Alive and kicking

Hello, friends. Just wanted to let you all know that we're alive and kicking! We are staying busy and LOVING each other! This is your official notice that the blog is going to be shut down for a while. You'll still be able to access it, of course, but I will no longer be posting. At least until further notice. Also, I've taken Facebook off my iPhone. That thing takes up WAY too much time. My Facebook postings will only be occasional from now on. It is freeing to me to "cut" some of my technology ties and just really focus on what is real and present in my life. Maybe I'll go back to blogging someday, but maybe I won't. I'll still enjoy reading your blogs on occasion! And I'll leave you with two recent pictures of the three reasons I've decided to focus more time on the here and now...

6 months2 1/2 years old

Mother's Day 2010

The Swagger Wagon

As a minivan Sienna owner this one hits home.

What you see........

What you see is me wearing cute, spring dresses to work.

What you don’t see is me trying on all of my dress pants to find that none of them fit and knowing there is truly no time for me to do anything about it right now.

What you see is a precious, curly-headed two-year old who is as sharp as a tack.

What you don’t see is her throwing another tantrum or me losing my patience with her for failing to remember her potty again! You don’t see my sadness when she says, “Mommy, I want to hold you!” and I can’t hold her because one of her brothers is screaming.

What you see are twin boys who are as cute as can be and growing every day!

What you don’t see is me falling asleep as I’m feeding one of them in the middle of the night. And me truly praying for the day when they will both sleep all night! You don’t see my worry that they don’t know how much I love and care for them.

What you see is an organized household.

What you don’t see is the tremendous help I get from my husband, my mom and dad, my mother and father-in-law, and other family members. You also don’t see the things I have to “let go”.

What you see is a mom and a wife who “has it all together”.

What you don’t see are the tears of worry and stress. You don’t hear the countless pep talks I give myself and others give me. You don’t see the offense I run to stay one step ahead of the next dilemma, problem or issue. You don’t (yet) see the gray hairs that have started sprouting on my crown.

If you look really closely at my life and my family, you will see a woman (who still can’t believe she’s old enough to be married and have three children) trying her VERY best day in and day out to be a high-quality person, wife, mom and friend. If you listen really closely, you will hear me asking God multiple times a day to bless me in those endeavors.

Brothers!!

My heart on the couch...

Two Easter Pics...

This first picture is our family of 5 dressed and ready to go to church on Easter Sunday morning. This was the boys' first trip to church, and they did great! Reid was awake for most of the service while Chase mostly slept. R held Chase and I held Reid. At one point, C wanted to be held too, so while standing and singing, I held them BOTH! Whew! Arm workout! And just a bit of advice for folks...When you see a tired looking mommy and daddy with many small children, don't say, "Gosh, you've got your hands full!" or "Bless your heart!" Say something more encouraging like, "What a beautiful family!" or "God has truly blessed you!" Thanks!

This picture CRACKS me up (pun totally intended!) While hunting eggs this afternoon, C couldn't keep her pants up! I snapped the picture just in time to catch a glimpse of the Minnie Mouse undies! He he! Such a cutie!

Nap mat!

Big Sister C is starting preschool on April 6th! The kids take a nap in the afternoon, so she needed a nap mat. I looked online and found MANY that were over $100! The bedding on her real bed at home didn't cost that much, so I wasn't about to spend that much on a nap mat! Seriously! SO I did some looking on Etsy.com and found a nap mat that was much more affordable BUT it was in a zebra print that wasn't really our style. I wanted something a little more classic that will last us a couple of years. I sent a message to the seller to see if she'd be interested in doing a custom nap mat for us. She sent me a message back almost immediately and was really awesome to work with. I told her what I was looking for and here is what she came up with for us...

Needless to say, C LOVES it and thinks she has to nap on it every day when she is at home. It is super-soft, classic and machine washable. AND it didn't break the bank!

Check out the Etsy shop here!

Announcement

I mailed the boys' birth announcement last Monday, so I think they've had time to reach their destinations. Angela @ Paisley Prints did an awesome job with them and was super easy to work with!!

Today was a hard day. Not complaining. Just documenting. I had all three children at home all day by myself. That in and of itself isn't a HUGE deal. BUT Chase had an insatiable hunger all day and was only content when he was being held. And Big Sister C is potty training and needs lots of monitoring and reminders to avoid accidents. And when I'm not looking, the dogs drink out of her little potty. SICK! And Big Sister C is also TWO. And she acts like it at inopportune moments throughout the day. Reid was a good boy today and was easy-going for the most part. It didn't help things that I was up with the boys from 4:00-5:45 this morning and then up with C at 7. So in reality, I got up at 4 and never really got good and back to sleep. There was no rest for the weary today. Thankfully, Daddy came home at lunch to check on us. He held Chase while I fixed lunch for me and C. He gave me a pep talk, a hug and some reassurance. I am thankful for his support.

I am thankful for my kids. I still can't believe I have 3! I just wish it wasn't so hard to care for them. It wouldn't be so hard, but I'm a perfectionist. Mom reminded me that me on a bad day is better than some folks on a good day. I just want to do a good job. I want everyone to have their needs met, and with three little ones depending on ME and only ME it is just hard. I wish I didn't get stressed or tired. I wish this was super-easy. But it isn't.

SO I made it through the day. R is home now and has given me a break. We had a non-healthy dinner. Just add it to the list of reasons I won't get the mom of the year award!

Here are a few pics of my little sweeties. C is a snow-bunny in our backyard a week ago. The pics of the boys were taken by me and sweet Lauren during an impromptu photo shoot last week. These are two that I didn't use on their birth announcement but are really cute anyway.

Two Videos

Video #1
Several weeks ago on American Idol, a gentleman did a song called "Pants on the Ground"! It was an instant hit at our house. His version says, "Pants on the ground! Pants on the ground! Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground!"

Ryan changed the words to be a bit more appropriate for our toddler and here is her version! She sings it ALL the time now!




Video #2
And here is a quick video of R&C playing and listening to music! They have been more alert lately and wide-eyed! LOVE these little guys!!

One Month Old!

In honor of my boys turning one month old today, I thought I'd post their birth story and birth-day pictures!

January 14, 2010

Ryan and I arrived at the hospital at our appointed time—5:30 a.m. on Thursday morning. We had gotten up at about 4:15 to get ready for our big day. I don’t think either one of us slept great, but we were thankful for the sleep we did get.

Here’s my final belly photo before we left for the hospital.

Check-in at the hospital was fast and easy. The nurse immediately led us to the recovery room where I would be prepped for surgery. They had new gowns this time (very fashionable!) and it was there that we waited. One nurse came in and tried to start my IV twice. She blew two veins. I got really sick feeling because it hurt so bad for her to be digging around in both of my arms with a needle. They got me a cold washcloth, told me to take deep breaths, and laid me down to try and get some color back in me. Ryan said (after the fact, of course) that I looked just awful. Thankfully another nurse was successful on the third try and they got the IV started and fluids cranking! I had to answer the usual barrage of questions that made me laugh! I guess they have to ask them! They put two drugs in my IV to help with nausea after the delivery, and I had to drink some icky-sour stuff to take care of anything that was left in my tummy. The nurse told me to do it just like a shot. I told her I’d never done a shot, so that advice was kind of lost on me! Ryan gave me a little coaching and I threw it back.

The anesthesiologist came in and introduced himself and went over all the necessary paperwork and procedures. I don’t remember his name, but he was AWESOME! Seriously. He put me completely at ease and made me feel good about what was coming!

My mom, dad, brother and sister-in-law all got to come back and say hello before everything commenced. Everyone was smiling and just beyond excited!

One of the big blessings of the day came in the form of the nurses. There was one nurse assigned to me and then one nurse for each of the boys. My nurse was named Lori and she was so encouraging. I needed to feel good about my nurse after the incident with the IV earlier in the morning. Lori came on duty fresh at 7 a.m. and was awesome! A sweet and special friend (not to mention one of the nicest people I know) was there to be the nurse for Chase! Mimi kept my mind occupied and kept things light. She will never know how much her presence for the birth of my boys meant to me.

Everyone was just standing around waiting on the doctor to arrive, and when he did we were ready to roll! I kissed Ryan and told him I’d see him soon. We made certain that someone would keep Ryan informed if by chance the spinal block didn’t take and he wouldn’t be allowed to join us in the O.R. I think this was around 7:40.

The O.R. was just as I remembered--white with lots of bright lights. The part of the WHOLE deal I had been dreading the most was about to happen. I was beyond nervous about the spinal block. I was so worried it wouldn’t take. As the anesthesiologist prepped my back, Mimi held me in a hug and let me lean up against her. She kept talking to me and kept my mind off of what was going on behind me. Because of that, it all seemed to happen really quickly. The doctor gave me a small shot to numb my back after he had prepped the area. I remember a little bit of pressure, but nothing like the pain I had prepared myself for. As soon as it was in, they laid me down really quickly as I started to feel my legs go to sleep. Lori immediately put in a catheter and the anesthesiologist monitored the success of the spinal block. Within about 30 seconds I started feeling really, REALLY nauseous. I also felt like someone was sitting on my chest. They put an oxygen cannula on my nose and told me to breathe deeply. He also gave me something in my IV to help with the nausea. I was trying to be so strong, as the medicine took its effect on my body. Even though it seemed like it took a while, I’m sure the relief came pretty quickly. I was able to really relax as soon as Dr. M checked to make sure I couldn’t feel anything and Mimi went to get Ryan. The drape was up and I knew they were ready to get to work!

When Ryan got there, I knew the spinal block had been a success and that he’d be able to be present for the birth of the boys. He rubbed my head and talked to me while the doctors went to work. When he got distracted and stopped stroking my hair, I would gently remind him and he’d continue. Mimi kept me informed of what was happening and the anesthesiologist checked on me to make sure I was doing okay. She told me that he had already removed my old scar. I was so shocked because I really hadn’t felt anything. I was so worried that I would be able to feel something, but I didn’t.

I do remember hearing something that sounded like scissors cutting, but again, I didn’t feel anything. Dr. M told Ryan that he could stand up and watch if he wanted to and much to my surprise, he did! The next thing I knew, there were two nurses pressing down on my rib cage. It felt like they were trying to squeeze all the air out of my lungs. They told me that they were trying to get “A” out and “B” was trying to come out at the same time! The pressure on my ribs eased up as I heard “Baby A 8:20 a.m.” Within seconds, I heard Reid’s first cry. His nurse showed him to me—all wet and gooey—before whisking him over to clean him up and check him out. The next thing I knew, I heard “Baby B 8:21 a.m.” and heard Chase’s first cry. Mimi showed me Chase before she got to work on him. I remember her commenting on how much hair Chase had.

During the next few minutes, I probably asked Ryan 10 times if the boys were okay. He didn’t get annoyed with me and continued to assure me that they were fine. They had Apgar scores of 8 and 9 and 9 and 9. I heard Mimi say that Chase weighed 7 pounds and 12 ounces. I couldn’t believe he was so big! I had to ask about Reid and was thrilled when I heard he was 6 pounds and 14 ounces. Mimi let Ryan take pictures of Chase and come back over to my head and show them to me. Chase’s cry sounded like a puppy dog. I don’t remember hearing Reid cry much at first. Once the boys were cleaned up, checked out and wrapped up, I got to see Ryan hold both of them. We had our picture made together and I felt such a huge sense of relief and happiness at that moment. Dr. M kept working on me this whole time, but I was too distracted with the boys to even notice. Ryan then went with the boys and the nurses into the recovery room and helped with their first baths. They finished with me and got everything sewed up, and before I knew it, I had joined them in the recovery room. Ryan had already gone out to the waiting room to share the great news with everyone!

Here I am holding my boys for the very first time!

After about an hour in recovery, I got to do something that I never want to forget. Holding both of my boys and having my husband walk beside me, I got to be wheeled through the waiting room past the people I love most in the world and introduce them to the boys! We were just able to stop for a couple of minutes, but those people had the biggest smiles on their faces! I hope I never forget that feeling!

Falling in love with Reid...

Falling in love with Chase...

Chase on the left and Reid on the right.
Big Sister C on her way to the hospital to meet her brothers for the very first time!

Our first picture as a family of five! This isn't really how I envisioned it. I planned to have makeup on and to have showered BUT the night before had been ROUGH (obviously!) and this is what we ended up with!

And now an entire month has passed since that blessed event! Someone told us yesterday that we've made it through the toughest month. It has had its moments of stress and delirium, but it has had many more moments of joy and happiness. We look forward to ALL that is to come!

always...

Big Sister C

Brother #1 RM

Brother #2 CL

The dishwasher is always running...

The washing machine is always full...

Someone always needs to be fed...

Someone always needs a new diaper...

We could always use more sleep...

Someone is always available to snuggle...

There are kissable cheeks always ready...

There is always purpose in the seemingly mundane tasks of the day...

There is always wonder in the three pairs of eyes looking up at me...

Our house is full of love...

...always!

Pics & A Video

Howdy! RM & CL are 3 weeks old today! They are spending more time awake and taking in the world. I love it when they stare into my eyes! They are still not exactly sleeping and waking on the same schedule, but we're working on it. They are still eating well and other bodily functions are working just fine too! Sister C is still the Queen Bee around here. You will see in the video below that she's QUITE the singer at our house. She's very musically inclined! American Idol, maybe? I'm sure Simon could appreciate her rendition of "Home on the Range"! The doritos all over her face add a nice touch, don't you think?

Here are a few pics of the brothers!

The boys' first trip to the doctor exactly one week ago. At 2 weeks, RM weighed 7.5 pounds and CL weighed 8 pounds. You can see in the above picture that CL has a ton of hair! I told him that he may need a haircut before he's 6 weeks old!

I could NOT be smiling and surviving without Ryan. He's been SO supportive through my emotional/hormonal mess, and he's helping an incredible amount after working all day. We've been taking turns with one of us putting the boys to bed and then the other one getting up for the middle of the night feeding. We're both tired (duh!) but we're making it. Seriously, though, he's INCREDIBLE. I'm so blessed!!

I'm slowly working on a post about the day the boys' were born. So many of you prayed for that day and I want you to know how wonderfully it went. I also have a belly pic to share of the day they were born. Holy smokes! I was so large!

I've been updating Facebook with pictures WAY more often than the blog because I can easily do it from my phone rather than sitting at the computer, so if you want to keep up with us and we aren't friends on FB, just send me a friend request! I'll try to update the blog more frequently, but let's be realistic. It probably isn't going to happen any time soon!