Mother Marie

The Return of Mother Marie

2011-12-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

Holy cow! I haven't posted in almost a year. And it has been one crazy year...With New Year's upon us and the resolutions that follow I have decided to make blogging a priority on my list of things to accomplish. Mother Marie is back in business! So I'll see you all in the New Year. Here's wishing you a happy one.

Creepy Russian Baby Yoga

2011-01-22T08:45:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my friend Elsa for reminding me about this wacky video. It's like a train wreck, you really want to look away but you just can't. Can this be safe? I really hope the kid turns out OK.

Twins Turning Two!

2011-01-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

Well, the holidays have come and gone. I hope you all had pleasant ones (or at least survived all of the holiday hubbub)! In November I decided to make a career change from marketing to health care. I started CNA classes in November, graduated in December and started work December 27th. So on top of all the holiday shenanigans I was making major changes in my life. I'm currently working as a CNA because it's "where you have to start" in the health care industry, or so I've been told. I plan to move on to another care related career, but I'm still doing my research and narrowing down the options. I'd like to be involved with pregnancy, labor and or postpartum - just not sure in what capacity yet.

So our lovely ladies turn two years old tomorrow! I can hardly believe it. How time flies when you're a parent. They have changed so much in such a short amount of time. Mollie talks in full sentences; honestly it's like talking to a 5 or 6 year old sometimes. She repeats everything she hears and seems to understand it all too...even words that are way beyond her 24 month old vocabulary. She's always naming things; not only the things themselves but their shape and color and where they are spatially...honestly it's a little spooky how much she knows. Addie is starting to talk more too, but her thing is ABC's and counting. She can recognize most every letter in the alphabet and count way past ten. She uses less words than Mollie, but the ones she does use, she uses them well. Mollie is a hoarder. She has to have every blanket or stuffed animal in the house with her, especially in her crib. She loves to play with her baby doll like mama does with her baby brother. She also loves The Little Einsteins. Unfortunately her and Addie can sing the whole theme song. Addie's favorite things are her Tigger, her alphabet magnets and her alphabet learning toys. Addie's hair is crazy curly, just like mine when I was little. They are both so amazing and Adam and I are so lucky to have them in our lives. I'm looking forward to seeing their faces light up tomorrow as we celebrate their birthdays'.

Jaxon is growing so fast too. He's almost 8 months old now. He is rolling all over the place, sits up and stands with support. He's got two teeth that just broke through his gums. When he was teething is the only time he was a little cranky, other than that, he's the happiest baby on the block. He is always so easy going, I hope he can keep that disposition through out life.

Well, this momma is going to take a much needed break. Not sure that it will last long, but a few minutes in better than none. More blogging coming soon...

How Time Flies

2010-12-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, has it really been three months since I post last? Yikes! Needless to say things have been busy around here. I've made a career change, went to school & graduated and got a new job. The kids are growing like weeds. And of course the holidays have got us on the move too. I plan to post tomorrow to catch up and hopefully I can get back to a regular blog writing schedule.

Happy Holidays!

Bad Blogger

2010-09-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

Uhg, I am such a bad blogger these days. I haven't posted in weeks and weeks AND I was going to do regular Wednesday and Friday posts but that hasn't happened either. I really do want to blog, but the hours in the day just slip on by as I care for the kids and try to carve out a little mommy time (virtually non-existent is the mommy time). By the time I have a spare minute or two to blog I'm so tired that I just plop onto the couch or crawl into bed. I know, "wah! poor me!" All of us mom's are hard working without much time to spare. So for all you blogging mama's, what's your secret? When do you blog? How do you make the time for it without neglecting responsibilities? How do you avoid napping instead of blogging? Inquiring minds want to know! Hopefully I can get back to blogging on a regular basis soon. I'll attempt a family update tomorrow and see how things go from there.

Web Deal Wednesday - better late than never

2010-08-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's a day late but things have been rather busy around here. Here's a few deals for you. The first installment of Fit Friday is coming up tomorrow (fingers crossed that I get time to post it!!). Enjoy.

Free Prevacid 24HR for heartburn

Nature Made Casino D instant win game, every one wins at least a free sample of Vitamin D

Free Atkins bars and starter kit

Free Ola Loahttp://www.drinkyourvitamins.com/contact-us/requests/product-samples-request-form.html drinkable vitamins sample

Buy one, get one free of Athenos Feta on Facebook

Free Jiffy recipe book

I'll try to add some more later when the kids go down for a nap.

Fit Friday Delayed

2010-08-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

So, I was going to do the next installment of my "themed blogging" on Friday, Fit Friday. Unfortunately it will be delayed until Sunday, or at best, later tonight. In the future it will still be on Friday but yesterday was just not meant to be as we have a sick child on our hands. Addie developed a fever on Tuesday. They were at NeNe's for the day and grandma said that Addie projectile vomited and had a temperature of 102.2. For the next several days her temperature remained high but really no other signs of illness like snotty nose, cough, etc. She did have a lack of appetite and was very cranky. On Friday we decided it was time to see the doctor after she had reached a temperature of 104. To be sure that it wasn't bacterial they ran some blood work. The bacterial blood work hasn't returned from the lab yet but we did get blood work that indicated her White Blood Cells and Platelets were low. To be better safe then sorry Kaiser sent us to Doerenbecher's Children's Hospital Pediatric ER for observation. They took some tests, did some observation, but couldn't really come to any conclusions. They're leaning toward something viral but until the blood cultures come back they really can't say for sure. They were considering keeping us overnight but at 1 am I told them we were ready to go home. Addie was upset and I knew that she would sleep better in her own bed. They said to come back today if she didn't get better. She slept in today. Had a little food (finally!) and water and seems to be doing better. She is sleeping a lot and is still cranky but her temperature seems to be OK. We won't really know more until next week. In my gut I feel that everything is OK with her but it sure is scary when your child doesn't feel well. You feel so helpless, especially when you don't know what is wrong. You'd do anything to make it feel better if you could. So for now we're trying to make her comfortable and just hang tight hoping it's a virus and that she gets over it soon. So I do plan on posting a "fitness" post in the next 24 hours or so as long as things go well. I hope YOU are all staying well and if you're in Portland, OR (like me) I hope you're staying cool - it's 6:30 pm and 97 degrees!

Web Deal Wednesday

2010-08-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my first "themed" weekly post. On Wednesdays' I'll be dishing up deals from the Internet; free, discounts, coupons, etc. Some of these offers I'll try myself and others I won't. When applicable I provide reviews on some of the things I've received or saved money on. I'd also love it if you let me know about some of the products and/or services that you receive and what you thought of them. One of the first things I'm going to share with you is not actually a "freebie, discount, or coupon".

Bzzagent.com
It's a Word of Mouth Marketing website. Over the years it has helped me discover a lot of fabulous products and save money by trying others out. This one actually takes a bit of work but it's worth it. You sign up (for free) as a member, fill out a profile and answer surveys. Bzzagent then sends you campaigns and if you're interested you sign up, receive the product, try it out, tell other people about it (good or bad) and report back to bzzagent. Over the years I've received a Sonicare Toothbrush (over $150 value), hair care products, make up, food, etc. Right now I'm testing L'Oreal's Collagen Micro-Pulse and Lash Blast Fusion. They also send you loads of coupons to hand out to people that you talk to about bzzagent. In addition to trying all the wonderful products and services you earn "points" which are applied to www.mypoints.com where you can in turn spend it on all sorts of things (in the form of gift cards). I'm a former marketing manager who is fond on grassroots and word of mouth marketing so this is right up my alley. I don't feel like I have to go out of my way when trying and sharing these products it's something you naturally do when you like something (or dislike); you want to tell others about it.

Free Music from Amazon
Amazon.com offers quite a few FREE album and song downloads. I love building my music collection and this is a great way to do it. You may not have heard of some of the artists and some will be ones you know well. My philosophy is download it and if you don't like it delete it. No harm in that and you might find a new band or artist that you love. Click below for the album results. You can also do the same for Mp3's.
Search Amazon.com for free album downloads
Search Amazon.com for free mp3 downloads

Amazon also offers a free reader version of their Kindle to download to your computer. This way you don't have to own a Kindle to enjoy their book downloads. Speaking of which they also offer many books to read via the Kindle for PC for free as well. I've downloaded all sorts of classics, cookbooks and a couple of novels I've never even heard of. I'm a bookworm and if I ever have enough time to read a book again I've got a library to choose from. Actually I am reading a real hardcover book right now but what would normally take me weeks is likely going to take me a year to read with all my cute little distractions (i.e. the kids). Some of the free Kindle books right now are: Flowers for Elvis, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, A Little Death in Dixie and many more (make sure the "buy" price is 0.00).

Free recipe booklet from J. Lohr Vineyard & Wines. They asked chefs from across the country to submit from among their favorite recipes that pair with their J. Lohr Estates Los Osos Merlot.

Free Earth's Best Organic Infant Formula

Free NasalCEASE for nosebleeds plus $3 in coupons

Free Post-it Notes Super Sticky notes

Free sample of Emergen-C from Walmart

Coupons

Juicy Juice
Schick (when you like them on Facebook)
Nature Made Sleep Aid
Scott tissue

Well, that's it for now. If I come across some more I'll post them as an *update*.

Addie is getting over a high fever (102.2) and I'm sure it's just a matter of time before the rest of the household gets it so I'm off to give Addie some TLC and make sure the rest of us take it easy. Good thing I got a free sample of Emergen-C a couple of weeks ago through Facebook - just in time!

Weekly Blog Posts

2010-08-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

So I've decided that I'm going to attempt to do some weekly "themed" blog posting. I'm hoping that A) it will help me keep to my blog schedule despite all the distractions and B) it will give y'all a reason to keep reading my blog. So Wednesdays' will be "Web Deal Wednesday" and Fridays' will be "Fit Friday". Here's a description to let you know what to expect.

WEDNESDAY "Web Deal"
So as a mom on a budget I'm always looking for a deal. I want to try products before I buy them and save money when I do decide to purchase them. Web Deal Wednesday will tell you about FREE samples, coupons, savings, and deals that you can find on the Internet. I'll do the research for you and you reap the rewards. I've been doing this for years and you won't believe the stuff that you'll receive for FREE. It does take a little time but it's worth it.

FRIDAY "Fit Friday"
Friday will be a day to talk about all things health and fitness related; mind, body and soul. I am personally on a journey to lose a lot of weight after having 3 children in 16 1/2 months; so I'll likely talk a lot about that but I will also share recipes, news stories, workout music, statistics, reviews, etc. As I mentioned it won't be all about "body fitness" but also fitness for the mind & soul. Perhaps a better way to put it is "living well".

So, wish me luck...it's so hard to do anything on a regular basis without any distractions let alone with 3 kids under 18 months. But I have faith...I think I can, I think I can...tomorrow is Wednesday so that means Web Deals...Hopefully I'll have some good stuff for ya.

Marie

Late Night Lemonade???

2010-08-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

So I was on my way home from an evening out for dinner; we celebrated my brother's 32nd birthday (Happy birthday Scotty) at Junki Yoshida's Riverview Restaurant (yes of the Yoshida sauce fame). Believe it or not I was able to leave the brood at home with dad and go solo. On the way home on the corner of my street about four blocks from my house is a sign that says LEMONADE with a picture of a quarter (the quarter has been enlarged to about the size of a cantaloupe). Then two blocks down is a lemonade stand in front of my neighbors house. It's quite a nice lemonade stand, made of wood, hand painted and decorated with white string lights. There's some toddlers running around and a man, I presume the dad, standing at the lemonade stand. Now this wouldn't be such an odd sight if it weren't after 9 pm at night. We live in a residential neighborhood that does get some traffic (car and foot) but not that much traffic to constitute having a lemonade stand at night. I don't know, maybe there was a slumber party going on and it was an activity for the kids, but it didn't really look like it. I'm looking forward to the day that our kids want to have a lemonade stand but I'm pretty sure it'll close up shop when the sun goes down.

Life's a Beach

2010-07-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

We took our first family vacation. We headed off to Oceanside with Adam's side of the family for a few days. The girls absolutely loved the ocean, well mostly they loved playing in the sand - especially Addie who liked to eat it. We're still trying to get sand out of all the nooks and crannies. Here's a few pics from the trip.

Mollie digging the sand

Mollie & Addie

Mollie walking on the beach

Daddy walking with Jaxon

Daddy and daughter: Mollie

Mollie

Daddy and daughter: Addison

View at Oceanside

Getting dirty, Mollie & Addie

Birth Day

2010-07-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

As you may have guessed I am NOT 48 weeks pregnant and our little man has joined our family. He arrived on his due day; May 29th 2010. Speak of the devil! His little whimper is coming through the monitor now. And I thought I could get away with a few minutes of blogging. A mothers work is never done...be right back, off to check on the little monkey.

Six hours later...
Well, one thing leads to another and before you know it your day is more than half over. NeNe picked up the girls earlier today which allowed me, with baby in tow, to get some errands done. I still have a mountain of chores and things I'd like to get done today, not to mention some good old fashioned relaxing but something tells me I'm not going to even make a dent in my to do list. Figured I'd sneak in a few minutes of blogging and give you all the story of little man's birth.

Jaxon James Dietrich Burck
Being that we thought Jaxon was going to be a "big boy" and I probably had gestational diabetes we decided not to let him go past his due date and scheduled an induction for his due date on 5/29/10. Around 9 pm or so on the 28th I took a dosage of castor oil per the recommendation of our doula (more about our fabulous doula later). About an hour later the side effects of cator oil kicked in then around 1 am I started to have labor pains. Although somewhat painful, I knew it wasn't "time" so I didn't wake Adam. Besides, we had an induction scheduled for 8 am. Between the pain and anxiety I didn't get much sleep of course. Adam, the twins and I arrived at Kaiser Sunnyside at 8 am and met with our doula Lena. We checked in, got the girls settled, waited for some family to arrive and started the pitocin around 10:30 am or so. I began to labor, but not the serious "oh my god I've got to push right now!" labor pains. I was able to talk and visit with family and enjoy massages and foot rubs from Lena, Adam & my mom. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all easy breezy, I just hadn't hit active labor yet. I kept dilating but was only around 4 cm or so by evening time. So a little after 7 pm or so the CNM (certified nurse midwife) came in to check things out. The decided to break my water. She then says "oh, you're at 5 cm, now 6 cm, OK now 7 cm - we're going to have a baby now" She then remarks that they should have set up their birthing table and that I should feel some pressure now. I'm in the middle of say that I don't feel any pressure when OH MY GOD I feel pressure. That's when the "fun" begins. This birth was all natural, not pain medication. When I had the girls I had an epidural. Granted I still felt a lot of pain when delivering them but I didn't feel that same urge to push or the same type of pain. The nurses, Lena, my mom and Adam we're all wonderful and very helpful. They helped me visualize pushing Jaxon through the birth canal and into the world. It only to 4 big pushes. Well, technically 4 and a half. Half way through push number 4 I took a deep breath and bared down again and out he came. He had hardly any time in the birth canal so his head didn't come out cone shaped. He had a very short umbilical cord so they couldn't put him on my chest until they got it clipped. We let it stay attached until it stopped pulsing to allow all the nutrients to pass through. He arrived at 7:57 pm weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz and 20 inches long. Ten fingers, ten toes and all around happy, healthy little guy.

OH, I almost forgot to the mention the part about how Adam almost missed the birth of his son. It had been a long day so Adam went home to get the girls settled into bed so Aunt Stacie and Uncle Dan could babysit them. Jaxon's head still hadn't dropped so we thought it would be a while but then they decided to break my water and that's when his head moved into place and things started happening. My sister in law Cassie called Adam to tell him that Jaxon's head dropped into place and we were getting close. Instead she called him and said, "Jaxon's head popped out!" so he thought he was missing the birth. He hopped in the car and drove 100 mph to get to the hospital. Granted, Jaxon's head hadn't popped "out" but it didn't ensure that he got to the hospital just as things were starting to happen and witness the birth of his son. The day after Jaxon was born I had my tubal ligation, so the baby factory has been shut down. Yep, closed for baby making business...well not the business, just the baby making part. The following are some pictures from Jaxon's birthday...

My big ol' baby belly

Jaxon has arrived

What a journey for us both

Great Aunt Beck and Great Grandma Shirley

Going home

Dad buckling in Jaxon for the ride home

Well, I didn't get half the things done that I wanted to today but I did finally managed to post this blog. It's been two months in the making. On Saturday Jaxon will be 8 weeks old. I intend to blog more often but we all know how that goes...something about a road paved with good intentions??? Here's a few more recent pictures (last week) of Jaxon. Daddy had been on baby watching duty for a few hours and "needs a break". Ha! Toughen up daddy! Well, I'm glad to be back to blogging. More to come...

Tick Tock Tick Tock...

2010-05-15T20:05:00.001-07:00

My maternal clock is ticking...not to get pregnant of course (been there done that!) but to give birth to the baby boy hanging out inside my belly. Yes, it is easier to care for the little guy when he's like a kangaroo in my pouch but I'm also ready to meet the little man and get this show on the road! We've been getting things for his arrival but of course it seems like there's always more to do and it will never been done. I'm trying to be better about not taking on too much and relaxing a little bit but it's hard to do, especially with two little monkey's swinging from my arms. I think tomorrow I (or we...Adam and I) will do a couple more minor tasks and then I'll call it quits and just try and relax (as best as possible) until baby boy arrives. Those tasks being: pack my hospital bag, pack the girls hospital bag (activities and snacks to keep them happy) and then clear out the nursery of the miscellaneous crap that keeps getting stored in there. You know how you clean out one thing and then it gets moved to another part of the house? Well that's what has happened in the nursery...a handful of bags of yard sale stuff and random junk has made it's way in there. It should only take 20 minutes to sort out but I've got to get it done so I can feel like we're "ready to go".

So I have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday morning, which happens to be my mom's birthday, to see just how big baby boy has gotten. A week and a half ago I was dilated to 1 cm and my cervix is soft. I'm sure things have progressed a bit more but just how much I don't know. I probably won't even find out on Monday since it's only and ultrasound, but he could be so big that might send me in to get checked out. We shall see. I think he's coming early, I don't really feel like he's gonna wait until May 29th. Just my luck he'll be 3 weeks late! I really don't think they'll let him go that long though...he'll be a full grown man if I'm over due!

The girls are growing so fast! I'll try and give a full update on them in the next few days but in the meantime here's a couple of pictures.
Mollie with PawPaw on his birthday

Mollie making her silly face

Addie excited to see her cousin Maya

Addie...stop with all the pictures mom, puuuhleeeze!

Any Day Now...

2010-05-11T12:02:00.001-07:00

Materinity Mix - A Childbirth Play List

2010-04-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I realize that music and childbirth are very personal experiences but I'm trying to put together my music mix for while I'm laboring. I don't necessarily mean to have the music blaring while I'm birthing but I'm just thinking it would be nice to have some background noise leading up to things and maybe during delivery. When I gave birth to the twins we were in the surgical center, instead of a birthing room, because you have to be prepared in case something goes wrong. So it was very clinical and not very soothing. I'm hoping this time around I can deliver in the birthing room and I think a little mood music would be nice. So, does anyone have any suggestions for music to add to my play list? I listen to all kinds of music so type of music isn't really an issue...just things that might keep me going, soothe me, inspire me, make me happy, think of our baby boy on the way, etc.

On the Road to Wellville

2010-04-23T00:07:00.000-07:00

I've taken a wee bit of a blogging break as we've all been sick for the last week or so. Plus I had a 35th birthday to celebrate. I did have a happy birthday despite being under the weather. The girls are still "snot nosed" but they seem to be feeling better, i.e. sleeping better, not vomiting or coughing uncontrollably. Although as I type this Addie just woke up screaming at the top of her lungs. I sent daddy off to the rescue. Hopefully, it can be remedied by a diaper change and a warm beverage. I hope to be able to get some posting in this weekend. Until then...be well. Oh, and happy Earth Day!

BABIES on the Brain

2010-04-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

So there's a new documentary coming out on Mother's Day about babies and appropriately enough it's called BABIES. I'm part of a word of mouth marketing website called BzzAgent which let's you try products for free and share them with your community. BzzAgent shared this new movie with us and has asked us to share it with others. I'll be posting info, links, videos, etc. about BABIES through out the month. I believe there is even a sweepstakes that you can enter. So if you've got babies on the brain, in your belly or on your hip here's a sneak peak at what looks like is going to be an entertaining documentary. Enjoy!

Click below to be taken to the Website and watch the trailer!

Hoppy Easter

2010-04-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

Happy (belated) Easter!

The munchkins and I spent the day at NeNe's house. They were quite thrilled about the chocolate and other goodies.

Big Bouncing Baby Boy

2010-04-01T11:10:00.001-07:00

So at the end of March I went to the doctor for my monthly prenatal appointment. My regular doctor was on delivery duty so I saw another doctor. My doc doesn't usually measure fundal height (measuring the belly) but this doctor did. I think it's a hold over from the days when ultrasound wasn't used as much or still fairly new. That day I think I was around 30 weeks & 3 days but my belly was measuring 39 weeks! I had told the doctor (before measuring) that I felt really big and that I thought it was a combination of just having twins and that he was going to be a big boy. The doc ordered an ultrasound just to make sure everything was OK. I had the ultrasound on Wednesday, March 31st at 31 weeks 3 days. Everything checked out OK accept that baby boy was measuring 4 lbs. 8 oz.; about a pound bigger than average and about 12 days ahead of schedule. Also they noted that I had 25.9 centimeters worth of amniotic fluid and the cut off that they like to see is 25 cm. So that means that I have what is called polyhydramnios. Sometimes polyhydraminos can mean things are "wrong" and other times it doesn't mean much at all. There can be some complications like preterm labor or delivering C-section versus natural. After my records were sent to the high risk doctor they believe that I may have gestational diabetes (again!). I've tested negative for it several times but they think the test may have not caught it and that's why I have excessive fluid. I wouldn't be surprised. Moms of twins often get it during their pregnancy and I did - they say that you are much more likely to get it again in subsequent pregnancies once you've already had it. So for the next 7 days I have to check my blood sugar levels 4 times a day. If I have the GD again then we maintain it by diet. If I don't...well then I don't know what. So baby boy is big (and so is momma too!) and the ultrasound tech confirmed that it was not just me but that he is quite a mover and a shaker. It feels like he's playing football in my belly. The US tech also showed me that he had a ton of spikey hair on the back of his head; not so much on the top yet. I thought he might because I've been having some heartburn. He also seems to have daddy's mouth which we refer to it as the Simpson mouth - fuller up top and not so much on the lower lip. I'll post the latest, and probably the last, ultrasound picture. So just over 7 weeks left unless the little fella comes early. It's going to go by quick. I've got a little baby shower this coming Saturday, then my 35th birthday is April 19th, Mother's day is May 9th followed by half of my families birthday's in May, then baby boy should be here near May 29th. So, that's the latest on me and baby boy. I'll keep ya posted.

Please Hold...

2010-03-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

Ah, well I've just ambled up the stairs with coffee and baby monitor in hand. Just as I sat down the monitor begins to flash blue and the sweet sounds of my baby girls chattering to each other comes through the speaker. Well, at least I tried to get some blogging done. The morning routine begins...grab a girl, wave bye-bye to the other baby girl and say "be right back sister", stumble into the living room, change the first dirty diaper, open the living room shades and pull back the curtains (they LOVE to look out the window), go get second baby girl, change another dirty diaper and let them start pulling down books and toys from the shelf. Usually within minutes Mollie runs to the kitchen baby gate and starts saying "cook, cook, cook" or "nana" or "cook nana", which all mean it's time for breakfast mom. So I round up breakfast for the munchkins...it varies but they really like bananas, mini pancakes and a handful of multi-grain Cheerios. Then after cleaning up we all run into the bedroom, jump on the bed and say "da da" and wake up Adam. Speaking of which, it's time to get this party started...please hold.

More Blogging Coming Soon

2010-03-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

Been busy with the girls and being pregnant but I hope to do some blogging tomorrow. Wish there were more hours in the day for blogging...then again I'd probably use those extra hours to nap instead! We went to the park with the girls today; here's a couple of pictures.
1. Addie holding Daddy's hand
2. Mollie is a swingin' chick
3. Mollie going down the slide with Daddy
4. Addie's turn to go down the slide with Daddy

A Video to Watch: Healthy Child, Healthy World

2010-02-26T10:57:00.000-08:00

Just a Quickie!

2010-02-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

The girls are down for a morning nap so I've got just a few minutes for some catch up blogging. I'll try and quickly fill y'all in on the haps and then follow up with some more lengthy posts in the next few days.

I had my monthly baby doctor appointment yesterday. All went well other than the fact that I had to spend several hours at Kaiser because they were running behind, then they needed me to do blood work and get my Rhogam shot. Let's just say they were less than organized yesterday and I spent almost 3 hours there for what should have taken no more than an hour. I'm about 27 weeks pregnant or 6 and 3/4 months along. Baby boy LOVES to kick. I'm not sure if it's because I'm used to having two in my belly and now that I've got one it just seems like I'm getting "the poop" kicked out of me or if he's just an active baby. Regardless I'm already considering signing him up for kickboxing or soccer lessons.

We took some 1st birthday pictures of the girls which turned out really cute, but we had to take some re-take pictures because the camera wasn't on the proper setting and some of them appear super washed out. I'll post a few today if I have the chance, if not, I'll get them up tomorrow. Today we go to view the re-take pictures and choose which ones we want so there will be more to come soon.

Well, I'd love to post more but I'm working on borrowed time. It won't be long for the girls wake up and I've just enjoyed my first real shower (the kind where I get to wash my hair, and not just sponge wash myself in 60 seconds) in days! I need to dry my hair and get dressed before the little monkeys wake up. I'll post soon with more updates. And hopefully I'll be able to post some other fun mommy topics (other than what my little munchkins are doing) for all the other supermoms out there!

mobile blogging

2010-02-24T15:32:00.000-08:00

I'm at my baby doc appointment and testing blogging from my phone. More to come soon!

Happy First Birthday Mollie & Addie

2010-01-27T16:33:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it...the girls are now 1 year old! They celebrated their 1st birthday on January 21st. We spent that day getting some professional pictures taken, which turned out VERY cute. Ok, so I'm a little biased but they really are adorable. Once we get them back (tomorrow I think) I'll post some of them for you to see. They did really good considering it was a two hour session with 5 outfit changes, no nap, and a light lunch. They didn't really start to melt down until the end and even then it was minor. They did give me a hard time that evening. You'd think spending all day modeling would tucker the girls out but OH NO, they wanted to stay up all night and party just like real runway models ;)

We had their birthday party on Saturday and NeNe's (grandma's house - thank you mom!!). It turned out quite nice and the girls received many wonderful gifts - thank you everyone! I was running around so much that I only got a handful of pictures. I brought 3 cameras - one video, one digital and one film and I only took about 8 pictures and 30 seconds of video. Luckily my brother took lots of video and family members snapped some photos. I'll share a few that I took.

1. Dad with Addie & Great Aunt Patty with Mollie
2. Addie looking tired with Daddy
3. Great Grandma Bonnie (Adam's paternal grandmother) with Mollie
4. Mollie stuffing her face with cake
5. Addie finishing off a cookie
6. Mollie still stuffing her face with cake
7. Addie on a sugar high
8. Addie starting her melt down

The girls are reaching all their milestones. Mollie is walking about 60% of the time and closing in on 100% of the time. She even dances when the mood strikes her. She is almost tall enough to crawl up onto the couch - although she is about a half inch shorter than Addie. She talks and babbles quite a bit with real words and made up words. She makes clicking noises with her tongue, uses her finger to make noise with her lips, and gives raspberries. She may be having an identity crisis :) She likes to pat her chest and say "Aaa-Day" (that's how she says Addie). She loves pretending to talk on a cell phone. She'll use anything as a phone (fruit, toy, shoe, etc.). Addie isn't walking but she is cruising by holding on to objects and furniture. As I type she's pushing her rocking horse around the room to use as a walker. It should only be a few more weeks or maybe next month before she's walking too. She is a smidgen taller than Mollie and a couple of pounds heavier. She still has the cutest laugh and smile in the world. She is talking quite a bit too but has just a few less "real words" than Mollie does, but I'm sure that's not for long. They're playing together more but that also includes some trouble sharing things and a bit of rough housing. Mollie likes to hug, hang on or wrestle and Addie isn't too thrilled about her sister giving her the smack down. There's a lot more to share but that's all I'll bore you with for now. I'll post an update on my pregnancy and the girls birthday portraits in the next few days.