My favorite things....

Ok, I feel like Oprah doing a favorite things blog....But I thought I would share with all since I've recently been asked about several products. Everyone constantly asks us what kind of diapers we use, or what lotion so I thought I would blog about our favorite things today.

(DISCLAIMER: This is only my opinion and things that we feel work great for our family. Please refrain from sending me hate mail if you do not agree!)

First and foremost....Diaper Genie's suck!! Terry and I had two Diaper Genie's and we threw them away because they did not contain the smell. Diaper Champs are so much better!! We have a cute pink version. We actually have two. One upstairs and one downstairs. Other than the smell, the Diaper Champ also has other advantages. With the diaper genie, you must use the special bag. The diaper champ comes with some bags. When those run out you don't have to use a special bag, a regular 13 gallon trash bag will work. This is a plus since the Diaper Genie bags are like $5.99.

The next two products go hand in hand. We love Dreft because it is so gentle on the girls skin. It also smells good. Yes, It is a little pricey compared to regular detergent, but if it is what's best for our girls, price is no object. Shout is also a must have for any new Mommy!! Spit ups are all too common around our house and Shout makes laundry so easy. I don't have a lot of extra time to be scrubbing stains. A couple of sprays and your all set!!

Baby Oil Gel! What a great item if you are dealing with cradle cap! This was recommended by our pediatrician. Obviously, it's just baby oil but in a gel formula so it doesn't run everywhere!! Super convenient and not messy!

The girls pediatrician advised us that we should not use diaper rash cream to try and prevent rashes. I know parents who apply diaper cream after every change. We thought that was what you are supposed to do. Our pedi. said that doing this can actually cause rashes. About a month ago Addison got a small rash. We slapped on some Desitin and BAM, a day later the rash was gone! This stuff works great!!

We use this lotion after bath time. We really have no reason for choosing this other than it smells great. It's supposed to be "clinically proven" to help babies sleep better, but I'm not sure that I can attest to that.

The girls definitely are products of their father! Terry's Mom bought the girls a CD of Metallica songs turned into lullaby's. It's super cute and the girls love it. The website for these Cd's is http://rockabyebabymusic.com/ They have everything from AC/DC to Zepplin.

And last but not least on my favorite things today... The March of Dimes. Because of the research done by the March of Dimes our little girls are here today. I've been doing a lot of research about the March of Dimes and how I/We can volunteer to "give back" for everything they did to help out our little girls. I've met a lot of amazing people over the last couple of days and I'm really looking forward to working with the March of Dimes in the future.

Jammie Time!!!

Above is Alexis.
Above is Addison.

left to right....Alexis, Terry & Addison.

Seeing as how the low temperature for last night was about 55 degrees, we put the girls in footed pj's. Terry and I were both wearing sweatshirts so we figured that a onesie wasn't adequate for the kiddos. They were all snuggly and cute in their pj's.

Picture Time!!

Terry celebrated his first birthday as a Daddy this weekend. Grandma Flanigan and Aunt Karen came out to visit the munchkins and to babysit for us so that Terry and I could relax for a little bit. Terry and I decided to go to the State Fair on Saturday to celebrate his birthday. We walked around for several hours and ate WAY TOO MUCH yummy fair food!! It was a beautiful day, barely 70 degrees and not too crowded at the fair. While we missed the kiddos, it was nice to get away for a little bit and spend some time together just the two of us.

As promised here are quite a few pictures of the girls. Adding work into my schedule hasn't left a lot of time of time for me to upload pics. Enjoy!!

Below are pictures of the girls in the Bumbo chairs. This was a new experience for both the girls. They sat in them for about 45 minutes or so before they got bored. The bumbo chairs were a gift from Terry's Aunt Linda, Great Gramma Smith and Aunt Dear.

Above is Addison

Above is Alexis.

Addison on the left, Alexis on the right.

Below are two pictures of Addison just hanging out on an afghan made for the girls by my Aunt Kathy. The girls, (especially Addison) like to rub their hands on the blanket. I think it's a different texture than the fleece blankets that they are used to.

My weekly picture of the girls in their chair this week, did not go very well. Alexis did not want any part of it, therefore making Addison angry as well. In one picture it looks as if Addison is hitting Alexis. Even though the pictures did not turn out very well, I still thought I would share, as I'm sure this is one of very many fights the girls are going to have in the coming years. (by the way, the chair(s) were a gift from Grandma & Pop Pop Zehner.

Above is Addison.

Alexis on the left and Addison is the fighter on the right.

Alexis is on the left & Addison on the right.

We are always trying out new things and new ideas to keep the girls entertained. Our pediatrician told us that this is the time that their eye/hand coordination really starts to develop. So having a wide variety of toys to keep them occupied is a good idea. Terry decided to get one of the smaller walkers that we have out of the basement. Unfortunately, Addison needs to grow about another two inches before her feet will touch the ground and she will be able to use this. But of course we took pictures of her in it anyway.

Sometimes around here feeding time can get a little hairy. Most days each girl will wait their turn to eat. Of Course that does not mean that they don't get a little fussy while waiting, but in general they will wait their turn. Some days, usually the 6:00p.m. feeding, no one wants to wait their turn, so I had to figure out how to feed them both at the same time. This is harder than it looks. Since I can only burp one at a time, sometimes this become a little difficult. But you get the general idea from these pictures. I will admit that I look awful in these pictures but I'm a Mom of two now and sometimes that leaves little time for things like showering, makeup, fixing my hair etc. etc. At this particular time, Terry, my Mom and my Sister were enjoying Terry's birthday cake. I opted not to have any and volunteered to feed the kiddos so they could all enjoy it. Seriously, after all the food we consumed at the fair that day, I couldn't even think about eating anything else!! Below are just a few random pictures Terry took of the girls laying on their boppy pillows. The top two photos are Addison and the bottom five photos are Alexis.

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

Last night both girls were laying on the living room floor in their boppy pillows enjoying a little tummy time. Alexis decided that she wanted to do some more gymnastics for us. She was crawling over the top of her boppy pillow. Most of the time once she got over the top of it, the last kick would push her onto her back laying directly on the floor. Well, the last time she did it, she managed to climb over the pillow and was still on her tummy. She proceeded to kick her legs around and was army crawling all over the blanket. I could tell that she was starting to get pooped out but she was still trying to roll over. Terry and I were watching her because when she crawls it's pretty comical. Terry said "There's no way she's gonna roll over. She can't figure out how to get her arm out of the way." Well sure enough right after he said that she flipped over onto her back. I think she kind of shocked herself that she actually did it. She did it another 2 more times last night.

Addison also continues to also climb over her boppy pillow. She hasn't totally mastered it as well as Alexis but she's working on it. Addison is more interested in toys and things that make noise than she is into being mobile. Addison will sit in her bouncy chair for an hour and just reach for the toys. I think she really enjoys the bright lights that flash and the music it makes when she hits one of the hanging toys.

Both girls are doing great with allowing us to sleep more and more every night. Our goal is to have the girls in bed every night by 11:00pm. Sometimes we get them down earlier and sometimes it takes longer. But in general the girls have been sleeping from about 11:00pm to 6:00a.m. Some days they sleep longer and some nights they get up a couple of times but in general I think we are finally starting to get down a night time routine. Thank goodness!!

More pictures to come this weekend!! I've taken quite a few this week, but haven't had a chance to upload them. Work is keeping me pretty busy, and my evenings are filled with Mommy stuff. It hasn't allowed for much time to update my blog and upload pictures.

Back to Work :-(

Yesterday morning was my first day back to work! So sad!! I'm very blessed to have had the ability to turn what was supposed to be a 8 week maternity leave into a 5 1/2 month leave. It was very hard to leave my girls, especially when Alexis was smiling & talking (babbling) to me like crazy. I have to say that I only cried 3 times yesterday. I was totally expecting it to be a lot more... One time before I left home, Once in the car while driving to work and once during the day when I called home to check in.

It was great to come home and have both girls give me a huge smile when they saw me, but I still would much rather be home with my kiddos than at work. Unfortunately, having two extra mouths to feed doesn't leave us with the financial ability for me to stay home. Oh well, things always work out for the best.

Hoping to have new pictures up this week!!

NICU Reunion!

This afternoon was our NICU reunion picnic. Dispite the heat, we had a great time! Terry & I were able to park the stroller under a large shade tree and hung out with all our great nurses from the NICU. It was so nice to visit with everyone in a much happier setting. Terry & I were both amazed at the size of the event and all the activities for the kids. With over 3000 people in attendance, it made the evening news. Celebrating our tiny miracles and thanking everyone who was a part of making it possible will definitely be an annual tradition in our household. I think that I can honestly say that our two girls are alive today because of the great care that they received by the wonderful nurses at St. Vincent Women's Hospital.

Above is our Primary Day Nurse Liz & the Girls. Alexis on the left & Addison on the right.

Above is our Primary Night Nurse Lisa. Again Alexis on the left & Addison on the right.

Above is Lisa (left) with Addison & Liz (right) with Alexis. Such AMAZING woman!! They will forever be in our hearts!!

SMILES!

Today the girls are sporting their outfits that they got in their Easter baskets this year. Yes, I know they weren't even born at Easter, but they were gifts from Grandma & Pop Pop Zehner. They are super cute onesies with their names on them.

As I was taking pictures they both were all smiles, a feature that is relatively new. Yes, they did smile before, but now they actually smile now because we are making them smile, not because they have gas. I was able to capture a big smile from Alexis, but Addison wasn't as easy. She was giving me little half smiles that would only last for a second. She is very interested in her tongue lately so mostly I was just able to get pictures of her sticking it out. Terry calls her Gene Simmons when she starts darting her "lizard like" tongue in and out of her mouth.

The below picture is Terry and the munchkins. I try to take a picture of them together at least once a week but I don't always remember. This one was taken on Tuesday evening just before bedtime.

Swing time!!

Lately the girls have really been enjoying their swings. This is great for me, because it gives me time to get stuff done, where I don't have to totally be watching them 100% of the time. Since the girls are moving around more, we definitely have to watch them a little bit closer. See the below pictures of the munchkins in their swings. Alexis is on top & Addison is on bottom.

I couldn't resist buying these little IU outfits for the girls the other day. They still are a little big but looked super cute.

Above is Alexis.
Above is Addison

Alexis on the left & Addison on the right.

Pictures!!

Anyone who is interested can visit the below website to check out the pictures we had done of the girls on July 21st.

If you want to place an order please let me know or I can email you the digital images directly. Just let me know the picture number and I can get them to you.

http://www.zachdobson.com/smith_proofs.htm

Zach does great work and was great with the girls. He was so patient with us during the whole shoot. You can visit his website directly at www.zachdobson.com.

PLEASE HELP ME PICK OUT THE BEST ONE!! We can not decide!!

OH HAPPY DAY!!

Many of you may remember from my previous blogs, my friend Jody. If I didn't know better, I would think that Jody and I were twins seperated at birth. Our infertility issues were similar as well as were our complications during pregnancy. Jody delivered the first of her boys (David) the morning of May 16th & the other little dude (Derek) on May 19th. I just got a phone call from Jody this afternoon that Derek will be coming home this Friday!!! This is great news!!! While bitter sweet that Jody and her hubby John live over two hours from the hospital and they are leaving Derek behind, I'm so happy for them to be bringing their little guy home!!!

David continues to have some issues with his breathing and is going to have surgery for a hernia sometime this week. So, I ask you all to pray that little David continues to grow strong so he can also join the rest of his family at home!!

I read something yesterday that kind of put some clarity to our whole NICU journey. I'm not sure exactly what I was reading but it put some things into perspective for me. Terry and I have become very humbled by the fact that God chose us as parents to raise these two beautiful little girls. God chose us to deal with preemie babies. God chose us deal with whatever difficulties our girls may have in the future as a result of being born premature. No longer do I look at things as...."Why the hell did this happen to us", but more as a gift. In all things God has a plan, a reason for all. We need to literally stop and ponder these things and have quiet time with God and ask Him to tell us what we are to learn from His gift. God allowed this to happen to us. Is it some charachter defect that he wants us to be perfect? Maybe someone else is watching how we handle these things? Maybe God is hoping, praying that we'll just stop for a moment and call on Him for help?

While there were many nights that I layed awake cursing God for what he had done... There is a reason why He chose myself, Terry, Jody and John to raise these little miracles. I know now that He knew all along exactly what he was doing. He knew that we were strong enough to handle it!!! He knew it would make us better people!!! He knew when I didn't. He always does!!

Video...

So, I have been trying to upload the video of Alexis climbing her boppy pillow since she did it last week. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to upload it directly to my blog for some strange reason?? I have attached links to watch the videos through youtube.com.

Since I took this original video, Alexis has become a pro at climbing and army crawling. It only takes her a couple of seconds now to hurdle herself completely the pillow. Addison also is working on climbing the pillow, but she actually prefers to scoot herself across the floor. I haven't been able to capture this on video yet, but as soon as I get it, I will post it as well.

Quick weight updates.... I took the girls to the pediatrician on Friday just for a quick weight check. Addison is now 8 pounds 2 ounces and Alexis is 7 pounds 6 ounces. No doctors appointments this week!!! Thank goodness!! Our next follow up is on August 10th when the girls have their four month physical & shots. Hard to believe my little angels are almost four months already!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5943NLr9kJ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAzTFqlV-dw

MORE PICS...

Above is Addison just hanging out.

Above is Addison on the left & Alexis on the right. I think Alexis is trying to tell Addison to get off of her. Who knows?

Addison on the left. Alexis on the right.

Addison on the left. Alexis on the right. In our living room chair.

I've been trying to upload a video of Alexis climbing her boppy since yesterday, but for whatever reason it just won't upload, so I guess we are just going to have to settle for more pictures.

Yesterday evening we set the girls in the chair in our living room to take a picture. Then I decided to grab one of their chairs that match their room for a photo op. These chairs were given to the girls by their Grandma Zehner. They are super cute.

More pictures & videos...

Since my Mom has been here it's been giving me a little extra free time to do things. (I.E. update my blog, get a much overdue hair cut, go grocery shopping etc. etc.) I've really been trying to keep up with the blog, but the two little munchkins make things a little difficult sometimes.

Yesterday Addison was bright eyed and was just hanging out in her bouncy chair. Her facial expressions were just adorable. I think she was just diggin' the vibration of the chair. See the below three pics of Addison.
Also yesterday, Alexis was laying on her belly on her boppy pillow enjoying some tummy time. She started trying to climb over it. She did a pretty good job!! She actually made it over twice, unfortunately I didn't capture it on video. Both girls are moving around quite a bit. Addison was sitting on her boppy pillow the other morning. I went and did some dishes & made 12 bottles (one days worth). She was quiet the whole time, so I assumed she was sleeping. When I went back into the living room she had scooted herself half way across the living room floor. Next time she does this, I will try to capture it on video. It's too cute!!