Happy 14 Months!

Happy 14 Months!!

Sprayground Fun II

Thanks to my friend Deana we were able to make another trip to the sprayground. Ryan enjoyed it and Kaylie did too until she was soaked with a sprayer that a kid shot at us. Lovely, right? She never quite got warmed up as much after that. We actually were pleasantly surprised to be joined by their friends Taylor and Rachel.

Picture that was taken just moments before getting hit with the sprayer.

Here's Deana with the kids.

Out of the handful of pics I got to take, I still didn't get one of what the place looks like. Ah, well. No biggie.

Twins Galore

We had a fun day....Ryan & Kaylie had a playdate with 3 other sets of twins!! In case you can't do the math, (I know you can-- just humor me) that's a total of 8 babies amongst 4 women. We met up at Allaire State Park with Amelia & Sal again and then we met Cameron & Gavin, and Lily and Brandon. They were there with their older sister, Aria. All sets were boy/girl too! I was the veteran of the group having the oldest.

We walked a path and then sat on some blankets in the shade. It was nice to chat with other moms of twins. There is just that mutual understanding of what it takes to care for 2 babies that we don't have to even say a word--we just "get" each other. At the end we decided to get a group picture but by then my two (at least) were spent. They didn't want to sit & smile for any picture!

From L to R: Cameron, Gavin, Brandon, Lily, Amelia, Sal, Kaylie, & Ryan walking away!

First Fair

Here the kids are looking at a real horse's ass. LOL! Yep, that's the horse's butt. He decided to move when I took the picture. We took the kids to our county fair today. I wanted them to see the 4-H animals. Kaylie was really excited to see them but Ryan was not as impressed. We didn't take many more pictures than this though. They had a good time and even had their first taste of funnel cake!

Sprayground Fun

On Friday, Ryan & Kaylie met their friend, Taylor, at a park in our town. Bob came with me as well because I needed the extra hands and to spend time with family too, of course. The park is great!! It has a sprayground as well as a playground. A spraygound is a place that has all of these sprinklers, and water things for kids to play with. We don't have a good shot of the actual sprayground though. It's seriously the coolest invention and best of all it's free!! I'm going back on the 30th (weather permitting) so maybe then I will get one to show you all.

Ryan jumped right into the action. He sat for awhile just splashing the water around him and then he started to really warm up and walk around.


Kaylie took a little longer to warm up as usual, but she loved it once she got down on the ground.

Afterwards we went on the swings. Ryan was happy until I put Kaylie on the swing with him and well then let's just say it wasn't pretty.

Edited to add: I found this picture of it online. Still can't see too much though.

Blog Milestone

My visit counter hit 10,000 this morning! Thanks for reading!

A Different Look

Decided it was time to change things up a bit around here. Yay or nay? You won't hurt my feelings. I promise.

It's a Start

Well, after my lesson from Bob and reading on a site about photography. I started toying with Bob's old SLR camera. It's a Nikon D50--not sure what that even means (Ha!) His newer one is a D3 so I don't think it has anything to do with newer model numbers. I still don't know exactly what I am doing and aperture/f stops/ISO settings/exposure and knowing which way to point the flash is a little daunting and makes my head spin. I often find myself just wanting to give up and sprint back to my trusty point and shoot camera. I will say that this camera takes a MUCH better picture than that thing could ever do. That's what practice is for right? What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't want to learn something new? (Learning to drive a stick shift is out of the question Bob! Not sure why, but that's something I don't want to know how to do. Call me weird.) Here are a few pictures that I think I did a good job on but I have a lot to learn.

K with some bed head going on.

The same picture as above but cropped.

Probably should have spent time cropping the other pictures but I'm tired.

Play Date

Ryan and Kaylie had a playdate today at our house with another set of boy/girl twins- Amelia & Sal. They are 8 months old and not mobile yet, but such cuties. It made me long for the days when Ryan & Kaylie would just sit and play. Ryan & Kaylie seemed like little maniacs in comparison. Maybe maniac isn't the right word--maybe more like balls of energy with their walking & crawling all over the place. Did I take any pics? Nope. Didn't even think about it. Mommy enjoyed the adult conversation though.

I'm Walking...Yes Indeed I'm Walking

Here's a little video of Ryan taking some first steps. He can do about 7 steps and then falls down. It's so cute to watch.

Pics of the Week

Not too much in the way of pics this week but I am getting the bug to test out Bob's old SLR camera, so look out. I just need a cheat sheet to learn how to use it.
This is Ryan just chillin' out. This NEVER happens--Ryan sat like that for about 10 minutes. We never saw anything like it so a picture had to be taken.
MUUAH!
Yep, I bought a water table. (It was on sale--who could resist?) They love it. They played with it for the first time with Grandma while Mommy & Daddy went to lunch & a movie.

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Today is our 5th anniversary!! Celebrating with lunch and a movie. I kid you not, the last movie I saw in the theaters was The DaVinci Code (I hear your gasps). We WERE huge movie-goers, so yeah it's been awhile. Looking forward to it.

Seems like only yesterday we tied the knot. I love you Bob!

A Year Ago Today

Kaylie came home a year ago today. This was the day we became a family under one roof. She stayed in the NICU a week longer than her brother only to learn how to drink from a bottle and gain some more weight. We took her home under 5 pounds. I think she was 4 lbs. 10 oz. at the time. That in itself is scary to contemplate. Preemie clothes were big on her.

The NICU doesn't allow discharged babies back into the NICU so Bob waited with Ryan in the waiting area and I got Kaylie. I was a pro at taking kids home from the NICU-- I knew the spiel. To be honest I just wanted to get the hell out of there and never return.

We brought them home in our newly purchased minivan. In the week we brought Ryan home, Bob got us a minvan. I sat in the 3rd row and watched them as Bob drove us home--of course still being careful to avoid any bumps. Kaylie was awake for just about the whole 45 minute car ride-just trying to figure out where the heck she was. Even when we got her home in the house, she didn't sleep much. She was looking around. To this day she is nosy and very into her surroundings. I remember just watching the two of them laying in the pack n play bassinet--together at last. I still wonder whether they even missed the other twin while in their isolettes or did they not even "know." I don't see a real strong bond (I think there is something there but not STRONG) between them and often wonder if it is because they were separated early on. Maybe that bond develops later in a pregnancy. Who knows. The point is that they were finally together as brother & sister and we were a family under one roof--finally able to make our start. That is all that mattered this day.

As they get older, I am thinking that July 11 and July 18 will be "their" days--they can chose to do whatever they want to do on their day. Since they share the same birthday, it would give them their own special day. Still toying with this idea because I'm just not sure if I want them to be reminded each year that they were preemies--or maybe I do so they never lose sight of how much they have overcome. Parenting is so hard...

sorry....had to edit. Bob FINALLY (been busy with work. I know.) got around to getting me the picture of Kaylie actually coming home in her seat.

Trip to the Pool

Today my friend, Deana, came down to help me take the kids to the pool. I have been feeling some guilt that some M.O.M.s feel. If they were a singleton, I would be able to take them to things like the pool or the mommy & me type of classes by myself. Not really the case with multiples--unless the instructor is willing to take one. I guess you have to get lucky there.
Anyway, they took a while to warm up to the pool. The water was cooler than the other day so that may have been the reason. Did I take any pictures? No. Forgot my camera. :( Next time...she's helping again on the 30th! It's so good to have teacher friends with summer's off. Don't know what I will do come September. Thanks Deana! (I know she's a faithful reader).

Play Date

Busy day yesterday. Ryan and Kaylie spent the morning playing outside and then later in the afternoon they had a playdate at their friend, Taylor's house. Alex and Logan were there as well.





They played with this water table pretty much the whole time we were there. They loved it. I guess I need to get one of those!






Ryan is taking about 4-5 steps(stumbles) now. Any day now, he is going to take off. Look out world--here he comes.

Dining Alfresco

We took them to the pool in our development for the first time. I didn't take many pictures though. They did well--Ryan enjoyed the water much more than Kaylie.

After the pool, we decided to dine alfresco. They liked this as well. What a busy afternoon!

Party On

Saturday we attended the graduation party of my cousin, Andrew. He graduated from Clemson with a B.S. in Genetics and cum laude too! Ryan and Kaylie met some relatives they hadn't yet seen which was great. In the picture, Ryan is with Andrew on the left and his brothers, Michael and Christopher. They enjoyed the party a lot and spent most of the afternoon outside on a hot day. They conked out in the car ride home in about 3 minutes flat.

Another Beach Trip!

Yesterday we headed down to Grandma & Pop Pop's shorehouse again. It will be our last visit until September, since they begin to rent it out for the remainder of the summer. We did our usual swim in the backyard pool. Ryan had fun from the start, but Kaylie needed to ease into it as with any unfamiliar situation. I sat with her on the outside of the pool and then even Grandma got IN the pool! She did well. This was the longest she has stayed in the pool--all of about 15 minutes, but much longer than any of our other tries. Here she is enjoying herself in the pool.

A Year Ago Today

Ryan came home from the hospital a year ago today. This is the day that I became a mom. I may have given birth (hmm... I had a c-section..did I give birth? I guess that is debatable, but I like to think I did.) 42 days earlier, but I was finally able to do everything that a "regular" mom could do. I had my baby home with me. I mean I did a few motherly things in the NICU but it's just not the same as having your baby home with you. I always considered the time they spent in the NICU to be gestation time. Sort of like the NICU was one giant womb of some sort. It was hard leaving Kaylie behind in the hospital but one or both of us still went to see her every day. Being able to take your baby home after spending months hooked up to monitors was frightening. Literally up until a few minutes before you take your baby home, they are hooked up. How did I know if he was de-satting or not? I gradually got over that and told myself they wouldn't have let him go if he wasn't ready.

Moments that stick out the most from that day were when I decided to change Ryan's diaper--you know doing one of those motherly things. We had been home for about ten minutes--mind you he was in his cute "coming home" outfit---and he peed over everything--the wall, couch, Pack & play, & clothes! I learned to cover "the goods" with a washcloth from that moment on. I remember being so nervous in the car ride home and telling Bob to not hit any bumps. I remember not being able to sleep because I was so nervous that I jumped up to check on him 100 times. I also remember not being able to sleep because Ryan refused to sleep that first night too! I remember the feeling of how great it was to finally have one of our babies home with us.

Who Me?

As a mom, anytime there is silence in the house, you have to be worried. The toilet paper roll is their new favorite fascination in addition to the dishwasher and dryer. Time to keep the bathroom door closed. She's just too cute and it's such a classic picture.

No Intervention Needed

Kaylie's speech was evaluated by Early Intervention yesterday. She doesn't qualify for services because she falls within a certain range--somewhere between her adjusted age and actual age. I'll admit to being surprised by this but relieved at the same time. Hooray for good news!

What Does Your Name Mean?

I got this from a blogger friend... I pretty much fit everything except being irresponsible and I don't think people would call me selfish (although I've had my moments of course).

What Elizabeth Means

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are incredibly wise and perceptive. You have a lot of life experience. You are a natural peacemaker, and you are especially good at helping others get along. But keeping the peace in your own life is not easy. You see things very differently, and it's hard to get you to budge. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

All American Babies

Ryan & Kaylie enjoyed their first Independence Day at the shore with friends and family.

Here they are in the July 4th wear.

They watched their cousin do some crabbing and went for a walk.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Fourth of July Everyone! We're headed to the beach for the day. We'll probably be home before seeing any fireworks--gotta get the kids in bed. I remember last year not wanting to celebrate anything because the kids were still in the NICU. We spent our day there last year. A difference a year makes indeed.

Happy 13 Months (late)!

Wow, either time is really flying or I still have mommy brain. I completely forgot to take the monthly picture. I remembered today, so I took one this afternoon.

Update to Ugh Post

Well today I went back to the old schedule (nap in the morning) and we had much happier babies on our hands at the usual bedtime. I guess they still need a morning nap. Please, can I have the parenting handbook?