Where Has the Time Gone? And other updates

Max and Harper have been growing, changing, and learning so quickly! They are over 14 months old. Seriously. It seems like they should still be like this...

But, really they are toddlers like this...

So, our house is a lot louder. It is filled with giggles. Blocks banging. Screaming from fighting over toys. Furniture being moved. Doors of our TV stand being ripped by the hinges. But gosh, it is so great!

Our house is also a disaster area. We now need new floors and refuse to have people over until it is done. (We needed new floors B.B.-before babies-but now we really need them!)

When can they start helping clean up??

They are learning machines, I tell ya! They literally can repeat anything we say. I told them "dangerous" when trying to rip the safety outlets out for the 100th time. Pretty soon, anytime they go near the outlets and we say "no", they say "dangerous". It's adorable. They talk all the time. We don't always understand their babbles but for the most part we can communicate pretty well. They sign "more" but also say "more" now when they sign. They say and sign "all done" and "milk". They say "uh-oh" for everything. Here is another list of their words: night-night, bye-bye, hello, hey, ball, dog, momma, dada, no, thank you, diaper, toothbrush, Bella, Grampa.

Many other words they can repeat but they don't really use when they are talking to us regularly.

They are not only walking, but running. So that's fun!

They climb like champs. On furniture. On us. On each other. In fact, Max has now started this aggressive hugging. I know that seems like an oxymoron but seriously, he starts hugging Harper sweetly and then winds up tackling her to the ground where he holds her down. All while appearing to be a loving brother. Poor Harps! She also gets the brunt of his biting. Although, I think he is getting better with this the more he learns to communicate.

We started a Timeout Corner. At first, I thought they were too young for this. However, daycare is teaching us a lot about what they can do! They sit at a big kid table, sleep on cots (not cribs!), and play on playground equipment.

The daycare teacher sent us proof that they sleep on cots when I didn't believe her.

Grandparent's Day at their school (All four of their grandparents were there!)

Big kid activities mean they get in big kid trouble too. Harper nearly fell off the slide on the playground and a teacher had to try and catch her and wound up scratching her cheek. Poor girl got a nasty scratch but I will take that over a head injury any day!

Harper's scratch

Max impresses us with his engineer mind. He inspects everything to figure out how it works. Then, this happened!

How the heck does a 14 month old make block towers?! That just seems crazy to me. Such a smarty pants! He thinks everything through...you can see the wheels turning. Usually, he is plotting his next move to get around the barriers we have in place or to do something he is not supposed to do. But he is such a lover. He gives the best smooches and hugs. But he also has a cry that breaks your heart. (Along with an ugly cry face to boot!)

Harper is the sweet, cuddly girl. She melts your heart with one glance. Her eyes smile from deep inside her soul. She is such a Momma's girl too! I love that. When she is sick or tired, only Momma can make it better.

Loves Momma and Me Selfies

They love this tub! No idea!

Both have been cutting multiple molar teeth. How awful for them?! They are handling it like pros. Harper still only has two top front teeth, three bottom front teeth, and now FOUR molars! Max has four top front teeth, four bottom front teeth, and now TWO molars! They are both working on more too. Thank goodness for teething tablets. They have made all of our lives better.


I have no idea how much they weigh or their height. We go to the doctor in October for their 15 month checkup. I would guess around 21-22 pounds. They wear size 4 diapers now and 12-18 month clothing. They are short so we usually have to roll their pants so they fit them. My shorties!


The twins have had their ear tubes in their ears for a couple months nearly...but we see their doctor that did the surgery this week. Max has an ear infection now but the tubes just let the infection drain out. It is gross! We put in ear drops a few times a day and wait to see the doctor. Hopefully, that will make it all better.

They eat everything in sight. Heck, they ate chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant last week! They are going to eat us out of house and home. And our dog is loving cleaning up the food they purposely throw on the floor.

No more ravioli in the middle of the day!

They sleep really well. There was one night last week that Max woke up at 2am. He didn't ever go back to sleep. He didn't cry, just thought it was play time. He didn't nap until 12:30!!! It was insane. And Jeremy and I were exhausted too! But normally, sleep is great. Although, I miss the rocking and soothing a bit...we just lay them in their cribs. They go to sleep on their own and self-soothe for the most part. Max still MUST have a pacifier to sleep. But he is pretty good about finding it in his crib in the middle of the night in case it falls out of his mouth.


Our lives are so busy. Between my two jobs, Jeremy's job, my parents' anniversary party, Halloween costumes, organizing closets, Zumba classes and trying to keep an organized chaos with the rest of the house...I am exhausted! But it is so much fun!

New Classroom before school started

Now some other random pics of the last two months. I have not been great with taking too many pictures so I am sorry!

They love bath time and splashing us. 

Max is now obsessed with his Tickle Monster hands

Pigtails!!!!!!!!!

Watching Dada mow

Dinos

See you soon!
-Lisa-

8 Months & New Life Chapters

Another month. They are a measly 4 months away from being ONE! I also have to admit that I have been searching Pinterest for ideas for their first birthday party. Our house is too small to have everyone here and the twins won't really be ready for the full out bouncy house birthday yet. So we are thinking at having it at nearby park. That way there are activities and it is large enough for everyone. Although I really don't want them to grow up so fast...I am excited about their very first birthday!

Max is a crazy person. Seriously. He is into everything that he shouldn't and will magically be across the room within seconds of looking away. He is obsessed with the foam that we put around the edges of our coffee table. He wants it off the table and in his mouth. We tell him no. He shakes his head no to us and giggles. How do you get mad at that? He is too funny. He loves to stand at the activity table and fight Harper for the best buttons to push. He babbles nonsense a lot. Lots of "Dada" "Mama" "RaRa" "Nana" and squeals.

He has been a little under the weather lately. Horrible diaper rash from cutting TOP teeth. (He has some large bumps on his top front gums.) He hasn't been sleeping well and is just overall not his happy self. Hopefully he will be over this fussy stage soon. It has only been a few days but I want my sweet, smiley boy back.

He loves food! His favorites are still fruit. Most recently he loves the mixed fruits. He also is getting pretty good at feeding himself. He likes the little puffs and has just learned how to make hand to mouth connection. Granted, our dog, Bella, still gets her fair share from him, but he is doing well. He wears 6-9 month clothing for the most part. The 9 month clothes are a little big and he still fits into most of his 6 month clothing. He wears size 3 diapers. I don't know exact weight but by just holding him and weighing on our scales...he is around 17.5 pounds.

Harper is the happiest baby. She is so smiley, snugly, and loving. She gives big open mouth kisses and melts my heart with her facial expressions. She is the sweetest girl. She is also a girl on the go but hasn't quite mastered crawling all of the way. She sometimes gets so excited that she is moving that she head butts the ground which isn't her favorite feeling. She can still get where she wants to go and has also developed an obsession with the foam on the coffee table. (Been watching Max too much!) She loves to play. She gets so excited that she flaps her arms and squeals when you do about anything. So cute! She also talks quite a bit and I swore the other day she said something that resembled "Max".

She has had a perpetual cough for a few weeks. Never a fever. She even seems to feel fine. It is slowly getting better which is good. I am just ready for winter to go away so they can stay healthy longer. She has her one and half (I say half because it is just barely peaking through) tooth on the bottom.

She is an eater. She can eat Max under the table highchair. She is more of a veggie and dinner fan. She loved the chicken and noodle puree and also a big fan of squash. But I don't think we have found a food she doesn't like yet. She is not as sure about feeding herself. It is like she doesn't want to get her hands dirty. She will pick up a puff and look at it in disgust before throwing it on the ground for Bella. However, she likes the puffs but wants me to feed it to her. Silly! She wears 6-9 month and 9 month clothing. She can sometimes fit into 6 month clothing but for the most part they are too small now. She wears size 3 diapers. Again, not a complete accurate weight on our scales but she is close to 18.5 pounds.

Helping "Grandma" Anne celebrate her 90th!

We kinda like bathing together!

"Harps"

Miss Harper is a happy girl!

Just hanging out

Max getting into everything!

He loves getting into the diaper stash

Unhappy?

What? It wasn't me!

8 month pictures

Outtakes tell it all

Babygate was installed!

Playing together

On a run with Mom

They both amaze me everyday. I just never knew this kind of love existed.

But I am tired. I think this stage is more difficult than the newborn stage. I don't have nearly the amount of time to keep up with housework and work-work. They definitely run us ragged but wouldn't have it any other way!

You would think that having two humans to take care of and support would prevent us from making huge life changes. Nope! This is Jeremy's last week at his job of nearly 11 years. He is going to be a sales manager for a local sock company. Yep, socks! He is going to help grow the business and hopefully make a lot more money. He has always carried the insurance for the babies so now we are figuring that out. The sock company is fairly new and he will be their ONLY paid employee.

On top of that uncertainty...I turned in my resignation to my school that I have taught at for 8 years! Am I crazy? Possibly. I will still need to work but am looking for a job still using my education degrees but in a capacity that doesn't involve the stresses and grading of a regular teacher. I am hoping to find something and the pressure is on now.

So onto new life challenges. It never stops. Jeremy is really excited and to be honest...just turning in my resignation felt good.

-Lisa-

Twin Update-7 weeks

My babies are 7 weeks old tomorrow! Ah! It has gone so fast but at the same time I can't remember what we did before them. How did we spend our days? What did we talk about? What did I worry about? Everything before July 11 just seems to be a blur. They have changed our lives for the better.

I had to take Max to the doctor to get acid reflux medicine. He was having projectile spit up. I mean it was awful! He also screamed and cried for the first ounce of his feedings. You could literally hear the acid in his belly when he started eating. It was such a painful cry...it was heartbreaking. He also would often gag or cough randomly throughout the day. Feeding time was such a sad time for him. Normally he smiles and is just a happy, laid back little man. However, the medicine seems to be working. They put him on Axid twice a day and so far...no spit up. He still seems uncomfortable at feedings but not nearly as bad as before. He is 10.5 pounds!! What?! He isn't fat either. He is just solid as a rock. No many rolls on him but definitely a chunky monkey. I love his double chin and his chubby cheeks.

Both babies are in this FUN stage. They are starting to play and be alert more often.Their smiles melt my heart. With those smiles, it will be difficult not to spoil them rotten (although, I think they already are!).

They are eating a lot! The doctor said that it is fine but they are just little piggies. They eat 4-4.5 ounces every 3-4 hours. However, at night they are sleeping 5 hours in a row!!! Woo-hoo! I love that we are starting to get more sleep.

Jeremy is ready for them to move into their nursery and cribs. I am not. He hasn't brought it up in awhile which I am glad. I know that before I am back at work, we need to start making the transition. I have started putting them in their cribs for nap times.

They are both really good at getting to sleep on their own. We will lay them down awake and they will get to sleep on their own. They just need their pacifiers and they are out. Now, Harper still needs to be bounced or rocked sometimes but for the most part they can self-soothe themselves to sleep! This is awesome and hope they keep it up. It is hard for me to resist the urge to rock them all the time. However, their sleep habits will be much better if they can get themselves to sleep. (I still cuddle with them all the time though!)

Max went into size 1 diapers about 3 weeks ago. However, Harper is still in newborn sized diapers. We are on our last pack of newborn diapers. (We have not had to buy any diapers so far thanks to everyone!) Once these are gone, Harper will move to size 1 too. It couldn't come at a better time since Harper blew out her diaper today while in the car seat. I had to wash everything!!

Newborn clothes don't really fit Max anymore either. He is mainly in 0-3 months. 3 month clothing is still a little big on him...especially the pants. Little man has short legs! Harper can still wear newborn clothes but they are snug. I am going to cry the day that I pack away those adorable newborn outfits they have been wearing.

Another milestone...they moved up to the Avent size 2 nipples on their bottles. It has made feeding time go much faster. The size 2 nipples are for one month and older but we waited a bit after their one month birthday because they were doing fine with the size 1.

They are growing so fast. Harper rolled from tummy to back at 4 weeks and Max is nearly there. He can get to his side before he gives up and plops back down. Miss Harper is now working on back to tummy rolling. I swear that girl is going to be an athlete. She is so strong!

Now for the show-off pictures over the last couple of weeks:

Our church is growing! Here are 7 of the 8 babies born since May!!



My FAVORITE!! Even crying, they are so cute!

Max snuggling with Mama

My favorite place in the whole world!

Harper is out!!

Max using his pacifier as a joystick!

LOVE!



Playtime!

-Lisa-

Celebrate!

So I am on the long road to a better me!

First week of Weight Watchers and I lost 4 pounds! I was so excited!

Isn't it weird that you don't realize changes until someone tells you? I honestly didn't think that I lost anything. I was surprised but as I left the meeting, I magically felt like I had changed. It just took the meeting and weigh in to give me some confidence.

I need to do a better job at building myself up. I definitely don't give myself enough credit. Granted God works through me everyday and He knows what I am capable of. It is just too bad that I have lacked that self-confidence; that is until tonight.

I am looking forward to the journey. I have  about 46 pounds more to go before I reach my goal weight but this first week definitely boosted my confidence.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

-Lisa-

Looking to 2012

Today leaves me thinking and wondering about 2012. For the last couple of years, I have had great hopes that this would be the year I would be a Mommy. I have always been let down. So this year, I am taking a new stance. I am going to focus on how I view infertility.
My resolution is to lose weight (it is every year and it never lasts). Many people will make New Year’s resolutions--and break them before they even begin. Some will never make an effort to break the destructive patterns in the first place!  So today I am going to make a change in how I view my infertility.

How have I looked at my inability to conceive? There is no doubt it is a devastating life crisis. For those who have never experienced the crushing blow of an infertility diagnosis, delayed or denied pregnancy may seem like little more than a passing inconvenience. However, for those who live in infertility’s shadow every moment of every day, baby hunger can be an all-consuming dread and heartache. Is it a punishment? Is infertility God’s way of letting you know you have wronged Him? Has God chosen to show His anger or disappointment in me by closing my womb tighter than Fort Knox? How should I view my infertility?

  In 1 Samuel 1 where the story of Hannah is shared with us, there are two separate occasions where we see the phrase “the LORD had closed her womb”. There is no question as to why Hannah was not a mother. The answer is clear: the Lord closed her womb. If the Lord closes your womb, it is closed! Hannah’s infertility was not an accident. God did it on purpose. The first time I really paid attention to this phrase, I must admit, it made me mad. I wanted to believe that Hannah was having a problem conceiving and that God rushed in like a knight on a white stallion and saved the day. Wrong! God closed her womb. He did it on purpose! I didn’t want to believe that God did this to her? Why? Because if God did this to her, maybe He did this to me, too.

But wait! Here’s the good part! If God did this on purpose, then Hannah’s infertility--and mine--must have a great purpose! I don’t believe God allows something as life changing as infertility to haphazardly interrupt the flow of someone’s life for absolutely no reason. We know infertility doesn’t catch God by surprise. I believe infertility in life has a holy purpose. God will use it to reach me and teach me things I haven't understood.

Therefore, I am changing my view of infertility. I am not going to let the enemy convince me that it is something that has happened to me because God is angry with me or that He has forgotten me. Infertility has a purpose.  

So as 2011 draws to a close and 2012 begins, here is what I hope to do:
1. Let God's will be, I can't plan or control my life because it is HIS to control
2. Keep praying for our family but not obsess over it because it is for HIS divine purpose
3. Let stress and anxiety roll off my back
4. Love my family, husband, and friends more (I feel I have neglected them in my depression state)
5. Yes, LOSE WEIGHT. It needs to happen. I am hoping I don't give up one month in

I hope everyone has a great 2012! I know I am planning to.

-Lisa-