Trip Details Part 2 - Enjoying the Trip

Our bags were delivered at 1am safe and sound and we were able to unpack the next morning. I think the girls were a little unsure about their surroundings and woke up a few times over the first few nights. I don't think they are big fans of the pack n' play so we alternated which baby got to sleep in the nicer crib.

On our first day, we met Jesse's grandmother and sister Sarah at Perkins for breakfast. We had a great time talking and catching up and the girls loved all of the attention. Here are some pics from the breakfast:

Riley on her way out in the cold:


Riley, still a little tired from all of the action:


Addison sitting with Aunt Sarah giving us a smile:


Jesse playing with Riley:


Then both girls pooped out towards the end of the breakfast,

Addison sleeping on Greg:


Riley falling asleep on Great Gram, while Gram smashes her a face a bit:


Later that day, Aunt Sarah took the girls back to her house, so Jesse and I could get some Christmas shopping done.

Aunt Sarah took many many pictures while the girls had fun at her house. Here are a few of the highlights:

Both girls sitting in the rocking chair by the tree:

Addison looking more like and old man than a young girl:


Riley being goofy:


Both girls together:


Riley and cousin Hannah:


Riley and Aunt Sarah:


Addison with Cousin Hannah:




Addison with Cousin Jordan:


Riley with Cousin Jordan:


All 4 cousins together:


Addison wearing Daddy's hat:


Sarah watched the girls for us on Friday night so Jesse and I could get some rest after 2 nights of one baby or another waking up several times. The girls were very nice to aunt Sarah and slept the whole night through. Aunt Sarah has some tricks up her sleeve and introduced a NUK paci to Addison which has been a life saver ever since. Addison likes to wake up at night but she really isn't hungry so offering her the paci works. All other paci's she had refused but Aunt Sarah had an extra one for her day care kids and Addison took to it right away. Thanks so much Aunt Sara.

The next morning I was off to take the girls to meet a good friend from my online message boards. Leah lives in Chippewea Falls WI which is about 2 hours away from Wausua. Leah and I met in a cafe about half way in between. Leah brought toys for the girls and some nice banana bread made with oatmeal which is a big part of my diet to help my milk supply. Leah and I had fun chatting and chatching up. She is the first person I have met off of the boards and we have been online friends for 2 years now. Leah is so sweet. I wish we lived closer so we could hang out more often.

Here is the only picture I took with Leah and Riley together:


Leah took more pictures that I will have to add to this post later.

On Saturday night, we met up with some of Jesse's other friends Jason and Kristen, and their son Jack. We had pizza and caught up on the events in our lives.

On Sunday, we did Christmas at Aunt Sarah's house. The girls got to open their first presents and we were suprised at how well they were able to peel the paper off of the gifts.

Riley opening her gifts:








After some of the gifts were exposed, this is what happened to the paper:
Yum yum:


Addison opening her present with Daddy:


Both girls got these dolls from Great Gram:


On Monday was Jesse's 33rd birthday. Aunt Sarah watched the girls again for us and Jesse, Greg, Amy, and I went to eat at Jesse's favorite Chineese restaurnt and then we went out bowling. Jesse beat us all with a high score in the 140's.

The rest of the trip was low key, Jesse went sledding with Greg, Amy, and Lindsay and the girls and I visited with Aunt Sarah and the kids. Overall, we all had a nice time and it was nice to see the snow and experience the cold weather for a week.

Trip Details Part 1

We left for the trip to Wausau, WI on Wednesday morning. We were a little unsure of how the traveling would affect the girls, so we prepared for anything. The first leg of the trip was to take off right at the girls morning nap so either they would sleep on the plane or be very cranky. Luckily, the flight was not completely full and we had open seats around us to lay the girls down and give our arms a break now and then. The girls made it through the first flight very easy. I was even able to find time to pump before we landed. Riley nursed like a champ on the plane too, which really helped. Here are some pics of them on the plane:

Addison playing with the Starbucks cup we got to warm up the bottles:


Riley smiling away as usual:


The second leg was even easier since the flight was only 40 minutes. Both girls fell asleep. Addison was laying by Jesse and Riley fell asleep nursing. We were so proud of how well the girls did with the flying.

Addison sleeping with her mittens on and ready to go:


When we landed, Jesse's friend Greg and his wife Amy were waiting for us with their 4 year old daughter Lindsay. We were happy to see them and Lindsay was so excited to meet the girls. Amy is 7 months pregnant with their second child so the girls were a good test run to see how Lindsay would do with babies around her. Lindsay was shy at first but then started talking to the girls and giving them toys.

Here is Lindsay holding Riley:


Our first disaster came shortly after arriving. We waited for our bags and waited and waited, still no bags. We had packed all of the winter coats and gear in the suitcases to avoid carrying too much stuff on the plane. I'm thinking that because I packed that way is the reason why the airlines lost our luggage on the way there. What do you all think? We talked with the airlines and they informed us that our bags did not make it on the flight and wouldn't be coming in until later that night and they would deliver them sometimes in the middle of the night. Are you kidding me??? We had no clothes, no toiletries, no pajamas for the girls, and most of all, no car seats. All we had was some diapers and things in the diaper bag.

The airlines provided us with loaner car seats, which by the way are a complete joke. These seats were old, dirty, missing parts, and highly unsafe. At this point there was nothing we could do about the situation and our drive to Greg and Amy's house was not very far, so we bundled the girls up in Jesse's sweatshirts and stuck them in the bad car seats, and off we were to get the Greg and Amy's house.

Once we got there, Jesse's grandmother and Amy and I decided to make a Target run to get the girls a few things to make it through the night. We loaded up on a few things, got home and gave the girls a bath, and put them to bed. Greg and Amy had a pack n' play and a crib set up in our room which was very nice and the girls went to bed easily after their long day of traveling.

8 months

The girls are 8 months old today. That means they have 4 more months before they turn a year old and 4 more months of me pumping full time. My pump just broke so I will be investing in another one even though I won't be using it full time after they turn a year. I plan to still pump and breast feed Riley as long as I can after they turn 1.

The girls are growing fast and keep me and Jesse on our toes most of the time. We don't have official stats, but I am sure that they are close to 17 pounds each and getting longer every day. They are really getting interested in their toys and enjoy playing most of the day.

They just enjoyed their first Christmas. I think they enjoyed the wrapping paper and tissue more than the gifts, but I'm sure the will soon enjoy all of the toys and clothes very soon. Thank you to all the family and friends that sent or gave gifts this year. We now need a big toy box to hold everything.

Unfortunately, our trip to Wisconsin got the entire family sick. Riley seems to be very sick with a cold, runny nose, and cough. She is having trouble sleeping now because she keeps getting congested. We are cleaning her nose out with the bulb syringe several times a day and keeping her on Tylenol to help her feel better. We hope she starts to feel better soon.

Addison has a runny nose and a slight cough. She seems to be doing a little better than Riley. She is sleeping more but has a smile on her face most of the day.

Jesse is very sick also. Luckily, he has another week off of work before returning to his classroom after the first of the year. I will be going back to work on Monday and I hope I feel a bit better by then.

I left my camera at a family member's house on Christmas day so I haven't been able to download any pictures from the trip. I will be doing several posts about our trip to Wisconsin, the travel troubles, and they fun we had as soon as I get the camera back.

Stay tuned.....

A glimpse into my work life

I work with a great group of people. For the most part, the team and friends I have at work are what keep me working for the company. I have tried to leave several times to go back to health care and dentistry but I just can't leave the awesome people I work with and the great benefits we have at my job.

Today we had a holiday potluck and gift exchange. We had a blast eating and doing the Yankee Swap with the gifts. There were some great gift cards, $$$, and fun gifts that were brought and we enjoyed swapping with one another. I ended up with 2 movie tickets. Jesse and I will have to go have a date here soon.

Here are some pictures of the fun, food, and gifts:

Some of the gifts:


Digging into the food:


Chris and I:


Chris, Bryan, and I:


Levi eating some food:


Brian and Adam making a scary face:


Our Boss Kort getting a Michael Jackson CD and M & M's


Levi taking the gift I brought. A picture frame and a gift card out to dinner:

Christmas Pictures

We decided to do Christmas pictures at home this year rather than going to the portrait studio. This was more convenient and easier to schedule into our day. Brea was so kind to come over and take the shots for us. I was waiting to post these until I had mailed out the Christmas cards to everyone with some of these photos. I hope everyone got their cards and there are a few shots that we didn't use in the cards. Also, we couldn't get Addison to smile for anything. Brea took about 25 pictures and Addison was not smiling in a single one of them. Oh well, at least we got everyone looking at the camera in most of the shots. Riley of course, was smiling and laughing and having a good time. This is completely oposite of their dispositions normally. I just don't understand. LOL

Merry Christmas 2009

Good News on Development

The girls had another developmental screening from their physical therapist yesterday afternoon. We were anxious to see if they were catching up on development after their home screenings were performed and we had mixed results. One of the screenings was indicating that Addison was falling significantly behind and the development specialist recommended that we get Addison evaluated for Arizona Early Intervention. Well....I am happy to report that the assessment yesterday showed the girls are doing awesome now. This therapist at Phoenix Children's Hospital is well versed in dealing with preemies and she knows what to look for. She said that both girls are scoring slightly above their adjusted age (based on when they should have been born) and some skills they were close to their chronological age.

Riley is very advanced on her fine motor skills like playing with toys, passing objects back and forth between her hands, examining the toys in her hands, and picking objects off of a flat surface. She also scored high on her social and language skills which we already knew. That girl loves to talk and yell and screech all day long. The therapist also thought Riley was right on track with her eating skills and said we were doing well with teaching her to eat with the solids. She said it was time to try some Cheerios and puffs that dissolve in the babies mouth. She went ahead and gave Riley a Cheerio to see how she would handle the cereal in her mouth. Riley did just what she was supposed to do and passed the Cheerio from side to side with her tongue and didn't try to swallow it. Babies have a pretty strong gag reflex so if the object gets close the back of the throat, they will cough to get it out. Riley didn't even need do that and so the therapist suggested we try 2 cheerios a day for a couple of weeks and then move on to some puffs and cookies. I know Riley is excited about that as she loves to eat.

Addison scored high on her gross motor skills. she is able to be in a sitting position better and hold her balance longer than Riley. Addison is close to getting up on her knees to a crawling position. She has strong belly and bottom muscles that are working hard to get her moving. She is not as advanced with the fine motor skills as Riley. She is playing with toys but she doesn't pass the objects back and forth between hands as much and is still learning how to pick objects up off of a flat surface with one hand. But overall, she is doing exactly what she is supposed to for 5 1/2 month old adjusted baby. The therapist recommended that we take feeding Addison solids a little slower because she is not quite ready to use her tongue properly. We are only going to give her a bite or two of food while we are free to feed Riley normally.

We are so happy to learn that the girls are learning very fast and have caught up to where they should be in development. Both girls weighed in and Riley weighed in at 16 pounds give or take an ounce and Addison was 15 pounds and 15 ounces. They are about the same height 26.5-27 inches long.

When we got home, Riley got to try some green beans and she loved them just as much as she loves squash and sweet potatoes. I'm happy that she is not taking after her father with his dislike for veggies. We plan on introducing more foods after she passing her 3-4 day window for allergies on each new type of food.

Trying some more solids

We decided to add some solids back into the girls' diet. Riley has been ready for a little while and she seems to like to eat. Addison is still taking it slow and has spit up her cereal and had a few stomach aches after eating so we are backing off a little bit. We tried some squash the other night and it was a big hit. Riley loved it and Addison gave us a few funny faces but seemed to enjoy it as well. Here are some fun pictures of the girls eating:

Riley has figured out how to hold her own bottle. We are so proud


Riley, loving her squash and giving us a big smile


Funny moment, Addison wasn't interested in eating so she decided to chew on the tray on her swing instead. She kept this up for about 5 minutes going back and forth between the tray and swinging. She was a riot.


My dad feeding Addison squash for the first time:


Addison trying to see if she likes it or not:


Riley enjoying her squash


Yum Yum

More Pictures

Addison on the playmat


Twin shots






Jesse put Addison in the laundry basket


Addison in the bath


Riley with a cup on her head


Addison holding her toy

Thanksgiving Day Pictures

We finally got our laptop back and I could download some pictures. We didn't take as many pictures as I would like on Thanksgiving but we did get a few great shots.

Riley being cute


Riley laughing


Addison with Aunt Shannon


Addison with Nana Linda




Riley with Carol

Busy Season

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with everything that needs to get done this month. Just like most people, when Christmas is around the corner, people tend to get stressed out with the madness. You add twin infants, a full time job, full time school, and a vacation to visit Jesse's family to the mix and, I am going out of my mind a little bit.

I just completed a another class towards finishing my MBA and I earned another "A". Woohoo for me!!! Now I only have 3 classes left but the bad news is, I am now taking the most difficult class of my program, "Masters level statistics". Like I have said before, math and I don't get along and statistics and I haven't been friends in the past. I am just hoping to get by in this class rather than killing myself for an A. I have a 3.85 GPA and I'm not too worried about what a C will do to my overall GPA, but I will have to study study study to keep up in this class. I will get a 2 week break for Christmas starting the 21st, but I have to find time to complete the first 3 weeks with all the other activities going on.

On to my next stress, "Christmas Shopping". This year I am not doing too terribly bad. I have all of Jesse's Christmas and Birthday presents bought and hidden away. I'm sure that Jesse hasn't even started, but what man is proactive on Christmas shopping anyway? I have about 2/3 of the other shopping done as well by taking advantage of online shopping. Have I said how much I love online shopping??? At least that is one area that I can get things done fast. I still have to get all the shopping done before we leave for Wisconsin on the 16th and I am stressing about finishing in time.

My 3rd stress is getting our Christmas cards finished. We need need to get our Tree up so I can get some family shots taken. I bought the girls cute Christmas outfits and Jesse and I need to coordinate some outfits to get a good family shot. Jesse won't let us buy a fake tree for some silly reason, so I need to go get a real one and go through the trimmings to get the background presentable for the pictures. I hope I can complete all of the set up this weekend and get some good Christmas pictures.

Lastly, we need to plan and pack for the trip back to Wisconsin. This trip will be longer and more involved than our last small trip to Spokane. We will be traveling with more luggage and the girls are older and need things to entertain themselves. They aren't going to be the little babies that fall asleep on our chests for the entire plane ride. They will probably give us grief the whole way and we are not looking forward to the connecting flights and dealing with 2 airports this time. I can't even imagine how I am going to find time/ways to pump along the way either.

So here I am wondering how I am going to pull everything together. My schedule has changed at work and I am going in later, leaving me less time to see the girls each day. At least we have happy babies that are growing well and learning new things everyday. Addison is real close to sitting up on her own and she would love to be off and walking if she could figure out how to do it. Riley is doing so well at playing with her toys and grabbing on to everything around her. Her mind is constantly at work. I will be posting updated pictures soon. We get our second lap top back today so I can download all the pictures in the camera. I am just hoping I can get my homework done, finishing Christmas shopping, get out the Christmas cards, and pack for our trip, all in 2 weeks time. Wish me luck!!!