Perfect Fall Day

We had a fun day today! Just one of those lazy days with no particular plans! The babies were snoozy this morning. They don't usually take morning naps, but I guess they could sense the lazy vibe. :-)

I guess she slept so well, her sock fell off!) :-)



I love how he tucks his knees under while he sleeps.

We also had a fun time playing outside in the backyard. The ice cream truck even made a stop by our house. We didn't buy a Push-up this time. Maybe next time. Sydney Frances did enjoy watching our neighbors buy ice cream. She loved running around in the yard. Until today, she has been afraid to walk in the grass, so I think she enjoyed her newly found freedom. Rush enjoyed pushing his train on the patio. He was running and laughing so hard while Phil chased him. Too cute!!!Please excuse the nap head on both babies. We don't focus on hairstyles on Saturdays at home.







Unfortunately, the day did not end as Sydney Frances might have hoped. I had to clip her nails, and apparently this is as close to torture as her sweet baby mind can imagine. She fully turned on the DRAMA tonight! Oh my! It was quite a show. We got it done, though! Rush was not a fan, either, but he only mildly protested with some crying. No wailing involved for him...



P.S. I had to go to Walmart today. I'm only going to say one thing. I hope the H.R. Department is doing their job. At this point, the correct title for the person that stands at the door is no longer "Greeter". This would imply that the employee would be required to, you know, greet someone. As in... be friendly and welcoming. The new job title should be "Person In Charge of Staring at Diapers in Grocery Cart Until the Mama Can Produce Her Receipt." That lady that stands there every week needs to say, "Hello, Laura, we are so flipping glad you are back this week to spend another $200 on groceries, diapers, and baby accessories. Because of you, I have job in this crappy economy. Is there something I can do to make your shopping experience more tolerable because I know you are dangerously close to never setting foot in this place again?" WALMART HATER HERE, Y'ALL. I can't wait for Publix to open. You might be wondering how this fits into my "Perfect Fall Day". It made it perfect because it is over with for this week. I don't have to go tomorrow.

The Monkey and Pink Bunny

We had a fun time tonight on "Halloween". Yes, I know Halloween is in two days, but we live in a town that has an SEC Football Game on Saturday. Can't be trick or treating on a GAME DAY! So, we, along with the other surrounding towns went trick or treating tonight. We dressed up our bunny and monkey and took them for a little stroll around the neighborhood. We didn't actually go to any doors for candy because well.. there was no point in that since they can't really talk or eat candy. But, the stroll was nice and the pictures were priceless. I am so glad we still get to pick their costumes for the next few years. I will be sad when they start having opinions and stuff. :-) Anyway these are some pictures of the festivities!






Rush: "OK... I know I am usually the patient, calm one, but I am about to LOSE IT if you don't get this monkey head off me."

And to end the post.. I just have to share. I know I was born and raised in the south, but I have NEVER seen this. Maybe I am just out of the loop. We went by Phil's parents' house to let them see the babies in their costumes. While we were in the driveway, people pulled up with a flat-bed trailer hooked on a Gator. The parents were sitting in lawn chairs on the flat bed. The kids were wildly and frantically trick or treating. OK. A little funny looking but also a pretty good idea. But then, the next thing that pulled down the street was actually a very large, green John Deere tractor... pulling a flatbed trailer FULL of people. You might be a redneck if... Ha!!! It was classic. So, I took pictures!




Have people been doing this for years and I am just the last to know?

Don't have much to say...

I know it is difficult to believe, but I don't have much to say right now. I know I have some faithful friends that always check in, so I thought the least I could do was put up some recent pictures. Hope you enjoy!


Wearing her Did Dee's (how she says "Daddy")hat


Too thrilled with his little self sitting in the shelves again. He loves to do this! Yes, he has on about 4 bibs. The drool is currently out of control. One year molars???


SuperBoy after his bath!!!


Another new favorite activity is dragging his wagon around the house. It probably weighs twice as much as he does, but he doesn't seem to mind that.



Trying butternut squash for the first time. Yum!


What? I whuttin doin nuffin.


You just wish your hair could do this!


I love Violet and need a nap!

Rush's Homecoming

I told you that I would have another story to tell about a happy day! October 6, 2008 is the day that our sweet Rush came home to be with the rest of the family. I was especially excited to have Rush come home because it was a week overdue. See, he was actually scheduled to come home BEFORE Sydney Frances. I went to the hospital to visit the babies one day, and the doctor told me we could room-in with Rush the next day. Sydney Frances had been pushed back a little because of some tummy trouble she had toward the end of her stay. We had our BAGS PACKED to stay overnight with the little man. I should mention that one of the requirements is that all babies in the NICU go for seven full days without a bradycardia (heart rate drop). Rush was on DAY 7! At 6pm, I got a call from his sweet nurse, Sandy. She didn't want to tell me, but it had happened. The worst thing that I could imagine at that point. My heart was so set on going to pick him up, but that wasn't meant to be. He dropped his heart rate... in his sleep.. and he didn't recover on his own... all things that the powers that be in the NICU feel very strongly about. I immediately burst into tears. Sandy said, "Pleeeeaasse, don't cry!! You will make me cry!" But I cried, so she cried. I was very sad. I called Phil and told him hysterically that we couldn't go. He tried to reassure me that it just meant he wasn't quite ready to come home, but I didn't care. I knew it was true, but I didn't want it to be true. All I could think was that he now had to go 7 MORE days without a drop. Seven more days literally felt like eternity at that point. I had recovered somewhat by the next day, so I went to the hospital to meet with the doctor. Sandy had told me there was a chance that he might let him go. Well, it turns out that Rush's doctor felt pretty strongly that he should stay for another seven days to be SURE he was ready to go home. So, we waited. In the meantime, you know that SF came home. Poor Rush had to stay at the hospital, and he really was just hanging out. It broke my heart leaving him there, but thanks to my Mama coming to stay with little Sydney Frances here at home, we still went to see him every day. He was so sweet (still is) and quiet, so it was hard to leave him. SF was always the loud one. She had a little reputation! Rush was the quiet one, and I always worried he would be forgotten about when I wasn't there. Of course, I am sure now that he wasn't, but I couldn't help but feel that way at the time. So, the day finally arrived. They said they would call us. The doctor would have to do rounds and discharge him. So, we waited.. and waited... and waited. I began to panic. Maybe we wouldn't be able to take him. Day became night...and at that point, if they had told me I had to wait any more time, I don't know how I would have reacted. Finally, the call came. We drove to Montgomery, talked to Rush's nurse, dressed him in the cute blue preemie outfit and bonnet (much to Phil's dismay). We literally brought him home in the dark of the night finally arriving home around 10pm. I remember a friend of mine telling me that when she went to pick up her own child from his lengthy NICU stay, she was so afraid they were going to chase her down in the parking lot and make her bring him back, so she said she didn't look back and just walked really fast. We had the same experience with Rush. It was too good to be true. I was SOOO excited to have that sweet boy home with us at last!! It was another wonderful day!!

Rush being bored in his NICU crib before we brought him home



Rush getting dressed up for going home!


First ride in the car seat... let's get out of here!!


At home with my sister!

Happy Birthday, Mama!

Today is MY Mama's 60th Birthday!!! She, of all people, deserves a blog post that is all her own! She takes care of our whole family (swine flu and all). She is a Mama of many verbs. She loves us, cooks for us, wipes off our counter tops, waters our plants, picks up our children from daycare, folds our laundry, lives with us when two babies are born at one time, shops with us, goes to lunch with us, goes on Girls' Weekends with us, answers the phone over and over to tell me what to do with my sick children, and the list goes on and on. These are just the first few things that popped into my head this morning. I know I speak for my sister when I say that we couldn't survive without her! Even when you are 34 and 31 years old... a girl always needs her Mama. We love you, Mama! Happy Birthday!!!

"Rooming in"

It was one year ago tonight that Phil and me had one of the longest, most sleep-deprived, most wonderful nights of our lives. We spent this night in a cold room on a noisy hall in the NICU of Baptist South. Sounds fun, huh? And to add to the fun... you know that song.. "Sleeping single in a double bed"? Well, we were doing the opposite. Yes, that little room had a SINGLE bed in it, y'all! It was bad. But, it was a hoop they required us to jump through in order to bring our baby girl home. So, we changed her diapers, bathed her, fed her, and practiced giving her the medicine she needed. We also got to hold her with no monitors attached for the first time ever. It felt so weird and so wonderful at the same time. I am thankful for that time because the nurse was right down the hall, and we could ask her any questions we wanted to ask. And those of you that know me know that I asked some questions about my babies. That is one of my favorite things to do. It also meant we got to spend the night with Rush. Although he had to stay with his nurse, we still got to go out and feed him and hold him all during the night. Of course, that was really like holding him all during the day because the NICU never sleeps. Maybe the lights dim a little or something, but I don't think so. They just work on that little three hour schedule, and it doesn't matter the time of day. So, we fed her, changed her, fed her, changed her. 6 pm, 9pm, 12am, 3am, 6am, 9am. Then, it was time. We put her in that cute little preemie sized pink dress and bonnet with her crying the whole time. (That's my girl!) She has never been afraid to tell people what she thinks. I think she was saying, "Please leave me here because these two don't have a clue what they are doing with me!!!!!!!" But, we took her home anyway. And it was wonderful. Sydney Frances joined us at home for the first time on October 1, 2008. One of the greatest days. We had another great one the next week. I'll tell you his story later.










Those of you that have known Miss Priss from the beginning know what she is saying in this one... Eh, Eh, Eh, EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Being one

Just felt like posting some pictures today and looked through my computer folder to see what we have been doing lately. I must admit there is a trend with these pictures. See if you can figure out what is happening here...


You've got a little something on your face there, buddy.


You, too, sweet girl, but it's on your nose.


Dirty laundry?? Oh, the perfect place for me to sit and play.



Her two favorite toys... bunny and bear. Her Halloween costume is a pink bunny that looks pretty much just like this pink bunny...floppy ears an all.


Rush on his second attempt to escape... he army crawled under the library table in our den to escape their play area. He bumped his head along the way, so I did what all good moms do... took his picture. He is a crafty little fella.


New favorite activity..take all the books off the bottom shelf and then sit on the bottom shelf of the built-ins in the den.


Again...


And again...


And again...


And it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.


Fun times with the baseball... I have to buy my baby girl a tea set and a baby doll..sooner rather than later. She loves playing ball with her Daddy and brother, but I gotta get some girl stuff in there, too!


Please excuse the redneck bibs. We use those at night so the "decent" ones are available for daycare during the day. Can't be looking like little rednecks at daycare now, can we? :-)They are, however, sporting their new Children's Place footie pajamas. LOVE THEM!!! And they have the little grippers on the bottom. The grippers make me happy and sad. Happy because it decreases the chance of a busted lip on the hard tile floor Sydney Frances insists on walking across (very shakily)... sad because my babies need grippers on their pjs because they are walking. Tiny baby phase is all gone. We are well on our way to toddlerhood. HOLD ON FOR THIS RIDE...


So, did you notice a theme with these pictures? All but the last one are ACTION shots. And the last one was just a lull in the action. These babies are ON THE GO!!! Therefore... Mama and Daddy are ON THE GO!! Walking, crawling, playing, eating (well, sorta eating)!!! They love to play and laugh. I think the next time I get a picture of the two of them both looking at the camera at the same time will be... 17 years from now when they have their senior portraits made. Maybe.. just maybe.. we can get a picture of the two of them being still and smiling. :-)