"MINE!"...or is it?

When I was pregnant, I was obsessed with trying to learn from the parenting "experts" (aka - those who had written books on parenting), tips and tricks for the best ways to parent twins.  Most of the tips were things like:"Get your babies on a schedule - when one wakes to feed, also wake up the other"; or, "Tandem nurse your multiples to save time". Which is great advice....if you can make it work for you.  Honestly, most of that "wisdom" went out the window once I was actually presented with two live kicking and screaming babies (interestingly enough - one who nursed well and one who didn't - noting that the "experts" didn't give any great tips for tackling that!).  As I am sure most of you did too, I quickly discovered that parenting was a learn-as-you-go type of job, and that not only was what I had read not necessarily relate-able to real life, there was also obviously no one right way to be a parent!

Well, here's our latest dilemma...

We recently started the hardcore version of the "MINE!" phase.  When the ugly "mine" word would come out for the 57th time in a day I would try to resist the urge to roll my eyes and yank whatever item she would be referring to out of her grubby toddler hands, and instead would semi-calmly say, "no sweetie, actually that is Mommy's, but you can play with it for now" (or something along those lines).

Now, pause for a second for a sidebar discussion. I often forget that the girls are twins.  I mean, obviously they share their birthday, but otherwise they really couldn't be more different. One is a blond, while the other is a brunette.  One loves to color and sing, while the other likes to play with dolls and puzzles. One is messy and abstract, while the other is clean and linear. They are two totally different people. I promised myself that I wouldn't treat the girls as a unit, and I felt like I had done a pretty darn good job of treating them as individuals.

Then I really started thinking about this "mine" phase that the girls were in... and perhaps this could be one of those 'twin things' that I should be handling differently.  Maybe it's an identity issue. Maybe the girls are seeing themselves lumped together as a "twin" unit instead of as the individuals that they are.

Then the light bulb came one.
 
All of this time I had thought I was treating the girls as individuals...and while intellectually I was, I had totally ignored the opposite side of the coin.  They are forced to share just about everything physical....a bedroom, clothes, toys, mommy and daddy, all the way down to sippy cups and towels...they do have their own cribs, car seats, and blankets, but otherwise, absolutely everything is shared between the two of them. Maybe they do need actual, tangible, everyday things that are "theirs".

How did I not realize this before!?

Here's our temporary solution to not only the "mine" phase, but also to their apparent 2 year old identity crisis phase (lol).  We call these the girls' "studio apartments". 

When the girls are in their "apartments" anything that they take in there with them is theirs, for the time that they are in their apartments. Books, blankets, toys, snacks, whatever! If it's in there, it is theirs.

Here's Bri's studio apartment view from above (included are Bri, blocks, blanket, and book):

And Livvy's studio apartment view from above (included are Livvy, blanket, her baby doll "Lellow", and Elmo):

Both girls have reacted incredibly well to this concept, and really seem to like having a space that belongs to them, even if it's for a short period of time.  We let them stay in their apartments as long as they wish....it's not unusual for them to be in there for 45 minutes or more at a time, several times a day.

WOW! I feel like such a dummy! But I'm glad our apparent oversight was relatively easily remedied this time =). The next thing we know we need to do is separate the girls so they can get used to doing things without the other one always present. Si and I have tried each taking one girl and doing something special, but they don't react well to that AT ALL. They kick and scream and raise havoc because they want to be close to their sister. We can't even take them in different carts into different sections of Target because they absolutely melt down! Oye vey.  So, we have to work on that.  Any tips or tricks from the real experts (that's you momma bloggers!) is very welcome =).

So, that's all for today.  Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! 

Until next time -
Megan

Still here!!!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! My laptop crashed about a month ago, I bought a new laptop but hated it and returned it a week later, and put in an order for a different one that should have been in a week ago! Oye vey! This is putting a serious crimp on my blogging style!!!

So, I am writing this post from my phone. As you may suspect, it will be pretty short! It's hard to type efficiently with one finger and chase around 3 kiddos at the same time. :-).
Anyhow, we are all here, all healthy, and all relatively happy. Hudson is teething, so he isn't thrilled about that, but otherwise nothing big is going on. We are loving the warm weather (50's and 60's in November in Nebraska is GREAT, 70 today!), so we have been soaking it up.

We've played in the leaves...

We've climbed, and jumped, and run around...

And GROWN! Hudson is getting so big! He's getting more and more vocal every day. He still loves his nursing and snuggling time with his momma, and it makes me so happy! :-)

I promise a REAL blog post very soon, once I get accustomed to my new laptop! I have so much to blog about! I hope you all are doing well, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Until next time,
Megan

Two year and 4 month stats

We had our two year well check last Tuesday.  We brought in all three kiddos for well checks at the same time (the girls for their 2 year and Hudson for his 4 month - time flies!). Luckily, Hudson was the only one due for vaccinations or that could have proven to be a not-so-wise decision.  As it turns out, we were able to do Hudson's vaccinations at the end of the visit and simply take the girls out to the car before the nurse came in with the shots.  Whew - crisis averted!

Overall impression from the appointment:
3 very healthy kiddos.  Dr. Moore identified a heart murmur with Brianna, but he said it is benign and shouldn't cause any problems in the future. Thank goodness! I have a heart murmur too, also benign, also found by Dr. Moore when I was just a peanut.  I wonder if it isn't something genetic that I passed on to her? Hmm...

As usual, our kids are tipping the scales for both weight and for height.

Here are the stats, by kiddo:

Baby A - Miss Olivia - 2 year well check
Weight: 34 lbs 7 oz  (98th percentile)
Length: 37" (99th percentile)
Head circumference: 50 cm (96th percentile)

Baby B - Miss Brianna - 2 year well check
Weight: 34 lbs 14 oz (98th percentile)
Length: 37" (99th percentile)
Head circumference: 48.5 cm (76th percentile)

Note their height at 2 years - 37".  That's tall.  And let me tell you what I know about that.  I have read from several sources that if you take your child's height at age two, and multiply it times 2, the number you get will roughly be that child's height (in inches) as an adult.  So, lets do the math here with the girls.  37" x 2 = 74"!  That is 6'2" tall!!!  I'm a perfectly average 5'6". My family isn't overwhelmingly tall, so it must have come from Si's side! I have a couple of volleyball players on my hands! WOW!

Both girls have slowed down in weight gain, and have slimmed down through the waist (although I'm guessing this is common at this point because they are still so high in the percentiles for size!).  After their 8 month appointment I changed them from Vitamin D milk to 2% milk, against the advice of my pediatrician.  At this visit he told me I could switch them to skim if I wanted.  They are big girls. But they are proportional, not overly heavy for their weight.  Just tall, and appropriate weight for their height.  It's big for their age though...they do look like 3 year olds....

The girls are still wearing a few 24 month items (I am squeezing them into some 24 month fleece Carter's outfits this winter because Carter's doesn't do actual outfits past 24 months and I LOVE the fleece outfits), but really they are in mostly 2T pants and 3T shirts.  They seem to be interested in potty training and tell me that they need to go...as they are going...they've only actually pottied in the potty once so far...sigh...one day my patience will pay off, I just know it!

So, what about the little peanut?  

Well, there's nothing "little" about him!

Baby Hudson - 4 month check
Weight: 19 lbs 11.5 oz (100th percentile)
Height: 25.5" (61st percentile)
Head circumference: 43.5 cm (91st percentile)

He's already wearing mostly 9 and 12 month clothes. 6-12 month clothes are still okay, but most 6 month clothes are way too small. 12 month PJ's are the norm. He's in size 3 diapers.  He eats 6-7 times a day (4.5-5 oz bottles if bottle fed).  This kid LOVES to nurse. I love it. =).  He is becoming a distracted eater though, so that makes me a bit sad.  They grow up SO fast! He's also sitting up on his own already, something the girls didn't do until they were at least 6-7 months old.  I think he is able to do it simply because of his size -  he's so round - his fat rolls hold him up! HA!

Hudson has been sleeping through the night for a while now.  He goes down at about 10 PM and gets up between 7:30 -8 AM.  I am so blessed. Occasionally he will wake up at 5 AM, but I don't feed him if he wakes up at that time, so he usually just talks for a bit then goes back to sleep.  He's a really good baby.  Very mellow.  Goes with the flow. That is perfect for our crazy chaotic household!

I think I am going to wait a little longer before I start him on solids.  The pediatrician gave us zero guidance on starting solids.  I suspect he thinks that since we just went through this with the girls that we kind of know what we are doing.  True that Dr. Moore, true that.  I'm taking my sweet time with this one...if he will let me =).

So that's our update!

Hope you are having a great week!

Until next time -
Megan

We are TWO!

The girls turned TWO last weekend! Oh my!

I remember when the girls turned 1 as if it were yesterday.

It was so bittersweet.  My precious peanuts were no longer my little "babies".

And not only that, everyone who already had kiddos older than mine felt the need to tell me that the second year would go even faster than the first did, so to hold on tight! I didn't believe them.  How could it possibly go any faster than the first year already had?! Well it was possible alright! I feel like this last year has gone significantly faster than the first year did. Crazy.

I suspect the major difference between how we (as parents) view "Year 1" and "Year 2" is that the first year the kiddos are hitting so many huge developmental milestones (rolling over, sitting up on their own, crawling, first words, first steps, first foods, sleeping through the night, etc.) that there are more huge accomplishments to document and keep track of.  And pictures - oh the pictures - we had pictures taken so many times the first year! Newborn, 6 week, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, 1 year.  And year two?  18 months, and two years. Maybe one more time in between somewhere, if we were lucky.

The second year the kids are building on what they learned the first year....they learn how to run, hop, and jump; how to color, how transfer items from one container to another, how drink from a cup or water bottle without a lid; how to use silverware properly; how to use multiple words together (like today at lunch "lights up more please" - Olivia asking us to turn up the lighting in the dining room during lunch); how to communicate with each other and show love and affection; learn that they have a choice (I want to wear this, not that).  It's no longer a year of firsts. Accordingly, I don't think we (as parents) document it quite as much.  That sure doesn't mean that not as much happens though!

So, what's new with our two year olds?

Miss Olivia - 
Olivia is our little diva! Loves to be dressed up, clean, and cute. She is Miss Independent. She hates having her hair done. She always wants to be first to do anything and will race her sister to the bathroom to go potty, to the dinner table to eat, and to the door to go outside. She's defending her first born status I think...I'm older...I get to go first...LOL!  

Olivia has become very attached to her baby doll "Llellow" ("Yellow" for those of you who don't speak toddler), and insists on putting "Llellow" in Hudson's swing, car seat, bouncer, exersaucer, etc..  Super cute.  

Olivia is becoming more and more verbal every day.  It is common for her to speak in 3-5 word sentences ("Mommy go work, bye!").  She likes to do lots of different activities, but she doesn't like to do anything for more than 5-10 minutes at a time. Unless she is outside...she LOVES to be outside.

Favorite foods include: eggs, ham, cheese, macaroni and cheese, ice cream, bananas, and yogurt

Miss Brianna - 
Brianna is our lover. She loves to cuddle.  When she gives you a hug, she will pat you on the back as if to say "it's okay Mommy". She will hit, or kick, or pull hair, just so that she can give a hug and kiss afterwards.  We've tried to explain to her that you can give hugs and kisses without hurting someone first, but she just doesn't get it! 

Brianna is very attached to her blanket "Bella".  I have no idea why her blanket has a human name and Livvy's baby has a color name, but whatever! Bri looks for "Bella" constantly when we are at home.  She doesn't  have to have her always, she just wants to know where she is at all times. Interesting.

Brianna loves to sing, dance, jump, and color.  She has been working on her ABC's and knows almost the whole ABC song.  She gets stuck on L-M-N-O-P, just as I know I did when I was little =). 

Favorite foods include: "K" (Special K cereal), yogurt, string cheese, peaches, cupcakes, and ham

Both girls can identify all of the letters of the alphabet and love going for walks up and down our block, stopping at each of the political signs in people's yards, and pointing out the different letters.  I'm so proud.  LOL. They also know all of the neighbors by name, and know where they live.  Awesome. That should come in handy when they start escaping out the front door when we take our eyes off them for 20 seconds to go potty...=)

The girls have their differences as well, naturally.  While Bri likes to sing, Livvy really doesn't.  Conversely,  Bri doesn't really talk much (in actual words) and Livvy talks a lot. Similarly, Bri excels physically - running, jumping, and spinning - where Livvy lags a bit behind. It's funny really.  We watch as one girl surpasses the other in one specific developmental area; and then almost like clockwork, 3 months later the other girl comes up from behind and surpasses the one that was previously in the lead.  It's amazing to watch.  We are so blessed to have twins =).

So that's what's going on here with our two year olds!  We had our two year well check this week too, but this post is already long enough, so I will post those stats separately =).

Hope you guys are having a wonderful fall weekend!

Until next time -
Megan

What free time?!?!

It's been two weeks since I've posted! Sorry fellow bloggers!  I underestimated how much time "free time" I would lose by taking a new job, losing half a day off, and simultaneously prepping for the semi annual multiples sale!  Geez!

So, to catch you up, in the last two weeks we have:
Had our pictures taken professionally twice!

Been to two play dates (what can I say, we love to play!)

And ran the OPMC semi annual clothing and equipment sale (this took tons of time!).  But we sold $657 worth of stuff this round - WOW!

The girls birthday is October 13th so we are doing some quick party planning too.  Since the girls favorite place to be at this point is PE 101 we figured it was only fitting to have their 2nd birthday party there!  It's going to be very low key - just family, friends, and playing.  We are having a make-your-own cold cut sandwiches and PB&J bar, crock pot macaroni and cheese, and cake.  That's it! Easy peasy! I just can't believe they are almost two!!! Where on earth did the last year go?!?!?!

Okay, that's all I've got ladies! Happy Tuesday!

Until next time -
Megan

Adapt and overcome

I think I need to take my own advice!

I started my new job last Monday. I'm in "management". There's a lot to do in this new position.  A lot of possibility. A lot of good people.  A lot of motivation. Then, ironically, totally the opposite. Lack of motivation.  Negative energy.  Unwillingness to work as a team.

It makes it hard to be an effective leader to both of the extremes.

But I'm working on it.

In the meantime, I've been staying busy doing other things....

Taking the girls on the train at the zoo for the first time last Friday....they LOVED it!!!

Prepping for the semi-annual OPMC clothing and equipment sale....this is just the very beginning of my efforts....as usual we will have a plethora of stuff to sell....

Playing outside for as long as possible at night....which is becoming less and less time since it's now getting dark at 7:45....seriously NOT looking forward to winter!
Livvy found the lion at Aunt Denise's house....I see many fights over the lion in the future...it's very fun to "ride". =)

So, I'm staying busy for sure, trying to adjust to less time with my kiddos and a new set of responsibilities at work.  I'm required to work 5 days now, but I was able to negotiate 4 - 9 hour shifts and a 4 hour half day at least.  So, I have Friday mornings off with my girls.  It's better than nothing.

But that's why it's been quiet here...just in my own little universe....trying to adjust...=)

I'm reading your blogs on my pumping breaks.  It's a great escape from my new reality at work.  Keep posting ladies, I need my daily dose of you lovely mommas!!!

Until next time -
Megan

Cupcake heaven!

We had family in town for the extended weekend, and it served as a great opportunity to go through my deep freeze and excavate dessert items that had been hiding in there for many months. Truth be told, I needed more freezer space for breast milk and the huge sack of steaks and hamburger I had just purchased, but this served as a default excuse anyway. =)

Out of the depths of the frozen abyss came two dozen peanut butter Hershey kiss cookies from last Christmas, a dozen cupcakes from the girls 1^st Birthday party that I forgot were buried in there, and a cheesecake platter from Target (I’ve had three pieces of said cheesecake, two cupcakes, and 4 cookies in the last 24 hours…I’m not losing any more baby weight any time soon - lol!).

Anyhow, since there were all of these delicious dessert items out and about for people to eat, the girls had apparently gotten accustomed to eating dessert after they finished their dinner each night.  Last night they girls requested cupcakes by name.  Livvy wanted a "nana" cupcake, and Brianna wanted a "cocoa" cupcake...which I guess translates into banana and chocolate respectively.  Funny that they can say cantelope and cupcake plain as day, but banana is nana and chocolate is cocoa....whatever....

Anyway, here's what the result of said cupcakes!

Bri insisted on painting her face with the cupcake frosting....think of it like camoflauge...

And Livvy, our "clean" girl....well, she wasn't so clean either! Although she was a lot less messy than Bri!

We didn't even bother trying to wipe them off at that point...instead we took them directly outside and washed them off in their kiddy pool....HA!

So, do you guys let your kids get this messy too?  I think it's so fun to be messy!!!!

Until next time -
Megan

A vocabulary explosion!

Leaps and bounds.  That is the best way to describe the increase in the girls' vocabulary skills over the past 2 weeks.  Their development is literally growing exponentially each month.  One of these days they are just going to take off and start speaking in full sentences.  Seriously. They have started repeating everything that we say, verbatim.  Wow!  It sure makes you think about what you say when it comes right back at you from the mouth of a 2 year old! =)

In the last two weeks the girls have gone from using one (relatively advanced) word at a time (cupcake, opposite, cookie, cantelope, etc.) to using two words together in a sentence (bye bye mom, cookie please, no Bri, bless you, oh geez, darn it) and our favorite possessive pronoun – mine!  They can carry on a conversation with us, or interject into our conversation using just a couple words at a time, making it utterly apparent that they know exactly what we are saying. Oh my!

Their personalities are continuing to develop, and the differences between the two girls continue to amaze me. 

My baby A – Miss Olivia - has become very maternal over the past few months and is becoming increasingly task oriented.  She has taken to her baby doll recently and loves to swaddle her, feed and burp her, carry her around, and put her in the swing.  She likes to pick up and put things in their place.  She is a master at putting together puzzles. She is very good at following instructions.  She is also very much into role playing – picking up bags or purses, filling them with goodies from her toy box, then putting them over her shoulder and pretending to leave (I suspect like momma does when she goes to work).  She is happy to play independently.  She is a total people pleaser. She is very tender hearted – she is quick to anger, but is also quick to get her feelings hurt – so we have to be very careful about how we discipline her.  Likewise she is very concerned about others, so if someone else gets hurt she wants to make sure they are okay, and will do whatever she can to comfort them.  She always wants to be part of the group, and never wants to be left out. She learns the best by simply watching others. This girl doesn’t miss a thing.

My baby B – Miss Brianna - is very artistic and creative.  She can sit for 30-45 minutes at a time and color pictures.  Even after that period of time she gets upset when you take the paper and colors away from her.  Quite the attention span for an almost 2 year old!  She learns best by touching, feeling, and experimenting. She enjoys singing and loves to read books.  She also loves to dress up in pretty dresses and dance around the house.  She is very determined – if she wants something she will do whatever she thinks she needs to do to get it – regardless of the risk of getting hurt or getting in trouble.  She is a pretty messy eater, and dances happily to the beat of her own drum.  She doesn’t seem to care what others think of her.  She loves to sleep and is a hard sleeper (don’t wake that girl up!). She loves to snuggle and read books.  She prefers one-on-one interaction to group interaction, and doesn’t really care whetehr or not she is included in a group.

Both girls are doing extremely well with their little brother.  They snuggle him, give him kisses, and talk sweetly to him.  If he is crying, they try to console him.  Livvy will fetch a new diaper, cover him up if she thinks he is cold, talk to him, give him kisses, stroke his head, and will try to help burp him.  Bri will talk to him and cover him if he is cold, but isn’t interested past that point.  I’m just so very pleased that they don’t hate him!
Although really, who could hate this snuggle bunny?!?!

Both girls are very interested in their ABC’s, and they love to try to sing with us.  I often hear Bri sitting by herself chanting “A, B, C, D, E, F, hmm, hmm, hmm” or trying to hum row-row-row your boat. It’s really quite adorable.  It seems that every 2 days or so she adds another letter to her ABC repertoire.  At this point she has seemed to skip G and has latched on to H.  We are working on G. LOL.  Livvy isn’t quite as interested as Bri seems to be to learn her ABC’s (I never hear her practice, although that doesn’t seem to be how she learns anyway does it?!), but she does like to join in and try to sing with us when we sing. 

It’s amazing to watch them learn and grow!

What has amazed you about your kiddos this week?

Until next time –

Megan

Guest posting on Olusola's blog!

I'm silly...I forgot to mention that I was doing a guest post over on Olusola's blog this week ...and its already been posted for two days! Oops! If you haven't already, bebop over and check it out! It's my personal story of breastfeeding my twins =). 

Thanks Olusola for having me!

Megan

'One Word' Wordless Wednesday =)

JOY

(It is Waffle Cone Wednesday.  What could possibly be more joyous for a toddler than their very own overstuffed ice cream cone?!?!)

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's back to work I go....

Sorry if you are singing the rest of the song! Naturally it's one of those annoying songs that once you get it in your head you can't get it out...my bad....=)

So last Monday I went back to work "full-time". Little man was a day shy of 8 weeks old.  It was excruciatingly awful to be back to work. I have no idea why this time was so different.  With the girls I went back part time at 10 weeks and full time at 12 weeks, but I was begging to go back to work with the girls. I needed some time to myself.  I wanted to feel like I was something other than "the twin's mom". I had worked really hard to get to where I was in my career (ha - like I didn't for my girls?!), and I felt that I was needed at my job.  I wanted to be there.  I needed to be there.

Then, a week before the girls turned 1, I found out I was pregnant with baby Hudson.  I knew that my (job) contract would be ending in May/June of 2012, and I found it odd how we just "happened" to get pregnant and be expecting a baby right around that time.  "Great" (read, sarcastic great) was my thought at the time - how on earth am I going to find a new job if I'm pregnant?! No one hires pregnant chicks.

And on some level, I was right.  Before I went on maternity leave, there was absolutely no guarantee that I would have a job to come back to.  I had spoken with the head of my department, and I knew what position(s) were coming open, and where they wanted to put me, but I was unsure if that was the right move for me.

2 weeks after little man was born, the position posted externally, and I applied.

Flash back to last week again.  Excruciating, remember? Ugh, it was. It still is! I hated being away from my little guy! HATED it.  And he hated being away from me.  He was fussier, didn't eat as well, and was a momma magnet the second I got home. I ended up taking last Friday off because I just couldn't bring myself to put him down that morning and get in the shower so I could go in to work.  I missed him too much.

But wait...how was I coming in to work anyway?  Did I still have a job, or not, or what? Well, the department had found a way to continue my funding until the end of September while they worked with me to find a different job within the VA.  Tuesday I interviewed for the job they wanted me to fill.  It took a lot to even get to the point where they could interview me...lots and lots of hoops had be jumped through by both myself and the department...a lot of things had to fall perfectly into place....and I have one more hoop to climb through next Tuesday.  But...after next Tuesday they intend to offer me the position.  I have a very short period of time after Tuesday to decide whether or not to accept the position.  However, they made it clear that if I don't accept the position, my funding will end September 30th, 2012.  No exceptions.

We can't afford to live on Si's salary.  No way.   I'm the breadwinner.  And this is a step up, both in title and in pay.  A logical next step in my career.  And a permanent position within the VA.  And in research, in the VA, permanent positions are next to impossible to come by. This is a very good offer.

But my heart sank a little when they told me they would be offering me the position.

I miss my baby already.  I miss my girls too. They are amazing, and fun, and are learning new things at warp speed.

I will be required to go from 4 work days to 5 work days each week (it's a management/supervisory position).  The hours of work each day will lessen, but I will be out of the house, at work, 5 days each week instead of 4.

I don't know if I can do it.

Wait.  I have to do it.  I don't have a choice.

I was praying for an opportunity like this.

I don't want to be out of a job, not be able to pay my mortgage, or car payment, or bills, do I?

But I also don't want to miss my children growing up.

My girls are almost 2! 2 YEARS OLD!

They will likely be starting Montessori next year, then "real" school 2 years after that.

The time I could be spending at home with them is quickly disappearing.

Little man is 2 months old already.  Already trying to show me that he wants to be independent.  All I can think is "Please little man, don't grow up this fast.  Stay little just a little bit longer.  Please? Please?!"

Seriously, don't blink, you will miss something.

I fear that if I take this job, I will miss a lot of somethings.  Somethings like this, from yesterday....an impromptu trip to the zoo with one of our other multiples friends....

Or this...a Wednesday afternoon/evening birthday party at Coco Key...and Hudson's first time in the swimming pool....

I have to take this job.  I have to.  We can't survive without it.

Why does it suck so much to be a momma sometimes?

50 years ago it wouldn't have been a question where I would have been.  Then again, 50 years ago, we wouldn't have had the technology to get me pregnant in the first place....sigh....

Thoughts from my bloggy friends? Have you been here?  How did you make your decisions?  What made you feel better about your decisions?  Anything???

I hate feeling this way....Trapped.  Out of options.  Heartbroken. Oye vey!

Until next time -
Megan

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Can't I just bottle him up and keep him like this? 
You blink and you miss it....

Twin Tuesday: Would you do it over again???

I borrowed this question from Pam's blog, and the more I've thought about it the more I have decided it's a ridiculously loaded question!

You all know our story already; we worked really hard to get our girls here, and we couldn't possibly imagine life without them.

When they were born, to hear each of their individual cries while I was laying on the operating table was nothing short of breathtaking.

To hear them giggle at each other when they are playing together is priceless.

To hear them chatting back and forth in their very own "twin language" is amazing.
To see them play (and get into mischief) together and enjoy each others company makes my heart smile =).

They are so very different, yet somehow the same. I love watching them play and interact with each other, and its nice to know that they will always have each other, sisters, and best friends (and honestly, best enemies at the same time).  They learn something new every day and it is amazing to watch them learn and explore together.

On the flip side, I remember how HARD it was to raise infant twins! The seemingly constant nursing, the sleep deprivation, the fussing (especially when both were fussing at the same time), the poopy diapers (naturally), the laundry. I remember how much energy I used to have before we had twins.  I remember how much more of a social life I had before we had twins.  I remember how much more time Si and I had to spend with each other before we had twins.

SO...If we could choose to have twins over again (as opposed to a singleton, or perhaps all together), would we?

YUP.

In all honesty, I'm a bit sad that my little man isn't going to have a built in best friend (and enemy) like the girls do!

Now don't get me wrong - I am LOVING nursing one baby.  I am loving cuddling one baby.  I am loving caring for one baby. I feel SO bonded to him. Having one baby is significantly easier than having two. In fact, there isn't much for Si to do with Mr. Hudson because honestly, I can easily do it all.  And that makes me sad.  Si was so involved with the girls - we each took a girl - I took Brianna and he took Olivia.  If Bri got up in the night, I was on.  If Livvy got up in the night, he was on.  Livvy didn't enjoy breastfeeding much, so if she needed fed, Si fed her a breast milk bottle while I nursed Bri.  We nearly split everything 50/50.  I loved it.  We had a very distinct appreciation for each other. We shared the load.  And not that we don't appreciate each other now - we've been there, done that - but I almost feel like he's missing out on some of the parenting of little Hudson, simply because there is only one of him.  He has taken over most of the parenting of the girls over the last 7 weeks, and I have taken over everything with Hudson.  It's not a bad thing by any means, it's just different.  =)

And a side note - in case you were curious - I do not think that twins are twice as hard as a singleton. Twins are probably more like 1 &1/2 times the work of one baby.  I mean, you already have to nurse/feed one, so it isn't "twice as hard" to feed two.  Twice as time consuming perhaps (unless you are tandem feeding or double fisting it with bottle feedings), but not twice the work.  Same with laundry, baths, changing diapers....you already are having to do it, so having to do it for two kids isn't twice as hard....in my opinion anyway =).

So back to the question, YES, I definitely think we would do it over again.

Would we want to have twins again right now?  Um, NO.  I think we are good with 3 children under the age of 2 at this point!  But we are so thrilled that we were given the opportunity to parent twins.  Oh! And I almost forgot! I'm excited to welcome one of my bestest friends Lisa to the twins club as well - she is currently 14-ish weeks pregnant with fraternal twins - and I couldn't be more excited for her!!!  I can't wait to snuggle her little peanuts! She is due January 31st. I'm so excited to meet them!

So, now it's your turn to answer the question!
Would YOU do it over again?  Why or why not?
I'm excited to see what your thoughts are!!

Until next time -
Megan

Fun in the sun!

Or, more appropriately, fun in the shade!

We have been keeping cool in the mornings by watering mamma's plants and swimming in their pool in the shade in the front yard.  This is a typical morning at our house!
The girls lounge in the pool...

Hudson lounges in his bouncy chair and makes crazy faces at us....he's silly=)

Then the girls take an awesome nap.  Something about being outside during the day makes our girls sleep wonderfully both at night and at nap time.  I am dreading winter.  Seriously.

BUT, we are still in the thick of summer here in Nebraska.

It's been really really HOT in Omaha (as is true with most of the country I know), but that won't slow these girls down.  Nope! If they can't play in their pool outside, they will play with their pool inside! Who needs water?!
We will read books in our pool in the living room.  We are SO cool!

And of course playing dress up is at the top of our list of cool things to do too =)

So what are you guys doing now a days to beat the heat???

Until next time!
Megan

Just for laughs...

Si and I finally went out to dinner for my birthday and our anniversary.  Gramz was down for the weekend, and between Gramz, Papa, and Aunt Denise, they had no problem wrangling the three kiddos for a couple of hours.

So...out we went! First we went to Olive Garden for some sangria and fried calamari (so tasty!).  Then we proceeded to 801 Chophouse in the Old Market for our 8 PM dinner reservation.  The food was delish - truly it was.  I had a filet oscar, I think my favorite meal ever (a filet topped with crab meat, asparagus, and Bearnaise sauce), and Si had a seafood plate (1/2 lobster, king crab, shrimp, and scallops). We each had a glass of wine and we shared dessert.  After tip, it was $250.  WOW.  It was delish, but wow.  Probably won't be eating there again any time soon!

Anyway, to go with our crazy expensive meal, take a look at our "view".  And I kid you not, this was the direct view from my chair at our table. LOL!!!

(If you can't tell, that is a gold bull, and my direct view was of his booty and massive "package"!!!)

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Until next time -
Megan

Ode to my amazing husband!

On July 17th, 2004 I married my best friend and partner in crime. =)

We are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary today!  8 wonderful years of wedded bliss! I wouldn't trade it for the world.

It hasn't always been rainbows and cupcakes of course....a marriage is incredibly hard work!

The first year we were married Si was still in school, so I supported him while he finished his degree.  We lived on peanuts really, but still managed to have so much fun with each other.  How does that work?!

We bought our first house in 2007 - a 1920's home that always needs at least 10 things done to it at any given time (right now Si is working on finishing the basement so the girls can have a much needed family play room and he can have a better office space to work in).  The house keeps us busy and takes up any time and disposable income we have (or used to have - HA!).

From 2005-2010 we spent wishing and hoping and praying that we would be able to have a family. We had a lot of issues getting pregnant as many of you know, but finally after many years of trying, piles of fertility medications, 2 miscarriages (one ectopic pregnancy), 4 IUI's, and two IVF cycles, and a ridiculous amount of money, we had a successful pregnancy and gave birth to our twin girlies in October 2010. Infertility made us stronger as a couple than I could have ever imagined. It actually enriched our marriage; made us focus more on what we had, and more appreciative of each other.  Amazing that good that could come out of something so awful.  I wouldn't wish infertility on my worst enemy!

We then got quite the surprise in October 2011 when we found out we were expecting again (we were quoted such a LOW possibility of ever getting pregnant on our own we never thought we would be surprised by a pregnancy)! Our miracle baby Hudson was born last month - June 12, 2012.

I don't think either of us could have possibly imagined the life we have been given (and three children under the age of 2!) when we married, but I can't imagine our life being any other way. We are loving every minute of our crazy chaos!

So here's to my wonderful husband and amazing father to our three beautiful children - I love you more and more each day -- I can't imagine being in this chaos with anyone else but you -- and I look forward to growing old and gray with you =). (It will be quiet again eventually, right?!)

I love you more than words can say!!!!

--Megan

1 month old, and 21 months old!

Baby Hudson turned a month old on Thursday --A MONTH -- and man is he growing and changing!!  I had him weighed 10 days ago and he was already 10 lbs 8 oz.  I'm quite sure he is well over 11 lbs at this point.  He is one BIG boy. Already styling the 3 month and 3-6 month clothes. Geez!  I guess I just grow them big! The fact that he eats nearly constantly while awake probably helps too - lol!

Hudson is working on smiling (he's shot us a couple cute smiles so far), and he is mastering holding up his head.  He's doing well with sleeping - most nights anyway - he goes to bed around 11 PM and get up around 4-4:30 AM to eat, then back to sleep until around 9 AM.  He's made it 7 hours straight (so from 11 PM -6 AM) 3 times so far.  It's becoming a bit more consistent which is exciting.  Hard on a breastfeeding momma if he doesn't wake up (because by 6 AM I am engorged like nobody's business) but otherwise, the sleep is glorious, hence exciting =).

Shifting gears to the toddlers who run the household....Olivia and Brianna turned 21 months on Friday.  Only 3 short months until they are 2 years old - when did that happen!?  I guess I better start the party planning eh?  Just a guess, but the girls are obsessed with butterflies and anything Sesame Street, so I bet the theme will be one of those two things.  Makes the planning a bit easier if I already have a theme now doesn't it?

Anywho, the little ladies are growing and changing every day - although more in the intellectual sense than the physical sense - becoming entirely too smart for their own good.  What I've noticed most recently with the girls is their language/word acquisition.  Every day they are learning how to say at least one new word, so many that I can't keep track anymore.  So far this week: "spaghetti", "right there", "boob" (don't ask...but I'm a breast feeding momma...I kept telling them breast, but boob is obviously what stuck in their minds), "cantelope", "Aunt Denise", and "ack-y" have come out of their mouths clear as day.  I know there are more, but they come up with them so quickly that by the time I sit down to write them down I have already forgotten half of them.  Their language skills are growing by leaps and bounds these days...it's seriously amazing to watch.

Something that isn't progressing is potty training.  I suspect this is largely due to the addition of little Hudson who, in all fairness, is getting a massive amount of mommy attention.  The girls are still regressing with me and have no desire to work on something new.  We will come back to it shortly...it's just not in their best interest (or in the interest of my sanity) to try and push it at all right now. Sigh.

I am working on making their days more scheduled...instead of 8-12 hours of unstructured play time each day during the day I am trying to add a bit of structure and schedule.  Nothing too strict, but I know if they were at daycare they would be doing more structured activities then they are at home.  I have decided to do some Tot School activities (I will link to the blog where I got all of my information once I actually get up and going) and see how the girls do with those.  I had hoped to institute Tot School last week, but now I am hoping maybe this week will be the week.  Who knows...maybe it won't be until I go back to work! HA!

What else?  Hmm..the first things the girls ask for every day are "Dada", "Momma", and "Baby", and "Baby" is also the last thing they say/ask about every night before bed.  I think they like (or at least are very interested in) having a baby around. Whew.  At least they don't hate him!  What they do seem to "hate" these days is meat.  Weird, right?  The only meat that they seem interested in these days is ham.  Not hamburger, not chicken, not steak...ham...and the occasional piece of bacon.  They LOVE macaroni and cheese, yogurt, and spaghetti.  Oh, and Special K red berries.  Anything else is totally hit or miss.  Crazy toddlers!


So that's my 1 month and 21 month update! It's crazy chaos in our household...but we wouldn't have it any other way =).


Oh wait! I have 2 more pictures to share with you!
Here's a picture of Brianna reading to Hudson the other day - it was so cute!

And here is Livvy, posing with "her" baby! She is such a little momma!!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Until next time -
Megan

They know how to make me smile =)

Our girls are at such a fun age right now! Toddler-hood is a tricky thing, but luckily they have been able to make us smile just as much as they make us want to strangle them in any given day. HA!

We've been a little busy lately (duh, I know!), so while the laundry is definitely getting done, it isn't always making it into "put away" stage.  There has been a laundry basket of the girls clothes sitting on their bedroom floor since Tuesday.  We were playing with fire, I know. For the first couple of days the girls paid no attention to it - they just let it sit there uninterrupted.  Then yesterday Bri decided that she wanted to wear several layers of clothing (it was 102 degrees here), so she put on several dresses and a swimsuit from the clothes basket and paraded around the house like a fashion diva. I know, I know, just wait until she wants to leave the house like that!  Oye! Note Livvy with the camera - she was trying to capture everything on film as it was happening - just like mommy - she's my little shadow =).

Well today Bri decided not only to put on the dresses, but added in a skirt and shoes and gave a big goofy smile for the camera! Note that while the shoes themselves do not match, the colors that she chose actually do correspond with the colors of the clothes she is wearing! LOL! This girl cracks me up! Our little fashionista! (Note that while you may not be able to tell, she was actually wearing 4 different sun dresses, one skirt, and two mismatched shoes)

So that's my quick post for today.  I have several other posts brewing, including one on Tot School and providing more structure to our day, as well as a post on our potty training progress (or lack there of), so please stay tuned!

Oh, and of course I can't let you go without a picture of baby Hudson! So, here he is, sleeping soundly with his daddy. =).

Hope you all are enjoying your summer and are managing to stay cool in the midst of this heat wave that is affecting most of the country!

Until next time -
Megan

Coming up for air....

Little Hudson is 2 weeks old already!  Our helpers are now gone, and we have been on our own with our crazy toddlers and a newborn since Sunday. 

It's almost a daily occurrence that I have to choose between taking a shower or a much needed nap.  9 times out of 10 I opt for the shower. LOL. I remember having this issue with the girls, and I almost always chose the nap.  This indicates to me that I was WAY more tired with the girls than I am with Hudson.  Either that, or I perceive myself to be smellier this time around =).

Here is an AWFUL picture of me choosing the other option...sleeping on the couch with baby Hudson...no make up...hair a mess...a total real life picture!

We are doing well overall.  We are all in a state of transition, but we haven't had any major issues.  The girls ask for "baby" every morning when they get up which is super cute. Livvy loves to "hold" him, burp him, swing him...essentially be his second mommy =). Unfortunately what isn't super cute is the jealousy the girls both seem to be feeling towards him.  They want their mommy time too.  Hudson is nursed so he gets TONS of mommy time each day.  The girls are totally getting shafted in the mommy time department at this point, and there's nothing I can do about it.  I don't have the energy to give them the attention that they crave so desperately, and physically I just can't do what I could before I had the c-section.

Speaking of the c-section, this c-section recovery has been WAY better than my recovery with the girls.  I've been so relieved! Part of it is very likely that I only had one child this time and none of the nasty stuff (like pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, etc.) that I ended up with last time, but part of it too I think is that I knew what to expect (especially the pain and the limitations I would have post surgery).  

I have to tell you though, it has been SO hard not being able to pick up my girls.  Originally when I thought about not being able to pick up the girls, I thought just that. Oh, so if they fall down on the sidewalk, I won't be able to pick them up. I didn't think, oh, but you can't pick them up to put them on the changing table to change their diapers, or pick them up to lay them in their cribs, or pick them up to put them in their car seats, or pick them up to put them in the bathtub, or pick them up to put them in their highchairs, etc, etc, etc.

They don't understand AT ALL.  I have shown them my "ouchie", and they just don't get it.  They still want to jump on top of me and play and roughhouse.  They still want me to pick them up.  They still want me to lay them down in bed for the night or pick them up to soothe them when they are hurt.  And I can't.  Which essentially means that I can't take care of my toddlers on my own.  I have to have someone else here with me. Probably for another several weeks. UGH. What a crappy feeling!

We are definitely still making the best of it though.  The girls LOVE having mommy home every day and being able to read books, play puzzles, and dance in the sprinkler.  I'm looking forward to when my scar fully heals so I can take the girls to the pool.  I'm essentially off work all summer after all - we HAVE to get some pool time in, right?!

Here's a totally fun picture of the girls coloring in the bathtub - thanks Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Josh for bringing us bath crayons!! We love them!

Anyway, I am being beckoned once again by the not-so-tiny newborn known as Hudson, so I must wrap this up.  Sorry for my lack of blogging! I hope to become a better blogger again soon!!

Until next time -

Megan