Beach Recap - Part I

It's hard to know where to start.  We had the most amazing time at Holden Beach with Mema and the rest of our family.  We had the most beautiful weather, especially after the first day (which was a little windy and cool).  It was even hot one day - sweaty, wear a bathing suit hot.  The water was more calm than we had ever seen it.  Most days it was completely flat - like a lake.  The waves were breaking only inches from the shore.  It would have been perfect if it hadn't been to cold to go in!  We did get to have a little water fun.  On Friday, we went to the Point and were there at the perfect time as the tide went out leaving a tidal pool.  The girls immediately ran into the water and were right at home. (our house, Inn Between, above (left))

The days were mostly frolicking on the beach with Natalie and Abby playing in the sand.  They just loved it.  They would even lay down in the sand on their bellies!  We also spent a lot of time hanging out with Mema and enjoying the rest of the family.  We ate some great food, read some good books, and made some amazing memories.

The most wonderful part of all was watching the joy and happiness on Mema's face. In addition to family, Mema was visited from a number of old friends and co-workers who came down from various points:  Lumberton, Fayetteville, Southport, and Willmington.  She was so delighted to get to see so many old friends and it was so kind of them to take the time to visit.

Mema also spent time on the porch listening to the waves and even walked to the end of the walkway to the beach and hung out for a while sitting on the steps.  We even managed to get her to the beach.  We rented a "beach wheelchair", a unique contraption made of PVC pipes and huge tires, and rolled her out on the sand at the point.  She wiggled her feet in the sand, took a walk down the beach, and let the waves chase her feet.  Her energy and spirit were amazing.  She kept saying, "it's even better than I imagined it would be".  What more could we have asked for? 

I dare say that some of Mema's favorite moments were those spent listening to Natalie and Abby putter about.  We took a few of their favorite toys: their baby stroller, bowls, cups, and spoons for cooking "swoup", little counting bears (often the main ingredient in swoup).  They also enjoyed climbing into Mema's wheelchair and pushing each other around.  The girls could also often be found snuggled up beside Mema - usually feeding her some homemade swoup.  Evenings were precious.  Natalie and Abby would often climb up in her bed to tuck her in.  It was beautiful.

There were so many beautiful moments and it was a blessing to spend such precious time with Mema.  Although I know Natalie and Abby will probably not remember Mema, I hope the love she has for them will have imprinted their souls in a way that is always with them.  I know she has touched the rest of us in ways we will treasure forever.

Brenda, Natalie, Mema, John, Ben

Abby, Johelen, Joyce, Kimberly, Wayne

Fall Fun at Poppy and Nanny's

What an amazing weekend (10/8-10/12) Natalie and Abby have had at Poppy and Nanny's!  We've had beautiful fall weather and oh, so much fun!

It started Thursday afternoon when we FINALLY hit the road at about 2:30pm.  I was quite tired and between getting gas, food, bathroom breaks and pull-over-so-mommy-can-rest breaks...it was taking a while.  Then, we had one of mommy's Jo-Jo driving adventures.  About halfway through the trip, I stopped off of Hwy 64 for a rest break.  Somehow, when I got back on the interstate - I went the wrong way.  I I didn't realize it until I was back at Hwy 288 - which is where you get ON I-64.  At this point I'm probably 20-30 minutes out of my way and the babies are getting restless.  I decide to stop, get gas (in case I get lost again) and give the girls a break.  We are doing pretty well:  I use the bathroom and the girls are happily walking around the gas station - pleased to be free.  I turn around to get a drink from the cold case and suddenly hear a crash and then screaming and crying.  Spinning around, I'm blasted by some kind of liquid in my face, momentarily blinding me, while I try to locate the source of the crying.  Abby has run to one side of the store and is crying absolutely hysterically.  Natalie is closer and upset, but not as bad as Abby.  A 2 liter bottle of mountain dew is spinning wildly and loudly on the floor, spewing dew EVERYWHERE from a puncture in the bottle.  It was chaos.

I find the girls and pull them away from the torpedo bottle and try to calm them down.  I felt terrible.  I wasn't sure what had happened but I was sure the girls' were responsible.  Moments before they were touching the bottles and saying, "mama's juice".  (Sad, I know).  The store was a mess.  There was mountain dew everywhere - all over the cold case, in the aisles, and there was probably spray a good 8-10 feet from the bottle.  For good measure, there was also dew on me and on Abby - although we weren't soaked through, thankfully.

Abby remained pretty upset until we left the store.  I think the combination of the crashing sound, the feel of the spray, the sound of the squirting (which was really loud) and the bottle spinning around on the floor was just sensory overload for her.  Some chocolate chip cookies picked up at the checkout counter seemed to help.  I did offer to pay for the bottle as I checked out.  The guy was super nice (he had brought us tissues before).  He kept saying it wasn't our fault, and something about a delivery guy.  I was completely confused until I saw a delivery guy unloading pallets from his truck.  I finally pieced together what the clerk had been saying.  The clerk said that the delivery guy bumped the bottle display, which apparently caused the bottle to fall - probably from the top shelf.  It then hit the corner of the metal shelving which punched a hole in it like a knife.  Since it's under pressue, the 2-liter then became a spinning little torpedo.

I don't know how long we were at the store, but my plans for a restful little pit-stop were definately blown.  Fortunately, all the dram made the girls very tired, and after eating their coveted cookies, they dropped off to sleep for the rest of the trip.  Finally, at least an hour later, I was back at the point where I'd first stopped to rest in the first place.

We finally at 10:30 we arrived at Poppy and Nanny's.  What should have been a 6 hour trip - took about 8.  Fortunately, it went much better from that point on:-)


Friday
We were fortunate that Poppy had the day off from working at the community college where he works as an Academia Adviser and teaches classes.   Our first field trip was to the bus garage to see "Poppy's Bus" (yet another one of his jobs).  Quite a while ago, Poppy and Nanny gave the girls a

Fisher Price bus, which we have always referred to as "Poppy's bus".  Now, the girls love buses and whenever they see one on the road, they call out, "Poppy's bus, poppy's bus" and "more bus, more bus".  So, Friday, we were able to see his bus live and in person.  I couldn't help but be aware that in only 3 or so short years, Natalie and Abby could board the bus for their first day of school...:-(


After our bus adventure, we visited Nanny's elementary school to have lunch with her.  Natalie and Abigail tried their hand at some classwork and had their first taste of school lunch food.  They were unimpressed.

After "lunch" we headed out to the stables to see the horses.  One of the members of Poppy's church (job #4, btw), works at the stables.  (It's nice to be connected!)  I was fully expecting the girls, especially Abby, to be pretty hesitant, if not fearful.  But, they did amazingly well. 
We immediately spotted the cutest little ponies - who were very eager to eat straw or grass from the girls hands (whose enthusiasm to feed them cooled once they saw the ponies' teeth.)

Inside the stables, we found the most beautiful horses.  Natalie and Abby were very excited.  They rubbed the horses and even sat in the saddle of one.  They were really so cute.  They kept pointing and shouting, "more horses".  They were also thrilled to discover that the stables were home to several stable kitties.  Kitties are always a welcome and happy diversion.

Outside, we discovered a llama and a few donkeys.  They weren't as friendly though, so we went back to visit the little ponies.  Abby wanted to much to feed them, but wouldn't get closer than about 2 feet.  She would pull up grass and toss it in their direction.  So cute:-)

After a real lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant, where the girls' ate almost nothing, of course, we dropped Poppy off for bus driving and hit Walmart - always a must.   The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent hanging out and playing at Poppy and Nanny's.

Saturday

Saturday was just an amazing, fun day.  We traveled about an hour to Graves Mountain Apple Harvest Festival.  The day was a little overcast, but nice.  There were crafts, pony rides, music cloggers, hay rides, animals, food, pumpkins, and lots and lots of apples!

After their experience at the stables, Natalie and Abby took the the riding ponies like pros.  They absolutely LOVED their first pony ride.

We played in a pumpkin patch...

...and visited the farm area.  The girls saw goats, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, pheasants and peacocks.

Poppy picked apples for them to eat right off the trees. 

We took a hay ride (another first) through the beautiful grounds of Graves Farm.

We finished up the day by watching the cloggers and clapping along.

It was really a wonderful, perfect fall day.  The only downside was that Ben wasn't with us.

Sunday was truly a day of rest.  We popped by church to say hello to everyone there then had a little lunch.  The girls took their first nap since going to Poppy and Nanny's.  We hung out, played and just relaxed.  Monday we had to head home, but not before we stopped by the College to say hi to Poppy's co-workers.  After lunch, we headed home.  Although I had to stop and rest a few times, the trip wasn't as bad as the trip up.  We were home around 8pm.

It's always so much fun visiting Luray.  It's such a beautiful place and there is so much to do.  We've just begun to scratch the surface of fun things to do at Poppy and Nanny's!

Weight Check

I´m working on various posts for the past few weeks...a visit to Poppy´s and the beach.  Adding pictures takes time...so for now, here´s a weight update.

The soil has been fertile in the garden of Natalie and Abby.  They have made great strides in the past few months.  They are most definately drinking more milk-formula.  They still usually get 3-4 bottles a day and are taking 7-9 ounces each time.  I honestly never thought I'd see the day.  They also seem to be eating real food better, at least some of the time.  Typically, they eat well in front of others, at the beach, for instance, thus making me look like a big, fat liar when I complain they don't eat.  They also eat well in the car.  They will usually consume a whole chicken nugget happy meal (6 nuggets and apples) between them.  I do sometimes find pieces of chicken in their seats, but I think they eat most of it - at least 2 whole nuggets each.  Now, should I put the same meal in front of them at the table...they'd eat half that.  So, the solution I've come up with is this: we should move to the beach with all our family and live in our car.  Really, with the third seat down, I could be quite comfortable.  It might be a little cramped for Ben though.

Their "favorite" foods vary.  Favorite is relative to what day it is.  A favorite today might be rejected tomorrow.  Sausage does remain a consistent winner.  Bread, in just about any form, is also highly desired.  They love apples and grapes and will chow down on these.  Corn is also pretty reliable.  They love to eat corn on the cob, especially Natalie.  She's quite thorough.   Chicken nuggets, of course, work pretty well.  McDonalds and newly discovered, Burger King's "chicken fries" go over well.  They will usually eat nuggets at home as well, just not as many.  Soup is very popular.  Actually, they will take a bite of almost anything if you call it "swoup".  Ya-ya's chicken soup with rice aka "baby crack" reigns in first place with other forms of chicken/rice close behind.  I have also had success with broccoli soup, clam chowder, broccoli and cheddar (Natalie actually likes broccoli pretty well), and other creamy soups.  Of course, that presents a little dilemma.  Remember, we think they have a milk intolerance.  And, obviously, all of the above contain milk in some form.  But, they'll eat it.  And other than the continued bumps on their arms (which don't seem to itch or bother them in any way), they don't seem to have any other symptoms or distress.  So, we've been chancing it.

On the subject of milk...I'm beginning to wonder about that.  They were on Pediasure when they were having such a hard time.  I've since learned that Pediasure can wreck havoc on kids with reflux and can be tough in general.  So, now, I'm wondering if it was the Pediasure all along and not the milk.  They seem to tolerate other forms of milk just fine. 

In any case, we should learn more in a few weeks.  Natalie and Abby have an appointment with a pediatric allergist in two weeks.  I'm hopeful we will learn something to help the bumps on their arms.  I'm also hopeful we will NOT discover it's something like a wheat or gultin which is in all kinds of things.

Now, on to the good news.... I weighed the girls today with happy results.

Natalie weighed in at 23# 11.5oz.  A month ago, on Oct 7th, she weighed 22# 6.5oz.  So, this is a great gain of over a pound in a month, One pound, 5 ounces, to be exact.  Abby has also gained weight beautifully.  Today, she reached a new milestone: 24 pounds! and 2 ounces...  On October 7th, she weighed 22# 13.5oz for a gain of one pound, 4.5 ozs.

We are thrilled with their continued gain, but also recognize that most of their calories are still coming from formula.  They are drinking about 30 ounces or more of milk a day which is 900 calories.  If we took that away, they would have half of that in just food.  Remember, they are supposed to get about 1200 calories a day. By the way, I think this is an incredible amount.  I mean, adults survive on 1200 calories a day.  What I want to know is how in the world "normal" toddlers consume this many calories without eating junk all day long.  If I fed them the way I want: fruits, veggies, baked or grilled chicken, fish (NOT chicken nuggets, juice, fried chicken SKIN, cookies, ice cream, etc.), I don't know how any toddler eats that much.  I would love to hear from parents of regular eaters how many calories their kids eat....

I said at 24 pounds, we would start losing the bottles.  It's actually not just the bottles; it's the amount of formula they consume as well.  I would like to see only 16-20 ounces of formula from a straw cup.  I'm going to wait a few more days and let Natalie hit the 24 pound mark, and then start cutting back on bottles and offering milk in their straw cup.  Being at my mema's so much will actually make this easier.  They are out of routine a bit, and I don't do 4 bottles there.  I just can't do it all by myself.  So hopefully, being out of routine will help them not balk against a change in routine.

Okay - that's enough about food and weight...I'll work on those picture posts now:-)

Natalie and Abby's first trip to Holden Beach

Every summer when from the time I was one year old to sometime in high school, my extended family on my mother's side would all gather at Holden Beach, NC for a fun-filled, memory making week at the beach.

It began with our former matriarch, my great grandmother, Pallie, and her children (Mema, Joyce, John, LouRee (deceased) and their families in various representations.  I enjoyed many a summer day, and many a July birthday, at the beach surrounded by family.  For years and years, we even had the same beach house, High Rig, and it was like coming home.  We had our little traditions: a day at the water slide, one night fixing seafood, one night going out for seafood, late night/early morning spades games, and a night spent on the pier.  My dad would take us out on the pier to "fish" all night.  Mostly we ended up eating junk food and falling asleep huddled in our sleeping bags.  But, it was one of our favorite activities.

Well, the water slide is closed for the season, they are too young for the pier, and the water is way too cold to even think about swimming, but here we are, once again, at Holden Beach.  My mema, her brother and sister, my mom and her brother, my sister, and Ben, myself and the girls have gathered once again, abet in colder conditions, for a week at the beach.

We actually gather under bittersweet conditions.  My beloved Mema has had Lymphoma for the past 5 years and after intense chemo, radiation, various other milder forms of chemo, and losing her sight, it has reached the stage where it is no longer responsive to treatment.  She has been given just a few more months to live.  Although most of us weren't terribly surprised, we are deeply saddened and struggle to comprehend a world without Mema.  She is the kindest, gentlest, sweetest, more caring person I've ever known.  She has always endured every hardship with a measure of grace beyond my comprehension. And she has been the best mema anyone could ever, ever, ever had.  My sister and I are so close to her and it's almost incomprehensible to think of her being gone.  But, in true Mema fashion (who responded to the doctor's news with, "well that's the way it's supposed to be, we aren't supposed to live forever,") we are to make the most of the time we have left. 

So, at her request, we have come together once again to honor the memories and glory days of weeks past at Holden Beach.  We have a beautiful house with an elevator that is just steps from the sand.  We can fall asleep to the sound of the ocean.  Although she can't see it, Mema will be able to sit on the deck (wrapped in a million blankets) or even by a window and hear the waves crash on the shore and hear the pitter-patter of little feet running around the house.

The weather is cool, but the girls still enjoyed their first venture onto the beach today.  Once again, we've confirmed my suspicion that it is the sound of the ocean that disturbs them so much.  The ocean is as calm as I have ever seen it - virtually flat with the waves breaking just inches off shore.  But, any slightly larger crashing wave sent them into a tizzy.  It's just so loud for them.  When we retreated up the beach towards the dunes, they stopped, began playing in the sand and having a much better time.  It's possible that by the end of the week, they will accumulate to the sound of the waves, or we just may end up playing high on the beach near the dunes.

I'm actually excited about our week here.  We haven't had a really restful vacation since the girls were born.  Hopefully, we can just chill and relax this week.  Ben unfortunately won't be as relaxed.  He has to go back and forth a bit to work a few days.  But hopefully, when he's here, he can relax too.

One more word on my mema...as I mentioned, she lost her sight completely in the past few years, probably due to either the chemo or radiation.  She has never seen the girls. She has said repeatedly that it is her only real regret and if she could see anything, she could want to see them.  So, if you are a praying folk, please pray that for at least one minute, Mema's eyes would be healed to allow her to see Natalie and Abby.  After the beach, I plan on basically moving to my mom's for the next few months, with a few trips home here and there.  But, we will be around plenty and will give God plenty of opportunity for miracle moments.  If you are not a praying folk, then you can wish that the cancer will hit some weird nerve either here or there that will restore her sight for however brief a moment.

There will be plenty of beach updates, as well as some procrastinated ones that I've been meaning to get too.  I think there's a June post somewhere in the list to be edited...

"Elmo Bird"

In an attempt to help the girls find connections and make associations with their colors, I started pointing out that things that were red were "like Elmo".  (They LOVE Elmo - especially Natalie.)  I'm afraid all I've done is add a new color to the spectrum - the Elmo color.

Today, the girls were looking out their window at the bird feeders.  They started asking for the "Elmo Bird".

Here's a picture.

I refilled the feeders, so hopefully the "Elmo Bird" will make another appearance very soon:-)

 Here's our Elmo bird!

Oh my gosh

It's been soooo long.  I have been a very bad blogger.  There's so much to say and catch everyone up on...And, of course, I don't have time.  It's 2am, feeding time, and then I'm off to bed.

But, I will say this - Natalie and Abby are doing great.  They are eating fairly well, especially drinking their milk and Are closing in on 23 lbs.  They are talking SO much.   Especially Abby.  Natalie doesn't say as much, but I think that is partly just her personality.  They are so, so funny too.  They laugh and play and chase each other. 

There is so much to say, but I did want to check in and let everyone (who's still here:-)) know we are doing well.  I really will update more asap.

:-)

Invasion!

We have been invaded by the worst of all invaders. Horrible aliens from the planet Nonap have descended and taken over my darling daughters.

Natalie and Abigail, who previously slept 2-3 hours every afternoon have now decided that they are too busy to nap. They have refused to sleep several afternoon this week. Wait, it's only Wednesday! Actually, they only fell asleep on Monday - the one day I needed to get them up at 3:45 so we could have a play date with Walker and Bean.

This behavior started a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was just an anomaly. But, it's now becoming a trend. A very untrendy trend. I can hear them in their room talking and laughing and running back and forth in their beds. The only up side is that they are pretty content to play in their beds for about two hours, so at least I get a little break.

If anyone knows how to exorcise the Nonapians, please let me know!