First time on the excersaucer

Little G is interacting so much more with the world around him!  So we decided to try the exersaucer.  One night last week after the kids were in bed, we put the exersaucer together (we got a glimpse of what Christmas Eve will be like in the years to come!).  We were so excited to let Graham use it!  But lo and behold, it's WAY to big for him!!!  But his crafty momma and daddy folded up some kitchen towels and stuffed them behind him.  He is having so much fun with his new toy!  What about Kennedy, you may ask?  Well, she's developmentally a few weeks behind him since she is so much smaller.  And, she would be WAY, WAY too small for it!  She'd probably fit through one of the leg holes :)

Here's some video of Graham playing with the exersaucer...

Science Geek Alert!

Okay, time for my inner science geek to peek out a little.  :)  When I am holding these precious babies, it amazes me to think they are made of millions of tiny little cells, and each little cell has it's own important job.  The cells communicate with each other, and each one carries out hundreds of important functions every single day.  And even more amazing to me, each cell has a meter worth of DNA wound up in it, and all that DNA says "this is Kennedy" or "this is Graham."  I teach this to my students every year, and it's so cool to think of all the things that are happening in our bodies, but the MOST amazing thing to me of ALL is that- WE MADE THEM!  My DNA and Tim's DNA combined in such a unique and special way to make these wonderful little people that are so beautiful and perfect.  Ahhh, God is good.

The Superman / Rollercoaster Ride

Whenever the babies are wrapped in their blankets for naptime or nighttime sleeping, we love to watch them when it's  time to wake up. They are always ready to stretch their little arms when we undo the wrapping. We like to call it the superman or rollercoaster ride.

Happy Father's Day

To an amazing husband, a wonderful dad, and my best friend: Happy Father's Day!  I love watching you with our kids- you melt my heart.  I love you!

our happy family

Grandpa Don

Grandpa Glenn and Kennedy, Uncle Steve and Jacob, Grandpa Aubuchon and Daddy and Graham

Making daddy proud

The babies have a new favorite activity. Check out the video below.

McFatty Monday

I'm using this title and blog idea from another blog I've been reading lately.

This is a rant, so if you don't want to read it, look away now. You have been duly warned...

So a friend of mine invited the kids and I over to her neighborhood pool this week. Which sent me into panic mode as I ran upstairs to dig through my swimsuits. Never have I been a fan of swimsuits or anything that requires a suit- and that was pre-baby body! As I tried on my swimsuits and crossed my fingers that one would look decent, and then cringed as I saw myself in the mirror, I began to slip into a funk. UGH! I can (somewhat) deal with not fitting into my normal clothes yet. And I am being proactive by working out 7 days a week, letting Jillian Michaels kick my butt, and sweating, sweating, sweating it all away in my basement between baby catnaps and screaming fussy fits. Thinking about going back to work with a very diminished wardrobe makes me nervous, to say the least. Watching the calendar slip closer towards August makes me anxious about what I'm going to wear- the jeans and t-shirts of my summer wardrobe are not appropriate for teaching!

GRRR. So frustrated. And NOT looking forward to the swimming pool tomorrow. Visions of kids crying and running away in terror... But I hope the babies have fun! We already talked about no peeing in the pool.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today Tim turned the big 30! The babies were ready to wish him a very Happy Birthday!

In case you can't see it... Graham's shirt says "Daddy's Biggest Fan" and Kennedy's shirt says "Daddy's Girl"

It's the Little Things

Dear Kennedy and Graham,
It all the little things about you that make me love you so much:

I love the way your eyelashes flutter in your sleep.
I love the way you smile at me- a huge, gummy smile that lights up your whole face.
I love how patient you are with me.
I love rocking you to sleep, holding your precious body in my arms.
I love the smell of your forehead after you get a bath- that new baby smell that I just can't get enough of!
I love your tiny ears.
I love listening to you breathe while you sleep.
I love your pudgy hands, the little dimples where your knuckles are.
I love how you rest your head on my chest, so content for the moment.
I love how when I hold you, your little fingers flutter over my skin like little butterflies.
I love when you yawn and your little lips make an "0"
I love to tickle your little belly.
I love your chubby cheeks and could kiss them a million times.
I love hearing you coo at Daddy and me- when you do that all is right in the world because you are happy.
I love kissing your little toes, they are so perfect!
I love watching you sleep, taking your little baby breaths and sighing so contentedly.

And for so many other reasons, you are the light of my world. It's amazing in such a little time I have fallen head over heels for you. I can't wait for you to get bigger and to meet the amazing people you will become, but I am loving the time I have with you when you are so little and need me so much.

Love you so much,
Mommy

3 Months Old!

On Wednesday, June 9 Kennedy and Graham turned 3 months old. Holy cow!

Catching Up

There are a ton of adorable pictures we have that I haven't had a chance to post yet. So today while the babies take a much needed nap, I'm playing catch up. There is no theme here, besides the most adorable Kennedy and Graham :)

enjoying some time in the Bumpo chairs!

"What did you say, Dad?"

Manicure time

Tummy time- Graham isn't too happy about it.

Just so stinkin' cute!

Big smiles for Daddy!

I'm in LOVE with our Pediatric GI!

Okay, keep your fingers crossed. Since Friday Graham has seemed to be better during bottle time...

Our visit to the Ped GI was fantastic. When he walked in the office, he told me to take it from the beginning. He asked me questions, and let me ask him questions, too. I was honest with him and said he was our second opinion because I wasn't satisfied with the first. I love that he talked to me like an intelligent human and talked about medical studies in regard to reflux and babies. He told me it sounded like we were waging a full out war on Graham's reflux- of course we are! My baby is hurting and we need to fix it. So after explaining our full barrage, he made a few changes. Instead of giving him his medicine right before his bottle, which is what we had been doing per the first dr's instructions, we are giving them an hour or so before his bottle. The GI said the meds need time to work and shut down the pumps that produce the acid (okay, the science geek in me totally loves this explanation!). Another reason I love him is that he wants to wait to make sure this isn't the problem before he does a ton of tests on G AND he wants to do a follow up visit. The other GI didn't bother with a follow up...

So with bated breath, we have been making the changes and praying they work. I have about everything crossed that you can think of. He still gets fussy, but after all he is a baby!

And Kennedy continues to be my patient, sweet baby girl. She waits while I feed Graham and just looks at me with her beautiful brown eyes and adorable little smile, chubby cheeks you could kiss on all day. Sometimes she sticks her tongue out like she's teasing me, until it's her turn to eat. :)

Reflux Frustrations

Poor baby Graham! He just keeps battling with his Gastric Reflux. Almost three weeks ago he went to see a pediatric Gastrointerologist (we actually saw the Nurse Practitioner) and they increased his dosage of Prilosec. About a week later, Tim and I agreed it wasn't helping so we called back and they put us on a new formula- this is his fourth formula after we nixed the breast milk... Alimentum by Similac- the premixed kind. $9 a bottle and he would go through a bottle a day. Totally worth it if it helped him eat and grow strong and be happy BUT- after trying it for a few days he got worse!! My poor baby started screaming after less than half an ounce and sometimes we couldn't even get him to drink any more than that. So, Tim and I made an executive decision and took him off the newest formula (which the nurse practitioner said all GER babies did really well on- really?) So Tim called the office on Tuesday and requested an appointment with the actual doctor this time. He described Graham's feedings and how he literally screams through them, and their response was "it's his reflux acting up." REALLY?!?! I pay you lots of money for you to tell me that?!? I didn't go to med school, and even I knew that!!!!

The last straw was Tuesday evening while Tim fed him his 5:00 bottle- he screamed and cried and got sweaty and screamed and cried... you get the idea. His eyes were full of such pain and he looked so sad and scared, it broke my heart. This has been such a long, sad experience with his reflux, but that moment was by far the most painful for me. It is such torture watching your baby suffer so much, and there is nothing you can do about it!!! We have heard from so many people "it gets better around 4 months" and while we appreciate such supportive advice... it's hard to think that far ahead when I'm not sure how much he'll eat at his next bottle.

We have an appointment with another pediatric GI on Friday, here's to hoping he'll have a better answer than what we've gotten so far. And even though Kennedy was diagnosed with GER, hers doesn't seem to be nearly as bad (knock on wood!!)