Catching up!

I have a ton to post about! We took a big trip to MS this month and had a blast! It was a hard trip as one would expect, but it was a great time to be around all of our family and friends that Jack and Lucy never get to see. They went to their first Ole Miss football game, went to the square, tons of restaurants, Fighting Bayou (hunting camp), Canton Christmas light show, touring future schools, Ananndale Golf Club, shopping in Jackson, met a ton of new "friends" (i.e. our friends new babies), and did lots and lots of playing with grandparents! They weren't spoiled at all while there (ahem!)

Jack and Lucy started really walking while we were in MS! Lucy started REALLY walking on Nov. 7 and Jack took his first steps from me to Aunt Kiki on Nov. 11! Jack started REALLY walking on Dec. 9.  We got him some "Keds" and buddy he was OFF! I know that I have posted about this before, but I seriously cannot put into words the relief Cal and I felt when we saw him gracefully walking across the floor. I have not ever posted this... but the doctors at the hospital when they were born told me that we would really know that his leg was OK when we saw him walking without any problems... I think that was awful for them to say, because you can imagine as parents, we kept that in the back of our heads for so very long. God made miracles happen in both of them.. and I know that it will never get old just watching them walk all over the house! Such precious miracles!

They are both making all sorts of animal sounds. They love to "hoo" like an owl, "moo" like a cow and "quack" like a duck. They repeat tons of things that we say.. they are just like little sponges! It is simply fabulous to see them both progress so gracefully!

They are both eating us out of house and home, but honestly Jack is eating the most now.. what a change? ha! They do still have 3 bottles a day, but the amount of oz depend on how much food they eat. They love bananas, strawberries, eggs, grilled turkey melts, Cheetos, crackers, hot dogs (they are really vegi dogs;) ), meat loaf, pasta, spaghetti, spinach, green beans, ravioli, etc...

They are both still really good sleepers. They still do 1.5 hours in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, and then still sleep all night and sometimes sleep in until 8:30! lovin it!!! I don't know how they are going to handle mothers day out without that morning nap in January! ahh... we shall see! :)

I am now going to start using this blog again as a journal... the monthly stats are sort of "over", I am thinking we are on a steady 3 meal a day pattern now, that won't ever really change that much again! Sort of sad, honestly, but happy at the same time! :)
They are doing and saying so many fun things and I am going to "try" and record it all here when I have some "free time" (what in the world is that??)ha!

We are gearing up now for a fun Christmas week here at home! I am so excited to start new traditions with our family! Just us! :)

12 months!

 JACK:

- you are still taking 8 oz bottles 3 times a day

- you are eating your meals like a champ.

- you are loving your cow's milk from your sippy cup

- you are starting to "toddle" from one object to the other.

- you are starting to say words and point at things with the intent of labeling

- you LOVE balls still... you and Lucy love to roll around together and laugh with our big red ball

- you are obsessed with "dada" and "awa"

- you love bath time and brushing your teeth

- you still nap for 1.5 hours in the morning from 10-11:30 and then again from 3-5

- you still sleep from 7:30 at night until 7:30 in the morning

- You took a big trip this month to MS and handled the transitions like a champ.

- you are starting to experience a bit of separation anxiety

- you love to hold and cuddle anything fuzzy

- you stick your pointer finger in your mouth and chew on it.. like a paci

- you are growing and developing so wonderfully and I thank our God every day for the miracle that is YOU!

LUCY:

- you are still taking 8 oz bottles 3 times a day

- you are eating your meals like a champ.

- you are loving your cow's milk from your sippy cup

- you are starting to "toddle" from one object to the other.

- You are also starting to take steps from me to daddy!

- you are starting to say words and point at things with the intent of labeling

- you LOVE balls now... you and Jack love to roll around together and laugh with our big red ball

- you are obsessed with "dada" and "awa"

- you love bath time and brushing your teeth

- you still nap for 1.5 hours in the morning from 10-11:30 and then again from 3-5

- you still sleep from 7:30 at night until 7:30 in the morning

- You took a big trip this month to MS and handled the transitions like a champ.

- you are starting to get over your feelings of separation anxiety.

- you love your paci- but we have now limited it only to naptime

- you have had a language explosion since we started limiting your paci to the bed! :)

- you are growing and developing so wonderfully and I thank our God every day for the miracle that is YOU!

11 months of amazing!

LUCY:
- You are taking 8 oz (most of the time you do not finish) 3 times a day. 8, 1, and 8
- You always have a good breakfast, lunch and dinner. You are also really into your snacks!
- You will eat pretty much anything that we eat. I just fix dinner for me and daddy and you will eat anything that we cut up and put in front of you! Baby food is no longer at our house! ha! You want to feed yourself... you will not let me put a spoon toward your mouth any longer! bittersweet!
- You are still sleeping from 8-8 at night and 2 naps during the day... 10:30-12:30 and then from 3-5. You have a snack at 5 and then dinner with mommy and daddy at 6:30 or 6:45.
- You start the whole "bedtime" routine around 7. bath, brush teeth, books, bottle and bed.... (lots of B's haha)
- You are not really into your electric toothbrush... you would rather brush your teeth with the motor off. :)
- You are standing on your own now and took your first 2 steps to me from your daddy this month. We started cheering and scared you and you cried so hard tears started streaming... you really haven't tried to do it again since then..haha... I'm so sorry we scared you, sweet girl!
- funny fact to record: you have ALWAYS done this...and it is hillarious. You are scared to DEATH of a bag popping (i.e. when you pop a new garbage bag to put it in the garbage can) You will watch us do it and then just break DOWN in tears. The noise does not appeal to you at ALL!! haha You started to react this way to a bag popping at around 3 months. You are so funny!
- You are cruising and crawling everywhere and can climb on top of furniture. Much to your avail... you can climb on top of the couch and then you will fall. You are learning how to back down off of the couch using your feet.
- You can climb the stairs and you get so proud of yourself when you get to the top.
- You are "Miss Independent" .... i sing that song to you often. You have such an independent spirit and it makes my heart so proud.
- You love to crawl all over the back yard and play in the leaves. You actually kicked your feet in the dirt and liked it... that is NOT like your momma even one little bit. As a child... I would FREAK out if my hands touched dirt, sand, or leaves! haha
- You are so communicative. You talk with your eyes... it is amazing!
- You can say the words: "ava" (a-w-a), momma, da-da, ball, wa (water), nonna, hi
-  You love Jack and watch him all of the time. Ya'll are starting to play together to sweetly and it is already obvious that he is starting to be your protector!
- You had cow's milk for the first time this month and you are not too fond of it! you will stick your tongue out and let it run out of your mouth when you take a drink... it is so funny.. I know you will start to like it soon! :) You usually take about 3-4 days to get used to something new, but you are extremely good with transitions.
- You click your tongue constantly... such a cutie!
- This year sure has flown by... and I have loved every second of watching you grow. There has been so many hard times, but every hard time had it's own reward. Being your mommy is the most amazing, wonderful thing I have ever done.

JACK:
- You are taking 9oz of formula 3 times a day. 8, 1, and 8
- This month... I am utterly sure of the fact that our amazing Lord has worked a miracle in you. You went from not eating one bite of food to now clearing your tray at almost every single meal. Cal and I will always be convinced that God put his healing hand on you... you had a true food aversion, and it is like God just reached in and flipped a light switch. You LOVE food now.. PRAISE GOD!
- You always have a good breakfast, lunch and dinner. You are also really into your snacks!
- You will eat pretty much anything that we eat. I just fix dinner for me and daddy and you will eat anything that we cut up and put in front of you! Baby food is no longer at our house! ha! You want to feed yourself... you have NEVER wanted me to feed you anyway! ha
- You are still sleeping from 8-8 at night and 2 naps during the day... 10:30-12:30 and then from 3-5. You have a snack at 5 and then dinner with mommy and daddy at 6:30 or 6:45.
- You start the whole "bedtime" routine around 7. bath, brush teeth, books, bottle and bed.... (lots of B's haha)
- You are really into your electric toothbrush... you start crying and whining and reaching for your toothbrush when we are finished brushing your teeth! ha
- You are standing on your own now.. but only for short periods of time.
- You LOVE balls... you throw them, catch them, try to dribble them.. and you say the word "BALL" every time you see one! haha
- You are cruising and crawling everywhere and can climb on top of furniture. Much to your avail... you can climb on top of the couch and then you will fall. You are learning how to back down off of the couch using your feet.
- You can climb the stairs and you get so proud of yourself when you get to the top.
- You are mommy's boy lately, but have recently started to become ALOT more attached to your daddy... you go into a DEEP cry when he leaves the room! You are becoming quite obsessed with "dadeeeeeee" as you call him! :)
- You love to crawl all over the back yard and play in the leaves. You started copying "daddeeeee" (of course) and started tossing the leaves into the air and watching them fall. You loved it!
- You are becoming so much more communicative. You have your own opinions and you let them be known! ha
- You can say the words: "ava" (a-d-a), momma, da-da (daddeeeeeee), ball, bok (block), nonna, hi, da (dog)
- You love Lucy and you get so concerned if she is crying.  Ya'll are starting to play together to sweetly and it is already obvious you are starting to become her protector! She was stuck in her bumbo the other day, and you crawled right over and helped push her out of it. I actually caught it on video... it was TOOOO sweet!
- You had cow's milk for the first time this month and you really liked it. You love to drink it out of your straw sippy cup. (you rather drink from a straw) :)
- You are really playing with your sounds and words this month... you will just let of strings of consonant/vowel combos.
- This year sure has flown by... and I have loved every second of watching you grow. There has been so many hard times, but every hard time had it's own reward. Being your mommy is the most amazing, wonderful thing I have ever done

makes the teacher in me proud!

10 months old!

I'm making this post quite a bit late...so I am going to try to remember exactly what J and L were doing at 10 months (they almost 11 months now) I write every milestone down on my calendar...so I should be able to do an OK job with this...but they are changing so much and doing so much more everyday...so it is so hard to remember!

LUCY:
- You are holding your own bottle now and taking 8 oz 3 times a day and you will eat a ton of baby food but are starting to prefer to feed yourself. You will stick a whole cookie in your mouth and start to choke..so you really haven't learned how to break off small bites that are manageable, so I have to do it for you.
- You are getting a ton better with your sippy cup, but will NOT drink your formula from it. I'm not sure why...I have to switch it back to your bottle every time so you will drink it! ha...we will get there! :)
- You are still sleeping well through the night, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. You also take 2 naps during the day from 10:30-12:30 and then again from 3-5.
- At this point, you were still eating breakfast in the morning with your bottle, lunch at 12:30 when you got up from your nap and then washing down with your bottle, dinner at 5:00 when you got up from your nap and then washing down with sippy of apple juice, and then having a bottle at bedtime (8:00).
- You are so great with transitions, and have taken everything in stride during this month of changes!
- You are cruising along furniture and crawling EVERYWHERE! You can get wherever you want to go in a matter of seconds!
- You love to read books...You will sit and look closely at the pages and turn them all by yourself!
- You love to swing in your swings outside that your daddy and grandaddy built for you!

- You are always smiling and so happy all of the time!
- You are saying, "mama, dada, a-wa (ava), ba, na-na
- You will nod your head "yes" at appropriate times...so I am thinking that you know what you are doing?!?
- You love to cuddle and read books and sing at night...it is just the best!
- You are growing and learning so quickly...it is crazy to think that you are now my little "toddler" and not an "infant" anymore... You are simply amazing, my princess!

JACK
- I still have to hold your bottle for you... (dr says it is a boy thing)- you are taking 9-10 oz 3 times a day and have still not gotten into solid food. You like to feed yourself puffs...but that is about it :)
- You are getting better with your sippy cup, and will drink better using a straw cup.
- You are still sleeping well through the night, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. You also take 2 naps during the day from 10:30-12:30 and then again from 3-5.
- At this point, you were still eating breakfast in the morning with your bottle, lunch at 12:30 when you got up from your nap and then washing down with your bottle, dinner at 5:00 when you got up from your nap and then washing down with sippy of apple juice, and then having a bottle at bedtime (8:00).
- You are so great with transitions, but not so great with the food transitions. You are so happy and easygoing with anything else that is going on!
- You are cruising along furniture and crawling EVERYWHERE! You can get wherever you want to go in a matter of seconds!
- You love to read books...You will sit and look closely at the pages and turn them all by yourself!
- You love to swing in your swings outside that your daddy and grandaddy built for you!

- You are always on the go and LOVE to climb all over mamma!!
- You are obsessed with balls! You can throw a ball to bounce it and catch it mid-air! We know for sure that we have a ball player in our very near future. It is just something you naturally like and your daddy couldn't be happier as he is already teaching you how to dribble...AND you actually sit and try to copy him... pretty amazing!
- You are saying, "mama, dada, a-ba (ava), ba
- You will nod your head "NO" at appropriate times...so I am thinking that you know what you are doing?!?
- You love to cuddle and read books and sing at night...it is just the best!
- You are growing and learning so quickly...it is crazy to think that you are now my little "toddler" and not an "infant" anymore... You are simply amazing, my little prince

baby bump

Guess what...you are not going to believe this, but this post is not about Jack and Lucy! haha...It is about ME! believe it or not!??! I dreamed all of my life about the glorious day that I would see a baby bump on my body. I dreamed and dreamed and stood in front of mirrors and poked out my belly and just imagined of how great I was going to look all cute and pregnant! OH, I just couldn't wait! I even thought about pictures I would take while pregnant and how I would go to the beach, and the pool and just not be at all ashamed of my little bump!

WELL..... "little" it was NOT! At the peak of my pregnancy...it looked like this:

This photo was taken the day before I delivered. I could barely walk from one room to the other without feeling like I was going to topple over or die from pain...one or the other! ha!

I am about to air out some of my "dirty laundry", so get ready....

I have cried and cried and mourned the fact that I was never really able to have the "fun" pregnancy that I had always dreamed of. That is all water under the bridge, though, because I would never trade one stick of a needle or one day living in that hospital for the beautiful creatures that are sleeping in their bed right now.

The reason for this post is not to say poor, poor, pitiful me, but it is a way to release some of my emotions and let you know if you see me running around still looking 6 months pregnant (ha)...these are the reasons:

You see, when I had all of those dreams and wishes about my baby bump...I honestly only wanted that bump for about 9 month...nothing more, nothing less. But, mother nature had another idea in mind... I have now had that lovely bump for going on 20 months. I have what is called "diastasis recti" (or what I would fondly refer to as "my own worst nightmare") ha

Diastasis recti is when the stomach muscles pull apart during pregnancy. If you have ever been pregnant, this has happened to you as well, but when you are 5'5" with a short torso and pregnant with "Laney size" TWINS....your abdominal muscles do not slowly pull apart...they RIP...or what my doctor likes to say "Those babies blew your muscles out...like a tire".  With all of this being said. I am 10 months post-partum, and I look like I am 6 months ante-partum. So... I went to see about having the muscle repaired, and I was basically told that I would be crazy to have the surgery to repair the muscle separation if I have any plans of having more children. I am completely certain that if the Lord decides to bless us with more children, we would be so grateful (years down the road, of course). My general surgeon told me on Wednesday that if I had the repair done, I would 100% (not maybe) blow it out during pregnancy if I ever were to become pregnant again. So, obviously, no surgery is going to happen until Cal and I have decided that we are through having children. I wanted to have it repaired, not just for vanity sake, but b/c I have an actual hernia...so for safety reasons, we wanted it to be repaired, but not if that means that I cannot have any more children. Now, the plan is to go to physical therapy to strengthen those muscles and PRAY that they will move back together. I am letting go of a lot of my pride by posting this, but I honestly would covet your prayers... I know that only my close friends and family really read this blog anyway, and I know that you, as women (or men) would understand how difficult this is....it could be TONS worse, I know. I do know that in the grand scheme of things, this is NOTHING! Please know that I am not sitting around belaboring this small inconvenience, but it sure does feel good to "let it all out" ha!

moments...

This has been a fun summer and we are trying to make the most of the very little family time that we have since Cal is working ALL OF THE TIME! He is working nights for the next week and I will be so glad when this "night-float" business is over! We took J and L to the pool and they LOVED floating around in their little floats. Lucy just kicked and kicked in the water and Jack kept hitting the water with his hands. They were so cute...

 They are pulling up to standing now and are cruising along the couch...their fave spot is by the gate where they can see mommy and daddy...

 Lucy-girl in her pretty bathing suit...

 looks like they are plotting something...

 Jack-man in his swim-trunks...

 Here is a pic of the playroom that I made for the twins... we LOVE having this room here for them to safely play!

 bedtime stories with mommy...

 GOOD MORNING!!! They sleep in separate cribs, but our favorite thing to do is to put them in the same crib in the morning and watch them play together...they are so happy in the morning! It is just the BEST time of the day!!

 They LOVE walking around the couch in their playing room...

They are just doing so many fun things lately...I feel like they are changing every day and I just can't keep up! I am just so proud to be able to watch them grow and change into the people that God has planned for them to be. Cal and I are definitely having the time of our lives!