Juliana and Olivia's First Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year, we decided to go to Uncle Doug's and Aunt Anika's home in Catalua, GA. The trip for us would be a total of 6 1/2 hours one way. We started off at about 3:00PM on Tuesday and arrived at our location at 11:30PM. We ended up stopping for a bit to visit with a friend and pick up an item we left at their home the last time we visited. We arriving at J+O's uncle's home (Mike's brother), the girls were wide awake. We ended up staying up letting them play for about another hour.

The next morning, Wednesday, we spent the day relaxing and getting settled. Mama went for a 4 mile run without the girls while daddy entertained them for awhile. When the evening came around, Juliana and Olivia's cousins, McMillen (10) and McKinnon (8), spent the time holding the girls and feeding them. The rest of the family arrived shortly after putting the girls to bed. Oma and Opa, Uncle Dave and Aunt Marlene and Elliott. There was quite a houseful and a lot of noise. Mike and I were really surprised on how good our girls were. We knew they could sleep through noise, but it was definitely proven on this trip. We were very proud of them.

 

McKinnon with Olivia

 

McMillen with Juliana

 

Cousin Elliott

On Thanksgiving day, Aunt Nik and Mama ran 2 miles in the morning. It was so nice to get out in the fresh air and prepare for the day ahead of us. Lots of food! The girls were spread out on a blanket with a toy. They actually did really well with sitting up. We have been trying to practice this for several weeks, but the girls would refuse to sit up. They wanted to lay down. Not on Thanksgiving! They wanted to sit. That is a huge step for our little ones. As the girls played on the floor, Uncle Doug was giving motorcycle rides to Oma, Uncle Dave, and the boys. When Uncle Dave got back from his ride, he tossed a football around with Daddy and cousin McMillen. Oh what fun everyone had!

 

Olivia

 

Uncle Doug with Cousin Kinnon

Uncle Doug and Oma

When Friday came around everyone had their fill of excitement and it was time to wind down. Some went shopping, others stayed behind doing homework, kitchen work, or taking a nap. That evening the family gathered in the living room to practice for the church service that we were putting on. This is when it became rough for Juliana and Olivia. They wanted to stay up but they were so tired. They were completely off schedule and were crying. We felt so bad for them, but eventually they gave up and let us put them to bed.

Saturday was nice, we went to Sabbath School, which consisted of mostly the Colburn kids. Juliana, Olivia, and Elliott (2). We had a fun time singing songs, but it wasn't long before the girls were taking a cat nap. After performing the church service, we went back to Doug and Anika's for lunch. The girls went down right away and slept for 2 1/2 hours. I think they were really tired and needed the sleep. That evening, we celebrated Christmas. Juliana and Olivia had to go first since we were putting them to bed right away. They received so many precious gifts. They were very excited to receive their very own cell phones. No, not real ones, but the toy kind. Juliana and Olivia have been playing with them for about 3 days straight. They love that they can be like Mama and talk on the phone.

 Olivia in Sabbath School

 Juliana in Sabbath School

Mama and Olivia

 Olivia

 Olivia and Juliana

Great things come in small packages!

Sunday came in a flash and it was time to go home. We ended up getting home around 8:30PM. We changed the girls into their PJs and fed them a bottle. They went to sleep really fast and slept really well. Overall, it was a really good trip and the girls did an excellent job traveling. Our next big trip is to Michigan for Christmas. It will take us 10 1/2 hours. This will be interesting, but the girls look forward to meeting their Grandpa and Grandma for the first time. It will be fun.

A Special Sabbath with Daddy

What a wonderful day we had Saturday at church. Since we had Adventist Education Week at school Mike was able to preach at Kingsport SDA Church on Adventist Education. What an amazing job he did. It was a great message. We are very proud of daddy. Juliana and Olivia were great little girls. They were held by some friends and didn't cry or make very many sounds at all, which is great since we were near the front row. I have been so amazed, along with many others on how well behaved my children are. I only pray that this will continue as they grow up.

 

After the service we had a Thanksgiving feast at the church. There were so many amazing things to eat. Olivia and I had a good time eating sweet potatoes. Right now, both girls take after their Mama with liking sweet potatoes and squash. Daddy is not one for it. :) Olivia sat there and let me feed her but the moment I turned my head, she had both hands in the sweet potatoes and smearing it all over the table. I only had to laugh and try to wipe her clean. I actually love watching my girls experience new textures. Exploring is part of learning in my mind. I can see that my girls are going to be kinesthetic learners, I hope they will develop other learning skills as well.

In the evening, we decided to relax as a family. I was actually trying to get rid of tonsillitis. While we lay on the couch, we had the girls watch a "Baby Einstein" dvd. I was really impressed with this video on "First Sounds". It used several different languages describing objects. I loved the exposure. It even uses classical music through the whole dvd and many colors. I was really impressed. After our dvd, it was time for the girls to go to bed. So, bed, bottle, and snuggle time (Mama's favorite time). Sometimes our girls won't fall asleep with their last bottle, so after they finish we lay them in their beds and hand them a little toy. They quietly play and fall asleep in no time. We usually have to give them something to play with otherwise they will cry and keep each other up. Which is not fun for their parents. :)

Not much has gone on in these past couple weeks, but we look forward to our Thanksgiving at Uncle Doug's and Aunt Nik's house. We will be traveling in a car for 6 hours one way....this should be fun.

Our family wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving. We are thankful for you.

7 Month Check Up and More

On November 5, the girls went to the doctor for their 7 month check up. When we got there, I undressed Olivia first and took her to the scale. Baby girl weighed in at 16 pounds even and 26 inches long. Juliana was then weighed in and she was 16 pounds also and 25 3/4 inches long. As the doctor's visit progressed I was told that my baby girls were really healthy and growing well. I decided to ask the doctor about feeding solids to the girls. He told me that the schedule I had them on was really good, as long as they were getting a least 32 ounces a day. It is sad to say that I have quit breast-feeding the girls as of a week and a half ago. I was not producing very much and it became more work then benefit. I will be honest to everyone and say I took it hard. It was the one thing I felt that connected me to my children that no other woman or man could do. I have now, since then, come to realize that there are more things in my girls' lives that I will be able to do that no one else can. I breast fed them for their first 6 months and am proud I made it that far. I love my girls very much and will do everything in my power to be there for them when they need me.

On the topic of movement, Juliana and Olivia have been progressing very well. Juliana still stays in one place but will roll over often. Olivia on the other hand has discovered she can roll to any toy that is out of her reach. I placed her on the floor this morning while I gave Juliana her bath. When I came out to the living room, she had rolled off her boppy and made her way off the carpet and on to the wood floor where she laid there kicking her feet holding a toy. I don't think it will be long before she is crawling and then we will start having fun.

Olivia

Mama and Juliana

 




This past weekend Juli and Livi experienced their first snow. We woke up Saturday morning to giant snowflakes falling from the sky. We put hats on the girls and took them briefly out in the snow. Juliana tried to touch them and Olivia didn't like how cold they were. We hope that someday soon they will get to put their hands and feet in it and make a snowman. (Well, I guess the snowman will come later when they can walk.) Well, life as you have seen as been good and the girls are healthy. As I have mentioned many times before, we are blessed to have these little packages of joy.

Olivia not enjoying the cold.

Olivia not sure about the snowflakes.

Juliana in the snow.

Juliana clinging to Mama.

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.