thelowderchronicles

Opinions please!!!

2011-02-11T23:02:00.003-05:00

Okay, so here are my latest (and hopefully final) ideas about the paint colors for the house..

I just REALLY want other opinions...if you love it, great! If it's not your style, great! If you think it's hideous, great! well, maybe not great , but fine, haha..i just want honest opinions ;)

this is one of those many, many times i miss my mom...she was awesome at this stuff, impecable taste, and a genius with color, ahhhh...i definitely didn't inherit the design gene :P

So, all that in mind, give me the scoop! (oh, and sorry the pics are so small, don't know how to get them bigger from the valspar site ;)

The yellow color is for the living room, we are going back and forth as to whether we want it just like here, with the whitish color to be on the wall below the chair rail trim, or to just have the trim the white, with the yellow bottom and top, what do you think? the dining room is behind, to see what they look like together :)

dining room...now, i realize that it looks different from the above pic, but it's the same, i guess the lighting is just supposed to be different ;)

Audrey's room...i know it's maybe a bit loud...but i want something happy and fun, and matches her bedding...it's pretty much the opposite of her room now, haha

Our room

hallway/entry way...now i was against having the trim painted a "color" because i really don't like the way it is right now, but i liked the idea of using the same color as the main living space, just switching it, i wanted to keep the same feel throughout :)

so what do you think??

big changes..

2011-02-09T15:04:00.007-05:00

SO...as usual, blah, blah blah, sorry I don't ever update, etc. etc...i will try to do it more often, etc. etc.

Now that I got THAT out of the way...there is lots of excitement going on in the Lowder household these days! Well, the biggest news is that our household is moving to a NEW household :) Yep! We are buying our first place! This is huge, I mean monumental news (well, at least for me, haha). Anyone who knows me knows that I have not been very happy in our place for a while, I mean for about 3 years, haha. It is pretty dang run down, there is no yard, and we can't really make it our own, because we are renting. I will miss the neighborhood for sure, the trail around the neighborhood, and the multiple playgrounds.

We never meant to stay here long..It was supposed to be a place to live while we were saving money and finding our perfect first home. 4 years later, we are finally moving on. We didn't even plan on looking until next year, we were set to renew our lease until right before Christmas when friends of Ron's dad was looking for a buyer for their home. Everything fell into place, and here we are, just a week until we close!
It is a perfect little starter home, 3 BR 2 bath, a living room, dining room, eat in kitchen, a den, utility/laundry room, plenty of storage and best of all a fenced in back yard with a shed out back :)

Well, what this all means, it that we are busy, busy, busy...and this is the time that I choose to start the blog back up? haha!
What I really want is to let everybody in on what is going on...I felt bad that so many people that care about us don't know what is going on with this big event in our lives, so rather than calling everybody and saying "we made an appointment for painters to come to the house for an estimate" haha, I will just update everybody at once ;)

That being said...Closing is Friday, Feb. 18th.. we are getting most of the house painted in the first 3 days (you will see why in a minute), then we move...and try to be done by Tuesday the 22nd when our moving help and babysitters will be leaving for a cruise :)
and I have a bunch of pictures to share (of course, true Nora style)

It's funny, the time I went and took pictures we were showing the house to Ron's folks with our real estate agent (the night our offer was accepted :) it was night, and I didn't get any outside shots, so those will come later..

For now, here is our new little domain

View from the front door...AWESOME wallpaper..think we'll keep it, what do you think? haha

From the entry into the living room...you don't think we have to paint this room, do you?

Living room into beautimous wall paper entry

View from dining room into living room (those beautiful floors were covered by carpet! They are being refinished for us ;)

View into the dining room, sorry..not a great pic, i was trying to do it fast, while trying to keep kids from harming themselves on all the carpet tacks :P

From dining room to kitchen

Audrey testing out the cabinets and drawers

Eat in kitchen

Eat in kitchen to den (play room)

From den to kitchen

Ron in my laundry/utility room (right off of den)

Beautiful pink kids bathroom :P

Boys' bedroom

Audrey's room (must. be. painted....my girl will not be living in a gray room)

Our gorgeous pink master bedroom

Master bedroom to bath

Master bath shower stall :P

Cabinets in master bath, will be renovated one day..not yet though, sigh

Weeeelll, thats it! And I couldn't be happier :) This is the perfect little house for us..please be prepared...I am already thinking of a post to ask for opinions on paint colors and stuff..I need to hurry up and make decisions! What with trying to pack our entire lives, while 3 kids are running around, while Ron works about 65-70 hours a week, and all 3 kids were sick with the flu (even though they had the flu shot) this week. I have not had time to think about anything!

So, as I started...I will end with a blah blah blah....I hope that I update more, etc, etc, hahaha :)
Thanks for reading!

National Prematurity Awareness Day

2010-11-16T21:03:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow is National Prematurity Awareness Day.
Prematurity is something that at one time I wished that I was not so aware of. On 5.10.08 I went into the hospital at 30 weeks pregnant with my twin boys. I was pretty sure I would be released later that day, still pregnant, feeling terrible and having non stop contractions. In fact every doctor and nurse were sure that I was going home too. All day, from my check in at noonish, until midnight that night. I was told "you are just going to have to deal with it, contractions are a part of twin pregnancy", and in response to my breathing problems "do you have anxiety problems?".
Thank God for shift change. At 10 there was a shift change. I got a new resident, who actually listened to me. Suddenly, my breathing trouble was taken seriously, i had a ct scan ...which showed fluid in my lungs. The resident spent time talking to me, and at one point said, "well, your BP is fine, so we don't have to worry about Pre-Eclampsia" I said "well...as I have told the other doctors and nurses..my BP is usually very low, this "normal" is a rise for me"..he looked at my charts from my OB visits, and said "you are right, I'm ordering blood work". Probably 30 minutes later he walked in with the on call OB from my MFM office. "well, you have severe Pre-Eclampsia and HEELP, we will need to deliver immediately". I had 2 thoughts. I need Ron here (he was playing a show), and good, i just want this horrible feeling to stop. The doctors said we could wait the hour it would take for Ron to get there. I didn't even think about the consequences of what was going to happen until I called my brother, and broke down crying. I still didn't totally get it. I didn't know how sick I was...I had NO idea the severity of HELLP. I had no clue if my boys were ready. I had heard of other women who had to deliver early having an amnio to test lung maturity...we did not have the time. They needed to get out....and at the time I didn't know, but it was to save their lives, and mine.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1019232648002&set=a.1019226887858.2003883.1440742341&pid=30062148&id=1440742341
Just writing this makes me emotional. It is much more tough to relive these moments now...now that I know my fabulous little guys...my strong little warriors are here, I can't imagine the danger they were in. I can't imagine a world without them, and to think how close we could have been to that is terrifying. Also, I was on auto-pilot for the next couple of months...I couldn't even see the boys for the first 2 days. I was too sick. When I was finally cleared, I was there non-stop. I lived in the hospital (literally) for 2 weeks...took out a room, and was there around the clock for feedings, pumping every 3 hours, even over night. Was there for doctors rounds every morning, trying to make sense of everything. I had to try to understand, had to fight for them, to make sure that every possible issue was taken seriously...since mine was not until it was almost too late.
We had breathing trouble (apnea), horrible reflux, Ronnie had a PDA (which scared the hell out of us). These are all common issues for a premature baby . But ya know what? All of this considered, we were lucky...SO freaking lucky...I mean, I cannot express how thankful I am for the fact that THIS was all we had to deal with. I saw some very sad things in the nursery. I have heard too many sad stories from other women who I care about. They have experienced the devastation of what prematurity can be.

We are a prematurity success story. For this I am eternally grateful. I owe this COMPLETELY to research funded by amazing foundations such as The March of Dimes.
It was a road...a long road...I won't say difficult, because we did what we needed to do, and so many had it much tougher than us. My guys are caught up...just as premature babes usually are by 2. They are normal..just right...just perfect, and every day I am more thankful for them than the last. If anything could possibly come from what we have gone through...I hope so much that telling people our story could maybe lead to earlier detection. As well as I have and will continue to every year walk for the March of Dimes. It's my way of saying thanks...a million times thanks for giving me my healthy, perfect boys..

the sickness

2010-11-09T21:53:00.004-05:00

So, I totally meant to update with another nice complete update from the last couple of months...then the sickness descended upon our house :P
Of course my poor little bug got it worst. He confirmed that yep..Asthma is definitely going to be a problem with each cold :( we were holding a tiny bit of hope that last time was just really bad bronchitis. Well, as soon as this cold hit...so did the wheezing..
So we got even more friendly with the ol nebulizer...

He does daily treatments, but when he is sick he needs treatments every four hours....he has gotten SO good, and hold the mask himself (he won't wear the strap around his head :P)..I am so proud of him.

Now poor lil A has it the worst...please excuse the gross pic..but this just says it all about her...snotty as heck, but smiling :)

Well, in light of all of this...I'm of to bed ;) I will try to do a nice update with a bunch of CUTE pics tomorrow or the next day!

Life as we know it..

2010-11-06T22:12:00.012-04:00

Obviously it's been a while ;) So I will *try* to do a quick wrap up, haha

basically this is what we did all summer...

We had an awesome trip to the beach with the Grandparents and and Aunt Kimmie and Kyle..

One of the not so great parts of our summer was that we found out that our poor Ronnie bug is allergic to peanuts :( The doc says there is about a 20% chance of him outgrowing it...we will know more with his next test next year...unfortunately he has also developed asthma (maybe aggravated by his dog allergy) :( We had a scary experience when he had his first cold of the season, and ended up at urgent care and now we have to give him daily breathing treatments...but he is doing great with them!

Also, we did the big switch :P Toddler beds...ah geez...the boys love em...but I can count the number of naps they have taken since the switch on one hand. BUT, they end up in each other's beds a lot of times...which is very, very cute :)

We spent plenty of times with those we love too ;)

Well, that is a short wrap up ;) I will try to do a post Audrey's bday (Oct. 1st) tomorrow, so I can catch up completely..
just want to get the rest of that out..and get the ball rolling on the return of the chronicles :)
LOVE to all!!- the gang

2 wonderful years

2010-05-10T22:12:00.027-04:00

2 Years in pictures (how else would I do it? haha)

Thank You Ronnie and Joey for making these last two years the best, and certainly most fulfilling of my life. You have given me the best gift I could ever receive, the gift of being your mom. I LOVE YOU TWO!!

aaaaaaannnnd...we're back :)

2010-05-03T21:15:00.021-04:00

hmmm, let's see, it's only been 7 months, right? Not too long of a hiatus! Haha..I guess I have been a tad busy. Honestly, the last 7 months have been a blur...a fun, sweet, fulfilling blur, but a blur.
Quick recap of the last 7 months..
Audrey is doing wonderfully..we quickly found out she is allergic to dairy, just like the boys, except worse (which our GI doc told us is normal...it is worse in subsequent children). At first the pedi suggested that I stop nursing...but I was determined to do what was best, and was more than willing to make sacrifices, so I cut all dairy out of my diet..even the small stuff. Otherwise, she has been growing perfectly, and meeting all of her milestones. Still waiting on crawling, but there is plenty of time for that.

The boys are as fun, wild, sweet, crazy, cute as ever...
They will be 2 years old in one week!!!!! I can't believe it..In a way the last 2 years feel like they went by in a flash, in a way they feel like they took forever. I will do a two year update..that is one of the reasons I wanted to just take a minute to catch up...
sooooo...here is a quick 7 month update in pictures :)

i cannot believe this was my little lady! she looks totally different now!

the first shot of all three

ronnie loved her from the get go :)

aunt sarah came to visit (and the boys were still drinking bottles, that seems SO long ago!)

uncle dave, aunt deirdre and cousin henry came to visit too, the boys ADORE their cousin :)
(and for some reason, joey thought he was the most hilarious thing on all fours ;)

we had a little welcome party for the little miss, and got to see more wonderful friends and family

these were from our holiday pic shoot :)

Our first time out in the snow!! They LOVED it..i won't post the "after" pics, from when we took them inside..lets just say..melt down, haha

We had a great Christmas :)

Audrey waited until 6 months to have her first food, because I just worry about tummy issues..with our history of trouble :P

Ronnie has really taken to his vrooms (at "press time", haha.. joey is JUST starting to get pretty into them too) We got them a couple of these tonka trucks for Christmas, and they LOVE them...we got a bunch more, and Ronnie even takes them to bed with him :)

Some quality daddy time

Easter morning

My beautiful little girl is growing up!

JoJo's "uh-oooooh" (which is said quite a bit around here ;)

Ronnie's other favorite thing in the world is to build..when he says it it sounds like "beuwld"..too cute

Daddy has to try and keep Joey away, because I decided that the boys would one day have a house flipping business, and Ronnie will be the designer/contractor, and Joey will be the demo guy, haha

I just love this pic...Joey looks like such a little boy..not a baby..which is happy and sad for mama

Audrey has become a champion eater..she is already signing up for competitions, haha

Spring has finally sprung! We can go outside, and not a moment too soon, I was going stir crazy..I have never been so house bound..The weather has been amazing, and the kids are at such great ages to play outside..we are having a ball :)

and ronnie still loves his lil sis :) (so does joey, and he does give her unsolicited kisses all the time, but ronnie just loves being with her)

Well, there ya go...7 months in a nutshell!
I hope to have the nice big 2 year post by their birthday next Tuesday..
SO much love to all, hope all those we care about are doing wonderful! I have never felt more blessed to have a beautiful family, and amazing people around us, so thank YOU for being part of our craziness! haha

she's here!

2009-10-08T11:58:00.014-04:00

Im trying to sneak a moment while all 3 babies are napping ;)
Miss Audrey Susan Lowder was born a week ago today 10.01.09 at 8:50 am. We are thrilled, in love, tired, not entirely overwhelmed, and just having a great time with our new family.
Last Wednesday night was pretty normal, and we were resigned to the fact that I was not going to go into labor, and we would have our scheduled c-section on Monday the 5th. I went to bed before Ron, and woke up at about 1. He was in bed at that point watching Back to the Future. I woke thinking I had to pee...BUT..ah hem..it wouldn't stop, and every movement I made, more came out. I was a bit in shock, and turned to Ron. He said "are you okay"? I said "I think we have to go" he said "go where"? hahaha, because there are other places we could go at 1 am with the boys asleep, and we are in bed.
So, I called the on call..who of course told me to go to L&D..but cleared me to take a shower before hand. Ron called Grandma and told her to come on over to watch the boys..I finished throwing stuff in my hospital bag, even put on a little make-up (because I have always been jealous of how awesome some ladies look in their labor/first pics with baby pictures) and we were on our way. Poor Ron was EXHAUSTED already, i had slept for 2 hours..but he had yet to go to sleep. We got there, and were sent straight to triage in L&D..it took forever for someone to come in, and even though I wasn't yet in real pain...the contractions were starting, and I was still leaking..which was just so uncomfortable. Finally, I got hooked up...everything looked great with the baby, and soon enough a resident came in to check everything out. It was funny..she said "okay, we're gonna do a test to rule out rupture", Ron and I looked at each other and when she left the room we both said "what? rule out rupture? WE KNOW I ruptured, haha..I'm pretty sure I have never peed that much in my life, and unless I have lost all bladder control..it was my water.
She started the exam and said "oh yeah, you've ruptured, I don't even need to test this" Yeah, no kidding.
She then did a digital internal exam (digital as in fingers)..and she said I was 6cm and 80 % effaced..HOLY COW, really??!!
She then went to talk to the chief resident, and came back to talk to me..really suggesting me to change my mind and go back to attempting a VBAC, because I was so far along. I waffled about it, but decided I would let the chief resident check me to see if she thought physically I could attempt a VBAC (there was some question about my bone structure, that is why we scheduled the c-section).
The chief resident came to check me, and I was so thrilled to see it was the same doc who did my c-section with the boys :) She was very sweet and caring..I knew she would take care of me. SOOOO, she checks me and low and behold..I am actually only 1-2 cm and 70%, hahaha and she said she would definitely recommend the section based on my pelvic bone structure.
She seemed so annoyed with the other resident, I didn't really care, I just needed someone to help me with that decision..so I was glad to have the confirmation.
I guess with all of the checking me, and stirring things up, my body started kicking into gear..the contractions started picking up, and when I say picking up, I mean became excruciating. I knew it was gonna be a while, because there were 2 sections ahead of me. So, they gave me some IV pain meds, which helped for about 30 minutes. All the while Ron was sleeping in his chair with his head on the foot of my bed. Soon enough the meds wore off, and it was even worse than when i requested the drugs. Now here is where I offer great praise and adoration for any woman who has done a natural childbirth..all I could think about in that time was making that pain stop. I was literally screaming, crying, and begging to anyone, and no one to help me.
Ron slept through most of it, hahaha...he did wake up every once in a while to rub my legs (which somehow helped) and to tell me I was doing great. The nurses were great..they took me very seriously, and knew I was in great pain..so then came the decision as to whether give me an epidural or wait until I was in surgery and just do the spinal. The anesthesiologist came in any pretty quickly decided to just do the epidural to help me ASAP. THANK GOD FOR HER :) She was actually the same anesthesiologist who took 3 tries to get my spinal last time..she was still training then, and a year has done her great..she did perfect!
After that...whew! it was a breeze, I started calling people, texting, and soon enough they came in to get us ready.

We got into the operating room, and I was shaking so much from the epidural that I could not hold anything still..I still don't know how they cut me, because I could see my lower body shaking too! Ron came in and we were on the way. Just like last time, it went so fast, but this time I remember everything much better :) and just like last time, they didn't tell me a thing, which I loved. I always see on baby shows where they say exactly what they are doing, and ya know what? I don't want to hear that you are cutting the skin, cutting the uterus, etc. I don't want to hear that "you will feel some pressure" because I think that makes you brace more for it, and probably feel worse. I didn't feel a thing either time. Soon they said "baby is almost out" and as they said that we could hear her crying..before she was even out, haha. She sounded just like a cat..a cat being tortured, but a cat nonetheless, haha.
They lifted her for Ron to see, and took her over to the warmer. I could hear everyone just raving about her, and the anesthesiologist kept giving me a running commentary of everything..and she told Ron to go over and take pictures

He showed me the pics, and I could not believe how beautiful she was :)
I heard the Docs talking and saying that her APGAR scores were 9 and 9, and that they had considered giving her a 10. The anesthesiologist told me that she had never heard them come close to giving a baby a 10 :) awesome!
Then the doc brought her over to Ron to hold.

Soon enough they were all done, and wheeling me into recovery. My beautiful girl was there waiting for me, long enough for me to give her a kiss, then she was off to the nursery to go under the warmer for a bit longer. Ron went to watch her get her first bath and get weighed, while I just relaxed in recovery, with my pain meds ;)
When he came back and told me she was 7 lbs 10 oz..I was shocked. I knew she was measuring a bit big, but I really wasn't expecting that, after 3 lb babies..it was a nice change.
Ron went off to go home, get a shower, a nap, and be with the boys..and I was taken to my room, where they brought my little lady to me. Right away we decided to try breastfeeding, and my little champ was amazing right away..latched on no problem, again...after preemies who I wasn't even able to attempt to feed until 2 weeks old..that was such a great moment for me.
All I could think about was wanting to see my little guys though...so, that afternoon, Ron came back with my best buddies..

Grandma and Grandpa each got some time with Miss Audrey

Aunt Kimmie was there too..she spent most of her time helping to wrangle my crazy monkeys who were trying to pull out my IV, call the nurses, emptying the boxes of sterile gloves, and adjusting my bed for me ;)
The rest of my stay was uneventful. I spent all of my time trying to walk (since I knew that was key to a quick recovery), and feeding and bonding with my girl. I was thrilled to have Uncle Dave come and hang out with me for Friday night and a while on Saturday..and he went and helped Ron finish getting the nursery ready. WE LOVE YOU UNCLE DAVE!! (and thank you for saving me from hospital food twice!!)

Sunday seemed to take forever to get there. I just wanted to get home to my 3 guys, and get my lady home and start a new routine. Finally though, Sunday came, and Ron and the boys came (with help from Grandma) to take Audrey and I home.

and my welcoming committee..

Audrey got settled in pretty quickly

Ronnie has a new best friend :) He really loves her, and gets excited every time he sees her saying "baybee baybee" over and over

Aunt Kimmie got some Audrey time

Audrey and Daddy getting some bonding time..

A gassy smile is still beautiful

I am a bit on the exhausted side..but truly I can't complain about a thing..she sleeps pretty well at night, waking only every 3-4 hours to eat. The boys have been awesome, although it is killing me that I can't lift them at all :( Exhaustion, not getting cleaning done, not being able to do things physically that I want to do..none of that matters..I have the most amazing family, I am blessed beyond words. I am so thankful for my miracles..

anticipation/preparation

2009-09-07T08:28:00.008-04:00

So, as the days are going by I am getting more and more excited about our new arrival. I can't even mention though how excited I am without addressing the little bit (ha ) of nervousness I am feeling too.
There is still so much to be done around here..we are still in the process of cleaning out the second nursery (which used to be our office/guest room). Then, we are painting this week..the furniture has been ordered, and is in..we just have to pick it up.

this is the crib we are getting along with the small dresser/changing table combo :) i LOVE it!

I also have been trying to clean as much as possible. I felt so rushed last time...well, wonder why? haha. Didn't really expect the boys to be 10 weeks early and even though they were in the hospital for 3 weeks, and we had time to get ready then..I lived at the hospital with them the first 2 weeks, and then when I went home..I traveled back and forth twice a day..usually spending from about 8am-10pm with them. It was such a shock when they told us Joey could go home, we spent one insane day buying everything we needed, and cleaning the house (on our second anniversary :) I was thinking about that last night. That day began my true sleep depravation..and I still have yet to catch up ;)

I want this time to be different (on many levels)..It's going to be overwhelming for sure, but I want to at least have my surroundings prepared :)

Here is the bedding we (I, haha) have chosen..what do ya think?

as for the walls..i am thinking of a nice pink..not as bright as the room in the pic, for sure
i've been mixing and matching colors on the olympic paint website..and this is an idea of what i am thinking..pink with green accent :) let me know what you think!

The boys are not gonna be left out by any means :) I am trying to think of fun ways to make them happy and occupy them, where i can watch them, and be involved, but can have a baby strapped to me while i play with them :)
these are two things i would love to get them when she gets here:

if anybody else has more ideas on great fun toys for toddlers, let me know!!

Well, the boys are napping, and all of this thinking makes me want to get to work..so..off to clean the nursery :) Please give me any input you can on my ideas!

summer '09 in review

2009-09-06T09:02:00.014-04:00

So, I won't spend too much time saying how I'm sorry I never post, and that I will try to do better this time, haha. We all know how that works out. Instead I will show you all of the fun things we have been doing this summer instead of spending time on the computer ;) The past couple of months especially, I have really wanted to concentrate on spending time with the boys, and giving them my undivided attention..because in a few weeks they will have to share my attention. The only reason I am able to do this right now is because they begged to get in their jumperoos..which I was ready to pack up, because they had no interest in them, and it's a bit silly putting these big boys in them now! haha For whatever reason though, in the past couple of weeks they beg to get in them about every other day, and jump like mad to the music we listen to in the morning.

Sooo, before we get to the pictures..let me think about what is new since last time..

The boys are everywhere! running, climbing on everything..Joey pulled a table on to himself and sent us to our first emergency doctor trip! It's only the beginning, I know..

They are learning so much it's crazy...they are really good at pointing out pictures in picture books, and have learned some new words, and even animal sounds.
Word wise:
Joey can say dada, mama (which was nana first, and every once in a while still is), done (duh), baba (bottle), num (nummies-food),cup, baby (buhbee) which sounds a lot like his bye bye, which is his favorite thing to say right now..along with his cute wave, which is sometimes towards himself, haha

Ronnie says dada, mama, done, down, no (usually sounds like doe), dog (all 4 of those can kind of sound alike at times), cup, baby (baybeee), gubgub (yo gabba gabba) and he will meow at pictures of cats, and bark at dogs :) he doesn't usually SAY bye bye..he will just wave..BUT the other night when Ron and I were going out on a rare date he said his first phrase "bye dada", it was so cute!!!

Health news..they both weigh about 23-24 lbs (although i swear for some reason they both gained about 5 lbs in the last week, haha..i think it might just be me)
We took Ronnie to the allergist, because of a few reactions and discovered he is allergic to eggs (not a HUGE surprise, because I am too), milk (which we had assumed when they were smaller, but he is growing out of it), and DOGS! uh oh! The doc said it was fine, he just can't sleep in the room with them.
She said to assume Joey is allergic to the same stuff, and we will retest in a year.
We were actually able to make the switch to whole milk with him with no problem..I guess thats a big sign that the milk allergy is fading. Joey on the other hand had a TERRIBLE time with the switch, so he is staying on formula at least until 18-19 months.

Ron and Nora news..Ron's Academy of Rock is doing amazingly well, which is wonderful..BUT we didn't see much of him this summer :( He is on his break between semesters now and we are LOVING having him home :)

I am now 35 weeks, which is a huge deal :) Miss Audrey now weighs (probably) about as much as both boys together when they were born, and at our last ultrasound at 32 weeks, she weighed more than the boys did when they came home! I am being pretty closely monitored for any of the issues I had last time. I have had twice weekly non-stress tests since 28 weeks, and have been seeing the doctor weekly. So, I'm hoping we have at least 3 more weeks of cooking to do :) With NO SICKNESS this time PLEASE!!

Alrighty..here comes the good stuff..pictures!

We went back to Nags Head for a weekend and visited the boys favorite place..the aquarium. It is SUCH a different experience with walkers!!

We also went back to Busch Gardens..which was also a TON more fun with walking boys :) Had a great time visiting with our great friends, the Grubbs family from Hawaii

just random cuteness

Fun with a great group of people :)

we have spent a lot of time on the patio this summer, just to be outside :)

and we LOVED our water park

First Haircuts followed by a visit to see daddy at work and a chance to rock out!

more random cute trouble

mama and the boys

since daddy has been on break, we are trying to squeeze as much into the end of the summer as we can..
visiting every park we can

roughhousing with daddy is our very favorite activity

back to Busch Gardens!! (thank goodness for Aunt Kimmie, who has been so helpful and awesome this summer :)

and this is my latest pic..everybody thinks i look about to drop. :)

Sooo, it has been an eventful summer..and I have been enjoying every second with my boys..it just keeps getting better and better :)

long time, no blog ;)

2009-07-11T22:20:00.013-04:00

we're back!! i hope for a little while at least i will be better about posting..it just all builds up, and then there is a lot of catching up to do! whew! And in case you didn't know..things have been BUSY..
firstly...we have 2 walkers!!

those were when they both started..now it's pretty much all they do :) i think its so funny that both of their first walking video's they are wearing the same shirt..haha, i guess that was the lucky walking shirt!
Otherwise we are doing very well. Just as I said very busy. Ron is full swing with the summer semester of the Academy of Rock and that has kept him very busy. In fact at this moment, we are in Nags Head where a few of the Academy bands had a gig (which is why i have time..I'm in a room with 2 sleeping babies..not much else i can do ;)
I am doing well. I guess I have not yet made a baby #3 update! wow..it really has been a while! hahaha
sooooo, we found out who is living in my belly :)

And HER name is Audrey Susan :) Its a girl! and we are thrilled of course. Not that i wouldn't have been thrilled with a boy..I think boys ROCK! But I was beginning to feel like I would be letting everybody down if it wasn't a girl! haha.
This pregnancy is faaaa-lying by. I turned 27 weeks today, meaning in a few days i will be in the 3rd trimester..What really freaks me out is that in just 3 weeks I will be 30 weeks, and that is when I had the boys...whew. My doctor tells me not to worry though..different pregnancy, not twins..So i'll do my best to not worry, but anyone who knows me, knows that is easier said than done ;) I feel pretty great though..getting big, but feeling good...except when I sleep...just like last time I am having the TERRIBLE hip pain/leg cramps..ah well..I still love it :)
And this little lady is a wild thing! She moves non stop! I adore every movement though..it was so funny, this morning Joey was watching Sesame street with his head on my belly, and she was kicking like usual, and for the first time...he felt it, and got up, and turned around and looked at my belly like "what gives?" haha.

Well, I guess I should catch up with pictures now...for those on Facebook...most are repeats :)
I left off right before we went to the beach with the Lowder family..It was a blast as usual, and the boys had such a great time with their cousins, grandparents, and aunts and uncles..

joey and daddy

Ronnie's first sand experience

Joey's first sand experience

jojo and uncle sean

the boys spending time with Aunt Heather and cousin Piper

We had rain the first couple of days...so we hit the aquarium..they LOVED it, especially Ronnie. I knew after the Living Museum visit he would love it.

Ronnie almost got eaten!

Cousin Ethan entertaining the fellas with a puppet show :)

looking out the window with Aunt Allison and Grandma Maureen

Enjoying the company of Aunt Jess and Cousin Isabella

Joey LOVES the beach

and loves to eat the beach...the entire beach..well, he tries

the ol sunscreen mohawk

When we came home from the beach, the fun didn't stop :) We took the boys to meet Brobee from their favorite show (and the only thing they actually like to watch) Yo Gabba Gabba

This was...23/24 ish weeks?

Here is one of my fave pics ever :) It was taken as a gift for Ron on fathers day so he could replace the pic on his desk at the studio..which was from about 5 months?

then along the same lines, their fourth of July pics

Walkin boys!

my guys

Well, Im exhausted...it was not easy getting these two boys down to sleep tonight..in a strange place, by myself...and the traffic getting in here today added an extra hour (or more) to our trip...
SO, I think I will hit the hay...
with the promise that I INTEND to, I will at least try to update much more often :)

Love to all,
Nora, Ron, Ronnie, Joey

Finally!! The Birthday Weekend :)

2009-05-16T09:45:00.030-04:00

Sorry it took me so long to get this in..things have been hectic, with the great birthday weekend last week, then having to get ready for a week vacation at the beach this weekend.
The festivities got started last Thursday when Uncle Doug made his way into town from Switzerland (via a stop in MD). I was so glad for the boys to get some quality Uncle Doug time, since they have not seen him since they were 2 months old (things have changed a little bit ;)

First Visit in July '08, holding joey

Last weekend, holding Joey (and looking like they got caught plotting how to get away with stealing ronnie's cupcake)

So, then on Friday..Aunt Sarah and Uncle Luke flew in from Florida. They jumped in and started helping me get ready right away..and although I kept warning them that I have to go to bed early, and we wouldn't be able to stay up late talking like in the old days, I still ended up staying up sooo late every night, but had a great time :)
Saturday morning the boys woke up Aunt Sarah and Uncle Luke by crawling into their air mattress on the living room floor (such glamourous accommodations). Then everybody really kicked into gear and helped me so much..Thanks so much to Doug, Sarah and (super cleaner/decorator man) Luke for making everything perfect!

Uncle Dave and Aunt Deirdre soon arrived with the sweet little Henry man, and soon after, Granddad and Grandma Carol showed up. Ron got home from work and the Lowders and Aunt Jess followed shortly after, then the party got started :) Other than a parking issue thanks to a butthead neighbor..everything was wonderful.

Ronnie knows fun is about to ensue

Ronnie meeting the party monkey

Joey wants to meet Mr. Monkey too

Uncle Dave and Aunt Sarah (awww, i love my family :)

Aunt Sarah and Uncle Luke

Uncle Dave feeding little Henry

Joey and Grandma Maureen talking to the Rons

Joey with Granddad and Grandma Carol

Ronnie ready to break into the gifts!!

Joey wants to join in on the fun :)

The boys with all of their loot (thank you everybody!!!)

Uncle Doug with his partner in crime

Ronnie is not too sure about his rocking elephant

Joey LOVES his rocking giraffe

Ronnie tries the elephant again, it doesn't go so well (he has since fallen in love, and it is hard to pry him off the thing)

CUPCAKE TIME!!!

I love my messy cupcake boys :)

The happy (and in daddy's case-sleepy) family :)

The Robinsons

It was so funny at the end of the day, Henry became inthralled with his Uncle Ron..he would not break his gaze...until he pooped! haha

Joey wanted to get to know cousin Henry

After the party we had an "after party" at our favorite mexican place..GREAT TIME! (and the boys did so great, even though they were exhausted)

Joey with Daddy and Grandpa

Ronnie must have told a great joke :)

it was really funny

jojo wasn't sure that it was THAT funny

Joey getting daddy kisses

The boys fell asleep on the way home, but woke up as soon as we got there, and they thought it was playtime!

The next morning was Mother's day. It was perfect :) Ron let me sleep in (for the first time in a year!!!) and went out and got me a beautiful bouquet and some wonderful fresh fruit for breakfast. Unfortunately, Uncle Doug had to leave that day..it was so great to spend time with him, and have his help. I know the boys missed him.
So, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Luke joined us for a Mother's day trip to Busch Gardens (the boys first time:)

There is a new Sesame Street attraction, and we had a great time..we rode the boats there...

And watched the characters dance :) Joey loved it!

Ronnie's favorite way to see the park was by his flying technique

Joey checking out Aunt Sarah

Joey was also fascinated by watching the rides..here he watching Apollo's Chariot

Then we checked out the Clydesdales

Ronnie started getting a little sleepy...

but, was soon revived by daddy's funny faces

All in all a wonderful day at the park...and a perfect Mother's day :)

The next morning was the big day!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE GUYS!!
we had to take Sarah and Luke to the airport in Richmond..we needed a bite to eat, so we stopped at Aunt Sarah's (haha)

AND the boys had their first bites of pancake

Ronnie got a daddy kiss for his birthday :)

The boys were a bit full after a bottle and pancakes with a little bit of grits..

After a great breakfast we had planned on going to the zoo in Richmond, but the weather was not helping out with our plans..but we still wanted to do something special for the boys' birthday , so we went back home and decided to check out the Living Museum. I am SO glad we did! It was great. We only got to see the indoor exhibits, but there was plenty for the boys to see. It's amazing how exciting it can be to see a bunch of local fish, when you are with a couple of one year olds :)

The boys loved it..trying to catch the fish...

Joey's favorite part by far was the log..haha, its a log you can crawl around in, and most of the time we were there it was swarmed by a ton of kids..but we got a moment all to ourselves..

Ronnie though, was not so sure..

It's funny, I have no idea why he didn't like it so much..but, thats Ronnie..you never know what he's gonna love, or love not so much ;)
One thing we do know that he loves is flying around..so to keep him happy while jojo kept exploring the log, daddy flew him around :)

He did a little better when he could see his brother though

When it comes to Ronnie, a little jojo makes everything better :)

When we got home, I decided to try and take some "birthday pics" of the boys..their nap schedule's were a bit cooky from the fun day, and crazy weekend.. so to keep them happy I put on the birthday episode of Yo Gabba Gabba..which is why Joey looks a bit Zombieish, haha

Joey standing on his own! They are both trying to do this all the time now. Ronnie even tried to take a step the other day..didn't work out quite yet..but I know it won't be long :)

and now the diaper pics :)

Ronnie at 6 months

Ronnie at 1 year

Joey at 6 months

Joey at 1 year

I was better about the pair pics :)

The boys at 1 month

3 months

6 months

9 months (the boys switched sides, and since it was next to impossible to get them to stay still for any period of time..I take what I can get! haha

And 1 year :)

Its amazing how far we have come :)
I can't believe how well my boys have done. I am so proud. They have turned into the sweetest, funnest guys to be around. They brighten my everyday, and make it all worth while.
Thank you all again for being there for us this year..we couldn't have done it without such amazing friends and family.
Love to all!
Nora, Ron, Ronnie, and Joey

ONE YEAR (mini post)!!

2009-05-11T23:18:00.002-04:00

I know that some people are waiting for a big one year birthday post..but this isn't it, haha..
the weekend wore me out!!!! I am working on putting all of the pics together..so I will try to have to post up tomorrow :) In the mean time however, here is a slideshow I made of the boys first year :)
ENJOY!

a few videos

2009-05-04T23:58:00.002-04:00

i've been meaning to put more videos up for a while, so here are a few :)
i'm going to try and make another post this week before the big "1 year" post..
enjoy the cuteness!

silly morning boys :)

ronnie's first word :)

my amazingly awesome silly boys :)

to have a preemie....

2009-04-16T20:33:00.004-04:00

If you didn't see this on my Facebook notes...I wanted to post it here too, because it meant so much to me. It was from an email from my local chapter of the March of Dimes..
This cause means so much to me personally..and this says it perfectly..

Imagine...finally seeing 2 lines on the hundredth pregnancy test you took but still being afraid to tell anyone the good news.

Imagine...being on bed rest for the duration of your pregnancy knowing that every week, every day, every hour counts.

Imagine…having no one congratulate you on the birth of your child because of the fear she might not survive.

Imagine… the pain of seeing other babies dying in the NICU and thanking God that it’s not yours.

Imagine...having a battery of tests done to determine why you had a premature baby - only to find that there are no reasons why.

Imagine…leaving the hospital with empty arms, no balloons, no flowers, no baby.

Imagine...finally learning the joy of bringing your baby home only to find out that prematurity doesn't end at the NICU doors.

Imagine finding the March of Dimes and realizing there is an organization that is dedicated to reaching the day when every baby will be born healthy!

the first time i held the boys together in the hospital....i think they were about 2 weeks old

and with the easter bunny, c=since i didn't get to include it on the last post..and it shows how much they have grown :)

FINALLY!!!

2009-04-15T20:50:00.016-04:00

haha! finally (hopefully) I will get this post done. I have been trying for quite a while, but the way things are moving in this house these days...I don't have too much time to sit in front of the computer :)
Biggest updates are :

-Both boys are crawling machines..they move so fast, it is hard to keep up!

-They are also pulling up on everything to stand and trying to climb up everything. (Joey can climb the entire staircase! of course the only times he has done it, I have been right behind him;)

-We have been through our first ear infections with both boys, and pink eye with Ronnie

-We are now suffering through our millionth colds of the season. (so this is what it's like to have kids, haha)

-The boys are well on their way to eating new foods :) We have started very slow due to their tummy troubles, but everything has been handled pretty well. They are even feeding themselves their "puffs" and working on sippy cups.

-Sleep...well, ahhhhhh we'll talk about that next time, haha...with all of the boys' issues lately with teething (oh yeah 5 teeth, on the way to 6 for both boys), colds, ear infections, eye infections..sleep training has been put on the back burner..but we will get there :)

-As you might have seen from my previous "updates" (March of Dimes cards) we are doing the March for Babies in a couple of weeks and we are so excited. We are so so lucky that our preemie boys have grown so strong and healthy, and we are thrilled to have the chance to hive back and help more babies get that chance to grow healthy and strong.

-We celebrated the boys first Easter, which was a blast :) Visited the Easter Bunny, had Easter baskets..It was so much fun :)

-We are less than a month away from the boys' first birthday, I can't believe we are already here..this year has been amazing ;)

-There is also a beautiful new member of the extended family :) Uncle Dave and Aunt Deirdre welcomed Henry Joseph Robinson on April 3rd. He is a perfect little guy, and we are so happy that the boys have such an awesome little cousin :)

Now....the pictures :)

Since we have had some wonderful beautiful days here recently..we have spent a lot of time at the swings down the street...

all that fun is hard work :)

ronnie couldn't get enough..he wants back out

and....back to the swings :)

the boys actually love swinging together..soon they won't be able to do this :( so we are trying to do it now as much as we can

ronnie's favorite thing in the world..

joey enjoying the sunshine (and his adorable curls)

first drum lessons..joey really is going to be a drummer...he's a natural

the crazy crawlers

sweet joey

my standing man

hmm.. surprise, ronnie's upside down again, haha

daddy was home for spring break for a few days, and we all LOVED it :)

trying daddy's hat on for size...

Our nice Easter shots before we went to meet the Bunny...

getting those boys to stop moving around is next to impossible, but I love this shot even though it's fuzzy.
This really says it all about the boys' relationship these days, they are best friends :)

After the bunny, some quality time with daddy..

The big day wore Ronnie out

we got home and had big bottles..well, the boys did, haha

Enjoying our new high chair booster seats (Thank You Aunt Polly!!!)

Showin off our booties..oh and our standing skills ;)

Daddy got some spring cleaning done, and the boys watched intently :)

Ronnie tried to catch the vacuum (which he hates with a passion when it is inside)

Our first Easter morning!!

checkin out the baskets..

another fuzzy shot, but I love how happy they are in this pic..this was how they were all Easter morning..it was so much fun:)

The Easter eggs had puffs hidden inside..and the boys loved to shake them, and were even happier when they accidentally opened them :)

Checkin out the bunny :)

Aunt Kimmie came by and although Ronnie was unsure at first...he soon was impossible to tear away from her :)

When she tried to leave, he pulled his patented move of crawling up to legs and begging to be picked up..He didn't want her to leave :)

And presenting...my beautiful, handsome, nephew..Henry

Feeding through his finger tube..pretty cool!

Some of my favorite people in the world...the happy family

Oh and we do have one last update :)
Joey wants to introduce his new brother or sister..joining the family in October :)
(this pic is older, i do have new pics, but still have to scan them in..and well...we all know how long this post took to get in, haha)

Hopefully more soon!!!!
Love to all,
Nora, Ron, Ronnie, and Joey (and baby 3 ;)

ronnie crawling :)

2009-03-03T13:32:00.001-05:00

9 month marathon post

2009-02-11T22:46:00.016-05:00

whew...here goes....
Things have been crazy here. In the past month the boys have been growing so much, and are becoming more and more mobile. Not crawling quite yet..but soooo close, especially Ronnie..he has started getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth. That has been going on for about 3 weeks now, so I am guessing crawling should be any day now! Joey can push his chest up and move around in a circle, but has yet to get his butt up. Otherwise they are doing great! obviously growing super well.
The only obstacle we have run into is that daggone cereal..we have tried three times, both rice and oatmeal, and each time we have big tummy issues. We have a GI appt this week, and hopefully we will get some answers on what to do next.
We did get over half of a hurtle this past month too...we got through sleep training with Joey.
Our pediatrician wanted us to wait until 8 months, because they have been through so much already, and they still had such tummy issues, so if they cried they needed me. SO...we went ahead and started with Joey, because he's my easy going little guy. He was a champ...1st night he cried for 50 minutes, 2nd night 20 minutes, 3rd night 4 minutes, 4th night, not a peep :)
We planned to start Ronnie soon after, BUT he wanted to put that off for a while, so he decided to start really teething..and then to put it off further decided to get THREE teeth at once!!! Poor little guy! He still has a little ways to go, and I hope they hurry up :(
OH! and Joey did get his bottom 2! With him though, I hardly noticed a difference besides the drool. He is just so laid back!
Well...
here comes the good stuff, the pictures :)
First we'll start with some stuff from the past month

ronnie can sit like a champ now!

joey is getting much better at sitting too!

my favorite joey look

ronnie has only managed to "crawl" backwards..and it gets him in some funny positions..he doesn't seem to mind

trying to read a book to the boys before nap time...they are having none of it ;)

We also took the boys for their first walk in the stroller without their car seats..
Ronnie LOVED it, Joey was not so sure. It was really cute at the beginning, every hill and bump, Ronnie would squeal :)

AND we gave the boys their first bath together! They loved it! Again, especially Ronnie..he was splashing the whole time.

Here starts our 9 month photo shoot :)

Ronnie is irresistible

Handsome Ronnie in an adorable outfit from Aunt Jess

Ronnie took a break from the photo shoot for his favorite activity, rocking back and forth on all fours :)

Joey was napping the 1st half of the photo shoot

He was pretty excited about the prospects of a fun shoot

Handsome Joey

joey is soooooo over it, haha

The boys entertaining each other

my loves

beautiful ronnie

Trying to take the 9 month picture was ridiculous this time around, haha. Ronnie doesn't like being put on his back for the most part anymore..so I had to just wait for him to roll over...they are getting to be such HUGE boys

joey says "mom, i thought you were done with the photo shoot!" :)

finally time to eat

this evening joey spent some quality time with his doggie..he loves shorty, and i love that smile :)

finally! no more paparazzi!!

thanks for looking, love to all from nora, ron, ronnie and joey

9 months!!!

2009-02-11T21:32:00.003-05:00

I am working on a big 9 month post..but for now lets just see what changes have been going on these past 9 months

1 month, right after the boys came home from the hospital

3 months

6 months (chunksters)

9 months! switched sides, but believe me, it was hard enough to get them to hold still for half a second!

Christmas pt. 2/Happy New Year/We'll see how long this nap lasts

2009-01-03T09:35:00.015-05:00

Soooo, I will try to get this update in quickly before the fellas wake up from their nap. For some reason the first nap of the day is the best one..
I keep hearing it's supposed to be the 2nd one..but the boys never got that memo. Its fine with me, I like this time to myself in the morning. Its kind of relax time. When they actually nap for any longer than 30 minutes in the afternoon, I feel like I should get stuff done, but this nice 1-1.5 hour nap in the morning lets me do email, shower, read, drink lots of coffee and just unwind and mentally prepare for the struggle of the next nap in a few hours, haha.
The boys are doing well right now. Its no surprise schedules were a bit wacko from the holidays, and because of that they actually slept through the night once..so that makes twice in just about 8 months..wooo!! It was nice, i just wish that night I had gone to bed before 1am, so I would have gotten more than 5 hours sleep! New Years day they decided they would not nap at all..I guess they were just excited thinking about everything they are going to do this year :)
It seems like they might be back on some sort of normal schedule though..so yay! Time for me to mess it all up again :) Some changes are coming...gonna try solids again next week, I am going to try to move out of the nursery soon (although Ron is the one who is more hesitant, because he likes sleeping with the dogs so much!). Then, the much dreaded sleep training!!! I am still not sure how much I will do. I know I need to break them of the habit of falling asleep with the bottle, and have to let them learn to fall asleep on their own, but its so hard to determine when is the right time, and when their health issues are resolved enough.

***both boys are awake now, so i will make this fast while i watch some tummy time***

i just took these with the webcam :)

and ronnie is working on sitting up..

First...
Christmas :)

on christmas eve daddy reading twas the night before christmas

the tree

our first stockings

daddy testing out the toy piano

ron putting together the crawl and cruise

the tree on our first family christmas morning :)

ronnie was slightly excited

opening the 1st present

and enjoying the paper

joey opening one of his many books

joey loves his giraffe mat

and ronnie loves his monkey mat

ronnie also loves his feet

i think the family favorite is the piano..

the pile of presents at the grandparents house..

in the new chairs :)

the boys got a little scared by the many camera flashes as they posed in their chairs, but they had each other for comfort ;)

ronnie's favorite gift=wrapping paper

drums were a hit too :)

aunt jess with ronnie

joey and grandma

joey and grandpa

aunt kimmie with the boys..and yes ronnie had to have a wardrobe change..his tummy didn't even give him a break on christmas!

aunt jess and uncle sean entertain the fellas

joey practicing tummy time

ronnie thinking back on the great week "i could kinda get used to this christmas thing"

ronnie could not get to sleep..poor thing was more tired than i have ever seen him, but he was very pleasant, which was amazing..i think he was too tired to fuss :)

the christmas booty

daddy and the boys playing with all of the goods

while i was writing this the boys have been on the move...not crawling, but rolling all around the room..its pretty awesome :)

whew! marathon holiday post done!
I hope everyone had a great holiday, and a very very happy new year...I know we have some amazing stuff to come, and
I am so excited and happy we have such wonderful people around us to share it with!
Love to all!

Christmas round 1

2008-12-24T21:41:00.010-05:00

We started out our Christmas celebration this past weekend at Dave and Deirdre's. We had such a wonderful time. The boys were in super good spirits besides a bad couple of teething days and mom and dad forgetting to get gas drops before we left.
We had a great ride up, the boys behaved, and Aunt Sarah sat in the back with them (she flew up to our house, so she could spend a little more time with the boys). We did have a a scary moment where we saw an accident happen right in front of us, and I don't even want to think about it, because it made me not even want to be on the road again..ANYWAY..otherwise it was a great ride.
We got there on Saturday evening, Dad and Carol were there. I felt a little bad, because Ronnie had one of his famous melt downs right as we got there. He was already a tiny bit grumpy the last 30 minutes of the ride..and his dinner was late, so I understand. I had to walk him around for a bit, fed him...then he turned into his charming self.
It was funny, Ronnie is usually my mama's boy, who can't be around other people without flipping out, but this weekend he was as pleasant and happy as can be. It was a very nice surprise.
See examples:

with uncle dave

with daddy

with aunt sarah

with aunt deirdre

Joey was actually not quite as happy go lucky as usual..I think it was due to teething, and just being somewhere new. He was
of course still a little sweet heart.

before we left, napping with aunt sarah

sitting on our new cousin ;)

with aunt deirdre

we took the jumperoo to help keep them entertained...i think it worked

and then....the gifts

Aunt Deirdre gave them 4 new books, which we got to read by the fire when the power went out for a few hours on Monday morning. They are beautiful books, with great little stories. I will try to find a link for them later...

Dave and Deirdre gave the boys a stacker and this rolling duck thing that they LOVE.

Carol and Ronnie

The boys spent some quality time together..

The ride back was mostly good, but same as the ride up...I think the boys got a little bit tired of the car seats..
Joey was in a super mood when we got home, and while I was changing him he looked so cute that I made him my little Christmas baby :)

Well, its Christmas morning and I guess the boys must have been excited because they woke up at 5:30 and wouldn't go back to sleep. Not too sure why they screamed so much, if they were so happy it is Christmas...but they sure cheered up after their first Christmas breakfast :)
Ron and I are so excited for the day, we were up until 2 wrapping..Christmas takes on a whole new meaning now that these amazing little guys are in our lives. I am taking everything in, trying to stamp it all on my memory.
The whole time though, I am reminded of how immeasurably lucky we are to have these boys, and that they are so happy and healthy. Since the boys were born I have thought of how difficult it must be to have babies in the hospital during the holidays..
So today, I am also thinking of my extended family- Kathy, Chip, and the Mcginty's, and if anybody has a moment..please say a little prayer for Drew and McKenna that they continue to grow stronger everyday and are able to come home soon.

There will another update after Christmas round 2 at the Lowder's..which should prove to be a great time.
Lots and lots of love to all. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

busy days!

2008-12-15T09:37:00.008-05:00

Well, we have been so so busy..I haven't had too much time to update..sorry all!! :)
Things are going pretty well..Ron is super busy at the moment with the end of semester concerts with the academy of rock music

So, he has not been home much, and I tell ya..even though he usually only has one day off anyway..I am really feeling his absence..not just because I miss him, but he does a lot to help out around here ;)

The boys have been busy..they are now sleeping all night in their cribs..well, not SLEEPING all night..they still usually wake up 1-2 times a night, but they are fine with going back into the crib after they eat. The only thing is, I am still putting them in the cribs asleep, so that makes it easy. Their doctor told me to hold off on sleep training until 8 months, he said they deserve a pass for everything they have been through ;) and they still have issues, so when they are crying they might really need me to go to them. So I have another month before the real screaming begins, haha.

One thing that is not great is Ronnie's reflux has been really really acting up. But as I said before, the GI doc said that as his reflux improves it will go up and down..so we are still on the way to recovery..just going through a rough patch right now..so he increased Ronnie's prevacid to almost the top of the dosage limit.
I haven't been able to do too much tummy time with Ronnie due to his tummy issues, but he is getting great at sitting up, and joey is really working on rolling over more, both ways..
Still no teeth, soooo close though..everyday i feel a little more in Joey's mouth. I will be glad when that milestone has been reached. I hear that the rest aren't as bad as the first ones..

Thanksgiving was a wonderful time..spent with the Lowder's. I was sad to have missed the great dinner at Dave and Deirdre's (which has become a tradition for me), but hopefully next year we will be able to get back up there with the boys.
We did have a great time, and so did the boys..

joey's first thanksgiving

ronnie's first thanksgiving

the boys did great in their bjorns

all the excitement tuckered the boys out

laughing with aunt jess

joey loving aunt kimmie

even though ronnie has been spitting up a bit more (notice big stain) he is still a happy boy :)

and he still has an appetite

on a good night, we worked on rolling

how could you not love those precious faces?

and how could you not love a taste of chunky ronnie? at least he doesn't mind :)

jojo the cow

jojo smirking in the jumperoo

now we are just getting geared up for christmas! we can't wait to see everyone, to just spend time with family, and to finally get some of our family time together. Hopefully, I will have some time to update more soon! Love to all!!! Happy holidays!!

thankful...

2008-11-26T21:58:00.010-05:00

so, yeah, didn't get to update everyday, haha..a little overambitious.
so, things have been pretty eventful..as i said before the formula change didn't work. it took a few days, but they are back to normal..only waking up 3 times a night! haha :)
we had our 6 month well visit and..
ronnie 16.2 lbs

joey 16.9 lbs

so they are doing so well :) their doctor is very happy..
he okay'd us to start cereal..soooooooo

ronnie kept going back and forth between laughing and crying..joey was unsure the first night, but the second night he was in heaven!
on the flipside, it didn't really sit well with the bellies..so we had another bad night, and then had a few days without poop..which was pretty miserable :( so we are gonna wait a few days before trying again..
we have also been working on tummy time..which elicits drools from jojo..

and have been working on sitting up..they are both doing awesome

ronnie still loves his jumperoo

the boys have been so interested in the dogs lately..they squeal whenever they see them, and walter of course has been pretty interested in them too..and since they are starting to grab things a lot now..even walter's tongue is not safe...

well....of course we need to take a moment to say what we are thankful for...
i have so many things.i have the most amazing family i can imagine..both immediate and surrounding.. in annapolis, in richmond, roanoke, greensboro, florida, appomattox, pennsylvania, nova, zurich, seattle and here in town..
most of all though i am beyond thankful for the loves of my life ron, ronnie, joey, shorty and walter..
these little guys have changed my life in ways that i could never have imagined, and that i am thankful for..

bad bad bad

2008-11-19T10:42:00.002-05:00

sorry no updates...lets just say that the conversion to the other formula did not work...things have gotten much much worse for the moment..
horrible digestive issues, gas, fussiness..no sleep for boys or mom..
stopped the trial yesterday..hopefully things will go back to normal today...only really gassy and somewhat fussy please..i would gladly take waking up 2 times a night to feed or pat butts from gas over what we went through last night..up every hour at LEAST once..joey didn't even fall asleep until 10:30...nothing could stop ronnie's screaming, ugh..and only one mommy between em..literally, on the floor between them.
so...please please say a prayer for me that things get better today.
will update when i can

daddy's pics of the week

2008-11-16T23:10:00.004-05:00

so, i skipped a day..oops!! well, its tough to post everyday! haha... and i'm sleepy now..so i'll make it quick..well, actually i had a little help with this one.
so, i present...daddy's picks of the week (meaning i asked ron's advice, and these were his choices :)

approved by daddy

GI appt today..

2008-11-14T21:11:00.003-05:00

we went to the GI doc at CHKD today..we love them..as we were leaving, ron and i were talking about how extremely lucky we have been to have had, since the beginning, doctors and nurses who truly care. it has been one of the greatest blessings, seriously. without this caring, and the ability to listen, and the above and beyond attitude we would not have the big ol healthy happy boys we are so lucky to have.
ANYWAYS..
the doctor has decided that we should try to start weaning off of Neocate (the ultra hypoallergenic formula they have been on). we will try to mix with another, less extreme hypoallergenic formula that we would slowly progress to. soooo, in doing this, he wants us to wait on starting solids..this way we can be sure if their is any reaction, what it is caused by.
he also recommended i really up the dosage of the gas drops we've been giving, and if that works..the world will seriously be a much more beautiful place..those poor boys have been miserable, especially at night (which in turn makes mommy miserable).
please work, please work!!
so, we will be giving this a try and going back in december to hopefully start solids then.

haha, and i asked him if the amount they have been eating is enough..he said 'oh yeah..their weight gain has been exceptional"
are you calling my boys fat? haha
im proud of my little fatties :)

christmas is coming!!!

2008-11-13T22:09:00.007-05:00

i am so excited to be celebrating the first christmas with the boys..it just makes the holiday so much more special. I love the gifts we have picked out for them so far..

the fisher price crawl and cruise musical jungle...

both of these adorable mats

and for their christmas style...crazy 8 is pretty awesome. its a more affordable division of my favorite store gymboree.

we got a bunch of their holiday style gear..this is my favorite :)

oooohhhh i can't wait :)

6 months of greatest hits

2008-11-12T12:22:00.013-05:00

i know that photo posts are the most popular, and, well i really enjoy them too, because there are so many darn cute pics of these guys..and doing this is neat, because i get to look back and see how much they have changed in such an amazingly short period of time..so, the 1st in my marathon of posts is a marathon post itself..the greatest hits of the last 6 months..some have been seen, some are out takes, some are brand new..so enjoy!!!

about an hour before the boys were born, ron made it just in time..

my first glimpse of little ronnie

working on joey

holding ronnie in the nursery

holding joey (little frog) in the nursery

joey

ronnie n dad

joey's 1st day home

picking up ronnie

ronnie's 1st day home

the boys together again

so tiny in their bouncy seats

joey napping with daddy

ronnie napping with daddy

all the boys napping (hmmmm.somebody sure got a lot of naps, haha)

mommy and her boys

ronnie after his bath

little sleepers

loving my little guys

joey getting to know walter

the boys

football season begins..the boys were a little excited :)

joey and ronnie's feet

ronnie being a thug (i've talked to him about this ;)

sweet little ones

my sweet little chunkster

beautiful joey

chunky monkeys

daddy and his (getting really big) boys

joe the tummy time champ

WE GOT A NEW CAMERA!! all of the previous photos were from my phone..I love our new camera so much, almost every day ron comes home and i have taken over 100 pics, haha..they are just so photogenic :)

the big boys in their bouncy seats (supporting daddy's academy of rock)

joey, the drool machine

ronnie's beautiful eyes

watching football with daddy (believe me, its very rare for them to sit in front of the TV)

play time boys

our first halloween

daddy with joey the giraffe

ronnie monkey

joey in all of his ducky gear

loving the jojo

ronnie the little drummer boy

joey voted...and drooled

ronnie loves the jumperoo (thank you aunt eileen:)

and he REALLY loves his bath, I mean REALLY

my perfect little guys

6 months!!!

2008-11-11T21:38:00.005-05:00

the boys are 6 months today...its amazing how far we have come. they have changed so much, and changed us so much. i am working on a huge photo post, but i vowed in honor of their 6 months, i will be making a post every day for the month..so, tonight i will bring back an old favorite, updated ;)

one month

3 months

6 months

right now..

2008-11-10T22:19:00.003-05:00

6 months ago right now, i was in the hospital, still without any idea that i was going to have babies in 4.5 hours. without any idea of how amazing my life was about to become..
stay tuned for a celebration in pictures and words :)

RSV info..

2008-11-01T08:48:00.002-04:00

Hi everybody!! I just wanted to get some info out there for those of you who might be visiting us, or that Ron or I may come in contact with. RSV is a serious virus, and we are entering the crucial time of the year for it's spread (October through April).
Below are some links with info (thanks to Val..stole em from your post ;).
Our boys are at increased risk due to the fact that they are preemies (their other increased risk factors include being twins and just being boys). RSV presents as a common cold in most healthy adults and children, but in preemies who were born without adequate lung capacity/low birth weight, it can lead to hospitalization and even more serious complications.
Although our little ones (not so little anymore :) are doing great, they are still at increased risk.
We are starting the Synagis shots next month, but they are still at risk.
For these reasons we will be limiting our outings, and would of course still love visitors, but ask that those who do visit please take precautions to help prevent our guys from getting sick!

Here are a couple of links with info!
http://www.preemiecare.org/rsv_resourceshtm.htm
http://www.preemiecare.org/rsvfaq.htm

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!
more fun updates soon :)

new camera!!

2008-10-22T20:39:00.005-04:00

Soooo we got a new camera..and it is awesome. All of the pictures that have been on the blog so far have been from my camera phone. Now we have beautiful pics! Here are some examples :) Tons more to come!
Oh, and on the wonderful news side..I discovered that swaddling Ronnie helps him sleep a great deal..he used to hate it...now i put him in and out like a light. He even napped in his crib today with no problem and woke up smiling :) The GI doc also gave us a change of meds to help his gas, so hopefully things are on the way to getting better.

how we got here

2008-10-19T21:33:00.004-04:00

disclaimer...this is a bit long, so if you don't have time..you can skip to the last paragraph for my reasons for writing this novel ;)

This week is National Infertility Awareness week, so I thought now was as good a time as any to tell our story.
Having twins is always a conversation starter with strangers, and one commonly asked question is "do twins run in your family". This is kind of the "polite" way of asking if you have gone through fertility treatments. I always just answer the question "no" and leave it at that. Its not because I am unwilling to talk about what we have been through, or that I am embarrassed in any way. Actually I don't really like the question because of the way it leaves an unanswered question behind. Whenever I say "no", the person asking usually just says "oh", or acts surprised. Sometimes people even ask "who's side of the family do twins run on?" I just say "neither", knowing that there is a twin somewhere in Ron's family, but I also know that the father's side in no way affects the chances of the mother becoming pregnant with twins.
These questions just feel so awkward..I would almost prefer "did you undergo fertility treatments?"
The answer is "yep".
Ron and I knew from the start we wanted a family, and wanted to start as soon as possible. I had a feeling we might have trouble, my cycles were never regular. We were married in June of 06 and began trying that month. I was actually disappointed that it didn't happen that month, haha. The next month I had done research, and I went out and got a BBT thermometer for charting and ovulation predication tests. The next month my cycle was very strange, so I decided to test, just for the heck of it, and saw an amazing positive pregnancy test. Ron and I were so excited, it was happening so fast! I had been spotting, so I called my gyn in the morning, hoping they would just say "oh, thats normal, not to worry". Instead, they told me to come in for blood work. I was so thrilled when they called me at the end of the day and said I was indeed pregnant, but I needed to have blood work again in 2 days, I had stopped bleeding, so I was sure it would be fine. Alas, my numbers had gone down, and I had miscarried.
I was very lucky to have an amazing gyn, who even though they usually do no testing until the 3rd miscarriage, suspected that I might have an issue due to my irregular cycles..this is when we discovered my luteal phase defect. This is basically a hormonal problem that keeps my body from making a proper place for an egg to implant. So, we figured that this is the problem, and I begin progesterone supplements..I am still charting, still using prediction tests, and everything appears normal on paper. 6 months later, still nothing. My GYN says that although we usually wait a year, we know that I have an issue and especially after I told him I had found my mother's medical records and found she used clomid to conceive me and one of my brothers, he sends me to a GYN/OB that specializes in fertility. Ron is tested, and is fine, so a few more months go by, and we begin clomid, because although my chart says I am ovulating..this will boost it a bit. 2 months of this and the doctor starts becoming a bit perplexed by my charts, and (very thankfully) sends me to the jones institute.
The main man in charge Dr. Oehninger saw me the first day, and it is routine to do an ultra sound to just check things out. I tell him that he probably won't see much because according to my test and chart, I ovulated 7 days before. He said that on the ultrasound he could see that I did not ovulate at all. Hmmmm... I showed him my chart from that month, and it looked perfect! He told me to throw away my thermometer and that some women's body's can act as though they have ovulated even though they did not. He also said that we know for sure that I have ovulated at least once, because I did get pregnant, but that some women can ovulate once a year, twice a year, three times...there is just no telling when I truly ovulate. He said we would begin testing on other issues, just to be sure, but that it's pretty obvious what my problem is.
We did bloodwork (all normal) and an HSG to make sure my tubes were clear (yep).
The next step was clomid with IUI (intra uterine insemination). I would be monitored the whole time to ensure my body was working :)
We did this twice, with no luck, and so-so results from the clomid. So, the great Dr. Oehninger wanted to try the next step. Injectable drugs..long story here..I'll shorten..started follistim, found I was allergic to an antibiotic they mix in, had to start a new drug..gonal-f which does the same thing. It was a crazy week..my estrogen skyrocketed and made me violently ill. When we checked the ultrasound to see how many potential eggs I had..we saw one good one, and a couple of smaller ones. It didn't look great. We did the IUI, but I didn't have much hope. It was funny, at our previous IUI's Ron and I were excited. He would hold my hand afterwards (had to lay still for 10 minutes), and we would talk about what it would be like if it worked. This time, however..he sat in the corner and was ready a woman's magazine with Uma Thurman on the cover and instead of thought of our future child, he was talking about how good looking Uma was...haha.
For some reason, I didn't feel as though this one was it..I guess the not great ultrasound. So when I tested that morning exactly 14 days later (didn't even bother testing early), I was shocked to see a perfect second line appear quickly. I jumped into bed and woke Ron. Then called the doctor, and they said come in for my bloodwork.
The rest as they say is history..you can read at the beginning of this blog what happened from there..how initially we found we had triplets..a shock to us and the doctors. How we lost baby c in the first trimester, but were blessed with the two most perfect boys I could imagine.
This ended up much longer than I had meant for it to be..

My true purpose in writing this was to put myself out there, to let anyone who may be struggling with infertility and feels like they alone, know that they are not. I was so extremely lucky to have 3 things while I was struggling. I had a great friend who had been through it, the same treatment as me and was blessed with an amazingly beautiful child while I was struggling. She and her little one were a constant inspiration, and she was always there for me to talk to. I also had another woman who was going through treatment with me, who I am very glad to say is due next month! I also had an amazing network of women online, who truly became very very dear friends..because we were going through something so difficult together.
Here I am today with these beautiful boys. Everything I dreamed it would be and more.
I can never say how thankful I am for the doctors who helped me, and made this possible, and for the women who supported me and made it just bearable.
So, this fertility awareness week (which happens to fall on the anniversary week of the boys' conception date). I would just like to be able to put tell my story, and maybe I can help, and be a support, to be an inspiration.

handsome fellas

2008-10-19T09:37:00.006-04:00

Not too much new going on...we're still working on rolling (almost did it again :). Tummy time is going super, Ronnie is getting better all the time, but he can't do it every day because his tummy issues have been up and down..right now its up (or is it down..well its just bad). I think his reflux is bothering him..he has been throwing up a good amount more, and actually he is back to sleeping in the bouncy seat for now. The GI doc told me that as he is recovering it would probably be up and down, so I guess we are on our way. Otherwise we are enjoying the weather..able to open the windows, go for walks, and I really need to get some pumpkin candles to burn after the boys go to bed :)
In other news as the boys become more and more aware of everything around them..Joey in particular is in love with the TV..sooo, now the TV is off most of the time. Always during play time and nap time. Sometimes I do enjoy watching TV while feeding though, so yesterday I put on my Planet Earth DVD's because I figure if they do see the TV, I want it to be something beautiful and educational or as H.I. Mcdonnough said " Two hours a day, either educational or football, so you don't ruin your appreciation of the finer things".
Anyways...here are some new pics!!!

how could a day not start out wonderfully when you see faces like this? (and yes, ronnie is trying to poop in the first one, haha)

me and ronnie..he picked out that shirt ;)

the boys

happy little rascal

i think he was just happy about his new old man pants

tummy time tiger

when i was getting bottles ready, i came back to the boys holding hands on the mat..it was so cute, but as soon as i grabbed my camera they stopped (of course..they saw a future of me showing that pic to girlfriends)...but joey started cuddling with (well, chewing on) ronnie's arm..so that was pretty cute :)

joey's fascination with giraffe's continues (and walter's fascination with baby feet continues)

ronnie bundled up for a chilly fall walk

5 months!!!

2008-10-11T21:08:00.006-04:00

the boys are 5 months today..i cannot believe that in one month they will be half a year old. they are changing everyday..in amazing, funny, wonderful ways..ronnie is talking just a ton, it is so fun to just sit and talk to him, he has moved on to a ton of vowels, and he squeals a lot now too...he is so loud the dogs come running..its funny. joey loves to hear us talk..he LOVES when i read him books, he gets very invested in the story, haha..he really acts like he understands what the pokey little puppy is doing..i love it.
i never made the announcement here that ronnie rolled over..he did it three times total so far, i cried the first time, haha. it was funny, because he had not even been trying. one day during tummy time, he just rolled. joey has been trying like a champ, but no luck yet..i wonder if that big head is just too heavy for him! aww..he has grown into it :)
joey is amazing at tummy time..he holds his head up great..and they are both starting to reach for and grasp things..that just started this week..i was getting worried about all of these things, and then they started doing all of them at once!
today, ronnie even reached out and touched my face, it was mighty sweet..
they are starting to notice each other a lot more.just not at the same time, haha. one will notice the other and start smiling and talking, but the other one will be looking somewhere else..and vice versa.
also we have finally finished the nursery!!!! i love it, its my favorite room in the house..huge thanks to the lowders for everything they have done to help with that (and everything else)..we love you guys!!!
a shout out to sarah j too for helping pick up the cribs :)

here are some more recent pics..enjoy!!

chunksters

the last time they could wear those hats..but they were sooo cute

joey enjoying story time (adding his 2 cents)

ronnie has become quite interested in joey's ears..

joey had gotten poop in his drawers..so i let him nap in just his diaper..it was just so sweet

my how things change...

2008-10-04T23:50:00.004-04:00

i posted this on the boards, and i kept going back and looking at the pictures in awe..
so i thought i would share

here they are the first day they were both at home..at 3 weeks old
(and those are their preemie clothes they were swimming in)

and here they are at 4 months..those are some big boys!!

ron and i kept looking at that new picture and laughing..he said they look like 2 little old fat men..that smirk on joeys face and ronnie's hand on his belly are priceless!
they really don't look that fat, it was kind of just the way they were sitting...but believe me, they have plenty of meat on those bones!!

just for good measure here is another picture from that same session..ronnie is giving his amazing frog smile, and joey looks like his big brother

such sweet boys :)

the many faces of..

2008-09-25T23:45:00.009-04:00

the many faces of ronnie..(oh, 12 lbs 7 oz at 4 month appt ;)

the many face of joey (13 lbs 3 oz at 4 month appt ;)

4 months

2008-09-16T05:20:00.019-04:00

i cannot believe its been 4 months! its weird, its a combination of "it feels like yesterday" and "i feel like they have been with me forever". things have been a little hectic, i am trying desperately to stick to a real routine, and now am trying to learn the best type of sleep/nap schedules to get the boys on for their health and my sanity ;) (i say as i write this at 5 am). so i will update the last 2 weeks with some pics...

on rons week off we finally took the time to paint the nursery, which we did finish..(that update for a later post)

i never get tired of smiles..joey is joining in more now too..and the boys have really discovered their limbs in the past couple of weeks...they've been dancing like crazy!

ronnie=dance machine

football season has started, and the boys have chosen sides...

except when the jets game was over, joey expanded his loyalties

he and daddy talked about the dominance of the bears defense

ronnie has been sucking his thumb a lot more...i think its adorable

the boys are spending much more awake time just alert and relaxing..its great, we have tons of very interesting conversations

speaking of good conversation..

we got an activity gym last week, and it is definitely our favorite thing so far..joey especially thinks its the bees knees..

sometimes he gets a little too excited..

we went to the GI doc and learned that the boys are super constipated..we have started a new medication, and hopefully that will help
they were soooo good, which is great because i had to take them myself, due to the fact that daddy was sick with food poisoning...yuck

had a super awesome visit with uncle dave and aunt deirdre who haven't seen the boys since they were a day old..

all in all, exciting times! everyday is something new and interesting..and we're having a blast...

making new memories from the old..

2008-09-06T22:16:00.010-04:00

ron has had off this week from work, unfortunately it has gone by waaaaay too fast. we dedicated ourselves to finally getting the nursery done..well its 10 pm on saturday night, and we still have to do the second coat of paint. so, picking up the cribs is out of the question...ah well, dunno when that will get done :(
the main obstacle has been the boys being slightly more needy, and much more sweet, smiley and cuddly to be around.
they have gotten into a bad habit of taking about an hour to eat..they just keep snacking and snacking. i think we have a growth spurt going on, because they will eat a full bottle and an hour later be crying for more.
also, when they aren't crying for food..they really have been just wanting attention..which of course i am happy to give :)
they have been smiling and babbling constantly, and even if they fall asleep, if they wake up and you are not there, they cry until they see one of us..then its back to the happy babble fest.
it is so much fun, i mean that is what i have spent my entire day doing..sitting in the couch with a baby on either side of me, both vying for my attention, "talking" up a storm.
we did get to have a special day this week.."family day".
we decided we will have one family day a week (which by default will now be sunday, because its ron's only day off) in which we spend it just the four of us, just enjoying each other's company.
this week was really special because we took the boys to the location where we got married the hermitage
it was a pretty hot day, so we let the boys hang in their diapers

ronnie

joey

daddy and ronnie playing

mommy and joey

it was such a great time, except we were overrun by ants, and poor little ronnie had a massive throw-up while daddy was feeding him. i think it was almost more upsetting for daddy than ronnie.
but i think they both enjoyed the comforting session..

we had planned on going to va beach too, to walk the boardwalk..but it was so hot, and after little ronnie's puke, i felt we should kinda cut the day short. i did get the boys these little hats to wear at the beach.
joey tried his out at the picnic..

like i said this week is already over too soon. i am glad that ron has gotten to be home when the boys are being so much fun, but i know this week starts a new semester for the academy, and another long period of time where i will hardly see ron. i'm going to miss him, and i know the boys will too..

how things have changed..

2008-09-02T04:24:00.016-04:00

i can't believe it's september. i am thrilled, i love the fall..football is back, favre is at the helm.

we can start taking more walks, because the weather is getting better,

and the boys are going to be 4 months old!!
they are moving out of 0-3 month size clothes now, and are on the way into 3-6 months. i have spent a day crying with each wardrobe change. crying because my little boys are growing so fast, but also with happiness, because every pound is a victory. we have come so far..

preemie to 3-6 months

their very first diapers to now..

things are changing so fast, and im trying to take every moment in...

i never forget how lucky i am..