My Babies Are Toddlers

I'm slowly coming to the realization that my sweet little babies are more toddler than baby.... in some ways knowing this makes me hold on to them just a little bit long and squeeze them a little bit tighter and procrastinate what needs to get done for the day so I can just sit down and play with them. These two are growing too fast. I seriously can't believe they are 15 months old.

Another Doctor's appointment. I don't know how many more I can do alone with two crying babies after their shots. Although, I'm seriously amazed at how simple these appointments are (even though it's with two babies). Any concern's with their development? Nope. Okay and then the Dr. asks a series of 4-5 questions about different areas of development. In and out with two babies, shots and all in 45 minutes. I find it completely refreshing.

 Here's their 15 month stats

Olivia June

Height: 28 3/4 inch 8th Percentile

Weight: 20 lb 2 oz 12th Percentile

Head Circumference: 46.1 cm 56th Percentile

• We are starting to call this sweet girl "Livi" a lot more these days
• She says, mama, dada, nana (banana) ba (ball), hi and pes-pes (please) buh, buh (bye-bye) and uh-oh and she is constantly learning new ones every few days....
• Loves to sit on my lap when we are sitting on the floor. She gets a bit jealous when Kathryn or Andrew are sitting on my lap. She even tries to squeeze in between them and push them out of the way. Also, if I'm changing Kathryn's diaper on the floor, she'll come and park herself right on my lap...which can make changing a stinky diaper a bit more tricky. 
• She's becoming a bit dramatic and it's hilarious to watch. At the slightest bump or toy taking away, she'll become limp as a noodle and fall to the floor with her face in the carpet and start crying. It's hard not to laugh sometimes. 
• She has six teeth. Three on the top and three on the bottom
• She loves to color and draw. I pulled out some crayons the other day for the first time and she sat and was entertained long past Kathryn and Andrew both. And now she looks for every pen or pencil and tries to find paper to write on. 
• She is really picking up on sign language in just the last few weeks. She'll use the signs "more" "eat" "all done" "milk"  "baby" "please" "apple" "thank you" and "thirsty" all unprompted. 
• Started walking and took her first steps at 14 months old exactly to the day December 7th
• She is just starting to wear 18 month clothes. 
• Olivia's is totally into giving kisses...not just blowing a kiss, but she puckers her lips in the cutest way and dive right in. It's hilarious and when she starts it's not just one or two kisses. It's like 7-8 kisses in a row. 
• She's my little helper. Any time I start singing the clean-up song and will pick up what ever mess the girls have made, she's right by my side helping me put books on the shelf, toys in the basket or the Tupperware back into the cupboard.

Here is Olivia's Kissy face! Pucker up! 

She'll give kisses to anyone and everyone who'll take them.

This girl loves pictures and has started to say cheese when I get the camera out. Then runs to me and wants to see it.

Helping mommy on cleaning day. 

She climbs in the basket and signs more. She wants me to push her down the hall for a little ride. How can you not resist that request from this cutie? 

Now this girl can walk, she is a lover of the outdoors...just like Kathryn. 

Kathryn Mary

Height: 30 in 35th Percentile

Weight: 22 lbs 4 oz 37th Percentile

Head Circumference: 48.8 cm 98th Percentile
(Fun Fact...Kathryn and Andrew have the EXACT same head size. I knew Andrew's head is small with his hydrocephalus and brachycephaly, but I didn't realize it was truly THAT small. Kathryn's head is in the 99th percentile. No headbands fit her. We've also found out that she can wear Andrew's bike helmet and snow hat and both fit her just right.)

• She most definitely keeps up with her brother. She doesn't really walk. She pretty much just runs around everywhere. 
• She can hold her own too. Andrew loves to "wrestle" with the girls and Kathryn thinks it's funny and giggles to no end. She'll even will try to get Andrew as well. Her sister on the other hand, ends up in tears every time. 
• Kathryn loves to play "Ring Around the Rosie" Full of giggles.
• She is still the best eater in the house. I really have to watch her because she'll stuff her little cheeks so full and.....somehow she chews it all.
• She always has to have something in her hands. She is my little pack rat. She'll will try to fit as much as possible in both her hands and just wander around the house. I'll find things from one room on the opposite side of the house... Kathryn is usually the culprit. Her favorite is some little cups she got for Christmas to go with her play kitchen. One day she literally had the little cup in her hand from sun up to sun down. Slept with them at naptime and would hardly put them down at mealtime. They must be just the right size for her little hands. 
• Kathryn has 8 teeth and two molars that are about to pop through. 
• She is my dancer and will bounce up and down anytime she hears music or even when we are singing songs together. 
• She loves stuffed animals and soft dolls. I don't know if she has a favorite it rotates depending on the day, but she always wants to take one to bed and grabs one as I lift her out of her crib. 
• She pretends to talk on the phone and will just walk around the house chatting away.
• She is quite the tease and knows exactly what she is doing.
• She has been wearing 18 month clothes the past month or so.  
• We can now make a teeny tiny ponytail on the top of her head...but the picture above is proof that it is possible. Now maybe people won't ask if the twins are a boy and a girl. 
• Kathryn is becoming quite the shoe lover. You can always find her by the basket of shoes by the front door. She will bring me my shoes and try to put them on my feet or bring me her shoes and wants me to put them on her. It's pretty cute. 

It's still quite the excursion to go grocery shopping with these two. They are really good babies and good helpers at putting the groceries away too!

This Girl loves to go outside and anytime I say, it's time to go bye-bye or let's get your shoes on...she is right there ready to go.

She sure loves her brother!

Bike Helmet....check!

trying to put her own shoe on

These two are starting to really become quite the characters.....

There are about 3 cupboards I just let these girls dig into and play in...usually while I'm working in the kitchen doing dishes or cooking. One of which is the tupperware cupboard. They love unloading it, stacking the putting different toys in them and recently they've discover they love climbing inside once the cupboard is empty. 

Making silly faces!

Full of giggles!

Playing a little peek-a-boo with mommy!

Then not more than a moment after the adorable peek-a-boo, Kathryn becomes a tease and tries to shut the door on Olivia. This made Olivia mad of course. However, the worse part about it was Kathryn was laughing the entire time knowing full well she was making Olivia cry.....and so it begins. 

What a ham....Olivia climbed into the doll stroller and just sat and waited until her sister came along to push her. Proud little face.

I am a lover of Amazon and get a monthly shipment of diapers, wipes, toilet paper, cleaning supplies etc...well these girls love when that big brown box comes to our doorstep. Boxes truly are the best!

 Even though it was a bit chilly we needed to get out for a walk after therapy one day. I braved it and let the girls walk on their own instead of ride in the usual stroller. They were in heaven and it wasn't as bad as I thought to keep them going. Andrew is just 10 times faster in his walker and the girls explored every little thing. Not much for exercise but the fresh air was all we were going for that day.

These two try to squeeze into the same chair and sit on each other's laps. Again Kathryn knows exactly what she's doing and how to push her sisters buttons. 

These two are the best little troopers as we head to therapy three days a week. They get strapped into the stroller to wait for 45 minutes to an hour depending on the day, while Andrew works with his therapist. It's starting to become a challenge some days, but most of the time they are pretty darn good!

These girls still take two naps a day. I don't know how much longer this will be happening, but I'll take it for now. I can only let them sleep 45 min-1 hour in the morning or their afternoon nap is shot. For now it's still working for us. After Christmas, I tried to transition them to one nap and it's pretty brutal from 10:00-nap time. So we'll stick with the two naps for another month or so...it won't be much longer. I've also had to split them up during nap time. Now Kathryn who usually sleep in the pack n'play thinks it's much more comfortable to pull the mat up and sleep right on the bars. As I went in to wake her I just had to snap a picture. That's gotta be uncomfortable and she does it on a daily basis now.

They are in full-on "monkey see; monkey do" mode. It's fun most of the time...meal time though it can be a bit rough...

one rips her bib off. so does the other. 

one throws her cup on the floor, so does the other

one blows raspberries with a mouth full of food....so does the other.

on puts a bowl of yogurt on her head, yup you got it...so does the other.

Always fun times! 

Trouble with a capital T

Playing at the park...these two are getting too fast for me. I can't get them both in the same picture!

Playing with their new kitchen set that Santa brought. I didn't think they'd really use it much right now, but so far they've loved it! 

These two are seriously a crack up. They are at such a fun and BUSY stage. They are such cute little playmates and they keep me running.Not much happens at our house but the bare essentials, which in someways is nice. I've had to learn to let a lot of things go. But I really wouldn't have it any other way. It's quite the circus and I'm completely exhausted at the end of the day.But oh how we love our Kate and Livi!

New Year's Eve

Another year has come to an end.

Another chapter in our lives. 

2015 was good to us. 

• We bought our first home! So grateful we could do this and settle down and be D.O.N.E. with moving. 6 times in 5 years is plenty for me. We love our new place and have some great neighbors and hope to stay here for a while. 
• We've had a roller coaster of a ride the whole entire year with potty training Andrew. Yep! We started last January and we are still working on potty training. I knew this would be a long journey. It went from being mostly potty trained after a few months and only having maybe 0-1 accidents a day to regressing and wanting nothing to do with going potty and wanting to wear diapers again. Then slowly back to trying but not self-initiating AT ALL. Then after working with his mobility specialist at school we were able to make some accommodations here at home which helped a ton! Then the last few months have been very up and down with not much progress. I seriously  thought the girls would be potty trained WAY before this kid. Well, while he was home for Christmas break he just decided he could do it. And he did.  He's pretty much done it every day since. He had maybe two accidents over the entire 2 1/2 weeks off of Christmas vacation. Wahoo! Totally self-initiated and totally in underwear all day! Going back to school has been a tough transition, but it will come.  Best Christmas Present EVER!
• We've had a handful of visitors this year and loved seeing lots family and friends. We figured 6 out of the 12 months we had someone coming to visit us! We love every minute of it! 
• We saw a lot of firsts for both Kathryn and Olivia in 2015. From first giggles to crawling to first steps and first words. 
• Its been a year of growing for both Stephen and I. We had a few really big decisions we've had to make with regards to our little family. Those are never easy. And sometimes although you move forward with what assuredly feels like the best decision, life becomes even more difficult and more stressful and you wonder why was this the best decision. But that's when you grow and when you put your trust in the Lord, that he knows far more than you.  
• We are so grateful it's been a medically a low-key year for us. It's the first year since Andrew's been born that we have not met our deductible AND our out of pocket expense. Next year though, will be another story as we are prepping for another surgery for this kid. But we'll take it this year!  
• We've been able to really see and do much more this year here in Georgia. Our first year here was kind of crazy with being in the hospital 2 1/2 months and having newborn twins. I'm starting to really have a love for the south and the southern culture here in Georgia. We've seen some neat things, met some wonderful people and now it feels like home to us. Andrew is even starting to get a little southern accent from being around all his teachers during the day. It's pretty cute!
• We survived our first year with twins. I've talked to a lot of twin mom's and I'd have to say we are blessed with two very easy going girls. I'm so grateful for them.  A lot of prayers answered. They make being a mom easy to two babies at once easy. Although....we are now hitting the toddler years and then next comes the terrible two's....and then three was so much harder with Andrew than two was....so we've got a few years before we're out of the clear. 

Our New Year's Eve celebrations ended up being a really fun night! This was the first year that Andrew really got the whole concept.

Starting around 4-5pm we got our entire family in our pajama's and had a family pajama New Years Eve party. Stephen and I had blown up a bunch of balloons and we wrote different times on them. Every 15 minutes, starting at 5:00pm we popped a balloon as part of our count down. We ordered a little Chinese take-out for dinner and played a night of family games. Andrew was in heaven. We played his favorites like Don't Eat Pete and Hide 'n Seek and some of the girls favorites like Ring around the Rosie and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. We also played a few simple minute to win it games put a new puzzle Andrew had gotten for Christmas together. Then at 8:00pm we found the Netflix countdown and rang in the new year with horns, crackers and a little bit of silly string. Then up to bed and just like that they were all asleep.

our cracker crowns

Then Stephen and I watched a movie and had a bit of our Martinelli's. We stayed up until about 10:45 (guess we're getting old)  then headed up to bed. Our neighborhood sure celebrated though. Starting at about 10:30 we had non-stop fireworks from our next door neighbors. I mean the big mortars that shoot into the sky. We had the perfect view from our bedroom window. I couldn't fall asleep so I found my book and stayed up until almost one when the fireworks finally died down. 

Happy 2016

Wow! Santa Left a Mess Underneath our Tree!

We had a wonderful Christmas and LOVED having family come to visit. This was the first year that we haven't traveled for the Christmas holiday. And although it was different, it was wonderful. We were lucky enough that Stephen's parents and his little brother would drive all the way to come spend a  week with us. They came down before Christmas and we did all of our playing and celebrations with them. Then they headed back on Christmas day so they could get back to Michigan in time for other family who was coming into town for the week after Christmas.

We had to take a few days out to go and visit Aunt PJ and Uncle Chuck. We love that they live only a few hours away in North Carolina. We truly got the see the "smokey mountains" as we drove up to visit with them. So much fog and still so green this time of year. It was beautiful. We attempted to take a few hikes while we were there.

Uncle Chuck & Olivia

 This sweet Aunt PJ knitted these girls these darling sweaters. I haven't really dared let them wear them because 1. they are white 2. I didn't know how well they'd hold up with washing. But I've loved them and had to get a picture of the girls wearing them with Aunt PJ.

 John is the favorite uncle by far and these girls knew it, They haven't seen him since

 July, but they love uncle John!

Out for hikes with Ranger the Dog

 Throwing rocks into the river

 These girls are getting heavy, but this is how we hike! 

Andrew sure loves his Grandma! 

Of course we had to get a babysitter while they were here and go and see the new Star Wars movie! We loved it!! Did not disappoint! 

Heading out to see some Christmas lights and Grandpa knew just how to wrangle both girls. No stopping him!

This gingerbread house has been attempted to be made about three different times. I got it when we lived in Chicago and it never happened. So we packed it up with our Christmas stuff and each year since I've been meaning to make it. A few years ago I even opened it up, cut open the frosting and had it all ready and for some reason, it still didn't happen. This year I was determined that darn gingerbread house was going to get built and decorated. I was not going to pack it back up with all our Christmas stuff again!

So it did!

The finished product thanks to Grandma & Uncle John. Andrew gave up after a few short minutes and was way more interested in the candy.

Trying to eat the rock hard candy! Thankfully not teeth were broken!

We were hoping we'd have a day or two to put the few extra hands to work in the backyard. I think it rained almost every single day they were here. So that didn't really happen. But we did put those extra hands to work Christmas Eve. 

Santa's little helpers. Let's just say it took almost 3 hours

Christmas morning was so much fun!  

The first words out of Andrew's mouth after he came down the stairs was "Wow! Santa left a mess under our tree!"

We spent the entire day in our pajamas. The kids played endlessly with their new toys. We ate yummy leftovers. Relaxed and even took a little nap! Pure Bliss!

This kid spent almost 6 hours straight playing on his new wiggle-rider car. He only got off to eat and to go to the bathroom.

Giving good-bye hugs to Grandma! It was so sad to see them go! We loved having them with us for the Holiday! 

Merry Christmas 2016