Merry-Go-Round

Dearest Angels~

Guess what .... Grace, you slept last night!  Woo hoo!  You woke up at 6am.  Daddy changed your diaper and then I nursed you.  I was too tired and scared to put you down last night in your bassinet .... I thought you would immediately wake up.  So, I ended up holding you all night .... but you slept!  Yippie!  ;-)

 
You two had fun with Penny today while daddy and I were at work.  Grace, you had a huge blow out poopy diaper!  ;-)  You two went to the park and Joshua had fun on the merry-go-round.  Joshua, you also walked up one step without holding on to the rail!  And, you walked down several steps without holding on!  What a big boy you are!  ;-)  You all also had music time and block time.  :-)

This evening after dinner, daddy gave Grace her rice cereal.  Hummm, I think you ended up with most of it on your bib, but at least we're trying!  

Oh, Joshua, you did something cute this evening.  Daddy told you 'no' when you were about to do something wrong.  You walked backwards and slowly tapped your bottom/side while looking at daddy.  Perhaps you're starting to 'understand' what a spanking is?  When you do something you're not suppose to do, we some times give you a 'pop' on the bottom when saying 'no' .... maybe you're starting to associate the word 'no' to a 'pop' on the bottom.  :-P

I got some news today at work .... one of the other dentists gave her notice and will be leaving in three months.  The Community Health Center that I work for wants to try to replace her, but it will probably take some time.  So, the opportunity has come up if I wanted to increase my hours either short term or long term.  Daddy and I are still thinking and praying about it.  There are certainly pros and cons to the decision.  I miss you two dearly when I leave on wednesdays and thursdays, but if I picked up one more day short term, we may not have to cut the dental assistants' hours.  We don't have to make the decision right away, but the administration wants me to think about it and there's no pressure either way since they know I have you two at home.  I told them that it would depend entirely on Joshua's therapy appointments on whether it would even work out for our family.  So, we'll see what happens in the future.  If I took on one more day, even if just short term, I don't anticipate it happening until december since Dr. Allen will be leaving after Thanksgiving. 

Grace, you were wide awake late this evening .... it was 10pm and you were still playing.  You eventually fell asleep after I nursed you.

Tomorrow Penny will be here again.  I'll come home as fast as I can!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!

~Mommy

No More Fever

Dearest Blessings~

I woke up at 4:30am still holding little Grace.  I took her temperature and it went down to 98.4 degrees!  She still felt warm to me, so I gave her a little more tylenol, changed her diaper, and then nursed her.  She woke up crying at 7am, but she calmed down once I gave her a toy.  I nursed you, little lady, and then you fell asleep.  Joshua was still sleeping too, so we all 'slept in' a little since we didn't have a great evening with Grace's fever.  We were all tired.  I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open.  Once Joshua did wake up, we were really rushing to make it to his therapy appointments.  Grace wasn't warm by 9am, so I kept Joshua's appointments.  If she was still warm, I would have called to cancel.

Grace, you had a poopy diaper during Joshua's occupational therapy appointment with Mary Beth.  I changed you before we went into Kim's room for Joshua's food aversion appointment.  :-P  

Joshua, you did great today!  You ate a lot of apple sauce for Kim and I!  You also did well with your independent drinking with a little cup of water!  Kim also gave us more flash cards and we have one for goldfish crackers and one for hotdog!  Ha!  Mary Beth asked if you had gotten a hair cut.  I told her we tried to cut your hair when you fell asleep over the weekend!  :-)

Mary Beth did some therapy ball exercises with you .... we can do these at home too since we got a ball at Target over the weekend.  You climbed over the 'crash pillows' and explored the rice/bean bucket. 

This afternoon we got some things done around the house.  I vacuumed the play room and ran some laundry.  Joshua, I did your brush exercises, joint compressions, chewy tube work (this helps strengthen your jaw muscles), and we did your flash cards.  :-)

We went to Target late in the afternoon .... Joshua never took a nap!  I picked up some things to make a crock pot lasagna for friday's dinner.  My cousin Julia and her husband Geoff are coming into town and are going to stay with us that evening!  Woo hoo!  Joshua, we went to their wedding last year in Virginia.  Grace, they obviously haven't met you yet.  ;-)  So, friday morning we'll prepare the crock pot and clean the house.  They'll probably be here late in the afternoon.  Oh, Joshua, you ate a cookie while at Target.  ;-)

Once home, we made a potato puff casserole for dinner and I got a quick pump in for Grace.  I also tried Grace on some ricer cereal again, but we weren't as successful as yesterday.  :-P

We saw Uncle Brennan this evening.  He came over and visited for a while before his soccer game.  Joshua danced to some music and Grace almost sat up!  I forgot to mention, when we were playing earlier, it looked like Grace was trying to wave at me!  How precious!

Tomorrow I head back to work so Penny will be here.  I'll come home as fast as I can!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you two so very much!  :-)

~Mommy

Low Grade Fever

Dearest Miracles~

Grace, you were screaming when I put you down at midnight last night in your bassinet.  I ended up holding you all night as you slept.  You laid on my chest as I leaned back in the bed.  My back was really sore when I woke up.  I don't know how many more nights I can keep doing this.  I think I finally went to bed around 1am.  :-P

You woke up again at 5am.  I changed you and then nursed you.  I continued to hold you as you were finishing close to when daddy's work alarm went off.  I never went back to sleep so I listened and watched both you and Joshua sleep soundly. 

We didn't have a lot of time to play this morning.  We quickly got ready for Grace's 6 month check up at the pediatrician's office.

A medical student observed us today as Dr. Medero examined Grace.  Grace, this is the second time a medical student was shadowing and got to see you.  You had one at one of your very first visits too .... you still had your umbilical cord stump at the time!

You still have one crusty eye .... your left one.  We'll have Dr. Medero recheck it again at 9 months.  If it continues to be crusty, we'll probably need to have an eye MD look at it.  Perhaps you have a clogged tear duct?  

You got a few shots today and left the office with three bandaids.  You also had to drink a medication.  You did well with everything despite the shots.  :-)  Oh, and you pooped once we got into the exam room.  I had to quickly change you before we weighed you.  :-P  Here are your stats:

Weight:  15 lbs 2 ozs

Length: 26 inches

Head Circumference: 41.5 cm

Joshua, you got a little fussy during the appointment.  But, you calmed down once I gave you a boost in a sippy cup and some goldfish crackers.  Also, you ate almost half a hotdog for lunch today!  :-)

We had some playtime downstairs after lunch.  I put some music on and Grace crawled and rolled all around the living room.  Oh Grace, you crawled backwards for Dr. Medero when she put you on your belly on the exam table!  Joshua, you had fun stacking blocks.

Remember how we're refinancing our house?  Well, I had to quickly take you all to the bank to get a certified check for closing.  We then dropped it off at Frank's office.  Grace, this was the first time you've met him .... Joshua, you met him last year when we bought the house.  He went to school with daddy and I so we used him as our lawyer for the house.  He thought you two were cute.  ;-)

Since it was late and we had been out all afternoon, I picked up some chicken for dinner.  Joshua, I thought you would eat some nuggets, but you ate hotdog instead.  Oh well.

Grace, you had some rice cereal this evening.  Maybe it will help you sleep?  I made 1.5 tablespoons and you got at least half of it in your mouth!  Woo hoo!

This evening we had some thunderstorms with lightning, so we watched some old cartoons .... ones that daddy and I use to watch when we were little .... He-Man and She-Ra!  Ha!  I wonder if you'll know who these characters are when you read this.  ;-)

This evening Grace really scared me .... she spiked a low grade fever of 99 degrees and I frantically called Gigi in the middle of the night.  It didn't even occur to me that you would spike a fever with all the shots you had today sweet little thing!  I'm so sorry!  I was so worried and your head and legs were so warm!  I gave you some tylenol and you appeared content when I nursed you.  You cried if one of us put you down or if you weren't nursing.  I held you throughout the night and said a little prayer that your fever wouldn't go up later in the night.  We had been running around all day today .... I loaded and unloaded you all in the car so many times with the pediatrician office, bank, Frank's office, the house .... I should have just let you rest little lady.  I'll remember next time to let you two rest after the pediatrician's office.  

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Half Birthday

Dearest 'Spud' and 'Peanut'~

Ha!  Those were your nicknames when I was pregnant with you two!  How cute!

Happy Half Birthday to Grace!  Today you are 6 months old!  Woo hoo!  We made it to our goal with nursing.  I wanted to nurse you for at least 6 months.  Since we're still doing ok, I'll keep going.  We'll see how far we get.  Joshua was on full formula by 5.5 months old.  Today is also (Great) Aunt Pops's birthday!  We sent her a text message to wish her a happy birthday.  Hopefully we'll be able to see her soon.

Grace, you woke up crying from your bassinet at 1am this morning.  Daddy changed you and then I nursed and held you.  You woke up again at 5:30am crying.  I don't know why you're waking up crying now.  You haven't always done that.  You also didn't sleep in your bassinet all night.  I ended up holding you throughout the night and morning.  When you woke back up at 7am, I put you in the swing in the playroom.  I ate some cereal while sitting next to you.  Then, I nursed you on the couch.  I was so tired!  :-P

Joshua, you keep playing with Grace's Violet dog.  I guess you forgot that you have Scout to play with.  :-)  You ate some gerber crackers this morning and your biting is getting stronger.  Daddy did your brush exercises and joint compressions this morning.

We went out to eat for lunch to celebrate Grandpa Mike's 60th birthday.  His birthday was last weekend, but he was out of town.  We saw Grandpa Mike, Mimi, Aunt Katie, and Uncle Brennan.  We ate at a BBQ place .... Red, Hot, & Blue .... Joshua's been there before.  You two got passed around the table.  Grace, you had a huge poopy diaper while Mimi was holding you!  I changed your diaper and your outfit .... good thing I brought the bigger diaper bag.  ;-)

On the way home, we stopped at the Post Office to get some stamps from the machine.  We paid some bills this weekend and realized we had no stamps to mail them!  Oops!  :-) 

After lunch, Joshua napped.  He had fallen asleep in the car, so we placed him on some pillows in the living room and he continued sleeping.  I nursed Grace and then she played.  I put her in the swing and she was talking and talking! 

I pumped while Grace napped (she eventually fell asleep in the swing).  I helped Joshua go through his flash cards.  He won't see Kim tomorrow since Grace has a pediatrician appointment.  But, we needed to do our homework anyway.  ;-)

Everyone got baths this evening ....  you two have the cutest fluffy hair!  We got a balance ball at Target yesterday and daddy did some exercises on the ball with Joshua.  Of course, he likes to push the big ball all around the playroom too.  ;-)

Joshua, you stacked blocks with daddy today and got up to 9!  Whoa!  Almost double digits man!  Daddy played the guitar for you all as I took a shower.  Then, I let Grace play with my hair as she smiled.  Daddy read us stories before bedtime.

Tomorrow Grace has her 6 month check up bright and early!

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Hurricane Irene

Dearest Blessings~

Grace, you were up and at it at 4:50am this morning.  Daddy changed your diaper and I nursed you.  I listened to it rain outside.  The wind was howling too .... Hurricane Irene made landfall today on the coast.  It started as a tropical storm.  Then, it progressed to a Class III hurricane as it traveled and picked up strength.  By the time it touch land it was a Class I.  Our Wilmington relatives, (Great) Aunt Beth, Cousin Chris, and Cousin Stephanie, remained safe and kept their power.  God is good!  :-)

Oh my oh my .... Grace .... you had your first tumble this morning!  I put you down in the toddler bed (which is low to the ground) as daddy and I were brushing our teeth this morning.  I went to go brush Joshua's teeth and in a second, you had rolled off the bed!  You were fine .... you cried and daddy got you .... but you rolled so fast that we didn't see it coming.  That's the last time we'll try that!  I nursed you afterward and you were fine.

It was so windy today.  It rained too, but nothing too heavy.  Just a constant rain all day.  We had our power flicker on and off a few times in the morning.  Good thing we brought all the porch and deck chairs into the garage last night.  They would have blown everywhere!

We all did chores around house today and just stayed inside.  You two helped us with some of the chores.  Here's what we got accomplished today:

-straightened different rooms in the house

-folded laundry

-swept kitchen

-vacuumed living room

-vacuumed the play room

-started to go through you all's clothes .... we tried to see what still fit you all and what we need to get you two

Daddy and I trimmed some of Joshua's hair.  We waited until he had fallen asleep for a nap.  It isn't perfect, but at least it's not in his eyes anymore!

Joshua, you ate a good lunch for us!  You had lots of hotdog and goldfish.  You also had a pretty good dinner.  Daddy made some chicken, potatoes, and veggies.  Joshua, you ate some more hotdog and had some chicken!  Woo hoo!  Way to go little man!

We all watched the Disney movie 'Tangled' this afternoon.  Then, we all played this evening and daddy read to us before bedtime. 

The weather is suppose to be nice tomorrow, but hot.  I hope it's not too hot!  ;-)

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Storm's Coming

Dearest Miracles~

Well, little sweetie .... remember how you went to bed early last night?  You woke up at 3:20am.  I changed you really fast and then I nursed you.  You woke up smiling and happy.  It was so cute, so I couldn't get mad.  :-P  The boys snored next to us.  It was after 4am before we went back to sleep.  I just continued to hold you.

You two helped me sterilize the pump pieces and pack the diaper bag this morning.  Joshua, you ate some cheerios with me at breakfast.  Then, we had some dance time as the radio was on.

Joshua, we did your brush exercises, joint compressions, and chewy tube work.  Then, we worked on your flash cards.  UNC called me to reschedule your feeding evaluation.  They switched it a few days sooner and we don't have to go to Chapel Hill anymore .... they have a feeding team at Rex Hospital, so we can stay in Raleigh!  Woo hoo!

I tried to give you applesauce this morning, but you only ate one bite.  :-P  I hope you eat more later. 

We saw daddy at 11am.  We met up with him downtown to sign our refinance papers with the lawyers.  Now, we're locked into a fixed rate of 4.5% .... it has since then gone down though!  Poo!  But, 4.5% is still low!  ;-)  We ate lunch with daddy and I nursed Grace in the car before we left to make it back home with no crying.  :-)

We got to speak to Great Grandma on the phone this afternoon.  I hadn't spoken to her in awhile, so we were able to catch up.  I told her how you two were doing.  We're going to plan a day soon for everyone to see each other.  They miss you all and I'm sure you two want to see them again!  :-)

This afternoon we did some laundry, had music time, uploaded some photos, and then backed up the laptop.  Aunt Katie came by to visit for a little while.  She read Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes to Joshua on the couch as Grace noodled around on the floor scooting.  ;-) 

We saw some deer in the backyard this evening.  :-)  We hadn't seen them in a while.  After dinner, we made a quick trip to Target for groceries and supplies.  Hurricane Irene is coming late tonight and tomorrow morning.  It was getting windy as we were leaving the store.

I remembered to post the video of you two giggling!  This is so cute!  I love it so much!  It's from the other night before bedtime.  :-)

Grace, you fell asleep last night as I nursed you so I put you down in the bassinet.  Then, you woke up crying at 11pm!  I'll probably hold you all night to get some rest.  :-P

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both!

~Mommy

Toothbrush And Flouride

Dearest Miracles~

Little Grace .... you woke up screaming at 4:25am this morning.  :-P  Once I was done nursing you back to sleep, I just stayed awake because I had to go to work this morning.  I couldn't stop yawning once I got to work!  The day got busy though, so that helped it go by fast.  :-)

Joshua, you ate well for Penny again today!  Woo hoo!  And, Grace, you had a 'blow out' diaper this morning.  Your papasan chair cover is now in the wash.  :-P

I missed you two while I was at work today!  I miss you two every wednesday and thursday!  

Penny was impressed at Grace's scooting.  She said that you scooted yourself all over the floor this afternoon!  I bet you'll be sitting up soon and really crawling before we know it!  

This evening we all relaxed.  Grace, you fell asleep early, so we'll see how long you stay sleeping.  I have a feeling you'll wake up early in the morning.  Joshua, we used your new toothbrush this evening and I placed some flouride varnish against your teeth.  You didn't like it and you cried.  But, it'll make your teeth stronger!  

There's a hurricane coming along the east coast.  It's suppose to touch land by late tomorrow or early saturday.  I'm sure we'll make a quick trip to the store tomorrow to prepare ourselves.  

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so very much!

~Mommy

Scooting

Dearest Gifts~

At 5:20am I changed Grace as fast as I could .... I woke up in some pain, but she slept in her bassinet through the night, so I couldn't complain!  ;-)

Grace, you're definitely 'scooting crawling' right now!  You're getting stronger and stronger each day!  I'm so proud of you!  I have to keep a closer eye on you now that you're more mobile!  This is when the fun really starts .... two mobile kids!  Ha!  ;-)

Joshua, you ate a lot for Penny today!  Woo hoo!  Daddy ended up cooking some extra hotdogs this evening so you'd have more for tomorrow.  I ate some hotdog for my dinner too.  ;-)

Penny went to New York this past weekend and brought you all some gifts!  Joshua, you got a t-shirt and some different shaped blocks that you have to fit into a house.  Grace, you got some stacking cups.  We need to find all the stacking cups that Joshua has so you two can have two sets to play with.

I missed you two all day today while I was at work!  I gave you each kisses when I got home and then nursed Grace.  You gave me three big burps when you were finished!  :-)

You two giggled at each other this evening.  It was too cute!  I brought home a new toothbrush for Joshua and some flouride varnish.  I meant to bring it home earlier since our last application was over 6 months ago.  We'll give it to you tomorrow. 

We programmed Grace's stuffed animal 'Violet' this evening.  It's the girl version of Joshua's 'Scout' dog.  We have it programmed as 'milk' for your favorite food .... 'monkey' as your favorite animal .... and 'blue' as your favorite color.  We also updated Joshua's Scout to say he likes hotdogs and goldfish!  Ha! 

Grace, you fell asleep in your bassinet, but then woke up screaming at midnight.  I ended up holding you the rest of the night into the morning.   :-P

Tomorrow you all will see Penny again.  I know you all will have fun!

Sleep tight you two!

I love you two so very much!  :-)

~Mommy

Earthquake

Dearest Angels~

Well, little lady, I held you all last night and this morning.  Daddy ended up changing you at 5am and then I nursed you.  You were back up at 6:45am.  I 'nursed' you again, but I think you were just using me as a pacifier for the most part.  :-P

Joshua, you stacked blocks by yourself this morning and waved at daddy as he left for work!  It was so cute to see you wave!  You haven't done that in a while.  I also got a pump in this morning before we headed to Joshua's appointments.

I was so impressed with you at your appointments little man!  You ate puffs and green beans for Kim and I!   Woo hoo!  I gave her a list of things that we can make into flash cards for you for speech therapy.  I'll bring in a binder for next week.  Oh, and you did perfect independent drinking for us too!  You took several sips from a little cup!  :-)

You had fun, for the most part, with Mary Beth for occupational therapy.  You went on the big swing and the balance ball.  You also played in the rice and bean bucket.  She put out some pudding on a plate to see if you'd touch it .... but, nope!  You wanted nothing to do with that!  Must have been the texture.

Ugh, the cat peed on the plastic on the carpet in the study again.  I put him back out on the porch.  I moved him and his supplies out there after lunch.

Grace, you had huge poopy diaper on drive back home.  It got all over your outfit and car seat.  So, I ended up stripping the seat cover for the wash.  :-P

This afternoon we had some excitement!  We felt our very first earthquake .... yes, earthquake!  We were upstairs in the playroom.  I had just rocked Joshua to sleep and he was snoring on me (I had to sing to him as well to get him to sleep).  Grace, you were doing tummy time and playing on the floor. It was just before 2pm.  The whole room shook!  It was so weird!  Needless to say, Joshua slept through it and Grace played during it.   ;-)  But, it was certainly a first for all of us!  There was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Virginia, and we felt the tremor!

Once Joshua woke up, we spent some time outside.  I took you all for a 40 minute walk and then we played on the swings for about 20 minutes.  We then came back and stacked some blocks before daddy got home.

Joshua, you never cease to amaze me .... you ate a lot of hotdog for dinner .... over half of one!  We're going to have to make more if you eat this well for Penny tomorrow!

Daddy put some polish on the mandolin this evening since the sides got scraped.  It'll help protect the wood.   

I cut Grace's toe nails and finger nails this evening.  They get so sharp so fast!

Tomorrow's another work day, so Penny will be here!  I'll be home as fast as I can!

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both very much!

~Mommy

Picture Cards

Dearest Angels~

At 5:15am I changed you, Grace, quickly and then nursed you.  I heard the cat play in the plastic covering the carpet downstairs for a while (he came back in the house last night because of the storm).  I was just going back to sleep when daddy's alarm went off for work.  :-P
 

I went through Joshua's flash cards as I nursed Grace.  Joshua, you also ate a few cheerios with me.  You two helped me sweep the floors upstairs.  I didn't get to do the bathroom floors, but we got the bedrooms and hallway done.

UNC called me this morning!  I had to set up a medical record number with UNC for Joshua to become a patient there.  Once I did that, I was able to make an appointment with the Pediatric Speech Department.  The first available appointment was in september, just a few weeks away.  Joshua, you'll be evaluated with the speech pathologist first and then the feeding team (which has a GI specialist and a nutritionist).  It'll be a long appointment, about two hours, so daddy took off that day too to help and hear what they have to say.  I pray they can help you eat more.  On a positive note, you did eat a good amount of hotdog for me at lunch this afternoon! 
 

I played a little mandolin for you two.  I use the word 'played' lightly .... I mainly just noodled around on it.  I tried to tune it later in the evening but Joshua just wanted to smack it so I had to put it away.  It was weird going back to double strings .... I was use to the electric which doesn't have the double sets.  :-)

We saw Kim today for Joshua's speech therapy appointment.  He's still resisting the sign language and won't do any of the motions on his own (for either Kim or daddy and I).  We changed tactics today and tried using pictures instead.  He responded to that better.  Kim used a picture of bubbles to see if Joshua wanted to play with the bubbles.  He had to hand her the picture each time he wanted she to blow bubbles.  He did pretty well with that, so our homework is to make a list of things to make into picture flash cards for the house.  She also sent me home with a few to use.  We're going to continue to use the sign language too.

Once we got home I changed everyone and then nursed Grace.  I played with Joshua using his toy bus to see if he would imitate any noises.  He tried so that was fun.  :-)

I rocked Joshua to sleep at 3pm for a nap.  Yesterday he never took one and was crabby.  I didn't want that to happen again, so I did my best to get him down for a nap.  He fell asleep on me as Grace was playing in her swing.  :-) 

I made some eggs for dinner since Joshua ate some the other night.  He didn't want any today.  :-(  He did eat some goldfish though.

We played in the bonus room this evening.  We had some music playing as you two giggled around.  I had to hold Grace this evening though at bed time.  I have a feeling she won't sleep in her bassinet.  We'll see.  :-P

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Beautiful Day

Dearest Blessings~

Guess what today is .... today is Grandpa Mike's 60th birthday!  Daddy called him to wish him a happy birthday.  He and Mimi are in New Orleans to celebrate.  We'll celebrate with him when he's back in town.

And, guess what else happened .... Grace, you slept in your bassinet last night!  Woo hoo!  I didn't nurse you until 6:45am!  ;-)

You're starting to push around now.  It looks like the beginning of crawling.  You can definitely get yourself around with the rolling and pushing.  Sometimes I put you down in the middle of a blanket and in a flash you're off the blanket half way across the room with a toy.  ;-)

You two helped daddy and I with some chores this morning.  We straightened up the house, folded some laundry, organized some toys, and daddy even cleaned the shower.  Once those chores were done, I nursed Grace as Joshua stacked blocks with daddy.  Joshua, you stacked 6 blocks before they toppled over!  Good job little man!

Grace, I've noticed that your hair appears to be a little lighter.  I wonder if it'll get blonder or if you'll keep some of that strawberry tint to it.

We had a late morning walk.  We went up to the shopping center right outside our subdivision and then back home.  It was about 2 miles round trip.  It was such a beautiful day!  It's so hard to get out and enjoy the weather early in the day (before it gets hot) during the week because we travel mondays and tuesdays for therapy appointments, and wednesdays and thursdays I'm at work.  I hope I can get you all out more this fall.  Fall is such a beautiful season.  :-)

Once home, you all got changed into new diapers and outfits.  Then, we prepared a 'potato puff' casserole for dinner.  We tried sausage in it this time and it turned out pretty good!  Daddy also grilled a steak and some hotdogs for Joshua.

This afternoon we did some things around the house since it was warm outside (daddy was able to finish mowing the lawn earlier in the day after our walk while it was cooler ..... he couldn't finish the other day because the mower needed oil).  We did more laundry and vacuumed the stairs.  Joshua, I did your brush exercises, joint compressions, and chewy tube work.  I also managed to get two pump sessions in so Grace would have some fresh milk for wednesday.  :-)

Daddy made some homemade pumpkin bread after dinner.  I nursed Grace and Joshua stacked more blocks with daddy as the bread was baking.  Oh, Joshua, you have some really cute tan lines on your feet from your sandals.  ;-) 

Joshua, you ate pretty well this afternoon for lunch, but you were crabby at dinner .... mainly because you fought a nap all day long and never took one!  I ended up rocking with you on the couch and you fell asleep on me at 8pm!  I put you in your bed and you woke up at 10pm crying.  Once daddy picked you up and put you in our bed you were snoring in a few minutes.  :-P  Grace, you were also awake at that time since I was nursing you. 

It thunder stormed this evening, but it didn't last long.  We needed the rain, so I was hoping it would storm longer.  :-P

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Mandolin & BBQ

Dearest Precious Gifts~

I ended up holding Grace all night so I woke up with a pretty sore back.  You two were completely successful in not sleeping in your own beds last night and this morning.  :-P  Daddy ended up changing Grace and then I nursed her at 5:50am.  Once we were all awake for the day I took some motrin.  :-P

We spent almost the entire day out.  My car needed an inspection in order for me to renew the plates.  So, we dropped my car off by mid morning.  It also needed new tires (which we already knew).  However, we weren't expecting some of the other things (brake pads, flushing the radiator, etc).  It never ceases to amaze me how mechanics can always find something wrong with a vehicle.  

Anyway, since they had my car, you two got to ride in daddy's car!  Grace, this was your first time in his car.  And, it was my first time since February 28th .... when daddy took me to the hospital to have you!  We just take my car every time we have to go out since that's where you all have your car seats.  Plus, I take you around to therapy appointments during the week, so it's easier to leave the seats in there. 

Since we were out, we ran some errands.  The car place was near downtown, so we stopped at a good BBQ place for lunch.  It's called 'Cooper's' and Joshua's been there before .... this was Grace's first visit.  Yummm .... BBQ!  Joshua, you had some hush puppies and french fries.  You also drank a boost.  

Right after we ate, we stopped at 'Harry's Guitar Shop' since they had one of my mandolins.  Again, Joshua, you've been here before.  Grace, this was your first time.  ;-)  Anyway, one of my mandolins had the wood separating against the back.  I bought the mandolin used, years ago, so it wouldn't have been the end of the world if it wasn't repairable .... but it was the first mandolin I ever bought, so it has some sentimental value.  It's an Eastman acoustic F-scroll with an oval sound hole .... so it's pretty too.  ;-)  

The repair man at Harry's had the mandolin for a while now trying to bend the wood back into shape and then sealing it.  He got it pretty darn close!  Some of the finish was chipped off because of the clamps he had to use, but it's together and in tune.  So, we'll see how long it lasts.  :-)

By this time it was 'nap time' for Joshua.  We weren't far from Gigi's, so we stopped at her house to see if He would go down for a nap.  Also, I needed to nurse Grace.  Joshua, you never napped, but you enjoyed seeing Uncle James's new fish.  

Grandpa Jim took Joshua out for a walk around the neighborhood.  I went with you two to visit and get some exercise myself.  We only walked about a half mile, but it was a lot for a 22 month old!  You were sweating and red when we got back little man!  You drank some milk and then Gigi gave you a nice bath (I always care a spare outfit for you two!).  ;-) 

Grace, you were so cute when Grandpa Jim came in to see you.  He waved at you and you slowly moved your hand around like you were trying to wave back!  Also, he still calls you 'Peanut' which is so cute! 

We had breakfast foods for dinner and Joshua ate a good amount of egg with us!  Woo hoo!  Lets continue to get some protein in you!  ;-)  After dinner we relaxed in the playroom.  Daddy had some music on and updated our home budget.  I did Joshua's brush exercises, joint compressions, and chew tube workout.  :-)

Grace, you also had a bath this evening .... so we got to see your fluffy hair again!  I nursed you right after and played with Joshua on an ABC toy.  Oh, I forgot to tell you, daddy clipped your nails the other night little man.  Your nails get sharp fast!  And, Grace, I don't think I ever told you, but you  sleep with your hands behind your head like you're on a hammock relaxing.  It's too cute!  ;-)

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both so very much!  :-)

~Mommy

Dancing

Dearest Precious Gifts~

I got up at 6:15am and changed Grace really fast so that I could nurse her.  She slept all night, so I woke up in a little pain.  :-P  Later in the morning, you had a HUGE poopy diaper!  It was everywhere .... your clothes .... your papasan chair .... the blanket on the carpet .... wow little lady!  Needless to say, I stripped everything down to clean.  :-P

You two helped me do a lot of chores this morning.  This is what we got accomplished:
-the dishes
-steam sterilized the pump pieces
-a few loads of laundry

-vacuumed the living room
-swept and vacuumed the kitchen

-vacuumed the play room

We got to relax and play in the bonus room once the chores were done.  We finished everything .... plus our normal daily routines of feedings, diapers, and brushing teeth .... by noon.  Woo hoo!  Go us!  I put some music on the play room and I did Joshua's brush exercises, joint compressions, and chewy tube work.  Grace, you were napping.  Once you woke up, I nursed you and then I went through an ABC toy with Joshua.

I have some aggravating news .... the cat has now peed in the study on the plastic that we have covering the carpet.  Ugh!  There's a puddle of pee in there.  I don't know how much longer I can take this.  We banished the cat back to the screened in porch, but to be honest, I don't know how long I can continue to compromise on this.  We have literally 'tried everything' to this point and have spend so much money on vet visits, special litter, new litter box, sprays and cleaners .... I don't want this cat in the house any more.  I feel he should go some where else where someone can give him daily personalized attention.  He doesn't get that here since it's so busy with four people living in the house .... two of which are less than 2 years old.  This isn't a good environment for him.

Daddy worked a half day today, so he was home by lunch.  We all ate lunch together and then he and Joshua stacked blocks as I nursed Grace.

We went to Target this afternoon for our weekly grocery trip since we'll be too busy tomorrow.  My car needs an inspection and tires, so we'll be occupied with that tomorrow.  We picked up some extra groceries for a Girl Scout in our neighborhood.  She's collecting food for children who don't have enough food at home.  It's called the 'backpack program' where the child takes home a backpack of food on a friday to help their family through the weekend.  They bring the backpack to school on monday to trade off to another child the next weekend.  What a great idea!  We wrote a note on our grocery bag to thank the Girl Scout for helping other families.  :-)
 

We then relaxed this afternoon before dinner.  It was raining by 6pm, but it was a very quick sprinkle.  Uncle Brennan and Aunt Katie came over for dinner.  They brought over a pizza and Joshua even ate a bite of the crust.  We had a CD on and Aunt Katie got Joshua to dance a lot for us!  It was so funny and cute! 

Daddy read some Bible stories to us this evening as I nursed Grace.  Joshua, you cried in your toddler bed and Grace, you cried if I put you down in your bassinet.  I had to continue to hold you.  Hummm .... I wonder if this will be a long night.  :-P

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Cherish

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

My goodness, this morning and last evening was a complete switch from yesterday!  My work alarm went off this morning and Grace was still sleeping in her bassinet!  Whoa!  I ended up waking her on purpose by changing her diaper really fast.  It was either going to have to pump in another room or nurse her, and I would much rather nurse her!  

Joshua, when Penny came today I made sure you said you were sorry.  Remember how you threw a toy and hit her yesterday?  I hope you play better today.  :-P

You two had fun today!  Penny had music on for play time.  You also had art time and stacked some blocks.  Joshua, you had some marker on your arm when I got home from work.  ;-)

Speaking of getting home from work .... I was able to sneak out a little early and be home by 6:30pm this evening!  Woo hoo!  Daddy made a pizza dinner for us and it was good!

Joshua, you're starting to practice going down the stairs like a big boy and not crawling down backward.  We help you by holding your hands.  :-)

I was thinking today as I was nursing Grace this evening and watching Joshua play .... not a day has gone by that I haven't seen you two since you've been born .... even through all the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) days and C-section with Grace .... I've been with you two since the day you were born.  No one else can say that .... I love and cherish you two so much .... as does daddy!  We are so blessed to have you two in our lives!  

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you very much!

~Mommy

Kisses

Dearest Miracles~

Grace, you went down in your bassinet at 11:30pm last night.  Then, the cat woke everyone up an hour later!  Ugh!  I was nursing you back to sleep at 12:30am this morning.  The cat is so annoying!  We stayed up close to 1:15am and then I just continued to hold you.  I was back nursing you at 5:15am.  I don't think I got any sleep and stayed pretty tired at work.  :-P

You two had fun with Penny.  You all walked up to the park and had play time.  There was a 'beautiful black and white cocker spaniel' at the park that you two played with.  :-)  Joshua, you got in trouble today though .... you threw a hard toy and hit Penny on the shin!  Ouch!  You know you're not suppose to throw toys!  Tomorrow you're going to have to say 'sorry' to her. 

I had some excitement at work today.  A man came yesterday as a 'walk in' appointment and threatened one of our other medical sites (the one in Apex).  The police were called to file an incident.  As I was driving into work this morning, one of the other dentists called me to tell me that the man was back and that I should come in the back door and that the police had been called!  Yikes!  In case I haven't told you all before, I work in a Community Health Center .... so we see a lot of 'interesting' patients .... and this was not the first time the police was involved.  :-P  The man eventually left with the police officers, but it was certainly not the way I wanted to start my day.

Also, on a sad note, I saw a little boy this afternoon with two abscesses on the lower right.  I ended up extracted two primary molars (teeth #S and #T) on him to get the infection out and placed him on antibiotics.  He's only five years old and I felt so bad for him since he was in pain.  I pray you all stay healthy.  I thanked God for you two once I finished the appointment.

Grace, you're playing with your feet a lot more now and your tongue.  It's really cute!  As I was nursing Grace this evening, Joshua came by and gave her 5 kisses in a row .... before he 'playfully' hit her head.  :-P  I got an adorable video of you two playing and giggling on the bed this evening.  Joshua, you were giving Grace more kisses!  I will cherish this video when you two are older!

Tomorrow's another workday, but I'll come home as fast as I can!  

Sleep tight you two!

I love you so very much!

~Mommy

Open Cup

Dearest Gifts~

You two must be having some trouble sleeping recently.  Joshua, you got up from your toddler bed at 11pm crying last night.  Grace, you woke up at 12:50am this morning.  Daddy changed you and then I nursed you back to sleep.  I held you for a long time and then placed you back in the bassinet around 4am.

This cat was so annoying this morning.  He ran around the room and played with the blinds at 6am.  I was trying to go back to sleep at that time.  I ended up getting back up and nursing Grace at 6:20am.  I would much rather prefer the cat stay out on the screened in porch.  There's really no reason why he has to be in the house.

Grace, you almost sat up today!  I looked over and you were propped half way up!  Wow!  I wonder when you'll sit by yourself.  

Joshua, we back pedaled to a dry spoon for your food aversion appointment with Kim.  Mary Beth was out of town, so we didn't have your OT appointment.  I'll keep waiting for UNC to call me (I don't have their number).  But, you did something for the first time today .... you drank independently from an open cup with no spilling!  You did it several times and took several sips each time!  Kim and I were so impressed!  Woo hoo!  I've never seen you do that before!

We played a lot today.  It feels so nice under our new fan.  Joshua, you took a nap at a reasonable time this afternoon (you've been off recently and napping later or not napping at all).  You fell asleep around 1:45pm.  I even got to rest for 45 minutes until Grace woke up from her nap!  Once she woke, I nursed her as Joshua continued to nap.

We did your brush exercises, joint compressions, and worked on the chewy tube once you woke up little man.  And, you made some 'car noises' for me as we were playing together with your bus!  You tried to imitate my 'brrrrooom!'  :-) 

I took you two to the park later this afternoon.  There were people using the swings when we got there, so I just kept walking with you two in the stroller.  I walked for almost an hour around the neighborhood.  I got my exercise!  ;-)

Daddy got a haircut after work and was pulling in as we were walking up the driveway.  It looks good!  He mowed the lawn after we all had dinner together.  The three of us were in the bonus room while daddy mowed lawn.  When Joshua heard daddy start the mower, he looked out the window.  I said 'there's the lawn mower' to him.  Joshua ran to his toy lawn mower and picked it up!  I cheered and laughed since it was so cute!  Then he looked out the window again and back at his mower.  It was so adorable!

We all played a lot this evening.  You two have the cutest giggles.  Joshua, you're getting better at playing 'wheelbarrow' .... which is one of our OT exercises.  You can take a few 'steps' with your hands as we hold your legs up.

Tomorrow I head back to work so Penny will be here.  I'll come home as fast as I can!

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Imitating Noises

Dearest Blessings~

I woke up at 3:15am this morning and tried to change Grace as fast as I could so I could nurse her.  It was after 4am when you were done, so I just held you at that point.  My back was really sore though when I woke up later.  :-P

This morning we did some chores around the house.  I baked some potatoes for the week, did a quick pump so Grace would have mommy milk for wednesday, and did some laundry.

Joshua, you sure love books!  I went through a book with you as I nursed Grace in the playroom.  Then, we read some Bible stories together .... one was about little children listening to Jesus and being blessed by him.  :-)

Oh, Grace, you've found your tongue.  You love to play with it and make noises with it.  It's so cute!  I popped a CD on in the playroom and we had a lot of fun together.  You two both giggled at each other!  I played with Grace's feet and flipped Joshua all around.  I took a video of you two playing.

Therapy went well today .... it was better than last week.  Today we had speech therapy with Kim.  Joshua, you didn't resist the movements to the sign language as much.  You're not signing independently, so I have to move your arms and hands, not you didn't fight it when someone touched you during the appointment.  Last week you pulled away every time.  Also, you attempted to make a 'car noise' for Kim when we played with a bus!  You're imitating sounds now!  Yippie!  You're making some progress, which is great!  Kim gave us some homework.  We have some flash cards of 'actions' to go through.  They're pictures of people doing things like: eating, drinking, running, brushing, etc.  You correctly identified half of the cards she put in front of you today, which she thought was great.  :-)

I had to change you both when we got home .... diapers and outfits .... just because it was so hot.  This afternoon, I put more CD's on and read more books to Joshua.  Grace played on the floor and rolled all around.  I folded some laundry.  I tried to get Joshua to take a nap, but he resisted. 

I ended up rocking Joshua to sleep a little before 4pm.  Grace was napping so I took advantage of my time holding him!  I cherished the moment and listened to him breathe while sleeping on me.  We stayed that way for about 20 minutes and then Grace woke up.  I put him on a pillow to continue napping and I nursed Grace and read.

Joshua, you ate some pasta for dinner .... it was some of the lasagna from yesterday!  Woo hoo!  I was so happy! 

We all walked to the park after dinner.  It was such a beautiful evening to spend with you all together outside as a family!  I took some pictures of you two.  Joshua, you ran around the grass and went on the swing.  Grace, I took you out of the stroller and walked around with you.  :-)  Afterward, we relaxed in the play room.  :-)

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both so much!  :-)

~Mommy

So Blessed

Dearest Miracles~

Wow!  You kids never cease to amaze me!  I woke up this morning in some pain.  I looked over and Grace was still sleeping.  So, I got up and pumped in the play room.  Grace, I didn't nurse you until 8:30am this morning!  Whoa!  The milk I pumped I put in the fridge for wednesday.  I heard you noodle around in your bassinet throughout the evening, so I kept checking on you, but you never woke up.  Joshua, you woke up from your toddler bed around 12:45am this morning and then noodled into our bed.

This morning you two helped me prepare the crock pot.  We made a lasagna with little pasta pieces.  It turned out pretty good, so I wrote down that recipe.  We're on our way to making our own family cookbook.  ;-)

Grace, you're rolling all around now.  You had a huge poopy diaper this morning.  I was expecting it since you didn't poop yesterday.  Joshua, daddy helped you go through your ABC book this morning as I was finishing the crock pot.

We had some company for lunch, but before they came over, I nursed Grace and watched Joshua play.  I couldn't help but thank God for you two.  You all are so precious.  I sat there amazed at how blessed I am to have you both.  As Joshua played and Grace ate, I thanked God for you both!

Mimi and Grandpa Mike came over for lunch.  They brought over some turkey and potatoes.  Joshua, you didn't eat much.  You all visited with them for a few hours.  I vacuumed and swept the downstairs once people were done at the table.  I didn't get a chance to do that yesterday, so I took the opportunity while you two were occupied.

Plus, to be honest, I didn't need to be around your Mimi.  Her comments about you two and my brother were so uncalled for and hurtful.  It still stings that she would 'diagnose' her grandchildren with needless and absurd 'conditions' (colic, autism, comments about having you 'checked out' and comments concerning your therapies).  And, when asked about why she would even think something so hurtful, she said 'Well .... you know .... James .... lets be honest' (this is a verbatim quote diagnosing your uncle as autistic!).  Obviously talking about my brother.  She has no right to say something so painful about someone's family.  I honestly don't know what her problem is and she clearly has some sort of mental problem herself if she truly feels this way.  Who would say something so damaging about their own grandchildren?

Precious children .... God made you just the way you are .... perfect in His eyes and mine!  I love you two unconditionally and I will not let anyone speak ill about you two!  If she feels this way, and wishes to express it, then I honestly do not need to be in the room to take such verbal abuse.  I pray that by the time you all read this, she would have expressed some sort of an apology for her words.  And, I'm not the only person who feels this way .... others know and have heard her harmful comments.

Grace, I tried to weigh you this afternoon.  The scale said you were 14.5 lbs.  You go back to the pediatrician later in the month for your 6 month check up so we'll see how accurate that is.  I can't believe you'll be 6 months in a few weeks!  

Later in the afternoon I put some music on downstairs and we danced a little and I sang.  Since Joshua never took a nap, I packed you two up and we went to the park.  Joshua played in the swing and ran around in the grass with daddy.  Grace, you stayed in the stroller.  :-P  I took some more pictures of you all.

This evening Joshua couldn't fight his sleepiness any longer .... Joshua, you fought a nap all day and never took one.  At dinner, you were so crabby.  Once we gave you a sippy cup of milk, you fell asleep while drinking it on the kitchen table!  We took a picture of you!  It was so funny!  You slept for a little over an hour once daddy put you on a pillow.

This evening we did some laundry and played in the bonus room.  We had the Disney movie 'Aladdin' on.  I uploaded some photos of you all and then backed up my computer.  :-)

Joshua, you pulled my hair late this evening as I was nursing Grace.  Daddy gave you a pop on the bottom and you cried.  You need to learn not to pull people's hair.  I sang to you and you slowly calmed down for bed.  We all eventually fell asleep with thunderstorms starting outside our window.  

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both so very much!

~Mommy 

Player Piano

Dearest Precious Children~

It's very hard to keep my eyes open at 2:20am.  :-P  But, I managed to do so as I stayed up to nurse Grace.  I changed you quickly in the nursery and then fed you as the boys were sleeping.  It was after 3am before you were finished.  I held you afterward so I could get some 'rest' even though you were squirmy as you slept.  You woke again at 6:15am and I nursed you a second time.  At that point I just stayed awake.

Daddy made some pancakes for breakfast and Joshua ate a little bit of one.  He also ate some cheerios.  :-)  Everyone had a nice bath this morning after breakfast and then daddy tried to cut Joshua's hair.  He at least got the back part cut so it wouldn't be long against his neck.  It's too hot to have long hair.  :-P  Joshua, you did not want to stay still, but daddy did the best that he could.  We may have to wait until you're sleeping before we attempt the front.  Joshua, I did your brush exercises and joint compressions this morning as well.  :-)

We had a road trip today.  We were invited to (Great) Uncle David's house in Hillsborough for lunch.  Your Great Grandfather from Tennessee was in town.  The last time he and Rosemary were in town, they got to see Grace but not Joshua.  The last time they had seen Joshua he was still crawling around!  Now, you run all over the place!  ;-)

It stormed as we were driving up there, but we still made it by 12:30pm.  Gigi, Uncle James, (Great) Uncle Laurence and (Great) Aunt Marti, cousins Erik and Mia, and Kevin were there too.  They were all happy to see you both.  There was lots of food and everything was so good!  ;-)

We saw some wild turkey as we were driving up to his house.  We also saw some deer in the back yard and some humming birds near his house!  Humming birds are so cool!  Daddy said he's seen a few at our house, but I haven't seen any.  We may have to get a feeder if we have them here!

We had some fun with (Great) Uncle David's player piano.  We sang a few songs together, though we're not that great at singing.  ;-)  The important thing was that we were having fun together and enjoying each others company.  Nobody cared whether we were in tune .... we were just having fun!  ;-)

Now, your Gigi can actually play the piano.  In fact, she and your Great Grandfather are probably the most truly musical people I've ever met.  They can hear a song and pick up an instrument and just start playing it.  They don't even need the music in front of them.  Your Great Grandfather can play just about any stringed instrument out there.  Gigi also plays percussion instruments, like when she plays at church.  Gigi was a music teacher for many years.  I pray that you two grow up with a love of music.  Daddy and I love music as well.  :-)

We got home by 5pm and I nursed Grace as Joshua had something to eat with daddy.  An hour later we headed back out to Target for some groceries.  We were all out of stuff .... milk, wipes, diapers .... you name it.  :-P  Daddy had to put air in my tires while we were out.  I think I have a slow leak in one and I just need new ones.  My car is due for its inspection, so I might just get new tires at the same time.

You two played this evening and daddy read us more Bible stories before bed.  Tomorrow is suppose to be nice, so hopefully we can go to the park to get some fresh air.  

Sleep tight you two!

I love you so much!  :-)

~Mommy

Rolling Rolling Rolling

Dearest Blessings~

Hummm .... Joshua, you only made it until 11pm in your toddler bed.  I wonder why you don't like to sleep by yourself.  Your bed is right next to ours, so you're not far.  Grace, I put you down after 10pm last night in your bassinet.  You stayed sleeping and didn't wake up until 6:40am!  Whoa!  The cat, however, meowed and meowed all night.  I'm such a light sleeper so to say that the meowing was annoying is an understatement.  :-P  It was hard to get some sleep.  Plus, he pooped back in the study on the plastic that we have covering the carpet.  That cat better shape up or he'll find himself back on the porch.  :-P

I took Grace downstairs this morning after I nursed her so I could eat something and unload the dish washer.   I steamed sterilized the pump pieces and straightened some things in the kitchen.  As I was doing this, I looked over and Grace had rolled from her back to her belly!  I've never seen her so that before!  I brought the pump pieces back upstairs and checked on Joshua (who was still sleeping). I came back down and Grace had rolled from her belly to her back again!  I then brought her back upstairs to start some laundry and brush my teeth (Joshua continued the sleep) and she rolled from her back to her belly again!

Once Joshua awoke, he took a sippy cup and I told him about his sister.  It's official .... she can roll all around now.  ;-)  Apparently, Grace did some of this last night for daddy while I was at my meeting!  He said she kept twirling all around!

As the laundry was going, I vacuumed the bonus room and had some music on for you two.  Grace fell asleep in her swing so I played with Joshua. I did his brush exercises and joint compressions.

For lunch, Joshua ate two pieces of hotdog and a lot of gold fish and a boost.  I vacuumed the living room as he ate and tried to get a video of Grace rolling from her back to her belly.   She didn't do it for the camera but she did it a lot today.  We also had lots of music time while downstairs.

Oh, we have Joshua in a booster seat now at the kitchen table and not the high chair.  The high chair is falling apart so we'll need to get a new one for Grace.  This high chair was already used from (Great) Aunt Allyson, so it's been through a lot.

I took you both to the park after lunch.  Grace napped and Joshua went on the swing and played in the sandbox.  He got sand everywhere!  I took more pictures of you both.  Daddy worked a half day and met us at park.  He walked back home with us.  Everyone was hot when we got back home, so we all had a fresh cold drink.

This afternoon was relaxing.  Grace, you have such a cute gummy smile!  Your eyes are still blue, so I wonder if they'll stay that way like Joshua.  You're over 5 months old, so I'm thinking they may stay blue.  And, I don't know if I've told you this before or not, but you're such a smiley baby!  I love your smiles!  Joshua, you giggled a lot this afternoon while playing with daddy.  Oh, and you love Grace's little squeaky giraffe toy!  I may just have to get a second one!  ;-)

I had to rock Joshua to sleep since he fought nap time.  He fell asleep at 4pm and woke up crying at 5pm from his toddler bed.  Daddy and I went in to calm him several times and then waited to see if he would adjust to the bed.  You cried for at least 45 minutes before we got you out, even though you could have gotten up yourself.  For some reason you just stayed on your back staring at the ceiling crying.  Grace was napping in her swing so I cut her nails.  

Daddy took down the old fan in the play room while Joshua was napping.  The old fan was 52" (at most) for this huge room.  This new fan is 70"!  We ran into some problems with putting up the new fan since we needed different screws to fit the existing electrical box.  But, it's up now and it looks and feels nice!  It took several hours to complete the project, but was worth it!  We relaxed under it before going to bed.

Tomorrow we're going on a road trip!  Your Great-Grandfather from Tennessee will be in town, so we're all gathering at (Great) Uncle David's house to visit.  He got to see Grace the last time he was in town, but not Joshua.  We'll head over there for lunch.  

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both!  :-)

~Mommy

Long Day

Dearest Precious Children~

Oh my goodness .... we got no sleep last night.  Someone decided she wanted to be held all night and not sleep in her bassinet.  Yeah, I'm looking at you Grace!  :-P  You cried every time I put you down.  So, I held you in my arms as I leaned back in the bed to 'sleep'.  You squirmed and wiggled as you slept, so I didn't sleep well at all.  I was so exhausted going into work this morning, but holding and kissing you both before I left made it worth it!  I miss you both so much when I leave on wednesdays and thursdays! 

Grace, you had a 'blow out' poopy diaper today!  I was hoping you would have one since you didn't poop for me all day yesterday.  You got it all over your outfit and papasan chair!  Daddy rinsed everything so I'll run your laundry tomorrow.  I got home late so I didn't run it today.

Penny walked you two to the park again today.  You all apparently met a little friend named Cooper.  Grace, you took a nap.  ;-)

Our pediatrician's office left a message on my phone today.  They sent a referral to UNC for the 'feeding team' to take a look at Joshua.  I hope we can get him in soon.  I pray his eating gets better. 

I had a late quarterly Providers Meeting after work.  Every three months all the doctors from all the sites at Wake Health Services, Inc (where I work) get together for an organizational update.  I sat next to the CEO.  I was on maternity leave for the last meeting, so the CEO 'welcomed' me back in front of the group.  :-)  The meeting lasted until 8:20pm since it ran late.  I didn't get home until almost 9pm!  Yikes!  Daddy had plenty of mommy milk for Grace.  In fact, there was about 11 ounces still in the fridge when I got home, plus what I had pumped at work today.

I kissed you all when I got home!   Daddy read to us in bed as I nursed Grace.  Tomorrow daddy's only working a half day, so we'll be able to spend more time together as a family!  

Sleep tight you two!

I love you both!

~Mommy