Morgan and Her Pawpaw

Took this picture this past weekend at my dad's house. I wanted to put an updated picture of Morgan on here since there are quite a few of Maddy. Look at those baby muscles. That's from picking up her bottle and her toys so much! :)

Flying By

This morning we all got up early. William went to the bank and I fed the girls and washed dishes. I ate breakfast and played online and then I decided to get Maddy, who was playing in her bouncer, and take her to bed with me, not with the intention so much as to sleep but more to cuddle and play in the big bed.

She played on the bed some, getting up on her knees and rocking back in forth. I made raspberries on her neck and tummy and legs and she giggled and we played peek-a-boo with the covers. After awhile we both settled down and she was looking somewhat sleepy and I was feeling pretty relaxed. I flipped her over and pulled her close to my side, into the crook of my arm. But within a few seconds she flipped herself back over onto her tummy and tried to crawl away from me. So I let her play for a minute and when I saw her put her head against the pillow I pulled her in again. This time she was still on her tummy with her head on my arm. She lay there for a minute or two and then bobbed her head up to look around. This went on for a while. She was tucked into my side but she wouldn't put her head down anymore. I think she thought I was wanting her to take a nap.

All of this got me to thinking. With each milestone that we celebrate, each new thing they learn, it is really a newfound independence for them. I mean as they learn to hold their bottles, and crawl, and roll, and pick up toys, really they need me less and less to do those things for them. They want to do more for themselves, that is part of the excitement for them. And that is a truly great thing and it means relief for me because there is less and less that I have to physically do for both of them. All of this will lead to little girls who are able to do lots of things for themselves and eventually each other. This is all part of growing up.

I am happy about this but at the same time I found myself feeling a little sad. It won't be long before they are bouncy toddlers running from room to room. It won't be long before we hear those words that all kids say at one time or another "I do it myself" I will have to tackle them and drag them to me for a brief kiss before releasing them to run wild again. I guess I just saw something in Maddy this morning that made me realize that they won't be babies forever. I mean they will always be MY babies. But they will grow up and with each step they will need me less. And that is okay with me but I think it is also okay that that makes me a little sad too.

Special Thanks

Thanks to Tonya, my new blog buddy. She made me the cute signature on the side of my blog by the links. It is small on here but if you click on it, it will open up big and you can see it really good. I also added her blog "A Mother's Journal" as one of my links. Check it out. She is a preemie "mum" too.

Never Again

This morning I had to take Morgan to the hospital to have a "Modified Barium Swallow Study" done.

Why: Because Morgan has a tendency to swallow her food or juice and choke on it. This could cause her to get pneumonia by asphyxiation, according to her speech therapist.

What it is: They feed Morgan some formula, juice, and food with Barium while taking an Xray of her throat to see if she swallows it down funny. I was told by the speech therapist that this would be a pain free procedure and they would basically put Morgan in a bouncy seat and I would feed her some of her favorite foods while the technicians or doctor watched her swallow it.
What it turned out to be was a nightmare, my heartbreak. They strapped her down from head to toe on a hard board. Her head was in a foam like vice with velcro holding it down and then her body was mummy wrapped from shoulders to toes against the same board. Then we waited for the doctor to show up. It was like ten minutes before he came in the room and it felt like an eternity. The whole time we were waiting Morgan was screaming. She didn't like being held down and she was scared. I was breathing slowly for fear that I might start crying myself. Several times I had to will myself still for fear that I might rip her off the board and take her home without the xray being done.

When the doctor finally came in the xray started and they tried feeding her juice mixed with water and white chalky barium. She hated it. She drank enough for them to see that she was swallowing it funny but then clearing her own throat and making it go down the correct way. They stood the board straight up and fed her baby food while her feet dangled. She was uncomfortable and looked just pitiful strapped down like that. The nurse then decided that she wanted her tested for Reflux and so they lay her back down and tried to give her the rest of the juice mixture. She wasn't having it and started coughing and choking on it. They rolled her to her side and tried to feed it to her again. She didn't want it. All the while she is fussing and crying and coughing. Finally when it was over we took her off the board and she looked up at me as if to say "Why mommy".

I took her to Papaws to pick up Maddy and by the time she saw her sister she seemed fine, playing and rolling all over the place. I think that this experience may have been more traumatic for me. By the time we got to Papaw's Morgan didn't even seem to realize anything had happened to her. Other than being exhausted from her crying spell she was acting normal and happy. I was relieved to see this.

In the end, I am just glad it is all over with. The speech therapist mentioned her possibly needing a follow up at a later date to see if she is still doing the same thing she is now. They can forget it. You couldn't pay me enough to subject her to that again. Even though it is over and she doesn't seem to remember it, I am not going to do that again, ever. Period.

Babies First ... Fight

Yesterday morning while playing on the floor together, Maddy and Morgan got into their first fight. Maddy had a rattle and Morgan saw it. She grabbed it from her sister's hands. Maddy grabbed it back. Morgan lunged for it again and this time put it up to her mouth. Maddy got up on her knees and crawled to her sister and took it back. I was watching from the couch to see how far they would take it. Morgan mad that sissy had the rattle she wanted, started to cry and grabbed one end of it in a tug of war. Maddy held on.

Both girls are getting much more able to grab and hold onto things now.

So the battle continued. By this point both girls were whining and crying. I honestly felt torn. Thinking, "Who do I give it to? Maddy had it first but Morgan really loves that toy." In the end I separated them and gave them each a new toy. They were happy again. At this point once it is out of their direct line of sight they forget it ever even existed.

Today the girls are back to being sweet sisters and playing nicely. At this very moment Morgan is in her bouncy seat and is jumping up and down in it. Maddy is on the floor beside her crawling around after toys on the ground. Maddy is laughing hysterically at Morgan being silly. They really are good babies and they really are starting to notice each other. They reach for each other and in bed we put them at opposite sides of the crib and they scoot together in the middle. Sometimes if one doesn't scoot to the middle the other one goes all the way to her sister's side to be close to her. They hold hands and comfort each other when one is crying. They touch each other's face. If one baby is in the living room crying and the other is in bed, the one in bed cries out to her sister.

I love having twins. In all its challenges and as tiring as it is trying to entertain two bouncing baby girls, it is truly a blessing. They make my life worth living. When I look at them individually or together I wonder sometimes what I ever did right to deserve something as absolutely perfect as they are.

10 Random Thoughts

1. Morgan is becoming a picky eater: I fed Morgan Turkey and Green Beans last week. I thought she would like it because it was green, but needless to say, she hated it. Now my sweet baby has lost all trust in me and has developed a new habit of sticking her tongue all the way out to see exactly what I have put on the spoon. If she likes it she will smile and open her mouth, but if she is unimpressed she will gag and make coughing noises. I opened three jars of baby food today trying to find something she would like.

2. Now that my children are mobile they must be supervised at all times: Like I said in my last post my children have been blobs. You know, not really moving from the position I put them in and not getting into stuff. Well today, I forgot. Someone rang my doorbell and I got up from my bed, where Morgan and I were playing, and went to it. It was a guy wanting to by a mower conditioner from Walter. I swear it sounded like he was saying a mair conditioner and he said, "You know what a mair conditioner is baby?" I was trying to think fast but all I could think of was an air conditioner. So I got a piece of paper to have him write down his number and what he wanted and on it he wrote a mower conditioner. Whatever, anyway, I left Morgan on the bed thinking I would be letting in the therapist or someone I knew and would be right back to get her. She isn't crawling yet and so far hasn't proven herself to be a fast mover. I was SO WRONG! She rolled off the bed. I heard the thud and came around the corner to see her lying on her back looking up. She cried when she saw me and I picked her up. She was fine in the end but I still feel terrible. Nothing is bruised or broken. She is happy and playing fine. But I feel like such a creep. How could I just leave her unattended. Bad Mommy! Thank you God that she was okay!

3. Like Karen Carpenter sang "Rainy Days and Monday's Always Get Me Down": Well almost, I don't mind the rain as long as I don't have anywhere to go, but Mondays are not good. I feel like I must get spoiled from the weekend, having William home, because Mondays I feel like I am dragging around and end up counting down the hours until he gets home from work.

4. No matter how much I vacuum, the carpet is always going to be dirty: Well at least it is going to feel like that when I put my clean sweet babies' down on it to crawl around. When their drooly lips come in contact with it and come back up with a piece of grass or lint attached I feel like they need a bath. I have to chant "A little dirt never hurt" all day, just to get through it.

5. Movie Review: Rented a couple of movies this weekend A) Fun With Dick and Jane - very cute and funny. Saw it in the theatre once before and so this was the second time I have seen it. Still funny the second time. B) Bee Season - Saw this and thought "Hmm, Richard Gere, must be good" Wasn't good. Thought it was going to be all about a little girl practicing for the spelling bee but instead it was a religious movie all about Kabbalism. It was stupid and long and made me feel very icky. In one scene the little girl goes into a trance and ends up having like a seizure on the floor and this is all supposed to be bringing her closer to god. It was crap. C) The Weather Man - haven't watched it yet. I will let you know if it is good or not.

6.) FOOD: I added two recipes to the side of this blog where my links are. Check them out. They are very yummy.


7.) Countdown to the Girls First Birthday:


8.) Maddy Moo in cute pink hat!

9.) Thank You, Thank You: Thanks Mimi and Poppy for watching the girls this Saturday so that William and I could spend some time together.
And Thanks PawPaw for having us over last night for dinner and a movie. Thanks for the diapers and the gas money. It means a lot to us to have such a wonderful family that is there for us and for our sweet girls!

10.) The End: William wants me to get off the computer now so we can go watch that movie I was talking about. Talk to you later!

I'm In Trouble Now

It finally happened today. The long awaited event. It happened fast and before my very eyes. Maddy crawled! She got up on her knees, rocked back and forth a few times and crawled off her blankie onto the carpet. Granted it was only a couple of inches, maybe a foot, but I am still a proud mama! But... after she reached the edge of the carpet she flung herself over onto her back, rolled over a couple of times and stuck her hand in the VCR.


I wasn't expecting that to happen so fast. I guess I should've expected that crawling (what a big girl!) and getting into stuff went hand in hand. But, it took so long to get to this point, I guess I just figured we would crawl for a while and then get into stuff. For the longest, my babies were just blobs. I mean they would lay where I put them. They didn't pick stuff up. They just seemed to be developing at the slowest pace. I wasn't worried because I figured that that is how it goes for preemies, given that they started off so tiny. But now ... they are doing something NEW almost daily.

I guess it is time to get down on my hands and knees and pick up all the little stuff they weren't intersted in yesterday. Do other mom's vacuum on a daily basis? .. That stinks! I guess I need to go buy those plug things you put over your outlets. Which ones am I supposed to get Lindsey? My cousin Lindsey's son electrocuted himself (he's okay though) and they HAD babyproofed already! He's smart and figured out how to pry the covers off. I haven't even started babyproofing. I am crafty, meaning there are bound to be some tiny glass beads lurking at the edge of the rug or some other tiny piece of something that the girls will choke on if I'm not careful.

I am very happy though that my girls are maturing and that any day now Maddy will be crawling around following me room to room. I am very proud of how big and strong they are and how everyday they learn a new skill. They say a new sound or reach for a new toy.

Morgan is reaching for her bottle now and putting it to her lips. She doesn't quite have it yet but she is almost there. Maddy isn't worried about that yet. She is to busy trying to crawl. Both girls are at different stages. For a while I thought Morgan was way behind Maddy but now it seems to be evening up, but in different areas. Maddy is more physical and Morgan is more social/intellectual. Morgan talks more and reaches for things more. It's hard somedays not to compare them but I really try not to. I really try to take it one day at a time, enjoying each new thing they do. One day they will be all grown up and I will miss celebrating with them these tiny but GIANT accomplishments.

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Thanks for visiting! I would love to hear from those of you who read my blog. I would love to know you're out there catching up on how my babies are growing and to know that you are celebrating with me. I've heard from some of you that "so and so reads your blog" and "I forwarded it to so and so". I would love to know which "so and so's" you all are. If you have a minute, drop me a comment and let me know what you think.
I REALLY appreciate your support, your love, and your time. It means a lot to me to know that my girls are surrounded and will grow up with so much love and so many people who truly care about them!

Sounding Off

Yesterday I had some extra free time (I know, can you believe it?) and so I was online looking through random blogs. I must have done a search for "26 weeker" because I came across a blog that was written by a young (I assume) female neonatologist. She was sounding off about a mother of a 26 weeker, premature baby. My girls are 26 weekers, meaning they were born at 26 weeks gestation instead of full term at 40 weeks.

Anyway, she wrote about a young mother of a 26 weeker whose baby was going home that day. She said that the baby was doing great and that the mother was ecstatic. She went on and on and then said:

"There was one thing different about this mother of the 26 weeker, though, something that made it a little harder for me to drum up the usual sympathy. She was 20 years old and single"

THIS made me so mad. I know from reading that post and others of hers that she was basically saying that its a shame that this woman is so young and is a single mother. The woman had had two previously bad pregnancies and I think she said this was the only surviving baby. She was (for lack of a better phrase) looking down on her because she had had so many pregnancies, of which none had gone well, AND she was so young. People commented on her post and some were supporters of what she said and others were not.

It wasn't the single part that bothered me in her statement. It was the fact that she said she had a hard time having sympathy for her. Now my point, the reason this made me upset is because I am looking at it from the side of a mother. A young mother at that. What I went through as a new mother of very very sick babies was excruciating. If I had to describe it, it was like having your heart ripped out every time you looked at your child in pain. I literally shake today everytime I reminisce about our NICU experience. The pain is SO deep.

My 26 weeker babies had zillions of heel pricks, many many blood transfusions, IV's in their heads, swollen necks from where the central lines infiltrated in their neck and chest, septic blood infections, not to mention that they cut both of my children open at 1 pound 8 ounces from side to side to save their lives. Not to mention the colostomy bags they had to endure that eventually stripped their skin off and left noticeable scars on their tummies. I know all this is graphic and some of you were right there standing next to me watching me suffer through this. Some of you saw my husband cry day in and day out because the stress and pain of not being able to do anything for them was terrible. But even if you weren't there, even if you have never experienced anything like it, I don't think it would be hard to find sympathy for any mother going through this kind of thing. This doctor I think mentioned she was a mother herself and had never had a problem carrying her babies.

I know that people who see these types of things every day, have to harden themselves to some degree to get through it. I know that, because at one time in my life I worked with abused children and the only thing you can do is try not to take it personally, otherwise you can't sleep at night for thinking about it. But even if this doctor is immune to the pain of those around her and can't see the suffering in this mother, why would she choose to write something so mean in her blog. Why wouldn't she just think it to herself and go on.

She looked past this women's burden and only saw that she was young and single. She didn't and couldn't see her pain. She put this mother down to make herself feel better. She is a DOCTOR and she is SO SMART but yet she misses the mark on something so basic, empathy/sympathy for others.

Maybe I just took personally because I have been in that new mom's shoes and I have felt the coldness of the NICU. The pain of the NICU literally at times made me want to lay down in the middle of the floor and cry. One time a nurse was outright rude to me (well more than once) and all I could think in that moment was that I had to make it out of the NICU doors before I collapsed. It is just too hard. The pressure is too thick and later after I had made it home I thought about how mean she had been and I was shocked that she couldn't see the pain I was already in. How could she add another burden (hurt feelings) to my back?

The Neonatologist and nurses in my NICU's were great. They saved my children's lives and for that I am eternally grateful. I am sure that young single mother is grateful too for what that doctor did to save her baby. I just want the doctor's and nurses who take care of these families to realize that we are mothers of very sick babies. We may or probably have not and will not ever suffer like this again. We will always feel the pain of the NICU. It will stay with us forever. Everytime we see a pregnant woman, everytime we look at pictures of our infants, everytime our child gets a shot and cries that same cry of pain, we will feel it. So that said it, at the very least I think the doctors and nurses should give all the sympathy they can find within themselves, every time they talk to a new mom or dad or grandparent. And if they can't find it within themselves because they are so cold and numb to it all then at least keep your mouth shut and don't look down on someone who is already going through so much!

A Day in Pictures

Getting back in the swing of things = Taking pictures all day long.
Can you tell that I am completely smitten? :)

Morgan plays with Mommy. What a happy baby!!

Maddy and Morgan play together. Aunt 'Lissa plays too!

Beautiful Weekend

We had a nice weekend. Friday night I took the girls down to MS to see my dad. We went to dinner at this Country Buffet on Goodman. Good food and the people were nice but everyone bombarded us, wanting to get a look at the twins. It got to the point of being ridiculous. I mean sometimes I just want to tell people bluntly to leave us alone. You would think the babies are superstars. Everyone wants to look at them and several times I have been asked by perfect strangers if they can hold one of them. I am thinking "No, you can't hold them. I don't even know you". I smile and am nice even while I am thinking all of this in my head. I know that people don't mean any harm and they are just curious. It's just annoys me sometimes because I want to eat my dinner while it is still warm, you know?
After dinner we went down to my uncles house and showed the girls off to them. It was the first time they had seen them and it was fun. My grandparents came to see us too.

Saturday, Tim and Beth came over around noon and we ended up grilling out ribs. It was so much fun. We put a blanket on the lawn and took the Pack N Play outside. I made cole slaw and deviled eggs and baked beans. I bought potato salad because pregnant Beth was craving it. We played Monopoly and Scattegories while William grilled everything. Then we ate outside picnic style and watched the cops pull over speeders on the highway. They had a speed trap going by our house (as usual). Beth's mom, Nora, and her brother Keith and Adam came later and ate too.

Sunday, we took the babies to church at Crosspointe Baptist. Patrick and Chella and their kids and Tim and Beth and Adam all came too. It was nice going to church as a big family. We took up a whole pew. Then afterwards we went to Chella and Patrick's for lunch. The guys played badmitten (sp?) outside and the girls sat around inside and talked and played with the babies.
When we got home last night William and the girls were exhausted so they all went to sleep while I cleaned house.

Because I cleaned last night, today my house is clean and the girls right now are napping and I almost don't know what to do with myself. I guess I am on here writing this update since I have free time. Here is a picture taken from this morning. Maddy is playing in her bouncy thing. She is getting so big!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from our family to yours!

May we all know His love and celebrate His resurrection!

A Day in My Life

This is my day. Really, this is everything that I have done so far today. So I guess technically it is half of my day.

1. Got up and went into the girls room. Morgan and Maddy are laying in their crib looking up at me with giant smiles on their faces. We do this every morning. It is a great feeling when your daughters stare up at you first thing in the morning and the world is still in slow motion because the commotion around you hasn't started and then they smile their sweet baby smiles at you and you think to yourself "Today is going to be a good day".

2. Take babies to kitchen. Strap Morgan into highchair and feed them rice cereal with applesauce. Morgan is in the highchair and Maddy is standing bare chested bare footed on top of the washing machine screaming for every other bite. William feeds Morgan a bite and then sneaks Maddy a bite. Maddy gets so excited she starts stomping her feet. (I am holding onto her so she doesn't fall) Morgan eats her portion and then we put Maddy in the highchair to finish up the jar. She ends up covered in tan goo.

3. Fill the bathtub with warm, not too hot water. Took Maddy Moo and got in the tub with her. Yep, I pull out all the new toys (see yesterday's post) that the UPS guy brought yesterday and we play to our hearts content. While Maddy is lunging herself forward at the bright green hippo floating by I am stealthily trying to soap up her head and neck with baby wash. Afterall, there was a point to the bath besides just playing with our new toys!

4. Maddy is done and Honeybunny wraps her in big white towel, takes her to the bed and brings me back baby number two, Morgan Bear. Bath time is like an assembly line in this house. And the process starts all over. Morgan isn't as excited about bath time but once I introduce her to the floating xylophone she gets into it. I soap her up more quickly and holler for Dad to come and get her.

5. Shave my legs (for the first time this week), bathe, and get myself out of tub.

6. Feeling on top of the world. Daddy is getting ready for work.

7. Mom calls and while I am balancing a baby and talking to her, I get William to sign our ammended tax return, put it in an envelope. Stamp it and send him out the door with a kiss.

8. Put Maddy Moo and Morgan Bear in bed for their morning nap! Yeah, is it finally ME time?!!?!!?

9. Charla arrives for make up therapy session. I wake the girls up around noon to visit with her. We play hard with both babies. Charla brought the girls new clothes from Baby Gap for Easter. They are so cute. She gives Morgan her old cell phone to play with and Morgan has a blast. Morgan loves the phone already. Maddy shows Charla that she can tummy surf on the glider ottoman. She thinks she is too cool. :)

10. Charla leaves. Maddy and Morgan are tuckered out. I put them down for a second nap. I make bottles and put Morgan in her crib with a bottle and Maddy in the pack n play with a bottle.

11. Maddy is stirring. I don't think she slept but 15 minutes. But I look over from my desk and she is rolling over onto her tummy all the while trying to pry her rattle from between the mattress and the side of her playpen. I am just relieved she isn't crying or whining.

12. Man I hate that. Just when you celebrate that your child is playing quietly by herself and not needing you to constantly juggle to entertain her you smell it. Yep, you smell it. You realize that in that time that she was being so quiet she was "concentrating"! I walk over to the pack n play to survey the damage. Mind you, I was half way across the room when the smell of something unpleasant wafted my way.

13. I pick her up and think it is just a simple poopy diaper and I lay her on the couch. Since Maddy is a rolling machine these days, I do a little dance to reach the diapers. I stand in the middle of the living room on one foot. The other foot is extended to its max toward the couch to prevent Maddy from rolling off onto the floor. Success, I reach the diaper and come back to the couch and thats when I see it. A stain is on her pink onesie. Uggh. Maddy has done a doozy. I now have to strip her down and try to keep poop out of her hair. Remember earlier when I was talking about bath time. Now I am wondering why I gave her a bath in the first place.

14. I peel her clothes off and set them on the floor. I grab the wipes and go to town with them. I use a ton of them to basically give her her second bath for the day and am now satisfied that my baby is back to smelling mostly like a baby again. She is completely naked laying on the couch but she is clean ... well until she decides to decorate mommy by peeing on me and the couch. I wasn't fast enough to catch her with the diaper I grabbed but I attempt to anyway and end up covered in and sitting in a puddle and now the diaper I contorted myself to get is soaked too and I have to do another dance to get a second one.

15. Maddy is clean again and although I still haven't put a new onesie on her she is happy. Her mission accomplished. I put her in her swing and turn it on and then I go change my clothes.

16. I come back to the computer. Maddy is still swinging and Morgan is still sleeping (angel baby). I look up at some papers piled at the edge of my desk and notice something is moving. It is a big black huge wasp trying to wiggle himself out of my paper stack. I race across the room and grab William's flip flops. Last year when I would see a wasp, I would run to the other room and shut myself inside until it was gone or William could come home and kill it. I am terrified of the things. But today my baby is sitting in the room with much skin exposed. So I grab the shoe and bat at the thing until I kill him. It takes many whacks before I am satisfied it is dead. I scoop it up in some toilet paper and flush it down. Satisfied. I am a hero!

17. It is 3:45 now. William has been at work for half of a day and we have four hours to go until it is the weekend. Looking forward to that. Going to go juggle now!

Toys for the Tub

Have I mentioned lately how much I love being a mommy! The perks are so great. You get to buy all kinds of cool toys for your kids whenever you want to.

When I was a kid and I wanted a toy, I had to wait until my birthday or Christmas to get it. But now that I am a mommy I can buy whatever toys I want whenever I see them. Last week I got a new kids magazine and it had an article on the top 10 kids bath toys. In it it, it featured these really cute hippos that when you put them in the water they whistle and it also featured a water xylophone. I went online and bought it for the girls right away. William was irked because I kicked him off the computer while he was playing a game so that I could order the toys.

Anyway ... today the UPS guy pulled up at my house and Beth and Adam were here visiting. They thought I had actually lost my mind. I got so excited about the delivery that I think I actually jumped up and down. I went outside and got my box and brought it in and opened it up right away. I was way more excited than anyone else. Anyway. Now that I have thouroughly played with the girls new toys I am settled down again :) I put them away in the tub.

Just thought I would take a minute to show you all how goofy I am. I love online shopping. Thanks Courtney for introducing me to the joys of it. I am seriously ordering you those outfitted geese for your front yard :)

Here is a picture of Morgan playing her new Xylophone.

The Bunny

Last night I took Morgan and Maddy to the mall to see the Easter Bunny! They were so cute. Here's our picture.

Back to Work

Today, ready or not, William went back to work and that meant I had to get up and go back to "work" too! I am still not feeling on top of things but I really tried to get back into the swing of things. I think I did about 10 loads of laundry, which included all the sheets and blankets and pillowcases from my bed, the twin bed, and the baby bed. Then I did some clothes for all of us. I am exhausted. I didn't really have a lot to write about today.

I will try to get back to taking my gazillion pictures of the girls tomorrow and get some cute faces posted on here.Here is one cute picture of Maddy from last week just to keep everybody happy :)

Mr. Mom

William is just the best dad!

Our little family has been SO SICK this week. We started the week with Maddy being under the weather (see last post) and then on Wednesday night Morgan came down sick and William and I ended up calling 911 and having an ambulance come and get her and take her to LeBonheur. My mom followed me and Morgan to the hospital and William stayed home with Maddy. The hospital gave Morgan fluids and ran tests on her and once she was rehydrated they sent us home. Not a minute too soon either, because within minutes of getting home I came down with it and have been sick ever since. Today is the first day I have been out of bed since Thursday morning.

William missed work the entire week to take care of his family. Even Jenny, our dog, is sick. She got into a wasp nest or something and got stung in several places. She has been pitiful too. We called the vet today and they advised us to just keep giving her Benadryl, two at a time, until she feels better.

So anyway, all the girls in the house are sick and William has taken excellent care of all of us. He has really been amazing and I just wanted to take a minute now that I can sit up again and say THANKS to him.

P.S. THANKS to my Mommy too, for getting up at 1 a.m. to go to the E.R. with me even though she had to go to work the next morning with zero sleep!
And THANKS to Melissa, for coming over on Friday night and pitching in even though our house is infested with germs everywhere!

Tummy Trouble

Well Maddy is officially sick. My poor baby! This is the first time since they have come home from the hospital that either one of them has gotten sick. Maddy started with diarrhea and vomiting yesterday morning and then topped it off last night with high fever. I was up and down all night with her. I slept in 30 minute increments all night. This morning I got up and took her to the pediatrician who said she basically has a stomach flu. Then she proceeded to give me a vial with red liquid in it and a tiny spoon fork looking thing and instructed me on how to pooper scoop my baby's diaper for a sample for the lab! Did I mention I just love mommyhood :) So anyway. Keep us in your thoughts. Morgan so far seems okay and we are hoping it will stay that way. My house looks like a tornado actually hit it, but I am just too tired to care at this point. I will try to get around to cleaning the red pedialite off the walls tomorrow. Here is a picture of Maddy sleeping after coming home from the doc's office.

Waiting for the Storm to Pass

William and I are watching channel 3 news right now from my mom's couch. Morgan is in her crib here at my mom's and Maddy is in a playpen in the living room with us. Our house is in hot pink on the doppler radar at this very moment. I am so greatful that we are here in Bartlett and not in that tiny house of ours with the babies. Our house has no interior rooms. Every room has at least one outside wall. I am still very worried about Jenny and Kitty. Jenny hates storms and usually shakes and sheds.

Earlier tonight we heard the sirens going off here in Bartlett and William and I took the girls and got in my mom's pantry which is under her stairs. It was a tight squish but it was nice to have somewhere safe to go. We are still here because the radar on the news shows another cell of storms coming straight for us and we figured we would be safer here than at our house. My mom and Scott are already in bed because they have to get up early tomorrow to go to work and William is beside me asleep on the couch.

I am so tired and ready to go home but I would rather be safe than sorry. Those protective mommy instincts are strong because if we didn't have the girls, we would probably be at home in bed right now.

50 Questions, 50 Answers

1. What is your first and middle name?
Mandy Lynn

2. What time did you get up this morning?
7:30 a.m.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Failure to Launch. Last Sunday was our anniversary and Melissa kept the girls.

4. What's your favorite TV show?
Right now it is Top Chef. I love reality t.v. game shows like The Apprentice and Project Runway.

5. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Right now I am drinking a Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino from the fridge.

6. What food do you dislike?
Dark meat chicken, Fish (other than catfish), I'm not crazy about eggs.

7. Whats your favorite chip flavor?
Fat Free Sour Cream and Onion Pringles

8. Your favorite CD at the moment?
Praise Baby God of Wonders CD - good for the babies, good for me!

9. Favorite sandwich?
Tomato sandwich from Papaw's house. His bread is always really fresh.

10. What characteristics do you despise?
Lying, Laziness, Looking down on others.

11. What is your favorite type of clothing?
If I don't look and feel like a fat cow in it, it is my favorite. Trust me after twins there is a limited amount of clothing that can fit in that category.

12. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation,where would you go? Hawaii. We went out of the country last year to Mexico and it was too much of a hassle going through customs, so I am content to stay within the 50 states from now on.

13. What color is your Bathroom?
White

14. Where would you retire?
Probably TN in the country. I would love a white or yellow house with a wrap around porch with a swing and rocking chairs on it. And I want a sunroom that I can read in.

15. Favorite time of the day?
8:15 pm when William gets home from work.

16. What fabric detergent do you use?
ALL - I love the new concentrated kind. No more heavy bottles to pick up.

17. Were you named after anyone?
I think maybe after the Barry Manilow - "Oh Mandy" song. It was about his dog. How sweet! I really like my name now though. I didn't like it too much as a kid but now I like that it isn't a regular name that everybody else has, but it isn't too weird or wild either.

18. Do you wish on stars? Haven't lately

19. When did you last cry?
Two nights ago. Maddy was asleep in my bed and she looked SO perfect. And I got to thinking about how close we came to losing her when she was born so early and ... see now I am crying again. No, but really, looking at her laying there all peaceful and perfect and pink I just got caught up in the moment.

20. Do you like your handwriting?
Yes, everyone says I have pretty handwriting.

21. If you were another person, would you be friends with you?
I think so.

22. Are you a daredevil? Nope. Never been on any roller coaster. Don't like the log ride and think people who bungy jump are crazy.

23. Do looks matter?
I want to say no of course not, and for the most part I think no. However now that I am a mommy, I feel more protective of my children and don't want creepy looking people, especially those that look unhealthy or unclean around us.

24. How do you release anger?
I don't think I get angry very often. I release stress by taking Xanax and doing crafts. hehehe

25. What were your favorite toys as a child?
Barbies! I LOVED them.

26. What was the most useless High School class?
Maybe Algebra 2. I'm not sure I even use anything from Algebra 1!

27. Favorite movies?
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. Check out my profile.

28. What are your nicknames?
William calls me Babe unless I am in trouble then it is Mandy Lynn

29. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
No, but most of my shoes don't have laces.

30. Do you think that you are strong?
Yes. Not physically but now I know I am emotionally. Anybody that can get through what we have been through in the last year has to be strong. I am amazed we have come out the other side and are doing as well as we are.

31. What's your favorite ice cream?
There are so many. I love Cookie Dough, and Cake Batter Ice Cream, and Cookie's and Cream. I love Ben and Jerry's Brownie whatever Ice cream and Blue Bunny's Bunny Tracks, oh, and Baskin Robbin's Peanut Butter Chocolate. Love it. Don't eat it a lot but love it when I do.

32. What is your favorite color?
Aquamarine and Lilac

33. What is your least favorite thing about yourself?
I am a whiner.

34. Who do you miss the most?
My Nana; she died almost two years ago and I wish so badly she could've met my babies.


35. What color pants are you wearing? Pink PJ pants.

36. What are you listening to right now?
Morgan just said hiiiii and she is now talking in goo goo gaa gaa noises in the pack n' play. William is mowing the yard so I hear that in the background too. No t.v. or radio on yet.

37. If you were a CRAYON what COLOR would you be? Grass Green

38. Last person you talked to on the phone? Probably William last night before he came home from work.

39. Favorite Drink?
Rootbeer

40. Favorite Day of the Year?
Christmas and my birthday. I think the girls' birthdays are going to be special and fun for me too.

41. Scary Movies or Happy Endings?
Happy Endings. I am not allowed to watch Scary Movies. Dare I remind you of my "Signs" reaction.

42. Summer or winter?
Summer, but I love spring the most.

43. Hugs OR Kisses?
Hugs from others, hugs and kisses from William.

44. What is Your Favorite Dessert?
Fresh Warm Cookies.

45. What Book Are you reading?
None at the moment.

46. What Did You Watch Last night on TV?
The ONLY show I watched at all yesterday was Good Eats about Sushi and only because the t.v. was on in the background. It was not a typical day.

47. Favorite Smells?
Maddy and Morgan after a bath. They smell like Johnson and Johnson and their hair smells so good.

48. What's the furthest you've been from home?
Probably Florida (Orlando)

49. Last thing you ate?
I had catfish for dinner last night. It was really good.

50. What Book Are you reading?
Not reading one myself but I do read to the babies. We love Sandra Boyton books, especially "The Going to Bed Book"