Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Birthday, my loves.

Jordan and Taylor are 2 years old today. My oh my how the time flies. We had a lovely birthday party with friends and family, that even included a bunch of kids. Last year's party was all adults and the kids were only 1, so they hardly knew the difference. This year, we had other little ones and it was more chaotic, for sure! I wondered if we should have had some games planned. We did not have any games, but I think it still went well.

We had a cute animal theme and gave out cute goody boxes. Our friends and family were incredibly generous and the twins were blessed with an abundance of awesome new stuff. Thank you everyone! I made cupcakes for the kids at the party. Jordan blew out his big "2" candle, but Taylor needed a little help. She wanted to grab the flame, but did not quite grasp the concept of blowing out the candle. Oh well. Next year, maybe. I also made an awesome rainbow cake that came out looking very psychadelic and very cool! We took lots of pics, so I will get some up later this week. I know what you are thinking...promises, promises. No really, I will get the pics up. I want to get back into blogging and this is just the time to do it.

And, so I always remember the kids at this age, I want to write a few things down here about each of them. Unfortunately, this is the closest we get to a baby book. Lame, right? Oh well. Such is life with twins. Anyhoo...

Jordan is pretty advanced in his physical skills. He likes to run and climb and can jump with both feet off the floor. Jordan is often heard saying, "No help! Me do it!" He is stubborn and obstinate and willful and he gives us a run for our money! We are learning ways to work with him so that we stay sane and he feels like he is getting a chance to try things and master them in his own way and in his own time. Imagine how tough this is when you are trying to get someplace, anyplace, quickly. Jordan is also so so cute and loveable and, once he thinks it was his idea in the first place, he loves to give hugs and kisses. His little "Wuv you, mama" just melt me! Jordan finally recognizes that he is named Jordan and not Taylor and he sounds so cute when he says his own name. He has learned how to climb out of the crib, but does not do it on a regular basis. I think we are on the verge of toddler beds. Jordan is learning about the potty and sometimes asking to go on it. We are making progress. Jordan loves to eat fruit, cheese, and all things sugary and carby. He loves yogurt and spaghettios and applesauce and berries.

Taylor is a little imp and a ham and she loves to test us. She gets a gleam in her eye when she knows she is doing something she is not supposed to, but she knows she is going to do it anyway. She tries to keep up with her brother, but is not quite as skilles physically yet. She can climb up into her high chair and surprised us all by climbing out of her crib and meeting Mommy in the bathroom on Easter morning. Penny from the bathroom: "Chris? Did you take Taylor out of her crib?" Me: "No. Why?" Penny: "Because she is standing in front of me in the bathroom!" We did not even hear a sound as she slid stealthily from her bed. See what I mean about her being an imp? Taylor loves to snuggle and looks to us for kisses to make it all better when she gets a boo-boo. She wakes up slowly in the mornings and likes to rock with mama as she wakes up. I am only too happy to oblige, as her warm sweet-smelling body comes alive for another day...except on those mornings when she is not so sweet smelling! Taylor loves macaroni and cheese (but only from a can. EW!). She also loves bananas, grapes, and berries, and yogurt, and toast (but not the crust. Where do kids all of a sudden learn not to like crust?) She likes chicken nuggets, especially when there is ketchup for dipping. She also loves popcorn, which, unfortunately, she refers to as p*o*r*n!

These two kids are amazing and make us laugh all the time. Both kids have really started talking a lot more recently and they say new words all the time, some of which we did not even know they knew! When they see us at daycare pick-up, their eyes light up and we know we are doing something right as we navigate the world of parenting. We laugh when they say funny things, like when Jordan called Taylor "honey!" the other day. But, we also remember the heartache of 27 months of trying to get pregnant. Today, on their birthday, we remember how very lucky we are that Taylor and Jordan found their way to us eventually. Happy 2nd Birthday, monkeys. Mama and Mommy love you so so much! We hope you have many many hours of fun in your new playhouse with the slide (that took an UNBELIEVABLE amount of time and people to put together) that we bought you for your birthday. Thanks to Mimi for chipping in on this, to make such a cool gift possible!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Birthday Eve

It is the night before the twins' 2nd birthday. Techincally, their birthday starts in 40 minutes, as it is 11:20 pm on May 9th, 2009. I am the only one awake. The kids are asleep. Penny and the pets are asleep. Our friends and their toddler are asleep upstairs, too. The cupcakes are baked and cooling. The house is clean. We are ready for the party tomorrow. Well, I still gotta bake the rainbow cake in the morning. No problem! :) Look for pictures later in the week.

We had a hard week here this week. It was the 11th anniversary of my dad's death, and I was kind of surprised how raw my emotions were about it, even still after 11 years. I think they might always be like that, perhaps more dull as the years go by, but right there under the surface, ready to bubble up whenever I give them any attention. I still miss him so so much. Our red bird is back again this year. We are still calling him Bill, and now the kids do, too.

The kids are starting at a new daycare on Monday. It is a home center that will save us $700 per month! We cried this week about the end of the kids' time at their current center, as they are so loved there. Jordan and Taylor clearly loved it there and we are sad to be taking that away from them. We are sad to leave the amazing women of Playcare behind, as they so clearly adored our children. But, it is time for a change, even though it sucks to be changing for a financial reason. We can't continue to pay more for daycare per month than our rent, when we are struggling month to month to pay the bills. The new place is great, although a little more out of the way. Healthy meals are included and the space is really great. There are only 4 other kids there right now, so the numbers are low, too. J&T went there for a 1/2 day visit last week. The provider made them cupcakes for their birthday, and sent them home with framed handprint art for us for Mother's Day. Wow! We were impressed. So, think of us on Monday. I hope the transition goes well and none of us are any worse for the wear.

And now, I must go to bed, to rest up for the big day tomorrow. My babies are turning two years old tomorrow. I am somewhat stunned. How did this happen? Really? Have we been doing this mom thing for two whole years already? Sometimes it seems as if they were just born and sometimes it seems as if they have been here forever.

I will leave you with the text from the post I made almost exactly two years ago today, at around midnight on May 9th, 2007. We had no idea what we were in for!

**Hello everyone. It's a big day for news here!

Last week I had an amnio to check for lung maturity of the babies. Not sure what they measure, but a level of 55 indicates lung maturity. Our results came back at 54, whch they told us means that our babies' lungs would finish maturing this week. Yay! Both babies were still head down at the amnio.

I saw my OB today. And, after finally being head down for a few weeks, including last Thursday when I had the amnio, the babies are breech again! The OB and I were shocked when we saw both heads high up in my abdomen on the ultrasound! Also, my blood pressure was a bit up and I had protein in my urine. (I am not really sure what protein in the urine means, other than that it is not good. But, did they see some pork chops or chicken breasts in my urine, or what??)

Since the babies were measuring 6 and 8 lbs (at the last ultrasound on 4/25), they scheduled me for a C-Section THIS THURSDAY MORNING! We have to call in tomorrow evening to make sure the scheudle has not gotten too crazy. If things are a go, we have to be at the hospital on Thursday morning at 7 am.

Penny and I are scrambling to get the last minute things done. Holy Cow! We are gonna have two babies in less than two days! And we are gonna be moms by mother's day! Unreal! We will post news when we can after that. Watch this space for pictures and news. We will try to post as quickly as we can, but know that with a C-Section, we will be in the hospital for about 3-4 days.**