So much to write about...

Where to start...

Well, we have recent teeth sightings. Both Natalie and Abby are getting the teeth on either side of their top two teeth. Natalie's are actually poking through a bit more than Abby's. Fortunately, both girls love having their teeth brushed. I've been using my sonicare, and they love it. They fight over it:-) I bought a new toothbrush for them today so mine won't be all over the house.

Teeth brushing is actually going to be very important. From the preemie forum I'm a member of, I learned that the Pedisure they drink is full of sugar and prone to rotting kid's teeth. One mom said her 2 year old's dentist wants to cap all her teeth already because of the damage. Great. Just great. For those of you who don't know, I'm pretty neurotic about my teeth. At 34, I don't have any cavities. It's takes me at least 4 minutes to brush my teeth. Personally, I can't figure out where that 2 minute thing came from. I mean, if you have 30 teeth, and each tooth has 3 sides (front, top, back), and you spend 3 seconds on each side, that's 270 seconds right there - that's 4.5 minutes right there! Anyway, I digress...so teeth are a big deal to me. I have a reoccurring nightmare that my teeth are falling out in my hands. It's awful. So, the idea that Natalie and Abby's teeth are rotting by the minute is pretty unnerving for me. So, there will be lots of teeth brushing.

Oh the eating front...
The girls seem to be eating better. Natalie has been draining her 6 ounce bottles usually twice a day, sometimes more. We do high chair feedings twice a day and then they nibble from our plates in the evening. We have also started using something called Resource Just for Kids. It's like Pedisure (complete nutrition), but more caloric - 45 cal an ounce. The good thing is that they can drink way less and still get more calories. For instance, if they drink only 15 ounces of Resource it's the same as 22.5 ounces of Pedisure (which they may never do). It's 675 calories which is more than they have been getting. I've estimated they've been eating about 470-540 cal (16-18 ounces) of pedisure a day, and they need nearly 1000cals. It seems like they drink a little less of the Resource, but I'm hoping their volume will increase again. It makes sense since the Resource has more fat and calories and should be more filling.

On the down side, the girls have been throwing up more than they ever have before - especially Abby. I can't quite figure it out. I have identified two definite causes: When they get really upset and cry too hard, they throw up. This is pretty normal for kids though. Lots of kids do this. This doesn't worry me as much. Second, Abby has a tendency to drink really fast from the bear cup. She can drain nearly 5 ounces in about 5 minutes. It's unbelievable. it would be fantastic if she didn't then throw it all up.

Both girls have also been gagging a lot. Natalie seems to do this more. This I'm a little confused about. It seems their reflux has returned, and we are going to restart their Prevacid. But, I'm not sure WHY it's back. We cut out adding cream, duocal and benecalorie (except when they need to poop - that stuff is a great laxative!), because we thought the high fat content was bothering their stomach. But, the vomiting has continued. I'm wondering if it is because they are eating more and at times their stomachs just can't handle it. I have read that some kids do vomit a lot on Pedisure, but they were on it a while before the vomiting really started. Now, I'm also wondering if the higher fat content in the Resource is a problem for them. We are currently using Pedisure and Resource so the problem is hard to isolate.

I'm not a big fan of the vomiting. It's especially troublesome on road trips - like to and from my dad's. Abby woofs down Pedisure, throws up all over herself and her car seat (it even drips through the strap openings to the base), and then I have to spread a blanket on the ground, strip her, change her, clean her up, hold her with one arm so she doesn't eat God-knows-what off the ground while I use a dozen wipes to clean out her car seat. Then I have to fashion some kind of cover so she doesn't have to sit on a wet car seat cover. The whole thing takes at least 30 minutes. On the bright side, at least she's not a projectile vomiter. I mean, it could go all over the back of the seat.

Okay, on to more pleasant things...
I think I gave birth to monkeys. Natalie and Abby climb on EVERYTHING. They love their slide and climb up and down it every way possible. They can also now climb on the couch unassisted, which is not necessarily a good thing. Since they have no concept of depth perception or the idea that if they climb over the arm of the couch, they will fall on their heads, it could be a little dangerous. Yesterday, Abby had a little routine: use the book shelf next to the ottoman to climb on the ottoman. Crawl across ottoman sometimes pausing to stand up, just because she can. Then using the ottoman as a launching pad, she climbs across a small gap across the arm of the couch onto the couch. Then she walks across the couch to the other side where she wants to climb over the other arm of the couch. That's usually where I stop her since that's the part that could result in a concussion. I take her off the couch, and she starts the whole thing over again. Monkeys, I tell you, monkeys.

More to say, but if I don't post now, I may never get this out!

There and Back Again

Obviously, we've been gone :-) Natalie, Abby and I have been in VA since Saturday. If you remember, my dad still uses dial-up and using the computer is just way too frustrating. It's not Dad's fault really; cable (ie. high speed internet) simply doesn't come out to his house. It's odd really, he's not even far from town. The Super(24 hour) Walmart is only about 7 minutes away. It's very odd. Poor Dad.

In any case, I couldn't post because I simply don't have the patience for it. Right now, I don't have the time, but I will catch everyone up in the next few days. I just wanted to let everyone know we are still here!

I will add one small thing. When we finally arrived home this afternoon, the girls chased the cats around the house laughing adn shouting, "kitty, kitty". It was so funny. They were so excited to see their kitties. The cats were less enthused.

My Sister, My Friend

I think Abby has developed a real fondness for her sister. In the past two days, she has done the sweetest things.

One day this week, Abby got up from her nap before Natalie. Daddy came in and asked her where her sister was. Abby turned around, walked down the hall into her room, went straight to Natalie's crib, reached through the bars and grabbed her foot. Not only did she understand what Ben asked her, she knew exactly where to find her sister. It was so incredibly sweet.

Yesterday, Abby and Natalie were playing around us. (Ben was on the couch and I was in the big recliner) All of a sudden, Abby leaned into Natalie's back (she was facing away from her), wrapped her arms around her and gave her a hug. A real, deliberate hug by choice and without prompting. I loved it.

Today, when I first put them down for their nap, I could hear them moving around and making noise. I peaked in and they were standing end to end in their cribs laughing at each other and touching hands. When playing tonight they would also crawl on each other and laugh and giggle. They also spend a lot of time putting their fingers in each other's mouths. I'm not sure why someone hasn't lost a finger yet.

I just love that they are developing such affection for each other. It melts my heart. I want so much for them to be close and the best of friends. I want them to be their own persons and have their own personalities and seek their own independence, but I also want them to have that special bond that exists between sisters and between twins.

I just love that my girls love each other :-)

Weighing In

Tuesday is generally weigh-in day. Lindsay, our Speech Therapist comes on Tuesdays and she likes it for her records. Past Tuesdays have generally put a damper on my mood, but today was a good day.

Natalie weighed in at a whopping 17# 3.5 oz. Up 4 oz since last week! Yea Natalie! Abby had pulled ahead almost a pound again, but now Natalie is closing in.

Abby has a .5 oz loss, but she is still 17# 11oz! She had a 5 oz gain from Oct 14 to Oct 21, so for two weeks, she's still doing pretty well.

For some reason, hitting 17#'s is exciting. It seems so much closer to 20#, especially now with Abby on the up side 17#s. Twenty pounds seems like some huge milestone. Twenty is when you can switch car seats and, well, it just sounds big.

Of course, I'm still very aware of the fact that my 6 month old neighbor already weighs 20#, but hey, someone has to make up the low end of the curve.

The girls have been eating well. Natalie has been draining her bottle - 6 ounces - (actually sucking air) at least twice a day - sometimes 3 times. I can't believe it, but I think we need to graduate to the big-girl 8 oz bottles! I never thought we would get there.

They have also been doing pretty well with their solids. Twice a day they sit in their high chairs and I offer a few kinds of foods. I've discovered that repetition is good for them. It takes them a while to like a new food, so I just offer it every time. Each time, they eat a little more. I do help feed them yogurt, but mostly I just put food on their tray and let them go at it.

Meal time is very messy. Stuff end up on the floor, in their seats, on their clothes, and my favorite, in their hair. Yuck. At least they look like they are having fun.

I am very pleased with their eating progress. Although at 17 months, they probably should be feeding themselves some, I think actual solo spoon feeding is a ways off. Then again, they are only 14.5 months corrected, so maybe we aren't too far behind.

I'll have to take some "before and after" meal pictures and post them.

The World of Make-Believe and the Joy of Play

Natalie and Abby are getting more and more cute every day. At least I think so :-)

I have been recently working with them on pretend play and copying "grownup" behavior. I showed them how to "make soup" and offer the spoon or cup to a third party (mommy, daddy, horsey, bear). Since then, Abby can often be found with a cup and spoon stirring something. It's just adorable. Yesterday, I saw her stirring, and I told her to give the horsey something to eat. She did, and then she saw the bear on the floor next to the horse, and feed the bear all by herself - without prompting! Mommy is so proud. Abby also tried to "feed" Natalie - but this usually involves beating Natalie on the head with the cup or spoon.

Today, I modeling hugging their little dolls and loving on them. Then I handed them to the girls. The hugged on them too. Natalie even hugged it tight and rolled on the floor with it. Abby tends to hold the baby up close to her ear - like a big cell phone. It's just so cute.

They will both also pick up the play phones and put them to their ears. When they say my cell phone, they say "dada". Now, dada could mean anything in this case - not just Ben. But, I do think they know they talk to people (Poppy, Grammy, Yaya, etc) on my cell.

They are also big fans of hairbrushes. They try to brush their hair - or mommy's hair or daddy's hair. I'm also encouraging them to brush the horses hair or the baby doll's.

They are learning a few animals sounds. Monkey was first. I thought Abby had cat for a while but I think it was a fluke. Natalie did a definite meow in response to Snickers crying one morning (he was ready to go out). I can't get her to do it when I ask though. They occasionally will copy a ruff-ruff doggy sound.

Natalie and Abby are really fun to watch as they play. They love the rocking horse and the rocking chair (they love motion). They also love it when we push them on their little cars. Abby likes sitting in her bumbo and in the bouncy chair. Natalie loves playing with the little plastic kitty. They both love books - especially chewing on them, which is still annoying me. They have a few favorites - most with kitties on them. They also love our kitties and burst into choruses of "kitty, kitty, kitty" when they walk into the room.

After trying hard to have them forge attachments to first, their soft, pink, monogrammed blankets, and then to soft, animal-blankies (Natalie a bunny and Abby an elephant), the girls have picked their "thing". One cool night, I added two blankets: a yellow and green one and then a green one. Both are the softest fuzz on one side and then silky on the other. They love them. (Although, Natalie does love her bunny too). They chew on them and play peek-a-boo with them. I love it. I'm a big fan of kids having a special something.

The other thing the girls are LOVING is their slide. A few months ago, I found a step/slide combo on Craig's List. They were a little young for it then, at least to play on without very involved supervision, but now they are all over it. They climb up, turn around, and slide down. Sometimes they climb straight up the slide. They are really little monkeys. We have a little game we play. They sit at the top of the slide and I toss a soft block or small ball up the slide. It lands at the top and then they push it back down. It's great fun.




In addition to all the above, the girls have little plastic recorders they like to toot, blocks to play with, puzzle pieces to chew on, a variety of farmyard animals, and a half dozen balls to throw around. I try to be discriminent with their toys, but I swear that kids' toys have rabbit genes the
way they multiply! They won't be able to ever claim they weren't well entertained!

What a Wonderful World

I'm taking a break from labeling pictures. I've been quite delinquent and am several months behind. As I've gone back and taken a trip down memory lane, I've realized a few things.

1 - Natalie and Abigail are surrounded by a host of people who love them. As I go through the pictures, I see grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and mommy and daddy. The love on the faces of the people around them is overwhelming. How incredibly blessed Natalie and Abigail are.

2 - Natalie and Abby have an amazing father. When I see the look on Ben's face when he is with his girls, it is so beautiful. His love and adoration for them is joyfully evident He is everything I could have ever wanted in a father for my children. Just as much, I see their love for him on their faces. When he walks through the door, their little faces light up. Their smiles and giggles fill the room. It warms my heart and fills me with such joy.

3 - Despite their ominous beginning, Natalie and Abby have had a pretty good life so far! They are fairly well traveled considering the fact they spent their first 4.5 months in the hospital. They have taken multiple trips to the NC mountains, the VA mountains and to Goldsboro. They've stayed in a hotel and had overnight's without mommy and daddy. They've been camping, to JRVC, to a Syrup Making, Jordan Lake, several parks, ridden a kid-size train with Ya-Ya and Ben, been to the Museum of Life and Science, played in pools on porches and decks, and as of last weekend, have been to the beach. Wow. Not a bad record for two little girls. This weekend we will actually add another trip - a farm with a pumpkin patch, animals, corn maze and hay rides. Now, I just have to plan a trip to NYC to see Aunt Kimmy.

4 - Boy, Natalie and Abby really look A LOT a like! There are some pictures where I really have a very hard time figuring out who is who. There are a set of pics of a trip to Goldsboro and a trip to the park. Both girls are wearing overalls and the same shirt. It comes down to identifying a small stractch on Abby's face and looking for it in every picture. Then I mercifully discovered that Abby's overalls have a patch on the front. Saved! - unless the patch is covered. :-( Seriously though, it may be time for that tatoo on their foreheads.


As I travel through time in pictures, I am so happy Natalie and Abby are happy. The smiles and joy and delight on their faces is all a mother could ever want. My girls are happy; I am happy. What a wonderful world.

A Breakthrough

I almost hate to put it in writing since I'll likely be taking it back in a few days, but I think we may have an eating breakthrough with Abby. She has been eating really well the past few days. Last night she ate 160mls at bedtime, 150mls (I think) at midnight, and 210mls!!! this morning. That's 7 oz! Of course, she spit up a little just after it, but it was just a little.

7oz is the most she has EVER eaten in one sitting. EVER. It's almost normal baby eating. I'm so excited.

(Just a note: the girls are currently entranced with an episode of The Wiggles I recorded. It's so cute. If you aren't familiar with The Wiggles, you should search and record an episode. It's good for a good laugh. 4 Australian guys who smile way too much, who sing dance, and do this funny finger pointing thing - make pointy finger with both hands and wiggle them around in a circle while wearing a goofy grin...hehehehe)

Back to eating..it's pretty exciting. Recently, the girls have started draining their 6 oz bottles and would have probably had more if the bottle had been bigger.

It's amazing to think, but maybe things are looking up!


check out the wiggles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBWQCHb95rg&feature=related - just a classic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePrP8t56eww&feature=related - watch for the finger wiggle at the beginning

When I am Queen of the world...

I will make a paper flavored, high calorie baby food that comes in the form of a book. Then Natalie and Abby, especially Abby, can chew on it until their little hearts are content (and their bodies fat and plump). And chew and chew and chew.

Abby is taxing Mommy's nerves. She is obsessed with chewing on books - especially the corners. It's driving me nuts. Especially since she's chewing on my Usborne books which conceivably I may try to use to demo and sell books again. There are other books - usually the small, baby size thick board books that she likes to chew all the way around.

If anyone knows of any book chewing repellent, please let me know asap. I mean, I'm really glad they like books, but really!

A Day at the Beach

Another first for this week! We took our first trip to the beach with Natalie and Abby. Aunt Reagan and Uncle Jeffie invited us to join them at Reagan's family's beach cottage at Kure beach. The cottage is a few blocks off the beach and perfect for a weekend get-a-way.

We arrived Early Saturday afternoon - to cloudy skies and rain. We were tired though, so we were just as happy to hang out at the cottage - and watch the UNC football game. It ended up being as poor as the weather outside :-(

We enjoyed an amazing dinner of grilled tuna steaks, stuffed crab cakes, roasted vegetables, corn, and salad. Reagan and Jeff are great cooks. Well, Reagan is a great cook - Jeff is a great griller:-)

Saturday night was rough. Natalie and Abby settled down more easily than I expected, but about 1:30am, the rest of the night went to hell. Abby started with the crying and there was holding and snuggling. Then bad to bed for her, where she continued to talk and babble for HOURS! We were in the same room as she was, so I couldn't sleep at all (that and my restless legs were very restless.) It was easily close to3:30 or 4 before I fell asleep at all. Then Natalie started up about 4am. Ben handled her for the most part. By morning, we were exhausted. Natalie and Abby were up and ready to go. Reagan and Jeff were troopers. They said all the crying didn't bother them. I hope they meant it.

The bright side of Sunday was the sunny day and clear skies. Although a little windy, the sun was quite warm and it was beautiful. We finally got ourselves together and loaded up the girls for their first look at the ocean. We rode down to Fort Fisher and joined dozens of fishermen in appreciating a beautiful fall day at the beach.

The girls seemed to like it. Mostly they were interested in trying to eat the sand -or the shells. It was pretty cute though. Natalie and Abby are funny in that they are very serious in new situations. They studied the sand and waves with great deliberateness. (That's to say not to expect smiles and laughs in the pictures:-)).

We were very tired on the way home, but at least we were able to listen to the Carolina Panthers beat the Saints. That perked us up a bit:-)
(Abby exploring the sand)

We had a really great time, despite the rain and lack of sleep. It was wonderful to spend time with Jeff and Reagan. They are so cute with the girls. I'm hoping we will have many more days at the beach - especially this summer. I can't wait to dangle their feet in the waves!

Natalie and Daddy




Jeff and Natalie Jeff, Natalie, Reagan, Abby Reagan and Natalie

Our first haircut!

The time had finally come...Natalie and Abby's hair had gotten long enough to be annoying. I love the length on the sides with their cute little curls, and I'm looking forward to the back getting longer. But, their bangs have been in their eyes and a trim was in order.

Abby before:










After:













Natalie before:










and after:










Frankly, we didn't do a very good job. The girls are very squirmy. It came out a little shorter than we thought, and a lot more crooked. At least their hair seems to grow pretty quickly. These pictures were taken Monday, and I did manage to clean it up a little when they were sleeping. At least we can see their eyes now. Their bangs were getting out of control.

We didn't touch their cute little curls on the sides or trim the back at all. Mommy is waiting and waiting until she can do pig tails!

Our First Successful Overnight Excursion

Mommy and Daddy had an actually baby-free weekend. We had a wedding to attend in Wilmington, and Ya-Ya and Grandpa came to stay with the girls. Ben went down Friday night (since he was a groomsman) and I single-parented it Friday night. Ya-Ya and Grandpa arrived about 1 Saturday and finally left about 2:30. We returned about 3:30 Sunday afternoon to two very tired grandparents and two very well-fed babies!!! Ya-Ya had just returned from a three-week trip to Thailand, and had been in desperate need of a baby fix. I think she's well shored-up for now:-)

I'm not sure what they did but the grandparents came through. They said the girls had eaten very, very well. ????????? Ben and I feel like such failures. I've decided that Ya-Ya and Grandpa are moving in. I'm not sure they are completely down with that idea:-)

The girls had a great time and we are very happy it went so well. It means more baby-free weekends are ahead. And, baby-free weekends lead to baby-free weeks which will one day lead to our baby-free two week vacation return to Hawaii!

Thank you SO MUCH Ya-Ya and Grandpa!! You guys did a great job. We love you!

You Might Be an Overworked, Underpaid, In-Need-of-a Break Mommy if....

I had a doctor's appointment Wednesday and arranged for my very kind neighbor to watch the girls. I arrived at my appointment promptly at 2pm. After paperwork, my exam, a chat with the doctor and drawing blood, I rolled out of the parking lot at 2:36pm. I was so disappointed. I had picked out several lovely magazines from the waiting room to read while waiting for the doctor. I didn't get to read a single one. It just wasn't fair. Since when are doctors on time, efficient and down right fast? How's a busy mom supposed to relax, read some mags and have some quality alone time if her doctor doesn't keep her waiting for hours? Life is so unfair.


So, in honor of our old friend, Jeff Foxworthy (who if you remember actually met the girls in the hospital in the first few weeks of their life), I've decided to start a running collection of "You Might Be A Mommy If..."

#1 - If you are disappointed because your OB/Gyn appointment only takes 30 minutes instead of a typical two hours, you might be an Overworked, Underpaid, In-Need-Of-A-Break Mommy!

Feel free to add your own in the comments section:-)

Prayers for a little baby

I have a prayer request for a little baby who is very sick. Our friends, Jay and Christie, have friends, Jay and Lindsay, who have a week old baby boy, Riley. Although born full term at 37 weeks, he developed some complications. He then developed NEC - a word that strikes fear into the hearts of any NICU parent.

Riley was air-lifted from Wilmington to Duke and is there now. He seemed to be doing better for a few days, but today has developed fluid in his abdomen and seems to be in considerable pain. His little belly is distended and if it does not quickly begin to resolve itself, little Riley will have surgery.

I know what effective prayer warriors you all are. I would appreciate your prayers for little Riley. NEC is very scary, and this little baby is very sick. His web site is http://lindseysouza.blogspot.com if you want to check his progress.

More news on Natalie and Abby later - I just wanted God to get busy:-) Thanks to all.

Fun at Grandma's

The weekend of Sept 20th, the girls and I visited my mom and mema in Franklin. It was a beautiful, pre-fall, weekend. We went to be apart of the annual Fouts Family Syrup Making. A little background...

All of my great-grandmother's (mema's mom) family is from Franklin. Some of the family, the Fouts, still own Grandpa Roland Rickman's (my granny's dad) old farm and homestead. For many, many years (maybe generations?), they have grown sugar cane on the land. In the fall, it is harvested and made into cane syrup.

The event takes place over two weekends and has evolved into a bit of a minor family reunion. People come, bring a dish, and hang out by the creek. After the Pledge of Allegiance, the pledge to the Fouts Family flag is recited - with hand on belly, and eating commences.



Even thought we don't get any of the syrup (it's all distributed to the many more direct Fouts decedents), it's a really fun time. As the girls get older, it will be fun for them to play in the creek and chase the other kids. This year, though, they busied themselves by trying to eat leaves and laughing at the little dog.

Abby - the leaf collector

Natalie and Mema











the girls and Grammy by the big vat of syrup











on the bridge over Grandpa's creek (see the little waterfall)


Other than our big afternoon at Syrup Making, we also had the opportunity to have lunch with Grammy and some of her co-workers. We also visited with cousins Zena Pearl and Ed and saw Aunt Joyce when she came over to visit. Mostly, though, we just hung out at home and played. Mema even got down with the girls on the floor!
Mema and Natalie

Our trip was fun, but Daddy really missed us and was happy to have us back. I'm told I'm not allowed to take them away any more! All the grandparents may beg to differ:-)

A teaser...

Sorry I've been blog-negligent. The girls and I went to my mom and mema's last Friday and returned Wednesday. Then, my dad came friday night and left this afternoon. It's been busy and I haven't had time to blog.

I will take some time later to tell you about our latest adventures, but I just wanted everyone to know we hadn't disappeared:-)

The Mysteriously Expanding Abigail

So, Tuesday is the day our Speech/Feeding Therapist comes. Every Tuesday we weigh the girls on a special baby scale that my sister generously bought for us ages ago. Recently, of course, Tuesday's have been rather disappointing.

This past Tuesday, however, Abby weighed in at 17#4oz. Last week, she was 16#10oz. I didn't believe it. A 10 oz gain! That's impossible. So, I check it again. Same thing. I was still rather doubtful. We decided maybe she need to poop. Interestingly, she did have a small poop soon after, but I don't think it weighed 10 oz.

The next day, Wednesday, I weighed her again. 17#3 oz. Seriously. I still think it's wrong. They didn't gain 10oz in a week when hooked up to a feeding tube. I just don't get it. I would think the whole scale to be off except that Natalie weighed in at 16#2oz - the same as last week. THAT, I can believe. So, I may weigh her again tomorrow just to see. Maybe I'll use our real scale. It's digital and goes to the tenth....

In other news,

Natalie's OTHER top tooth is making an appearance. She soon will have all her front teeth - two on top and two on the bottom. Abby better watch out.

Two days ago, Natalie did the neatest thing. She was sitting beside the couch in this little corner near the window. I was on the couch. I could hear her babbling and babbling, "diddy, diddy, diddy". Then she stood up and showed me her toy while pointing to one side, "diddy, diddy". I looked at the block and on one side was a kitty! She was pointing to and saying the word kitty! I was so excited. This is not a block we usually play with either. I didn't even know it had a cat on it, so when I saw it and put the two together, I was thrilled. So, it's "kitty" as a first word for everyone!

Abby has discovered balls in the past 2 days. She is picking them up and throwing them. Today, she threw one practically across the room. She also has decided she loves Dr. Seuss. I only have "The Foot Book", but she hands it to me to read. When she does, she actually starts bobbing up and down. I think she completely gets the rhythm of the book.

Both girls actually really love books. We have one book, "Find the Kitten", which we started reading at bedtime when we were sleep training them. They still love it. They are starting to point to the kitty more, especially Natalie who has quite the good form with one finger pointing. Towards the end, there's a page where the kitty is in a wheelbarrow. The text says, "Kitty loves a bumpy ride". We would bounce up and down when we read it. Now, they start bouncing as soon as we get to the page. The next, and last, page is kitty and the little girl in the door way of a house, and it reads, "Now it's time to go inside". Since we read it at night, we always added, "nite, nite kitty, say bye, bye to the kitty". Now, Natalie will start waving bye bye at the page even before I read it.

It's amazing to me how much the can understand and remember. They are starting to really try to communicate too. Abby was on top of a plastic drawer and was making little "mmm, mmmm" frustrated sounds. I realized she was trying to open the drawer. I opened it, and she happily climbed in. They will also make noises when they bring a book to me and want me to read it - especially if I don't do it right away.

On the feeding front...
Fig Newtons. 50 calories a cookie. They love them. I did learn a valuable lesson today though. Fig Newtons are not to be handed whole to the babies for them to eat while roaming around the living room. Newtons ground into the floor, newtons in hair, newtons between toes, newtons in crumbles... Fig Newtons are mommy-directed or to be given in their feeding chairs. Very valuable lesson.

I also discovered a yo-baby drinkable yogurt at just over 30 calories an ounce. The girls will often drink these things from their straw cups when they refuse their bottles. And, then there is coconut cream. 130 calories AN OUNCE! Holy Moly! Can they just drink it straight? So yogurt (180cal/6 ounces), plus an ounce of heavy whipping cream (~100 cal) + a little coconut cream (~100cal) = ~380 calories for about 7.5 ounces - an amazing 46.6 calories an ounce. Woo Hoo. Add in a fig newton and we've got ourselves a meal, baby!

A special Warning: Do not try this at home. While Fig Newtons are great for calorie deprived babies, they are not good for calorie-restricted mommies. A glass of milk and 4 Fig Newtons at 1am after feeding the babies is bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad.

Happy 16 months Birthday!

I know, this month to month thing is getting ridiculous. I can't help it. I love seeing how they change month to month. You don't really notice it when you look at them every day, but when you look at the big picture you notice things - like new teeth and their growing hair.

Here are today's pics. I'm not really thrilled with them and will probably try again tomorrow. Abby was very uncooperative. She kept trying to pick up and eat the leaves on the deck and wouldn't stick her tongue back in her mouth. They are also too busy to get a good shot of them together. That's actually becoming the hardest part. They won't sit still together. And then, try to get two babies to smile at the same time. Now you know why we have so many pictures of them ( at last count). We have to take 10 to get one good one!

Natalie





Abby

A few updates

I have a few things to report:

Natalie is finally getting more teeth! The right top tooth is coming in, and has been for about a week. I can also finally see her elusive bottom tooth. It's just now poking through. I'm quite happy since if it were not, she would have a bottom tooth on the left side bottom and a top tooth on the right side. I'm pretty sure that makes chewing rather difficult.

Yesterday, and again today, Natalie copied me and tried to stack one block on top of another to create a tower. She couldn't quite do it, but you could see she was getting the idea. She has also been babbling like crazy. Abby used to be the loud one, but now it's Natalie. She also loves to walk around. She gets such a delight from it - laughing and giggling. It's really cute.

I am declaring that Abby has her first word - kitty. She has actually been using it for a while. She will use it when seeing our cats and sometimes when she sees a picture in a book. She has also been using a lot of different sounds. She will copy us and make a monkey sound after we do it a few times. We also been working hard on getting her to meow. I think she is trying to do it. She makes some sound, although it doesn't sound too much like meow. But, she seems to make the same sound, so I guess it counts. Both girls can say da-da and ma-ma, but we are still waiting for them to actually call us da-da and ma-ma.

Abby has also become really cuddly. She will run to me and bury her face in my shoulder. Then she'll move away, and come running back. It's so sweet. Natalie runs to us too, but she more stops and sits on our lap than gives cuddly hugs.

Oh, Abby has developed another little trick as well - biting. I knew it was a matter of time. I may have mentioned it before, but she bit me good at my dad's. I yelped in pain and told her no biting (rather strongly). She was so startled, she started crying :-( She has a tendency to lunge towards a person with an open mouth. We watch for it, though, and she responds pretty well to "don't bite" - if we catch it in time. I'm pretty sure she's bitten Natalie a few times. There have been a few bouts of unexplained crying. Abby better watch out though. Natalie's getting that top tooth, and then the playing field is leveled a bit.

Both girls have started picking things up and handing them to us and engaging us in their play. They are still apt to put nearly everything in their mouths, but they are also just as likely to hand it to us first. Abby especially likes to do this. While playing, they will often hand the toy to us to get us to play too. Or, if they are pretending to drink from a cup, they will offer it to us as well. They are also starting to throw balls, or at least drop them in our general direction. Natalie seems to really like playing with the balls.

Overall, their receptive language is really good. They both will follow simple directions: come here; bring me the ball; give that to mommy. They will also come from their room to the living room when called - usually:-)

It's very exciting to see Natalie and Abby discover new things and learn new things. Watching them grow is such a joy, a little bittersweet, but a joy nonetheless.

A Weekend with the Grandma's

My mom and mema were here this weekend. They were able to arrive earlier than usual on Friday which meant more time with the babies! I'm not sure we can call them babies anymore though. They are walking, walking everywhere. Mom and mema had not seen them walking yet, so it was a real treat.

We really didn't do anything special other than our usual playing. I insisted my mom NOT spend her time cooking and cleaning my house in some way so she could just play with the girls. She did much better, but still managed to cook dinner Saturday and do laundry. Thanks mom:-)



The girls have been really verbal lately - especially Natalie. She has just been talking and talking. I'm really glad since my mema can't see. At least she can hear them playing and talking. It makes me so happy that she is here to be with them. She has been the most wonderful grandmother and I want the girls to know her.



Really, Natalie and Abby are so blessed in the grandparent department. Ben's parents have been just wonderful. They come up almost every other weekend to play with the girls. Although Ben's grandmother is far away, she has been able to see the girls a few times. My dad and step-mother have also been wonderful. They drove 6 hours each way every single weekend the girls were in the hospital. They would arrive about 11pm Friday night, see the girls, sleep, see the girls in the morning, and leave again by noon the next day. Since coming home, they have been able to come down quite a lot, especially over the summer. We've been able to go to my mom and mema's three times in the last year, and they come down as often as they can between my mom's on-call weekends for work.

My grandmother was such an inspiration and blessing to me. I know I have mentioned it before, but whenever I'm around her, I am reminded of all our good times together. It wasn't the things she bought us (I can't remember what we received for Christmas or birthdays - probably a number of Barbie dolls!), but it was the time she spent with us that mattered. It was the little things: always showing up in time for school to get out so she could take us to Dairy Queen for a snack; making us macci (mac and cheese); telling us stories, especially our favorite - The Snake and the Rabbit. As we've gotten older, we have been blessed for her to become our friend.

Because my own grandmother has been so wonderful, I am repeatedly grateful that Natalie and Abigail are forging such special relationships with their grandparents. They are so incredibly blessed.


I love the girls in hats!

Oh my.

I am watching the most jaw-dropping program on TLC: "Tiaras and Toddlers". I have literally been watching with my mouth open.

It's about the beauty pageant circuit for little girls. It's a little disturbing. Well, it's a lot disturbing. I'm okay with the talent stuff and dancing around on stage. It's the outrageous costumes and hair and make-up that concern me. ***This mom just said the dress for her 7ish year old kid cost $2000!!!!*** This is to enter a pageant to win $1000. Plus, you have to pay entry fees. The one they are showcasing is up to $900. Think of what that money would be in 10 years if they put it in a college fund? Many claim to be in it for the "scholarship money". If they invested the thousands of dollars they spend each year, they wouldn't need scholarships.

One guy just said it's like "living baby dolls". Have you seen some of those fancy china baby dolls? They are scary! One of the girls is getting fake teeth - a retainer thing to hide the fact she just lost her two front teeth! And then there are the spray tans and fake eyelashes and shaving of their legs and who knows what else. I just can't imagine.

I know little kids like to dress up. And, maybe there is something to be said for getting on stage and having self-confidence. But the sexualization of these kids is just disturbing. It permeates everything they do: the fancy outfits, grown-up hair and fake teeth, the heavy make-up, and even the sexualized dance moves that many of them do.

I want my little girls to be little girls. If they want to dress up like princesses and dress around, I'll all for it. But, they can do it here at home and use baby powder as "makeup".