Visit to work

Wow! Two posts in two days! Watch out! You never know how I might surprise you! Ivy will be so excited because she said she checks the blog every day for updates. I, unfortunately, disappoint her many times during the week. She won't know what to do with two days of posts! Today was a work day for teachers at school, so my Mama brought the babies to school late in the afternoon so they could visit with all of the teachers (without any kids being there). I am still not ready for them to be exposed to the germs that crawl over an elementary school when the kids are there. So, today was a perfect day for them to visit. I just popped them in the Snap and Go stroller and we visited all 3 grade levels. The babies had plenty of new things to look at, so they stayed pretty quiet while they were there. I think they had lots of fun! I know I had fun letting them meet all of my co-workers. They have all been so wonderfully supportive from the beginning of my pregnancy and on. It was time for them to meet these babies I talk about all the time. I am so mad because I left my camera at home. I wanted to take some pictures, but the camera was on the microwave at home.. not in my purse where I thought it was this morning.

In other new, BCBS must not be hating us as much as I thought they were because they have approved an April dose of Synagis for the babies. The flu and RSV have been so rampant this season for little ones that they are including coverage for one more dose. So, the babies will be back for one more dose of Synagis later this month. So, Dr. Jones will be seeing me every month for the first nine months of these little lives. I am actually secretly glad I have to take them back because that means we get a weight check for Rush. I hope he has gained 5 lbs. Is that an unreasonable expectation?

Unfortunately, I will not be able to post pictures of the babies in the cute bunny ears that I purchased a while back. While the babies do have extra large heads, with their heads being the only part of them that actually falls onto the growth curve for a full term baby, they do not have the head of a five year old. They would need the head of five year old in order to wear the bunny ears. I apparently have no concept of size. I could fit both of their heads in one pair of ears. Maybe I should do that for an Easter picture. Amusement for all.

The babies always manage to find just the place they shouldn't be... you can't look away for a second.

Rush under the coffee table


I know you always see this body pillow in our pictures. It is the only way I made it through the end of my pregnancy once I was on bedrest. It is now a permanent fixture in front of some glass doors we have on our entertainment center. The gigantic turquoise and lime green dots match our home decor perfectly. :-) Of course, SF figured out how to get UNDER it!



This one just cracks me up... Rush sleeping in his most favorite place in the whole world... his Fisher Price Rainforest Jumparoo. He has one at home, and my friend, Amy, loaned my Mama one, so he also has one at Gigi and Papa's house. Little stinker!

Green peas, anyone?

We have been rocking right along with trying all of the 1st foods from Gerber. Things have been going brilliantly. I have been wondering if I was feeding them anything they didn't care for because they seem to take everything right on in every night. Tonight was night 3 of green peas. They are fairly disgusting looking. They are not nice and smooth like our other 1st foods. They are lumpy and smell pretty bad. Both babies had tolerated them, though. I have read and been told that you often have to try a food 11-15 times before they really like it. Well, TOO BAD, people! There will be no more green peas in our house. Tonight, Rush just held them out on his tongue refusing to close his mouth. He just stared at me with green peas sitting on his tongue like he was saying, "Would you eat this? Look at it! Would you eat it, Mama?" So we finished up with applesauce and cereal so I could move on to SF. So, I put that little cutie right on in the high chair. She never really opens up wide, but she is steady when she eats. So, I started with a bite of peas. They sent chills down her tiny little spine. She shivered, her eyes watered. Eleven to fifteen times, right? So, I proceed with bite two. Full on GAG! And then another GAG... and then another GAG. Her eyes started to turn red around the edges and gagging was coming over and over. I started to slightly panic because I thought she couldn't breathe. That problem was solved, however, when she projectile vomited peas and 3:00 bottle all over the high chair and me. This post will be picture free because we don't take pictures of such things. I could take a picture of the disgusting bib sitting on the washing machine waiting to be washed before bed, but I will spare you. So, does anyone need any green peas? I have a spare jar or five.

Just sittin' around

So, Rush and Sydney Frances what did you do this weekend? Oh nuttin, we just SAT around all weekend!



Both babies are officially sitting alone. Rush is quite good at it, but SF isn't really very interested. She tries to push herself backwards rather than sitting, but she can do it if she isn't bucking! Rush is all about reaching a milestone, so he is more than happy to show you what he can do.He is VERY active. He squeals and talks all the time. He also jumps like a maniac in the jumparoo they got for Christmas. I will have to try to post a video because it is hilarious. Sydney Frances loves to smile and study people. She is also very active with her hands and likes to "work" on things. She has been doing lots of giggling lately which is THE BEST! Love it! They also got to meet their friend, Aubrie, from South Carolina for the first time. They were born only a few days apart. She is a CUTIE and belongs to Andrea and Mark. Andrea was Ivy's roommate in South Carolina when they were still single gals! This was the first time Rush and SF have been around another baby, and they really enjoyed it.



(Please ignore Sydney Fran's outfit in this picture. She needs new clothes. I know it.. she knows it.. we'll get to it... sooner rather than later. Everything is too tight and too short these days. Yes, those sleeves should actually be LONG, and there is nothing like a baby gut hanging over her stretchy pants!)

Worrying and Green Beans

So, we went to the doctor today for the babies' last Synagis shot!! Hooray!!! This is the injection they have gotten once a month since they left the hospital. It isn't a vaccine... just preventative medication. You have to qualify and be pre-certified by your insurance to get this because the shot is EXPENSIVE! Wish I had invented whatever they have in that tiny little vial. Somebody has a lake house and beach house, too. The shots are $1,622.29 PER CHILD every month. Gotta be sure they get their 29 cents, too! Thankfully, insurance does cover it. The shot helps to protect them from RSV, which stands for something with an R, something with an S, VIRUS. It is bad news for preemies. According to the pediatrician, it is pretty much a guaranteed hospital stay for babies as small as our two. This is also the reason they have been in hiding since.. since they were born. So, since they were premature, low birth weight, and multiples.. they qualified. This is the end of RSV season and flu season, so I hope that we are in the clear now for any type of major risk for these two things. I know you can get them any time, but I hope that the Synagis helped to protect them. I know Blue Cross Blue Shield hopes it protected them, too. I am sure that after the half million dollars they dropped for the NICU stay, they HOPE we are protected from many things. I am also glad we don't have to go back again for a couple of months (although I am not sure how I can now go two months without being able to ask Dr. Jones my monthly list of questions since they have been on a monthly basis since coming home from the hospital).

Now to the worrying part... Rush didn't gain much weight this time around... only 9 oz. since a month ago. They have both been averaging around a pound of weight gain each month, so he slacked off a little this month. I could tell that he had not gained much when I was holding him. We could also tell that S.F. was much heavier than him. He is up to 13 lbs. 13 oz. He is thriving and happy. He just doesn't eat very much. Well, even though Dr. Jones said he wasn't worried, I am. I felt like he must have been at least a little worried because he said we could put him back on the Enfacare (preemie formula) to get in a few extra calories every day. He also said to start pushing solids. (More on that at the end of the post..) So,it might be back to the expensive stuff for the little guy. Sassy pants, weighing in at 14 lbs. 11 oz., will be staying on the regular formula because she gained her pound. :-) I just want sweet Rush to continue to grow and get some meat on his bones, ya know?

Along with our other adventures this Spring Break, we tried some green beans on Wednesday night. I tasted them. Imagine... green beans with no seasoning at all... mmmm. Makes your mouth water, right? Well, my two little ones really liked them. They started with a "what the heck is that???" look, but ended up eating every spoonful I gave them. The green beans were a hit! Let's just hope this continues with the rest of the stage 1 foods. Next up... sweet potatoes!

P.S. Did you think I was worried ABOUT green beans?


Cute outfits my friend Jeni gave them. They went to meet Miss Deborah, their future hairstylist/barber in these.



Syd's first taste of green beans



Rush's first taste of green beans


Sporting their Dr. Seuss onesies from my friend Lisa. Rush is Thing 1 since he is the big brother and was born a full minute before Thing 2.

TARGET!!

It is Spring Break, and we are having a ball! I love being home with the babies during the day. Although, I am not sure I could be a full time stay at home Mama, I do enjoy my breaks with the babies. Today was a momentous occasion. I decided this morning that I would take the babies on their first outing with just me! I needed some bread, cereal, and detergent, so the logical place to go would be Walmart, right? But remember, I hate them. They might have needed to see the babies' birth certificates to prove they were mine before they let me leave with them. So, I decided our first trip would be to TARGET!! Woo hoo!!! Since I only needed a few things, I knew we could probably survive if there was any type of meltdown. Well, guess what? They were PERFECT ANGELS!!!! Not even a grunt. Of course, they stared a hole through my head the entire time we were in the store, but that is OK. This is the typical behavior when they are in the Snap and Go stroller. It was so much fun! I strolled and looked at stuff that I didn't need at all. That's what everyone does at Target, don't they? It was going so well that I decided we would walk down to the "new" Bed Bath and Beyond. I know that store has been open for months, but I had never been in there. Their AC was broken, so that was a VERY quick stroll. Next, I decided to get wild and crazy and go to Hobby Lobby! Still perfect babies!!! I know y'all are expecting it to fall apart at some point or for some employee to tick me off, but it didn't happen. Just a good, happy day! We got lots of "Oh, how cute!" and "Look! Twins!". It was kinda fun! I have never been able to enjoy that kind of thing before because they don't really say that much at the Pediatric Clinic... the only place they have ever been until today. We did get one person that asked, "Are they identical?" OK. Poor person. She is not the only person that has ever asked this question. First of all, see that little boy back there in the blue shirt and too handsome blue jeans and cutie up front with the pink toile pants on?? That means one is a boy and one is a girl. I am pretty sure that according to most definitions of the word identical just this fact alone would completely eliminate my two from falling into the identical category. But, just in case the blue/pink.. boy/girl thing wasn't enough proof, they don't look identical. So, no, they aren't identical. Did I actually say this to the person? Nah.. I let her off the hook. I just usually smile and say, "No, one is a boy and one is a girl." Then, I just hope that with that response later on in the day a little light bulb goes off for the asker of the identical question. I am almost glad she asked, though, because it gives me a funny memory for the day! What will tomorrow bring? So much for my plan to clean out closets this week. I have earned my "Shopping with Twins" badge, so now nothing can stop me!


Proof that I really did take them! Yes, I did take a picture in the Target parking lot, and yes, I did park that far away. I needed room to unload the stroller without worrying about taking out someone else's car door.


Tired from our shopping trip!

Walking on sunshine! Whoa-oh!

I just need to vent before I get to the real point of this post. Apparently, this is becoming my new forum to gripe about the latest business establishment to tick me off. Walmart.. we have a love/hate relationship with one another. I visit every weekend for an hour or so to buy the things we need but usually leave feeling pretty ticked. Today was no exception. I was feeling pretty good about my trip with my cart FULL of groceries. This was despite the fact that I waited in line for a full fifteen minutes because I was standing in one of the TWO checkout lines they had open on a Sunday afternoon right after church. Great thinking and planning with staffing there, guys. Anyway, as I was leaving with my cart full of groceries, I was stopped on the way out by someone who asked to see my receipt. My receipt was already buried in the darkest of holes in my wallet, which was buried in the darkest holes of my purse. Did I make the alarm thing go off? Nope. Were any of my groceries not bagged? Nope. I guess I just looked like a tired Mama with a spit up stain on the front of her t-shirt. The perfect person to stop and ask to see her receipt, right? Attention Walmart, Inc. I just spent nearly $200.00 in your stupid store and have a buggy (as we call them here in the south) stocked full of Walmart junk. Seriously, do they think I snuck up to one of the empty lines and loaded all of my groceries into white bags without checking out at all? And no one noticed. What was the point? Did he check every item to be sure it was on the receipt? No. He just had me dig it out and barely glanced at it. Waste o'time, Y'all! But, alas, I will continue to go every weekend because I am a mother of boy/girl twins, and at Walmart they sell things like this that keep me coming back for more.

I mean..after all, could they really be expected to make it through their first Easter without these? :-) Hence.. the love/hate relationship. OK. I am stepping down from the soapbox.


So, now back to the title of the post. I have been singing the song since I typed those words. Do you get songs stuck in your head? I do. (Does it make me old that I remember when this song came out. It was 1985.. Katrina and The Waves..I had to look up the year.) Anyway, Ivy and I took the babies for a walk yesterday. It was a LONG walk! We walked in a huge circle around my neighborhood for an hour and half. The babies were happy, and the conversation was good, so we just kept going. It was bright and sunny when we left, so we decided to try out the babies' new sunglasses for the trip. We fully expected them to keep them on for a total of about 3 seconds before they flipped out. Guess what? They LOVED them! We enjoyed a good laugh at how seriously they seemed to take their sunglasses. They wore them for the entire walk.. even after the sun started to go down. We went home to Chinese food that Phil picked up for us! The end of a good day!



It is hard to believe that we took these pictures the weekend before!

Rush and Sydney Frances in the snow for the first time!



P.S. If any part of this post doesn't make sense, that is because I have been working on it since 5:00pm today.. just now finished it at 9:00pm. In between, I have bathed two babies, fed one, done one load of laundry and changed a spit-up covered sheet, while trying to be sure that two babies that technically went to bed an hour early are indeed going to sleep all night so I won't have to cry. I hope they don't mind springing forward too much! Good night!

Cute Rush!

I LOVE this picture of Rush. Just wanted to post it because I think it so cute! Mama took this one at her house one day. I think he has the cutest smile ever! He also has the strongest little chest and arm muscles from pushing up like this ALL THE TIME!!!!!!! He constantly flips over and pushes himself up.

Not much new news around here. I am looking forward to Spring Break so I can hang out with the babies for a while. I am sure it will make me very ready for summer. I have also started talking about plans for some play dates for this summer for the babies. Rush and Sydney Frances will get to meet Reese and Avery this summer. They need someone to play with since they have been stuck inside since... well, since birth. This summer we should be all clear to begin to enjoy a few more fun times OUTSIDE the house. We will get our last Synagis shot this month. WOO HOO.. the end of RSV season is in sight! Phil took some quick pictures of the babies in the SNOW this past weekend. I will try to post those this weekend!