Bad mommy, bad mommy

Oh my gosh - how the days escape me. I'm so sorry I've been so absent. I'd like to say I've been busy, but mostly I've just been tired and lazy:-)

The girls are amazing. The are still crawling every where. Natalie is really working on pulling up. She gets to her knees and gets stuck. Not only can she not really get her feet up to stand, but she doesn't know how to sit back down. During her naps, I often have to keep going in and laying her back down so she can go to sleep. In the last two days, she has been trying to figure out how to get one foot flat on the ground. After that, she just has to learn to push up on it, pull with her arms, and pop up the other leg, and then - she's standing! It sounds easy, but I think it's kind of hard. I think it may take another few weeks for her to master it.

Abby is such a funny, inquisitive baby. She's definately the explorer. We finally have gates or she'd be every where. Abby loves to take trips down the hall. We close all the doors so it's a safe track. She'll meander down the hall with a little toy in her mouth. She'll then stop for a while, bang on the walls, and take a break. Then she'll roll over and crawl a little more before she stops, rolls over, and takes another little break. Eventually, she emerges from the tunnel back into the living room. It's so cute.

Both girls are in love with the cats. They chase them everywhere. Poor kitties have little means of escape - or maybe they aren't that creative:-) KitKat tries to hide under the chairs, but the babies just climb under too! KitKat will hop up on the ottoman for safety, but somehow leave his tail hanging down which quickly becomes fair game. The kitties really must get smarter.

Well, the babies are stirring from their naps...hopefully this will keep you all happy for a little while. There will be more soon - I promise:-)

Absentee Blogger

I know, I know...I've been very, very bad and I'm behind in my blogging. I appreciate all of you who are checking every day hoping for the latest news. The last 5 days have been very busy. Aunt Kimmy was here and we had our own "Clean House" episode. Cleaning, organizing, boxes, yelling, tears, painting, bags of good will... Loads of fun. But the house has been a mess, my office in disarray, and blogging took a back seat.

I'm just putting things back together, and hopefully I'll find time to catch up very soon.

Thank you for your patience:-)

Natalie is talking too!

Today is the first day I have heard Natalie making ba-ba-ba sounds! I'm so excited. I have some video, but I have to edit it. I'll get it on the blog as soon as possible.

As a note, we also enjoyed a wonderful field trip to Laura's house today. Laura is a friend from church who has been so wonderful about visiting the girls and providing me with company. This time we went out to her house. It was a really beautiful day and it was nice to get out of the house. Natalie and Abby took a few minutes to check out their surroundings, but very soon they were crawling around - both on the floor and all over Laura! Laura - thanks again for letting us visit - and for dinner. It was yummy:-)

11 months old...and counting

The countdown has begun...one year old is just around the corner! Here are this month's pictures. I couldn't decide which one I liked better. Feel free to cast your vote!

Our Own Personal Taylor:-)

Our good friend, Kathryn, knitted these beautiful sweaters for Natalie and Abby. They fit them perfectly - even in the arms. It's as if she measured them herself. I have to add: these are the first pieces of clothing Kathryn has ever made! I am personally amazed.

Thank you so much Kathryn! We love our sweaters!


ps - I know I spelled tailor wrong - it's an inside joke:-)

Something happened on the way to Natalie's side of the bed...

Once the girls are in their own beds, I'm going to really miss these little moments.

It seems Abby grew tired in the midst of her trip to Natalie's side of the bed. She just stopped, used the dividing foam for a pillow, and fell fast asleep. She found this so comfortable, she actually assumed the same position for her next nap!

So, so, so cute - I just want to eat them up:-)

This is Why We Love Twins

The whole point of having twins is to get really cute pictures of them together. I figure if you can't capture pictures like this, then you're missing the point!

I captured this Kodak moment during one of their naps. This time, Natalie was the invader. Abby retaliated, however, by pinning her down and sleeping on her. Since we moved them before they woke up, it's hard to know who to proclaim the victor!

No Child Left Behind

Not to be outdone by her "little" sister, Natalie is intent on keeping up. Today when I went in to get them up from their nap, I found Natalie on ABBY's side of the crib. I think we need a taller barrier. Actually, Ben is going to get the other cribs from storage (hint, hint) so we can solve this little problem.

When they figure out how to get from one crib to the other, then we are really in trouble.

You're invited...

A Day of Celebration

Please join us
Saturday, May 17, 2008
3:30pm-5:00pm
as we celebrate
Natalie and Abigail
with a
Baby Dedication Service
and
1st Birthday Celebration


We would be so happy for any of our friends and family to join us to celebrate Natalie and Abigail's first year. Birthday Cake and refreshments will follow the Dedication Service. We will have a causal cookout dinner about 6pm. All are invited to stay for dinner. Please RSVP by phone or email or comment box. I will send address information as requested. We look forward to celebrating with you!

The Magical Mysterious Dissappearing Abalina

As you can see from the picture, the girls have a big foam rectangle that divides their crib into two sections. Abby sleeps on the right, and Natalie on the left. Today, hearing a bit of fussiness, I went in to get the girls up from their nap. I walked in, looked to Abby's side and to my great surprise, it was empty!

Oh no! Where could she be? A quick glance at Natalie gave the answer. Her mischievous little sister had somehow climbed over the divider and was now crowding Natalie's space. Ironically, Natalie didn't seem to mind while Abby was rather unhappy about it.

I immediately called Ben who didn't believe me at first. He said I must have put them on the same side accidentally. Hmm, nope. Then he said he'll stop by the storage building and get the other crib. I think the time has come.

I just can't believe how quickly they can learn new things. Abby just started crawling a few days ago. Yesterday, she tryied to pull herself up on her knees by grabbing the ottoman, and now she's scaling mountains. Right after I got her up from her nap, I put her on the floor in the living room about 5 feet from where KitKat was lying down. She promptly crawled over and pulled his tail. (KitKat then had the good sense to move).

The babies are on the move - now the fun really begins!

I'm crawling too!

I can crawl too! I can crawl too!

Officially crawling

After weeks of scooting backwards and forwards, I think Abby can officially be called a crawler! I see independent use of legs and arms resulting in a forward motion. That's crawling in my book! I'm so excited they have reached this important milestone - but a little sad too. My babies are growing up. It also won't be long before I can't go to the bathroom by myself - for the next 3 years!!

ps - Ben is not calling her Abby - he's trying to get Natalie to race her:-)

Intro to Wally World 101

We took our first family trip to Walmart today. The girls were perfect. Natalie fell asleep on the way there and sleep through half the trip. Abby just looked around and chewed her turtle. We only had a few "are they twins" comments. Walmart was unusually empty.

We did a little grocery shopping and checked out the toys in anticipation of their birthday. Daddy has already purchased his present for them, but Mommy is still looking.

It was nice to go out as a family. We have been inspired by "Jon and Kate Plus 8" to do more "normal" family things. If they can take 8 kids out, then we can take two. Especially now that the winter season is winding up and the girls have done so well not getting sick. I still certainly don't want strange people touching them, but I don't think they are as fragile as they were.

Maybe next week I'll get really bold and take them somewhere myself!

Look Who's Talking Now!

Listen to the cute sounds Abby is making! Mommy and Daddy are so proud.

No catchy title today

I usually spend several minutes trying to come up with some catchy or funny title for my posts. I guess my English teachers drove into me that every essay needs a good title. Right now, though, I'm not sure there is an appropriate title for what I feel.

We are planning a Baby Dedication service for Natalie and Abigail, so I have spent the last hour researching to find prayers, blessing, liturgies, and songs. Somehow, my search for songs led me to uTube and a dedication for a little baby. Along the side were related videos that included dedications and memorials to babies that had died. Some of the babies had died of SIDS, others of prematurity.

One video showed two tiny, tiny twin boys, Cody and Kyle. Born weighing 1lb 8.5 and 1 lb 6.5, Kyle died on his birthday. His twin died the next day. The video is heartbreaking. The parents, daughter, and grandma were able to hold and spend time with the little boys after they passed away. Wrapped in little blankets, they were so tiny.

I looked at the teeny, tiny babies and was once again reminded of how easily our lives could have been completely different. Against the odds, our babies survived. Against even greater odds, our babies have thrived. Natalie and Abigail are happy, contented, smiley, joyful, inquisitive, beautiful, curious, good babies who fill us with joy and happiness. So, they don't eat and I get so frustrated and feel like such a failure. Then they smile at me and reach for me and it just doesn't matter.

The internet is a fickle friend. It can suck your time away into some black hole where you look up and suddenly you've been doing absolutely nothing for hours. Or, it can provide a medium through which we can communicate with family and friends about our little girls. It can give you a window into all things perverse and unseemly, or it can allow you access to resources that can help plan a dedication service that will reflect the joy and thankfulness we feel for Natalie and Abby. The internet can fan the flames of worry and doubt by linking you to every manner of sickness or disaster that can strike a soul, or it can remind you that for whatever reason, you have escaped the unimaginable grief so many parents endure when they lose a child.

I have to feed, or try to feed my babies now. They are asleep, so at least it won't be a fight. Even if they eat well, they will still only top out at about 500mls for the day. But, they are here to feed, and I am so grateful. Instead of holding my girls in my arms while they sleep, I could be staring at an empty nursery and an empty crib.

Life is so tenuous. I take for granted so much so often. I get tired and cranky and frustrated and forget how it could have all been so different in an instant. I've just spent nearly 3 hours on the computer when I could have been doing any number of productive things: laundry, cleaning, reading. However, I've been reminded once again of what is really important and how overwhelmingly fortunate we are to have our baby girls. Maybe there are clothes that need folding, dishes to put away, a kitchen to clean and more clothes to wash, but all in all, I think it was time well spent.

My babies and a bottle wait for me...I shall greet them with joy and thanksgiving.