THEN and NOW...

As we are just a mere 13 days away from the girls first birthday, I thought I would do a few "looking back" posts to the days leading up to the big day.  I'm doing this more as a "look how far we've come" tribute for myself, but I thought I would share it with you all.

THEN

The first time we got to hold both the girls together.  May 23rd, 2009.

June 2009

Father's Day 2009

July 2009

August 2009

September 2009

and for some strange reason I don't have any pictures of Terry holding both girls until just a few days ago??

NOW

March 2009

We've come along way since those first pictures back in May of 2009.

Just a Reminder:

Just wanted to send out a friendly reminder to anyone who hasn't reserved their hotel room for the girls party.....Today is the last day to get the discounted rate in our block of rooms.  The unused rooms in our block will be released to the public at midnight this evening.  I was just notified that there are only 2 rooms left in our block of 10 rooms. 

The hotel contact information is:  The Hotel Indigo @ 317-558-4100.  Be sure to mention the Smith Birthday Party to get a special rate.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the party and are excited that so many people are going to be able to make it.  I would like to politely ask that if you have not yet rsvp'd to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do so!  Due to the large number of people invited it would help us to know if we need to plan for 50 guest or 100 guests.  Thanks!  Looking forward to seeing you all soon!!!

So Proud!

The girls had their one year appointment with the developmental specialist yesterday.  They both once again made me the proudest Momma that I could ever be!!!  Basically what they are looking for is any delay in their motor skills or development.  Keep in mind that they went into our evaluation expecting the girls to perform at an 8 month level, since they are only technically supposed to be 8 months old. 

Since most of the office was on spring break it was very empty.  This worked out perfectly for us.  They put us into a therapy room that mirrored what a small gym would look like for gymnasts.  It has mats on the floor, some climbing toys, balls and all kinds of random toys.  The girls were in heaven! They crawled around on the floor and showed off the fact that they are both part monkey, by climbing onto everything.

Alexis was up first.  She currently weighs 16 pounds 12 ounces and is 26 inches long.  They wanted to make sure that she could roll over on her own so we placed her on her back and within a half second she flipped right over.  They gave her some blocks to pick up to test hand eye coordination.  She picked them right up on cue.  The goal was to have her bang the two blocks together.  Bam!  She did exactly what they wanted her to do.  The therapist rolled a ball on the floor with the intent that she would chase it.  Again, right on cue! She crawled herself right over to the ball and picked it up with the proudest look on her face.  They did about 40-50 other little tests with her that she did just perfectly.  She was so proud of herself and Mom & Dad were as equally proud.  My little peanut scored very well!  They said that her body is very solid and her muscle tone is excellent.  Alexis scored at a 12 month old level!  The therapist as well as the doctor was very impressed with how well she did.

Addison was second, even though she really did most of her showing off during Alexis' testing.  Addison weighs 15 pounds 8 ounces and is 27 inches tall.  Addison also did just about everything right on target.  The therapist rang a bell to get her attention.  She looked at the bell and then the therapist hid the bell under a blanket.  The goal was to get Addison to crawl over to the bell, find it under the blanket, and to ring it herself.  She did it without a second of hesitation.  We learned that Addison is REALLY into playing with balls.  There was a volleyball on the floor that she was completely infatuated with the entire time.  Everything they asked her to do, she was right on top of it.  Addison scored at an 11 month old level!  They were also impressed with her progress given her rough start in life and her extensive bleeding on her brain.  The only negative thing that they said about Addison is that her muscle tone in her legs is a little weak.  They said that if her primary mode of travel is still mainly crawling, that once she starts walking more this should work itself out.  Knowing that we were originally told that Addison would never leave the hospital, she continues to amaze me on a daily basis! Who knew that I could love two little people so much?

Both girls did the same tests with the therapist and I can honestly say that I've never been more proud of my girls than I was yesterday.  I completely expected them to be a little irritable since we had to schedule this testing during their naptime, but both girls had a blast.  They loved crawling around and climbing in the mini gym.  They thoroughly enjoyed playing with all the different toys and were perfect little angels the entire time.  Terry and I had a great time at the appointment as well.  I think we had just as much fun rolling around on the floor and playing as the girls did.  Last night, Terry and I discussed trying to get the girls into an infant gymnastics class since we all loved playing on the mats so much.   We both feel that we have been cooped up in the house for so long that it will be nice to do something normal with the girls for a change.

Both girls do not possess and signs of down syndrome or cerebral palsy which is also excellent news.  We were warned that just because they don't possess any signs right now that doesn't mean than it can't sneak up on us at a later date.  We continue to be cautiously optimistic and very proud of our two miracles!!!

Party Info for out of town guests....

As the rsvp's are starting to roll in for the party, we've been receiving several questions that I thought I would address at one time.  Please excuse the informality of this, but this way seems a lot easier since I know most of our guests traveling from afar to the party will read this.

1.  Indiana is permanently in the Eastern time zone now.  We used to not change time with the rest of the world but now we do.  We are one hour ahead of most of you.  The party is from 2-5 EST.

2.  The Hotel Indigo is approximately 4 miles from the park.  Terry & I estimate that it would take about 10 minutes to travel from the hotel to the park.

3.  The Hotel will hold our block of rooms through March 31st.  If you plan on coming, and are in need of overnight accommodations, I encourage you to book your room before the 31st.  There is a NCAA basketball tournament in Indianapolis the same weekend and most hotels are already booked to capacity.

4.  We have 10 hotel rooms reserved in our block.  Four of which I know have already been reserved.  Rooms have been discounted to $79 per night plus applicable taxes and fees.

5.  The hotel is within walking distance of many restaurants and shopping locations.  It is located off of a very busy intersection so walking is probably not recommended but as requested here are a few things located within a half mile:  Wal-Mart, Meijer, Kohls, Sams Club, McDonalds, Wendys, Steak-n-Shake, Cracker Barrel, Ruby Tuesdays, Subway.

6.  Yes, we will be serving food.  We are planning on doing your typical picnic/bbq in the park menu.  If anyone has any specific dietary needs that need to be met please let me know, so we can do our best to accommodate you.  And NO Carrie, specific dietary needs does not include your request for a large porterhouse steak!  LOL!

I think this answers most of the more common questions that I've been getting.  We are very excited to see everyone and are amazed at how big of a turn out we are going to have.  I would like to ask everyone again to PLEASE rsvp!!!  Due to the large number of people that will be attending, we need to get an accurate number so we can plan accordingly for food.  Thanks!!

My LUCKY charms!

The girls Ga Ga (aka Terry's mom) buys the girls the cutest pj's for all the holidays.  After we took the girls to the park tonight and gave them baths we attempted a few pictures in their St. Paddy's Day jammies.  They aren't the greatest pictures but it was the best that I could do.

The below three pictures are Alexis.  She was not having any part of holding still to pose for pictures.  When she did hold still she was more interested in chewing on her pj's then smiling for me.

The below three pictures are Addison.  She did a little better with posing but still wasn't too excited that I was snapping pictures of her again.

Getting a picture of the two of them together was almost impossible.  Thank goodnes for digital cameras because I literally took almost 60 pictures and these are the best two of them both together.

And of course I couldn't not show you the cute little tushy on their jammies...

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY TO YOU ALL!!

11 Months!

Our darling girls turned 11 months this past Saturday.  How in the world is this possible already?  I can't believe that a year of our lives has flown by so quickly.  Everyone was always telling us to enjoy them being little because before you know it, they will be grown.  It just doesn't seem right that we are around the corner from their first birthday.  They are becoming so grown up and turning into little people right before our eyes. 

This may not seem like a major milestone to most, but the girls took their first bath in their own bath tub last night.  WOW!!!  This makes things SO much easier for us.  I can't explain how much work and how exhausting it is to wash two majorly squirmy girls in the kitchen sink.  It amazes me that within just a few months we have gone from the little plastic bathtub, to the kitchen sink and now to their bathroom tub in their own bathroom.  The girls LOVE to splash.  As Terry will tell me, I have no one to blame for the excessive splashes but myself.  I taught them how to do it when I was trying to get them to enjoy bath time.  Now water is everywhere and it's such a big mess, but I love every minute of it, and so do they!!!  They both spent almost 20 minutes playing with their bath toys in the tub and splashing each other.  We did learn very quickly that we need to invest in a bath mat and a faucet guard.  Hoorah for little milestones!!!

So what are the girls up to lately?  Here are some quick stats:

Addison Grace

• No official weight but I'm guessing around 16 pounds.
• She has found her voice this month.  I was starting to worry because she wasn't as chatty as Alexis but Addison babbles away all the time now.  Nothing that amounts to any words but she gets her point accross.
• Still wearing size 2 diapers and size 3 at night.
• Wears 6 month clothes.  An occasional 9 month outfit will slip in since she is so long.
• Loves to be outside and take walks in the stroller.
• Loves to eat Gerber Puffs and bang on her tray when she's eating.  Basically she loves to bang on anything.
• Is a super fast crawler and will walk as long as she is holding onto something.
• Give high fives.
• Give's the sweetest kisses.  But won't give you a hug.
• Still sleeps well, but likes to wake her sister up in the morning.  I think she thinks that if she is awake everyone else should be as well.  Most mornings when I go to get her out of her crib she is standing up, yelling at her sister accross the room.  She generally sleeps from 8:00pm to 7:45am with one nap in the afternoon.
• LOVES LOVES LOVES to bounce.  One day recently I had her sitting on my leg.  I started to bounce her and she went nuts with excitement.  When I stopped she started to jump up and down as to tell me to keep bouncing her.  Now if i'm sitting on the floor she will crawl up in my lap and start jumping until I bounce her.
• Still has the most beautiful blue eyes and her hair is getting really long and curly.

Alexis Faith

• No official weight but I'm guessing about 17 pounds.
• Says Ma Ma & Da Da and what I think is Tat (Cat).  
• Now wears size 3 diapers all the time because her belly is too chubby for a size 2.  
• Wears size 6 month clothing.
• Loves her Daddy and is definitely a Daddy's girl through and through.  
• Will eat just about anything but isn't much of a morning person.  Breakfast takes her a little while to eat.  She doesn't mind the food she just needs some extra time in the morning to process things. 
• Crawls very well, walks all over the place as long as she is holding onto something, has started to stand up without assistance, and has taken a few unassisted steps prompting an immediate fall onto her tush.  I've been saying for awhile that she will be walking soon, but nothing yet.
• Sleeps like a rock!  Generally also sleeps from 8:00pm to 7:45am with one nap in the afternoon.  She always fights her naps but once she is out she will sleep through just about anything.
• Gives high fives and lots of them.  If you ask her to give you five you better be prepared for about 20-25 fives because she loves it.
• Loves playing "where's Alexis".  Usually in the evening when we are getting ready for bed I will take off her shirt and put it on her head.  I proceed to say "where's Alexis" and she will pull the shirt off her head and giggle uncontrollably.  Super cute!

Again, the girls continue to amaze me on a daily basis.  We have a VERY well oiled routine in our house.  In my opinion, having multiples requires routines to help build consistancy and structure.  I was again very anxious about adjusting the girls to day light savings time.  A fifteen minute adjustment on Friday night in preparation, a 15 minute adjustment on Saturday night and 30 minute adjustment on Sunday evening and we are all set.  Once again, I stressed myself out for nothing.  We are so blessed to have two beautiful and healthy baby girls.  Not a day goes by that I don't think God for everything that HE has given me.

Picture Overload!

I feel like a lot of my recent posts have been really "heavy" lately so I'm going to try and lighten things up with some recent pictures and videos of the girls. I hope you enjoy!!

The below video was taken on March 8th. The girls don't get "let out" of their fenced in area much. But as soon as Addison sees the gate open she makes a run for it. This time I had to grab the camera.


We've been blessed with some amazing weather this past week here in Indiana. On Tuesday evening we decided to load up the girls and walk down to the park. The girls experienced the swings for the first time. The below video is Addison in the swing. Unfortunately, Alexis fell asleep in the stroller on the walk so we weren't able to capture her on video before the battery died. Bummer!

Below:  Addison wasn't sure what to think at first.

At first she was more interested in watching the other kids play.

Then she figured out that swinging is FUN!!!! And she was all smiles!

As I mentioned before, Alexis had fallen asleep in the stroller on the walk to the park.  She wasn't quite awake enough at first to enjoy swinging.  She just kind of stiffened up and stared at us for a bit.

Then she started checking out the other kids having fun.

The she really got into it!

"Hey Sissy, this swinging stuff is fun!"

What a great evening at the park with my kiddos!!

Here are a few other cute (at least I think so)random pictures that we have taken recently.

Everytime Addison sees me coming with the camera lately, this is what I get.  Do you think she's tired of me taking her picture?

Alexis likes to peek out at us through her gate.  She cracks herself up when she does this.

Our poor cat seems to be a target lately.  The girls are very amused my her tail lately.  Miss Alexis got caught pulling on her tail this morning.  She's giving me her "I didn't do it" look in this picture.  Jynxie has been a good sport about it.

Infertility SUCKS!!!

I was recently notified that one of my cousins, We will call her "X", recently had a miscarriage.  The person who told me thought that I might be able to help her since I've unfortunately been in her shoes on more than one occasion.  My first instinct was to get her phone number and call her up right away.  I would express my sympathy and tell her how I know all too well what she is going through.  I had to step back for a second and remember what those first few days were like for me.  I didn't want to talk to ANYONE!  I had all types of people calling me telling me how sorry they were.  While I appreciated everyone's concern, I didn't want to talk to anyone.  I was too busy feeling guilty and trying to figure out what I had done to cause this.  I wanted to be alone and when I did want to be around people, in my husband's arms was the only place I wanted to be. 

In my opinion, struggling through infertility is one of the most difficult things that a person can go through.  There really are no answers.  It's not a sickness, but yet it is, because there really is no cure.  Even if you eventually are able to have children, dealing with infertility will always be a part of your life.  You are never really cured.

I recently had a conversation with a good friend of mine (I'm sure I will get a phone call after she reads this).  She is pregnant with her third child and just found out that she is having her third girl.  She was crying, upset because it wasn't a boy.  My first instinct was to smack her because I know so many people who would love just to be pregnant.  No, I didn't smack her but I reminded her how lucky she is to be carrying a healthy baby girl.  She didn't struggle to get pregnant.  Her pregnancies are always easy and uncomplicated.  I felt bad afterwards for putting her in her place but for some reason it really bothered me that she was complaining when things always come so easily to her.  We talked later and she thanked me for reminding her that God chose her to be the mother of two, and soon to be three beautiful and healthy baby girls.  Whew!  I was relieved that I didn't make her mad but I knew in the back of my head that Terry and I secretly wished for a boy and a girl when we found out we were having multiples.  We too, had hoped for a certain gender.  Why was I criticizing her for being upset about another girl?  I think ultimately I was just upset that she wasn't seeing her unborn child as a blessing from God regardless of her gender.  But seriously, who am I to judge??

My heart feels heavy for "X" and her husband right now.  I know the terribly grief they are feeling.  I know the questions they are asking themselves.  Why did this happen to us?  What did I do to cause this?  How can I prevent this from happening again?  If they are like me, I felt constantly surrounded by new babies and pregnant women reminding me what I couldn't have, reminding me what I had longed for my entire married life.  I know now that the only thing that I can do for "X" is to pray for her healing and for her pain to lessen.  Please join me in saying a quick prayer for "X" and her husband as they continue through this difficult chapter in their life.

A difficult chapter in my life is exactly how I would describe our path through infertility.  I know now that God knew (and always knows) what was best for us at the time.  HE knew that we weren't ready to be parents.  HE knew when the time was right.  HE was trying to teach us patience that HE knew we would utilize on a daily basis when raising multiples.  Ultimately, traveling the path that we have to get our little girls has made us better parents.  Not that I would wish the struggle of infertility on any couple, but I know now that our road made us stronger.  It has strengthened our marriage.  It has taught us patience and has ultimately made us the people we are today.

I'm not sure why I felt compelled to write this blog today, but something told me to do so???  I again ask you to say a quick prayer for "X" and all those who are traveling the path through infertility right now.  It's a bumpy road that no one should have to travel.

Question of the week....

As an avid reader of the Multiples...and More! blog I don't usually partake in their surveys or questions of the week.  But as my husband and I are about to embark on our fourth year of marriage and our eighth year together I felt compelled to participate this week.

This week's questions.......

Do you think parents of multiples are more likely to become divorced?  Why or why not?

• 
  
  What aspect of parenting multiples have you found to be the most difficult as it pertains to maintaining a relationship?
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  How do you maintain a healthy marriage/relationship?
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  If you were to give one piece of advice to a couple who just found out they were pregnant with multiples on how to stay happy together, what would it be?

I totally can understand why statistics show that parents of multiples are more likely to become divorced.  Being a parent is hard work!  But sharing my role as a parent with my best friend is what gets us through the day.  Keeping a sense of humor is sometimes all we have.  Being able to laugh at ourselves and reflect back on our journey thus far helps us adjust to rolling with the punches of everyday life.

In my opinion the most difficult part of parenting multiples is maintaining our own identities.  Having young multiples doesn't leave much down time or a lot of time for other social commitments.  I can tell that there are many times where Terry misses being able to just pick up and go play poker with the guys.  And there are many days where I miss being able to go get a mani/pedi with the girls at the drop of the hat.  With multiples there isn't a lot of "ME" time.  Accepting this was hard for both of us at first.  We both try to step away every once in awhile to refresh.  Terry and I are both getting very good at recognizing when the other needs a break. 

I'm not going to lie....the first probably nine months were very difficult on our marriage.  There were times where we both yelled and snapped at the other.  I warmed the bottles and got one just a little too hot or Terry didn't put the diaper on right and now I have poop all over my hands.  All things that looking back now we can laugh at.  I think what makes our relationship work well with our little ones is that we both know our responsibilities and share them equally.  We both prayed for a family for so long, that we just want to enjoy our family and be thankful for the gift God has given us.  I feel that keeping a sense of humor is important.  Being able to laugh at my mistakes and move on is huge.  I also feel that spending quality time together EVERY DAY is very important!  Even if it's only ten minutes every day, we make it a point to do something together, just the two of us at least once a day.  A marriage isn't always easy but we know that we love each other and will do whatever it takes to make it work.

This one is difficult.  Just one piece of advice....hmmm?  It's hard to pick just one so I think I'm going to do two.  First, I remember when I first found out I was pregnant with triplets.  A fellow mom of trips warned me that "it's going to be hard".  She told me that it's going to suck sometimes and sometimes you are going to want to kill each other.  She told me to always remember to hug and kiss your husband even when you want to choke him because now that you are parents you will be forever tied together whether you like it or not.  There were many nights, or should I say two a.m. mornings, where we were both exhausted and irritated with each other.  But we managed to squeeze out a quick I love you and a kiss.  Never go to bed mad!  Even if you are going to bed at 2:00a.m.  Make the last thing you say to each other something nice.  COMMUNICATION IS KEY!!!!

And piece of advice #2.  Take one last trip together just the two of you!!!  This is something we didn't do and I really regret it!  Even if it's a small road trip across town, do something to get away.  It will never be just the two of you ever again.  So have that one last hoorah because it will be several years before you feel comfortable leaving the kiddos alone!

I feel like I'm one of the lucky ones who has a very hands on husband.  My girls are very lucky to have such a great father.  And I'm very lucky to have such an amazing hubby.  As we are about to celebrate our 4th anniversary in a little over a week, I can't think of anyone else I rather go through this journey with!  Love you Babe!!

My heart aches....

Ok, so yes, I must admit the title of this posting is a little dramatic.  When my precious little girls grow up to be major drama queens, at least they will have come by it honestly!!  So our latest dilemma.....teething.  UGH!!

Both girls have their two bottom teeth and are working on the top two.  Generally during the day, a frozen teething ring or the help of Hylands Teething tablets can soothe both girls.  The teething tablets are like crack to the girls.  Not that I know what crack is like, seriously I have no clue, but the effect that the tablets have on the girls is what I imagine someone on crack to be like.  I can tell that the tablets help, but the make the girls really hyper.  During the day this is not a major issue, but at night time having them bouncing off their cribs is not really doable!  Our pediatrician told us a few weeks back the Hylands Teething tablets can have a caffeine affect on babies under 20 pounds.  NICE!  Nothing like starting a Starbucks-like habit with my girls early!

Tuesday evening we did our nightly bed time ritual as usual.  We put the girls in their pj's.  They get cereal, applesauce and a few Gerber puffs, followed by Terry feeding Alexis a bottle and myself feeding Addison a bottle.  Everything was going smoothly until I went to place the bottle in Addison's cute little mouth.  She lunged her entire bottle backwards and starting kicking.  She was totally fighting me and didn't want any part of drinking her bottle.  Short of physically holding her down and shoving the bottle into her mouth, I tried everything I could to get her to drink it.  She went to bed without drinking her bottle and we fully expected her to be up in the middle of the night hungry.  Nope, she slept all night without even the slightest peep.  It took awhile to get her down but once she was asleep, she was out.

The girls and their food is what cause me the most anxiety lately.  They are still nowhere near being on the "official growth charts" that all our doctors keep referring to.  The doctors aren't very concerned since they continue to gain weight consistently, but have encouraged us to add "extra calories" to all their food.  They should be eating about 900-1100 calories a day.  If you think about it, that's ALOT of food for a baby.  On average 4-5 (6) ounce bottles a day contain about 600 calories.  A stage 2 jar of baby food (depending on kind and variety) has about 75-100 calories.  We are working hard to make sure that we keep their calorie count up there.  I've obviously never been a huge calorie counter myself, who knew I would be obsessing about calories for my munchkins?  Addison not drinking her bed time bottle was stressing me out.  I was praying that this wasn't going to be a consistent nightly issue.

Yesterday evening we once again were doing our nightly bedtime routine.  This time it was Alexis.  She hurled her body almost out of Terry's arms, refusing to drink her bottle.  She was restless and agitated.  You could see it in her big brown eyes that she just didn't feel well.  No fever, no signs of any type of sickness, but you could just tell that she was hurting.  After I got Addison to bed, Terry gave me Alexis to see if I could get her to drink.  Nope!  She wasn't having any part of it.  She was whining and just looked miserable.  This is where the title "my heart aches" comes from.  How can I help her?  What can I do to take away the pain?  How can I make it better?  Both girls had a dose of Tylenol before bedtime.  What else can I do? 

I reached out to some of my friends via FaceBook asking them for suggestions.  Within minutes I got the following responses....

1.  Rub Tylenol directly on their gums (I may try this in the future)

2.  Dampen a wash cloth & freeze it and let them chew on it (I have yet to try this but not really appropriate for bed time, in my opinion)

3.  Baby Orajel.  Baby orajel is a HUGE NO NO from our pediatrician.  Since the girls have issues with choking and swallowing already our pedi STRONGLY encouraged us to stay away from this.  The numbing effect can numb their throats and cause more issues.  She told us that she doesn't recommend this for any infant, not just those with choking issues.

4.  Hylands Teething Tablets.  Ok, see my above comparison to crack.  Not appropriate for bedtime.

5.  Vanilla Extract, it has to be the pure kind, not imitation.  Put it on their gums and it will help ease the pain and swelling.   Really?  I've never heard of this?  Anyone else ever tried this?  Seems a little farfetched to me???

6.  Take a hammer to their skulls.  Clearly not a viable option, but I appreciate Rick's comic relief during my melt down.

7.  Chilled teething rings sold at Babies R Us.  DUH!  Why didn't I think of that?  Clearly I'm not an idiot.  I know where to buy teething rings.  We own about 25 of them.  But again giving them a teething ring isn't going to help them fall asleep.

8.  Rub whiskey on their gums.  Ok, I'm not really sure how I feel about this one.  I can remember clear as day, the only Grandfather that I've ever really known, rubbing whiskey on my little sisters gums.  I can still see him reaching up to the cabinet above the refrigerator to pull out the jug.  A little dab and she was good to go.  HMMM?  Would I seriously consider giving my girls a shot of whiskey?  I know that a shot of whiskey would knock me out, but could I really do this?  I don't even think we have any whiskey in the house??  Would red wine work?  Are the liquor stores still open?  We already have issues with CPS breathing down our necks (a post for another time, probably tomorrow) due to the girls prematurity issues. NOPE!  Again, not another viable option.

9.  Give them a frozen waffle to chew on.  Really?  This doesn't really seem like that crazy of an option to me.  But can I really tuck my girls into bed for the evening like this.  "Ok, girls it's night night time.  I love you!  Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite".  "Oh by the way, don't forget your frozen waffle".  According to the new "Back to Sleep" guidelines, all infants are to be put to bed on their back with no toys, blankets or pillows in their cribs for the first year.  No one ever said anything about frozen waffles???  Could a frozen waffle pass the Back to Sleep guidelines?  Probably not.

Finally we decided to just let Alexis "cry it out" for a little while.  This hurts me in a way that I cannot explain.  I know that sometimes it is necessary, but I almost feel like I'm going to hyperventilate sometimes when we do this.  I have a seven minute time limit.  Why seven minutes?  I have no idea but I won't let them cry for more than seven minutes.  To me seven minutes feels like an eternity!!  I stood in the kitchen holding the baby monitor.  Not that I needed the monitor because I could hear her screaming without it.  This wasn't her normal cry.  This wasn't her "I don't want to go to bed" or "I just fell down" cry.  This was different.  I just stood in the kitchen watching the clock on the microwave.  I couldn't take it anymore.  At six and a half minutes I went upstairs and picked her up.  She instantly smiled and started bouncing around.  We rocked in the chair for about 20 minutes and she finally fell asleep in my arms.

This morning I got a text message from my dear friend, Shereen.  It said "my best advice is to just love them, hold them and comfort them the best you can.  It sucks because sometimes there is nothing you can do but love them".  Is love and comfort how we are going to get through this teething phase?  I hope I have enough patience to go around!!! 

Anyone who has suggestions on how to comfort my girls at bedtime to help them sleep more peacefully while teeting.....I'M ALL EARS!!! 

Party Details:

Even though the invites have not "officially" gone out yet.....I wanted to give a quick heads up to our "Out of Town" guests who are planning on attending the party.

I contacted several local hotels in town to see if we could get a block of rooms reserved at a discounted rate.  I quickly learned that the NCAA finals are in town that weekend and hotel rooms are going to be few and far between.  I did manage to secure a block of 10 rooms for $79 each plus applicable taxes.

Anyone who is interested or is planning on staying in town I encourage you to book your rooms soon!!!

Hotel Indigo

9791 North by NorthEast Blvd

Fishers, IN  46037

317-558-4100
www.hotelindigo.com/fishersin
If booking online use Group Code "SBP"

Be sure to mention the "Smith Birthday Party" to receive the discounted rate.

Pancakes and Eggs!

At our last visit to the pediatrician she advised us that we really need to work on getting the girls to eat more solid foods.  She advised us to proceed slowly but to start the process.  The girls have no issues with their baby food but when it comes to solid foods they like to swallow things whole.  Over the past few weeks we have been working with the Gerber Puffs to help the girls learn how to chew, versus swallowing things whole.  This took a few days.  Both girls weren't sure at first and we did have a couple of choking scares.  Now "puffies", as we call them are no big deal to the girls.  So we have decided to branch out a little.  First off, banana pieces.  Addison loved them, Alexis not so much.  Mashed potatoes with a few tiny lumps....Alexis loved them and Addison not so much. 

Saturday Terry was still asleep when I was giving them their lunch at Noon.  Yes, I'm so jealous of his ability to sleep whenever and wherever!!  Around eleven I decided I wanted some scrambled eggs so on a whim, I decided to add and extra egg for the girls.  No, I didn't add cheese or salt to theirs like I did my own.  Just plain old scrambled eggs.  I put the girls in their high chairs and gave them each a few of their Gerber Puffs and a few tiny pieces of eggs.  Man you would have thought the girls hadn't eaten in weeks the way they snatched up those eggs.  They both were unsure of the taste at first but after awhile they were loving them.  Terry came downstairs in the middle of their "feeding frenzy" (which we call lunch time around our place) and was shocked to see the girls eating scrambled eggs and actually enjoying them. 

Sunday morning I again decided to make breakfast.  Two days in a row is good for me!  Since having the girls I really only make big meals on the weekends.  It seems like our week day meals consist of something frozen or quick to make!!  I asked Terry what he wanted and he replied with sausage and pancakes.  Easy enough!  I whipped up some pancakes and sausage and Terry and I sat down at the kitchen table to eat.  Alexis started screaming because she couldn't see us.  She's going through this weird phase where she has to be able to see one of us at all times.  So, I took my plate and sat on the couch so Alexis would be content.  Addison immediately pulled herself into a standing position holding onto the couch.  She grabbed for my plate.  UGH!  I wasn't quick enough and she got a handful of syrup and was rubbing it in her hair.  NICE!!  Terry replies while laughing at me cleaning syrup out of her hair....."Maybe she wants some pancakes".  I kind of just laughed at him and shot him a dirty look for making a smart remark but the more I thought about it, the more I thought "why can't they have some pancakes"?  It was almost lunch time so we put the girls in their chairs and I grabbed a pancake and gave the girls a few pieces.  Again, they scarffed up those pancake pieces as if they hadn't eaten in days.  They seriously loved their pancakes.  They probably would have eaten more if I would have let them, but I did want them to eat their vegetables as well.

I have to say that the girls come by their love of breakfast food very honestly.  Terry and I both LOVE breakfast.  Many times when we go out for dinner we order breakfast for an evening meal.  So why should we be surprised that our kids would be any different? 

We are still looking for other small, soft foods to help the girls work on their chewing and swallowing.  Any suggestions???  Suprisingly the Gerber Yogurt Melts were not a hit!  They both hated them and have choked on them on numerous occasions.