Summer 07' Baby's.....

[Nance]

Happy New Year!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year celebration. Ours (I'm embarresed to say) was very quiet. My DH was working a double so it was just me and Lily. She was asleep by 8:30 and I was asleep by 9:00. We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa today for a nice lunch. My nephew was over with his girlfriend and it was the first time he met Lily so it was great that they got to spend some time together.

It seems like all your little angels are doing so well.

Nicola - I'm glad you had a nice night. How did the dominos go? Did you win? I have never played before. I hope you enjoyed your wine.

Kim - I'm sorry I can't be of much help with the car seat question. Lily is still in her baby seat. I was given the Britax as a shower gift but have not used it yet. I honestly think that they are all pretty much the same and you will be fine with whatever you get. Let us know how it works out.
Have fun at the mall. I stumbled across this great web site that listed a whole bunch of bargains from different stores. It gives you coupons that you can print out and also if you go to the "hot deals" forums and sort by "Kids" it brings up a whole bunch of places that have sales. I often find it a great resource for baby stuff. I got Lily a whole bunch of summer clothes using a discount code from that web site to Kohls. I spent around $60 bucks and she now has enough clothes to last her all summer. The site is slickdeals.net. I know there is a coupon on there now for Toys R Us for 15% off any purchase. Maybe you can use that towards the car seats.

Colleen - How was your New Years? What did you guys do? I hope Gavin is sleeping a little better.

Rachael - I am so sorry to hear about your grandmother. My deepest condolences to you and your family. I can't believe that Makayla is standing. You have to take a picture and post it on PhotoBucket for us to see. Lily is no where near ready for that. She does not even sit up by herself yet. She tries but topples over to one side or another. It is very cute to watch but I think she is going to give herself a concusion from hitting her head on the floor.

All my best to you all. Talk to you soon.

xoxo
Nance

[buckeyegal]

Nance--it's so good to hear from you! Thanks for the website. I've already printed off my babies r us coupon. THat will help. The store gives a 10% discount when you buy 2 big items for twins (like car seats, cribs, etc.)...but 15% is even better! Don't worry about Lily toppling over, mine do it a ton. Just when they're sitting real steady and playing, and I back off to open some mail? THAT is when one of them will crash down. They're getting better about not crying when it happens. I guess they're getting more used to it? Your new years sounded like heaven to me! In bed by 9? WOW! Way to go with the summer clothes deal! When I was at the mall, Gymboree was having a big sale, and I LOVE their stuff. A better mommy would have dug through all those bins to find good deals, but I was whipped by that point in our trip, so I gave up. The shopping trip was more for me--to get clothes that fit! (I've lost nearly all the baby weight, but my boobs are still huge--so none of my tops fit. Plus, my hips...well, they are TRYING to shrink, but I don't know if they'll ever fully recover from twins?)

Nic--glad you had a nice new years! Wine...yummmm....oh, it's only 9:30 am here...I guess I shouldn't!?

Our new years was quiet. Stayed home. our sisters came over. (Both recently made single, so they were not too busy to hang out with their lame siblings! ha!) Had some wine and rum/coke. I was honestly ready to head to bed when the kids went at 7:30...but I did manage to stay up until midnight. YAWN!

Well, Ellie's got another cold. Yeah! Colleen, I never did find the Nose Frieda snot sucker at WAlgreens. I could order it online, but Ellie just HATES to have her nose messed with...so I'm afraid it'll all be in vain? I did give her a JOhnson's vapor bath last night. That seemed to help.

We got a ton of snow dumped on us last night! So, DH and I are taking turns clearing the driveway...


Hope you all have a good day!

[cmoscar]

Kim - Just a tip, I have one really good method for baby colds. Sudatabs is made by Vicks and it a tablet that you place in your shower. I used the lavender mint one for Makayla and my boys. For Makayla, I turn the shower on as hot as I can stand and point it away from her. I sit in the bottom of the shower with her and give her a massage as the tablet disolves. This does a great job of relaxing her and she does a big cough/snotting episode part way through and by time she gets out she is great for at least 3 hours. Makayla hates people messing with her nose either. These do not medicate her and they really relax her plus give me one on one time with her when she does not feel well. See, she shares me with the boys so it gets a little hard to do the one on one all the time. It even helps my sinuses!

Nance!!!!!! I am so happy to hear from you! I love having family over too. I have unfortunately seen too much of mine in bad times this past year, but now we have a new one. I love your new year! Mine was much crazier!

Nicola - You are back again! I think I am going to be spoiled! The wine sounded wonderful! Jack seems to be such an angel!

We had a strange New Year's day. I spent the day of the eve with my father's mother. She wanted to be with all the grandbabies and we could not get away until late. Then my mother made dinner (at least she tried to!). It took two hours to cook the fish because the oven did not work right away. We all were so tired that we collapsed by 8:00 pm. However, I was up every 30 mins with Makayla and thus saw the New Year dawn. At 5:00 am, she finally slept and we all slept until 9:00 am. Then we got up and drove out to my Aunt Robin's to have a traditional southern new years dinner. My dad's best friend (who he has not seen in 20 years) showed up and everyone spent the day talking about the old days! Makayla and the boys met most of my cousins since they were there for the funeral too. We all cried and laughed and started the new year together. So that is us and I am posting pics to the bucket.

Love to all and mostly to our precious angels!

[buckeyegal]

Racheal--thank for the tip! I've never heard of those...I'll definitely have to check those out. (The vapor bath does the same kind of thing, but the sudatabs might do a better job?) I feel your pain about one-on-one time. My kiddos have to share ALL THE TIME so I try to find one-on-one time when DH is handy. Just wish that happened more?

Sorry to hear about the New Year...sounds hectic! Glad you finally got some rest. Does Makayla usually have trouble sleeping? Or was it still from being away from home? I can't wait to see the pics on the bucket!


Oh, ladies, you'll get a kick out of this....we are going to SWIM LESSONS this SAturday! ha ha ha! My DH thinks I'm crazy, but I think it will be a fun way for all four of us to spend some time together. I used to be a lifeguard/swim teacher, and I think it's really important to get kids comfy with water from an early age. We'll see if I still feel the same way by Saturday afternoon. wish us luck!

[Nance]

Hi Everyone,

I just thought I would check in before I finish off my evening chores an go to sleep. I hope everyone is doing well and your little angels are all thriving.

Kim - How was the swim lessons?? I give you so much credit. It took me three months to take Lily to the mall never mind a swimming pool. How do you do it? I still worry so much about her getting sick/hurt that I am scared to do stuff like that. I am trying to overcome it but I am scared that I am going to pass my neurosis onto Lily. I wish I had some of your courage. Can you please bottle some up and send it to me

Rachael - How are you and the family holding up? I hope that 2008 holds nothing but happiness for you all. Thanks for the Sudatab tip. I will definately keep that in mind.

Well, I have about three loads of laundry to do before I can go to sleep, so I better be off.

All my love to you all!!!

xoxo
Nance

[buckeyegal]

Nance--Oh my gosh, swim lessons were so much fun! I highly recommend it...the kids were SO good...no screams at all. I think Braeden was kind of in awe the whole time, and Ellie was squealing and kicking her feet--she's a big fan! I don't think it's courage at all. It would have been impossible for me to do without DH's support, so I can't claim any super powers! I'm a former lifeguard, and I know how important it is to get kids comfortable around water at an early age. This class isn't about creating a swimmer of your baby...it's just a chance for baby/parent to play together in the water and get a pleasurable memory of water. The best part is the kids were WHIPPED when they came home and took a 3 hour nap! They never nap that long, so I was pleasantly surprised with a little rest myself! Plus, my kids rarely get to leave the house, except on days we go to the sitters. It's just very complicated to take them anywhere by myself....to the point that I ask, "is this worth it?". Once it gets warmer, I'm sure we'll be going to the park and outdoor malls, etc.--but the wintertime is tricky. So, I figured this was something we could all do together without too much fuss. The only problem--we had no extra hands to take pics of the kids' first swim! We've already told grandma and grandpa they have to come sometime to get photos.

I've been meaning to check out the bucket. Racheal, I can't wait to see Makayla!

Have a good night gals.

[crasmus]

kim- sorry to hea about your bucks hope that you are doing ok... swimming sounds fun... i'm not ready for a swimsuit yet.. gavin LOVES the bath... i mean loves it... he throws a massive fit and screems when it's time to come out.... we have a pool, and i'm excited for summer and getting him into the pool...did you get the car seats? i was just at babies r us today... i wanted to get the thing that you put under the car seat so it reclines more (the carseat leveler). i have bucket seats in my van, and it seems like the car seat will not recline enough...

nance- good to hear that you and lily are doing well, and had a wonderful new years... wish that was my case... we were up REALLY late my 6 and 6YO DSs made it up to 2:00am, we had a few people over, and i really wanted to go to bed.... it's sad when Gavin was up twice before i actually got to bed...

rachael-hope that makayla is sleeping better... i knock on wood that gavin has slept the last two days through the night... i'm loving it, maybe she'll follow suit (i'll say a little prayer).. her pictures are cute... has she tried to take a step or is she content on standing there? i'm going through a weird time.... i see gavin growing and love it, but am also sad that this is the last time that i'll see the firsts, and he's my last baby... i'm just sad that he is growing so fast, and wish he could be my little snuggle bug, and dependent for a while longer... it's just one of those torn moments... one hand you feel like you are doing your job and it's good, and he's doing well.... the other, i do nt want him to grow up..

i do not want to spoil anything, but gavin has slept 2 nights in a row all the way through.... he has also stepped up his eating.... i hope that these are the first two days of continual sleep.... i think because he is moving around a lot more, and now eating a TON, that it's helping him sleep more... he is just about at the 20lb mark.. they did not measure, just weight for his flu booster.... no wonder my left arm is buff...

well i hope that everyone is well, and taking care!!!
colleen

[buckeyegal]

Colleen--Yeah, my bucks were a disappointment last night. I really didn't think they would win (honestly, I never thought they were THAT good this year...), but I was secretly hoping they could redeem themselves after last year's fiasco.

I'm so glad Gavin is sleeping through the night! Yeah! It makes such a difference. Unfortunately, Braeden was up EVERY HALF HOUR last night...I think it was a combo of a bad cold, teething, and it was a bit warm in our house last night. I'm hoping that tonight is better! I've even got those tablets that Racheal recommended. I hope they do the trick!

Oh, as for swimsuits, I did NOT enjoy that part. Ugh. But, then again, I can always say, "Dude, I had TWO babies....so I"m a bit blubbery...who cares?" ha ha! I bet GAvin will LOVE swimming in your pool this summer. I wish we had one in our back yard. I love to swim!

I COMPLETELY understand your feelings about GAvin growing up. I highly doubt that we'll have any more kiddos (since we don't have any embies...any future babies would have to be some freak accident! ). So, like you, I watch Braeden and Ellie grow up, and I'm excited and happy and sad all at the same time. I already miss their snuggle in my arms stage. SEems like neither of them wants to sit still long enough to cuddle right now. plus, this may sound funny, but with twins, I don't know how another baby would "fit"? I guess I feel like our family is complete...but then again, I sometimes think, oh, maybe one more?

We did pick car seats. We ended up getting the Britax Roundabout. (Luckily, we had some coupons and gift cards, so it wasn't too horribly pricey.) The roundabout is a bit smaller than the other Britax. And we liked how they had done well on side impact crash tests...with two, our car seats have to go on the side seats--not the center, so side impact is a bit of an issue...I hope I like the decision we made. Time will tell.

Gotta run! BAbies are calling!

[thook]

Hello Girls.... long time no chat! I'm so sorry for not writing in such a long time... I have been so busy w/ the holidays that I completely blanked out about you girls - plus I wasn't getting any of the emails when I new post was posted! I promise I'll never go MIA like that ever again!!!!!

Well it sounds like everyone is doing very well these days. Aubrey is doing fantastic.... she had her 7 month checkup on Dec. 29th and was weighing in at 18lbs. 12oz and measuring 27 3/4 inches long! She still has no teeth, but I have a feeling they are going to come through soon... we'll see. She is eating like a champ (loving her fruits, cereal (cream of wheat) and veggies... she is also a big fan of juice & water!

Our X-Mas was great - we went to Palm Springs, CA for vacation... she did wonderful on the plane. She also got to swim in the hot tub, which she just loved (low temp of course). We then rang in the New Year at my cousins house... she stayed up until midnight and then crashed - it was so cute!

Well I'm glad to be back and can't wait to hear more stories about all the little kiddies... I miss you girls!

Tasha

PS- I'm going to post new pictures of Aubrey right now!

[buckeyegal]

Tasha--glad you're back! Yeah! WE missed you. Glad your trip out west went well. I admire your bravery for taking a baby on a plane! DId you get any dirty looks from other passengers?? I know some people just cringe when they see a baby on a plane. I hope they were nice to you!

[crasmus]

hi there girls... we are ok here... Altho gavin is not sleeping... i spoke too soon... he's been up every 2-2 1/2 hours....i think that he is fighting a cold.... my oldest has pink eye, and my 3YO has a cold... so we'll see if he gets sick... i was really hoping that it was his time to sleep...

Tasha- good to hear that all is well... and that you trip was good, the pictures are great... it's amazing to see how fast our kids are growing... it seems like just yesterday we were all sharing stories of birth... now we are talking about teeth and foods, and crawling and standing... it is going by so fast..

kim- i hear you on the plane... i would be afraid that one of my 3 kiddos would act up, and drive other people crazy... but now in my life as my kids are getting older... i do not care as much what others say... but here you can walk away... in a plane it's confinded and you are stuck there.... we are planning to go to disney in the fall, and i think that we are going to drive, for our own peace of mind, and sanity... we have a dvd player in the car, and hopfully the kids will sleep... we went back and forth on the flying.... as now we would need 4 seats and gavin on our laps... i think we'll drive..

as for another baby...i was talking to dh about another.. (the odds of it happening are REALLY low-two miracle pregnancies??) but if it was totally out of the question... i always wanted 4 kids, so one more would be it... but dh is an only child, and to him 3 is a ton... he says that there is no way, we have given ourselves to the end of this year... then we'll finalize a dfecision... it's also just had because we are not sleeping, and DH is one that really needs his sleep... otherwise watch out... so we'll see how we are at the end of the year.... who knows... then to try for more, and get all the disapointment all over again, for a VERY low chance of getting pregnant... do we go through that again???

well, i hope that everyone is well, and the babies are all getting big...

i'm posting a few pictures
col-

[buckeyegal]

Hi gals...it's been quiet over here! Hope you all are well.

Colleen, good luck convincing DH for another! I wish you the best. I think we're done, but then, as they get older, I get misty eyed thinking of how they're never going to be "that small" again... In fact, we just took their snugride car seats out. Made me a bit sad.....

Braeden's got his first case of pink eye and an ear infection. Didn't even know until we went to the doctor on Friday for our flu boosters...I felt like such a negligent mommy....he had no fever and wasn't fussing. I just thought his eye was irritated from rubbing or something. There was no goop, so I didn't even consider pink eye. He's on amoxicillin, and it seems to be working? We'll see. I just hope to keep it away from Ellie....

speaking of Ellie, she's now crawling---BACKWARDS!!! it's so funny. She's really moving well, but then she gets pissed off that she's not going where she wants to....I'm sure she'll figure it out soon enough. Braeden's rolling around more, but still not as mobile as sis.

Hope you all are well. I think about you lots! I posted a few pics on the bucket. Colleen, I love Gavin's bath pic!

[cmoscar]

Hello Everyone!

Colleen - You are very brave! I am finished. I have my three miracles and I am happy. I know we could not really afford for us to have another (not to mention I only got one embryo last time). So we are focusing on enjoying what is left of our time as parents. I know that sounds like it is almost over, but for Daniel (our oldest) it is. I realized yesterday that I only have six and a half years left before he will be going off to college! He is already getting close to puberty. His voice has started changing and he is growing again. He is almost as tall as my husband already! So we are done. I hope Gavin and all your little ones are doing well again. Don't worry, Gavin will sleep eventually!

Tasha - I have missed you a ton! I am glad you little enjoyed her trip. I took Christian (our middle one) to New York on a plane and then three weeks later we went to the Dominican Republic too. He was about seven months old and he did great. He did better than Daniel at age 4. I hope Audrey is well and continues to be the apple of mommy's eyes!

Kim - I hear you about the misty eyes! I started purging Makayla's clothes and toys recently and I am just aching. I know I am finished because our family feels just right, but I do wish she would slow down and stay little. Of course she has decided she needs to catch up with the boys, but what can I say! As for not knowing about the pink eye, it happens. Danny used to get ear infections that I could not detect. I would take him in for a fall or check up and the dr would tell me he had an ear infection! You cannot always tell when things are going on. Just be glad it was caught and keep on trucking!

As for us, Makayla is doing great. She is proficient at crawling now, but if there is furniture around she will stand up and walk. She lets go sometimes, but she always falls. She is saying da da da da da now too! DH is thrilled, but I know it is just the beginning. Makayla is sleeping through the night now too. She is doing great and even puts herself to sleep. We giver her a bath, nurse her, than place her in the crib. She snuggles down and gets comfy and boom goes to sleep. She is also feeding herself some foods. She loves to eat what we eat and it is next to impossible to feed her anything else. She actually wants to eat off our plates and bothers me and DH at every meal just to make sure she has the same as us! She is going to have a shock on Jan 31st though. I am going away for a three day conference in north Texas. I will be pumping to keep my supply up, but she will be on a combination of formula and breastmilk. There will only be Daddy to take care of her. I think this is going to be harder on me than on her. I am really worried my milk supply will go down or stop completely. I worry too much, but I am already missing her and I haven't left yet!

Blessings to all the Summer babies!

[crasmus]

rachael- yeikes... wow 3 days... i'm sure that makayla will be better off then you..emotion wise... as long as you pump i think that your supply will be ok, there are some meds-supplements you can take.. i know that the lactation told me about ... Mothers milk supplement?? something to boost it.... how often are you still nursing... we are at 6+ times still a day... depending on how many hundreds of times he is up at night... i know that i should try not to nurse him in the middle of the night, but fighting it is so much harder now... i'm trying.. just hoping that he sleeps through the night all on his own... he has done it a couple of times... but nothing to great.. as for another... it sounds bad, and i wouldn't trade my boys for the world, but i think that i would love to have a girl... i think how i'm with my mom, and how she is there with the babies, and it seems like my kids are closer to her then DH's.. i do not think that i'll be able to convince DH, but we'll see..... it is so hard to see them grow up, my middle guy is going to start preschool, and it seems like he was so little just a short time ago...

Good luck rachel on your trip..

Kim- has ellie moved forward yet?? Gavin is now doing a crazy crawl... not on his hands and knees, but his hands and feet... with his butt way up in the air. Love the pictures... they are really cute... it's harder to travel without the infant seats... we are SOOOOOOOOO cold here, i hate to take him out... it now takes forever to get him all bundled up, then the other kids, then me, and them we are all out to the car to all get buckled in... i have to leave myself 1/2 hour to get everything together before we hit the road.. pink eye stinks... Gavin did end up getting it along with my NOW 4YO, so we had drops all around... ear infection stink, be glad that he wasn't in pain... my 4YO had them all the time, and we never caught them till the ear drum burst... they said that some kids just have a higher pain tollerance... and they are not bugged by them... and most will clear up on their own.... so end words don't feel like a bad mommy..

We are good, Gavin is still doing well at sleeping, but someday, right... he is getting around so fast. I'm torn. i think that i want another, but even if you don't want another are you still sad that they are growing up so fast? i do not know if i'm just sad that i will not have the baby stage, or if i'm sad that i actually want another...i've always wanted 4 (i'm 1 of 4). Gavin too loves to eat what we are... he is doing a few finger foods...i love watching him get completely messy trying to get it all in his mouth.. he still will eat some of the baby foods, so we are in transition..

well i hope that everyone is well, and taking care..
colleen

[buckeyegal]

Hi gals,

Racheal, your Makayla is unbelievable! Wow! That's great that she's hitting so many milestones early. I bet she loves chasing your boys. good luck with your conference and pumping. I've had friends who had to pump/dump while away for a weekend and did fine. I'm sure you will too. I think the hardest part will be the emotional part (for you ). But hey, consider it a chance for you to be "you" for a few days---no worries about kids, house, cooking, etc. Enjoy your time!

Colleen--She's still going backwards, but she's started getting up on hands and feet too! I call it her "downward dog" (like Yoga!) pose. I give it another week or two, and she'll be crawling. I think our dog is her motivation right now...she wants to get to him real badly...I feel your pain about not wanting to take them out in the cold. It's such a pain. Times two. sometimes I do take them out just for a change of scenery. Other times, we just stay home cause I'm too lazy to deal with all the hassle. I have DH watch them, so I can get groceries etc. Tomorrow we have swim lessons, so we'll be out again. Let the hassle begin! I'm with you on the "keep them small" wish...I just LOVE this stage they're in right now, and I hate to see them growing up so fast. I'm torn too, because deep down, I pretty much know that we're done. (of course, freak "accidents" do happen to twin mommies quite often ) So, unlike you, I only get to see this all "once". Plus, the first two months were such a blur to me, that I feel i missed some of that special cuddling time. Two at a time was crazy back then! I know we're so blessed, but I do get sad thinking about what will never be again...

Good night gals...I'm off to catch some zzzzzz. Hope the rest of you are well. Nance, you with us? I wonder how cowgirl is doing? Angelica? Ellie? Nictor? I know there are many more of us...check in!