Family Outings

Last weekend we were able to see Mike's parents over our fall break. What a blast we had. The girls had their first outing to a sorghum mill. They got to see how it was made and watched as the big horses turned the mill. Even though they may never remember this adventure, it was sure great to see their eyes get big watching the horses go around the circle.

Opa and Oma holding the girls as they watch the horses.

 Juliana watching the horses.

    

Sorghum cooking

 

 

Opa and Olivia

While on our adventure we stopped at a Mennonite country store. It was quite amazing. We even found little hats that fit Juliana and Olivia. It was adorable. Even daddy got in on the fun.

 Juliana in her hat.

                                                      Olivia in her hat.

 Daddy and Olivia having some fun.

 Mama and Olivia

 Daddy and Juliana

The girls also had a chance to visit their Great Grandma Grace. She is 95 years old and what an honor it was to have her hold our little ones. This is the Great Grandma Juliana is named after...Juliana Grace Colburn.

On Sunday of that same weekend I had a 5K race I was participating in.  The whole family packed up and we met some friends there. This race was the biggest race "mama" has ever been in. There were a total of 5200 people racing. It was really hot and really noisy. Surprisingly the girls did great. People would walk up to the girls and say how cute they were. It is quite funny to see that our girls are an icon everywhere we go. While Mama raced, Mike took care of the girls, feeding them and strolling them. He even managed to take pictures! What a champ! It is great to be able to work so well together in raising our children. I couldn't ask for a better husband.

 I am actually in this picture! Next to the two men in red! Can you find me? LOL

 Olivia my little bird!

 My friends Greg and Robin

 My supportive family! I love them. 

Chillin in the stroller.

After the race, we went out with some friends to eat and headed home to put the girls to bed. It was a very long day and they were little troopers around all those people.

Now, they are 30 weeks old! We are approaching our 7 month mark on November 3. I can't believe my babies are growing so quickly. Olivia sprouted her first tooth on my race day and she seems to be doing as well as Juliana. She is even taking solids! Well, not cereal. She really does not like it. I think we may surpass the cereal and continue with the food. We still have not introduced fruits to them. Although, they had applesauce for the first time and loved it. We have chosen to hold off a little while longer with fruit, making sure we adjust to the vegetables, since they are more bland. No need to rush the sugar.

 Our family.

 Olivia playing with daddy.

Our lives have definitely changed in such a great way. We are blessed to "own" these little ones. I can't express how great it is to hear them laugh and see them smile. We are now to the stage where they scream (in a good way) when we walk into their view. With all the work that it has been, no one had ever told me the real joy and happiness I would have when I became a Mama. What a pleasure to have such wonderful little girls.

Solids and Teeth!

Today the girls are 28 weeks. They are growing so unbelievably fast. I have been introducing them to solids these past few weeks and Juliana has been taking to them very well. Whenever a spoon comes to her mouth, she opens up and takes the food without any problems. Olivia on the other hand refuses it with never any intention of eating the food...ever! She will pinch her mouth shut and turn her head spreading the food from the spoon all over her face. She is clearly telling us that she does not want it. I simply don't push the issue. Every morning around 9AM I put the girls in their highchairs and make up two bottles and 2 tablespoons of baby oatmeal. I start feeding Juliana with the oatmeal and show Olivia that is "tastes yummy!" Although you wouldn't catch me eating that stuff. After trying a few bites and still being rejected, I pull out one of the bottles and give it to Olivia while I fed Juliana the cereal with the other hand. This is our routine everyday. Juliana now consumes 2 tablespoons of cereal in the morning and night. Pretty soon we will be introducing her to different vegetables. Oh, that will be fun.

2 Tbs. of Baby Oatmeal

Juliana eating the oatmeal.

Olivia refusing the oatmeal.

Olivia getting the bottle.

Juliana has been drooling a lot more and I didn't really think anything about it. She was not cranky, no fever, or anything that really would indicate that she was getting teeth. Today, when we were at church potluck, I was testing squash with Juliana. It was pureed, so I put some on my finger and put it in her mouth. She was a little unsure of the taste, but after a few times, she really liked it. Upon giving her the food with my finger, I realized there was something sharp in her mouth, well coming through her gums. I looked and sure enough, it was a tooth! It was cutting through her gum. I had no clue! She was such a well tempered baby, I never saw it coming. Olivia still has not had this new discovery, but I don't think it will be long until she does too. Hopefully she will start taking some solids before then.

 Juliana's First Tooth!!!

Juliana telling a secret to Olivia...shhh don't tell Mama.

Playtime!

I am so excited to see my little babies grow up. I never really knew how much a big deal teeth and solids were until I had children. When you have two, it is such a great achievement to see these little ones develop in a healthy way. I not only have one blessing but two! Yes, it is hard work, but it all pays off in the end.

Juliana and Olivia's First Weekend Trip

This past weekend we traveled to Douglasville, GA. Some really good friends of ours were getting married and had asked Mike and I to be a part of the music. On Friday, We packed our bags, and half the house. No, really. It felt like we packed the entire baby room. When packing the girls' clothes. I had to pack for 3 days. Three outfits for each day for two girls. That is much more than I would pack for myself! In addition to the clothes, there were burp cloths, diapers,wipes, blankets, two pack-n-plays, two bumbo chairs, two boppy pillows, bottles and formula. Along with all the girls' things we packed our two suitcases, the camera, computer bag and guitar. We really had half of the house in the back of our SUV.

On our way down, a 5 hour trip, I managed to change two diapers and bottle feed two 6 month old girls. They slept about 3 hours out of the 5. Once we arrived, we played with the girls a bit before putting them to bed. We were totally exhausted, not to forget that their daddy was terribly sick with a severe sore throat. That night the girls went to bed around 11:30PM to 12:00AM. They slept all the way until 6:30AM. At that time, I got up and nursed both and then bottle fed them. We got help from our friend Kristie the early AM. Even though the girls slept through the night, Mike and I did not. Mike's sore throat was so bad and swollen, that he was having a hard time breathing in the middle of the night. He remembered from several hours before that the IB profin helped keep the swelling down, even though it was severely painful. There was no IB profin in the house except children's Motrin. Mike ended up taking the whole bottle. Within 20 minutes he was sleeping.

The next morning, Saturday, we had breakfast and got the girls ready to go to church. They were about to have a really big day. Once we arrived we were greeted in the lobby by several friends. It was so great to see everyone. It had been so long and it made it really special to be able to share our little ones with them. After church, we dropped by the gym where I used to work. There we met up with some more friends. It again was so special to have the people that are the closest to me hold my little ones and love on them. So awesome and great memories made. That evening our friends Kristie and Ed watched our little ones as we drove to GCA for rehearsal. They were able to get a bath and spend some quality time with our friends. It was nice to be able to leave them so they could go to bed.


On Sunday, we loaded up all of our things, said our goodbyes, and drove to GCA for the wedding. When we got there, I immediately put the girls in the mother's room. Since Mike and I were working with the music, some more friends stepped in to help us again. First, it was Jeff and Kelly and then Annette and Alyssa. I don't know how we would be able to manage without their help. Once the wedding was over, we said our goodbyes again and packed up the girls and headed for home. I ended riding in the back seat the whole time. They were so tired. Once I got one baby down, the other would start crying and we did this process until it was dark. Once we were home, we fed the girls one last time and put them in their cribs for the remainder of the night. Wow, we made it! Our weekend has come to a close and now our week has begun and I feel like I have been going since last weekend. Mike is now starting to feel a little better and we hope that he will recoup soon as we need "the daddy."

So, the girls' first weekend trip was a hit. They did very well despite all the work their mother had to put into it. Now, mama needs a weekend vacation. Well, at least a warm bath and a book.

Olivia and Juliana in their dresses ready for the wedding.

Sick Part 2

Ok, so it is not just Juliana and I that are sick. Mike and Olivia are now sick. So much for keeping the germs to ourselves. The girls have been sniffling and coughing, and Mike and I are still battling the sore throats. I really pray that this will be over soon. We are making a big trip to Georgia this coming weekend and we need to be well. I have not been sleeping well because I can hear my little ones breathing hard and snoring through the monitor. It brings anxiety since I know what it feels like to not be able to breathe. Yesterday, the girls took three naps when normally they take one to two in a day. Now if only I could nap that much. :) Unfortunately, their daddy can't have that luxury. He gets to teach all day and then come home to his sick family. What a life. 

My Baby is Sick

Yesterday, I was observing Juliana. She was sneezing a lot and coughing some. I thought it might be something I had caught as I had the same thing. Sure enough, this morning we both woke up with really runny noses and coughing. The difference between the two of us is, I can blow my nose and she can't. Mike and I are on a boogie mission to see how much boogies we can suck out of her nose at one time. Poor baby. I am sure that Olivia will have it here soon, unless she has an immune system like her daddy.

 Juliana absolutely hates the boogie sucker! I would love it! Wish they made one in adult sizes. :) Her little nose is raw from wiping it. We have been using baby wipes in hopes that it would moisten her nose at the same time as wiping away the yuckiness. I really hope this passes quickly.

The one challenge that we have with twins is the sharing. They share everything, even a bottle. Now we need to keep the bottles separate. This has been a challenge since we need to remember who had what bottle last. We also have to clean the boogie sucker with alcohol so Olivia can use it too if needed. When it all comes down to it, being sick is more work for parents and is not near as fun as taking care of everyday needs.