October 2011 - Time is flying

I really thought I was going to do a better job about writing updates.  Unfortunately, life happens and I seem to run out of time.  So, I have quite a bit to write about. 

GranJan came to visit us.  She was here from October 20-30.  The first weekend, Grandpa King was also here and we all went to Port Aransas together.  We went back in September with our family friends, The Moehrings.  At that time, the kids had a blast and we thought it would be fun to go again.  This time, they enjoyed it even more.  It is so fun to watch them!  Jeremy dug a big hole and I convinced him to make a trench to the ocean, so the hole could fill up with water.  The majority of the filling up was from me carrying a bucket full of water.  Occassionally, the ocean made it all the way up to the trench.  Annabelle played for what seemed like hours.  She loved being in the hole, she loved throwing things into the hole, she loves smashing the castles around the home, and she loved splashing in the water in the hole.  It was wonderful!  Jack walked and walked and walked and walked.  He probably walked several miles while we were on the beach.  He picked up little treasures along the way.  Sometimes a rock or a shell, othertimes a cigarette butt or beer bottle cap.  I never realized how much trash people leave on the beach.  The kids did great in the car and our condo worked just fine for us.  Overall, we had a wonderful weekend!

Back in Austin, we continued with our regular routine of music class and library time.  This was the week before Halloween though, so we wore our costumes!  Annabelle was Thing 1 and Jack was Thing 2 (she was born first, what can I say?).  I made their wigs out of carwash mits.  I found red pajamas at my AMOM consignment sale.  The Thing 1 and 2 we made with some felt.  I thought their costumes turned out really well.  Most of the other kids we saw had store bought costumes.  There is nothing wrong with that, but I think handmade has more character.   We also did a trip out to the pumpkin patch.  We went to Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls.  It was a lot of fun!  We pet goats, picked flowers, and took fun pictures with pumpkins. 

I went to Arkansas the weekend before Halloween.  My friend Tara, and I threw a birthday party for my friend Marissa, who sucessfully completed treatment for cancer (angiosarcoma).  It was fun to be in Fayetteville for the weekend.  I got to see lots of friends including my guy friends, Justin, Kyle, and Brandon (and their lovely wives) who I do not see very often.  I also saw Emily (and her pregnant belly) and Ashley.  Before I left on Sunday, we had a family lunch with Janet, Adrian, Kaitlyn, Jasmine, Megan, Dad, and Peggy.  It was also nice to be kids free for a weekend and get in a little sleep.  Sunday evening, GranJan and I crossed paths in the air, as she and I were both on our way home.

Monday was Halloween!  The kids were Thing 1 and Thing 2.  Jeremy was the Cat in the Hat and I was "Sally". 

Our first stop of the night - The Moehring's

We have not had many trick-or-treaters in the past, so we decided to me out and about, rather than waiting at home to pass out candy to the 3 or 4 kids that might stop by.  And, we did not want to trick-or-treat ourselves, as the kids are not old enough to have candy yet.  So, we started our evening at our friends, the Moehrings, for a pre-party - also known as a quick hello to check out each other's costumes.  Then, we went down the street to Chris, Courtney, and Charlotte's house.  We had happy hour in the yard.  A bunch of kiddos from the neighborhood came over.  Chris and Courtney did a fantastic job hosting.  They made vegetarian chili, which was delicious!  They also had some fun adult beverages and super cute Halloween sippy cups for the kiddos.  The best part was the icecream - pumpkin and salted caramel were my favorites.  After a while, the kids were getting tired.  We made a quick swoop through the neighborhood acrosse Bull Creek.  We had been invited to two parties there.  We basically did a super quick hello and goodbye. The babies came home exhausted and went straight to bed.  We saw tons of kids in cute costumes and I am already inspired for next year!

head, shoulders, knees, and toes

To my surprise, Annabelle knows quite a few body parts and a bunch of animal sounds.  She has known them for a couple weeks, but I am not good at blogging.  I am motivated to turn over a new leaf and start writing.  Anyway, we were in the car and Annabelle was ready to be out of her carseat.  To keep her entertained, I started asking her questions.  To keep me entertained, she kept responding.  She touches her head, shows off her belly, sticks out her toungue, bites her teeth, wiggles her fingers, and stomps her feet.  For eyes, nose, and ears, she grabs her ears.  We will need to work on that one!  We are also working on elbow, because I think it is fun.  During our car ride, Annabelle also roared like a lion, or at least a 15 month lion, she hissed like a snake, and she "ooh ooh aah"ed like a monkey.  She had her own version of "moo" for a cow and she may have had a version of "quack" for a duck.  It is difficult to decipher.  I think she had a few other animal sounds as well.  Had I never asked, I would have never known!

So Sweet

Jack and Annabelle are really starting to enjoy each other.  They hold hands in the stroller and laugh and laugh at each other.  The other day, Annabelle was holding Jack's foot while we walked in the stroller.  He could not contain his laughter.  Perhaps he was being tickled?  They also like to give, what look like open mouth kisses.  They basically lean into or fall on top of each other with their mouths wide open.  Knock on wood, there is no biting yet!  They are clearly sharing a tender moment with their hands around each other and their mouths open wide, all while laughing and laughing and laughing.  I know these days will not last forever, but I hope they do for a while! 

Fall - well a version of it

Jeremy is a wonderful father and I am so thankful he is the father of my children.  Every now and then he does something to or with the kids and it is so sweet it practically brings tears to my eyes.  Yesterday, we had one of those moments.  We decided to appreciate the 90 degree weather (as opposed to the 100 degree weather) and walk to the park with the kids yesterday afternoon when Jeremy got home from work.  We went to a small park by our house.  There is a huge Live Oak tree there with the fun branches that go to the ground and then back up into the air.  It is big enough you can go under the branches and practically feel like you are in your own secret fort or hide out.  It was a great place to play because it was nice and shady.  90 degrees is still hot!  Anyway, Jeremy and the kids were running around and playing hide-n-seek.  Then, Jeremy grabbed handfuls of leaves that had fallen to the ground and threw them up into the air.  They fluttered to the ground and Annabelle and Jack laughed and laughed.  Jeremy continued to throw leaves into the air and watch them flutter down.  Annabelle also threw some leaves into the air (along with a stick or two) and was very proud of herself.  All three of them were having a wonderful time doing something so simple.  It was really a precious moment for our family.  And, it was fun to see the leaves fall and hope we will someday have "fall" weather.

Road Trip

I'm not sure if our trip over Labor Day weekend counts as the baby's first road trip, since we did drive to Port Aransas when they were three months old.  That drive was 3-4 hours.  Our trip to Arkansas was more like 8-10.  The babies and I went with my mom, Granna.  Jeremy had to work.  I thought it would be best to drive at night, since Annabelle does not seem to enjoy riding in the car.  We left on Thursday afternoon and stopped north of Waco at Luby's for dinner for the kids.  Granna said they would have vegetables and it would be a quick stop.  They did have vegetables, covered in butter and bacon grease.  We got the food fast, but there was nothing quick about the stop.  After running around Luby's and entertaining all of the senior citizens enjoying their 5:00 dinner, I put the kids in PJs, gave them their milk, and hit the road.  We made several stops and I did not end up making it to my dad's house in Fayetteville, Arkansas, until 2:00 AM.  Annabelle fussed off and on for the last few hours and when we arrived at my dad's house, she was ready to party.  She finally fell asleep in bed with me about 4:00 AM.  Jack, who had slept wonderfully for the entire ride, was up at his usual 6:30 AM.  It was a rough day for me!  We saw lots of friends including, Ashley, Emily and her kids, Marissa and her kids, Rhonda and her kids, Misty and her family, Becky and Terry, Carolyn, Sara, and Justin and Katy.  We got to spend a good amount of time with Jasmine and Kaitlyn and hopefully got some cute cousin's pictures.  We went to the park and the farmer's market.  Saturday was the Hog's first football game and the town was quite spirited - GO HOGS!  We went to Jasmine's birthday party on Sunday and Annabelle had fun jumping in the bounce house with Kaitlyn.  Jack had fun walking and walking and walking and walking.  Luckily, on Sunday and Monday, the weather was much cooler.  It was a nice change from the 100+ weather we have been having all summer.  We headed home on Monday, stopping in Ft. Smith for dinner.  We were able to see Mackie, Harris, Maggie, and Parker.  The ride home was not as difficult as the ride there.  Probably in part because there are things to see between Dallas and Austin.  On the way there, once you get past Dallas, there is really nothing to see at night.  During the day, there are beautiful trees and mountains, but at night, there is nothing.  Overall, we had a wonderful, jam-packed, weekend.  We were able to see lots of people whom we have not seen in quite a while.  And, of course, I was able to show the babies my home town.  We love our friends and family in Arkansas and look forward to another visit.   

Ozzie and Harriet

I'm not quite sure how we got ourselves into this situation.  Jack was sick and we needed an air conditioned place without a bunch of kids where we could kill some time.  Silly me, suggested the pet store.  Jack and Jeremy actually sat in the car - Jack seemed content which equalled sucess and there was no reason to chance unsucess.  As Annabelle and I were going into the store, two girls were coming out with two puppies they just adopted.  I thought the puppies were sweet and the girls insane.  Little did I know... Once inside, Annabelle and I looked at kittens, fish, turtles, and guinea pigs.  I tried to steer clear of the mice and rats.  It was a great time killer.  We went outside to see the dogs.  There were quite a few and we loved on all of them, including Ozzie and Harriet.  They are "Leroy" dogs.  Basically, I fell in love.  I did not really think it through, when I asked Jeremy if we could have one, as I was sure Jeremy would say no.  Surprisingly, he said yes.  They are boy girl twins and we did not want to separate them.  Initially, we thought we would adopt one for ourselves and one for my mom (who has been saying she wants a dog).  But, now that we have them, I think we will have to keep them both together.  Because having boy girl thirteen month old twins isn't enough to keep me busy, I decided we should have dogs!?!?!?

We brought them home last night.  I was taking the kids in through the front and Jeremy was taking the dogs into the backyard.  We thought it might be nice to get the kids fed and a few things situated before bringing Ozzie and Harriet into their new home.  But, as I was on the front porch with one of the kids, I saw one of the dogs sprint by.  About a nano second later, I saw the other one.  They are both super fast!  Apparently they can fit through our fence - something that will have to be fixed immediately!  Luckily, they respond to their names and both came to me (in the neighbor's yard by this time) after a short sprint around the surrounding yards.  We were able to get them inside without any craziness.

The first night went well.  Harriet wanted to sleep in our bed, but after being kicked out a couple times, she finally settled into the dog pillow at the foot of our bed.  Leroy's old bed is big enough for Ozzie and Harriet to snuggle together.  Everyone was happy, except for me, who had anxiety all night long and thought this probably was not the best decision.  Oh well!  Unfortunately, the babies decided to start the morning around 5:00 AM.  By 6:15, we were all out for a family jog!

Overall, it is going to be a fun and wild ride.  The kids aren't sure what to think and neither are the dogs.  Annabelle loves animals and usually is happy to see them.  Jack has not felt well and would probably prefer to be left alone.  The dogs are still trying to figure out their new home.  Eventually, we will get it all worked out.  Welcome to our family Ozzie and Harriet!  We are excited to have you!

Shoes

Annabelle has discovered shoes!  She got a pair of Pink Sparkle Toms from a dear friend for her birthday and then Granjan bought her two more pairs while she was visiting.  Whenever Annabelle sees the shoes, she brings them to me, one at a time so she can shake her other hand, and says "eh, eh, eh, eh" which translated means, "put the shoes on now, please".  The "please" is actually my own addition, as her "eh, eh, eh, eh" is a demand.  She does not care if she has on footed pajams, is getting ready for a nap, or even has another pair of shoes on.  We had a three year old boy visiting and she, with some assistance, put his crocs on over her own shoes and was walking around the house.  Silly girl!  She will also bring me Jeremy's shoes and say the same, "eh, eh, eh, eh".  I put them on my feet and she seems satisfied enough.  She does not seem quite big enough to wear her shoes and his shoes.  A little more practice walking and I am sure she will be ready.  Jeremy is concerned about Annabelle's shoe obsession and is hoping it is just a phase and not something he has to fund for the next 17 years!

Just an update

I do not think I am writing nearly enough, but it is hard for me to come up with topics.  So, this will just be an update.  The kids are almost 13 months.  They are walking all over and practically running at times.  The steps are no match for them.  Jack will just walk in circles in his room.  Walking is his new favorite trick and he is just trying to make up for the months before he was able to walk.  Annabelle enjoys having stories read to her and continues to be very social, needing lots of attention.  She likes to play chase and hide-n-seek with her daddy and it is cute to watch her get so excited.  Jack continues to be laid back and entertains himself easily.  Both have 2 top teeth all the way in with another one or two on the way.  It is so hot, we have spent much more time indoors.  We do enjoy having our friends over to swim in the pool or play with our splash table.  But, I am excited for the weather to cool off, so we can get back to walking. 

GranJan was here until the 27th.  It was wonderful to have her and our bellies have been happy and full!  We went on playdates, went to the children's museum, went out to lunch, went shopping, and played on the playground.  We miss her already and are ready for her to come back in the fall!

Peter Pan

Jack has discovered his shadow!  He loves to play near the window where the sun is shining through.  He will make his version of shadow puppets on the ground and watch his hands and fingers on the tile or the carpet.  He will also give his shadow "high fives".  He has also discovered his shadow outside.  While at the splash pad, he likes to walk on the sidewalk and look at his shadow.  He thought my tall shadow was pretty neat too.  I'm glad he is so easily entertained!

Annabelle and Jack's first year

A year ago at this time, I had no idea how my world would change.  I knew the beginning would be difficult, but I had not idea how difficult and even now, I think I have blocked it out and it does not really seem like it was that tough.  The first 3 months were really challenging, the second three months were better but still rough, and the last six months have been a blast!

Dear Annabelle,
You have quite a personality!  In the beginning, you were the "easy" baby.  You slept 7-7 very early on and have always been a good napper.  However, as you have gotten older, you like to be the center of attention and usually demand it.  You do not like to share.  If Jack is playing with mommy or daddy, you quickly slide in and steal the show.  You are also quick to take his toys - they are always more insteresting.  Although, he is now on to your game and will sometimes take them back.  You are a ham for the camera and are happy to clap, stomp your feet, wave, play peek-a-boo, and put your hands over your head to say "hooray".  You have been taking steps for quite a while now, and it finally seems like you are walking.  You can and do walk from one side of the room to the other.  You love animals.  We have been to the zoo in Austin and the Science Center in Greensboro, NC.  Both places, you were facinated by the animals.  You think it is fun to see dogs and cats on our walks in the neighborhood.  You are a fairly good eater.  There have been a few times, okay many times, where you have wiped the table off with your arm, resulting in you whole dinner landing on the floor.  Other times, you will eat the insides and spit out the peel (ie: blueberries, cherry tomatoes, grapes, etc).  You nursed up until your first birthday - quite an accomplishment for mommy with her lower than low supply!  At the end, you were nursing twice a day, but would also get a bottle after you finished.  Now you are in a phase where you are a mommy's girl and very clingy.  I try to remind myself to enjoy it because someday you will not want to be anywhere near me.  You are typically a happy baby who enjoys social interaction and we try to have lots of playdates and outings to keep you entertained.  We also keep cool in the pool.  I am so excited to watch you grow and share fun and exciting adventures with you!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Dear Jack,
You are a laid back guy!  You are usually happy and just "chillin".  You had a rough beginning.  It started the night we came home from the hospital and you cried all night long.  That was how we learned my milk supply was too low and you were really hungry.  We quickly resolved the hunger, though sadly not the milk supply.  You also had colic for close to three months.  Before having you, I did not believe in colic.  But, you cried and cried and cried and there was nothing anyone could do to make you happy.  You and I spent many nights asleep in the rocking chair.  However, after we got through the colic, you became a very happy and relaxed baby.  You have been a great sleeper since then and will often take long naps.  Just in the past few weeks, you have not been as excited to go down for your nap - I think you may be ready to switch to one instead of two.  You are happy to play with others, but also able to entertain yourself.  You usually let your sister steal your toys, but occassionally will take them back.  You have recently started clapping your hands.  You are not nearly as concerned with performing "tricks" as your sister is.  You really enjoy sounds and music.  We have been to a few music classes and you like to play the guitar at the end of class.  You also like to play with toys that make music and figure out how to make them work.  You love swimming and kick your feet like you are ready to swim on your own.  You have been taking steps for a couple months and are walking now.  Lately, you have been practicing and will just walk in circles in your room.  You are a good eater.  Tomatoes and watermelon seem to be your favorite things these days.  You stopped nursing a few months ago when you got your second tooth.  Now, you are a go with the flow kind of guy who can keep himself happy almost anywhere we go.  I look forward to watching you grow and sharing fun and exciting adventures with you!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy 

Happy 1st birthday party Jack and Annabelle!

Two days ago was the babies first birthday and yesterday we had a birthday bash to celebrate!!!  Gpa, GranJan, and Grandpa all came into town for the occassion.  I decided to find my inner Martha Stewart and enlisted GranJan's help.  The party was a pool party (invitations were on small beach balls) and we had a luau theme.  We made blue jello with sweedish fish floating inside and the cutest cupcakes you have ever seen.  We took Teddy Grahms and used a "candy writer" to draw bikinis and swim trunks and a face.  All of the cupcakes were frosted with blue icing and some had smashed grahm crackers on part to represent sand.  We took the Teddy Grahms and put them on a fruit roll up under an umbrella in the sand, floating in a gummi ring, laying on a fruit roll-up in the "water", or just "swimming".  They turned out very cute!  Jeremy made polynesian pulled pork sliders and we had a watermelon basket with fruit.  It all went well with the margarita machine!  Outside, we put grass skirts around the bar and used leis and pinneapples to decorate the bar. We also had sand pails filled with goldfish crackers.  Gpa and Grandpa strung up tons of balloons, which were very cute until they started popping one by one due to the heat.  It looked great outside!  GranJan and Grandpa gave the babies a water table and a slide for their birthday.  We had them set up in the yard and also had a tunnel, a ball pit, and a pool.  Granna painted 3 people riding a dolphin and there were holes to put your face and take a picture.  It was very cute and we got a few good pics! 

Jack and Annabelle each had their own cake.  Jack carefully at the blue dots off his cake and was very cautious.  Annabelle was a little more eager to get into her cake.  The result was two messy babies and some great pictures!

We had lots of friends at our party:
Chris, Courtney, and Charolette
Helen, Ryan, and Steven
Traci, Greg, and Mason
Angela, Nick, and Elli
Ryan, Nicky, Holden, Wesley, and Wren
Susan, Dirk, and Hannah
Moe
Natalie, Scott, and Matthew
Andrea, Jason, Anson, Madilyn, and Reagan
Jan
Leah and Patrick
Alex and Marianne
Kelly, Xavier, Luke, and Joshua
Ryan and Jackson 
Becky, TJ, and Pearl

Thank you so much for coming to celebrate our special day!  Very exciting the babies turned one and even more exciting that mommy and daddy survived the first year!!!

Babies on Board

We just returned from the babies' first trip on an airplane.  It was an adventure!  It began when we arrived at the airport the first time (you can already see where this is going) to find out our plane was delayed.  Not a huge deal, as it was not that significant of a delay.  We hung out at the airport and Jeremy and I took turns walking from one end of the airport to the other with the babies.  The Austin airport is not very big.  We boarded the plane with the "pre-boarding" group since we clearly need extra time with two babies.  We got settled in, got out the various snacks, baby beverages, and toys.  After some time, I realized no one else was getting on the plane.  I have never boarded with the "pre-boarders", so I was not sure exactly how much "extra time" was allotted, but at this point it seemed excessive.  Around that time, the flight attendant said the plane was grounded due to weather in Atlanta and no one else would be boarding at this time.  We were welcome to sit on the plane or go back into the airport.  We decided to sit tight for a little while since we had just unpacked all kinds of stuff.  After about 10 minutes, we were assured we could leave our belongings and go back into the airport so the kids could crawl around.  So, we did.  After checking in with the gate agent, it became apparent we would most likely miss our connection in Atlanta and be stuck overnight in the airport.  We decided to go home and try again the next morning.  It was not as easy as it sounds.  Jeremy had to re-board the plane and pack up all our baby supplies.  Then we waited at baggage claim for about 45 minutes for our check baggage.  I was ready to leave it there overnight, but Jeremy pointed out the office might not be open for our 6:00 AM flight.  Thankfully, my brother was in town and able to return to the airport to pick us up.  We went home, fed babies, and all went to bed. 

The next morning, we left the house at 4:30 AM - even before the babies typical wake up time.  Our travel day was fairly uneventful and we even made it into Raleigh 30 minutes early.  The babies were well behaved on the flight.  Jeremy and I are not able to sit next to each other with the babies because there are not enough oxygen masks.  I was a row behind him on the first flight and across the plane.  At one point, I looked over and he had on his headphones and sunglasses.  It looked like he and Jack were both taking a nap.  I was not nearly as fortunate.  Annabelle decided to start practicing for her future career on Dancing with the Stars.  She wiggled and moved non-stop during both flights.  Jeremy's sister, Lauren, picked us up in Raleigh and we began our drive to the beach house on the Outerbanks.  I had been under the false impression it was a 3 hour drive.  4 1/2 hours later we arrived at the house.  We were all hungry and exhausted.  Thankfully, Grandjan put the pack-n-plays in the bedroom next to hers and Jeremy and I got to sleep downstairs!  The babies did not go with the plan of staying on Central time even on the East coast.  They were up at 6:00 AM Eastern time, and we were very happy they were upstairs and we were downstairs.

The beach was a lot of fun.  The babies seemed to enjoy it.  They thought the sand tasted delicious time and time again.  They splashed in the water and dug in the sand - perfect beach activities!  Jeremy build sand castles and Annabelle enjoyed smashing them.  Jack liked to walk and walk and walk (with some assistance, of course).  Jeremy also enjoyed the beach as he had 2 days of fishing.  The first day he went with me, Lauren, and his father.  We caught a few, but not nearly as many as he had hoped.  The second day, he went on an off-shore fishing trip (thanks to a wonderful father's day present from his lovely wife, children, and mother).  He was with 4 other guys he had never met before.  They caught their limit in Mahi and ran out of bait.  He said they caught 90 fish and he came home with 20 pounds of Mahi.  That was a fun trip!

After the beach, we headed to Reidsville, where Jeremy's parents live.  Jeremy, the babies, and I stopped in Raleigh on the way.  We had lunch with Jeremy's good friends, Jim and Kate.  Then we spent some time getting out our wiggles at their house.  We made it to Reidsville in time to feed the babies dinner and put them to bed.  Once again, Grandjan set the pack-n-plays up in the room next to hers and Jeremy and I slept downstairs.  Great vacation for us!  The next day, Jeremy's parents' friends came over to meet the babies.  Fortunately, the babies were well behaved and good sports.  Later that evening, Jeremy's aunt and cousins came over.  It was fun for them to meet the babies and we took a family photo.  After the babies went to bed, we played cornhole.  I must mention at the end of the night, Jeremy and I were the champions!  The rest of our time in North Carolina was spent just hanging out with family and playing in the pool.

The trip home was fairly easy.  On the flight from Atlanta to Austin, Annabelle and I had an empty seat next to us.  It was amazing and made the flight so much better!  Annabelle was still practicing her dance moves and Jack seemed to be relaxed, but we shed very few tears and did not get any dirty looks, which equals sucess in my book. 

We had a wonderful trip and look forward to another one next year!

I just don't know what to say

The whole reason I wasn't sure about having a blog is because I just don't know what to say!  A little update on the babies - both are taking steps, but not quite walking.  They eat everything.  Annabelle loves animals and will watch the dogs and cats that we see while we are out walking.  Jack could care less.  The babies both like the pool, but prefer to be held rather than in a floatie.  This can be challenging as there are two babies and only one mommy.  We love having our friends over to swim, and because it is close to 1000 degrees outside, I think our friends like swimming with us.  Someday I will add pictures.  We are heading tomorrow to North Carolina to visit Grandma and Grandpa King and Auntie Lauren.  It will be the babies first airplane ride and mommy and daddy are a little nervous to say the least.  But, it will be a fun trip and we are excited to see all of Jeremy's extended family.  And, that is all that I know for now - I really just don't know what to say!

Thank goodness for healthy babies!

As soon as we found out we were having twins, we were warned about all of the risks.  Because we were considered a high risk pregnancy due to having multiples, we saw a perinatologist throughout our entire pregnancy.  Towards the end, we were seeing him weekly.  For several weeks in a row, he said goodbye at the end of our visit and he was sure he would not see us the following week, because the babies would have arrived.  He had me convinced the babies would come earlier than we thought, so our family from out of town came in a week earlier then they were planning, just to make sure they were in town when the babies arrived.  It was recommended we take a tour of the NICU, so we would know what to expect in the event that our babies had to spend time there.  I managed to keep the babies in for 38 1/2 weeks and they entered into the world as the most perfect babies there could be.  Annabelle weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces and Jack weighted 7 pounds 15 ounces.  They were healthy and primarily happy - Jack did require Jeremy to sing some Willie Nelson in the middle of the night.  The babies stayed in our room for the majority of our time in the hospital, with just a few quick trips to the nursery to meet the pediatrician and let mommy and daddy have a couple hours (and only a couple) of sleep.  I have many friends, with multiples and with singletons, who have had to spend time in the NICU.  Thankfully, we have NICUs and they can help babies get healthy.  Thanks to the March of Dimes, medical advances are being made and sick and premature babies are able to grow strong and healthy.   I am walking with the Austin Moms of Multiples team to help raise money for March of Dimes so they can continue to research and explore ways to help babies be the best they can be.

What to say?

Blogs seem to be the thing to do.  Many of my friends have blogs - some are motivational, some are inspirational, some are informative, and some are hilarious.  And, I am beginning to feel like I should also have a blog.  But, what do I say?  I stay at home with two eight  month old babies.  I have a long list of things to do, including starting the baby books, so I'm not sure that I am the motvational type.  I am still bleary eyed from lack of sleep, so I doubt I can be inspirational.  And, my brain is still a mushy mommy brain.  I thought that it was just a mushy pregnant brain, but it has been eight months since I have been pregnant and my brain is still not functioning at full capacity - at least, I hope this is not full capacity.  Needless to say, I'm not sure that I can be very informative.  I wish that I could be hilarious, but when the highlight of our week is a trip to Target, it is hard to imagine how I can offer anything hilarious.  So, I'm just not sure what to say.  However, one of my blogging friends said she blogs so she can keep track of all of the milestones and fun events that her kids accomplish and participate in.  She does it so they will have a record.  Since I have not made much progress, also known as no progress, on the baby books, perhaps a blog to track their journey in this world is a good idea.  We will try it out and hopefully I will be able to come up with things to say.