Three Babies and a Blog!

Don't Blink

2010-05-19T19:59:00.001-07:00

Otherwise, you might miss the fact that your 11 month old daughter, stood up, and started pushing a toy-and WALKING. Good grief! I can't do anything with her around! We were outside the other day. Both boys were standing in front of me talking. Next thing I know, I look up and see Annabelle pushing the Dora ride on/push toy. I could barely believe my eyes. Just up and walked that child! And-she walked almost the whole distance of the driveway! Boy was she speedy! It was like she had been doing it forever.

It's only a matter of time now... My baby is growing up. :(

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

2010-05-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today I celebrated my third Mother's Day! And to think I thought it would never be possible! Amazing when you start to think about it! For Mother's Day, all I wanted was some rose bushes to plant in the front yard. But-not any rose bushes. I wanted ones the kids picked out, or ones that reminded me of the kids. Tony did a good job! He came home with "Easy Going" for Anthony, "Free Spirit" for Nicholas, and "Pretty Lady" for Annabella. I can't wait to plant them! Of course, I'm being lectured on taking care of them, etc. Of course I will! It will be part of the daily curriculum with the kids! Ha!

We had our families over for brunch for something different. That went pretty well. GG was here, and she's getting quite frail, so I'm thinking her days of coming here are numbered, if that wasn't the last one already. After brunch, it was naptime, and I was able to get one in. In peace! It was amazing! I slept for 90 minutes or so, and woke up and was shocked it was after 4pm! The kids all got up around then as well, and we got them ready to stop by a First Communion party, and then we were off to dinner at Carabba's.

Dinner was delicious there as always! The kids were pretty good as well. It helped we were almost at our own little private table, as there were none around. That certainly helped! On the way out, a woman who was dining with her husband said to me, "You have a beautiful family! Enjoy them!"

Thank you. I think so too-and I most certainly will enjoy them. One day, they'll be grown, and these will all be distant memories. But until then-NOW is the time to enjoy them...and enjoy them I will! Here are a few photos from before bed...

Getting close....

2010-05-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hard time believing that Annabella is going to be a year old in just barely a month. Really. A year old already. I swear she was just born. I can still picture myself on the OR table, looking back when the OR door opened, and Tony walked in. Seeing his face, made it all real-we were having another baby! And what a wonderful baby she is! My goodness! She seriously is happy all.the.time. And I am not just saying that. She really, honestly is! Unless she is hurt, tired, or hungry. That's it. I'm beyond lucky!

She is quite the stinker, as she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. You have to be careful with her, whereas with the boys-I could have had a floor covered with pennies, and they wouldn't have even blinked! She is starting to become quite the cruiser, and I can totally see her walkingby her birthday. What's funny is that last week, she was unstable on her feet if you grabbed her fingers to walk. She was all over the place, still trying to find her balance. Well today, I grabbed her hands and she FLEW! Oh my goodness it was crazy to see her walk so fast! How and when did that happen?!?! She also claps on cue, as well as shake her head no. Both of which are totally adorable to see! And her newest thing? Which I found out tonight while at dinner with Grandma and Grandpa...

She was making noises-as she is quite the vocal one... And I turned to her and said, "hahaha!" To which she responded, "Hahaha!" Can you believe that?!? It wasn't a fluke-I did it numerous times and she responded to all of them! LOVE HER! Oh-and she is also starting to wave "hi!" and "bye!" I think the boys did that much later on. I would say within the last week she started doing that. My how fast they grow....

I'm just enjoying her to pieces. She's such a love. Her brothers totally dote on her. I love when they see each other first thing in the morning, or after a nap-they go crazy! All of them! The boys look at her all excited and say, "ANNABELLA!"! And she starts waving her hands, and jumping up and down in your arms. The three of them are going to be so close as they get older. It's a wonderful thing.

This is what life is all about!

EASTER

2010-04-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some Easter photos. If you can believe it-the kids were ALL sick. Nicholas was getting over an ear infection and Anthony and Annabella both had croup. I have never seen Anthony so miserable!

Moving, moving, MOVING!

2010-03-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

Lookout! She's on the prowl! That's right-Annabella is CRAWLING! Woohoo! I thought this day would never come! She's been moving at least one knee forward, and then she would collapse and start whining. However-today-she went-and kept on going! She's still a bit unsteady at her new found freedom-but I guarantee by the end of the week, she'll be blowing by everybody! Of course we put some Cheerios in front of her to get her to move forward. ;)

In relation to where she stands on the milestone chart in comparison to her brothers... Nicholas crawled 9 days BEFORE his nine month birthday. Anthony crawled 10 days AFTER his nine month birthday. And Ms. Annabella crawled 19 days AFTER her nine month birthday. I thought she would be the earliest-and she was the latest! Funny, huh? In other news-she *could* be first when it comes to walking. She has stood up on her own for up to 30 seconds! Tony had her standing on the table tonight-he let go-and she stood there for 30 seconds. Unassisted. Craziness!

****

We are dealing with sickness yet again. We were actually really good for quite some time. The Christmas/winter season got us all good-well the kids at least. They had colds that lasted WEEKS. Yesterday, 3/28, we drove into Boston to go to the Children's Museum because they have a Curious George exhibit. The boys are HUGE into Curious George. Nicholas had a cough that morning and a very slight runny nose. Even my mother in law said he seemed fine at her house. Now, Nicholas hasn't gotten car sick since 12/25/2008. And well-yesterday-he did. THANKFULLY I had extra clothes in the car! We would have been in big trouble if we didn't! I'm thinking the coughing/runny nose/being awake didn't help-and he couldn't handle it.

So we went to the museum, as we were essentially there. Nicholas seemed to get worse the closer we got. Halfway through the musuem I noticed he was burning up. We finished up the museum then headed home, and stopped for dinner along the way. He luckily slept most of the ride home as he was EXHAUSTED. Poor kid. I hate when they are sick! He still had a fever today, and sounds horrific. I'm just hoping no one else gets whatever it is he has! Easter is this Sunday!

Well, off to bed. Annabella has been sleeping pretty decently as of late. Let's hope the trend continues and that I didn't just jinx myself!

NINE MONTHS!

2010-03-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Already! She's gone from this:

To this:

CRAZINESS!

She had her nine month pediatrican appointment. Are you ready for the stats? She weighs in at 19.13lbs!!! And she's 28 inches long! In comparison... Anthony was 23.15lbs and 32 inches at his TWO YEAR appointment! She's going to be big! She got the second round of the H1N1 Flu shot. That was it! The pediatrician gave us the go ahead to start/try all types of food. She is not the easiest kid to feed, to say the least. She clamps her mouth shut. Seriously. But looking at her, you would never know it! He said not to change anything-obviously what we are doing is great. So-that's that!

In terms of her development, she can get on all fours and rock. She tries to crawl, but usually gets one leg stuck. I *think* I saw her crawl forward today, but I'm not sure I can count it. If I did, then it means she is almost ready to go-and boy will she! She is trying to pull up, and when successful, can get to her knees. Once she realizes all the things she can do-it's going to be a whole new world for her!

The fun is just beginning!

Aww Moments!

2010-03-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

You know, I would read various forums, where moms would gush about the cute things their kids said. As I would read, I would sit with wonder. Would my kids do that? What would they say? Does it really happen? And here, two days in a row, I was able to have those "aww" moments. While eating dinner the other night, Nicholas turned to me and said, "Momma thank you cook!" That translates to, "Thank you momma for cooking dinner!" How sweet is that?!?!? It's not like Tony and I sit at the table and thank each other for the meal we cooked(not that it's a bad idea...). He wasn't coerced by Tony, or myself, or anyone else for that matter. It just brought a huge smile from my face! He is too sweet for words!

And yesterday, while I was getting dressed for storyhour, Anthony was in the room with me. He looked at me and said, "Beautiful mama!" What? He just said I was beautiful! And then he turned to Annabella and said the same thing!

There is no greater love than the love I have for my kids-and they keep coming up with more and more ways why!

Houston-We have a TOOTH!

2010-03-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

Well-it's looking like we have THREE teeth! Friday, February 26th I noticed a tooth had FINALLY popped through. The only "problem" with the tooth popping through is that it is her left incisor! The fang tooth! OUCH!

And now today, March 1, I can see her bottom TWO teeth about to make their way through. One has barely popped up-but it's there! I say by the end of the week she will have three teeth! And today was also a big day for Ms. Annabella. Remember trying to feed her baby food? What a hassle it is? Well tonight I made meatloaf for dinner and Tony had her try some. She gobbled it right up!!! She LOVED it! How do I know? Probably because she actually OPENED her mouth! Stinker that she is! Here are a few photos of this BIG day. TABLE FOOD!

Annabella Rose

2010-02-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

Seeing how by the time night comes around, I'm in no mood to write-I thought I would try naptime and see how that goes. Here's a bit about Ms. Annabella Rose...

Annabella is now 8 months old. Where the time went I am still trying to find... She is an amazing ray of sunshine in ALL of our lives. To imagine our life without her-you just couldn't.

Eating:

Boy is she nothing like the boys! It's like pulling teeth trying to get her to eat! Even Tony mentions how the boys would open their mouth waiting for the next solid. Not her. She clamps it shut! And the funny thing is, she's much bigger than the boys were at this stage. She's got rolls they NEVER had! She's not on any strict schedule. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not so much. It would help me to know what to expect, like I did with the boys. But on the other hand, I'm not limited with what I can do with the boys-like storyhour. If I had to stay home because it was her nap, we wouldn't go anywhere, and I might just go crazy! She drinks formula every few hours. Trying to get 6oz at a time is not easy. She may drink 4oz, and then she's good for at least an hour, if not more. Drives me batty. So-on average, I'm going to guess she gets at least 20oz/formula a day. Not sure if that's good or not, but she is not a huge eater. Or when she does-it's in large amounts? I don't know. Most days when it comes to solids(cereal, fruits, veggies), she doesn't open her mouth and we have to find a way to get the food in. I may give her a spoon, or something else to chew on and that tends to work. We did start the Gerber puffs right after 8 months. She's done well with them. The first few tries were ok, now she's an old pro!

The boys were eating mostly table food by the time nine months rolled around-as we were in Italy. I'm not so sure Annabella will be on that same time table! Who knows-maybe that's what she'd rather eat anyways?

Sleeping:

Well, yet again, she did things a bit differently. At six months, the boys were STTN as well as going to bed by about 7pm. Annabella? Nope. She was still waking at least once a night, if not twice depending on the time. She would eat, but never a full feeding. She might have 2 ounces one night, 4 ounces the next night. You just never knew. I had a feeling she would STTN on her own though. I was hesitant about CIO with her, probably because she's my last baby, and she's a girl-I know-totally sexist-but I just couldn't bear to hear her cry. And I was the one getting up with her in the middle of the night, not Tony. And it was also one-on-one time I had with her. No matter what time of day it is-she is ALWAYS smiling. Even at 3am, so how could you possibly be mad at her? Anyways...I'm happy to say *knock on wood* that she is going to bed when the boys do-within the half hour, and wakes up around 7am. There are a few nights here or there that she does wake to eat, but it's usually quick and it's at least 4-5oz. So she must be hungry! I'm happy she's pretty muh figured this all out on her own. Tony has done some modified CIO with her-he'll put her down when she's not fully asleep(I don't) and she may cry, but I'll be honest-he gets it done. She goes to sleep within ten minutes, even if it feels like an hour!

Talking:

She is such a little talker! She is a biggggg babbler! I swear she'll be talking in no time! She has, "dadadada" and "nanana" as far as I can tell so far. The other morning she woke up and I went to her crib and she was softly, as if she was whispering, saying "dadadadada." It was so cute. I did it with her later on, and she seemed to repeat what I said. Sometimes if you talk to her, she'll talk back, often times much louder. Not sure if that's a good thing or not! ;) The boys had EI for speech until they were 25 months old. As of now-I don't think she'll need it. The boys weren't much for babbling, although they certainly did it. Just looking back it seems like they were quiet in comparison. And Annabella also has the tendency to put EVERYTHING in her mouth! The boys NEVER put anything in their mouth. Never. I thought it was weird then. Apparently-it's a good thing, to an extent, to do that. It sets them up for speech later on. Interesting. I think she'll do just fine!

On the go:

On November 20, 2009, Annabella rolled from belly to back. Took her long enough! ;) And on February 4th, 2010, she rolled from back to belly. It seems like it takes so long to get from back to belly. And itn's not like she wasn't trying! She'd be on her back and arching like crazy. It was just trying to get that leg over! As for sitting up, she wasn't quite sitting around Christmas. She had JUST started to get the strength to do so. I remember having her sit for photos. I say she was good for a few seconds. And then by January, she's been great with sitting! I still put her in a boppy pillow to protect her. Doesn't help we have hard wood floors. And she just recently has gone from sitting to a crawling type position-getting on all fours, or almost. And, speaking of all fours... She does get up on all fours, and rocks, and that's about it! LOL! She has moved her legs forward, but hasn't figured out that she needs to, or can, move her arms as well. The boys both started crawling at nine months(within three weeks of each other), so it will be interesting to see if she does the same.

Odds and Ends:

*When Annabella sleeps, she sucks on her two fingers. Generally it's her right hand. You know she's getting tired when her fingers go in her mouth. She also sucks on her fingers when you are feeding her, thus making it quite difficult to feed her! To me, it's a comfort thing. I love when she does it. I'll worry about the orthodontist later! ;) And it's so darn cute when you can hear her sucking on her fingers on the monitor!

*When I change her diaper, I sit to the left of her on the bed, while she lays down. Whenever I do this, she rolls to her left and grabs onto my arm and immediately starts to smile! I then start saying, "No!" in a joking manner and she cracks up! I just love her to pieces!!!!

*She ADORES her brothers! Oh my goodness! I LOVE watching them interact! She especially loves Nicholas-as he makes her laugh quite a bit! He'll jump around or dance, and she is in fits of laughter. With Anthony, they seem to be more close in the sense of if she's sitting with me, he'll come up to her and kiss her, or touch her cheek, or talk to her. He really is so gentle with her. To see the love between all three of them-it just melts your heart.

I am still amazed that I have a little girl. When I stop and think about it, it just brings a smile to my face. She's such a beautiful little person, inside and out. I can't imagine my life without her and I am blessed beyond words to call her mine.

Time is flying by

2010-02-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

Wow. Two months since the last post? Oops! Busy? I guess that's one good reason! Things over here are going very well. The kids are all growing like weeds! I'll update them individually in a moment. In the beginning of December, I had a surprise 30th birthday party for Tony. About 30 people came, and I was able to pull the whole thing off! I was quite impressed myself! And of course, you can't have a surprise party without something going wrong... Well Tony had a horrible toothache and needed to get his wisdom tooth pulled. He scheduled the appointment for the DAY BEFORE the party. Seriously?!?! Luckily, he was in so much pain, I was able to convince him to go the Monday before the party-and they pulled it. Talk about dodging a bullet! He had a great time at his party, and I think he was happy about it. Then on his actual birthday, we went to the casino where we had a beautiful suite thanks to his uncle! It was awesome!

We all had a great Christmas. We didn't travel-everyone came to us. It was a lot of work, but it was relatively laid back and relaxing. I enjoyed it, as did Tony. We had two wonderful meals, and the boys were THOROUGHLY excited with Santa! We hyped him up so much! Ha! It really was wonderful, and Christmas has a whole new meaning when you have kids. I loved every minute of it. It was magical. Truly magical-and you could see it in their eyes! We got the boys the 50's Diner. It's been a HUGE hit! They love(especially Anthony) to go to the Diner once someone arrives and make coffee. It's too cute. He's my little chef, that's for sure!

We had a quiet New Year's. We actually went over a friend's house. They have a daughter a few months older than the boys. We just sat around, ate, and chatted, and then went on home. Nothing too exciting and just what we like! Shortly after New Year's, Tony and I "celebrated" 13 years of being together! Isnt' that crazy?!!? To think we've been together for almost half of our life! I can only hope my children can be in a loving, lasting relationship as I have been these last 13 years. And what an amazing 13 years it's been!

January marked the start of tax season, and I just dread the rest of winter. Tony works late Tu/Th and works on Saturdays. Fun times. I love my kids, but it's nice to have a little break here and there. Well now we are in February, so things are moving along, right? LOL! In the midst of tax season, we did book our FIRST family vacation! I can't wait! We are going to Sesame Place in Pennsylvania. We are taking my sister, as well as his, as we will need all the help! We got a pretty good deal I believe and will be staying for four days/three nights. We will be driving there, so that will be interesting to say the least! It's a five hour drive. My kids have never been in the car that long, nor have they really slept anywhere else besides their cribs-which they are still in! Eek!

Other than that, on the homefront, there is nothing new to report! Annabella is EIGHT months old already! Where in the world did that time go?!?! I feel like I was just pregnant with her! It's amazing to see how fast they grow up. Well, I'm off for now, as the laptop battery is low. I will post updates, separately, on each child. This will be fun! Hopefully, I do it tomorrow, and not months from now! I need to be documenting their growth!

First Haircut!

2009-12-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

Today was a big milestone at the house! I called up this morning to see if I could get Anthony an appointment to get his haircut! I had been meaning to all week and kept forgetting. Luckily I was able to get in at 4pm. Today, December 2nd, is the SAME day Nicholas got his first haircut-just a year prior. Now-Anthony didn't really NEED the haircut. It's still quite thin. However, it did need a little taming done to it. So-we had it done!

And I was quite surprised when he sat in the seat-he wanted nothing to do with it! He wasn't screaming or anything, but he was reaching for me to get out of the chair. His reaction is how I pictured Nicholas to be, and it was the total opposite. WEIRD! We tried a toy and he wanted nothing to do with that, but I mentioned 'pop' and he was all over that! Silly me brought nothing to distract him with because I thought it would be a walk in the park!

We gave him a lollipop and he quickly unwrapped it. He put it in his mouth for two seconds-and that was it! He just sat there totally unsure of what was going on! It literally took two seconds to do, but I HAD to get the little certificate with his first hair in it! Now-to keep Annabella's hair growing until next December... However, as of now-it doesn't seem like that will be an issue! Here are some photos:

Before:

First cut:

Snip. Snip.

I see you....

What a handsome little boy!

Two years old and big changes!

2009-11-19T20:04:00.001-08:00

The boys had their two year appointment today. All is going well for them. The Dr did say they are not to have more than 24 oz of milk/day. Apparently he doesn't know my kids! It's like their comfort-milk! I need to stop giving it tot them but it is just sooo hard! Anthony has geographic tongue. The Dr. said it had no effect on him. You can google it if you want! When he drinks milk, you can tell his tongue is different-it's like, well, a map! On his tongue! :)

Nicholas is weighing in at 27lbs6oz and he is 35 inches tall! Anthony is weighing in at 23lbs15oz and is 32 inches tall! The nurse tried really hard to give Anthony that extra ounce, but it wasn't happening! And there is 3 inches between them in height. Funny because that's what I was telling everyone! A mother knows! What else... They got the swine flu vaccine today as well. Currently, the swine flu is wreaking havoc across the US. It especially affects kids. And in order to protect Annabella, I had the boys get the vaccine. Funny thing is though, they possibly have ALL had the flu already(regular flu season hasn't even started yet). Annabella had gone in with a fever of 103.7 and the pedi looked at her and immediately said flu. So who knows.

The boys were discharged from EI services on Monday. It was sad to say goodbye to Elissa their therapist. It was a short six months, but the gains they have made are AMAZING! Nicholas is now consistently putting two words together. For example, "NiNi's turn" "Bella's diaper" "Momma up!" It's really amazing to listen to!

And the most important thing Nicholas has done?? I put them down for nap today(11/19). As I am laying them down and covering them up, I say, "Night night. Bye bye. Love you." And-they repeat the first two back to me. Never have they said "love you" back. That is-until today. I said the three sentences to Nicholas and he responded with, "Love you!" Now-how AMAZING is that?!?!!? The joys of motherhood I tell you!

And lately Nicholas has been quite the affectionate one. Usually he is so busy doing other things and isn't into sitting with you, etc. Lately though, it's "Momma up! Up Momma!" And he wants me to pick him up and hold him. Such a sweet kid!

He did manage to break his glasses after wearing them-albeit sporadically-for a week. We are now patiently waiting for new ones to come in. Let's hope it is SOON.

I tell ya-these two boys keep me on my toes! But they are just the sweetest little things-most of the time! ;) We laugh constantly. We're silly together. We dance together. We read together. We snuggle together. It never gets old. They are just such lovely little boys. And sweet. And caring. They dote on their little sister. It is AMAZING to see how good they are with her. Now-I still wouldn't leave them alone with her(more than a minute or so). But they are just so cute with her! They kiss her GENTLY on her head-and on their own accord! When I've feeding her they'll kiss her, or they'll rub her head, or burp her. They don't understand their strength, so I don't think they are really being malicious with her. Anthony does seem to get a bit excited too by her. And she ADORES them! She sees them and immediately she has an enormous smile for them. And they reciprocate. It's just so special to see! I still can't believe I am a mother to three.

Sometimes I wonder why I was ever worried in the first place!

More photos...

2009-11-08T18:29:00.001-08:00

A few more birthday photos and Nicholas and Annabella.

Birthday photos!

2009-11-02T19:15:00.001-08:00

I am too lazy to go and rearrange the photos. But you get the jist of them! These were taken on their party(17th) and on their actual birthday(18th).

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY NICHOLAS AND ANTHONY!

2009-10-25T19:06:00.001-07:00

Can you freakin' believe it?!?? I certainly can't! Nicholas and Anthony are now TWO years old! I'm still scratching my head wondering where the heck all that time went! To think they went from helpless infants to independent toddlers in two very short years.... Now, they drink from their sippy cups, as well as cups without covers. They use plates and bowls, spoons and forks(proficiently I might add). They can zip and sometimes unzip their jackets. Their vocabulary grows everyday(for the most part). They know their colors. Nicholas can count to 10. They are starting to sing their ABC's. They know many animals-and LOVE animals. They are fond of trucks, cars, planes. They love music and singing, especially Laurie Berkner. They can climb into the mini van all by themselves, as well as their seats. You can take them for a walk down the street-and they listen. They love Mr. Potato Head. They love to run around and be goofy. They love to play with each other. They ADORE their sister(and here I thought their world would be ruined...)! They understand EVERYTHING we say(even if they can't say much yet). They are big fans of Sesame Street, Jack's Big Music Show, and Sid the Science Kid. Anthony LOVES LOVES LOVES cooking shows. They love to help cook in the kitchen. They are picky eaters. Anthony loves his fruit, Nicholas loves his pasta. Milk-they can't get enough of. Anthony LOVES espresso. Seriously. They are not big sweet eaters(certain things, yes). They no longer use a pacifier.

Oh my-the list is endless! It's amazing to see how my little boys have grown sooo much! To think they were over 6 lbs at birth, and now they are well over 20lbs. And to think Anthony spent his first week of life in the NICU, and you would never know it. Then, he struggled to eat ONE ounce. ONE. Now-he can eat like a champion-when he wants to at least!

In all honesty, there has not been a day, in the last two years, that Tony and I have not laughed or smiled due to the joy the boys have brought into our lives. Nor does a day go by where we tell each other we have the most amazing children. The most beautiful children. And most certainly, the most loved.

I know we didn't go down the "traditional" path of having our boys. And in all honesty, I am glad we didn't. If it wasn't for IVF, those precious little boys of mine wouldn't be here. I'm glad that path was chosen for us, and even more glad(does that even make sense?) that I decided to walk down it.

So to Nicholas and Anthony-I want to wish you the best Happy Birthday ever! I don't know if you will ever realize how much you mean to mommy and daddy, and the rest of your family. You are the light of our lives, and forever will be. WE LOVE YOU!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

(pictures to follow...)

Anthony's BIG accomplishment!

2009-10-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

I don't have a picture of it-but I really should... I was in the bathroom and Anthony followed me in. He said, "Ppp! Ppp!" That means, poop! So I asked him if he had to go and he started to giggle. So I took off his overalls and diaper and he sat right down on the potty. The smile on his face was from ear to ear! They love to sit on the potty! I told him to pushhhhhh and of course he tried! LOL!

Well, he then stood up and goes, "Ppp! Ppp!" I said, "Did you poop?" He shook his head up and down! I then looked in the potty and didn't see any poop. But what I did see was pee! He peed in the potty!!!!! I made a big deal about it. When Zia came over he showed her. When Daddy came home, he grabbed his hand and brought him to the bathroom. When NaNa came over, he showed her. And when Grandma came over, he showed her as well. He sure was beaming!

It was probably a fluke-but we'll take it! First pee in the potty: October 13, 2009!

"NiNi's" new accessory

2009-10-13T20:23:00.001-07:00

Is he not just the cutest thing ever???? Surprisingly-he kept them on! He never really tried to take them off. I guess the Dr. was right afterall?!?! We had to go show daddy at the office on our way home. I said, "Ok-let's go show NaNa" to which he replied, "DaDa! DaDa!" I told him we could stop by the office after we got the glasses when we pulled up to the eye glass store. He has a great memory! Now off to find some straps to keep them ON his head!

Four Months Old!

2009-10-13T20:00:00.001-07:00

Well the princess has turned four months old-ALREADY! We had her four month pediatrician appointment on Monday at 9:15am. Boy is she growing! She is now weighing 14.6lbs! That puts her in the 50-70% for weight. And for height she is in the 70-90%. Where she is getting her height, I am not sure! Overall she is doing great! I asked the Dr. about her spitting up and he seemed perplexed that she actually did spit up! Her weight certainly does not reflect that! I could add rice cereal to her bottles if I chose to. I could do the same with the boys, but I never did end up doing that...

Four months old!

What a happy little baby!

He did also say we can start cereal/solids if we like. He said anywhere between 4-6 months it was fine. Once we start adding foods, we need to do the new food only for a total of 4-5 foods to watch for allergies. We started rice cereal on Monday, 10/12. It didn't go so hot. She certainly was not a fan of it-it just sat on her tongue/in her mouth. She didn't devour it like her brothers... Maybe in due time. I'll stick with the cereal for a bit before I add anything else. I don't think I added fruits/veggies with the boys until 6 months, but I could be mistaken! It's just something else to worry about!

In her mouth it goes:

Where she proceeds to let it sit there...

Something tells me she is not a fan...

I also asked about the swine flu vaccine. The pedi said if I think the regular flu is safe for the boys, then I should think the same of the swine flu vaccine. I need to protect the boys, but I also need to protect Annabella, who can't get the vaccines yet. We do go to storytime at the library now, so we are out in public(vs us never leaving the house). And I think the swine flu is hard on kids. But-we'll see. They didn't have any, so I still have time to make a decision!

Storytime Survival!

2009-10-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

I did it! Whoohooo!!!! I survived storytime! With not one, not two, but THREE kids! All by myself! If that doesn't deserve a celebration, I don't know what does! ;) I decided to sign the boys up for story time at the town library. I figured it would be good for them as well as get us out of the house. I had little expectations, just hoped they didn't scream! Well-they didn't scream, a few tears were shed, but overall I consider it a success! I do think it was a bit long for their age group(2-3.5), but hopefully with time they will adjust to it. They were able to go up to the front of the group and participate in various acitivies(putting a sticker next to their name, adding food to a soup bowl, and adding felt pieces to a story). It was a lot to ask of them-as they had to sit down and wait their turn, and wait for everyone to be done(14 kids total). Anthony got upset when Nicholas had a turn and not him(he eventually did). Then he got upset again because he wanted to keep on helping out! Oh well....

After the story, there was a little activity they could do. It was an alphabet book where they added die-cut letteres(A-D) and then added the corresponding stickers to them. We managed doing it on our own with no problem. This is when Annabella decided to join us and wake up and start to fuss. I can't expect miracles, right? She did great as well-luckily she slept for most of it!

There was another little boy, who was born the same day as Nicholas and Anthony. He was quite verbal(has an older brother), but he also left relatively quickly. The screaming was insane. The mother and I were talking how he has given her a run for her money. Don't all kids to that at one point or another?! ? ;)

I did get a good chuckle. There was another mother there who had twins-they had to be almost 3 years old, if not 3. Well, I noticed a woman sitting next to her and noticed there was no child with her. That's because she was this mother's friend who was brought along to help her! Here I am, two toddlers and an infant! ALONE! Granted, I certainly would have LOVED and taken the help, but there was none to be given! :)

After storytime, we drove to the office to have lunch with daddy. The boys were VERY eager to show daddy their alphabet book. It was too cute!

All in all, it was a great experience. I am a bit afraid of what next week will be like-seeing how they may be a bit more comfortable... Time will tell! The only downside is I didn't get any photos!

What's New?

2009-10-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well-not much! LOL! The kids are doing great-really. Last week, on Tuesday I believe it was, I didn't turn the TV on all day long! It was amazing! And looking back-I am not sure how I did that! However-the boys were AMAZING! They played well and never ONCE asked for the TV until 5pm. A MIRACLE! So provided I don't need to get a ton of things done and we are all happy-I will limit the amount of time the TV is on. I'll be honest and say it's on almost the entire day, but they really only watch a little bit of it. It's mostly on for background noise.

Can you believe we are a mere TWO weeks away from the boys SECOND birthday?!?! When did that happen? I seriously can not believe it's been two years already. I could just cry! They are just such amazing little boys! They are the sweetest kids. And I'm not saying that just because I am their mother. They really, truly are amazing, sweet little boys. Blessed is an understatement! We have a new routine at night when I bring them to bed. I sit down in the glider and they both come and sit on my lap and lay their head on my chest. I sing two to three songs. I start with "Old MacDonald" then move on to "ABC's" and then, "You Are My Sunshine." They lay there nice and quietly, I sing to them, and generally have tears in my eyes by the end of it. It's such a great moment to be sharing with them. I think of them getting older, and how they won't let me sing to them, let alone want to sit on my lap. So I try to cherish every single moment I have with them. Before I know it, it will all be a distant memory. Then, I put them in their cribs and they "jump up and down, jump up and down." I sing, "Night night Nicholas, night, night Nicholas. Night night Nicholas, it's time to go to sleep." I do the same thing with Anthony. When I finish, I cover them up with a blanket-that's new. And then, the other day, when I said "good night" to them, Nicholas jumped up from being covered, threw his pacifier to the mattress, and started blowing kisses to me.

Now what mother's heart wouldn't just melt with that? That's why I am the luckiest mother. Really.

Nicholas...

2009-10-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post, but time just goes by so quickly in the evening! We had an eye doctor appointment for Nicholas back on September 23rd. Nicholas' left eye turns inward-like a lazy eye. At first, I thought I was seeing things, or it was a one time deal. But then others noticed it as well, so I knew it wasn't just me. I called and made the appointment. We went into the appointment thinking he would maybe need a patch to correct it. WRONG! What we heard instead was quite the opposite.

After literally a five minute check, the Dr. said Nicholas needed glasses. He needed them so bad, he needed them yesterday! Yikes! He said he was farsighted, meaning he can't see near. It totally baffles us-ALL of us. We just don't see it. Maybe he does see things and they are blurry? I don't know. But when you ask him to point things out in the book, or to find this or that, he does it without hesitation. I even talked to his speeh therapist and she was baffled as well. She wanted to know how this came about, when it came about(not present after birth).

So we are looking to maybe get a second opinion. There is no problem with him wearing glasses. We just want to know if it really is as severe as the Dr. said it was. We ordered the glasses which are going to take forever to come in. The lady said they were going to be really thick glasses. Yikes! I asked the Dr. how was Nicholas going to keep them on. He said, "Oh he will! He can't see! He'll WANT them on." Alrighty Doc... if you say so!

More to come in a few weeks about this...

Smartie Pants!

2009-09-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

When I get the rare chance...when the baby is sleeping, the house is semi clean, and the boys are happy-I sit down and "work" with them. I feel bad we are not doing more. Sometimes it eats at me....I try not to dwell on it too much...

So today we worked on colors and counting. They have this toy where you put the pegs into the holes on five different vehicles-all different colors. So-I would have the boys find the green truck, the blue train, the yellow car, etc. They did that with ease! Smart boys! Then I started counting the holes. I then started counting using my fingers, and holding each one up in the process. Nicholas eats this ups and tries to count using his fingers as well. I counted to 10 for a change, instead of to five, and Nicholas tried. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. It was AWESOME! He makes me so proud!!! He doesn't say the full word yet-but he makes the initial sound. I would start and say "one." He would repeat. And we did this from 1-10. Sometimes, he would say the sound before I even did! When we got to eight-he said it-clear as day practically. Then he went straight to nine, and then ten. Without me saying it first.

Maybe I am doing something right afterall?

Anthony's new love

2009-09-21T19:45:00.001-07:00

Anthony LOVES watching cooking shows. How adorable is that? When the show ends-he signs "more." So daddy has to search the DVR to see if there are more shows available. He's a chef in the making!

No rest for the weary!

2009-09-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

It was yet another busy weekend at our household! Where we find the energy is beyond me-but we do! Fall is fast approaching here in New England. And with that-it means the BIG E has arrived! It started this past Friday and we took the boys. My mother-in-law took Annabella for the night and we took the boys to the Big E. They were AWESOME! They were so well behaved, it was crazy. We didn't even get home until 9:30pm!

Saturday we went to go pick Annabella up from Nonni's house. Then I came home and had to get ready for a baby shower. I brought Annabella with me, so Tony was home with the boys. They were able to go outside and play in the yard with daddy-which is always nice. I got home and picked them all up and we went to Meggie's house, as she was having a party and apparently "Auntie" has talked about the kids since birth-so everyone wanted to meet them. Well-meet them they did! Nicholas was not on his best behavior it was quite late, not to mention no dinner.... Lesson learned there! BUT-from there-we went to Zia's house as it was her birthday. So-Saturday night they went to bed at 10pm... Eek!

And today we ventured to the Big E yet again. However-it wasn't the best experience. We went for about 11am. We had strength in numbers with my mother in law as well as my sister. They are probably cursing themselves for even going! Nicholas was not happy. Daddy...he took them out of the wagon relatively early on in our trip-so they pretty much were not happy in it anymore. We walked around for a bit, ate a bit, and then pretty much left. They went on one ride that they love, where the cars speed around the corners. The smile on Nicholas' face is priceless! I have to load the photos still... And then we came home for a nap-THANK goodness they napped-and then it was off to Olive Garden for Zia Jen's birthday. Back home for cake-and in bed by 8:30pm-which is a lot earlier than the past two nights for them!

The princess is just a doll. Gosh is she the happiest baby in the world or what?!? I'm in the process of mentally preparing their Christmas lists. I want some pink added to the house! Not that I am exactly a girly-girl, but a little change will be nice. I was picturing her today, walking around at her birthday with a stroller and her baby dolls. How cute would that be?!?!?

Alright-space hog is signing off and going to bed. Maybe.

Apple Picking!

2009-09-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

I live for the weekends. As much as I may want to stay home and veg and have someone else watch the boys for a few hours, I also want to go out and do something with them. I feel bad that we stay home ALL.WEEK.LONG. I do not leave the house-except to go to lunch with Tony and his father-or we got to one of the grandparent's houses for dinner. That's it. No parks, no libraries, no malls, no stores. Nothing. I don't even take them outside. I feel HORRIBLE about it. I know this is just a short time period, but I still feel bad that the boys are stuck indoors all the time. It's just hard with the baby and her napping and feeding schedule. Going out is fine-malls, etc... But I'm not sure how I would deal with all three of them-especially if she got fussy, etc. So I stay home. Plus-it's cheaper. Anyways...

So the weekends I always try to do something with the boys. I make sure they get outside and play. We go to different places. We'll take them to the zoo or to the park. And if we can, we bring the baby to Tony's parents house and it's just us and the boys. So this past weekend we went apple picking. It was absolutely gorgeous out-actually even, dare I say, "hot." It was probably at least 80 degrees. And whenever Tony and I have gone apple picking-it's been FREEZING-so this was a change! We went to Echo Hill and I have to say it was a bit disappointing. At least to us adults it was. Most of the apples were on the floor. Not sure if that's because of the insance amount of rain we receieved this year or what. So that was disappointing. The orchards weren't really kept up either. Tall, tall grass. Anthony had trouble walking through it, not to mention the loads of apples scattered everywhere. But-the most important part is that the boys had a good time, and that's all that really matters. As we were on the tractor ride back, I was talking to Tony and I got teary-eyed. This is what parenthood is all about-and it's amazing and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Here are some photos:

THREE months and some photos!

2009-09-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! Annabella is three months old already! Where in the heck did time go?!??! GEESH! She is an amazing baby-I kid you not. She spends her days eating, smiling, cooing, and spitting up. It's a never ending cycle. Let's see-what can she do? Well-not too much! She can hold her head up pretty well. She's a belly sleeper-so that probably has helped as well. No rolling yet-but that could be because she doesn't spend much time on the ground due to her brothers... She is now starting to grab things I've noticed. She grabbed her pacifier this afternoon and it seemed like she was trying to work it back into her mouth. And she used two hands! She loves her bouncy seat as well as the playmat. She spends more time in the bouncy seat-as she's semi safe on the table in it. The boys still manage to find her though! She gets really excited sometimes and kicks her feet with glee and coo's as well. She's so stinkin' happy!

She is a relatively good sleeper. At night-she did have a stretch where she slept all night, but that was short lived. Now she goes a short period of sleep(like 3-4 hours), wakes to eat, and then does a pretty decent long stretch of sleep. As long as I wake ONCE a night-I'm a happy camper. She's eating 4oz bottles throughout the day. How many times a day-no idea. She's not on any schedule. She eats when hungry though! As for napping-she essentially can be up no more than 90 minutes before she gets really cranky and starts crying. Once I realize how long she's been up for, I go and put her down. Some days she takes really great naps, other days they are 20 minutes in length...mostly due to spit up issues...

Right now she is sleeping in the PNP in my bedroom right next to my bed. Seeing how she's a tummy sleeper, I have her right next to me-it was better than her sleeping ON me. I can hear her sucking on her hand as she tries to fall asleep. So cute! Tony is still sleeping upstairs and probably will until she sleeps through the night and we put her in her crib. Luckily she is used to the PNP so it shouldn't be a difficult transition. Hopefully.

As for the boys-they did something new today! We went out to lunch with NoNo and Tony. We went to Friendly's and I was tired of bringing in their booster seats with us. So I told Tony maybe we should try their's and worse came to worse-we go to the car and get ours. The problem being that the booster's at the restaurant did not have straps! Well-they sure surprised us!!!! Nicholas didn't move a muscle! He sat in there like a big boy! I was so proud of him! He is just too sweet. Anthony did really well also, with just a few tries at turning around to look at the table behind us. So we may be ending bringing our seats with us.

Tonight was dinner at my parents. It went well-if you consider the boys eating mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce a success! That's it! Oh-and some peaches! Ah well. They won't starve, right?!?!

Here are some much needed photos!

I love this photo!

Nicholas eating the chocolate chip cookie batter.

Anthony eating the batter.

I'm telling ya-a happy baby!

The kids with their great grandmother from Italy.

Slowly updating...

2009-09-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Now that I have figured out how to add things to the blog-I am slowly updating it with photos, music, tickers and the like. Of course this is a total time killer! I certainly could be writing the thank you notes I've been putting off for the last three months...or I could do some dishes, or laundry, or... well-you get the idea! People do have to understand I have three children-all under the age of two! I'm not superwoman ya know! Although...there are plenty of people who think so. Why, I have yet to figure out...

Today I took out one of the boys birthday toys-from LAST year. It was a Duplo building set-FARM! The biggest mistake was that I tried to put it together with the boys sitting right in front of me. Silly mommy! My patience wears thin nowadays. In the end though, I managed to put it all together and they were thrilled with the newest addition-even if it was momentarily. The great thing is that they've been starting to engage in pretend play-which is AWESOME! Anthony, moreso than Nicholas, would take an animal and pretend it was eating. So cute! We also have a little kitchen toy that lately they go to the fridge and get me "carrots" or "apples" or whatever floats their boat. Nicholas will go to the fridge, "grab" something, and come back to me and start talking gibberish. It's hilarious and so adorable.

Overall it was a successful day. NaNa came over and I ran to the grocery store so I could get some thing to complete dinner. It was a success! At least for the adults! It was rosemary ranch chicken-grilled. Super easy and tasty! Now we have another meal to add to our very short list!

The princess is doing well of course. If it wasn't for her constant spitting up-all would be well! It's all she does it seems. Although-the boys were the same. Last night she was up twice-at 1am and 5:30am. Mommy didn't go to bed until almost 12am, so I was not a happy camper! And because of this-I need to end this sooner rather than later! Tomorrow-PHOTOS ONLY! :) I promise!

The boys!

2009-09-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Finally I am going to attempt an update on Nicholas and Anthony... Where to begin though? Eek! This is a daunting task-especially if I hope to be in bed by 11pm.

Well-they will be TWO next month! Can you believe it? I honestly don't know where the time has gone! I feel like yesterday I just brough them home. So sad to think about!

When we went for their 18month appt, they weren't really talking much yet. They said "mama" and "dada" but not necessarily in the right context. So we had EI come out and evaluate them and they both qualified. We started the speech therapy once a week for one hour. The therapist works with the both of them at the same time. It works out well. She's great with them-and they LOVE her. Always a good thing! Honestly-she's not that concerned-nor was I. They understand EVERYTHING. And she said they do great at imitating, etc. She said they are going to have a language explosion eventually and WATCH OUT! We are up to about 30 words or so. Let's see if I can remember them: mama, dada, dog, Sadie, TiTi(Auntie Meredith), Zia, Nana, NoNo, star, blue, truck(Nicholas), car(Nicholas), down, done, milk(signing too), more(signing too), please(another sign), thank you(yet another sign), NiNi(Nicholas' nickname), ToTo(Anthony's nickname), Be-Ba(Annabella's nickname), Oompa(grandpa Lang), stop, one, cow(moo), sheep(baa), lion(roar), elephant(whatever that says..), pig(oink), cat(meow), monkey(whatever sound that is), no.... I'm starting to run out of words, but I know there are a lot more that I can not think of! And Nicholas is starting to put two words together, mainly: "ToTo...no"

There was a stretch where I honestly thought I was going to lose it. Nicholas was being rather difficult. And that is an understatement. I envied Tony for going to work. All I wanted to do was leave the house! In hindsight, he was teething. He did get his four canines at the same time. I honestly never know either-no fever, generally no runny nose, no messy diapers, etc. He was just MISERABLE! I was afraid to say something to him, not knowing what the reaction was going to be. He would just cry and cry and cry. Well-it's been a few weeks and he has been AWESOME! He really is a funny little kid. He's such a sweetheart-but boy is he the devil! ;) He is VERY active. He is go go go! On the couch, running around, etc. It's probably why he loves his sleep! He seems to be more of the athletic type, whereas Anthony seems to be more of the academic type. Nicholas has a smile that could just melt your heart. I love when he comes up to me and just hugs me. He will come up and lay his head on me, and leave just as quickly as he came. He really is a sweet kid!

Anthony is just as sweet! Although...lately he's been a bit tough. He's getting his molars as well. Not sure if that is the only reason. I've been noticing some jealousy with the baby. If I have her, or she needs me, he wants me NOW. No later. It has to be NOW. And he is crying and wants me to pick him up. It's rather sad if I do say so myself. This has been since last week. Which is also when I noticed the teething, so who knows what it is. Up until this point, there was no real jealousy issues with either of them. But, on the other hand, he totally LOVES her. He wants to hold her, kiss her, touch her, hug her... I can't put her ANYWHERE without him-and Nicholas-all over her! It's crazy! I'd love to put her on the floor for an extended period of time-but I just can't trust them. They don't know their own strength! Anthony though is a little sweetheart with her-and us as well. He will just come up to me if I am standing somewhere and hug my leg. It's so stinkin cute! He definitely loves EVERYONE. If Tony is driving the car and starts backing up before I get in, Anthony starts to cry, "Mama! Mama! Mama!" And he'll do the same if I do it to Tony. If I take just him somewhere, he'll question where the others are. I brought him to Dunkin Donuts the other day and as we were backing out, he was saying, "NiNi? NiNi?" I felt bad! LOL! And I have FINALLY learned my lesson...We were going to be seeing Tony's mom yesterday at a birthday party. I mentioned this to the boys. We went to Target with my sister. Came home, pulled into the driveway and Anthony says, "Nana! Nana!" And he started to cry. NaNa was NOT at the house. He proceeded to cry for a good 10 minutes. Poor kid. AND-he did not take a nap. So I ended up taking him to see NaNa earlier while Nicholas slept. And-when Tony came home from work today(I mentioned Grandpa was coming-and they were waiting for him), he said, "HI!" and Anthony started to cry! He wanted Grandpa! He's such a softie!

So-Anthony is the academic one. He is VERY good with puzzles. Although they both are pretty good as well. He is just SO observant of everything! You often wonder what is going on in his head! And he also seems to enjoy watching cooking shows. Very interesting! I am working on them with colors(they do pretty well with this) and counting/numbers. I'll worry about the alphabet later. Once the playroom is complete(Tony redid the closet), I will set up a little classroom type atmosphere and work on the calendar, weather, etc.

Total space hog. Hence why I don't update as often. Hopefully now I will! Tomorrow I will tackle some photos. I would do it tonight, but it takes forever, it's now past 11pm, and who knows when Annabella is going to wake up. Last night she switched it up. I went to bed by 12, and she was up at 1:30am, and then 6:30am, and I had to get up with the boys because Tony had a seminar to go to. SO! That's a bit of a summary of the boys. I know I'm missing much more...hopefully I'll add some more tomorrow!

It's about time!

2009-09-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

WOW! Have I been the ultimate slacker with this blog! Oops! To say life has gotten crazier is an understatement! A good crazy? Well of course! But crazy nonetheless! Where to begin...

The most important news... Nicholas and Anthony became big brothers on June 10, 2009! Annabella Rose was born weighing 7lbs 9oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. She's a doll! Such a great, happy baby. We love her to pieces!!

Her grand entrance:

The proud big brothers!

The boys have adjusted well overall. Lately I am noticing a hint of jealousy with Anthony. He seems to want me when Annabella needs me. However-he quickly gets over that and comes up and gives her kisses! He's such a sweetie with her! He gets upset if I take her off the playmat. He wants her to stay! Nicholas loves her as well-except he's a bit more rough with her. He likes to hit her on the head whenever I am feeding her, or holding her. He's always laughing when he's doing it. I'm not sure if he's doing to on purpose or to make me mad! Or-is he just being loving and he doesn't know it? Who knows!

But Ms. Annabella won our hearts forever when she was born that day. It was a surreal experience-one that I need to have written down for the future:

We got to the hospital for 10am for the c/s. Surprisingly things were on time. I walked into the OR at 11:35am. The OB made her incision at 11:55am. I got teary-eyed as soon as Tony came in. Reality was setting in... It was such a bittersweet moment!

I watched the clock intently. Not knowing if I was going to be meeting Michael Robert or Annabella Rose. At 12:09pm, the OB said, "Announce it daddy!" DH stood up and STARED! He was flabbergasted. He knew what he saw-but he was looking for other parts! ;) He was looking for a penis-but he didn't find one! It's a GIRL! We were FLOORED to say the least! I jsut cried and cried and cried! We both did! The anesthesiologist actually whispered to Tony, "It's a girl!" He then announced it to me. The entire rest of the day-all I said was, "I can't believe it's a girl!"

They brought her over really quickly and I kissed her. Then they weighed and cleaned her up. Once that was done-they handed her back to Tony. He held her, looked at me and goes, "I've got my daddy's little girl." Yes-you certainly did. Blessed is an understatement!

Daddy and his little girl!

Ms. Annabella is an easy going baby. And HAPPY! On Saturday, August 29th, she laughed for the first time(although-I swear she did at 6 weeks..). As for when she has smiled first....well honestly-she's been doing that since birth! Seriously. But-on August 11, she was crying while I was making the boys lunch. I went over to her and started talking to her-and she started smiling. Then I would go back to their lunch. She'd start crying. I'd go back-and she'd start smiling and cooing. So it was then that I KNEW it was for REAL! As for her sleeping...she's doing REALLY well. Once we stopped the breastfeeding(that was torturous to say the least-but I held out for almost 4 weeks, and then pumped for another 4), things improved with sleep. She gets up once a night-if that! We have had a few nights where she has slept all night long. Tony does sleep upstairs-that way he can take care of the boys when they get up, and I deal with her and sleep a bit later if she wakes in the middle of the night.

So all in all-we are doing great! Sure there are some bumps in the road, but overall things are good. I have to say, I have the most amazing kids. Do they drive me nuts some days? Certainly. But I most certainly wouldn't change it for the world!

Now-tomorrow-HOPEFULLY-I will update on the boys and then all will be right in the blogging world again! :)

PHOTOS!

2009-04-21T17:32:00.001-07:00

Here are some much needed photos...We'll see how many I have the patience for!

Baking cookies!

All covered in flour!

How cute are they?

Easter photos from Sears

One of my favorites-at the park feeding the ducks:

Slacker!

2009-04-03T17:36:00.001-07:00

I can honestly tell you every night I tell myself I need to come here and update. However, I'm lazy and I do not. But-here I am! So-here goes!

When I last posted a month ago..Anthony was sick with his first fever. Well-then he woke up with a cold, a lovely cough, and a rash. Nicholas also got the cough/cold. They were sick for almost 3 weeks-on and off. It was not fun! Nicholas had a rash appear once his cold disappeared two weeks ago... Thank goodness that was over with! Then last Saturday, we had plans to go to a local zoo. Nicholas woke up rather warm, but I attributed it to him just waking up. Nope. We got home from the zoo and he had a fever of 102.5. I knew he didn't feel well. I felt so bad for him. The fever didn't break and they have ALWAYS broke when they've had fevers before-with Motrin of course. So from Saturday afternoon until Monday, the poor kid had a fever. Finally on Monday it broke and I thought we were in the clear. Nope. Come Tuesday morning, when we had a playdate-Nicholas woke up with a lovely rash all over his stomach and back. I did some research and think he has Roseola which is highly contagious. Knock on wood Anthony has not gotten it. Yet.

So as you can imagine-Nicholas was miserable for a few days. And to be honest, I was quite worried about him. He was just miserable-not happy, laughing, running around like he usually does. I am happy to report however, that he is back to normal and is his happy self again!

How are the boys doing? Well-overall I think they are doing great. I am having them evaluated for speech delays. I am not sure where I stand on this, as I of course think they are little geniuses! ;) However-they do not speak. At all. No hello, hi, bye, cat, dog. Nothing. They CAN say mamama and dadada...but I am not all convinced it's in the right context. They also know the sounds an elephant, lion, sheep can make. And we are working on cat/cow as we speak. They understand EVERYTHING we say to them. They can match up pictures to do a puzzle. Ask them to find something in a book-and they will(Anthony is really good at this). They just may need some help getting the words out. At times, I don't want to rush them speaking-they are still my babies, ya know? But at other times, the whining and the constant, "EH!" will be nice to stop. Maybe I should get them on video soon...

Both boys are doing REALLY well using their utensils. We give them forks now as well(maybe for the last 2-3 months) and just recently they've started to get the hang of it. If we help with putting the food on the fork/spoon, they are able to get it in their mouth. They seem so proud of doing it themselves too!

Foods they self feed with utensils:

-oatmeal

-yogurt

-applesauce

-cereal(they LOVE LOVE LOVE Cheerios!)

-soup

-pasta

-shepherd's pie

-scrambled eggs

-mashed potatoes

Those are just a few! Really-they are not fans of us feeding them! Oh-and they LOVE strawberries! They can eat a whole pound in a sitting! I am glad they love fruit because they certainly do not like vegetables(besides Anthony and his peas).

Let's see...what else? Nicholas has been starting to have tantrums. Not sure if they are really classified as one, but he does get upset if he doesn't get his way and cries, etc. No throwing of his body to the ground or anything like that-kicking, pounding fists, etc. I do my best by trying to ignore it. I have a book I need to read about raising respectable, well-behaved toddlers. That's my biggest fear-they do not behave for me/others. It's hard. I'm home all day with them-so sometimes I may need to give in for my sanity! We'll see...Hopefully the book gets read before the baby arrives!

The weather is finally starting to warm up around here. Now if it would only stop being windy/rainy we would all be happy! We got the boys a sand/water table and they love to go out on the deck and play. I took them outside alone the other day and it went surprisingly well. They didn't take off all over the place-they stayed in the driveway and pushed the lawnmowers and other toys. I was pleased with them-and myself for just doing it! I feel bad I don't take them out as often-it's something I need to work on. Although-nice weather would make it happen a bit more often!

I will stop here. I know there is plenty more to update on. I will post again before the weekend is over and add pictures as well! I hate to take up too much space! ;)

Fevers. Ick!

2009-03-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

Anthony has now joined the ranks of having a fever. Nicholas had his first one last month-which thankfully Anthony did not get at that time. I can not tell you how worrisome it is when they have fevers! I do not know why it worries me so much-but it does! The poor kid! I noticed last night his head was HOT! It was weird. When i was changing him before bed, I noticed that his back/stomach were really hot. Thank goodness I took his temperature. It was 101.5! I gave him some motrin and luckily he slept through the night. He woke around 7:15am and he was on fire! The poor kid was shaking! I immediately gave him some motrin. He was sooo clingy. I could not do anything! He was on me all.day.long. His cheeks were so rosey. He was so lethargic-wouldn't eat much, and certainly didn't drink much! That was a worry!

And to top it all off-he took a 2.5 hour nap! Go figure! He naps no more than 30 minutes/day! And of course Nicholas slept for "only" an hour. No break I tell ya! Finally, around 4pm, Anthony started to act like his self-he was eating, drinking, laughing, and playing. It was great. The fever never came back-and hopefully he is better now.

So it was quite the day-but we survived it. Nicholas was SOOO good. It's like he knows. He was so happy running around playing, playing with Sadie. He was great. All Anthony did-with me-was sit on the couch and watch Jack's Big Music Show and Baby Einstein. But gosh was he cute! Such a cuddle bug! And when Nicholas woke up from his nap-he laid on me-it was so sweet. I have the best kids-I really really do!

Tomorrow Tony is off for most of the day(YES!). We are going out to lunch with his cousin's who are moving to Wyoming next week. So sad. Hopefully the boys will be on their best behavior! :)

Next post I need to add photos. I am trying to go to bed early tonight.... We'll see!

16 Month Update!

2009-02-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

The boys has their 15 month appointment yesterday(I know-a month later-I hate when that happens). Overall-everything is really good. Nicholas weighs 23.10lbs and Anthony weighs 21.14lbs. Nicholas is 31 1/4 inches tall and Anthony is 29 inches even. He's my little shorty! :) As for his head size-it's great! He is going back onto the growth curve-so that is a relief-and one that we figured was going to happen. So the Dr is pleased about that. Overall, there are no real concerns, with the exception of either of the boys talking. The Dr. seemed a bit more concerned than I thought he would be. I'm guessing maybe because they do not use "mama" and "dada" in the right context. Anthony sometimes seems to...but it's certainly not consistent. He said to contact EI and have them come out and evaluate them. I'm not overly concerned as 1.) they are twins, 2.) they are boys, and 3.) they understand EVERYTHING we say. Plus, as a teacher, I know all kids are different and learn at different rates, etc. In their own time they will talk-and once they do-WATCH OUT! The Dr. did seem rather impressed(as I think he should be!) that Anthony was pointing to various objects in the book, etc. It's really amazing to watch him find keys, balls, the dog, cat, penguin, elephant, lion, etc... And if he wants your attention while he is doing it-he practically screeches! It's quite humorous!

Overall though-the Dr. said they were excelling everywhere else, that they were growing great, look healthy, etc. So that's great. They had to have their shots-MMR and chicken pox. I will say I was VERY nervous about the MMR shot. For what reason-is beyond me, as I do NOT believe it causes autism. I think it is caused somewhat by genetics and environmental. But to pin point it on this one vaccine is crazy-because then every kid would have autism. Not the case. And-autism is higher in boys-so I think that's where my worries were! I am happy to report they had no reaction whatsoever and were relatively happy boys the rest of the day. Oh! And it was my first shots with them(besides the flu shot-that was wimpy and quick). Tony ALWAYS holds them for their shots and then I take them and comfort them. Well, Nicholas was NOT happy at being at the Drs. office, so I held him. I had to give him a bear hug while she got him in both arms. He wailed. And then calmed down and the world was right again! Tony held Anthony and he quickly calmed down as well. I will say-overall they do REALLY well for shots. Thank goodness! I would be a MESS!

Other than that-all is well! They are just the light of our lives! They really truly are. Who knew twins could be so much fun???? :)

Smarty pants!

2009-02-23T16:50:00.000-08:00

I have to say, I think my boys are pretty smart! I know I am their mother, and possibly biased as well...But...I still think they are rather smart! Today I brought out two puzzles. They are animal puzzles they got for their birthday-really easy to do, not a lot of pieces. Well, the last time I did a puzzle with them, Anthony just handed me the pieces and I would put them in. This time, I would give him a piece, and he would put it in the right spot! HUH? Now granted, it might not have been PERFECTLY in the right spot-but it was there! I was amazed! And it's so funny because you can see his eyes looking all over the place for the right spot. What a smarty pants. Then, he was watching Baby Einstein Baby Noah(animals). When the lion came on, he would come into to the dining room, make the lion noise, then go back and watch the video. It was sooo cute! He's such a stinker! And books...oh my goodness does he love books! He points to ALL the animals...and screeches to get your attention! It's quite funny! Nicholas also loves books and points to everything in them.

They are 16 months old now, and no they do not talk. We do see the pedi tomorrow and we'll see if he is concerned. If he recommends EI, so be it. I am not totally concerned yet. They understand everything, and Nicholas actually has a few sounds. While reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear today, it seemed like he was trying to say the beginning sounds of some of the animals. In their own time, they'll get there. Words or no words, I still think they are little geniuses! :)

Photos and more!

2009-02-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

The boys are so much fun lately! Here's a "quick" rundown...

Anthony:

Anthony LOVES to help. And by I mean help, I mean CLEAN! This child certainly is NOT mine! ;) He was in the tub the other day and he was handing me the toys to put away! When the bibs, utensils, and cups are thrown from the highchair, Anthony will pick them up and come hand them to me. If he sees paper, etc on the floor-he picks it up, and will sometimes put it in the trash(he does need some help opening the drawer). He will gladly hand Nicholas his sippy cup or even a snack. He's such a sweetheart! He really is. Genuine, ya know? I didn't know they learned to do these things at 15 months old! He is also a HUGE fan of taking off his shoes and socks. I have started to not even bother putting his shoes on until we have reached our destination. Why? Because he will take them off five times before I even make it to the car, and then they will disappear once we are in the car. It's tiresome! We have arrived at various destinations with one shoe on, and one sock off. He thinks nothing of it!

Nicholas:

Nicholas is now into the "running away phase. And frankly, it's quite cute. It does get tiresome, but I don't run after him! I just wait for him to come near me and quickly grab him. If I say, "Nicholas-let's go change your diaper" he will instantly look at me, smile, and run the other way! Stinker! He also is now into climbing. He can't climb much-but he CAN climb onto the train table. Not nice! I was folding laundry one day and he was making a noise like he needed help. I was in the other room saying, "Nicholas, use your words." Well, once I finished, I walked into the playroom and there he was....Standing tall on his train table. He was making noise because he couldn't get down! I grew a lot more gray hairs that day! He is now also trying to climb the stairs-STANDING. CRAZY! How did he learn that? I certainly didn't teach him! He does well I might add. And he is also learning to hold our hands if we take him out of the stroller(only done if there are two of us). Anthony...needs some work! :)

Tony and I say daily how amazed we are that we have two babies(toddlers, I know). It's just so amazing to think we made these beautiful babies. I am in awe everyday. I can't even begin to imagine my life without them. I would be lost. They are the best thing that ever happened to me. To us. Do you know how many times at night-AFTER they are in bed-that we say, "Let's go wake them up!" How many parents say that? And no we are not crazy! They bring just sheer joy. Amazing.

Well I need to add some photos. Slacker. I know. I may do many posts of photos. We'll see how adventurous I get!

Anthony trying hard to put his shoes on!

How cute is that photo???

Awww..they really do love each other!

This is what happens when you wake at 5:45am!

I asked Anthony for kisses...instead he stuck his tongue out at me(and yes I taught him that!)

Give a kid some tissue paper and he will be entertained for hours! Well..not quite. Maybe 10 minutes...

Too cute!

Such a little boy!

A picture is worth a thousand words!

So sweet!

How precious!

I love this photo. They were giving each other high-fives outside. It was their first time in the snow as well.

FINALLY

2009-01-28T17:11:00.000-08:00

I know I know, it's been too long! I am such a slacker! Every night I say to myself, "update the blog!" And yet-I never do! Soooo bad. Anyways-let's cut to the chase!

The boys are doing AMAZING! They are soooo much fun! Anthony is walking everywhere now. He is funny though because he walks with his hands out, like for balance. It's too funny. He's also really really really attached to me. Sometimes it makes things difficult to get ANYTHING done. I will say though, I am highly honored! He has quite the mouthful of teeth. In fact I think he has a FEW molars! I'll have to count one of these days. Still no words, but he's really good at babbling when he wants to! We are working on using plates/forks/spoons. Some days are better than others. He has the tendency to like to do things for himself. It should get interesting when he's in preschool, if not sooner! We are off ALL bottles-that was done on New Years' Eve. No problems there. Anthony is a milk-a-holic! LOVES milk. He drinks almost double what Nicholas drinks!

Nicholas is also not talking yet, but is a proud babbler as well. I think he will be the first to talk. It's really amazing what these kids understand at such a young age. Tony and I can not believe it. We are patiently waiting for them to start speaking. I'm not too concerned, as they do understand almost everything we are saying! Nicholas can basically run. He also likes to run away if it's time to change a diaper, change clothes, etc. It's a game for him-and it's rather cute I might add! He loves to spin around with daddy and get all dizzy. Boys boys boys. Anthony is not a fan of that activity. They both LOVE books. It's great to be sitting anywhere, and have the two of them walk over to you with huge grins on their faces and a book in hand. And Nicholas HAS to sit on your lap! Adorable.

The winter is getting long, as it's not easy going out when it's FREEZING or snowing, which is what seems to be happening a lot lately! I never minded the winter, but now that I have kids-I can't stand it. It makes for a longggggg day. Speaking of which...We are now down to one nap. We are still in the learning phase of it all, but so far, so good. For the most part...LOL! They wake around 7:30/7:45am now and go down for their nap between 12/12:30. Oddly enough they do not seem overly tired by this time. I know I am! Anthony always seems to wake within the first hour. I've let him CIO and he's gone back to sleep. Nicholas has been woken up and he too goes back to sleep. THANKFULLY! I try to sleep-but I can't. I am always thinking and waiting for one of them to wake up. Drives me batty. Hopefully soon they will BOTH get the memo to sleep for at least two hours. Once they do-I will be one happy momma!

We are needing to get creative in terms of "play." I am bored. I'll be honest. LOL! We have a ball pit now, which I am thinking probably was not the greatest idea, especially as the two of them tipped it over this afternoon and balls went EVERYWHERE. Oh yes. It was great. Also, I let them play in the fridge for a few minutes. They love it. We have tried coloring at the table-which they really enjoy. Going outside is a chore and one we have done twice. Once when daddy was home we went out in the snow for the first time. They LOVED it. Well-the sledding part at least! LOL! Nicholas wanted nothing to do with being IN the snow though! Oh well! We took them down the street twice-it was really cute! And then I took them for a walk when the temperature was over 30 degrees for a change. Anything for a change! I try to get out and about at least once a week. It helps make the day go by faster. And they like it too-I think!

As for other news...We bought a new car! Well new to us, but it's used. Tony refuses to buy a new car. I have to say-he has a point. We saved at least $10,000 by getting a car that was only 2 years old and had only 25,000 miles on it. Not too shabby. We got the Toyota Sienna AWD minivan. It was the way to go. I want convenience here! And a sliding door, as well as a car starter. Which we have! :) I also got $8,000 for my Rav4. Not a bad deal all the way around.

AFM and the baby...Things are going well. We had the big u/s last week and all was well. I was really worried they would find something wrong, or the baby wouldn't be growing well, etc...But-all is well! I felt much better! They didn't get a great look at the heart, so we go back in two weeks. We also got a few 3D photos-which are really cool! I hope to ask for some more when we go in 2 weeks. I will have to post photos. My next posting will have to be of photos only! I am feeling the baby move more and more. However-I do not feel the baby almost the entire day. These boys keep me busy!!! I only feel the baby when I am sitting or laying down. Apparently something I do not get to do throughout the day! LOL! I still do not feel pregnant, nor have I gained any weight, nor do I think I am actually showing really. Tony thinks it's because I had the boys already, so I might not grow much. I want to look pregnant and not FAT! Geez! LOL!

So-that's about everything in a nutshell! We get the car tomorrow, we have lots of visitors as well tomorrow...busy busy! OK. Off to do laundry and wash the floors. And then have something sweet to eat! Any excuse, right?!? OK. By Sunday, I PROMISE-photos. And lots of 'em!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! What a great year it has been. Christmas will never be the same, now that the boys are here. It was like this last year-don't worry! So bittersweet to have two beautiful, healthy, absolutely amazing boys in our life. I couldn't picture it any other way.

Christmas Eve we hosted 11 people total, 13 if you include the boys! We had a late dinner and we ended up keeping the boys up a bit later so Grandpa Lang could see them. They did really well too seeing how they are sick, not napping well, and went to bed 90 minutes later than usual.

We had the boys open their presents before we had dinner to get it out of the way. They were REALLY cute about it! Anthony is just like his daddy in that he LOVES opening presents! He sees a gift and charges toward it to open it! It's really cute. Nicholas likes the paper more than the unwrapping. Once he gets the paper, he starts to tear it apart, and apart, and apart! It was funny because say Nicholas is opening a gift and Anthony is as well. Well, if one sees more of the other gift than their own, they drop their gift and go to their brothers gift! Go figure! LOL! It was pretty much spend a minute or two with each gift, then they were off onto something else. They got Elmo Live from Auntie Meredith which was a hit(maybe moreso for the adults!), and Zia Jennifer got them the Little People's Airplane, BIG blocks, a sweater/shirt, and a puzzle. Grandma and Grandpa Lang gave them lots of toys as well-Curious George, a Winnie the Pooh, an Elmo CD player, a book... An endless list! They made out like bandits and Santa didn't even arrive yet!

And the biggest news? I haven't even mentioned the biggest news yet...Anthony is WALKING! That's right! My boys pick BIG days to start really walking! Nicholas walked on October 4-which was their First Birthday Party. Anthony walked on December 24-Christmas Eve! Now he has been taking steps here and there-so we knew he was close. And then all of a sudden on Christmas Eve-he just really started walking more and more. Now-he's not doing laps around the house or anything just yet! But he feels more secure now on his feet and will definitely take a few steps-to get to someplace he can hold onto. If he falls down in the process, well-he's down and out and crawls! He's a smart cookie! But he definitely is doing a lot more of it! Such a big boy! He's an amazing kid, he really is. They both are of course!

Christmas morning was nice and relaxing until we had to really get moving to go to Uncle Robert's in Marblehead. The boys opened a few presents, not all-as they have no clue. There are still quite a few under the tree... Tony and I exchanged presents as well. He really had me quite perplexed this year! He ended up getting me a popcorn popper(I HATE microwave popcorn), some popcorn, monogrammed comfy slippers, an ornament that reminds him of me reading to the boys, and a necklace that signifies motherhood. He did a good job! Really though-he always does! I gave him FIFA 09 for the XBOX, as well as a new controller(which he does not need), and the ipod thing for the car. He has one-but it's crappy. This one should be better. It better be at least!

We drove off to Uncle Robert's at 9:40am. We arrived at around 12:15pm. Why so late? Nicholas got sick in the car, JUST as we were getting off the highway. The poor kid. I felt so bad for him. Not to mention-I really didn't have extra clothes-and he was COVERED-so he HAD to be changed. Thank goodness I brought their pajama's to change into otherwise-I would have been SCREWED! The poor kid got changed in the back of the car and it was FREEZING. He was SCREAMING like when he was an infant and cold. I had to clean up the carseat and daddy changed him. We ended up changing the seat around and hope that helps it. I certainly hope so!

After that-the rest of the day went very well. We hung out with my mom, brother, sister, sister in law, and my niece and nephew. They all opened gifts which were all a huge hit. The boys got some really nice blocks and this cool frogger jumping ride on thing! Hard to explain-but from the looks of it-Nicholas is going to LOVE it! We had a delicious dinner, wonderful dessert, and then we were on our merry way! The boys slept almost the whole way home-they were beat! They did great though all day with NO nap(Nicholas did 30 minutes on the way, and Anthony did maybe an hour) and they are sick. We got home at 7:30pm and they were in bed by 8pm, with no fight at all. My little boys are beat!

All in all it was a great Christmas. It's amazing to think of how next year, it's going to be SO different. I wouldn't have it any other way! Motherhood is the best gift one could ever be given.

Merry Christmas everyone!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

2008-12-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

We want to wish Daddy/Tony a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Unfortunately he is not home with us. He is in Atlantic City for a seminar for work. He should be driving home tonight, however, our first storm of the season just dumped about a foot of snow on us, so it was best he stay one extra night than get stuck driving in crappy weather/conditions. We can't wait until he gets home tomorrow to give him his gift and hopefully go play in the snow for the first time! :)

As for the boys and myself... We have just spent the last 3 days-ALONE! And guess what? We survived!!! It really wasn't that bad. In all honesty, it was an extra two hours in the day I was alone with them. They were great as usual. They really were. Not too fussy and all around happy. I think Nicholas might be coming down with something or he's teething. In any event, I did give him a little bit of motrin tonight. Two nights ago he woke up a lot, which made me think teething then. Who knows. Nonni came over for a bit on Wednesday, then my mom came over yesterday. Today before the storm, my mom and his mom were both here for about an hour give or take. So I did have visitors and a little help while daddy was gone. And surprisingly, I am not all that exhausted. Wonder why??

As for Anthony-he is taking more and more steps! It's crazy! He is going to be walking in no time. Scary. It's like he's not a baby anymore! And he is si proud of himself! Each day he takes another step alone...You blink and you will miss it! He really is such a joy. They both are. How did I get so lucky??

As for #3, I swear I felt him/her move yesterday! I have had a headache since Monday that comes and goes. So I bought some coca-cola and was drinking that-along with some gummi bears! ;) I sat on the couch and felt a constant twirling sensation in my lower left stomach-which is where the baby is. I felt that same sensation tonight again. So-MAYBE!!! I am 14 weeks and 2 days pregnant. My big u/s is scheduled for January 16! And NO-we are not finding out the sex at the appointment and I am beyond excited to not know!

I just realized I had laundry to switch over/add, whatever. It never ends. However-here are some recent photos of my cuties!

Nicholas fingerpainting/eating for the first time!

My big boy getting his FIRST haircut!

Look at those cheeks!!!! That is a banana the lil' monster shoved in his mouth!
Can we say troublemaker? Here he is...in a bucket!

Daddy's future poker stars. 'Nough said!

STEPS!

2008-12-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

I have to post before I forget and get distracted. I have to make calendars on Snapfish tonight, so I probably won't have time to post a quick update on Anthony....

He took TWO STEPS yesterday(December 10, 2008)!!!! I was sooooo proud of him! And Daddy was able to see it as well! We went to Tony's office for lunch. We were locked away in his office while Nonno was in a meeting. Gina(cousin/secretary) knocked on the door. Anthony was right near the door. She bent down and he took two steps towards her-right into her arms. It was a proud mommy moment!

So this morning-he took ONE step towards me!!!! He's going to be walking in no time! Then what am I going to do?!?!?! LOL!

BIG NEWS!

2008-12-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

I can FINALLY announce it...seeing how the one other person that reads this(minus the online community and my sister) now knows...

Nicholas and Anthony are going to be BIG brothers! Tony and I are more than thrilled. We are excited to be adding onto our family. It caught most people by surprise as we kept it a secret from everyone. My close friends knew we were cycling, as well as Tony's cousin-as she babysat the boys when we had the procedure. Yes, this was planned and NOT a big miracle. We did an FET on October 1. We met with the Dr back at the end of August. Tony and I had a date of late October/November to do transfer. She agreed, until she said I was on the cusp of being able to have some tests done-and seeing how I was there...why not. So we did! And that pushed our timeline up a whole month! I waited for my cycle to start-Sept 10-and the rest is history!

Transfer was October 1. We had 10 blasts left from the cycle with the boys. I thought for sure they would have thawed a few. You just never know. I was quite shocked when we went in and found out they only thawed ONE! ONE! That is mind boggling to me-and even more so when that one TOOK! Whoohoo! I was a bit surprised myself.

My beta was on October 10th, a Friday. I had cramping on and off from the beginning(like the boys). One night I woke up with HORRIBLE heartburn. OMG! And I NEVER get heartburn. And I was waking up to go to the bathroom-in the middle of the night. I don't do that either. And of course-the burping. It started again! On that following Tuesday, October 7th, I took a pregnancy test. I was semi convinced I was pregnant. I didn't feel right. There were too many symptoms! I took the test while Tony was still home. I was so excited to see two lines, I ran to Tony and showed him. I was shaking. Crying. We both were. But then....

After he took his shower, he asked if I was reading the test right. I wasn't. There needed to be THREE lines, and there were TWO. However, if you looked close enough...there were THREE. It took my FIVE tests to come to the absolute conclusion there were three lines! Tony was not amused! I finally took a digital test and believed it! My beta was on Friday and it came back a nice strong 105. I was impressed! That was crazy! And I got a +hpt pretty early on. This was a nice, strong pregnancy. I couldn't believe it. I was pregnant, again.

And to think I didn't think I would be a mother. And here I sit, in 6 short months I will be a mother to three children all under the age of two. Crazy? No.

Lucky. Unbelievably lucky.

Books! Shuffle! Books! Stand!

2008-12-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

The newest thing in this house is books. Nicholas has taken to reading as of late. And it's not a wide variety of books. Nope. Not at all. It's one book. MAYBE I can say two books. Mostly however, it's one. And that one is.... "Five Little Ducks." I think I will be reciting that in my sleep tonight! Today whenever he saw the book, he would bring it over to me, HAND it to me, giggle and get all excited I was going to read it. So-I would read it. He even at times tried to mimic my hand movements of the ducks going, "quack quack quack." So cute! And once I was done reading, I had to read it again. And again. He LOVES that book! It is great to see such an appreciation for books in the boys, even if it is only one or two! ;)

Now we have some big news for Anthony! Yesterday was really the first day he did a lot of this. What exactly? Standing on his OWN! Can you believe it?!?! He did it before, but it was always pretty quickly. Yesterday? It was A LOT! And it was for long periods of time. Actually, Saturday was the first day that I remember him standing for longer than 2 seconds. And, he may have actually SHUFFLED those little feet of his and moved! I can't imagine him walking! You can tell he is getting ready. He wants to move those feet...he just doesn't feel QUITE ready yet. I say..by the new year, if not sooner. Gosh. Two of them walking? YIKES!

When Anthony wakes up in the morning with me, he is very clingy! So clingy that it takes about an hour for him to leave my lap! I love it though. I can't complain!

Also-a big hit show the boys love watching-especially Nicholas, is Jack's Big Music Show. In the morning if they are fussy, or really any time of the day when they are fussy, I say, "Wanna watch Jack?" Nicholas gives a little giggle and looks right at the TV and waits. He LOVES the music and starts to bop up and down when it comes on. Anthony is just as entranced as well. I love Noggin! It's a great channel!

We have officially stopped the morning bottle. We could probably move onto the afternoon bottle. I just don't want to. I am afraid their nap won't be as long. Lately-they have been sleeping until 7am at least, and their last nap goes from 2-3:30/4 almost ALL the time. Why mess with that!?!? I need that naptime for my own nap! LOL! We'll see. I'll set a goal of January to be done. Wait, that's a month away. Well, we'll see! ;)

Our Christmas card is done. I will post it once it's in the mail to everyone! It's a great one! I LOVE IT! And I know everyone else will too!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2008-11-27T18:04:00.000-08:00

Today was the boys second Thanksgiving. Although-it was the first they could actually eat at! Nicholas snacked a bit too much...so he was not keen on the turkey and all the fixings. Anthony ate much better than Nicholas. They do both love cranberry sauce however! Nicholas proceeded to eat a few bites, and then the rest found the floor. It doesn't take much. Luckily the dog ate a good amount of it. I knew there was a reason we kept her around!

The boys had a great day today. They played with their cousins Jackson and Katrina, napped well, and hung out with family. They are such easy going kids. How did I get so lucky???

So, I just wanted to take this time to say how unbelievably thankful I am that I have those boys in my life. They are my world, my everything. I thank God for those boys on a daily basis. I am glad I was chosen to have to deal with infertility. If I wasn't-those boys would not be a part of my life. And I just can not imagine my life without either one of them in it. They truly, truly, truly are just amazing kids.

Can life get any better??? I mean, really? :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photos!

2008-11-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

I promised some photos-so here I am with some. I just love my boys! Have I said that before? I seriously can't say it enough! Tony and I say it EVERYDAY-more than once! Even when they cry and fuss-we still say it! For instance-today I gave them some goldfish crackers for snack(they LOVE them!). Well I had Tony put them away because they would sit there and eat ALL OF THEM. Nicholas did not like that-and started to cry!!! He was so upset! Of course dh and I thought it was funny...as well as cute!

The only new thing we are doing is trying to drop the bottles. Anthony-no problem. We've only done the morning one. Nicholas-won't have it. He whines and cries and fusses. I can't take it. It's so sad to see. Someone on another website said to wait until 15 months and then do it. I will keep trying-and have Anthony do the sippy cup-but if it doesn't work-I will give Nicholas the bottle. I am a sucker, I know! Here are some recent photos of my handsome men!

Modeling their blazers....

Happy. Always happy. Well, almost always! ;)

They don't look thrilled here-but they do love to go grocery shopping! And they are usually the hit of the store!

Anthony eating some Italian thing. Don't ask me the name. He liked it though.

Nicholas wating the Itailan thing as well. He didn't care for it too much.

One Year Pedi Update!

2008-11-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

The boys finally had their one year appt with the pedi on Thursday. All is well with both of them! They were quite the sight in the room. Nicholas was walking all over the place in his diaper, while Anthony was cruising around the room! Those two were sooo happy! Gosh-I wish I could enclose them in a room with a carpet and they be perfectly content! Who would have thought???

Anyways...Nicholas weighs in at 22.4lbs and 30 1/2 inches, and Anthony weighs in at 21.6lbs and 28 inches. He's a tad shorter... But he sure packs a punch! LOL! They were given three shots, and the flu shot was one of them. I've never had the flu shot, nor the flu-so this thing better work wonders! We have to go back next month for round 2 of the flu shot. Hopefully I remember to make an appointment. So many freaking appointments, it's ridiculous!

Speaking of appts... While the pedi was checking out Anthony's hips, I could tell he had a bit of concern. He kept manipulating Anthony's legs. I knew something was up, but what I was not sure of. So as the appt went on, I saw him looking through notes, and seem somewhat spacey. Then in the end, he told us. He said while he was checking the hips-which he typically doesn't do at this age anymore-that he noticed a clicking noise. That clicking noise could be a sign of hip dysplasia. Now-he is not overly concerned that he has it-as he does cruise and walk with a toy. He said it could just be the joints or whatever. In any event, he wants him to get an x-ray of his hips. So-that's another appt, on top of us needing to go and get their bloodwork for lead and hemoglobin levels. I can only imagine how much fun this experience is going to be. Valium anyone??

As for the boys-they are just simply amazing! When are they not? Nicholas LOVES music and to dance. It's so cute when he stands there and starts bopping up and down. He hears music and instantly stops doing whatever and starts to get his groove on! It's too cute! He also has decided that when he does not like the food he is eating, he instead will chuck it over the side of his highchair, or gladly hand it to someone near by. Apparently this is something we are going to have to work on...

Anthony is a trouble maker-but a happy one! This kid has NO fear. I caught him standing on a toy chair, getting into the entertainment center pulling out all the DVD's. STANDING on the chair! What a stinker! He likes to look at you and smile when he is doing something he knows he shouldn't. He is such a ham though! You talk to him the right way and you are guaranteed to get a smile out of him. Nicholas on the other hand, is a bit more wary of others, so he just looks ultra serious and stares!

Tony and I went away to Vegas and we SURVIVED! The first day was really hard for me, but after that it was much better. I could not wait to land in Hartford and see my boys! We did not win any money-but we did get to stay in a deluxe suite FREE at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Can't beat that, now can you? So if you take that into consideration-we did pretty well for ourselves. Overall the trip was relaxing, as we were not running here or there. We pretty much stayed in one place for the day and played poker. As for eating, I wasn't feeling the best while we were there, so I ate minimal amounts, which bothered me seeing how we were surrounded by wonderful restaurants! Oh well...maybe next time!

When we got home and saw the boys the following morning... They were up with Nonni(she let us sleep in a bit before she got ready for work), and I came out of the room and started calling their names. Nicholas walked around the corner and just STARED. It was like he was stunned! And then of course-he pointed at the light! Anthony smiled and started to laugh when he saw us. It was really cute. I guess they really did miss us!

Oh-and I have to say-they have been sleeping better the last few weeks. I shouldn't say better-I should say LONGER. We'll see how long it continues, but they have also been teething so who knows. I just hope they continue to take long naps and wake up around 7am. I can like that!

Next post I will have to add some photos of the boys! I promise!

Updating

2008-11-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

I have been a slacker! Sorry! Every night I look at the link at the top of the page, and sometimes even click on it-and just never post. I am too tired to start writing, as once I do-it never seems to stop! So-here I am watching the most highly anticipated Presidential Election, and hopefully history in the making!

So-what are we up to? Let's see.... Anthony had the catheter taken out on Monday. That went really well and I was so proud of him! He did not cry at all! He whimpered for a second-and it was over. He was so good! It's still swollen and sore. He needs a cream for a yeast rash, put on twice a day until that heals. He goes back in two weeks to check on the progress of the healing. He had EI on Monday and the PT was very happy with his progress. He now rolls once he gets on his back(which mommy is not thrilled with as it's making diaper changes quite difficult!). She said he has a lot more strength in his legs-which is GREAT. She can see his more steady than he was before. He also stood alone for a good 10 seconds while she was here. So-he's getting a bit more daring! And she wanted to see how he would do on the stairs-and yep-he can climb them! He only did one as he was a tad fussy-but he did it! Not sure if I should be happy about that!

What else??? They are just little sponges! Today-Nicholas did something new....I said, "Shhhh" to him earlier. Tonight at dinner, I turned to Nicholas and said, "Shhhh" and held my finger to my mouth. He in turn-imitated me! It was SO DARN CUTE! I can't believe he picked it up so quickly! They are just amazing little boys! Nicholas walks everywhere, and he even tries to run! LOL! At least he picks up his pace. At night he seems to get a second wind-where he walks around babbling A LOT, laughing, and walking around in circles! Anthony is still smiling. He smiles, smiles, and smiles some more. He really is a trip. He is lately in the habit of wanting to be held. He looks up at you with those eyes-and when you do pick him up-he is all smiles! LOL!

Oh-and the boys know when we are going outside, or going for a ride, or to brush their teeth! If I say any of those options-they go to the proper door, or to the bathroom. And if I say "let's go brush your teeth" the two of them HAPPILY run off to the bathroom. It is too darn cute.

Last night-they had their FIRST bath in the big tub! It was quite the sight.... DH got them ready. I was in the bathroom getting the bath ready. Next thing I hear, "Go find mommy!" So I look out of the bathroom and I see the two of them. Stark Naked. Nicholas is walking down the hall, and Anthony is crawling. Naked. It was quite the sight! And adorable of course! So-Anthony crawls over to me and I put him in the tub. Nicholas stood at the door. And peed! TWICE! I was laughing so hard I nearly joined him! Then-he walks over to me and starts climbing up my leg trying to get into the tub! I couldn't believe it! How did he know to do that?!?! Anyways-they loved it!

So-that's about it. Our schedule is pretty simple. They wake between 6-7am. Bottle at 7am, bkfst at 8am, nap at 9:15am. They wake up from nap and we usually play in their bedroom for a little bit. It's a change of scenery and they like it. Then we go downstairs and play some more. Or we get dressed and go somewhere, or go outside. Then it's lunch around noon. Bottle again at 1pm, nap at 1:30 or so. Wake up by 3 usually...and we go somewhere, outside, or stay home and play. Then it's dinner at 5, then more playtime, bath, bottle, and bed. We only do baths every other night-if we even remember! It's so hard! But they really are good babies. I will say though, after that second nap-they can be pretty rough! Usually they are grouchy and fussy and nothing seems to work! It is what it is!

Oh-and in 3 days....Tony and I will be in VEGAS. ALONE! I won't even get into the emotions involved in that! OK. I am off for the night. This is a long novel!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T19:07:00.000-07:00

Surgery!

2008-10-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

Well today was Anthony's surgery. Overall, it went well. It was a day that I did not look forward to for quite some time. I did not want my little boy to be put under, let alone be put in an immense amount of pain. I know he's on meds, but it still has to hurt!

I didn't have time to think about the surgery, as I probably would have been a mess. I checked in on them last night, and I started to cry. I was great all morning long...And then we got in the car, I looked at him so sweet in the backseat with his little pacifier and pj's on...and just let it flow! I just wanted to hold him and protect him!! He was just too sweet!

We arrived at the hospital just after 6am(such an early morning!). We did all the paperwork, prep etc... It was decided I would go back there with him(the emotional wreck person that I am). I walked back there with him and was totally fine, until I saw the OR. The machines, EVERYTHING. It just kinda freaks you out. Then I sat down and he sat on my lap. He looked up at me with the saddest look...he was looking at my face mask. He didn't know what it was. It was so sad! Then, they came with his face mask. He fought it. And fought it. He cried. He turned his head. There eventually were three nurses and myself. I was crying. He was crying. Gosh, it was terrible. Probably moreso for me than him. Finally, he took enough deep breaths and drifted off to sleep. I gave him a kiss, and left him in their hands.

This was before 8am. Tony and I sat and waited. And waited. And waited. We got called around 11:15/11:30am-he was out of surgery and in the recovery room. He was in there drinking his second bottle of sugar water. He was chugging! Poor guy was so hungry/thirsty!! He just laid there-relaxed, calm. My sweet Anthony...

I won't bore you with all the other stuff. Basically-we got the protocol for when we are at home-and we were on our way home after 1pm. It was a long day! He is on a lot of meds-for pain, for infection, for spasms of the bladder...It's not going to be a fun week, that's for sure. He needs to wear two diapers-one with a hole in it for the catheter and his area to go through-and the other diaper to cover that all up. Other than that-he should be good to go. Still-it's going to be a long week!

We got home at 1:30pm, had lunch and then Tony and I napped for a bit. Anthony slept on my mom and his mom's chest the rest of the afternoon. He was just so sweet. I then took over. I loved it...brought me back to when he was an infant and just lay there and sleep on your chest. Awww...Well-I was hungry. So-I had a veggie stick. I put one to his mouth-as he was laying on my chest-and SLEEPING. Well-he woke up as soon as that veggie stick hit his lips! It was like he was automatically back to his old self! He was still a bit sleepy-but he was EATING! YAY! It was so great to see that smile again! It will never get old!

So I am happy to report that he is the happy little camper now. Well-as long as the meds are doing their job. I hope he doesn't wake tonight-but I don't have high hopes on that. If he does, we will have the medicine ready. Please let it be a good sleeping night! Here are some photos from today:

Waiting to be called:

Dressed and ready!

Looking cute!

Playing with the toys!

It's been a tough and long day-but it's over! Anthony post-op.

Photos #2

2008-10-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

Photos from their actual birthday... October 18th, 2008:

They are not too sure of what is in front of them...

Nicholas is all smiles! Thanks to daddy...

"Hmm...what is this?"

Just look at that face! He looks like he is in sugar shock!

This seems tasty!"

We made it one year!! It was AMAZING!
Cleaning up after cupcakes!

Daddy planting a tree to signify the first year

The boys posing for their 12 month photo!

Look at that happy guy!

Nicholas tries out the new wheels-a gift from Mommy and Daddy!

Anthony seems to like the new wheels..

Aww...look-they are sharing!

This photo was taken at 12:57pm on October 18, exactly one year to the MINUTE, when the boys entered this world.

Anthony posing for his 12 month photos

Photos #1

2008-10-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

The cakes for the adults
The cookies I slaved over a stove for two days for! But they were GOOD!
Yep-their gifts! A LOT of them!
The paparazzi!
The birthday princes! Nicholas does NOT like the crown!
"Yummy! Cake!"
Nicholas wasn't so sure...
Look at that face!
Nicholas seems to enjoy it!

I'll post pics from their actual birthday tomorrow...

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY NICHOLAS AND ANTHONY!

2008-10-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it. It's unimaginable. However, I need to come to terms eventually. My baby boys..are ONE. They are no longer babies. They are toddlers.

I do not think words will ever be able to describe the shear joy these boys have brought into my life, our lives. They are the most beautiful boys, inside and out. Their smile lights up a room, their laughter is contagious. Their looks are priceless. And they are all mine.

After dealing with four years of infertility, and wondering if I would ever become a mother...these boys are a true miracle. A miracle for many reasons. After three failed IVF's, our boys came to us after the fourth IVF. Someone had a bigger plan than myself. It wasn't on my time that I could have kids. Only after the boys did I realize why I hadn't been pregnant sooner-my boys weren't ready to meet me yet. And boy am I glad they picked me. They have made me the proudest mother.

I never knew motherhood could be so rewarding. And I will be honest-and say I did not find being a mother of twins...hard. Seriously. I would do it again-happily. Sure-there were trying times, but I could possibly count them on one hand, maybe two hands. Yes, I've shed my share of tears. But in all consideration that I've been a SAHM for the last 12 months-doing this on my own, getting them on schedules, etc... it wasn't hard. You can not set yourself up for great expectations. You need to go with the flow. That's what I do. I don't read books about this or that. I read my children. I meet their needs-not the needs of the books, or the "experts." I am their mother-I know best. And I worried about this-that I wasn't this mother who was sucked into all of the info that is out there-in terms of, well, anything. As parents, we try to fit the mold of society. What everyone else thinks is right. I may not be an overly cautious mother. But I want my kids to be able to explore-and not worry about getting dirty. Or what others may think. I want them to do things on their own. They don't always need me at their side-24/7.

When I was pregnant, I thought I would never leave the house with TWO babies. I thought I would be the biggest worry wart and not do MANY things out of fear. I thought I would worry about every fall, bump, scratch. Everything. However, I didn't. I am pretty relaxed, considering there are two of them.

This was the most amazing year in my life. I can't believe it has gone by so fast. My two little miracles are growing up right before my eyes. I would do this over and over again.

I've been blessed-in more ways than I could have ever imagined.

So Nicholas and Anthony-I want to wish you the happiest birthday ever. All I ever want for you, as well as daddy, is for you to be happy. It's what counts. And to try your best. As long as you put your heart into it-you will succeed. And we will be beside you every step of the way. We love you!!!

Pictures to follow...

Busy? What's that??

2008-10-02T17:04:00.000-07:00

Well...the party is very quickly approaching! I can't even believe it's almost here. Insanity! Especially when I thought the day would never come. I for one...am TIRED. I wouldn't happen to know why! I was up till almost 12 last night...making cookies. When I am done posting this, I am going to do another batch of sugar cookies, this time with frosting. We'll see how this recipe comes out. It's a friends grandmother's recipe. I have it in the fridge now, hoping it will harden enough for me to use the cookie cutter. It says to put in the fridge over night. I am praying it works. One less thing for me to do tomorrow!

And...I think I am getting sick. I had a cold of some sort in the beginning of the week. It seemed to disappear yesterday, and today... I don't know. It seems like it is coming back! UGH! Talk about timing!

As for the boys...well....they are quite the sight! Nicholas had EI today-to see if he still qualified. He did not of course. And it was funny...the therapists needed him to do certain tasks..well...he can be stubborn and wouldn't do it. Well, Anthony was sitting on my lap, or near me, and he would be doing what Nicholas was SUPPOSED to be doing. Such a little ham! Nicholas eventually would do the things that were asked of him-just not on cue!

The other night we were eating steak for dinner. The boys were done with their food so we took them out of their highchairs and they were walking around. They saw Tony eating, so they were both standing at his legs, waiting or anything! Well...apparently Anthony didn't like that he couldn't have any. Next thing you know, you hear Tony go, "OWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!" OMG! I started laughing hysterically! Anthony BIT him! In the knee! It was too much! And let me tell you-he HURTS!!!

As for Nicholas and his walking....He has done it A LOT more lately. He is totally walking...But it's on his terms-and his terms only. But he walked greater distances today. I can't believe it. 11.5 months old and my little boy is walking.

Well...I need to go make some cookies. I need to get moving so I can go to BED! At this rate...it will be tomorrow before that happens!

Quick Updates!

2008-09-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

I need to make this quick....as I am exhausted and not feeling up to par....

So here are some things the boys are now doing-and I noticed a lot of them this week....

1.) If you say "bye-bye" then Anthony will wave....vs me/Tony/whoever doing it also. So cute!

2.) If you say "Yay!" Nicholas will clap his hands

3.) While singing, "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" both boys will start shaking their arms/hand because you are the Dr. yelling at the monkeys. ADORABLE!

4.) Nicholas totally says Dog-as soon as Sadie walked into the room when he was up from nap today-he said, "DOG!" He's saying it more and more actually...

5.) Anthony is such a HAPPY HAPPY baby. OMG!

6.) Nicholas loves to laugh-for NO reason whatsoever. People who don't know them-or heck, even family-will say, "He's so serious!" Ya-well he's such a sweetheart and is almost always laughing, smiling-having a good time!

7.) If you say to Anthony, "I'm going to get you" he starts crawling furiously! Nicholas has been doing this for a little bit now.

I'm sure this list could go longer. But those are some big things over the last few days. When talking to my friend who does EI-she said them doing "Bye-bye" without me showing them-is a good thing-so we've accomplished that!

They are such love bugs! I love how they crawl over to me and lay their head on my legs, chest, shoulder-whatever. When Nicholas gets excited and he's happy to see me/be with me...he starts jumping up in my arms and flailing his arms. It's so darling to see!!

Today while on the way home from the park-where we took a walk and had snack-which they proceeded to get all over me(applesauce) as they were so excited to have applesauce(LOVE it!), they were having a good chuckle in the backseat. I could see the two of them trying to lean forward..and they would see each other and laugh. Giggle. So sweet. And they would both hit their heads-and laugh some more.

I seriously want to stop time. I am beyond enjoying this time. Who knew motherhood was so rewarding????

AHHH!! WALKING!

2008-09-29T20:40:00.001-07:00

Even though it is WAY past my bedtime...I am posting this. Today-Nicholas WALKED. And I mean WALKED. HE moved from here, to there, to here. AMAZING! When EI was here this afternoon with Anthony, we noticed Nicholas was letting go a bit more and walking. He would take 2 steps, 3 steps, 4 steps...And he went up to about 15 before he stopped. It was the greatest sight to see! Then in the kitchen, he walked from the stove...out to the kitchen floor a bit...back to the fridge. And he was so cute....walking with a bit of uncertainty. Love it!

And then-while Anthony's therapist(for rolling over) was writing up her work for the day, I had Anthony on his back to practice rolling/sitting up. Well...he fussed a little bit, and I made him chuckle. Nicholas came over and the two of them were laughing! It was SO darling! Nicholas would try to kiss Anthony, hug him, he was trying to do handstands...they were LOVING it! I just wish I had that darn video camera on me. It was the most precious sight to see. And now-they just sit there-and sometimes if they look at each other at the right moment-they start giggling. And Nicholas does this thing now where he kinda laughs-and forces it, and closes his eyes a bit. Priceless I tell ya. Priceless.

It is so amazing to watch the two of them grow....and interact...How cool would it be to have another set? Can you imagine being born with your best friend?? What an amazing gift!

WORDS!

2008-09-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

It's official-Nicholas has a word! This morning we were in the kitchen and I had the gate up. He was playing by the gate. Sadie was still upstairs, and then made her way down. She walked over to the gate, Nicholas heard her, pointed, and said, "DOG!" Ok-so maybe it wasn't exactly perfectly clear-but trust me-it WAS dog! Later on, I was reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?" And when I got the the "white dog, white dog" part, he turned and pointed at Sadie and said "dog!" What a smart baby I have- the two of them! I worry about the words/speech because boys in general are a bit slower in that category than girls. Well-my boys will show them!

Anthony says mamama and dada. Dada is more prevalent than mama, but that's ok. They love their dada! He says mama more when he's angry-and I guess when he wants me-so that's a good thing! It's funny because the two of them are having conversations with themselves. It's so fun to watch them just babble on throughout the day. It's like they are really talking!

I have to say-they love each other so much! At least Anthony ADORES Nicholas! I will say Nicholas adores Anthony too, but Anthony just smiles from ear to ear when Nicholas comes near! Nicholas tries to kiss Anthony(at least I hope so) when he is near him. It's so fun to watch. Can you imagine me having one baby do this?? Boring! LOL! It's so much better with two! Call me crazy if you want! Anthony has gotten much better at walking with the push toy. And he's getting more, what's the word....carefree??? maybe with cruising. Where he will let go of me and quickly grab something else. I think he's a quick learner-I really do, except when it comes to rolling! That's another story!

Nicholas can practically run around the coffee table! He's taken a bunch of steps-but will not walk! I think he is like his cousin Jackson where he needs to be absolutely sure-and have mastered it to an extent-before he takes off. Trust me, I'm not rushing it-but I also can't wait to see it!

We went to the Big E today for the last time. It wasn't a great trip as the weather was pretty gross, and then it started to rain. Nicholas was not having a great time-I don't think he could see us well-and started wailing! Poor kid! Towards the end Anthony had had it too. We survived though-they were fine. I did see a younger type mom with a wagon-filled with kids-2 of which were twins. I did a double take and made sure they were twins-boys too-and kept walking. I heard the mother say, probably so I could hear her, "Ya, wait until they are older!" Hey-sorry lady if your kids are hellions or whatever-but I will do everything in my power to raise my children with honesty, respect, love, etc... I hate people who think they know everything-an b**** about every little thing their kids do. So sad! ENJOY THEM!!!!

Well-we are FIVE days away from a party. FIVE. I can't even begin to think of all the stuff that needs to be done. A LOT! I am excited for the boys though. They won't remember this party-but I will-and it's amazing to see how many people's lives they have touched over the last year. Simply amazing. Mommy and Daddy's life will never be the same-and we are more than grateful for that!

Walk, walk, walk some more!

2008-09-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

10 steps. TEN. He took ten steps alone today! I can't believe he's starting to walk! And to think that he was so small and helpless once! I am just wondering when he will just GO. Although I will be honest, I don't know if I am ready for that to happen. He's still my baby. I don't ever want him-or his brother-to grow up!

Not too much else to report on. They now know the word Elmo. I think that's 10 words or so that they know. Light, dog, Sadie, ball, TV, phone, dada, mama, book, bear, elmo, and grandpa. I have some smart kids! And I am not sure if I mentioned it before-but I swear Nicholas says dog. About a week or so ago-he was eating breakfast-and I swear he said dog-and he has said it a few times since-to Sadie nonetheless!

I am getting a cold and I am exhausted. It's been a long long week! It rained today so we were stuck inside and Nicholas wanted to go outside and cried when I shut the door. Poor kid. I need to take them outside more-even in their jackets and sweatsuits!

I got ALL of their laundry done. ALL of it. My mother and mother-in-law thankfully folded it all. I owe them my life. Now I just have to put it all away. Fingers crossed I get that done.

We are not in full steam ahead mode to get ready for this party. I need to get my rest-we have a busy weekend ahead! Oh-and one small note-Nicholas got his first black eye-from his mommy. I felt beyond horrible for my poorl little boy. I was giving Anthony his bottle, grabbed it quickly off the table, and it slipped and hit him right below his eye. He wailed. I cried. Guilt is the worst. Of course he was fine afterwards-but initially, I felt like the worst mommy in the world. I guess it's all about parenthood... Some things people never warn you about!

Double this, Double that...

2008-09-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

Double everything-and I am LOVING IT! You know... I was in the boys bedroom this afternoon(when they decided to totally SKIP their nap) and Nicholas was standing above me. I was laying there and thinking, "How could I EVER EVER complain about my boys? HOW?" Honestly-there are people-and they have every right I am sure-to complain about their children. I don't mean that they regret them-just that it's hard. I get it. I really do. I don't want to sound mean. But-as I was laying there-looking at MY son-my TWO sons, when at one point, I never thought I would be given the chance to HAVE children, I was grateful. Grateful that I can't complain. That I won't complain. Never. I was given the best gift ever-to be a mother. Why would I complain? Sure-long nights are hard. Constant crying-it can get on your last nerve. But you know what-I will never complain about it.

Afterall-I was given the chance to be a mom. Hopefully a good mom. And one-who you will never hear complain. I have my miracle boys. And I am glad they waited until the right time-to have me as their mother.

A BIG THANK YOU!

2008-09-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

I want to take this time to thank Lyndsie, who I met on a forum on BabyCenter for redesigning my blog! I am not up to speed on changing backgrounds, etc(which is probably a good thing as I would do it all the time!). She graciously offered to do it for me on her spare time(with 4 month old twins and a 3 year old!).

I think it looks GREAT and not so boring like it was before! So Lyndsie-THANK YOU AGAIN!!!! It's beautiful!!!! :)

1....2....3....

2008-09-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

STEPS! Yes! Nicholas took THREE steps all by himself! Yay Nicholas! He actually took 3 steps yesterday-but he did it AGAIN today! It was funny because we were outside on the deck-just me and the boys-and I see Nicholas stand up without holding onto anything. I thought to myself, "Wow! I think that's a big step for him!" Well-he stood up, bent down, stood up, bent down. It was adorable! And he did all of this without holding onto anything. Once he was done bouncing-he took three steps-all on his own! He is beyond close to walking-it's crazy.

We had dinner at my parents tonight. The boys were hilarious, as they usually are. Anthony was growling during dinner-it's a new thing-and quite funny. It was mostly when he had his banana-which they are both obsessed about! Then...he was eating some peaches, and mumbling the whole time-again-hilarious. And when he was done with that-he was grinding his teeth! Nicholas was laughing when you turned your head to look at him. While at my parents he is obsessed with the fans and the lights-he is always looking at the ceiling. Kinda funny. We asked where grandma was and he didn't quite respond. We asked where grandpa was, he turned around, smiled, and pointed at grandpa! Grandma was NOT impressed!

Tomorrow we will hopefully do some type of outing. If it's nice maybe I will take them for a walk at the park. Get them out of the house before we are staying in due to the winter!

11 Months...It's going by too fast...

2008-09-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

Eek. Less than a month. My baby boys are going to be toddlers. In less than a month. Has anyone figured out how to stop time? Seriously this is just crazy. The boys are SO much fun now. They are filled with laughter and little giggles. They smile constantly. They are just such a joy to be around! Sure-they have their moments. Like Nicholas waking up at 11 pm and crying for a good 30 minutes. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. He finally went back to sleep after a bottle-and was up again around 1am... It was a long night. Sure they have temper tantrums of some sort. Yes they cry and try to climb up my leg and want me to hold them. Yes they hate getting their face washed, or their diaper changed. But-will I complain? Never. Do I hate it? Not quite. Would I change it for the world? Never in a million years. I waited my whole life to be a mom and I am still in awe that I am a mom. I was taking Nicholas out of his car seat the other day and it hit me. I was a mom. I had, not one son, but TWO sons. At the same time. And both are what I call my little miracles. Being worth the wait is an understatement!

We are in countdown mode for their party! 13 more days to go! I hope it all goes well as we have never hosted a party to this extent. I want it to be perfect. I want nothing to go wrong. I can only assume SOMETHING will go wrong. Right now-I am praying for a beautiful, sunny day. I don't care if it's 50 degrees out. It beats rain! Now there are about 55 or so people who have responded yes. We have at least another 50 who have yet to respond.... The deadline is this Friday. This might get interesting!

October is going to be quite the busy month for us! Between birthday parties, their actual birthday, Anthony's surgery, Halloween...we are going to be tired at the end of the month!

I will keep this short, as there isn't too much to report on. Both boys are doing great. Anthony is cruising more and more-and he even has started to push the push toy and walk with it! He looks so proud doing it! Hopefully I will end with a few pictures.... Enjoy!

CHEESE!

Look at that face!

Anthony poses for his 11 month photos!

Nicholas poses for his 11 month old photos!

The boys together for their 11 month photos!

Awwwww

2008-09-15T18:33:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my boys??? LOL! They are just the best boys EVER! Over the weekend we went to the Big E with them for the first time. Tony and I were SO excited! The boys could have cared less-but they were really good and we were there for 4 hours. They got quite upset when we were a bit late in getting their dinner. Other than that-they were great! We even took them out of the stroller twice and they sat on the grass and loved it! On our way out I gave them a taste of some ice cream-Anthony LAUGHED when he saw the ice cream. He LOVED it! Nicholas did too!

On Sunday we went to Red Robin for dinner-alone WITH the boys-and again-they were GREAT! They were just so darn cute! There was so much to look at-they had a blast. Nicholas loved looking at the ceiling and the lights-as well as the balloons. Anthony was the people watcher(like his mommy) and that entertained him as well! They had grilled cheese and mac-n-cheese. They ate like champs! On the way out the door we grabbed two balloons-one blue the other green. Anthony's popped in the car(he didn't even react). Nicholas' survived the trip. I asked Tony what he wanted to do with the balloon-either keep it for the boys or release it to our nephews. And that's exactly what we did. I went and put a message on the balloon and then we went outside on the deck and released it as a family. I didn't think it would hit me as hard as it did-but it did. Especially when I couldn't see it anymore...

Today was EI-mostly for Anthony. We are still working on his rolling from back to belly. And today I can say he did REALLY good. He ALMOST rolled over for the first time-on his own. It was so good to see him working so hard. By the end he was pretty done though. He did a great job though! While he was working on his rolling, Nicholas was crawling over to me-all happy-and crawling up me, giving me kisses, and then laying his head on my chest. He would leave, go play for a bit, and then come back over and give the kisses, etc. It was SO CUTE! He did this numerous times-he was soo happy! LOVED it!

After EI we went to a pasta dinner to support The Ronald McDonald House. The boys of course were a hit. Covered in pasta sauce-which they LOVE-and happy as clams. It came time to leave and I didn't have my keys. I called Tony and asked him if he had my keys(he went with his dad, his mom came with me). He insisted he did not. I checked the diaper bag repeatedly-nothing. I went back into the restaurant-nothing. Finally I was thinking to myself. My mother. I call her and call her and call her. Not home. Not answering her phone. This all started around 6:30pm/6:45pm. The boys go to bed around 7pm every night. Well-at 7pm, I FINALLY got a hold of my mother.

Me: "Mom, do you have my keys?"

Mom: "No. Why would I have your keys?"

Me: "Can you check?"

Mom: "Now why the hell do I have your keys? How the hell did that happen?"

Yep. She had them. It was 7pm and she had just walked in the door and had to turn around and bring me my keys. So the boys and I, along with my mil and dh, were stuck in the restaurant waiting. Like I said before-my boys are amazingly well behaved-and did great. So all in all it was not a big deal. If they were terrors-well I would have a few things to say! At 7:45pm mom pulled up and we left. The boys were in bed just after 8pm, sound asleep. Not a peep out of 'em!

That was our exciting aventure over the weekend! The boys are now giving kisses-gotta love the wide open mouth attacks! They love their momma! They know the word "bear" now too. That brings the total words known to 6/7! Smart kids I tell ya! Nicholas took some small steps again today-but with one foot(his left). Little stinker can totally walk-if he just did it! And Anthony is officially cruising-that happened more so over the weekend. Oh-and Nicholas can officially climb all 12 stairs. Yep-he did it-I was behind him of course and was he oh so proud! Anthony hasn't tried yet. I think his legs are a little short! Did I mention he was wearing 3/6mth pants?!!?!?

Dog. Dog. Woof. Woof.

2008-09-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

I think it's official. Nicholas has his first word. I don't know what exactly qualifies for a first word. Is it dada? Well-if it is-then this is his 2nd word! This morning Nicholas was in his high chair eating breakfast. I said, "dog." And you know what? He said it too! Now-it wasn't clear-as-day DOG-but it was there-and it was audible. I was able to get some of it on my cell video. My friend who works in Early Intervention heard it and said yes. He can say DOG! Now of course-he didn't say it the rest of the day(well maybe once or twice...)! And whenever I say the word dog-both boys go looking for Sadie!

I just think my boys are the smartest babies ever! DH and I were out this evening-and the two of us were gushing about how much we LOVE our boys-how great they are-how they make us smile, laugh, EVERYTHING. And most importantly-how GRATEFUL we are for the boys we have-and their health. We count our blessings everyday. They truly are a miracle. And I am so glad to call them mine!

I can't wait to see them in the morning. They always make me smile! :)

Humor Me

2008-09-11T18:40:00.001-07:00

I am not so sure how many people-if ANY-read this blog(minus my sister who harrasses me about updating-yet has missed three posts, and Jeff. They don't count.).

BUT-it needs help! And if there is anyone out there that is "blog-savvy" and would LOVE to help me-I would greatly appreciate it! For instance-a background. I want a nice cute one, with pictures of the boys on it-like a scrapbook page thing. And-on th sidebar-I would like to add a list of the blogs I read. I don't know how to do that!

And for all you twin mommies(not sure how many...but at least 3), if you could give me the link to your blogs so I can add it to my list-that has yet to be formed on my sidebar! LOL! But I can still add it as a bookmark! Thanks!

love,

The Savvy-less Blogger Me!

One SMALL step....

2008-09-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

Yep. You read that right! One small STEP. Alone. Nothing to hold onto. Standing on two feet. He did it. Barely. But he did it. And I couldn't be prouder! This evening, Nicholas was playing with his push toy(which I have come to the conclusion that I should have bought two of...but that's a different story!). The toy was a bit in front of him, just out of his reach. He was standing right by me, the toy in front of him, holding onto NOTHING. And he moved. Forward. On two feet. Those two tiny little feet that spent MONTHS kicking me(and yes I enjoyed every minute of it). Those two tiny feet that moved involuntarily for the first few months. Those tiny feet that couldn't keep socks on. Those tiny feet that are just the most precious. They moved. He moved them. All by himself.

Now-if you blinked-you missed it. It was more like a shuffle. He still isn't so sure of himself. I swear-ANY DAY now-he's going to be gone. Gone from wanting to be smothered with kisses because he can move on his own free will. Gone to go explore a world unbeknownst to him until now. Gone from needing me at every waking moment. Gone from being a baby. On his way to being an independent toddler. I'm not ready. He's still a baby. My baby. And forever he shall be....

DADA! WALKING(kinda...)

2008-09-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Alright alright. It's time for me to start taking out the kleenex. My boys are getting too big. They need to stop growing. Now. Seriously. I am not kidding in the least bit. Here's an update...

While in Italy, Nonni worked on "Where's the light?"-in Italian of course-with the boys. So-now they know "light" in English and Italian. I have been working on "ball" and "Sadie/doggie" with them. They know those. Well tonight, I finished giving Anthony his bottle and sat him on my lap. I said to him, "Where's dada?" He turned to dh, and smiled! HE KNOWS!!! Talk about melting your heart! I did it a few times to make sure it wasn't a fluke-and he would smile-and he even pointed once or twice! How freaking adorable is that?? I LOVE IT!

Nicholas...Nicholas..Last Thursday, September 4, he took his little push toy, stood up, and tried to walk! I was right there-and I had to hold the toy close to him so he didn't fall flat on his face! So that was the first day he tried ON HIS OWN-and he succeeded! Then on Friday, dh said he went up and down the hallway! Can you believe that?? He's sooo ready to start walking! Any day now any day!

Tony(dh) and I were eating dinner and I was saying how it was funny because I missed the boys(they were in bed for the night). He said he felt the same way. On the weekends, he says it's great he gets to see more of them and all, but the crying gets old quick. He said though when he gets to work, he just sees their picture and wants to be with them all the time. How sweet is that? And it's so true. If we are away from them-we just want to BE with them. You never know what you are going to miss! They just grow so quickly!

Today the boys were playing at the train table in their play room. This is where they pull themselves up to stand, take apart the train track that I have put together 1,346 times, and slam it to the ground! Well Nicholas took a train and sat down at the end of the table, where there was the handle-so you could pick up the table. He would sit down and put the train on the train table, through this handle. Then he would stand up and get it off the table, and do it again. And while doing this, he was talking to himself. Can you believe that? Oh-and we also have a toy that you put the balls in on top and they spin to the bottom. Well Nicholas takes a train, again, and puts it in the space where the ball would go. It falls down. Then he takes his hand, and puts his HAND through the space where the ball goes, and reaches and grabs the train-and pulls it back up-THROUGH the HOLE! I think he's going to be a GREAT thinker! He already is! I don't know. I just find that amazing. It's like his little mind is already doing cause and effect, or something of the like!

Well-here are a few photos I promised. If I posted all of them-well-I owuld never be able to write! There are just soo many photos of the boys! How can you not love them all????

Their 9 month photo shoot-in Italy

I just LOVE this photo of him!

Gotta love 'em! Tony and I found these shirts at a store in Italy. "Future Italian Captain"

How perfect is that?????

I LOVE this photo of Nicholas! The two of them could be models!

BACK!

2008-09-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

I know I know... It's been quite some time since I've written here. I'm getting close to two months! Yikes! Life sure has been busy on our end-it always is somehow. I'll do the quick rundown...

ITALY: Boys were AWESOME. Trip was NOT. We got no rest, no "us" time. Nothing. We got 3 hours away from the boys-and that was our anniversary. That was it. We were back in time to put the boys to bed. We had the boys ALL DAY LONG, 7am-11pm! I kid you not! Sure, my mil might feed one, or change one, etc.. But that's what, 15 minutes of freedom? Not much in my book! I had more free time at home then I did surrounded by family in a foreign country! It was very very tiring. The plane there and back-horrible. Not the boys-just the experience with the plane company(think 9 hours stuck in Rome!). In the end on the way there it was a 26 hour trip. Nicholas got sick on the way to the airport, and on the way back-it was horrible. Something I never want to relive again! So-it will be a good 5 years before we return, if even then. We hope to have another child, and we will not be bringing 2 toddlers and an infant! NO WAY! Eventhough Tony's grandfather has said he would pay for all of our tickets to get there...

COUSINS: Tony's cousins were here for 3 weeks after we came back from Italy. So they kept us busy too. They got married in December, and this was like their honeymoon.

WEDDING: Tony and I were both in a wedding Aug 16. I was the Maid of Honor, Tony was a groomsman. It was a GREAT time. We stayed the entire time, and our mothers watched the boys for us. It was probably one of the best times we had at a wedding-ever.

TAG SALE: We had a tag sale last weekend-and made $200! Now we can afford decorations for the boys' birthday party! HA!

THE BOYS: They are almost 11 months old! STOP TIME NOW! OMG. They are just amazing babies. Absolutely amazing. I love them to pieces! Anthony got FOUR teeth while we were in Italy, bringing the total to 6! Now-he has another one coming through-so he's up to 7! He started crawling the Monday before we came home from Italy... July 28-my brother's birthday. He has since perfected that! And-he also now pulls to standing like a pro! He still refuses to roll from back to belly-and he gets PT once a week to work on that. He's stubborn! He is such a happy little guy-and he can be the troublemaker! Especially at home! He's got that look! Nicholas just got his FIRST TWO TEETH! At 10 months! They have just come through. He crawled before we left for Italy-on my sil's birthday-July 9. He crawls, stands, and even cruises! And he will let go and just stand there! He holds his balance REALLY WELL! I swear, any day now and he will be walking! So sad! They both are "dadadada" fools! Anthony has said "mamama", but neither one knows what it is. They know where the light is-the both look up-and point. They know it in Italian and English. I'm working on ball and dog. We are getting there. We have a new swingset-and they LOVE IT! In fact, I think Nichoals had a little tantrum yesterday when I went to bring the dog in-and we didn't go on the swing! Oops! Overall-they are just the best babies! I LOVE THEM! And I can't believe pretty soon they will not be considered babies... How sad is that???

So-that's about it. Now-we are going to start getting busy planning their First Birthday Party! YIKES! 126 people or so are on the list. IT'S CRAZY! I don't know what I will do if they ALL come! PRAY for nice weather! PLEASE!

OK. That's about it. I will HOPEFULLY start to keep up a bit more. I am online so much, ya think I would. And at night, I'm just so tired, I don't feel like doing much. We'll see!!

Off to ITALY!

2008-07-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

Well-it's time to say Ciao! We are leaving at 12:30pm EST to head to the airport for our trip to Italy. WISH US LUCK! The boys are realllllllllllly good babies-I just hope they continue to be!

Nicholas is a crawling fool now-he is always on the move! So this should be interesting. They are both sitting up in their cribs too when they are put down at bedtime/naptime.

I am keeping this short as I am exhausted and I feel like I am getting the bug or something. My whole body aches. PRAY I do not get sick!!

I will be back August 1-with TONS of pictures!!!! Stay tuned!!!!

ARRIVEDERCI!

It's CRAWLING TIME!

2008-07-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

My my my. Someone stop time. PLEASE! I will do anything if someone could! My boys are moving. And growing. All too quickly. Yesterday, July 9, 2008 Nicholas crawled. He did. About three leg movements forward-he crawled. All by himself. I didn't "show" him how to do it. I didn't hold one leg, move the arm, move the leg. None of that. He did it on his own-on his own time. And he was as beautiful as ever. My little boy growing up. I watched him earlier in the day. I said to myself, "Did he just crawl?" I almost didn't want to believe it. Then my sister came over-and lo and behold-he crawled! Now-he is not the easiest child to watch crawl. He likes to tease-probably because he has an audience! He gets into the position, up on all fours, and then goes and sits back down. Such a tease I tell you!

This morning-Tony was able to see him crawl-and I have to say he was pretty excited! Tonight-he crawled even more, even farther. By the weekend-I'll be putting a harness on him to keep him in my sight. There's no stopping him now! It's so amazing to watch!

And Anthony. My sweet little Anthony. He's so funny. He too...is trying oh so hard to crawl. He has only just started to get on all fours and rock(this past Saturday). On Tuesday, he went from a laying position to a sitting position. This week-he has also started to pull up. And this evening-it is safe to say that he is trying to crawl as well. He actually was able to move one leg forward, with the other one still stuck underneath him! But-he tried! From the looks of it-he wants to be just like his big brother! :)

Gosh. They are just so fun to be around. I love it. Every waking minute of it. I LOVE it. Today I brought them to my old job. They are also going through something else-stranger anxiety/mommy separation. Which I have to say-I like it! There is nothing better than your child crying out for you. Granted-I might not think this at the age of 3, 4, 5, or whenever-but it is so darn cute. My boss took Anthony-and he was a bit cautious, but doing fine. Then all of a sudden-the tears came pouring down. Once in my arms-he was smiling. So CUTE! So-she took Nicholas. Again-pretty cautious(as he usually is until he surveys the scene). He turned around and looked at me/saw me. I saw the eyes get a bit red. He turned back around and stared to cry his "scared" cry. Melts your heart. My boss then took Anthony. She brought him over to the carpet to see him sit. Well-he sat for a good minute or two, maybe more. And then I hear her tell me to get over there. He put his head down and started to cry. Once I arrived-he was fine. I just love my boys!

The boys enjoyed the kids(preschool aged). They were smiling and playing with their toys. And the kids were eager to share, and touch.... But for the most part-they were all really good. I fed them and then we came home. It was bit tricky now that we have the new car seats(as of Wednesday, July 2). They fell asleep. I wanted to keep them sleeping. Well-Nicholas woke up when we got home(he wasn't really sleeping). So I ran him up the stairs and left Anthony in the car(door open) and came back and got Anthony. I need a better way to do this. But it was naptime(a bit early though) and I didn't want to wake them up-play-and then have to go and put them down. I could have done that-seeing how Nicholas refused to sleep. No lie. He wanted nothing to do with it. Instead, I took him into my bedroom and we laid on the bed and he played and I tickled him and made him laugh. So sweet. He really is such a sweet boy.

People always say he is so sad looking, never smiles, etc. It really bothers me because he is such a HAPPY, BEAUTIFUL baby! I mean seriously-that kid smiles ALL the time at home. I make a noise-he starts to giggle. So sweet. And Anthony-well of course he smiles! I once said he would smile at a stick if it walked past him. And he would. They are just the two happiest babies one could ever hope for. And I am the lucky one because I get to be their mom.

Photos:

Anthony dancing with Mommy!

Look at those proud big cousins! And yes-they are red heads! Or "auburn" as my brother used to say when he was younger. My sil says they are single handedly repopulating the red head population!

Anthony all smiles at Pizzeria Uno's for Grandma's birthday

Nicholas' famous pose for the camera. Again-Uno's for Grandma's birthday!

As soon as he sees the flash-that's what he does. Hysterical.

Sad news

2008-07-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

I hate to write this, but I unfortunately will. Yesterday was a sad day for my family. We found out that my sister-in-law lost one of the twins. She had an u/s at 20 weeks 3 days and they couldn't get a good look at the hearts. So-they scheduled another u/s for this past Monday. She was 21 weeks. And that's when they found out. I'm not sure of all of the details, but from what my brother told me, the baby was very very sick from what they have been told. He said the Dr's were phenomenal, etc. So-now we pray that the other baby makes it and thrives. When I last talked to my brother-he said the baby was very healthy and doing great. So-prayers please. This hit me exceptionally hard, and I have a hard time comprehending why. I think I know why-for many reasons-I have twins, they may be a constant reminder to SIL, we were JUST talking about me going up there for the weekend when they were born, etc, the list is endless. We just saw them on Saturday-and I took a 20 week belly picture. It's just so heartbreaking. I wish I was there for them, for her.

It made me realize-not that I didn't know already-that having a baby is truly a miracle. We should savour every single moment that we have with them. You just never know what can happen. So today-I have banished the computer during the awake hours of the boys(they are now sleeping). I am not on it CONSTANTLY when they are up. I play with them and once they are good, I will check email, etc...Then I will go back and play with them, etc. I'm done. No computer. No TV. Just me and my boys. The way it should be. I need to savour every waking moment with them. Not that I haven't-because I have. Our time is short-and I don't want to miss a thing!

Baby Twin Lang,

I never got to officially meet you. But I want you to know how much you were-and ARE loved by every one in the family. Not a day will go by that we won't think of you. I now hope that you are above us, resting peacefully, watching over your twin sibling and telling him/her to keep on fighting. We are all waiting to meet him/her. And Baby Twin Lang-we will all meet you again. Don't you worry. And when your twin is born, I'm sure we will all see a piece of you in your sibling. You will always be in our hearts. We love you and will miss you terribly.

Until we meet again....

New milestones!

2008-07-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

I have to post before I forget. One of these days I will be filling out their baby books(that I look at everyday and go, "Maybe I will fill that in today!"), and not remember what date things happened on. So...Today...

Nicholas has been trying to pull up lately. He will grab onto a toy, pull up to his knees, get one foot out and ready...and then go back down. He wasn't able to pull up on his own. Until today. We were at my brother's house and my mom was on the floor with him. He pulled up onto her knees...and then eventually...he was standing. I was flabergasted! That kid wants to MOVE! He has been getting on his knees and rocking for over a month now! After watching him, I could tell he just wants to walk! I'm not sure if I mentioned it in a previous post-but he is also a master at going from sitting to standing. I love just sitting and watching him move. It's crazy!

Not to be outdone by his big brother..but Anthony is on the prowl as well. He does attempt to crawl. He goes from sitting, moves his arms down, looks like he's about to crawl, and then lays on his belly. But he gets what he wants! ;) Anyways...Today...He got up on all fours and started rocking!!! Yay Anthony! He wants to move too! It's so funny to watch the two of them! I think it's just about time to start baby proofing the house. The other day, I was washing bottles, and I heard this crashing sound. I hear Nicholas start to whimper. I go into the living room and there he is...with the fireplace tools across his lap. He pulled them down! Stinker! Luckily he was not hurt!

Now-both boys have been doing this weird thing where they get up onto their 4's-almost like a weird pushup. No clue what that is-but they both do it! Funny.

I am EXHAUSTED. It's been a very busy few days. We leave for Italy in just over a week. It's going to be another busy week...I can feel it! Tomorrow is my mom's birthday, so I will be taking the boys over there at some point in the day. Daddy will have some alone time at home-either to work on the basement or mow the lawn, or something. I'm just wondering when I will get that alone time! HA!

OK. Have to cut this one short. I am going to bed. Tomorrow I will update with photos from the last few days!

Trouble's a brewing!

2008-06-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Boy oh boy! Literally! These two boys are determined-and are starting to be on the prowl! Watch out ladies! ;) Nicholas has been getting up on all fours and rocking for about a month now. I am not so sure he is going to crawl at this rate, as I have watched him try to stand-or at least get up. Luckily for me-he hasn't quite figured that out yet! He does go backwards, and he is able to move while sitting. But still-no forward crawling movement. Yet. BUT... Today Tony went in to go get him from his nap. He called down to me and told me to get upstairs and to see him. Nicholas was still crying in his crib. My first question was, "Is he ok?" He was. I walked in-he is still crying, then he sees me and starts to chuckle(NEVER gets old), and I take one look at him-and he is SITTING. All by himself he got into a sitting position! YAY Nicholas! My little boy is growing up! I then watched him the ret of the afternoon perfect this new ability! It's so amazing to watch them grow on a DAILY basis. And sad at the same time...

Not to be outdone by his brother, Anthony is trying to do the same tricks as Nicholas. Anthony goes from a sitting position to his stomach. He tries to get into a sitting position from laying down, but that hasn't happened yet. He, as well as Nicholas, do the weirdest thing. They are on their bellies, and then they get up onto their FEET! With their hands still on the ground. It's almost like they are doing pushups. It's the funniest-and oddest thing! I don't ever recall other children doing this!

Today daddy got up with them and I slept in for a bit. They were up rather early to. I hope they sleep in a little bit tomorrow. They took about an hour nap and then we were off to music class. They seem to enjoy it, at least I think they do. They haven't told me otherwise! ;) They both seem to like the drums and the bells. It's so cute to watch. They love their music!

After music a friend came over and brought her 7 week old Old English Sheepdog to show the boys. The boys LOVE dogs! Too bad their own doesn't really care about them! "George" was very good with the boys, and took a bit of interest in some of their toys-as any dog would! I will post a photo of George at the end. They went down for their second nap and I went to Old Navy. I need to find some clothes to wear to Italy. I have nothing. Jeans and shirts. Fun times.

I got creative-if you want to call it that because it really wasn't-and made them ground turkey and sweet potato for dinner. Ya...not a hit. At all! Nicholas has more in his highchair than anything! I also had some cheese-which they LOVE. And then I fed them a container of mixed veg baby foods. They scarfed that down. It was hot today-so after their dinner we put them in the pool on the deck. They enjoyed themselves! Anthony had a blast splashing away! Nicholas was not too fond of this little trick! After the pool-it was bottle and then bedtime!

I have to mention that I think we are on a new "schedule." I was feeding the boys 4 times a day-7,11,3, and 7. They were getting 8oz, 6oz, 6oz, and 8oz(to make up for what they didn't finish). We were also taking at least 3 naps a day. They were going down within every two hours of being awake. Well...Once I added in the 3rd meal, the times of those bottles have been off. Sometimes it's closer to 1pm instead of 11am for that 2nd bottle, etc. But I always managed the 4 bottles. About 2 weeks ago, I was putting them down for their 3rd nap and Nicholas after about 10-15 minutes-would start screaming. I would take him out of the room so he wouldn't wake Anthony-and he would be fine the rest of the day. He was boycotting the nap. So I stopped the 3rd nap for him.

For the past two days-they have had 3 bottles instead of 4. They are still getting the same amount of formula as they were with 4 bottles. Yes, it was 28oz vs 24oz, but-they NEVER finished every bottle! Now? They still don't! But much closer! And-the minimum amount of formula they should be having is 24oz-and that's where we are. If I go somewhere-I still bring that extra bottle. Ya just never know when I will need it! As for napping-we are down to 2-of course unless we go somewhere and are in the car, etc and they fall asleep. But since going to two naps-they sleep LONGER in the morning(vs the 5am wakeup calls) and they go down EASIER! It's heavenly. Not that they were hard to get down before... But they are going about 4 hours from nap wakeup to bedtime. They are doing great though!

This twin thing never gets old! ;)

Some photos:

Anthony getting licked by George!

George "washing" Nicholas' hair!

Can we say babyproof?

"What mom? I shouldn't be doing this?"

The boys in their pool!

Mommy's little escape artist-ALWAYS on the move!

"Hey! What's in here?"

Neuro update!

2008-06-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

After 17 longggggg months-yes-that's right-17 months...9 months of a pregnancy and 8 months of his short little life right now, Anthony FINALLY has a perfect clean bill of health! YAY!!!! If I was on the twinstuff.com website, I could add a dancing banana in here! ;)

I wasn't too worried about the appt because I see him everyday and I know that he is doing everything he is supposed to be doing. But still as a mother, you'd hate to have your child labeled, no matter what that label may be. Even now, some people would make comments about the size of his head, not knowing that it could potentially be of great concern. I am just thrilled beyond words that my sweet baby boy is ok-and it's something I may have known from the start!

This was the appt: The NP met with us, and we went over his ct scan. She said it looked beautiful. There was no fluid in the ventricles, the sutures didn't shut prematurely, etc. She said it all looked great. She did say there was some fluid in the front-but it's "common" and it wil be reabsorbed-so nothing to worry about. So-the end diagnosis for his big head was fluid and familial. Thank god. The Dr. came in and we went over the CT scan again. She measured his head-and it only grew .5cm in 2 months! I was very excited-it's still big though! She said at around 18 months it starts to level off, and it looks like that's where he is headed now. I am just thrilled beyond words. They basically took one look at him and could tell nothing was neurologically wrong with him. He flashed that smile and won their hearts in an instant!

For a "quick" background on Anthony's short life so far.. At our first u/s, Baby B was a small sac. I didn't know the stats at the time, just that it was 2 weeks behind, and it was a yellow flag. Dr. mentioned if I did start to bleed, chances are, I was miscarrying Baby B. I was beyond thrilled I had twins. I met my mother and godmother for dinner. I told my godmother(who is a twin herself) that it was twins..BUT..and she stopped me. She said, "Meaghan. Don't even think like that. You are having twins. That baby is going to be fine. So get used to it!" From then on-I didn't worry about it!

Eventually, the sac size caught up where we couldn't even tell there was an issue. Fast forward to the nuchal fold test. As a first time mom-I wanted the extra u/s. So we went for it. Then the results came back-Baby B had a 1 in 49 chance of Down's. 2% chance. 98% chance he was healthy. As a mom, you hear 1 in 49, not 2% chance, not 98% chance all is well. We opted to not do anymore testing, unless further u/s's warranted it. Fast forward to the big u/s. Baby B's femur was shorter than A's. 4 weeks behind. Guess what that is a "soft spot" for? Yep-Down's. Dr was very nice in explaining things, so I felt good, for the most part, leaving that appt. We went back 4 weeks later-still the 4 week gap in length-but-it grew. A good sign. At all of the u/s's they could never get a good look at the heart, which would have given us maybe a little better idea if he had Down's or not. We opted out of all testing. We could handle what we were given. He's a miracle no matter what afflicted him, and we would love him no matter what.

The day he was born, he came out 2nd and was quiet. But I didn't worry. I knew he was fine. Tony was able to sneak a quick peek, and he looked at me and said, "He's fine." I knew in my heart of hearts he was. Must be mother's tuition! ;) He did end up in the NICU for a week...again...more issues-fluid possibly on the lungs, heart murmur, spina bifida, lack of eating, yadayadayada.

We waited on pins and needles for his release date-it was just his eating that needed to be worked on. He was too tired to eat. And to think that back then he struggled to drink one ounce-wouldn't know it now!

So I end this with a beautiful picture of Anthony-and yes-Nicholas is just as beautiful! ;)

Can he get any more beautiful? I didn't think so...

HAPPY FIRST FATHER'S DAY!

2008-06-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

On February 19, 2007, Tony became a dad. That was the day I took a home pregnancy test and it was positive. I still remember Tony's reaction when I told him we were expecting. He was a bit confused("How do you know?"), but I explained it to him, we embraced, and cried 4 years of frustrations away... On March 12, 2007, Tony became a father-to twins. That was the day of our first ultrasound. My beta number was 126. A nice healthy number...we thought for one. I secretly wanted 2, but was more than thrilled with 1. I think we both thought one-as well as the nurse and the ultrasonographer. Well-we all know how that turned out! She said, "There's one with a heartbeat, and oh boy Meaghan-there's TWO!" I immediately started crying and laughing at the same time. Tony turned around and chuckled and said, "Oh my God!" It was then on-he embraced twins.

He didn't freak out. He didn't worry. He didn't sweat. Instead-he got excited. Sure-he wondered about money-but who doesn't? Even with one baby? You will NEVER have enough money. Or the perfect house, perfect job. But what will you have? What's the most important in the life of a child? Love. And Tony gives that 110%. Tony has always shown such joy and excitement when talking about the boys-long before they were here. There are so many things he wants to experience with them-it's almost tiring! They have a busy schedule ahead of them! From soccer, to fishing, to camping, to planting a garden, to doing homework together, cooking, riding bicycles. You name it-he want's to do it. What more can you ask for?

I could write PAGES on how great a father he is. I honestly could. I couldn't have picked a better father for my children if I tried. He is everything a child would want in a father. When he wakes in the morning, he comes down the stairs, and the boys immediately look towards the stairs and the voice. As soon as they see him, they smile from ear to ear. The both usually start kicking their feet and flailing their hands in excitement. He will spend a few minutes with them(on the day I get up early with them) and make them laugh, and then get ready for his day. Once he returns home from work, you don't hear, "Meg, let me go get changed. Meg, let me relax for a little while." Won't hear those words. Instead it's, "Give him to me." He wants them as soon as he walks in the door-and again-they are filled with excitement once they see him. They just love their daddy! I see it everyday in those smiles. Everyday. And when I go out alone, and he stays home with the boys. I don't worry. I know he can handle it. And he does a great job at it. Most fathers would freak out being alone with A baby, let alone TWO. Not Tony. He looks forward to it. Alone time with his boys...

So Tony-I may not tell you often enough, or I may nag you from time to time on your "parenting," but I want you to know that I think and know you do an AMAZING job with the boys. Amazing. I know I tell you to stop playing, because it's bedtime, or they're cranky, or whatever the reason may be. But when I stop and think about it, I think that's just silly. Play all you want. You'll never get those moments back and they are spending quality time with their father. So what if bedtime is off. That's something so minor. Instead-I need to look at it as a father WANTING to spend time with his children. WANTING to love them. WANTING to dote on them at every chance. WANTING to make them laugh and smile. And most of all? WANTING to be a father.

On this June 15th, 2008, your first Father's Day, I want to thank you for being a wonderful father to Nicholas and Anthony. The boys are little, but they will soon realize, if they haven't already, what a special father you really are. Happy Father's Day! We love you!

Less than 5 weeks...

2008-06-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

Oy. 4 weeks, 6 days. That's how much time is left. For me to get back to my bikini figure(hahaha) and until we board the plane for the boys first flight....to Italy. I can't believe it's coming so quickly! Now if I could only superglue my mouth shut-all would be well!

As for the boys... They just crack us up! There has not been a day since October 18, 2007, where we have not laughed. Honestly. And for being first time parents-especially to twins-I think that is a good thing! Everyday Tony and I talk about the boys, and just end up laughing at what they do, what they sound like, how they look. It's just amazing!

Anthony has found his tongue. You will catch him clicking his tongue throughout the day-when he's on his back or when he's eating solids. It's so cute to watch and hear. What else?? Hmmm... I know there is something but I of course can not think of it!

Oh! I know! I have meant to mention about the spitting up. My boys were famous spitters. All they did was spit up, spit up, and spit up some more. It was quite annoying as I was covered in it, the couch, the floor, the babies, visitors, you get the picture. Well-it is safe to say that they boys have lessened the amount of spit up since they have been sitting up! Whoohoo! Don't get me wrong-they still DO spit up-but no where near the proportions they were before! Thank heavens! I'm glad it has gotten better, it's decreased the laundry-if there is such a thing!

Today we brough Auntie Meredith to pick up a car rental, and in the process I was able to get my car appraised-from the 84 year old wrong way driver that dented/scratched my passenger side. From there, the boys and I went and visited Daddy at the office. Came home and I put Anthony down for a nap and he slept for about an hour. I put Nicholas down too, but he wasn't having it, so I ended up going up there and getting him. For the last 3 days, Nicholas has boycotted that 3rd nap, and I am not stressing over it. Hopefully-he is ready to drop it and once Anthony does, it will make life a bit easier. I will be able to plan on going out after their second nap. If they sleep in the car, that's fine. It will be nice to not have to be tied to their cribs!

I don't know if I mentioned it, but we started 3 meals on Saturday. They are doing really well with that. I think they are more hungry now! Crazy! My boys are well fed!

Well...the bed is calling as tomorrow is my day to get up early. I like what Tony and I have done. I think it's only fair, and I'm lucky and glad that he thinks so too. We rotate waking up with the boys. I understand he works all day, and just because I don't leave the house doesn't mean I don't work all day. So one day one of us sleeps until 8 and the other wakes up with the boys. And before he was getting 4 days and I was getting 3. We came to an agreement that we would rotate that extra day. So one week he gets to sleep late 4 days, the next week 3 days.

When you get married, have kids, etc... You learn life is all about compromise. It might take some time to get there, but in the end it is worth it. I'm lucky in that Tony sees things the same way! ;)

Hot stuff!

2008-06-09T19:23:00.001-07:00

Talk about heat wave! It was 98 degrees here today! Well-at least that's what I have heard. I only went outside to put the dog out. Kinda stinks we can't even go out due to the oppressive heat! And tomorrow? SAME THING! It's a good thing we have central air-otherwise I'd be driving around town with that $4/gallon gas with the a/c on!

But there is good news with this heat. Less clothes to wash! The boys spent their day in their diapers. No sense in putting a onesie on them. Too hot! Tomorrow we are going to venture out into the steam as we have to pick up Auntie Meredith to go pick up a rental car. The things we do for family! :) Might have to drive through for ice cream or a milkshake... Have to make the trip really worth it!

The boys have EI tomorrow. The therapist will be thrilled to know Nicholas is rocking and getting ready to crawl, and Anthony is a champ at finger foods. I have to ask her about Anthony's feet, as the point outward, vs straight ahead. I think it might be something he will outgrow, but at least I can point it out know and find out. I'll probably be calling the pedi sometime this week as I have some solid food questions before we venture off to Italy...

Speaking of which... FIVE WEEKS until we leave! Can you believe that? I think I am going to go on the starvation diet from here on out! No lie! Nothing like being the "fat American" over there. In one breath they will tell you you are fat, and in the next, force food down your throat! You will never win! Oh well...

Here are some photos of the boys from their music class. So cute! Nicholas does NOT like it when Ms. Kathy takes away the sticks. He cries everytime! I just got pictures of them playing with the drums...

Boys listening intently...

Anthony starts drumming!

Nicholas gives drumming a try...

That is Nicholas on ALL FOURS! Go Nicholas!

Catch up!

2008-06-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

OK. I think I finally have time-or at least made the time-to write. Every single night I think about it-yet never end up doing it-so here I be.

I am just AMAZED at how much the boys are doing now! It's so great to see-but at the same time, sad. I just don't want them to grow up! Not this quick at least! They are going to be 8 months old in a week. EIGHT! I remember giving birth to them(even though I was high on drugs!) not that long ago! I could relive that moment every day! Anyways... Update time!

Last Saturday was a first. My first night away from the boys. I never thought it would be so hard-and it was! I cried and cried and cried. I was a miserable person that day-which my husband can attest to! He wasn't around(getting gas, mowing the lawn, getting hair cut) and it just added fuel to the fire! The boys had their music class and we had to leave at 10am. It was now 9:45am, and I still had to shower, get my clothes ready, get the boys ready, try to clean... and I was alone. I was NOT happy. I was just so frustrated with having no help. I look forward to the weekends because I can have some help and get some type of break. And I wasn't getting it. I just felt alone. Anyways-that has since passed!

We got back from music, put them down for nap, got ready, and then waited for them both to wake up before we left. I said my goodbyes quietly, put on my sunglasses to hide the tears and we left. I cried for a bit, and eventually fell asleep. When I woke up-I got upset again because I realized they were not in the back seat! All in all-it was nice to get away(even though we woke up at 6am out of habit!), the concert was GREAT, and I won $300 on the slot machines! Whoohoo! So I survived the night away-not sure when I will do it again though! ;)

As for the boys:

Nicholas:

*On Friday(6/6) he got up on his knees and started rocking! WOW! My boy is going to be crawling soon!

*He holds his own bottle(7 months)

*Started eating more finger foods-bananas, peaces, pears, watermelon, cheerios, gerber puffs...

*says mamamamamama, and many others! I can't remember if he's not here babbling or me!

*is still a jumping FOOL!

*rolls ALL OVER THE PLACE! I put him on the bed to change his diaper yesterday-and he rolled the length of the bed! Oddly enough-he doesn't do it on the floor!

*PACIFIER GAME: I LOVE IT! When I put him to bed, I give him his pacifier. He puts it in his mouth, takes it out, and moves it around my face. I pretend to grab it in my mouth, and he starts to giggle! It's so darn cute! We repeat this a little bit, then I lay him down.

*He tilts his head to look at you-with such adoring eyes!

*When I go to pick him up-I put my arms out, and move my hands, saying "you want to come to mommy?" He immediately gives a BIG smile(even when fussing) and holds out his arms and waits for you to pick him up!

*has started screaming(with delight, sometimes anger)

*sits unassisted(started on April 18th-6 months-mastered by 7months)

*LOVES LOVES LOVES the dog! LOVES her! He sees her and he smiles and laughs away!

Anthony:

*Has TWO bottom teeth!

*says mamamamama, dadadadada, babababa)or blahblahblah-AND-he was NOT doing this 3 weeks ago! He was babbling-but no consonant/vowel sounds!

*holds his own bottle like a pro(7 months)

*on Friday 6/6 he got up on his knees for the very first time! It was quick-but he did it nonetheless!

*is AWESOME at finger foods! You put the food in front of him and he IMMEDIATELY goes for it-sometimes without looking! It's too funny to see!

*is also eating peaches, bananas, pears, watermelon, gerber puffs, cheerios. He LOVES his food!

*When you show him food/bottle, he takes his hands and starts turning them and opening and closing his fists. It's cute.

*plays the pacifier game too! Read above if you don't know what that is!

*sits unassisted(started on April 18th-6 months-mastered at 7 months). They still topple here and there.

*loves laying on his back! He kicks and giggles with glee!

*loves the bathtub! It's the rubber ducky one, I put some toys in it-and he splashes away!

*he now flaps his arms like Nicholas has been doing for a bit.

*LOVES the dog! He is becoming more and more aware of her.

I'm sure there is plenty more, but I can't think of it. They are sleeping, so hard to remember. I should do this when they are awake and in the moment!

Well-that's about it for now. I really should do this every night. Maybe this is the start. I hope so. I want to remember this time and no better way then to write it all down! Til next time...

So much to say....

2008-06-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

...so little time to say it all! But while it's fresh in my mind, I need to write it down, or next week I will be wondering when it all happened! Real quick as it is my bedtime...

Today Nicholas woke up early from his nap. So what I've been doing is bringing them into the bedroom with me and laying on the bed with them. We lay there and talk, sing, play, whatever keeps them happy. Today Nicholas and I were playing for a bit, laying down. Then I sat him up and decided to fold some laundry(which still needs folding). I turned on the TV to the kids music channel. I looked over at Nicholas and he was wiggling as he was sitting! He was dancing! So cute! Then-shortly thereafter, Anthony woke up. I ran and grabbed him(surrounded Nicholas with pillows and gave him objects to keep him occupied for 2 seconds) and brought him into the room with us. I put him next to Nicholas and Nicholas immediately reached over to Anthony and tried to grab his head, and kissed him. Or-he could have been trying to eat him. Whatever it was-it was awfully darn cute! I just LOVE watching them! They are the cutest kids!

And tonight at dinner, I gave them some peaches! It was diced peaches I had in the fridge. I think they are so ready for finger foods-or more variety besides Gerber puffs. They did really well with them and they liked them. On Sunday, they had watermelon-and that was a hit too. All these new things-soooo exciting!

Well-it's long past my bedtime. I have lots of updating to do. Billy Joel, first night away, the boys, etc. Tomorrow my sister and I are going to a Red Sox game and seeing a good family friend-more like an uncle-throw out the first pitch. Should be a fun time!

Here's a photo or two to hold you over until next time...

I'm going to be an AUNT!

2008-05-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

TO TWINS! Whoohoo! My sil FINALLY called me back this afternoon and my nephew who is 5 could barely contain himself. He wanted to get on the phone. So SIL let him, he gets on and goes, "MOMMY HAS BABIES IN HER BELLY!" HUH?!?!? I thought he said it because he was obsessed with the twins when they were born, etc... I just thought he mispronounced it! NOPE! He was dead right!

I am so excited I just can't wait! They are due November 24th, 2008. So-the twins will be 13 months apart! How freakin' exciting!!! They are not going to find out the sex of the babies, as they did not with the first two. So we will be sitting on pins and needles until then! Can't wait! And you can be sure we will be making a trip to meet those babies while in the hospital! No doubt about it!

On to other news...Nicholas has his first cold! :( So sad. Poor guy. However-he's really good. He's a bit stuffy, runny nose, cough, other than that-he's in good spirits. I hope it stays that way. We have the vaporizer on in their room and I hope it does the trick. As for Anthony-it seems like he has hit a new milestone. He can hold his bottle! Yay! He hasn't mastered it yet-but he's pretty good. He hasn't learned to hold it back, along with his head. He generally has his right hand unfolded and his left hand is still clenched in a fist. Too cute. They both are! And when Nicholas gets fussy-I hold my arms up/out to him and say "You want to come with Mommy?" Something to that sort anyways... And he holds his arms out, rocks a bit, and as I go for him, gets the biggest smile on his face! Gotta love it! Nothing greater than being a mom!

Tomorrow I will post pictures of the boys. They are good ones!

New STUFF!

2008-05-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

Before I forget-I need to write about what is NEW over here! First of all-Anthony cut his SECOND tooth! 2 for Anthony, 0 for Nicholas. In due time I am sure. Anthony's first tooth came in on Sunday, May 18 at exaclty 7 months old, and his 2nd one popped in on Monday May 19. Double whammy. And honestly-he has been REALLY good! Maybe over the last week there would be times where he would SCREAM-not for long-but we had no clue. Well-now we do! And of course all the other tell tale signs of drooling, gnawing on anything that moved, etc...

Also-Anthony TODAY just started to move those little legs while he's in the jumper. It's the CUTEST thing EVER. He still doesn't know how to jump yet. He moves those feet around like a fish out of water. I will have to get it on video. Maybe tomorrow.

Next-I gave the boys Arrowroot biscuits to teeth on after their morning solids. Well-I didn't realize how thin they were-and Anthony went to TOWN. I noticed he bit a piece off, so I took them away. I took it away from Nicholas. Note to self: BAD IDEA! He SCREAMED bloody murder! He was PO'D about that! I of course felt so bad that I did it! These boys are going to get away with a LOT!

And lastly-I think Nicholas is now letting us know when he wants to be picked up. On Saturday, he turned and kinda swat at my arm and sil's when he was done. Then today he was in the living room on the floor. He looked at me, started fussing, and moving his hand to my arm. So cute! I'm sure I might not think so in a few months when I am trying to get things done!

Oh-and Anthony was getting mad at Nicholas for taking his toys while at Grandma and Grandpa's tonight. I think we are headed into new territory! But gosh-it is just so darn cute!

SEVEN MONTHS OLD!

2008-05-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

EEK! Where in the world did the last seven months go??? Anyone know? I guess it's been filled with sleep deprived nights, nightly feedings, changing diapers, bottle after bottle, pumping after pumping session, tears, smiles, laughter, squealing, babbling, rolling over, sitting up, TEETH(more on that in a moment), solid feeding, walks, sleeping through the nights, music classes, play time, walks, visitors, outings to the mall, visiting family and friends... The list is endless. It's been a busy 7 months-but the most enjoyable yet! They are getting so big everyday!

What's new? Nicholas is a rolling fool. Diaper changes are a big challenge. He immediately wants to roll to his stomach-which he actually does 99% of the time. He has ezcema which seems to be spreading-so we will be calling the Dr. Monday morning. He drinks his bottle in no time, but he needs to be a bit more entertained when it comes to solids. I have to take out toys, finger foods, spoons, even the dog gets in on it! No easy task! He can sit unassisted for a good while! He and Anthony can sit on the floor in the living room and play for awhile. It's so nice!

Nicholas, when he gets your face near his mouth, goes to town! He slobbers all over you and talks. It's the cutest thing ever! But what isn't?!?

Anthony LOVES to screech! I mean LOVES! Part of it is probably to hear himself, another part is out of sheer enjoyment/happiness, and the last part is because he is po'd and wants you all to know it! He smiles and smiles and smiles. I once said he would smile at a stick walking by! I'd even bet money on it! He too can sit unassisted! His bottle feeding takes a bit longer, but he's a champ when it comes to eating solids. He sees me getting it ready and he puts his arms out to the side, clenches his fist, and starts smacking his lips/making squealing noises. He's got to learn patience! He's still not jumping or rolling from belly to back-but in due time. I'm not rushing him. I can't compare the two because they are INDIVIDUALS. Need to remember that!

And last but not least-he has a TOOTH! Granted-it's like the tippity tip-but it's there! I can feel it! I hope when it finally pops through he is ok.... Fingers crossed! He's been fine so far!

They BOTH STTN! They have been since April 25th when we did CIO. What a miracle that was. Not to say they were difficult beforehand though. It's just nice going to bed and not having to wake up once or twice a night! As I said before-they sit up. Probably April 18 when we went to their cousin's house we noticed that they were for an extended period of time. Ever since then-they've been sitting in the Boppy. I'd say they've mastered it-but I would still keep stuff around them for the time being. Anthony will reach for something and not quite put his hands down, so he topples over. And Nicholas will find his way on his stomach... They are both taking a music class. We take it Saturday mornings. They LOVE music so I wanted to do something as a family, and get them around other babies. They were so cute! We even bought some instruments for them. At the class, the instructor sang and we sang along, danced along, and played some instruments with her. She let us use drums(the boys favorite) and something like a individual xylophone-with sticks! To infants! Luckily we all have our eyes still!

They both love to smile and laugh. Getting them to laugh is no easy feat. The dog does better with Nicholas than we do! They love high pitched noises and silliness. We read book after lunch/dinner(when remembered) and they now LOVE Pat-A-Cake! Nicholas will put his hands over my hands and we will do it together. They will sit together or next to each other and play with the various toys. One will have a toy, the other will see it, and grab it. Doesn't phase them... YET.

Phew! I think that's the update. It's gone by soo fast and I would stop time if I could! They are just the best babies ever! And my mom said the best comment today, "Those who have one baby get jipped. I mean, really!" It's true-I get to go through all these milestones-TWICE-and at different times, with two totally different babies. It's great!

Now here are their 7 month photos from today!

My shaker's and mover's!

How freaking cute is that??

  Posing for their 7 month shot
Nicholas smiling for the camera!
     Such a cutie!
Anthony poses for his 7 month shot
   What a ham!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! To ME! :)

2008-05-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

I have waited all my life for this day. I never realized I have either. Until this day arrived. Last night as I rocked Anthony before I put him in his crib, I started to cry-and I couldn't control it. I cried and I pulled Anthony even closer to me. He was crying, and I was crying along with him. Happy tears of course. Because I was about to celebrate my first Mother's Day. The years of heartaches, tests, needles, doctor appointments, shots, medicine, ultrasounds, surgeries, negative pregnancy tests were all worth it-to be able to wake up this morning, walk into the boys nursery and see two sets of the most beautiful eyes you will ever see. My sons. Mine. I am a mother. A mom. My miracles. The ones I yearned for for years. When we were dealing with infertility, I never knew then why it wasn't happening. Why we were not getting pregnant. Now I know. My boys were not ready to meet me. The timing wasn't right. But it most certainly is now.

Today was an amazing day. It is now officially my favorite holiday. We don't even have to do anything. There is nothing in this world more rewarding than being a mother. Nothing. Today we took the boys to Stanley Park, which is the same park where Tony asked me to marry him. It was a beautiful day and I tried to savour every moment. We sat in the grass with the boys and had lunch. We took pictures. We walked around. Most of all-I enjoyed being a mom. Watching my boys look around at their new surroundings-touching the grass, pulling dandelions, looking up at the bright blue sky, listening to the cars whizzing by, looking at the bright blossomed tulips. I held my boys close, whispered in their ear "I love you" over and over again. I let them touch my face, bite my finger, drool all over me. Things only a mother could love. And I did.

After the park we went looking for a tree to plant to remember this Mother's Day. We didn't find one yet. It has to be just the right one. Then we came home and cleaned and got ready for dinner. We were having both sets of parents over for dinner. It was really a good time. We gave our gifts to our moms-which we a huge hit. We got them 3 photos of the boys done at the photographer's house, and then a photo book of the boys first six months of life. They loved them!

After dinner we watched videos of Nicholas laughing hysterically at the dog. Then the video of him jumping to "Cotton Eye Joe." I looked over at my parents, sister, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and husband all sitting there laughing, with tears running down their faces. These boys have brought so much joy into our lives, as well as everyone else's. I just savoured that moment of how happy everyone was. I never imagined a child could do that-let alone two of them.

Thank you boys for making me the proudest mother in the world. I love you both!

Surviving!

2008-05-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

Well...We have survived thus far! No one has been injured, no one has run away, I haven't had a breakdown, so I think everything is going well! Now-I wouldn't have a breakdown. My boys are really good-so I can't complain. As long as I get them napping in that sacred 2 hour window-all is well! I made a BIG mistake on that on Monday! Let's just say-I learned my lesson! Nicholas boycotted naps that day. Overall he was relatively happy. Mommy was not!

On Monday-he was in his johnny jumper and I could hear him laughing. I was wondering what the heck he was laughing at. So I walked into the kitchen and I see Sadie walking around. I go and grab a Cheerio and chuck it across the floor. Nicholas LAUGHS and LAUGHS! So I ran and grabbed the videocamera and started taping. Nicholas was laughing HYSTERICALLY! He has NEVER laughed like that! OMG I was laughing so hard. It was the best thing to see! Now if I only had a clue on how to post it on the web. Oh some day...

This morning, the boys woke up at 6 am. I prefer 7, but I've learned to compromise seeing how they are sleeping through the night(STTN). So their first nap was at 8am. Just after 9, I heard Anthony, so I went up there and saw that Nicholas was awake also. I put Anthony in Nicholas' crib. So Nicholas was on his stomach, and Anthony was on his back and they could look at each other. Whenever Nicholas looked at Anthony, Anthony would giggle! It was so darn cute! Anthony is soooooo in love with his big brother! Now I just hope it stays that way!

We are a few days away from Mother's Day. I could tell Tony what I want for a "gift." Or what I want to do for the day. But in all honesty, I want him to do it-plan it-start to finish. I mean, this is my FIRST Mother's Day. Something I've yearned for all my life. I am not about to plan it! He did mention to me on the phone he could get me a diamond bracelet. And you know what-that's not what I want. Honestly. I didn't even bat an eye. I really think I have everything I need. My boys are what I wanted, I wanted to be a MOM-and I am. What more could I really ask for? I've got it all! ;)

And just to show you-here it is:

Viva Las Vegas

2008-05-05T05:17:00.000-07:00

Oh boy. It just might be a long week at my house. Tony is gone. He's on a trip to Las Vegas for "work." Ya right! It's work until Tuesday-and then somehow...they are not coming home until Friday at midnight-when their plane lands! Must be nice to just hop on a plane and go on a vacation! I'm just sitting here wondering when I might have a vacation....

In all honesty-I can only imagine how hard it was for him to leave the boys. He really didn't want to go because he didn't want to leave them(I've since become a distant memory ;) ). He told me that he is enjoying them SOO much now(not that he didn't before)-everyday they are doing new things. It's so amazing to watch! Anthony now screeches when he wants something-or he wants attention. Nicholas can roll from back to belly-we need to watch out with him! They are getting better at sitting on their own. Anthony has two little white spots on his gums-when those teeth will actually come through is beyond me. They are now STTN! YAY! CIO worked for us-not that they really cried. But they seriously have not woken up in the middle of the night in at least a week! I make sure their first feeding is 8 oz. They usually drink the whole amount, or just about. It seems also that their spit up has lessened just a bit too.

They are just the happiest little babies. I just stare at them in amazement and wonder how I was so lucky to have them. At night I miss them when they are sleeping in their cribs. Anthony with his hands by his side, and Nicholas all contorted with his little butt up in the air. How cute is that? And they are sound asleep! They are just the best babies-and EVERYONE can not get enough of them!

And it's rather funny...we go to functions, etc...where there are a lot of family members and everyone is like, "let me help you, let me hold the baby, give you a break" etc... And to be honest-I don't need a break. Sure it's nice, but really-I do it all day long, everyday. I have no complaints. I love my job and I love what I do. I don't need the help-I do very well on my own. I love my kids and we worked very hard to get them. It didn't happen at a snap of the fingers. It was a long 4 years. I don't need a break. I waited four years for this, that was my break. Now that they are here-my break is over-and I'm so glad it is!

Rolling, rolling, rolling....

2008-05-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

Guess what!! Nicholas-FINALLY-rolled from his back to his belly! Now we are in trouble! I say finally because he's been so close for soo long! He would arch and arch his back, but never flip over. He did it once today-and it was the longest process ever-but HE DID IT! YAY!

Other NEW things:

-Anthony now likes to scream. Not a deafening scream or anything. It's like he wants to be heard. It's awfully cute I tell ya!

-They have both tried the Gerber puffs. They are not quite sure about them yet. Nicholas makes a face like they are the most sour things on Earth. But he will CHEW them. Pretty darn cute to watch.

-Anthony would eat anything if he could. I was eating lunch today-and he was going NUTS-shaking his arms and moving his fingers because he wants MY food!

-Nicholas enjoyed when I shook my head at him-BIG smile. Tonight at my parents house-I did this to him. And he shook his head right back at me! I thought it was a fluke-he did it like FOUR TIMES! TOOO CUTE!

I just can't say enough how much I love my boys! Oh-and last night while putting them to bed-it was almost as if they were talking to each other. I had Nicholas, Tony had Anthony. Both boys were talking. Nicholas stopped, Anthony stopped too. Weird. Must be a twin thing!

Finger foods!

2008-04-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today the boys tried their first finger foods! It was more of a learning experience than anything else. They really didn't know what to do with what was put in front of them. I did the Gerber puffs first-Nicholas spit it right out! I gave it to Anthony and he didn't seem to know what was going on. That was enough of those! Then I moved onto the toast/biscuit things. At first it was a toy-they moved them all around their trays. Nicholas was the first to pick it up-and put it towards his mouth. It took Anthony awhile-but he was able to do it too. They seemed to enjoy it. I did because I was able to feed them while they explored their new found treasure! Pictures are below!

On to other news! Today-FINALLY-Nicholas paid attention to Anthony. FINALLY! Now-don't get me wrong-he knew he was there. He would look at him at times. But if Anthony was looking at him-Nicholas was looking the other way. Until today. In the highchairs they seem to be interacting more. They hold hands, reach towards each other, etc. Today, while I was getting their lunch ready, I heard Nicholas squeal. I looked over and he had this big smile on his face and was looking at Anthony and Anthony was returning the favor. It was GREAT! Then-EI was here-and Anthony was on the couch in the Boppy, Nicholas on my lap. Nicholas was looking at Anthony with such a loving smile. It was so sweet. And yet again at dinner-the same thing. And-they even TALKED to each other. I was so glad I was able to see it! They are just the sweetest babies ever!

EI came today for Anthony. He of course wowed them with his smile. He did very well overall. I wanted him to be evaluated just because. I figure it's free so why not. I also was worried about his head size slowing him down. He did great for gross motor skills and scored at 4 months for his fine motor skills-thus making him eligible for services. The physical therapist wasn't too concerned. She thinks it has to do with his head size and he will eventually catch up. So that's that in our world!

This twin thing is an amazing experience! I just can't say enough!

Here are the pictures:

Aren't we just too cute?
   "Hmmm...what is this?"
   "What do we do with this?"
   "Tasty!"
"I think I am going to like this!"

A new "toy" to play with!

Look at how big we are! Sitting up and playing!

"So many decisions! How do we choose a toy?"

Daddy's home! YAY!

A BIG smile for Daddy!

Six Month update!

2008-04-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

The boys had their 6 month appt today. I was going into it hoping that we would be able to leave and not have to worry about another doctor's appt. No such luck. More about that in a bit...

Anthony was smiling like crazy at the nurse. He's such a flirt! Nicholas generally just stares at whoever looks back at him. He's a bit more cautious I think. I say Anthony is going to be the one rolling down the window at the gas station going, "I'm Anthony. What's your name?" What a happy little fellow!

So-Nicholas weighs in at 16lbs4oz. He is 27 1/4 inches long. Anthony weighs in at 15lbs12oz and is 26inches long. A little guy! Nicholas' head circumference was 45cm whereas Anthony's was 48. Yet another big jump. The pedi warned us at the 4 mth appt. that if it continued to grow-he was going to send us to the neurosurgeon. And he is. It grew a lot again. He just has a big head, and a little body! Poor guy! So-he said he thought we were going to go there and they are going to tell us he is fine. He said the CT scan was good and that was reassuring. He said that he has seen big heads, but not quite like Anthony's. He said that the way he looks at it is he treats his patients the way he would want his kids to be treated. Better safe than sorry. So-I get to make a phone call and make an appt. We'll see when we get one. I'm sure it won't be soon...

They had their shots. Nicholas cried but he didn't pretty well overall. Anthony on the other hand-SCREAMED bloody murder! OMG! It was HEARTBREAKING! I felt so bad for him. I never have heard him scream like that. Poor guy!!!! Then when I took his bandaids off he screamed again! And when I put him down for nap. He was a bit fussy. I'm going to blame that on the shots...So unlike him.

The boys were giving the ok to start finger foods! Can you believe that?!? CRAZY! So of course I went out tonight and got some toast things for babies and Gerber puffs. I can't wait! Well-I can...but you know what I mean. The Dr. also said we could go to 3 meals a day. I can't even begin to imagine! He's more of a "go-with-the-flow" kinda Dr. It's more about the individual baby. Things are going to get busy around here! We didn't mention we were doing "cry it out" with the boys. He doesn't quite believe in that! Oops!

So all in all-the boys are doing very well! Yay! I have now started reading to them after they eat in the high chair. Reading is something I feel very strongly about. I was just having a hard time fitting it in, in the sense of when they would be willing to listen to it. In the high chair seems to work-or even when they are in the swings, etc. Also-now that they can sit up for a bit-it's FUN! We put them in the playroom with the boppy's holding them up. I put toys in the middle of them and they go to town! It's so much fun! They are getting so BIG!

Well-that's all for now I believe. The boys 6 month professional photos are up! Now the fun task of picking out a "few."

Busy bees!

2008-04-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well-we survived the night. I did. They did. And we lived to talk about it. We did CIO last night. Tony turned on a fan to drown out the crying. You could faintly hear them over the fan if you listened closely. We also set the alarm at 3am to go check on them and 7am when I got them up. When I went in at 7am-Anthony was screaming and Nicholas was happy as a clam playing with his feet. Let me tell you-that NEVER happens! Usually Anthony is sound asleep and Nicholas is the one up screaming/fussing. Naptime wasn't the greatest today. Nicholas seemed to fight it more than anything. Oh well. They went down for bed-without a PEEP! So-progress already!

Today we went to the park because I wanted to get THE twin swing picture. We didn't get it, the boys weren't big enough, but I did get this one instead:

Now how freaking cute is that?!?! I just LOVE that photo! He was due for a nap...so the fresh air was what he liked and asleep he went!

Over the past few days-and I mean FEW-the boys have starting to situp on their own unassisted. Now-we can't walk away and leave them sitting there. I guarantee they will not be in that same sitting position when we come back. But-they can go for a good five minutes-or pretty close to it. I can't believe how big they are getting!!!!! Here's two photos from our backyard with them practicing their new skill:

EI came out on Friday for Nicholas. It mainly was for him to get acquainted with the therapist. They are coming out on Tuesday to evaluate Anthony. I figure it's free, so why not. Let's make sure he is on the right path. And if not-he's getting services now-and not when it's too late.

Tony was rocking Nicholas this evening after his bottle. I was feeding Anthony. As I was watching Tony I was looking at Nicholas and noticed how big he was getting. He's getting too big! I do not want them to grow up! It's so sad! I want my boys to stay little and innocent forever! So many people are in a rush for them to crawl, walk, talk, play this game/that game. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one who wants to stop time. I guess a mother always wants to stop time....If only I could....I would. In a heartbeat.

It's that time...

2008-04-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Someone give me strength. I'm going to need it. Can you hear that, can you? Listen really close because it's TWO babies upstairs in their cribs...CRYING. And Tony and I are sitting on the couch pretending nothing is happening. It is NOT easy sitting here, turning a deaf ear. I just want to go up there and hold them and rock them to sleep. But that's a no no. We are setting them, and us, for bad sleeping habits. They are 6 months old-it's time to break those habits. So-we picked tonight. Friday April 25 is CIO night. Yikes.

We generally speaking feed them, then rock them to sleep, and put them in their crib. Lately they have gone down pretty easy with little waking after they are first put in their crib. What needs to happen is they need to learn how to put themselves to sleep-mommy and daddy can't. Tony is going to Vegas next week and I will be flying solo(at night at least)-so I want them STTN by then! It's only good for them. I am happy to say it's been about 20 minutes-and they are just about done crying. Not too bad. We put them in their crib awake-told them we loved them and it was bedtime, and walked out. Ouch. 20 minutes. Silence.

The TRUE test will be...in the middle of the night. I am NOT looking forward to it. Tony actually said maybe I should go sleep somewhere else tonight. Might not be a bad idea....

HAPPY SIX MONTH BIRTHDAY BOYS!

2008-04-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that 6 months ago today I was in the hospital bonding with my two amazing boys. Six months! Where did that time go?!?!?!? If I were to stop and think about how quickly they are growing up before me, I would probably start to cry. I want them to be babies forever. I really do. They are so sweet and innocent. And beautiful. Simply beautiful.

Today they had their photos taken with a local photographer. She does beautiful work. It's her side job. Tony's cousin lives next door to her and she takes her kids there. And you can't beat the prices! They should be online within a week or so...I will be stalking her website until then! Both boys behaved very well..Until they realized they were famished and needed to eat. Nicholas was of course serious, while Anthony was smiling away.

They went and had their one month photos taken with her too. We will go back at one year, then probably Christmas, and then every year thereafter. We'll see...It all adds up!

After their photoshoot we went next door to dh's cousin and had lunch. It was nice for them to see the boys. Nicholas did manage to take a short nap while we were there. And-we practiced sitting up-and they can BOTH sit unassisted for AT LEAST one minute-but honestly-upwards of 5 minutes! Can you believe that?!!? So we will keep working on that! And holding our bottles, etc....It's simply amazing. I can't say enough!

Here are photos from when they were born:

And here they are now:

Milestones!

2008-04-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

These boys keep doing new things EVERYDAY. It's absolutely amazing! You know, a lot of people might see me with the two boys, or any person raising twins, and think, "That poor mother!" And honestly-don't feel bad for me. Actually-I feel bad for you. You don't get to enjoy raising two babies at the same time. You don't get to get double the hugs, kisses, cuddles. I do. I also get to watch two completely different children blossom before my eyes. At the same time. I get to watch them develop and hit their milestones. Twice. I get to hear, "Mommy-I love you." Not once, but TWICE. Granted-they obviously don't talk...but when they do....when someone says to me, "You poor thing. You must be exhausted!" I will say no. Love never grows tired. It grows stronger. And everyday I get to witness it. And I am loving every moment of it.

OK. A little diversion there...So-things we are doing...

Nicholas:

-loves his feet!

-can roll to his side

-can now make a "monster" noise. Hard to explain-but it comes from the back of his throat.

-is a jumping FOOL!

-is slowly learning to sit up

-loves to talk to you when you talk with him.

-grabs your face and puts his hand in his mouth.

-talks himself to sleep

-is starting to push up onto his knees

-napping in the crib

-sleeps on his tummy-at least better

-has distinct sounds when he babbles.

-will grab a toy in front if him while laying on his stomach

Anthony:

-smiles at anyone and everyone.

-FOUND his feet! And loves to grab both at the same time.

-can roll to his side now

-sleeps on his tummy

-sleeps better with his lovey by his side

-he now talks himself to sleep

-napping in the crib

-is slowly starting to push onto his knees too

-talks!

-opens his mouth when the spoon comes near

-is sitting up unassisted for 2 nano seconds!

I'm sure there is plenty more-but until it happens, I can't remember. Here are the foods we've had thus far:

-rice cereal

-oatmeal

-bananas

-applesauce

-prunes

-peaches

-pears

-green beans

-carrots

-squash

-mixed veggies

-garden veggies

-mangos

-vanilla custard with bananas

-sweet potatoes

-peas

I can't honestly say what their favorite is. It all depends on their mood to tell you the truth. Nicholas will eat an entire container of Stage 2 foods-and then the next day-turn his nose up at it. Who knows! It's an "art" as the pediatrician said. Did I ever mention I didn't like art????

Now I need to figure out how to add in a 2nd meal.....Yikes!

How Fast They Grow

2008-04-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

How fast they grow...it's so sad! I want my boys to stay little forever! Saturday was an amazing day! They are absolutely the best babies ever! We ventured off to the mall with Auntie Meredith, where Anthony proceeded to smile at anyone who even looked at him! Nicholas was content, until someone talked to him on the elevator-and he cried his scared, sad cry! Oh it was pitiful! We were there for an hour and a half and there were no major meltdowns. Success! When we came home, Nicholas jumped in the jumper and had a blast! He is so darn cute in it! We put his sunglasses and hat on-it was a hoot! And-he started talking even MORE! Sounds we haven't heard-and even ,"blah, blah, blah." No lie! Grandma Lang said he said "mommy" today. Not deliberate of course....We shall see about that! He was sooo animate yesterday.

We also started Stage 2 foods the other night. They were on sale at Target so I bought them. I was getting sick of the same old foods, so I figured why not. They CHOWED down! The tubs are bigger-and the boys split one! And had half a container of fruit! Piggies! And I might add....Nicholas slept all night long! Anthony kinda...he woke at 11:30 to feed-and then slept through. Why Nicholas was eating he was talking up a storm, and spitting-which I think he is fond of and now realizes he can do. We caught it on camera-that and Anthony's sour puss face when he was given the apples/blueberry fruit mix!

Once dinner was over Tony cleaned them up and we took them for a walk. Nicholas was long overdue for a nap-and he fell asleep on the walk. Once we left the street and started on a new street-Anthony started wailing. Not sure why. One theory is I wasn't walking in front of him-that's when he calmed down. Naturally as soon as Tony took him out and I held him-happy as a clam. God are they cute or what?!!? We came home and sat out on the deck. It was great. I loved every minute of it-and we just sat there and watched the boys. Amazing. Breathtaking. Wonderful. Surreal. I can't say enough about my boys-they are my world!!!!

Here are some pictures from the other day:

Nicholas in his cool shades!

Nicholas showing his stuff in his cool shades.

Proud Mommy with Nicholas

Proud Mommy with Anthony

Anthony loves water bottles!

Anthony poses for Mommy.

Hmmm

2008-04-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

Anthony shows his skill-and radiant smile!

Nicholas is looking for pointers from his little brother.

Nicholas is wondering what this thing is for!

Sometimes it's really not that easy to come up with a title. Especially when I am just writing on a whim! Afterall-I can't be creative ALL the time! ;) Well-The boys went down tonight BEFORE 8pm-and there was much success! I think bedtime should be between 7/7:30pm. Let's see what tomorrow may bring.

So I want to dress up the blog, but I do not know how to. I'm illiterate in that department. I have seen some really cool blogs, and I would love to do that same, but haven't figured it out yet...Oh sometime on my spare time! HA!

I have started to give the boys sippy cups for practice. I do not expect them to know what to do with them whatsoever. It's just to get them used to it. They still can't hold their own bottles, I don't expect them to be able to hold a cup! That said-Anthony totally gets what he is supposed to do with it. He tries to bring it to his mouth, but he can't figure out how to hold it properly. It's very cute to watch! Hmmm...what else? I can't believe they are going to be 6 months old next week! So sad how time is flying by. I wish I could stop time. If only...

Well...I'm off to search the internet for making my blog more interesting. I need to start getting into the scrapbooking mentality. Afterall-I will be scrapbooking once a week with a friend. Boy do I have a lot of photos! Anyone care to take a guess how many are on the computer?!?!?!

One step forward, three steps back...

2008-04-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

We were doing sooo well with sleeping. Granted-one of the boys would sleep through the night. Now-it seems like we are not doing so well. They fight going down. And then they keep waking up. It's 9:20pm and Nicholas-I think-is finally asleep. We put them down at 8pm. I think that's too late. We need to go a bit earlier and see what happens. Supposedly-they will sleep longer-fingers crossed! Anthony would not fall asleep last night so in a last ditch effort, I flipped him on his stomach-and off to dreamland he went! It was magical! I couldn't believe it. He's on his stomach again tonight too. Sure it's nervewracking. But-he can pick his head up MUCH better-and when needed. And trust me-if he gets mad-he will! Once they start rolling-there's not much you can do about it anyways...Nicholas does not like sleeping on his stomach. Tony tried. It didn't help.

I forgot to mention what the boys can do. Anthony is SO close to holding his own bottle. It's very cute watching him try. When the bottle falls out of his mouth-he knows it needs to go back in, he's just not too sure on how to do it! ;) Nicholas started jumping on Wednesday, April 2. It's SO CUTE. Maybe not when you are trying to change him, etc...but it's still cute. He loves the jumperoo and the johnny jumper! Anthony likes them too-but to lounge in!

Tonight Tony and I went out to dinner. My mom offered to watch the boys for us so we could. That was nice. It was nice going out to dinner. It's been awhile since we had. We went to La Cucina. I ordered Sirloin Marsala and Tony ordered Fruiti Di Mare-but it wasn't what he thought it would be. Mine was delicious! SO TENDER! Tony wished he had ordered it too! Maybe next time...

I am so tired all of a sudden. I think I am going to take advantage of the peace and quiet and head to bed. We are having friends over tomorrow night...I have lots of cleaning to do! I will post photos of the boys hopefully tomorrow. There are some cute ones!

Three Babies and a Blog!

Don't Blink

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Getting close....

EASTER

Moving, moving, MOVING!

NINE MONTHS!

Aww Moments!

Houston-We have a TOOTH!

Annabella Rose

Time is flying by

First Haircut!

Two years old and big changes!

More photos...

Birthday photos!

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY NICHOLAS AND ANTHONY!

Anthony's BIG accomplishment!

"NiNi's" new accessory

Four Months Old!

Storytime Survival!

What's New?

Nicholas...

Smartie Pants!

Anthony's new love

No rest for the weary!

Apple Picking!

THREE months and some photos!

Slowly updating...

The boys!

It's about time!

PHOTOS!

Slacker!

Fevers. Ick!

16 Month Update!

Smarty pants!

Photos and more!

FINALLY

Merry Christmas!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

STEPS!

BIG NEWS!

Books! Shuffle! Books! Stand!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Photos!

One Year Pedi Update!

Updating

Happy Halloween!

Surgery!

Photos #2

Photos #1

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY NICHOLAS AND ANTHONY!

Busy? What's that??

Quick Updates!

AHHH!! WALKING!

WORDS!

Walk, walk, walk some more!

Double this, Double that...

A BIG THANK YOU!

1....2....3....

11 Months...It's going by too fast...

**Awwwww**

Dog. Dog. Woof. Woof.

Humor Me

One SMALL step....

DADA! WALKING(kinda...)

BACK!

Off to ITALY!

It's CRAWLING TIME!

Sad news

New milestones!

Trouble's a brewing!

Neuro update!

HAPPY FIRST FATHER'S DAY!

Less than 5 weeks...

Hot stuff!

Catch up!

So much to say....

I'm going to be an AUNT!

New STUFF!

SEVEN MONTHS OLD!

Awwwww