11 Months

It's getting harder and harder to get the twins to sit still take their monthly pictures!

Just too much to see and explore.

It's a two person job now, with me taking photos and M. making sure no one falls off the chair.

Pretty Girl is cutting 6 teeth right now. S-I-X! At the same time! She has four cutting through on the top gum and two more on the bottom. Night time is the worst. Poor little thing just can't get comfortable. She's still my little "Velcro baby"...wanting me over almost anyone else. The only other person she will go excitedly to is Miss O. Oh my goodness, does she get excited when she walks into the room! It is adorable.

Big Boy truly is my BIG boy now. He might have started out smaller than his sister, but he's got at least an inch in height on her, and I'd guess at least a pound, too! He is SO close to walking, talking a few steps here and there. He's fine until he realizes he's not holding on to anything, then he slooooowly lowers himself down to the floor.

They are so much fun but so busy, too! My days are filled with No's and redirecting someone away from something, but I also get to have fun reading books, and playing with them.

I'm so lucky.

A Little Housekeeping

Cough, Cough....Ah-Choo!

*Wiping the dust cloth around, trying to knock down the spider webs and dust*

Somebody is pretty bad at keeping things up around here...

*looks around*

Yeah, that would be me.

All I can say is that twins = craziness.

So much to say, so little time to do so.

I've picked up some freelance work (and I use that term loosely!) that requires me to sit at the computer, so hopefully I can straighten things up around here and start blogging again!

I can't believe Pretty Girl and Big Boy are 11 months old already.

Miss O. is done with the school year.

We just returned from our 1st official family vacation as a party of 5, that included over 1800 miles in the car, visiting lots of family and the beach.

I hope to bust out a few posts soon...for those who still stop by here now and then...and comment on the many posts that sit in my reader.

Oh, and I'm trying to figure out Twit.ter. I'm thinking that would be a more realistic way of keeping up with my bloggy friends. Any tips, opinions, or help would be appreciated!

Catching Up

Someday I will figure out how to incorporating some time to blog into my life.

Someday.

In the meantime, just spewing my thoughts out when I can will have to do...

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Big Boy and Pretty Girl have been suffering from a cold for about 2 weeks now.

Miss O. brought it home and in no time the runny noses, coughs, and fussiness started. Within a week, I had it too.

On Sunday, Big Boy started running a fever.

Yesterday it spiked to 103.9.

I freaked.

Ran to the doctor.

Poor little guy has an ear infection. Lots of screaming last night, but at least the fever has gone back down to a more manageable 100 degrees or so.

I hope the antibiotics work quick.

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"Operation Lose the Twin Weight...and then some" is back in business.

Within the first 5 months of their life, the weight was melting off me. I have to think that the tandem BF and then BF and pumping was a big help, but I could eat pretty much anything I wanted and still lost weight. If I paid even a *little* bit of attention to what I was shoving in my mouth, I would lose even more.

By March, I was down 60 pounds.

That was 10 more pounds than I had gained with them.

Since the end of March, I've managed to put 10 pounds back on. I'm blaming the weather, not watching what I'm eating, and Pretty Girl and Big Boy consuming less breast milk.

I'm back to watching every bite that enters my mouth and trying to exercise at least 3 times a week.

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Both babies are really doing well.

Pretty Girl says "MaMa", waves goodbye, crawls, cruises, and claps. She love, love, LOVES her big sister and wants to be with Miss O. all the time!

Big Boy says, "DaDa", claps, crawls FAST, cruises and stands on his own for 20 to 30 seconds at a time. I have no doubt that he will be walking soon.

I can't believe that they are 10 months already.

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People never seem to stop amazing me with their stupid remarks.

Just yesterday, a lady at Sam's Club looked at the twins and said, "Aww, a boy and a girl. Now you're done having kids."

Uh, yeah, thanks for making that decision for me.

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We're trying to decide on what to do for vacation this year.

Originally a week at the beach sounded great...but then I thought about it.

A week at the beach with two kids just over 1?

Hmmm...I don't know.

Any suggestions?

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I had started a Couch to 5K program a couple of weeks ago.

Then the cold hit me, and I couldn't walk without wheezing, let alone run.

So, I'm going to restart it again.

I'm going to learn to love to run, even if it kills me.

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So, that's a peek into my world.

What's going on in yours? Any great vacations planned? Do you freak out over fevers? What do you say to stupid remarks from strangers?

Mixed Emotions

Mother's day.

A seemingly sweet holiday.

One to honor the women who birthed, raised, supported us in our lives.

If only it was that simple.

Mother's day is a holiday that I have such mixed emotions about.

For many of us, the ones who have suffered or are still suffering from infertility, it is a holiday filled with aching.

I've felt that ache, the wanting of a baby to hold on Mother's day. If that's where you are this year, please know that I will be thinking about you, holding you close in my thoughts, understanding what a tough day it is to endure.

Mother's day, to me, is also hard for an entirely different reason.

I hate enduring the endless stream of commercials reminding me to buy the perfect card, flowers and candy for my Mom.

I get angry when I walk past the displays of cards in the stores.

I want to shout out, "Stop pressuring me, I wish I had to worry about buying the right card!"

Instead, I just put my head down and walk on by.

It's been seven years since my Mom lost her battle to ovarian cancer.

I miss her everyday, but there are 2 days in the year where I can't help but have a good cry.

Mother's day is one of them.

She never had a chance to hold my babies.

She never had a chance to give me tips on how to raise them.

She never had a chance to sing them lullabies.

I might be a thirty-something year old woman with my own family now....but sometimes all you want is your mom.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

Where is Spring?

I want to know where spring has gone.

It's the 4th of May.

It feels like it's been raining for 40 days and 40 nights. Maybe I should start building an ark.

My heat is still on.

Miss O. has to wear a winter jacket to get on the bus.

Flannel sheets still adorn my bed.

It was 44 degrees when I left my house last night to start a running program.

44 degrees.

In MAY.

My body is craving carbs, my skin misses the warmth of sunshine, my mind needs something to sweep out the dust bunnies.

Just a little sun, please...

Until Mother Nature decides to cooperate, at least I have these 2 rays of sunshine to make me smile!

Thank goodness!

Hello?

Hello? Hello? Hello?

I'm still around.

Life is crazy.

Life is wonderful.

Here's a quick synopsis of what's going on...

• M. is out of town. He left yesterday and won't be back until SUNDAY.
• This is the longest I've ever been alone with the twins and Miss O...it's no big deal during the day, but doing the bedtime routine by yourself is challenging.
  
• The twins are already 9 months old. When did that happen?
• I can't find time to sit down and type at the computer. Why? Because the twins are on the move. Crawling. Pulling up. Craziness!
• I got a Ni.ke + for my birthday and a new pair of sneaks...now I just have to find time to use them!
• Teething sucks.
• It will not stop raining here. I think we've had 3 dry days in the last month. I'm seriously losing my mind from the lack of sunshine.
• I've somehow managed to gain 10 pounds over the last 2 months.
• Gaining sucks when you've worked hard to lose 60 pounds, and still have more you want to lose.
• I have a love/hate relationship with my pump.
• My breastfed baby has 2 teeth, while my bottle fed baby has none. NOT fair.
• I've started freelancing back at my former place of employment. It's very sporadic, but is allowing me to keep my foot in the door.
• Sleep is not going well right now, I'm blaming teething, and praying for something to change soon.
  

Of course, a baby is stirring, so I have to run...

Who, Me?

I never used to be a list maker.

If I did take the time to write something down, such as a grocery list, it never failed I'd forget to take it with me.

That was before the twins.

Now, I don't go a day without writing something down, even if it's just a quick note to remind me to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer. (Don't laugh, if I don't it's liable to stay in the washer for days before I remember...eww!)

I would be lost without my lists.

That's why I laughed to myself last Friday, as a nice lady commented on how organized *I* was.

Me? Really? Me?

It was a good day. I somehow managed to get myself and the twins ready and out the door in time for me to make an exercise class at the Y. One of my birthday presents was a coupon book, good for childcare there, so I could start working out again. I was nervous that I wouldn't have everything I needed for the caretakers, even though the twins would only be in there a little over an hour. After checking them in, I headed up to the class and tried to not to look as out of shape as I am!

Afterwards, I practically ran back to the childcare room, anxious to see how they were doing...

Pretty Girl was happily bouncing in an exer.saucer while Big Boy was sitting in a caretaker's lap.

Nothing but smiles all around.

I chatted with the worker about how they did. As she watched me gather their things, load them up in their carriers and snap them into the stroller, that's when she made the comment.

"Oh, you are so organized! Everything has a place and is in order...most mom's with ONE baby aren't that organized."

I smiled and politely said thank you.

Inside I was rolling on the floor with laughter...if she only knew how many lists it took to plan this little outing!