Lil LJ - Worth the Wait

New Beds!

2012-01-22T09:47:00.000-05:00

The girls got their twin mattresses a few weeks ago and we finally got their beds from IKEA put together yesterday. It literally took a full day! We have them pushed together to basically make a king bed. It takes up quite a bit of their bedroom, but still worked out pretty well. They LOVE them. I will post pictures as soon as I get the closet organized and begin work on their mural. :)

Quote of the week
from Mady: "Mommy, I'm going to work to draw on the 'puter like you" and "Emma, you're my best friend"
from Emma: "Daddy, thank you so much for my beds." (without being asked to say it)

Yay me for posting twice in a week! ;)

No more excuses.

2012-01-17T16:33:00.000-05:00

How many times have I probably had this same post title? I started this blog for me, but also for anyone else like me. Maybe you have Endometriosis. Maybe you have twins. Maybe you went/are going through infertility. Maybe you had preemies. But mostly I started this for me. I have a horrible memory. I want to remember as much as possible about these years. The girls are also at an age where they LOVE to look at this blog and look back at the pictures of when they were babies.

Let me just get out my excuses and then I'll move on :) I work 4 days a week at my "day job". This month I currently have 4 freelance projects going on. I own my own business (Lil' LJ) in which I also do all the design, production and marketing. I have a home that needs tended to. Thank GOD Christian does most of the cooking. Oh yes, and I also have 3 year old twins. I also am a project-aholic. I can't stop assigning myself new things to do. This week I am putting together the girls new big girls twin beds which probably will entail moving rooms and painting. Yes, they'll still sleep in the same room. There is no way they'd go for being separated yet. We're also going to work on Valentine's day gifts for their friends. Did I mention I have no time? Then there is the social world. I can't get enough of Facebook and Pinterest. I have this blog, I have a blog for Lil' LJ that I haven't touched in months and then I have my design blog.

Okay, BREATH.

I am following a decluttering calendar that last all year. Every day there is one mostly minor thing to work on and organize in the house. If I can do that (which I am) than I can certainly promise that I will post once a week with pictures. Even if it's two lines. Thanksgiving flew by. I can't even remember if I posted about it. We drove to Chicago. The drive sucked but we had so much fun and the girls adore their 5 year old twin cousins. I mean adore.

Christmas was awesome. They really "get" everything now. It's just amazing. We made a special key for santa to enter our house, as we have no chimney. They loved every minute of the holiday. Here's a few pictures and I WILL post every Friday. I WILL.

We're officially done with Pull-ups and Diapers

2011-12-12T16:39:00.001-05:00

While the girls have been "potty-trained" since August, we have been struggling with pooping. I think "knock on wood" we are finally over that. We just stopped pullups at night about a week ago and have only had a few accidents. The main problem is the girls not wanting to pee before bed. I'm so proud of them!!!

Halloween!!

2011-12-12T16:37:00.000-05:00

My first REAL attempt at sewing! I sort of winged it with Dorothy, following a few different DIY blogs and I followed a pattern for the Annie dress. You can't seem Mady's necklace in the picture, but she had a rainbow of stars. I made the necklaces and trick or treat bags too. Very time consuming but very worth it!

Halloween is fast approaching!

2011-10-12T14:40:00.001-04:00

And as usual, I'm spending all my free time on costumes these last few weeks before the Halloween events begin. It got me thinking about the last few years and how far we've come. Thought I'd share the last three years pictures at Halloween starting with their first one in the NICU. The only costumes I didn't make were the flower and lady bug. Things were a little crazy that year with the whole walking thing!

Tangled Birthday Party!

2011-10-12T11:52:00.000-04:00

More than a month later, here are some pictures from the party. The girls and guests had a blast. The girls kept asking me the next day if we could do it all again! I posted more about the design details of the party on my Lil' LJ blog. Click here to see more.

As you can see, we hired a princess to come! She was just okay in my opinion, but the girls loved her. She read a story, hung out while we sang happy birthday and colored with the kids.

We're 3!

2011-09-26T13:48:00.000-04:00

And we've all made it fairly well :D

Emma and Madelyn had their 3 year well visit on their birthday. They did, unfortunately, have to get flu shots, but they did well! Mady even took the 4-5 year old eye exam since the eye doc said she made need glasses. She did so great and tested well. No glasses yet. Emma tried it too, but like a typical 3 year old, she lost interest after the second line. They were amazed at Mady who completed it all with both eyes.

Here's the stats:

Mady:
32 lbs
37.25" tall
Pees on potty, still trying to get her to consistently poop on the potty.

Favorite/most used expressions:
Aww, come on guys.
What?!
What did you say?
That is so silly.
You smell that?

Favorite food:
Mac & Cheese

Favorite book:
Brown Bear, Tangled

What we think she'll grow up to be:
Doctor or Engineer
_____________________________________________

Emma:
30 lbs
38.25" tall
Fully potty trained (most days)

Favorite/most used expressions:
That's awesome.
I love <insert everything and anyone> soo much.
I want a snack.
Is that spicy?
I didn't mean to.
Mady did it. ;)

Favorite food:
Hamburger
Note: This kid eats ANYTHING! :)

Favorite books:
My Mama is a Llama, The Very Hungry Catepillar

What we think she'll grow up to be:

Nurse or Actress
_____________________________________________

Favorite movies/shows for both:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Wizard of Oz, Annie, Tangled, Yo Gabba Gabba, Bubble Guppies, Dungston Checks In

Favorite activites:
Reading, watching movies, playing outside on the slide and see-saw, sidewalk chalk, playing with dolls and barbies, play-doh, painting, visiting the zoo.

Bedtime:
8:00-8:30

Wake-up:
Varies. Sometimes 8:30 on the weekend! YAY!

Schedule:
Monday/Tuesday - Grandma/Pap-Pap
Wednesday/Thursday - School
Friday - Home with Mommy

We had the big birthday bash this weekend and I'm hoping to get through all the pictures soon so I can post them as well as a little more about the party. The girls had a blast and that night Mady asked if we could do it all again.

Big news in the Mayer household...

2011-08-01T10:51:00.000-04:00

After only less than a week, Ms. Mady is potty trained! AND Ms. Emma pooped on the potty yesterday! YAY!

Videos!

2011-07-28T14:05:00.002-04:00

The girls and I shot some videos to send to Daddy today since he wasn't available to talk to via phone :)

Yay! Mady's peein' on the potty!

2011-07-27T17:07:00.000-04:00

We finally got Mady to start peeing on the potty a few days ago. She even pooped once! She's had a few accidents, but is doing great! She's so happy. As soon as she had her first full pee, I took her Toys R Us as promised to get her a Rapunzel Barbie Doll. Emma was with us too and that little stinker... she was promised the same thing if she would poop on the potty. She's acting like she could care less because she SO doesn't want to poop on the potty!

In other news, we are heading to the fertility doctor next week. We just want to talk about options, especially if we choose not to have a 3rd child. We have 3 frozen embryos left!

Ah... Potty Training

2011-07-11T11:49:00.000-04:00

Emma has been successfully trained to pee on the potty for maybe 2 months now? She will still not poop on the potty. She usually holds it until she comes home from daycare or my parents house and then poops in her underwear or asks for a diaper. Not fun cleanup up, but the poor girl is usually constipated, so I guess it could be worse. I'm not even sure how we got it to work for her. She had plenty of accidents and I wanted to give up a million times. We focused on her first because she had interest in it and really wanted to wear big girl underwear. It probably took us a good 2-3 weeks of trying before it stuck. Some kids do it in a weekend. Not mine :)

Mady is a different story. She has had no interest and I haven't wanted to push. They will be 3 in September though and I think it's time. We've let her run around in underwear a few times and she spent most of the weekend in them when we were home. She had one accident and no successful peeing on the potty. The poor girl did try very hard 3 times yesterday. I think she's got a big bladder because she is never wet in the morning (Emma always is) and it seems like she can go 3 hours or so without peeing.

I've now resort to bribery. I let them sit down with me and look at Barbie dolls on Toys r Us.com. If Mady pees on the potty, I told her I'd take her out day or night no matter what time to go get one :) And if Emma poops on the potty, she gets hers. I know of course, that I will give in and buy them both one of the other achieves one of these. I figure I can use Barbie accessories as the next goal.

Wish us luck - we'll need it!

Okay, so it's been awhile AGAIN!

2011-06-01T21:56:00.000-04:00

Click here for April's Pics.

As I uploaded some pictures from April today, it occurred to me that I don't think we have any pictures of the girls from May! Yikes!

A quick update on all of us: I had my hours cut at work a few weeks ago by a full day. It's an adjustment financially, but I think we'll be okay. I'm going to use the time to get some stuff done around the house that I can't find time for otherwise. The girls will stay in "school" twice a week in June, but then in July/August, we'll need to cut them back to one day to try to help make up the for the money difference. I hate to take them out of school, as they are learning so much. They love it most days too. Emma told me today that she cried for me at nap time. Summer is a great time to spend more time with them. I think we are going to hold off on preschool until they are 4. In the meantime, I'm trying to rework the Lil' LJ website and focus on that and freelance.

Here's what our smarty-pants are up to:
They know their opposites - up/down, hot/cold, small/big, high/low
They can count to five in spanish
They can both count to 15
They remember EVERYTHING, which is challenging, as even a mention of something like the zoo, is not forgotten :)
They know red means stop, green means go, yellow means slow down
They know the days of the week
They know all their basic colors and now we are working on colors like gray/beige, etc
They know shapes
They know how to use my iPod touch!

They were healthy for a few weeks, but have started up with running/stuffy noses again. We started swim classes too and took them for 6 weeks. I think they really liked it. All we really did was sing songs and get them used the water, jumping in, etc. Emma went under up to the top of her ears! Madelyn can't go under because of her tubes. She had one removed, as it was working it's way out and causing her some issues with the wax build-up. I guess it takes some time for the hole to heal after it's removed.

The girls saw their first parade on Memorial day and really enjoyed it. They loved seeing all the fire trucks!

Oh, and we raised over $1300 for the March of Dimes walk this year!

That's our update! As I say, almost every time I do post, I really wish I posted more often, as I would love to remember every single day with these peanuts and their accomplishments.

Best.Birthday.Ever.

2011-03-30T15:57:00.000-04:00

Although turning 38 isn't the best feeling, what is incredible is sharing it with the girls. This year, they totally get "birthdays" and LOVE them. They couldn't wait to show me the cupcake they made with Grandma and to sing to me a day early. This morning, they couldn't wait to give the cards they colored in with daddy.

If you can hang to the end of the video, it's my favorite part :)

My not so little lil' girls

2011-03-24T09:44:00.000-04:00

Support

2011-03-15T22:49:00.000-04:00

I can't even express how important a support system is with infertility, preemies and having multiples. Anyone who hasn't been through what you have can never fully understand. I recently re-joined a group of multiple mothers that are just amazing. Even though I know only one in real life, they are great friends and a great support. They are support for being preemie parents as well, as a high percentage of multiple are born premature. This is still hard for me especially from Feb-May as we raise money for March of Dimes. I fought through everything while the girls were there. I stayed strong. Surprisingly strong. But now, I find myself thinking a lot about those 63 days and really "getting" that we are so, so lucky. I remember the first time I went in at 26 weeks. I remember the chair the NICU doctor sat in to explain to me that my children may or may not have survived if they were born that day. And the shock and fear when the doctor told me at 29 weeks that we needed to induce. Now. I'm sitting here typing this in tears. Shouldn't I be ecstatic that the girls are here and are okay? I am. And I am so, so grateful. This is one of my huge fears about having another child. I just read a statistic that I'm at a 55% chance of having another preemie. And then I think of friends that have lost a child. And that brings me to tears. Friends of ours lost their baby boy only a short time after he was born. His twin sister is a thriving, beautiful 2 year old. They were born a few weeks early than the girls.

When we went through infertility, we joined a support group at the hospital and meet 4 incredible couples that we have been lucky to have befriended. We try to get together once a month to keep tabs. Most of us now have kids, but for those that don't we are there for them. Two couples have even had success with a second child. It's truly amazing, as most of us were told it would never happen for us.

I guess this was a little random, but I just pulled up google analytics and saw just how many of you read my blog. If you are reading this and you are going through anything... infertility, prematurity, having multiples, whatever it may be. Seek out support. It's there. No one should ever feel alone. I talked to a friend about this a few months ago and she sent me an amazing thank you note after she and her husband started attending a local support group in her town.

My vow and mini update.

2011-03-15T22:33:00.000-04:00

I vow to start getting my camera out again. I can't even remember the last time I took pictures of the girls who are turning into these incredible preschoolers before my very eyes. And video too!

We're all sick right now, so I've been just trying to keep up. I've been swamped at work, at home with freelance and still trying to push Lil' LJ further along. And of course, always making time for the girls. Mady had some trouble breathing Sunday night, but seems to be doing better.

Friday, the girls have their 30 month evaluation with the developmentalist. We'll graduate in 6 months from the program! I will update after Friday.

And on a side note, we've decided to take a trip to our NICU with some pizza within the next few weeks. I'm hoping it will cheer up the families to see our girls and hear about how far they've come. I also know that it's so hard to remember to eat and to find the time to eat while spending all of your time at the NICU. I'm thinking about taking in some onesies as well.

Our March of Dimes donation count is now at $945. Don't forget to donate and get entered into the drawing for a free onesie!!

Giveaway and Fundraiser

2011-03-02T16:50:00.001-05:00

We need your help again this year to reach our goal. We had a very successful Texas Hold Em Poker Tournament and we were lucky enough to raise $700+ in one night! As thankful as we are, we aren't stopping there. We want to surpass our $1K mark from last year. Help us! If you've already donated, THANK YOU. Pass this on to your friends and family. It's a great giveaway and they can give as little as a $1.

Get the satisfaction of donating to a great cause and get entered into a raffle with a chance to win a FREE Lil' LJ product. Now through May 15, 2011.

Donate at least $1 to our team and you will automatically be entered to win. Donate $5 or more, and you’ll get an additional entry and yet another for every $5 after that.

Everyone that donates will receive a FREE shipping coupon for their next Lil’ LJ purchase ($5-$7 value).

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. We support March of Dimes because we want to do something about this. Our daughters were born 11 weeks early. The surfactant treatments they received for their premature lungs during their NICU stay are just a small example of how the March of Dimes has already helped.

The money we raise will help with research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And it will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care. As I know first hand, this is a very hard, trying time for these families.

Help us give all babies a healthy start by donating now. Lil' LJ is proud to be part of our 3rd annual local March for Babies event in May.

Thanks again!

Loree, Christian, Emma and Mady.

*Raffle drawing will be held using Random Generator. Raffle draw date is 5/15/11 at 9:00pm EST. Coupon code will be emailed to the winner via the email address supplied during the donation process. Coupon offer is good for one time use per customer for one product of your choice. Free shipping is included. Coupon expires one year from date of issue.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

2011-02-20T17:38:00.004-05:00

We've Got Asthma

2011-02-20T17:38:00.001-05:00

Mady was diagnosed with Asthma on Friday. Cold/Flu triggered. Her allergy tests for the most popular allergens was negative. So, we're on a mission to hit each cold upfront before it turns into anything more. At the first sign of a cold, we'll begin the nebulizer and an inhaled steroid. This should help her airways from closing up. Wish us luck! I'm hoping this is something she will outgrow.

Finally feeling better.

2011-02-14T13:37:00.001-05:00

Everyone seems to be on the mend! Mady has her asthma doctor appt this week. Emma is still potty training... we are definitely not one of the lucky ones that gets through it in a weekend :) She's doing good though. She seems to actually do better in public than she does at home.

I have yet another blog where I'll be posting about projects that I work on that are kiddo related. If you get a chance, go check it out and follow me :)

www.lilthingsilove.blogspot.com

On a cute note, yesterday Christian took the girls out for an hour or so to "run some errands" which basically meant, buy me some flowers and a card. Not 5 minutes after they were back, Miss Emma blurted out "Mommy, I bought you flowers." It was so cute. Christian's face turned red and she got this grin on her face, like she kinda knew she wasn't supposed to tell me.

My parents watched the girls for us last night and we got a much needed dinner and movie night. We had a blast, as usual though, I really missed those girls!

Sick Update

2011-02-02T09:29:00.000-05:00

So, I took Mady to the doctor for her follow up on Monday and I took Emma as well. Emma had been acting fine, but her cough changed a little and we are going on 4+weeks of being sick.

Turns out miss Emma was wheezing and diagnosed with walking pneumonia. I never heard her wheeze at home :( Both girls o2 levels were a little low, so they both got breathing treatments at the doctors and we were sent home with a breathing machine and 5 prescriptions. UGH!

They both seem to be doing better, I think... Emma sounded a little congested this morning. We didn't see our regular doctor on Monday, so I have a list of questions for Christian to ask the doctor on Friday. I had to switch some days around this week to make up for missing work. Basically, I think we should send them to an asthma or allergy doctor, just to make sure that asthma isn't triggering these.

C'mon Mady...

2011-02-02T09:05:00.000-05:00

I hear this a million times a day "c'mon mady, let's go potty. c'mon mady, time to eat." Big sis is always taking care of her little sister. I walked into the bathroom yesterday and saw this scene...

Oh, Mady...

2011-01-30T13:10:00.001-05:00

The girls have been sick since christmas. Emma has double ear infections. Both have been coughing for awhile, but Mady's cough changed on Friday. Yesterday, I swore I heard wheezing and with her having pneumonia twice last year, I decided to take her to urgent care. I didn't take her to the hospital because she was acting okay.

At urgent care, the dr. first made feel a little nuts and told me she heard no wheezing. (I later felt better when the medic said you can wheeze for 10 minutes then be fine for hours). She decided to check her o2 just to be safe. o2 levels were around 90. decided to do an xray which showed possible bronchitis. Checked o2 again and it dipped to 85 at one point AFTER a breathing treatment.

So, they told me she needed to go via ambulance to the ER. which I DO NOT think was necessary at all, but I went along with... better safe than sorry. Her stats went up in the ambulance but went from 86-94 at the hospital the only time she hit 99 was with the breathing treatment mask on. Her resting heart rate hit 170 for about an hour, which freaked me out.

UPDATE: Nurse told me at the doctors that they would have also sent us via ambulance. It's starting to hit me that my kiddo was not doing so well...

Anyway, we got another chest xray and found pneumonia. she had it twice last year, so now they are thinking possible asthma, I guess?

Antibiotics, steriods, breathing treatments, sent home at 1am. She seems okay this morning, but I'm obsessively watching her breathing.

She needs seen first thing tomorrow am. I think I'm going to try to get Emma in as well to have them double check her chest? Mady had been on almost 2 straight doses of antibiotics for her ears, so I'm perplexed at how she has pneumonia.

Christian just called from the pharmacy and the pharmacist pulled him aside to ask what we needed the steroids for because they never see that high of a dose in a toddler :( They are going to all the ER docs and call us back.

UGH!

Big Girl Underwear @ 29 (almost) months

2011-01-26T08:38:00.006-05:00

Miss Emma went to school today in her big girl Dora underwear! We did some potty training over the weekend with a few accidents, but her teachers were very confident and said to just send her in to school in her underwear. :) Mady is still a little weary of they potty though she's been showing more interest since she's seen Emma strutting around with no diaper.

The girls are talking. I mean t.a.l.k.i.n.g. I can believe some of the things that come out of those little mouths. It's amazing how much things change in just a few short months. Last night, I asked Emma to come here. She said "Mommy, I'm coming, relax." Seriously?!

I think I may also call my mom's friend that cuts hair today and possibly take the girls for a "real" hair cut. I'm just not sure how they will react to sitting there.

December/Christmas Pics

2011-01-18T13:59:00.001-05:00

Emma and Mady - Christmas 2010

It's time raise some money again and beat last year's earnings!

2011-01-05T16:06:00.004-05:00

DONATE NOW DONATE NOW DONATE NOW DONATE NOW

Click on the link above to help us help babies again this year. Emma and Mady are here today and doing so incredibly well due to the March of Dimes and their research. Mady received several cutting edge procedures that she might not have gotten otherwise.

Through my business, Lil' LJ, we donate a portion of our sales. BUT we need help with the rest!! Anyone that donates will be sent a coupon from Lil' LJ as a thank you and as we get closer to the march date, we will have a giveaway and all those who donate will be entered.

Live in Pittsburgh? Then join us for the walk. Be part of it all and see and hear what your money does for families. Details are at the above link. Can't wait to share this day with you all again. And don't forget you'll get a slammin' TEAM EMMA & MADY tee :)

Our Holiday Card

2011-01-05T14:56:00.004-05:00

This years' holiday card - didn't think I was going to have the time to pull it off, but somehow I did. The girls did NOT want to cooperate in the short time span. Got some cute shots anyway!

Click on the link above to see some of my other design work!

The diagnosis?

2011-01-05T14:30:00.002-05:00

I have a small cyst on my right ovary. Small enough that they don't think it's why I'm having these "symptoms". I was given a script for physical therapy and I have actually heard that it does help some women, so of course I'll try it. The thing is trying to find the time for it.

And speaking of trying to find the time... I have tons of photos to go through from Christmas. The girls had a blast. So did we. Maybe, just maybe, between aunts and uncles, grandparents and us, they got a little too many gifts. Yes, it's possible!

The girls are talking up a storm and using the potty a little more. Emma asks to use it throughout the day and Mady will sometimes follow suit. For whatever reason, going in the public bathrooms when we are out seems to be exciting for them. YUCK!

The poop smearing has slowed down a bit (knock on wood). This just as I finally came up for a solution that I have yet to try. I was told to basically not react, just tell them (mostly Emma) that it's not okay and it's yucky. Then, instead of a nice toasty bath followed by play time, I'm going to use cool water and NO play time. Sounds easy enough right?

On the home front, we are slowly painting, updating lighting, etc. I would love to post about that as well... eventually! Lil' LJ is now in store in wexford, pa! I've only sold one shirt in the 3 weeks I've been in there, but hey, gotta start somewhere right? In the meantime online sales really shot up in the last year. I only need make 10x the amount to quit the day job :)

Pics to come from Christmas and as I always promise, hopefully more updates!!

I think my "break" is over

2010-11-19T15:34:00.002-05:00

I was pleasantly surprised at how little endometriosis symptoms I had when I was pregnant. I was of course busy complaining of other things pregnancy related :) Now at 27 months past delivery, I haven't been feeling well the last few months. I'm having some spotting in between periods (I take continuous birth control pills with 1 period every 3 months). I've had PMS being explaination. A few weeks ago my entire pelvis felt frozen and I even had trouble waking. A week or so ago I started having pubic bone pain. What it feels like is those last few weeks of pregnancy when all of the girls weight was pressing down on me. I have a doctors appt set up for Monday. I am 98% sure she will tell me it's the endo rearing it's ugly head but I always have to make sure it's nothing else... like a cyst, fibroid, etc. I'm not sure what next steps would be for me regarding handling pain. I try to take as little motrin, etc as possible but I think it may be time to look into having pain meds on hand if I need them. I have always felt that you shouldn't mask pain because your body tells you these things for a reason.

In the meantime, we haven't taken any steps forward yet in trying to conceive again with our frozen embryos. However, I know if we are going to do it, we need to do it within the next year or so because of my age, the girls age and a million other reasons :)

One week ago today we lost Grandma Minnie

2010-11-19T15:33:00.000-05:00

My dad's mother passed away last week at 95. She lost her husband almost 30 years prior. She lived a long and full life! The girls will never remember her, which is actually okay because she hasn't been doing well for a few years now. She hasn't been "grandma" for awhile. I will always think of her when I hear polka and will pass down polka to my girls. I hope there will always be at least one polka played at the weddings we attend in the future!

Infertiity and H1N1

2010-10-28T17:04:00.001-04:00

Please pass this along if you know anyone going through treatment...

Seeking Infertility Services? Experts Recommend Seeking H1N1 Immunization First

New research from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development confirms the need for H1N1 vaccines in women before undergoing infertility treatment.

Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a PubMed search, the number of infertility visits, H1N1 vaccination rate, H1N1 infection rate, the number of obstetric patients hospitalized with H1N1, and maternal death rate from H1N1 were estimated.

It was found that at the current immunization rate of about 24%, up to 17.5 maternal deaths could be prevented by H1N1 immunization. If all women receive the vaccination before infertility treatments, they researchers estimated 72 deaths would be prevented.

Last year, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the CDC issued a joint statement calling for women to be vaccinated for the H1N1 virus prior to undergoing infertility treatments.

Based on these findings, William Gibbons, MD, President of the ASRM, concluded, “We stand by our recommendation and urge all women to receive an H1N1 vaccine prior to undergoing infertility treatments.”

Built in best friend

2010-10-26T10:24:00.002-04:00

It just hit me last night how very lucky these girls are to have each other. I already know how lucky we are as parents. I watched the girls play "get you" for 1/2 hour straight and couldn't get enough of the giggles. Having a playmate allows us more time to get some things done while they occupy each other and how lucky are they to have their bestie by their side to play all the time :) It completely melts my heart when I see them grab each others hands or hear Emma say "Come on Mady, here's your baby." Emma has definitely taken on her role as big sis and ALWAYS looks out for Mady.

At almost 26 months, the girls are sleeping great for the most part. Mady hardly ever gets up, but Emma will end up waking up screaming my name about 1 day a week and usually ends up snuggling in bed with me. I love every minute of it... that is until she kicks ;) They go to bed at night like angels, thank god. However, naps as of late have been challenging. They basically haven't napped Fri-Sun for the last 2 weeks, which leads to cranky babies come 6-7pm. They sleep in to anywhere from 7am-8:30am. Usually around 7:30am.

Miss Mady is the temper tantrum queen. She will drop down to the ground regardless of where we are to show you just how very mad she is. This weekend we had to leave a restaurant as soon as we sat down because she just wouldn't stop. That being said, we have not and will not give up on going out. I think it's good for all of us! We usually take them out 1-2 times a week, usually one breakfast and one dinner. I know plenty of parents who just stop taking their kids out, BUT we hardly ever have date nights, so we need to get out of the house.

The girls are talking, talking, talking and singing. It's so entertaining to hear what will come out of their mouths next.

Pics to come of the costumes I've been slaving over making for Halloween and our trip to the Zoo Boo.

Thank You!

2010-10-11T12:20:00.004-04:00

Turn up your speakers to hear Emma and Mady's Thank You greeting. Thank you so much for all the wonderful gifts and for those of you that were able to share their day with them! I'm sorry it took so long to say THANKS!

In case you need translation: "Thank You for our Presents" ;)

Pics!

2010-10-11T09:58:00.004-04:00

Some birthday pics and some pictures from the beach!

Just click on the pictures to see more.

Miss Emma and Miss Mady are now up to 4-5 word sentences. I can't believe how fast this is all happening! We're also introducing the potty again. Emma is much more excited about it than Mady. Emma pees on it about 2-3 times a day, Mady maybe goes once.

Somehow it happened.

2010-09-21T17:29:00.003-04:00

My little 3lb babies are now 2 years old. Where have the last 2 years gone? And the 9 months of pregnancy? And the 2.5 years of trying? I have somehow sped past 5 years!

The girls had an amazing birthday party full of friends. They had so much fun. It was all a blur for me, but I know they enjoyed every minute it of it and couldn't stop talking about their "happy".

Their 2 year check up went great. Emma is 25th precentile for weight and Mady is 50th. They are both 75th for height.

I will post pictures from the party soon.

We also just got back from Myrtle Beach, the girls second time there! They had a great time, we all did. They really miss their cousin Eli and Uncle Todd. They woke up every morning and immediately asked for Eli. He is now 18 months old and keeps up with those two very well! Pictures to come from our vacation as well. The girls rode carousels and trains, we went to a zoo in Roanoke and they did pretty well during the drive. We stopped half-way each way to spend the night and stopped half-way through each of those trips for a meal. So, most of the time the longest period in the car was 2.5 hours. At the 2 hour mark things got a little crazy. We did buy dual DVD players, which were a god-send. We watched Coraline, Monsters Inc, Shrek, Milo and Otis and Bolt repeatedly.

I'm currently trying to find something to do with the girls in the fall/winter. They did like music class, but I'm looking into some other options as well. It's hard to find something that doesn't break the bank, but will be fun.

Well, that was a super quick update. We're loving every day with these miracles. I missed them so, so much when I returned to work after vacation. It was really hard.

Pics!

2010-08-19T15:39:00.006-04:00

A few recent pictures of the girls...

Favorite Books @ 2 years old

2010-08-19T15:36:00.002-04:00

The girls have a few favorites right now. It's amusing to me how they gravitate just to those books.

The Little Red Hen
My Momma is a Llama
Goodnight Moon

I'm looking for some creative, space-saving solutions for their books right now. I love the look of these, but want something even easier to make ;)

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/02/how-to_book_display_shelves.html

Word Watch

2010-08-17T21:22:00.004-04:00

I saw this on another mommies blog, she posted all of her kiddo's current words on her blog, and it reminded me to do this! The girls are now saying 3 word phrases and sometimes 4! Still plenty of gibberish, especially when Emma reads.

Everyday words/phrases we hear a lot from both of them...

Animals
Apple
Baby
Ball
Banana
Bath
Belly
Bless You
Bike
Bird
Boo Boo
Book
Blankie
Blocks
Bolt
Broccoli
Bug
Bunny
Cake
Car Wash
Cat
Cheese
Chicken
Choo Choo
Clean (I Keanin')
Cold
Color
Cookie
Cry
No cry (Emma)
Daddy
Daddy Golfin'
Daddy go work
Dark
Diaper
Dog
Door
Dora
Down
Duck
Emma
Elmo
Eli
Eww
French Fry
Fork
Funny
Glasses
Grape
Granny
Grandma
Hand
Hair
Hello
Help
Hot
Hugs (Emma says this all day long)
I do
I want that
Llama
Light
Mady
Me
Mickey
Milk
Mine
Mommy
Monkey
More
Move (moussseee)
No
Nose
Off
Ouch
Out
Outside
Owl
Pap-Pap
Play
Pee
Phone
Pillow
Please
Poop
Potty
Pretty
Purse
Remote (mote)
Ride
Slide
Shoes
Sit
I sit
Snack
Sister
Socks
Sshhhh
Thank You
Tickle, Tickle
Toes
Train
Tree
Turtle
Tunnel
Up
Water
Welcome
Woof
Yes
Yuck
Miko, Abbi, Wookie, Cody, Macie (pets and Grammie's pets)
1,2,3 - which often comes out as 2-2-2 :)

There are actually a lot more, but these are the ones we hear almost daily. It's amazing how far these peanuts have come!

Potty? Really?

2010-08-03T16:23:00.002-04:00

The girls have one potty that I introduced to them a few months ago. It sat in the cupboard and every once in awhile, Emma would follow me into the bathroom get it out and pee along with mommy (Fully dressed). This weekend, Ms Emma expressed that she had to "poop" and begged to get into the bathroom to use the potty. Sure enough, she pooped and peed. Now, some of the pee didn't quite make into the potty because she was actually pretty freaked out. The next day, Ms Mady told me she had to pee and sure enough, she peed.

I'm not ready for this! I should be happy, but we're going on a road trip from Pittsburgh to Myrtle Beach in Sept and I don't want to have to worry about pit stops! I bought another potty yesterday and we're just going to casually see what happens. I foresee Emma making this into a little game, because now she always wants to be on the potty. :)

The new house is great and the girls love it. A great backyard to run around in and a deck. They are always asking to go "ouwside". The also love running around in the basement.

They are talking more and more every day and growing likes weeds. This Friday we're taking them on their first real train ride! As I always promise, I will post new pictures soon. The move has us even more behind on things we were already behind on!

I'd love some potty advice if anyone has any!

We bought a house!

2010-07-06T14:54:00.002-04:00

Which is a reasonable excuse for not posting for awhile right? We have been out with both girls almost every night for weeks searching for a new home. Our sold only a few days after being on the market! We found a great home for our family with four bedrooms, 3 baths and a finished basement. The selling feature is a great, level back yard for the girls to run around in!

The girls are doing great and are really into climbing right now!

I will post again soon, but thought I should definitely get in a quick update. We close on our new home in two weeks!

WIN A LIL' LJ ONESIE OR TEE!

2010-05-27T11:37:00.003-04:00

Check out this great review from MK Robinson and enter to win a Lil' LJ product. How cool! I love their site for checking out the local happenings in our area.

Click here to check it out!

Yay for my miracles

2010-05-24T09:58:00.003-04:00

The girls had their 20 month developmental evaluation a few weeks ago. They did so good. The only thing they were a little behind on was putting 2 or more words together, but they are still right on track. I was actually amazed at some of the things they could do when she asked, like mimicking a line that was drawn with a crayon and stacking several blocks on top of each other.

Yesterday, we walked for babies and the March of Dimes. We had about 10 walkers with our team and we raised $1,000. It was a lot of fun and feels so good to be part of something so great.

Moving!

2010-05-24T09:54:00.002-04:00

We put our house up for sale after many, many months of debating whether to or not. And within 2 days, it is now under agreement! Yikes! We currently reside in a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath home. We have made it a beautiful home, but are feeling the squeeze as the girls get older. We're looking to step up into a 4 bdrm 2.5 bath. I'm not looking to step up my mortgage by too much though! I'm all about not spending every last time on a mortgage. We spend that extra mortgage money on daycare every month!! We have a few school districts in mind to stay within, but really want to stay close to the area we are in now, as it's close to everything. I'm curious to see what the girls think and how they do with a move. It'll be so much fun for them to explore a new home, but I worry about their sleeping habits.

Anyway, we have 60 days to vacate! This will become a little more real after the home inspection this week.

This is what being a twin momma is

2010-04-22T16:33:00.003-04:00

as taken from a fellow blogger: http://www.hdydi.com/2010/04/i-always-wanted-twins/

“Oh, are they twins? I always wanted to have twins.”

How many times have you heard that one? It ranks right up there, for me, at the top of the list of incredibly annoying things that complete strangers feel compelled to say to me. As with most of the inane comments, I generally give a half smile and continue herding my cats children through whatever errand I’m trying in vain to accomplish.

But what I really want to say is… Oh really? You always wanted to:

have a high-risk pregnancy, in which you live in fear of going into labor too early, get five times as huge as a normal human being, and stop being able to tie your own shoes at about 24 weeks?
leave the hospital without your babies, because they’re still in the NICU?
attempt to breastfeed two premature babies whose mouths are so small they can’t possibly get a decent latch?
try with all your might to keep these two infants on roughly the same schedule, in the hopes of maintaining a small shred of your sanity?
have your vision of what it’s like to be a first-time mom completely turned on its head, because you don’t have a single spare moment to actually enjoy your babies?
live your life by your babies’ synchronized nap schedule in the name of survival?
push a double stroller that drives like a school bus?
have a simple cold take three weeks to go through your house, as it gets passed from baby to baby to mom to dad?
get pulled in the direction of two new crawlers, and then two new walkers?
worry about gross motor delays, fine motor delays, plagiocephaly, torticollitis, and speech delays?
get stopped by EVERY SINGLE FREAKING PERSON IN THE GROCERY STORE when all you want to do is get a gallon of milk and get back to the car before they both start crying, again?

Oh, no? No, you weren’t saying that because you wanted to experience the most intensely difficult 4 6 12 18 months ever known to man?

No, I think what you really wanted was to have a nice matched set that you could dress the same for formal pictures, and imagine them to have some sort of secret language or ESP or something.

Oh, and maybe you always wanted to:

have two babies who became two toddlers who could entertain themselves much better than most of their age-mates.
hear the shrieks and giggles and babbling that becomes shrieks and giggling and conversations from their shared bedroom (even if it means they aren’t asleep when they should be).
watch them make up games and invite each other to play at a surprisingly young age.
have your own little built-in social/parenting experiment, watching them grow in ways that are the same and different. And having the second one there to let you know that not all of the hard stuff is your fault.
have that “instant family” with two kids, without having to actually go through labor twice.
be a somewhat more laid-back parent by necessity.
find an awesome sisterhood of moms simply by virtue of having parented two kids of the same age at the same time.
feel kind of like a rock star whenever someone says to you, “I don’t know how you do it.”

- I AM a rock star ;) and I love ALL of it!

Some Easter Pics

2010-04-15T15:16:00.011-04:00

Words

2010-04-13T12:09:00.003-04:00

Here's a what girls are saying now regularly. They repeat EVERYTHING.

They both say basically the same words. Emma talks a little more than Mady.

More, Book, Water, Milk, Thank You, Emma, Mady, Baby, Kitty, Dog, Moon, Owl, Fish, Bear, Polar Bear, Turtle, Cup, Cookie, Up (Emma), Alligator (Emma), Down, Bird, Mama, Dada, Uncle, Please, Block, Clock, Banana.

and how could I forget the word "No!"

Pneumonia and other happenings

2010-04-13T12:00:00.003-04:00

So Mady, did indeed have pneumonia for the 2nd time in 3 months. She went back for a re-check on Friday and still had some crackling in her lungs. The doctor and I decided to get some blood work just to make sure there's nothing behind all these times Mady has been sick. We counted 11 doses of antibiotic in 19 months. Emma had about 1/2 that. They are daycare kids 2 days a week, but still... I'm taking Mady this week for her blood work.

I posted March's pictures on Shutterfly:
http://emmaandmadelyn.shutterfly.com/

Some very, very sad news hit us Friday. An old friend from high school lost her 2.5 year old boy to cancer. He had been battling it since September. I'll be attending the viewing this evening to support her and her family. It's a horrible story. As his mom puts it, he is now pain-free, cancer-free and running free. Hug your kids tight and be thankful for them every single day!

I've been a little busy lately trying to ramp up Lil' LJ even more. We had a really great first quarter, so it put me in gear. I'm looking to start carrying toddler sizes as well as some adorable dresses/rompers for girls. We also have a super cute new Peanut Butter/Jelly twin pack.

Will post some Easter pics soon. (I think maybe I said that a week ago?!)

Bring on Summer, please?!

2010-04-05T16:47:00.002-04:00

Well, we've had quite the week. Viral gastroenteritis hit our house and hard. First Mady, then me, then Emma, then Christian. And then Grammie, Pap-Pap and even 2 uncles and an aunt! Most of us had it anywhere from 4-7 days. I landed in the ER needing fluids. It has been exhausting and sad watching our helpless little girls vomiting and have diarrhea. My birthday was March 30 and we basically skipped right over it. We cancelled our big Easter dinner with Angela and Todd, as we didn't want to risk anyone else getting sick. We had an easter egg hunt with Grammie and Pap-Pap in the front yard (pics to come) and then went to church Easter morning and I-Hop. Then we hung out with Aunt TT and Uncle Fritz. We'll celebrate Easter/my birthday with Uncle Todd and Aunt Angela and Eli this weekend.

Poor Mady has a had a fever the last few days and has been miserable and coughing. We decided to take her to the doctors again today. Turns out they want her to get a chest x-ray for possible pneumonia (again). She also has a lot of air in her belly from the virus, which is causing her pain. In addition to that her I-teeth are coming in causing even more pain.

I can only hope that summer = far less sickness in our house and happy, pain-free toddlers!

18 months : We are now a binkie-free house.

2010-03-10T09:35:00.003-05:00

It almost makes me sad that my girls are big enough to not need them anymore. Last Thursday, we forgot to pack the girls binkies for daycare and they napped without them. I decided if they could do it there, we were going to do it at home. The first night was about 45 minutes of crying and gradually reduced every night. The girls may not sleep through the night now, but bed time hardly ever meant tears. Naps are a little more of a struggle without binkies too, but they are getting used to it. I'm so proud of them and us for not giving in!

As far as our nights... I have no idea why Mady is waking up. She usually wakes screaming sometime after 12am. Last night she made it until 5am. Once she cuddles next to me she is fine. Emma usually wakes up around the 4-5am mark and wants to cuddle as well. I'm hoping this is a little phase and will pass. While I love the cuddle time, it's very hard to sleep with two toddlers sleeping with you!

My talkers

2010-03-08T12:39:00.003-05:00

The girls prime "talking" time is with a full belly and in the car. I caught quite a conversation yesterday. Emma starts off and then Miss Mady starts chiming in. The quality isn't so great, so you might have to hike up the speakers a bit.

Future Babies and Endometriosis

2010-03-04T16:22:00.002-05:00

I had a reader ask me the other day how my endometriosis has been since my pregnancy, as a common misconception is that it'll just go away with pregnancy. In some women this has been known to happen. Of course, for others, it can get far worse. I had a good run. I've had 3 laps (laparoscopic surgeries) so far with anywhere from 1-2.5 years in between. My last surgery was 12/07. Right after that we did our final IVF and got pregnant with the girls. I felt pains during pregnancy but not many "endo" pains. Most were due to me carrying 2 kiddos. I'd say I had a good 6 months after pregnancy before I started feeling some familiar pains. I am now back to feeling something every day, but I've been lucky enough to only have severe pain maybe once or twice a month? All of my GI related issues are back as well, but not quite as bad. Mostly the horrific bloating.

I had my annual GYN appt this week. I asked the doctor that delivered my angels about future pregnancies. We have 3 frozen embryos left and do not want to discard or donate them, so we'd like to try this one more time at some point. This frozen transfer is far, far less costly and less invasive. However, she does not want me to risk a twin pregnancy. What does this mean? It means she only wants us to transfer one embryo to reduce that risk. Every time we did IVF we transferred 3 because our chances are so low. This basically means that our chances of having another child are lower than before. I am so very grateful for our girls and if they are the only kids we can have, we are still ever so thankful and complete. However, if you've ever been told you can't have something, you know how this feels. We will most likely still try with one embryo. I will not risk having babies in the NICU again. I will not risk the pain of not being able to keep my kids safe for the full 9 months. At the same time, I would not be being honest if I didn't say that I kinda figured if we did get pregnant again it would be with twins and besides the actual pregnancy, I thought we 'd handle it just fine! ;) I was really upset about this earlier in the week, and honestly Christian and I really haven't talked much about it again. We'll revisit all of this once our house sells and we are comfortably in a new home and ready for another go.

Onto the endo. My exam hurt. Bad. Like it always has, but this time I actually removed her hands from my belly out of reflex. I told her about my pain returning and some other weird bladder type things that have been bothering me. She's pretty sure it's all endo related and mentioned me seeing a specialist and having another surgery. That would be 4 surgeries since 2004. I just can't see doing that. My pain is annoying but it's not causing me to miss work or take pain pills to often, etc.

So, that's the latest on me!

Use your words!

2010-03-04T16:18:00.002-05:00

My preemies are now 18 months old! How did this happen!?

I thought I'd take note of the latest words and phrases we've heard the girls say on their own or hear and repeat. Emma talks and sings all the time with so much inflection, it's hysterical. Mady will watch your mouth so intently while she tries to figure out how to make those same sounds.

Mady:
Bird, Hi, Bye Bye, Mama, Dada, Up, Diaper, Cat, Bath, No

Emma:
Bird, Hi, Bye Bye, Mama, Dada, Up, Cat, Mady, Baby, Bath, Pap-Pap. We swear she repeated back to us "put that back" and then said "shit"!

1200+ hits

2010-02-24T09:36:00.002-05:00

Since January 1, we've had 1200 hits to our site. I'm still amazed by how many people want to read about us ;) Hopefully this will keep me motivated to keep posting and posting more often. My goal in this blog was to help others with Endometriosis, Infertitlity and/or Multiples not feel alone and to hear it straight from a mom! My other goal was to document as much as possible about our family and these little girls that are growing up way to fast. I have a forgetful mind and I even beat myself up now about the things that I can't remember, like who got their teeth first and when. I wish I could remember to post everything, everyday, but this blog is about a twin mother who works full-time, does freelance work and owns her own business.

I wanted to say hi to those of you that I don't know or that I don't even realize keep up on us. Let us know who you are and why you visit this blog. Maybe it will help me in posting. If you have public blog you'd like to share, please do. If you'd like me to add you to our links on the side, I'd be more than happy to. I'm also accepting ads for a very nominal fee - if you have anything baby/toddler/multiple related! I'm especially interested in momprenuers like myself.

March for Babies

2010-02-23T12:24:00.003-05:00

It's time again to start raising money for the March of Dimes. If you follow my blog you know our story and why the March of Dimes is so important to us. PLEASE walk with us this year and show your support for our girls. If you can't join us for the walk, you can donate whatever amount you are comfortable with. I'd love to beat our $750 raised last year.

Help us raise awareness and raise money so that every family can know the joy that Christian and I do.

Click here to sign up or donate.

New St. Patty's Day Designs

2010-02-16T14:59:00.004-05:00

Some new Lil' LJ designs for St. Patrick's Day!

Cool feature on PoshLittle.com

2010-02-16T14:58:00.001-05:00

http://www.poshlittle.com/baby/posh-little-baby-a-mommy-blog/got-a-chunky-monkey.html?blogger=posh

Thanks to Posh Little for this great review. I love this blog!

Yep, now they both have it.

2010-02-16T14:47:00.002-05:00

We took Mady for her pedi follow up and took Emma along, as she started with a fever yesterday and has been coughing for weeks. Turns out they both have pneumonia. They are both on antibiotics and Mady has a breathing treatment because she is wheezing. We have a re-check on Friday. I have to take a sick day tomorrow to stay home with them since they can't go to daycare, nor would I want them to when they aren't feeling well. I'm hoping by tomorrow, the fevers will be gone and they can attend daycare on Thursday. We really, really need to find a back-up for the days the girls can't go to daycare for whatever reason. It's Feb 16th and I've already used 1/2 vacation day and now one of only 3 sick days. Christian has stayed home with them as well. It's a little easier for him to work from home IF he's not busy because you can't work from home with twins. Working from home for him means working from the time I get home from work thru the wee hours of the morning to get caught up :(

Anyway, Mady had a bad night and Emma woke up screaming around 5am with a fever. The go up and down with how they feel overall. They were basically running and babbling the whole time at the doctors office, but you can always tell just by looking in Mady's eyes how she is really feeling. Yesterday she was very needy and so was Emma.

We need healthy kids to attend Eli's big first birthday bash on Saturday! I'm so worried about any underlying issues that cause Mady to get sick as much as she does. I just keep getting told that they are toddlers and they are in daycare. That sums it up!

Pneumonia

2010-02-15T14:24:00.002-05:00

I received a call from daycare on Friday that Madelyn was running, tripped and smacked her head HARD off of a table. When I picked her up, she had a horrible egg and black and blue mark but was acting fine. I woke her once that night just to make sure there were no signs of concussion. Saturday night she started squinting like she either had a headache OR was trying to focus. Sunday this continued and she started having a fever and slept the entire day. I called the pedi, thinking that the fever was irrelevant, but I really didn't feel right about the eyes. She told me it was completely up to us and we decided to take her to the ER. 5 hours later she was diagnosed via chest xray with Pneumonia. I am so used to her having fevers that I would have never taken her in after one day of fever. And while I thought her breathing was a little labored, I figured it was from the fever.

So, we left with no head x-ray and yet another antibiotic. Miss Mady has been on antibiotics basically non-stop for the last several months due to ear infections. This kiddo seriously needs a break. And so do mommy and daddy. Even though she's with Grandma and Grandpa today, I had a horrible time leaving her. When your child is sick, you just want to hug and comfort them!

Meanwhile, I was going to call the nurses today to ask about Emma because she has had a cough for several weeks that just recently changed and she coughed up some mucus yesterday. Tomorrow, we're taking both girls in. Hopefully Mady won't need any breathing treatments and hopefully Emma doesn't have it as well.

We need a quick recovery because cousin Eli's first birthday bash is this weekend!

All clear!

2010-02-11T11:22:00.001-05:00

Mady's surgery went really well. All the fluid/pus from her ears was removed and her tubes placed. She was NOT happy with us before or after. I'm so glad we were both there because she only wanted daddy to hold her. We went in at 6am and were home by about 10am. She was feeling better by the afternoon and has slept straight through the last 2 out of 3 nights, which hasn't happened in a LONGGGG time. Hopefully they will stay in long enough to get through the rest of could and flu season!

Graduating and Surgery!

2010-02-04T14:05:00.003-05:00

The girls have graduated to the toddler room at daycare! My babies are now toddlers! UGH! We are so proud of them and every new thing they do, but it's so sad how fast they are growing up. Today I walked in at lunch after a doctor visit with Mady and little Emma was sitting at a table with her friends eating lunch. So cute.

So on to Mady... she's had 6 or 7 ear infections this season and is onto another. So, we saw the Ears, Nose and Throat Doctor today and he feels she is a perfect candidate for ear tubes. We are all for this because I do not want to give her anymore antibiotics and I want my little girl to be well for more than 1-2 weeks at a time. It's a very simple surgery that only takes 5-10 minutes. I can't wait to see how much better she does with these in. Christian and I are both going to do some schedule swapping next week so that we can both go in with her. She'll be put under for it.

Mady got her first mini haircut this weekend, as she had a few strands getting in her eyes and since her sides have yet to grow, we decided to give her a trim. Once her sides fill in, we'll let her bangs grow, as we are with Emma. Mady's hair is so long in the back, it looks like she has a mullet. We put it in pig tails the other day and pulled Emma's hair back:

I hope to update again soon after Mady's surgery on Feb 8th.

Finally, some Christmas photos!

2010-01-19T15:17:00.009-05:00

Are these the same girls?

2010-01-08T11:41:00.004-05:00

I thought for the sake of me trying to remember these times, I'd post a little update on what the girls are doing and their personalities! At times it seems like they've completely switched. Emma used to be very nervous around new people and not quite as outgoing. Now she waves to everyone she sees. Mady is now very clingy in the morning and cries when we leave her at daycare. They are now 16 months old! They still get sick a lot and they are both just getting over a bad cold with ear infections. For a few weeks they were both waking up in the middle of the night and would not go back to sleep unless it was with us. Now that they are feeling better, they are sleeping better, though one of them usually ends up with us for a few hours. During Christmas break we had 2 nights of solid sleep AND they slept until 9am, so thank you my sweet girls!

Madelyn says diaper and will go get a diaper for her diaper changes if we ask her. Emma LOVES her baby doll. Last night when I was rocking her and her baby she was stroking her baby's hair and hugging her just like I was doing to Emma. Emma says hi and she now sings, which is awful cute. She only seems to do it for Christian and I though. Hopefully I can catch that on video. They both love books. Mady seems to always have one in her hands. They love to go out. They are excited when they see their shoes and coats come out.

They play pretty well together, although there are some fights over toys and Emma definitely gets jealous when I hold Mady. Last night she squeezed her way right into my arms by pushing Mady out of the way. They both love to give hugs and kisses and if you ask them to kiss each other, they will!

They are back to napping twice a day on most days, which is fine by me!

Christmas!

2010-01-08T11:04:00.003-05:00

I was waiting until I had photos to update, but I haven't had time to upload them yet.

We had a great Christmas with the girls. They weren't quite as into it as I thought they would be,
but it was still so much fun. Christmas Eve we went to dinner and then came back to the house and opened gifts from Grammie and Pap-pap and Aunt Angela and Uncle Todd. All 3 kids were spoiled rotten! I think Emma's favorite gifts were her baby dolls from Grammie and strollers from Aunt Angela. Mady's are probably the Little People Farm from Aunt Julie and Uncle Michael and the Quad that Grandpa Mayer got them. They got some really cute fuzzy pillows in the shape of a bumble bee and turtle from Uncle Fritz and Aunt T. Santa got them a play house door thingy, which as a front door that opens and closes, light switches they can turn on and off, etc. They got some clothes, a sit and spin, tickle me elmo, a new play table, an activity center, books, and a bunch of other stuff. We can't wait till next year when they will be even more excited to see what's underneath the wrapping paper!

I tried to go through and put some older toys in storage to make some room for the new toys, but we've finally decided that it's probably time to move into a slightly larger home. We need one more bedroom and one more bath. We are so cramped right now and with us both doing freelance work we need a large bedroom for our office not the tiny, tiny bedroom we are both squeezed into right now!

I will update more soon and post some pictures from Christmas.

If you get a chance, check out my other blog: www.doubleedesign.blogspot.com to see some of the design work I do and of course you have to check out some of the new valentine's day designs at www.lillj.com!

Santa Babies!

2009-12-21T14:56:00.009-05:00

We took the girls to see santa this weekend and it just so happened to be the first major snowfall of the season! We waited about 1.5 hours to see him. Apparently, his name was legally changed to Santa Claus and the mall here flies him out from Denver every year. The guy was great. Really took time with each of the families and sat and talked to the kids. He told me about his friends who are married and are each a twin. She was pregnant 3 times and has 7 kids. You do the math!

We really thought Emma would cry, since she tends to be the more anxious of the two, but as soon as we sat Mady down she lost it. Poor girl. Emma just sat there and after we picked up Mady, Santa and Emma had a precious few moments together.

When we came home, we got a few good shots out in the snow with our new camera.

Somehow I managed to bake some cookies last night and will be making sugar cookies tonight. Still need to get the house in order for Christmas lunch!

Hope everyone has a great holiday... can't wait to report back with pics about the girls 2nd Christmas.

H1N1

2009-12-09T11:50:00.000-05:00

We did end up getting the girls vaccinated. Well, they at least at the first shot. Our doctor originally didn't feel comfortable with it, but changed her mind. I feel much better knowing they have at least one shot in them especially since they seem to get EVERYTHING.

Wow, it's been awhile.

2009-12-09T11:28:00.004-05:00

Busy would be an understatement. I honestly don't know how I keep going on some days. Working 4 days, running Lil' LJ, taking on tons of freelance work, trying to keep up with the house and finding time with my girls has proven difficult as of late!

I'm going to try to remember everything of note that happened since my last post and hopefully upload some pictures this week.

The girls tested out of their developmental and physical therapy! They are on target for just about everything and they feel there is no point in following them as closely as we have been. I did agree to a tracking system, which will follow up on us every 3 months, just to make sure the girls are meeting the milestones that they should be. I was very sad to say goodbye to Melanie, who was the developmentalist. We've seen her about every other week since they came home from the NICU.

Both girls currently have pink eye in both eyes. They've been waking up around 11 or 12 after going down for bed around 8. One night it's Mady, the next it's Emma. We let them cry for a little and then most times they wake the other. We've been pulling one or the other into bed with us when this happens so that both babies aren't screaming all night. Then, after they are passed out, we put them back or TRY to put them back.

Okay, so this probably isn't the best idea. I don't want them dependent on snuggling with us every time they wake up crying. However, at 12am, when you are exhausted and you know that letting them cry it out longer than 15 minutes wakes the other, there really isn't much choice. Right now they are teething and have horrible colds in addition to their pink eye. I'm hoping these are the reasons for these wakings. Last night Emma did sleep the whole night, so that makes me feel better. Mady was with me from 4am-7am coughing non-stop.

They are both walking and talking. Well, not talking persay, but they can babble on with the funniest infections in their voices. Mady says: diaper, mama, dada and what's this. Emma says: mama, dada, kitty, hi, baby. There are probably some other words that we just don't realize they are saying.

They are very into organizing and taking things in and out of objects. It's pretty funny to watch.

As I'm typing all this, I'm actually feeling guilty about not being on here more often and recording every single milestone and date. I guess I should at least be happy that I have done what I have on here right?

We bought a new camera and I am hoping to get some Christmas shots this weekend and then maybe I can start our holiday cards sometime before the New Year. Unfortunately, I also feel guilty about not picking up the camcorder enough to catch video of them. There are so many cute moments I wish I had captured. The reality is we have TWINS. There isn't always a free hand to grab a camera.

We drove to Chicago for Thanksgiving to spend the weekend with Christian's dad, step-mom and brother and sister-n-law. It was a lot of fun and the girls enjoyed exploring a new place. We took them to the aquarium while we were there and they loved it. The trip took 9.5 hours hours instead of the usual 7.5. That was hard, but the girls were troopers and either slept or just looked out the windows for most of the ride.

Still no Christmas decorations up at our house. I think we may keep it simple again this year. I don't really want to spend the next few weeks saying "no" to keep them away from Christmas decorations. I think we'll put up our mini tree again this year and put it somewhere safe!

Okay, that was a little update. Pictures to come!

Here Comes Santa!

2009-11-19T10:52:00.004-05:00

Jump start your holiday shopping now! Save 20% off of your total order at www.lillj.com now through Dec 15th. Use coupon code: HOLIDAY09.

Share this with your friends!! (One time use per customer.) Post this on your blog, facebook or twitter and I'll send you an additional coupon code for FREE shipping or become a fan of Lil' LJ on Facebook. Just comment below with the link to your post, tweet or status update and your email address.

Register on lillj.com to receive future savings!

Some of my new super cute Christmas designs:

This design is a coordinating two-pack perfect for twins!

Walking and Talking? What?

2009-11-16T16:44:00.002-05:00

Mady has been working very, very hard through tears at her physical therapy appts and thanks to Mary, our therapist, Madelyn is now a walker! She took 20 steps for Mary on Friday and has been walking since. She's so very, very proud of herself. Granted, she still crawls from time to time since it gets her from A to B much faster. Now, we need to work on Miss Emma. She tends to try to walk too fast, which just leads to a lot of falls!

The girls have been saying Mama and Dada for awhile now. Mady has been saying "wass tha?" Now we think they are repeating or trying to repeat a lot of what we say. Mady said Pap-Pap this morning and Emma said car Saturday night. We think Emma says Ki-Ki for Kitty. It's so cute. They now "pretend" to go night-night when we put a pillow down and Mady says "awww" while she does it. Emma gives hugs and kisses to her stuffed animals and the cats.

They are getting taller and braver which led me to empty most of my shelves in our living room. Anything they shouldn't get into, they somehow do. I could sit for hours and just watch them interact, talk, climb and take steps.

Cool!!

2009-11-13T13:06:00.003-05:00

Lil' LJ is being featured on one of my favorite blogs today! Visit the site and leave a comment for a chance to win a shirt!

www.mybabyfaves.blogspot.com

And don't forget to register to on www.lillj.com. I'll be sending out a pre-holiday eblast with money-saving coupons!

October in Pictures

2009-11-12T16:18:00.000-05:00

http://emmaandmadelyn.shutterfly.com/

Happy Anniversary Girls!

2009-11-02T11:58:00.004-05:00

Today is the one year anniversary of the day the girls finally came home from the hospital. 63 days we spent juggling our jobs, daily life and visiting our babies in the NICU having no idea what each day would bring. Hoping that we were doing all we could to nurture them and let them know that we were always there for them. While I always knew (or maybe just didn't dare think) we wouldn't lose these girls, we had plenty of scary moments in the NICU. Watching tiny 4lbs babies get blood transfusions ... countless x-rays and blood work ... alarms sounding constantly ... being fed through tubes ... watching them turn blue ... having nurses rush into the room ... not being able to hold my brand new baby girls for a few days ... unfortunately, it's still all very vivid in our minds.

Those are the hardest days we've had together. Those tiny 3lb babies are now 14 months old and 19 and 22 lbs. Simply amazing. Every day they bring us more and more joy.

Happy Anniversary girls! We love you!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T12:36:00.006-05:00

Trick or Treating was a blast with the girls and their friend Damon. We went to about 20 houses. Both girls are now taking 1-4 unassisted steps and it was amazing how many times they tried to "walk" towards the candy bowls last night. We let them pick up the candy from the bowls, which they thought was a blast. They didn't pay quite as much attention to the other kids/costumes as I thought they would, but it was dark by the time we got out. Can't wait for next year!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T15:13:00.007-04:00

The girls went for a visit at my office yesterday and dressed up again this morning for their music class. Trick or Treating in our neighborhood is tonight and it looks like the rain has finally stopped. We can't wait to take them out and see their expressions when they see all the costumes!

Miss Madelyn

2009-10-19T14:47:00.002-04:00

Madelyn had an appointment with Physical Therapy on Friday. Her developmentalist saw that her feet always seem to point outwards, so she wanted to be safe and get it checked out. Turns out she does indeed have pronated feet and low arches. So, our Friday mornings will now consist of physical therapy sessions to work on this and strengthening her core. We actually have to do crunches with her! The physical therapist labeled her as "lazy", which we thought was pretty funny, because of the two, she definitely is the lazy and easy going one. She did mention braces, but thought that parents jump into those too quickly. I guess it's possible she could "walk out" of this. I can't be thankful enough that I have Friday's open for things like this!

Big Girls

2009-10-19T14:40:00.002-04:00

I can't believe how big our girls look when they stand up by themselves! Where is the time going?

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-19T14:39:00.001-04:00

We took the girls to the pumpkin patch again this week with Grammie and Pap-Pap. They had a great time even though it was a little cold!

Christmas gift?

2009-10-13T14:27:00.003-04:00

Came across these awesome rings today and have given the hubby a wink and a nudge ;)

http://mybabyfaves.blogspot.com/2009/10/you-takeover-tuesday-ring-around-mommy.html

She always has great posts! It's definitely a blog to follow!

I know, I know...

2009-10-13T10:53:00.002-04:00

I know, it's been awhile since I've posted pics and I also have some video I need to put up. Just have to find the time to do it!

The girls are now on their 3rd week of sinus infections. They started on one antibiotic and it wasn't working, so they are now on another. I feel so bad for them - they are always sniffling. And it has meant not getting to have play dates with their younger friends.

They girls are eating all adult food now and love it. Not sure what their faves are, as it differs day to day. They love grilled cheese, grilled and rotisserrie chicken, pasta, peas, and squash. We managed to stay away from breaded chicken until our visit to PF Chang's this week. And of course, they loved it.

Emma is now able to stand and pick up objects while maintaining her balance. She can take about 3 steps when only assisted by one of us with one hand. Mady is practicing standing more and loves to use the walkers we have... especially the shopping cart. They are both are starting to point and Mady points at everything she sees and says "wass tha"? Very cute.

They are both sort of sporadic with sleeping through the night at this point and I truly blame it on the sinus infections/colds. They have been going to bed at night with no issues 6/7 nights, which is great! I think all that crawling at super speeds and trying to stand/walk is exhausting.

They love music class, which we started a few weeks ago. We all sing along and the girls get to play with maracas, drums and bells. We also get to dance and they get to hang out with the other twins (2 boys) in the glass as well as 2 other little kids.

We took them for a hayride this weekend and they loved it. I think this weekend, we'll head to another to pick some pumpkins and see the animals at the petting zoo.

Trip to the beach!

2009-10-01T16:15:00.002-04:00

We went to Myrtle Beach the second week of Sept with my family (brother and SIL and nephew and my parents). We had a great time! I was worried about the drive, but it went well! We stopped about 6.5 hours into the trip and stayed at a hotel and did the same on the way back. The girls slept almost the whole time and really only whined a few times... which is less than the whining I did about the drive :)

They loved the sand and thoroughly enjoyed eating it. YUCK! Mady loved the waves and Emma took a little longer to get used to it. We had a condo, so we were able to eat breakfast and lunch in most days. The weather was great. We already are booked again for next year! I'm not sure if next year will be easier or harder. The girls will probably hate being in the car next year, but they will probably enjoy the beach more and hopefully will be over putting everything in their mouths.

The girls are doing really well. They are both attempting to stand on their own, but Emma really loves to show of her skills. Mady would much rather sit down and crawl off. We actually have a physical therapist coming in to evaluate Mady because the developmentalist noticed a slight red flag with the way Madelyn stands. She stands with her feet and legs pointed out. We are not overly concerned, but love that we have this support system right at our fingertips. The girls really aren't saying any words yet either, but it often sounds at though Mady is saying "what's that?" Very cute.

They are now both waving and Mady plays peek a boo and covers her eyes. Mady will point out to anyone that is holding her where their nose is :)

The girls will be 13 months tomorrow! Unfortunately they are both sick with colds yet again.

Oh, and we are now fully on milk and adult foods! Yay girls!

I will post some recent pics soon. I'm just glad I was able to get this post in!

One Year Check Up

2009-09-17T15:52:00.003-04:00

The girls had their one year checkups on Sept 4th. Everything is right on! Mady was 21.5 lbs and Emma was 18.5 lbs. All their blood work came back good. Emma is in the 10% percentile for weight and the 25th for height and head size. Mady is in the 50% percentile and the 75th for height and weight. (I think I got that right.)

The doctor talked to us about Swine Flu and about RSV. The girls will most likely not be covered for RSV shots this year since they are healthy. The doctor is ordering in swine flu vaccines but will not administer them until she feels 100% secure with the vaccine. She just told us to keep a look out for the signs of both of these.

They were allowed to stop formula and move onto milk! We were all very excited about this, as formula costs us about $100 per week. Emma loved whole milk! BUT, from day one the girls started having loose stools and it only got worse on vacation. So, after a full week of milk we were put back on formula. We can slowly add milk back into their diets as soon as they are clear of any loose stools. We are hoping to add it back in this weekend. I'm not sure why the doctor didn't have us do this slowly from the get-go.

The girls now have tons of teeth! It's crazy. Emma has the cutest gap between her two front teeth. Her top ones show the most and Mady's bottom ones show the most.

The girls had a great time on vacation. We all did. I will update more on that, and hopefully soon. I wanted to at least get their doctors information posted!

The party!

2009-08-31T11:50:00.010-04:00

As promised, I am finally posting some pictures. Unfortunately, I think you never get quite as many photos as you hope to. We didn't get many pictures of the details of the day. We also didn't get the most important shot... a picture of the girls together in the onesies and tutus I made them. We'll be taking some portraits at the beach next week and that will be one of the pictures we take.

A lot of twin mom's have been asking about the party and details, so I'll try to go through the day for you!

We invited friends and our siblings. No Aunts, Uncles, cousins, etc. the list would have just been way to long. Our initial list was at about 42 adults and 15 kids. In the end, we had about 32 adults and 13 kids at the party. I would highly suggest not going over the 45 mark. It was a wonderful party and so much fun, but anymore people would have just been too overwhelming.

We decided on a Rubber Ducky Theme for the girls because they LOVE bath time with their duckies. This is the invitation we sent out a month before the party...

I, of course, made them myself. The color scheme of the party revolved around these, so the main colors were Bubble Gum Pink, Orange, Yellow and Blue.

The party was scheduled from 1-3pm. We wanted to keep it short and sweet to let the parents of the children be able to scoot out without feeling guilty! In retrospect, 3 hours would have been a much better time window because we did feel really rushed.

We had the food ready for 1:30. We let people eat as they wanted, keeping the food warm. We did the cake smashing around 2:15 and went straight into opening gifts. Before we knew it, it was over! For food, we had macaroni and cheese (a favorite of the girls), applesauce and hamburgers and hot dogs. Simple, but enough for a good lunch. We also had rice krispie treats, mom's cake and cookies.

The cake...
If you don't know... my parents own a bakery and work as a team on fondant cakes like these. They not only look incredible, but are super moist! (www.creativecakespgh.com)

And of course the smash cakes had to be just as cute. Notice Emma checking out Mady to see what she's doing with the cake.

Some other details from the party... we had a little duck pond with dollar store gifts for the kids.

We also had bubble favors with little rubber duckies on top. We had a bubble machine making bubbles over the swimming pool. No photos of this :(

What they are really fighting over in this picture is not a toy, it's a water bottle!

The girls had a great time and I don't think either one of them fussed at all until after the party when they were beyond exhausted. My sleepy lil' Madelyn passed out on Uncle Fritz ...

They got a nice mix of clothes and toys and we had nothing to return! With some of the gift cards they received, we got them some stacking blocks and a bongo!

This week they will officially be one and we are having a low-key family pizza night at our place. They girls still have 2 gifts to open from us and of course they want to try Grammie's cake again.

Friday, Mady has an appt with the eye doctor. The eye with the hemangioma seems to be a tiny bit lazy, so we just want to make sure it's okay. Then they have an afternoon appt at the Pedi for their 1 year visit and shots. We took them for 1 year bloodwork on Saturday. They did so great. Poor Mady had to get stuck twice because they couldn't find a good vein.

Saturday we leave for the beach!

1st Birthday!

2009-08-24T11:57:00.002-04:00

The girls had a great first birthday party yesterday. The weather even held out for us. We got a few raindrops a half hour or so after most of our guests left. The loved the cake! They got a ton of really cool toys and clothes that I am trying to figure out where to put :) I need a MoM (mother of multiples) to have a blog about organizing a house with multiples!

Big thanks to my parents for not only creating an awesome cake, but also for having the party at their house.

I will post pictures as soon as I can gather them from mine and my fathers camera.

We'll either celebrate their actual birthday (Sept 2) with dinner out with our families or maybe some pizza at our place.

Prayers needed.

2009-08-22T16:43:00.003-04:00

Another virtual friend of ours is going through an incredibly difficult time. Please visit her blog and read about this family and what they are going through right now. They need everyones thoughts and prayers. Just another reminder yet again of how truly lucky we are. We thought we went through so much in the NICU. It doesn't even come close to what other families have had to and are dealing with.

http://threecheersforbabies.blogspot.com/

Please support the March of Dimes. In these tough financial times, they are having an even harder time raising money. Walk with us next May in support of our family and families like the triplets. Donate whatever you can. Even if it's $1.

https://www.marchofdimes.com/howtohelp/donate_online.asp

Or donate to our friends charity, "Grady's Decision", which helps families with support as they go through premature births and the NICU.

http://gradysdecision.com/

Kiss and hug your lil' ones!!!

More teeth!

2009-08-18T14:10:00.002-04:00

Mady now has 5 teeth and Ms. Emma has 2! They have started chewing on their cribs! Yikes!

They seem to understand almost everything we say, but they still don't have any first words besides dada and an occassional mama. They are starting to cruise a little more and can climb up an entire staircase! I went out at lunch today and bought a flat screen tv lock to bolt the tv to the wall.

Just a few more days until their birthday party. We've kept it just to friends and our siblings/parents. I think the count is at about 35 right now and about 11 kids/babies. The weather is looking good so far!

Here's an adorable picture of the girls with Eli, their cousin at Grandma/Grandpa daycare.

July's pictures

2009-08-11T11:56:00.003-04:00

http://emmaandmadelyn.shutterfly.com/

Nothing much new. Planning the girls birthday party and planning our trip to Myrtle.

Emma's first tooth is up and out! The girls are doing great. They seem to have a new black and blue mark every day from trying to pull up to stand on everything and anything they can. Right now they are obsessed with the tv/stereo equipment. I wonder how long we'll have before that ends? Madelyn will climb mountains to get to it. The last two days, Mady has crawled after us crying when we leave her at daycare. I really hope it's a short phase. It's heartbreaking!

This weekend the girls and I are going to a wedding shower. Should be interesting... especially since it falls during a mealtime. I'm a little nervous because the girls are no longer happy sitting. They want to be on the move ALL THE TIME!

Pics!

2009-08-04T16:28:00.005-04:00

Our big girls standing up watching Wall-e.

A mini play date with Delaney, a NICU friend.

The carousel at the Erie Zoo.

11 months and NICU follow up

2009-08-04T11:00:00.002-04:00

We had a great follow up appt at the NICU yesterday. The girls are right on target for 9-11 months (their adjust age is 9.5 months). No concerns! We go back one more time next summer. We're so proud of them!

Just a few weeks until their first birthday party, which they are very excited about! And a few weeks after that we'll be in Myrtle Beach!

On a side note, we are exhausted! I can't imagine how we will feel when they start walking :) And the girls have a cold yet again. It seems they average about 1 week between each new cold. I really, really hope the winter goes easy on us.

More fun!

2009-07-27T15:58:00.003-04:00

We attended our first first birthday party on Saturday in Erie. It was for Gianna, who's family became dear friends of ours during our NICU experience. We stopped in at the Erie zoo beforehand and really liked it. It's great for kids. Unfortunately when we stopped back after the party, it was pouring down rain so we missed a good bit. We did get a chance to ride the train and the carousel, which we all loved. We will for sure stop back again next year.

It was great to see Gianna and her parents. I'm just sorry that we left without getting a photo of all of us together! The girls played on the swings in the park and of course, just laughed and laughed. We also got to hang out with neighbors of ours at the NICU and their daughter Delaney. The girls enjoyed sharing toys with her and snacks. I guess it was really our first "play date." I also met a friend of Gianna's who visits my site all the time. She was so happy to meet and see the girls in person after reading about them online. It made me wonder how many people we don't even personally know visit the site. I just looked up the stats and we've had 17,901 hits since our blog went up. That's really cool!

The girls are now playing together and it is beyond cute. They laugh and talk to each other in their cribs. Yesterday they were both giggling as they were playing tug of war with a toy. Oh, and mirrors! They can't get enough of seeing themselves :)

Great News!

2009-07-24T08:07:00.001-04:00

I got my first online review yesterday from a baby blog site! Thank you to Upscalebaby.com for this review!

Click here

Our Princesses

2009-07-22T09:47:00.000-04:00

in their baptism dresses...

The latest from the developmentalist

2009-07-21T11:06:00.002-04:00

Well, the girls have graduated to monthly visits from Melanie, their developmentalist, instead of every two weeks. She feels the girls are doing really well. She doesn't want to totally stop visits just in case. The next few months is a time when things might start to pop up with speech and walking. The only thing we've noticed is that Mady only says dada and not mama. Emma really doesn't say it much either, but we have a least heard it a few times. Emma's new thing is "la" she just repeats and repeats it. I find that really interesting because I think the "l's" are usually pretty hard for kids.

She wants them to work on their pulling up to standing. The day after she came to visit, Emma started pulling up on her own. Mady is really close. Boy, can they crawl FAST!

And... we're all sick again. I missed work yesterday with a fever, swollen glands, sore throat, chills, the whole package. The girls are stuffed up with runny noses. I guess this is par for the course for the first year or so of day care. It is not fun! I'm running out of days to take off from work!

Some pics from our Idlewild, Zoo and Baptism weekend with the fam

2009-07-15T15:35:00.006-04:00

The baptism

Idlewild Park

The Colorado Mayers: Michael, Abby, Izzy and Julie

Izzy!

Abby!

2 Crawlers and catching up.

2009-07-15T15:23:00.003-04:00

Mady has now picked up on her speed and curiosity! They both now venture out of rooms and on to anything and everything that is within their reach. It's so exciting and wonderful yet horrifying because we really have to make sure we leave nothing on the floor or within their reach. The gates are up and the outlets are blocked. Next up is the cupboard locks and toilet locks. I also think we should invest in a tv wall mount to keep it from falling over on the girls. It's so light and so easy to tip over.

Emma seems to think "no" is a funny word because every time I say "Emma, no" (which is quite often these days) she turns and looks at me and laughs!

They both love "peeking" around corners and really looking for things that they drop or if we leave the room. It's really cute. Emma is now speaking in gibberish. She really tells some great stories.

Last night they had rigatoni for the first time as a finger food and loved it. Mady did get sick afterwards though...

And on the medical front, Mady's latest ultrasound results showed that a few of her internal hemangiomas have reduced in size. There are a few that are still about the same size, so we'll repeat the test again in 3-6 months. All in all, good news!

What I really didn't get to add to my "still grieving" post is just how much I LOVE being a mom. I had such a hard time even visualizing myself as a mom or how in the world I'd pull it off with two. It is by far the best thing that has every happened to me. (Okay, it's tied with marrying my dear hubby).

Pictures coming....

June pics!

2009-07-15T15:22:00.002-04:00

You can see the girls 9 month pictures from June and from their NICU Reunion at the zoo here:

Emma and Mady - June

I still grieve.

2009-07-12T18:08:00.005-04:00

I still grieve for us and our girls. I know that we are so incredibly lucky. We have friends that lost their children, those that went through intense surgeries, those that had developmental delays. We have to two very healthy, thriving little girls. But, there are days when I just cry. Every little one is special. Every baby is a blessing. But a preemie is just different in so many ways. I can actually say that I never once feared losing my girls, but the truth is in those first days, it could have happened. Madelyn's lungs were not mature enough and she needed alot of help. Seeing your children turn blue more than once is just not something a parent should ever need to see. Nor having a child so small that she can be held in the palm of your hand.

I grieve over the time that we missed at home with our girls while they spent their 63 days in the NICU getting poked and proded, getting tests and shots, breathing treatments and x-rays, blood transfusions and MRIs. A friend of ours has a whole different perspective and he's right – preemie parents actually get extra time with their kids. We had 2.5 extra months with our girls that other parents wouldn't have. But that time was hard. Working from 9-3 then spending 3-10pm at the hospital. Taking turns from one baby to the other. Reading to them, holding them, feeding them, singing to them and talking to them. Waiting and waiting for the day that things got better. Waiting for the next step forward and not backward. Waiting even longer for the day we could all go home.

I grieve over my failure to carry my girls. Yes, I know it wasn't my fault. Yes, I know I did everything I could to keep those girls safe. But, it's only natural that I feel partly responsible. I feel angry that my body just couldn't do the job. I worry about any future attempts at pregnancy... if we choose to do this again!

I grieve over missing the excitement of their birth. We didn't have time to grab the camera. We didn't have time or the proper conditions to have our brothers with us. We didn't even have time to really process the whole thing until days later. It brings me to tears as I sit here typing this when I think about the moment the doctor said, "this is not your fault, you did everything you could." At that point I was too far dilated and we had to proceed. The fear we had that morning at 29 weeks when I was having contractions. The fear we had three weeks before when I was hospitalized for two weeks.

All of this. Every single second of it was worth it. These girls have brought more joy to me than I can even express. Yes, having twins is hard work. Yes, I am almost always tired and overwhelmed. But we have two beautiful little girls that fill our hearts to the very tippy top. I'm often asked, "How do you do it? I can't even do it with one!" My answer is... I can't imagine it any other way. I can't imagine not having two girls smiling up at me. I can't imagine my heart being full enough with just one.

Crawling and taking steps!

2009-07-06T20:44:00.005-04:00

The girls have started taking assisted steps and are doing really well. They LOVE it. Emma has officially started crawling and can move pretty fast across the floor. Guess it's time to get those baby gates up! We keep forgetting to catch this on video!

We had a very long and fun weekend. Christian's brother and sister-n-law were in town with their twin girls, Abby and Izzy. We went to Idlewild park, the zoo, had some cookouts and our girls were baptized on Sunday (I'll post pictures soon)! We were lucky enough to have the entire Mayer clan here for the girls big day. We are so thankful that everyone was able to be here. We didn't brave the fireworks this year, but they did get to see some mini fireworks and Uncle Fritz's. Emma was sleeping, but Mady was very intrigued. While at Idlewild, the had their first carousel ride and loved it. Then they got to do it again at the zoo :)

During our trip to Idlewild we had our first "choking" incident. Mady got a hold of a penny. We didn't even realize she was choking. She was coughing and her eyes were watering. I patted her back a few times and she seemed fine. I then started feeding her solids and a penny fell out of her mouth! We were so very, very lucky! We are also now going to be very paranoid every time we hear them cough from here on out.

The girls were so exhausted from their weekend that they slept until 10am today and then took a 2.5 hour nap! Unfortunately, it looks like Mady is getting sick again. Her poor little nose was running non-stop today. Her 2nd and 3rd teeth are now in!

The elusive tooth!

2009-06-29T14:21:00.002-04:00

Here's a great pic of Mady's little tooth! She's got one more coming in beside it and one up top!

Resolve National Advocacy Day

2009-06-22T13:43:00.003-04:00

Today we are in a unique moment in US history where the future of healthcare reform is being discussed in the halls of Congress. Together we need to make sure that the leaders of this discussion hear firsthand what those touched by infertility need in our healthcare system. There's never been a time in RESOLVE's 35 year history where we need you more than we do today. Grab your spouse, partner, best-friend or mom and join us June 25 in Washington D.C. Stand up and be heard.

Help other couples like us! Spread the word. Everyone deserves a shot at a family and the joy that our lil' girls have brought to us!

Read more about what YOU can do!
http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=advday_home

First Tooth!

2009-06-19T17:57:00.001-04:00

Mady broke her first tooth last week. It's still coming up through. I'm working on getting a photo... she's not cooperating very well. She loves running her little tongue over it to feel it.

First day of Grandma/Grandpa Daycare with all 3 babies!

2009-06-08T17:12:00.002-04:00

Mady and Emma with Eli (the girl's cuz)
Looks like fun!