminded. They can undress themselves, but still need help with redressing.

They can both feed themselves with silverware and drink from an open cup

They can wash their hands and dry them with a towel

They can name and recognize shapes and colors.

Their favorite TV show is Caillou and Daniel has a new obsession with Dora and was very upset to find out that they don't make Dora underwear for boys

D loves trains, firetrucks, shovels, and tools

G loves necklaces, swinging on the play set, and "Baby Thomas", her doll

G is the better eater right now... she will eat almost anything except oatmeal, which D can't get enough of

They both both have large vocabularies, of course G talks a little more than D

G weighs about 34lbs and D is about 35lbs.... G is 37.5" tall and D is a little over 38.5"

Multitudes on Mondays - 1

2011-01-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

"Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world."

Sara Ban Breathnach

I am thankful for....

1. A White Christmas.

(This is the first time it has snowed in my part of the world on Christmas since the 1960's)

2. A smile that always makes my heart happy

3. A chef eager to serve "hot soup"

4. Family time to rest and play

5. My boy child's love of all things Thomas

6. Lunch with a friend that lives too far away

7. Hearing "excuse me" and "thank you" from my toddlers' lips

Seating Delimas

2010-09-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

Out of all of the baby gear we have bought, high chairs have been the biggest pain in the neck.

We started out with Peg Perego Primma Pappas...

and next I bought theses from IKEA....

And then these Costco ones from BRU....

Now that the twins are 2 years and the size of some 3 year olds, high chair battles are becoming more and more frequent. So I have set out yet again to find seating. Initally I planned to buy some type of booster seat, but I was nervous about the stability since they climb like monkeys. Then I found the Kaboost....

The kids really like them because they can sit in regular chairs at the table. They are very light weight and portable too. I just got them this week, so I'll keep you posted.

2 Weeks of Potty Training

2010-09-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

So today marks two weeks of potty training and things are going pretty well. I ordered E-Z snap AIO cloth training pants from http://www.squishytushy.com/ and I LOVE them. Squishy Tushy has amazing customer service too.

In the past 2 weeks G hasn't pooped in her pants at all and D has only had 1 poo accident. They have averaged about 1 pee accident each per day, but we have had 3 completely accident free days. G didn't have any accidents today and D would have had an accident free day too except for the darn toy aisle at Costco. He told MaMa that he had to potty but couldn't tear himself away from the kitchen set fast enough to make it to the bathroom. I am really proud of them considering they are only 24 months old.

Day 10

2010-09-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today is our 10th day of potty training and I'm very proud to report that it was totally accident free!

Potty Training

2010-09-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

It's official... we're potty training. We have been doing "potty awareness" for a while now. The Easter Bunny brought G and D each a potty. At first they thought they were cool new ride on toys and just "drove them all over the house. After a few weeks they would sit on them while Dave or I were using the restroom... yes, bathroom privicy no longer exists in our house. I am a Montesoori fan and she believed that the best time to potty train was between 22 and 26 months, so that has been my aim, but I didn't want to start before they were ready. Last week they both, without prompting, randomly removed their own diaper and used the potty. I have heard that once there is interest you should tell the diapers good-bye to eliminate confusion, so we made a quick Target trip to buy "uder wears" as G calls them.

Thursday was our first full day of training. I had already scheduled a play date at our house, so I called to warn my friends that they would be coming to a nudist colony. I have read that "bare bottom" training is best in the first few days. It lets them see what's happening and get to the potty faster. We had a really successful day with only 1 accident.

Friday was day 2 and the only accidents happend while they were both sitting in their high chairs. I'm sure that my cooking was so good that it distracted them ;) I am especially happy that we made a quick trip to Kohl's last night wearing underwear and no accidents!! G even told me that she had to pee, so she had her 1st public bathroom experience... thank you Kohl's for having clean bathrooms.

Saturday... G and D have both asked where their diapers are. It made me a little sad, and then I felt crazy for feeling sad. How could I feel sad about not changing diapers.... I've changed over 7,000 in the past 2 years. But it is another sign of how fast they grow and change, and that is bittersweet. I have been researching the best cloth pull up and finally decided on these

http://www.squishytushy.com/potty-training-c-134/snap-ez-eco-aio-training-pant-p-798 and the customer service is out of this world at Squisy Tushy. I ordered 6 AIO for the day and 2 stuffable for night. My hope is that I won't need the daytime ones for very long, but I don't want to be afraid of going to the park, zoo etc and changing outfits multiple times.

I also bought them the Baby Signs "Potty Train" DVD and they love it... I on the other hand may scream if I hear "all on board choochoo..." on more time

http://www.amazon.com/Potty-Training-Signs-Linda-Acredolo/dp/1933877103

They played outside in their unders this morning for about 3hrs with no accidents...yay!

Birthday Gifts

2010-08-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that the G and D's 2nd birthday party is 3 weeks away! I have the venue and the invites covered. The Cake and outfits are almost a done deal... and now on to the presents. What do I get my most favorite soon to be 2 year olds? I have tried to establish guidelines for gift buying, because truth be told I love to shop and can get out of hand. So... I have decided that for birthdays 1 mutual gift and one individual gift is great. If the eBay gods are in my favor tonight I will have all of my shopping done. However, as I was looking, shopping, and researching I have come across some things that I think are fabulous and I know the twins will enjoy. But I am sticking to my plan and have decided to start a Christmas list for them. One can never start too early, right?

Lacing/ sewing cards

"The Bow Tieing Book"

Stringing beads

Dressing frames (Montassori)

Lock Box (Montassori)

A pass to the Children's Museum

I'd love to hear other ideas too!

23 Months Old

2010-08-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

G and D are......

Running, climbing, jumping, twirling, dancing, throwing, kicking, carrying, and sliding

G and D.....

can repeat most any word and both have quite the vocabulary

D.... claps at G, as if calling the dog and says Gacie, no, no

G... says "batteries" and "yogurt"

G....after waking goes through the household roster so that she knows that everyone is accounted for.... mommy, daddy, mosmo, d, ma, pops

G and D are silly...

D...has the greatest duck impersonation and has an obsession with butter knives

G... is best buds with her Gymbo the clown doll

G and D love....

Baby Sign Time and Yo Gabba Gabba

Playing at Gymboree, the park, and pool

Dogs

G and D eat....

Most anything (except meat)

Greek yogurt is tops on our list, followed by fruit, and pizza

They can drink from regular cups

G and D want to read...

"Head to Toe"and "Puppies" every night

Other favorites are "Red Tractor" because they think it is about Pops and "Gossie and Gertie"

G and D are...

23 MONTHS OLD... where has the time gone?

Preserving Memories

2010-08-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight as I looked in on my sleeping babies, it occurred to me that in less than a month they will be 2! Where has the time gone. A friend who has recently had twins called the other day asking questions about sleeping and feeding schedules. I was shocked that I couldn't remember many of the details from those early moths. I started thinking back to their very first days, weeks and months and truthfully I don't remember a whole lot. Of course my stomach still goes into knots when I think about our NICU days and I'll never forget the first time I held them (especially Daniel whom I had to wait 3 days to hold), but the rest is fog of feeding, diaper changes, and little sleep. I will admit that losing memories is one of my strange fears. Maybe I inherited this from my mother, because she has saved every paper, toy, etc since my birth. I have taken 1,000s of pictures and blogged, but the older and busier they get, the less I record, and that scares me. So I'm jumping back on the blogging wagon. I would love to hear from anyone that has a certain plan for preserving memories. How do you store your photos? Do you try to take a photo weekly, monthly...etc? What baby items are you saving? and any other creative ideas.

2010-06-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

This has quickly become a favorite book in our our house. We read it a least once a day. The child in the book responds to each of the animals questions with "I can do it" so this phrase has become G's first spoken sentence...."I do it" .

Back on the Wagon

2010-06-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

It has been almost 3 months since I wrote a full blog post! My main excuse is that my computer crashed, but we also had multiple sicknesses, new teeth, and all the drama that 2 toddlers bring. Now that I am the proud new owner of a Macbook I will do my best to catch up on the past 3 months of life while documenting the present, ok well at least I will give it my best effort..... So here we go...

The Fertility Chase

2010-03-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

A while back I posted about filming an episode of The Fertility Chase for the WE channel

Today I learned that the segment is scheduled to air sometime in May and the promo is on facebook

(You can click the above link to view the video)

We are so thankful for Dr Lessey's work with unexplained infertility.

Making New (plastic) Friends

2010-03-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

G and D made some new friends today of the plastic variety. It seems they have a thing for the Old Navy Modelquins.. yes they are called Modelquins. The moment we walked into the store G spotted the dog and immediately began talking to him.. "doggie? doggie." Then petted him, hugged him, and was generally happy that he wasn't running away like our dog does when she tries to "pet" him. D spotted a pretty lady modelquin. He held her hand and flashed his smile complete with the shoulder shrug. The manager saw them and almost rolled in the floor from laughter. Needless to say they were very disappointed that their friends couldn't come with us.

ASSISTANT to the REGIONAL MANAGER

2010-02-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of last week Dave found out that he was going to be promoted to the position of District Manager. The official announcement didn't happen until Friday. So, all week long as he worked with the person he replaced, I called him the Assistant to the Regional Manager. Let's hope no one puts his stapler in a Jell-O mold.

But seriously, we are very thankful for the promotion. The timing is perfect. Dave will finish his MBA in April and is looking forward to the new challenges that management will bring. In the past a promotion has meant a move, but in this case we get to stay put and that makes me oh so happy!

More Words

2010-02-15T18:55:00.001-08:00

I promise that I am going to figure out had to add a word count to the side bar so that I can stop writing full blog posts, but until then...

Today G added box and thank you to her vocabulary bank.

2 years ago today....

2010-02-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

I heard the words

"You're pregnant and
there is a strong chance there is more than 1"

and oh how life has changed :)

New Words

2010-02-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

We have new words to add to the count...
This week D added "bye, bye", "dog","no", and "ball" to "mama" and "Dada". He has also started to try to imitate sounds and words that I say.
G's new favorite word is "doggie" and she will whisper "woof" when you ask her what a dog says. She is fast becoming a little parrot and will repeat random words while I am reading books to her.
G's top words are "no, no", "mama", "dog" and "hot". D's top words are "mama", "no", and "ball".

January.. Where oh where did you go?

2010-02-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

It feels like just yesterday we were opening Christmas gifts and now it's time for Valentines. I need a pause button. It has been a crazy month in our house. Dave is taking the last 3 courses for his MBA and I decided to jump on the bandwagon and enroll in 2 graduate courses. Yes, I have repeatedly asked myself why I would do such a thing. The reality is that I have to take 2 courses by June to keep my teaching credential current and I decided that I would like to work toward a M.Ed in Montessori Ed. rather than take random classes.

The respiratory virus bug also decided to visit our house. First D, then me, and then G. Poor G has "reactive airways" so we had to spend 24hrs in the hospital to get her breathing stabilized and her oxygen levels regulated. 4 hours in the emergency room with a toddler is a blog post unto itself. Even though we arrived by ambulance and were a direct admit we still had to wait 4 hrs because the Children's Hospital was full. We were finally put in a room and she was given oxygen through the night. When she was awake she was fine, but when she slept her breathing became shallow. The next day after many hours on lock-down, she decided to let us know that she was ready to leave. She screamed, threw her toys, and was generally nasty. The doctor insisted that he watch her sleep one more time, so Dave and I tried everything to make her nap with no success. Even one of the residents stopped by and tried to rock her. I found the Dr and told him that I could let her scream until she fell asleep or we could assume that since she had the energy to scream for the past several hours straight and dismantle the hospital room she would be just fine at home. He agreed and signed the discharge papers.

I have not blogged very much this month because random programs and drives on my computer have decided to stop working. I haven't been able to upload photos for several weeks. Last night I realized that I hadn't installed the new software for my camera. That at least let me get the most recent pictures onto the computer. Hopefully cupid will bring the computer fairy when he visits this weekend.

17 months

2010-02-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

This past month I have really seen G and D beginning their metamorphosis into toddlers. They are running, climbing, and grabbing everything that isn't nailed down. G is 261/2 lbs and D is 27 1/2lbs. G is 33.5 in. and D is about 34.5 in.

Step Off

2010-01-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Dear unscrupulous comment posters,
Please stop leaving links to your trashy sites on my blog. If you haven't noticed this is a blog dedicated to 16 month olds and I nor anyone else come here to see your smut. I am tired of wasting my time going through comments and deleting your links when I need to much more important things... like laundry. Trust me, if someone wants to find your site they will, and they don't need my blog nor anyone else's to do it... so step off and leave my blog alone. Whew, I feel a little better now.

Sincerely,
A ticked off mom

PS.. For all of you very nice and wonderful readers you can still post comments (and I hope you will) but I will be reviewing them before they are posted, so they won't appear instantly like they normally do.

Growing

2010-01-19T17:02:00.001-08:00

Dave commented today how quickly G and D are growing. I have noticed their pants getting shorter and their ability to reach things, like my mug on top of the kitchen counter, getting easier. Climbing stairs is now a favorite hobby, although I still don't trust them alone.

D is the resident daredevil. He climbs the furniture and has learned how to get access to the things that he wants. I am currently unable to post pictures because he broke my mouse and SD card reader. Hopefully I can find a computer doctor soon and get the 1,000s of pictures off of my camera. He loves to shoot hoops in his basketball goal (which Dave raised a level last night).

G is a little parrot these days. Her vocabulary is growing daily and she loves to mimic. She and I took Cosmo along to the grocery store the other day. On the way he was panting in the seat beside me. After a while I realized that there was also panting coming from the back. I looked at her and she just laughed. Things are definitely starting to click in her little brain. She can get herself a diaper when asked and throw the dirty one in the pail. She has also learned a few words in sign language.

Today was the first day I truly let them self feed. In situations such as these I'm thankful that I'm a naturally messy person so the fact that they were covered in food didn't freak me out. They haven't been happy about me feeding them for the past couple of weeks but I wasn't ready to hand over the spoon, so I have mostly been giving them finger foods. However the other day I found these cool bowls that have a handle on the side and thought why not give them a try. They thought they were great and did manage to get some food in their mouths... and the floor, and on the dog's back, and the curtains....

Yesterday and today have been a much needed respite from winter. The temp has been in the 60's and we've taken full advantage. Yesterday we went for a really long walk in the wagon. I had to clean it out because it had become storage in the garage after many weeks of nasty weather. Today we went downtown to the library for story time and then walked to a pizza place. After nap, I put the slide and balls in the front yard and we played the afternoon away. I remember wishing for this day.. the day that I could put them in the yard and let them run and play. It was really awesome to watch them play together, running none the less, through the grass.

Do Not Feed the Computer

2010-01-13T18:57:00.000-08:00

I haven't fallen off of the face of the blogging earth, but it seams that my computer has. The media card slot where I download pictures mysteriously stopped working a few days ago. My guess is that someone thought is was hungry and fed it a snack. And then today D's favorite toy, otherwise known as my computer mouse, bit the dust after being slammed to the ground for the 100th time. I honestly felt a little panicked that I couldn't use my computer. I scoured through the closet and found the mouse and keyboard that came with the computer and they are horrid to say the least. Off to the store I will go in the morning and hopefully will be able to get the blog caught up with my new computer gear.

A Wild Time

2010-01-04T18:18:00.001-08:00

On December 22nd the babies were especially whiny, so I thought it would be a grand idea to load them up in my SUV and head to a local zoo where you can drive through and view Christmas lights. We arrived only a short time after it opened and it looked liked the entrance to Disney World.. six lanes of bumper to bumper cars waiting to enter. It took about 20min for us to make it to the actual entrance during which time we enjoyed chick'n nuggets and Graham crackers... and toes.

The lights, well at least they were bright, I'll leave it at that

We drove past a sign that said enter at your own risk, not liable for damage, yadda, yadda. Hmmm there are about 300 cars behind me so turning around doesn't seem to be a viable option and may I ask what may be causing the damage that you're not liable for?

We proceeded into a huge field and heard a guy yelling "You can go wherever you want. You don't have to stay in line". It was crazy. Cars, who didn't remember that their headlights were off, driving like crazy people in this field.

and then I saw what they weren't liable for...

There were giant cows, zebras, and buffalo everywhere. People were hanging out of their cars feeding them. My first thought was that we were in MY car and the paint job was not getting destroyed. I wanted to get the heck out of dodge, but we were trapped among the sea of cars.

And then he saw us. Yes, we were the family NOT offering him food

and he let us know that he was not happy by headbutting my car.

At this point we decided that we would have to find someway out. After a buffalo laid down, blocking the road and about 50 deer ran in front of our car, we finally made it to the exit .

Well, we thought it was the exit, but after driving through the fence we realized that it was a random back road. You know the middle of nowhere, no street light kind of road.

It was like a Twilight Zone episode.. drive through a field full of wild animals that attack your car, drive crazy to get away, and then end up on a dark road in an undisclosed location.. do, do, do, do.

Resolutions of a mom of (soon to be) 16 month old twins

2009-12-31T19:47:00.001-08:00

The (realistic) new year's resolutions of a mom of (soon to be) 16 month old twins...

1. Finish this years Christmas blogs before Easter
2. Make my children wear socks, and on the days I'm feeling really bold shoes too
3. Finish decorating the nursery (2 more pieces of art and it will be done)
4. Organize the playroom so that it can actually be played in
5.Find out how to lock my cell phone so there are no more random web surfing charges
6. Actually remember to put diapers and wipes in my diaper bag, funny that they don't replenish themselves

May you recount the blessings of 2009

and look forward to all that 2010 will bring.

Happy New Year!

A Year in Pictures - Happy New Year's Eve

2009-12-31T19:02:00.000-08:00

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Wordless Wednesday - Ho Ho Ho

2009-12-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

Hello, Goodbye

2009-12-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

G has been able to say "Haaaay", in a long drawn out southern way for a while, but she wouldn't say "bye".. that is until we went to Gymboree for a preview class on the 23rd of November. She and D had a lot of fun. D is my my dare devil. He climbed up the slide backwards, tried to jump off of the side of the equipment and loved for me to roll him around in the barrel. G also had fun, but was a little more apprehensive. When the parachute came out at the end of class she headed for my lap and when Gymbo came by to sing his goodbye song she enthusiastically waved back and said, "bye, bye, bye". I think she had enough Gymbo for one day :)

Tonight we were up in the playroom and evidently D was ready to come back downstairs. Out of the blue he waived at me with both hands and said "bye". Aside from Momma, and dada, that's his first real word. Yeah D!

15 Months Old

2009-12-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday G and D turned 15 months old. They are becoming less baby like and more toddler like everyday.. definitely bitter sweet. We went to their well child check up today and everything is great sans D's ear and sinus infection. Unfortunately I think that my baby boy has inherited my crappy immune system. G did not have as much weight gain as D, but there was no concern considering she hardly ate while she was sick last week and they are both still off the charts if you adjust for prematurity. We are between sizes in clothes right now. According to the size charts they should be in an 24m size, but they are still a little big, but 18m are a little small. They both have 16teeth !!

D- 27lbs and 33.5 in tall
G- 25.6lbs and 32 in tall

They are both walking really well. They even walked around this weekend outside on uneven ground. They have also mastered climbing the stairs and anything else that will hold still. D has been caught several times pushing his dinosaur over to the gate in an effort to step on the dino's back and make his escape. The current object of desire is my computer and the bright blue light. I finally bought a screen to put in front of it, but they are relentless. They are also fascinated with opening and closing doors and emptying out whatever is inside.

They like to play with Cosmo and he is warming up to them now that they are able to sneak him bites of food. They have also learned to throw his ball, sometimes in the right direction.

The dishwasher is still a favorite place to investigate and I have to let them help me close the door and make a "zoooooop" sound as it closes or else I have very sad children on my hands.

G is my dancing queen. She knows which toys play the songs that she likes. She goes to her Laugh and Learn House and presses the buttons until she makes her favorite song play and then dances and smiles. I will post a video soon. Her vocabulary consists of mama, dada, please, ball, baby, bye bye, and me.

D loves to be outside. He stands at the window in the afternoon and watches the neighborhood kids playing. He also cries if anyone goes outside without him. I know that he will have lots of fun when warm spring weather rolls around. He finally said mama last week and occasionally will say dada. . When he gets excited it sounds like he is saying "yeah boy" or "yeah babe". The doctor said today that a smaller vocabulary is typical in a boy... and in a man :)

They are both such a joy and it is much fun watching them interact with each other. Although I do need to put don't hit, bite, kick, sit on , or steal from your brother/sister on auto play. Oh the fun has just begun!

A Change of Plans

2009-12-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I found out that McMamma was coming to Atlanta... And then I did a happy dance when I heard that she would be doing photo shoots and I snagged one of the coveted spots. This all happened on Thursday the 17th...

And then pneumonia came to our house on the 18th and all plans were off... no trip to Atlanta, no meeting McMamma, no awesome photo shoot.. I'm still sad about it, but such is life with babes.

Then came the question of Thanksgiving travel. G was much better by Thursday, but D had a nasty cough and wasn't resting well. We decided it best to stay put in familiar beds and not share the germs. Instead of making the trip to Virginia, we just took a drive to my brother's house and had a Thanksgiving lunch with my side of the family.

Ahhh as John Lennon would say.. "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."

Pneumonia Is Pno Fun

2009-12-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

I realized today that November 16th was the last day that I blogged. On the 18th G was diagnosed with pneumonia and life has been topsy turvey ever since. She woke up that morning and wasn't breathing normally. As the morning progressed she had a barking cough and I knew that we needed to see the doctor. Luckily my favorite doctor in the practice had an opening. He listened to her chest and said "This isn't good". He wanted to do a breathing treatment right away and instantly I envisioned myself in an all out wrestling match with G to keep the mask on. The nurse got everything set up for us and as soon as G inhaled the medication she relaxed into my arms. At first she was perturbed because she couldn't figure out a way to eat the lollipop that the nurse gave her while wearing the mask, but she eventually gave up and even drifted in and out of sleep. We continued to do the treatments along with antibiotics throughout the weekend and she never once protested. Thankfully the medications took care of the pneumonia and we avoided the hospital.

Here is my sweet girl wearing her Bubbles the Fish mask

watching Jack's Big Music Show with Dave.

A Battle Won

2009-11-18T18:44:00.000-08:00

My babies are fourteen and a half months old and were still drinking from their bottles. They would gladly drink water from a sippy cup, but the taste of milk resulted in the cup being hurled. I have tried them all Nuby, Born Free, Gerber... They can drink from them all, but demand milk in their bottle... that was until I found these gems.

I went into my local Earthfare store and happened to walk down the baby aisle and these caught my eye. (They are the Green Sprouts Trainer Cups ) After closer inspection I saw that the spout was a really flexible silicone and larger than all the others filling my cabinet. So Monday night I took the plunge. I dared to put milk in the new sippies and handed one to G and then stepped back. Much to my surprise the cup was not thrown at me. She took a drink, smiled and then walked away holding her cup. I gave D his and after taking a few minutes to figure it out drank his milk without complaint. I quickly took the drying rack of bottles from the counter top and hid them.

... no more bottles!!

One thousand Gifts - Fall

2009-11-16T18:07:00.000-08:00

This week I give thanks
for a wonderful fall weekend,

0004 the bursts of color displayed on the trees in our neighborhood,

0005 delicious apples and a baby boy that loves to eat them,

0006 a great friend to share the weekend with,

0007 and spending an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon playing in a not-so shabby front yard.

Wordless Wednesday - Dishwasher Wanted

2009-11-11T18:36:00.000-08:00

Thankfulness

2009-11-09T17:23:00.000-08:00

This week's theme over at i heart faces is "thankfulness" and since my mood has been less than that the past couple of days, I thought this would serve as a great attitude adjustment for me to participate. My sister-in-law over at Goggles and Grace has also been inspiration for me to count my blessings. She posts each week to One Thousand Gifts at A Holy Experience . It is refreshing to read through the posts and see people looking at the glass half full instead of half empty, as I often do. And then a friend on Facebook posted the "Thanksgiving Challenge" asking people to use their Status to post something they are thankful for each day from now until Thanksgiving. The message is loud and clear... I have much to be thankful for.

So today I give thanks for: Answered Prayers

0001 A friend's two and a half year long prayer to become a mother has been doubly answered!

G and D when they were 3 weeks old... In about 7 months she'll meet her twins

0002 Baby Stellan's SVT surgery was a complete success despite his grim prognosis. What an amazing story this family has. I'm sure by now most everyone is a regular visitor to McMamma's blog My Charming Kids, but if not it is definitely worth the visit.
D and G wearing their orange for Stellan when he had his first heart ablation back in in April

0003 Tubes successfully placed in D's ears.. no more tugging or screaming :)I was looking back through the year in photos and realized how many pictures I have of D with his finger in his ear. Hello mom.... my ear is hurting!

I hope that you will visit and be inspired by the gratitude being shared at:

MOM's Party at Niven's Farm

2009-11-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

Today was the Mother's of Multiples fall party at Niven's Farm. The babies fell asleep on the way, so we drove around for an hour to let them have a good morning nap and thus arrived about an hour late to the party. We missed the hayride, but were still able to visit with friends, play on the hay bails, and talk to the animals. Here are a few pictures.. I will add more tonight.

Wordless Wednesday - 14 Month Photos

2009-11-04T17:16:00.001-08:00

D's Big Day

2009-11-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

What a night... Last night we were awake more than asleep due to ear pain and new teeth. D would not settle down no matter what we tried so at about 4:30 am Dave put him in the car and drove around. Meanwhile I was home with G, who decided that it would be great fun to play and dance at 5am. After much coaxing I got her back to bed and Dave picked me up to take D to the hospital for his appointment to have tubes put in his ears. It was very quick and went well. He has seemed much happier today. I am holding out hope that this will solve our past three or more weeks of sleepless nights. And the big news of the day... D took 2 steps!!!

licence to drive

2009-10-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

If it were up to G and D they would stay outside all day long. They will point and whine every time they pass an outside door. Luckily, the weather has been nice this week so they have been able to spend lots of time outside driving their new cars.

Snowflakes

2009-10-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

Today I was driving home and a thought popped in my head, something I hadn't thought about in a long time.. adoption.. and particularly an agency that we had contacted in California. During our journey through infertility Dave and I attended conferences, talked with agencies, and gathered a lot of information about adoption. The agency that I randomly thought about today was Nightlight Adoptions. They are a unique agency because they have an IVF embryo adoption program. Couples that have embryos left after IVF cycles can choose to allow them to be adopted through this agency. Since we had a lot of experience with the whole IVF process we thought this may be a good option for us if our 5th and final IVF attempt wasn't successful. So of course, like everything else that pops in my head, I googled the agency and guess what news they are announcing... a new office opening... where you may ask? In my zip code! So I have no idea why God prompted me to think of this agency today, or why since they are currently located at the furthest geographic point in the US from me they would choose to open a location here, or why I'm even blogging about it at all, (or why I'm using a run on sentence), but I have to believe there is a reason to my rambling. I do know that my two precious babies were once "snowflakes", so this program is very close to my heart. Their website is http://www.nightlight.org/adoption-services/snowflakes-embryo if you'd like to get more info.

My snowflakes, G and D, 1 day after they had been defrosted

G and D 21 months after defrosting :)

These Booties Were Made For Walking

2009-10-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

G took 2 steps yesterday and a few more today! I bought them a walk behind toy a few weeks ago and today she pushed it across the family room for the first time. I was so concerned about her because she was so far behind in the rolling and crawling department, but if things don't drastically change I think she will walk before D.

The Napping House

2009-10-26T17:32:00.000-07:00

Last week the babies began fighting their naps. One would nap in the morning and the other in the afternoon, or one would only sleep 45 min while the other slept 2 hrs. In singleton land that may be fine, but in the land of multiples it doesn't fly. So I turned to a website that I found many months ago, http://www.picknicksbrain.com/ . I have switched them to the 1 nap a day schedule. We are 2 days in and so far so good. Here's the schedule:

Toddler Schedule – One Nap

7:00 – Wake
7:00/7:30 – Breakfast
9:00 – Light snack
11:00 – Lunch
12:00 – Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:30 – Afternoon Snack
5:30 – Dinner
6:30 – Begin bedtime routine
7:00 – Bedtime

They were so tired that they wanted to go to bed before 7, so I'm sure they'll be up bright and early in the morning.

Nothing says "You have my deepest sympathy" like a chickin biscuit

2009-10-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

Here's an actual conversation between Dave and I the other day....

Dave: A friend's husband died today.
Me: That's horrible.
Dave: I was thinking I should do something.
Me: Do you want me to send flowers?
Dave: I was thinking I would get her a Chick-Fil-A gift Card.
Me: A Chick-Fil-A gift card? I think flowers would be more appropriate for the situation.
Dave: Well, I was at least going to put $25 on it.

She's a Wild One

2009-10-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

G is developing quite the personality these days

and is a little chatter box.

Here's a translation of her lingo...

Me Peese - immediately give me whatever it is that I'm pointing at

Baybee - G's name for D (at least she is aware that he is the baby by a whole 40 min. )

Me- G's name for herself

Me bite - I want a to eat whatever it is that you are eating

Bo - bottle

And she has somehow figured out that there is a person on the other side of her nursery camera. She will look directly into it and say me peese maaaaa maaaa when she wants out of her crib.

She has a great sense of humor. Poor D has been coughing a lot these days and when he starts to cough she will cough too and then laugh and laugh. I tell her that taunting her brother isn't nice, but it is funny... and D laughs too. Her other current favorites are peek a boo, hiding under blankets, and if there is a cell phone or tube of something in sight she must hold it or the world stops spinning. She can also blow kisses and wave bye and has become the dancing queen.

She is my sweet girl with a curl :)

Creative Baby Proofing

2009-10-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

G and D are into everything these days, including the take out bags.

They can both stand by themselves for a few seconds, can get around very quickly by holding on to furniture, and are are attempting to climb everything. I have removed most valuable items from the lower shelves and finally put baby gates on the bottom of the stairs.

We have a step down from our kitchen into the family room and I had originally blocked it off with the panels of a Superyard XL. However, If I was in the kitchen, my monkeys would just try to climb, shake, etc. the fence and scream. I couldn't take the drama anymore so I just decided to pad the floor below the step with foam tiles. They think it's the greatest thing and climbed up and slid down over and over the first night it was in place.

A while back D's obsession was the screen in front of our fireplace. I researched and all I could find were the ugly hearth gates. Since we've never actually had a fire in the fireplace I didn't think we needed to go to that extreme. So one day it hit me that we could Velcro the screen to the fireplace and crazy enough it worked. D has pulled and pulled and it has yet to fall down.

We have a million cabinets in our kitchen (OK not a million, but we do have 19 within their reach). I have been dragging my feet with getting locks on the doors, but today I'd put the bowls back one too many times. I rubber banded the knobs and so far it's worked.

I haven't figured out a way to secure the single cabinets, but for now packaging tape is doing the job. They are obsessed with blue lights..the light on the DVR, the air purifier, and of course on my computer. Does that mean they have a future at Kmart?

Oh, the fun has just begun :)

Not Me Monday - Locked in

2009-10-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I did not attend story time at a local coffee house with two new friends. I also did not let my baby girl chew on my keys while I chatted with my new friends in the parking lot. I then did not put her into her car seat, while she was still holding my keys. As the door closed, she most certainly did not push the lock button on my key remote locking herself in the car!! I (still chatting) proceeded to get my baby boy out of the stroller and when I reached for the car door it was not locked. My baby girl was not smiling at me from inside. And of course all of my windows were not completely rolled up. I went inside and the coffee shop owner called the police and they did not answer (seriously!).. so she did not call 911, and they were not rude and did not tell her to just call pop-a lock. She was not insistent that they come since a child was trapped inside the car!! Two police officers did not show up along with six men from the detail shop next door, and the pop-a-lock guy. In the mean time, my baby girl did not go to sleep oblivious to all of the excitement. And in the midst of all of this I most certainly did not think to myself "This is going to make a great Not Me Monday post".

Pumpkins in the Patch

2009-10-04T17:24:00.001-07:00

Today we took G and D to a local apple orchard and pumpkin patch. It was difficult to get them to look at the camera because they were so intrigued by the pumpkins. Dave pulled them in the wagon around the farm and then we went to the store for fresh cider, hot peanuts, and apple fritters. We also stopped by the barn to say hello to Bubba the cow. D isn't fond of loud noises, so we decided to save the tractor pulled hayride for next year.

13 Months Old

2009-10-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

A Spooktacular Contest

2009-09-23T06:01:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was STILL thinking about what G and D should be for Halloween and an idea for a contest popped into my head. Good ideas are few and far between these days , so I thought I should run with it. I am tired of thinking about Halloween costumes.. I've looked at 1,000 stores, etsy, you name it. There are too many choices, and you know me Miss Analysis Paralysis. Things that have caught my eye are are a lady bug and bumble bee, 2 monkeys, a cow and a pig, 2 fluffy ducks, and many more... that's why I'm asking for your help :)

The Contest

For each of the following this you do you will receive 1 entry:

Leave a comment about your favorite costume idea from my list

Leave a comment with your idea for costumes

Link back to my blog and the contest from your blog or website

Twitter about the contest

Post the link to the contest on your Facebook page

Visit http://www.40thousandpeople.com/ and leave a comment

Become a follower of my blog

Donate $1 (or more) to the Mulliken family at http://www.40thousandpeople.com/

What's in it for you????

The ultimate purpose of this contest, besides making my kids look super cute on Halloween, is helping the Mulliken family. So... the winner will receive 2 bags of whole bean coffee from Liquid Highway. Liquid Highway is giving $5 for every bag of coffee sold to the family.. pretty awesome. AND if I use one of the costume ideas I will send that person 2 bags of coffee!

How am I going to choose a winner?

I will put the 5 people with the highest number of entries in a hat and pick a name. Very high tech :) I (hopefully) will also choose a costume winner.

The Fine Print...

The costumes should be something that a 12m old will actually wear for at least an hour. My kids will be riding in a wagon since they are not walking. I would like to decorate the wagon or incorporate it into the costume in someway. The temperature is typically in the mid 60's on Halloween night, so no snowsuits :)

I will donate $1 for every comment left between now and midnight Sunday night, so get those comments coming!

Multiples and More Featured Blogger

2009-09-22T08:00:00.001-07:00

I am the featured blogger today over at Multiples and more. Take a minute to stop by and check it out :)

Exciting News

2009-09-21T19:55:00.001-07:00

We were invited to share our infertility journey on the WE channel's new reality series The Fertility Chase. There will be 13 segments that will air beginning in Nov. I'll be sure to let you know when ours will air. Each segment features a different fertility center from across the US. The doctors' at each center chose cases to profile and our case was chosen... crazy! So Wednesday night we went downtown to film our segment. We were interviewed about our infertility journey and to be honest I was so nervous I can't remember what I said, but I do remember the questions, and I keep thinking.. "this is what I wish I had said...." so here goes my not nervous answers. Hopefully some of this actually came out of my mouth :)

How did you meet Dr. L?

We had 4 failed IVF cycles at another clinic. The doctor there couldn't give us an answer as to why we weren't getting pregnant, but he said there was nothing more that he could do for us. As an afterthought he said there was one doctor that was doing some research studies about unexplained infertility and he was in the city that we were about to move to. We thought why not and made the appointment. In the meantime the other clinic "found" my blood work (I had assumed that since I never heard from the everything was ok) and called to tell me that I had an ectopic pregnancy. I drove back to the clinic to get treatment and called to cancel my appointment with Dr. L. The receptionist said that if I cancelled it would take a couple of months to get an appointment with him again. I decided to go even though I felt terrible physically and emotionally. The next day my fallopian tube ruptured and he performed emergency surgery. During the surgery he saw what I had suspected all along.. I had endometriosis. I lost the fallopian tube, but he was able to take care of the endometriosis. It gives me chills to see God's hand at work through all of this.

How did you feel when you you first met Dr L.?

He listened to me and actually had a conversation with us. I had done my own research and talked to many doctors by this point and I knew that there had to be an answer out there. His answer to me was "When all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail". He meant that most infertility doctors use the same treatments on all of their patients. If the "hammer" doesn't work than they say that the "nail" is bad. In short I think Dr L should be given sainthood ;)

What was your lowest point in your infertility journey?

There were a lot of low days. I think that when you have infertility you have to grieve the "death" of getting pregnant "normally". First, I had denial.. this is just a fluke, then anger.. Why does the 16 year old girl who doesn't even want her baby get to be pregnant, but not me , then depression... I guess this was my lowest point. I would look at myself in the mirror and think "I am really never going to have a child". That was a harsh reality. I stopped going to Target because every time I would go every pregnant women in my town would be there. I guess the absolute lowest was when we found out that I had an ectopic pregnancy. It was a cruel joke that I was pregnant, but in the wrong place. When I took the shot to "dissolve" the embryo from my fallopian tube we were devastated. We felt like we were ending the only pregnancy that we'd ever had.

How did you feel the day that you gave birth?

That day was a roller coaster of emotion. I went into labor at 33 weeks, so I think I was scared and in shock when we got to the hospital. Nothing that day went as I had envisioned it would. I delivered my daughter and then my son's cord tangled and his heart rate dropped. There was no time to waste, so he was delivered via C-section. I of course I was happy to finally be a mother, but also felt angry and sad that my babies were hooked up to tubes and needles and were in the NICU instead of with me.

How does it feel to be a mother?

It just feels right. It is exhausting, and fun, and challenging, and wonderful. After the babies were born I remember realizing that I didn't have that cloud of sadness hanging over my head anymore. We went through a lot, but I would do it a thousand times over. I have a beautiful girl and boy..they were the last 2 of our embryos and I think God wanted them here for this time and place.

Do you have any questions that you'd like to ask me??

Birthday Gifts

2009-09-21T14:05:00.001-07:00

First, my apologizes for taking so long to respond to the questions about what the twins received for their birthday. In addition to what you see below they received clothes, puzzles, books, gift cards and money. I hope this helps as you make your birthday and Christmas wish lists for your little ones.

The "gift area" at the party.

We used the wagon (a gift from Grandma and Papa) to hold the gifts.

The ball pit was our gift to the babies.

I bought over 1,000 balls to fill it and the party guests had a blast playing in it.

Anyone need some ball pit balls?

Laugh and Learn Tea Set

Laugh and Learn Mower

Bubble Bellies Bubble Blowers

Bounce and Spin Zebra

Radio Flyer Ultimate Family Wagon. They LOVE this!

Laugh and Learn House

Prayer Requests

2009-09-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

I haven't been in the habit of posting prayer requests but I have a couple that have been heavy on my heart. So if you are in a position to pass these along I know the prayers would be most appreciated.

I have a friend that has struggled without success to get pregnant for several years, and much like me can't be given a reason. She has recently undergone an IUI cycle and will know the results tomorrow. I ask that you pray, of course, that God will bless her with a child. I also ask that you pray that if the outcome is not what she desires that she will have peace, and wisdom, and strength.

I have recently crossed paths with a sweet couple that also has boy/ girl twins. I stumbled across their blog and read their family's incredible story. I'll spare you the paraphrasing.. you can click here to read it: www.40thousandpeople.com . I could not imagine tucking G in bed at night knowing that the medical treatment that she needed was out there, but out of our financial reach. I ask that you pray for them and consider supporting them financially if you are able. You can even buy coffee through Liquid Highway off of the website and half the profits go to their daughter's medical fund. Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas.. get your coffee pots ready :)

I have some great friends that really need to sell their house so that their family can be reunited in the same city.

And I just have to share this story that was emailed to me today.. This is faith in action!
There is an amazing family that has taken on the seemingly impossible goal of adopting a young boy from Africa who was very close to dying. This family felt they were given an opportunity from God to help make a difference in this child's life, so they jumped at the chance even though the cost of doing so was well out of their reach. (I can provide you with their contact information if you wish to write or donate to them.)

Alvin’s journey began in Liberia, West Africa. Where he has a mother and five siblings who love and care for him. At age eleven, Alvin’s life changed forever. When left paralyzed weeks after a car accident, doctors there unknowingly misdiagnosed the cause of his paralysis, instead treating him for tuberculosis. As time dragged on and Alvin lay in a hospital bed, where complications arose placing him near death, doctors gave up hope that now thirteen year old Alvin could be saved. Sadly and selflessly, Alvin's mother knew she had one chance to save her son. She could give him up for adoption and pray that he would be adopted by a family who could get him the lifesaving care he needed. Our Journey with Alvin began with a friend’s Facebook update. After reading Alvin’s story, seeing his wounds and the desperate search for an adoptive family I knew God had planned for Alvin to be our son. In spite of the seemingly insurmountable odds against adopting Alvin and getting him to help in time, red tape seemed to fall away with one exception. In order to get him safely to the States, an air ambulance had to be hired at a cost $98,750. This amount was unobtainable for us. We started to raise the funds but realized Alvin would die before we could get the money to pay for the flight. The air ambulance company agreed to take a $20,000 deposit, which we borrowed, but then the full remaining fee of $78,780 would be due within 90 days. Three weeks after that Facebook update Alvin was on his way to the hospital and the excellent medical care he so desperately needed. Since his arrival on August 13, 2009, Alvin has undergone five surgeries and his health continues to improve. We are hopeful that we will be able to bring him home soon. However, we still face the challenge of raising the money to pay for the air ambulance by November 6, 2009. Our hope is that by spreading the word of Alvin’s story, generous supporters will come forth and help us attain our financial goal.

Heading for Home

2009-09-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

One year ago today we packed our babies up after a 17 day NICU stay and headed for home. I finally felt like they were MY babies, which was wonderful and overwhelming. No more wires getting tangled or heart monitors beeping or having to do things on the hospital schedule. And best of all no more walking out of the hospital day after day with empty arms. What an awesome day!

Wordless Wednesday - U2 chicago

2009-09-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

Since it is wordless Wednesday, I will remain wordless and will use the words of Dave's friend and accomplice to explain this photo ....

My friend Dave moments before being handcuffed and given a couple of roundhouse's to the face for touching Bono's walkway. Lucky for Dave his sale's training kicked in before they kicked him to the street, and he convinced them to let him stay. He was never to return the circle. The hand to the left is the perp about to grab him and pull him away.

and this chair was too hard (to clean)

2009-09-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

While I was pregnant I researched everything from cribs to bottles before making my selection. My tireless work payed off in most areas except high chairs...

First I had to get the top of the line Peg Perego...
It has thousands of feature, but none of which are self- cleaning. Honestly with two kids eating 3 meals a day I don't have the time... nor the energy.. to clean the ever so cushy leather pad with all of its seams and folds, and it gets gross fast.

Then on an IKEA shopping trip I discovered this beauty....

It is one solid piece of plastic.. you can literally hose it down. I thought it would be perfect, but the tray only comes up to my giants' belly button. I still use them occasionally, but I am afraid they will attempt to climb out of them. So alas the search continued.

Then on a shopping trip to BRU I saw this chair on display! The seat is nylon on a metal frame. There are no screw holes for all of the food gunk to hide in and I can fit both of the trays in my dishwasher at once!!! It also folds completely flat for travel or storage. It doesn't have any fancy features, but my kids barely sit still long enough to eat much less recline or rock.

Hopefully my search is over. I will try to post some pictures of the giants enjoying their new seats tomorrow :)

and the winner is..

2009-09-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry I'm a few days late announcing the winner of the onesies, and I didn't post all the giveaways I had intended to, but we became painfully aware this week that D and cow's milk don't jive... I'll spare you the details. Anyway, ... E. Merrit you are the winner!! You were the last one to post and since I'm always the last one to arrive I thought it was fitting to choose you :) contact me and I'll get the onesies out to you asap!

A Little Motivation

2009-09-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

A bowl of dog food was the motivation for my baby boy to crawl..

So what could entice G to crawl?

A cell phone of course!

Look D, we can call for pizza.

Let me help you find the number.

I know it's got to be in there somewhere.
Mom dials it all the time.

No mom, we weren't trying to order pizza.
We'd much rather have your cooking

I'm so proud of you G.. whatever your motivation:)

End of Summer Blog Party Giveaway!

2009-09-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

The lucky winner will get a matching set of Snowbabies

"Baby's First Christmas" Onesies size 3-6m
They are supercute and come wrapped like a piece of candy!

To enter
* Become a public follower of my blog (1 entry)
* Tweet or blog about this giveaway and provide a URL (1 entry)

Leave a comment for each thing you do!

I will choose a random winner on Monday, September 7, so be sure to enter.

Check back because I will be hosting several giveaways this week for the Multiples & More End of Summer Blog Party!!!!

http://multiplesandmore.blogspot.com

Happy 1st Birthday!

2009-09-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

A year ago my life was forever changed as two tiny miracles made their early entrance into the world.
Happy birthday my precious babies!

What a blessing it has been to watch you grow from those tiny NICU babies into the healthy giants that you are today. I thank God everyday for allowing me to be your mama.

*You'll need to pause the music at the bottom of the blog page so that you can hear the video*

Nesting

2009-08-31T18:09:00.001-07:00

Nesting.. that's exactly what I was doing this time last year. I always thought that it was an old wives tale, but after being on bed rest for about a week I suddenly got the uncontrollable urge to clean and organize and get everything ready. I even stayed up until after midnight to win an eBay auction for some nursery decor. Little did I know that I would awaken at 8am the next morning in labor. I have been a mother for a year now.. wow.. what a wild and wonderful ride it has been.

1st Birthday Party

2009-08-31T05:20:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time on Saturday celebrating G and D's 1st birthday. We were so blessed to have lots of family and friends (including 3 other sets of twins) join us. Even the Chick-Fil-A Cow stopped by. Thanks to everyone that helped to make the day so special!

Bed Rest

2009-08-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

A year ago today I was told that Baby A (Grace) was low on my cervix and I needed a steroid shot because I would more than likely deliver them prematurely. I still remember sitting on the bench waiting for the nurse to bring the shot. I think I was in shock. I texted Dave "They will be here soon". The test the Dr. did indicated that I would probably deliver in the next 2 weeks. This terrified me because I was barely 32 weeks along. I was put on bed rest and a week later... yes, my babies will be 1 year old in a week!... Baby A and Baby B entered the world.

Get Up, Stand Up...

2009-08-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

On Friday D decided it was his day

to stand on his own two feet!

The Adventures of G

2009-08-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

G is still a stationary girl, but her balance is much better and she is willing to reach for things. She and D have discovered that the cabinet doors open and close and that fun things are stored inside.

Arrrrgh! Mommy dressed me in my brother's pirate PJ's!

The Adventures of D

2009-08-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

D has been mobile for awhile now. He would get from point A to point B with a series of twists, turns, kicks and rolls, but there were no straight line movements involved...until he spotted the dog food a couple of days ago. .

He did his very best commando crawl and reached his prize

A few days later he decided to try to climb the step up to the kitchen.

He's still working on this, but it won't be long.

And today he is up on all fours. He is officially crawling

YEAH DANIEL!!

Watch out Cosmo.. here I come :)

Wish List Wednesday - The Birthday Edition

2009-08-12T04:57:00.000-07:00

17 days.. It's 17 days until the twins' 1st birthday party. Where has time gone? I am actually checking tasks off of my party planning "to-do" list in a surprisingly, timely manner. Now friends and family are asking what the babies want for a birthday gift. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately? ) at this age they don't give much input, so I'm left to guess what they will enjoy. I've never had a one year old before so this task is a little daunting. Nothing is more frustrating to me than to pick something that I think is wonderful only to have it abandoned in the corner. So I have scoured the reviews on Amazon.. yes I'm a "c", you know "analyses paralyses"... and put together a list of things I think they will enjoy and benefit from. When I first saw the "wish list" feature on Amazon I wondered if it was a little tacky to make a wish list for a birthday. Sure you register for wedding and baby showers, but birthdays? After I started adding items It dawned on me that this is a really good thing. Even if no one else views it, it is a place for me to keep track of neat products that I come across that I don't need at this very moment. I am notorious for finding something that I think someone will enjoy and then forgetting where I found it when it comes time to actually buy the said item, so this will eliminate that. You can even add items from any site on the Internet to the Amazon site... very smart Amazon.. very smart. To see the list click here www.amazon.com/gp/gift-central/ref=cm_gift_button_gc_lp
and then enter my first and last name in the wish list search box on the right.
I would love your input if you have 1st birthday shopping experience. Are there things I should add or delete?

And remember to visit Wish List Wednesday over at http://nbjenni.blogspot.com/

Picnic Breakfast

2009-08-08T20:34:00.001-07:00

Photos at Falls Park

2009-08-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

I am taking a photography class through a local college and these are a few pictures of my subjects at Falls Park...

11 Months Old

2009-08-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

The countdown to the twins' first birthday has begun. I saved this post on August 1st so that it would appear that I had indeed posted on their 11 month birthday. I will however confess that I am actually writing the post on August 8.. but I have a few excuses. I have been attempting to take a picture of them since Aug. 1st. with no luck. I think that we've all had a virus of some sort. G had a cough and D has this lovely rash on his face... so no one was in a picture taking mood. On top of that, as you'll read below, G doesn't want to be within arms reach of her brother. So, this is one of my least favorite photographs of the babies, but none the less it is recorded for posterity.

So without any further delay...

As I look back through the past months of pictures I wonder where my babies are going. They are definitely starting to look and act more and more like toddlers. My mom hates it when I put them in "big kid" clothes like a polo shirt and shorts for example. She still wants them in gowns and little hats :)

D weighs 25.7lbs and G weighs 24.9lbs

D is rolling and twisting to get anywhere he wants to go. He can also go from lying down to sitting upright on his own is starting to pull up. He is becoming the thorn in his sister's side. Because she is not mobile he takes her toys and pulls her hair, clothes, etc. She will start to scream as soon as he makes eye contact with her. Ah the drama has begun. He doesn't talk a lot, but loves to say "hey" over and over when we are in the foyer because his voice echos. He giggles and squeals with laughter all of the time. It is truly music to my ears. He definitely prefers to be be in the floor now instead of confined to the car seat or stroller. That makes for fun outings. He loves Cosmo even though the feeling is not mutual.

G has started physical therapy and is making some progress. I really feel bad for the therapist because G hates it and screams about 99% of the time. She sits, reaches, and turns well. She has also started to roll continuously, but isn't a fan of even a split second on her tummy. She is the talker and has added "ba, ba" to her repertoire of "ma, ma", "da,da" and "hey". When she gets upset she lets me have it.. I'm sure that it's best that I don't know what she's saying. She is self feeding finger foods (D too but not as well) Organic Happy Baby puffs are gold in our house. She loves music and has her own little head shake and dance.

The favorite toys of the moment are the Leap Frog Learning Table.. G will spin the banjo over and over and dance. .. The Fisher Price Singing Stage.. They both like to watch themselves in the mirror .. and various blocks, balls, and books. Both still love the Praise Baby videos.. especially D. He gets excited when I get the remote for the DVD. Their very, very favorite "toy" is paper. I have thrown all of my magazines away because they seek them out, rip them apart, and attempt to eat them. I recently got them some ride on and rocking toys and they are also starting to enjoy those.

I know that this month will fly by too. As always I am trying to savor every moment. I already have mixed emotions about the big 1st birthday. Almost an entire year has passed.. I can hardly believe it!!

Is it the weekend already?

2009-07-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

G and "Blue the Horse" a consignment sale find

The past two weeks have been a blur and I have been very slack in the blogging department, so here is my attempt to play catch up :)

This time two weeks ago I packing and getting things ready for my trip to Atlanta to attend a Musikgarten training. This was the first time that I had been away for the babies since we brought them home from the NICU. I was really nervous about leaving them. I knew that Dave, my mom, and our sitter had it all under control, but still it was hard. I cried as I told them goodbye, especially when D gave me his toothy grin as I kissed him on the forehead and G was sick with a cold so I felt extra guilty for leaving her. Luckily the training was fast paced and I didn't have a lot of time to sit and worry, but of course I called multiple times each day. All went well at the training and at home. I even managed to squeeze in a shopping trip to Phipps Plaza. I will be teaching Musikgarten classes in the fall for children ages birth - 3. You can get info on the program here: http://www.musikgarten.org/birth_5.html

I got home on Tuesday night, tried to play catch up a little on Wed., and then on Thursday met a friend in Columbia to exchange baby gear. My friend Stephanie has been so generous to loan me her son's toys and clothes as he outgrows them. I am now able to repay the favor by loaning her some things for her baby girl that will be arriving in September. We *attempted* to have lunch as G and D had meltdowns. They had been in their car seats for over an hour, so I thought sitting up in a highchair (this is a new skill) would be a nice break for them. But of course they had no interest in eating their food, however painting the table with it was loads of fun. I ordered spinach nachos. I've learned by now not to order things that require utensils to eat. Both D and G thought the stack of green things covered in gooey white stuff was perfect to squish through your fingers and then run through your hair. Needless to say I left the waitress a good tip and ate my lunch a couple of hours later from the to go container on the drive home. We then ventured to babies R us. After we were in the store for a while the meltdowns started again and I realized that I didn't have formula mixed. I ran out to the car and grabbed empty bottles and then took 2 bottles of ready mixed formula off the shelf and poured each baby a bottle. Stephanie and I plopped down on the bench in the middle of the car seat aisle and fed the babies. I'm sure the security guard was loving me. I was so exhausted from the day that I skipped my photography class that night and went to bed early.

(Photography class... what photography class? I am taking a basic photography class at a local college. I got a Cannon Rebel for Christmas and wanted to learn to shoot on something other than auto. The class is really good and I will blog more about it in the future.)

The weekend was also crazy because Dave worked really hard to finish remodeling the babies' bathroom. I promise to past a picture soon.

This week was the beginning of consignment sale season. I volunteered at a sale on Monday so that I could shop early. Consignment sale shopping is kind of like shopping at Wal-Mart or Best Buy the day after Thanksgiving. People line up sometimes hours before the doors open and then rush in and start searching for their treasures. Let just say that G and D will be very well dressed this Fall for a fraction of the price :)

I have spent the rest of the week agonizing over birthday party plans. G and D will be 11 months old tomorrow, so I have to get myself in gear. I love planning parties and I want this one to be extra special. I have most of the plans in place, but am now working on the details. The little things are what will drive me crazy.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Wish List Wednesday

2009-07-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

My fabulous blogging friend Jennifer over at http://nbjenni.blogspot.com/ started Wish List Wednesday a couple of weeks ago. I decided to join in this week because we all know that money doesn't grow on trees..

If I could have just one thing it would be a maid to clean

If I could ask for two it would be a cute,

but comfortable shoe

I'll add just one more, a few cute toys for the twins

to ride across the floor

Here's hoping all your wishes come true.

One of Those Days

2009-07-14T12:05:00.001-07:00

Today was just one of those days that you know you should just throw in the towel from the start. The morning was OK then came lunch. G and D have a cold which leads to lots of drainage. D, as stated and photographed in previous posts, has the world's most sensitive gag reflex. The two together, not a good thing. So at lunch today he threw up not once, not twice, but three times!! It is so common that he usually just looks at me and laughs when he does it. So needless to say he, the highchair, the floor, everything in a 12 mile radius had to be hosed down. By this point G is ready to be out of her highchair and has begun her screaming/ singing routine. I wheel her over near the sink, pull D from his cesspool of orange puke, and give him a bath.. which is a feat unto itself these days. If I bathe them alone I always put the clean baby in the co-sleeper while I bathe the 2nd.. so that's exactly what I did. I bathed G and then as I was walking over to put her down my heart sank. Between D's feet was a bottle of calamine powder that he was squeezing into his mouth. I know that they shouldn't have been in the co-sleeper in the first place, but I change their diapers there and he has had heat rash, so thus the powders. They were in the far corner... far, far away from his hands.. but not his feet. (He regularly draws a crowd when we are out about because he holds his toys with his feet to play with them) So I quickly put G down and grabbed him.. his mouth was pale pink w/ powder. I grabbed a wash cloth and wiped as much as I could out.. he is laughing the entire time.. I'm not. I called the Dr's office who gave me poison control's number. The nice lady said that the danger was inhaling the powders and as long as he was breathing fine he was in no danger. They are only toxic in a large quantity. Lesson learned..Keep all things out of reach of hands and feet!

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

We had a busy, but good 4th of July. We went to the farmer's market downtown this morning, then my mom and I took the babies to run a few errands while Dave worked on the bathroom (more on that in a future post), and tonight we went to a local Bar-B-Q restaurant for dinner. (OK, actually Dave had bar-b-q and I had a cup of tea. ) The restaurant is walking distance, so we put G and D in the stroller and enjoyed the live music. Here are a few pictures from our day...

Dave, G and D at the farmer's market

Relaxing in the stroller

The boys taking a break after a long day

The next set of photos was taken on Sunday.. It was the first time the twins had sat in grass. We have really thick zoysia grass so they loved it, and even tried to make a meal of it.

Since mom's hands are full,

I think I'll shove some grass in my mouth :)

Who me? I didn't eat any grass

I think Cosmo is secretly hoping that the twins are "just visiting"

Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.
~Ronald Reagan

See how other families celebrated our nation's birthday over at http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/

10 Months Old

2009-07-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

I have been cleaning out G and D's closet in preparation for the upcoming season of consignment sales. As I was folding some of their things last night I was once again reminded of how tiny they once were and how quickly they've grown. It really is incredible.. so at 10 months G is weighing in at 23.5lbs and D at 24.5lbs. G is about 30in and D is around 30.5 (these are my "at home" measurements). They both have 8 teeth. G was behind in the tooth count but decided to catch up by cutting 3 teeth at the same time. They are both sitting unassisted, but D only chooses to sit still if "Praise Baby" is playing. He travels from one side of the room to the other by rolling, kicking, and sliding. G is still very happy to stay in one spot and whine for whatever she wants. G holds her own bottle, but D hasn't quite caught on yet. They love my cell phone and are obsessed with cups. G has also decided that she is a goat and will eat paper if no one is watching. They are both babbling and have started talking to each other.. and stealing from each other, and pulling each other's hair...I think the fun has just begun :)

Is there a full moon?

2009-06-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

What a crazy week this has been..

for our family... Dave has been gone for the past 3 nights and G is cutting 3 teeth (she has 8 teeth now!) and D is cutting another tooth (#9). I am still running on empty after having friends visit and going on a whirlwind shopping trip to Charlotte.

For our state... What were you thinking Governor Sanford? I usually don't get into politics, but it is so sad for me to watch a Christian man fall so hard. He was in the running to be the next republican presidential candidate and he let it all slip through his fingers. I can only imagine his family's pain as all this plays out publicly.

For the entertainment world... First the public break up of the Gosselin family (Jon and Kate+ 8). In one of the first episodes Kate said that her motivation for doing the show was to preserve memories for the kids.. now the family's demise will be forever in film. It's time to let go of the money Kate and protect your kids... and then Ed McMahon , Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson took their last breath on this planet.. I can only imagine the conversations that followed at the pearly gates.

Let's hope the weekend is less eventful.

Happy 76th Birthday Dad

2009-06-24T16:39:00.001-07:00

Today the babies and I , bearing an ice cream cake from Brewster's of course, went to my parents house to have birthday lunch with my dad. It is difficult for me to comprehend all of the changes that he has seen and events he has experienced in his 76 years. He still stays busy from sunup to sundown. He was even doing a wedding today.. who gets married on a Wednesday? I told him that for his 80th birthday we would all go to Disney World. The year that he turns 80 the twins will turn 5, so it will be a joint 5th/ 80th birthday extravaganza.. and I know that he will be the first one on the teacups.

100th Blog - Happy 1st Father's Day Dave

2009-06-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

This is my 100th blog post and I
purposefully saved it for Father's Day.

Dave 1st Father's Day with his future giants.

Dave's first "hand made" father's day card

Onesies bought just for Dad.. They say "I drool orange and blue"

The always stylish Dave modeling his new shoes.

Happy Father's Day Dave!

Recent Developments

2009-06-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in several days, so this post is jam packed with all of our recent developments :)

G and D are learning to drink from sippy cups and have found a new favorite food, organic Mum-Mum crackers..thanks Jennifer :). (Yes, D is wearing G's bib)

We also have a new toy. It is a large cube with beads to move, doors to open and close, tiles to flip, etc. I thought they wouldn't be advanced enough for it, but they are already enjoying it. G loves to move the beads and play with the gears. D, well he thinks everything is made for kicking...

We also have new car seats. I finally settled on the True Fit By The First Years. So far I am really pleased and from the looks of things D looks happy too..

And we said goodbye to our Peg Pergo car seats and stroller. The stroller was the first thing I purchased for the babies, so I was sad to see it go. However, I made enough money to pay for the new car seats, so that helped to Cheer me up :)

Can you believe how much they've grown?

This is why I don't cook

2009-06-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

You may want to pause the music player at the bottom of the page so that you can hear the video.

After finding a bag of organic "veg-all" I decided that I would make the twins some homemade baby food. So I cooked a small portion of the economy size bag, took the time to pick out all of the corn (my baby food book says no corn until they are 1) and tossed it into the food processor. I was really proud of my accomplishment and couldn't wait to feed it to my little ones. You can see for yourself that it wasn't the reaction I had hoped for.

Grandmom and Pops

2009-06-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago (I'm a little behind on the blogging) we enjoyed a visit from Grandmom and Pops. The weather was beautiful and Grandmom worked her magic on our yard.. I promise to post pictures before all of the flowers wilt. We hope to see them again soon.

You know it's time..

2009-06-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

You know that it's time for new toys when...
The babies are playing under them instead of on them :)

I get attached to things very easily, so I knew that it would be difficult for me to let go of the babies' things. But thanks to watching many episodes of "Clean House" I have learned that it's the memories, not the item that's important :) So my stratagy is to get rid of things as soon as we're done with them. A.. with 2 babies I don't have room to have things sitting around that we're not using... and B... the longer it sits here the harder it will be for me to let it go. So this week I sold the babies' swings, bouncy seats, and Bumbo seat (I still have 1 left). I have also started cleaning out their closet. They have gone through 5 sizes in 9 months! It's hard to believe that they were ever in preemie clothes.

So out with the old and in with the new..
Here is Miss G and her first "sitting" toy.

Don't worry D's new toy is on its way :)

9 Month Stats

2009-06-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

Today was G and D's 9 month well child visit. Both of their ears appear to be on the mend (from back to back infections). G weighed in at 22.5lbs and measured 29.5in. D was 23.5lbs and 30.5in.
As of today, G has 5 teeth and D has 7! G talks and sings all the time. She has added da,da to her repertoire. D is still happy with dis, dis. He is my mover and shaker. He can make it across the room rolling and scooting in record time. G is finally rolling both ways! Hopefully she will start chasing her brother soon. He has learned that she doesn't move very quickly and has started stealing her toys. I'm sure she'll get him back soon enough. G is sitting really well (as you'll see in the next post).

9 Months Old!

2009-06-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

BOB is here!

2009-05-24T18:42:00.001-07:00

As my husband often reminds me I am a "C" personality (in the DISC personality evaluation). I analyze everything and often get stuck in analysis paralysis. Case in point.. this stroller. I have been trying to pick a stroller since the babies were born. I wanted a good multi-purpose stroller that I could also jog with. Well in this situation my procrastination paid off ... behold the 2009 BOB Revolution.. the new feature.. all 3 wheels are 12". It is still a good jogging stroller, but will fold much more compactly and is more trim than the average side by side. Have I mentioned that it turns on a dime? So far I am very impressed. Now off to analyze car seats :)

A quick note

2009-05-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

Before I forget...

G has learned a new syllable that she regularly practices "ah"... she sounds like a little monkey at the zoo :) One of her 2 top teeth has broken through and the other is close behind.

D has 2 more new teeth, one of which is an eye tooth, which has given him fits. D's new tooth total is 7!!!

And it seems that my son has the most sensitive gag reflex on the planet. I've lost count of the number of times I've been vomited on this week. Whenever a large amount of mucus settles in his throat the last meal he ate is revisited.. anyone know a good carpet cleaner?

Third Thursday

2009-05-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

The third Thursday of each month is the Mother's of Multiples club meeting. After an hour of talking to fellow MOMs I feel a lot more normal. We all see the worn out, sleep deprived looks on each other's faces and know that we are all kindred spirits. Most of us went through infertility and all the fun treatments that come with it, and are very, very thankful for the children God has blessed us with. But let's be honest, some days are just tough, and like all things in life you just don't fully "get it" unless you've "been there, done that". So thank you, thank you my MOMs friends...

The meeting was very interesting tonight. There is always a guest speaker and tonight is was a psychologist. He talked about birth order and here is his explanation. You can see if it fits you or your family:

1st born- will make a good doctor.. wants everything done correctly and wants to take care of everything in order to maintain authority

2nd born- will make a good stock broker.. is always trying to live up to 1st born (and in most instances the 2nd child is more successful in life than 1st born) and is never satisfied with his or her performance

3rd born (or middle child)- will make a good lawyer... is passive, wants to resolve problems, be a helper, etc

4th born (or youngest).. will throw the best parties, but don't ask them to clean up... very social and use to people taking care of them

He noted that the birth order trend is even seen in multiples that are born even minutes apart. It will be interesting to see what develops between G and D.

i heart faces blurb book entry

2009-05-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

This week over at i heart faces the task is to choose your "best face". This was not easy, but I chose a picture that I took this week of G when I decided to turn her into a Kewpie doll after her bath

Take a look over at http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to see all of the great entries.

I am submitting this photo into the http://www.iheartfaces.com/ Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites.

Not Me Monday

2009-05-18T18:14:00.001-07:00

I just had to join in the Not Me Monday fun since I most certainly did not do the following...

I did not attempt to car seat shop with my tooth cutting, runny nosed twins in tow..
and when G had an explosive diaper, I most certainly did not take her clothes off and carry her like a sack of potatoes across the very large retail store to the bathroom..
and upon returning to my mom and D who were waiting for us, I did not grab an outfit off the rack, pop the price tag off, and dress G in the middle of the store...
and I didn't just smile at the security officer as he just happened to walk over to the area we were in, giving me a very puzzled look...
and of course my child did not leave the store at 2 in the afternoon wearing pink fairy PJ's

Oh no, not me :)

You can visit http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what lots of other mom are not doing.

Headlines

2009-05-13T17:43:00.001-07:00

Life has been busy, to say the least, the past couple of weeks. I have LOTS to blog about but LITTLE time. So until I actually have a spare moment here are a few headlines..

G has a double ear infection and a bad cold. She has already outsmarted me in the medicine taking department. I have tried various methods of giving her medicine and the only thing that works is the Reliadose bottle. But she still looks at me with a knowing look when I give it to her.
D has a bad cold.. but no ear infection yet.

D is cutting tooth number 6!!!

G is saying mama now, especially when she isn't getting what she wants.

D is using his feet to pick things up and rolling all over the place.

During meal time I feel like I am feeding octopuses.. 4 hands grabbing at spoons, bowls, and each other... ahhhh!

And perhaps the most exciting... drum roll please.. G and D can sit!.. OK, for only a few seconds, but at least it's a start.

stay tuned pictures and stories to follow :)

He Will Laugh

2009-05-11T17:21:00.000-07:00

D's middle name is Isaac which means He will laugh...and laugh he does. I took this picture of Dave tickling him while we were picnicking one Sunday afternoon in Falls Park.

Visit http://iheartfaces/ to see lots of laughing faces.

A hat.. or pail.. on my head

2009-05-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

I took this picture in March of baby G and posted it on the blog, but it is too cute to pass up for this week's theme of hats over at i heart faces. According to the dictionary a hat is "A covering for the head", and I think this pail covers her head pretty well :)

Visit http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to see many other lovely hats and of course faces.

8 Months Old!

2009-05-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it seems like an eternity ago and other days it seems like just yesterday when we brought our little miracles home. The reality is that 8 months have past. They are growing and changing so quickly. We didn't have well child visits this month so our weights and heights are "unofficial" ... (Well actually G's weight is official because we had to go to the Dr. to get her a Rx for Zyrtec on Monday.. seems she has her mamma's allergies.)

G is 21lbs and about 28in.

D is 22lbs and about 29in.

At G's appt on Monday we decided that we would go ahead with a referral with Babynet for her. The Dr is not at all concerned, but since D is progressing so quickly it wouldn't be a bad idea to try to catch her up to him. He is a little ahead, she is a little behind sort of thing. The therapist will come to our house on Thursday and evaluate her. The therapist also has twins that are about a month older than G and D, so I trust her perspective.

seeing double x 3

2009-04-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I enjoyed spending the afternoon with fellow twin moms Michelle and Stephanie. We had lunch at Mary's Cottage and a nice walk down to Falls Park . Needless to say we attracted attention with 3 sets of boy/ girl twins in tow.

i heart faces-reflection- kids entry

2009-04-27T18:47:00.001-07:00

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

who's the fairest of them all?

Baby Grace of course :)

Visit http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to see all of this week's entries.

G Rolled Over!!!

2009-04-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

G rolled over today.. Hooray!

We've escaped physical therapy.. at least for now. Interestingly, D rolled back to front first, but G rolled front to back.

Haaay

2009-04-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

I decided that I would stock up on baby supplies to save both money and time. I researched and found the best deals on formula, diapers, wipes, and food and then bought a 30 day supply. I was able to order everything except for G's formula which Sam's club has the best price on. So today G, D, and I (all wearing orange I might add) made a trip to Sam's Club. While I was looking at something a lady walked by and smiled at G. I really wasn't paying attention until G looked straight at the lady and said haaaaay. The lady started to laugh and said I didn't expect that. I am not crazy enough to think that my child is able to talk.. but of course I do believe they are both geniuses :). I say hey (the southern version of hi) to her all the time and she's learned to repeat the sound and this time used it in proper context. And by the way.. I figured out that G and D each cost us $7.50 a day.. I think they're worth it.

I heart faces- Self Portrait

2009-04-21T17:40:00.001-07:00

The challange this week over at I heart faces is to take a self portrait. Yes, that means I was both the photographer and the subject in these photos. Thank God for long arms!

My Self Portrait- Adult Entry

Grace and I-Kid's Entry

(and for the record I tried to include D

but he kept rolling out of frame)

http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com

Orange for Baby Stellan

2009-04-21T07:05:00.001-07:00

Like thousands of others across the world G, D, and I are wearing orange and praying for Stellan today. You can visit http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ for Stellan's story and updates.

Gotta love the orange hair!

The founding member of the Sweet Potato Gang :)

We even had an orange lunch!