Thursday, July 10, 2014

O-N-E!!!!!!!!!!!

They are one. They are one! They are ONE!!!!

A year ago the thought of having one year olds seemed forever away. Now, it is here and I can hardly believe it. They have grown and changed so much! Check out this Flipagram of how much they have changed over the year!


Their first birthday party is Sunday. I will most definitely post the pictures. We are expecting A LOT of family and friends to come and help us celebrate their first year of life. It should be a lot of fun!

I guess I will do their 12 month update. I guess this is the last monthly update. I am going to have to get better at this structured blogging now since I won't have a specified reason to blog once a month. Ha!

Both twins are becoming quite the grown people! They need to stop!
-One bottle a day...night time bottle. We haven't tried getting rid of it yet since it really helps with the bedtime routine.
-All table foods now
-We started mixing whole milk with their formula and now they are almost all on whole milk. Within a couple days, I expect no more formula!! Woo-hoo!!
-Both wear size 3 diapers and 12 month clothing. Max is almost in shoes size 4, Harper is a size 3.
-Just went through another round of antibiotics for ear infections...same one since April for them. The tube surgery can't come soon enough!

Let's start with the princess of the family, Miss Harper, whom I lovingly call "Harpy" "Harps" or "Booger". I probably should stop because these names might stick.

She was our first walker. She still has to be coerced into doing it and won't just stand up and walk across the room. Her preferred method of travel is crawling but she can walk. Yes, she might resemble a drunken sailor but still walking, nonetheless.

She has 4 teeth still...but this morning has 2 more top ones coming in but haven't broke skin yet.

She is at least 21 pounds but we go for our check up next Thursday for the official.

She sleeps well at night and takes 1 long (1-2 hours) nap in the day.

Harps loves to kiss. She gives big open mouthed kisses and says "Awww" afterwards because that is, of course, what we say when she gives kisses.

Harpy is also a great eater. She eats slow and steady but will clear her plate guaranteed. Her favorite foods are watermelon, any type of bread, vanilla wafers, peas, and bananas.

Harper talks up a storm. Sometimes to her brother, sometimes to herself while she is playing, and other times to us. She really gives us the business...if only we knew what she was saying! Her new words from last month are: "Ball" "Doggie" something that resembles "Max" and more that I must be forgetting.

She is so loving. I know I say that but she really is. Yes, she has bitten Max! But I swear, she normally is very sweet.

Now for our ornery, silly boy, Mr. Max. I can't get enough of this boy!

Max is so stinkin cute that he gets away with a lot from Mama. I need to stop because I am creating a monster. He is into everything. Literally. He has no fear and will crawl on top of anything to get something he is determined to get. He will push anything out of his path. We refer to him as "Max Chaos" sometimes. He is non stop. He doesn't stop moving. He goes and goes until he sleeps and gets up to do it all again.

He is pure boy. He loves throwing things. This started with teaching him to throw balls but has opened his eyes that everything can be thrown. He examines things really closely to see how they work and operate. This especially applies to his cars. He loves cars. He will push them around the house saying "Vroom" for a long time. It is our quiet time because we don't have to look our for the destruction that usually follows him. Ha!

He has 7 teeth and one more getting ready to break through. They all just popped up so quickly this time!

Max is also a big kisser. He will pucker up and kiss. He loves to kiss his sissy but sometimes that turns into biting sissy. He has left some marks. We tell him no firmly and distract him. I have a feeling we are going to have to start taking people's advice and bite him back. I hate to do that though!

He wears around 20 pounds but, again, we will see on Thursday.

He also loves to eat. His favorite is pancakes, bananas, animal crackers, graham crackers, pasta, mandarin oranges, or pretty much anything. He hasn't really met a food he hasn't liked!

Max is quieter when it comes to talking. He will occasionally babble a bit. His new words from last month "Doggie" "Ball" "Throw" and more.

Max still hasn't ventured past the 3-4 step mark on walking. He is so much faster crawling. If he is holding onto one of our hands, he nearly runs across the room but can't stand still long enough to do it himself. He just doesn't have the patience for it. We keep working with him and hopefully he will gain the confidence to do it on his own soon.

We get Max's haircut today!! We will have pictures of that too.

They are just the loves of my life. Here are a few pictures from the last month. And look for birthday pictures soon!

Not having the before church pic

Practicing their cake eating skills

Standing tall

This is how you do it when your hands are full of cookies!

Happy 4th of July

Riding the horsey at Mamaw & Papaw's

Riding the horse at our friend's

Riding the train

There's a really cool mini railroad. The rides are $.50. They loved it!
My Harpy

Too cool!


The family on the train
In our pool on the deck

Loving the water gun

Happy girl


More pool time at our friends


Hey, Dad

Still from the train

A break from swimming

All their friends
Trying on gear for his party! Ha!
Train ride



Why he needs a haircut!





















Last month picture!!

It was so hard to keep them still!!

We went to Portrait Innovations as a last minute decision to get their one year pictures made. It wasn't an awful experience for a cheap walk-in place. Here are a few shots from there:












-Lisa-






Where we are now a year later

I have been told since the babies were born one simple phrase: Enjoy every moment because it goes so fast. There were times that I doubted this advice. It was usually around 3am when I had no idea what to do and cried thinking they would never sleep. I would never sleep again. But in all honesty...this year has flown by. I have no idea how this happened.
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[side note] I am in the process of selling their clothes, equipment, etc in a consignment sale. Jeremy and I really did have a difficult conversation about our likelihood of having  more kids. As much as I would adore more babies...we are most likely done. For many reasons. So...we are purging the baby stuff to make room for TODDLER stuff! Looking at the newborn clothes, swaddle cloths, and socks makes me tear up. I have a hard time remembering them that small. They were. I just can't fathom it now that they are SO BIG! My sister-in-law, Jeremy's sister, had her twin boy and girl on June 16. I loved them instantly, of course. It will be awesome for Max and Harper to have MORE (I think there are 5 sets total on Jeremy's side!) twin cousins. Again, though, I couldn't believe that they were so tiny. Even though they were nearly the exact size of my babes. 
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I sometimes reflect on our lives pre-babies. I can't imagine what we did with our time. We must have had time to do everything on our to-do lists. I am sure our house was cleaner. I am sure money wasn't as tight. I am sure that our dog got lots of attention. I am sure that Jeremy and I a lot of alone time together. But I am also sure of one important thing...our lives were not complete and our hearts had a giant whole of emptiness that could only be filled with love for Max and Harper. 

July 11 changed our entire beings. I suddenly have become a new and amazing thing: a mom. I am Max and Harper's favorite mom in their whole world! Ha! The way they look at me, still melts my heart. They need me. And oh, do I need them! They look to me for guidance on what to touch and what not to touch. They test boundaries. They test my patience (which by the way, I have also gained through them!). 

Suddenly bodily fluids have become a natural thing to have in my hair, face, clothes, or even mouth (gross!). I never thought that I would get to a point where poop isn't a big deal...but also a big topic of conversation. We suddenly talk about poop a lot. Did they go? What did it look like? Are they constipated? Do they have diarrhea? 

Each milestone in the last year...whether that was rolling over or taking steps...has made me feel honored to witness their growth and development. They amaze me everyday with what they know and learn. 

Before the babies and during our infertility battle, I prayed a lot. I felt like I was begging sometimes. Pleading for a miracle. Then, God gave us them. Our precious miracles that we prayed for fervently for. During the last year, I watch them grow and change. I don't think I have ever been this up close and personal (or not focused in long enough) to see God's work. They are amazing. HE made them. HE gave them to us and am forever grateful that he decided to share them with us. I feel so overwhelming blessed to be their mother. 

I know that this post seems convoluted but this is my brain nowadays. I can't write anymore. I used to be able to stay on topic but now I just regurgitate whatever thoughts pop into my head. So it isn't pretty, but it is my life now. 


 -Lisa-

Thursday, June 26, 2014

First Vacation

I've been busy with summer school this week but meant to write a post about our first road trip with the babies. 

A couple of weeks ago we made a trek down to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas for a family reunion. It is about a 6.5 hour drive but it took us 7.5 hours.

I was really worried about the trip for multiple reasons:
1. 7.5 hours! How would we do this?
2. What if they won't sleep at our condo? They have only slept in their house for their whole lives.
3. A family reunion doesn't support their nap schedule very well.

However, they did AWESOME! I was so pleasantly surprised by how they did. Yes, there were some hiccups...but for the most part, it was such a great trip. We got to hang out with family that we rarely see. We got to get away from real life for a bit. We got to see a portion of the country we never have seen before.

We decided to leave right after feeding them breakfast. So we got out of the house around 8:30-8:45 by the time we dropped off our dog at the PetHotel and loaded the car. The babies stayed up for about an hour just looking out the window. (They have always been pretty good about riding in the car for short jaunts to my parents' house about 45 minutes away.) They fell asleep and slept for about an hour. When they woke up, we decided to stop and change them. We found a gas station and just used the front seats.

The next couple hours...they were awake! We had lots of snacks, sippys, bottles, and toys readily available. I think they might have ate half a can of Gerber Graduates Lil' Crunchers. They love those cheeto-like things! Around the time we entered Arkansas...they were done. Max wanted nothing to do with food, drink, or toys. So...we stopped for lunch. Good ole' Dennys!

They were able to get changed, eat, and  play around a bit. They got back in the car willingly and were happy. They sang songs, giggled, and talked. In order to get into Hot Springs, you must travel a long scenic by-way that is a steep mountainous road that winds around for an hour. Before we entered that highway, we stopped again to let them sit in the front seat and drink a bottle. (For the record, we started weaning from the bottles and now they only get them morning and night.)

They slept the rest of the way there (1-1.5 hours). When we arrived, they couldn't have been happier to see family, roam around, play with their toys, and explore the new digs.

We definitely were not on their normal schedules. We tried to nap when we knew the family was going to be hanging around our condos. My parents gave us their master bedroom and they took the guest room. It was so nice of them! We could fit both pack and plays and separate them so they couldn't disturb each other. I don't think they went to sleep until after 9pm every night which is SO not like them. The last night there was the only bad night. Harper did not want to sleep. I think she got so exhausted that she wouldn't sleep. She finally went to sleep around 2am. Seriously! Jeremy and I took turns holding her.

It was sad to leave but the babies were SO tired and we were too. The drive home was splendid!! We stopped twice. Once to eat lunch and change them. Another time to change them and give bottles. When we got home, they were ready to eat and sleep in their own beds. (Us too!)

I wish I had special tricks to share with you guys. But what worked for us was to stop and not rush to get there. Our car was packed as to where we had everything they needed easily accessible.

It was such a great time!!

(BTW...2 weeks until they are ONE!!! We just got their cakes ordered today. Crazy!)




Neither were thrilled of the water at first...


But they loved it after they got used to it!
Plus these floaties were amazing!

She loves lemons!

Bring all of their toys and cups are better entertainment




So many cousins to play with!

Downtown Hot Springs

One of the hot springs


I love this picture of Harps

Our car packed!!
One of our stops
My little family
















-Lisa-

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

11 Month Update-One month to go


Holy cow! We have one more month before my babies are O-N-E!!

With each passing month, they just learn more and more things. We are in the stage that makes it incredibly difficult to keep them contained. We have rigged a pretty good system of blocking off our entire living room. But they somehow manage to find the smallest hole to climb through. They are SO fast! They are in the kitchen opening and closing drawers before we know it. The next thing on our list is finally baby proofing the kitchen so it isn't such a big deal that they escape there.
Our disaster of a living room trying to keep them contained
Instead of organizing the last month's events in a logical order, I am just going to do a random list of everything they have learned. My brain is disorganized and I have a total of 30 minutes before their nap is over!

  • Max is OBSESSED with cell phones, laptops, tablets, and pretty much any tech device! We gave him an old cell phone of Jeremy's but after a few days, he was over it and wanted the real thing. Jeremy found him hiding out behind the couch with my phone. He cracks me up! He has called my mom, his Nonnie, and I heard her saying Hello over and over again. He also has taken a few selfies. Love this curious little man!
What apps to buy for Mom?

#Selfie


















  • They both love to blow kisses. It melts my heart. I dropped them off a daycare the other day and I said "Bye Bye" and blew them a kiss. They both started blowing them right back to me. Love!
  • At a recent outing to the park, Max started getting scared of the swing. He has enjoyed it before but freaked. Harper loved it though!
  • They also have started fighting over toys. It is sometimes funny but other times...good grief! I didn't know the brother/sister arguing would start so young.  Max is a biter. How do you stop this when he doesn't understand that it hurts?! He left a mark on Harper at daycare a couple weeks ago. I know this sounds awful...but at least it was his sister and not another kid. We have been trying to catch him doing it so we can enforce the no biting rule. He now tries to bite her and looks at us and stops. However, there have been other instances where he has got her! Argh!
  • They are talking more and more. Hey, Hi, Hello, Bye-Bye-, Night-Night, Bella (our dog's name), Mama, Dada, No (only Harper does this one), and lots of other babbles. 
  • They both stand for awhile without holding onto anything. Max has taken two whole steps by himself but nothing more. I really want them to walk before their first birthday so we have been practicing every night before bed!
  • They eat all table food now. And they are such good eaters. They are really bottomless pits. Their favorite foods are grilled cheese, watermelon, pancakes, grilled chicken, ravioli, and cooked carrots. They love to eat but also love to make a mess and feed Bella. 
Occasionally, we nap in the highchairs.
  • They are pretty good sleepers but always have been. They sleep about 10 hours at night. Max is still on a two nap a day schedule. Harper is down to one nap on most days. 
  • They play hard. Sometimes wrestling each other (climbing up each other and then rolling around together. Super cute!). Sometimes racing. Throwing the ball back and forth. They love being outside in the wagon or going on walks/runs in the stroller. 
  • They interact with each other all the time. Sometimes we find them holding hands as they eat in their highchairs. They are constantly laughing at each other or with each other. They team up to get into something they aren't supposed to. Usually Harper is the lookout. Ha!
  •  Our hair is growing like crazy. Max is need of a haircut. My sister will do that VERY soon. Harper has upgraded to enough hair for a ponytail!

Look, I'm a big girl!

Crazy hair, dude!
  • Their weights have kind of leveled off since last month. They weigh about the same. Max is 19 pounds and Harper is 20 pounds. 
  • A lot of their weight issues may be attributed to their bout of ear infections. It all started back on April 24. We are still on antibiotics! Seriously. We have an appointment at the children's hospital here in KC to get tubes in their ears. I hate to see them go through any type of surgery but we need this done. Poor babies have ear infections that just won't go away. Once on antibiotics, their entire digestive system is thrown off. We use probiotics but they still have diarrhea. I will be so glad when they can feel better for good!
  • Both are still in size 3 diapers. 
  • We are almost all the way into 12 month clothing now. Max can occasionally fit into 9 month. They both still wear some 6-9 month too. 
  • Harper has always been a super sweet and friendly little girl. She is still just the most loving baby. She loves everyone and melts everyone with her twinkling smile. 
  • Max is getting much more used to people. He was always reserved and shy. He is definitely coming out of his shell now. I love that he is showing his fun loving, adventurous nature to everyone now. 
  • Both of them now have 4 teeth. Harper finally caught up to Max.
  • They are in love with our dog, Bella. They scream, squeal, call her, and just can't keep their hands off of her. Bella, who normally hates that stuff, is being so good with them. 
  • Brushing their teeth has become one of their favorite activities. It is a fight to get the toothbrushes away from them. 
  • Their first birthday party is coming up on July 13. We are doing it at a local park. The theme is Very Hungry Caterpillars. I have literally done nothing besides send out the invites. I have lots to do to get ready for the big day. 

Getting hugs from Uncle Curt

Cousins meet
Cool Dude.


Fun with friends!

Monthly pictures are becoming increasingly more difficult!

Best we could do!




-Lisa-