What a Difference a Year Makes!

THEN...

Ryan
Kaylie
AND NOW!!

Happy Birthday, my sweet babies! It hard to believe it's been a year. You've overcome so much in a short year. My wish for you is to continue to thrive and be the happy babies you are. You have changed my life completely. I'd be lost without you both. You have changed and grown so much and I am glad I was able to see every minute. I love you!! (Daddy does too, but it's not his blog!)

Birthday Preparations

I made these hats for them to wear. (Thanks Grandma, for cutting the fabric.) We're going with a farm theme for their party. They are wearing gingham outfits too. I hope they keep them on their heads for more than a minute.

Our First Memorial Day Weekend

We celebrated Memorial Day weekend with a day trip to my parent's beach house. We took a walk over to the bay and took a ride on some swings.

Here they are with their big cousin Hunter!

Quite possibly the cutest picture I have of them to date.

Touching sand for the first time. They actually liked it. They would run it through their hands and then be like, "Where'd it go? I had something in my hand a second ago." It was adorable to watch. Kaylie decided she wanted to try the pebbles that were in the sand. Must have thought they were Cheerios. Can you say heart attack? (P.S. The Peg Perego Stroller does not go well in sand, but does any stroller?)

Ryan passed out on the 3 minute walk (literally) back to the house. His head was dangling down and I didn't even know it. Poor kid. Gotta love reclining seats in a stroller. This is where he napped for the afternoon.

On Memorial Day we visited at Nana & Pop-Pop's house and then also at their Great Grandparent's house for dinner. They played with their cousins, Emily & Rachel. Here's Ryan with Emily.

Pics of the Week

All smiles for the camera.

Caught again! (He really hasn't done this for a long time. I thought we were over it.)

We're standing and even letting go! It's frightening.

All the toys in the world and she wants to play with the bag.

A Little Nostalgia (Out Takes)

These are some attempts at getting the kids to wear their hats that they wore in the hospital and trying to get a comparison shot for the clothing. It wasn't good people. I deleted the really blurry ones. I need to use Bob's super-duper SLR camera with the fast shutter speed. These guys move too fast.

A Little Nostalgia

So we are in the final countdown to their big birthday. I took some pics of their preemie onesies next to the onesies they wear now. (9 months and 18 months). It was so weird opening the bin of preemie clothes. I remembered every outfit and thinking about how I could NEVER imagine them wearing anything bigger. I laughed at all the larger sized clothes that hung in their closet, thinking it will be YEARS before they fit in them. Nope--they've gone through them all! It really feels like only a few weeks ago that they were wearing them. Where does the time really go? I guess I was in a haze the first few months, but I'm still not sure where the other time has gone. And aren't preemie clothes the cutest things ever made? I still wish we never needed them.

Meet Fang

Kaylie's new nickname is Fang. One of the teeth she is cutting on the top is pointy like a fang right now. It took all morning to get this shot of her with her mouth open. Not an easy feat as she was too interested in the camera.

Of course the name Fang reminds me of Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. Fudge falls off the monkey bars and breaks his tooth and his brother, Peter, calls him Fang. Ok, that's me being a fourth grade teacher. Anyone remember that book? It's a great book for kids.

Update

We're back from the NICU evaluation appointment. The good news is that Ryan is on track for his adjusted age. Kaylie is fine in all areas except speech, so we are going to call for an early intervention evaluation. She's not saying consonant sounds yet. Ryan weighs a hefty 22 lbs. and is 30 inches long. Kaylie is 17.5 lbs. and is 28 inches long. It really is hard to believe there are only two inches separating them in height but it has always been that way. I guess Ryan's extra weight makes him seem so much bigger than Kaylie. We will be returning in September for another evaluation.

Crawling!

As promised here's a video of Ryan crawling and you can see how Kaylie gets around too. Turn on your speakers!

Wish Us Luck

We have our one year NICU developmental clinic visit tomorrow. They like to follow-up with babies born before 31 weeks. I'm hoping all goes well. Obviously we are still not where an actual one year old would be so I am not expecting them to say that. I just hope we are still on track for our adjusted age.

Pics of the Week

A new playmat was purchased for the future playroom. Right now it sits in our family room.
Brother and sister playing together.
Check out our swirl cowlicks. Poor kids.

Also want to add, that Ryan started crawling yesterday. Moving his hands and legs and going clear across the room!! We have it on video, and I hope to post it soon.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you have an enjoyable day! We love you!

Slow Week

It's been a pretty slow week here. Some rainy days got in the way. We did venture out for the shoes, took a few walks, and had a playdate with their friend, Taylor. That saved mommy's sanity tremendously.

They are still determined to get crawling. Kaylie gets around by army crawling and she is quick. She can't quite get her belly off the ground. Ryan does not sit still for a moment. I really think he just wants to go straight to standing. Right now he is asleep in his crib on his stomach for the first time. I'm a little worried about how the night will go. Up until this week he has been a back sleeper. We NEVER have had a problem with him. I can count the number of times he has woken up on one hand since he started STTN. Usually that was due to him pooping in the night or being woken by Kaylie. He began napping on his side last week and then this morning was found sleeping on his belly for the first time. My worry is usually for nothing. I hope so in this case.

101st post!

Dang! I missed the big 100. I have nothing to really post today, just noticed that I missed a blog milestone. I knew it was coming up but forgot about it. Oh well. Life will go on...

Another Tooth!

Kaylie now has her fourth tooth! I know the 3rd was only discovered yesterday and I did see something white below the surface which I thought was another tooth. Way back in October I thought I saw a white "thing" below Ryan's gum and he never got a tooth until February so I didn't want to be foolish again. It has popped through a bit today. Poor little girl, although she is still taking it like a champ.

Another First

We got our first "real" pair of shoes! A big day! I took them to a local shoe store. I thought we would get better service than at the Stride Rite in the mall. We did. Plus, they have been a family business since 1959, so I am guessing they know how to measure feet. You never know what Joe Shmoe you'll get at the mall. Anyway, Ryan is in a size 4 1/2 wide and Kaylie is a size 2. Ryan cried when the guy put them on him, but Kaylie was fine with it. I can't figure these two out. I would have bet a million dollars that Kaylie would have cried. We actually ran into another set of boy/girl twins too. So imagine a little shop with 3 customers. Between the 3 of us, there were two sets of twins and the third customer had twins but they were in school! That is pretty insane to have that many M.O.M.s in a place like that.
So far they seem to like them. They love untying the laces and have even tasted them already. I may regret not getting velcro, but I wanted traditional shoes for their first pair. In two months (or less), they'll have outgrown them anyway, right?

Breaking News...

This just in...Kaylie's 3rd tooth!

I just happen to put my finger in her mouth...lo and behold an upper tooth! This baby girl is the BEST teether. I never know when she's getting teeth. One day they are just there. I know, count my blessings. Just needed to share.
(Of course if you look closely at the pic from Mother's Day she is trying to gnaw off that doll's arm.)

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my dear sister Cindy! Hope you have a great day!!

My First Mother's Day

I was so grateful to be able to celebrate Mother's Day this year. My first Mother's Day was really nice. Bob made us breakfast and the kids gave me a gift certificate for a day at the spa. I can't wait to use that. We attended my niece's 2nd birthday party. Here she is playing with a new toy.

Happy Birthday Rachel!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all!
Since becoming a mom, I have a new appreciation for all mothers out there. It is the most exhausting, rewarding, and underappreciated job of all. I realize now everything that mothers have to sacrafice all in the name of their children. Give a special thank you to your own mom and enjoy your day however you choose to spend it.

Pics of the Week

Kaylie has discovered a cause-effect relationship. The chicken on the highchair tray can be filled with Cheerios and then when you press the head, Cheerios pop out. Kaylie finally figured this out. Now she no longer needs to whine for more.

Pressing the head

Eating Cheerios

My cutie pie

Vacation's Over

So Grandma left. :( Man it was nice to have the extra set of hands ALL day. I did do some weeding. Not as much as I should have, but some. Here are pics to prove it. (Pay no attention to the dead azalea bushes that have to be pulled out. Not sure what happened to them.) Check out the difference of the Japanese maple tree and the ground cover in the front. Edward Scissorhands in the making right? Ah well, it looks "a little" better.
BeforeAfter

I got my pedicure and haircut. That was some good 'me time.' I did a lot of errands and shopping. It honestly was nice driving from store to store and getting out of the car and into the store in under 10 minutes.

Bob got me Yankees tickets for a game in June. They are box seats. I am excited to go, as I have never been to a Yankees game before. I wanted to go especially since they are building a new stadium.

Oh the kids...you want to know how the kids are doing?? Really? I thought it was all about me. Ryan is so frustrated right now. He just wants to crawl already. He also wants you to hold him in the standing position ALL DAY as well. He finally learned how to get from his tummy to sitting. He has started to pull up on some toys and the couch. He pretends he is King Ryan--getting Cheerios hand fed to him and doesn't hold his bottle or sippy cup. Every once in awhile he will hold it. He is just a big goofball.

Kaylie will stand holding onto things. Not for real long, but she can do it without any support. She started crawling forward this week. She still doesn't have her butt in the air, but she can move pretty fast when she wants to. She looks like a little inchworm. She feeds herself Cheerios by the fistful.

Does this pic say anything?

We've had a few rounds of UIW (Ultimate Infant Wrestling). Hair pulling & eye poking included. Poor Ryan. Kaylie will get hers someday when she has some pigtails.

It was nice while it lasted. Now, back to reality...

Birthday Mystery Solved

Just keeping the birthday posts coming...

I got a cake delivered this morning. All it said was, "Happy Birthday Liz" on it. No card, nothing. The delivery guy had called me prior to delivery because he was lost, so his number was still in the caller id list. I called him to see and his phone was not answering. I then called Bob to see if he had it delivered. He told me it was from his parents. In the meantime, the delivery guy called me back and told me the same. The cake was supposed to say who it was from. Anyway, it's been an interesting morning. Thanks Toni & Marc for the cake! It's beautiful, I can't wait to dig in. A pic of course...

Welcome Home!

This is a pic from this morning. They were very excited to see Daddy. Kaylie wouldn't stop looking at him. It was too cute!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Happy Birthday to me!!!

It's my birthday! A little known fact about me is that I was born on Mother's Day! You just can't top that Mother's Day gift. Bob & I will be going to Salt Creek Grille for dinner. I'm looking forward to their chocolate souffle dessert. You have to order it with your meal. It takes that long to make I guess. The restaurant is also on the river, so there are great views. Can't wait.

I know I have been neglecting this blog, but my "vacation" is almost over. I have to savor my final hours.

Grandma to the Rescue

Bob is off to California on business. I've been lucky, he hasn't had to go since when we first got the babies home. He left early this morning and will be gone until late Thursday night. (Friday morning to be exact). Now, I was going to try to do it by myself, but one night two weeks ago changed my mind. There are just times when they have meltdowns starting around 5 P.M. It's very hard to handle by yourself, so I called Grandma to help out for a few days. Hey, I may benefit a bit from this business trip. I have scheduled another haircut and a pedicure. I'm not getting a manicure, (although I need it) because I have to do some major weeding around the house. They are just out of control. I should take some pics to show you how bad it is. Hey, what woman with twins has time for weeding???? I know some super M.O.M. is going to leave me a comment saying that they do it all. Right? :) I also need to do some errands that I don't get to do normally. I'm looking forward to the next few days, although I will miss Bob and I freak out everytime he travels.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my dearest friend, Carra! We have been friends since the fifth grade! Can you even believe it?

Carra-We'll have to celebrate when you get back from your cross-country road trip.

Pics of the Week

BEEP! BEEP! Anyone want a ride?

Rubber Ducky, you're the one!

Biter Biscuit Heaven

See you later!

One Year Ago Today

A year ago today I was admitted to the hospital for close monitoring of the babies--especially Kaylie. I would later stay there for a month before delivering. I remember how sad I was to be missing the nice weather spring brings. I've been doing a lot of reminiscing lately as their birthday approaches later this month. Just looking back at the NICU pictures, to be used in a photo montage, opens a whole floodgate of emotions.

It's May(hem)!

May is an incredibly busy month for us. To start with we have Mother's Day. This year I will be celebrating my first one, although we have to attend a party that day. It's okay because it is the birthday of my niece. She'll be two on the 12th. I'll have to take a raincheck on being pampered all day by Bob. (Right Bob?). May also brings my birthday on the 9th, my sister's birthday on the 13th, and my mom's on the 18th--yes imagine all those Tauruses living in the same house! It wasn't that bad. My best friend's birthday is on the 5th, and I know a few others with birthdays during the month as well! Then there is Memorial Day and to end the month, we have Ryan & Kaylie's birthday too! I think it's neat that they ended up being Geminis (twins), although I would have preferred them being born later that is for sure. So that is our crazy May!