Toddler Talk: Four

Talk: These two went from saying two or three word phrases to full on sentences in what seems like a blink of an eye. When they speak to each other they use the others name, when they tattle on each other or their big sisters they also use names. They are very good at describing what they want and how something may have happened to them. Charlotte grabbed a hold of Olivia's cheeks and scratched her pretty good and it was sore for a few days. Each time you would ask Olivia what happened she would say "Charlie do that" in the most innocent of voices. They know to say please and thank you without much prompting; which I love. They will tell us when they are hungry, tired, or just not into what we are asking them to do. Everyday it seems like a new word or phrase escapes them and we are shocked at just how much they know. They have on occasion heard the not so nice words slip from our mouths and let me tell you they are not shy in saying them. And what is even more crazy is that they understand the correct context to use those not so nice words.... oops. They know and recognize there is a baby in mama's belly and they are constantly asking to hold her or feed her. They lift my shirt and say baby girl's name while they rub my belly, it is pretty darn sweet.  I love that they are so much more interactive with us but it's also just mind blowing how much they know at such a young age.

Play: Coloring is still at the top of their list, they love "color" and "draw" all the time. I think their favorite is to draw/color in mama's notebook. I am pretty sure both girls are right handed both use it pretty well and I don't see much use of the left hand these days. Charlotte holds her pencil just like a first grader and loves to draw circles which she always refers to as "ovals" Once Olivia see's Charlotte being praised for her great "ovals" she joins in and does just as well. Both have a major love for shopkins right now... their cousin and sisters' have them out all the time and they absolutely love playing with them. We bought them their own packs the other day and it was like Christmas morning all over again. They still love the park if we drive past a field they assume there is a park and  they (especially Charlotte) asks to go the park nearly every day. I took them to a "gym" class last week and they had a blast. It's a combination of structured learning of "gymnastic" type skills and free play. It worked really well for them. They were a bit shy in the beginning being around new people but at the end they were right up with the other kids and instructor. I think we will be enrolling them for more regular classes soon.

Food: Cheese, yogurt, and fruit. Give it to them 100 times a day and they will eat it. Olivia has become selective on her cheese type while Charlotte will eat any type she can get her hands on. They absolutely hate it when I "split" anything for them. They have to have their own and believe me they know when its been cut, broken, or torn in half.

Sleep: It's getting better is about all I can say here. As mentioned in the last post (toddler talk: Three) and (Transitions) we are staying with family and sharing a room with the twins so getting them to sleep with out us has been a struggle. The past week has been better but we always seem to end up going back to the hard days after a few good ones. Good news is by the next toddler talk post we will have moved into our own house and they will be back in their own room!

News: Yes, we are moving in just two weeks; while it has been great staying with family and we could never thank them enough for letting our family of six into their home for the last three months it is time. We are very excited to have a new place to call home, a place for the kids to play, to have their own rooms, to ride their bikes and so much more. And this mama really needs to start getting ready for baby girl who will be here in just 10 short weeks...or less.

Charlotte and Olivia have grown and changed so much it seems like in the blink of an eye. They are smart and loving little girls and always making us laugh. They love to cuddle and jump on the bed like crazy kids. I hope their love for life never fades and they share it with those around them.

We love you little ones.

Who I Am

Last week I struggled a bit with trying to define "who I am" - my husband was sick all week...yes I said all week! He was home from work and he couldn't drive and could barely stand or stay out of bed (he was suffering from vertigo... a first for us). So talking care of the kids plus a sick hubby led to  a very draining week.

As some of you may know I am staying home with the twins (for now) something I didn't do with Kendal or Madison - Going back to work was a choice I made based on a number of factors and I don't regret the decision to continue working nor do I regret my current decision to stay home with the twins.

I am very happy that our current situation allows me to stay home however, we have dreams and plans we want to fulfill for ourselves and our family which may lead me back to work in some capacity - I am also "OK" with this decision as well. So recently I have been doing a lot of thinking about what is it that I want to do.

All that a side the question "Who am I" a big struggle in my mind- I began to feel like I was just mom- the one that takes care of the kids the one that gets them on the bus and helps with homework. The one that changes diapers and teaches colors and shapes. The one that fixes dinner and does laundry. DO NOT GET ME WRONG... these things do not bother me and I do them gladly.. ok ok maybe they bother me some times, I mean it does get tiring being on call all the time. Am I the wife that takes care of her hubby when he is sick (and I mean sick) who make sure the kids are quiet so he can go to bed early because he has to go to work at 4am to provide for our family? Or am I the photographer the arbonne consultant the girl with two degrees and no job. Please understand this is not a pity me post or look what I can do post - its about real life and how we can sometimes get so caught up in what we have to do ... regardless of what that have to do is... we forget "who we are" at our core.

Even though I feel lost right now I do know a few things - I AM the mom that takes care of the kids the one that gets them on the bus and helps with homework. The one one that changes diapers and teaches colors and shapes... I am the wife that takes care of her hubby and keeps the kids quiet. I am the photographer and the arbonne consultant and yes I do have two degrees and NO I don't have a job. So while I don't know what I am going to do where I will work and maybe I don't know exactly "who I am" but I do know that sometimes clarity can come in the most unexpected places.

Here is where that clarity came from...My oldest daughter came home from an over night birthday party. They stayed in Orlando and I gave her some spending money. She walked in the door so excited to show us what she bought. She first gave a key chain to her sister, then a pin for her dad, and cups for her little sisters (because mommy you said they wanted to drink out of cups like us... her response when I asked her why she bought them), and a pink "superman" pin for me. And here is where the clarity comes in- I said thanks I love it- she said mommy do you know why I picked it for you? I said no and she replied- because mommy you are super mommy you do everything for us, if you weren't super mommy you couldn't do it. Ummmmmmm ok wow- first my ten year old takes the money I gave her for herself and spends it on her family and then she says that?!

It's absolutely amazing how things happen in your life right when you need them. I know that I am appreciated even if I am tired or get frustrated from time to time. Even if I don't exactly know where I will be in 12 months I know that I will always hold the best jobs there are...

Bringing home baby {or babies}- part 1

First I must start out by saying thank you all so very much for your comments and suggestions during our giveaway!! I was so blown away and I simply cannot thank each and everyone of you enough!! And we do have another giveaway in the works!!!

One of the most popular topic suggestions was bringing home baby and the first few weeks at home!

There are differences and similarities to brining home a singleton vs. twins.

Because this post got very long discussing both Kendal and Madison as well as the twins I am splitting it into to parts!

First, let me say when my singletons {Kendal and Madison} were born I was in my 20's {with Kendal I was 25 and Madison I was 27} with the twins I was 34!! So quite a difference - I do think age and experience has a lot to do with what its like to bring your baby home and what the first few weeks are like.

Second, as I've said before what I have to say is simply my opinion and what I have found to work for me.

So brining home Kendal and Madison:

With Kendal being our first everything was scary I think we pretty much questioned ourselves A LOT and by A LOT I mean all the time all day every day. We were lucky to have my mom and sister stay with us for the first week home {Quick side note.. I had a schedule c-section.. all went normal and we were discharged on day 4}. I struggled with breast feeding- I wanted to nurse so bad- however I was in severe pain every single time she nursed, I just thought it was supposed to feel that way so I kept doing it I was also pumping {my supply has never been great}.

Sleeping was ok, I don't think we really had any issues, she would wake and we would feed her. I know I pretty much slept with my glasses on for the first few weeks because I was so afraid something would happen. We bottle fed {pumped milk and formula} at night and I would pump once during the night. During the day was probably my most difficult time- after my mom and sister left and hubby went back to work I felt so lost. I remember knowing I couldn't breast feed any longer because I was in so much pain. I felt like I failed Kendal and I am sure I became depressed. What worked best for me was to have a routine - as soon as we put a routine in place I began to feel better. Our routine was pretty simply, it was really just the normal stuff we did before she was born. Cooking, going for walks, ect. The first few weeks were difficult but I truly believe it was because we were NEW parents and we tried to do everything "by the book" for fear of making a mistake!

Forgive me for the "Photos of Photos" I had to take pictures of the photos in the girls scrapbooks all our digital files are packed away!!

Kendal and Daddy

Kendal moments after she was born

Kendal and my Mom

Kendal and my Sister

Kendal at one month

 Bringing home Madison... this was a pretty different experience from Kendal. For starters Madison did a great job nursing and I wasn't in any pain!! Madison was also a scheduled c-section, but she decided to come a day early! Everything went well, we again had family in town to help with Kendal who was 18 months at the time. We left the hospital on day 4. We had family around to help out for about the first two weeks. This time was different though, first Madison nursed very well so I didn't do a lot of pumping. We did the same thing for night feeds that we did for Kendal. We mostly bottle fed at night because this way hubby could help and I could also get some sleep. The biggest difference between Kendal and Madison at night was that I didn't freak out if she didn't wake every 3 hours to eat. In fact I didn't wake her if she didn't wake on her own... that's right I did not wake her if she didn't wake herself. I of course would wake up, If she was sleeping I simply checked on her and went back to sleep myself. She would almost always wake at the 4 or 4.5 hour mark to eat. She did just fine by us not waking her in fact we all did much better letting her tell us when she was hungry. Kendal was sleeping very well at this time so we didn't have to worry about a toddler and a newborn waking throughout the night. I again felt slightly depressed when family went home and hubby went back to work so I did the same thing I did before.. created a new routine for the three of us during the day and it worked. I nursed Maddy for 3 months and I felt comfortable stopping when I did (I went back to work).

Bringing home an new baby with a toddler already at home brings on its own set of challenges. I was very fortunate to have a very calm and easy going baby. The most important part for me was to keep Kendal entertained while I had to tend to the baby. She watched baby Einstein, Sesame Street, and Disney movies {Yes, I let my 18 month old watch TV}. When Maddy was sleeping I made sure to have Kendal sleep as well. It took a few days but I was able to get them on the same schedule. That was a life saver! Maddy dictated the way our day would go so I tried to keep things simple and flexible for Kendal. By about 4 weeks Maddy's nap schedule was "regular" so it became easy to put them down at the same time. I used this time to nap myself.. hey mama needs sleep too!! I also tried to keep Kendal involved in all things baby.. feeding, changing diapers, play time, ect. this was very helpful as well!

Madison on her Birth day

Kendal holding her little sister for the first time

Madison home from the hospital

Madison a little over one month

For 7 years we had two wonderful amazing daughters- we tried several times for baby number 3 after two lost pregnancies we decided our family was complete. Hubby was later deployed and was gone off and on for the next 3 years. In late 2011 when hubby finished up his deployment we began discussing baby number 3 again. We discussed for a while and decided we were read to try again- I became pregnant pretty much right away, unfortunately I lost that pregnancy as well. The very next month the twins were conceived!! 

Part 2 bringing home the twins - tomorrow.

~~ Kristy