The Centerfold Girls

I know this is not the outfit you think of when you think of the word centerfold. Katie is just modeling her christening outfit for me to make sure it fits.

Now comes the centerfold pictures. Just so you know, I'm not in a habit of taking my children's clothes off just to take a picture of them, so don't go calling Child Protective Services on me. The gown came off, and I just couldn't help myself. Do you think she's cold? Nah.

Here's Jojo being as cute as ever. After I got her undressed, I thought why bother trying the gown on her? If it fits Katie, then it fits her. She's still 2 lbs smaller after all.

There's good that comes out of being naked. You discover your feet! Hello, feet. It's nice to finally meet you.

And of course, these two centerfolds just have to have a little chitchat about having a crazy mother who undresses them when it's 40 degrees outside.

Oh, To Be Free!

Have you had one of those days when you just want to be free as the day you were born? I mean, who doesn't want to see what every nook and crany, every dirt, every splinter, every cold surface feels like on your ass? You don't? Me neither.

But obviously, this boy thinks otherwise. He progressively lost a piece of clothing in a span of 1 hour. Jojo and I were trying to document the day, but she had other ideas too.

Kitty Kat & Bronchitis

This was taken yesterday when everyone was happy.



Bronchiolitis and Bronchitis. Just take out a few letters in the middle and the two become 2 different things. First it was Brochiolitis and now it's Bronchitis. Poor Kitty Kat. She has been wheezing intermitently for a few days, but today it was constant. She also turns red in the face every time she coughs, so the hubby and I decided to take her to the doctor. She was put on the nebulizer at the doctor's office, which improved her breathing dramatically. So, we've been sent home with our very own. Katie must be on the nebulizer every 4 hours through the weekend (more often if needed) and then as needed after that. She is also on antibiotics.

Unfortunately, it started with Big Bro. But with him, his coughing wasn't that bad so we weren't worried (besides, since he started pre-school, I can count in one hand the weeks he was cough-free). Jordan is once again spared, though. I don't know how she manages not to get these upper respiratory crap that seem to bother Katie, but she does. You'd think the bigger of the two is more bug-resistant.

For this weekend, instead of me manning Camp Ducklings, the hubby is pitching in. He is going to handle the big boy's 3-4x/night wakings (just to check that he isn't alone in his bedroom) and I will be with the girls. I need good nights sleep in between the nebulizer sessions.

The Danger of Falling Asleep with your Kids

Matty didn't go to school today because a bad tummy ache kept him up last night.

This is what happens when you decide to take a nap with your children and your toddler wakes up before you. I'm just glad I put the girls in the playpen, or they may have met with the same fate.

Days Gone By

This is one from the vault. This is Matty at 2 months old. His sisters are now 7 months old and they don't even have that much hair, and definitely not that chubby.




Amazingly enough, he still has the same whine at almost 3 years old. And it still has the same potency to make Mommy's ears ring instantly.

Our Weekend

Matty and the girls enjoyed having their Nana, Papaw and their cousins this weekend. Matty couldn't get enough of his youngest cousin, Connor. It really reminds me of when these three nephews were younger. They couldn't get enough of their Uncle.

Katie seems to warm up to everyone much faster this time. Yay! She's really quite a ham. Jojo was just like her old self; she doesn't mind the attention.

This afternoon, before Matty went for his nap, he asked for a TV in his room. Where the heck does he get these things? Too bad his Daddy and I have long ago decided (even before Matty was just a twinkle in our eyes) that there will not be a TV in the kid's room. Really, I don't even know why he wants a TV there. He only watches the same 2 episodes of Go Diego Go over and over.

Then this evening, the hubby tried to play a trick on me. I was on bath duty with Matty and Daddy was on twins duty (diaper change and PJ). When we switched off (he puts Matty to bed and I nurse the twins), I noticed after a couple of seconds (HA!) that he had switched their PJ's and switched their position in the crib.

I hate to tell you this, sweetpea. But you have to do better than that!

Problem Solved!

I mentioned previously that I may have to split the girls up and put them in their own cribs very very soon because they are getting too big for one. Well, I've been stressing out about this. I want them to stay together as long as possible, because to separate them prematurely may cause them stress.

Well, it seems that they can stay together for a while longer because they have figured out a way to situate themselves nicely. Such smart little things, they are.

This is perfect! This gives them enough room from head to toe to stretch out, plus they are positioned in such a way that they don't smack each others faces and disturb each other.

The Castle Bed is Here!

The Castle bed is finally here! It took a frustrating hour and a half to get it assembled (someone wanted to pound on everything with a rubber mallet and fit anything with a dowel to anything with a hole). Matty is very happy, even if the castle post and the hand rail for the ladder is yet to be delivered.

He loves the area underneath. It's perfect for hiding!

And of course, I just have to get a shot in of my lowly little set up on the floor. Ever since we moved Matty to his new room, I have been sleeping everywhere but my cozy king size bed. But I'm sure Daddy is enjoying it enough for the both of us. I spend a total of about 5 hours in the floor in Matty's room, and about an hour in my bed and awake and walking around in between. When I'm about to sink in into that deep sweet sweet slumber is when I usually get waken up with, "Mommy!! Mom! Come here and sleep with me on the floor!"

Katie's First Words

Oh the betrayal. The backstabbing. I don't know if I can take it. Twenty-four hours, seven days a week with Katie and what is her first word? I thought the females of the house are supposed to stick together.



http://youtube.com/watch?v=iOf1h241CXo

Well, maybe Jojo will be kind enough to restore my belief in the estrogen sisterhood.

Story Time with Big Brother

aaahhh. This is what life is all about. :-)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECeIwLvBn80

Sharing a Crib

This is the new crib we bought for the twins. Could you believe cribs run on average of $250? Well, we knew we were going to have to buy two, so we went to our friendly local Wal-Mart and found one for half that price. All we really cared about is that it converts to a toddler bed, because unlike Big Bro, these two definitely aren't sleeping in Mommy's and Daddy's bed. Also, notice the boy themed bedding. This was Big Bro's. It's nice to finally able to use it (Big Bro HATED the crib). I will get girly crib beddings soon enough.

They are sleeping the short way at the moment so that they can sleep together. Putting these two the long way makes them too close to each other, which is very hazardous to one of them. One arm ends up on the other's face and it prevents that one from sleeping. Not a good thing. This way, they can still touch each other (like they always do) but not bother each other. But notice that their heads and legs touch the ends. In a matter of weeks, we'll have to the 2nd crib and they have to start sleeping seperately. Who knows how many sleepless nights that process would bring? (By the way, Jojo is in white and Katie is in yellow).

Play Time!

Katie is getting so good at sitting up by herself for a fairly long time (about 3-4 minutes). But don't get her turning her head or off she falls!

Jojo can sit up, but only for a short time. She loves to push back with her legs so off she falls. Silly girl.

Having a great time playing and exploring the toys. I know I mentioned the system of dressing them, so Jojo should be in green and Katie should be in pink. But I like to mess with Daddy's head. :-)

Sweet Potatoes

The twins has their first sweet potatoes and from the looks of it, it's not a hit. Hmmm. I don't think anything could compare to Nana's split pea soup over Christmas.




This video shows Jojo's cleverness. She discovered making bubbles is the best way to get rid of the sweet potatoes.



This is Katie, equally as clever. She has discovered the control of her own mouth and refuses to open it.

Big Boy Room

The day Matty went back to school (Jan. 2nd), Daddy and I started cracking on his big boy room. We ordered him a castle bed 4 weeks ago and it's going to be delivered any day now. We donated the bed suite to Salvation Army and now it's empty. Time to paint! (I will put more pictures as we make progress in decorating the room.)

Daddy got this Cars fan that he said MUST go in the room, so this was the first to go up and it's the inspiration for the color.
Here's the empty room after I put tape. Daddy was in the store picking up some painting supplies.

Two hours later, here it is. I put the blue paint (oooh, fancy! an accent wall!) and Daddy took on the gray on the other 3 walls. I must say this is the fastest we've ever tackled a painting project!

Here's what the room looked like yesterday. We took a couple of rest days to run other errands and let the paint dry. We just love the color scheme! Though we need to put another light source because the fan light is just isn't enough.

This is late last night putting the crib up for the girls because they are getting too big for the bassinet. I must say that Daddy showed great restraint with his little "helper", until Matty decided to shred the stryrofoam from the packaging. Then all I heard was "Put that down! I'm going to count! I said put that down NOW!"

2007 Review

The year 2007 was filled with one blessings after the other. What the hubby and I did to deserve such endless gifts, we would never know, but we are forever grateful.

The year started it out pretty rocky with the worry of going into preterm labor and not having any support system in place to take care of the little man, but everything fell into place with such great family. The hubby's parents were more than willing to put their lives on pause and help us out however they can - and they did. They were here during the hubby's major jaw operation and they were here in a moments notice when I went into labor early. We could never thank them enough for what they have done.

We are also thankful for my mother who came and helped us out for a month after the twins were born. Had it not been for her caring for Matty, I don't know if we would still be sane by now. Or maybe Matty would have ended up for auction on Ebay? if only for a second...

The girls were amazingly healthy and amazingly big for being 6 1/2 weeks early. There were definitely angels watching over them (my grandmother included). They continue to thrive and in no time, they will be ganging up on Big Bro for sure.

Matty did excellently this year. For someone who is hard to transition, he accepted pre-school like a pro. Daddy and I expected crying fits for a week, nothing like it remotely happened. He absolutely loves school. His speech has taken off and we are continually amazed (and shocked) at what he says.

The hubby's sleep apnea was finally addressed and now he is sleeping soundlessly. Yipee! He went through a lot with the latest surgery, and we are thankful that it's over. I'm also thankful that I do not need to worry about him stopping breathing in the middle of the night - though it took some getting used to not hearing a peep out of him the first few nights. I had to make sure he was breathing!

I am thankful for my health. My body did pretty well at keeping the twins in for a fairly long time. Thank goodness for Big Bro being big - he made sure that his sisters following him fit in there quite well.

The year 2007 made it quite clear to me the importance of family. When it was just the hubby and I, we were relatively reclusive, and it worked for us. But with the arrival of the twins, it was clear as day that no one could stand alone in this world. We all need each other.

Welcome 2008!

Katie and Big Bro

Jojo