Thursday, July 24, 2008
Hannah's first tooth
Hannah crawled over to me today and just decided to bite my thumb. While doing that I noticed that her bottom tooth has peaked through her gums! Poor Leah has been biting and drooling and fussing for two weeks now and her little tooth hasnt come in yet, and Hannah had none of that and there it is. She has been very needy lately, but otherwise ok. It took 9.5 months, but we have a tooth. Such a big girl!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The "new" sleeping arrangements
So the girls have been doing pretty well lately with not waking up in the middle of the night. Once they go down (haha) they typically sleep until 8 - 10am. Until a few days ago, Hannah was sleeping in the pack n play in the spare bedroom and Leah was in her crib. Leah was waking up screaming in the middle of the night and we had to basically ignore her for a few days and now she is sleeping through the night again.
They have started the new thing of screaming bloody murder once we put them in their cribs though. Leah can be dead asleep and when we lay her down, she wakes up and is not happy! I have tried rocking her back to sleep, which results in the same thing when she gets back in her crib. So we just give her about 30 minutes and normally she cries herself to sleep. (I take that opportunity to take a shower so I do not have to listen to the crying, and by the time I get out it is wonderfully quiet) - I hope that does not make me a bad person!
So since they were both screaming when they were put in the beds anyway, they are no longer being separated. I am not going to worry about one waking the other, or keeping the other up. If it happens, they will have to learn to get past it. Honestly, they have done pretty well the last 3 nights. It takes about an hour of crying and then they fall asleep. They do not really wake each other up in the mornings, and if they do then it has not been at an unreasonable time. - Considering they were not eating breakfast until 11am most days of the week, waking up at 9 probably is not a bad thing!
This is still a working process and it does keep them up longer crying, but hopefully they will get used to being together again. I think I will still separate them at naptime because they are such lighter sleepers then.
They have started the new thing of screaming bloody murder once we put them in their cribs though. Leah can be dead asleep and when we lay her down, she wakes up and is not happy! I have tried rocking her back to sleep, which results in the same thing when she gets back in her crib. So we just give her about 30 minutes and normally she cries herself to sleep. (I take that opportunity to take a shower so I do not have to listen to the crying, and by the time I get out it is wonderfully quiet) - I hope that does not make me a bad person!
So since they were both screaming when they were put in the beds anyway, they are no longer being separated. I am not going to worry about one waking the other, or keeping the other up. If it happens, they will have to learn to get past it. Honestly, they have done pretty well the last 3 nights. It takes about an hour of crying and then they fall asleep. They do not really wake each other up in the mornings, and if they do then it has not been at an unreasonable time. - Considering they were not eating breakfast until 11am most days of the week, waking up at 9 probably is not a bad thing!
This is still a working process and it does keep them up longer crying, but hopefully they will get used to being together again. I think I will still separate them at naptime because they are such lighter sleepers then.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Grieving the loss of Gwen Brobst
Today God brought Mrs. Brobst home after a long fight with cancer. We had been praying for Him to heel her, either here on earth, or in Heaven.
Right now as I sit here struggling to find the right words, I am crying for their family and what they are going through. Dr. Brobst lost his soul mate and I cannot imagine what that might be like.
Throughout this entire journey, their faith never wavered, and this family proved to be an inspiration to hundreds. Possibly even thousands. Today even, Dr. Brobst's journal entry reiterated that Gwen's passing was not a failure of God. He wrote: Please understand that this is not a failure on God’s part to heal Gwen. This is a healing that has given her the greatest blessing of all. Although we do not fully understand it, it is true, and it was important to her that I make this clear when the time to write this arrived. It is amazing to me how he can stand to strong mere hours after his wife's death.
I have heard by many that Dr. Brobsts words as he told of their family's journey has affected them more than any other man. Gwen wanted her life, and the end of her life to be part of a bigger plan, and I think that they have accomplished this. I fully believe that people have come to know God, or have become closer to Him as they read Dr. Brobst's journal entries every night.
So yes, I am sitting here crying because this world lost a wonderful person. She was like a mother to me. She was my best friends mother and I feel like I grew up with them from 7th grade on. I remember going back to her house after middle school dances and after we graduated 8th grade for a swim party. She was always such a gracious hostess. She and Dr. Brobst were there for me when my parents were out of town and I was thrown out of a golf cart at work. (yes that really happened no matter how pitiful it sounds). She helped me pick out my wedding dress, hosted my Bridal Tea, and even bought me dresses for the "formal nights" on my honeymoon. When I got pregnant she was one of the first people I wanted to tell. She really wanted to give me a baby shower, but that was at the time of her diagnosis. Even still, she wanted to host it!
I will always remember her as this little spunky blonde who was such a bargain shopper, and got so excited over the deals she found. I will remember her coming into Wendy's room at 2am telling us we REALLY need to go to bed and stop singing! I will remember her bran muffins and her wonderful appetizers as she was always the "hostess with the mostest". She was always there for anyone who needed her. In fact, their huge house was most always filled with family or friends in need of a place to stay. She went out of her way for everyone and it is apparent by the caringbridge guestbook how much she meant to everyone. She was always put together and beautiful.
Most of all I remember her as one of the strongest women of faith I have ever had the pleasure to know. And she was the kind of wife mother I aspire to be.
She touched so many people and continues to touch them still in her death. I loved her like a mother and will miss her so much. But I am glad she is no longer in pain, and is now in Heaven.
Visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/gwenbrobst. Be inspired.
Right now as I sit here struggling to find the right words, I am crying for their family and what they are going through. Dr. Brobst lost his soul mate and I cannot imagine what that might be like.
Throughout this entire journey, their faith never wavered, and this family proved to be an inspiration to hundreds. Possibly even thousands. Today even, Dr. Brobst's journal entry reiterated that Gwen's passing was not a failure of God. He wrote: Please understand that this is not a failure on God’s part to heal Gwen. This is a healing that has given her the greatest blessing of all. Although we do not fully understand it, it is true, and it was important to her that I make this clear when the time to write this arrived. It is amazing to me how he can stand to strong mere hours after his wife's death.
I have heard by many that Dr. Brobsts words as he told of their family's journey has affected them more than any other man. Gwen wanted her life, and the end of her life to be part of a bigger plan, and I think that they have accomplished this. I fully believe that people have come to know God, or have become closer to Him as they read Dr. Brobst's journal entries every night.
So yes, I am sitting here crying because this world lost a wonderful person. She was like a mother to me. She was my best friends mother and I feel like I grew up with them from 7th grade on. I remember going back to her house after middle school dances and after we graduated 8th grade for a swim party. She was always such a gracious hostess. She and Dr. Brobst were there for me when my parents were out of town and I was thrown out of a golf cart at work. (yes that really happened no matter how pitiful it sounds). She helped me pick out my wedding dress, hosted my Bridal Tea, and even bought me dresses for the "formal nights" on my honeymoon. When I got pregnant she was one of the first people I wanted to tell. She really wanted to give me a baby shower, but that was at the time of her diagnosis. Even still, she wanted to host it!
I will always remember her as this little spunky blonde who was such a bargain shopper, and got so excited over the deals she found. I will remember her coming into Wendy's room at 2am telling us we REALLY need to go to bed and stop singing! I will remember her bran muffins and her wonderful appetizers as she was always the "hostess with the mostest". She was always there for anyone who needed her. In fact, their huge house was most always filled with family or friends in need of a place to stay. She went out of her way for everyone and it is apparent by the caringbridge guestbook how much she meant to everyone. She was always put together and beautiful.
Most of all I remember her as one of the strongest women of faith I have ever had the pleasure to know. And she was the kind of wife mother I aspire to be.
She touched so many people and continues to touch them still in her death. I loved her like a mother and will miss her so much. But I am glad she is no longer in pain, and is now in Heaven.
Visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/gwenbrobst. Be inspired.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The first "real meal"
Today was kind of a liberating day for me. Ok, maybe it is a really small thing, but it was a big deal to me!
Tonight I made spaghetti and Matt and I sat down at the table with the girls in their high chairs and we all shared the same meal. I cut up the noodles really small and stripped the girls down to their diapers and let them go at it. They thoroughly enjoyed their meal, and we enjoyed not spoon feeding them!
They ended up with more on their bellies than what they actually ate, I am afraid. But they seemed to be full!
Here are some pictures of them loving their lives!
I had to hose them off in the sink before I put them in the tubs!!!
Tonight I made spaghetti and Matt and I sat down at the table with the girls in their high chairs and we all shared the same meal. I cut up the noodles really small and stripped the girls down to their diapers and let them go at it. They thoroughly enjoyed their meal, and we enjoyed not spoon feeding them!
They ended up with more on their bellies than what they actually ate, I am afraid. But they seemed to be full!
Here are some pictures of them loving their lives!
I had to hose them off in the sink before I put them in the tubs!!!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Big girl food
Hannah and Leah have gotten very frustrated with me feeding them. They want to do it themselves, and tend to scream at the spoon. So, the past two nights the girls have eaten their dinner without my putting anything into their mouths. They did great with it! Last night they had little pieces of chicken nuggets, and shoveled in mac n cheese. Bananas are a favorite as well. I have to say that it is a strange experience watching them feed themselves like big girls, and they do very well with it. A LOT ended up in their laps though which the dogs loved. Im not ready to give up the baby food, even though they could care less about it, but it seems a lot easier to get in all their vitamins and essentials with those little jars. But for dinner, right before their baths, they can be messy and independent if they want to be. They grow up so fast!
The joys of the door stopper
The girls are so active in the bath now that we have resorted to giving them their baths in our jacuzzi tub. This way they have so much more room to plow each other over and pull each other down, all while stealing whatever bath toy the other one has.
After baths, the girls have a little crawl from the bedroom to the den. (I refuse to carry two crawling babies everywhere). I walked a little ahead of them the other day when I heard the very loud unmistakable sound of the door stopper springing with enthusiasm. Leah had found it! She was having the best time. (She also really enjoys throwing the dogs metal bowl around on the hard wood floors. That makes a FUN sound as well!). Hannah joined right on in, and found yet another one, so we had harmony.
This amused them for a good 5 minutes, and Matt said it was blog worthy. Hey, when it is your own kids, everything is just so darn cute!
After baths, the girls have a little crawl from the bedroom to the den. (I refuse to carry two crawling babies everywhere). I walked a little ahead of them the other day when I heard the very loud unmistakable sound of the door stopper springing with enthusiasm. Leah had found it! She was having the best time. (She also really enjoys throwing the dogs metal bowl around on the hard wood floors. That makes a FUN sound as well!). Hannah joined right on in, and found yet another one, so we had harmony.
This amused them for a good 5 minutes, and Matt said it was blog worthy. Hey, when it is your own kids, everything is just so darn cute!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
9 month checkup
The girls had their 9 month well baby check up today. Just a quick note for my records sake. They got two shots today and they did well with them - as long as we had apple juice ready for them!
Apparently Hannah has a nervous habit of pulling at her ears, which I always worry is a sign of a possible ear infection. Her ears are clear and Dr Bashinsky did a tempanogram and her pressure in her ear is perfect too. So she just likes to pull on her ear for fun. Good to know.
Leah is incredibly flexible. Oddly and supernaturally flexible in her hips especially. I have been a little worried about it (hip dysplasia, etc.) so I mentioned it to him today. He was quite amazed at her flexibily and said it was definitely not normal, but her legs are even and so there should be no reason to worry. Guess we have a little gymnast on our hands!
Otherwise, they are perfectly healthy and right on track as far as developmental milestones. I just need to work on the whole sippy cup thing a little more.
They are big girls. I will say that. It will most likely melt away when they start crawling, and honestly, I am not ready for the fat rolls to go away. But for now they are big. Here are their measurements (for my charting purposes later)
Hannah:
Length - 28 3/4 inches (90%)
Weight - 21 lbs, 6 1/2 oz (95%)
Head circumference - 17 1/2 (75%)
Leah:
Length - 27 7/8 inches (50%)
Weight - 21 lbs, 2 1/2 oz (90%)
Head circumference - 17 1/8 (25%)
So they go back at 1 year! Hard to believe that is only 3 months away....
Apparently Hannah has a nervous habit of pulling at her ears, which I always worry is a sign of a possible ear infection. Her ears are clear and Dr Bashinsky did a tempanogram and her pressure in her ear is perfect too. So she just likes to pull on her ear for fun. Good to know.
Leah is incredibly flexible. Oddly and supernaturally flexible in her hips especially. I have been a little worried about it (hip dysplasia, etc.) so I mentioned it to him today. He was quite amazed at her flexibily and said it was definitely not normal, but her legs are even and so there should be no reason to worry. Guess we have a little gymnast on our hands!
Otherwise, they are perfectly healthy and right on track as far as developmental milestones. I just need to work on the whole sippy cup thing a little more.
They are big girls. I will say that. It will most likely melt away when they start crawling, and honestly, I am not ready for the fat rolls to go away. But for now they are big. Here are their measurements (for my charting purposes later)
Hannah:
Length - 28 3/4 inches (90%)
Weight - 21 lbs, 6 1/2 oz (95%)
Head circumference - 17 1/2 (75%)
Leah:
Length - 27 7/8 inches (50%)
Weight - 21 lbs, 2 1/2 oz (90%)
Head circumference - 17 1/8 (25%)
So they go back at 1 year! Hard to believe that is only 3 months away....
Trip to the beach and the "swimming twins"
We got back from the beach 2 weeks ago, but I am been so busy since then I have had no time to blog! So I am now doing a little catch up.
I have to say that the trip to Panama City was wonderful. Overall the girls did great, the weather was very nice, and it was a good time to get away and relax. We stayed at some friends condo, which is right next to Pier Park. We were able to walk to restaurants and a huge number of stores, and the girls enjoyed strolling along with us. Many days we would leave the condo around the time they needed a nap, and walk the streets in Pier Park while they snoozed. They even stayed out until 10 a few nights, just sleeping in the stroller! Matts parents were there the last half of the week and it was very nice to visit with them in a stress free situation. And it is always nice to have an extra 2 sets of hands!
They slept well for the most part. We had 2 rough nights but otherwise they both were good. Hannah even slept until 10 or 10:30 some mornings. The definitely got off any schedule they were originally on, but hey, it was vacation!
Unfortunately the beach experience was not as great. We ventured out one day, lugging all our things with our two children, set up their little tent (we had planned on renting us chairs, but they were out) only to give up after about an hour. The water was too full of seaweed and jellyfish to get in, and it was entirely too hot on the beach to not play in the water. So we packed it up again and went to the pool which proved to be a very popular area. We got out there two more times. One day we could get in the water and the girls enjoyed a little snooze on their Mommy and Daddy in the ocean and lounge chairs. The other day they "played" in the sand, but Hannah mainly ate it and Leah just raked it on her legs. :)
We did not get many beach pictures because our hands were always full, but here is one before they freaked out that the ocean was going to get them...
The pool was such a successful place to go that the girls thus became known as "the swimming twins". They had quite a little following. They have absolutely no fear when it comes to the water and people were a little surprised at their willingness to go under (especially Hannah).
Here are some pictures of hannah "jumping" to me
And of her swimming to me - notice her closing her eyes when she knows she is going under
Leah would rather kick and float
One of their favorite days (and ours) was when we went to Shipwreck Island Water Park. They loved crawling around the kiddie area and playing in the wave pool. It was so shallow in such a large section that they just crawled everywhere in the water. It was really fun watching them. I have some cute pictures but I have not had time to upload the ones from the park yet.
Lastly, apparently the twin fascination is heightened ten-fold while on vacation. At restaurants we had a least 10-20 people a night say something to us. In fact, people love to call them chubby! One lady actually picked up Hannahs juice bottle and tried to give it to her. Hannah looked at her like she was crazy at which point this (drunk) woman did not know what to do with the bottle so she tried to just hand it Hannahs right hand. As if she will take the bottle in her hand and say "Thanks!". Drunk lady eventually gave up the whole feeding thing and put the bottle down on the table again and finally left. Good grief.
I am sure I have missed so many things I wanted to mention, but alas, I am now 2 weeks later in my memories and am trying to sum up an entire vacation. Maybe Matt can pinpoint some other moments.
I have to say that the trip to Panama City was wonderful. Overall the girls did great, the weather was very nice, and it was a good time to get away and relax. We stayed at some friends condo, which is right next to Pier Park. We were able to walk to restaurants and a huge number of stores, and the girls enjoyed strolling along with us. Many days we would leave the condo around the time they needed a nap, and walk the streets in Pier Park while they snoozed. They even stayed out until 10 a few nights, just sleeping in the stroller! Matts parents were there the last half of the week and it was very nice to visit with them in a stress free situation. And it is always nice to have an extra 2 sets of hands!
They slept well for the most part. We had 2 rough nights but otherwise they both were good. Hannah even slept until 10 or 10:30 some mornings. The definitely got off any schedule they were originally on, but hey, it was vacation!
Unfortunately the beach experience was not as great. We ventured out one day, lugging all our things with our two children, set up their little tent (we had planned on renting us chairs, but they were out) only to give up after about an hour. The water was too full of seaweed and jellyfish to get in, and it was entirely too hot on the beach to not play in the water. So we packed it up again and went to the pool which proved to be a very popular area. We got out there two more times. One day we could get in the water and the girls enjoyed a little snooze on their Mommy and Daddy in the ocean and lounge chairs. The other day they "played" in the sand, but Hannah mainly ate it and Leah just raked it on her legs. :)
We did not get many beach pictures because our hands were always full, but here is one before they freaked out that the ocean was going to get them...
The pool was such a successful place to go that the girls thus became known as "the swimming twins". They had quite a little following. They have absolutely no fear when it comes to the water and people were a little surprised at their willingness to go under (especially Hannah).
Here are some pictures of hannah "jumping" to me
And of her swimming to me - notice her closing her eyes when she knows she is going under
Leah would rather kick and float
One of their favorite days (and ours) was when we went to Shipwreck Island Water Park. They loved crawling around the kiddie area and playing in the wave pool. It was so shallow in such a large section that they just crawled everywhere in the water. It was really fun watching them. I have some cute pictures but I have not had time to upload the ones from the park yet.
Lastly, apparently the twin fascination is heightened ten-fold while on vacation. At restaurants we had a least 10-20 people a night say something to us. In fact, people love to call them chubby! One lady actually picked up Hannahs juice bottle and tried to give it to her. Hannah looked at her like she was crazy at which point this (drunk) woman did not know what to do with the bottle so she tried to just hand it Hannahs right hand. As if she will take the bottle in her hand and say "Thanks!". Drunk lady eventually gave up the whole feeding thing and put the bottle down on the table again and finally left. Good grief.
I am sure I have missed so many things I wanted to mention, but alas, I am now 2 weeks later in my memories and am trying to sum up an entire vacation. Maybe Matt can pinpoint some other moments.
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