Ate Peaches

Dearest Gifts~

Up and at 'em!  I had an early wake up call at 3:05am from Grace.  I was sooo tired!  I changed her diaper and then nursed her.  Once she started to doze, I held her against my chest and leaned back in the bed against the headboard and rested my eyes.  I fell briefly to sleep and then startled myself back up at 3:45am!  I put Grace back in bed and went back to sleep by 4am.  But, I was back nursing again at 6am.  :-P  Joshua woke up at 7:38am, so I didn't get to rest after I nursed Grace.  :-P

After I got everyone ready for the day .... breakfast, teeth brushed, new outfits, clean diapers, packed the diaper bag .... I loaded you all up and made it to Joshua's speech therapy appointment a little before our 10:30am time.  Kim was impressed at how well Joshua opened his mouth for her with the vibrating teether (just started doing that for me a few days ago).  Instead of trying a dry spoon for our exercises, she dipped the spoon in peaches.  You ate a lot of peaches for Kim!  Yippie!  However, when we switched and I tried the spoon with peaches, you weren't as cooperative!  Grrr!  We're suppose to keep practicing at least two times a day at home.  Kim gave me an evaluation for the OT to look at.  We ended up making an appointment for a consultation to see Michelle (the Occupational Therapist there) next week.  From what I understand, it's pretty common to have speech therapy and OT working together.  

Did I ever tell you, little man, what your diagnosis is?  You have 'oral dysphagia' which means you have difficulty swallowing.  The act of swallowing occurs in different phases, and the oral phase if when the food is still in the mouth (vs the pharyngeal and esophageal phases).  I have a confession little one .... I have trouble as well .... I can't swallow pills.  I have to crush or chew them.  My trouble is in the pharyngeal phase.  You, on the other hand, won't even let things go near your mouth some times.  :-P

We got back home just in time for lunch.  Kim's office isn't that far from home, but it was so hot out today that you two were already sweating when I pulled into the garage!  Plus, I had the air on in the car to level 3!  There are no air vents in the back seat and you two both ride rear facing (children have to stay rear facing until age 2 now), so it's hard for the air to get back there to you all.  I'm going to look into getting a fan to help cool you all off when driving.

Needless to say, I changed your outfits when we got home and we spent the whole afternoon downstairs since the play room was hot.  I rearranged the downstairs to make the living room a 'small play room' for us to hang out in.  I also vacuumed and Joshua did ok.  He was still apprehensive and stayed in the kitchen when the vacuum was on, but there was no crying!  I also baked some potatoes for lunches this week as I cleaned.

Joshua took an afternoon nap as I nursed Grace.  At dinner, he ate a lot of macaroni and cheese!  Yeah! 

We all played in the bonus room this evening.  It was still warm, but felt ok under fan.  We hadn't been upstairs since 9:30am except to grab one thing up there when we got home!  

Daddy read to us in bed this evening.  Grace was trying to talk and it was so cute!  I was so tired that I was ready for bed though!  

Tomorrow I head to work but Penny will be here for her first full day with you all!  I should have enough milk in the fridge for Grace.  I'm sure you all will have fun.  I miss you both every time I leave. I promise to hurry back as soon as I can!

Sleep tight!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

First Real Bath

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

This morning we were able to relax before heading out for our Memorial Day cookout at Mimi's house.  Daddy and Joshua watched some cartoons in the play room as I took a little nap with Grace.  I was tired from our early morning nursing session and then I pumped right after.  I'm trying to build up a milk supply for wednesday, but we may need to thaw some mommy milk to use since I used some pumped milk for yesterday's bottle.  We have lots in the freezer, so that's not a problem.  In fact, I put about 9 ozs in there last thursday that we could thaw and not even touch the milk in the garage freezer.  :-)  I've been trying to work overtime for you, so we'll see how long that lasts!

We made it to Mimi's house a little after noon.  We got to visit with Mimi, Grandpa Mike, Uncle Brennan, and Aunt Katie.  There was chicken, green beans, corn, rolls, mac and cheese, chips with salsa, shrimp, dessert .... yummm!  Joshua, you didn't eat much at all!  You did like your new toy .... a toy grill with a plastic hamburger and hotdog.  :-P  You kept walking around the house holding the spatula and tongs.  Grace, you got to nap on Aunt Katie as the food cooked.  Then, you got passed around once you woke and we were eating.  I nursed you while dessert was out and then we left afterward.

We came back home and everyone was tired.  Joshua, you ended up taking a 2 hour nap.  Grace, you did some tummy time and then we played.  You're so strong with tummy time!  I got a nice picture of you with your head up and smiling at me!  :-)

After you ate, you fell asleep .... so I ended up closing my eyes too!  All four of us took a nap in the living room!  We stayed downstairs since it was so hot today .... the bonus room upstairs felt like a sauna.  Tomorrow is suppose to be hotter, so I'm sure we'll spend the majority of our day downstairs until the upstairs cools off.

Joshua was uncooperative with his therapies today.  I did a morning session and daddy did an evening session.  We didn't have much success with getting him to open his mouth, even for just a dry spoon.  We see Kim tomorrow so we'll see what she says.

After dinner (we had leftovers), we all went outside and walked around the yard to stretch our legs.  Joshua's face got a little red again, so we didn't stay out there long.  Daddy and I want to get a storm door for the house, so I was looking at some of our neighbors' doors around the cul-de-sac.  But, before that's done, we're going to wash the house and get the gutters cleaned out.  :-)

Grace, you had your first real bath this evening!  I've just been giving you little sponge baths since you had that belly button issue.  I wasn't suppose to get the area wet when we were cauterizing it and cleaning it.  Now that everything appears clear, I put you in the little infant tub and gave you a bath.  You did very well for your first bath!  You fussed and squirmed at first, but then you smiled up at me!  

Speaking of which, you also gave us lots of smiles and coos this evening.  You're still trying to talk and I took another video.  We did more tummy time as daddy and Joshua watched some 'old school' Batman with Adam West.  ;-)  You were pushing up a lot with no fussing!  In fact, you went 17 minutes without a peep!  And, since it was a small peep and you weren't crying, I let you go longer.  You stayed on your belly looking around for 26 minutes!  Whoa!  Good job little lady!  I'm so proud of you!  I'm trying to show you how to roll since I know that will come next.  ;-)

Joshua, you're a smart little man too!  Daddy and I asked you this evening, 'Where's Grace?  Where's daddy?  Where's mommy?' and you got them all right and pointed to all of us!  Yippie!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!  :-)

~Mommy

Yard Work

Dearest Precious Gifts~

Well, Grace slept in more than I had anticipated.  If I had known she was going to sleep until 5am I would have encouraged her to eat a little more before bedtime.  When she woke up hungry, I was in pain from not nursing for so long!  After you ate, I pumped out an additional 2 ozs of mommy milk and then went back to bed!  :-P

By 8am, Grace was awake again and eating.  Then, we went downstairs and daddy gave Joshua some breakfast.  After breakfast, we did chores around the house.

Daddy did some yard trimming in the front of the house.  He did a lot around the porch and the bushes are looking nice.  The three of us stayed inside and we played upstairs.  I finished doing some vacuuming and then I did a therapy session with Joshua.  You did 'ok' .... there were about half positive and half negative responses.  Then, you took a boost.  We went back upstairs since Grace was waking up from a nap then.  I did a second pump and had enough for one bottle for wednesday.  :-) 

Once Grace got hungry, I nursed her and we all had lunch.  Daddy made a pizza, but surprisingly Joshua didn't want much (we've had success with pizza in the past).  He ate some crackers though.  Oh, but he did start to drink water from a hard top sippy cup!  This was the first time that he really took some sips from a sippy cup that didn't have the softer silicone tops!  Good job little man!

Afterward, we all went outside and did some yard work on the back of the house.  Grace sat in her papasan chair on the deck.  Daddy cut some weeds and bushes back.  I did some racking.  Joshua, you wanted around with some toys and helped.  ;-)  I found a little baby turtle in our backyard! 

I was quite hot out, so Joshua's face got red while out there.  We all went in and daddy gave Joshua a bath as I wiped Grace and changed her outfit.  Gigi, Grandpa Jim, and Uncle James were all coming in as you all were getting new outfits.  Daddy then took a shower as I got a bottle together for Grace.  I used the milk that I pumped earlier and Gigi gave Grace a bottle (4.5 ozs .... wow!) so I could then rinse off (we might have to thaw milk for wednesday now).  I pumped after my shower .... third time pumping today .... wow, little lady!  I'm pumping around the clock to build up some milk for you for when I'm gone!

We got to visit for a while.  Gigi rocked Joshua and he took a two hour nap.  Gigi and I sat with him downstairs as everyone else went upstairs to watch some television.  Grace, you were awake off and on with the boys. 

As we were visiting, I made some 'pizza soup' in the crock pot for dinner.  Joshua, you ate a lot for us for dinner!  Woo hoo!  I'm praying your prevacid medication is working as well.

This evening we relaxed in the play room and watched 'The Sting' on television.  Joshua, you wondered all around the room playing and Grace took a tiny nap in her swing. 

Tomorrow is Memorial Day so daddy has off!  Yippie!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!  :-)

~Mommy

3 Months Old

Dearest Precious Gifts~

Today Grace is three months old!  Happy 3 Months little lady!  You're really getting on up there!  ;-)

You started the day off with a bang .... Grace you woke up with a big poop and then cried!  Daddy changed you and then I nursed you.

Daddy and I wanted to get out of the house a little and stretch our legs, so we packed you all up and walked around the mall for a little bit.  Then, we went to Shane's Rib Shack.  We ordered some mac and cheese for Joshua, but he ended up not eating much.  He did eat some french fries though.  :-)  Joshua ended up eating more mac and cheese at dinner though (left overs from last night).

It started to really pour outside while we were eating, so I nursed Grace at Shane's.  I got her calm enough to walk around Target afterward.  We needed a few things that I couldn't get while at Harris Teeter yesterday.  We didn't spend a lot of time there though and we were back at the house by early afternoon.

It rained this afternoon.  So, we did chores around the house in afternoon and evening.  Let's see .... this is what we did:

-Vacuumed and swept the downstairs
-Did you all's laundry and all the blankets
-Changed the crib to a toddler bed .... Joshua climbed in it himself!  We'll see if he likes it.  Since he can climb on and off the couches, we decided to change the bed.
-Vacuumed the play room
-Hung some pictures and organized where other pictures should go around the house
-Baby proofed the attic space door .... Punker (the cat) wandered in there and got trapped while we were proofing the door.  :-P

Joshua did well with his therapy.  But, he's biting down hard on the spoon now and not letting go.  I don't think he's suppose to do that, but at least he's letting the spoon in his mouth!

Grace did a lot of tummy time.  She's getting so very strong!  I'm so proud of you!  And, I think you're proud of yourself too!  You smile a lot like you're saying, 'Look at me!  Did you see what I did?'  ;-)  Also, you were really trying to talk this evening.  It was so precious!  You can also follow me with your eyes and head! 

Tomorrow is suppose to be hot again, but I don't think it's suppose to rain.  Maybe we can get out again.

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Welt

Dearest Miracles~

Grace, you and I had another 3:30am nursing session this morning.  I was still tired from yesterday!  

We were off to the pediatrician's office this morning!  We had a 10am appointment and made it there a little early.  Dr. Medero checked Joshua and asked me questions similar to what Kim asked me about his eating.  She agreed that trying a reflux medication may be beneficial.  The MD prescribed prevacid solutab 15mg.  We'll see if this helps.  He takes it once a day (we started him this evening during dinner).  I asked her to take a look at Joshua's bottom too since he's always scratching it.  She didn't see anything (neither have daddy and I but I wanted to double check). 

Grace's belly button likes good.  I haven't cauterized it since last Sunday and it doesn't appear to need it anymore.  Yippie!  :-)

We went to Harris Teeter after the pediatrician's office to drop off Joshua's prescription.  While they were filling it we picked up some milk and other things for the house.  We were back home by noon.  I fed everyone and then Grace did some tummy time.

Grace, your tummy time is going great!  You can REALLY lift your head up high and look all around.  And, at least for today, you went a long time before getting fussy!  :-)

It stormed this afternoon.  Joshua did well during his therapy time today.  He's biting the spoon now, so I wrote that down for Kim to know.  I hid some fruit and he ended up eating a few bites for me before figuring it out.  :-P

We played in the bonus room this afternoon before getting ready for dinner.  We made some macaroni and cheese in the oven.  Then, I made some chicken with veggies on the stove.  I cooked it earlier in the afternoon while the two of you were calm.  :-P  We also had music time while I was cooking and Grace did more tummy time.  Joshua then did a second therapy session.  Oh,  Joshua ate some mac and cheese for us at dinner!  Woo hoo!

I've been watering Grace's tree and trying to get it green again.  Since it's too hot for it to be outside it now lives in our sink.  :-)  

Joshua, you threw hard toy at Grace after dinner.  She got a welt on her head and screamed loudly!  Daddy picked her up and walked with her as I sat with Joshua.  :-P  He was just trying to play and doesn't realize some toys are too hard.  

Before bed, daddy tickled Joshua and he laughed some cute giggles!  His giggles are so precious!  Grace, you watched and you tried to talk!  Your noises and cooes are so adorable!  

Tomorrow is saturday and we have a long weekend for Memorial Day!  That means one more day with daddy since he has monday off!  Yippie!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Climbing

Dearest Precious Miracles~

I was able to nurse Grace and then pump twice before heading to work.  I put the milk in the fridge with the milk that I pumped at work yesterday .... hopefully daddy won't have to thaw anything today.

Daddy kept track of what you all did today.  Here's all the fun you all had:

7:50am - Joshua had a diaper change, sippy cup, and several gold fish

8:15am - Joshua's teeth got brushed  :-)

8:30am - Grace wakes up and Mimi arrives

8:45am - Grace has blow out poopy diaper .... this led to a new outfit and changing table cover

9am - Jack from 'Falls River Painting' stops by .... we're getting an estimate for a house power wash and gutter cleaning

9:15am - another poopy Grace diaper!

9:18am - bottle #1 .... 4 ozs .... zero fussing!  Wow!

9:23am - Joshua climbed onto the downstairs couch by himself .... FIRST time ever!  Daddy got to witness it!  I missed it since I was at work.  :-P  At least I got to see you roll and walk for the first time.  :-)  You all also had music time and then Joshua climbed down from the couch by himself!

9:40am - therapy time and Joshua does well

10:10am - another poopy Grace diaper.  My my little lady!  ;-)

10:20am - tummy time

10:50am - story time with Mimi

11am - Joshua got a diaper change

11:30am - soccer with daddy in kitchen .... Joshua dribbled and passed the soccer ball with his feet .... he didn't just pick up the ball and throw it!  Wow!

11:35am - stinky Joshua diaper

11:50am - lunch time and Joshua has his boost drink

11:58am - bottle #2 .... 4 ozs .... finished in less than 10 minutes!

12:40pm - everyone upstairs .... Mimi heads to work and Grace gets a diaper change

1:05pm - nap time for Joshua

1:45pm - both kids asleep at the same time!  Daddy got some work done during the 'quiet window'

3:05pm - everyone still sleeping .... daddy has bottle #3 ready and a sippy cup of milk .... anticipating hungry kids soon

3:30pm - wake up Grace and she takes down the bottle

4pm - Joshua finally wakes up and he takes down a sippy cup .... they hear Grace tooting!

4:15pm - everyone gets a diaper change.  Joshua, you were wet.  Grace, you were stinky again.  ;-)

4:40pm - trimmed Grace's nails

5:45pm-6pm - tummy time

6:30pm - bottle #4 .... 4 ozs .... she took it down!  Joshua, you had a formula/milk sippy cup and some gold fish

6:45pm - Joshua got a diaper change

7pm - tummy time and dinner prep

This is when I got home.  I got home late, unfortunately .... seeing you all was the best part of my day though!!  I missed you all and kissed you both!  

We had air conditioning at work today.  Yippie!  Everyone asked about you all and how yesterday went.  I told them all that you all did well and Grace can now go back and forth between bottles and nursing!  Yippie!  I almost cried though because I felt like Grace didn't need me anymore .... but daddy reminded me that she was drinking 'mommy milk' and she still needed and missed me when I was gone.  That made me feel better.  Of course, when I'm here, I just nurse you.  ;-) 

I was able to pump a few times at work, and Grace had a few ounces left over in the fridge when I got home (daddy didn't have to thaw any milk!) .... so I was able to freeze about 12 ozs for you!  Woo hoo!  :-)

Tomorrow we head to the pediatrician to have Joshua evaluated for possible reflux.  I'm hoping she can do something to help me eat more.

I missed you all so much and it's so good to be back home with you all!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you so much!  :-)

~Mommy

First Full Day Back

Dearest Precious Children~

Today was my first full day back at work!  It didn't start off well since I woke up with a headache and needed a tylenol.  But, it picked up from there.  :-P

I fed Grace in the morning and then just held her as she slept .... I didn't want to let her go!!  I pumped before I left, so hopefully you will have enough fresh milk while I'm gone.  There's also milk in the freezer.

I kissed you both before I left and told you all how much I love you.  Joshua was still waking up.  Daddy worked from home today since Penny is gone this week.  Mimi came over to help him though during the day.

Daddy took detailed notes on what you all did together.  Here's what he had:

7:30am - everyone awake and diapers changed

8am - Mimi arrives.  Joshua drinking sippy cup and Grace playing in papasan chair

8:30am - Grace takes 3 oz bottle.  Half from daddy and half from Mimi.  She did very well and then took nap!  Joshua has stinky diaper.

9:30am - Joshua helped daddy bring garbage can up from curb.  It's really hot out so they bring Grace's tree back inside.

10am - Grace does tummy time with Mimi.  She does a good job lifting her head and looking in both directions.  Joshua, however, smacks her a few times.  :-P

10:15am - Therapy time for Joshua and daddy.  He smiles and opens wide for daddy.  Diaper change for Grace.

10:30am - Snack time .... few bites of fruit, lots of gold fish, and water.  Grace just chills out on Mimi while sucking fingers for comfort.

11am - music time - Joshua claps and dances

11:30am - bottle #2 for Grace.  She took down 4 ozs for Mimi.  Joshua guzzled a boost drink.  Daddy ran to Ace Hardware and picked up a gas can to mow the lawn and sandwiches for lunch (I had a baked potato at work for lunch).  :-)

1pm - everyone upstairs - all diapers changed and Grace takes nap

1:30pm - laundry time - Joshua helped by turning on washing machine and pushing start button.  What a smart guy!  :-)

2:30pm - Grace falls asleep in swing.  Joshua doesn't realize how tired he is (fighting nap time)

3pm - bottle #3 with medium flow nipple - no fussing and Grace took down 4 ozs.  She appears to do better with the medium flow vs the slow

3:30pm - Joshua finally puts head on pillow and closes his eyes - finally napping

4:15pm - changed Grace's diaper and outfit

4:45pm - daddy mowed the lawn

5:30pm - big poop from Grace leading to a new outfit and changing table cover

5:50pm - bottle #4 with 3 ozs

6pm - 'Rip Van Joshua' finally wakes up   ;-)

I got home around 6:30pm and pumped since Grace just had a bottle.  Daddy ended up thawing a few ounces, but we should be fine for tomorrow since I was able to pump at work and I'll pump tomorrow morning again.

But, the first thing I did when I walked in the door was kiss you all!  I missed you all sooo much!

Today was Mimi and Grandpa Mike's 37th wedding anniversary!  What a blessing! 

We had no air at work today until lunch time and it was hot!  Plus, we wear long sleeve gowns, gloves, masks, scrubs .... needless to say I drank so much water today!  :-P

Daddy made dinner when I got home.  He made some pasta and it was yummy!  

Tomorrow I head back to work, but you all will be with Mimi and daddy again.  I'm glad Grace did great with her bottles.  I was a little worried about that.  I was still able to nurse her in the evening, so she can now go back and forth .... what a smart girl!

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both!

~Mommy

Have Homework

Dearest Blessings~

This morning we didn't have a long time to play since Joshua had his speech therapy appointment.  I like Kim and Joshua appears to like her as well.  She said you two looked a like!  I guess you two look like siblings.  :-)

The appointment went well.  We have homework on practicing Joshua with a dry spoon.  We need to do our homework at least twice a day and not at meal times.  This will help Joshua get use to things near his mouth.  I'm to use the vibrating teether with you as well.  If I can get the spoon to your lips, then that counts as a positive trial.  If you let the spoon in your mouth, than I'm to circle that trial so Kim knows.  She gave me paper to document our trials on.  We do ten trials per session together.

Grace, you did well during the appointment.  You were beginning to take up towards the end, but you never fussed.

When we got home, I ate a quick lunch and put Grace down for some tummy time.  I then put Joshua in the high chair to test him on some fruit.  I did some of the exercises that Kim taught us and you ate half a container!  Yippie!  Then you took a sippy cup.  I made a 'therapy box' and put it on the kitchen table to use during the day.  I put the vibrating teether in there with some other toys to use only for our therapy home sessions.  I also put an electric toothbrush in there and our log to write stuff down in since Kim gave us homework.  

Afterward, Joshua played around in the bonus room as I nursed Grace.  Then, she had some sitting practice and more tummy time.  You are really getting strong little lady.  You are getting better at holding your head up everyday.  I'm not noticing you favoring one side over the other like we saw earlier, but we'll still keep an eye on you.  ;-)

I emptied a big plastic bin and made that into a toy box for the play room.  We'll see how long we keep that room organized.  :-P

It was so hot again today.  We had the air conditioning on upstairs and the ceiling fan.  It was too hot to pack you all up to go anywhere else this afternoon though.  We stayed at the house after lunch.

We made some bacon and eggs with toast for dinner this evening.  Joshua didn't eat much of it though.  We go to the pediatrician's on friday to be evaluated for reflux.  They may put Joshua on a medication to help with that and see if he eats better.  Perhaps that will help you sleep better to.  Kim thinks you might be having some reflux at night and you could be in pain.

I pray things go well with you all tomorrow as I'm gone to work.  Daddy and Mimi haven't tried to give Grace a bottle in a long time.  :-P  In fact, you haven't had a bottle since last thursday when Penny was here.  I tried to leave out enough milk in the fridge (there's more in the freezer and emergency formula in the pantry just in case). I've been pumping extra though so you'd have fresh milk to drink.

Joshua, you giggled in bed this evening and it was so precious!  Grace, you tried to talk and you smiled and cooed .... which was also precious!

I'm going to miss you two so much tomorrow when I'm at work!  It'll be my first full day back at work!

Sleep tight little ones!


I love you two so much!


~Mommy

Hot Hot Hot

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

I woke up at 1:20am to the sounds of little Grace pooping in her bed.  :-P  You smiled as I changed you and then I nursed you back to sleep.  There was a thunderstorm outside as I fed you, so we listened to that before drifting back to sleep.

We had a busy morning around the house.  I pumped before one of our nursing sessions and put the milk in the fridge for wednesday.  I'll pump tomorrow morning too so that you'll have a fresh milk bottle to use.  I'll have to thaw milk from the freeze for the rest of the day.

I called the pediatrician's office and the receptionist did not have a message about a prescription for Joshua.  The speech therapist last week wanted to try him on a reflux medication and was to call his doctor.  We see the speech therapist tomorrow, so I'll ask about it.

Joshua helped me pay the townhouse mortgage and homeowner's fees for next month.  Well .... he helped me put them in the mail, he didn't actually help me pay them!  :-P  He also helped me order stamps.  We have some 'thank you' cards to write from the lunch yesterday, but we used our stamps to pay the bills. 

I straightened the living room as Joshua and I had music time downstairs.  Grace was napping upstairs so we stayed down there to give her some extra quiet time.  Once she woke up, we all played downstairs.  I tried to clean Grace's belly button, but I probably should have waited a little longer.  I cauterized it last night, so it hadn't been 24 hours.  I took a Q-tip to clean out the black areas and Grace ended up crying because it bled a little.  :-(  I'm sorry!  I cleaned it as best as I could and then put a band-aid over it.  Tomorrow I'll take another look at it. 

This afternoon you two went down for a nap.  I read a little as you slept, but Grace ended up waking up due to a poopy diaper!  So, I changed her and then we played.  We practiced her sitting and her tummy time.  She loves to watch Joshua play around during her sitting practice!  And, of course, Joshua loves to come up to her to play (even though she's little).  It's so cute!  ;-)

We made a pizza for dinner when daddy got home.  Joshua, you ate a good amount of it!  You ate half a slice!  Woo hoo!  We see Kim tomorrow, so she'll give us some exercises to use to help with your food aversion.  I hope it helps!  I'm amazed that you'll let me brush your teeth in the morning and at night with no problems, but have difficulty with other things near your mouth.

It's been hot recently!  I think it was in the 90's today and will continue to be hot all week.  :-P  The play room stays hot since it's over the garage.  It's not bad under the fan though.

After dinner, we watched some more 'Lucy Show' episodes.  Then, we all got ready for bed. 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Grow In Grace

Dearest Blessings~

This morning was a little better .... Grace, you and I didn't have a nursing session until 4:30am!  Woo hoo!  

Guess what we did this morning .... we replanted your tree Grace!  There was some soil in the garage from the previous owner of this house.  I put some in your pot with the 2 Peter 3:18 Bible verse.  Then, I transferred your tree!  It's so cute!  I watered it and put it on the front porch.  Now, we just have to remember to water it each day.  ;-)  I think your (Great) Aunt Pops will be proud that your tree is still alive!  ;-)  Once it gets bigger, we'll plant it in the yard.  Then, we can plant something else in your little pot. 

We all played in the bonus room until Grace and I left for the luncheon.  Joshua stayed with daddy and ended up taking a nap and played in the sandbox.  Daddy got some reading done and some laundry.

The lunch was fun and the food was delicious!  We saw Penny, Mimi, and Aunt Katie there!  Grace, you got a picture from a friend of Mimi's (Donna).  It's a drawing of a little girl in a UNC outfit.  The bottom of the drawing says 'In Training' .... it's so cute!  I think there's a boy one too, so I'll have to find it for Joshua!  Mimi also got you a little silver bracelet with a heart on it.  I got a charm for my bracelet.  

You did well during the lunch.  No fussing even though it was hot out.  We were in a shaded area, but it was still humid.  I ran the air conditioning in the car for a little before we left so you wouldn't be too hot on the drive home.

Once home, I fed Grace and we caught up with the boys.  I felt a little lazy about cooking, and since we've been good on our 'dining out' budget this month, I convinced daddy that we should have something 'fun' for dinner.  :-)  So, I picked up some chicken sandwiches from Bojanges.  ;-)  Joshua went with me to get out of the house a little.  Joshua, you tried some french fries, but didn't eat much of the chicken.  I forgot to tell you, daddy and I picked up a vibrating teether (like the one Kim has) to use.  It should help with your food aversion therapy.

We all got to play outside after dinner.  Daddy and I want to clean the exterior of the house more to get ready for summer.  The gutters need to be cleaned out and we need screens for our windows.  Then, we can start opening them for fresh air.  It's going to be hot this week, so we'll probably have the air on.  But, it'll be nice to open the windows on cooler days.

We got to see the neighbor's dog.  Daddy threw a tennis ball over the fence for him.  We all walked around the house a few times and Joshua played in the grass.  :-)

You two both got evening bathes!  It had been awhile!  And, you all had fluffy hair afterward!  It was so cute.  I cauterized Grace's belly button too.

This evening we watched more episodes of 'The Lucy Show' in the play room before going to bed.  Tomorrow, we'll likely do chores around the house.  It's suppose to get up to 90 degrees this week!  

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Artsplosure

Dearest Miracles~

Grace, once again you woke up at 2:30am hungry.  But, daddy got up and changed your diaper!  Woo hoo!  He must have read my letter yesterday about help.  ;-)

Once we all had breakfast and got ready for the day, the four of us headed downtown to Artsplosure.  This is the annual art festival for all the local artists in the area.  They had pottery, paintings, jewelry, crafts ....  you name it and they probably had it.  We walked all around and saw all the exhibits.  It was hot out though, so we sat in some shade and took a break right before lunch.  We saw Gigi and Uncle James there.  They joined us for lunch at a cafe downtown.  I nursed Grace, but we ended up changing her outfit since she had a poopy diaper and was hot from the stroller.  Joshua, you got a little red from the sun, but we tried to make sure you stayed hydrated.

We saw a lot of cool things.  My favorite was an guy who made 'guitars' out of car license plates.  One had a NC plate on the front and he put 'Tarheels' down the 'fretboard' of the guitar.  :-)  I also liked the bags and some of the paintings.

After lunch, we said good bye to Gigi and Uncle James.  They went back to the exhibits and the four of us went home.  Grace, you did a lot of smiling and cooing at the house!  You're really trying to talk more and it's so cute!  Some of your smiles were really big too!  Daddy and I tried to take a few videos.

This afternoon was pretty lazy .... we ended up taking naps.  All four of us fell asleep!  I took a one hour nap as you two were snoring!  Daddy fell asleep too after reading a little. 

Daddy grilled a nice steak for dinner this evening.  Then, we filled out Joshua's sensory profile for Kim (his speech therapist) for next week.  We have an appointment on tuesday with her.  Daddy and I have noticed Joshua coughing more during the day, which might be the reflux.  I never heard from the pediatrician (Kim was suppose to call her to discuss reflux and medications).  I'll call the office on monday to see what's going on.  

Tomorrow Grace and I are going to a lunch.  We were invited by Mimi to the "Lovely Lady Luncheon" with her sorority.  I went last year and took Joshua.  ;-)

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both!

~Mommy

No Surgery

Dearest Gifts~

Ugh .... another nursing session at 2:24am!  ;-)  I was so tired at that time.  It would be nice to get help at those times, but then again it is easier to be able to nurse you verses dealing with bottles.  Such a catch 22.  :-P

After breakfast, we all headed to Grace's 9am appointment with the surgeon.  He was very nice.  The nurse took some measurements before the MD walked in.  Grace, you are now 23.5 inches and 5.67 kgs .... about 12.5 lbs.  Whoa little lady!  I had to change your diaper before they took your weight since you were a little poopy!

The MD was not concerned about your granuloma.  It appears to have gotten smaller and there wasn't enough for him to pull out and ligate.  He removed some dead cells on top and then did another round of silver nitrate to cauterize it.  He gave me some silver nitrate to do at home every two or three days.  He said over time your skin will probably cover it.  If it doesn't appear to be getting smaller though, I can call for a follow up visit.  You don't need surgery!  Woo hoo!  And, we don't need to get putting alcohol on it.  The silver nitrate does stain clothes black, so we may want to put a little band-aid on there.

They took us back right away, so we were out fairly fast.  I chanced my time with you all (between feedings) and went back to 'Babies R Us' to get some bottles for Grace and some sippy cups for Joshua.  We had a gift card, so I figured I would go ahead and use a little bit of it.  I bought the same bottles that Penny has been using (Gigi also likes them), so she should have enough for the days when I'm not there (when I'm there I still just nurse you).  :-)

Once home, we all had some lunch.  Grace fell asleep so Joshua and I had music and play time downstairs.  He helped me check the mail, but we didn't stay out long since it was hot outside.  Joshua also helped me vacuum the downstairs and clean the kitchen.  He did better with the vacuum and didn't cry.  :-)

We all played upstairs once Grace woke up.  She did some tummy time and has gotten pretty strong!  She lifts that head up and looks all around!  I tried to get some pictures.  Joshua sat next to her and wanted to play with her, though she's still too little.  I ended up having Grace practicing her sitting in my lap while Joshua played around us.  I put some music on as he played.  :-)  Grace eventually got the hiccups and it took her awhile to get rid of them.  :-P

Once daddy got home, we had some dinner and then headed to Target.  We ran out of some things for you two (wipes, milk, and boost) and didn't know if we'd have time tomorrow since we're heading downtown for Artsplosure.  After the store, we relaxed and played in the bonus room until bed time.

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Extra Milk

Dearest Angels~

Whoa .... Grace and I had a 1:30am feeding .... I was so tired and still had to go into work this morning.  I tried to get some rest, but we ended up doing another feeding at 5:30am and then I pumped at 7am so that Grace would have enough mommy milk.  I had pumped so much yesterday, this morning, and at work today that when I got home from work, I put 9 ozs in the freezer!  ;-)

Before I left this morning, I gave you all kisses like yesterday.  :-)  I didn't want to leave you all, but since you two did so well yesterday I had no fear that you all would be good for Penny today as well.  :-)

You two had fun on the porch playing.  Grace did some sitting practice and tummy time.  She also played in the swing as Joshua had music time.  Joshua took an earlier nap, so when I got home this afternoon everyone was awake.  :-)  Grace was drifting though since Penny had a pacifier in her mouth.  I was able to play and change Joshua's diaper before needing to nurse Grace.

Penny LOVED her birthday gift from us!  She left some of the tea bags here so that she can use them when she watches you all.  She'll be gone next week on a cruise, so you two will be with daddy.  I hope you all do well for him!  I only want to hear good reports!  ;-)

We all had some music time before dinner.  Daddy got his haircut after work and looked so handsome when he came home at dinner time.  After dinner, we were able to play in the front yard some.  Joshua walked around with his soccer ball.  It was so nice out!  Joshua actually got brave and wandering into the cul-de-sac.  Daddy and I were right there and no cars near us, but I was surprised at how fast he's gotten!  

Oh, almost forgot .... the plumber came back today and fixed our shower drain.  He was able to open and unclog it.  He placed a new drain in there so that we'll be able to take it in and out now.  When he left, he looked at Joshua and said, "Bye buddy!" and Joshua smiled.  :-)

I told my coworkers at work about starting Joshua on speech therapy.  They thought how lucky we were to be able to have these therapies available to us.  I agreed.  I almost took them for granted and then thought of some of our own pediatric dental patients.  We have so many children 'no show' for appointments, and we can't fault the patients in that scenario .... the parents are the ones who didn't bring them.  I couldn't imagine not taking you all somewhere if you all needed something!  It's our job as parents to take care of you two. 

Tomorrow Grace has her appointment with the pediatric surgeon for her belly button.  It's a consultation, so we'll see what he has to say about it.  We may go to the store afterward depending on what time we get out.

Sleep tight!

I love you both!

~Mommy

Did You All Miss Me?

Dearest Precious Miracles~

Today is the day .... today I go back to work, but only half day to see how everyone does.  I really hated to leave you two and I missed you while I was gone!

The day started out early .... Grace had a 2:44am feeding.  Then, I fed her again around 6:30am.  I pumped at 7am right before I had to leave.  I wanted to make sure Grace had enough mommy milk in the fridge to last for at least two bottles.

It was so hard to leave!!  I kissed you both before I left and then I said a little prayer.  I always wave 'I Love You' in sign language when I leave the house to go to work (I did this everyday with Joshua).  So, I continued the tradition today as I was leaving.

Work went by relatively fast though.  They scheduled a root canal so I didn't leave right on time.  I eventually got home around 2:15pm.  Everyone at the office gave me a hug and asked about you two.  I still need to bring you all in to meet everyone (Joshua, you've met almost everyone there).  

Grace, you did great with your bottles!  You ate a 3oz bottle and a 4oz bottle while I was gone!  Penny used the same bottles that we practiced with last week, so if all goes well tomorrow too, then I'll pick more up this weekend.  Joshua, you apparently ate about 3 tablespoons of pasta!  Yippie! 

You two had fun with Penny.  Grace had tummy time with Joshua on the floor.  She also played in her swing and got the hiccups.  :-P  You all also had fun on the screened in porch.  Joshua, I'm sure you got sand everywhere!  ;-)

When I got home, both of you two were napping!  I was like, "Hey, didn't anyone miss me?"  :-P  So, I did the dishes and pumped.  Now, I have milk all ready for Grace for tomorrow!  I read something sweet today which I want to share with you all.  It said that a 'mother's milk is the milk of human kindness' .... isn't that precious?  Joshua, you had mommy milk until you were about five and a half months old.  Then, you were all formula.  Of course, at six months old you weren't much bigger than what Grace is now.  :-P  I was pumping around the clock for you mister!  It was tiring and I was exhausted by the time I stopped.  It's easier now since I can nurse Grace.  We'll see how long I can keep it up .... or if I can keep up with her! 

I wrapped Penny's birthday gift.  Her birthday is on friday, so we'll give her the gift tomorrow.  I made pancakes for dinner and had them almost done when daddy got home.  He came home a little early to mow the lawn, but the mower ran out of gas as he was doing the front yard.  :-P

Joshua, you ate a lot of gold fish for me today!  Woo hoo!  You didn't want any pancakes though.  Grace, you can lift your head straight up with tummy time!  Wow!  You are getting so strong!  I've also been practicing you with sitting.  I bet you'll be able to lift your head in no time!  ;-)

Tomorrow I head back to work for another half day.  Then, starting next week, I'll be there all day on wednesdays and thursdays.  I've enjoyed every moment of maternity leave and always prefer to be with you all than anywhere else in the world!  You two are so precious to me!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!

~Mommy

Speech Therapy

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

Whew!  I am tired this morning!  These 3am feedings are becoming a habit with Grace.  :-P  I try to go back to bed right after, but sometimes I just can't! 

I did some more organizing this morning.  I finished some laundry and did some dishes.  We had an afternoon appointment with a speech therapist for Joshua, so I pumped mid morning for a bottle in case we needed one for Grace.  If it's not needed, then I can put it in the fridge for tomorrow.  I'm working a half day tomorrow and thursday to get everyone adjusted.  I don't want to leave you all, but next week I'm officially done with maternity leave and will be going back to work 20 hours a week (part time).  I pack those hours in just 2 days, so for 5 days I can be with you all!  I wanted to make sure Penny would be ok with you two by herself.  And, I wanted to make sure Grace would be ok with bottles. 

The speech therapy appointment went well.  Joshua's therapist is Kim and she is very nice.  Penny actually went with us to see what she had to say.  And, Penny asked a lot of good questions (did I ever tell you that Penny is a retired pediatric nurse?).  Kim did an initial feeding evaluation and recommends treatment once a week for 45 minutes.  Also, she gave us a sensory profile to fill out and bring back for next week.  Joshua may need occupational therapy as well (which generally works along side of speech therapy so it isn't unheard of).  Kim was wondering if Joshua has a reflux problem and will contact our pediatrician (Dr. Medero) to see if he should be on a trial medication.  I never really noticed it before, but that may be why he coughs during the day and wakes up at night.  He doesn't show the 'classic' symptoms of reflux, so I never thought he had it.  But, apparently it's common with preemies.  Also, it's common for preemies to have to go through physical, speech, and occupational therapies .... so, we're just making our way through all the therapies with Joshua.  :-)

Kim gave us the sensory profile because Joshua may have sensory perception issues which could cause food aversion since he doesn't like things near his mouth/face.  Though, he lets me brush his teeth twice a day!  ;-)  Daddy also heard that preemies have a smaller esophagus, which would make sense why Joshua has a gag reflex and chokes easily on things.  There's no treatment for that .... you just wait for it to grow and catch up!  :-)  So, we'll see what happens .... right now we have tuesday appointments with Kim and I'll see if OT will be added to that as well.  Oh, Grace, you behaved yourself and we didn't even need the bottle (it's in the fridge for tomorrow).  :-)

My back has been hurting recently.  I've had to take a motrin for the past two days.  It must be from carrying you all up and down the stairs all day!  ;-)  Ha!  I'm getting a workout!

Speaking of backs .... I backed up my computer today.  I have so many pictures on there of you two that I don't want to lose!  

Arrr!  The cat pooped in the study downstairs today .... right in the middle of the carpet no where near a litter box (which is in a completely different room!).  I was so mad!  I swear this cat is getting on my nerves.  He almost bit Joshua the other day.  The last thing I need is for you all to wander into a room with cat poop and step in it, or pick it up!  Speaking on which, Joshua, you freaked me out this morning!  We were playing in the bonus room and before I could act, you had picked up a spider!  Ew!  I tapped your little hand so you would drop it!  Then I flushed the little booger!  Gross!  You don't need to be picking up spiders!  :-P

We made pasta for dinner and Joshua ate a small amount.  It rained this evening and you two both got baths.  I gave Grace a sponge bath since I'm not sure if her belly button can get wet yet.  We go to the doctor on friday.

I video chatted with Gigi this evening.  You two were sleeping and didn't see her, but she saw you all! 

I got things ready for tomorrow to make the morning run smoothly.  I packed up my lunch and got Grace's milk ready in the fridge.  In the morning, I'll nurse Grace and then pump right before I leave.  We see patients until 1pm, so I'm hoping to be home by 2pm.  I hope the morning goes by fast so that I can see you all quickly!  I'll miss you all during those morning hours!  

Sleep tight!

I love you both!

~Mommy

Birthday Shopping

Dearest Angels~

I have some news for you two .... Joshua slept in his crib until 7:15am this morning!  Whoa!  Way to go little man!  Will this be a habit?  I checked on you several times during the night.  Grace got hungry at 4am.  When I noticed you sleeping, I ended up changing her diaper in the play room.  Then, I nursed her in the bedroom.  Once she fell back asleep, I checked on Joshua again.  He was still sleeping, so I went back into the play room and pumped.  Grace, you left almost 2 ozs of mommy milk, so I froze it so you could have it later.  :-P  Joshua was still sleeping, so I went back to bed a little after 5am.  I heard daddy's alarm go off for work and once he hopped in the shower I started to hear Joshua stir.  :-P

After everyone was dressed and ready for the day, I packed you two up and we headed over to Lifeway Christian Store.  We got there around 9:45am.  Penny's birthday is on friday so I wanted to pick some thing up for her.  I found some great gifts there!

First, you two know how Penny drinks a cup of tea while here?  Well, I found some 'Scripture Tea' there.  On each tea bag there's a Bible verse!  Then, I found a mug for her to use with the Bible verse 'As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord' (Joshua 24:15 NIV).  Lastly, I found a little planter with the Bible verse 'Grow in Grace' from 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV).  So, the tea is from daddy and I .... the mug is from Joshua .... and the planter is from Grace!  Isn't that wonderful!  Also, they had a larger planter so I bought one for us to put Grace's tree in!  Yippie!  Remember how (Great) Aunt Pops gave you a little cypress tree when you were born?  We can replant your tree in the planter and put it on the front porch!  :-)

Grace, you had a huge poop while in your swing this morning.  I had to take it apart and run the laundry.  :-P  I put a towel in there once it was clean in case you decided to poop again!

We had downstairs music time after lunch as Grace napped upstairs.  Joshua helped me check the mail this afternoon and then I rocked him to sleep around 1:40pm.  Once he fell asleep, I cut his nails.  They sure were long man!  :-P

Oh, this picture of Grace in her chair cheering reminds me of another picture I have of someone else.  Your Gigi did this pose at my wedding.  I guess this is where Grace gets it from!  ;-)

It rained a little this afternoon and then the plumber came to look at our ceiling.  He thinks they're old water stains and guesses it from when the toilet was placed.  The toilet in the master bathroom is newer (based on the model) so the plumber thinks some water leaked in there when it was replaced.  However, he couldn't get our shower drain open either (we've tried everything and it won't drain).  So, he's coming back later in the week to take it apart to see what's going on.  In the meantime, we're suppose to see if the ceiling spots increase in size or not.

Joshua, you ate about a dozen gold fish as a snack for me and didn't spit any out!  Woo hoo!  We'll see what the experts say tomorrow about your eating habits.  Penny is going to come over and ride with us to hear what they have to say as well.  We made eggs, bacon, and toast for dinner and you didn't want anything to do with it.  :-P

Oh, you're beginning to walk backwards now!  It's really cute, though you bump into things if you're not careful! 

Daddy had a soccer game this evening so you two got to visit with Uncle Brennan before they left.  Daddy got Grace to take a pacifier as I took a shower.  

The three of us played in the bonus room this evening.  We briefly got to video chat with Gigi and (Great) Aunt Beth before Grace got hungry.  You two started to get sleepy around 9pm.  I had you two in pajamas with teeth brushed and in bed by 9:30pm.  :-)  Joshua, you don't fight me when brushing your teeth any more.  I put you on your back on the floor and give you a little toy.  You open your mouth for me as I brush!  I brush your teeth in the morning and at night.  I was awake when daddy got home, but you two were sound asleep.

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Free Rein

Dearest Precious Miracles~

Well, Grace added a new time to our nursing sessions .... she woke up at 1:33am hungry.  Of course, I couldn't get too mad since she went to bed around 9:30pm.  :-P  I gave you a little kiss, changed and fed you, and then went right back to sleep!  :-P

We did a lot of cleaning today, especially in the upstairs.  Daddy changed the air filters in the house.  We try to change them every three months.  I vacuumed the play room and the stairs.  I ran a small load of laundry consisting of blankets.  I'll probably run you all's clothes tomorrow.  We also dusted the shelves in the play room .... and there are several since there's a build in case on one wall!

I rearranged your play gates in the bonus room.  Now, I have them blocking the area with the television and electrical equipment.  I have the other play gates blocking the fireplace downstairs.  I don't want anyone falling on the brick!  So, the play room is a lot more 'open' now.  I left Grace's swing near the rocker.  Joshua, this means you have more 'free rein' in the room to wander around.  I therefore moved a few more things to make sure there's nothing you can really hurt yourself on.  It's a work in progress, so we'll see how it goes for us.  We just want to make sure you two are safe!

Gigi, Grandpa Jim, and Uncle James came over around lunch time.  Gigi gave Grace another bottle and she took 4 ozs of mommy milk!  She fussed a little, but was ok afterward.  I pumped upstairs.  We tried to give Joshua some our food for lunch .... they had brought over some Mexican.  Joshua poo-pooed everything that was placed in front of him!  In fact, daddy made pancakes for dinner and I even made him a little bowl of oatmeal cereal.  He didn't eat ANY of it.  I seriously think he was on an all liquid diet today!  I don't know what the 'experts' will say on tuesday, but I hope they can get some food in him.  It's beginning to worry me and it frustrates daddy and I to try and try and not get anywhere.  We put so much food in front of him, day in and day out, and he just won't eat!  A bite here and there is all we get.  I pray you start eating better little man. 

After lunch, Grandpa Jim and Uncle James took Joshua to the park and he ended up falling asleep in the stroller.  He continued to nap in the play room when they got back.  I clipped Grace's nails.  I forgot to trim Joshua's nails and they desperately need cutting!  I'll try to remember at the next nap.

I gave Joshua a nice bath this evening.  Speaking of baths, or at least bathrooms .... we appear to have some water damage from the master bathroom.  I saw some spots on the living room ceiling this evening and daddy checked to see he felt any wetness.  It wasn't wet, but it's still a sign of water damage.  So, I'll call a plumber tomorrow and see if someone can take a look.  :-P

I just thought of this, but did I ever tell you, Grace, that we have a townhouse that we rent out?  Joshua has seen it because we lived there until July of last year.  Grace, you've never even seen it!  We want to sell it, but the housing market has been so bad these past few years.  We tried to sell it before we moved into this house, but we couldn't.  So, it turned into a rental property.  Grace, we found out I was pregnant with you the day before we closed on this house!  We had filled up our 3 bedroom house before we had moved in!  Ha!  ;-)

This evening we all relaxed in the play room and watched some 'Lucy Show' episodes.  Tomorrow, we need to run an errand to pick up a birthday gift for Penny.  Her birthday is on friday.  Also, I'll call the plumber.  

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Carpet Cleaners

Dearest Gifts~

Today didn't start out so well .... I had a stomach ache and didn't feel very well this morning.  It felt weird last night, but I thought it would feel better after a night's sleep.  Of course, Grace ended up waking up at 2:13am for a feeding.  :-P  I started to feel better around lunch time.  

Daddy and Joshua went to the store to pick up our groceries.  Grace kept me company at the house.  :-P  She got hungry so I nursed her and then we laid down together.  Joshua fell asleep in the car on the way back home.  So, daddy placed him next to us on the bed to rest once home from the store.  We ended up waking him though so that he would eat some lunch.

We cleaned the floors downstairs today.  I vacuumed the living room and study.  Then, I swept and vacuumed the kitchen and dining room.  We have to keep those areas clean since Joshua ends up throwing food.  :-P  Our main goal was to clean the carpet in the study.  Our cat has been very bad and has been using that room as a litter box!  Daddy cleaned the carpet, but it's still stained and smells.  I admit, I've been thinking about sending the cat to a different home .... one where he may get more attention so he'll behave better.  If he continues to use the carpet as a litter box, we may have to look into our options on what's best for us.  I don't need you two wandering into a room and stepping in cat pee and poop!  Yuck!

After all the cleaning, I gave Grace a bath.  Your hair got nice and fluffy afterward little lady!  It was so cute!  :-)

Today was a cloudy day.  In fact, we had thunderstorms in the evening!  After dinner, we were able to get out and play in the front yard.  I kicked the soccer ball around with Joshua as I held Grace.  Daddy trimmed some of the bushes.  We didn't stay out long since it was muggy and there were lots of mosquitoes.  :-P

Speaking of dinner, we made pasta with meat sauce.  I cut up some onion and spinach for the sauce and added some corn.  We used some ground beef and it was good!  Joshua didn't eat much, but we have some leftovers to keep trying on him. 

After dinner we played in the bonus room and started a movie.  Joshua ran all around the room and played with his toys.  He giggled a lot for us, which was so precious and cute!  Grace ate, used me as a pacifier, and took little naps.  I was able to get her to use a real pacifier for a little while.  So, I think we're making progress on getting her to be able to soothe herself.  We'll see how that continues.  I notice her sucking on her hands too.  We didn't try a bottle today though.  Maybe tomorrow.  ;-)

Joshua, you didn't take much of a nap today, but you fell asleep by 9pm!  Woo hoo!  Grace was still up, but you could tell she was fading fast .... we were all in bed by 9:30pm!  Well, daddy stayed up to read, but the rest of us were out!  ;-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you very much!  :-)

~Mommy

Friday The 13th

Dearest Blessings~

If you're superstitious, you probably wouldn't venture out today.  Today is a 'friday the 13th' which is suppose to be unlucky.  However, we didn't let that stop us from getting out of the house.  ;-)

Actually, the day started off pretty well .... Grace slept in to 5am this morning!  It was amazing!  Thank you!  I was so refreshed that after I nursed her and placed her back in the bassinet, I ate a little something and then pumped 3 more ounces of milk for her!  I went ahead and put it in the freezer since she'll probably not get a bottle today.  ;-)  I tend to just nurse you all day if I'm by myself .... it's easier!  :-)

Once everyone else was up and had some breakfast, the three of us headed over to a baby store 'Babies R Us' to look at a few things.  Does this store still exist when you all read this?  I wanted to look at the bottles, sippy cups, and food section.  They didn't have the kid boost drinks that I was looking for, so we'll have to pick that up at Target this weekend.  Joshua still has enough for today and tomorrow.  

I wanted to see if I could just buy sippy cup tops since a few of ours leak, but I couldn't find just the tops.  I think we'd have to buy new cups.  :-P  I'll check again at Target though.  This store had a huge selection of bottles, so I got overwhelmed at what to look at.  I saw the ones that Penny and Gigi like, but I hesitated since there were so many other kinds out there too!  Ahh!  Too much variety!  I should have just picked up a box and left, but hesitated too long.  By then, there were lots of other moms around me and you two were beginning to stir.  :-P  Perhaps I can talk daddy into going back with us this weekend.  ;-)  

Joshua, you ate a good lunch for me.  You had another bowl of cereal!  Woo hoo!  I hope our appointment on tuesday is helpful with the speech therapist.  I really wish you'd eat more.  

You two both surprised me this afternoon and napped at the same time!  I caught up on lost emails and straightened things around the house.  I had to rock Joshua to sleep and held him for a while before putting him down on a pillow.  I held him tight and sang to him in the rocker!  It was so nice and sweet to hold him!  :-)

We all had some music time together downstairs before making dinner.  We made a quick pizza and had it done before daddy got home.  I cut up some onions and spinach to put on it.  Joshua didn't really eat a lot, but he did eat some more hotdog and chicken nugget.

Grace, guess what you did this evening .... you took a pacifier for first time!  It was a UNC and shaped like one of the bottles that we tried on you.  This confused me since I was going to buy the other ones in the store this morning!  I tried you on this bottle and you took 2 oz of mommy milk this evening (I only made a 2 oz bottle).  Hummm .... do you like this bottle better or just getting use to bottles?  You did fuss, but ended up taking the milk after a little.

You did the cutest thing this evening Joshua .... you correctly pointed to your ears, nose, toes, and hair tonight when asked.  You actually bent down and touched your toes for that part!  ;-)  You're so smart!  Also, if someone asks you where 'mama', 'Grace', and 'daddy' are, you look at them!

We had a thunderstorm after dinner this evening.  The four of us ended up relaxing in the play room.

Tomorrow's saturday!  Woo hoo!  I'm sure we'll have fun as a family since daddy's off from work.

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Dinner Out

Dearest Precious Gifts~

Today was cloudy, but that didn't stop Joshua and I from heading to the park and letting Grace and Penny bond together over a bottle of mommy milk.  ;-)  

Grace, I still hate leaving you .... but at least it's just an hour at a time.  Once I head back to work, I'm going to miss you two terribly!  I always hated leaving Joshua, and now there's two of you I have to be apart from.  At least it's only two days a week. 

The park was surprisingly crowded today.  I thought no one would be there since it was cloudy and breezy, but I think there were a few play dates going on.  Unfortunately, there were kids in our swings when we got there.  There are only two baby swings, and two moms were using them with their children.  Plus, both of those moms had a double stroller!  Yikes!  So, I took Joshua over to the grass area and we kicked the soccer ball around.  He got bored after awhile, so we walked over to the little slide and I held him while he slid down a few times.  We walked around the other playground equipment and saw the other children.  As we were walking, it started to sprinkle.  I walked Joshua back to the stroller and we headed out of the park.  As we walked, the rain let up a little, so I just kept walking around the neighborhood.  I'm guessing we walked about a mile, which was good for me since I'm way out of shape these days!  My only exercise is chasing you all around the house and going up and down the stairs all day!  ;-)

Grace, you did better with Penny again today.  You took about 3 ounces again.  Penny likes the bent, or crooked, playtex bottle that Gigi found.  Since she and Gigi are successful at giving you a bottle with it, daddy and I will probably pick up a few more this weekend.  Penny made the hole a little bigger in the nipple, so that might have helped as well.  After Penny left, Grace, you woke up hungry so I just nursed you.

Penny is having a yard sale this weekend, so she took our 'dining room' table to use .... it's just a folding table and we weren't using it so we didn't mind.  Actually, I was able to clean out that dining room more with it out!  I tried to de-clutter that room some.  Penny also took one of our extra televisions to sell.  We have two televisions from the townhouse that have been sitting in our house since we moved.  Daddy and I agreed not to put televisions all around the house .... the only one we use is in the playroom.  And, we watch it together as a family.  So, we didn't need the extra ones.  We left the second extra television upstairs because it was too heavy for Penny and I to lift.  We'll find someone to give it to at some point.

However, Penny picked up that downstairs television by herself! I told her to wait so I would help (I was holding Grace at the time), but she just grabbed it! Super Nannie!  I told her that whatever she gets for it at the yard sale to give to her son Richard.  He's expecting his first child in the fall and they're saving up for a car since they only have a truck with no backseat.  :-P Also, I gave Penny that extra toy that Joshua had for Richard's child.  Joshua had a duplicate toy from the holidays, so I'm glad it's going to good use!  Plus, it helped to clear out the out.  Yippie for less clutter!  ;-)

I ended up waking up people from naps this afternoon to go for a little trip.  Since daddy had a board meeting this evening, we all headed over to Gigi's for dinner.  Grandpa Jim got Joshua some chicken nuggets and he ate a few pieces.  He also had a better lunch for me .... he ate a bowl of cereal.  Joshua had fun playing with Uncle James and Gigi was successful in giving Grace 3.5 ounces of milk in a bottle!  Then, she fell asleep on Grandpa Jim after he walked with her.  

I was glad not to have a hamburger or hotdog for dinner!  Daddy and I have been eating leftovers since sunday!  ;-)

We left Gigi's house after 8pm.  I had everyone in their pajamas with a fresh diaper by the time daddy got home.  Daddy got home around 9:30pm.  He helped me brush Joshua's teeth and read everyone a story before bedtime.

Tomorrow is friday and I know we're all ready for the weekend!  We haven't seen daddy a lot this week, so we'll be able to spend some time together as a little family!  

Oh, I forgot to tell you all what we got Mimi and Gigi for Mother's Day this year.  Last year we got them a frame with a picture of Joshua.  This year, we gave Mimi and little girl charm for her bracelet.  we gave her the little boy for Christmas.  We gave Gigi a letter that I wrote about being a mother.  It thanked her for everything she did when I was growing up.  I want to share a part of it with you two:

"I know I am far too late in saying this, but ‘Thank You’ for everything that you did!  

 I never knew how much you did for me growing up until I had my own children.  

 I read somewhere that ‘when a child is born, a mother is born as well.’   

Being a mother is tough, but no one ever realizes this except for other mothers. 

I can’t believe how much you gave up to raise us.   

I never knew what ‘unconditional love’ was until I looked into my own children’s eyes. 

So, thank you for all you did and are doing … for me and for my children.   

Thank you for filling our house with Christian love, support, and encouragement.   

Thank you for your love of music.   

Thank you for laughter and smiles.   

Thank you for teaching us.   

Thank you for helping us.  

 Thank you for your time.   

Thank you for your compassion.   

Thank you for your discipline.   

Thank you for listening.  

 Thank you for talking.   

Thank you for your encouragement.   

Thank you for letting me cry.  

 Thank you for wiping my tears away.  

 Thank you for treating me like an individual.   

Thank you for setting a good example.   

Thank you for being silly.  

 Thank you for being a friend.   

Thank you for being a parent.   

Thank you for being protective of me.   

Thank you for your patience.   

Thank you for your support.  

 Thank you for being a provider.   

Thank you for your guidance. 

Thank you for being an inspiration and a role model. 

Thank you for loving me before I was even born.

Happy Mother’s Day to a woman I truly admire …. my mother! 

I love you so much!"

I wanted to share this with you two because it's true .... I never understood what 'unconditional love' was until I had you two.  I'm so blessed to have you both and I hope you all realize that daddy and I would do anything for you all.  We will always be here for you two .... even when you all are old and grey .... we'll still be praying for you while in Heaven!  :-)  I can't express in words how much we care!

Sleep tight!

I love you both so very much!

~Mommy