Easter 2013

We had a pretty amazing Easter weekend.

We spent Good Friday reading about "The Story of Easter", decorated eggs, chicks, and bunnies with stickers, enjoyed lunch from McDonalds (Filet of Fish, just like when I was a kid and spent Good Friday with my grandparents) then had a nice Tilapia & asparagus dinner once Daddy came home from work.

On Saturday the grandparents and Aunt A & Uncle R arrived for our family Easter dinner, where we also dyed Easter eggs ....

As you can see Addison's interest lasted longer then Blake's he preferred to stuff is face with watermelon instead lol!

And had our very first Easter egg hunt!

We also chose to celebrate A & B's birthday with the family since they really missed out on things with being sick. (I promise we ARE having a BIG TWO DO ;) this summer though were everyone can celebrate with us). I even made a bunny cake... Growing up, Jake's Aunt always made a bunny cake for Easter and Jake talks of that memory fondly. We decided it was something we wanted to carry on with our family, the twins loved it. Blake's first response was "Yummy" haha.

Sunday we went to church and a good friend joined us for service and lunch then we spent the rest of the day relaxing and eating leftovers, and watched the ending of "The Bible" on History Channel, which has truly brought it all full circle. It was the perfect weekend and a great way to celebrate our Risen Lord. 

We hope you all had a fabulous Easter as well. From our family to yours....

And because it is a true testamite of God's amazing work - I present to you three Easter's from NICU till now:

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believe in me will never die." John 11:25-26

When Babies Grow Up

I just wanted to share some special moments that we've had the past few days.

More and more I am watching these two amazing miracles develop into little people. And I am loving every minute of it.

Blake has taken an interest in helping me grocery shop. Typically we hold their hands and walk into the store where we attempt to strap them into a cart (or two) or of course there was that one time when some singleton parents used all the cool twin carts and I tried the "one strapped in/convince the other to SIT, but not on the eggs, in the basket" trick. Feel free to read about that adventure here.

This time though, Blake grabbed the cart and proudly exclaimed "I help push cart". There are two of us and two of them, sure why not kiddo, you push cart, mommy keep you from knocking over the display of Nurtigrain Bars oh no wait Mommy did that not you, whoops. So, off we went. I pointed out the items we needed and tried to "guide" Blake's selections. He proudly ran the items to the cart and asked Daddy to "help" set them inside.

We couldn't help but laugh because when we got near the milk, without any prompting, Blake took off and tried desperately to open the fridge case and get pick up milk. When he couldn't get the door open, he nearly took out a lady at the knees trying to get into the door she had opened. Luckily I saw it coming and stopped him short, and redirected him to the whole milk. He seemed so disappointed that I wouldn't let him carry it alone, but didn't fight me on it.

All in all he did really well. He only attempted to run off twice, and got several compliments from other shoppers. One lady asked if he could be her personal shopper.

One afternoon, that same "big boy" crawled up in my lap and asked to cuddle. He giggled when I sang "Rock a Bye Baby" which probably had to do with my horrible singing voice. But these cuddles are becoming less and less so I was more then happy to savor this moment. How do you say "No" to this face?

The same night that Blake helped shop, Addison decided that since she was so well behaved in the store, she'd just help herself to the things we had in the grocery bags. All of a sudden I hear all this babbling in the back seat, only to find she was reading one of the books that was set to be placed in an Easter basket for Blake. Silly girl!

And seriously, just look at this. Could they get any cuter? This picture is proof of why they never get in trouble. (Ok never is an understatement but... the cute faces certainly don't hurt.)

We've got another busy weekend ahead of us. We'll be celebrating Easter with our families on Saturday and church followed by a reflective day just the four of us (and maybe lunch with a friend) on Sunday. Celebrating the reason for the Season. HE IS RISEN!

Be sure to check back in next week for pics from all the fun (including our very first Easter Egg Hunt - admittedly I am probably more excited then they will be, as well as their mini birthday surprise party with the Grandparents).

Easter Blessings from our family to yours!

Twins & Education

Recently this article from Parents.com has been circulating through social media and most recently my preemie support group. The article is titled "Should Twins Be Placed In The Same Classroom" and the author presents some interesting statistics and perspective.

To be honest, this is something that the hubs and I have already talked about only a million zillion (ok maybe not that many) times. We live in one of the states that allow flexable classroom placement, which I think could be beneficial for some. I am not an expert nor could I personally make the choice for anyone other then Addison & Blake. But I did want to share our personal take on the topic...

Based on our situation - my real answer is that I feel it's important for Addison currently to be surrounded by peers in varying stages of development. Within the next year we will be faced with deciding which path to take as far as "preschool" because EI (Early Intervention) is convinced Addison will qualify (and greatly benefit from) the transitional program (that preps them for Pre-K from the EI program), and we do not want to take that same opportunity away from Blake - so one of our options and the one we are leaning towards is the transition program where Blake and similar peers would be the class "models" while Addison and her similar abled peers would be nurtured in an environment with Blake and the models. For their early development we feel like it's the best choice. Based on the interaction that Blake and Addison have among their peers, I know that this will only benefit them both for the better. They are little sponges and want to do whatever the other kids are doing which is great, especially for Addison. It's certainly a motivator to get her to work on skills that she is currently struggling with.

However Jake and I are both fully aware that as they enter grade school there is a real possibility that one of them could be in average or above average classes while the other may need more specialized services or similar to what our high school had, like a slightly below average class, where the learning style was different and the curriculum moved a little slower. Or even what is typically thought of as "special education." I won't set one up for failure should he/she need those services and cannot keep up with their "average" peers". In the same token I will not allow Blake (or Addison) to be in a situation where they aren't being challenged  just for the sack of keeping them together. Anything is possible though, which means that this may not even been the case at all. It may not be an issue of a difference in learning abilities, but I don't want to be blindsided with reality.

I feel as though, if we can take all the developmental delays and such out of the equation, then we would be more apt to say that Addison and Blake could have some choice in the matter. They may want their own space and identity. Or they may not. And as long as their education is not impacted by them being together (or separate) then we are ok with either.

The reality of this situation though, is that for many twin parents, preemie twins - at that, this isn't even an option. One twin may be faced with severe delays which means obviously one sibling will be in a class with differently abled peers, while the other is among the "general" population if you will. OR in some cases, both twins are facing disabilities and with limited resources may only have the option to be together in a class where their needs can be met.

Either way, it was interesting to read the article and the perspective. At the end of the day, is there really a sure fire science to it all? Hard to say.

What's your opinion on the topic?

Prematurity in the Spotlight

Did anyone watch The Voice?

The Voice Judges/Host
(Image Credit: Mark Seliger/NBC)

It's one of our favorite shows here. And you can bet we were tuned in Monday night for the premiere.

If you didn't watch (or maybe you did) and are wondering what that has to do with Preemies. One of the contestants shared his story about the loss of his twins at just 5 months gestation. To say that his story hit home was an understatement. I could see the tears in hubby's eyes and knew that it hit him hard too. To think, we could have been there. That could have been us.

My heart goes out to that young man and his family, who now have a beautiful baby boy. But that still doesn't  change or take away what happened to his wife/family just a few years back. It just goes to show you that prematurity effect more people then we probably realize.

I give big kudos to the contestant for sharing his story as well as the show's producers for airing it and shedding more light, which will hopefully raise more awareness.

If you did watch it, what did you think of it? Any favorites so far? (And how about Blake and Adam... mmmm.)

Weighing in...

I don't exactly plan to take over the blog with my weight loss journey but.............I have to share this BIG (small) news!

Thursday was weigh in day. I lost a pound which makes 8 (!!!) total so far. I took more measurements of various body parts. I am super excited to say I have lost 2 inches off my waist, and (are you ready for this one) 6 yes SIX inches off my hips. I am so excited about this! Talk about huge victory!

Below are my before/after photos, which I wasn't going to post just yet, but I do think you can see some difference and I am proud of the progress. It's motivating for sure. I've also noticed some difference in the way some of my clothes fit, a certain area I won't mention specifically.

3/7/13                                                          3/21/13

3/7/13                                                          3/21/13
This one, I feel like I actually look firmer on the left but "smaller" on the right.
Plus do you notice how much smoother my back looks in the one on the right?

So there you have it. Enough about me. Weigh in again Thursday and we'll see how well I've done this week with the two days "off" UGH. But you know you are dedicated when every night you make sure you have clean gym clothes, lol. Which reminds me. I need to wash them today :)

If I Had a TV Show...

I swear some days are like an episode of Candid Camera. If I had a camera crew I bet I could make millions. Or maybe just get a few likes on YouTube lol.

Lately Addison has been finding her way under our baby gate at the stairs and I hear "thump thump thump" as she stomps up the steps. It's usually when I try to go to the bathroom and don't allow her to accompany me, or when I make lunch and don't let her help. Basically whenever my back is turned. So today this happened twice (that I remember) the first time she was all the way at the top, waited for me to get close enough and darted down the hall. STINKER! The second time she was only a few steps up because Blake yelled "Addison on steps Momma!"

This is what happened next...

Me: "Addison, you need to come down. You aren't supposed to be on the steps."
Addison: "Grrrrrr" (growling like a dog)
Me: "Don't growl at me, what are you a dog."
Addison: "Woof Woof."

Well then. I guess she was pretending to be a dog. This theory was confirmed when two seconds later while I tried to get Blake set up for lunch, she decided to try and eat dog food.

This is my life.

Then after I got Addison in her chair, and brought over the food Blake exclaims "FINALLY!"

WHAT?!?!? I guess I was just taking too long to get his lunch ready. Oh and lets not forget that Blake also informed me "You need to behave yourself today Momma." I guess I might sometimes say that too much?

Minus the tantrums, I do really love watching their personalities coming out. And the sassy attitudes. I just hope those are short lived and are not an indication of what the teen years will look like.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. We got to spend sometime with a friend of ours. Took a little road trip for an extra special 2nd birthday. And got to finally meet another really good friend who I haven't had the chance to meet in person, but have know for TWO years! We had a blast and the kids loved hanging out and getting into things together.

Today was supposed to be therapy day, but that got cancelled because IT SNOWED. Messed up our entire morning, and I ended up having to go to the gym in the afternoon instead. I don't like the gym daycare in the afternoon, plus it's all crowded and stuff haha. But I was so overjoyed to walk in to see A & B at the table with some older kids, "drawling" and doing other big kid things. I love it. Mornings are def better though. Much better crowd and a lot of other SAHMs which is nice which also means not as many germs because other SAH kids don't have germs right ;)

We are hosting Easter dinner here on Saturday, so um yeah. This week will be filled with the usual. Cleaning, shopping, last minute procrastination. AKA I'll be super busy Friday because I will put stuff off all week hahaha. I am also going to attempt a bunny cake. Wish me luck. We also decided that the kids should have a Grandparents Birthday Party to make up for the party they missed because someone got sick (Addison) ;) So we'll do that this weekend too. Planning to have a big party this summer though with all our family and friends.

What's going on in your life this week?



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Trouble Comes in Two's

By trouble, I mean the silly things these kiddos do... like hiding under the couch.

Blake saw her crawl under there and then this happened

Blake: "Momma where Addison go?"
Me: "I don't know buddy, where did she go?"
Blake: "Addison hiding."
Me: "Can you find her?"
Blake: "I find her."

And off he went to find her...

Where is Addison?

I see you!

They both love making faces, and have figured out how to pull the camera up on my phone to take self portraits, and send text messages... Dangerous. 

I know I've said it only a million times, but Blake is becoming such a ham. And it's amazingly adorable. Here's a funny face from dinner.

Funny Face!

And Miss Addison, always the ball of personality. They are both going through a phase where they love love love to have their own plate of food and utensils. (Even if most of the time they just end up using their fingers.) They (more specifically Addison) are also going through a phase where no meal is complete without CRACKERS...yes, every.single.meal. she wants crackers and won't get down until I give her atleast a few.

So the other day for lunch they shared Beefaroni and then requested crackers. I had my own plate with my lunch on it, and as soon as I was finished Addison - not to slyly - took my plate and one by one put all her crackers on it. She was grinning from ear to ear and really felt like she got one over on me.

Sneaky, sneaky.

While I could certainly do without the tantrums that happen every 15 minutes around here, I really truly love watching their little personalities come alive. There is NEVER a dull moment around here. 

What are some of your kiddos silly things they do? Tell me all about them!