New Year

We rung in the new year with a bang! We had a FABULOUS 2012 and wanted to send it off with some adult fun. Jay and I dropped the babies off at Gigi and Pop Pops and took the light rail uptown for a mini-staycation! We got a room at the Westin and enjoyed getting ready for our big night out without any interruptions (I think I spent an hour curling my hair- I can't even remember having that much time to myself!). We went to Aria for some pre-dinner drinks and then later met friends for dinner. It was delish! After a quick stop back at the hotel to pump, we headed to Mez where we had splurged on bottle service and met friends to drink and dance the night away! We awoke semi-early, checked on the kids, went back to sleep and then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before boarding the train to come home. By 11am, New Years day I was missing the babies sooo much! It was fun to get away for the night and exactly what we needed!

We spent New Years Day snacking and watching football at my parents' house. We enjoyed our traditional new years meal of bbq ribs, mac and cheese, and potatoes. We decided to embrace our "southern-ness" and added collards to the mix this year. I made them and thought they turned out lovely! By 7pm that night Jay and I were exhausted and retreated home to get ready for the work week ahead.

As for 2013, I made a resolution that I plan on sticking by. I am going to run at least 5x per week for 30 minutes. I can always find 30 minutes somewhere in the day. I want to lose a little more weight and usually running does the trick! I would also like to run a half marathon this year but it will all depend on when we decide to welcome the next addition to our family :)

A look back at 2012:

January- We watched the bump being to grow and celebrated my mom's birthday in Atlanta with our family. I also had fun announcing my pregnancy to my students after returning from Christmas break.

February- Yay team white! We learned (and revealed at a party with all of our friends) that we were having a little boy and a little girl! I also landed in the hospital with a kidney stone :(

March- We made lots of nursery progress and were showered with love by friends and family!

April- We took a little babymoon to Seabrook Island and my belly grew by tons!We also spent our first easter by ourselves.

May- We prepared for the babies' arrival, celebrated Bo's graduation, and took a trip to the lake for memorial day

June- The biggest month of our lives! We welcomed Emma Cate and Holden!

July- We took our new babies out to watch their first 4th of July fireworks show

August- We went on our first road trip to visit Gigi and Pop in Atlanta and caught a braves game!

September- We met our Great Grandparents

October- We had a busy month! Gigi had her first chemo treatment, we visited the apple orchard, Papaw Caviness passed away, we ran in the Race for the Cure, we were baptized, we went to the pumpkin patch, Mommy went back to work, and we dressed up as lobsters for Halloween

November- We went to our first Wolfpack football game, hosted a chili cook off, ran in our first Turkey Trot, celebrated Thanksgiving by sleeping on the sofa, and visited Asheville to cut down our Christmas tree!

December- We had a BIG december! Holden had surgery, the twins spent their first night in a hotel, they attend their first cheerleading competition, they went to the church nursery for the first time, we prepared for Christmas! We made a visit to see the singing bears and Santa Clause! We spent the first part of Christmas in a cabin in the mountains and visited Asheboro for the second part.

6 Months

Emma Cate and Holden,
You are SIX months old!

What our life is like:
After rereading these posts, it seems like our life/routine is very similar to what we were doing at 5 months! I have a feeling lots will change soon as we begin introducing solids.

I wake up at 5:40 and pump. I'm pumping around 18 ounces each morning. My milk supply took a hit and I went on reglan to bring it back up. Since being on reglan I saw a big increase, but also had to increase how often I was pumping. You are still getting 100% breastmilk. We use the freezer stash because its getting close to expiring! We've also been able to freeze a bit to replenish. We wake you up around 6:30am for a diaper change. Your Daddy is SO helpful in the mornings. He gets you out of your cribs and brings you to me so that I can see your "sleepy" faces. We trade off changing your diapers and loading you in the car. We load you up in your pjs and take you to gigi's house (on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday- the other days you stay at home with Gran). I drop you off at 5 til 7:00 at Gigis and you sit in your high chairs and drink your bottles. I get you all set up and kiss you both goodbye before heading off to work.  You are both drinking 5-6oz at each meal.

We've been off of schedule lately. We are going for your 6 month appointment soon where you will begin solids and your schedule will change a bit. The only thing constant is your eating schedule. You both KNOW  when it is time to eat! Naps are a little sketchy.

During the day you are working on developmental milestones. Holden rolled over a few times this month but I haven't seen any of them! He gets on his side and can't figure out how to move his arm out of the way to make it all the way over. Emma Cate hasn't made much progress at all. She lays on her belly and puts her arms out to the side like she is flying. She hasn't figured out that your arms need to be on the ground in front of you to help push you over!

You are both sleeping through the night. We had a rough patch over Christmas break but you're back at it again. Thank God!

We put up the swings as soon as you turned 6 months. We rarely used them anymore. You both are LOVING your exersaucers and we are thankful for friends that are letting us borrow their exersaucer so that we have two at home and one at Gigi's house! You both have almost outgrown the activity mat but you still love to grab at the toys that hang above you. Holden started sitting up by himself for a few seconds at a time. Emma Cate, you will sit up but lean all the way forward like some kind of crazy yoga pose.

Your afternoon nap is pretty consistent. You will normally sleep from 3:30-4:30 or 4:45.

Supper feeding is at 5pm and then its playtime until 7. We've started giving you baths around 7pm and putting you both to sleep by 7:30. Its working out really well and the evenings are much more pleasant.

You both had a rough bout with RSV this month. We had to have lots of nasal suction and the humidifier going at all times. You both had really yucky sounding coughs but things improved after about a week and you were back to your normal selves. Prior to getting sick, Emma Cate was talking up a storm and after the coughing spell she quit for a little while. Chatting has begun to resume again. My favorite is in the car when Emma Cate starts "singing" along to the music!

We are definitely seeing personalities emerge. At the beginning of the month we saw a lot of growth from Emma Cate. You were very attentive and alert and gave smiles to everyone! In the past week or so Holden has changed like crazy. Holden you are grabbing at your feet whenever you are on your back, rolling on your side (you like to sleep that way too). You are smiling up a storm, talking and blowing out of your mouth. You both enjoy playing with your toys in your high chair after meals and you are good at picking toys up and using both hands to play. Holden knows his name very well and we are working with Emma Cate. I think the problem is that we call her so many different names, she gets confused!

This month has been so fun! You both are reaching out more and give hugs when we are holding you. You both LOVE to look around and are taking everything in! Neither of you have any teeth yet but I know they are coming. You both have been very fussy and we've needed to bring in Tylenol and teething tablets.

November and December have been really fun! We celebrated Thanksgiving, and Christmas (this post is a little late). We traveled to the mountains, to visit Gran, to Raleigh for a football game and to Asheville to cut down a Christmas tree!


Emma Cate:
Nicknames:  P (daddy's nickname for you), Emma Tate, Taters (we use this one the most), Cate
Weight: Not sure, but you seemed to fill out a lot this month. You are getting some chubby cheeks!
Height: Not sure
Hair: Not much growth compared to last month. Your eyebrows are definitely coming in though! Your skin around your eyebrows is an orangy-yellow color and super dry. I'm going to ask about it at your next appointment.
Eyes: Blueish grey
Clothes: You are in mostly 6 month clothes with a few 3-6s thrown in. They are all a little big on you though!
Diapers: Using the Bumgenius 4.0 and Freedom. 
Eating: 6oz for 3 bottles a day and 5oz for the 4th bottle. You nurse before bedtime. We also tried some blended oatmeal with banana and you weren't really a fan. You can't figure out what to do with your tongue. We think you just weren't ready for solids yet and will try again this week!
Likes: Watching TV (I've got to keep an eye on this habit!), your pink blanky, watching mommy cook, your bottle, your paci, standing up, watching Holden, your Sophie teether, and ball with the holes in it.
Dislikes: tummy time (but its getting better!)
Development: Talking, taking your paci out of your mouth and putting it back in, holding toys with two hands. Trying to hold your bottle but its pretty big for you.
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet!


Extra: This hasn't been your best month. I think being sick really threw you off. You have been very observant but haven't developed as much as Holden this month. You seem to be getting a little quieter and more shy. You are tolerating tummy time more but still don't put your arms down to push yourself up. You were adorable at Christmas time in all your cute dresses. You love to snuggle with mommy and daddy. I like watching tv snuggled up with you! You still enjoy bath time and are kicking all the time. You are sooo funny when its time to eat! You notice your bottle and stick your head out towards with an open mouth like a baby bird! Daddy teases you by showing you the bottle and taking it away again. You had some issues with night terrors this month. You would wake up screaming and wouldn't stop until I held you (not daddy or gigi) and sung "This little light of mine" to you. You would fall back asleep pretty easily.

Holden
Nicknames: Holdy, Holds, and Terry for teridactyl. 
Weight: not sure
Height: not sure but you've sprouted up this month! You are tall and skinny!
Hair: blond. It continues to grow!
Eyes: Blue
Clothes: 6 months and 3-6. You are tall for your clothes but they are huge on you because you are sooo skinny.
Diapers: Bumgenius 4.0 and freetime. They are set one snap bigger than the smallest size.
Eating: 6oz bottles 3 times a day, 5oz bottle once a day and nursing at night. You have not been a very good nurser this month! You hit and screech and will only nurse for 5 minutes or so. We tried nursing fill time but realized you weren"t taking in enough and switched back to bottles.
Likes: Roo Song, playing with his toes, sucking on his bottom lip and fingers, being held, being naked, standing up, dancing
Dislikes: being hungry (boy likes his bottle!)
Development: This has been a huge month for you Holden. You are getting such a personality. You are one demanding little guy! You screech LOUD like a teradactyl when you want something. You've started reaching out for things all the time. You love to touch faces. You are passing toys from one hand to the other other and want to be in your exersaucer a lot. You are learning that when you press buttons a song plays. You love to spin the rollers and hear the noise. You are great at tummy time and got up on all fours last night. You kick your legs when you are on your belly want to crawl so badly.  You are giving such sweet smiles and making lots of noises with your mouth. 
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet!

Its amazing the difference what I wrote about you last month, "Holden, you are so freaking cute I want to kiss you all the time. You sit back and observe what is going on. You are so sweet and gentle. You rarely fuss for long." HAHA! My you have changed! You like to bang your toys loud and make noise. You like to drop things and have mommy retrieve them. You aren't the silent observer at all anymore but an active participant. You were funny opening presents at Christmas and would tear off the paper. It seems like you and Emma Cate have switched roles for a bit. You still have your cute little shy smile and we are seeing it more and more.

Weekend Recap (a little late)

We tried to have a pretty low-key weekend with Holden's surgery and all. The goal for Saturday was to get all the Christmas decor up! We got everything up and cleaned the house for a little get together we were hosting for our Sunday school class on Sunday afternoon.

Jay and I worked together and the babies napped well and got the inside of the house decorated on Saturday. The weather was beautiful so we headed outside to put up the Christmas lights. We spread out a blanket and the babies "napped" (starred at the sky). We finished the bushes and moved onto the roof. We don't own an extension ladder so Jay headed across the street to borrow the neighbors. He got the "shorter" half of our roof done and moved on to doing the part above our porch. No sooner had he climbed to the top of the ladder (while holding the leaf blower) did the ladder start to "unextend" and came crashing down. I looked up to find my husband flying through the air with leaf blower in hand. Seriously it was the scariest moment of my life. He landed on his feet and was flung forward onto his hands and knees. I let out the loudest scream. I rolled him over to find his hand and knees covered in blood. I was in tears... and he laughed. Seriously, he laughed. I told him he was in shock. He told me to chill out and stop drawing attention. I cannot even begin to explain the sheer terror I felt. I was shaking and panicing. Seeing the person you love the most potentially dying (ok..or at least hurting themselves immensely) is just the worst. I am so thankful he was smart enough to jump away from the ladder and we are so lucky it didn't land on him. I know this sounds silly but it gave me a huge wake up call to remember how precious life is and to maybe appreciate him a little more. In that split second, I thought about raising our kids without their Dad and how completely awfully horrible that would be. Jay is fine, he scrapped his hand up pretty badly and both of his knees. He thought he broke his heel from the fall but turns out its just a really bad bone bruise and he is in a boot until it heals. We are SO thankful.

And a few pictures....

this reminds me of the wizard of oz when the house falls.

Holden fed himself for the first time!

sweet boy was very cuddly after surgery

we let the kids watch a little TV during our house decorating... 

we've just been introduced to yo gabba gabba

(yikes)

The following are a few silly ones of us just hanging out on the porch after our Sunday school lunch. Must remember to just hangout as a family more and appreciate the time we have together!

yes, my little girl has a bald head. have no idea where her bow went!

he was staring at himself in the phone and didn't know what to think

seriously mom...

Day in the Life

Now that my Christmas cards are done (well 50 of them... I ended up ordering 25 more) I wanted to do a little day-in-the-life post. I like having these to remember different stages of our life! Dare I say that our life right now is easy? I am in love with my babies and really wish I could be home with them during the mornings  when they are happiest! Hopefully I'll be able to stay at home within the next few years :)

Workday Schedule

5:45- I wake up and begin the super long morning pump

6:15- Jay wakes up, puts diapers in dryer, showers, and takes dogs out. I finish pumping and start getting ready/dressed for the day

6:35- Jay (and me if I'm ready) wake up babies. They get fresh diapers and then get loaded in their carseats in their pj's with a blanket on top. We then pack up bottles and diapers and carry everything to the car.

6:50- I take the babies to Gigi's house. Jay feeds dogs and heads to work.

7:00- Set babies up in seats at Gigi's and feed 5oz bottles.

7:10- I leave for work.

7:30-8:30- Babies have playtime

8:30-10:00- Nap time (well its supposed to be.... its rare that both actually nap the entire time)

9:40- I do a quick pump between classes (9:40-9:55) aiming for 8-9oz

10:30- Babies get 5oz bottles

11:35- I pump for 15 minutes during my lunch break and aim for 6-8oz

12:00- 1:30 Babies go down for afternoon nap

2:00- Babies eat 5oz bottle. I pump during planning period and get 6oz.

3:45- Babies go down for a nap and I head to practice

5:00- Jay meets my mom at home to feed the kids a 5oz bottle. I try to be home at this time but cheerleading has been crazy lately. I pump and usually get 4-6oz.

5:00- 7:30- We play with the kids, sing songs, work on tummy time, etc. During this time we also eat while the babies are playing. I try to cook the night before or do crock pot.

7:30- 8:00- Jay baths the crankiest baby first, then I nurse while the second baby gets bathed. Jay brings me second baby and puts first baby to bed, I nurse second baby and then put him/her to bed.

8:15- We clean bottles, pour the next day's bottles, freeze extra milk, clean up from supper, start a load of laundry, wash diapers, pick up the house, and prep the following night's meal.

9:00- Time to hang out in front of the TV!

10:00- In bed and last pump of the evening (usually 5oz)

Holden's Surgery

On Friday at 7am our little boy had surgery on his hydrocele. The procedure went really well! We're hoping this makes his "fullness" a little more comfortable and also prevents a hernia from occurring.

We had to wake up at 4:15am to get to the hospital by 5am. Holden normally has his last feeding at 8pm but since he wasn't going to be able to eat until after his surgery, I woke up at 12am (the last time he could have anything) and nursed him. 4:15am came REALLY early. I am thankful for my mom letting Emma Cate sleep at her house Thursday night and for taking care of her while we were at the hospital.

Holden was smiley and happy while waiting for his surgery. We hung out in pre op for a while and the nurses and doctors were so kind. We got Holden dressed in his HUGE hospital gown and played with him for a bit. Around 6:30 he fell asleep clutching his lovie. At 6:57 the sweet anesthesiologist came to get him. Luckily Holden was asleep on the little hospital crib so I didn't have to "hand him over". I did tear up as he was rolled away but I felt so confident in the doctors.

I cried through the first 15 minutes of his surgery. Its so hard sending your baby off with a stranger! Luckily, the hospital have monitors where you can see the patients' progress from preop to the OR to recovery. The surgery took 45 minutes and Dr. Levy told us it went very well. The repaired hydroceles on both sides. This is sort of gross but I'm writing it for my memory, when they cut into Holden, the fluid shot up above their heads. Dr. Levy said there was so much pressure build up that Holden will probably feel much better now. He also said Holden had on of the biggest hydroceles he had ever seen. After we met with the doctor, we waited for forever to go back and see Holden. After surgery, patients go to the PACU to recover (this is immediately after surgery, they wake up in this unit) and then head to step-down recovery to meet their families. The hospital allows family members in the step-down unit, but for children, they let one family member only into the PACU. The PACU is a funny place. I would just die laughing if I was a nurse in there. Watching/hearing the patients wake up was hilarious. Holden was VERY sleepy. I tried to nurse him but he was so exhausted. He would wake up screaming every now and then and we had to put the oxygen mask next to his face because when he woke up and had a fit, his blood oxygen level would go down. Eventually we were able to meet Daddy in the step down unit where we waited about and hour before being released.

His little IV and oxygen sensor

We made it home easily and my mom met us there with Emma Cate. We tried to feed Holden but he just was not hungry. We spent the entire day laying around being lazy. Holden was pretty much out of it for the entire day. He was pretty groggy on Saturday too but Sunday, he was pretty match back to his normal self :)

my sweet guys

Miss "P" (as her daddy calls her) needed some loving too!

snuggles with daddy