Update

So, Eric walked into the nursery this morning and Jackson was sitting up, playing with the turtle! For a couple weeks, I've been telling Eric that we need to move Jackson's crib mattress down because, before we know it, he's going to be standing up. So, Eric calls me this morning and says, "Um, I think we need to move the crib mattress down." Funny!
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Addison has a tooth!!! Grammona found it Sunday when we stopped at their house on our walk. But as soon as she found it, Addison wouldn't open her mouth again so anyone else could see it.....it was so funny. It's like she knew we all wanted to see it and she totally played us!!!
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Jackson was sick all weekend. He has a horrible cough and he had a fever. We talked to the nurses' line and we even made an appt. for him on Sunday night for Monday morning, but there were no pediatricians at the clinic on Monday...isn't that unreal. So we made an appt. with a family practice doc, but when he woke up Monday morning, his fever was gone...and I was sick! But then last night, he was miserable again...didn't sleep much, so mommy and daddy didn't sleep much either! Hopefully Eric will take him in today.
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They do not like any vegetables or chicken or lasagna!!! And they are totally dramatic about it....dry heaving and vomiting. It's actually quite histerical! Eric and I try to fake them out and throw in a spoonful of veggies during the fruit, but they are too smart....and after that, Addison won't open her mouth at all...she just purses her lips....again, these kids are too funny!

Changes

Addison was such a champion sleeper. Yes, I said WAS.....it used to be that once we put her in her crib and laid her magic blanket on her, she would pop her thumb in her mouth and be knocked out. Well, not this week. She's been so fussy and such a drooler!!! Yesterday I changed her onesie right before we went to the gym because it was soaked with drool and when we picked her up from childcare, her "new" onesie was completely soaked!!
Maybe she's getting teeth, maybe she's getting more constipated. Eric had to use a babylax on her last night....hard, hard poop nuggets came out....she didn't cry, but she was able to eat after that.
She grunts all day long. It's like we have a bear in the carseat when we go places. I had to turn down the radio to listen to her last night...it made Eric and me giggle.
Eric took her to the doctor on Tuesday because she has this rash-type-thing on her eyelids. Dr. R. said it's probably dermititis, but he doesn't want to treat it because it's too close to her eye. It doesn't seem to be bothering her, so we'll just keep watching it.
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Jackson is into screaming! I think he just likes the sound of his own voice. And he loves to be held by mommy (cuz daddy believes in tough love) and when I put him down, he just whines. So, of course, I think I'm doing something wrong...am I doing something wrong? Have I held him too much? Am I spoiling him?
I can't change him on the changing table anymore because he flips over so fast and I can't get the diaper on him fast enough...and he thinks it's a game so he smiles and giglles at mommy's frustration. I just don't have the patience for it. I usually start and then I yell for Eric to come help me.
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We can't get them to eat any vegetables. We've tried green beens, carrots and sweet potatoes. No go. They like mangos, applesauce, bananas and prunes with apples. If we start them with fruit, they won't even eat the oatmeal. It's tough trying to figure it all out.
We have their Halloween costumes....Addison will be an angel and Jackson will be a lion. I think Eric and I are way more excited about it than they are. But, I must say that Halloween is fast falling out of favor as my favorite holiday since I can't eat any candy....how cruel! Good thing we have the twins as a distraction!
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This is Eric's second week as a full-time, stay-at-home daddy. He seems to be holding up well.....keep your fingers crossed!!!

Update from Daddy

Monday: 9:35 a.m.
So, Addison has learned that if you shake the rattle tamborine like dad, it makes fun noise. Jackson has not learned that if Addison is swinging the cedar wood rattle that he should not stick his head under the "music maker"....Jackson has been assaulted by Addison and it was a good crack and very funny. She is still shaking the rattle...Jackson is not crying anymore.

October 22, 2007

Gosh...where to begin. Addison rolled over!!! Yeah! It's so funny how short my memory is with the twins. When Jackson started to roll over, he would get stuck on his tummy and start to cry. Well, Addison, Champion Sleeper, was being fussy after about 15 minutes after I put her down, which was strange. I went into the nursery and she was stuck on her tummy! I was so proud! Grammona got to see her do it too....so did Eric.
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They sat in the cart at Costco....next to each other, just like big kids! Jackson was so interested in bugging his sister....holding her hand....touching her hair....giggling at her. And Addison was NOT having it. She just started to sob. Poor baby girl!
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Jackson was SO hot yesterday....we found out he had a temperature....101. Eric had to take his temperature, because the darn thermometer just frustrates the heck out of me. It's Celcius!!!! Eric has a converter on his phone, so he can do it without much frustration. Anyway, it really freaked me out. I whipped out the "What to expect the first year" book and reading that, plus Eric's calmness, helped to calm my fears. Jackson (and mommy) got extra cuddles, some baby Tylenol, and he went to sleep....with his new snuggle toy, Baby Guinness, a stuffed puppy that he has to sleep with.
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I found out on Friday that Annemarie and Andy are pregnant! They are SO excited. She just wants a healthy baby - boy or girl. And I told her I want a healthy mama...cuz that's important too.
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Today is our 2nd Wedding Anniversary. We've packed a lot into two years. Eric jokes and says, "We have two kids and one chronic disease. We don't waste any time." I just hope that this is an uneventful year.
BUT, I must admit, God is still good. Everyday. And I'm embracing a new quote: "It's not about waiting for the storm to be over, it's about learning to dance in the rain." And if I have to, I'll take dance lessons!

We're SUCH new parents

Monday night, around 2 a.m., Addison woke up and started screaming! It's unusual for her to wake up in the middle of the night because she's such a good sleeper. She had huge crocodile tears and everything. It was so sad. So, Eric and I tried playing detective, to figure out what was wrong with our typically smiley girl. We assumed she was teething, because Jackson now has two teeth, plus, when Eric put his finger in her mouth, she screamed even louder. So, we got out the baby Orajel and slathered that on, thinking she'd settle down....NOPE. So, Eric got some baby Tylenol and gave that to her and then we decided she must be hungry. So Eric fed her. That helped a bit, but she didn't drink the whole bottle. She eventually went back to bed.
Tuesday morning, I asked Eric if she had pooped. He thought about it and couldn't remember that she had. So, that afternoon he gave her a baby laxative and.....low and behold....that was the problem!
Poor baby girl.
She was so stopped up. Eric said she pooped out big, chicken-nugget-lookin chunks. Eric was so amazed by the poop, that he saved them for me to see after work....um, no need to save them sweetheart, I believe you.
And after that, we had our smiley daughter back.

You know you're tired when....

You wake up at 3 a.m. with your head stuck to the pillow and your hand stuck to the remote with the gum that was in your mouth when you fell asleep and you have to have your husband cut the gum out of your hair and it leaves a little bald spot. And, when you get to work, you itch your shoulder and there is STILL gum there.
Nice.

Things that make me smile

Addison giggling histerically when Eric kisses her neck
Snuggling with Jackson as he naps next to me and our noses touch
The twins reaching for us when we come near them
Knowing that Addison is comforted by a blankie
Seeing how gentle Kyla and Juliana are with the twins, even though they can't tell them apart yet(smile!)
Watching Papa Bear hold an intrigued Addison for a quarter at a football game
Noticing Guinness trying to lick the twins' faces clean after they eat
Learning that Eric is such a sweet, gentle daddy and that he was made for this role
Knowing that I can recall any of these in my mind at any time and it still makes my heart smile

Update

SO much has happened!!! The twins took their first trip out of state! We went to David Walsh’s wedding in Kansas City and the twins got to meet mommy’s college friends, which was very cool! They were so entertaining and entertained! I think Annemarie got baby fever for sure! Her husband, Andy, took a liking to Addison ’s baby blanket on “the morning after.” He had a tough night and he looked hilarious cuddled up to it!

Grammona and PapaBear came with us…we rented a minivan….and they were wonderful nannies! We brought two jumpers: one that goes on the floor and one that attaches to the molding above a door jamb. We had hotel rooms across from one another and we just kept the doors open and put one of them in the doorway in the jumper. They loved it!

Sometime during the weekend, Jackson got a tooth!!!! Again, never thought I’d be SO excited about a tooth, but we all were. The "nannies" took them for walks in the stroller and even gave them baths. They were very well taken care of. I think, when they got home, they wondered where the magical grandparents went!
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Six Month Well Baby visit
The twins are growing. Eric and I both thought Addison would be at least 20 pounds, but she was only 19. And Jackson was 18. He is 26 inches long, which puts him around the 50th percentile in both height and weight. Addison is 26.5 inches long, which puts her in the 90th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. Dr. Robinovitch said to start them on real food.....so we did. We started with peaches and Jackson LOVED them...he was smackin' his lips and everything. Addison was so dramatic about not liking them....she would gag and them, when mommy didn't get the hint that she didn't like them, she actually dry heaved. It was too much! But, the next day, she loved them and Jackson gagged.....I need a manual!
They each got three shots and the rotovirus liquid, which they lapped up! I helped Addison for her shots. I tried to be brave, but, when her smile turned into a frown, and tears rolled down her little cheeks, it was too much for me to handle. But they both...we all...recovered by the time we left. Dr. R thinks her hemangioma is getting better, but we'll still watch it. He said both of them are progressing nicely and they passed the Austism screening....which we didn't even know was happening.
All in all, we have all survived the first half of the first year of their lives. It's totally amazing how fast the time has flown by! Each night, when we pray with the twins, I'm amazed that we are so blessed. I try to tell myself to really cherish each healthy day, but to assure myself that we can handle anything that comes our way.