tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26681384749283936122024-03-14T02:15:38.134-07:00Baby A, Baby B and Me...Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-23246405699937893042011-12-02T17:26:00.000-08:002011-12-02T18:17:23.998-08:00Getting Settled :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcwjtyn3vcFfoyyGtt0cmPnjRf7spp_OOsUO3fN9pos_b_oW4HSmIZyH3nEqP8sbDrQhtY0P593sduwPVT2M9UV3GYSi3GgFs2MraQWOEEDL5UyolqGLBpX97hZvt6xhQgACN2tfJdCk/s1600/_MG_0364-copy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcwjtyn3vcFfoyyGtt0cmPnjRf7spp_OOsUO3fN9pos_b_oW4HSmIZyH3nEqP8sbDrQhtY0P593sduwPVT2M9UV3GYSi3GgFs2MraQWOEEDL5UyolqGLBpX97hZvt6xhQgACN2tfJdCk/s320/_MG_0364-copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681719956778620002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaIZaYaN6V-07UHyj6JtmQwv3U6f68SerrouX0EtHNHnkzS2T5fC2eIOgdGU8xlMKusjmGTM6FEQnlE82N9IYshyphenhyphen6fIRQy2rAOhRYyvwyHS8u6yP-hOZ6OomhMitGTv0PlIEXL2MCvpk/s1600/_MG_0336-copy-2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaIZaYaN6V-07UHyj6JtmQwv3U6f68SerrouX0EtHNHnkzS2T5fC2eIOgdGU8xlMKusjmGTM6FEQnlE82N9IYshyphenhyphen6fIRQy2rAOhRYyvwyHS8u6yP-hOZ6OomhMitGTv0PlIEXL2MCvpk/s320/_MG_0336-copy-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681719951503543874" border="0" /></a><br /><br />.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG06ySsjZNiINP01AceRPuCfWIIhh1NCMKZkL6a-pRi5SdO1jzKTcQBP7qsjpNs_M9SEu7cepeJYGGnef4XQ2Z5bkrdxkR3CfHS-yhjabOYK4Dnht1W59fdpRf9L9MFjoTVdFtnkOl-Hk/s1600/_MG_0396-copy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG06ySsjZNiINP01AceRPuCfWIIhh1NCMKZkL6a-pRi5SdO1jzKTcQBP7qsjpNs_M9SEu7cepeJYGGnef4XQ2Z5bkrdxkR3CfHS-yhjabOYK4Dnht1W59fdpRf9L9MFjoTVdFtnkOl-Hk/s320/_MG_0396-copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681719963407666802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfsqg7yRcKzIIPJdEzgNhH1n82tYT71cv44EseTahTFeKgWTf6PcNaMKrfOJORBOvMnO0yPpj0knzs6HR6rFzD2vFqz5c6uoXKTAKVHg2DUEq1189_hUq-OypztBMhtWIUfj1JWteQfE/s1600/b+4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfsqg7yRcKzIIPJdEzgNhH1n82tYT71cv44EseTahTFeKgWTf6PcNaMKrfOJORBOvMnO0yPpj0knzs6HR6rFzD2vFqz5c6uoXKTAKVHg2DUEq1189_hUq-OypztBMhtWIUfj1JWteQfE/s320/b+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681719645363689874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXV_e6sYNbysBHz3avKlzwjRibGXfPOviDTayMImWjjrrad3gM4d40mKVlhcDcfpcOiVLKy-IkhbhkhkVeGgis0lIeOTKU5v-wKInaN2WRHPRBTQY8H7SfJ9Vp4JsyzD8b8VQBwmIZut0/s1600/_MG_0090.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXV_e6sYNbysBHz3avKlzwjRibGXfPOviDTayMImWjjrrad3gM4d40mKVlhcDcfpcOiVLKy-IkhbhkhkVeGgis0lIeOTKU5v-wKInaN2WRHPRBTQY8H7SfJ9Vp4JsyzD8b8VQBwmIZut0/s320/_MG_0090.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681719630603334898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC_Rw6kd7PaXKRJn19ZTqN2aPk7jFH2J6n-J7cGYVsWEDu7ERz2xhhqYxjg088Zce7ON1cQq5UyobPXG39eIEB4kn0Utq2B9Vjtuu61RB4YwViB-r_qw9J_Es9fYbis3Q-qHTrkrDsyk/s1600/_MG_0081.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC_Rw6kd7PaXKRJn19ZTqN2aPk7jFH2J6n-J7cGYVsWEDu7ERz2xhhqYxjg088Zce7ON1cQq5UyobPXG39eIEB4kn0Utq2B9Vjtuu61RB4YwViB-r_qw9J_Es9fYbis3Q-qHTrkrDsyk/s320/_MG_0081.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681719615655351298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VvAvw2QJ_XDD46yJa_Rc5qGug5KNdgErrR_-_nh1RkoRpGhBdUaYk0waaI1NKILxb_WUTrLdT1jZdOTD6r20-wb7wn_IjkJtvlTXjrhSgjpoFuFnadGvoMNhyNuPOagdbyGeRwP8mgQ/s1600/_MG_0001.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VvAvw2QJ_XDD46yJa_Rc5qGug5KNdgErrR_-_nh1RkoRpGhBdUaYk0waaI1NKILxb_WUTrLdT1jZdOTD6r20-wb7wn_IjkJtvlTXjrhSgjpoFuFnadGvoMNhyNuPOagdbyGeRwP8mgQ/s320/_MG_0001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681719612961600754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89tIJpHODmwxYixOVbyCIeQ3SZoFgnY6RPf8RsVQKFry1lfbifET9ubIGUJricMQtdK0bZT1Y3BCIXDbBoel2Dvut7n5Qp4kEq_UBYg9OATbDGgYg67L119T8E5xtETXph0606nBHA_g/s1600/k+story+board.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89tIJpHODmwxYixOVbyCIeQ3SZoFgnY6RPf8RsVQKFry1lfbifET9ubIGUJricMQtdK0bZT1Y3BCIXDbBoel2Dvut7n5Qp4kEq_UBYg9OATbDGgYg67L119T8E5xtETXph0606nBHA_g/s320/k+story+board.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681719652194924306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHKW_qMl-bsVTTWx6D1mzB9WIWthsVx1Qm819gLX2RUB-qymG_p_nrG4bDqr72psjRyY-NKcM5N3zgrDKV_t_7cLTdiZunH02H47KWImOOQZw31ODFwWN242GD5Tw_DS5W1HDj2fTQp4/s1600/_MG_0128.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHKW_qMl-bsVTTWx6D1mzB9WIWthsVx1Qm819gLX2RUB-qymG_p_nrG4bDqr72psjRyY-NKcM5N3zgrDKV_t_7cLTdiZunH02H47KWImOOQZw31ODFwWN242GD5Tw_DS5W1HDj2fTQp4/s320/_MG_0128.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681717737194485746" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIJJItm7pDR56OndhYljeLQ4GDL-wnBpfsNPcygDbmviGDscSnBU3goQwLouYb8RF2CV2gpoh9xmFCUzMmF0wGXmihIa12hHhZ_uW38rREiQUvHqloSrs5rkro1zK3slEHTBIiReSMR4/s1600/_MG_0073.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIJJItm7pDR56OndhYljeLQ4GDL-wnBpfsNPcygDbmviGDscSnBU3goQwLouYb8RF2CV2gpoh9xmFCUzMmF0wGXmihIa12hHhZ_uW38rREiQUvHqloSrs5rkro1zK3slEHTBIiReSMR4/s320/_MG_0073.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681717742339935282" border="0" /></a><br />I haven't explored nearly as much as I would like, but we are truly enjoying our new home. John is loving his new job, Kaleb has made many friends at school, and the high ceilings in our home are auditory bliss for the yellers known as Brooklyn and Aidan!<br />I have almost finished unpacking and decorating, though my new found love of pinterest has excited me about crafting again. So there are many projects on my to do list these days. The first of which I accomplished was a headboard for Aidan's room. I am loving this.<br /><br />We've survived our first holiday with a wonderful Thanksgiving full of play!<br /><br />Since dinner's almost done and I'm battling the timer I'm going to save the thousand words and head straight to the pictures!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5Kbx1QwlmwWvx67HOKbKVT6_vCz4Nz2StQAAsRQsneHcickdVP8tEDfeqhM6DBChRzZb7RW5IUe-kVHBfRWrtpc2DcLjWikgn2jwMl9hMA8Fu6m-vCTdR-H92km7GsYewLyHziBhIgU/s1600/_MG_0138+copy+4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 186px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5Kbx1QwlmwWvx67HOKbKVT6_vCz4Nz2StQAAsRQsneHcickdVP8tEDfeqhM6DBChRzZb7RW5IUe-kVHBfRWrtpc2DcLjWikgn2jwMl9hMA8Fu6m-vCTdR-H92km7GsYewLyHziBhIgU/s320/_MG_0138+copy+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681717733276217730" border="0" /></a>-LoniLonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-13348632377496418942011-11-02T14:42:00.000-07:002011-11-02T15:00:48.577-07:00Big things a' brewin'!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm3tOPK7J61ltbS2EJEvqp0z0KmWBvsDcUjvpJCUA5wd2b-ok84lr51z8Pr2urzpb-DigtLjN0UwO-a0Kl05FBhjOm5TwwyKiiLE_r7bn1aNFiop0e4S_p_IAWZqZiw98XxY70uZFUQkQ/s1600/16+x+20+family.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm3tOPK7J61ltbS2EJEvqp0z0KmWBvsDcUjvpJCUA5wd2b-ok84lr51z8Pr2urzpb-DigtLjN0UwO-a0Kl05FBhjOm5TwwyKiiLE_r7bn1aNFiop0e4S_p_IAWZqZiw98XxY70uZFUQkQ/s400/16+x+20+family.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670521261408927250" border="0" /></a><br />We should practically be yogis now with the amount of flexibility that our family has learned in this past year! A lot of things are changing for the Newby household. As of October my husband is no longer active duty with the Air Force. We had our ups and downs, just like all military families. His fitness became a concern, while the ridiculous hours and demands were not. So there were no tears regarding his separation. John has since started a new job, basically doing the same thing only having normal set hours, no pending deployments and actually having weekends off! This is a completely foreign concept for us!<br /><br />This change in career is also bringing on a new location. We will still be in New Mexico, simply farther south. I am so excited to have something to see other than miles of fields and tumbleweeds. We have spent so much time on the high plains that I really wouldn't mind if the wind swept us away. We will still be in the desert only there are mountains! As a Utah girl at heart, there are no words for how happy I am to have a mountain backdrop once again. My photographer spirit is bursting with excitement for the new scenery. It is a welcome change of pace.<br /><br />We are still in the process of trying to sell our home, the market is not the best but we know that we have a beautiful home that will find the perfect family soon enough. Though, sooner would most certainly be better than later.<br /><br />As I type John has already moved down to Alamogordo to begin his new job. We are still in Clovis temporarily, but will be joining him soon. We fell in love with a rental home, since we are a bit weary of any further real estate investments at the moment. Give it a year for us to settle in to the civilian world and we just may bite again. But for now, we are very happy with our choice.<br /><br />I have a jetted garden tub and a walk-in closet. C'mon now. If that isn't nearing heaven I don't know what is.<br /><br />The biggest transition will be for Kaleb as he'll be switching schools midyear. I remember my family did the same thing my kindergarten year. Sure, it was just across town for us then, but I got all sorts of attention for being the new kid and I loved it. Kaleb is a big fan of the spotlight as well, so I have a feeling he'll use this to his advantage!<br /><br />We have a great group of friends that have already relocated to the same city, so it is a fabulous bonus to have built-in friends as we jumped off into a new endeavor in life.<br /><br />I am so excited for the great things to come. I hope to expand my photography business and work much harder on managing my home. It's a challenge, but I'm up for it.<br /><br />We are very blessed, and even in the times of uncertainty without a formal job offer I knew that everything would work out how it was supposed to in the end. I'm grateful for my faith, and optimism. I might not have survived the past few months without keeping that silver lining mentality. We are looking forward to the new adventures and I will most certainly focus on giving more than quarterly or semi-annual updates!Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-28668421391963241222011-01-23T22:46:00.000-08:002011-01-23T23:00:54.153-08:00We have officially survived year one!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnN_4v5B9enADSpGFulU0jaDdl08aKgJo81nFzztfltLZN4R5SbSX2h-9TrFPq3ZI5YKAGvV9Jq3-Y3lyxJiEEGVDQTnYju6K99ypbDxZW3jdWRFwZM9ERAfB74ihpiMxYYVrv2xGnQ6k/s1600/gift-babies.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnN_4v5B9enADSpGFulU0jaDdl08aKgJo81nFzztfltLZN4R5SbSX2h-9TrFPq3ZI5YKAGvV9Jq3-Y3lyxJiEEGVDQTnYju6K99ypbDxZW3jdWRFwZM9ERAfB74ihpiMxYYVrv2xGnQ6k/s400/gift-babies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565643552449375442" border="0" /></a><br /><p>This time last year I was waddling my way to a prenatal appointment, trying not to slip on the ice. On the way out the door I had my mom snap a photo of me in all my glorious belly bliss. These will be treasured snapshots because: a) I had makeup on, and b) at that routine appointment I found out I was actually in labor. From a 10 a.m. check-up to two newborns before lunch, my whirlwind of a year began.</p> <p>I have always heard that motherhood gets easier after the first, I’m pretty sure that is assuming that the second doesn’t also include a third bonus baby. Twins aren’t easy, but they’re not as hard as I feared. I’m sure there are many examples of moms who actually do this gracefully. Clumsy as it may have been, I survived the first year.</p> <p>As a souvenir of my pregnancy I have maintained approximately half of the baby weight, and twice as many stretch marks. I figure that the babies are accustomed to the finer things in life, and so it is only appropriate that I maintain plush muffin tops for them to rest their booties on as they cling on each hip. The stretch marks, well, I’m not sure what purpose they serve. But if I ever decide to go as a tiger for Halloween I’ve got a sweet abdominal template.</p> <p>Brooklyn was born first, older by an entire minute, she has definitely taken the ‘big sister’ role pretty seriously. She loves to show Aidan who’s boss. Aidan is a little more shy, but has a devious sparkle in his eyes and his adorable smirk. When they say “double trouble” they mean it. Between the two of them, they have twenty toes, twenty fingers, twelve teeth and two personalities that fill every room they enter.</p> <p>I am so grateful for all of the challenges I have experienced and the blessings I’ve gained. I try to make these columns relate-able, but I also know that many of you are parents and understand my need to gush. These two additions have enhanced my life in ways I will never be able to express.</p> <p>I get a little misty eyed when I see expecting mommies with that glow, no matter how uncomfortable they appear to be at the moment. There is something beautiful about a pregnant mom, and I am in such awe every time I see a new baby welcomed into the world. It amazes me how all of the fingers, toes, bones and organs manage to wind up in the right places at the right size. I will never grasp how all of these systems function properly. Because of that I am reminded just how perfect and exceptional each and every child is, even the naughty ones.</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4z_rlHZfohjK3ZGQbHNos96UMeGLjjvXUfWpIZSEIUWzJmxViBM-Lt7osJujpzSQ-SKmkZmTpaO6EVDP1z_9Vac-7KUjBt_EE9T4r4v_ypLtyRHa7569-Pq_FuYMTQ7WIUkJCKbOfBUI/s1600/dad+b.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4z_rlHZfohjK3ZGQbHNos96UMeGLjjvXUfWpIZSEIUWzJmxViBM-Lt7osJujpzSQ-SKmkZmTpaO6EVDP1z_9Vac-7KUjBt_EE9T4r4v_ypLtyRHa7569-Pq_FuYMTQ7WIUkJCKbOfBUI/s400/dad+b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565643548057594354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjigwMOHxVpCJsKsSb2erBKrUTZyTtBo0FYHOmula9y-UHLd44o0cjq6-k8Oxv-l8F70eblzkR3_VREmwi5kv-QzvlspZLHVN-wJTxlKgh9Eq8BxhL7FQXkRVcvyNAycGpsHguBTzDZU/s1600/basket.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjigwMOHxVpCJsKsSb2erBKrUTZyTtBo0FYHOmula9y-UHLd44o0cjq6-k8Oxv-l8F70eblzkR3_VREmwi5kv-QzvlspZLHVN-wJTxlKgh9Eq8BxhL7FQXkRVcvyNAycGpsHguBTzDZU/s400/basket.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565643537120690306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbSt0564cMW1g2EnOnLegvAzpERfK8mGmlqrpmc8reOe9b2LSaxj-J5mlyJknoTLgLzMzzmVLPs6M0wHbJjcIWvxnnJrftmFPCmtmjuQgHukpTy9iZ5n4rBKybwCbzKmg7TMR4-iIEqc/s1600/a+cake.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbSt0564cMW1g2EnOnLegvAzpERfK8mGmlqrpmc8reOe9b2LSaxj-J5mlyJknoTLgLzMzzmVLPs6M0wHbJjcIWvxnnJrftmFPCmtmjuQgHukpTy9iZ5n4rBKybwCbzKmg7TMR4-iIEqc/s400/a+cake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565643533841873906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXB3okGdi73ap8eiR3y7iQhrptPTvtwhVDB74DfpIxtKO2U1X8NOvEOvmbnBr8vPp4GOh0rK9jjXIc1dHtR0giRWOHMvGLdLjyp89LVXHBo2Nad25XLMq1oQmD9qh2GwWRl3NrMP-dyg/s1600/a+on+table.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXB3okGdi73ap8eiR3y7iQhrptPTvtwhVDB74DfpIxtKO2U1X8NOvEOvmbnBr8vPp4GOh0rK9jjXIc1dHtR0giRWOHMvGLdLjyp89LVXHBo2Nad25XLMq1oQmD9qh2GwWRl3NrMP-dyg/s400/a+on+table.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565643530939606834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqK64Oo16oRlZNehyXAGzkn7kRqyISHtOeveA0eNiI0GSaD38yaA9nA2wgOhZlspktqB6lk4YY9euzRgUkOFZIIyonxkdGYPBDDj5C3tOluIYuzAWcgxjInWtiCLcM4uf4GbJUK1Mmxw/s1600/a+smirky.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqK64Oo16oRlZNehyXAGzkn7kRqyISHtOeveA0eNiI0GSaD38yaA9nA2wgOhZlspktqB6lk4YY9euzRgUkOFZIIyonxkdGYPBDDj5C3tOluIYuzAWcgxjInWtiCLcM4uf4GbJUK1Mmxw/s400/a+smirky.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565642457056750194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kHQd6UKd712qYAu2GYZVZAxhTbgGJ8K00SKg2HK0fOzAF60sSmenQ_CAzS02EXuuWIEPrdHCFOJ6A1iWVzWzZEFklfSx8npay5w7EsHRSLSiy11A2KZlnTq3_yvP51mmeSvJoASK3Wk/s1600/b+smile.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kHQd6UKd712qYAu2GYZVZAxhTbgGJ8K00SKg2HK0fOzAF60sSmenQ_CAzS02EXuuWIEPrdHCFOJ6A1iWVzWzZEFklfSx8npay5w7EsHRSLSiy11A2KZlnTq3_yvP51mmeSvJoASK3Wk/s400/b+smile.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565642450365853890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-HZisDv18TqSnopNQJ8TxB8Y_J04YNAtdf9OPNjJJlIOi_BfYHp66cwXa5nwEBQkSeMrwPvCF_xgPcDPHhXdcT9tXPP4i-_WQU9BRXf7f0SlcXJ85Vx4U29GCQRK0PI_qy9Whp_KHbA/s1600/brook+and+k.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-HZisDv18TqSnopNQJ8TxB8Y_J04YNAtdf9OPNjJJlIOi_BfYHp66cwXa5nwEBQkSeMrwPvCF_xgPcDPHhXdcT9tXPP4i-_WQU9BRXf7f0SlcXJ85Vx4U29GCQRK0PI_qy9Whp_KHbA/s400/brook+and+k.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565642448372167314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBRGl8mE4JR0-8CFVrTIZWh644SeLiu_580M7yfmbzy_02vgWnI54KPUKyajTnLJTKbjDP_QlyzzqSLzRfb_NF1XQBcO0W7DiBr6XDT7vV5f8uzziH78V_iF9I6rRj4Mz4T669B3NnVs/s1600/cake.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBRGl8mE4JR0-8CFVrTIZWh644SeLiu_580M7yfmbzy_02vgWnI54KPUKyajTnLJTKbjDP_QlyzzqSLzRfb_NF1XQBcO0W7DiBr6XDT7vV5f8uzziH78V_iF9I6rRj4Mz4T669B3NnVs/s400/cake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565642445538466450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-FSwAb_-UjmGr2ItaTU-rvGcJhBqBbvaGNkGPj_sMGVyQoJkiJaOYneNkPpM7kkbT9bPjaD9Tbr8PgVEHPqzI9_-Fm0pVoacwldOP9kKiKis8KBPc0OaRqy-51-fSXRnOR3mWE7lqqE/s1600/kids.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-FSwAb_-UjmGr2ItaTU-rvGcJhBqBbvaGNkGPj_sMGVyQoJkiJaOYneNkPpM7kkbT9bPjaD9Tbr8PgVEHPqzI9_-Fm0pVoacwldOP9kKiKis8KBPc0OaRqy-51-fSXRnOR3mWE7lqqE/s400/kids.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565642438392381586" border="0" /></a>Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-86589046496513497072010-12-06T15:23:00.000-08:002010-12-06T15:53:20.485-08:00Ten Months and Growing!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofwcfXSiKFHWIVT0Fm2yo5gL6XWY6hycm_yTKEfuIcAbWoWPk_6FSYEHL30FYkywQ0bDXNAdPwd3-1HQTszzTb1ONn1iavqdXcJeVyOBuqhy9ceEARpOnjz9RNPfDY-DYUOtvYvmLJh0/s1600/IMG_5456.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofwcfXSiKFHWIVT0Fm2yo5gL6XWY6hycm_yTKEfuIcAbWoWPk_6FSYEHL30FYkywQ0bDXNAdPwd3-1HQTszzTb1ONn1iavqdXcJeVyOBuqhy9ceEARpOnjz9RNPfDY-DYUOtvYvmLJh0/s400/IMG_5456.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547721562354858018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmHaxMWmgPqn7Mt62IjRw8MjurcwFnc3wTCzocqzbJP-unkAHK1NfJ5qHm-Cmvrb87BE2aCqU1TmhrTfJQrnHoga-I8FBdq-r5bo3cMBHgxlDf4Q4_zvDhWLr0P7M9qU5Gf9_KihMnok/s1600/munchkins.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmHaxMWmgPqn7Mt62IjRw8MjurcwFnc3wTCzocqzbJP-unkAHK1NfJ5qHm-Cmvrb87BE2aCqU1TmhrTfJQrnHoga-I8FBdq-r5bo3cMBHgxlDf4Q4_zvDhWLr0P7M9qU5Gf9_KihMnok/s400/munchkins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547721561511205474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejPQNxb9yaqcarCDkLSJuYhHQpzHBd5R1ElRjEMrxcsE5pTgr7fLyvPCF6LDUE20pusY6xZwt4_KGN4iQVPz5DEVHf5XkloJKQSTsjfybQFoiXJa69WdxATvRYU2MB6gJCX8DnA2kcd8/s1600/brooklyn.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejPQNxb9yaqcarCDkLSJuYhHQpzHBd5R1ElRjEMrxcsE5pTgr7fLyvPCF6LDUE20pusY6xZwt4_KGN4iQVPz5DEVHf5XkloJKQSTsjfybQFoiXJa69WdxATvRYU2MB6gJCX8DnA2kcd8/s400/brooklyn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547721540981228930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PD6EJv6HGgIuEip88iymjc4Q4mRX-G_J3Xae6dxbWfkxixNoOZLFpz3f_YCKY_6IWPJROZirJ8nCqaO7prRJtyo9SEdLpf-JNn6HP_mfe3pixsGRmAhNX8lGdHPhM0mBKodM20FB7nc/s1600/aidan+punkins.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PD6EJv6HGgIuEip88iymjc4Q4mRX-G_J3Xae6dxbWfkxixNoOZLFpz3f_YCKY_6IWPJROZirJ8nCqaO7prRJtyo9SEdLpf-JNn6HP_mfe3pixsGRmAhNX8lGdHPhM0mBKodM20FB7nc/s400/aidan+punkins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547721539464507890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76pdkw_0VKF2Z1SxOfFUrl9ZH7JY9OesU2ZZlPLtsvtuXg9yp7qKbKT_xtGu0n2Ydns6Bk62LAUmlKTpGvRbKIaQkXCkm7BeFXh8USKLl0W7CUMmIGrTRI5NnJl7UjnIL7xDdcVdQNVI/s1600/IMG_5229.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76pdkw_0VKF2Z1SxOfFUrl9ZH7JY9OesU2ZZlPLtsvtuXg9yp7qKbKT_xtGu0n2Ydns6Bk62LAUmlKTpGvRbKIaQkXCkm7BeFXh8USKLl0W7CUMmIGrTRI5NnJl7UjnIL7xDdcVdQNVI/s400/IMG_5229.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547721535692273522" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74LlHvse-f_W8VBDHQF1ggLB_LOZ6rzlzFEUbILY-FIivZ-mrYxul88qvsHdJLnkKMOOgbPHKRD78p4R85CefJOPaLVt4qmFoYeGaiXd74w5Dk72fDGSD1GaSiE_2Bze-pNL4vK_NGOY/s1600/IMG_5797.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74LlHvse-f_W8VBDHQF1ggLB_LOZ6rzlzFEUbILY-FIivZ-mrYxul88qvsHdJLnkKMOOgbPHKRD78p4R85CefJOPaLVt4qmFoYeGaiXd74w5Dk72fDGSD1GaSiE_2Bze-pNL4vK_NGOY/s400/IMG_5797.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547719960852193042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfARoXJSID5tJp0y7FCBnSuqmcWiQWAvttf40rkXaY1N2oVRuToUbLhGj2SoRPjrNo33F5bPydg-a5QphmJJajNNtDYsqUKcY_Z7qsHc9wf594jWG3-HTGTK4JAgP5Vt4BVgmmq4aEAo/s1600/IMG_5774.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfARoXJSID5tJp0y7FCBnSuqmcWiQWAvttf40rkXaY1N2oVRuToUbLhGj2SoRPjrNo33F5bPydg-a5QphmJJajNNtDYsqUKcY_Z7qsHc9wf594jWG3-HTGTK4JAgP5Vt4BVgmmq4aEAo/s400/IMG_5774.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547719956414955090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7UHPdwB0rKzXyj2WPjScf97-OypARGz6XFJ-U0Gpt6LZsrJsnIlkKoNJqo6RyoJsJuOsrrnKMRB5Z3B3cB1JrgiIfDm37AAYOwd5S8HePxyNMSaioqbl7cl9VhbXaYOb6jb5-fre170/s1600/IMG_5764.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7UHPdwB0rKzXyj2WPjScf97-OypARGz6XFJ-U0Gpt6LZsrJsnIlkKoNJqo6RyoJsJuOsrrnKMRB5Z3B3cB1JrgiIfDm37AAYOwd5S8HePxyNMSaioqbl7cl9VhbXaYOb6jb5-fre170/s400/IMG_5764.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547719944169568306" border="0" /></a><br />My sweet little monkeys are getting so big! Aidan is standing on his own on a regular basis. Brooklyn is still clinging to the couches or mommy's hands. She has mastered the art of crumbling when she realizes that she's no longer being supported--got to love the jelly legs! They both have truly found their voices and love yelling at each other and also using 'mama' and 'dada' to get our attention. They are working the table foods like champs and act insulted when we try to spoon baby food into their mouths.<br /><br />I have truly enjoyed watching their personalities really grow. they are no doubt the same sweet souls from birth, their personalities have just magnified to much more recognizable levels.<br />Brooklyn is a daddy's girl, through and through. She has him wrapped around her little finger! I can see his heart melt every time she grins. Even when she is sleeping, she smiles when she hears Daddy's voice.<br />Aidan is a mama's boy in the best and worst ways! I adore the way he looks at me like I am truly the best thing since ice cream. But as soon as I venture even around the corner into a different room, the wails are definitely on the dramatic side. He is a strong willed little dude. We definitely have to keep our eye on him because he can pull a houdini act and disappear in a matter of seconds!<br /><br />We are getting so excited to celebrate their first Christmas!<br />Kaleb is truly a big helper. He loves how much they look up to him and he most certainly keeps him entertained. I love watching their faces light up when Kaleb wants to play and dance with the babies. It is so sweet to see!<br /><br />We have had a very good time recently with a small trip to Albuquerque and a trip to the Children's museum there. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from that trip and a few more recent photos. Enjoy!Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-33861944860520642832010-11-05T20:34:00.000-07:002010-11-05T20:34:23.123-07:00Military mama: Mommies must learn to face fears | forced, face, fears - Columns - Cannon Connections: News<a href="http://www.cannonconnections.com/articles/forced-3223-face-fears.html">Military mama: Mommies must learn to face fears | forced, face, fears - Columns - Cannon Connections: News</a>Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-11970305896962681852010-10-22T20:06:00.000-07:002010-10-22T20:12:00.221-07:00Military mama: Twins keeping me on my toes | twins, keeping, toes - Columns - Cannon Connections: News<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5K-i1EC3U-pxntpp3bu4BAPEOWvxhQm0lI8wvqs4gUa-yoGCNKp4tBc-zSVEdqiuXDz2tHl1_zXG_Q3QlWerq9HZ1CSgqHw-7Bh-gBDRd_NXjQ6rxkBX7YXtSor6-l6eI2Wji-0UXDw/s1600/kids+trio.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5K-i1EC3U-pxntpp3bu4BAPEOWvxhQm0lI8wvqs4gUa-yoGCNKp4tBc-zSVEdqiuXDz2tHl1_zXG_Q3QlWerq9HZ1CSgqHw-7Bh-gBDRd_NXjQ6rxkBX7YXtSor6-l6eI2Wji-0UXDw/s400/kids+trio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531073127676334802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW_zRjVI_ftvbIOeDimqqiP01tPLz8UyICf4muPEIvtR8ZxHe4bWY-QjqbkFb-nGo6Tt16asq2-1YDtJrboE9scCKUeN3c7zBirJurDeurRs-3tm6WivWY5f-blYDD-gddl0eIkeTOoM/s1600/Aidan+frustrated.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW_zRjVI_ftvbIOeDimqqiP01tPLz8UyICf4muPEIvtR8ZxHe4bWY-QjqbkFb-nGo6Tt16asq2-1YDtJrboE9scCKUeN3c7zBirJurDeurRs-3tm6WivWY5f-blYDD-gddl0eIkeTOoM/s400/Aidan+frustrated.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531073122115531266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZ4etThHpoeNd6ch_OncB9P16a71x5P-4Qbp4YgcPIj7A5sIVHBpYv-usfRBu_UC7t8mEi56eIJGxDo0BL1pndgavDPMw6yfsBkLLjsmvXeds4Ax1WD6P865xn1wrP4xPnEGN_bn3bRU/s1600/brookie+look+up.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZ4etThHpoeNd6ch_OncB9P16a71x5P-4Qbp4YgcPIj7A5sIVHBpYv-usfRBu_UC7t8mEi56eIJGxDo0BL1pndgavDPMw6yfsBkLLjsmvXeds4Ax1WD6P865xn1wrP4xPnEGN_bn3bRU/s400/brookie+look+up.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531073119178114242" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.cannonconnections.com/articles/twins-3192-keeping-toes.html">Military mama: Twins keeping me on my toes | twins, keeping, toes - Columns - Cannon Connections: News</a><br /><br />I may not be the most fabulous blogger, but I am on time for my weekly columns and I'm pretty sure there's been at least one reference to my munchkins in each and every one of them!!<br /><br />Here is a link to the online archive:<br /><a href="http://http://www.cannonconnections.com/search/?q=military+mama&fistype=site&x=0&y=0">http://www.cannonconnections.com/search/?q=military+mama&fistype=site&x=0&y=0</a>Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-19067132212763720472010-09-19T12:14:00.000-07:002010-09-19T12:48:58.650-07:00FAST FORWARD Catch up!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyUIYm9f_5U-1Ei6tV8SvvvuvFe2ePD7x2cWnmS9XxdMdXJGmKIbiDE3TeI_c6vxU04EoHHlHtzOtXUou5tqMQZTu4fGpoU19uiXu1kF4O__2XbjMi94KvJjxdHIkDvKS-o0ZAbwJmCg/s1600/Brooklyn+12+x+18.jpg"><img style="float: left; 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margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tIxr2qByYaLnDnvq8I_Xj_xHnpwIxVIDrFRjHGHLMGgvxFZ-P0UeyXV1GWfjcHBXaScPsYjBkNz-hs40DH3qMBcDjbJxe9Mj-iQE0iCQlR8XntE_1z0-EbzodetDY9cf-nSmRjpuzVU/s400/shoulder+punch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518709914029392914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9aElIZ_vqrAyntVnGeWQl5QmjRMjbIOHprCxME5PrDkApy0CjT1rx6ygHSFI_MCZG7WVCOh1EnXFXjHVjr8aTH7wKUdfi3OwfUDD-ViRxfEM0GjQV0u2J8VfsYuQ8C0Php7bxoUaEaQ/s1600/trio+studio.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9aElIZ_vqrAyntVnGeWQl5QmjRMjbIOHprCxME5PrDkApy0CjT1rx6ygHSFI_MCZG7WVCOh1EnXFXjHVjr8aTH7wKUdfi3OwfUDD-ViRxfEM0GjQV0u2J8VfsYuQ8C0Php7bxoUaEaQ/s400/trio+studio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518709901754140210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6AHLDYcmkwXsoeDAZr1hUBnuSyQBpD58SRy-QNz2IkZMu7aaW5W6MZqUD21yHrTqKToS8IdMt2b5gBG2UjfoJoLupVFL4fQa2MqtQNSPoESJy7IGqS_-Fl3sC5yP8s0XImvZElY1FJs/s1600/brooklyn+light.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6AHLDYcmkwXsoeDAZr1hUBnuSyQBpD58SRy-QNz2IkZMu7aaW5W6MZqUD21yHrTqKToS8IdMt2b5gBG2UjfoJoLupVFL4fQa2MqtQNSPoESJy7IGqS_-Fl3sC5yP8s0XImvZElY1FJs/s400/brooklyn+light.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518706996269346114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpZUdANt2mMfQIvqv9ThVXq-jI6SiP0znXX57wkxQ9mNS3SKJpBrs9ji8RqxZZ90eqyWTL72CFa3Fj9E3rZKgQ0T_E282fr_uNGVR3R1QO0jhwgeTVYrvK2trN95DtU1WDrnvzXFm01s/s1600/Brooklyn+blessing.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpZUdANt2mMfQIvqv9ThVXq-jI6SiP0znXX57wkxQ9mNS3SKJpBrs9ji8RqxZZ90eqyWTL72CFa3Fj9E3rZKgQ0T_E282fr_uNGVR3R1QO0jhwgeTVYrvK2trN95DtU1WDrnvzXFm01s/s400/Brooklyn+blessing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518706990228817842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1PwvxCgrMKcLqvz8zgIBs7zECHBqELhtNIhC3IlrFXgeZKVIGqhcMt4qlY8e-YJkFenNP2VrACPE0ClyuXIhj1-W8y8T2jhzZ5k4pTGuivUubCFPXgV8huv_ynLnyIdC-3C3igGbE2g/s1600/IMG_0696.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1PwvxCgrMKcLqvz8zgIBs7zECHBqELhtNIhC3IlrFXgeZKVIGqhcMt4qlY8e-YJkFenNP2VrACPE0ClyuXIhj1-W8y8T2jhzZ5k4pTGuivUubCFPXgV8huv_ynLnyIdC-3C3igGbE2g/s400/IMG_0696.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518708500316656130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSxVaUUhD4s1X5KKJg6yJJvzmWpWgnDHefLiPA0K-rzXmo-J4b6J5Arv6nrIBqxiFxarFGWEBUKbR6af61myfdPlm1wcafUUNIH3N4ajbXgOBHPTwOxT5WOGhTjBQHc51zrHlhQIdwqU/s1600/babies+white.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSxVaUUhD4s1X5KKJg6yJJvzmWpWgnDHefLiPA0K-rzXmo-J4b6J5Arv6nrIBqxiFxarFGWEBUKbR6af61myfdPlm1wcafUUNIH3N4ajbXgOBHPTwOxT5WOGhTjBQHc51zrHlhQIdwqU/s400/babies+white.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518706978410503442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4YL4fJ4FdjQBoQRHyuma66Jbn67hW7qsihyVBBdKpJu1k9Rst1MWZwdtcPpRO5FbzlLu_kyiCBv574GR8jAqXSaLBWuuc8rpvrsRoV6prYg_LTkUendJyERfBrC-1P6JlrWz526i29c/s1600/aidan+smile+bw.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4YL4fJ4FdjQBoQRHyuma66Jbn67hW7qsihyVBBdKpJu1k9Rst1MWZwdtcPpRO5FbzlLu_kyiCBv574GR8jAqXSaLBWuuc8rpvrsRoV6prYg_LTkUendJyERfBrC-1P6JlrWz526i29c/s400/aidan+smile+bw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518706967159872770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzgqTrgQl8i3k_AgJnlipfjtyKWhsgPkwW3y6otE42u3yWUqm59D0lqunzdVPpP1L0stU4OfUYT1fPSkJzp_rvfGay351uuriNn9ESLZ_I62bjXC4fUvVnUieNad_Vi-RSJLhrfUpBVA/s1600/Aidan+color+face.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzgqTrgQl8i3k_AgJnlipfjtyKWhsgPkwW3y6otE42u3yWUqm59D0lqunzdVPpP1L0stU4OfUYT1fPSkJzp_rvfGay351uuriNn9ESLZ_I62bjXC4fUvVnUieNad_Vi-RSJLhrfUpBVA/s400/Aidan+color+face.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518706962390090018" border="0" /></a><br />It has been established. I suck at updating this thing. Truly. No excuses.<br /><br />On the positive side, you'll get to see the wee ones grow in fast motion here. They are now almost eight months old. Busy little bumblebees. Brooklyn and Aidan are both attempting to crawl, they have the army crawl and roll away down pat. They hold their own bottles, they arch their backs like super gymnasts to try to maneuver their way out of any place they don't want to be. They are still obsessed with their feet and are frequently found sucking on their own toes, or their siblings...<br />Brooklyn finally got her ears pierced so that hopefully she'll stop getting called a boy.<br />Aidan is still as bald as a cue ball.<br />No teeth have erupted yet, but they're hiding just below the surface creating all sorts of crankiness.<br />Brooklyn made her daddy's lifetime by saying "Dada" first. I'm still rooting that Aidan might pull through for me and give me a well deserved "Mama" but I'm not going to hold my breath on that one! Here are some of my favorite more recent pictures of the munchkins!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJtFeyga69l9LLqm6ijBGBBhq5TnsNgAzQXTWNWRi7RkAFxc1whaG3B0LYKVlOyJ12yhUXX4nD9JJ6OxgThM_Kki9-OZvoCW5NzzD4AVFoIT6IfNj31tfiWQawHe4iKdc6OIzPqi1PsY/s1600/loni+babes.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJtFeyga69l9LLqm6ijBGBBhq5TnsNgAzQXTWNWRi7RkAFxc1whaG3B0LYKVlOyJ12yhUXX4nD9JJ6OxgThM_Kki9-OZvoCW5NzzD4AVFoIT6IfNj31tfiWQawHe4iKdc6OIzPqi1PsY/s400/loni+babes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518712262626382914" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDy-BkJgWNXmUEVMr9EwkXpWaBEuHtZVZ0upUqT3fCud465kQcqi0YhjycLkVsimA9lrtCnI-iX3Ab9uefjwX7OIIepylpyvwdPEmmbOQrWJXAVFrN6z6CpBEmpbxciMwOfLaCzYMpnU/s1600/john+babies+bw.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDy-BkJgWNXmUEVMr9EwkXpWaBEuHtZVZ0upUqT3fCud465kQcqi0YhjycLkVsimA9lrtCnI-iX3Ab9uefjwX7OIIepylpyvwdPEmmbOQrWJXAVFrN6z6CpBEmpbxciMwOfLaCzYMpnU/s400/john+babies+bw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518708554640453954" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_cvXiVSE9zyIMNox8wejRCVG5bsIp1TidEGApiK0hgNmB8nOWUEj2XWznO7Y2fAljjbUmrvJyv7VD9A1McKTTmqJYLpRpbE8wWKa-DqqqG3LlZVlROfntj-fStvaziF7Dz2SwJ_gWFA/s1600/for+papa.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_cvXiVSE9zyIMNox8wejRCVG5bsIp1TidEGApiK0hgNmB8nOWUEj2XWznO7Y2fAljjbUmrvJyv7VD9A1McKTTmqJYLpRpbE8wWKa-DqqqG3LlZVlROfntj-fStvaziF7Dz2SwJ_gWFA/s400/for+papa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518708540276674562" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGef7JwF3vkJ6R-uCSMQC18Z9Wk3gW3Ch684UPqgKuehfZ61loaPQztjkGyIS4kGRqb3kJs8SEGfhI9wBe3LFn2MvJyjzJ7_KvZZy_89ebv9kvxj7xczM-CM1CqxH6lgtE2F3H9JOTYM/s1600/IMG_9747.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGef7JwF3vkJ6R-uCSMQC18Z9Wk3gW3Ch684UPqgKuehfZ61loaPQztjkGyIS4kGRqb3kJs8SEGfhI9wBe3LFn2MvJyjzJ7_KvZZy_89ebv9kvxj7xczM-CM1CqxH6lgtE2F3H9JOTYM/s400/IMG_9747.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518708533373376034" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIF1A_2MFWflNcBpuvE8sXBl5S-VFAwKgI-wFxG4cQIfSr8vVDk37XgNu8I1vYg56nHYd8D3a5ia5bpp636UgbTFie5BjWfv8mHZQuYM_5ZJ5yeEiG2KWedhX7el0tgpn0VOt1CtjQ6Y/s1600/IMG_9607.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIF1A_2MFWflNcBpuvE8sXBl5S-VFAwKgI-wFxG4cQIfSr8vVDk37XgNu8I1vYg56nHYd8D3a5ia5bpp636UgbTFie5BjWfv8mHZQuYM_5ZJ5yeEiG2KWedhX7el0tgpn0VOt1CtjQ6Y/s400/IMG_9607.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518708516065907474" border="0" /></a>Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-16405977922519774072010-04-01T10:39:00.000-07:002010-04-01T10:53:02.308-07:00Two Months Old!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NzqJiQc7qrcayfLhTsP13ZmJYohEc273j0L2CycngAZpVhrN2cdinHlQTDqzHnEOEEd8gv73aaH00CcKmvke59-F98naHoiJ5dwl-vvEfzfrudpfe9LZpgJ1xrSGCw4CyZYcZYLVA68/s1600/IMG_9518.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NzqJiQc7qrcayfLhTsP13ZmJYohEc273j0L2CycngAZpVhrN2cdinHlQTDqzHnEOEEd8gv73aaH00CcKmvke59-F98naHoiJ5dwl-vvEfzfrudpfe9LZpgJ1xrSGCw4CyZYcZYLVA68/s400/IMG_9518.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455228156958166610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEE0XdXxvshzpYgR4VUusD4jjFGzjowNe21YkR6TgA-Qu3Go91yGj2SSgoP28YcZVlk3lcweUilgUj_SWOcpleBI0RgQRLWh-qqFHRXA96S_4SkmBM4SW1XQC6AdAlg9KBt_2Rfxbayk/s1600/IMG_9515.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEE0XdXxvshzpYgR4VUusD4jjFGzjowNe21YkR6TgA-Qu3Go91yGj2SSgoP28YcZVlk3lcweUilgUj_SWOcpleBI0RgQRLWh-qqFHRXA96S_4SkmBM4SW1XQC6AdAlg9KBt_2Rfxbayk/s400/IMG_9515.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455228152539765778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhB3FGYVj0gq57xmNAor_woS_yBbRPAL2m6yV5A3fiiIThHPJA3ScBuiy7qLzsDcEvPxaB91aB7SxqdgHuqNjqAIjv2Y4UHnZjO0sZw6_ObAwjd5pbnbGHzNZRwMZUs8uRZbDuavdnRQ/s1600/IMG_9397.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhB3FGYVj0gq57xmNAor_woS_yBbRPAL2m6yV5A3fiiIThHPJA3ScBuiy7qLzsDcEvPxaB91aB7SxqdgHuqNjqAIjv2Y4UHnZjO0sZw6_ObAwjd5pbnbGHzNZRwMZUs8uRZbDuavdnRQ/s400/IMG_9397.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455228145922658098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYvrQbwQkcQyZgoagfv61u7OBrreIpvMBCU7AHyINZKOjVtnpsdoOV7_k5Dg6bcGDjuE3RMjleny02dsI2pxfur28MHEQnKnZrybgFmXdxXaDWVNaeyMYK2xWtQDIYGlHCHk9grdmZ2w/s1600/IMG_8853.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYvrQbwQkcQyZgoagfv61u7OBrreIpvMBCU7AHyINZKOjVtnpsdoOV7_k5Dg6bcGDjuE3RMjleny02dsI2pxfur28MHEQnKnZrybgFmXdxXaDWVNaeyMYK2xWtQDIYGlHCHk9grdmZ2w/s400/IMG_8853.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455228141758283298" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The twins are doing wonderfully! A little more sleep at night would do wonders for me, but I truly can't complain because they are very good natured babies so apparently they are getting plenty of rest. Aidan apparently has set a goal for himself to catch up with other babies his age who aren't preemies because the kid eats nonstop! Brooklyn is a little more dainty in her diet but a lot more vocal when she's upset. Kaleb is struggling with knowing how much help is TOO much. (ie: carrying your brother across the room is NOT on the approved activities list, nor is hiding him under a blanket to try to disguise the fact that you did relocate him without approval or assistance.)<br />On the whole though we are quite the happy little family, I have almost forgotten what it was like to only have one child. Sure it takes a good mental psych up session to go out the door with all three munchkins, and significantly longer to get them all prepared for any baby surprises that may happen if I am unprepared. At this point I am just so happy that we all still like each other!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5qsI311SGSGmbbUxF_gM6nP9y-p-Oev6WboqBUrvZNOGJBWYA4m3TgQukkkjpmDbgZosx0qjevtWHNTk_6Y6XLGyOV4Ixj0aB2atYTRRcnoBVX-br_yrLkaU-0C5KzAyy0aBW2NYq4Q/s1600/twinner+logo+2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5qsI311SGSGmbbUxF_gM6nP9y-p-Oev6WboqBUrvZNOGJBWYA4m3TgQukkkjpmDbgZosx0qjevtWHNTk_6Y6XLGyOV4Ixj0aB2atYTRRcnoBVX-br_yrLkaU-0C5KzAyy0aBW2NYq4Q/s400/twinner+logo+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455225932029403538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxfc8SVGRzksoMbgcbsE7xs0tmGc9JQn3HQZHmp3XVdznC2UjQfBOAFeRC6kbwfraT3x4H1pc62jvRSicAMHYQw8SUc0Btz3GCtIocfa2BFXzuECW7ZeN-zHBYKlh1q38dY3ubRV7jLY/s1600/twinner++color+logo.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxfc8SVGRzksoMbgcbsE7xs0tmGc9JQn3HQZHmp3XVdznC2UjQfBOAFeRC6kbwfraT3x4H1pc62jvRSicAMHYQw8SUc0Btz3GCtIocfa2BFXzuECW7ZeN-zHBYKlh1q38dY3ubRV7jLY/s400/twinner++color+logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455225926956075362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmXluDZhJ4OhV_37CqvDWwsz69fO1ZXysLFeeGnmeEfsT4z7_sD0vmLmOQBtmOVi2shL6j7lIEz1N9C6DjvZ74j1tJy6vfAqIG_HqZ2GCWy8GUBf4RCw935HG0dvw7RXbLOgN0gH-bqA/s1600/trio.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmXluDZhJ4OhV_37CqvDWwsz69fO1ZXysLFeeGnmeEfsT4z7_sD0vmLmOQBtmOVi2shL6j7lIEz1N9C6DjvZ74j1tJy6vfAqIG_HqZ2GCWy8GUBf4RCw935HG0dvw7RXbLOgN0gH-bqA/s400/trio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455225917425389954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhFlgh0jjKZyoqcgwJUweKo8fisRcmexTdkgmCNNXEZXHsfITaeKU8j27GOhVMZs97ZCR_4JOXH_lX0-ePx676d7pHOUq2cm89Sq-Qsf1KvcwMBJ5V9qNx449GpWFdYPpbTaxqXTvCQI/s1600/brooklyn+logo.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhFlgh0jjKZyoqcgwJUweKo8fisRcmexTdkgmCNNXEZXHsfITaeKU8j27GOhVMZs97ZCR_4JOXH_lX0-ePx676d7pHOUq2cm89Sq-Qsf1KvcwMBJ5V9qNx449GpWFdYPpbTaxqXTvCQI/s400/brooklyn+logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455225906955678722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfImo8z2kqa5JtC_Yi5AqglQA-GTsCSzPQ4DFwTywzfH-kXA5Y0vMbQaUvgQO7eRgy2K4Gc5KBnPqGhG38ljRWBwZlmB-o3upgPcaqgb4qH-tUgYvvijUXROj-lCNt7DC82IkwkLasvc/s1600/aidan+logo.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfImo8z2kqa5JtC_Yi5AqglQA-GTsCSzPQ4DFwTywzfH-kXA5Y0vMbQaUvgQO7eRgy2K4Gc5KBnPqGhG38ljRWBwZlmB-o3upgPcaqgb4qH-tUgYvvijUXROj-lCNt7DC82IkwkLasvc/s400/aidan+logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455225901159929826" border="0" /></a>Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-41079513730563041542010-03-10T19:44:00.001-08:002010-03-10T19:50:17.087-08:00Awake & Alert<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqN6R29NdJvHdJFHuZgWxho-iStUD1r4UgKbo0eucrQmyyknKMTSFvAQcJcsMIljCmiljyqBDvv7Ug6f7RcOnL7g5dZiw1E73kNVPD7QYf8KljtbZBRFFXUs1lXSvGmPCU8RaH7R94fo/s1600-h/brooklyn-eating-aidan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqN6R29NdJvHdJFHuZgWxho-iStUD1r4UgKbo0eucrQmyyknKMTSFvAQcJcsMIljCmiljyqBDvv7Ug6f7RcOnL7g5dZiw1E73kNVPD7QYf8KljtbZBRFFXUs1lXSvGmPCU8RaH7R94fo/s400/brooklyn-eating-aidan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447217932654610610" border="0" /></a><br />Hungry?<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha38p459p8jPoK_nHeddsrK52J52fdBDqtuKv-BIrnhnjvoAmtbWadevTvIWfUuUQVKUjA3bRQwMBY-0Wj_N9IAWl9YEYkTVXhbXvwzYDX_7DTks6sN2xTlcGZH2dZqWsKkwNcaNjDN-s/s1600-h/Brooklyn+sweet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha38p459p8jPoK_nHeddsrK52J52fdBDqtuKv-BIrnhnjvoAmtbWadevTvIWfUuUQVKUjA3bRQwMBY-0Wj_N9IAWl9YEYkTVXhbXvwzYDX_7DTks6sN2xTlcGZH2dZqWsKkwNcaNjDN-s/s400/Brooklyn+sweet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447217927386094658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfyq1YRd0U-gn9CpightnuQHhmr7UCRlNI0mF3Kat2LyRak-nUHtYLaGeAja4KvZHwoyw2tfMIaRKSI2goFEYJLIbyMMJwvBfIGv9aUIg-PaTjiGb1dsaifarQkRhQaNGua31RSXxyLI/s1600-h/brooklyn+close.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfyq1YRd0U-gn9CpightnuQHhmr7UCRlNI0mF3Kat2LyRak-nUHtYLaGeAja4KvZHwoyw2tfMIaRKSI2goFEYJLIbyMMJwvBfIGv9aUIg-PaTjiGb1dsaifarQkRhQaNGua31RSXxyLI/s400/brooklyn+close.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447217925726598242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jr59in8Q507gONaLhUqFv5lqWiEfg8LO5Heh2wbLB8yNjOoeBE_6ofdjGXkSiE0f9uky21O7UuX4hDUSBOjWxaRMbjdkDpwMS03DEyvHV_Z-MopxmArbPlp3YOnY4amSEPg3tQYR6h8/s1600-h/brooklyn+bubbles.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jr59in8Q507gONaLhUqFv5lqWiEfg8LO5Heh2wbLB8yNjOoeBE_6ofdjGXkSiE0f9uky21O7UuX4hDUSBOjWxaRMbjdkDpwMS03DEyvHV_Z-MopxmArbPlp3YOnY4amSEPg3tQYR6h8/s400/brooklyn+bubbles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447217917328614946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1HlLxQPgIs83v3BEgKaHwdhhxFkaPnSAlxpNGYLMwFhoxhnOdQfOR904Mfdls-Wl5BHyfbxOLEpDu-Ei4z8BA6E7g-mXScWHS5APOoO327lxoIOwHlGRatlcvWjtP1lesGHDQLir-Q8/s1600-h/Aidan+yawn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1HlLxQPgIs83v3BEgKaHwdhhxFkaPnSAlxpNGYLMwFhoxhnOdQfOR904Mfdls-Wl5BHyfbxOLEpDu-Ei4z8BA6E7g-mXScWHS5APOoO327lxoIOwHlGRatlcvWjtP1lesGHDQLir-Q8/s400/Aidan+yawn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447217536739253170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicgumFGbPGhg6A6D6UXKx9N62qcw2gHwCzHdygBiCQGMfugVgojDtu18qFl6OGXycT4rpTCUShiY4UGzvXsVVp8-BHp94JUk2_MnKzJEkkQE5aPho9wI7PV4x4ntlH4PqinfCi4nRtdY/s1600-h/Aidan+cutie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicgumFGbPGhg6A6D6UXKx9N62qcw2gHwCzHdygBiCQGMfugVgojDtu18qFl6OGXycT4rpTCUShiY4UGzvXsVVp8-BHp94JUk2_MnKzJEkkQE5aPho9wI7PV4x4ntlH4PqinfCi4nRtdY/s400/Aidan+cutie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447217529689088066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXSW4yGhnQ9TyHD6y-mdRSp0f8ILgd6nDOSJI1PKgJwBujYSqfMwTsxy3yAfg3gXeuxKdF24_BJ_okODa23L6xm7Eqf_JMUjvKLZzmp4ULpYDwevM65S6viRR9DjUnPHS8bshDVk-aQY/s1600-h/Aidan+close.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXSW4yGhnQ9TyHD6y-mdRSp0f8ILgd6nDOSJI1PKgJwBujYSqfMwTsxy3yAfg3gXeuxKdF24_BJ_okODa23L6xm7Eqf_JMUjvKLZzmp4ULpYDwevM65S6viRR9DjUnPHS8bshDVk-aQY/s400/Aidan+close.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447217525553821474" border="0" /></a>I love that my munchkins are waking up much longer, they are beginning to grin intentionally but still have that teeny pathetic newborn cry--this is the perfect recipe for melting a mama's heart!Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-10341210410905344852010-03-01T20:22:00.000-08:002010-03-01T21:15:51.055-08:00Pictures ARE worth 1,000 words<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQqxCN4pmhwWWOu6gnaS5kBttsnCzxukqeIuK9Fzy3agG9UAJN2emfZjFet0vvrkj-lrqjcoZDr9qQTXFz3sd7mesAUpWz0jZFzNYTMlxq1h6ISxYgTmw5jT_0eJ_5ZG3-_0ckI1wfxM/s1600-h/IMG_8607.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiFxID-mATNdSPvVJRvXnSXm7WxxUG7dzIj5vCXpr_Ss4WT67UB5ASuvoVlcoOwqunFaVB1sQKAPlIu7IMSclZNUYLeXnI7RjSHZMIVI6gHrn5wOEn_TNtADS31x2LgSoq47XGsTo38o/s400/IMG_8713.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443900381655446098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkr1MCFjoTjmuT1OusUZvwxX5i18dPECjbRWmr-kW-_nYiEhpyy_t0Wnuw0vNIBOw9P1YSWiuCChL-V4JF1pBsDPs6iukO4XSqD95DC731qMiS8GQjQQ2Fa5DmfFyyKYeyZrwnRJbcsA/s1600-h/secret.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkr1MCFjoTjmuT1OusUZvwxX5i18dPECjbRWmr-kW-_nYiEhpyy_t0Wnuw0vNIBOw9P1YSWiuCChL-V4JF1pBsDPs6iukO4XSqD95DC731qMiS8GQjQQ2Fa5DmfFyyKYeyZrwnRJbcsA/s400/secret.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443890923519593938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7pJLohw51ac9qAdWos9sztaGsrnn7NHIyKWzQHyWwB8hRC0lzSHxNeTvrneS8CBh28tjavhsCdsIBeMrGZp-zph478eDN3iBTbMWiGXhNV0QWIwiaVGOZgApytcQPUhKC1s6fakCZwM/s1600-h/Twins+entwined+white+border.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhGeo-BXtXG5xIhA2yePpJqADmDMtNYAm17xJNHXIcOpXw8IIRUNGivNoxfbLfBmiKNNCIbsIj81qibmnYSuF0L3QUTF3C_wcGyptdxunT2J1rAcS-jVOnRdgQxWc0EOVLYe9lXqLq6k/s400/Brooklyn+selective.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443890903222868962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWeKOT86RVLZLxjSWaGc4HdQkMIew4VQCXOiMwikFJJxyRE5RFDw3odytxr6DY3LtckoKfpOaE_JGUa7-ZrqcZ9ekmfeusF38TvkGdXY9DvUMQqEKuuktMlGaTRTCqLebLWS-2YkeYGU/s1600-h/Brooklyn+and+Aidan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWeKOT86RVLZLxjSWaGc4HdQkMIew4VQCXOiMwikFJJxyRE5RFDw3odytxr6DY3LtckoKfpOaE_JGUa7-ZrqcZ9ekmfeusF38TvkGdXY9DvUMQqEKuuktMlGaTRTCqLebLWS-2YkeYGU/s400/Brooklyn+and+Aidan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443890898516176786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqGVDfCc2ymWVqKvu_3pCkDobAc7lGcOuvzhcQ7aXL_nRjkwDNVzFErHzMp8nO0Zv6P4wQDHUSCdaHVsNdD5Bl18-t_kvxqoKOvdBowIKJnRavM54-sQhJsmaBIvLMEahiWqcwJDC2mA/s1600-h/brooklyn+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqGVDfCc2ymWVqKvu_3pCkDobAc7lGcOuvzhcQ7aXL_nRjkwDNVzFErHzMp8nO0Zv6P4wQDHUSCdaHVsNdD5Bl18-t_kvxqoKOvdBowIKJnRavM54-sQhJsmaBIvLMEahiWqcwJDC2mA/s400/brooklyn+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443888593122958546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9R9WeqcRhzdugO_TnjEP5CK6Rgw5__i1eeRkSlZTRDxD2q-VnjK3RFr8JhG1JEZU4wz7PtRWazhfZ8205yASyDMuOOsLdB69CIRF7m1l5voT5vDXpMH_CJv10bwOyDBCaKWphmOZ4tw/s1600-h/Brooklyn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9R9WeqcRhzdugO_TnjEP5CK6Rgw5__i1eeRkSlZTRDxD2q-VnjK3RFr8JhG1JEZU4wz7PtRWazhfZ8205yASyDMuOOsLdB69CIRF7m1l5voT5vDXpMH_CJv10bwOyDBCaKWphmOZ4tw/s400/Brooklyn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443888587684273906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxwggx2theVjLe1IR3_p5lwP3HJmv9chND3UkH9TAt5CATLev_Ubm9Z0QERE921ScqVopdLM4qn5wpdrRraxKiaJxStUgIfejQ36gp9fXG2gBDg8hXo8zcfFgu3mUfbCP05oDRVdyCEg/s1600-h/Aidan+sleep.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxwggx2theVjLe1IR3_p5lwP3HJmv9chND3UkH9TAt5CATLev_Ubm9Z0QERE921ScqVopdLM4qn5wpdrRraxKiaJxStUgIfejQ36gp9fXG2gBDg8hXo8zcfFgu3mUfbCP05oDRVdyCEg/s400/Aidan+sleep.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443888582071945554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkoYVbuNklkeY7G-hahHxTjsPoPV2vX0OciZcohZJ36Ilo4FRgdWaBOso8pD6U15oPPktjzpyquDsVXgHgYThHJHqVcASP2zHtq76H72qmrsWKYSvyPdC-qf0w8CJ_8APwh72Oacn3l9Q/s1600-h/Aidan+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkoYVbuNklkeY7G-hahHxTjsPoPV2vX0OciZcohZJ36Ilo4FRgdWaBOso8pD6U15oPPktjzpyquDsVXgHgYThHJHqVcASP2zHtq76H72qmrsWKYSvyPdC-qf0w8CJ_8APwh72Oacn3l9Q/s400/Aidan+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443888576051471858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4c1KPvyZyP5uNF0f1TT-_9837cJV253Gut1lLG87nuO_0SHTNe8zaVGYIRTgFjSqHEKMwdapmlQpBudr6_BIEBGx_waJG_GfAU8neg8BYZ0uFeSEOTY3kpJ8pmBg5tGtWoLaLGdnuCjQ/s1600-h/Aidan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4c1KPvyZyP5uNF0f1TT-_9837cJV253Gut1lLG87nuO_0SHTNe8zaVGYIRTgFjSqHEKMwdapmlQpBudr6_BIEBGx_waJG_GfAU8neg8BYZ0uFeSEOTY3kpJ8pmBg5tGtWoLaLGdnuCjQ/s400/Aidan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443888567269699058" border="0" /></a>Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-60420366933495642572010-01-28T11:46:00.000-08:002010-01-28T13:57:40.681-08:00The ARRIVAL!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiau01mNYHuUPDVqNOn9VkdhID6sL41f6cmyYexqXmlcmt4w2-SLhGugRj1NyZCTSPLgTvzHJwp2OxNFMjHZXLj2Ww4DxvaNWU5gOC0IQp5clZf_E4OaZ-nFee2FyzxEdZwLEAbVTMGNq8/s1600-h/before+and+after.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiau01mNYHuUPDVqNOn9VkdhID6sL41f6cmyYexqXmlcmt4w2-SLhGugRj1NyZCTSPLgTvzHJwp2OxNFMjHZXLj2Ww4DxvaNWU5gOC0IQp5clZf_E4OaZ-nFee2FyzxEdZwLEAbVTMGNq8/s400/before+and+after.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431912399843244466" border="0" /></a>(pictures of me taken before my appt. and the twins day 4)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7OkY9V8LL4z5EMmEDiKlnUd724SYi2yZ_Tk3Kp_fPPKe1zvnCVeteLQRuQAoGh2dqNJK93hGxf2u_5HBQFPgV_HtAqrMuE8W1gAYniLg-dMu-0mMIxFsFNo9r0reJaUOtt2SAix6Rbc/s1600-h/monitor-twins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7OkY9V8LL4z5EMmEDiKlnUd724SYi2yZ_Tk3Kp_fPPKe1zvnCVeteLQRuQAoGh2dqNJK93hGxf2u_5HBQFPgV_HtAqrMuE8W1gAYniLg-dMu-0mMIxFsFNo9r0reJaUOtt2SAix6Rbc/s400/monitor-twins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431911936689653506" border="0" /></a>Brooklyn & Aidan being monitored in the Nursery hours old.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMLeXHPbYOsT5Xj1yULeq-zL5z3j4CGC1CHkue0CGns1Mw0XI25-gdmxmy7Z-qBiwRfeUOMh5PR5vIiMBnm2jcjEThq68gzGVgqnUTNNzpB_MKSpd4dugUm1uE6K4F-tSmzsaCMJ8cmA/s1600-h/family-photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMLeXHPbYOsT5Xj1yULeq-zL5z3j4CGC1CHkue0CGns1Mw0XI25-gdmxmy7Z-qBiwRfeUOMh5PR5vIiMBnm2jcjEThq68gzGVgqnUTNNzpB_MKSpd4dugUm1uE6K4F-tSmzsaCMJ8cmA/s400/family-photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431911748964097410" border="0" /></a>Our first Complete Family Photo<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvGNIMW5YrUIjgd601Bt5iSlJT3aFq74hvijnQHb1IYsyvpeLu1nNk37XQkxcYDuAosij7D9_TnSuzua4-_uyjpjJe4qXdUQp8NMkHssk4sJSKqHZl4UkmjiTcakn51zcSVqgD4vodes/s1600-h/incubator-twins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvGNIMW5YrUIjgd601Bt5iSlJT3aFq74hvijnQHb1IYsyvpeLu1nNk37XQkxcYDuAosij7D9_TnSuzua4-_uyjpjJe4qXdUQp8NMkHssk4sJSKqHZl4UkmjiTcakn51zcSVqgD4vodes/s400/incubator-twins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431911128401609234" border="0" /></a>Aidan and Brooklyn in their shared incubator<br /><br /></div><br />Life as a ginormously pregnant mommy was going pretty much as well as can be expected, the second week of January my mom flew in to help around the house and wrangling Kaleb. It was such a relief to be able to relax, sleep in and go back to sleep when I felt like I was ready to drop. (Even though the extent of my activity consisted of the occasional trip to the kitchen, frequent stops to the bathroom and a return trip to my beloved beast of a recliner after each small jaunt.)<br /><br />A few nights into my mom's stay I walked the house at night attempting to find a comfortable position to sleep, and then when that proved impossible I simply searched for a position that would make the contractions stop--I knew the risks of premature labor and wanted to avoid facing those issues as long as humanly possible.<br /><br />Almost as quickly as the contractions really set in, though Braxton Hicks contractions had been an almost constant companion for weeks at this point, they slowed to being bearable once again. After that I resumed my schedule of modified bed rest, limiting my activity wherever possible, however the reality had sunk in that these babies were on their way and soon. I did all that I could to continue the preparations for the twins arrival, and nagged away trying to get the things that were too physically involved for me to accomplish done.<br /><br />My girlfriends set up a baby shower for me for Sat. Jan. 23rd and it gave me something really fun to look forward to, and I anxiously awaited my next prenatal appointment hoping to have a more defined timeline for the remainder of the pregnancy.<br /><br />Thursday morning, January 21, I woke up early enough to shower and make an attempt to look passable as a human being for my prenatal appointment. Since I was rather out of practice I made sure that my mom snapped a few photos of me, in all my bulbous glory, before I walked out the door.<br /><br />John went into work ridiculously early so that he could be back to pick me up so that he could come to the appointment with me because he wanted to make sure that we got all of the answers that we were wanting and that our plans were expressed so that we would all be on the same page for delivery.<br /><br />The ultrasound went well, the babies growth was continuing on par with the previous measurements they were still overachievers. Once again the sonographer was empathetic and flabbergast that I was still mostly mobile despite the fact that Brooklyn's head was well below comfortable levels and Aidan's had now joined her and was crowding what little space was physically available in the birth canal. In this case, two heads were not better than one! As with the last appointment the weight measurements were known to be guesstimates because neither of their heads were fully visible because of their engagement.<br /><br />After the ultrasound we returned to the waiting room before seeing the doctor, John and I talked about our predictions for when the would come into the world. We knew the ultimate goal would be to make 36 weeks, even though full term would give the best chances for the babies it would also begin to put me at risk because my strength and determination were fading a bit as it had been difficult to sleep, eat and even breathe at this point six more weeks would be almost torturous!<br /><br />Larissa, the medical student who had assisted with an in-room ultrasound and had later seen me and been a savior by getting me flexaril and a support belt, was my care provider at this visit. In a way it made things easier because we had bonded earlier in my pregnancy and she had checked in on me frequently throughout the remainder of my visits. Again, we were told that all was well with the ultrasound and that everything was going fabulously. I approached the topic of c-section because I truly didn't want to labor with this pregnancy. That decision came in part due to the reading that I had been doing, but I also just had a nagging feeling that once Brooklyn was delivered that something would cause complications with Aidan. (This in part because of Aidan's tendency to spread out whenever possible and the sudden vacancy would likely cause him to celebrate and sprawl, but something just felt like it would be safer to have a c-section despite the additional recovery time this would cause for me.)<br /><br />She was very understanding and told us that we would absolutely have that option to elect for a c-section but after discussing with a midwife and doctor she returned to let us know that we could schedule the c-section for 39 weeks. That seemed like a decade away, however it was at least out on the table and would be in the paperwork so that there should be no question should I go into labor prior to the date we would choose. We were about to leave when I asked about the contractions I'd been having, I wanted to know if they were having any effect on my cervix or if they had all been Braxton Hicks. Upon looking at my charts and recent ultrasounds Larissa realized that my cervix hadn't been checked in a good while because of how low Brooklyn's head was, it virtually wasn't feasible. So she performed a manual check and looked absolutely shocked. Apparently the contractions had been working! I was dilated to a 4, and 90% effaced!<br /><br />They sent us over to the hospital for further evaluation, but we now knew that we were in the batter's box and that there was a possibility that we would be having these babies sooner than we anticipated! I gave my mom a call, she was at home waiting for Kaleb's school bus, to let her know that we were heading over to the hospital and that I'd let her know as soon as I found out if we were being admitted or if they were going to try to stop the labor.<br /><br />We were quickly taken to a labor and delivery room and I was hooked up to the monitors to document my contractions which were once again starting to cause minor pain and discomfort due to the new stress of possibly having these babies in the near future. We were admitted to the hospital at 11am, which I found ironic because with Kaleb we were admitted at 11pm so eleven is apparently my witching hour. After another quick manual check it was determined that I had advanced to a 5 and was fully dilated. The charge nurse let me know that we were indeed going to proceed with the c-section that day! I tried to psyche myself up for the inevitable, again this was on my terms just not my schedule.<br /><br />A few minutes later Dr. Moore came in and introduced himself, he would be preforming the Cesarean and wanted to explain the procedure quickly and see if I had any questions. John asked if he knew what time we should expect the operation and we were both in shock when told a half an hour to an hour from that moment! John does not do well with blood, pain, etc. and being a witness to such was not in his plans whatsoever, so we had decided long before that my mom would accompany me if a c-section was going to occur. John was going to quickly run by and pick up my mom and Kaleb from our house so that they could be back in time for the surgery.<br /><br />My phone rang, it was my mom, Kaleb's school bus hadn't dropped him off. She found a phonebook and called Barbara Ann's (the daycare that Kaleb had attended up until the 15th) and found out that the bus had dropped him off there. Luckily, they figured out that something must be going on with me and took him in any way until they could find out what had happened. They made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and gave him some milk since we had not packed a lunch. When my mom explained what was going on Ms. Essie told us that they would keep him there for the rest of the day if we wanted. I let my mom know that John was on his way and that they could figure out how to proceed with that situation then but that she needed to get over to the hospital quickly because it was ON!<br /><br />In the meantime they continued to monitor me, and began to prep me for the surgery. I was given a few shots, one of which made me extremely shaky and shiver uncontrollably, thank goodness the nurse prepared me for that reaction or else I would have literally thought I was going into shock. My mom stepped in and was given the O.R. attire and was there for the remainder of the preparations. I met Bob the anesthesiologist and Clint from the O.R. who I just remember being the gurney guy. I was transferred from my bed to a gurney and wheeled down the hall. Once in the operating room my nerves were really starting to get to me, well that in combination with the shaky drug weren't a fun combination.<br /><br />I was once again transferred and now upon the operating table reality was staring me in the face. I sat on the edge of the bed and curled up to open up my vertebrae for the spinal block. There was a minor discomfort but an instant warming sensation that started at my toes and moved up through my body. Even though I was still physically shivering I was suddenly much happier. I lay down and again felt uneasy when they strapped my arms down out to the side so that I wouldn't interfere with any of the sterile areas. They put up the curtain to block my view and someone was sent out to get my mom.<br /><br />At this point I was aware of a lot of what was going on, I still wasn't sure where John was or if Kaleb was with him or still at daycare. I knew that we would be beginning shortly but I truly didn't have any idea how long this procedure would last, or even that it had begun! My mom came in with the camera and did her best to distract me by taking photos. She had my camera and I'm completely overprotective of that thing, so it wasn't hard to keep my attention elsewhere.<br /><br />At 1:53pm I heard a cry before I even was aware that the initial incision had been made! This spinal block stuff was good! Brooklyn, despite being baby B for the first 6 months of the pregnancy had been the first in the canal so her title had been switched to baby A because she would be delivered first, was a screamer! Her little voice was impressive and gave me so much relief, one down one to go. And then two minutes later, at 1:55pm, Aidan was officially delivered, he was not as vocal and the intensity in the room increased. There was just a change in the feeling of the room and I wasn't sure what exactly was happening but Bob was talking to me more frequently and my mom was snapping pictures like crazy. I then heard another voice, a much smaller wail but a cry nonetheless.<br /><br />There was a minor degree of chaos in the room and within a few short minutes Brooklyn was brought over for me to see, she was beautiful. I gave her a kiss on the cheek before she was taken away by the nurse. A moment or two later Aidan was brought over to me, his face covered by an oxygen mask I kissed his forehead and panicked a little not knowing exactly what the situation was on him. Suddenly all of the warnings and concerns of premature labor sank in and I felt my heart race. Someone told me that they were both doing well and that I had two healthy babies. I was somewhat in shock at this point, everything had proceeded so quickly, as they took Aidan away they also ushered my mom out of the room.<br /><br />It wasn't explained to me then, but Aidan had been born with the cord wrapped around his neck twice. Even that morning during the ultrasound all had looked well, but again their heads were so low it was difficult to get a strong image of their heads. Aidan was born blue and the sense of urgency in the room that I had felt in the room was in direct response to this fact. He was never in a great deal of danger, because they were able to act immediately, but had I attempted to deliver vaginally things could have been significantly different. I am so grateful that I listened to my gut!<br /><br />After the surgery everything was a blur, it seemed to take so much longer for the doctors to close me up now that the babies had arrived and were already out of sight, the recovery room seemed to take a great deal of time, though I believe it was just over an hour. When I was finally wheeled to my room I was ready to see my babies. John, Kaleb, my mom and a beautiful bouquet from our friends were there waiting; but the babies were still in the nursery. Things were going well with both babies and despite the fact that we didn't know for certain it looked as though they wouldn't have to be sent to Lubbock for the NICU. That was the best news! John told me that they had been on oxygen and that they were doing really well, they were just really small.<br /><br />At 5lbs 1oz. Brooklyn was 18.5" and Aidan was 4lbs 15oz and 17.5" they were breathing on their own, they were both crying their 5 minute Apgar's had improved so they each ended at 9's. It seemed like forever before I was finally able to see them and hold them for myself. I drifted in and out of sleep biding my time, and sending my mom out to get pictures so that I could at least see the babies. The nurses came in each hour to kneed the heck out of my stomach to help my uterus return to a human size. Luckily there was some good TV on to help keep my sanity Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice were both over by the babies were finally wheeled in to see me. (Maybe I needed a little more 'medical know-how' before they would let me handle the precious cargo.)<br /><br />We spent a few solid hours bonding with the babies before it was decided that they should go back to the nursery because I needed some serious rest. My mom spent the nights on the little fold out couch with me at the hospital and John took Kaleb home so that he could get some rest and have Kaleb ready for school. I can't imagine how new twin moms who don't have outside help can cope those first few days in the hospital!<br /><br />The time in the hospital dragged on at times and flew by at others. We had wonderful nurses who shared our excitement with each milestone in the babies progress. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The days and nights blur but we spent four nights and were finally released on the fifth day, able to take our sweet babies home with us. This was truly a blessing because being born at 34 weeks gestation could have meant days or even weeks in the NICU unit had any problems occurred. We were by no means in the 'safety zone' as we have to carefully monitor the babies intake since naturally they dropped weight after birth, this becomes all the more serious given their initial sizes.<br /><br />Each day we get to know their little personalities more, as they are able to wake up for longer periods of time. Initially they slept through almost everything simply because they burned through so many calories just to maintain their body temperatures! They are becoming more active each day and especially each night. For some reason I always have nocturnal babies! Aidan and Brooklyn are happy, healthy and more than I could have ever dreamed. Kaleb is so proud to be a big brother, he attempts to help wherever possible. Grandma has helped him adapt to the changing home situation and ensure that he has the attention that he craves even when mommy is busy feeding the babies.<br /><br />We are so blessed to have been able to come through this experience and now have these two wonderful little people to share our lives with, as much pressure as that may be! Each day as I dress these scrawny little scrappers and laugh that the preemie clothes are so baggie, I am amazed at all that we have gone through and look forward to all of our future adventures!Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-60896357577377046482010-01-04T16:48:00.001-08:002010-01-04T17:23:10.598-08:00Well it's established....I suck at updates.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMDlwpxYmWY1Zhs0cOB8vqcPTaTgkAF3xKvK65jm99cPH3nLRZ9hF0QSX0aXevdby9UxZPf6Je9c_5fBsmVkmOofzL8a2DRlboJQNG_maFILGuMfvJP7mEbg3Gi9iNxGpEWQVnGBYiEU/s1600-h/Newby-Christmas-Card-09-online.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMDlwpxYmWY1Zhs0cOB8vqcPTaTgkAF3xKvK65jm99cPH3nLRZ9hF0QSX0aXevdby9UxZPf6Je9c_5fBsmVkmOofzL8a2DRlboJQNG_maFILGuMfvJP7mEbg3Gi9iNxGpEWQVnGBYiEU/s400/Newby-Christmas-Card-09-online.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423060015395463778" border="0" /></a><br />So I've decided that I have a love hate relationship with blogging. I love to write. I hate that I feel obligated to write and then I feel guilty when I don't--so therefore I ignore the whole thing and pretend that it all just goes away. Hence the long intermissions before each regurgitation sessions. It's a healthy approach...ok not so much, but it also explains a lot about me and where my focus is at the moment.<br /><br />I am very ready to be done with this pregnancy. A lot has happened since my last rambling, but pretty much all of it has been positive. I've officially surpassed my delivery weight with Kaleb...and then some. I was right at 30 lbs gained at my last appointment. It's crazy though, so much of this has gone to the babies, it's all stomach (ok and a little booty, I hate the mom-butt/wall-butt factor that apparently accompanies pregnancies.) Some people have tattoos to tell the stories and keep the treasured memories of people and events passed. However, I prefer to collect scars and boy do I have an artful collection of abdominal abnormalities at this point! My tiger stripes are fascinating, but I no longer have the complex that I had after Kaleb--these stretchmarks are so far beyond the petty blemishes I can now miss when they were so few and far between. Good thing I retired the Bikini after having Kaleb and my gallbladder surgery!!<br /><br />My belly button is now an outtie. It looks like an imbedded cheerio, because there is a divot in the center. Also my scars from piercing my belly button are pretty cool, because it's not just the regular ones from when I had it done for real. Rather, the attempts to self-pierce with Alisa when I was 13 and then the follow up attempt that scarred Erin for life apparently scarred me pretty good as well. Who knew?!<br /><br />I waddle like a watermelon smuggler.<br /><br />My stomach physically moves and shifts with the babies movements, it is visible through any non-sweater.<br /><br />And I now sleep in the recliner, because there is no such thing as a comfortable position anymore, and being reclined helps with the whole indigestion factor.<br /><br />So that pretty much sums up all the shallow stuff!!<br /><br />Kaleb is incredibly excited about the babies. John is hesitantly excited, he is a little more connected with reality and the financial implications of going from a family of three with two working parents to a family of FIVE with one working parent. As for me I get rather bipolar about the subject, the reality that delivery is going to happen whether I'm ready or not is nervewracking. Then moments later the babies practice their mixed martial arts skills on my diaphragm or down in my hoo-ha and I just can't wait to have them!<br /><br />At the last ultrasound both babies were in vertex position, which is the first time that they've been cooperative. They were always breech previously, so I had grown accustomed to the idea of a c-section. Now all of the sudden there is the potential for a more 'natural' birth, and frankly I don't know which is the scarier proposition!<br /><br />Today was my first 'work day' that I didn't have to go! My final day was Dec. 31. I have been doing my best to get the nursery ready without moving and rearranging furniture much. Not being able to do things that I've been physically capable of since childhood makes me feel like an invalid. So we've got one crib up and an armoire built. Once the desk and bookcase are out of the room we can get the other crib up and the changing table in place. We have an awesome recliner for the room, but since it's pretty much my home at this point I prefer to leave it in place in the living room as a giant obstruction to everyone until these babies make their arrival. I figure that's got to be one of the perks of being pregnant!<br /><br />There are still a lot of gaps to fill in, but I'm hoping to make it another month before these wee ones make their appearance, but given their positions I wouldn't bet on it at this point! My mom will be coming to help in two weeks, so as long as no early deliveries arise before then I should be good to go. Grandma is going to help out with the whole no sleep, two babies and an attention hungry toddler factor.<br /><br />I feel like I've added enough to purge myself of some non-sharing guilt...and that works for me! I'm sure I'll update again when more news comes, hopefully it will be prior to the twins 18th birthday...but no guarantees!!!Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-14794819433537308712009-10-28T20:07:00.000-07:002009-10-28T20:21:28.010-07:00Updated pics and a video of the excited big brother<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAgFrTCzemlJsGvPHP_Z_PAgMT16_zInQLt-8ZMgF_Pp-aXxtmPcCFgc9PlTNsgh6nnYbAv92-SdC7JEfUIX9ygvHAQbYugrCdXMvrP2myQG1rZ71mGULtrnXihjgn4QZplbkmhtCJHw/s1600-h/Snapshot_20091028_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAgFrTCzemlJsGvPHP_Z_PAgMT16_zInQLt-8ZMgF_Pp-aXxtmPcCFgc9PlTNsgh6nnYbAv92-SdC7JEfUIX9ygvHAQbYugrCdXMvrP2myQG1rZ71mGULtrnXihjgn4QZplbkmhtCJHw/s400/Snapshot_20091028_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397853864319609714" border="0" /></a>Lovely webcam photo of a photo--Quality, right?! This is the GIRL: Brooklyn<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAK7fu4pwcnPnuCRXcFc4FGiwH-IxWz0ezwRV0dzAQcEP0V5OJLWltwt_hBeGXiN7h3MTzhKBIIblU3sajf93te_C1PutFoI963TYTMg1ccENkx-URBYiEMs6cHuastc9yHCcenDx3xHM/s1600-h/Snapshot_20091028_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAK7fu4pwcnPnuCRXcFc4FGiwH-IxWz0ezwRV0dzAQcEP0V5OJLWltwt_hBeGXiN7h3MTzhKBIIblU3sajf93te_C1PutFoI963TYTMg1ccENkx-URBYiEMs6cHuastc9yHCcenDx3xHM/s400/Snapshot_20091028_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397853731631247506" border="0" /></a>Again, look at the quality here...just kidding. Here is our BOY: Aidan.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_BuXrbmzT3bBiVSf8jOMDIrWJ1niol6Gh6PF-cb5FtlMYnOXtpxR3T05RbF8bjVq7vj1gNQ4sssSaqN2m6mkSv1D8Dr5Td-9gy4B3YpKbPUakrXnclfmm0cIcfI3tlKHmEwIaUmaydM/s1600-h/Snapshot_20091028_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_BuXrbmzT3bBiVSf8jOMDIrWJ1niol6Gh6PF-cb5FtlMYnOXtpxR3T05RbF8bjVq7vj1gNQ4sssSaqN2m6mkSv1D8Dr5Td-9gy4B3YpKbPUakrXnclfmm0cIcfI3tlKHmEwIaUmaydM/s400/Snapshot_20091028_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397853625975787794" border="0" /></a>On to the Silly Putty 3-d pictures, This is Brooklyn's profile with her little hand in the way--she's consistently been camera shy. Must get that from her daddy!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2UZvr-sjT5E0ioLcSebKGBW1w1AOI7_PrXhfL12MAKFjy3W34rZmQSGm4Tt1xp5ZWFUK-qkEedTdG8SjaeS6V3cxcegf5VUdfVMOnU3Wiv1GBykxwGDB3WFw5oMb58kvj7SWwybkuIQ/s1600-h/Snapshot_20091028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2UZvr-sjT5E0ioLcSebKGBW1w1AOI7_PrXhfL12MAKFjy3W34rZmQSGm4Tt1xp5ZWFUK-qkEedTdG8SjaeS6V3cxcegf5VUdfVMOnU3Wiv1GBykxwGDB3WFw5oMb58kvj7SWwybkuIQ/s400/Snapshot_20091028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397853521297617714" border="0" /></a><br />And finally this is Aidan, look at that bone structure! ;) He does have a sharp little nose, but it's hard to see here. They just didn't want to hold still long enough to get a good capture!<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxhp-JD8mi1dWSLcPs9K2CPK8cnd-oN4mM1xvvMm0q1vbjEO3-FaFRUCVtxBQZOVj_OBKPgIDeUzkQe3I3tEg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-24400501543336159412009-10-28T19:37:00.000-07:002009-10-28T20:07:19.906-07:00We've established that I'm not so consistent...BUT...It's funny because some of the biggest news has come and gone and yet where was the blog post?? Well, apparently I'm a slacker! Or better yet, I'm an expecting mama who is just too tired to form a coherent sentence most of the time when I have a 'free' moment. But, alas it has come time for the great reveal!!<br /><br />On Oct. 15th we were able to go in for a comprehensive ultrasound, which was a really neat experience. You wouldn't think that much has changed in the four years since we were finding out that Kaleb was a boy and proud to be so! All of the things that they were able to check for on the twins was truly impressive. But the most important factor that we had been waiting on was GENDER. Checking out the first baby--which has been referred to as baby B from the get go, the sonographer very confidently declared "it's a girl" At that point I let out a yelp of sorts. I was so incredibly excited to get a girl, that I genuinely didn't care what the other ended up being because I knew that I could officially, without second thought be done with the whole impregnation bit! John took it pretty well but did let out a huge sigh of relief when baby A was deemed a boy.<br /><br />One of each, just what I put my order in for ;) the factory get's it right sometimes I suppose! As thrilled as I was with the results it was also very comforting to see how in depth each of the babies were examined. We were able to see all four chambers of each of their hearts and how their blood flows, all of the major organs and the umbilical cords were checked out quite closely. It was very cool what they can tell you at just 20 weeks! The science behind these ultrasounds has definitely seen vast improvements in a short amount of time.<br /><br />Kaleb had been sick the days leading up to this event, and on the morning of the ultrasound convinced his teachers that he was 'sick'...he has a little of his mama's theatre in his blood! So, even though they frown upon young children being present for the ultrasounds it was a really neat experience to be able to share with him. He was so fascinated by hearing their heartbeats. I think it made the whole concept of babies in mommy's tummy a little more real to him.<br /><br />We already had a name picked if we had a girl, we weren't quite settled on a boy name though. It's been exciting because I've really felt this whole time that there was one of each, maybe it was because Kaleb told us so as soon as we found out that we were having twins. He seems to know things that we don't! In the tradition of Baby 'A' and Baby 'B' we are going with Aidan Bradley and Brooklyn June.<br /><br />At my appointment it was great to hear the nurse/midwife say that things couldn't look better from the ultrasounds and my labs. I honestly feel really good. Of course I wish I had more energy, and wish that gravity would allow for the things I drop to come back up to me without any squatting or bending over--but that's pretty minor in comparison to the misery of morning sickness. On the whole I feel like I'm doing really well, I'm still working full time and the only real complaint I've had is due to the round ligament pain and the fact that Brooklyn has settled in really really low. I wasn't sleeping well at all because of the aches in my hips and pelvis (felt like I was trying to move while wearing steel underwear) they gave me a muscle relaxant which truly has helped me get rest at night, which makes all the difference in the world!<br /><br />Kaleb is thrilled about having a brother and a sister. He has learned their names and usually remembers which baby is on which side of my belly--but he does still refer to them by the names he gave them: "Monster" and "Mickey Mouse". He loves to look into my belly button to check on them, and talk to them. Kaleb is still quite protective of me as well, when I groan or whince at a sharp movement he is the first to scold "Hey baby, stop kicking my mommy." Tonight that was followed up with, "I big, I beat you up, Monster." So the sibling rivalry and minor battles begin!!Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-30474612804735386232009-10-08T19:13:00.000-07:002009-10-08T19:37:15.600-07:00Sick of being SICK!This past week and a half has been a serious challenge for me, initially Kaleb got sick at preschool. He had a cough and would make himself cough until he threw up, beautiful visual I know! Anyway, he was in relatively good condition otherwise just a little grumpy. I had a prenatal visit on friday which was disappointing because the Dr. hadn't scheduled a full ultrasound which is what they do monthly on these twin visits. Anyway, so I had a regular visit with one of the midwives on staff and a med student. They were very excited to pull a portable ultrasound machine into the room and do a little prodding to check on the babies. Not being ultrasonographers they did their best but we couldn't get much more than two wiggley babies with normal size heads and regular heartbeats. Just knowing that is very helpful, but I admit I was bummed because we were hoping to find out genders on that visit. So the mystery continues!<br /><br />By Monday he was acting fine and really wanted to go to school. But then at work I get the call to come pick him up. This time around he was running a fever, which always gets me worried. I had picked up some of the beautiful coughing fits from him at this point, when Kaleb didn't want to wake up after an almost three hour nap I knew I needed to get him seen right then (despite the fact that there were no appointments available on base.) So we finally got the referral to ok a visit to the urgent care. We checked in at 4:35pm and didn't get seen until 8:45pm--which was technically 45 minutes after the entire building closed for the day. We were home with prescriptions at 9. It was a looooooooooooong day, and I definitely got exposed to more than I ever wanted.<br /><br />Tuesday I worked half a day at the office and half a day from home. Come Wednesday I was getting ready for work despite the lack of sleep and serious congestion when I started on the vomit comet. Definitely not how I planned to spend my day! I was a serious trooper and worked my butt off from home, despite the fact that I was miserable and had little to no voice left.<br /><br />So this morning I wake up with an eye gooped shut. At this point there was no choice, I needed to go to the Dr. the congestion issues I'd been having obviously traveled to my eye--and let's face it, this was NOT pretty.<br /><br />I'd been trying so hard to avoid medications wherever possible, but I knew that I was only making myself worse by not getting antibiotics, so even though the clinics here are all overflowing and getting an appointment is next to impossible I managed to get squeezed in--yes I absolutely played the high risk pregnancy card, I have no shame.<br /><br />Diagnosed with a serious sinus infection, and a headcold which has gone into my eye I finally got the medication I need to help me get better so I can be a better 'oven' for these tots I'm cooking up! I was able to hear the heartbeats with the doppler today, every little connection like that is really powerful. That was definitely the highlight to one yucky sick day.<br /><br />I bargained with the Dr. to get a note to go back to work on Monday (he wanted me to be off until Wed. I told him not a chance!) So that was my minor victory as well, even though I know that I am going to have to take things much easier or I'll over-do it since I'm so exhausted.<br /><br />So here's to hoping that next week will go much more smoothly...and cross your fingers that the babies play nicely on thursday so that we can find out their sexes!Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-74690075089152457032009-09-20T09:16:00.001-07:002009-09-20T09:32:24.333-07:00A late update!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJq9lljDOJhaabACCgioHbFOKvPbC5VlpwlZtGX8i301YXTE94fSVbjOPAr8huLsz72fdfGnXwitrF_JGnms_7gVkwXdnZPeAGpxc7PFPkW8HuDkuquCR-unazxNN2dwI1LIgc28NXLMI/s1600-h/Snapshot_20090904_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJq9lljDOJhaabACCgioHbFOKvPbC5VlpwlZtGX8i301YXTE94fSVbjOPAr8huLsz72fdfGnXwitrF_JGnms_7gVkwXdnZPeAGpxc7PFPkW8HuDkuquCR-unazxNN2dwI1LIgc28NXLMI/s400/Snapshot_20090904_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383585401017909618" border="0" /></a>Both babies--even though 3-d ultrasounds freak me out a little because the babies look like play-doh and/or silly putty...it is kind of sweet to see them both almost cooperating with each other.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFwTNAGY9fc7FaAAUJEnxAGSDUMucS-IAZ1rcbk-U0vIManuGaxNWfFIQ3Y2jcS8JLbBK_IEyZnvh8lzbMfj0F0X1y6gYl5Xyjkl2_5LCq1JLIsrSLmMAci_SxPmmeLhSu36nUa16JqM/s1600-h/Snapshot_20090904.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFwTNAGY9fc7FaAAUJEnxAGSDUMucS-IAZ1rcbk-U0vIManuGaxNWfFIQ3Y2jcS8JLbBK_IEyZnvh8lzbMfj0F0X1y6gYl5Xyjkl2_5LCq1JLIsrSLmMAci_SxPmmeLhSu36nUa16JqM/s400/Snapshot_20090904.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383584643699948578" border="0" /></a>Baby A cooperated nicely for the first 3-D ultrasound picture, this was at 14 wks. 1 day.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3XphTPPgjwj-Rxknf_75iM833W5uXVt4BsaziUpOogcASgXfHHluBOZ1P1Bk6x-P-Y1fhvysy3BRFD4vneJzlD_VTK2172pHeqkRim9tR8Xd-U2s-lbKyGdutgHfVGkzXmGS9XX6PQw/s1600-h/Snapshot_20090904_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3XphTPPgjwj-Rxknf_75iM833W5uXVt4BsaziUpOogcASgXfHHluBOZ1P1Bk6x-P-Y1fhvysy3BRFD4vneJzlD_VTK2172pHeqkRim9tR8Xd-U2s-lbKyGdutgHfVGkzXmGS9XX6PQw/s400/Snapshot_20090904_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383584953695389010" border="0" /></a> Baby B was not nearly as cooperative wiggling and tucking as far back as possible--this is my kidney baby, loves my back!<br /><br />I forgot my sign in to this account, hence the reason this update is so delayed. But all is going well with the babies. They are certainly growing and wiggling around a lot more frequently! Today I am 16 wks 2 days--which means 100 days have passed since conception! That's kind of a cool milestone :)<br /><br />I definitely feel baby A moving around more than baby B because A is higher up, and as I mentioned before baby B really loves tucking itself as far back and as low as possible.<br /><br />My next appointment is Oct 2nd and we're really hoping that we'll be able to find out the sexes at that point. We did confirm for certain that they are fraternal twins at the last appointment.<br /><br />Kaleb is anxiously awaiting their arrival and talks to the babies in my tummy almost every day, he is going to be a very protective big brother. In fact he would not let go of the ultrasound pictures he took them to both his daycare and his school so that he could show all of his teachers and his friends! It was very sweet--even though he cried when the kids tried to touch them because they are HIS babies and he didn't want the kids to steal them. Each day this all feels a little more real--I think the fact that I'm having twins is actually finally starting to sink in. Especially because I'm getting big extremely quickly. I now am at the point where I have an appetite and though I get tired extremely easily I definitely am feeling much better than I have in quite some time! I guess not puking all the time adds to that sense of comfort and well-being. So despite the fact that I feel like a little old lady when I head to bed at about 8pm every night, things are going really well!Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-18355360347773395112009-08-23T10:59:00.000-07:002009-08-23T11:14:53.845-07:00Life is so preciousThis week was a great challenge to me, everything is fine with the babies and myself, but it became completely clear to me how quickly life can change. A dear friend and coworker of mine was also pregnant, she found out a week before me and we have commiserated every step of the way. Last week she had received news that one of her blood tests came back with a high result indicating potential downs syndrome and would require further testing. It was obviously a concern for her, but it was also abundantly clear to anyone who had ever met her that she would love this baby no matter what. An ultrasound was scheduled for Monday, and unfortunately no heartbeat could be found. The baby had not made it. Because she was so far along, twenty weeks, they made her deliver the baby. I cannot imagine the pain she went through knowing that her labor was all for naught. After eight hours she delivered a beautiful baby boy, they were able to hold his lifeless body. He was named Noah Lee, and they were given an inked footprint as a keepsake.<br /><br />The pain that she is experiencing is beyond my capacity, I have been blessed to have never experienced the loss of a pregnancy. And to be so far along where this baby was a constant companion actively moving in her womb. My heart breaks for her. Upon hearing the news I was devastated. Though not logical in any way, I feel so much 'survivor's guilt' for there not being complications with my pregnancy. I know that I am still in a position where anything could happen, but that is the case with virtually every pregnancy on earth.<br /><br />The memorial service was so hard to attend, I knew that I would receive unwanted attention simply because of my condition. But it was so hard to see this poor family and all of their loved ones suffering from this loss. I couldn't keep it under control and was so grateful for the tissues that I had snagged on my way out the door. It was so nice to see such support, and I know that the ceremony and burial would give them some level of closure.<br /><br />With all my heart I wish that things could have changed for her, for Noah. But in the meantime I'm doing everything in my power to take the best care of me so that I can do whatever possible to protect these precious gifts that I have been entrusted with.Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-90744075982397908432009-08-09T07:54:00.000-07:002009-08-09T08:00:26.859-07:00Sonograms 10 wks 4 days<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKIOvFVPPQWevv8RBSk9FMaR6WQSK46096foV0MQfkMMUqF9Fr9f6McvksdsQ7srYbIndO3QVEVOM7UvOjlktI03LVvpkUlQqP0HrAMrHJ3lxbvlenCDLFg-yAtsPrUBEYsqYfsban9I/s1600-h/Snapshot_20090809.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKIOvFVPPQWevv8RBSk9FMaR6WQSK46096foV0MQfkMMUqF9Fr9f6McvksdsQ7srYbIndO3QVEVOM7UvOjlktI03LVvpkUlQqP0HrAMrHJ3lxbvlenCDLFg-yAtsPrUBEYsqYfsban9I/s400/Snapshot_20090809.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367977829838625762" border="0" /></a><br />Baby A on top, you can only see the head. Baby B is laying profile hogging the shot!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAL1fWRxKowd9a5C4q9zjVL5Efj_ALeal5yDN-uBqco2PMEqZWwHN9yi85GsCqRSciH4295rx83X7lcb4SbTOQ0tTcmKKHQyTPq3p8AmqlSVlpBGaA7XspGHkkAXgtxXEEA0hIUUTTLQQ/s1600-h/Snapshot_20090809_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAL1fWRxKowd9a5C4q9zjVL5Efj_ALeal5yDN-uBqco2PMEqZWwHN9yi85GsCqRSciH4295rx83X7lcb4SbTOQ0tTcmKKHQyTPq3p8AmqlSVlpBGaA7XspGHkkAXgtxXEEA0hIUUTTLQQ/s400/Snapshot_20090809_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367978300253162290" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Baby A only, to show that there's a whole baby there not just a noggin, like in the other shots!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1nI7Xs_55-n3h4kWVgWB_v0OEErEr9Yi_BMWsG4AKpw6-9n6RlIFJLCCr0iILSzW7OGK6TOOyPlmy2KfzdxTcXhoxGHbaA9b-hVHoy-kV-J_9mNMxLwKMmzlC3fASSnmo1qpVSYJe60/s1600-h/Snapshot_20090809_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1nI7Xs_55-n3h4kWVgWB_v0OEErEr9Yi_BMWsG4AKpw6-9n6RlIFJLCCr0iILSzW7OGK6TOOyPlmy2KfzdxTcXhoxGHbaA9b-hVHoy-kV-J_9mNMxLwKMmzlC3fASSnmo1qpVSYJe60/s400/Snapshot_20090809_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367978589585995122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I love this shot because even though you can only partially see baby A, if you look on baby be you can see the little arm that was just waving around like crazy! ...And I adore that the two sacs almost make a heart. I'm a girl, what can I say!!!Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-35674080051859639002009-08-08T18:39:00.000-07:002009-08-08T19:47:25.320-07:00Seriously?! Seriously?!!!After almost a month of officially knowing that I was pregnant I was incredibly excited to find out exactly how far along I really was. Again the joys of having a stressful job wreaking havoc on any sort of cycle I had going made the actual conception date quite the mystery. I had my first ultrasound and official appointment scheduled over at Women's Medical Center. (This after two at-home pregnancy tests, and two blood tests administered by the military since the first result apparently disappeared into cyber oblivion.) There was no doubt in my mind that I was pregnant, but how pregnant was important to find out!<br /><br />John was really supportive of me throughout the entire pregnancy with Kaleb and was at my side at all of my appointments. This time around his schedule isn't necessarily going to permit that, but I was pleased that he wanted to go along for the ultrasound. That morning I woke up and drank the required amount of water to prepare. John took Kaleb to daycare and met me over at the clinic, after a quick stop for a refill for my water bottle. Too much water, too early wasn't a great combination for me so I practically had to start over with drinking!<br /><br />Finally after a short while in the waiting room we got called back for the ultrasound. I positioned myself on the mini-bed and John got comfortable on the chair. I was rocking maternity jeans because none of my regular jeans were going to cooperate with my new expanding belly. I pulled down the fabulous navy stretch fabric that all pregnant women come to know and love and prepared for the goo!<br /><br />The set up was quite nice, with a tv monitor mounted on the wall for John and I to view instead of having to peek over and see what the tech was seeing. The first picture that popped up on the screen was fairly clear to me, it looked like an amniotic sac but I didn't see a baby. The tech scrolled down a little farther to what I thought was a different angle of the same thing, this time I saw a blur of potential baby.<br /><br />"Ummm...well, there's two."<br /><br />My head exploded in that moment! I hear John say, "Can you check again?"<br />A little more pressure and a few clear strokes there was no more question in my mind that there truly were two babies. But I still absolutely couldn't wrap my head around how on earth they got there!! I have no history of twins in my family, except one occasion when fertility drugs also played a role, and John's family was full of singletons as well.<br /><br />We watched with very little communication, we both were in shock. I kept checking in with John as the scan went on to view more specifics, making sure he wasn't going to pass out on me! Hearing the tech refer to Baby A and Baby B was such a foreign concept from my initial game plan!<br /><br />Everything was beginning to make more sense, about the portion of pregnancy that had already passed. The overwhelming nausea, the aches and cramping that I hadn't experienced until much further along with Kaleb.<br /><br />We established that I was 10 weeks and 4 days along. I was truly hoping that I was farther, but knowing now that my body is doing double the work it was alright.<br /><br />After the initial shock wore off it was very cool to see the different angles and the wiggly little fetuses. Both babies were so active, and watching their heartbeats was really incredible.<br /><br />John went home after that portion of the appointment because he had seen what he needed and wanted to avoid seeing anything he didn't want to see! All of the labs and paps and lovely femine things that follow on the initial appointment.<br /><br />I sat in the waiting room, mentally going over the news that absolutely changes all of our lives. I was mentally calculating the cost of duplicate everything, this pregnancy sure was a lot cheaper an hour before! My cell phone was at home charging so I didn't have the opportunity to call my mom, update my facebook or any of the other technological wonders that I was aching to use--since I was just bursting wanting to share this crazy new information!<br /><br />It was actually a very neat coincidence that one of my girlfriends from the spouses group showed up for an appointment of her own and I was able to squeal and get it out there in the universe.<br /><br />The rest of the day was a blur of spreading the word and trying to accomplish some work in the process. When I got home after work, I caught up with my boys out playing in the backyard. I asked John if he had explained to Kaleb what was going on. He said that he had told him, but he wasn't sure it stuck in his three year old head. I called Kaleb over, got down to his level and said, "Hey honey, remember how mommy has a baby in her tummy?"<br /><br />Before I could even finish my thought Kaleb interrupted, "No mommy, two babies." I looked at John with raised eyebrows, I had been told. My fear that Kaleb would be upset by the news vanished and despite the fact that I know he will have issues when the babies are born and he suddenly has to share the spotlight, he is very happy in the now. So despite all my concerns and nerves I know that I can do this, even if it does terrify me! I am just going to take it one day at a time!<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwNDJn_i2_Rvbk7uOHanePkYvQBePygA56cK5TkaP27-5eTFRYqdVGarxb4rXOloAWIPPumjS1cUdcFtSoVkg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668138474928393612.post-46641424602753325402009-08-08T18:12:00.000-07:002009-08-08T18:39:36.687-07:00Oh mama, welcome back to pregnancyvilleEven when you 'know' it's still a shock to see those two pink lines on the pee stick. I thought I might be pregnant again because of the way my body was misbehaving, and it had been a while since my favorite visitor had stopped in regularly. Looking for confirmation I did a quick run to Walmart before work to pick up two tests--never trust one!<br /><br />As a twenty six year old, happily married, working mother of one I was feeling pretty good about where I stood in life. My husband John and I had discussed having another child before, and though it took some convincing John finally agreed that it might be nice for our son Kaleb to have some company that wasn't four-legged and furry. He agreed to the concept but we had no firm plans in mind, nor a time frame to consider. My day job and freelance photography work were plenty to keep me distracted in addition to the countless hours spent entertaining Kaleb. Needless to say, pregnancy was a potential possibility but it was definitely not a planned adventure in my near future.<br /><br />Fast forward to spring 2009, John had been going through training and instructor school for his military career. He was TDY off and on, mostly on, from Feb. through June. Home and/or Hotel weekend meet ups were about the extent of our family time. Apparently that is also ample time to 'expand' the family as well! Welcome Backs/I missed you's are often tucked into whatever free moments one can muster away from the three year old, precautions aren't always top of mind!<br /><br />I wasn't sure which occasion had created the fetus growing in my belly, but the daily vomiting, lack of energy and general need to pee every twelve seconds removed all doubt that I was indeed expecting.<br /><br />I called John to inform him of the status change, and after a few shocked moments I think it sunk in. Luckily he came home 'for good'--as far as military life allows--not long after. We have been adjusting and making plans for the upcoming months and even years. I dare say, John had even transferred from the 'shock and awe' mindset to actual excitement.<br /><br />Despite the yucky feeling that HCG blesses me with, I am excited for the future!Lonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08051072503448495135noreply@blogger.com0