hubby

IMG_0903
Originally uploaded by motheringmymiraclemultiples

hubby

IMG_0903
Originally uploaded by motheringmymiraclemultiples

Moving

Finally fed up with blogger.

I have moved to http://motheringmymiraclemultiples.wordpress.com/.

Be sure to update your bookmarks :0)

Not so bad....Tales from the EA...

Well, I survived the Endometrial Ablation.

I ended up getting call back from the ob/gyn office and was told that I could double up on the "sedative". So I did. Hubby came home form work and drove me to the office. When I arrived, I was told that they were also going to administer some pain medication (IM of course...ahh, I don't miss the days of the old HCG trigger shot) which I am pretty sure was toradol (sp) or something like that. I waited ten minutes and was taken back to one of the rooms. I had been in the room before...when I had my first ultrasound with the twins.

I was smart. I brought my ipod. I had some very nice relaxation music that I use to fall asleep sometimes. I set up the old ipod to repeat the same song over and over and thought I was set.

So, Dr. H comes in. Now don't get me wrong, I love this guy. Heck, he delivered my babies...... He does a "quick" check to make sure that everything looked okay. No biggie. Then, he applies a topical anesthetic on to my cervix. Again, no biggie. La la la la. Then, he decides that he will turn on the TV. No, not to watch tv, but to play a "Friends" DVD. Yeah....really friggin' relaxing. He told me that it was supposed to be background noise. Gee Doc, what kind of noises are you trying to cover. He sees me there on the table with my ear buds in, trying to relax and he decides he's in the mood for a sitcom. NICE!

So he is tinkering, and tinkering. Then he announces that I might feel a pinch. Well, he injected some kind of numbing agent into the old cervix. Well, much to my surprise...my entire mouth goes numb. Yeah. I wasn't aware that there was a nerve that ran from my cervix to my mouth. Interesting.

Now, at this point, I am pretty high between the sedative and the pain killer. I am just kicked back watching all the pretty colors through my eyelids. He is turning the lights on then he turns them off, then back on again. I keep hearing things being unwrapped. Lots of things. I didn't think so much "stuff" could fit in there. And in the background, Joey Tribiani and Phoebe. God, just turn the damn TV off. It is killing my buzz. If Dr. H started to laugh I am not sure what I would have done.

The machine is talking. It is telling him exactly what to do. I feel some pretty severe cramping and try to (Lamaze) breathe my way through it. He tells me that I am halfway done. Then I hear the machine announce that the "probe temperature is minus 175 degrees". Yowza....that seems cold, especially to be in my 98.6 degree body. I decide that Dr. H. knows what he is doing and yet the machine has no reason to lie.

I start to feel more cramping and realize that the pain killer is wearing off. Yuck.

The next thing you know, I'm done. Dr. H asks if I need a hand getting up. Ummmm, yeah, that would be nice. He helps me up and then goes looking through the drawers for a pad, which he leaves for me.

I get up, slowly, and get myself dressed. I walk myself out to the waiting room and call the hubby to pick me up.

When I get home I am really, really crampy. Like the worst menstrual cramp crossed with a stomach flu cramp and some labor pains sprinkled on top for good measure. I take some Tylenol...(yeah, that will work) and go up to bed.

One of my girlfriends, Angie, stopped over with her son (Melissa's boyfriend, Colin) and gives hubby a break for a few minutes. So, I stumble down the stairs to say hello. Then go back up to bed. A few hours later, my friends Keith and Joann come over to give hubby another break. I again, stumble down the stairs to say hello. I just want to know where all my friends are when I need "a break". Oh yeah, that's right...they work during the day.

I self medicated to get to sleep and woke up about 7 on Saturday morning. By noon or so, I was starting to feel like normal. Still some cramps, but nothing that I couldn't handle. Oh, and NO BLEEDING. Did I mention that............NO BLEEDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yee Haaa!

By Sunday, I was back and feeling good. Some other friends (Craig, Brenda, Hannah and Heather) stopped over to check up on me and couldn't believe how well I was getting around. Having twins doesn't exactly afford me the opportunity to be down for long.

So, here it is, Monday morning. The kids are up, dressed, fed and changed....(thank you Daniel for pooping everywhere). I must straighted up as Mom and Dad and Grandma will be here this afternoon.

In short, not so bad. HSG and hysteroscopies and laproscopies must have toughened me up.

EA Day

So, today is the Endometrial Ablation. I am a little nervous. I walked the kids down to the local pharmacy to pick up the Rx for my "sedative" yesterday and after work last night, I took one just to see what the effect would be. It did NOTHING. Now I am really concerned. As soon as the office opens I am calling to find out if we should double up on the pills or if he wants to call in another Rx. I have this strange tolerance to pain medications. After the kids were born, they wanted to give me percocet and motrin. They may as well have given me pez and chewing gum. needless to say, I ended up with Dilauded...which seems to be the only pain medication that works for me. I didn't realize that my strange tolerance spilled over into sedatives too. I just don't really want to feel everything this afternoon.

I have just left a message on their machine. I hope they call me back soon.

Hopefully, I will feel up to blogging later and let everyone know how the procedure went.

So Much Going On

This just seems like a crazy time in our little corner of the world.

We had a bunch of friends over this past weekend and somehow, my most prized material possession got dropped. Yes, my new Canon G9 digital camera that I LOVE is in the repair shop to the tune of $200 to hopefully repair. Luckily, my next door neighbor had a spare digital camera so at least I can still take pictures of the kids. My camera may take 4-6 weeks to finally be repaired. I am very upset as the camera was more than $500 and it is only a few months old. I think I need to get a more careful bunch of friends.

All systems are go for my endometrial cryoablation. Dean is taking a half day and will stay with kids while I am having the "procedure" done in the office. Luckily, my OB/GYN's office is literally around the corner from our house, so hopefully getting home will not be a challenge. I am just hoping that it won't be too terribly painful. If it is, I do still have some left over pain meds from the c-section and I am not afraid to take them.... No pain, No pain is what I always say.

On a very personal note, I am kind of sad. The "procedure" means that there will not be any more kids. I know that I should be satisfied with my beautiful babies, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I am terrified that something will happen to them and I will be all alone. We fought so hard to get them here and now, here I am, voluntarily having a surgery that will all but make it impossible to ever have any more children, ever. But then I think that as long as these beautiful babies have been here, I have been miserable with the bleeding. I haven't been able to be a good wife (if you catch my drift...wink wink) and I know that I have been a total b*tch to just about everyone, let alone being exhausted and anemic ALL THE TIME. I know that ultimately, I am making the right decision.

Dean and I are continuing our search for the adoptive parents for the embryos. I really feel for all of the families. They all seem wonderful and I know they would love any children that were to become from these embies. I just feel that it would only be fair to select the couple with no children. There are several that already have children, one family with 6 kids (all through adoption). I know what I felt when we were TTC and I would see a family with a gaggle of kids. "I just want one. I'm not being greedy. I just want one baby to love". And we were blessed. We were given two. I would like to make our final decision sometime in the next month. We shall see.

The kids are doing great. We are doing a lot more tummy time and trying to encourage them to crawl. Most of the time, Daniel decided to just roll around but we are being patient. They were spending a lot of time in the exersaucer and the jolly jumper and their legs are super strong. They will stand (with one of us holding them around the waist) and bounce around. And they are both babbling non stop. It is too cute.

They have a pediatrician appointment next week so I can finally get an accurate weight on the boy. He is huge! They are fed the same amount at the same time and he is just so much heavier than Melissa. He is a tank!!! (Just like his Mommy was when she was little).

I love the encouraging comments, please keep them coming.

Birthdays, Basements and Surgical Procedures, Oh My!!!

So, yesterday was a good day. I woke up with a phone call from my Aunt who calls every year to sing Happy Birthday to me. She woke me up at 7:30 but I was just milking the sleeping since Dean was downstairs with the kids already.

He made me breakfast and then I went for a much needed pedicure. I do so love my pedicures.

When I got back, he informed me that my OB/Gyn's office called. I am scheduled for 8/8 for an Endometrial Ablation (they cryofreeze the endometrium so it goes away....no endometrium=no bleeding every month). It might be TMI, but AF has been very strange. I had the normal post partum deal and then it just never went away. So, for the last 9 1/2 months, it is been pretty much nonstop. They tried me on 3 different kinds of Oral Contraceptives to try to regulate it, but even the "strongest" pill, did not work. The only relief was when they had me double up and take two pills a day. So, now, since we have decided that any more children are out of the question, I am having to EA done.

I had actually asked about a hysterectomy, but being in my mid thirties doesn't make me an ideal candidate. So, we will have the in office procedure and then a couple weeks later, they are putting in a Mirena IUD to have a slow release of progesterone. Eventually AF will not exist at all. That is fine with me. My Mother didn't hit menopause until she was 60 and the thought of AF until then is just INSANE!!!!!!!!

Anyway.....

We spend most of the rest of yesterday cleaning out our basement. Not exactly fun, but it needed to be done. A friend is moving this weekend and was nice enough to rid us of a couple air conditioners, a bed, a TV and TV stand. So, in order to get all that out, we really HAD to clean. We eventually want to turn the basement into a family room or at the minimum, a man cave for Dean.... Nothing but the History Channel, The Military Channel and a kegerator.

We are having a get together tonight. A lot of the same gang we went camping with last month. So I hope the predicted "spotty storms" stay away at least long enough to get a few games of Redneck Horseshoes in.

Feeling Like the WORST Mother in the World

Today was not a good day.

Not even a little bit.

It started out as normal as any other day. The kids got up, I got them dressed, took them downstairs, gave them breakfast and then they played.

I decided that I would take them shopping since our only "upscale market" in the area is closing and everything was going to be 30% off. I had bought some amazing chorizo sausage there a few weeks back and figured that if they had any left, I would buy it. I also figured that 30% baby food is a pretty good deal.

So, we got to the store, did our shopping and headed to see Daddy at work.

So far, so good.....

My parents have a trailer (camping) and I had been doing some investigating for them to find a place to store the trailer. I had called around and found a place and it was just up the road from where the hubby works. So we went.

There were two men working the counter at the camping store. Daniel was being fussy and he was wet, I knew he was wet, but there were not a whole lot of places to change him. I had him in the front seat of the stroller. Melissa had been asleep when I put her in the fully reclined rear seat. (please note...this is where I made my BONEHEAD mistake). I didn't strap her in. It was not a conscious thing...I just didn't do it. She was asleep.

While filling out the rental agreement, Daniel was fussing. So I am trying to keep him entertained, talk to my parents on my cell phone, getting the information about the trailer that I needed for the paperwork. Then I see Melissa rolling over. No big deal.

The very next instant, I see Melissa in the basket UNDER HER SEAT.

Yes!

You read that correctly.

SHE WAS IN THE BASKET UNDER HER SEAT!!!!

And she was screaming.

Somehow, the child slid down at the footrest into the basket.

So now I am FREAKING OUT!!!

I am trying to get her out and her little foot is caught. I tried to lower the basket but her foot wouldn't budge. And she is screaming, and I am FREAKING.

I finally told the one man at the counter to call 911 becuase I couldn't figure out how I was going to free her foot without breaking her leg.

Finally, the older of the two men cam e over to help. He managed to wriggle her foot free.

I grabbed her and pulled her out. She immediately stopped crying. I was shaking so bad.

I was mortified. Actually, I still am.

I am so STUPID.

It all happened so fast.

I vowed that I was getting a side by side stroller because there is no basket to wriggle into.

I feel like the worst mother in the world.

I finally calm down. I am driving home. I realize that it is 12:30 and I haven't had breakfast yet.
So I run through the drive through at Mickey D's. Yeah, not the healthiest choice for lunch but that is another subject for another day. I go around the corner from the ordering board and to the window where you pay. I check the rear view mirror and Daniel's car seat has tipped.

Yeah...when it rains it pours. Seriously, I am not trying to "off" my kids.

So, I reach around and push it back upright, get my food and pull ahead to fix Daniel.

I then remembered that it was my dad who put the car seats back in the car after they kids stayed with them. So, just this once, I am not going to blame myself for improperly installing the car seat. I am going to only blame myself a little bit for not double checking my dad's installation.

What a friggin day!

But it is not the stroller's fault. It is mine. All mine.

Embryo Donation

After much discussion and thought, we have decided to donate our remaining frozen embryos to another couple. We are in the starting process of working with a group that specializes in embryo donation. As much as I loved being pregnant...no really..for all of my complaining about being sore and tired, it really was a great 7 months. I glowed!!! I was nice to people (which I am not all the time....kinda bit*hy at times). I nested. And I would do it all over again....

But...
~Hubby is getting older. ( 16 years older than I am)
~Our house is not terribly large. It is a 3 bedroom and we have no plans to move in the foreseeable future.
~I wasn't able to keep the pregnancy to term and probably should not risk trying it again.
~God blessed us with a son and a daughter. We're not greedy.
~There is another couple who are where we were and are ready to give up.

So, now the decision making process starts. How do you choose? How do you know that you have made the right choice?

This is the information we decided to include on our profile:

We are infertility survivors. We know, all too well, the anguish and heart ached of not being able to conceive naturally. We trusted God and were richly rewarded and blessed with our son Daniel and daughter, Melissa.

My husband comes from the upper midwest and is the oldest of 6 children. He is very conservative and is a US Army veteran. Family and faith are paramount in his life. He is a strong and active man with an incredible work ethic.

I am from the Great Lakes area and the younger of two daughters. My parents are both ordained ministers. Although I had many career opportunities (medical school), I followed my heart and driving desire to be a wife and mother and put all my efforts into a marriage and family. Little did I know the uphill battles I would face with our fertility.

Our babies were born 10 weeks early and spent their first few weeks of life in the NICU. They came home and have been growing, thriving and developing everyday. They are truly miracles. When they were born, they each weighed less than 4 lbs. They were so tiny and yet so perfect. When we look at them now, it is hard to believe that these are the same babies. They are now so big and strong. We are so blessed.

We hope that these little lives, which are already miracles, are born into and raised in love and great faith and that they become the great joy in a loving family's life.

We are trusting God to direct our decision in entrusting these gifts that were given to us. We hope that God grants all of the families waiting for their miracle peace and understanding.

K and D

Anyone have any thoughts???

My To Me From Me Birthday Present

Ok, so my birthday is not until Aug 1.

But...

I found this on etsy...

and just couldn't resist...

My Challenge for Wednesday

I figured I would give it a try...it can't hurt, right?


Teething Biscuit Recipes - Eggless Baby Cereal Cookies
from http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/teethingbiscuits.htm

**Ingredients**
1 cup flour
1 cup dry infant rice cereal with bananas (or other flavored or unflavored infant cereal)
3 tablespoons cooking oil
ice water
**Directions**
Preheat oven 425F Mix flour and cereal. Gradually stir in oil. Mix a little ice water at a time (start with 1/4 cup) until dough begins to form a ball and pull away from the bowl. Roll out to the thickness of a cracker on a floured surface and cut into desired shapes. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet 10-12 min. or until lightly brown. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container. (you may want to try 1/2 plain and 1/2 flavoured baby cereal as the taste when using full flavoured baby cereal is very strong!)

Atypical Tuesdays With The Teething Twosome

So the hubby took today off. The original plan was to finish painting our bedroom (from horrible pepto bismol pink to a nice taupe), but since it is really nice out, hubby is outside filling cracks in the sidewalk. He just left on his second trip to the Home Depot. This time, he took Melissa. She should get used to that store, since her Daddy goes there every week. I have this sneaky feeling that the bedroom is not going to be finished this week, and honestly, I am fine with that.

Daniel is being a little extra fussy today. His second tooth is about the break through and I really feel bad for him. I am giving him ibuprofen and using the baby oragel but nothing really seems to work.

I seem to be falling apart as well. Over the past month or so, I have had increasing pain in my wrist. I am sure that it is just tendonitis. But, the recommended treatment is Rest, Ice and Compression. I can manage the Ice and the Compression, but it is not like I can just stop picking up the kids (who are HUGE, by the way). So, I have to suck it up.

I also "escaped" this morning to run over and get my hair trimmed. It is getting longer and the ends were really bad and starting to break. So, I had the girl cut a whole inch off. It is hard for me to cut my hair. I still have issues with my hair. I had REALLY bad hair growing up. No, I mean REALLY bad. Kind of a mousy brown shrub on my head. It was like a "white girl fro". And when I was even younger, my mother always kept it short so everyone thought I was a little boy. My hair was wavy but when puberty hit...it got kinky curly...thus the "WGF". I started to let it grow out in 9th grade and have never had it short since then. It has always been at least a "bob". At one point, when Hubby and I got together, it was at the middle of my back but that is about as long as I have ever had it. Hubby loves it when my hair is long but with two grabby, sticky handed babies, it is not practical. So it is a little shorter, but long enough that I can put it up. Now, I just need to figure out what to do with the color (have to cover the greys).

So, the only sound in my house is the boy child chewing on his hand and the TV. It feels weird. Even the dogs are being quiet...

Perhaps I will even get to take a nap......

ANAL RETENTIVE PAIN IN THE A**

So, the babies will be 9 months old on Wednesday. I am so proud of my babies- how they have grown and developed, despite their prematurity- and I would do anything for them.

And this probably shouldn't bother me as much as it does-

But, this weekend, I was told by a friend, whom I will refer to as "M" that when the kids were in the NICU and I am guessing the Step Down Nursery, I was an "anal retentive pain in the a**". This came from a NICU nurse, whom I will call "A" who did not directly care for the kids, but who I knew prior to even getting pregnant. I only saw "A" once then entire time the kids were hospitalized. "A" was so nice to my face and had always been that way. Maybe that is why I was truly shocked when I heard "A's" comment. It takes quite a bit to shock me, but this comment did.

Maybe it is because I heard it from "M" who mentioned it as kind of an off the cuff comment. It really got to me and "M" knows how to get under my skin and push my buttons.

Yes, it is true that I have certain expectations for care for my children. It is also true that I have a medical background and may have a greater understanding of what the real situations are from a medical standpoint. Yes, I can be a pain in the a**. Hubby knows this first hand from dining out with me. I can be a manager's worst nightmare. Perhaps that is why I have always had great success in working in the Customer Service industry. But when it comes the kids...that is not being a pain in the a**...that is being a MOTHER.

Yes, I did speak with the Clinical Coordinator regarding the unannounced changes in feeding times (we had a solid hour commute to get to the hospital and arrived to find the kids had been fed and diapered and we couldn't hold them). I asked that I be notified of any change in their schedule, so that I could adjust my schedule accordingly. This was IGNORED...

I also spoke to her regarding the Breastfeeding Nazi, who made it very clear that if you fed your children anything other than breastmilk, you were poisoning them. She was older and very set in her ways and really was very condescending. Hubby couldn't stand her. I mean, he has 3 daughters from his first marriage. He has done this before. WE are not 16 year old kids with zero experience.

I also requested that no "student" nurses be involved in the care of the babies. I arrived one day to find a student nurse trying to figure out how to put a diaper on for 20 minutes. Practice on a doll, kiddo....not my babies.

The Clinical Coordinator was very understanding and our experience improved greatly. Well, I guess the nurses, being catty bit*hes that they are, were just placating us. So be it.

If the worst thing that anyone can say about me is that I am anal retentive when it comes to the quality of medical care that my children receive, oh friggin' well.

Am I a bit*h? Yeah, probably. Is "A" out of line for even telling "M" anything about our NICU stay? Yeah, I think so. Should "M" keep quiet next time? I hope so.

This has been rattling around my head for 2 days now and frankly, I want to put it to bed, so I had to get it out there.

Patriotic Daniel

Patriotic Melissa

Vacation

Yes, 11 people and a toddler in the woods......
and one toilet....
It was a BLAST!!!

We survived a heavy soaking rainstorm and an encounter with a 400+ lb bear, saw 4 turkeys, several deer, lived like paupers but ate like kings (yes, it is possible for 11 people to eat 30 lbs of ribs and the very next night, eat a full prime rib). We also must have been drinking like kings (since the keg was kicked after a day and a half). It really was a much needed change of scenery.

On Friday, 7/4, Dean and I got up and drove to Camp Ladore (the camp I went to and worked at). It looked a heck of a lot different since the last time I visited a few years ago. Somethings never change, but others change to the point that one can hardly recognize where they are anymore.

Yesterday, I drove to pick up the kids from "Grandma and Grandpa" camp. They (mom and dad) had a blast. We got the kids home and played for a while and then it was off the the bath. They were in bed by 8:30 and slept until 12:30 am. Then after a quick bottle, they were out again. Melissa got up at 5:45 and Daniel an hour later. I am not complaining about only having to get up once in the night. It is a huge improvement....

oh....

and the boy child cut his first tooth....

They are over the river and through the woods tomorrow morning.

Mommy and Daddy may even regain their sanity this weekend.

Thanks to everyone who commented on our little legal issues. The insight is much appreciated.

(Yeah, and just to explain the whole Canada Day thing....my dad is Canadian....and very proud of it. We always celebrated it growing up. The last time Mom was up in the great white north, she bought the cute little outfits that the kids are wearing. REST ASSURED...these kids WILL be in stars and stripes on the 4th... MOMMY AND DADDY WERE BOTH IN THE ARMY, dang it!)

Happy Canada Day!!!

QUESTION! ADVICE NEEDED!!!

ANYONE...PLEASE...

Kind of a strange question, but maybe you know.

The hubby and I are going away for a weekend and my parents will be watching our 8 1/2 month old twins on the other side of the state (we live in the suburbs of Philadelphia and will be in the Pocono Mountains and my parents live an hour north of Pittsburgh). I was going to copy the insurance card for the kids (just in case, God forbid, something happens), but do you have any idea if I need to have any kids of documentation allowing my parents to make medical decisions for the kids in the even that we are unable to be reached. Cell serivce is touch and go in the mountains. The hubby is very concerned as this will be the first time the kids are away from us.

Should we just write a general letter and get it notarized?

What do you think?

Thanks!

The Baby Borrowers

have you seen it yet? Check it out!

I caught a few minutes of it and was actually laughing out loud. Hubby didn't want to watch it. It is reality TV that hits a little too close to home. I was cracking up especially with the little teenage girl who got nauseated when the baby girl vomited all over her highchair. HAHAHHA! Welcome to my world, sister!!! I want to know where my "owner's manual" is!!!

It should certainly help discourage teens from becoming parents. Let me tell you, even in my 30's, having twins has been an eye opening experience. Maybe they should have put this on the air before all those girls in Gloucester MA decided to "get pregnant". I was a stupid teenager. I made a bunch of really galactically stupid choices. Without getting into too much detail, it may have contributed to our infertility. I thought that the "rules" didn't apply to me.

Thank God, things worked out the way they did. In some ways, I wouldn't change a thing. I don't know that I would appreciate the amazing gifts in my life if I didn't have to go through all of the pain and challenge of infertility.

Ok, I am a little behind....

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Random Shots

She was in a very good mood this afternoon

Daniel being laid back

Crazy girl with her lunch on her face

And for my next trick, I will drink juice from a sippy cup.

The Return to Kohls

and the kids were great. Yeah, believe it or not, I had to return 2 or 3 things that I didn't have a chance to try on.

I did some more shopping and just like yesterday, they freaked in the dressing room. I was smart today... I brought bottles and bottle genies with me.

HAHAHAHA on you, kiddie poos! You might have won the battle yesterday, but Mommy won the war today.

Oh, and we got our "stimulus check" in the mail today. Man, would that have come in handy when I was buying my meds and going through all the IUI's and both IVF cycles.

I also finally broke down and put tomatoes on my sandwich. I am the biggest fan of Roma tomatoes and have been seriously jonesing for them. Hey, I had salmonella poisoning once (chicken soft taco from taco bell in 92...and it nearly killed me), if I get it again, at least I'll get some sleep.....

The Mortified Mommy and the Meltdown Multiples

"Ma'am, is there a problem in there?"

"No, they are tired and teething, thank you."

"Are you sure?"

"No, I am poking them with pins and I'll be ripping their toenails and eyelashes out in another minute! Really. They are fine. It is their nap time and they are just being fussy. Really. Everything is fine."

Yeah....

So, out trip to Kohls today was a bit of a nightmare.

They did great. They were complete angels.

Until.

We got into the dressing room so mommy could try on a couple of tops.

Then it happened.

All hell broke loose.

Melissa melted down.

Red faced, breath holding, blood curdling screams. Loud screams. Inconsolable screams. The binky didn't work. Mommy's sunglasses didn't work. Mommy's keys didn't work. Even Mommy's cell phone didn't work. She was having none of it. She just decided that she would meltdown and that was that. And it was nice enough to be one of the fitting rooms that are rather empty so her screams had a really nice echo to them.

Daniel just joined in because Melissa was doing in. We know who the Alpha is now. (HAHAHAHAHA)

I finally relented and just grabbed the shirts and left the fitting room. I walked up to a register with both babies completely freaking out. "Don't you have any help with them?" "Oh yeah, the au pair is off this week.....she and the maid are on a cruise". No, I don't have any friggin' help. Oh yeah, my husband, who works 10 + hours a day. "Don't you have any family?" "Yeah, they are 6 hours away....do you think if I called my mom, she'd come?". Just let me get out of the store so no one else has to go deaf.

Into the parking lot and into the car....and yes, they were asleep before we got out of the lot. Came home, and they slept for another 90 minutes.

Two of the shirts are WAY too low cut, even for me (and I am not exactly a shy person when it comes to cleavage). So, we shall have to return and revisit the fine people at Kohls and maybe be lucky enough to have to stand in line to return the shirts.

postscript...

I made out like a bandit on kids clothes...jeans for $3....levis......I got 12 and 18 month sizes becuase God only knows how big these kids are going to be in the fall.

Too Funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you have to check this out.

I nearly peed my pants.

All the difference in the world

It is amazing what a few hours sleep can do.
I was in bed by 7 pm. I believe I was out before my head hit the pillow.
I woke up twice in the night for the babies but felt great at 6 this morning.
I got up, went to the grocery store, came back, fed the kids, loaded the dishwasher, started some laundry....

Amazing! I feel like a different person.

Yesterday I wanted to run away. A good friend of mine reminded me that Moms don't get to do that and that things could be worse.

Tonight, Daddy has extended "Daddy Duty" as I have to bartend for our monthly "Dance Night" since the other 2 bartenders are out of town. It should be fun. We try to go but this will be different since I will behind the bar rather than sitting at it. It's extra $ so I am not going to complain.

Have to change loads of laundry....feeling very industrious today.....

That's It, I'm Done

yes, I am done.

I got almost 2 whole hours sleep last night combined.

Number of times Mommy got up =12
Number of times Daddy got up = 0

And this is after being sleep deprived for countless nights and only getting a 40 minute nap yesterday. I may have had 8 hours sleep in the last 3 days. If I am lucky. Which I am not.

Screw it.
Yeah, we have no food in the house.
yeah, the kids need formula from Costco.
Yeah, they will be drinking extremely watered down apple juice out of dirty bottles.

Why?

I just give up. I don't have the energy to deal with it today.

Boy, I sure hope Daddy has a good day.....

Daniel and the Atomic Diaper

How can so much poop come out of such a little body.
OMG!!!

On another note...the boy is very chatty. I couldn't help it.

Another Sleepless Night

We put the kids to bed around 8 last night, even though we skipped their bath. They did great for a while and then WAMMO! 1 am rolls around and Daniel has a melt down. So, we put him in bed with us (again). I know that we can't keep doing this because he will get used to it and I will never have another restful night of sleep again.

So, I decided to bathe the kids myself today. Well, actually, Daniel took an atomic dump and got poop everywhere...I mean everywhere...the kid was brown from the nibbies to the knees.... sometimes there aren't enough wipes in the world.....

Keep in mind, it is much easier if I am in the tub with them that traying to lean over the side of the tub and keep them in the little plastic one. Normally, one of us is in the tub with them. Boy, when you try to do it yourself, it is a challenge. They are slippery little suckers!!!!

So I am getting ready to go to work and trying to keep the kids awake so that mayber they will get a nap in later and give Daddy a break. I know that he is tired from work and it is lot for him to walk in the door and take on Daddy Duty, but I do it all day, everyday...

It is much cooler here today and we are finally able to turn off the AC. I mean between diapers, wipes, formula, food and gasoline...the last thing that I need to a huge electric bill....

crazy little monkies

We are 8 Months Old and She Got A Tooth!!!!

Yes, it has been 8 months. I don't know where the time has gone. It seems like it was yesterday when we brought home two tiny little bundles and thought that it would be soooo easy. Boy, were we wrong. Thousands of diaper changes and bottles, hundreds of loads of laundry, hundreds of hours of lost sleep, dozens of bottles of mylicon and tylenol and a surgery later... we know better. They are just changing so much every day. And they are huge! I just tell people that they are good eaters...which they are. They are both in to 12 month clothes, although they will fit in some 9 months stuff. They are both rolling over and over and over. They are both very chatty... lots of ba ba ba ba ba mmmmmm and giggles.

Well, we had a nice weekend around here. Saturday afternoon, we went over to some friends' house and the kids went in the pool with Auntie Jo and Mommy. They really enjoyed it. We had to leave a little early to beat the thunderstorm but had a nice time nonetheless.

Sunday, (Father's Day) Hubby slept in until noon. I am not as good at making breakfast as he is, so I decided that in order to not torture the poor man, I would have him sleep in in lieu of the normal "breakfast in bed". After he got up, he went out and did his favorite thing: work in the yard. It was a really nice day, not too humid. He got a lot done and we decided that we would cook out. We had a nice supper and Uncle Keith and Auntie Jo stopped over.

After everything started to settle down, Dean asked me to look in Melissa's mouth. Guess who is in the process of cutting her first tooth.... Yup! My little girl monster had a "toofer" popping through on the bottom. I tried to take a picture, but she is a wiggle worm.....

It was just nice that she did it on Father's Day and he was the one who found it...but if you would have told me that she would cut a tooth before Daniel, I never would have believed you. He has been teething like C R A Z Y!!!!!! He is constantly drooling and chewing and gnawing.... but the little man is sleeping all night.... Now, if we can just get Miss Melissa to cooperate....

Weathering the storm

So after 4 days of seriously oppressive heat here, we finally broke the heat wave. Around 8 last night, the skies darkened and the winds began. The winds were strong enough to nearly blow away our gazebo, knock off branches and make our power go out for a few minutes. The kids didn't seem to mind the crazy thunder and lightning so we are pretty happy about that. The yard is a bit messy and we have to put the canopy back on the gazebo, but we are safe.

Yesterday, Melissa also took her first dip in our neighbors' pool. She kicked her feet and sat on Aunt Cindy's lap who was floating in an inflatable seat. She was wearing her tankini...camouflage, of course.... she really seemed to enjoy it (even though she wouldn't smile for mommy).

Hey!!!!!!!!

Messy but cute

So, it is like a bazillion degrees outside so, we are hanging out in the house today. Daniel's breakfast is on his shirt and Melissa is wearing a dirty bib, but aren't they getting big?

The kids went to bed around 8:30 last night and woke up three times. I wish I could figure out how we can get them back to sleeping all night because I don't know how much longer I can function on only a few hours sleep a night. Yesterday, the only napped for a total of two hours. One would think that they would be exhausted and want to sleep all night (Lord knows I wanted to), but they didn't. they were both up at 5:45 this morning and have just now gone for a nap (it is nearly noon).

The teething continues... Daniel loves his teething ring and we have also started to give them cool water with apple and grape juice. There seems to be no ill effects and the kids like it.

So, if anyone out there has any ideas or suggestions, we are most open to hearing them....

How hot is it?

It's so hot that even the squirrels are finding shade....
Just took this a minute ago....
I love my camera sometimes.

And the beat goes on...

So the "we're not going to sleep through the night" dance continues. I think it is more Melissa than Daniel. She wakes up between 2 and 3 am and screams. We even tried the "cry it out" method, but that is really a tough one when you have twins sleeping in the same room. Cry it out = 2 babies awake and screaming. hopefully after their teeth erupt, they will go back to the little angels they were before Easter.

They are both rolling over. And over....and over....and over. It is really comical. Melissa is not really crazy about being on her belly for very long, but Daniel just doesn't seem to mind. Sometimes he is so laid back and other times, he is just a crazy man.

The kids will be going to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the 4th of July. It will be our first weekend away from them. Not that I don't love my children, but a weekend away sounds WONDERFUL at this point.

Watching the world go by...

The kids love watching cars. We have had such nice weather, we put them out on the porch last night so they could hang out for a while.

7 1/2 months

Memorial Day Pictures

Kim, Mark, Dean, Kari
Daniel and Auntie Joann

Mommy and Daddy

Memorial Day Weekend

Well, what a weekend!!!

We were a busy bunch this weekend.

It started Thursday with our anniversary. Hubby took the day off and we worked around the house and yard. We went to dinner and our very good friends watched the kids. We then went over to another friends house and visited for a while. The kids sort of behaved and weren't too terrible when they got home considering the teething....and my throat was starting to hurt.

Friday was running around and prepping for our cookout which was on Saturday. We finished cleaning the house and the yard and setting up tables and chairs. And my throat was getting really sore and I was sneezing...

Saturday, we had about 35 people over...yes...35...I must be out of my mind......but we had a great time and the kids got some "face" time with everyone. It went a lot better than I though it would. I will post pictures....when the kids give me a minute....

And then it hit me. I knew it was going to...and it did...and hit me hard. A DREADED COLD...

Sunday, I was MISERABLE!!!!!!!!! Coughing, hacking, sneezing, stuffy, runny, you name it!!!! I was a mess. Daniel has a little bit of it and I am sure the Melissa will end up with it as well. Joy! Teething and a cold.... a double whammy!!!

Monday, we were still recovering from the entire ordeal on Saturday. The weather was just beautiful all weekend. Today, it is raining and not so nice, but that is okay since my only assigned "to do" is laundry.......

So, we survived our first Memorial Day cookout with the kids. Hubby is back to work and I am back to my routine....

3 year Anniversary

Three years ago today, I married my best friend in the whole wide world.
I can't believe how much our lives have changed. I saved the two pieces of paper that we wrote our vows on and last year for our anniversary, my Uncle, who married us, sent us them back. So, here they are......

Our Vows:
I, Kari Lynn, take you , dean Allen, as my husband, my soul mate and the love of my life.

We have already been through a lot together, and I believe that God has been preparing us for this moment and our future together.

Though life may not always be as perfect as this day, I vow to stand beside you. When you need someone to encourage you, I want it to be me. When you need a helping hand, i want it to be mine. When you long for someone to smile as and laugh with, turn to me.

I promise to love you in all your laughter and tears, your comfort and fears, your sickness and health in poverty and wealth.

I know that our love is heaven-sent and I promise to always honor my promise to you, I will be your best friend, your partner and your love, all the days of our lives, come what may.

I, Dean Allen, take you, Kari Lynn to be my wife, my partner and my soul mate.

I want to share my life with you. Together, our love will grow into a bond too strong to break and I know that we will share this amazing gift from God with the world.

I will be here to listen to you, laugh with you and to hold you through the good time and the bad, I want you to always know that I will be by your side.

I pledge my love to you. I will have faith in you and encourage you in all your endeavours. I will work with you as we build our new life together and strive to make every day as special as today.

I will be your best friend, your partner and your love, all the days of our lives, come what may.