Let's Make This Quick

So much to blog about, so little time... We've had Mack's birthday, birthday party, Father's Day, trip to Logan to visit cousins, then on to Idaho for a family reunion, continuing on to Washington for a visit with family and friends, which included some fun in Seattle. Not to mention the baseball and swimming lessons. Keep reading over the next few weeks, and I might cover all these events.

First things, first...


He finds humor in the simplest things. Apparently learning the properties of water shooting from a hose is comical to this child. Oh, how I love him!

These next few are from an overcast day. I just can't resist a good photo op...

On the tractor.

In the tractor bucket of the loader.

Skipping.

Dancing.

For his birthday, he got a new bike and Lego Batman for Playstation. We also went bowling that night. Mack won, and not because we let him...

That's all for now. I am really not in the blogging mood, right now, but I had to update something.

Oh, and some fun pics of the girlies...

I couldn't get a picture of Addie not talking...

This picture cracks me up! Lydia is so sad...

Now she's happy!

Nothin' Much

Not a whole lot has been going on around here; other than taking care of kids. The girls are growing well and eating like crazy! For a while they were the best sleepers. Usually it was between 8 to 12 hours before they woke up. It was amazing to be getting a good amount of rest. But, once I admitted to the pediatrician, they began to wake earlier in the morning, and then more than once. So, now I am back to waking up every 3 hours. I guess a part of that is due to the fact that I had them sleeping in their car seats (propped back a bit, so they couldn't fall forward and suffocate). I did it for a number of reasons: they were having tummy troubles and I didn't want them to choke on their excessive spit up; then they caught colds and were congested and coughing a bunch; most importantly, I needed some good rest. Hopefully, they will begin to sleep well, again.

They are such fun girls. Both of them are starting to laugh. Lydia giggled for the first time on Tuesday. Before her bath, we let her stand in front of the bathroom mirror and play. She got excited and kicked over the hand sanitizer into the garbage can. Mack thought that was pretty funny, and so did Lydia. They were both giggling pretty hard. It was so cute! Addie is getting to where she laughs softly. Such a sweet sound!

It is fun to watch their personalities develop.

Lydia: She is very social and has been since day one. She smiles at anybody who looks at her. BIG. Not just a little grin, but a smile so big that her eyes close and she looks like she is about to bust at the seams! She isn't very cuddly and likes to look out at everything. Most of the time she arches her back; which means she is already mobile. When I place her on the ground, she arches her back and pushes herself all around. Sometimes it creeps me out to find her in a different place from where I left her. I had her laying in a bouncy seat tonight while fixing dinner and she almost fell out the top of it! I even had her strapped in. Mack likes to laugh at her when she is in the tub, because she jumps around and makes big splashes.

Addie: She watches people with really big, curious eyes. Once she warms up to a person, she smiles and coos. She really loves Chad and I and always smiles for us easily. She loves to snuggle up and be held. Most of the time, she is the one who moves around the crib until she is cuddled up to Lydia. I have to keep a wedge between them, though, because they wake each other up by trying to eat the other one's head. It's funny to get them up in the morning and their hair is all matted down from slobber.

They are getting to where they recognize each other. A lot of times when I am nursing them, they hold hands and watch each other. It's so cute! They usually coo and smile when they exchange looks. It's funny to watch them reach milestones together, for example, most babies this age are beginning to notice their hands and will scratch at their clothing. When they are holding hands, they watch. And they reach over and scratch at each others clothing and bodies. So fun.

Mack has been keeping us on our toes. He is doing better with things. I have been making him do things on his own more, but take time out of the day to spend doing "really fun" projects. We also go on a date each week. He is funny. The other day while giving the opening prayer in primary, he blessed that "the naughty kid in his class won't be naughty and will be nice." We always tell him that Heavenly Father wants to know what's in his heart and how his day went. So, we get some pretty funny stuff. He usually talks about what he's done through the day. Sometimes he tells Heavenly Father that I say "stupid" which "is a really bad word" at our house. A lot of times through the day, if he becomes upset at me he threatens that he is going to tell on me to Heavenly Father. I love that Mack has that sort of relationship with Him. One time he invited Heavenly Father to take a bath. In his prayer, he said, "Heavenly Father, we have a bathtub at our house and if you'd like, you can come take a bath with me. My mom will even put bubbles in the tub!" Ah, the faith of a child.He wouldn't hold still long enough for a great picture.

I hope you all enjoy the pictures. I took them at my house on Friday and it was an all day project! It started at 8:00 a.m. and I finally had everything cleaned up and jumped in the shower at 3:00 p.m. It was fun to play with the lighting.

Just for fun...

Another Blessing

We blessed the girls, today. Chad was nervous he'd give the wrong name to the wrong baby. Luckily, he got both the first and middle names right! It was great to have all our family and close friends get together and celebrate the babies' lives. Mary (my amazing step-mom) brought my mother-in-law down from Washington and then surprised everyone my bringing my dad with her. I know that sounds mixed up, but... Last month, my dad was on a ladder when it collapsed. He landed on his elbow and basically turned it to dust. He was hospitalized for two weeks and had major surgery where the bones where replaced by titanium. I was told he couldn't come, because of the pain and risk of getting hurt on the ride. Gullible me completely believed them. Boy, was I surprised when he showed up at dinner the night before! It meant a lot to have him there to help bless my girls! I love my family and good friends who came to support us today. It was a beautiful one!

So, my pictures didn't turn out that well, because my camera was on the wrong setting. I am going to take more pictures (hopefully tomorrow) to send out to people. It was hard to get good pictures, too, when I had a few little girls standing around trying to do bunny ears and get in the frame.



So, Mack has a new girlfriend, Mia. According to what Mack had me record in his journal, Mia and he are getting married in the temple. Mack will steal Chad's church clothes in order to do so. He is excited that they will finally be able to sit in the front seat of the car. After a while, he will go to work everyday and Mia will have a baby in her tummy. When the baby is born, Santa Claus will be there, so they can finally meet him at their house. Santa will bring their baby all kinds of fun toys and Mack will play set up the toys and play with the baby. This picture was during a play date. They were drawing pictures on the fridge. Don't worry... I encouraged it! I love, love, love crayola washable markers! They come off with a baby wipe!

MackMan! Na na na na na na na na Na na na na na na na na. MackMan!
This is how he dresses most days when leaving the house, minus the mask and "bat ears." The cape and matching Thomas boots are a must! We were trying to get an action shot in this photo.

So, Mack is a very good big brother. He is having a difficult time with sharing attention right now, though. I feel so bad for him. He does stuff a lot to get attention, but the wrong kind. I can't just ignore his behavior and still need to put him in time out. However, I think I need to try to give him more attention, somehow, while I am taking care of the babies. When I do set time aside for him, he doesn't want it, or does things that land him in time out. Also, he's been overly teased a bit by an older cousin. He frequently talks about how much it bothers him. I think between the babies and being teased so much, he is beginning to feel unwanted, or something. What do I do? Suggestions are very welcome in the comments...

Otherwise, life is good *sigh*

Blessings

I have to hurry, if I want to take a shower today... Both girls are sleeping and Mack is at the library with a friend.

First of all, I have to say what a wonderful sister I have! A couple of weeks ago, I wasn't getting much sleep and I began to feel CRAZY. It seems that when I don't have control over my sleep, I become controlling over everything else. My poor family. Anyway, I called Shaurie on a Tuesday evening and asked how she felt about us coming for a visit. The next morning, I loaded up the kids and headed out to Roosevelt for a FULL week. Shaurie (and Mike) took care of all four of us: fed us; let me take naps and sleep in; entertained Mack; bathed, dressed, changed, and fed the babies; did my laundry... Having her help was such a lifesaver! Chad stayed home and was able to catch up on sleep. I was able to catch up on sleep, get my milk supply up, and figured out how to get the babies to sleep better. Since then I feel completely calm and feel like I have the ability to handle anything.


Now for some fun pictures...

This is what Lydia's expression is when she isn't smiling. She concentrates on things for a long time and scowls as she does it.

Addie has become more content these days. When she is awake she is very pleasant (of course sleeping is very pleasant, too). She is getting more of a relaxed personality and is starting to smile more. Mostly in the mornings when she is about to be fed.

I found them cuddled like this one night.

This was last night, after their bath. It was impossible to get a good picture of both of their faces...

Mack has been amazing the past couple of months. We struggled at bedtime every night before the twins were born. A typical night before: Dinner, bath, p.j.'s (which included a diaper) all while ridiculously hyper. Family prayers and story time. I would then try to leave, but he refused to stay in bed unless he had hot cocoa in a sippy cup and either Chad or I cuddling with him until he fell asleep and he had to have a lamp on. He claimed he was scared to go to sleep, because he feared the chickens on Sesame Street would come and take his slushes away. I don't know where he got that from... On a typical night, he would finally be asleep by 11:30.
Since the girls have been born, we have bedtime figured out. Last night was flawless! He bathes with the girls and while we get them dressed, he gets himself out of the tub. He helps get his p.j.'s on (which he doesn't wear a diaper anymore, because he is a big brother) and then brushes his teeth. Then while Chad and I feed the girls, I read two stories to Mack. By then, the girls are done eating and we put them to bed and say family prayers. Mack gets one more story in my lap and then we take him to bed and tuck him in. One flaw... I have to threaten him that if he comes out of his room, I will go crazy. He must not like crazy mom, because he stays in his room. By 10:00, all kids are asleep. The whole routine takes an hour and a half. I feel that is great timing for getting two babies and a 3 year old to bed.

Anyway, here is a great shot of my handsome boy drawing outside with chalk.

At Shaurie's wearing his awesome Texas shirt from my awesome Aunt Jana. He insisted on sporting this "bowtie" all day. It is actually a hair bow...

This is the BEST blackmail photo! I love the expression on his face. He has become very curious about my "bottles" lately. He even tries to get the milk out of them by squeezing and I have to get after him. The best, though, was when he tried to convince my mom to let him feed Lydia while he was laying down with his shirt up. My mom didn't like it too much.

He loves to rock the babies. One crazy night, he even rocked Addie to sleep for me while I was working with Lydia. Such a great big brother!

P.S. You are the greatest blessing in my life, Chad. I love you.

Professional pictures

Sisterly Love

Addie's sad face (I love this!)

Addie's usual face

Lydia's gorgeous smile (her usual look)

Still so tiny!

My good friend, Kelly Anderson, wanted to take some pictures of the girls. She is a twin herself, so it was fun to visit with her family (especially her mom) during the shoot. I love these pics! PLEASE look Kelly up, if you are looking for a great photographer! She also does hair and has great style. Her blog is www.kunnybunnykins.blogspot.com.

Sleep: Things at our household have been a bit crazy at times. We have been switching up sleeping arrangements for our family. For now we have found the most success when Chad and I sleep in our own bed, Mack on a travel bed in our room, and the twins in the crib in the kids' room. This way I can close both doors and only hear the girls when they really need me. A couple of nights ago, I was awake for most of the night (except for maybe 2 hours total). By 4am, I lost it and began to cry. I ran to my room where Chad and Mack were sleeping. Chad got up and helped me, so I could sleep. I usually try not to wake him, because he can't take naps in the day like I can. So, that is the reason behind the girls being "locked away" at night. Since then, I have been able to get 8 hours of broken sleep a night, if I go to bed at 10 or 11 and wake up at 8 or 9.

Moving: Chad's brother gave us the opportunity to move into a duplex he owns for a very good price. It is probably 2 or 3 times the size of home we are living in. 3 bed, 1 1/2 bath, play area, den, bigger kitchen, laundry room, fenced backyard... We would be dumb not to jump at the chance to live there; wouldn't we be? Well, turns out, we told him yes, and then began to doubt our decision. So, we prayed about it and decided we would be dumb to take the offer, so we had to decline it. Reasons??? I've learned the hard way not to make deals with family members. We love Ryan and his family too much to jeopardize that relationship. Also, moving right now (packing, cleaning, fixing this place up for renters, finding renters) on top of barely surviving the day would result in some very damaged people, emotionally. Not worth the risk. Lastly (and the biggest factor) was our ward. We just don't feel like it's the time to leave the wonderful members of our ward. I need their support right now. Such as being able to call Aubrey today on a whim and her come to my rescue within 20 seconds of making the call. I love these people and can't survive without them right now.

Mack: My favorite story about him as of late: On Monday, he was invited to a friend's house to play the next morning. That night he was in the tub and hollered, "Mom. I'm ready to get out and go to Josie's house now." I said, "Mack, you can't go until morning." "Why?" he asked. "Because it's late, she's probably in bed, and asleep." I replied. Mack then said, "How do you know, mom. Maybe she's nocturnal."

One Week...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Life is GREAT! I have a lot to say in this post, so it will be a long one. First things first, a look at some picture of the girls...

This is Lydia Marie. She was 5 lbs. 14 oz. and 17 1/2 in. at birth. She is very patient and LOVES to smile. She tries very hard to find my face when I am talking to her and looks all around. When she spots me, a smile creeps up on her face and her eyebrows raise.

This is Addie Mae. She was 6 lbs. 8 oz. and 18 in. at birth. She is more alert and has the biggest blue eyes for such a tiny body. She is more verbal and communicates well. When she wants something, though, she wants it right away, but also lets you know with her noises when she is pleased.

The Birth...

So, I ended up having a scheduled c-section. We arrived at the hospital at 5:00 a.m. where I was asked a lot of questions and hooked up to monitors and such. By 6:00 the anesthesiologist arrived and set me up with an epidural. He told me to watch for ringing in my ears. What do you know, a few seconds later, my ears were ringing and my lips began to numb. I tried to tell them, and noticed my tongue was numb, also. The hospital staff began calling out vitals and numbers and the anesthesiologist pulled out the catheter. Chad looked a little stressed. After a few seconds, the effects went away and I was able to calm down. Next, they wheeled me into the OR, where I moved onto the table. Then the anesthesiologist gave me a spinal (which was very much like an epidural, except there wasn't a catheter and I felt the results immediately. It made me feel very nauseated. It made me gag and they were putting warm blankets on my chest and arms, which made everything worse. I asked them to take off the blankets in between dry heaves. Usually, your arms are supposed to be stretched out, but they let me bring them in to my chest. Ahhhh... I felt so much better and quit crying. A few minutes later, the Dr. Wold and Dr. Broadbent performed the incision and a few seconds later, I could hear Lydia cry. This time the tears of joy flowed. They brought her around the curtain, but I couldn't see her very well lying down. A few seconds later, Addie was born. She was more quiet at the time, so I didn't realize the doctors had pulled her out, until they brought her around the curtain. For the next few minutes, I just layed on the table while they cleaned up the surgery. Chad and one of the nurses brought the girls in and put them on my shoulder so I could kiss and nuzzle them. For the next half hour, or so, the doctors stitched me up and I closed my eyes and relaxed, almost falling asleep. It didn't hurt, or anything. In fact it felt just like when the girls were flipping around in my stomach. A few times there were some weird pressures, but it wasn't too bad.

The next hour, or so, I had to wait in labor and delivery while the nurses came in to check my vitals. Once I passed the "tests, " I was wheeled down to recovery where I got to see the girls and hold them. It was quite exciting. They needed to eat right away and they were pretty hungry.

My recovery went well (and is still going well). I was able to bend and move pretty well later in the day and even got up started walking pretty well. It was dizzying at first, but I was told to march like a soldier and not look down. My incision is pretty low, so I don't have to worry about it getting in the way of nursing, or anything like that. I weighed this morning and found I have only 9 pounds to lose before I reach my pre-pregnancy weight! Crazy!

As far as the twins go... I love having them. There are so many fun things about it that you only experience in the presence of newborn twins.

• The other night, I was holding both of them. Lydia was sucking on a binkie and Addie was trying to suck on the back of Lydia's head!
• When Chad sneezed the other night, it startled them both at the same time and their little arms went flying up in the air simultaneously.
  
• Mack LOVES to burp them, because they nuzzle up to his neck. There is always a baby that needs burping, so he gets this privilege often.
• It was so fun to take their pictures.
• They like to cuddle with each other and sometimes, try to eat each other's face. I usually stop them before it's too late.

Hope you all enjoy the pictures, and I am sorry it took so long to post them! Thanks for all the encouragement, prayers, and kind words.

Quick picture post of Twins

Addie- 7:09 a.m. 6 lbs. 8 oz. 18 in.

Lydia- 7:08 a.m. 5 lbs. 14 oz. 17 1/2 in.