Walking!

I can't believe it! L is walking. She was always very steady on her feet, and when she started standing she stood solid. She could go up and down and squat. Now she is off, and she loves it! She loves getting the yays and hugs. Where did my baby go?!

Happy Birthday!

My sweet sweet girls,

I love you more than I could ever explain. You grew inside me and I knew the instant I saw the two little pink lines on that stick that you were mine and that you would be perfect. I remember feeling you wiggle inside of me and the little rythmic bumps against my pelvis when you got the hiccups.

I waited, holding my breath, begging God to hear your cries before Dr. S pulled you out. How proud your daddy was of you both. I've never seen him smile so much. We held you and cried. You both have been a challenge but I know your dad and I think you are the best thing that ever happened to us. Your little smiles and the laughs, the ones that start in your belly and make you wiggle and shriek in delight. They bring joy to my heart and make me feel like I am doing everything right. The silly Popeye faces you make and the little adventures that you find- climbing and opening drawers. I love being able to see life from your little eyes. I love that you miss me when I'm gone because I miss you so much too. I love singing songs at the top of our lungs in the car (which is mostly me but you both like to sing along too). I love hearing you wake up in the morning and talk to each other.

Always know that you have made my life better just by being here. I will always love you both, no matter what.
Happy Birthday sweet girls.

Love you,

Mama

Summer break

Well I took a little break (it was supposed to be little). This was mostly just supposed to happen while we were at the beach. My aunt and uncle don't have much of an internet connection. Well then I was out of the habit so well you know what happened.


I'm back at work and teaching creative writing and yearbook. I am only part time, yay! It is weird to leave everyday at 11:30. I have lots of updates to share and I do a lot of writing with my students so hopefully I will be posting more.

Upcoming posts will hopefully include: a summer recap (with super cute beach pics), a one year photo session, birthday letters and pictures, pics of my freshly designed house!, plus some other things that have been on my mind lately! So to entice you to come back here is a sneak peak of the girls birthday pics.

portraits were taken at Portrait Innovations.

I pink puffy heart Target

Ok I'm obsessed with Target, always have been (and no they do not pay me, but Target feel free to send me an email about that at any time). In one of our apartments we lived across the street from Target, no joke. It was like heaven. In our current house I could probably walk to Target if I really wanted to, but having twins makes you really tired.


So ever since we found out we were pregnant with the girls I've kind of been the queen of finding deals, well other than my mother in law. She's pretty good too. I cut coupons, I love outlets (I bought 3 outfits for me, my husband and the girls for under $200 at the Gap Outlet. I also love them. I put the wrong address on an internet order and they resent me all the clothes no cost to me. They rock. Again Gap feel free to email me about advertisements :-), I shop the sales racks and read the ads in the newspaper and get the emails about coupons.



Anyway, the point of all this: I've found some awesome deals lately I just had to share. Since most stores are currently shifting their inventory to fall stuff all the summer stuff is on sale. So I've been searching the sales racks, and look at what I found:

I got even more than this. Like I have two of the pink dresses and the pink elephant top with the brown shorts, I have two of those. Any way everything was under $4 (like the entire outfits were). Most of this came from Target, a few of the shorts are from Gymboree. All from the sales racks, and everything is for next year so hopefully the girls will be in 24 months by then. If not oh well, because the black shorts and two tank tops cost 75 cents, the two graphic t-shirts were $1, the dress was less then $3 (and a dress should fit). I love the black and white outfit! I think it is 2T though. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I love a good bargin :-)

The Crap You Need on Hand for Child Rearing

I know a lot of people who are currently pregnant or brand new parents. So I have decided to put together a list of must haves for new parents.

1. A screw driver
Seriously everything the baby needs has to be put together. J and I got in more fights cusing over how to put together the crib then we did in our first year of marriage (which they say is the hardest which is total crap. The hardest year on a marriage is the first year of your first child's life. A if you were wondering our marriage has survived- at least so far, I don't think J is ready to move out yet :-) You need a freaking screw driver just to put new batteries in the swing, which sucks when the swing is the only thing that will get your child to take a nap and it dies and you have to leave the screaming baby to run downstairs and dig the screw driver out of your husband's tool box. Then you have to dig the batteries out of the drawer in the kitchen or maybe they are in the tool box too. All the while the baby is screaming.

2. Batteries
We had the worst snow storms ever this year and in Virginia when you are supposed to get a blizzard people freak the F out. They run and buy toilet paper and milk and eggs. I ran to the grocery store and stood in line for hours to get none of those (they were already out) not diapers or formula but batteries because god forbid that we ran out of batteries. You need them for everything. Every toy, the swing, the bouncy chair, everything. We took batteries out of remotes even, and if you knew J that is a big freaking deal.

3. Ear plugs
At around 5 every day the baby will most likely scream it's head off for no reason. It's a scientific fact. Mommy's even have a special name for it- the witching hour. These will also come in handy when your child is old enough to do cry it out, if you so choose- we did. It's the only way S would go to sleep, sue us. A tv and bad reality shows also work, just crank it up- in the basement, two floors below your screaming child (only if they are safely in their crib :-) although I do know a mom that took her not yet moving on their own child down to the basement and let him sleep on the floor on a blanket with no monitor because it was the only way he and everyone else in their house would sleep- I say do what you have to, so long as the child is safe. (promise it wasn't me)

4. baby jail, or a playpen
Because really sometimes mommy just has to pee.

5. card board box
When they are old enough this will provide limitless amounts of entertainment. We have every toy available for children under 12 months and some sort of card board container (including a 6 pack beer holder) is way more entertaining then the $20 music table.


I'm sure I will have more of these fantastic tidbits as my girls continue to educate me in all that is toddlerness.

10.5 months

Dear Girlies,
I love you so much. It has been such a blast being able to stay home with you this last month. At the same time I am sad to think we only have a month until school starts again I am also a little glad because you two are exhausting. Now that you both crawl you are everywhere! You also love to fight! L you cry any time your sister comes near you and S you love to smack your sister and pull her hair. I think you are just trying to play but she doesn't like it! It is so much fun watching you learn and discover new things. You both love to crazy shake- which means waving your arms and laughing, you both do so big (S is better at it right now), you both wave but it is L's better trick. You also are figuring out how to high five and love to clap when we say Yay. You are too cute and I love smothering you in kisses. Your daddy said today that he couldn't believe you are almost a year. It has gove by so quickly.

Love you lots,
Mommy

L eating a french frie off Grandma's plate at Cheesecake Factory. They were really nice and brought out a plate of bread and bananas for the girls. We love eating out! L also likes a lot of the foods her daddy likes- Watermelon, french fries and pickles (she doesn't eat a lot of french fries I promise!)

S chillin in her stroller with her sun glasses and a stolen hanger from Gymboree (we returned the hanger). Grandma and I bought her the sun glasses after she pitched a fit when we tried to take them away from her. Both girls like shopping until we take too long in a store.

Tubes

Monday the girls got their first set of tubes in their ears (well first and hopefully last!). They've had quite the string of ear infections, S- 7 since March (including the one she had when they put the tubes in) and L- 5 since March. J and I both had our adenoids removed and tubes, I also had my tonsils out and J had a total of 3 sets of tubes. So the girls are following in our footsteps, sorry girls.

They were fantastic about the whole process. Our day started at 2 am with their last bottle before surgery. J and I rolled them over in their cribs, they love sleeping on their bellies, and fed them a bottle. S woke a little and L not at all, I wish I could eat in my sleep- although I probably do enough eating awake! Then I tried to give them a bottle of apple juice and water at 4 am, but they weren't interested. At 6:20 we left for the surgical center and checked in at 6:40 (right on time for once!). After filling out paper work we went up to triage to get the girls vitals done and meet with the anesthesiologist. The girls were champs but L didn't like the oxygen check.

After that we went to play! That part was probably the longest. The girls had fun watching the other little girl. They are fascinated by older children. S went back with J to have her tubes placed. She was happy the whole time! She chatted with the nurses and checked everything out and didn't cry once. Then J came back and sat with L and I until it was her turn. L and I went back and she was fine until she had to leave me to be laid on the table. She wasn't as bad as I thought she would be. She whined a little but was very good.

Then J and I went to the adult waiting room and were there for all of 5 mins until S was ready for us to come back to recovery. We walked in and she was hanging out with the nurse wide awake and looking around. She was laid down with me in a chair and I got to snuggle her. She was a bit mad about being hungry and she downed about 5 oz of water and apple juice.

L came out next and she was mad! The nurse brought her in and she was flailing and screaming. J took her and couldn't calm her down. She does not like being out of control and new situations. Finally I switched babies with him and had to rock and sing to L. Then she calmed down and went to sleep and slept for a good 3 hours! S slept on the way home too.

Once both girls had a good nap they were fine! We have to do ear drops for 5 days twice a day. They are not fun! Neither girl wants to hold still long enough.