Tag: milestones

Twins: 11 Months

Nope. There is NO WAY the twins are 11 months old. Right?

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Oh, Ava and Isla. You are both so beautiful, so full of life and love. You turning 11 months is bittersweet. Mama and Daddy are going to miss the baby stage.

Baby B, let’s start with some fun facts about you. Isla. IJ. Joy Joy. You know your name. And even more, you know NO and how to giggle just right when you’re about to get in trouble.

You’re standing without assistance. This is a bug out because you are the smallest in weight (about 15 pounds). You use your teeth to actually eat. Less milk (boo!) and more things like fruit and crackers. (By the way, you’re getting two more top teeth and haven’t bit Mama in awhile. Thank you!)

As for words…you’ve got your own way of telling us what you want (or don’t like bye Boob!). You think the dogs are kittens but you do know “dow” and “dee” are your buddies. And smart?!?!? For the love!!! You took a stuffed elephant and pointed to your wall ellie and said that. How awesome.

And you love all of us so very much even though you appear to be the most independent of all four kiddos. (You’ve gotten very used to “solitary confinement” for wrestling your sissy!)

And Baby A….our Ava. Gracie. So loving. You are our smiler. A tiny dimple that shows pretty much 24/7. Somehow, we worked together to bring you up to almost 16 pounds! No more 1%ile. You love eating (and always have)…now it’s catching up. I could kiss your tiny baby rolls all day long.

You prefer army crawling and pilates to most other movement, but you aren’t far behind Isla. Speaking of movement, when you get super happy about things, you thrust and giggle. It’s clear you are content!

As for words, you’ve honed in on some favorites (Daddy, Mom, eat) and have a few baby signs that you taught yourself (mostly milk and pouch). You’re a fan of all foods, but get outta your way if there is mama milk or yogurt puffs to be had. “Ing!”, you scream.

Girls. In the last 11 months, you’ve changed and grown so much. What felt like forever waiting for you has turned into a long nap and boom it’s time to plan your 1st birthday party. How?

10 Months

The twins are 10 months old. This is impossible, right?

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Right.

Or no. They seriously are 10 months old.

Since we last checked in, both are actively crawling and climbing. Isla’s favorite thing to crawl on is Ava. While wrestling. Her bully instinct hasn’t changed.

Isla got three (more) teeth that have popped through her top gums and Ava is getting two if not four.

Both have their own vocabulary, and Ava likes to sign. She’s got milk down pat and a few other signs that we aren’t really sure what they are for, but they are definitely intentional.

10 months. Crazy and amazing!

First Tooth Lost

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Remember yesterday when I was all “it can’t get any more real”? Well it does! Arianna lost her first tooth (and Ava is still toothless). The award for the first tooth lost goes to our oldest!

How did it happen? The tooth has been wiggling for about a month. She proudly pulled it at the urging of her friends during flex time in at school yesterday.

Where did she put the tooth? In an envelope from her teacher then in a Boyd’s Bears Tooth Fairy bear that Aunt Wink gave her (at my baby shower almost 8 years ago!). The bear went to bed beside her.

What did she get? A note with glitter (aka mom’s Younique eyeshadow because she can’t find her embosser) and a quarter. We have four kids, so 80 teeth (or so) would be kinda ‘spensive.

Yay to the first tooth lost, Arianna! Our girlie is growing up way too fast.

When did YOU lose your first tooth? How? Comment below, or share your cute kiddo story.

Xoxo

9 Months

It can’t get any more real than this, can it? My babies are 9 months old. (Hint, it can. And it does. Just wait for tomorrow…)

While this picture it’s pinterestperfect, it’s pretty darn spectacular. Ava and Isla are both sitting up, crawling, babbling (primarily in their twin code), and eating anything they can get their hands on. I can tell all of that just from the photo (see Isla’s red knee?) Just ignore the baby food on the carpet and Ava’s socks. 😉 

9 months

 

But…what you might not be able to tell from my angle is that Isla is 1.5 inches taller than Ava and has a larger head. Ava, the dear one who gave us so many worries with her weight, weighs about half a pound more than Isla. Both continue to be small for their age, growing on their own curve, but growing. As twins, and Willis’ kids, tend to do.

Both Greg and I are pretty impressed with our girls. Unfortunately, Arianna beat them all at the walking thing, but they still have four months to go before they are the age Evan walked (13 months). Anyone want to guess who might be first? Or how soon? I’ll just be over here not thinking about the fact that college is basically right around the corner, mmmkay? 

Seriously though, I have to thank all of you for your prayers, love and support as these two grew (both inside and out). I’m constantly amazed at how awesome they are…and am still pinching myself that they’re ours. xoxo

38 Weeks: The Outside Version

The twins have now been on the outside for longer than they were inside.

It’s incredible to think about how quickly they have grown and become two amazing blessings. Time’s flown so much that I’m not sure I’ve shared with you that…

Ava…

  • Has started to crawl. She still prefers belly rolls and army crawls to anything else.
  • Said her first word, Isla, a few weeks back.
  • Weighs more than Isla (what?).
  • Is still attached to her (self-named) “Neeny” (aka “LaLa”). So much so that it stinks and when we wash it and try to trick her with Isla’s giraffe, she gets upset. It’s starting to come apart, so a new one is in order. Wish us luck.
  • Is wearing 9 month clothes.
  • Is still the quiet one (are we surprised).

Isla…

  • Needs baby gates. She is crawling all over and has been known to do down dogs. The day of pulling herself up is fast approaching.
  • Says lots of words, but still prefers Dada to any other word. Especially when Mama is mean and is paying attention to that other baby.
  • Tries to get into Ava’s crib. Or at the least, pull her blankets and toys off of her.
  • Is wearing 9 month clothes.
  • Squawks. We’re not sure if she is part dinosaur, seagull, or parrot, but she’s s squawker.

Thirty-eight weeks. I can’t even comprehend it. It’s about time to start planning their first birthday party, huh? Sigh. They warned me this would happen, but even as a third-time mom, I didn’t believe them.

Happy 38 weeks (plus a few days), girls. xoxo

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28 Weeks, Already?

This week simply flew by. Probably doubly as fast as the last 28 Weeks have because…

Vacation.

Teething. Ouch.

First cold.

Another first cold. Passing germs is fun.

Clearly having outgrown all their newborn and 0 to 3 clothes.

First time not being able to keep up with the cloth diapers (see teething).

And it is already almost the 29 week mark. Where is time going?

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20 Weeks of Liquid Gold

Well, we aren’t done but it was finally time to give in. The twins and I proudly made it to 20 weeks of liquid gold. They were exclusively breastfed for 20 beautiful weeks. Yesterday morning, that had to change per the pediatrician’s advice.

I know there are many of you who wish you were able to say you had the chance to do what I did and that I should be thankful. I get that. Trust me. I know several people who desperately want kids and can’t and yet here I am complaining about “having to give formula” to my third and fourth kids at 20 weeks. Or maybe you really wanted to bond with your babies like I have but didn’t have the supply or ability to do so. I get that hearing complaints like that hurt. I get that I am “lucky”.

Catching up...the #lilburghers #twins are 20 weeks. #milestones

But here’s the thing. I am also very passionate about my kids. All four of them. I want to be able to give them the best, and in turn, I’ve sacrificed quite a few things to make that happen. Like my body and my schedule. I focused and have dedicated so much in the past 12 months to giving my all, 110%, to making sure the twins had every single thing they needed. So forgive me if I say some things that sting — because I’m hurting right now, too.

I cried the whole time Ava sucked down that first tiny bottle of formula yesterday morning. The tears were hot, but deep down I knew I was doing the right thing for my sweetie. She’s not gaining weight like she needs to because I am not giving her fatty milk.

This is what is for the best, I have to convince myself of that every single minute of the day. I haven’t failed, but it doesn’t take away my sadness. The thing is, when you make something your all, it really hurts when you don’t make your goals or are told you’re not doing enough. But I have to move past that and not let this get the best of me.

If you are of the praying kind, I could use a few. This week, I also stopped claiming my post-partum anxiety, so that means I am trying hard to naturally calm my nerves through breathing, prayer, and rest instead of medication.

And guess what? Even though I am anxious about the next 20+ weeks of our journey, it’s still going to be a breastfeeding journey. We’ll still have our morning, late afternoon, evening, and night sessions, just with a little extra mama milk or formula. My girlies need to grow. Just because I had to give the girls supplemental formula for the first time (20 weeks + 1 day) does not mean that I failed. It’s just (as Michelle told me) another way to buy the peaches.

Bonus? I realized that Evan nursed for 6.5 months before I had to give him formula. I was able to feed two babies for 20 weeks (40 weeks total if you x it by 2), so that’s a huge win. Mama’s got this, right?

What is something you have struggled with lately? How are you looking to overcome the fear and anxiety of failure and turn it around? 

Ari Rides Her Bike

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It’s official. Our big girl is riding her bike without training wheels. Greg shared a video, “Ari Rides Her Bike” on YouTube the night that she did it. Ever since then (Thursday), she’s been riding all over the place like a champ.

Thank you, Kohls, for giving Greg and Arianna this #YesMoment this summer. They set a goal and you helped them achieve it. It really means a lot to us that you care about loyalty!

Sister’s Day 2015

This year Sister’s Day also happens to be Ava and Isla’s 4 month birthday.

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Not too much has changed since they turned three months, except maybe more smiles and laughs, some more rolling over, and the knowledge of each other.

Yup, in time for Sister’s Day, the twins realized the other baby isn’t a mirror or a playdate. She’s her sister. Ava, especially, has a thing for wanting to love on Isla and “talk” to her. I hope this never changes.

I wasn’t blessed with a blood sister, but am pretty glad my kids have their sisters. The sisters given to me by marriage and choice are pretty awesome, but there has to be something nice about growing up with a sister. While not all siblings I know get along as adults, it still won’t change that bond.

Girls, happy 4 months and Sister’s Day!