Me, TX State Fair, Halloween, 9 Month Stats...

Texas State Fair
This year we took E to the Texas State Fair for the first time. Her school gave away free tickets and a day off, so to the Fair we went. I am not so good with the rides, so the twins and I mostly watched and took pictures. She rode some of the rides (with her Papa) and played a few games, but was pretty overwhelmed by it all. But the next day she was asking to go back, so I think next year she will enjoy it a little bit more.

Halloween
For Halloween, my sister-in-law landed us a butterfly outfit for M and a bumble bee outfit for F. We thought it would be super cute if E went as a flower, and she was agreeable to the idea, until she saw M's costume. Then she wanted to be a butterfly too. No problem! She was a beautiful Purple Butterfly! We had some fabulously fantastic bugs for Trick or Treat Night! :-)

9 Month Stats
M and F went in for their 9 month check up this month. F weighs 18.12 pounds and is 29 1/2 inches long. M weighs 18.04 pounds and is 29 1/4 inches long. They are basically the same weight and height, but they are not built the same. You would swear that M was way bigger and heavier than F. She is a well built little girl! :-)

M can sit up and stay that way for quite a while. She likes it. F, on the other hand, is Greatly Offended at the THOUGHT of sitting, and will promptly throw himself backwards if you try to sit him up. He is just lazy, and prefers to lay down and roll around to whatever it is he is wanting to see or get to.

M has attempted to crawl a few times, and is dangerously close to completing it. Again, F is just not interested.

They have both cut two teeth on the bottom. M's two came in crooked! :-P
They are both gradually getting more hair.
They both babble a bit, and I'm am working on getting them to say Mama :-) F will say it, but I think it is just part of his babble.

They are still very good babies, and very happy the majority of the time...Thank you Jesus!!!

Me
Well, to say I have been 'under the weather' for the past 2 months is putting it mildly. I've been depressed...I guess I'm still working on that too. I have some really good days, but then I have a few bad ones. I'm getting better now, or at least I think I am...

I had to go and see my hematologist again. One of my last tests in August came back too low/bad. After meeting with the doctor, the game plan for me going forward will be taking low dose aspirin every day; and not to sit for long car rides or plane rides. I'll take this over being on coumadin again! Basically, I am trying to avoid situations that would cause me to throw another clot, because evidently, now I am susceptible to them.
{sigh}

Also going on, I have been fighting really bad vertigo with headaches and nausea...and general exhaustion. At first I thought it was side effects to the different meds I had been taking, or possibly a sinus infection. But after a while, I began to wonder if something was really wrong....jury is still out on the final verdict. I have, however, now acquired reading glasses to help with the headaches / eye strain. I have switched the time I take some of my medication, and changed out others altogether. The next doctor visit is looking like an ENT....and then maybe a dermatologist....I -have- met my deductible for the year, so I may as well get everything checked out before January 1st!

And October was Awful in Texas, weather-wise. It was cloudy and dreary or raining at least 3 weeks of the month....I'm seriously Sun Deprived. This proves I could never live in Buffalo (sorry Kimmy....just give in and move here!).

I'm happy with my kids and my hubby, but just not quite happy with me yet. I'm working on it, and getting there, but not quite there yet. I know I will be back to my sarcastic funny self soon enough, but in the mean time, keep me in your thought and prayers.

For now, I will end by giving you happy baby pictures and a few videos! :) And yes, the videos are not high quality....we need to get a new video camera....maybe Santa will bring us one ;-)

Love to all,
Cherise

Where does all the time go...

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything. These kids sure do keep me busy! :)

So we packed up the kids and headed to Arkansas for the July 4th holiday with Memaw and Paw. Also Aunt Marcy and Uncle Taim were there so we were able to finally meet our newest cousin Madeline, Lucas' little sister. And we got to show off M & F to Aunt Marcy's crew :)

We tried to watch some fireworks that weekend, but E does not like loud noises. She likes the lights, but she has to have her ears covered to enjoy it. :)

Later in the evening I started showing my age...the house behind Memaw's sits in a cul de sac and around 10:00 pm, they were shooting off fireworks that were SO LOUD...I lost my temper....we had 3 infants and 2 toddlers trying to sleep. When the firecrackers started hitting the house, I went into Memaw's room and told her she should probably call the cops before I started walking around the block to perform some violence (I know what you are thinking: "{gasp!} No! Not you Cherise!")

Yup. That was me. Well she did in fact call...they told her they had had more than one complaint in that area. But God still loved me despite my temper tantrum....so He rained on them, and then it was all quiet. However, the storm did eventually wake up E with nightmares...she and the hubby spent some quality time in the recliner in the front room while trying to reassure her it was all okay.

{sigh}
Anyway...

E is really starting to swim more and more on her own. The hubby has worked miracles with her this summer! She will actually jump in from the side of the pool without any type of flotation device and swim to you; and then turn around and swim back so she can do it all over again!! We are very happy at her progress! There is a short little (very grainy) movie clip of E swimming back and forth to Papa.

She is also practicing writing. They are teaching her to write the letters of the alphabet at school, and she will come home and ask us to write out words, like "Mama" and "Papa" and then go off and write them herself. One day she surprised me with writing these out ON HER OWN without me having written them first for her to use as an example!!!! She wrote Papa as Popo and Mama she wrote as Momo, but backwards....still!! We are just so excited for her! She just seems so eager to learn! She does write stuff backwards a lot, but we are told that is normal for her age. Still! Pretty Cool!

The twins, M & F, are both rolling over now. F is -way- better at rolling from his front to his back than M is, but every now and then, they both end up stuck on their tummies, WAILING for someone to come and save them from the blanket or carpet or what ever toy is under them. But they are getting better and better.

M just loves her toes, and with all this Texas heat, we have taken to letting them go sock-less...they both find this to be rather enjoyable. :)

They are both eating cereal 2-3 times a day. M is very vocal with her eating...she likes to make yummy noises and hums and coos while eating. F is still trying to figure the whole spoon thing out, but is starting to get the hang of it with each passing meal. They will be starting green veggies very soon! Green Beans! Yay! Come on people....show some support here.....YAY!!! Thank you.

Also they are really starting to recognize each other. It is like they see each other and after a few seconds, they get very excited, like they are thinking "Holy Cow! Short People!" HA! I laugh my butt off when this occurs. There is a lot of very excited leg and arm gestures and wide eyes and smiles and laughing and cooing between them. We keep trying to get it on video, but have not succeeded yet. They get distracted by the camera and turn their attention to it instead of each other.

As for me, No More Coumadin! I am officially eating spinach and drinkin' beer people!!! Very happy to be doing so! My very last test will be in Aug and will be a blood draw to make sure that everything is still ok, sans coumadin. So happy that is all over! Whew!

The twins had their 6 Month Blue Chair pictures taken this month. Those are below for all to see!

And on a strange note, a Cicada Killer Wasp decided she wanted to inspect what I was doing one afternoon. And Yes, upon hearing the sound of what I can only describe as a helicopter buzzing around my head, I ran screaming like the little girl I am.

I was cleaning out our game room to prep it for the complete overhaul we are having done, and the door was open to make all the trips to the trash cans easier. She came in, snooping around. I ran out screaming, and slammed the door. Got the hubby. He saw nothing. The next morning, he found her in his office (next door to the game room) on the ceiling. A quick smack with a fly swatter knocked her 'loopy' long enough for us to put her in a mason jar. He then went and looked her up on the internet and found out she was a Cicada Killer.

We had friends coming over for swimming and lunch, so we saved her to show them. Their son is collecting bugs, so he suggested we put the jar in the freezer to kill her with out having to open the jar again. Done! But check out that stinger!!! Dude! I'm so glad I got the hell outta there :) The picture is of her in a mason jar lid.

I do feel bad for the cicada's ... but that is the circle of life, I suppose.
Everything in Moderation. Bugs, Beer and Spinach :)

Love to you all,
Cherise

Baptism, Friends and Potty Training Updates...

This past weekend we had the Twins (M & F) baptized at St. Joseph Catholic Church. It was a great event! We had asked two sets of our friends to be godparents and they graciously agreed! It was a beautiful ceremony, and the twins were great! They were not freaked out by the water or anything...the priest was a little concerned when we asked him to hold both of them for a picture, but he mustered up the courage and complied :)

Our friends from St. Louis came in with their crew and we had a great weekend with them, cooking out and swimming. The hubby commented that any reservation he had about the return on investment on installing a pool was completely washed away with this visit.....their kids wanted to stay in the pool morning, noon and night! :) Glad I talked him into a house with a pool! HA!

The twins are moving around a little more everyday. They have both discovered their hands....and (unfortunately) how yummy their own fingers are ... especially to suck on.....LOUDLY. We have started calling M "Col. Sanders" when she starts to slurp loudly on her hands ('cuz she's "finger lickin'")....which we immediately remove and try to substitute with a binky. Sometimes it works, other times not so much. They have both started 'trying' to roll over....they end up on their sides, but have not completed the roll as of this post. But they are VERY close to doing it!

E is very close to being what we would consider 'completely' potty trained. She has even started to let us know when she has to poop....which is a REALLY big deal.....we were not making any progress on that front, but the hubby worked his magic, and now she let's us know so we can scoop her up and run to the potty. She even gets out of the pool to go 'pee pee on the potty'.....which is really funny, cuz I snatch her out of her suit -before- I run with her into the Air Conditioned House to go potty....yes, that's right: she is streakin' at age three! :)

Speaking of swimming, we have been doing a lot of that this year also. E has decided that the latest flotation device we purchased for her is 'acceptable'. This is like number 5 or something, but she Loves It! So she is all about swimming this year. And she insists on floating around without you holding on to her. She will even Jump Into The Pool!! She has figured out that when she kicks her feet she does, in fact, move. Yes, it is true. We were not lying to her about all that. :) So we are hopeful that this summer when we sign her up for swimming lessons, it will take this time! [said while crossing fingers and saying a little prayer]

The twins have turned 5 months and I'm attaching the 5 Month Blue Chair pictures to this post. They both are getting better at sitting up in the chair, and don't fall over as fast. They are babbling and smiling and drooling and in general, lovin' life!

And finally, I cut my hair short. The twins kept grabbing it and trying to basically snatch me bald...so I gave in to the scissors. When E saw it, she stared at me for a very long time. Then this exchange occurred:

E: "What happened to your hair?"
Me: "I got it cut. Do you like it?"
E: "Why?"
Me: "Because the babies kept pulling it. Do you like it?"
E: "...{staring blankly at me}
Me: "Well? Do you like it?"
E: "You look funny."
Me: "Thanks."

Love to all,
Cherise