Daniel being Daniel

Sick babies...

so now both of our little ones have a cold. Melissa woke me up around midnight with a stuffy nose, poor thing. I called the pediatrician yesterday to ask if there was anything we could give them to help clear their little heads. Nope...too young. All we can do is use saline in their noses and aspirate it out. We can also "push fluids". This is the first time that they are "allowed" to drink water. Not that we haven given them water in the past but now I have the official nod.

Melissa is really enjoying her rice cereal with apples. Mom bought a box for our visit and it is too chunky to add to their "super bottles" that we give them before bed. So, I tried it for her lunch yesterday and she loved it. Daniel will eat anything but Melissa is a little on the picky side.

Daniel is doing better but now the cold seems to have moved into his chest. I fell so bad for the kid. We have his head propped up when he sleeps to help keep his nose clear. He ws wheexing pretty bad last ngiht and I wish I had a nebulizer. The vicks baby bath and rub was the best I could come up with.

Oh, and did I mention that I too, have a cold. Dean never seems to get a cold and to be honest, I am a little jealous. It must be that tough North Dakota stock.

I can't complain too much about the kids. They are 5 months old and have not been sick AT ALL. I am feeling a bit sleep deprived as I got nearly no sleep this weekend and the last two nights I have been up with each of them in the middle of the night. After they finishe their bottles, I am back off to try to get a few more minutes sleep...hopefully, they will let me.

The Weekend

So, we finally got out of here around 1 PM on Friday to drive to Mom and Dad's for the weekend.

We were doing just great. The kids slept until around 4 or so and then we stopped at a rest area on the turnpike to change and feed them. I took Melissa and the diaper bag and Dean took Daniel and the other diaper bag. We got them back in the car and gave them a bottle. Took them out of their car seats, burped them, put them back in the car seats and got back on the road.

We decided that rather than driving all the way to Beaver, we would meet Mom and Dad et al at Primanti Brothers in Cranberry. I have been wanting to try their "Pittsburger" ever since I saw a special on the travel channel a few years ago. By the time we got there, the kids were hungry again. So, I go into the bathroom to fill up bottles with water and add the premixed formula. I get back to the table and sit down only to have Grandma (my Grandma) spill her large iced-tea all over the table. Shhhesh.....

So we have our meal, I love the sandwich...I can't believe I ate the whole thing.....

We are walking out the door and my mother falls in the foyer. Keep in mind, the foyer is not lit and it is now getting dark outside....their mat is not very vi sable and mom must have caught her foot on it. Perhaps, if Primanti Brothers actually turned their lights on (which they did as I was taking a picture of mat and dimly lit foyer...coincidence, I think not!!!) maybe Mom wouldn't have fallen. We got mom up and into the car and I went back into the restaurant to give them Mom's name and also to get corporate information in case mom needed further medical assistance( or decided to pursue the matter).

Never a dull moment with my family...

So, we follow Dad to their house on the curviest road I have ever been on.... great after a huge meal, let me tell you.....

I knew I was getting a cold...so was Daniel. I can't complain, neither of the kids have gotten sick at all...it was bound to happen.... but Daniel was having a hard time breathing through his nose and decided that he wouldn't sleep all night...so I did not sleep all night either. We had a nice day on Saturday. We had an early Easter dinner, Honey Baked Ham.(yum) After dinner, dad dug out some slides and we had an old fashioned slide show and trip down memory lane...

Daniel work up at 2:00 AM and woke his sister up too, which woke my mom up and my dad up, and Aunt Linda up. I made a bottle for Melissa and Mom took Daniel into her room with her. She spent the rest of the night in the recliner with the massager on, keeping his head propped up so we could get some sleep. We never did make it to church yesterday...the kids just took tun going crazy. We left there at 12:40 pm and got home by 7:00 or so.

It was the most exhausting weekend I have had in recent memory.

Here are the kids in their Easter outfits..

and a family picture...

I think I look exhausted.......

One Year Later

A year ago our babies looked like this...and they moved into their new temporary digs.

Today, our babies look like this:


What a difference a year can make.....

Happy Conception Day

A year ago today we had our 2nd egg retrieval and they got 11 eggs to fertilize.
A year ago today, God blessed us with the possibilities of our children.
A year ago today, I was feeling like I might never be called "Mommy".
A year ago today, I never knew that I could love so much or so deeply.

How cute are we?

I might be crazy...

but I decided to try to make my own baby food. I had this revelation that maybe we could save some money if we made it ourselves. Not that I can't afford $.96 a jar at walmart, but most of that cost is for packaging. I went to this site and got some nifty recipes. I had some bananas that I bought on Tuesday that I knew I wouldn't get a chance to eat before we left to go visit Mom and Dad and so I plopped them in the blender with some of my milk and made banana puree. the kids will be having that for lunch...If that goes well, then we will move on and try some of the carrot puree I made and froze in an ice cube tray. I am considering purchasing a kidco baby food mill, but if our trusty blender works, why bother?

I called the hubby at work and asked how he felt about "homemade" baby food and the response I got was "no". No explanation, just "no". I don't get that. It is the same food we eat minus preservatives that I know that Gerber and Beechnut add. He finally relented.

On anther note:

I really believe that Miss Melissa is going through a period of separation anxiety. She has gotten me up in the middle of the night every night since we put her in the new crib. She doesn't just want her binky, she wants human contact. She holds on to my finger until she drifts back to sleep. I think she misses feeling Daniel next to her. I mean, I understand. Other than the time they were separated in the NICU, he has always been right there next to her. Even when he is kicking the crap out of her, it is still contact.

She was watching him very intently yesterday during the baby Einstein DVD viewing and when he fell asleep, she looked over at him and decided to take a nap too. When he got up, she got up. It is all very cute, but Mommy is concerned nonetheless.

And on another note:

We have three dogs. Jake is 8 1/2 years old and is the best behaved dog in the world. He is his Daddy's best friend. As of late, I think he is feeling neglected. He has managed to dig through the diaper bag removing everything including the bottom liner piece. And just this morning, I heard a strange little noise and Jake had decided to go in to the breast pump bag and remove a spare piece and start to chew on it. Not sure what we are going to do about that...

I've got a big day ahead. I have to pack for our trip tomorrow. I have to finish laundry. I have to finish writing out mileage logs for our 2007 taxes since our tax girl is stopping y tomorrow to pick up our paperwork. I have to pump, shower and be at the firehouse by 4 pm. This should be interesting...........

Baby Einstein

Grandma sent the kids a new toy. It is a DVD. They were really into it. Then I played it a second time and they both fell asleep. Of course, it was after sweet potatoes and a bottle, but MOMMY GOT SOME QUIET TIME! They are both crashed out in their bouncy seats. Yes, they are both pink since the first one that Grandma bought didn't work. The company actually sent us a new one. So, now we have 2, pink bouncy seats. Daniel doesn't seem to mind. I am sure he'll hate it when he is 14 and sees pictures, but for now.....

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

New Digs for Melissa

Well, we finally did it.

We finally broke down and got a new crib.


The kids were just getting too big and starting to kick the crap out of each other.

The lovely people at the American Academy of Pediatrics should be so proud of us now... we have submitted to their will!!! No more "cosleeping".


Daddy put the new crib together last night, with the assistance of Daniel.




This of course means that there is no place for Grandma to sleep when she comes to visit unless she wants to sleep in the living room.

Daniel and Melissa and Dean and I loaded up the kids and headed over to Target with gift cards in hand and bought the Aspen crib for Melissa. It isn't quite the same model, but the color of the wood is really close.We went over to Babies R Us and got a new mattress and mattress cover.

She seemed to enjoy it well enough but I thin that she might miss Daniel a little bit. She woke up me several times between 3:45 and 6 am.

So now, our tiny nursery is the home to two beautiful babies, two cribs, one dressing table and a rocking elephant.

On the feeding front, we tried green beans last night and the kids really enjoyed them. Then since she was acting extras hungry, Melissa also had some bananas. She REALLY enjoyed them.
So, after dinner, and after the bath, and just before the "super bottle" I was able to catch this cute shot... my little family, who ever would have "thunk" it!

Shots of Daniel

Daniel @ 5 months

6:30 AM, Palm Sunday

and it is raining. Yuck. I can't tell you how much that I hate rain.
Maybe it is because of my hair. I have"naturally curly" hair which tends to "naturally frizz" in the rain. Maybe it is because our dogs refuse to do their business in the backyard when it is raining. Maybe it is because we have such poor draining in the driveway that we are bound to end up with muddy feet while putting the car seats in the car. I hate rain and we have had way to much of it this year.

Three of us are up right now. The kids are in the next room on "auto pilot" (boppy + bottle genie = auto pilot). I have yet to make coffee although, I could really use a cup right now. Daniel is dressed and Melissa will be after I burp her. I have learned that if I am just patient, I will have far less laundry to do. You see, Melissa has a tendency to "power belch" and something like the scene from the exorcist happens. Yes, my daughter is Linda Blair.

Anyway, we are all going to dress alike this morning. Right towards the end of the summer, we got a flyer in the mail from Alumni Originals and we had two sweatshirts and two onesis made up with our last name on it. I figured, the kids have worn their onesies just once and should wear them again before they outgrow them. Besides, how cute would we be all dressed the same? OK, stop vomiting.........but yes, I will post pictures.

I must go and burp the littlest exorcist now....

Oh,

and my babies are 5 months old today!!!

another day...

Today has been a pretty difficult one so far. Daniel is the fussiest he has been since he had his hernia surgery. He just seems inconsolable. He doesn't want to be in the swing, or play with the kicky-kicky. He wants to be held, then he doesn't. I keep on checking his mouth for little white bumps (thinking of course, that he might be working on a tooth) but so far nothing. He is drooling a lot more. They were 9 1/2 weeks premature so it might be too early for teeth. I'm stumped.

The kids will be 5 months old tomorrow. I really can't believe it. I don't know where the time has gone. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was driving back and forth to the NICU, complaining about certain nurses and wondering if I would ever be able to handle two babies on my own. Now, it's just something I do.

We will be going to the Palm Sunday breakfast at the Fire House in the morning. I wish that we could have helped out more, but it should be a great success. The kids will at least get so see some of their "aunts" and "uncles".

Just because she's beautiful

BIG kids

So, the babies were weighed at their doctors appointment yesterday.

Melissa is 16 lbs 10 oz

and Daniel is 17lbs 6 oz!!!

We have some little piggies........

Tuesday, yawn...........

They were holding hands...but Mommy couldn't get the camera fast enough. Not the best night we have had. Daniel decided to be a night owl. Then her decided that he wanted to get up at 1:45 this morning. At 3:45 am, Melissa decided that she was hungry and must have told Daniel that "he was hungry" too. So, Mommy is a little sleep deprived this morning. Daddy said that Mommy should try to get some sleep, but the laundry doesn't do itself.

We also will be venturing out to the pediatrician today for another Synagist vaccine (RSV). Oh joy! Can you say "premedicate the kids with Tylenol"? They just just be a barrel of fun tonight...

Daddy is going to leave work a few minutes early and meet us over at the doctor's office to help me. I am very happy about that. They can be a bit of a handful.

First of all, it is $70 each and every time that we go there, whether we see the doctor or not. I don't get that. If it is a visit just for a vaccine and we don't actually get seen by Dr. Sue, then there should be some kind of a discount as far as I am concerned.

Then we get to fully undress the kids to get their weights. Daniel is always nice enough to have a present waiting for the nurse...hahahahahahahahaha. Then we get to wait for the nurses to come in and stab the kids in the thigh. then the screaming, drooling and most times, spit up. Then, we get to load them back into the car seats and take them home. It's not as bad as when they have to get their regular vaccines, but still a challenge.

A day in the life

Everyone who sees me out with the kids ask me how do I do it. I don't know. I just do it. It's instinct. They are my kids, I am their Mommy.... I just do everything twice. I don't know how it would be of we had had only one baby and then had twins afterwards. I would have probably bought a one way ticket to the grin bin, but I am doing it. Somedays, I don't know how, but I am doing it.

Their schedule is always subject to change but goes something like this:

6-7 am: Wake Mommy up. If it is Melissa, she is quiet for at least the first few minutes unless she is really hungry, then look out!!! If it is Daniel, he is ALWAYS hungry and is not very patient. The kids get changed and fed thanks to our bottle genies. They are by far the best purchase we have made. I don't know how I could get through the day without them.

The kids generally go back to sleep until around 10 am. We have some tummy time and play on the kicky-kicky. They love this and we are very glad that Grandma and Grandpa bought it for them.

Around noon, the kids eat again. They are taking a mixture of breast milk and formula and will usually take about 7 oz at each feeding.

We try to keep them up during the afternoon so that by the time that bath time (between 8 and 9 pm) rolls around, they are exhausted. We generally feed them their peas, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes or green beans around 7:30 pm. If it is bath night, they get topped off with a super bottle (a scoop of rice cereal added in). I know that I'm not supposed to do that, but they love it and they sleep all night.

They are really amazing kids. Daniel is such a ham. He has a great smile and is such a happy baby. Melissa is reserved and shy. She smiles, but she can be a little stingy with them. She is our cuddle bug and will hug you tight during nap time.

We are so proud of them. They are both doing great holding their heads up and now grabbing things and putting them in their mouths. It seems that there have been few or no effects due to their prematurity.

We are blessed. We make a lot of messes. The laundry never ends. I would go on vacation but know that I would miss them terribly. But, WE ARE BLESSED.

Visits with Grandma

With Grandma 3/08

With Grandma 12/07

My mother came to help out and visit this weekend.

Here is a comparison of how much bigger the kids are now.

My mother has been a huge help to us in taking care of the kids.

They are more of a handful now. She had a fun time with them Saturday night while

we were at our Tartan Terrors show in Jim Thorpe.

They had her running.

It can be quite an experience when they both get going. You calm one down and the other decides to just go crazy....

At least they sleep through the night.

They are missing their grandmother today.... she flew back to PGH on Southwest (which managed to only be an hour late leaving PHL). We watched the flight on a flight tracking website to make sure that she got there. Grandpa was there to pick her up and get her home safely....

We will see her again at Easter. It will be the first "road trip" for the twins.....should be yet another adventure.....

Double Trouble

Dean and the kids

Dean and the kids
Originally uploaded by kari.vise

Daniel and his Daddy

Daniel and his Daddy
Originally uploaded by kari.vise

My guys were just being so cute yesterday that I had to snap a shot...