Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we now have a birthday to celebrate this week. But first a holiday recap...

My parents came over early with Mr. Turkey who was brined and ready to fry. Josh's parents had bought us a turkey fryer the previous weekend and we so looked forward to using it! So, Josh and my father got Mr. Turkey going while I prepared the mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn on the cob, and some rolls. My mother played with the girls and kept them occupied!

Josh's parents arrived with Honey (Josh's grandmother) and Aunt Earline (Josh's great great aunt!). Honey and Aunt Earline enjoyed watching Lexi and Lyla play while we finished up the meal

Everything was delicious! We tried taking some pictures of the girls but they weren't really cooperative (shocker). Nonetheless, here are some of the better ones:

Lexi and Lyla hope that everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Pre-Thanksgiving Thoughts

I have always loved Thanksgiving, it is one of my favorite holidays. I love Fall with leaves changing and the smell of Winter looming in the air. It's not just the food that goes with Thanksgiving that I love, I love the time of reflection that the holiday brings. This year is probably the most meaningful Thanksgiving that I have ever experienced, because I could not even start to describe how thankful I am for my beautiful baby girls.

Last year at this time, Josh and I were given a big scare as we went to the doctor for my weekly check-up. The doctor was doing ultrasounds at every visit because it was the only way that he could monitor the growth of both babies. At that visit, they saw that Baby B (Lyla) had barely grown and that both babies were actually very small for their gestational age. He preliminarily diagnosed them with IUGR (Intra-Uterine Growth Restriction), but was not ready to deliver yet because they were showing no signs of distress. He put me on "couch-potato rest" (his words, not mine), and made me an appointment with the high risk doctor for December 2nd. I had never been so terrified in my life. We had been so thankful that I had made it to 35+ weeks (at that time) and I never imagined that something would go wrong. (To avoid any suspense...Lexi and Lyla were born healthy at 36 weeks and 4 days and needed no NICU time)

Reflecting on what was going on in my life last year, I can not help but feel incredibly thankful and blessed to be planning a delicious Thanksgiving meal with my parents and Josh's parents. I am so thankful that I will get to watch Lexi and Lyla try all sorts of new foods tomorrow at their first Thanksgiving meal. What a wonderful year it has been, with so much to be thankful for.

Thank Heavens For Little Girls....

Especially little girls in overalls! Thanks Bubbie and Zayde for our super cute overalls, and thanks to Grandma for our onesies and socks....what a perfect outfit for two adorable little girls!

Three Post Thursday

Here's my third post for the day...so does that catch me up? I know, technically it doesn't, but I'm trying here. Anyway, there's really nothing substantial to this post except for the fact that I finally got some good pictures of Lexi and Lyla today! Now, I did have to take them while they were in a crib together, but at least they are BOTH looking at the camera! Nevermind the fact that they are basically behind bars in order to make it happen. Oh well...at least they're active babies, right? Lyla's in pink and Lexi's in polka dots. And the weird faces in the last 2 pictures are due to the flash, but they showcased the baby blues too much not to post them.

Play Date Fun!

On Monday, Lexi and Lyla had a play date with Julianna. Chase, Juju's brother, got a better offer, and ditched us girls. I still am amazed that a little boy could have a better offer than playing with his little sister and two 11-month old baby girls, but whatever ;) Anyway, we had a fun time! The girls got along really well, although I don't think Juju is used to having anyone steal toys from her! She really enjoyed petting Casey from the other side of the playgate, and then she'd come over and pet Lexi and Lyla on the head! It was SO CUTE. At one point, Juju and Lyla were playing in the ball pit, and I guess Lyla saw Juju standing so she just decided to stand up! I hope we can do it again soon, Kristen! Next time maybe Leslie and Ella can join us!

Juju and one of the twins. I honestly can't tell which one this is!

Here's Juju petting Casey

Kristen and Lyla (who never met a lap she didn't like!)

All 3 girls playing

Bye bye Ms. Kristen and Juju! Come back soon!

Epic Fail.

Clearly I have failed at National Blog Posting Month. I have missed the past 2 days :( But if I make THREE posts today, does that count? I really had high hopes for myself, however, I forgot that I am a Working Mom. Therefore, my little eyelids beg me to close them at night, instead of typing away at the computer. Boo. Back to blogging!

Honest Blog Award!

The Rules:

1) Must thank the person who gave the award and list their blog and link it.
2) Share "10 Honest Things" about yourself.
3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.
4) Tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.

Thank you, Courtney, for this award! Like Courtney said in her post, I randomly found her blog one day but we've known each other for quite a while since we went to high school together! She has adorably handsome twin boys named Paxton and Kellen that are only a few weeks younger than Lexi and Lyla!

10 Honest Things About Me:
1. I worry A LOT. I worry about money, work, health, you name it. I worry about things I should worry about and I worry about things that I shouldn't worry about. I worry about the fact that I worry too much. Yikes.
2. I have an insane amount of guilt every time I leave my girls to go to work. I feel guilty and yet I know that they are being cared for by their Daddy, who loves them oh so much. This one might correlate a little bit with Number 1.
3. If I could be anything other than a pharmacist or stay-at-home-mommy, I'd like to be a sideline reporter. Think Erin Andrews, without the unfortunate hotel peeping tom issue.
4. A lot of people ask me if Josh and I will have any more kids. There are days when I think I would like more, and there are days when I wouldn't. If you asked Josh, the answer is a resounding...NO.
5. Speaking of kids, when I was pregnant I really wanted boys. Then we found out they were girls and I was SO excited. Now, if we were to have another baby at some point, I think I'd want ANOTHER girl. Crazy.
6. I made it through a twin pregnancy without a single stretch mark on my stomach. I marveled at this fact about a week after the girls were born. I then turned around and noticed stretch marks on my butt...wtf? It doesn't get more honest than that, but I mean seriously?! I knew I was carrying one of the babies in there!
7. I love my husband. I don't say it enough, but I do.
8. I used to be obsessed with tv. I had probably 15 shows that I watched religiously. I now rely on DVDs but I'll never be able to catch up with all of my shows and that makes me sad.
9. I haven't had a hair cut in almost a year. I grew it out so I could wear it curly more often instead of straightening it. I'm now thinking about chopping it off...somebody help me decide!
10. I am AWFUL at making decisions. This drives Josh crazy, but really, can't he just decide for me?!

I present Honest Blog Award to...
1. Kristen: She was my roommate in college and now has 2 GORGEOUS kids plus one on the way! Her blog is always informative, honest, and fun to read. She is always full of great advice!
2. Leslie: She was *practically* my roommate in college and has a BEAUTIFUL little girl just a little bit older than my girls. She is a super smart cookie and knows all about child development which is always helpful!
3. Amber: She is a sorority sister, along with Kristen and Leslie, who has 2 ADORABLE little boys. Her blog is extremely honest as her husband searches for a new job, and she goes back to working some. She has amazing faith and admire her a lot!
4. Heather: I found her blog a while ago and she has 3 AMAZING little girls, 2 of whom are twins. She has gone through a lot with her health, her dad's health, and all the while being a great mom to her kids. I love to look to her for twin advice!
5. Bridgett: We found each others blog some time ago and she has BEAUTIFUL twin girls. I admire the fact that she has travelled so much with her girls already! She also has a post where Madeline and Savannah gave their Daddy a bunch of UT stuff, so you know I gotta love her!
6. Katy: I don't know if she knows I follow her blog or not, but she has ADORABLE boy/girl twins named Paul and Amelia. Her honesty can be seen in the amazing pictures she takes. Seriously, this girl is talented.
7. Jennifer: I found her blog when I was pregnant and her GORGEOUS twin girls are a couple months older than my girls. She is a blogging machine and I always look forward to seeing what her girls are up to.

Random Pictures

I'm not feeling very wordy tonight, so I'm just going to provide some cute pictures of some cute girls for today's post. We have a play date tomorrow with Chase and Julianna so I'm sure that will provide an exciting update! Lexi and Lyla had a great weekend and we hope everyone else did too!

I love this face. So sweet and innocent.

Cold water makes the skin around Lexi's eyes turn pink but she loves it!

It's amazing how anything can become a toy to two 11-month olds!

They've started to push each other around, it's so cute!

Lyla's taking a breather

Maybe We're Not That Interesting...

So it's what, Day 7, of my 30 days of blogging, and I'm running out of things to say. I've got a couple of questions that I can answer from my previous post but I'll save that for tomorrow maybe. Today was a beautiful day here in Memphis. The girls slept until about 8:30 (loving this trend by the way), and then they had their breakfast. After that, they took a nap until 11:30 IN THEIR CRIBS, which is a huge thing that I guess I could talk about in another blog post (sweet...2 more posts!). Then we played and ate lunch. We took a nice walk after that, which is something we haven't gotten to do in a while. It was just gorgeous outside and the girls had so much fun. We played some more after our walk and then had our afternoon bottle and nap. Bubbie and Zayde surprised the girls and were there when they woke up! They came to watch the girls while the VOLS, once again, stomped the Memphis Tigers! They gave the girls dinner, baths, more playtime, and bottles. And that brings me to now. So here are some pictures of Lexi and Lyla during one of their play times...you have to love babies in jeans ;)

One more thing...If you're the praying type, please keep Lexi and Lyla's great-grandmother, Honey, in your prayers (Honey is Josh's grandma). She's in the hospital right now. She should be okay, but all prayers are helpful. Thank you!

Are you sick of ball pit pictures yet?

Lexi looks so mischevious in this picture above!

I like this one of Lyla because I know she was smiling at her Daddy there.

Lyla's face in this one looks so innocent...but we all know she's Captain Destructo

Lyla loves to play with this toy train that Kristen let us borrow.

One of my patients just bought the girls that bucket that Lexi is playing with, and they love it and all the puzzle pieces that go with it!

We've had to blow up that portion of the ball pit a few times now, and Lyla has started imitating us do it. It's hilarious!

I used to like to build forts out of chairs and blankets when I was little...Lexi and Lyla just like to stand under the table. I figure it's a similar concept.

Identical or Not?

I had a comment a few posts back asking whether Lexi and Lyla are identical twins or not. The answer is, we don't know. To know for sure, we would have to have a DNA test done, and I don't know if it matters that much to me to spend the money on that. My OB thought that they were identical and we believe that they are identical. However, I do see differences in them, and I have never had a problem telling them apart. Here are my reasonings on why I think they are identical:

1. There was only one placenta and it was not fused.
2. They were in separate sacs, but the membrane separating them was so thin that it was hard to see
most of the time on ultrasounds.
3. Identical twins are spontaneous due to one egg splitting, and they have no genetic component to
them. Therefore, the lack of family history of twins plays no role.
4. They look WAY too much alike to not be identical. Even though there are differences between
them, they are way too similar.
5. Lastly, photographic evidence. This picture was when they were one month old....it screams
"identical" to me:


So what's your verdict? And feel free to ask any questions in the comment section. I'm happy to answer any questions you all have!

Halloween!

I'm sure that I have kept you all in suspense wondering what Lexi and Lyla were for their very first Halloween! Well, my little angels dressed up as little devils! I wish I had video of when I first put the costumes on them. I got Lexi dressed first, and then when I finished Lyla up, I put them both in the crib and they just looked at each other and started laughing! They laughed and laughed for about 30 minutes! They would jump on each other and mess with each others devil wings. They thought it was the funniest thing ever.

Here you can see Lexi laughing at Lyla
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Here's Lyla laying down probably due to Lexi pouncing on her

Here's Lyla laughing at Lexi

Trying to get Lexi with their pumpkins (she's watching her sister crawl below her)

Trying to get Lyla with the pumpkins (also watching her sister below)

Lexi

Lyla (clearly already tired of her costume)

Fall Back

I was pretty nervous about how Lexi and Lyla would adjust to Daylight Savings Time ending on this previous Sunday morning. Having twins has required us to become pretty scheduled, although as they get older, this schedule gets looser and looser. So you can imagine how nervous I truly was regarding the time change.

My parents came over on Saturday night to watch the girls while Josh and I watched the Vols WHIP some Gamecock butt! I didn't think to keep the girls up an hour later, and honestly, I thought that would make us worse off anyway. So they went to bed as they normally do. Lately, they had been waking up around 8 in the morning. All I could do was laugh when at 7 o'clock ON THE DOT on Sunday morning I heard them giggling over the monitor. I let them chat and do their thing until 7:30 so that we'd be a little bit closer to our schedule. The rest of the day went as it normally does, they just had to hold out naps and bedtime a little bit.

On Monday morning, I opened my eyes to the brightness in our bedroom. I figured it was probably almost 7 since I hadn't heard a peep from my pipsqueaks yet. I looked at the clock and almost fell out of bed when I realized it was 8:30! So much for having to slowly adjust the girls back! Thank goodness!

I had to do some schedule switching at work so I was off on Tuesday. Well, once again, I woke up on my own to the beautiful sun shining into our bedroom. No sounds yet from my little angels, I looked at the clock...8:45! I had to wake THEM up!

Moral of the story: You can never predict how my girls are going to react to any given situation. But I believe they are amazing and I am grateful for the extra sleep they have been giving me! (Fingers crossed that I did not jinx myself!)

Happy 11 Months!

This is the last month that my babies will actually be considered "babies". Clearly, they will always be MY babies, but starting at 12 months they will be considered "toddlers". It is so amazing how fast a year can fly by. Lexi and Lyla are such happy girls and they truly seem to enjoy their lives. I know that I can not imagine my life without them. Their sweet smiles and giggles brighten my days and nights. I am so thankful for their presence in my world and I hope that their happiness continues.

Lexi and Lyla love to play with each other and they LOVE their ball pit. They love to climb in and out of it and they love to put all of their other toys inside of it. They also have been loving their walkers. They love the freedom that it provides them and I love to watch their little feet pitter-patter all over the house! They cruise all over the place, and Lexi will stand for a few seconds at a time and Josh said she took a step yesterday. Lyla also stands for a couple seconds but she carefully bends her knees and squats down with a lot of control.

They continue to LOVE their doggies. I think we might even be able to count "Piper" as Lexi's first word. I think she knows who Piper is when she says it, but I really can't be sure. I do know that when we say Piper, she looks at Piper. They both still say Mama, Dada, baba, and ball (sometimes). Of course we hear a lot of other "words" at times but I'm not sure if they truly have meaning ;)

When it comes to eating, if they can feed it to themselves, they love it. I really can't think of a food that they have tried that they have not enjoyed. They still love their daily pancakes (WITH SYRUP!), and I've been giving them some bagel and cream cheese some days, as well. They've tried tilapia, snap peas, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, sweet potato fries, black beans, roast, chicken, lasagna, ravioli, garlic bread...um the list could go on for a while. I'm still trying to figure out which sippy cup is going to be best for them but right now the winner seems to be a straw sippy cup. Right now they still get 3 bottles a day but they get sippy cups with water at meals and throughout the day.

Ok, I think most of that might be more for my memories, but if you enjoyed it and actually read it, thanks! Now for the 11 month picture FAIL:

Daddy's Little Pumpkins

Josh and I picked out the cutest little pumpkins last weekend for our little pumpkins. I wrote their names in bubble letters on them so that Josh could carve them out. But first, I HAD to get pictures of them with their pumpkins. This is easier said than done. Long gone are the days where my beautiful daughters will just sit and smile at the camera. Actually, they'll do anything BUT sit and smile at the camera. I'm happily accepting suggestions on how to get Lexi and Lyla to sit still for pictures ;)