Fun with Poppy at the Park

Poppy's here! Poppy arrived late last night and the girls were so happy to see him this morning. After a little breakfast and play therapy (more on this later), we packed things up for the park. NC weather being what it is, it was a beautiful 61 degrees today (I haven't mentioned we had 2 inches of snow Monday).

The park was great. Natalie just wanted to explore. She was particularly interested in heading to the large mud/water puddles. Poppy had to keep chasing her and reigning her back in. Abby was interested in climbing, but not as much usual. They both went down the slides a few times, but mostly they wanted to wander.

The park has a little hiking path and a bridge that takes you there. We headed out over the bridge to see where it would go. Mostly it lead to very wet ground, so we just stayed on the bridge. Natalie and Abby were so cute - running across the bridge and peering into the water. Abby even added a new word to her vocabulary = "wahwah"! She just said it all on her own. Natalie didn't say it, but she did sign it. This is also new for her. They were watching Baby Signing Time earlier today and every time they seem to pick up a new word. I guess today it's "water".

The girls also really enjoyed the swings. They just smiled and laughed. They had so much fun!

We had a little lunch at Chick-Fil-A and were slightly disappointed to find that the girls are too little for the play area there. It would have been a great additional indoor play space. Oh, well, maybe in a few years.

The girls napped late, although I think I use the term nap lightly. It sounded more like a lot of laughing and playing to me. I took a little snooze myself, so I'm not sure if they ever actually went to sleep.

Tonight was also Daddy Date Night - this time with Natalie. They went to the mall for play time and then had burgers at the food court. Ben said she ate them quite well.

It was a busy day, but fun. The girls will have more special time with Poppy tomorrow. It's going to be even nicer - 69 degrees. Oh, this weekend - 74. Crazy NC weather!

(I'll try to add pictures later)

Our First Ponytails!

How cute are we?

Daddy Date Night

In lieu of Little Gym, we have decided to start Daddy Date Night. We really want the girls to spend some time one on one with us as well as have some time apart to find and develop their own selves. So, every Thursday, Ben will take one girl out while I stay in to spend time with the other. Tonight was the first night, and we started with Abby.

Ben took her to the mall for a little mall food and some play time at the play area. He said she was a little timid at first but eventually started climbing and playing. All the equipment is this rubbery stuff which is perfect for kids. There is a giant lighthouse with steps that lead to a slide. I think he said she enjoyed that. Dinner was Chick-Fil-A nuggets - about 2. Abby has become a big fan of dipping things though and Ben said she had quite a blast sticking her fingers in the sauce and sucking it off.

Meanwhile back at the homestead...I discovered that the house is VERY quiet without Abby. It is very apparent that she is the noise maker. Natalie said almost nothing while she was gone. She talks when Abby is with her (although not as much as Abby), but without her sister, she's just mum. It's kind of strange. I guess they are talking to each other so she has more to say.

The experience actually proved to me how important it is that we have them spend some time apart from each other. I want Natalie to find her own voice - in all ways literal and symbolic. They need our individual attention as well and not grow up feeling that they are just a package deal.

Natalie did enjoy her time without Abby - however quiet. Although, then again, maybe she enjoyed that too. She took a bath and was able to have all the toys and bubbles to herself as well as the prime seat in front of the spigot. Abby has recently come to dislike the bath and cries and tries to climb out. As a result, they are often shortened. Today, Natalie got to stay in as long as she wanted and laugh and splash. It was really cute.

We also attempted to color (which mostly involves trying to keep her from eating the crayons) and read some books together. It was nice to be able to focus on just one little girl.

I hope the girls had as much fun as mommy and daddy. I'm excited about getting to know Natalie and Abby individually. It's the beginning of a beautiful tradition.

Oh my goodness!

I am so happy I can hardly stand it. After a week at Ya-Ya and Grandpa's and 4 days with me at Grammy and Mema's, we are finally home and I have weighed the girls. Are you ready for this....


Natalie - 19# 2 oz!!!!!

Abby - 19# 3.5 oz!!!!!

I am so excited. Remember, they lost over a pound each when they were sick. Two weeks ago Natalie weighed only 17# 10oz and Abby only 17# 11oz. They have gained 1# and 8/9 oz in two weeks. We are finally back on track.

That's the good news, of course. If I want to look at it realistically, it means they are just back at the weights they were over a month ago. January 20, they were 18$14oz and 18#11oz (Abby). So if you look at it that way, they have only gained 4 oz and 8.5 oz in a month. But, hey, that's WAY better than losing a pound in a month, so we'll take it. They are only a few ounces behind their monthly average. And they have finally officially hit 19 pounds! The big 20 is just around the corner. We can finally change the car seats around. Actually, I may do it anyway. The poor babies are tall for their 19 pounds. Last check, they were 33 inches. Their poor little legs are so squished in the rear facing seats. They have to sit in a V with their legs to the side. It can't be comfortable.

The other good news is that they have been eating really, really well. Obviously. Every time they go to Ya-Ya's it seems to jump start their eating. I don't know WHAT she does, but it works. It's like eating boot-camp. (as an aside - right now the girls are looking at a photo book. They are on a page with Ya-Ya and Grandpa and just pointing at it and laughing and smiling. It's so cute:-)) They have been doing incredibly well with their solids lately - actually since they were sick. They love sausage and any kind of fruit. Spaghetti was also a hit along with broccoli. They loved the Brunswick Stew my uncle's family made. They actually seem to enjoy foods with a lot of taste and spice. No more boring purred foods for them! On the way home yesterday, we stopped at Wendy's. I showed Abby how to dip her chicken nuggets into the honey mustard sauce. She loved it. It was funny to watch. She's take the tiniest piece of chicken and dip it, then eat it. She also enjoyed dipping the kidney beans from the chili.

They have become very independent in their eating. Natalie will still let us feed her sometimes, but Abby is very insistent on doing it herself. We are trying to work more with the fork and spoon. If you spear something, they will take the fork and eat it, but they have a hard time spearing anything themselves.

They have gotten better with their milk too. We do about 4 bottles a day, sometimes only 3 if they miss their nap on the days I babysit. But, they drink their straw cups throughout the day so I figure they get at least 24 ounces of pediasure a day now. I'm SO proud of them.

I much more to report about the girls travels and pictures to post, but I just had to share the news about their weight. Tune in soon for the Adventures of Plumpy and Pudgy!

Much, much better

The girls are back to normal! They are eating again and playing like normal. In fact, they are feeling so good that they are at Ya-Ya and Grandpa's!

We are making up for their missed trip two weeks ago. Ben's grandma is still there, so we wanted her to be able to spend some time with them. Plus, we needed to work on our kitchen.

From what I hear, the girls are having a blast at the grandparents. We'll have pictures and tales when they return!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have to confess, we aren't much on romantic mushiness. In 11 years, I think Ben and I have given each other 2 cards. So, instead of longing glances across a candlelit table, we tore apart our kitchen. And since the kids are at their grandparents and I have nothing to report, you'll get to hear all about it!

We started Saturday and really got a lot done. I was pretty proud of ourselves. Our contractor arrived at 1 and worked with us until 5:30. We tore down tore down the kitchen counter bar, tore out drywall, removed studs, took a trip to Lowe's, and put up new headers so the ceiling won't fall down.

We were proud, but very tired at the end of the day. And sore, oh so sore. Ibuprofen is a life saver.

Sunday, Ben got an early start. Well, earlier than me. I slept until noon. Ben cut down some more drywall and put up another header all by himself! I was very proud. Our contractor arrived at 1pm, and we finished framing a wall. The big issue was trying to create a corner from an oddly shaped intersection so the dry wall would do on flush. That took a good bit of discussion, figuring, and trial and error. We didn't have much to do though, so we were finished by 3:30.

In the end, we have everything ready for the electrician to come this week and move outlets, light fixtures, and light switches. Once that is done, the inspector comes to okay it. Then we can re-dry wall, fix the counter and Phase I will be complete. Hopefully, all this will be complete when the girls return on Sunday or Monday. (I am going down Wednesday to spend the night and then leaving Thursday to go all the way to my dad's. we will return either Sunday night or Monday early afternoon.)

Phase II will involve choosing the cabinets and counter tops and new floors.

Phase III will involve new carpet - hopefully.

I'm actually pretty pleased with ourselves. Ben and I aren't really that great on our follow-through-ness. We have great ideas, but frankly, sometimes we can be a little lazy. But we did it! We actually did it. We are really happy too. We love the way things look so far and are so excited about the upcoming finished project.

Here are a few pictures so you can visualize what we have been up to!

















































So - the fridge has now been moved next the the sink counter (where a wall used to be). The wall will be drywalled behind it.










The new cabinets and counters will now run from where the fridge was to where the bookshelf is. The bookshelf represents where another cabinet and bar will be.




The table will be on the other side of the bar in the new "eat-in" kitchen area.

On the mend...

I think we are on the mend. Well, Natalie and Abby seem to be. Ben and I feel like crap.

Saturday was the first day in a week the girls don't have a fever. This is a very good thing. It should mean the new antibiotic is working.

Speaking of the new antibiotic...I actually went to the ER with Natalie Saturday because she had what appeared to be blood in her stool. Of course, after we arrived, Ben called and said Abby had the same thing. We figured immediately it had to be the new medicine. So, I told the doctor who looked it up and it turns out a red discolored stool is a rare side effect on 1-2% of patients. Figures.

So, $75 and 2 hours later, we are back home. Natalie ate 3 or 4 oz of her milk - and immediately through it up. This is happening with both of them and I can't quite figure it out.

Monday went pretty well. They still have runny noses and coughs, but they have energy back and are playing. I went back to work Monday and took all the kids to the park since it was a balmy 65-70 degrees here. Natalie and Abby had a great time. They ran all around, climbed up everything and went down the big slides - all by themselves!

Unfortunately, they still aren't eating very well. I weighed them yesterday. Oh my. It wasn't good at all. In fact it was far worse than I imagined. Abby weighed only 17#11oz. Natalie was 17#10oz. Staggering - in a bad way. Well over a pound lost. They now weigh less than they did two months ago. I'm pretty bummed about it. They were doing so well. We have an appointment with the Duke SICC sometime in February or March. I was so excited to go in and show how much they've gained. Now, I'll get the bad looks and concerned faces.

At least we are on the mend. Ben and I are doing slightly better. I can breathe now, which is nice. Ben felt pretty bad last night, but hopefully today is better.

Let's hope the girls go on an eating spree.

The Big "P"

Well, it was back to the doctor for the girls. After nearly 3 days on antibiotics with no improvement, we had to go back.

The results: Natalie has Pneumonia - in her left lung, I think. Abby still has no discernible source of infection, but she sure feels down right icky.

I was actually expecting the pneunomia diagnosis for Abby since she appears to feel worse. She was just pitiful today, sleeping almost all day and then moaning and only wanting to be held when awake.

We have a new, stronger antibiotic which only has to be given once a day (shew) and in a lesser dose. Hopefully, we will have better luck getting it in them. Unfortunately, it is not a yummy, bubble gum flavor. It's sort of a brown, yucky, nasty color. There's no telling what it tastes like.

So, the babies are still sick, Daddy is starting to feel bad, and I think I'm taking a cold. The girls haven't been able to go stay with their grandparents, great-grandma, and aunt Susie for a week as planned, and we won't be able to start our kitchen project this weekend. I haven't been able to work all week, so Walker and Blaire's mom had been shuffling around with fill-in child-care. (You can't know how bad this makes me feel. In the over three years I worked for them before, I think I may have missed 3 days when I was sick. I feel so awful leaving a parent in a learch.)

All in all, it's been an interesting week.

The Little Gym

Last Thursday (Jan 29), Natalie and Abby had their first organized class - at The Little Gym. For those who might not know, The Little Gym is a gymnastics-based activity gym that introduces kids to gymnastics and other sports-based activities. They start with 10 month olds and go up to 12 years. They have classes in gymnastics, cheerleading, dance, karate, and sports skills. It's a great place and kids love it.

The classes for the youngest kids are "parent and me" classes. The plan was for Daddy to have some special time with the girls every Saturday night. I went to the first class to watch (and record) and jump in if needed. I was needed. Two girls and one daddy are too much.

The class started with the kids ringing little bells to music. They then introduced themselves (well, the parents did) and were encouraged to go up and give the teacher a high five. Natalie had no fear! She walked right across the mat and high-fived the teacher! Abby was a little more timid.

Walking, running, bouncing, and dancing in a circle were next and the girls were eager participants. Daddy had a hard time keeping up.

The beloved Parachute was next. Kids love these things. Again, Natalie immediately ran out on to it not at all flustered by the movement and rattling of the chute. She loved it. After walking on the chute, all the kids and parents got to get UNDER it. They raise it up and it creates a balloon, then quickly duck under and sit on the edges. The kids can then run around under it. (We did parachute games at Johns River Camp, and this really IS fun).

After the parachute, I stepped in to help since it was time to play on the different apparatus. They have balance beams, uneven bars, and lots of cushy mattress of different sizes to go up, over and jump off. The girls had a wonderful time exploring everything and testing things out. It was really fun.

The only downside was that little miss Abby didn't take kindly to having to stop playing to sit in a circle or watch the other kids. She was very fussy and whiny when we tried to get her off the equipment. So, we have a little behavior modification to work on.

It's not surprising, really. They've not been in large group setting like that before. Actually considering this was their first interaction with lots of kids (probably 15 kids plus adults - so a lot of people), they did amazingly well. The didn't fall apart or break down or even get clingy. Abby was a little in the beginning, but once let loose on the equipment, we could barely keep up!

All in all, we had a great experience and will definitely sign them up (this was a trial class). I think we have decided to only register one kid, and switch them off every other week. Ben will do Little Gym, and I'll play at home. We will have some special one-on-one time with each girl. That is something we haven't done enough. Now that they are getting older, we really need to spend more time with them separately and foster more of their individuality.

I guess we will have to miss our second class due to the sickies. But, they should be back to normal by next week. I'll have to try to get more pictures of them trying out the balance beam and actual equipment!

A little video montage...




ps: Our success at Little Gym was followed on Friday by another successful mingling at Bible Study. The girls played happily for nearly two hours with a host of other kids and a few caregivers while we mingled with adults upstairs. They didn't cry at all (except when we tried to check on them and they saw us).

Also, my sister has pointed out the coincidence between the girls first real introduction to kids en masse and the fact that they have been sick for going on five days. It's not a pretty conclusion. Hopefully, interacting with other kids won't result in being out of commission for a week every single time!

Poor Babies - update update

Day 4 of Sick Babies. Yesterday, with Abby's temperature climbing towards 103/104, I took her to the doctor as well. Despite a raging temp, the doctor couldn't find anything obvious wrong with her. No ear infections and clear lungs.

Amoxicillian was prescribed (just in case), so now we get to try to force Abby's medicine down as well as Natalie's. This is a very sad process and usually results in copious vomiting.

Speaking of vomiting, if we didn't need new carpet before...we do now. And a new couch. Good thing our furniture is dark brown. I think the main problem is that they are coughing SO much and so hard that they are just throwing up every time. Unfortunately, not every instance is coughing related, which makes me wonder what kind of bug they really have. Often, within ten minutes or so after eating, they will throw up - even without coughing.

It's a good thing the girls gained a pound in January, because it's all gone now, I'm sure. They haven't been able to eat more than about 4 ounces a few times a day since Sunday. And as I said, that gets thrown up. It's sad really. They actually get quite hungry. They start to fuss and whine. We finally realize they are hungry (it's not a usual child's screaming and carrying on), and they eat (either pediasure or pedialyte) like they are starving...and then throw up ten minutes later. My only hope is that when they are better they will eat like crazy people to make up for their weight loss.

So, the update is...everything is the same. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

Poor Babies - update

Natalie wasn't any better this morning so it was off to the doctor. Poor little girl has an ear infection in her left ear. That explains the fever, but not the cough and throwing up. I think she just has a bug as well. Abby seems to have the coughing/throw-up bug, but not as much fever. Although, Abby seems to feel worse today than yesterday, so it may mean another trip to the doctor tomorrow for her.

I was finally able to get Natalie to drink some pedialyte with her mixed with her antibiotic and Tylenol. At the doctor, she weighed 18# 4oz. Not so good. I'm also worried about her dehydrating.

As of 7:30pm, Abby's fever is up as well - to 102ish. They are both pretty miserable. Even sick though, I have the best babies ever. They just want to sleep -which they've been doing pretty much all day. I don't think Abby has even been down her slide:-(

Hopefully, the night will be uneventful and the babies will sleep well and let their bodies heal and they will feel better tomorrow.

Poor Babies

The babies have the sickies:-(

When I got Natalie up last night about 1am to feed her, she was burning up. She had a fever of about 103. She also kept throwing up and was breathing fast. Poor little thing felt so bad. After some Tylenol and a breathing treatment, she finally fell off to sleep.

In the mean time, Ben had to get up to deal with Abby who woke up, but refused to eat at first. After a few tries and a few throw-ups, Abby also finally ate and went to sleep.

I finally got in the bed about 3:30, I think. At some point, Natalie woke up fussing and she was hungry, which was good.

The rest of the night is a blur. I think Ben got up and fed the girls around 6:30am. They went back to sleep which was great since we both got some more sleep. Ben let me sleep much later.

Abby hasn't been as sick as Natalie. She's thrown up some but her fever isn't as high. They both played around a bit this afternoon, but then Natalie fever came back and she went back to bed. At last check around 9:30pm is was about 102.

I suspect it will be a late night. I'm going to have to try and get some more Tylenol in her. It's tough when she spits it out and then throws up. If she's not better tomorrow, it's off to the doctor for us. Hopefully, they will feel much better in the morning and this isn't the beginning of anything serious.

on a lighter note: Ben was fixing Abby a bottle today. He could hear her on the other side of the bar say, "uh-oh". He looked around, and she had thrown-up and was saying, "uh-oh, uh-oh". She's still cute, even when she is sick:-)

Grab The Popcorn!

I'm going video crazy!

Abby has learned to say her name! It is just the most precious thing. Yesterday, I was cuddling with her and just talking to her before her nap bottle. I said, "say Ab-be", and to my great surprise, she did! This video is from today.


Isn't that darling? Today, I could hear her saying "Abby, abby, abby" during her nap. She also repeated it several times while in the car and while playing. It's her new favorite word:-)


This next video stars Natalie, who is becoming very creative. We are playing at Steve's (Walker and Blaire's dad), and Natalie was making good use of a large squishy firetruck. Listen for the noises...




I heard her doing this for the first time a few days ago. I'm not fully sure how she learned it. I have to remind myself to play with the cars they have and make little noises. We've only done it a few times. Unless Ben is playing cars with them on Saturday morning, Natalie just picked it up somewhere along the way. It's just amazing what they soak in!

Also, at Steve's...he made the most amazing cardboard playhouse. Complete with a door, windows (both round and square) and a fire escape out the back (like a doggy door), it's amazing. I told Walker today that if they ever get tired of it to let me know! The girls have really enjoyed it. Abby has been in and out a few times prior to today, but today, Natalie seemed to finally really notice it.



Isn't that cute?

Videos take a while to post so I'm going to stop for now. I'll do some more tomorrow.

I hope you enjoyed:-)

Recent Happenings

Natalie and Abby have been doing so many great things in the last few days (and weeks). Here are just a few:







Natalie

• Natalie has two new teeth - they started coming in a few weeks ago. They are the two on either side of her bottom two. It was really funny at first. They were poking through and looked sharp - she looked like a little vampire with fangs:-)
• On 1/13, she was looking through an ABC book. She was on the "D" page which had ducks on the page. I watched while she made the sign for "bird" while looking at the ducks.
• Natalie can walk backwards. She's been doing it a little while - maybe a few weeks. Sometimes she'll look at us and walk backwards down the hall like she wants us to chase her. It's pretty cute.
• She can also spin in a circle - like she's trying to make herself dizzy.
• She loves her new Christmas toys. She climbs into the little baby playpen - after tossing everything out first! She will also take her kitties and put them in the play pen. Putting the kitties in the stroller is also a fun game as well as trying to feed the babies and the kitties with the little bottles.
• Yesterday, Natalie built a tower of two wooden blocks! She has also gotten really good at putting the circle in the shape sorter. Today, she did it without any help. We are also working on the triangle and square.
• One of the funniest things Natalie does is "dance a jig". Picture her standing and picking her feet up in quick succession as if she walking on hot sand. It's hysterical. She'll do it on command too. I'll try to get some video. She seems to be the more musically inclined. She is quick to sway or bop to music.
• Natalie is becoming quite the little social butterfly. Previously, she was more likely to hang back and watch things and stay close to mommy when others were around. But, last week we had a play date here and she was following the other kids around, especially Ethan (2.3 years old). It was really cute.
• She has now learned the signs for please and thank you. She will ask for something by signing more please. I'm not sure she gets when to use thank you, but she will make the sign when you say it.
• She say "Na-Na" for herself when she wants something. For instance, she'll come towards you with a book and say, "Na-Na, Na-Na".
• She has started to share really well - she will take something and hand it to Abby.
• Natalie has finally started saying "mama" or "ma-me", and is putting it to good use. Anytime she's sad, "mamamamama". When she doesn't want to go to bed, "mamamama", if she gets hurt, "mamamamama"
  

Abby

• Abby is funny. She loves going down her slide - on her bottom and stomach face first! She actually spends a lot of time on the slide. Sometimes she'll be playing in another part of the room or with another toy and when she's done, she'll head to the stairs for a quick slide. Then she's off to another toy or book. It's almost like a security blanket. She's also likes to put things down the slide - kitties, blocks, cars, etc.
• Abby has added the sign for banana to her vocab. It's not a word I reinforce since we don't eat them often. She actually surprised me with it. We were looking at a book with a banana in it, and suddenly she started making the sign! Natalie immediately started to copy her.
• Abby tries to blow "spit bubbles" in her mouth. It's so funny. She gets enough spit in her mouth and then opens it slowly. It forms a little bubble she can feel. She knows she can do it too. If you ask her to blow bubbles she will try it.
• Abby also likes to spin. She is also fond of getting into the "dog down" yoga position (like an inverted V) and pushing her head along the floor. I'm not sure why; I think she just likes the sensation.
• She has a funny thing she does if she falls. She'll just stop and lay really still. She doesn't cry at all. It's almost like she's playing dead, or trying to decide if she's okay. It's funny to watch. In the last week or so, she's started coming to me to have me kiss things to make them better:-)
• Abby is very cuddly. She'll crawl into my lap and just bury her head into me. Sometimes she'll run at me like her life depends on it and just hang on so tight. It's very sweet. Natalie is not as cuddly right now. She has her moments and will hang on tight, but usually she's not as cuddly.
• Abby is also starting to share. She will take things to Natalie and sort-of throw them at her - or get her to take them. They both recognize the word "share" and will usually hand over things when asked.
• Since early January, Abby has really started trying to repeat words like "hot", "rock", "sister". She is trying SO hard to talk
  

A few dates:
- early Jan - girls start using "mama"
- Jan - Their babbling has become very multi-syllabic. They sound like they are talking in sentences - only we have no idea what's being said!
1/6 - The girls jumped on their first trampoline. They loved it! they laughed and laughed.
1/7 - Abby touches food and says "hot"
1/7 - I took the remote to turn on the tv and Abby immediately started signing "baby signing time" to indicate she wanted to watch it. I was floored since I've never taught her this. The signs are just in the beginning of the video when the theme song is sung. She learned it only by watching. She twice "requested" the video when she saw me turning on the tv.
1/7 - Both girls build two-block high towers.
1/8 - Abby starts doing horse sign
1/16 - Natalie does horse sign
1/18 - We notice that Natalie is getting a molar! Doesn't seem to bother her though...
1/19 - I think I see one of Abby's bottom side teeth trying to poke through.
1/22 - This is my favorite - Today Abby was trying to copy me when I signed "I love you". It's a sign we've always used in my family - you hold up your thumb, pointy, and little finger. She was able to get her thumb and little finger into position and was trying SO hard to get the pointy finger up. It was so precious. I kept saying, "I love you, I love you". She would repeat something back that sounded a lot like she was trying to say it too :-) *sniff, sniff*
1/? - about two weeks or so ago, Abby caught a ball Ben threw to her - two or three times in a row! Natalie has also gotten better at throwing the ball in the last week. She was also able to catch it while sitting on top of the slide.

They both have really started watching and copying our behavior. For instance, on 1/7 Abby took her diaper and tried to put it over the gate to the kitchen. She has seen Ben try to make baskets by throwing the diapers from the living room to the kitchen trash can. Natalie is especially fond of trying to clean things with wipes - the slide, the floor, the chair.

Another not-so-endearing behavior is their love for toothbrushes. It's good in a way, but the fits they throw when you try to take their toothbrushes away is crazy. You would think the world had ended. We are usually able to brush their teeth pretty well. Sometimes it takes a few rounds of "mommy's turn, Nat's turn, mommy's turn",

Here's a list of the signs they can make:
eat, more, all done, kitty, dog, horse, baby, more, please, bird, elephant(well, our make-shift sign), "more please", banana, milk
Abby also does "more book" and the rest of the phrase "baby signing time". Natalie can do thank you.

They can say:
mama, dada, kitty, and auntie pretty well - they have words for dog and poppy that seem consistent but you might now know unless you knew. Abby also says hot and NaNa for Natalie(I think) and no no no no no no. I think she says sister too. Natalie tried to say ball today. She tries to say other things, but they aren't as clear yet.

Animals:
meow, elephant (sort of a lip blow with raising the arm above their head for the nose), quack (I think they say duck too, it's hard to tell if it's duck or quack or both), baabaa, fish (sucks in lips to pucker) rabbit (will wrinkle nose), roar - for tiger. I think they have a sound for pig and sometimes cow. Dog is strange - they always do the sign, but are reluctant to make the sound.

Body parts:
head, ears, nose, eyes, mouth, teeth, arm, toes/foot, belly button

Self-care:
tries to put on socks and shoes, helps dress and undress

Okay - I think I've covered most things they are doing right now. This was put together in two parts so if it seems jumbled - that's why. Next time, I won't wait so long and I'll try to post things as they happen!

Ya-Ya and Abby

I was going through the videos and came across this video Richard took the weekend the girls stayed with them. It's just the sweetest thing.

New Year's Resolutions

Last week, I received a handout in the mail from Natalie and Abby's Sunday School teacher. It was a copy of an article about New Year's Resolutions. I thought they were worth sharing.

I resolve to stop worrying about the little things like whether my daughter's socks perfectly match her onesie. This is not something I really worry about since my fashion sense leaves much to be desired, but I like the idea of not letting the little things get in the way. So what if the living room is covered in toys and the laundry is piling up? Happy babies who have explored their environment are more important than a Martha Stewart living room. As long as the babies have something to wear - however mismatched - the laundry can wait as well.

I resolve to savor the here and now. It's so easy for me to get distracted by the things I "must" do - or by the things think I must do right now. Sometimes I look back on the day and realize it went by so quickly. All I did today was clean the kitchen, make some breakfast, re-clean the kitchen - sort-of, start some laundry, write a letter to VISA to dispute a charge, sort receipts, call the pharmacy to check on some meds, put the girls down for a nap, take a shower, feed the girls, check email, get the girls up, pick up Walker and Bean, go to the Museum of Life and Science, take the kids to their house, come home, eat dinner, put the girls to bed and then feed them. And here we are.

Did I even play with the girls today? Yes, I know I did, but it's so easy to get caught up in all the other stuff that before I know it, the day is gone, the girls are in bed, another day is gone and Natalie and Abby are one day closer to being all grown up.

Natalie and Abby are so good at playing by themselves that it is easy for me to do other things and get things done. But, I don't want that. I want to play with them, teach them, hear them laugh. I want to make them laugh. I want them to know I am always here for them and nothing will ever get in the way of that.

I resolve to pray for my children. I'm not very good at this. In fact, I am terrible at this. In addition to praying for them, I want to teach them how to pray. I'm searching for the perfect little prayer we can say each night. I know they can't say it yet, but they will hear it and one day they will pray with us. Letting them know they are loved by God is the greatest gift I can give them.

I'm a little late in the game for making New Year's Resolutions, but these seemed worth committing to. I guess it's better late than never :-) I've always been a bit of a procrastinator amyway.

Weigh-In

Lindsay wasn't able to come today because of the snow, but we weighed the girls anyway. It wasn't as good as before. But, since they've gained so much this month, I'm not even worried by it.

Last week Natalie was 18#12oz - she went up 2 oz to 18# 14oz.

Abby last week was a whopping 18# 15oz. She dropped several ounces to 18# 11oz.

And, yes folks, you've read that correctly. For the first time EVER, Natalie finally weighs more than Abby. Take that little sister!

You leave them alone for 3 minutes

Monday, I was in the dining room finishing my grapefruit, and suddenly I hear a strange rustling noise from the living room. Thinking the girls are shredding a book, I get up to check. Instead, I find a very happy Natalie engaged in one of her favorite activities.

See for yourself!





At least she decided to use them to clean up!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

We have snow! It's the first snow of the season, and in fact the first real snow in several years. It started snowing this morning about 12:30-1am (of course I was up). It seemed so light though that I didn't think it would amount to anything. This morning, however, we have a real snowfall - probably 2-3inches. It's hardly the "Winter Snowstorm" drama the news wants to try to make it, but it's not bad for our area.

Not only did we get enough snow to speak of, it was well-timed. Ben stayed home today which was great since we were able to watch the Inauguration together. We also took the kids out to experience their first real snow.

Technically, it's not their "first"snow. While at my mom's last January, there was a snowfall sprinkle, but they were too young to really go out. So, we will consider January 20, 2009, Natalie and Abigail's first official snow day.


Enjoy the pics!
(Natalie is in the white pants and Abby in the jeans)

KitKat running for his life! He really hates the cold - I can't imagine what he thinks of snow!

Mommy and Daddy Update

It's dawned on me that I may have failed to mention some new things in our lives.

Ben started a new job back in October. The contract job he had was great, but the company had a hiring freeze so when this new opportunity came along, he was very pleased. It's been a great job so far and he's really enjoying it. He is still doing some part-time contract stuff which has been tiring for him but nice for our savings account.

I have a new job as well. Back in November, I was emailing with the mom of the kids I used to babysit. Walker was only 18 months when I started in December of 2002. Blaire or "Bean" was born in May of 2003. I took care of them for over three years. Anyway, their mom mentioned they needed a new babysitter. I joked that I would love to do it but would have to tie the kids on top of the car. I mentioned we really wanted to get a mini-van we just hadn't done it yet. She wrote back that if we bought one to let them know because they would love me to keep the kids again.

So, faced with the opportunity to keep my four favorite kids all at the same time, we went out and bought a mini-van! We found a great deal on a Honda Odyssey - 2006 (I think). We love it. I also love carrying around the best 4 kids in the world.

I did a little fill-in work in November and December and officially started picking the kids up from school 3 days a week in January. So far, it's working out pretty well. Natalie and Abby aren't quite sure about them yet. They don't like them to get to close:-) So far we have divided our days between my house and their dad's house as well as trips to Target, Walmart, the park and the Museum of Life and Science.

It is a little stressful trying to keep kids of such different ages happy and entertained. Walker and Bean like to play outside and do crafts. Natalie and Abby can be a lot of work outdoors and have to be kept away from the glue, glitter, paint, and markers. I'm hoping as the weather gets warmer we can spend more time outdoors at the park. All the kids seem to enjoy that.

In other news, we are hoping to re-do out kitchen in the next few months. Phase I involves knocking down the wall between the kitchen and dining room and opening the door way to the dining room from the foyer. We then have to frame out another small wall, have the electrician rewire some things and then sheet-rock everything again. Phase II will be to put in new cabinets (that match the ones we have now) and new counter tops on all the counters. Phase III will be to replace the floors with hardwood. Phase IV - if we get that far, doesn't involve the kitchen but replacing the carpet in the living room and hallway.

We are planning to do most of the work ourselves with the help of a contractor we found. We'll see how it goes:-) Hopefully in the end, we will have twice the counter top space with 3 or 4 new sections of wonderful drawers. We will have a bar area where the girls can one day stand and help me cook as well as color or draw. The other half of the dining room will be the eat-in kitchen part with a table so that we can start eating around it like a real family - instead of the living room like we do now. I am very excited about it. I have begun feeling very claustrophobic in my current kitchen.

When it's finished, all you locals can come over for a meal!

I guess that's all on mom and dad. KitKat and Snickers continue to do well. Snickers loves the cold and we can barely get him in at night. KitKat continues to hate the cold and goes out only to claw at the door like death is after him 5 minutes later. Snickers has actually allowed the girls to pet him a little. KitKat continues to be very tolerant, although he is getting smarter about running away.

OKay - enough about us. We'll return to our regularly scheduled Natalie and Abigail programming immediately.

Poppy and Auntie's Visit

Poppy came to visit this past weekend. He was able to come down on Thursday and leave around noon on Saturday. It was a great help to me since I was able to run errands on Friday while Poppy played with the girls. Ben and I were also able to go to a Couples Bible Study Friday night and leave the girls with Poppy.

Natalie and Abby really took to Poppy this time instead of crying as in visits past. Maybe they remember him from Christmas. We have also been skyping so hopefully that has helped too. They all had a great time together.

The girls had a double treat when Auntie arrived this weekend too. She was actually here babysitting so she was busier than usual. She was watching Elianna, who Abby is named after, so she was over Sunday and Monday as well. We haven't seen Elianna in a while so it was fun. Today, Abby was especially cute and cuddly with her. At one point they both climbed into Elianna's lap while she read them a book. It was adorable.

We have been working on names with the girls. They've gotten pretty good with "Auntie". They can't quite do the "t" so it's more "Aun-ee". They are getting good with "poppy" too. Natalie will say "pop.." and the rest is sort of silent. Elianna was desperately trying to get them to say "Ellie", but I'm not sure how successful she was. We'll have to work on it.

Holy Pedisure, Batman!

So, it's weigh-in day. Oh my goodness! Natalie was 18# 12 oz - up 6 oz!!!! Abby was an impressive 18# 15oz almost 19#!!!!! She's up 3.5 oz. I can't believe it. They's each gained over a pound in two weeks. It's a miracle.

I am so excited I can hardly stand it. Natalie drank almost 8oz before her nap today! Now, if we can just get them to eat more food...

Just Playing

I was bored. So I'm messing with the web page layout. Feel free to comment on your preference:-)

Moo-Moo

I was checking out the blog site of a preemie forum friend. She was discussing the cost of a gallon of milk and then she did a little math to figure out the cost of the specialized "complete nutritional drink" she has to buy for her daughter. It inspired me to do a little math myself.

Milk has certainly risen in price recently. I think it's about $3.99 a gallon. This, along with increases in gas, electricity, bread, clothes, and everything else, has impacted the budgets of many. So, inspired by my friend, I pulled out the calculator.

6-8oz bottles of Pedisure (48oz) - $9.99/ ~ 7.99 if we get the generic walmart or target brand although it's not always available

So, it takes 16 bottles to equal a gallon. $1.33-$1.66 a bottle or $21.30 - $26.64 a gallon. Yes, folks, over $20 a gallon for "milk".

The girls are now going through about 20-24 oz each - so about one pack a day or $240-$300 a month in milk.

It could be worse. The milk my friend needs - $57.49 a gallon.

Moo-moo

Christmas 2008

Christmas was really a wonderful time - stressful at times with the travel and a house full of people, but wonderful nonetheless. It was fun watching the kids actually open gifts and play with them.

One of the best things about the Christmas holiday was that Ben was off work from Dec. 24 to Jan 4. It was a wonderful break for Ben and wonderful for the girls to have Daddy around so much. I rather enjoyed it as well, since it meant I had lots of help and extra days to sleep late.

So, Auntie Kimmy (now known as Auntie), arrived the Monday before Christmas, Dec. 22. After a few days of shopping and packing we headed off to Mema and Grammy's on Christmas Eve. It was one of those trips that took FOREVER - 9 hours to be exact. It was just a lot of stopping: Uncle Jerry's to drop off paintings, an futile search for a certain bank, and a last minute trip to Walmart for gifts. Not to mention, potty breaks and diaper changes. The girls were incredible. Hardly a peep - just sleeping and playing.

Christmas in the mountains was lovely. But, the days were actually rather warm so we didn't have any snow. We didn't arrive in time to get ourselves together in time for church, but we dressed the girls in red Christmas pajamas and read "The Night Before Christmas" in honor of Ben's dad.

Christmas morning was lazy. Even Santa came late:-) We got up eventually, had breakfast, opened presents. The girls seemed to like their gifts. We got them several baby dolls and a stroller, baby play pen, baby swing that doubles as a high chair. They really like the stroller and play pen the most. They push the stroller empty and put their baby dolls and kitties (stuffed animals, not the real ones) in it to stroll as well.

The also received clothes, puzzles, a few books, some stuffed animals, gloves and hats, an abacus, some blocks, and crayons.

Our cousins arrived from Kentucky Christmas Day. Rachel and kids, Michael and Maria, joined us since husband, Mike, is serving our country in Afghanistan. They gave the girls the cutest outfits with matching shoes and some books. Wayne and Jane also arrived Christmas Day, and with Aunt Joyce (mema's sister who also lives in Franklin), it was quite a house full of family and love.

We also had a nice visit with my cousins Zena Pearl and Ed (ZP is my great-grandmother's brother's daughter). They have really taken to the girls. ZP gave the girls a very special gift: two bronze dinner size bells with Christmas tree tops. They belonged to my great-grandmother. When my granny died and her house was cleaned out, my Mema gave the bells to ZP, who collects them. She was kind enough to give them back to the girls. It really means a lot to me for the girls to have something of granny's.

Another special treat was sitting at the feet of my Mema with Natalie and Abby while she told us one of the stories she used to tell me as a child. We heard the story of "The Snake and the Rabbit". We videoed taped it so we will always be able to have that happy memory.


We returned home on Sunday and Poppy and Nanny were waiting for us with more presents. Natalie and Abby each received a little rocking chair from Cracker Barrel. The girls love them - not just for rocking but for climbing all over and standing in.

Monday, mom and dad stayed home while everyone else took the girls to Burlington to meet my dad's brothers and spouses for dinner. Ben and I thought it would be nice to have some quiet time. No, not THAT kind of quiet time. Just sitting in front of our respective computers surfing the net and playing video games. Very romantic.

Tuesday we spent the morning at the Museum of Life and Science. They have an amazing toddler space. It was a really great adventure for the kids this time, since they were able to stay out of the stroller and run around more. With so many adult bodies, we could keep up with them. When it's just me, it's harder for me to let them roam free since they tend to go in opposite directions. We had a great time playing in the toddler space, banging on the drums, and seeing the animals (and promptly identifying the sheep with "baa-baa"). We also visited the Butterfly House and rode the train. It was a really fun day.

Wednesday, Poppy and Nanny left for home and Auntie for Windsor, Va (where we went to high school) to visit friends. It was just mom, dad and the girls for about 18 hours. Mommy and Daddy spent a very uneventful NYE - again surfing the net and playing video games. That was after, however, a frantic and desperate search for Ben's wallet which I found just before midnight - on the bed in plain sight. Well, in plain sight under my sweater.


Thursday morning we packed up the girls to head to YaYa and Grampa's. It was also YaYa's birthday, so we had much to celebrate. We stayed a few hours and went to see the almost completed house (since the fire)*, and saw Jeff and Reagan, who brought even more presents! Natalie and Abigail loved their new fire truck with Mega Blocks, puzzles, and a Thomas the Train set with tracks.

The girls had a great time with YaYa and Grandpa. YaYa took care of them all day Friday while Grandpa was at work. I heard Grandpa had a hard time going back to work after lunch. Something about the girls running to him with arms extended and big smiles... Grandpa and YaYa had fun, but were pretty tired, I think, by Saturday. I do think however, that they will be up for more sleepover weekends in the future. We may try it every 5 weeks or so. I think it's so awesome Natalie and Abby can spend so much time with them. It's a priceless gift to them. Oh, did I mention Nanny and Poppy and Mema and Grammy are GREEN with envy? (sorry, grandpa, that there are not any pictures of you - I guess you were taking all of them!)

After leaving the girls in good hands (even better than I thought - see the excellent weight news below), we headed home to "kid-free weekend". It wasn't nearly as much fun as it sounds. It mostly involved putting our house back together after traveling and guests. It was just horrible - even by our standards. I had also been going through all the girls too-small clothes. At one point there was an actual mountain of clothes in their room at least 2 feet high and 3 feet across - maybe bigger. Abby had a lot of fun climbing up and rolling down them.

Saturday the girls returned with YaYa and Grandpa - very happy (practically ignored us when they saw us) and very well fed. Auntie returned shortly there after as well.

Life began to get back to normal on Sunday as we prepared for Ben to return to work, Auntie to leave on Monday and Mommy to be in charge again. Natalie and Abby have enjoyed their new presents and are incorporating them into their play.

All in all we had a great time over Christmas. We enjoyed seeing all our family and having Daddy home so much. I bet next year will be even more fun since the girls will really be able to get into Christmas, Santa and better begin to understand the true Christmas story.


* in case I forgot to mention it, YaYa and Grandpa's house had a fire about 2 months ago. No one was hurt, and they even saved most of their things. The recontruction is going very well and they should be back in the house next week!

Back again...

Okay - I'm back and I have LOTS of updating to do: Christmas, New Year sleepover at YaYa and Grandpa's, and lots of new things Natalie and Abby are doing and saying.

For now, I'll start with some most excellent news: a weight check.

Keep in mind the girls have NOT been eating very well at all the last month. In fact they have been losing weight, and I have been quite concerned. We all remember hitting the big 1-8 pound mark. They immediately backslid and dropped several ounces after that.

One week ago, on their usual Tuesday (12/30) weigh-in, Natalie weighed in at 17lb 12.5 oz (this is what I had, Lindsey, our ST, said she wrote down 17.10, I think - anyway it was less, so I could have remembered it wrong.) Abby was 17lb 15oz.

This past Tuesday (1/6), I weighed Abby first. When I saw the scale, I said out loud, "no way, that can't be right" Lindsey made a face - thinking it must be a very made number. After a second weighing (and then a third), I told her last week's weight and made her try to guess what Abby weighed. She made a hopeful 18.3lb guess. Nope. 18 lbs, 12.5 ounces!!! Holy Moly! A 13.5 ounce gain in one week - almost a whole pound. There have been many months when she hasn't gained that much in a whole MONTH. I was floored. I couldn't believe it. Then I weighed little miss Natalie. She weighed in at 18 lds, 6 oz!!! That's at least a 10 ounce gain in ONE WEEK - maybe more if my records were wrong. I really couldn't believe it. We were quite ecstatic.

To what do we owe this miraculous growth spurt? Beats me. The week before they had not been eating well at all and had been throwing up a good bit at night. Then they week to Yaya and Grandpa's from Thursday afternoon to Saturday afternoon. Apparently they ate everything in sight. Well, maybe not everything, but mac and cheese, chicken, rice, beans, bananas, and oh, about 12 - 15 bottles of pedisure in a 48 hour period (I'm not sure how much I took). - So, at least 96oz from 2pm Thursday and 2 pm Saturday. At least 24 ounces a day each.

I felt completely inadequate and hopeless as a parent. We were ready to send the kids back with the GP's and visit them on the weekend.

Then, Ben decided to put together one of the Dr. Brown bottles. Dr. B's come with these little tubes and thingy and are supposed to help reduce colic and gas by eliminating bubbles. We had tried it in the past with no particular difference. I'm not sure why Ben decided to put it together, but God bless him.

Since Saturday afternoon, they have been through copious amounts of pedisure. They have been draining 6 ounces bottles like it's nothing and even eating 7 or 8 ounces if it's in the bottle. The other night, Natalie ate 7oz at bedtime and 5 more at midnight - 12 oz in 5 hours - over half her usual daily intake. We've had to actually limit what they can drink - if you can believe I'm saying that. We let them do about 7 oz and stop them. When they drink more, they tend to throw up. So, we will do 7 oz for a while, stretch their tummies, and then let them do 8oz if they want.

I don't get it at all. My only guess it that the tuby thing does eliminate bubbles and keeps the nipple from collapsing. Before we often has to pull the bottle out a little to allow the nipple to inflate again. So, now, they are actually sucking milk the whole time instead of wasting time and energy sucking nothing when the nipple would collapse.

We are excited about this new development and especially the weight gain. Even if they don't gain another ounce this whole month, they are still maintaining their 2oz a week average so we're good. They still aren't eating regular food very well, though, so we are still working on that. I'm afraid we've created little begging monsters. They eat much better when grazing from our plates as we eat on the couch. They take a bite, go off and play, and come back for more. They eat a number of bites this way. Put them in their chairs and they are not at all interested in letting you feed them or in eating much by themselves. All I can say in our defense is that we do at least ask them to ask politely with the sign for "more", and now we've taught them please. So, now, to beg for food, they at least have to ask, "more, please". We are trying. And, well, I do think that's pretty good for 19 months old/16 months corrected.

Come back soon...I will be putting several posts up in random order - so New Year's may come before Christmas, etc.

Speaking of....I hope you all had a wonderful, joyous Christmas Season and a Happy, happy New Year!