I'm still here

Yes, I'm still alive.  It's been a busy, busy 2 weeks.

We got home from vacation on Saturday.  I had every intention of working on my new private blog during vacation but it just never happened.  So, for the time being, I'll keep this one up and running.

Vacation was good.  And different.  I went to the Outer Banks (NC) with my family which consists of my mom, stepfather, sister, BIL and my 2 year-old niece.  Believe it or not, it was our first time vacationing together in several years. 

And, our first vacation with the twins.  DH couldn't stay the entire week because he just hasn't accrued the vacation time yet (started a new job in January) so unfortunately, it wasn't the first family vacation that I had always envisioned.  It made me sad that he couldn't be there to see the twins' faces the first time they saw the ocean or touched the sand.  I know we will have many, many more vacations but you can't get back the first one.

My family was a huge help with the kids but it was still exhausting.  If I wasn't handling one of the kids, I was giving instructions or answering questions about what they needed to do.

"I think he needs a diaper change"
"She sounds like she's still hungry"

I didn't expect a lot of "me" time but I thought that maybe I'd get an hour or two during the day while the kids napped.  I could not get them to nap at the same time to save my life.  If they did both fall asleep, it would only be for 15-30 minutes and then someone would wake up. 

Mid-week, my BIL said to me, "I don't know how you do it.  You never get a break."  Tell me about it.  By Thursday, I was exhausted and burned out. 

And ready to come home.  I love my kids dearly but 2 of them 24/7 is just exhausting.

I haven't even mentioned my family.  It has been confirmed.  The same things that annoyed me about my mother when I was a teenager still annoy me.

She asks the same question over and over again.  I don't know if she's early Alzheimers or trying to make conversation or doesn't listen or what.  I'll answer twice and by the third time, I get snippy.  For the love of God woman!  I don't know what the weather forecast is for today!!

And my stepfather is just weird.  He treats my mother like gold and that's what matters most.  But, he's still weird.  I honestly think there's a chance he has a social disorder. He tries to crack jokes but they are in such poor taste or downright stupid that he never gets laughs.  And, he thinks he's a know-it-all but half of the time, he's an idiot.

He also thinks he's a tour guide.  It was raining one of the days so we all went to the aquarium.  The kids and I rode with them and the entire ride, to and from, he was pointing out landmarks and random facts.

That restaurant used to be owned by Gerken Flerkenherken and now Bob Smith owns it.
And, that store used to have a red roof and now it's blue.
Every time we drive along this marsh, we always see rabbits along the road.

Anyway, it's good to be home.

The kids are growing up so fast.  Kendall started saying "Da Da" last week.  She doesn't know what it means yet but it's still cute.  Christopher is a rolling fool and that is his main mode of transportation these days.  He's trying to figure out the crawling thing.  He pushes up on his hands and tries to scoot his knees under him but he can't quite get it yet. He's also a stomach sleeper.  We put him on his back and within 30 seconds, he's flipped over.

I'm going to break my rule and post some recent pics from the beach.  Enjoy!

I feel so warm and fuzzy...

I am completely blown away.  I have received so many requests to keep reading my blog and I had no idea that so many people were following.

Thank you.   Thank you for listening.  Thank you for following my story.  Thank you for thinking that what I say even matters. 

And, well.  For putting up with my corny humor.  I know, I know.  It's asking alot.

I'm still in the process of gathering email addresses and figuring out how I want to set up the private blog so I'm going to keep this one up and running for a little while longer.  If you sent me an email or left a message on this blog, I plan to respond to each of you personally. I still have spots available so please let me know if you want to have access to the new site.

(I did want to clarify one thing.  Nothing specific happened that made me decide to go private.  I didn't receive a crazy or threatening comment.  I guess the best way to describe it is that I just started to get the "Creep Factor".  They are getting older and I don't know who sees this or reads this.  I've tried to maintain some anonymity by not posting my last name or city but still.  You just don't know).

Quick Update:
Christopher is getting close to crawling.  He's doing push-ups and scooting with his feet.  He has also mastered The Great Escape.  They've been in sleep positioners to keep them on their backs and Christopher can now kick his way out.  He insists on sleeping on his stomach.  It just started this week and it's still freaking me out.  I wake up at least 5 times every night to look at the monitor.  The doctor said if he can get there on his own, he can make it back and not to worry but how can I not?  The kid sleeps with his face buried in the mattress!

Kendall is still as sweet as ever.  I think she's going to be a little ham.  She loves attention and loves to giggle. They've been eating solids for about 4 weeks now and she hasn't met a food she doesn't like.  When you stick the spoon in her mouth, she says, "Mmmmmm" and squeezes her lips together.  We've taken the kids to the indoor pool twice and she's quite the little swimmer.  She can float on her back and stomach (head supported, of course).  She loves it.  No teeth yet but I think she's working on them.

We're taking our first vacation in about 10 days and I can't wait.  Unfortunately, DH can't come for the whole week since he just started his new job in January and doesn't have any vacation time yet.  He's driving us down on Saturday and driving back home Sunday and then doing the same thing the following weekend.  I'm bummed that we won't be together as a family but keeping his job is more important.  I'll have my mom and sister to help me with the twins.

Oh, and can I just say.... holy crap!  I started making a list of stuff that I need to pack and OH MY GAWD.  It is insane!  I don't know how we're going to get it down there.  DH has a super duper manly pick-up truck but I'm seriously doubting whether that thing can hold it all.   It's just crazy, I tell ya!

I'm still checking in and reading everyone's blogs (even if I suck at commenting). 

I'm Going Private

Well, I think the time has come.  As the twins get older, I'm feeling the need to protect them more and more.  I no longer feel comfortable sharing the details of my daily life or posting pictures of them for all the world to see. 

I have made some great friends over the last 2 years and I'd like to continue to share my story with you.  If you'd like to have access, please send me an email with your name, email address and the name of your blog and I'll add you to the list.  There are only 100 spots (and I can't imagine I have that many followers) so there should be plenty of room for everyone.  I'll switch the settings to Private Only on May 9th.

If you choose not to come along, I wish you the best of luck with whatever the future holds for you. I'm not sure if any IF'ers are still reading but if so, you have to believe it will happen for you.  The IF experience will change you and will stay with you forever but it will make you stronger. You will be OK.  Just believe.

I hope to see you on the "other side"!

Forgive Me?

Ok, I'm a sucky blogger.  I have been reading though, I promise.

The twins had their 6-month check-up last week and all is well.  The doctor was again very pleased with their progress.  Kendall has now surpassed her brother in the weight and height department.  She weighed 17.4 lbs and was 27 1/2 inches.  Christopher wasn't far behind at 16.7 lbs and 27 1/4 inches. 

They both came down with their first colds 2 weeks ago and got over them fairly quickly.  Now, we're battling something else.  Kendall started with a stuffy nose early last week and that's about as far as it went.  Poor Christopher didn't fair quite as well.  When I picked him up from daycare on Tuesday, he felt warm.  He spiked a 101 degree fever that came right down after a dose of Tylenol.  Now, he's got a horrible cold.  I'm hoping it only lasts a week and he'll be on the mend this week. 

Other than that, it's been the same old, same old.  We're going on vacation in about 4 weeks and I can't wait.  We haven't had a real vacation in 2 years since last year's was cancelled due to my pregnancy. 

Ut oh. Nap time is over.  Gotta go.  Here's a few pics.

My, What Big Teeth You Have

So much has happened over the last week.

DH had to travel for work last Monday - Thursday and wouldn't you know?  One of the kids stopped sleeping through the night.

It started Sunday evening after spending Easter with DH's family.  There was lots and lots of excitement all day and the kids' schedule got a little out of whack. When Christopher woke up at 1:00 am, I just figured it was because he missed his dinner bottle.  He drank a bottle and went right back to sleep.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights were the same thing.  He'd wake up once during the night, drink a bottle and go right back to sleep.  Good because I was back in bed within a half hour. Bad because I had to get up and that's no fun when I had to get up to start the day at 4:00 am.

Thursday evening couldn't come quick enough.  At least Daddy could get up with him if he did it again.  And, wouldn't you know?  Thursday night, he started sleeping through the night again. 

I figured he was going through a growth spurt, which I think probably was part of the reason.  I also think he missed his Daddy.  And, he also cut his 2 bottom teeth last week.

My little boy has TWO ta ta toofies!

Kendall was a perfect angel the entire time he was gone.  She goes right to sleep and stays asleep until I wake her up the next morning.  During the week, that's around 5:00 am.  On the weekends, it can be as late as 7:30.  She is a drool machine so I think her toofies are probably close behind.

We're still practicing with solid foods.  So far, they have tried sweet potatoes and pears.  Christopher seems to be a veggie lover and tonight, for the first time, Kendall actually seemed interested and ate the pears. 

I mentioned before that last Friday was my birthday.  We got tickets to the Washington Capitals game and stayed downtown overnight.  My first night away from the babies.

We wanted to get downtown early so we both left work at lunchtime.  I dropped off the kids at the usual time that morning and arranged for my SIL to take them to our other SIL house for the night.  So, I didn't see them from 6:30 am until the next morning.

It was harder than my first day back to work.  I did OK that morning when I dropped them off.  It hit me when I was driving home to leave.  I drive down the same road every day but I keep going down that road to pick up the kids.  To go home, I exit early.  When I exited, I started bawling.

I felt like I was leaving them behind. In my head, I knew it was silly but my heart hurt so bad.  Of course, they were in good hands with our family members and I knew they'd be taken care of.  It was a horrible feeling nonetheless.  I'm sure everyone driving on the road was probably wondering what in the world was wrong with me. 

I did manage to relax some once we got downtown but they were always in the back of my mind.  I'd look at my watch and think about what they were doing.

Overall, we did have a nice time and I know it's important for us to have some "adult time".  We stayed close to the Verizon Center at Hotel Monaco.  I highly recommend it - it was beautiful and we felt so pampered.   We grabbed dinner at a Spanish tapas restaurant, got to the game at 7:00 and then grabbed a few drinks afterwards.

I wish I could say we stayed out like the party arnimals of yesteryear but we were so excited to go back to the hotel so we could.......

sleep.  Geez, get your mind outta the gutter!

It was good to catch up.  Try not to stay away so long next time!  :)

Where does the time go?

Has it really been 2 weeks since I posted last?  I honestly don't know where the time has gone.  I guess I owe you an update, huh?

The twins will be 6 months old on Easter Day. They have their 6-month check up on the 14th and I'm assuming the pediatrician will give us the green light to start solids.  I've decided to start trying them anyway and introduced rice cereal and pears this weekend. Not a lot.  Just a taste.  Both kids are definitely interested when we're eating food.   Christopher has started reaching for cups and glasses when we're drinking.  Anyway, both of them gagged and got this look on their faces like I was trying to poison them.  We'll try a little each day and hopefully we'll make some progress.

Christopher

• Smiles and laughs at everything
• Is close to cutting his first tooth
• Can roll from his tummy to his belly
• Can grasp toys
• Loves, loves, loves his Daddy.  They are best buddies

Kendall

• She's still a little more serious but she is smiling and laughing now too
• Loves to play in her "Jump Jump"
• Loves the McDonald's "Filet o' Fish" song
• Is also teething but I think she's probably about 2 weeks behind her brother
• Can also grasp toys

DH started a new job in January and it looks like he will be travelling fairly often.  He took one trip in March and was gone 3 days.  Now, he's leaving Monday, 4/05  and won't be home until Thursday evening.  I tried to solicit help but no one was really available so I'll be alone this time.  Breathe in, breathe out.  It still stresses me out. 

April 9th is my big 4-0 birthday.  It wasn't bothering me until about 2 weeks ago.  Make a note to yourself that it's not wise to schedule multiple doctor's appointments before a significant birthday. 

1. Routine eye exam.  I have horrible eyesight and my prescription changed slightly.  My doctor told me that if I have to go up any more, I'd probably be looking at the possibility of bi-focals.  Nice.
2. I've had this red, scaly, patchy "rash" on my arms for several years.  It doesn't itch or hurt so I've just ignored it.  I figured it was eczema and psoriosis?  Any way, I decided to have it looked at last week.  Um yeah.  That's NOT what it is.  It's something called Disseminated Superficial Actinic Porokeratosis (DSAP).  It's an uncommon, hereditary "super sensitivity" to the sun.  It occurs most often on sun damaged skin, which explains why it's on my arms.  In 10-15% of cases, it can turn to squamous cell carcinoma so the doctor took a chunk out of my arm for a biopsy.  I won't get the results until April 12th.  The doctor said it's not considered a serious condition but I will have to wear 30+ SPF any time I'm in the sun. 

I got a new camera for Christmas and I'm still learning how to take decent photos with it.  I decided to have a little photo shoot today. 

Christopher

Kendall

Oh, What A Difference

St Patricks Day, 2005
Picture with Chris Samuels, Washington Redskins
(Started drinking at 10:00 am)

St. Patricks Day, 2007
My sister and me
(Started drinking at 12:00 pm)

St Patricks 2009
4 days past positive HPT; anxiously awaiting first Beta.  Completely clueless on what was baking in ma uterus.

St Patricks 2010

My little leprachauns