Potty Experts

I'm going to be paying my sister back for years. Between her rates for sleep training and now, potty training, I owe her big time.

The girls are amazing. Natalie and Abby are now potty experts. After 6 days, they are doing amazing. They will now either announce they need to potty and then run to the potty at our urging, or, simply go there on their own, and return to us announcing they pee-peed in the potty. A few minutes ago, the most marvelous thing occurred - I walked past the bathroom to see Natalie sitting on her little frog potty and heard her announce, "I went poopy."

Any parent will tell you that pooping in the potty is the creme de la creme and we.are.there. Abby has been pooping in the potty for several days so now, we are set.

Of course, diapers are still for sleeping and long drives (and for another week, Little Gym, Ballet, and therapies - can't have them peeing all over everything). But, I think next week, we may even try those things diaper-free.

Diaper-less nights will also involve moving out of the cribs so they can get to the potty, so we will have to figure out what we are doing about that.

I am so proud of my big (sniff*sniff) girls, and am eternally grateful to Auntie.

Potty Training - Part Deux

So, my sister whirls into town and in all her wisdom and knowledge starts the potty training. I learned this was the plan when she sent me a text while I was in my real estate class: "Potty training, need flushable wipes". It's for the best really, because I am a potty-training wuss.

I really don't like potty training. Hate it, really. Kids peeing, and worse, pooping on the floor. Ick. Having to stop every 15 minutes to potty - which takes 10 minutes. I can't get anything done. Look at me, I'm whining and my sister is the one who did most of the work on Wednesday. God bless her.

Why can't kids just go from diapers to toilet instinctively? I'll have to take that up with the Big Guy when I get to Heaven. If God was a woman, we wouldn't have this problem.

On to the potty report:
It's going okay. I think. Abby is doing slightly better as she seems to recognize more when she is about to go. Even sitting on the potty she will announce, "I'm going to tinkle", and then go. She is also pooping quite a bit, but I think this is happy consequence of the antibiotic she is taking for the massive ear infection she had last week.

Natalie has been successful as well, but I think more luck than anything. Because she is on the potty so much, she has to pee on the potty sometime. She doesn't seem to know when she is about to go nor can she force it. She could easily sit on the potty 10 minutes without going, then get up and tinkle in her pants 3 minutes later. --Wait - breaking news...Natalie just announced she needed to go pee-pee - and SHE WENT!!!! WOO-HOO!-- Stay tuned for more information as it comes in.

Moments like these...

My sister is on her way to town, so I am attempting to clean up a bit. This leaves Natalie and Abby to entertain themselves in their amply supplied playroom. It was a bit quiet, which as all parents know, is generally not a good sign.

I pop my head around the corner and find this:


Natalie, Abby and an assortment of babies sitting quietly against the door staring at the ground. They looked up at me and declared, "we're watching a movie". I inquired as to what their movie was about and was told "the stars". (We visited the Planetarium a few weeks ago).

It was absolutely the cutest thing. These are the moments I wish I could capture forever and never forget. Natalie and Abby do so many darling things every day, and I know I won't remember a fraction of them. I wish I could make a movie of every moment of their lives so I could watch it when I'm old and gray and remember...

Thank you, God, for the imagination of a child.

Checking in

I know, I know...I'll skip the apologies and get right to the updating.

We have been busy. It's been a very busy summer for our whole family.

In April we celebrated Easter and had an Egg Hunt with Grammy. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and spent many afternoons at nearby parks and finally made it to the Zoo. We bought a house and started moving, sadly said goodbye to the girls long-time feeding/speech therapist (she moved) and took Natalie and Abby fishing for the first time.

In May, we finished moving and said good-bye to our old house. Natalie and Abby turned 3 and we had a little party, even though they were sick (again). Mommy and the girls took a trip to NYC, Daddy started a new job, and Mommy started working again (babysitting).

In June, Natalie and Abby started Little Gym (and loved it!) and did all kinds of fun things with Walker and Bean like going to the coolest drive through zoo. We visited Grammy in the mountains and spent a day with old friends, Jerry and Gayle, in Winston at Old Salem. Mommy also had the honor of assisting as a birthing partner for her dear friends, Michael and Lori, and their new baby, Sam (and older sister, Awa).

Poppy came to visit in July and we went fishing again (which the girls LOVE - they like to play with the worms). We also took an amazing trip down memory lane with Poppy as we visited his old churches and neighborhood and learned more about his childhood and life as a young adult. We also took a trip to the beach with Auntie. We discovered the fun of the big pool and more fishing with Walker and Bean, discovered an amazing new museum in Raleigh, Marbles, and tried to potty train.

August involved more swimming, more Marbles, a family reunion and playing with baby goats at the Carl Sandburg house. There was more hanging out with Walker and Bean, visits from Poppy and Grammy, and weekend sleepovers at Ya-Ya and Grandpa's. The girls gave up their bottles (but not the special milk), started ballet at Uncle Johnny's studio in Burlington (where Mommy and Auntie also took as little girls) and started a new session of Little Gym. They even attended a Little Gym half-day camp for 3 hours. They have also started some of their old and new therapies - PT and OT (still waiting on speech). Daddy had to work lots and lots of overtime and Mommy started babysitting for Baby Sam.

Whew. Oh, and somewhere in there, Mommy and Daddy made an attempt to get the new house in order with some painting and organizing, new furniture (just this week), a yard sale, and with LOTS of help from Grammy. Thank God for my mom or we'd still be living in boxes.

And, just to make sure we don't leave anything out...the cats are thoroughly enjoying their new environment. They are happy their kitty perches (cat towers) are back and have each claimed their own. They also have favorite spots in the yard. Kitkat likes to hang out in the bushes and both have taken to hiding in the cool of the storm drain. And, as the girls like to say, "the kitties like to chase the bunny rabbits!"

Ok. That's 5 months in review:-)

Now, it's picture time! - and hopefully, more of the little details.

Bye-Bye Bottles

Well, at 3 years, 3 months, Natalie and Abby have finally ditched the bottles. We were still doing bottles of their special lactose free milk and carnation mixture at night before bed and at nap (when they take one). They really do still need the nutrition and calories. Plus, in all honesty, I kind-of liked holding them and feeding them.

But, babies grow up, and Ben has been pushing to lose the bottles. I thought it would be way hard and that the girls would be psychologically tied to them and refuse to sleep without them. As usual, my easy-going girls surprised me.

A few nights ago, we announced no more bottles and gave them milk in a cup with a straw. They drank it all up - no problem. And that was that.

They've been drinking from cups for a while, of course. They've even had milk in a cup during the day. I was just sure they equated sleep-time with bottles and would balk at the change in routine. But, they are thrilled to drink "milk from a cup" like big girls.

Now, if only potty-training were so easy.....

Oh dear....

I think Ben and I need to revamp some parenting strategies.

Scene: Daddy gets the girls up from a nap. Natalie and Abby are snuggling on the couch with Mommy where the tv is showing the local news. The weather outside is actually rather nice. A big storm last night cooled things off a bit.

Daddy: Let's go outside and take a walk and get some exercise.

Natalie: No. We don't need to get some exercise. We need to stay inside the house and watch tv.

Oh dear.

They really don't watch that much tv. And then, really only Wonder Pets. But, they do like it. A lot. We haven't been outside much lately - because it's been 102 degrees. That's a good excuse, right?

Ok, Mommy and Daddy. Less tv. More playing. Got it.

Four little words

I hate potty training.

'nuff said.

Checking in...

Yes, yes, we are still here.

Natalie and Abby are having a busy summer. We've traveled some, visited grandparents, had grandparents visit and started babysitting again with Walker and Bean. We've been to museums, beaches, and pools and are having a wonderful time.

We've also been busy going to evaluations for a variety of potential therapies. I'm not sure I mentioned it, but when the girls turned 3, they aged out of the CDSA program and the free therapies it provided. The next step was an eval to determine whether they would qualify for an IEP (Individual Education Plan) through the state public school system. If they were to need significant therapies and assistance, then they could attend public pre-school for free.

We weren't at all expecting to qualify for services to the extent of free pre-school. I was really only hoping they would qualify for speech. Qualifying for Occupational Therapy would also have been nice, but Speech was the most important.

In a strange twist of irony, Abby did qualify for Speech based on articulation. Natalie...did not. I was...perplexed. All our therapists, and I agreed that Natalie is the more difficult to understand. And so goes the subjective world of testing...

So, in response to the IEP exams and at the prompting of the OT's who evaluated them, I set them up for appointments in all areas. The OT's suggestive that there was a quality to their fine motor movements that might need attention. I wholeheartedly agreed. There's just something a little "off" about they way they use their hands and bodies. They can do almost everything any other 3 year old can do, they look a little different doing it.

All of these therapies will have to be done (and paid for) through our insurance and its providers, ie: Duke Hospital and its various clinics. We've already had our OT evals and they both qualified. Abby had her Speech eval and qualified. Natalie's is tomorrow. If you are wondering why I had Abby retested, it's because her therapy through the state would be 30 min twice a week at a nearby school. So, it would take me at least an hour out of the day twice a week to take her. That would be on top of taking Natalie to speech somewhere else and taking them both to OT and potentially Physical Therapy as well. If I can get all their therapies in the same place and co-current, then I may be able to do two in one day and one on another. Result: 3 sets of therapies (6 separate appts) done in 3 hours on only two days vs potentially running all over town 3 or 4 days a week. All we have left (after tomorrow) are the PT evals. Abby has been receiving PT but it will be new for Natalie. I'm not sure how those will go actually. They could go either way. They seems to have some low tone or strength issues but they may be able to be addressed through the OT therapies so we will just have to see.

You may be wondering why all of a sudden it seems that Natalie and Abby are having all these problems and are in need of so much help. Well. Such is the nature of micro-preemiehood. Without a doubt, Natalie and Abby escaped many of the issues that plague many micro-preemies: ROP, surgeries, brain bleeds, CP, major development issues, autistic-spectrum disorders, severe sensory issues, feeding tubes....the list can go on and on.

However, it's only as our children get older and the "norms" narrow in expectation, that problems show up. For instance, children are expected to learn to walk anywhere from 9 months to 18 months. That's quite a range. Even a child with delays might manage to do fall in the "normal" range. However, by age 3, kids are generally expected to be more on the same page in what they are able to do. As they are expected to be able to do more and more, areas of concern crop up.

For Natalie and Abby these concerns are primarily in the areas of fine motor, ie: how they use scissors, the ability to copy and draw a straight line horizontally, vertically, in a circle and as a cross, etc. That's where the OT comes in. That's the stuff they work on.

Could they continue to do ok without all these therapies? Maybe. But speech interferes in their social skills if none of their little friends can understand them. The fine motor skills will affect their pre-writing skills and make school that much more difficult for them. So, why risk it. If we can give them a better chance to be "normal", why not take it?

I promise (once again) to try to be better about posting. I get so busy and I have so much to say. If you haven't noticed, I'm not very good a being brief:-)

Busy, Busy, Busy

I've been quite delinquent in writing lately. Unpacking - or at times, avoiding unpacking - keeps me busy. We also took a trip to New York to visit my sister. And, I've started back babysitting for Walker and Bean. So, life goes on...


Natalie and Abby are doing great. They love their new playroom, despite the chaos it stays in, and spend a great deal of time making food in their kitchen. They are also really into their babies (especially Abby) and spend time rocking them, feeding them, and carrying them around. They have also discovered legos - much to Ben's delight. We have the little bitty ones (the traditional "real" legos) and they are great exercises in fine motor for their little fingers.

Since our house is so much bigger with more rooms than before, we still have a few empty rooms that are awaiting new furniture. The family room is nearly completely empty and the girls love running around in circles and chasing each other. The living room is mostly empty with some boxes piled in a corner near a window. The girls have decided to use them as a personal jungle gym and climb all over them.

The stairs are also a favorite play spot. I remember spending hours playing on stairs when I was a kid too. We did some brilliant things like take blankets and ride them down the stairs like a sled. The girls haven't figured that out yet. If they do, at least our stairs are the split kind so there's a shorter distance to go before hitting a wall. They just sit and play on the stairs with toys or babies quite a bit. They also "help" each other up and down. One will reach up and call "help me, Abby/Nanny, help me". The other takes her hand and "pulls" her up. They also enjoy figuring out new ways to get down the stairs: walking, sliding on their bums, sliding on their tummies feet first...Sliding head first is just around the corner and I'm just hoping I can intervene before they get started.

The back yard isn't quite where I want it yet, but the girls still have fun meandering around just playing in the dirt and looking at ants. They are fascinated by insect life. They'll squat and watch the ants going to and fro. They love when I find worms in the garden. Two days ago, I (joyfully) found a little snake. (I love snakes and never seem to find them. It was just a little harmless thing. Abby was all about holding and touching it. It was a bit of a surprise actually, since it's usually Natalie who wants to hold things and Abby who backs off. But, Abby went right for it and Natalie refused to touch it. (Fear not: we did the whole song and dance about never picking up a snake unless mommy or daddy say it's ok. They are actually really good at asking if they can touch things and know ants and spiders give ouchies.)

I've gotten a lot of cute pictures lately -especially of a photo shoot we did on the beach in New York. I'll post them asap. I just wanted to check in and let everyone know we are still out here:-)

Happy Birthday Natalie and Abby!

It's hard to believe. Natalie and Abby turned 3 years old today. I have pictures and more to say about their party, but I wanted to take a few minutes before midnight to tell them how much I love them.


Natalie and Abby,

You can't possibly imagine how much you are loved. 3 years ago, we were preparing for your far-too-early birth. Despite our fears, we were so excited - and yes, happy. We knew you were very, very early. We knew you would be very, very tiny. We knew you might not make it. But, we also knew being born was your best chance. Outside of Mommy the doctors could help you. This gave me hope - and made me happy.

It's been a long road, but when I look at you both, you are so beautiful and so amazing, and I can't believe how far you have come. I love your humor and the things you both say. I love the way you play and imagine and explore your world. I love the way you love to "read" your books and hug your Mouse and Baby Bean. I love the way you love each other and check on each other and take care of each other. You fill me with joy and make me smile. You bring more happiness to my life than I could have ever imagined.

There are times I wish I could keep you as my little girls forever. Poppy says that all daddies (and mommies) should have one day a year they can make their children any age they want to live it all over again. I know I will one day wish I could re-capture this time and spend a day with you again as 2 year olds. You are growing up so fast, and even though I spend all day almost every day with you...I sometimes feel it slipping by and think I'm missing it. My goal for your third year, is to slow down, spend more time with you and live every day in the moment. I want to hang on and cherish every moment of how precious you are and how much I love you.

As much I wish I could slow time down and live in this moment forever, I am also so excited to see what the next year brings. I can't wait to explore the world with you, experience the wonder of it through your eyes and embrace the magic of it all.

Natalie and Abby, Mommy loves you so much. So, so, so much. Thank you for being in my life. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being my precious little girls. Happy Birthday Babies! I adore you.

All my love,
Mommy

Moving...grrrr....

We been really busy. We moved into our new house Saturday and it's been crazy trying to get everything straight. We have also not had internet (or tv ) until this morning (and still no tv), so I haven't been able to post. But, we are reconnected to the world and I will start posting again soon.

til then...

Grrrr..new post a few posts back

So, I started a post a few weeks ago. Apparently on April 5. I'm just getting around to finishing it. When I posted it, yep, it posted under April 5 - a few posts back. So. Move your little mousey thing on down until you find the post dated April 5 - about the month of February and March. Yeah, I'm a little behind...


Here's the link to make it easier - just click...
http://natandabby.blogspot.com/2010/04/recent-happenings.html

You Know You're the Parent of a Preemie When...

You know you're the parent of a preemie when...

1.You use strange initials (C-PAP, CCs, NICU, NG) when discussing your child.

2.You actually remember how many CCs make up an ounce.

3.You count her weight in grams.

4. The skin on your hands is peeling from washing so often!

5.You hesitate when someone asks his/her age, but you know exactly how much he/she weighs!

6. The answer to "How old is your baby?" is a story 30 minutes long!

7. When someone asks his birthday, you reply, "Which one?"

8. You start to understand some of the things they say on ER!

9. You turn into Kung-Fu Mom when someone tries to touch your baby.

10. You attempt to measure just how much spit-up he/she just had before you clean it up!

11. You know how much he weighs before putting him on the scale at the doctor's office

12. You cry at Maternity Ward and get mad at Baby Story.

13. You see a 7lb newborn and say "Wow! She's so BIG!"

14. Your baby is months old before she can even go to the mall.

15. You have never explained why your baby is on an apnea monitor.

16. When someone says how tiny your baby is, you argue that she is huge -- and to demonstrate, you whip out pictures of her in NICU.

17. You do a health check on people when they come to your house to visit .

18. You make people wash their hands before going near your child.

19. You want to scream when someone says that she just wants to have this baby now - at week 28, 32, or 34.

20. You are so amazed when someone actually tells you your baby is big for his age!

21. You tried to find a place to buy newborn size diapers in bulk.

22. You called half your relatives when the baby grew out of their first pair of pajamas!

23. You never take your child for granted.

24. You worry about RSV season and it is still weeks away . . .

25. You know what "RSV" stands for.

26. You donate his/her tiny clothes to the NICU and marvel that they seem so small - when they were too darn large!

27. Your daughter gets a simple cold and her doc sees her within the hour!

28. People say, "She CAN'T be __ old...she's too little!"

29. It has taken them 5 months to grow INTO newborn clothes!

30. You pick up 2 pounds of ground beef and think that your baby was born weighing less than that!

31. You buy "Purell" in bulk

32. You know about oxygen tanks and regulators more than the company supplying it to the airplanes

33. You can stare at your baby for hours when she sleeps

34. The security guards just wave you by when they see you come in the front door of the hospital.

35. When someone asks what sent you're wearing, you reply, "Germ-X" without batting an eye.

36. In the course of a day you have wanted to slap and bear hug the same NICU nurse.

37.The statement "breastfeeding is simple and natural" makes you laugh -- or cry, depending on the day and the hour.

38. You could drive the route from your house to the hospital in your sleep... and maybe you have.

39. You can't remember what you talked about before feeding schedules, diapers, and growth charts.

40. The sound of your baby crying is beautiful, not annoying.

41. You not only know what "bilirubin" is, you have had several extensive conversations about it.


**I did not make this up, BTW - I copied them from a post from my micro-preemie group. But, I thought they were pretty spot on.

Just Seen...

I was in my room and I could hear the pitter patter of little feet slapping up and down the hall way. Slap, slap, slap, slap...pause...slap, slap, slap, slap...pause...slap, slap, slap.

I nearly collided with Natalie and she ran back and forth from her room, down the hall, and back. She was on a lap away from her room and I realized what she was doing.

In her little hands were the rolled-up diapers ready for the trash. There were about four that needed to be thrown away. She was running back and forth carrying them one at a time to the trash can in the kitchen. No one asked her to; she just decided to clean up.

It's little moments like these that just make me smile. Natalie was just so cute in her intense determination and focus on getting all those diapers to the trash can. Gosh, I just love this age:-)

Of course, when they are teenagers, I won't be able to pay them to clean their rooms. But, for now, I will relish in the cuteness that is Natalie.

Recent Happenings

I'm a little behind on reporting what the girls have been doing. It's been quite busy around here.

If you didn't already know, we have had our house for sale. I am VERY happy to report that we went under contract at the end of March. The buyers are an incoming UNC resident and his wife and love our house and all the work we have put into it. We are very happy that someone who appreciates what we have done is going to be able to enjoy it. We are set to close the last week of May.

Of course, we didn't get quite as much as we would have hoped considering all the work we have done (remodeled kitchen, new bamboo floors, gorgeous landscaping (if I may say so myself)), but that's the market, so all in all we are happy.









We are especially happy because after 6 months and dozens and dozens and dozens of houses - we found the perfect house! We are so excited. It's 3100 sq ft. and has a garage, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a loft, a family room and living room AND a sun room which will be the girls' downstairs playroom. Of course - it also has a kitchen:-), a dining room and laundry room. There is also a nice sized yard (which needs a lot of clean-up and work, but I'm pretty excited about that!). There is already a play set with swings and a slide and the girls have already loved playing there when we have been over. It's an amazing house and we feel so lucky to have it. It had been on the market forever and the price had been lowered and lowered and lowered until it finally popped up on our radar. We got a great deal for the house so in this case, the market worked in our favor. We are closing April 26 and we can't wait! We will have a month to move from our current house (and two storage buildings) to our new house which will allow us to paint and put in some carpet and do a few other things. Personally, I can't wait to get my hands in the yard:-)

So, between cleaning and showings and cleaning and open houses and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning...we've been busy. We also managed to take a few trips and have a little fun - in between the cleaning...

Poppy and Nanny's (Feb 19-24)
We went to visit Poppy and Nanny for Poppy's birthday (23rd). It was a fun trip for the girls because of the remaining 2 feet of snow on the ground. The snow was less fun when we tried to leave a few days later, got stuck in the slush and had to call AAA... But, the girls had fun clomping around:-)

Natalie and Abby also had a great time taking a pony ride! We visited Poppy's friend at the stables she works out and enjoyed a great 30ish minute ride on two sweet ponies. Natalie was very excited about it. On the way to Poppy's she kept saying, "I want ride horses!" When asked if she wanted to ride the horse, she said enthusiastically, "yes!". She also seemed to have a natural gait - bumping up and down in rhythm to the walking. She loved every minute of it. I foresee riding lessons in the future...

Abby also enjoyed her pony - once she was persuaded to get on. It was just a week or so after she broke her clavicle, so we protected her arm well with a bandage and sling - and of course, made sure she didn't fall off. I couldn't see letting Natalie ride while Abby was forced to watch, and the risk seemed minimal. It was well worth it. She was fine and had a great time.

We had a great time celebrating Poppy's birthday with special cakes Auntie brought from a bakery in New York. Carrot, Strawberry and Chocolate. The girls went nuts for the chocolate. In fact, Abby had a mini-meltdown over it. Poppy tried to mix a little carrot cake in with the chocolate on her plate, and Abby would have absolutely none of that. She cried and cried - "chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!". Can't say they don't come by it honestly....

We also had a few eating breakthroughs in Luray. Pizza Hut had a fantastic lunch buffet that included a HUGE salad - for $4.99. The girls were free. They each ate almost 3 pieces of pizzas (well, most of each piece of pizza). I was ecstatic. Mindy's Mexican restaurant's Sunday special of 25 cent wings were also a hit. They loved them. It was pretty exciting for me to watch them eat like normal kids. It's great to feel like we are moving away from the frustration of eating challenges. I still worry about their weight when they don't eat well, but it's getting better and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

On our final day, the morning after we had to be pulled out of the snowy slush, we had a chance to visit Poppy's bus. For Natalie and Abby, all school buses are Poppy buses. Every time we see one they shout "Poppy's Bus, it's a Poppy Bus!" So, getting to sit on the real Poppy's bus was a treat. It was our second visit, but they loved it all the same. They picked out their favorite seats, checked out the back windows and joined Poppy in a rousing rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus". A new verse was added to the song: the Poppy's on the bus say "I love you". It was a great time.

We had a great time visiting with Poppy and Nanny and seeing Auntie. The girls love the mountains and country and are always so excited to see the roadside cows, horses and other animals. We are so lucky to have such a beautiful place to visit.


Ya-Ya and Grandpa's (Feb 27-28)
The end of February also meant some special time with Ya-Ya and Grandpa. Natalie and Abby had not spent as much time with them as usual because we had spent most of our time at my mom's with Mema. Staying with Ya-Ya and Grandpa is always fun. Ya-ya feeds them very well and always makes their special soup (and sends home some for Mommy too!). This time Natalie and Abby got to take their naps in the big bed - with a little help from Ya-Ya!

(Sorry there aren't any pictures of Grandpa. He suffers from the same syndrome Mommy does - the "no pictures of the picture taker" syndrome!





March

Looking back, March seems to have been filled with general silliness. The girls have a lot of fun playing together and watching them is so much fun.

The weather was mostly beautiful and we started taking lots of trips to the park - which the girls have grown to love with gusto. They have started saying randomly "I want to go to the park". One park has a great huge sandbox (with water features once the weather gets warmer). They love it. Abby has finally gotten very brave and started going down the slides by herself. Once particular day in March, she finally went down the slide all by herself with no encouragement and declared, "that was fun!" Then she did it a few more times:-) (On the right, Abby took some time out of her busy sliding schedule to check out a magazine someone left behind.




We also visited the Museum of Life and Science which is always a treat. They loved, loved, loved the animals. Old McDonald is one of their favorite songs and will shout "Old McDonald's Farm!" at all barns or barn shaped buildings. On this particular day, the newest little pig was quite active and they were able to rub his back and listen to him snort.


Natalie and Abby also love playing on our wrap-around deck - which is great for me. I can cook/clean in the kitchen with the front door and sliding door open and see the girls through the windows. We have a very strict rule about staying ON THE PORCH and not going down the steps. After a few time-outs, they adhere very well to the rule and have a great time. Sometimes I put bowls full of water on the porch and let them play. They also like to push their strollers around and around in a circle. It's a great way for them to be outside while I can still get dinner made!



March also seemed to be when Abby suddenly took to coloring with a vengeance. She became very enthusiastic about it and very deliberate about trying to color inside the lines. She is also very proud. Abby likes to declare, "I colored it myself!" Here's a brief video on her working very hard on Mickey Mouse's Christmas lights...


One of the funniest things Abby has said recently involves our neighbor's yard across the street.
Look closely...do you see the carrot for the bunnies?
Look again - it's a giant carrot - for giant bunnies!

Abby was looking across the street and said, "look mommy, a carrot for the bunnies..." I didn't understand her at first. Then I figured out what she was saying, and I thought it was hysterical. It's actually our neighbor's little boy's orange plastic baseball bat, but in the eyes of a child...


Here are just some cute pictures I got of the girls sleeping. Abby and the Wonder Pets and Natalie and her beloved Baby Bean and Elmo.




Grammy's (Mar 26-29)
At the end of March, we took our first weekend trip back to Grammy's since Mema died. We'd driven Grammy back when she came to stay with us right after the funeral but this was our first real trip back. It was strange for me without Mema there. She was always so excited when we arrived. She would often stay up later than usual just to be able to say hello to us. The girls brought her so much joy and her face lit up every time she heard their voices. I am so happy we could be there in her last months. And, I am happy she is with God and free of pain. But, I sure do miss her...

I was actually surprised that the girls haven't asked more questions about her, especially when we arrived. They seem to have accepted our explanation that she's in Heaven with Baby Jesus pretty well. It's good really. I'd rather have it that way than have them be sad and confused.

We had a great time hanging out with Grammy and Uncle Wayne (who went with us). Friday, we picked up some chicken and had a lovely picnic at the park. Franklin, by the way, has absolutely the best park I've ever seen. It's incredible - and the girls love it. We played there for the longest time. Natalie, true to form, managed to wander from the little kid part, down the hill to the big kid section. It was just a second and I saw her, so no freaking out please. She does tend to wander though. Give her a minute, and she'll take a mile.

They also had a great time playing with the ridiculous amount of toys left at Grammy's. I had forgotten how much we left. When I walked in, I swear, there were more toys there than at our house. Saturday afternoon, the girls also had a great time playing in the bird bath and chillin' in their cool blue chairs.

Sunday was Palm Sunday and we enjoyed a great service at Cowee Baptist Church. The choir there is amazing and I would have been happy to listen to them all day. Natalie and Abby had a great time in the nursery and no longer seem to throw a fit when left without us.

Grammy wanted very much to take a picture with the girls in their gorgeous dresses, but Natalie and Abby were very uncooperative. Only the baby doll and Raggedy Ann were willing.

The girls were willing to take a picture with me and we have a rare, and if I may say, lovely, picture of Mommy and her beautiful girls.


Checking over it, I realize this post is a little Abby-heavy. I think all the videos are about her. Sorry, Natalie. Tomorrow, I'll work on a Natalie post. I have some great videos of her dancing. But, I want to get this published (since I actually started it 3 weeks ago, and well, it's about March and it's now the end of April.) I'll try to do better keeping up...

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grrr...I spend a great deal of time trying to get the pictures in exactly the right places and make it all look pretty. Then, I post it and it messes it all up! I think the posting area is more narrow than the writing area. So, blogspot people, you should really fix that. So if the pictures look all strange and the writing is going every which way...blame the programmers and not me. I tried really hard...:-(

Time to Transition

As the girls approach the age of 3 (less than two months!!!), they will age out of the wonderful CDSA (early intervention program). The state still generously provides options for kids who still require extended services that will help prepare them to succeed in school.

This involves a meeting and evaluation with the Durham Public School system therapists: speech, physical therapy, occupational therapy and the psychologist who administers the cognitive tests. It takes several hours and involves a battery of tests disguised as play to see where the child is developmentally.

The girls did very well. I have to give kudos to our therapists, Elizabeth and Lindsay, who prepared them so well. For the most part, tested at average or above average on most tests. (I will have full details in a month or so). The only area they fell short in was speech, which was expected and actually desired. I really wanted them to be able to qualify for speech therapy, and was concerned they would be delayed, but not delayed enough. Their comprehension and vocabulary were fine, but their articulation is very poor. It's often very hard to understand them.

We get more details at the recap meeting in a month, but for now we can look forward to speech therapy in the fall. Soon we will be able to understand all the funny little things they say!

Baby Jail

Have no fear...no more broken bones for us!




We've had our crib tents for a week or two and the girls love them. Their favorite storybook is Farmyard Tales which takes place on "Apple Tree Farm" about "Poppy, Sam and a dog called Rusty" . (turn the pages and you can look inside the book!)
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Farmyard-Tales-Usbourne/dp/0794509029#reader_0794509029

There is one story about Poppy and Sam, the children who live on the farm, which involves them camping in a tent. So, I told the girls we were getting tents like Poppy and Sam. They completely bought into it and now they love to "camp out" like Apple Tree Farm. One day, we will bring out the real tent and have a camp out in the back yard. Natalie and Abby will love it!

The most important thing, of course, is that Natalie and Abby are now safe and sound. It also means we can keep them in their cribs until they literally don't fit anymore. And, Mommy loves that!

Just heard snuggling in bed...

Scene: Natalie and Abby in Mommy's bed

out of nowhere, and actually moments after Abby was annoying Natalie by putting her feet on Natalie...

Abby: I love you Nannie
Natalie: (leans down and lays on Abby) I love you too, Abby
Abby: I love you, Nannie
Natalie: I love you too Abby
Abby: I love you Nannie
Natalie: I love you too Abby


Mommy's heart melts a little:-)

Things We Say

Natalie and Abby say the cutest things. They have a few phrases they repeat a lot.

I'm sorry - I'm not really sure why they say this. I hear them saying it to their babies. Ex: "Here Baby Bean...I'm sorry..." I'm not sure they are actually apologizing for anything or just repeating a phrase they hear. They also say it to each other during their play. They are less enthusiastic about saying it to each other when they actually do something they need to apologize for!

I miss(ed) you (mommy, daddy, abby, nannie, baby bean, mouse, etc.) This is a new phrase - popping up in just the last few days. I'm not sure exactly where they picked this up. It seemed to start after they were at Ya-Ya's and Grandpa's last weekend. Perhaps they picked it up from hearing us tell them we missed them. Today, after PT, Abby took her car mouse, gave it a big hug and said, I missed you, Mouse.

She/he/it's so cute - This especially comes from Abby. I think this is a combination of me saying things are cute and the Wonder Pets. There are a few episodes, particularly the "Save the Kitten" episode where one of them says, "she's so cute..."

"mommy, mommy" - this is not actually about me - but what one animal (the baby) says to another (the mommy). If they have a pair of animals (two sheep, two pigs, two cows, etc), one is also a mommy and one is a baby. Natalie likes to take her kitties and play mommy and baby. She has one large mommy black and white stuffed cat (Abby has a gray one) and then several little stuffed kitties. She also has a larger "mommy Elmo" (a plush Elmo from Grammy) and a Daddy Elmo (A tickle-me-elmo from Aunt Joyce) and then the two plush Elmo's I bought for them serve as the babies.

Come on Mommy/Daddy/Abby - This is usually from Natalie. She will hold out her hand and say, "come on mommy" and want to take me to see something or do something. She says it to Abby a lot too. The response she gets is Okay, I'm coming Nannie.

I love you, too or even just I love you - Hearing your child say this to you is the most amazing thing in the world. They are starting to say it more and more and very often in response to us saying it to them.

What's that, Mommy - *sigh* this is said nearly every other minute. It's their version of "why?" They even say what's that to things they can easily identify. I think they are just saying it out of habit at this point.

Abby, are you okay - Natalie is so incredibly concerned about Abby. If she coughs, she'll ask, are you okay, Abby. Abby will say, yes, or I'm okay. Natalie will then say, ok. Abby sometimes checks on Natalie, but usually it's Natalie to Abby. Today, during a diaper change I was just wiping the tinkle off of Abby while she was standing. She was fussing about it and Natalie came over and said, it's okay, Abby, I hold you - and she held her hands while I did it. She is such the caretaker.

Excuse me, Abby/Nannie/Mommy/Daddy - manners are just so cute coming from little people. They use this quite appropriately too. When they want you to move or get past you, they sweetly say, excuse me please...

Bless you - again - cute little manners - if someone sneezes, they'll say bless you mommy. Once I heard Abby sneeze and then to herself she said, bless me :-)

please (pease), thank you (tank you), and no thank you- the girls use these phrases all the time and appropriately. They direct them to us, each other and to grandparents, aunts, etc. We are actually pretty proud of this.

Last (that I can think of), but not the least important, by any means...

more Wonder Pets, I want Wonder Pets, Wooooonder Peeeeets... sadly, this becomes the refrain if they watch one or two episodes and we then turn it off. This, we are NOT so proud of. They are far too addicted to Wonder Pets. We are ashamed. But, I have to say, it does have its merits. They are learning to identify a number of animals. If they see an animal seen on Wonder Pets they will say, wonder pets save the baby .... So, we then test their memory and talk about how they saved the animal, etc. They remember quite a bit. It also enhances their imaginative play. They take their little animals, like a large stuffed kitty and a smaller stuffed kitty, and have the mommy say, thank you wonder pets for saving my baby or I missed you baby. It's really fun to watch and listen to them play.

These are just a few of the most repeated phrases. They are both talking more and more. Natalie has especially come out of her shell. She talks all.the.time. She narrates what she is doing a lot and describes what she sees. She also speaks in really complex, long sentences. For instance, the other day she saw a picture of a dolphin and she said, the Wonder Pets save the baby dolphin in the water in the net. The problem is, I can't always understand what she is saying. Sometimes, I can piece a few words together or use context clues, but sometimes - not. Abby is a little easier to understand, but not always. Obviously, their diction is the focus of their speech therapy. In fact, we are trying to get an extra day each week added so they will have it twice a week.

I keep trying to capture some of this cuteness on video, but it's really hard. By then time I grab the camera, they've stopped or gone on to something else. I'll keep trying though!

Bone Update

Abby is doing very, very with her broken clavicle. At about 12 days out, she has started moving it and using it more. She still doesn't reach up with it, push on it or pull hard on it, but she is reaching out for things, and starting to color and eat with it. The most delicate times are when changing her clothes - and when we forget and start to pick her up the wrong way.

Someone suggested to me I wrap an Ace bandage around the sling to hold it in place. I did this for a few days and it was very effective. Yesterday, I dropped the sling and just used the bandage. I think it did help Abby, but it's most important use was to remind us that her arm is hurt. It's helps us to remember not to pick her up under the arms or hold that hand.

Abby has learned a few phrases to help us remember too. "No touching, no touching" - usually if it's already been moved wrong. "Be careful with my arm, Mommy" or "Watch my arm Mommy" when I get her in or out of her car seat so I don't hurt it.

Natalie showed a great deal of compassion for Abby by rubbing and kissing her arm when we told her about it. She forgets about it though, as easily as we do, because if Abby has something she wants, she has no hesitation in trying to grab the arm or push her.

So, over all, Abby is doing very, very well. A doctor in our church said that if you put two clavicle bones in a room, they will grow together. So far, they are mending as easily and fairly painlessly as expected. A follow-up X-ray in about another month will make sure she has healed properly.

For now, it hasn't slowed her down. She's quite the little trooper.