Smiles

This was Ellie yesterday evening after a full day at daycare with a stranger...

Isn't she just beautiful? I think she is starting to look more and more like her Daddy.

I would have taken a picture of John, but he was sleeping as usual...

8 weeks

The twins are 8 weeks old today.

Eggs & Bacon. Thanks to Aunt Leslie who made these tees.

(Look at John holding Elinor's hand)

I am back to work today - unfortunately. The morning was a bit hairy but hopefully as the days go on there will be much improvement. The babies awoke at midnight and then at 3am for feedings. I got back to bed at 4am and the alarm went off at 5am. John has been waking around 5:15 for the past week which is too early for a 6am feeding. Typically I have been picking him up and bringing him into bed with me. However, I could not do that today. After I finished showering and getting dressed, I put him in a bouncy seat on top of the counter while I washed and prepared the day's bottles. That little stinker did not even have a wet eye. He is a big faker for sure.
Once I was done with the bottles, I then changed and dressed John and started to feed him. Andy got up and did the same with Elinor. I finished with John and then finished with Ellie. I then fed the dog and let him out. Meanwhile, Ellie puked up breakfast and I had to do a quick clothes change. I let the dog back in and finally got myself out the door with tears strolling down my cheeks.
Surprisingly I am holding up well at work. However, the novelty could wear off pretty quickly since there is little work for me to do. I would much rather be taking care of the kids, house and dog. It's much more productive.

Dinner this evening was made by my sister Pattie. She put together a pan of stuffed shells and sent it along with Dad and Wendy this weekend. I love, love, love when dinner is already prepared for me. Thanks Pat!

Computer Down

So, once again my laptop is not working. This makes daily posting very difficult. The laptop is over 4 years old. Is it time for a new cheapie? I will try to keep up with posting through my Blackberry. Thank goodness I have not given that up yet.

In other news...

Grandpa and Mimi arrive today for an overnight visit. Yeah!

The babies are now 7 1/2 weeks old. Ellie is getting a lot better... or maybe I am just handling it better. They are both full of smiles which makes any bad day great. They are also getting bigger which means they will have to move into two separate cribs very soon. I have also packed away all of their newborn sized clothing. John was busting out of his.

 

Back to work on Tuesday. No part time work, even temporarily, was granted to me. Next week may or may not be quite hairy... I'll let you know how the first morning goes.

Weekend

We had a very busy weekend here. It all started with a visit from Kirsten on Friday. She arrived in the morning and stayed most of the day which was a huge help to me. I actually got out of the house for 2 1/2 hours for some maintenance on the hair. It felt so good to be out.

Pattie and Abigail came in on Friday evening. They were here to visit with the babes and also more specifically to babysit all day on Saturday while Andy & I attended two weddings. We went to the church for the 1st wedding. Then we headed over to the second wedding which took place outside of a yacht club - beautiful day, a bit chilly on the water and my hair was so windblown (no pictures of that). Then we went back to the first wedding's reception. Andy was first on the dance floor and I followed. It definately could have been a reception that we closed down.. but the babes were calling and we were home by 9:15pm. We were typical newbie parents showing off pictures and sending texts back home. We found Pattie exhausted. She exclaimed "This is hard. I don't know how you do it."

It is hard and I don't know how I do it.
Today we took the kiddos to their first festival. It was called Shamrocks & Thistles and it was down at the boat basin. Beautiful day. We were enjoying some traditional Irish fare and a couple of Black & Tans for myself when John suddenly vomited. Oh dear! It was all over Aunt Pattie. We skidaddled out of there pretty quickly.


We are settling down and getting ready for what is my last week at home. On Sundays, I find myself filled with anxiety. I am without Andy and other help during the week. This week I am especially weepy because although the days are hard (as Pattie discovered while babysitting for 7 hours) it will be quite difficult to return to a job that I don't love and leave my kids with someone else. I wish there was another way. I continue to pray and pray about it.

Halloween

It's a bit early for me to be speaking about Halloween but there is reason.

I had no intention of dressing up the kids for Halloween this year... A) the expense; and B) we would be the only ones to see them in costume.

However, I sent Andy to Target the other evening for formula and he came home with two costumes. They are hilarious. This one is for John and this one for Ellie. Aren't they hilarious!

In other news... Auntie Kirsten is coming tomorrow for the day. I have such wonderful friends and family that give me such wonderful gifts. I am blessed. She is going to allow me an hour or two to go get my hair cut and colored. I cannot wait.


Have a good day!

Random

Yesterday was pretty much the first full day that the kiddos and I were alone all day. It didn't go so bad in retrospect. Yes there were some hairy moments, some tears (kids and mine) but at the end of the day Andy was home, dinner was eaten, a walk with the dog along with Ellie in the Baby Bjorn had been completed. We even drove to pick up clothes from the drycleaner. My drycleaner lady friends gave me a gift for the babies. It made my day. Nice people.

Here's a little taste of a part of my day.

As my sister Pattie says "They don't always cry at the same time and try to find some humor in it." I was not laughing at the time.

Colic

What is colic? It refers to a condition when a baby cries excessively for no apparent reason. It peaks between 3 to 6 weeks old and usually lasts until about 3 to 4 months old. I am pretty sure our Ellie has colic. It is very difficult. I sometimes cry along with her because I don't know how to help her. She vomits her "meals" atleast twice per day. The pediatrician told me that a colicky baby should be held atleast 3 hours a day. That is sometimes difficult because I have another baby. Thank goodness our John is very mellow and allows me to console Ellie for long periods of time.
There is only peace when she sleeps. She is never happy when she is awake. We are trying a hypoallergenic formula, but so far I don't see any changes. I may try a soy-based formula next.
We try many methods to quiet her. We walk with her, bounce her, rock her, put her in the stroller, take her for a ride in the car, put her on her belly, run the dryer, run the vacuum, run the faucet.. and sometimes this seems to work...

Does anyone have any other ideas???

4 week check up

Okay they are 5 weeks not 4 weeks.... The kiddos were weighed at the pediatrician's office yesterday. They are growing like weeds.
John weighs in at 9 lbs 1 1/2 oz.
Elinor weighs in at 8 lbs 11 oz.

They are both in the 50th percentile for weight and head circumference - which surprises me about John because his head looks big like his Daddy's.... However, they are considered petite for their height/length.

The family took a nice walk this morning. The house literally looks like a tornado went through it. One of the couch cushions is without a cover because it was spit up on. Lloyd chewed up a roll of tape and it is littering the living room floor. We have car seats, bouncy seats, pack n play, swing scattered.... Formula bottles are half made. The beds are not made. Laundry is not done.

I am showered! And breakfast has finally been eaten. Yes!

Tough Day

We had a tough day here. We got out of the house early to run some errands and then we stopped at Osborn Park. I walked a mile while Lloyd ran at the dog park and Kelly took the kids for a spin in their stroller - a 1.9 mile walk.

We got back to the house at 12:15 and started to feed the babies. Ellie vomited twice on her formula and then it took 2 hours to finally calm her down. John fed well, of course, but he would not settle either. So this is what one must do to finally settle the chitlins....

.... you put them in the big bed with you.....

Back Home

Back home this week. We had a great week in Olean. Mimi was a huge help to me. Andy drove in on Friday and took me out for an anniversary dinner. We went to the Old Library and had a very tasty dinner and dessert. I think we were home feeding babies by 11pm. Happy 2nd Anniversary!

Kelly is here this week. I am so lucky to have so much help and support. The babies have been great today. I hope good nappers doesn't necessary equal bad night sleepers..... I guess we will find out.

Family Time

We are in Olean this week staying with Mimi and Grandpa. I drove in with Kathleen and Morgan - packed into Kath's Chevy Tracker with the twins and the dog. It was incredibly uncomfortable but the rewards are endless. Wendy (Mimi) does the night shift alone. I must get about 6 or 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. It is wonderful. Plus while I am here, I have no house work to do so I have a lot of relaxing time.
Pam came to visit today. I dropped the kids off at their grandma's house (Reg) while Morgan and I ran some "errands". We shopped at Old Navy. It was nice to fit into regular clothes. I am back to my pre pregnancy weight. I will start exercising (other than walking) as soon as the doctor says its okay.

Autumn is around the corner. Dad had a fire in the fireplace last night. Loved it!

The kids have been great. We miss Daddy terribly! Cannot wait until he gets here on Friday for the weekend.