Its official!

I always knew that where there were babies there was a lot of "stuff" but this is just crazy! I'm sure having two makes it a little more crazy, but still. Wow! We have been taken over by babies! A friend of mine, Erin, said it looks like Babies R Us in our house :O)

Our entertainment center...well, was OUR entertainment center. Now, a lot of times you can't even change the station because the swings are blocking the cable box. The little basket to the left of the tv holds burp cloths. Under the tv is all their cardboard books, and the drawer under the books is full of toys. The floor is covered in play mats and toys, a bumbo, and a bouncy chair (usually 2 bouncy chairs) even.

Our kitchen has been effected too. Bottles, bottles, and more bottles. Not to mention the formula and rice cereal. Poor Einstein the fish doesn't have much of a view any longer.

Our dining room is the only space we have to put Hannah and Hailey's car seats when not in use. I never knew a car seat could take up so much room. Oh, and the 2nd diaper bag, its amazing how much stuff you have to take with you when leaving the house.
We have even had to tuck the sling behind the recliner and couch because we don't have room in the living room. Oh, the rest of their books are back there too.

The 2nd swing, actually both swings. Hailey loves this one because there are jungle animals hanging above it. Now the brown swing, at the moment has the boppy, the wipes and the backpack baby holder thing.

And then there is Hannah in the jumperoo. The poor love seat has been pushed back as close to the window as we can get it with still allowing room for the little cat tree we have for Bella and Milo. So the jumperoo is pretty much in the middle of the room. With no place else to go.

Even though we have a lot of things for our little girls, I feel so very blessed to have all of this. Most of it was lent to us by great friends and family. Ami, my best friend, has lent us almost everything. One of the swings, the jungle, a bouncy chair, the sling, toys, and tons and tons of clothes for these little girls.

Thanks everyone!

Mom help!

This picture makes me laugh! I know I shouldn't but I can't help it. Lol!

Hannah seems to get stuck in their jumper. She can be fine jumping and playing with the toys on top on minuet, and the next she is screaming. Its not because she is tired of bouncing...its because she is stuck.

Again, I know I shouldn't laugh but she is just so darn cute :O)

Shades!

The girls got to go outside today. It was so nice, that despite how tired mommy was and how bad her head hurt, we went outside.

This was the first time the girls have had their sunglasses on. Thank goodness it wasn't a big fight because, even if they don't like it, they are going to have to wear them a lot this summer.

Hailey wasn't to sure about them at first but got over it really quick and was smiling after a very short time.

It took Hannah a little longer to get use to them.

Both the girls in their stylin' shades :O) Aren't they just the cutest things you've ever seen!

Sunshine!

Friday afternoon was beautiful! While Hannah was taking a nap, we took Hailey outside to enjoy some of the beautiful, few and far between, moments of warm sun.

I think she liked it :O)

Hannah loves her mush

Hannah, on her 4 month birthday, eating sweet potatos :O)

Even at 4 months, she is very ready to eat solids :O)

Guess who else is 4 months old?

Hannah banana, that's who!

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Just like sister, Hannah has been growing like crazy! From the day she was born, she watches everything and everyone. And is ok with just sitting back and relaxing.

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She is such a strong little girl and loves to show off how well she holds up her head! She gets better at it every day too :O) One of the new things Hannah likes to do is sit while I'm holding her hands helping her sit. Because of possible teething, she also likes to suck on my finger while sitting up.

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We gave Hannah some rice cereal on Feb 23rd while we were in Spokane at Grandmother and Grandpadad's. She knew exactly what to do. And she loves it! She has decided that when we put sweet potatoes in with the rice it is soooo much better. Hannah knows when we put her in the high chair, and the bib on, that she will be getting "mush" as Jake calls it. It makes her a very happy girl!

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We put Hannah in the bumbo near the end of February. And even though Hannah loves to hold her head up on her own, really didn't like the bumbo. Not sure why, but she doesn't. Oh well. Maybe she will later this month.

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We were so excited when she slept 7 hours in one stretch on the 2nd of March. And then...she slept 9 hours on the 6th!!! Yep, our little Hannah who I thought would never sleep more than 4 or 5 hours, slept for 9 hours! But I kept waking up, thinking both girls were waking up too. I think I checked on Hannah 3 or 4 times that night. Thankfully, she likes to sleep about 7 to 8 hours on average every night.

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Lets go back a day or to though, to the 4th of March. Hannah woke up at 4:30am for a bottle. Normally she goes right back to sleep. But not this night, she had decided she didn't want to go back to sleep. At 4:30am, I was absolutely exhausted. Not wanting to put Hannah back in bed only to wake up sister, I put her under the "jungle" and turned on the lights. Hannah had so much fun playing, and laughing, and squealing, and wiggling, that mommy really didn't mind being up that early. Hannah loves the jungle very much. A lot of times she wiggles her little bum so much that she wiggles right off the edge of the mat. About an hour later Hannah was tired and we all went back to bed.

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Daddy got to hear Hannah laugh for the first time on the 7th while they were getting ready for a bath. Daddy holds both of her hands, gets his face really close to hers, and they both wiggle. It was really cute :O)

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One thing that I can't decide if I'm excited about or not...Hannah has found her thumbs! Not that she really knows what to do with them, but once in a while she gets just a thumb in her mouth and she tries to suck on it. Binky...thumb...not sure if it really matters. She still likes to have a binky to help her fall asleep. Either way, as long as she is happy.

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Yesterday, just before getting ready for a bath, we were all playing on mommy and daddy's bed. I was holding sister Hailey, and daddy was holding you. We were holding the two of you so you were face to face standing up. As soon as you saw each other, you both started to smile and giggle at each other. It was the first time you acknowledged your sister! It was really cool! (Yes, I know this same story was in Hailey's post. But when I use these posts in a book later, I want this story in Hannah's too.)

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You are growing up so fast my little Hannah! Mommy loves watching you grow and learn. I can't believe you are 4 months old already! I can't wait to look back on this time when you were so little, with you when you are older.

Mommy loves you very much!

Guess who is 4 months old??

Hailey is, that's who! And the past month has been a busy one in our house. From trying rice cereal to sitting in the bumbo, Hailey has been grown and learning in leaps and bounds!

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She first tried rice cereal and Grandmother and Grandpadad's house in Spokane on Feb 23rd. Hailey wasn't sure about it then, and still on her 4 month birthday isn't sure about it. She kinda moves it around in her mouth, makes a face, and decides to just be done with it and spits it out.

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Once in a while Hailey still gets tummy pains, but not very often any more. Thank goodness!

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On Saturday morning, March 3rd, Hailey and sister were sitting in bed with Mommy and Daddy. Who knows what it was, but something just made her giggle! And giggle she did! It was the best sound to hear in the morning. All of us were laughing along with Hailey. Sister Hannah was even smiling :O)

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Hailey has started to chew/suck on her bottom lip. Mommy was afraid it was teeth starting to come in. With all the drool, the sucking, and the chewing...what else could it be? We went to the doctor just in case it wasn't an ear infection. And no, nothing else. Sure enough little Miss Hailey has started to get teeth! So far no bumps but according to the doctor, it can take a few months to pop out.

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Hailey has also decided to not want to go to bed at night. There were a couple nights that it took over two hours to get her to call asleep on her own in her crib. Mommy and Daddy have started to try and trick her into bed time. We have started getting her diaper and pj's on in our bedroom rather than hers. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn't.

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She might have a hard time falling asleep, but once she falls asleep she is asleep. The night of March 6th, Hailey slept for 9 1/2 hours! That's right, over 9 hours in one night! Mommy kept getting up to check on both her and sister, so mommy didn't get a whole lot of sleep.

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Last night, March 22nd, we were all playing on Mommy and Daddy's bed. Mommy was holding Hailey, and Daddy was holding Hannah. When I would gently pull up on Haileys arms while she was sitting, she would push with her legs and stand up. You could tell Hailey was sooo proud of herself! While Hailey was standing, Jake helped Hannah stand up with the girls facing each other. Both Hannah and Hailey started to smile and giggle at each other. It was the FIRST time the acknowledged each other! I think Jake and I were just as excited as the girls. It was so cute!

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Little Hailey, I can't believe how fast you are growing into a little lady! You are learning so much every day and mommy can't wait to watch you grow even more!

Mommy loves you very much!!

Sleep Sleep Sleep

I know I complain about Hailey being difficult when it comes to bed time, and honestly she is. But once we do get her to sleep, boy does she sleep.

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Yesterday evening we went to the end of the 2011-2012 BE basketball season dinner. I really thought it was important that I go, and with the help of a few friends, we were able to take Hannah and Hailey without any major interruptions. No screaming, or crying, or anything really. Hannah even fell asleep in Erin's arms while Daddy was handing out awards.

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When we got home I was ready for a battle with Hailey. Play with Daddy, bath and then the battle began. Both girls actually put up a little bit of a fight last night when it was time for their bottles. Hannah actually fell asleep mid cry in the swing and didn't wake back up.

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After we got Hailey calmed down and she had her bottle, both girls were tucked in bed by 8:30pm. Jake and I got some things done around the house, finished laundry, changed the sheets our our bed, Jake even made a quick trip to the store to get some stuff for his lunch. And mommy and daddy were in bed by 11pm watching Seinfeld.

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I figured we would be back up a little after midnight with Hannah being that she didn't have a bottle before bed. But, thankfully, I was wrong. I woke up at 3 o'clock to go to the bathroom. 3 o'clock and the girls hadn't woken me up yet. I checked on the girls and they were both still sleeping. I even woke Jake up to see when Hannah had woken up to eat, figuring I had slept through it. But no. Neither of the girls had been up yet and it was 3 o'clock in the morning!

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Hannah and Hailey actually slept from 8:30pm to 5:30am! Yep, another 9 hour stretch for these two. And then, just to add the cherry on top, they were both asleep by 6am not to wake up again until 9 am!

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I got to sleep in until 9am!!! Woohoo! Now if they got on this schedule from now on...oh man would I be in heaven! I'm not going to count on it though. But still, a mommy can hope right?

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(This might be a picture from March 6th, the first time Hannah and Hailey
slept 9 hours, but it fits for this post too :O)

Grandmother

You know how a smell can remind you of a person? Or a day? Or a place?

I got two pillow cases from my mom's house when we visited the beginning of March. I opened it up this evening to put it on a pillow.

I couldn't help be to be taken back to my Grandmother's house. Climbing into bed. Taking a big deep breath of the pillow. It makes me miss her very much.

It reminds me of all the holidays, summers, and spring breaks we spent there. There was always a full house at Grandmother's. Her house was where all the cousins got together. I miss those days!

Jake said the pillow case just smelled like it hadn't been used for a long time. But to me, it will always smell like my Grandmother's house. I can't wait to crawl into bed tonight and take a big deep breath of my Grandmother's house!

Hailey vs CIO: Round 2

My poor little Hailey! I am starting to think her teeth, or would be teeth, are starting to bother her. Both of my girls have been drooling a lot, and more and more every day. But neither of them have little bumps in their gums. So I didn't think it was a big deal.

Except lil' Miss Hailey seems to be having a tough few days. Last night we couldn't get her to go to sleep in her crib AT ALL. We finally gave up after 11pm and put her in the yellow sling that Ami let us borrow a few months ago. Thank goodness for that sling is all I have to say.

There was nothing we could do last night to calm Hailey down. Clean diaper didn't work. Food didn't work. Playing in the jungle didn't work. Swinging didn't work. An iced teething thing didn't work. Sitting in the vibrating bouncy chair didn't work. Having the lights off didn't work. Turning the lights on didn't work. Letting her scream didn't work. Cuddling with daddy didn't work. Cuddling with mommy FINALLY worked...but only after almost an hour of screaming and mommy rubbing her bum.

She actually slept from just after 11pm until 5:30 this morning in the sling with out so much as a peep. After she ate and played in the jungle a little this morning I was able to get her to go to sleep in her crib for a little over 2 hours! And after last night, I am very proud of her doing that! Hailey slept in the crib while Hannah and I slept in our bed, not wanting ANYTHING to wake Hailey up.

So now fast forward 2 hours...Hannah in bed and Hailey screaming. And again, nothing works. I put her in her high chair so I can put the pot roast back into the fridge, obviously I'm not going to get that in the crock pot in time for dinner tonight. Poor Hailey is screaming at the top of her lungs and then...All. Is. Silent.

She passed out in her high chair and has been that way now for over 2o min. I am not really a fan of her sleeping in it, especially because the straps are under her seeing that she was only going to be in it for less then a minuet. But there is NO WAY I'm going to be moving her until she wakes up. Also no way I'm going to do anything that could make a sound that would cause her to wake up. Even if I get another 20 minuets out of her I will be thankful.

Please cross your fingers.

Round 2:
Hailey = 2 CIO = 0

Where has time gone?

It is amazing how fast the last year has gone. This time, one year ago, Jake was sticking me with needle after needle. And in about 2 weeks will be a year from the day both our eggs were implanted!

As I look back over my blog posts, I am very thankful for them. There is no way I could have remembered that the night we had the 40th party for my parents was the first time Jake felt the girls move. Or all the amazing things that happened during each week of my pregnancy.

Sometimes I have felt my posts are kinda silly and who would want to read what I wrote. But you know what, I've decided it doesn't matter. If no one else ever reads these, I will have record of what happened. How I felt. I will be able to remember the tears, both happy and sad, that I've cried. The struggles we have survived. The joys we have experienced. All the milestones through our lives.

This is for me. And if others read it, and maybe even enjoy reading it, that is just a bonus :O)

Hailey vs. CIO

Oh man! Our little Miss Hailey has won this round of CIO!

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Up until a few days ago, Hailey has done a great job going to bed. Yes, I know, we probably put her down when she is completely asleep rather then letting her fall asleep in bed by herself. I know we do. Even though I tell myself we don't, we totally do. Most of that is because she gets so worked up sometimes. We have learned that sometimes its not worth letting her cry.

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We have also learned the hard way what happens if we wait to long to get her down. We have tried to be very mindful of her sleepy-time cues and get her to nap/bed as soon as possible. It was one very long Monday I experienced a few weeks ago. I did some crying, Jake and I did some fighting, we both did some reading, and I think we have that all figured out. That has been maybe one of the most important things I've learned, keeping my sanity wise, after becoming a parent.

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Now, as of yesterday, she has started this new phase of screaming after we put her down to bed at night. We try to let her cry it out, going in and checking on her every 5 min and such. I even sing to her...I need to look up some new songs to sing tomorrow too. Trying to let her calm herself. But yesterday and tonight that hasn't worked. Not one bit. Letting her cry it out has only made it worse. Hailey has always gotten really worked up easily and is hard to calm down.

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Colic you ask?? Nope. Its not colic unless they have been crying for more than 3 HOURS and for a few days in a row at the same time of day. Our doctor talked to us about colic at the girl's 6 week appointment. Now that reminds me...the girls have their 4 month (yes I said month) appointment in two weeks! I have decided there is no way I would survive colic! 3 hours of a screaming baby??? And that could last for up to 12 months. I would totally go crazy by the end of the first year. But thankfully she doesn't cry for hours. And I don't think she would even if we left her in their crib.

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Part of what makes this so difficult is that there is another baby we have to consider. Its not like we can just put Hailey in her crib and let her cry (scream rather) it out. Hannah shares a room let along their crib with her sister Hailey right now. It hasn't really seemed to bother Hannah too much when Hailey cries but I'm sure that isn't going to last long.

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One thing Jake and I talked about is sticking to the CIO method, but keep Hannah in the living room with us until Hailey is asleep. Thankfully (and yes, I am knocking on wood right now) Hannah is a good sleeper and an overall easy going baby. We talked about trying that tomorrow night but with it being a Sunday we might wait until next Friday. If Hailey isn't sleeping neither is the rest of the house.

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So, for now, the score stands as Hailey=1 CIO=0. Hope the score evens out and her parents keep their sanity soon. The screaming, rocking, swinging, crying, drying, screaming, driving can not continue any longer.

2 best friends and 5 babies

Almost 6 years ago I meet Steve, one of Jake's best friends, and his wife Amy. I actually meet them a few hours before I was introduced to Jake. I never thought, in 6 years both Jake and Steve would both have twins.

This past month we were able to get both the best friends and all of their girls together. All of their girls! All 5 of them.

Above is Jake, Steve and their 5 little girls.

I am very excited for all of our girls to get to know each other better over the years!