That Moment.

That moment. 

Every mother has one. 

That moment when your baby won't sleep. She (or he) has been up screaming,...for what seems like days. Won't sleep. All YOU want is sleep. A moment of silence. A moment of peace. A moment without frustration. And then it hits you. This moment is where your child ONLY wants YOU. She NEEDS you. All she wants is to be held. To snuggle. To hear your voice. Feel your heartbeat. She wants her Mommy. You rock her, "shhh" her, sing to her, try your best to comfort her behind frustrated, tearful eyes...

Then the guilt of selfishness sets in. Like a ticking time bomb, reality sets in. These moments are fleeting. The time where you can hold her, knowing all she wants is you. Knowing that she is dependent on you. Knowing you can pretect her. She will grow up. Sooner than expected. Let's face it, her past fifteen months have flown by. The world we live in will test her morals and hurt her heart. And then you realize...you could hold this screaming, innocent, little human being for the rest of your life,...if you could. The frustration subsides. And you feel the unconditional love that only a mother knows. It breaks your heart and makes your heart feel so full as if it is going to explode- all at once. 

 I could hold this baby forever...

God's love is incredible. As a mother, I can't imagine His love for us. It's so much more...

15 months old!

I couldn't think of a better picture to embody the girls personalities at fifteen months! This is them to a tee! They are into EVERYTHING! For example...

They are little sponges- learning more and more each day. Picking up on everything we say or do. They aren't babies anymore :( They are definitely toddlers! 

I guess I can start with their 15 month check up. Ava James weighed 19lbs and is 30 3/4 inches tall. Hadley is 21lbs and the same height as her sister. Once again, no surprise here, they are in a higher percentile when it comes to height. Ava James is starting to catch up with her sister when it comes to weight. We could see this coming seeing as she has been eating us out of house and home! I have never seen a child eat so much. She stays hungry! Dr. Trumbull was happy with their health and growth. We did mention to him an issue with Ava James' walking. She has been turning in her feet (mostly her left foot) when she walks and often trips over her own feet. Like her sister, she can run now, but not as "efficiently" as she could. Dr. Trumbull felt like she could benefit from seeing an orthopedist, but not until 18 months. Sometimes issues such as this can correct themselves with time. We will hope that is the case! 

The girls received two vaccines at their appointment- the chickenpox vaccine and the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. Unfortunately, Hadley had a severe reaction to the MMR vaccine. She ran a fever of 103 for about three days, and has now developed a rash covering the majority of her torso and back. She has been extremely irritable, but seems to be feeling better little by little every day. 

One BIG accomplishment from the past couple of months is that the girls are now PACIFIER FREE! The girls gave up (not voluntarily) their pacifiers on New Years Day. I will admit, it was extremely rough at first, but the girls are doing very well now without them. Nap time was the hardest. Neither of the girls wanted to nap and spent a lot of time crying themselves to sleep :( Hadley definitely had a harder time giving up the paci than Ava James. Or maybe I should that I had it harder than the both of them! There is something so sentimental about that pacifier! I guess because it was the last of their "baby" habits! But I'm better now too :) 

The girls play with each other a lot now! They often get tickled with each other and laugh a lot together. With that comes the tendency to fight over toys. While it doesn't happen often, they are learning to share more and more. They also enjoy to give each other kisses and will even pat each other on the back when one of them are upset. During bath time they also like to wash each other's backs and hair. The girls like to play with more "grown up" toys now- baby doll stroller, grocery store cart, blocks, etc. Both girls really enjoy books and love being read stories before bed time. They recently learned to walk backwards and find this very entertaining. I often find them walking down the hall backwards for no other reason than it must just be fun! 

The girls got to see snow for the first time on January 28th! Hadley enjoyed playing in it more than her sister, but they both seemed to really enjoy themselves. Before and after we weren't outside to play, Ava James kept going to the window and saying "snoo!" 

 

A little more on the girls...

Hadley is so happy...pretty much all of the time. This is a big change from when she was a baby. She has become more and more laid back as time goes on. She loves to climb anything and everything. She is normally the twin who instigates trouble. She gets into everything! She loves to run, be outside, and dance. Her favorite toy right now seems to Lego Duplo blocks and her turtle that she can drag around. Her favorite tv show is Sesame Street. Hadley's communication skills have taken off in the past month or so. She can sign "more" and "please," and can point out her (or yours) eyes, nose, mouth, head, and belly. Hadley is learning new animal sounds each day and can rattle them off as quickly as you can ask. Her favorite animal noises are dog (woof, woof), cow (moo), and duck (ack, ack). She often tells on herself before getting in to trouble by pointing at objects that she knows are off limits and then saying "No, No!" She then grabs the forbidden object. She likes to tell Bailey (our dog) "No, no" too. Hadley LOVES shoes and constantly points them out. "Shoe" seems to be her favorite word at the moment. She can also say Mama, Daddy, Nonnie, Poppa, AJ, eyes, banana, juice, fish, dog, cat, more (when asking for more food), bye bye, hey, and baby. I'm sure I'm missing some words, but those are the most common. She is beginning to talk in some short phrases, but they are fairly random and inconsistent. The most consistent phrase she says is "see it" and it often comes out sounding more like a certain four letter word.  Hadley also enjoys bath time and will respond with a loud, drawn out "YAY!" when she is told it is time to take a bath. Hadley is a very fast runner and enjoys playing chase/tag. She is extremely strong! She can climb over/on anything and drag large objects around the house. 

Ava James is a character! She has more faces than most adults do! She is a flirt with strangers and generally loves people. She likes music and absolutely loves to dance! Ava James' favorite toy is her bunny Cabbage Patch Doll that her Great Granny and Great Grandpa gave her for Christmas. She named her "Bob" and carries her (or him?) every where. Bob must always be in her bed with her, and she looks for Bob when she gets upset. AJ is still our more cautious girl, but she still enjoys being thrown around and climbing all over everything. Like Hadley, her favorite TV show is Sesame Street. Ava James has blown me away with her communication skills. It seems like she started talking over night and hasn't stopped! While she can point out eyes, nose, and mouth, she can also verbally tell you which body part she is showing you. She can also show you her head and belly, but can't quite say those body parts yet. She can say "No, No," and likes to show you that she knows something is off limits (like electrical outlets, for example). She can sign "more" and "please." The only animal noise that Ava James knows is duck, but we are working on more animal sounds daily. Ava James is speaking in small phrases rather regularly. Some of the words she can say include, Mama, Daddy, AJ, Nonnie, Poppa, cat, eyes, nose, mouth, banana, more, snow, Elmo, duck, baby, Bob (her baby doll), and bye bye. She is saying more words daily so it's hard to keep up. She basically repeats any small word that she hears. Ava James is still our little mommy and enjoys rocking her baby dolls while I sing "Rock-A-Bye Baby." 

Believe it or not, as long as this is, I am sure I left out so much stuff! 

They really do grow up way too fast!!! 

One Year Old!

Our sweet girls turned one year old on October 24th. I have no clue where the past year went, but it has been so amazing. I have to admit, the first couple of months were extremely hard. Looking back, I have no idea how we functioned on so little sleep and had the patience to keep two tiny, needy babies satisfied and healthy. However, I would do it all over again for the sake of slowing down time! 

The girls had their 12 month old check up shortly after their first birthday. Hadley weighs 20lbs and is 29 3/4 inches tall and our petite Ava James weighs a little over 17lbs and is 29 inches tall. Dr. Trumbull is very happy with both of their weights and heights. No big surprise, but the girls are measuring in a higher percentage for height than weight. 

Both girls are walking and talking more and more. They love to give hugs and kisses- especially to one another. They laugh and play with each other more and more each day. They tend to have giggle fits while playing together which is rather comical. They are good eaters, although Haldey is the pickier of the two. They eat table foods (ham, butter beans, stewed apples, etc.) and drink whole milk- no more formula or bottles. They love fruit! They understand more phrases and words everyday. They understand "Do you want to go change your diaper," "No" "Are you hungry," "Do you want a nack nack (snack)," "Are you ready to eat" and will run to the kitchen upon being asked. They can both say more random words. For example: snack (nack nack), book (boo), cup (pup). More on the girls and a little bit...

The girls had their first birthday party on October 20th. They had so much fun! The girls had a Thing 1 & Thing 2 themed birthday party. I made them matching tutus- they were so cute! They also wore their tutus for Halloween. 

They enjoyed all the sweet friends and family that came to our house to celebrate. They also enjoyed eating their individual (smash) cakes. Ava James was very delicate and dainty when it came to eating hers. Hadley, on the other hand,...completely the opposite! Pretty fitting given their drastically different personalities.

The girls got a lot of fun presents for their birthday! Their Nonnie and Poppa got them a playhouse with a slide. They love it! Hadley loves the slide and Ava James loves opening and closing the front door (of the playhouse) and walking in and out. Rusty and I got them twin baby dolls and accessories. I also refinished a child-size rocking chair and my babydoll crib from when I was a little girl. They got more baby dolls, princess Little People, clothes, blocks, and a lot of more fun toys at their party! 

While they are twins, they couldn't be more different! 

Hadley is still our wild child. She has NO fear! She is also very tough. She stays busy, but still finds time to give hugs and snuggle every now and then. As time passes, we find that she is more shy than her sister. She loves to sit in their chairs, although she gets in trouble for standing in them rather regularly. She is also very obsessed with the nightlight in their room. Hadley likes toys that she can manipulate. She likes blocks and other toys that she can stack. She also likes to throw/bounce balls. Hadley now has five teeth! Three on top and two on the bottom. 

Ava James is more content with playing in one spot and isn't nearly as busy as her sister. She is outgoing and never meets a stranger. Ava James is very michevious (like her Daddy). She will steal her sisters pacifier or hit (not hard) her sister in the head just to agrevate her. While michevious, she is very sweet. She gives her sister kisses constantly, as well as her baby dolls, Mama, Daddy, Nonnie, and Poppa. Speaking of baby dolls, Ava James will definitely be our little mommy. She loves to rock her baby dolls and carry them around the house. Ava James now has six teeth! Four on top and two on the bottom. 

They are growing up so quickly! They are learning new things everyday- it's hard to keep up with all their milestones. 

Every night I make sure to pray for my girls. I try to pray over them (like my Daddy did for me) every night, but sometimes I'm afraid I might wake them. Either way, I say the same prayer every night....

I pray that they always know that they are here on earth for a purpose. Not because some doctors put Mommy on some medicine, but because Father God placed them here for a purpose. I pray that Rusty and I are good parents who lead by example and teach them that they are here to glorify Him all their days. I pray that they continue to love people and as they grow older that they understand the importance of serving others. I pray that they know their worth. That they are beautiful and perfect no matter what some magazine or someone else tells them. This world can be a mean and evil place. I pray that they never let the bad in the world take their beautiful spirits and innocence. Always have childlike faith. I pray that God would be working in the hearts of two little boys right now. That when they grow older that there will be Christ-like men to take care of them and love them as much as Rusty and I do. I pray for their health. I pray that they realize how special their relationship with each other is and to always take care of one another. Lastly, I pray that they always know how much Rusty and I love them. 

God has blessed our family. I will never know why, but I am forever thankful. 

11 Months Old!!!

I can't believe that in just one month, these little miracles will be ONE YEAR OLD! Eleven months have come and gone so quickly. 

Once again, no doctors appointment this past month, so I'm not sure about weights or heights. They are both wearing most 12 month clothing and are eating us out of house and home!!!

Both girls continue to amaze us with their growth and development. Both girls can now tell you who they are. While they can't correctly say their name, they can pat themselves on the chest and pronounce the first letter of their name. Hadley says "Haa" and Ava James will say "Aaa." Doesn't seem like much, but when someone asks, "Who is Hadley/Ava James?" it comes in handy. The girls are also communicating more with one another. They laugh at a each other a lot, share toys, and give each other kisses regularly. However, with every pair of siblings, there have also been some sour moments. The girls have learned to push/pull each down, shove, or even kick each other. We are working on this daily!!! Luckily the girls completely understand "No" or "No Mam." 

The girls have also learned how to throw things (mainly balls). This came about when Bailey (the dog) kept bringing them her tennis ball. They soon learned how to hand Bailey the ball and even throw it (even though it's more like a roll). They have also started playing with toys in the way that they were intended. By that I mean they can properly play with their farm set. They will put the cows inside of their fence and even put the people in the tractor. They also enjoy sitting in chairs. They have a child size rocker in their room that they love. Hadley can easily get in and out of the chair, and Ava James can with a little help. They will even go get a toy to play with while sitting in their "big girl chair." 

The girls have started eating a lot of finger foods this past month. The girls do VERY well with feeding themselves. Hadley's favorite finger food in bananas and Ava James loves peas. Hadley is officially off the bottle (sippy cups only) and hopefully Ava James isn't too far behind. Both girls are still sleeping very well- sleeping almost two hours for both naps and almost 12 hours at night.

This past month brought about the start of Auburn football! The girls have enjoyed tailgating! There are other families that tailgate with us and all of them have kids (or grandchildren) around their age- all girls! The girls really enjoy playing with the "big girls," being outside, and getting a lot of attention from all the people that show up at the tailgate. 

As the girls get older, they are hitting milestone after milestone. It's hard to keep up with them all! I will try my best to remember them...here is more about the girls at 11 months...

Hadley is WALKING! That is most definitely the biggest change in Hadley's life over the past month. While she can't walk long distances, she can walk from one area to another (the recliner to the couch or the kitchen door to the living room, for example). It's funny- she almost doesn't realize that she is walking. If you ask her to walk to you she will drop to her knees and crawl. She really only walks when she isn't thinking too much about it. 

Walking has only increased Hadley's need for a thrill! She is still our daredevil and shows very little fear of anything. Loud noises still scare her but crawling onto furniture, over furniture, into furniture...not scared at all. She loves crawling over the elliptical in the living room and has even devised multiple plans in order to crawl onto the furniture. Both girls have a light weight, green chair that they can easily move around. Hadley will push her chair next to the coffee table or couch and then attempt to crawl up onto the furniture. I'm sure she would be successful as she has managed to get at least one knee onto the coffee table. I always stop her before she has a chance to be successful. She has also learned to crawl up her car seat and into the window seat in their room. She will then proceed to throw every stuffed animal on the floor. In one word, Hadley = BUSY! She never stops. She is ALWAYS doing something and very rarely slows down to sit and watch a TV show or read a book.

Over the past month we have noticed that Hadley is very particular about certain things. She doesn't want anything on the coffee table. She will pull anything that you put on the table onto the floor and then go about her business. She also hates the arm chair covers on the rocker in their room. 

Hadley has become more lovey-dovey over the past month. She loves to give hugs and kisses. She will often say "Mama" and the reach her hands out for hugs. On the subject of speaking, Hadley is still learning more and more words and speaking more clearly. She can say "Mama," "DaDa," "AJ," "Oooo (uh oh)," "More," and "NaNa (Nonnie)." While she hasn't learned a lot more words, you can understand her a lot better. She also knows the sign language for "More" and "touchdown." We continue to work with both girls on sign language. It's just hard when our hands are often occupied by feeding two babies, calming two babies, playing with two babies...you get the point. 

Hadley still has just three teeth but there are a couple buds under the skin that I expect will pop through soon. 

Ava James finally has TEETH!!! Sweet girl has two front teeth (top) that popped through at once. We can see two additional buds on the top, but still no sign of bottom teeth. 

Ava James is still a turbo crawler. While she could easily walk, and has taken two steps on her own, she is still more interested in crawling. She can easily walk the length of the hall with one hand on the wall. I'm pretty confident that when she sees her sister walking regularly that she won't be too far behind 

Our sweet Ava James loves to give hugs and kisses. She often comes out of no where just to give you a kiss or hug. She loves to snuggle and watch TV (Elmo or Super Why) or read a book. While she can't crawl into their kid-sized chairs by herself, she loves to sit in them and watch TV or play with a toy. She is so proud of herself whenever she sits in her chair by herself! 

Ava James has learned a lot more words over this past month and continues to talk up a storm. She can now say "Mama," "DaDa," "NaNe (Nonnie)," and "Poppa." She also likes to do the sign for touchdown. She thinks that's really funny. Ava James has also learned to patty cake. She claps her hands and "rolls it." Especially when she is excited. 

One thing we have learned about our little Ava James recently is that she LOVES music. She now dances when she hears music and even giggles or laughs. She especially loves their lamb that sings " Jesus Loves Me." She will rock the lamb and sometimes hum along. 

Ava James is still very sweet and rarely gets upset. If she gets upset it's because someone or something has hurt her feelings. She loves people and waves at everyone that she meets. Her teachers at Mothers Morning Out and care givers in the church nursery have both told us that she simply wants to stand at the door and wave at everyone who walks by. 

As the girls get older I am constantly reminded how short life is. Mainly because they are growing and developing so quickly. The past eleven months have flown by. It's hard to believe that it was a year ago that we were praying for full-term, healthy babies. I've already started to forget how tiny the girls when they were born. 

I am forever thankful for these two precious babies.

10 Months Old!!!

TEN MONTHS- Two months away from their first birthday! THAT IS INSANE!

No checkups this past month, so I am unsure of their weights. But I can assure you that both girls are growing like crazy. They have almost outgrown their 9 month clothes, although 12m clothes are still too big.

Unfortunately, the girls had their first real/bad illness this past month. It started with Hadley and then ended with Ava James getting sick a week or so later. The doctors were sure it was strep but all tests came back negative. Since it was a virus, the doctor couldn't give our poor babies any antibiotic to knock it out. It definitely affected Ava James more than her sister. While both girls ran fevers, we became very concerned when Ava James' fever spiked to 105! Neither Tylenol or Ibuprofen would bring the fever down. Finally, after three days of extremely high fever and very little sleep, Ava James fever broke and she began to feel MUCH better.

Both girls continue to amaze us with their growth and development. It seems like they are learning something new every day. While both girls are extremely close to walking, Hadley is the closest. Both girls can stand unassisted for short periods of time, and can even "dance" standing all on their own. The girls have also developed their own language in the past month. In the past, the girls babbled back and forth, but it wasn't until this past month where they seemed to really understand one another. They will babble and laugh back and forth for up to an hour! Especially if it is nap time. They will stand in their cribs and giggle/babble/blow raspberries back and forth. They continue to throw pacifiers back and forth and sometimes attempt to wake each other up to play. Both girls like to be around their sister and very rarely do they "venture out" on their own.

The girls still take two naps a day and sleep soundly from 7:00pm until 6:00am. They eat three solid meals a day with a bottle in the afternoon. We have incorporated finger foods into their meals now, which they love. Hadley is obsessed with puffs and Ava James loves slices of banana. We continue to try and faze out the bottle by giving them their formula in sippy cups. They are doing very well with the sippy cup and will hopefully be completely off the bottle by their first birthday in two months.

This past month we took a trip to the Georgia Aquarium. The girls Nonnie, Poppa, Uncle Jason, Aunt Meredith, and cousin Harper were also there!

 

The girls LOVED it! It was extremely crowded that day so we didn't get to spend as much time in some of the exhibits as we would have liked. Both girls enjoyed looking at all of the fish! Ava James especially loved the tide pools. She tried her hardest to reach her hands into the water to reach the sting rays and star fish.

 

The girls went "back to school" this past Thursday (Mother's Morning Out). The girls have moved up a class and seemed to really enjoy themselves. They truly love being around people and other babies. I think that is one advantage of being a twin- they already know how to play with others! Although we are still working on sharing and not pushing/pulling one another. They seem to understand these concepts and are doing much better when told "No."

 

I don't think I have mentioned this in the past, but both girls are OBSESSED with Elmo and have been for a couple months now. Any time we bring out our phones or iPad, they look for Elmo. They have two Elmo DVD's that they would wear completely out if we let them! Both girls recognize the name "Elmo" and will get VERY excited at the sight of his picture.

 

The girls have definitely developed their own personalities. Therefore here is more about the girls individually!

 

 

 

Hadley Kate...where do I begin?! She wants to climb anything and everything! She shows no fear of being hurt and bonking her head. Hadley is so tough! There have been many times that she has bonked her head, fallen, etc. and never shed a tear. She gets right back up and tries again- so determined! Sometimes this can be to her disadvantage. Specifically when she is doing something "bad." Hadley had become obsessed with the very large, very heavy mirror above the changing table. She understands "No," but will still test Rusty and I when we tell her not to touch/grab the mirror. She will even hold her hand out like she is going to grab the mirror all while looking at us as if to say, "You mad?"

 

Hadley has begun to lose interest in crawling. She can take up to four steps unassisted!! She walks around our coffee table constantly. She still holds onto the coffee table, but she could definitely walk by herself. The walker has become her new favorite toy and she will become upset if she can't get behind it to walk it down our main hallway. Although sometimes she tries to run over her sister :( It is a learning process! Another favorite toy of Hadley's if my (Katie) old farmhouse toy and farm animals from when I was younger. We stored it on a bottom shelf in the girls room. Hadley will crawl all the way down the hall, through the foyer, down another hall, and into their room to pull out the farm animals and play.

 

Hadley now has THREE teeth! She has two bottom teeth and one top. We can see another top tooth under the skin and it doesn't seem to be bothering her at all. After her first two (bottom) teeth came through, teething has come easy to her. We began brushing her teeth this past month and she LOVES it! She has Elmo toothpaste and an Elmo toothbrush.

 

Hadley can now say several words and say them with meaning. She knows "Da Da," "Ma Ma," "AJ," "Mo(more)," "Na Na (Nonnie),"and "Ooo (Uh Oh)." She will say "Mo" when I am feeding the girls lunch. Since I have to alternate between feeding Hadley and Ava James, she will say "Mo" whenever I am feeding her sister and wants more. She says "Da Da" the most and only says "Ma Ma" when she wants me for something. She thinks it is funny to intentionally fall just to say "Oooo," which is pretty funny. While she doesn't say "Na Na" as often as she says everything else, I know she is genuinely trying to say "Nonnie." The first time she said it was after she watched her Nonnie (my mom) leave the house one day. She was upset and wanted her to come back!

 

Hadley is still very sensitive when it comes to loud noises. Really loud noises are all that scares Hadley! Thunder, barking dogs, boat motors, vacuum cleaners, and loud music has all scared her at some point. She will grab onto whoever is holding her (or want to be held) at the sound of a loud noise.

 

Hadley is very active and very rarely slows down. She will go full throttle until we put her down for nap time or bedtime. On the rare occasion that she does slow down, she loves to snuggle and sometimes gives kisses. The dog gets more kisses that anyone else- which is funny because Bailey (the dog) is still very cautious of the girls. Bailey gets the most kisses during thunderstorms. Bailey is most scared of thunder and Hadley tries to calm her down by kissing her on the head.

 

 

 

Our sweet Ava James. I have never known another baby who is genuinely so happy all the time. She is the easiest baby to take care of! She entertains herself and can often be found giggling and laughing at whatever she is playing with. AJ is more sensitive than her sister and cries more easily when she bonks her head or falls. She especially gets her feelings hurt whenever she is told "No." Ava James became obsessed with the electrical outlets this past month, and could even get the child proof tabs out of them! Therefore she was told "No" many times. As soon as she realized that Rusty or I was not happy with her, she began to pout, cry, and reach out for us. She was so hurt! I can see that she generally wants to please people and keep everyone happy- which she gets from her Uncle Jason.

 

Ava James continues to be our fast crawler! "Turbo," as she has been called over the past month, is so quick that we sometimes have trouble keeping up with her. While she is interested in walking, she still enjoys crawling. She can stand steady on her feet without assistance but has yet to take more than one unassisted step. However, Ava James LOVES to dance. She will stand, by herself, flap her arms, and move her hips back and forth (dancing). As soon as she hears music she is dancing. She loves music. There is one specific song on one of their Elmo DVD's of Elmo tap dancing and she dances the entire time- definitely her favorite.

 

AJ is still is toothless. In fact, we don't really see any signs of teeth in her mouth at all! No buds or anything. However she is very interested in everyone else's teeth. She likes to look/examine teeth and thinks it so funny when you bite your teeth together or "eat" her toys. I often find her trying to give me her pacifier.

 

Ava James is more talkative than her sister by far! While her sister says more words than she does, Ava James will actively try to hold a conversation with people, her sister, or even her reflection in the mirror. She babbles constantly and even makes multiples noises that are too hard to describe. We don't know how she does it! She says "Da Da" constantly and has only said "Ma Ma" a couple of times. She can imitate sounds that you make and has tried to say "Bye Bye" many times- it comes out as "Ba Ba." However, shes doesn't understand that you say "Ba Ba" when someone is leaving. Ava James can wave "Hello" and "Bye Bye" and will sometimes wave just to get your attention. She waves mostly at family and friends, but will sometimes wave to random strangera who aren't looking. She even waves to Elmo on the TV.

 

Ava James loves to give kisses. She specifically loves to give her sister kisses. That is if Hadley sits still long enough for her to give her a kiss. While Hadley will only give certain people (and the dog) kisses, Ava James will give her sister, me, Rusty, Nonnie, Poppa, Uncle Jason, Aunt Meredith, and cousin Harper kisses (or at least try). You can tell she loves her family!

 

 

As always, I will post this and think of a million things that I forgot to include! They are growing up so fast it is becoming harder and harder to keep up with their milestones.

 

I could get all sappy on you here, but I will wait until their first birthday to do that :) I will simply end by saying that we are one blessed family!

 

 

 



"ADVICE"

Dear Mother of one,  

Today I ran into you in the diaper isle of Target. You might remember me. I was the tall, blonde, overly exhausted, sweaty, woman with no make up who was pushing the ginormous twin stroller through the isle in an attempt to buy enough diapers to last us more than a week. I noticed, and you so delightfully informed me, that you have one child- a 14 month old daughter. She was adorable- so precious as she sat in your buggy, alone,...no other children to poke, prod, steal toys from, shove, push, or pull hair. You got frustrated when she tried to pull some baby wipes from the shelf. Other than that, she was perfect. So well behaved! 

Anyways, I am straying away the reason why I am writing this...

As soon as we met in the diaper isle, you "Ooooo"'ed and "Ahhhhh"'ed over my two beautiful girls. I mean, I can't blame you. They are pretty much the most beautiful children in the world. After drooling over my most incredible accomplishments, you immediately noticed what I was shoving into the bottom of "The Russ Bus (my ginormous twin stroller)." Obviously you understood that I couldn't fit both 10 month old children into one single Target buggy, and I couldn't push a stroller and pull a buggy, therefore I had to improvise and use the stroller as a buggy as well. I'm always worried that people think I am shop-lifting, but thankfully you understood that that wasn't the case! Anyways. Back to the diapers. You immediately noticed that I was buying Target brand diapers. Evidently this action triggered something in your mother-to-one-child-brain that made you think that I wanted your advice. You went on a tangent, for 20 MINUTES about the best place to buy diapers, formula, bottles, pacifiers, wipes, diaper rash cream, etc. I tried to be the nice, gracious, southern woman that my Mama raised me to be, but then you said, "Let me think about what other advice I can give you..." 

WAIT, WHAT?!?!?!?!? 

Now, I appreciate the fact that you wanted to "help" me. But believe me, I have it all under control. As a mother of twins, I do the following on a daily basis:

- Feed two babies at once (this involves a lot of wasted food, stained clothes, jealousy, whinning, screaming, and most likely at least one child will end up with applesauce in their eye)

- Change DOUBLE the diapers you do (lots of poop)

- Keep both babies from poking each other in the eye/pushing each other down/pulling each other down/stealing toys from one another/pulling each others hair/trying to pull each others eyelashes (yes,  this really happens)

- While one baby is trying to eat the dogs tail, the other one is trying to pry the childproof plugs out of the electrical sockets. I have to make a decision as to which child I "save" first. 

- Find the time to wash bottles/wash and fold clothes/change sheets/cook dinner while TWO babies need you for various reasons  

- Try to get the girls to go to sleep for a nap or bedtime when all they want to do is stand in their cribs and throw pacifiers at one another, babble back and forth, or giggle at one another for hours on end. 

- Try to bathe one baby while the other one is screaming from their playpen or highchair

- Try to soothe Baby A because they bumped their noggin' when Baby B get jealous because they aren't getting attention and their "partner in crime" is upset and they don't understand why. 

- The ongoing struggle to make sure BOTH girls get the same amount of attention, toys, clothes, etc. 

- While you get to alternate with your husband during the night, when one of my children wakes up, the other one normally does too. Therefore, I am "on-call" all night long, every night. 

-Purposely take the long way home (and then some) because both babies are asleep and you haven't heard "quite" like this in months.

And the list goes on and on....

Maybe I looked like I needed advice. I understand that I looked like a hot mess. But you have ONE child. In my eyes, your life as a mother is a walk in the park. To you, I'm sure it doesn't seem that way. I'm sure you get just as stressed out as I do. However, before you try to advise me as a mother, please understand that I am doing DOUBLE (and then some) what you do on a daily basis. Simply because your UNO child is older than my DOS children does not mean that you could possibly understand my day as a stay at home mom. 

So what this all boils down to is this...

I SHOULD BE GIVING YOU ADVICE. There will come a day when you have a second child. When that day comes, you will understand. Your world will be turned upside down as your oldest tries to feed the newborn baby a small Lego, or poke him/her in the eye, or finally has to understand that their parents are "shared" now. Wine and alone time locked in your bathroom will become the highlight of your exhausting, busy day. 

I hope this letter hasn't offended you, as that was not my intention. I am normally not this arrogant and annoying, I promise. There is only so much generosity and sweetness that this southern belle of twins can contain in her exhausted, saggy body. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade this lifestyle for anything in this world. And please do not consider this as complaining - I have the best, most rewarding job on the planet! I love being a stay at home mom- especially to twins! It's exhausting and stressful, but they are my everything. I have the blessing of seeing my babies grow up with their best friend! 

I understand that there are mothers out there that have twins plus one, or triplets, or MORE! And that is absolutely insane to me. Those mothers are real life heroes. REAL. FREAKING. HEROES. I strongly believe that these women have super powers. Seriously. I don't see how they do what they do. Therefore I will never give them advice :) 

Sincerely, 

One Exhausted Mama of Twins 

9 Months Old!

The girls are 9 months old!!! That is only THREE months away from TURNING ONE. Unbelievable.

The girls had their nine month check up with Dr. Trumbull a couple of days ago so I actually have their updated weights! Hadley Kate is 18lbs 5oz., and Ava James was 15lbs 10oz. Both girls are 27 inches tall and growing just as Dr. Trumbull would like for them to. We (Dr. Trumbull) believe that Hadley might have a slight heart murmur, but nothing significant enough to need further testing or monitoring. I (Katie) also had a heart murmur when I was about the same age that I eventually grew out of.  Dr. Trumbull was pleased with their diet and schedule. Both girls eat three meals a day now, each followed by formula. They also have a "snack bottle" mid-afternoon. We are slowing fazing the bottles out by putting their formula (and water) in sippy cups. Ava James has taken to her sippy cup like a pro. Hadley is still unsure and would prefer a bottle. The girls have also done away with one of their naps. Instead of taking naps at 8:30am, 12:30pm, and 4:00pm, they now only take two naps at 9:00am and 1:00pm. They normally sleep for about an hour and a half for each nap. While we were at the doctor, both girls had their fingers pricked to check for iron deficiency. Ava James was quite upset, but Hadley didn't even cry! She watched the nurse the entire time and never shed a tear. Both girls had excellent blood counts and no sign of iron deficiency. Dr. Trumbull was also excited about the girls crawling and ability to walk with the help of a walker. He said that the girls are actually "advanced" when it comes to mobility.

The girls seem to have grown up more in the past month then they have anytime in the past. The girls are now outgrowing all of their 9 month clothes- especially Hadley! Also, both girls are ALL OVER THE PLACE. They are both extremely fast crawlers- especially Ava James. Her Daddy is a fast runner, so obviously she takes after him. Both girls can pull up on furniture, child gates, toys, and even each other. They can stand completely on their own for a few seconds before losing their balance. They like to "test the waters" by pulling up on furniture and then letting go. Like I mentioned before, both girls can walk with the assistance of a walker. Hadley is more interested in walking than Ava James. I think Ava James would be more interested in walking if she wasn't such a fast crawler!

The girls continue to become closer to one another, love spending time with each other, and have even began playing with each other. With both girls crawling, they have the ability to split ways and go in separate directions. Thank goodness they don't! They go every where together. If we take the girls into separate rooms they normally become very upset. They often sit on each other (not really sure why) and never seem to mind being sat on. You can tell they love each other and generally enjoy each others company. Ava James LOVES to give her sister kisses (see picture below)!

The girls also continue to babble and talk more. They even talk to one another more than they have in the past. Both girls are still fairly limited as to what they can say, but more on that later.

The girls are starting to learn how to share! The girls never get upset when their sister steals their toy or pacifier, but I have a feeling that is short lived. We have been working on NOT stealing/snatching toys and pacifiers from each other. I can tell this will be an ongoing lesson for many years!

We rearranged the girl's room this past month by moving their cribs. Their cribs were directly beside each other. Nap time had become impossible with the cribs side by side. The girls were standing in their cribs (which resulted in lowering their cribs), talking and laughing at one another, and even throwing pacifiers at each other. If one girl woke up before her sister, she would stand at the end of her crib and wake her sister up. Sometimes they would even throw pacifiers at one another to wake each other up. So needless to say, we were forced to move Hadley's crib to a separate wall and away from Ava James' crib.

The girls had their first Fourth of July over the past month. We spent several days at the girls grandparent's house (Nonnie & Poppa's) on Lake Jordan. The girls Uncle Jason, Aunt Meredith, and cousin Harper were also there.

(The girls with cousin Harper)

Although we had big plans to get the girls on the boat, go swimming, and generally spend a lot of time outside, Mother Nature had other plans. Unfortunately it rained the ENTIRE TIME. Therefore we spent the majority of our time inside. The girls had a lot of fun with their cousin Harper, so it was still a good holiday!

Another big event over the past month was the girls first time spending the night away from home without Mama and Daddy! Although we love our girls, Mama and Daddy needed some rest and relaxation. The girls spent three days (two nights) at their Nonnie & Poppa's while we were in Orange Beach, Alabama. Although Ava James had one rough night, overall the girls did very well! Or maybe I should their Nonnie and Poppa did very well? Either way, everyone had fun! The girls were spoiled by their Nonnie and Poppa and we were able to go to a Dave Matthews Band concert and spend some time on the beach. The girls were even treated to a concert by their Poppa! Their Poppa played the guitar for them and even let them bang on the guitar strings. Hadley was a little more cautious, where as Ava James danced along to the music.

 

Here is some more about the girls at nine months...

 

Hadley Kate is still our active girl. She is into EVERYTHING. Hadley especially loves to do all the things that Mama has told her not to. She has learned the meaning of "No, No," and likes to test just how far her Mama will let her go. She most often gets told "No, No" because she is trying to pull paper out the trash can, pushing on the fire place screen, stealing a toy from her sister, or pulling on house plants. I often hear giggles right before Hadley does something that she knows she is not supposed to. Hadley also LOVES to climb. We built Bailey (the dog) stairs to get on the bed- Hadley LOVES to crawl all the way up them! She is such a good climber that she can climb the stairs all by herself (although we don't let her). Hadley's vocabulary has grown over the past month. She can now say "Da Da." "Ma Ma," and even "AJ." We have heard her call her sister several times. Hadley is very interested in walking and prefers to stand in opposition to sitting. She can walk very easily with her walker, but would rather try to walk on her own. She can stand completely on her own for short periods of time. I believe she will walk very soon! Hadley is still a good eater and doesn't seem to be picky at all. We are having a harder time weaning her off of her bottle, but she is slowing but surely warming up to her sippy cup. Possibly Hadley's biggest accomplishment this past month (not sure if you really call this an accomplishment, but you get the point) is that she has a tooth!!! One of her bottom teeth came in while Rusty and I were in Orange Beach. We had been seeing it under gums for weeks, and she had definitely been fussier than in the past, so it was no big surprise when it popped through one night while she was sleeping. It won't be must longer until her second tooth comes in. We can see it under her gums as well. Hadley loves to play peak-a-boo and thinks its hilarious if you throw a blanket or burp cloth over her head. She has also began to patty cake! Hadley rarely meets a stranger, but will get upset if stranger gets too close. She greets everyone with a smile :) Hadley is definitely a Mama's girl and is more sensitive than you would think. She gets her feelings hurt easily, but is quick to forgive. Hadley is our tough girl. As I mentioned before, she didn't even flinch while getting her finger pricked at the doctor. She very rarely cries if she bonks her head or falls while standing or trying to walk. If she does cry, we know she is really hurt!

 

Ava James continues to come out of her shell. She is still our sweet, snugly girl, but she has developed quite the mischievous side. It is still a sweet mischievous side though. She loves to steal her sister's pacifier (even if she is crying at the time), toys, and even bottle/sippy cup. However, she is still quick to her give her sister kisses on the forehead or get upset if her sister gets upset. She is so sweet that she even gives baby dolls kisses! Ava James has began to wave. She will randomly wave at people (especially Rusty and I) and even waves at people on the TV. AJ still loves to babble. She hasn't spoken any new words since last month, but I think that is mostly because she has been too busy with crawling. She still babbles a lot and loves to "sing." If you blow a raspberry, she will copy you and make a game of it. She loves to play peak-a-boo but would rather "feed" you her toys and pacifiers. Ava James also dances quite regularly. If she hears music, she will flap her arms or sway her hips if she is standing. Like her sister, Ava James has also began to learn the meaning of "No, No." Normally we only have to tell AJ "No, No" once before she is on to something new. Ava James has developed an obsession with Bailey's dog crate. We aren't really sure why, but she loves to sit next to the crate, babble, and sometimes try to crawl inside. I have a feeling it won't be much longer until she tries to evict Bailey. Ava James doesn't have any teeth yet, but she is certainly teething. Out of the two girls, Ava James is most definitely our more accident prone child. She seems to get herself into the worst positions which normally ends in a bonked head. AJ will even run into walls or furniture while "turbo crawling" through the living room. It is must harder to gauge how "hurt" Ava James is sometimes since she is such a sensitive baby.

 

As always, I'm sure I have missed a thousand things. They grow and develop so much every week (even every day) that it is sometimes hard to keep up with everything.

 

They are still our miracle babies and our constant reminders of how mighty our God is. They will never know how much we love them. I never understood how much my parents loved me until they were born! Its incredible!