A Day In The Life Of Raising Twins and a Singleton (and keeping sane along the way!)

A new year and a new headliner

2010-11-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe it has been almost a full year since the last time I blogged. Needless to say adding an additional baby has really thrown me for a loop! It took a good long while before I really felt like things were smoothly. Samuel Douglas Woollard was born on January 31, 2010. I had the awesome and amazing birth that I knew I would have. A beautiful water birth using my hypnobabies made for a totally comfortable pain free birth. He has been truly a joy to parent thus far. He is always happy! My mom jokes with him, calling him, "Smilin' Sam." He makes everyone smile who is near him. The girls took a while to adjust to having Samuel around. Cameryn found her place as helper. Her and Samuel have a really special bond together. Maddison is still a mama's girl. She was thrilled at first but even now 9 months later still struggles with it. This weekend I am hoping to take her to the library for some mommy and me time. I have never taken them to the library (I am ashamed to admit). With two little ones who feed off of each other, I could only imagine two free spirited girls zooming from isle to isle screaming as loud as they could. They are 3 1/2 now have shown so much growth from age 2 to 3.

It makes me teary eyed every time I see pictures of them when they were smaller. It just boggles my mind that the time seems to fly so fast when you are an adult and it went by so slow when we're children. The girls are still enjoying pre-school. It is nice to have that break to get things done around the house and to do my errands during that time. We also have been taking Samuel to do physical therapy and craniosacral therapy for his Torticollis. He was born with his neck always tipping to his right shoulder. He has made many gains, but when he has growth spurts he regresses some.

We are also getting the house ready to sell in less than 2 years. With a beautiful new kitchen, I am sure this house will catch the eyes of many to take a closer look. Lots of major things to be remodeled. Both bathrooms need to be redone, new floors upstairs, basement refinished, patio gutted and a deck to be built, and lots of outside sprucing up. We are looking into areas that have good school districts and we need a much larger house with three very active kids. We are definitely wanting a two-story.

Well, I believe those are all the updates I have for the moment. Stay tuned, now that I have a new laptop I will be staying on top of my blogging from now on.

The girls' school pics- Age 2 1/2

2009-11-10T18:49:00.001-08:00

The girls had their first ever school picture portraits done this October. So, here they are! I think they turned out pretty cute! I was quite pleasantly surprised! Scroll down to see our newest updates!!!!

Maddison (top) Age 2 1/2

Cameryn Age 2 1/2

A Spooktacular Halloween!

2009-11-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

This past Halloween was so much fun for us and the girls. They really "got it" this year and liked talking about it. After our trip to the Pumpkin Patch, the girls understood where the pumpkins came from and helped Jeff pick out patterns to carve their little pumpkins. Maddison chose a cat and Cameryn chose a bat. Funny how those two rhyme ;)

In the coming days leading up to Halloween, the girls were very excited to dress up and go trick or treating. Cameryn was a horse and Maddison was a cowgirl. They practiced saying "Trick-or-Treat" and "Thank You" before going out on the chilly October night. They made it around the block, which really was rather pushing it on their stamina walking in their costumes on a cold night with no coat. Oh! were they excited to get their candy though. We let them have two pieces of candy that night and have been sparingly dishing it out ever since. Jeff's mom came over to see the girls in their costumes and she came in with a mask and a hat which the girls really didn't know what to think of. Ever since Halloween the girls have been talking about it and asked if they could go again soon. It was a great spooktacular night.

Another milestone that recently they conquered was the ridding of the ever loved pacifiers aka "binkies." The girls put them into baggies and we brought them over to "Baby Chase's" house. Baby Chase is a friend of ours' 10 month old baby. Cameryn excitedly handed hers right over while Maddison hung on to hers until it was time to leave. There was about 15 minutes of crying that night right before bed, until they drifted off to sleep. The next day a little whining, but now no tears and no whining. It really wasn't as bad as I anticipated it being.

I will be 26 weeks pregnant tomorrow and my belly is growing and growing and growing!!! I am feeling pretty good except for the sciatic pain I am feeling which I never got with the girls surprisingly. I am definitely in need of a good massage about now.

Jeff has been busy busy busy at work. One of their competitors filed for bankruptcy and closed their doors so he has been very busy trying to attain their past clients.

That's it from the Woollard home! Enjoy the pics!

Jeff's carvings top is haunted house

Lady Liberty glowing at night

Cameryn's bat

Maddison's Cat

A Whirlwind of sickness

2009-10-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

Well, goodness we have all seem to be struck by the stream of viruses going around. First, Jeff and the girls were sick and I stayed healthy. It finally made way to me thanks to the girls being in preschool now. Maddison and I both had Strep then with 2 days of finally recovering I either got food poisoning or the flu. I am thinking it was more like the flu (swine or regular) I didn't go in to get tested. I did have my big 20 week ultra sound this week just a couple of weeks behind due to scheduling conflicts. It was so nice to see up close what this little squishy baby looks like. We asked the tech if she would show us some images in 3 or 4D and she did! It was pretty neat to see, although some body parts are distorted because of certain angles of the wand. We held strong and covered our eyes to not see any gender parts. I still feel like it's a boy. We are not discussing names until it's almost time. It seems that the names we liked with the girls quickly got old and we went on to new names. Today I am 23 weeks pregnant, so almost 6 months along. This pregnancy is very different from the twins. I think I am more exhausted at this point than I was with the girls. All in all everything is going quite well! So...on with the u/s pictures!!

23 weeks above. After playing play-doh with the girls

Who do you think he/she looks like?

This baby does have Maddison head shape

Hand and foot all in the same shot! Talk about flexible!

Baby is using my placenta as a pillow! Awww!

2009-10-01T12:09:00.001-07:00

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14 weeks and 4 days

2009-08-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Well, today was my 14 week check up at the ob's office and everything is going fantastically! The baby is very active according to the dr and is measuring at 8 (either inches or cm, I can't remember which he said.) But that it was on target. I will officially be delivering at Barnes again. I am not thrilled about it, but if it's the only hospital that will let me do a waterbirth so I will just have to deal with the subpar post pardem care. I have officially hired a doula, though it was a hard decision. I will be following the hypnobabies course and she has had many clients including herself use it. What hypnobabies is..is what a person might use to go under surgery with instead of anesthesia, which is called hypno-anesthesia. It is self hypnosis. It is supposed to be a pain free and short labor and birthing time, which all sounds great to me! I have seen videos of actual births of mothers using either hypnobabies or hypnobirthing methods and it's absolutely amazing! You wouldn't even think they were giving birth naturally. I will try to find the link to it and if you wish you can watch for yourself. Also the doula seems very in tune with all of my needs and that was a major selling point. So, we have been selling some of the girls items that they have either grown out of or just not using on craigslist to help fund our doula. When I birthed the twins Barnes provided them free of charge which was fantastic but they no longer have the program because the clientele that typically comes in are very young mothers who were wanting drugs (stadol, epidural, etc) and they were no longer in high demand there. If this is my last pregnancy or I have another I will never go without a doula. They are truly awesome and a necessity for me. What exactly is a doula, do you ask? Labor/birth support doulas are trained and experienced labor support persons (always female) who attend to the emotional and physical comfort needs of the laboring woman to smooth the labor process. In addition to emotional, physical and informational support, doulas work as advocates of their client's wishes and may assist in communicating with medical staff to obtain information for the client to make informed decisions regarding medical procedures.

I am almost done with the nausea, it is definitely getting better, but the exhaustion and fatigue are still in high force. The OB asked me if I wanted to find out the sex of the baby today, but I said as tempting as it is, we are going to let it be a surprise. I do and don't want to know. So, I am going to be patient and wait until "THE DAY." Here's a pic of the u/s done today. Also here is the link to the hypnobirthing...FYI it is all G rated! No body parts are shown. The mom has a sports bra/swimming suit top and an open swim skirt. It is amazing!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSsaJ0Zno9s (this is my fav)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qriqhDFo088

2009-08-06T12:54:00.001-07:00

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2009-08-04T12:01:00.001-07:00

April 11 weeks pregnant with #3

2009-07-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

I took pictures each week or every other with the twins so I must carry on the tradition although a little late. Better late than never. We we go....watch my belly grow!

11 weeks baby#3

Ultrasound Pic 10 weeks 3 days

2009-07-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

Here is the 10 week 3 days U/S we had done on Monday. Today I am 11 weeks!!! I am also super excited because tonight I am going to see the band ColdPlay at Verizon aka Riverport with Jeff's brother's girlfriend, Amanda. We're going to have so much fun!!!!

4th of July, Grants Farm, and pregnancy updates!

2009-07-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! We celebrated our third July as a family with kids in tow. We celebrated with friends from our twin playgroup. Even though it rained, the girls still had fun and we had a great time! Good food, good conversation, and good friends make for a fabulous celebration! We then ventured to watch the fireworks at the Civic Center and warned the girls it would be loud but there would be pretty colors in the sky. We thought it might be a toss up between cries of terror and excitement filled cheers. We were fortunate it was the latter. Cameryn would say, "That's a big one!" They both said their oooohs and ahhhs as they heard from others around us. They enjoyed naming the colors as they saw them. It was a late night but worth it!

We also got some great news about my mom. Her cancer is officially in remission. She will get scans every 3 months and possibly get what they call preventative brain radiation. The only problem with that is..is that it can cause paranoia and loss of brain function and memory which from her brain surgeries in the past she already lost quite a big of brain function and memory. It is her decision, so we will have to wait to see what she decides.

I am 10 weeks and 3 days pregnant today and saw my ob today and got to see the baby growing on the u/s machine. A heart rate of 160 was so nice to hear. I still have a very strong feeling it's a boy. I am feeling pretty good, although fatigued and experiencing some nausea but nothing compared to when I was pregnant with the twins. I am definitely showing already, which is crazy to me. My ob said it's totally normal with a second pregnancy and also since having twins essentially destroyed my stomach muscles. I have two hospitals who have okay ed my waterbirth and still waiting on a third hospital. I am in the process of interviewing doulas right now, which I think is going to be a tough decision. Jeff and I are in debate over circumcision (if we have a boy). I am totally against it and Jeff has not made up his mind about it. Our pediatrician is 100% against it because there are no real medical benefits to having it done and says that only 59% of boys are having it done in this region so peer teasing should not be a problem. I think it's brutal and it's genital mutilation. We would never do this do a girl because other girls have it done and so we should not do this to boys. Would you chop off a finger because everyone else is? I have also researched that while boys don't remember it later in life but the pain is actually greater than having it done as a child/teen/adult because their central nervous systems are not fully developed yet. I have also read that after the procedure when they "sleep" they are actually in shock and shut down. Jeff and I watched one done on a video and the baby's scream was like no other that I heard. It was heart wrenching and made me sick to my stomach. And lastly, I don't feel like I should be making that decision for someone else. If he wants it done later in life, it's his decision. To me, God made every single detail of our bodies for a reason and a purpose and who I am to change what God made perfect. I know this may be against what you believe to be true, but I wanted to make my official statement on this. It is my hope that if you are pregnant you will research any procedure and educate yourself on all aspects and make an informed decision. Now...on to the pictures! There are many since this is nearing the end of July. Enjoy!

Grant's Farm looking at the horses. Cameryn and Jeff

Llama Llama red pajama! The girls enjoyed feeding the llama

Jeff's favorite...the American Eagle

Kangaroo!

The girls and I at Grant's Farm

Cameryn and Jeff feeding the baby goats.

Jeff and Maddison feeding the baby goats.

The start of a great adventure to Gran'ts Farm. A very busy and beautiful Saturday!

The girls love to play in the water with their ears in.

Jeff and I at a wedding 2 Saturday's ago.

Maddison with pig tails...she kept them in for a whole hour! Progress!

Camerooni-rooni being her silly self

Las Fuente's for Amanda's 30th bday celebration

Jason, Amanda, Lorraine, Kimberly

CHEESE! Jeff, Maddison and Cameryn. Opposite: Jason, Isabel, and Amanda's mom and step dad.

4th of July..playing inside while it rained.

Rain let up...it's time to play. Maddison above.

Cameryn cheesin' it up!

Hurry up and take the picture, we have things to do & kids to play with Mommy! Happy4th!

The Month Of June and a third bloom!

2009-07-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I sincerely apologize for my absence on blogger. Things have been busy and I haven't much time to write or post pics. I have learned this month that we will be expecting a third child. YAY! There is only one this time confirmed by an ultra sound. I am just about 8 weeks along and my official due date is February 13, 2010. We are so excited and thrilled. It happened all-natur-elle! I did not have to seek fertility treatments this time which was fabulous! I did do some natural things such as guided imagery and meditation, acupuncture (which was done after the fact but could be credited to helping with implantation). I am so excited that this pregnancy will be different and the labor and delivery will be different. I have found an OB who will deliver via waterbirth with no medication. I plan to have the help with a doula (which I had last time and was very helpful) I have lots of rules of things I wish to do and do not want to be done. I will get into them on later blogs. I plan to labor mostly at home and then go to the hospital later. I am reading lots of good books that are helping me prepare for an unmedicated natural birth and will be attending some kind of bradley method or hypnobirthing/hynobabies classes. We are also planning to do the baby's room in a Dr. Seuss theme. This will be great since Jeff and I are planning on waiting until the birth to find out what we are having. I do have some feeling it's a boy though. We shall see! I am ready for the morning sickness (rather evening sickness) to be gone. It came sooner than with the girls. I am hoping it will be gone in a few weeks. More to come. Enjoy the pics and have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Cousin Isabel and the girls jumping

Aunt Irene and the girls

Cameryn's first hair cut (her bangs)

at the zoo

Fun at the zoo

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

Hello to all! I apologize for our absence in keeping up with this blog. We have been busy and I must admit, I am finding facebook a lot of fun. Last Thursday, my mom and my grandma went to our Mother Of Twins Club Mothers/Grandmothers night. We enjoyed a lovely dinner, nice entertainment, and good conversation. I was so happy that they could both make it. My mom has had better days and is feeling quite week and ill. She has 2 or 3 more radiation treatments left, then in 4 weeks they will scan her body to see if the treatments are making a difference. She told me that she will not do any more radiation treatments ever but is fine with Chemo. It was great to spend time with both of them. The girls are doing fabulous. From the items we sold at our Twins Club re-sell-it, we got them a 12 foot trampoline a few days ago, and they have been having a blast jumping for hours. I have to admit, I am having a good time jumping on it too! The girls vocabulary increases everyday and those baby days are long gone ( though Maddison still asks me to hold her like a baby at time). Last Wednesday, I went to get some acupuncture and a Katoma Life medicine treatment done. My goal is for it to help with my insomnia and my fertility issues. I had never gotten acupuncture done and was nervous about it, but it didn't really hurt. I could feel some needles while others I could not. He told me that all of my problems exist in my stomach (whatever that means, but I plan on asking him what he meant by that next time). Enjoy the pics! I'll try to update more often.

Oh- and thank you to all of those who have served or who are still currently serving our country.

Hoppity Easter!

2009-04-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

Looking back at our past three Easters, our family has changed a lot. Our first Easter together as a family (with children) was much of a blur considering the twins were only one week old and Maddison fit in this Easter basket posted below. Keeping up with breast feeding/pumping/bottle feeding was exhausting. Who ate last, who pooped, who peed last? Oh the charting! We dared not to venture out to Easter services at church that first year since the girls were so new. Our second year was so much fun! Watching the girls spot their Easter baskets and getting into them was quite a sight to see. They tolerated the service pretty well just being almost one year old. I think all of the exciting music made it appealing to them too. This year we went to Jeff's old church. His dad and him used to go when Jeff was a child. The girls enjoyed the 2 year old room and did activities such as bubble blowing,coloring, and playing on the slide. They did not cry once when we left and we knew that was a good sign. As long as they are together, they have not had a big problem with one or both of us leaving for a bit. Jeff and I sat in on a good sermon with heart felt music and singing. I really love the contemporary style of the music and service. After church we were off to Jeff's mom's where brunch was awaiting. The girls ate so many muffins, I thought they were going to burst! They went on an Easter Egg hunt in front of Grandma's house and found treasures in their eggs. Then it was time to head home and get the girls down for their nap. They must have had a lot to process because they slept for 4 hours(normally 2)! We have had a truly blessed few years, and I hope God continues to bless our family as well as yours.

The Woollard Family

Cameryn left Maddison (r)

MaddisonMaddisonCameryn

Maddison
Family

Maddison
Big Hugs!
Cameryn

The Easter bunny brought Elmo and Barbie kites, princess sunglasses, SPF 50 sun hats, cars, and chocolate to our house. Bunnies that hang on the window in the van, coloring books, crayons, peeps, puffs, Mini M&M's were compliments of the Easter bunny making special baskets at Grandmas.

2 year Portraits and skin cancer update

2009-04-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update to let you all know that I got my results back from my oncologist and he said that the lymph node biopsy came back great! It doesn't appear to have spread. He said that I will have to deal with this for the rest of my life and to expect many more. So, I am supposed to see my oncologist every 6 months and my dermatologist every 3 months. Yay! I am so relieved! My mom is doing terrific. She is in the middle of her 3rd chemo cycle and starts radiation on Monday and is still smoke free! Before I had surgery on Tuesday, I had the girls 2 year portraits taken by a recommended photographer. I knew it would be about a month before I could bend and lift so I had to get them done early. It was an extremely windy day that day winds gusting up to 20 mph, but besides wind blown hair, they turned out good.
To see them click here: www.foreverfotobyshannon.com click on portfolio and then click on Maddison and Cameryn. See the girls 2nd bday pictures below, they went to Pump It Up. It's an inflatable jumping place. All the kids had a blast! Next year is definitely going to be something low key. They got enough presents to last until Christmas. They are having lots of fun with all of them.

Twins' 2nd Birthday Party

2009-04-03T18:45:00.001-07:00

The 'C' Word

2009-03-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well... when it rains, it pours! I have had skin cancer in the past and have had 5 melanoma's removed with success. I went in to have 3 biopsies done and an exam from my dermatologist. I am ashamed to admit I haven't been in 3 years and I am supposed to go in to get checked every 3 to 6 months. 2 of the biopsies came out in the transitional phase which means they will need to observe it, but the 3rd one came back melanoma and approaching 10 mm which is concerning to them. I went in to see a surgical oncologist on Monday at SLU and I will have surgery Tuesday to remove the cancer and also remove some lymphnodes to test to see if it has spread. I will be there for 8 hours and the biggest thing is...is that I cannot lift or bend for one month! So, taking care of the girls will be interesting and very challenging! SO, now I have to get everything done for the girls birthday party next Friday by Monday. I can't believe they will be 2 years old! They are having a party at Pump It Up, which is the blow up jumping place with lots of 2 year olds running around will sure to be a load of fun!

On another note, my mom is doing well so far. Jeff's mom went over to her house yesterday to shave the rest of her hair off. She is excited to wear her wigs, but sad to see her hair go. Here are some pictures from St. Patty's day at the Park. I could have kicked myself, I totally forgot they had St. Patty's Day outfit...uh well!

Language Explosion!

2009-03-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

I am in complete amazement everyday to hear what words/sentences that come out of the twins' tiny little voices. Yesterday, Cameryn said, "I want some more". Wow! The day before that Maddison saw a baby who was crying and she looked at me and said, "That baby is crying" I am in awe of this new vocabulary or rather them putting it all together to form sentences. They are also in love with letters. I'm telling you, they can identify almost all of the alphabet and can either say it or point the letter out of your request. Cameryn has really always had an interest for letters and print ever since she was 6 or 7 months old. She still remains my book lover too. Their favorite books are, "The Birthday Monsters" and "It's Spring". I love reading books to them while they anticipate key words that they like. The excitement in their eyes and bodies is like a breath of fresh air. This is the part I love the most...teaching them! Coloring is another favorite hobby of Cameryn's. She is starting to make circles and colorful lines. Today she drew a "tree" I didn't know it was a tree, but she was pointing at a particular design and saying "tree", and in a sense I could see the tree from an almost 2 year old's perspective. Maddison is quite active and loves to balance on the bounce and spin zebra's saddle while standing up. Although it makes me nervous, I know she is going to be our little gymnast for sure. My mom is doing better and is at home, although still in pain from her surgery. She is up and doing laundry and going up and down the steps. I know she is going to fight this nasty disease. She starts her second cycle of chemo this Wednesday and she is starting to lose her hair little by little. She is excited to get to have a few wigs for some cute do's. This past Wednesday I went to have 3 biopsies done for my lovely skin. I am sure most of you know I have had several surgeries to remove melanoma skin cancer in the past, and I am pretty sure I have it again. Luckily I usually catch them pretty quick so I typically just have to have surgery to remove it without any other measures. Sorry for the very long blog, but I had lots to say! :) Here are some pics from the park on Friday (it was so beautiful) Then, Jeff and I went out on Saturday night for one of his friend's 30th bday. I had a really good time...perhaps a little too good of a time. I sure paid for it today though. It's been about 3 years since I have had that much to drink. Enjoy the pics!

Maddison and Cameryn

April N Jeff

They loved looking at Stacy's newest baby

Cameryn zooming down the slide

Maddison was loving these steps

They love playing together! Maddison and Caneryn

Cameryn playing with her blocks

Would ya look at those eyes!
Little girls after getting into my make up
while home with Daddy

Oh gosh, what a mess!

A Whirlwind of a Week

2009-02-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

This has definitely been a whirlwind of a week by far! As those of you know who read our last blog, my mom was diagnosed with small cell cancer. Last Thursday she had some complications. I took her in for a lungs functions test and it literally took all of her energy away. She couldn't breathe well at all. Following that appointment was her Radiation doctor(Dr. Kathy Baglan). They were making a molding of her body for her to lay on when she will get her radiation. They noticed how bad she was looking and did a CT on the spot and noticed that her tumor had significantly grown in just ONE week and that she had a lot of fluid around her heart. She immediately went up to see her chemo doctor (Dr. Suzanne Partridge) and she admitted her to the hospital to start chemo right away. They did some more tests including an echo cardiogram chest x-rays, and some CT's to see if the cancer had spread, which it looks like it has not (Thank GOD). The fluid around her heart is a serious issue so they did surgery to start draining the fluid. The cardiac surgeon said there was a ton of fluid and her heart was very close to collapsing if it weren't for the surgery. After surgery she went to the ICU and was on a ventilator because of her wheezing. Sunday afternoon they took her off the vent and she was able to go to the step down room then Monday they moved her back to the oncology floor. She is now off of oxygen and seems to be doing well. They think the chemo has begun shrinking the tumor which is terrific news. She is battling a bad UTI from the catheter and is complaining about not getting any rest due to her room mate's obnoxiously loud visitors. It is really too bad that they can't give you a private room at St. John's. It's a toss up on when she's coming home. They tell her yes then no then yes then no then yes and now it's a no due to her insurance company's denial of a very important medicine. I am not sure what is more expensive for the insurance company, more days in the hospital or a medicine. Hmmm. Thanks to some good friends I had a couple days to spend with my mom over the past couple weeks, while they watched the girls for me. I will continue to keep you all updated.

On another note, we are soon to be trying for a #3 and so I went to get some bloodwork done and it turns out I am ovulating on my own so no need for fertility meds for now. I am ever so relieved about that. Don't get me wrong I love with my twins with all my heart but it would be so nice to know what just one would feel like.

And...my brother and I will be going to see Coldplay when they come in July. Yay! If one good thing has come of these trying few weeks is that my brother and I have become a lot closer. I hope that continues. :)

You take the good you take the bad and there you have...the Facts of Life

2009-02-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

The girls playing ring around the rosey

This week has definately been interesting to say the least. I'll start off with the good and pleasant news. I am now serving on the board of directors of our St. Louis Mothers of Twins Club. I am the Sisters of Support co-chair with another fabulous lady. What we do is match experienced mothers with new or expecting mothers of mulitples. The program is designed to offer support, advice, or any help they can assist the new moms. Right now we are in the process of bettering the program with some checks and balances to make sure we are offering the highest quality of support for those moms who are going through their roughest first 6 months. I also hand out the welcome bags to the new members that come to the dinner meetings that we hold once a month. I really like it so far and hope that I can make a difference in the program and the club in general. On another note, Maddison and Cameryn are now putting together 2 and 3 word sentences. At the beginning of the week, Cameryn said during lunchtime, "All done Mommy" and Maddison chimed in after her, "All done Mommy" I was so excited! Fun times!

Now on a sadder note...We just found out that my mom has been diagnosed with lung cancer (small cell carcinoma) in her right lung that is 5x4 cm. It has been quite overwhelming to say the least for us, I cannot imagine what it must be like for my mom. We do know that chemo is in her treatment plan. She has to have a PET scan and a CT scan of her brain to make sure it hasn't spread. If it hasnt spread then they will do chemo and radiation. Her prognosis as it stands today before the PET scan and brain CT scan is 20-30% survival of 5 years with treatment. If she chooses to do no treatment it could be 3 months. While I am hoping and praying for the best possible outcome I have to be prepared for the worst. Word to the Wise....Don't smoke! OR...at least QUIT NOW! I will keep you all posted on any changes and updates. If you pray...and you would like to add my mom onto your prayer list, her name is Nita. She would no doubt greatly appreciate it, as would I.

New Milestones for Cameryn

2009-02-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I am just so ecstatic about Cameryn's new bathroom skills. Sunday Cameryn went pee pee in the potty! I had left their diapers off because they were getting a rash. I had to go and of course my little duckling followed me. They sat on their potties, so I gave them one m&m. I told them if they wanted more they would have to go pee pee. 5 seconds later my candy loving Cameryn was going potty. Yay! Of course, Maddison was jealous and wanted more m&m's but I stood strong and told her when she goes pee-pee she will get more too. Then today, the diapers were off again. Cameryn had the poop face, so I told her to hurry and go sit on the potty. She ran in there but wanted to stand, so I sat her down and she POOPED in the potty. I was so happy I gave her 5 m&m's. We took a picture (haha I wont share that with you though) and called Jeff to tell him the good news. I guess my no potty pressure but with positive encouragement has worked..at least for Cameryn so far.

I got my hair cut/colored/hightlighted! I needed a change :)

This was not planned. I thought it was cute though!

Maddison

The twins are 22 month yesterday

2009-01-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

The girls turned 22 months yesterday. It was a particularly challenging day yesterday so I chose to wait until today. Those of you who have been through the toddler stage know what I am talking about. They have been so busy learning and playing and of course testing the limits. I think what I dislike the most is the constant whining..but I do think they are getting their 2 year molars and are in general cranky because of it. Cameryn has switched to a mama's girl which I thought would never happen. Maddison seems to be content with either of us (which I thought would never happen). Oh- and Maddison's tests came out perfectly normal. Which is a HUGE relief to me. I guess this is breath holding as it's best ;). Maddison has started doing forward somersaults last night. She has always loved to be very physical. Cameryn LOVES doing puzzles and is very good at them. She has the patience to turn the piece until it fits where as Maddison just does not have the patience for second chances. I swore that I would not let them watch television but guess what....they LOVE.....Barney (eyeyeye). It's really the only show they like but of course Cameryn likes to watch it over and over and would watch it for hours if we would let her. Although she can not sing the words to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", she does all of the hand motions and they both love to play "Ring Around the Rosey", and do the motions to "If you're Happy And You Know It" The itsy bitsy spider is another favorite. It's so cute to watch them doing the finger movements of the spider. Maddison loves to say, "Shh baby go night-night" They both like to say, "Hi daddy...Hi mommy....Hi sissy" I have been keeping a count of the number of words they are saying because they need to reach at least 50 by the time they turn 2. So here are the lists:

Maddison:
sun, moon, thank you, daddy, mommy, Mema (who is my mom), Ronnie (our cat), bubble, poop, no, yes, juice, nana(banana), ball, knee, eyes, sissy, shoes, choo-choo, me, up, down, night-night, baby, boom, cheese, bye-bye, hi, one two, nine, trash, diaper, wall, melmo for elmo. She also signs for help, please, more, milk, all done, airplane.

Cameryn:
moon, daddy, mommy, yes, no, Ronnie, up, cup, Mema, thank you, toe, knee, more, me, bubbles, poop, juice, nana, night-night, baby, boom, cheese, apple, sissy, diaper, bye-bye, hi, boo, bowl, bow(for hair bow) two, one, trash, hat, hot, hi mommy, hi daddy, hi sissy, hi papa, melmo for elmo,blue She also signs the same things as Maddison.

So I think about ten or so more words and they will be on goal. We are working on the abc's and counting....but is taking time. Maddison likes to count 1,2, 9. Cameryn likes 1,2,1,2. We working on it though. We are looking into some Montessori schools for them after they turn two. But of course it's a huge financial investment, so if we don't qualify for financial aide, we will wait until they are 3.
I have 2 little monkeys on my hands. They love to climb everything. They also know how to open doors now. So now Jeff will be installing either a dead bolt at the top of the entry doors or a chain lock. Scary!

Now that I have done my bragging...I will leave you some pictures of Maddison and Cameryn yesterday. I love the picture where Maddison is practicing her "Downward facing dog" yoga move on her kitchen mat flipped upside down.

Does getting old mean getting glasses?

2009-01-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

Well, Jeff has been bugging me to go get my eyes checked out since I complain about not being able to see the street signs and such. I guess getting older means your eyesight starts to go. I am pretty amazed though at how well I can see now. I can see clearer, brighter, and the colors are more rich. Although I am not sold on these glasses, they do the job. They don't have much of a selection for people who have small faces. I wanted something with a little flair and fashion, so I liked the sides.

On another note, Maddison got an eeg last week and is scheduled for an MRI on her brain this Wednesday. She does breath holding and passes out but it has turned into what looks like convulsions now and is really tired for at least an hour afterwards. We shall wait and see. I am worried about her going under anestesia. She is so young and little. The neurologist said they can't do it without because she would have to stay still for 20 minutes and at under 2 that's just not going to happen. Prayers are weclome, please. :)

Excuse the do...this was a self portrait at the end of the day.

Christmas 5, 6, and Playdate with Rylee and Chelly

2008-12-31T10:19:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday Jeff's mom, brother, and daughter came over for Christmas number 5 and Jason and Isabel are vegetarians so Jeff cooked a vegetarian mexican cuisine meal. It was awesome!!! Way better than a restaurant!

Christmas number 6 was at my brother's. Cameryn was feeling under the weather so I just took Maddison and Jeff stayed home with Cameryn Grace. Maddison enjoyed playing dress up with her Dora dress up trunk and was amazed at her cousin Tyler's train collection.

Yesterday, one of my best friend's from college came over to visit. She has a daughter who is just a few months younger than our girls. It was cute to watch them all play together. They taught Rylee how to play Ring Around the Rosey.....of course! They could not say Rylee but they did call her Ry-Ry.

We hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and fun New Year's Eve!

Love,

The Woollard Family

April, Cameryn, Maddison, Rylee, and Chelly at the end of the playdate.

Rylee just LOVES to give hugs!

Awwwww!

Girls just wanna have fun!

Chelly holding Maddison and Rylee...and LOOK! they are holding hands! Best friends already!

Tyler's big Choo-Choo!

Mema (or as they call her MiMi) and Maddison

Maddison loving her dress up clothes!

Maddison

Maddison, Tyler, Trey

Maddison opening up a present from Uncle Jason, Amanda, and Isabel.

Lorraine, April, Jeff, Jason

Cameryn, Maddison, Isabel

Jason reading the new "Gallop" book that grandma got them. They love books!

Only one more to go!!!! That one will be TBA though.

Christmas 2008 4 down...3 to go!

2008-12-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

Out of 120 pictures, these made the cut! I know there are several. This Christmas was so much fun to watch. The girls were excited! See the captions under the picture for where and what happened! These pictures start from most recent to a few days before Christmas.Cameryn wearing her polar bear towel that Great Grandma Brown gave her.

The end of Christmas night!

Opening gifts!

My cousin Jim and SuKung's little girl Kaylyn. She is SOO adorable! Oh- and my cousin Joseph. He is great with all the little kids!

Aunt Jeanne and cousin Kathy teaching the little girls how to do "Ring around the Rosey" Cameryn did NOT want to hold hands with anyone in the beginning.

The little girls playing Ring Around the Rosey, for the 20th time. Cameryn learned fast and wanted to hold hands for the song over and over and over again! They were so cute to watch. I got a little teary eyed watching them because this was a first and I was so happy I got to see it!

Cameryn running!

All the little girls ran around in circles at Great Grandma and Grandpa's house. Cameryn is definately going to be great at Cross Country Jeff says. She has a lot of stamina!

Merry Christmas morning!

Gloves and hats from Great Grandma Kutcher!

Santa brought the girls tricycles for Christmas!

They love them....soon they will be able to reach the peddles. For now, we get to steer from behind. What a great invention by Radio Flyer!

Hats from Great Grandma Kutcher

Our stockings hung over the flat screen tv with care!

Watching Santa sing at Pop's

The shredding begins. Puzzles from Aunt Sherry, Isabel, and Olivia at Aunt Sherry's.

We love these puzzles. They make noises when you put them in!

Santa and the Rudolph the red dress reindeer.

Uncle Jason reading them a Christmas story from Uncle Grayson and Aunt Cyndi.

The end.....that is until tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Portraits

2008-12-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours.....Happy Holidays!

Love,

Jeff, April, Maddison and Cameryn Woollard

A night out

2008-12-15T18:14:00.000-08:00

Jeff's work hosted their annual Christmas Party this past Saturday night. It was nice to get out for a night to socialize and meet Jeff's co-workers. One of Jeff's co workers has a wife named April too! And, I hear we are very much a like. We then went to the casino for a whole 15 minutes. It was smokey in there and I'm just not a gambling gal. We had fun though!

Maddison has her apron on that has her name embroidered on with my high heals. She loves wearing these shoes!!!

Cameryn

2008-12-10T16:12:00.000-08:00

I wanna be like Daddy!
Dress up is so much fun! I am a fashion diva!

Breakfast with Santa/Playdate/hangin out with Daddy

2008-12-09T18:47:00.000-08:00

Play do with Parents as Teachers Educator

Breakfast with Santa this year 2008

Breakfast with Santa last year. How they have changed!

While the fireman/paramedic from the fire department installed our new car seats, the girls got to take a pretend ride in their big fire truck. Cameyrn was most impressed. They were all so nice there!

We have been extremely busy busy busy. We got rid of our old bedroom furniture (which actually was my mothers along with a 20 year old matress....yikes...I don't like to admit that). We got a king size bedroom set with a comfy mattress. So I have been having fun decorating the room and am almost finished with it. Jeff also got his dream tv. He says he's the last guy at work to have an lcd tv. You know boys and their toys. We had to get rid of our entertainment center because it will not fit a 40'' flat screen and settle for a nice small tv console. I miss all the spots I had to put our picture frames. Now we have to figure out what we are going to do with all of this stuff...ie books, dvds. vhs, photo albums, games. It's pretty funny, Maddison has come up with this saying that we did not say, "no money." She goes around the house chanting this often. We think it's so funny.

Breakfast with Santa did not go so smoothly. The girls were fond of Santa from afar. They waved and said hello, but when it was time to sit on his lap....nononono. They screamed! Poor Santa, I hope he wore earplugs that day. Many of the kids from our twins club were petrified of him.

Yesterday we went to a friends who has twin boys that are a little over 2. They had fun playing. Cameryn always seems to have a "boyfriend" where ever she goes. It was cute to watch them and nice to talk with an actual adult during the daytime.

Cameryn and either Caleb or Carter...sorry Jessie can't tell them apart in this picture.

They got a kick out of this contraption! A stool that is safe!

Giving their dog kisses.

Scooping reindeer food.

Trying to get them to just NOT SCREAM with Santa. Whew! I hope next year is better!

Happy December!

2008-12-03T10:36:00.001-08:00

Images of A Christmas Story pop into my head as I see this one^

Happy December everyone! Gosh, I can't believe how FAST this year has flown by. Looking at last year's Christmas pictures of the girls really gets me teary eyed. They are growing up so fast! They are now 20 months old and 4 months away from being TWO!!!! Well, Cameryn got her first taste of CAT FOOD, yes cat food! With team work, they got the cat food down and Cameryn had a whole fist full and stuck it in her mouth. She was getting ready to stick the next fist full from her other hand, when I realized she was not eating Cheerios. YUCK!!! I asked her to spit it out and she shook her head no at me. Oh- it made me sick to my stomach to watch her chew it up and swallow. Here are some pictures from our first snow of the season this past Sunday. It took longer to bundle them up then it did for them to stay out and enjoy it.

Oh-by the way...Cameryn loves to eat snow too! haha!

How they love their Dora! Dora has baby brother and sister twins! But, you can't see that Dora is carrying them around in a sling carrier. Now, was this not fate or what????

Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-29T19:23:00.000-08:00

After two delicious meals, I guess I can wait a month to have another holiday feast. Thursday we went to my Aunt's house. My cousin has a little girl who is just about 5 months older thank our girls. They were all best friends and played really well together. Cameryn got to conquer her fears of the steps since that is where they spent most of the time playing. Of course, either Jeff or I were there right by..just in case. Each time she took a step down, she would repeat "step". Cute.

Tonight we went to Jeff's mom's house where they got to play with their cousin Isabel. They had a great time and Cameryn really enjoyed some Tofurky. It is vegetarian turkey as my brother in law and his family are vegetarians. I had a bite and it was not bad.

On another note, the insurance company of the person who hit me finally got back to us taking responsibility for the accident. I went to pick the police report up on Wednesday and had been wondering why it was taking so long for them to get the ball rolling. It turns out the guy who hit me lied to the police officer saying that I hit him! Well, the police officer must have seen through his lies and faulted him. Whew, what a relief!

We got the new car seats the other day and the girls enjoyed playing in the box. I am impressed with Britax! They made the necessary changes in the newest Boulevard model called the Boulevard CS. The belt has an audible click when it is tight enough, eliminating the possibility of it being too loose. Also, you can actually hear the buckle click (the 2007 model did not) And allows for more crotch room, so it can grow with them. Of course we got the pretty pink Lauren print since they will have this until they are age 6 or 65 pounds.

Video of Maddison in my high heals

2008-11-22T11:28:00.001-08:00

This little girl is obsessed with shoes!

2008-11-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

Maddison is obsessed with shoes. I guess she's your typical girly girl! She was walking around in my pumps this morning. It was so cute. Take a look at the video. Also, I am so proud of myself. I found this dress on clearance for $4.98 and I bought a necklace for 11.99. I had the belt and the shoes. So I got this cute outfit for less than $17.00. I was quite impressed with myself.

When it rains it pours, and it must come in 3's

2008-11-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I think we had about the worst day in a long time!

FIRST-To start out the day...while I was washing my hands and brushing my teeth, Maddison and Cameryn UNLOCKED the safety gate to the stairs. For those of you who have not been in our house, the door is at the bottom and it has more of an open top. I heard a tumble and first thought they were throwing things down the steps (which is an EVERYDAY occurrence). It didn't feel quite right so I started to run and then heard Cameryn crying and I was thinking OH GOD NO NOT THE STEPS! She had just made it to the bottom. She tumbled down 12 wooden steps to a concrete floor. She was crying which was good. We went to the doctors to make sure everything was okay, and praise God it was! Needless to say we will be getting a new gate.

NEXT- We were on our way home from the Chiropractor getting ready to get on the highway and some idiot didn't see us already in the lane and pulled out of the Mid Rivers Mall exit and gunned it straight over to where I was. It hit on Maddison's side. So I hurried to get out of the van to make sure she was okay, meanwhile yelling at the guy. Thank GOD everyone was fine! Thank goodness for our Britax car seats!I called the police and they took our stories. There is quite a bit of damage to my car. I can't open the front passenger door, lots of good size dents, and scratches. The tire is pretty damaged and so I will not be able to drive it safely with the girls and will need to get new car seats.

FINALLY- During dinner Maddison got spaghetti sauce on her shirt so I took the tray off, unbuckled her to get the shirt off (onesie). Then put the tray back on, but didn't buckle her back in. I am sure you all know where this is going. After dinner, I went to dump the excess food into the trash and while I was at the trashcan, she leaned forward and fell out of her highchair face first. OUCH! She cried but she was okay. So after that Jeff said, "Maybe we should all go to bed before anything else happens."

Here is a picture of Cameryn last week. It was morning time and Maddison was awake but Cameryn was fast asleep with her beloved baby and her stuffed animals surrounding her. She looked so peaceful.

Pics

2008-11-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

Hi all, I am writing one handed here, waiting for the results of my hand x-ray. I was chasing the girls and ran into Maddison's crib in a funky way. Anyway, here are some pics. First one is the girls actually laying on cousin Trey's Christmas gift...a giant super soft puppy. My mistake of bringing it in while they were awake.Whoops! Next one is Maddison some how climbed into the hamper, and so followed Cameryn. Then Jeff reading to his girls. A couple days ago my God-Mother passed away from lung disease. She was my mom's best friend and so we were pretty close too:( Word to the wise....DON'T SMOKE! Today is Jeff's brother...Jason's Birthday and also my friend Tammy's birthday. So Happy Birthday!!!

Goodnight Mom

2008-11-06T10:28:00.001-08:00

This was in Parenting magazine, and I thought it was so funny!

Goodnight MOM
(with apologies to Margaret Wise Brown)

In the messy green family room
There was a telemarketer ringing the telephone
And a crying toddler because his brother
just popped his red balloon
And a picture of-

The cow jumping over the moon
(which someone colored on
with permanent marker)
And there was a missing teddy bear, and a girl with
gum in her hair

And one to be scolded
And laundry to be folded
And a very hungy spouse
And something stinky in the house
(that no one else seemed to smell)

And a comb and a brush and a colicky
baby who just won't shush
And a frazzled mommy screaming #*%#@

Goodnight messy room
Goodnight scribbled-on moon
Goodnight cow getting how while she can
Goodnight telemarketers and the
popped balloon

Goodnight long-gone teddy bear
Goodnight cereal bar smeared all
over the dining room chair

Goodnight spitup
And goodnight leaky sippy cup
Goodnight much-too-little house and
goodnight grumpy spouse
Goodnight comb and goodnight brush
And goodnight to certain 4-year-old
who just needs to hush right now I mean it

Goodnight Elmo
Goodnight toys we'll pick up tomorrow,
or the next day
Hello Chardonny and TiVo-
"me" time finally
-Sarah Jio

A Change has come!

2008-11-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama 2008!!! YAY!

This went on for 45 minutes...laughing, giggling, wrestling, paci snatching....best buds and partners in crime!

2008-11-04T11:38:00.001-08:00

Excercise your civic duty and American right!

2008-11-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

GO VOTE!

Record High of Trick Or Treaters!

2008-11-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

This year was our first year to take the girls out trick or treating. With the super warm temperature we had a record all time high of trick or treaters too! Jeff's mom came over and she had a giant basket full of candy and we had 4-5 bags of candy as well. ALL GONE in less than 2 HOURS! The girls had fun but next year they will definately get it. They thought that they were supposed to go in to the people's houses. Of course, they didn't get to eat any candy but a few lady's on the street were giving out animal cookies for the little ones, so they got to eat some of those. Jeff did an AWESOME job carving the pumpkins.

Video of yesterday morning trying on their new winter hats..excuse the messy house!

2008-10-31T11:49:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin Patch....see below for Halloween and Fall Portraits

2008-10-29T09:47:00.001-07:00

Fall and Halloween Portraits

2008-10-29T09:41:00.001-07:00

She is my Heart!

2008-10-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Just a cute short story I'd like to share with you. Yesterday it was getting close to nap time. They are only allowed to have "binkies" during nap and bedtime. Maddison had found one laying around and put one in her mouth and Cameryn told me she wanted one with her whining and pointing. Just then, Maddison dropped hers and Cameryn picked it up...and instead of taking it when she wanted one.....she gave it back to Maddison. I just have the sweetest daughter EVER! She's a special soul! Will be sharing Halloween/Fall pictures soon when I have the ones I am sending out mailed. On with the pictures from this week so far. I also sold my twins carrier I had a long time ago and bought a custom Mai Tei carrier. It is soo pretty. One side is red brocade and the other side is pink butterflies with canvas straps. I think this is the last one...I hope! Tomorrow I see the sleep psychologist for my hypnotherapy session. I am hopeful and open!

Spending time with MeMa and hanging out at home

2008-10-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Cameryn is just so cute to watch. She has a smile for everyone and laughs so much it makes my heart sing! It feels so good to know that she is a happy spirit. Maddison has been extra needy that past couple months and wants me to hold her constantly. Not that I mind holding her, but I am feeling rather guilty that Cameryn and I are not getting to spend extra time together. Cameryn refuses to let me hold her while holding Maddison and does not want to share me. I understand though. I would want my mom's full and undivided attention too. They are saying some new words now like, "grandma...gamma," "trash," "daddy," (used to be dada) "sis or sissy" "yes," "nana" for banana, "bye bye Poop (as we flush their#2's from their cloth diapers), "thank you" (which sounds more like either the the or thinyou) and some more that I can't think of right now. Cameryn is also signing a lot and Maddison some too. Signs such as, more, please, thank you, drink, milk, and help. They also enjoy playing with and reading about animals. They especially like making the sounds, especially for cow, cat, donkey, sheep,bull, and duck. Maddison has a good throwing arm when she is throwing a ball and you know Jeff is loving every second of that! Cameryn still loves to kick the ball. Right now, their favorite activity is to spin in circles and then try to walk. Either they will be great ballerinas or they will like the wine a little too much. (just kidding). So there you have it...my brags and updates. This coming Wednesday they are going to get their Halloween pictures done, so I will post when we have those.

Sitting on the potty for the first time...and our towns fall festival

2008-10-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Last week the girls sat on their potties for the first time. Nothing came out and still hasn't but at least they are getting familiar with the idea. Also, our town's fall festival was this Sunday and I was surprised how big it was. As you can see from the pictures it was pretty neat to see.

One Reason....Cure Autism

2008-10-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

We walked for ONE reason...

..............................................................TO CURE AUTISM!!!

Today we rallied together as a large community to find a cure for Autism and to raise awareness. 1 beautiful child out of 150 will be diagnosed with Autism. We have to do something now to stop and prevent this most challenging neurological disorder and understand how to tap in to these beautiful yet tangled minds. This is something that I feel very passionate about. We (as in Jeff, grandma, twins, and myself) were supposed to walk with Giant Steps (the school I used to work at before I had my precious twins) but in the big crowd we kind of got separated. It was a large crowd, although I have seen more in years past. Beautiful weather was on our side! Here are some pics from today's event. Also, to learn more about Autism visit http://www.autismspeaks.org/ and also http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/

2008-10-05T19:52:00.001-07:00

Fall Festivities

2008-10-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

Summertime used to be my favorite time of year, but I am really starting to enjoy Autumn even more. With beautiful weather comes outside activities that we all can enjoy. Last Thursday, our twins playgroup met at the Botanical Gardens. Let me tell you I was in awe of the beauty that this unique and quite large garden had to offer. I am a huge fan of waterfalls and nothing feels more serene that a beautiful waterfall. The Botanical Gardens had a few nice ones as well as many lush flowers and plants. I always imagined myself going when the girls were itty-bitty and simply just sitting on a bench and enjoy the surroundings....but it was a little harder to go out places when they were that small. But I shall dream again when we have another baby someday. Then this Saturday, Jeff's mom, Jeff, Maddison, Cameryn, and myself went to a festival at the Loop. It didn't have as much to offer as I thought it would, but we did get to see the Irish dancers clogging and even saw some Lyrical dances. We also saw musicians playing and a man doing some pretty neat "top spinning" tricks. We walked around and looked at artists jewelry, unique wood working, and paintings. After that we head to Stacy Park and the girls had a blast climbing up slides, swinging on swings, and just running wild. Next weekend, we are walking for the Walk Now for Autism and our community is having a festival and fair. I want to make sure we are taking every advantage of this weather, because too soon we will be stuck inside! We just ordered Halloween costumes and so in no certain order, one will be an angel and the other will be a devil. I hope we are not setting up some bad karma for them as they grow up. haha!

See below for pictures...I couldn't figure out how to attach the slideshow and display it properly...ugg.

Apple Picking at Eckarts Farm

2008-09-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Jeff, his brother, and two uncles went to spread Jeff's dad's ashes over their family burial grounds in Mississippi. I am glad that they were able to carry out his last wishes and also gain a little more closure in doing so. In the meantime, Jeff's mom and I took the girls apple picking and had a nice time despite getting somewhat lost on the way home with 2 VERY hungy and tired girls. There were all kinds of animals there too that I would have never suspected. For instance, there were camel, llamas, baby wallabies, sheep, ponies, baby pigs. Am I the only one who feels badly for these animals when the babies are not with the mamas, and wonder if they get enough water, and why there are about 8 ponies who are forced to walk around in a small circle all day long....and lastly wonder if they are being treated respectfully??? Okay, now that's out of the way...the girls liked seeing all the animals and really loved apple picking. There was a tractor and wagon that took us out to the apple orchards. Cameryn LOVED LOVED LOVED the apples. Maddison, who doesn't like fruit at all was feeding me the apples. It was neat seeing them pick the apples right off the tree!

see below

2008-09-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

Posting to win a free mai tei carrier:

http://www.uppymemama.com/Win-A-Free-Mei-Tai-Baby-Carrier.html

Daddy and Maddison...aww

2008-09-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

She fell asleep on Jeff...it was so cute. Then she heard the commotion from me taking pictures and woke up. It was too sweet to see! And, this is my new Calyx. I had to send the Action Baby Carrier back...lots of neck and shoulder pain. okay, okay, okay....I'll admit it I'm addicted! It's a pretty asian design.

Is it Fall already?

2008-09-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, the summer went by quickly. It's hard to believe that we are in the middle of September already. For the past couple of months we seemed to have been really affected with sickness. Passing strep around, bronchitis (me of course), and now colds. You know how I hate germs and this is exactly why! I know it's inevitable, but having sick kids stinks! We just started having the girls take cod liver oil as it is rich in Vitamins A and D with Omega 3's. I slip some in their OJ in the morning. This is to help their immune system as they will get their first round of measles vaccination in a couple of weeks. Honestly, if it were up to me they would get no vaccinations but because Jeff and I are a team and he is strongly for them, we have come to some what of a middle ground... Which means spaced vaccinations and separated when all possible for the girls. When the girls are ready for boosters, we will get titers drawn up before receiving them so we will know if they really need them or if they have enough immunity from first round of the vaccination.

It is really magical to watch twins interact with each other. When I was pregnant, Jeff and I watch Multiples in The Womb on Discovery Channel and it said that as twins grow to be toddlers and preschoolers, one of their favorite game is often playing in between long curtains...one on each side of the curtain and giggle. They say that it is like being in the womb separated by their very thin sacs. Well, this is very true for our girls....except right now it's the shower curtain. It's cute to watch.

Also, from early on we have always pointed fingers and touched the tip of our fingers together. It's just our "thing." It's really cute to watch the girls to it do each other and Maddison says, "Boop!" Then they both laugh. Here are some pics of it! Last Monday, I attended a Babywearing Meeting at the County Headquarters Library. It was really nice to learn a few tricks about how to get a baby on my back easily and I got to try out some different carriers. The bottom picture are 2 Kindercarry Mei Tais...which were awesome! I also got to try on a ring sling which was nice as well. I really enjoy wearing them, I definitely feel more connected with them individually when I have one of them in the front. With having twins, I definitely think that you need to connect and develop your own bond individually with them.

Super Mama!!

2008-08-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

The girls and I went for a walk today up to Walgreens to get some bacon for breakfast. I put Maddison in back with the Action Baby Carrier and Cameryn in front in the Moby Wrap. They were quite content until we were almost home and Maddison wanted the water bottle that she kept dropping. My Action Baby Carrier just arrived and was an anniversary present::hearts:: We love it so far!

Last night Maddison and I went over to Michelle and Jackson's for a playdate. Cameryn had Strep this week and I didn't want to expose anyone to it even though she's been on antibiotics. We made a recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptivively Delelicious...it was the chicken cigars? It is chicken tequitos with puree squash and puree carrots and cream cheese. I thought it was pretty good actually. Maddison and Jackson are both pickey eaters and only had a few bites. I think if I would have left it unwrapped Maddison might have eaten more of it. Maddison warmed up about 20 minutes before we left. She's just very shy lately and wasn't so sure of Jackson's hugs. He is only 3 months older but he is definately way taller and bigger than her. Jackson is smart and full of personality!

We had a nice time cooking and catching up!

Twins are 17 months old today

2008-08-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Cameryn and I after taking a walk in the Moby Wrap. I love the snuggles!!

Last week, I was craving White Castles so Jeff went and got some for us. The girls had their first White Castle burger and they LOVED it! They are definately my children. (hee hee) So, we got this cute twin moment shot also with only their right's legs on the table. Then, Grandma Kutscher turned 90, so we got to celebrate with lots of family. Here are some silly shots with Uncle Jason and Cameryn.

The girls are 17 months today and wow are they "into" being naughty! They purposefully do things they are not supposed to do (testing the limits) and look at me while they flaunt their actions and then they laugh hysterically when I say No or Don't touch that. I keep telling myself it's a phase and they will grow out of it...but the truth is they will always try to test the limits, so I have to always try and remain consistant.

16 Month Pictures

2008-08-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

Today we got the girls 16 month pictures at Kiddie Kandids. It was the opposite experience this time. At their 12 month shots, Maddison was the one crying this time it was Cameryn. We had to call it quits before we were done with all the backgrounds because they both had had it. Here is what we got. I think some cute ones too!

Major Poop Disaster....LOOK if you DARE!

2008-08-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening we had a MAJOR poop disaster. Cameryn had either taken her diaper off during her nap or it fell off. There was Poop EVERYWHERE!!!! The pictures really don't do it justice. Poop in her hair on her face, stuck on to her hands under her finger nails, all over her dress, stuck to the bottoms of her feet, all over the crib and sheets. She was crying because she didnt like having the horrid smelling poo all over her! I gave her two baths. After she was clean she was laughing and saying "poop.'' Yeah, very funny!!! I took pictures to show Jeff what had happened and to blackmail her when she is wants to date boys. I'll flash these pictures to her "want to be" boyfriend. I think it will send them away quickly. Thank God that Maddison was very patient and stayed in her crib while I did major cleanup! Thought I'd share this with you. If you are a parent...I'm sure you have your own pooh stories!

Birthday party and Baby Shower

2008-08-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a very busy day. We went to Ethan and Lilly's Birthday party. They turned 2! It was a lot of fun. The girls played in the pools and Cameryn even won a prize for picking the duck with the number 2 on it. Then we traveled to Perryville for Jeff's cousin's baby shower. The girls had fun but the long day grew heavy on their little bodies. I couldn't believe how shy they were. I'm not sure if it was due to the long day with lots of people or if I just need to get them out more. Enjoy the pics!

Playdate with Mallie and Jenny

2008-08-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

We had such a fabulous time yesterday. We met Jenny and Mallie in Columbia for a girls day out. We ate lunch at Applebees. After that Maddison, Cameryn and Mallie got to hang out and get to know each other over at Jenny's brother's house. It was so nice of them to let us borrow their space for a few hours. Cameryn and Mallie really took to each other. After jumping on the big trampoline we headed to the mall to browse, eat, ride the carousel and run wild and climb in the tee tots play area. We headed home just in time for the girls to fall asleep for their usual bedtime. We really had a great time. It was also nice catching up with Jenny too. We can't wait to do it again!

WE HAVE 2 MORE NEW POSTS, SO SCROLL DOWN!!!!! BUSY SUMMER..LOTS OF FUN!

Grandma and Great Grandma's 80th Birthday Celebration

2008-08-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

It was great to spend time with family. Maya's Cafe has terrific food indeed! Happy early Birthday Grandma! You are truely a special person.

Hail to the Queens! eehum...Princesses (only Mommy is Queen)

2008-08-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

16 months and 3 days

2008-07-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

I had planned to write this Monday on their 16 month birthday, but got distracted. So, the girls are 16 months old. Can't beleive it...as I say this every month that goes by. The things they do are reminding me less and less that they are babies and more and more that they are toddlers. Their language has increased and Maddison has begun to say 2 word phrases like "Hi Sissy" or "Hi Dada" and loves to say "bye bye" and wave. On top of her speaking, Cameryn is doing a lot of sign language which always helps the communication process. Lots of running, climbing, kicking and throwing balls. The all time favorite activity is still probably reading/books. Also something that has come with toddlerhood is the hitting. Maddison gets frustrated easily and often takes it out on Cameryn or whatever still object that is near. I always knew she would be our drama queen. So we do our best to correct and redirect. Here are a few pictures from Sunday at the Magic House. Enjoy the rest of the dog days of summer!

The official Switch

2008-07-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

We have officially switched over to cloth diapers using BumGenius 3.0 One size diapers. My sister in law is giving me some Fuzzi Bunz to use too! Cameryn has been getting awful diaper rashes and we are looking to save money in the long run. We will save from now until they are potty trained about $1800 AND since they are one size diapers they have snaps that adjust from size small to medium to large. Even though this requires special laundering, I think it will be worth it. The next baby we have will essentially be free to diaper. Not to mention better for the environment! Anyways, I'm excited and hopeful.

Measurement Updates

2008-07-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

The girls had their 15 month well baby check up. (We went a few weeks later since they will actually be 16 months on Saturday I believe)

Maddison: Height: 30 In. ( 25%)
Weight: 20 lbs 2 oz (8%)
Head Circ: 44.8 cm (16%)

Cameryn: Height: 31.5 in. (71%)
Weight: 23 lbs 11oz (57%) She has slimmed down due to her walking or should I say running.
Head Circ: 45cm (20%)

Everyone is doing great.

Are there some Days you Just feel like This?

2008-07-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

My girls are Climbers!

2008-07-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

After returning from the restroom, this is what I found! They love to climb everything. Cameryn Grace is going around meowing like our cat (Ronnie, she is back) She stays mostly in the basement because of allergies and she's old and unsure of the babies. Also, I have been searching and searching for a place that offers the MMR vaccine as separate doses. I am excited to have found an office who does offer them separated. Our pediatrician says they are find with them getting vaccinations elsewhere. They will get it in September when they are 18 months and will go back every 4 weeks until the series is completed. I feel a little better about this idea than all 3 in one day.

Look at all this curly hair. Cameryn is waiting for the kitty to say hello.

Maddison
Maddison

A Funny Story To Share

2008-07-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

I have a funny story to share with all of you. Last night, Jeff and I ate Dairy Queen for dinner. Maddison had been "eyeing" Jeff's big Coke. They are not allowed to have soda...you know me! About 15 minutes after we were done eating, Jeff and I were in the living room discussing plans for tonight...(it's our 8 YEAR anniversary ;) ). We decide it's too quiet and Jeff goes in the kitchen to investigate. ... Maddison is on the kitchen table and Cameryn is standing on the kitchen chair taking turns drinking the COKE!!! Maddison looks up ..surprised yet guilty and continues to hurry to take another drink before Jeff takes it away. It was TOO funny! Too bad we didn't get a photo of it! But here are a few from today wearing their POOP DECK rompers that Grandma got while she was on vacation.

4th of July Spactacular!

2008-07-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July we spent the holiday with friends. Maddison and Cameryn had lots of little kids their age to play with. We couldn't have asked for better weather, only more nap time. They did pretty good considering they only had one nap and Maddison's nap only lasted 40 minutes compared to 2 hours. Jeff enjoyed playing in the washer tournament while I and others chased after the girls. They really had a good time playing and were worn out by the time we left. We put them to bed and Jeff and I sat outside and watched the fireworks from our backyard. Jeff says we will be going on vacation

soon although we don't know where yet. Today, we went to grandmas to celebrate her birthday. They twins enjoyed their first ice cream cone. They were all smiles! Enjoy the pics! We hope you had a great and safe holiday.

Maddison and Riley
Cameryn
Jeff and Maddison
A very tired Maddison
Cameryn Grace

the kids minus a few
Cameryn and Olivia
Maddison
Maddie and Riley
Maddie and Addie

HOLY MOLARS!!!

2008-07-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

That's right! I have two very cranky little girls who are getting multiple molars in right now. I keep praying for patience and understanding as we go through each day. It's been tough on all of us! I feel very bad for them. I have given them Tylenol, teethers, cold wash clothes. Does anyone know how long pain with molars typically lasts for?

Pics Galore!

2008-06-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

Fun with Friends!

Maddison looking a little posessed! lol

Cameryn always has a book in her hands!

Race For The Cure

2008-06-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday, me, along with a friend and her husband went downtown to Race For A Cure. It was an awesome sight! Each year it grows by the hundreds if not thousands. I believe we are the largest group of the United States. It was a beautiful day, however with that many people and little shade it does feel a lot warmer. Summer is definitely here although the temperatures have been pretty mild. Last Thursday was Father's night at our St. Louis Mothers of Twins Club. So I dragged Jeff out with the promise of an open bar and a bbq demo. lol. He had a good time getting to know the fellas of the group of us who usually get together for our playgroup.

Maddison has been saying "get down" but usually sounds like ged dowd lol also, shes been saying uh oh! Cameryn loves saying Cat, Yes, This and her new one is "light". She is very inquisitive and wants to know the name of anything and everything you see in surroundings or in books. Maddison is a dare devil climber. She has made it to on top of the kitchen table using the chairs. I have to keep a close eye on her. Oh- also Jeff has been practicing kicking a ball with Cameryn and she was "dribbling" across the yard. As you all know Jeff was a soccer all star, so he was very proud. As always, enjoys the pics!

Playdates and just Hangin' Out at Home

2008-06-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

Cameryn Grace, Maddison and Jackson at a playdate.Cool Girl Maddison
Cameryn Grace loves to splash
Cameryn Grace saying Hi!
Maddison being silly as usual

Father's Day and Day Before

2008-06-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

A Great Start to Summer

2008-06-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

Maddison top Grants Farm

M-Lft C-Rght
Maddison

Cameryn Grace

We are having a fantastic start of summertime fun. Trips to the zoo, The Magic House, Gran'ts Farm and playdates with friends have made for busy yet funfilled days. Life is so different from last year at this time. No longer dealing with acid reflux and projectile vomit, Yay! I am truely exhausted after each day. We are all having a fantastic time! Enjoy the pictures. I love this twin moment, where they have their one leg together in the air.

The Magic House

2008-05-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

Today we had a fun trip to the Magic House. The girls had loads of fun, as you can see. Today the girls are 14 months old. I can't believe how fast it goes. I am really trying to enjoy each minute and live in the present moment. Because in 5 or 10 years ago, I won't say..."Darn, I missed that tv show that one day or why didn't I fold the laundry right away that one Tuesday afternoon. But, I could say "I wished I would have read Cameryn's favorite book to her while she lay in my arms." Or," I wished I listened and watched their faces while the girls laughed with each other. It's moments like that, that I will remember years from on, not tv shows or what have you.

Pictures

2008-05-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

repeat picture couldnt rotate it.
Cameryn helping Mommy fold the laundry...my girls are such good helpers!

Top Jeff and Cameryn playing their pillow game, below me and Maddison snuggling when we were both sick.

I have not written in a while due to Jeff's dad passing away last week. He was in a lot of pain and I know he is in a much better place now, but it is still hard to lose someone you love.

I just wanted to share some pictures that we have taken over the past 2 weeks. I asked Maddison to give her sissy a kiss, and she walked over to Cameryn and they gave each other a kiss...it was too cute. It melted my heart.

Update

2008-05-07T13:15:00.001-07:00

UPDATES:: Maddison now has bronchitos too. The pediatrician sent us home with a nebulizer machine for both girls, a round of antibiotics for Maddison, and possible steriods for them if we are not seeing any improvements by this evening.

Bronchitos showing it's ugly head

2008-05-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well, well...all four of us are sick. I took Cameryn to the pediatrician yesterday. They did a breathing treament and sent us home with an inhaler with an aero-chamber for bronchitos. She also has a double ear infection. My poor baby. Maddison woke up with what Cameryn has today, so another trip to the peds office today for her. Plus, Cameryn is still weezing quite a bit. The doctor will recheck her lungs. Jeff woke up as well today. I finally called the dr to get a zpac for myself. Hopefully we will get this all squared away soon.

**Side note on my nephews...both had pneumonia and are now both out of the hospital. Yay!

Hope you all stay well!

A trip to the Zoo

2008-05-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Cameryn and Maddison-------------->>>>holding hands ::heart melting::

I took the girls to the zoo this past Wednesday. It was absolutely GEORGEOUS out! I am so glad we went. We have two (well four including a double set) lions. One that is a stuff animal and one that shakes and vibrates vigurously and also growls and talks. These are Maddison's fav animal. (Thanks Aunt Kim for the lions!) She very much enjoyed seeing the lions even though they were sleeping. Cameryn's fav was the black lemurs. She wanted to climb right in with them and start swinging from tree to tree. And they both loved the fish, and were saying, "ish, ish." You should see this picture I caught with them. The last 20 minutes they were holding hands and giggling eith each other. It was the cutest thing!

PS- Please say a prayer for my nephew Tyler. He is in the hospital with a very high fever and his white blood count is sky high. They still dont know what is wrong. He is in quarentine until they find the source. They think that his little brother Trey might have it too.

While your praying, keep my father in law in your thoughts. He is still in the ICU.

Celebrating Daddy's 30th Birthday

2008-05-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

Cameryn Grace loves the Bounce and Spin Zebra
Maddison's turn, loves it equally as much!
Daddy and his girls. That is actually a wide open mouth smile from Cam

Awww, Cameryn is such a "Daddy's Girl"

Welcome!

2008-05-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome and Thank you for traveling with us through our new updates. There were a lot of errors occuring on our last blog, but you may look at the links list to read and see pictures of old posts.

hi

2008-05-01T12:50:00.001-07:00