The Lengths I Will Go

So I will do a lot of things to save a buck... just ask my husband.  I haven't had a haircut since about a month before Ty was born and then I had a gift card.  I'm not all about paying for haircuts!  Ty is VERY into hair pulling though.  He used my hair as his own personal handle/chew toy and usually once I put him down a  handful of my hair went with him.  I weighed my options... be bald by his first birthday or cut my hair.  I decided to cut my hair.  I didn't want to go the Great Clips route... I've been down that road and it doesn't always have a happy ending.  I wanted to go to a nice salon and many of them will give you a discount if you donate to Locks of Love... so I did.  I cut about 9 inches of my hair off so that I only had to pay $15 for a haircut instead of $30 and so that I might actually get to keep some of my hair.  So here I am... then and now.

It's short but it will grow back (hopefully after Ty is through his hair pulling phase).  

Ty - Halfway to One Year

Here's a look at you... 6 months old...

6 Month Stats
Weight: 19 pounds 7.5 ounces (83rd percentile)
Length: 27 inches (66th percentile)
Head circumference: 45 centimeters (91st percentile)

Ta-da!  I'm 6 months old!
It sort of seems like that's how
fast it happened!

Sleep:  So the 6 month paper the doctor gave us said that you should be sleeping through the night.  You clearly canNOT read yet!  You usually wake up between 2 and 3, at which point I wake Daddy up and he goes in gets you situation because you've usually gotten yourself into some sort of a predicamit in the corner of your bed.  He puts you on your belly and you go right back to sleep.  Then you wake up again between 4 and 6 but this time you want to eat.  This is Mommy's job.  You go back to sleep while you're eating and you stay asleep until maybe 8ish... just depends on the day.  You want to take a nap in the morning but our schedule usually doesn't allow it so you sneak quick catnaps in the car then you take a good long nap at the same time as Case around 1 or so.  You favorite way to fall asleep... eating!

Just waking up... so cute!

Eating:  You have officially started solid foods.  You're aren't great at it but you've started.  The first thing you had was rice cereal.  You seemed to really enjoy it at first but then it got to where you didn't want to keep any of it in your mouth.  You are very messy with it and my favorite place to feed it to you is in your bathtub.

After rice cereal came bananas, avocado, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, and oatmeal.  Sweet potatoes and oatmeal are the only things you are good about eating out of all those foods.  In fact green beans and peas make you literally gag.  Need proof?  Here ya go...

Safe to say the green stuff isn't your favorite?  Sometimes I sneak a spoonful into your oatmeal and get you to eat at least a bite but you seem to know it is in there.  You, believe it or not, still have not gone up in the amount of formula you take at a feeding.  You are still at 6 ounces and that tends to be a battle that takes place over an hour or two unless you are falling asleep.  You take a bottle about 4 to 5 times a day and I offer you solid food about 3 times each day.  

Trying bananas for the first time... what kind of kid doesn't like bananas?

Clothes:  You are getting pretty comfortable in 12 month size clothes now.  A lot of it is still pretty long but it sure isn't too big around!  

Play:  You still love your exersaucer and your jumperoo.  You are also a BIG fan of your brother's toys, much to Case's dismay.  Let's just say he isn't so good about sharing his toys or your toys with you!  You probably think Case's nickname for you is "NO!".  What can I say?  He's almost 2!  Case do you see what happens when you go to bed?  Ty is surrounded with your toys!  This is what Ty calls, revenge!  

All toys still go straight into your mouth.  You are just so happy to play with pretty much anything you can pick up and put in your mouth.  You LOVE playing with Case!  You giggle more for him than anyone else.  I sure hope Case turns out to be a good kid because I'm pretty sure you're going to do your very best to do everything your big brother does!

New Things:  You are definitely sitting up now!  You're pretty advanced... doctor's words not mine!  He saw you sitting up and said that is more of a 7 month skill.  I just smiled and explained that you are gifted and that you most likely got that from your mom:)  You are really very steady and love to sit in the middle of the room and watch Case play, especially if he is going back and forth doing something.  

You are really interested in the tv still.  You pay attention to it longer than Case does I think.  You don't seem to be picky about what you watch but the more colorful the better.  

A little Yo Gabba Gabba in Mommy and Daddy's bed

Your winter/fall hat

Grrrrr... you're a tiger :)

Wearing Mommy's headband thanks to Case!

Bathtime!

So cute!

Snuggles with Daddy!  One of my favorite pictures!

 I can't believe you are already over halfway to your first birthday.  I wish I could slow time down and snuggle with you a little longer before you become totally independent!  I love the time I get to spend with you.  You are such a laid back kid and you don't ask for much.  You are such an easy baby... have I said this a hundred times before?  It is still true.  God blessed me with the "easy" kid second (sorry Case it's true)!  I am so blessed to be your mommy!!!  Thank you for your patience and your smiles.  You bring me so much joy!

I love you Tybee!!!!

Love, 

Mommy

Love and Joy

I have no words... just love and joy that is overflowing inside me!

Honeycrisp Time!

Even I find it strange that I have a bit of an obsession with honeycrisp apples.  I didn't know a honeycrisp from a granny smith until last fall when Baby Jam took a tour of an apple orchard.  Is it possible I didn't blog about this trip???  I just spent forever trying to find the link to it and it doesn't exist... I only thought I was good at documenting things!  Anyways, the guide explained how popular honeycrisp apples were so I, of course, had to see what all the hype was about.  They were right... those are some good apples.  Now are they "obsession" good or are they "everyone else likes them and they tend to run out so I better get some" good?  I don't know but either way I felt the need to rush to the nearest (actually not the nearest) apple orchard to get my hands on some before they were gone.  They are good apples but when I look at them sitting next to the Dorothy Lane brownies sitting on my counter I'm not sure I remember what the excitement is all about.  At any rate we made a trip to the orchard with Andrew's family (one of Case's Baby Jam buddies) and while the apples are good I think the memories are WAY better!  We had a blast (even though there should probably be some rule against picking apples when it's 95 degrees out)!   

Case and Andrew hunting apples

discussing strategy

apparently Andrew didn't agree and Case
felt the need to defend himself

hunting Case :)

Andrew and his apples... don't even
think about messing with his apples!

Daddy making Case SUPER tall to pick the good apples!

Case, sharing with Ty

Ok... hold on... Ty's only had rice cereal a couple times!

I guess Ty isn't content with just the rice cereal anymore!

Us!  Try to overlook the sweat pouring
down my face!

We'd be dangerous if we could all look at the camera at the
same time!

My Case :)

A very happy Ty!

Two of my favorite boys

Sitter!

Ty is officially sitting!

Last week he started and got better each day.  Now he rarely falls over, unless he wants to get on his belly... he is almost graceful doing this!  I can't believe how fast he's growing already!!!

Three Years Ago

Happy 3rd Birthday Joshua and Caleb

Three Years ago yesterday I got the most devastating news I've ever received.   It is news no parent wants to hear but it was given with such compassion and sympathy by two of the most amazing medical people I've ever met (others entered the picture later in this trial).  In a second I can take myself back there.  It is amazing how something that happened three years ago can so quickly feel like it happened this morning if I let it. Dr. Fenoughty and Brandi told me my twin baby boys no longer had heartbeats.  I can remember saying, "Both of them?" while barely breathing and Dr. Fenoughty saying, "yes."  I can remember feeling my whole world crumble and for a moment my husband was still living as if nothing was wrong.  They offered to call him but I knew that was something I needed to do.  I remember hugging Brandi, while both of us sobbed.  Then in a moment I was back in my truck picking up the phone to make the most difficult phone call I've ever made.  I remember having to repeat myself several times to Wayne... I don't know if he couldn't understand me or if he just didn't believe what was happening.  I remember going home and sitting in our partially done nursery for hours.  I spent a LOT of time in there for the next several months.  I needed to be in there.

Three years ago today I met my twin boys, Joshua and Caleb.  I went to the hospital to be induced and deliver my boys.  It is such a strange feeling walking onto the maternity ward carrying the same things the other women carry when they come to deliver their babies, yet I knew I wasn't leaving with a baby.  You still walk in the same way though.  I stopped at the desk and gave them my name.  This is when the most amazing nurse ever entered the picture.  Mar took us to a room in the corner and never left my side.  Within minutes of meeting her we were both sitting on my bed crying.  Do you know how much someone else's tears can mean when you are in the middle of a crisis?

Joshua was born at 10:04 that night and Caleb came at 10:34.  They were born silent.  Many of my family members still came to the hospital just like the families' of other mom's down the hall, but they came knowing it was the only time they would see my boys.  My breath was taken away over and over as so many people that love us came and met our boys with such love and respect.  This day wasn't all negative.  Mar, Dr. Fenoughty, Bobbi, Martha, and my family showed Wayne and me such compassion and love that I can look back on this day and see not only the pain but the beauty.  God surrounded me with those people.  God gave me a husband that never once questioned the constant tears that flowed.  He gave me a man to stand by my side that had such strength and compassion for me... a man that I only grew closer to throughout this trial.  God gave me blessings on that day.  God knew the ending before it began.  God ordained this.  God has continued to carry me through my life.  He showed me blessing after blessing throughout this trial.  It is SO easy for me to look back and see God's control on this experience!

You can read Joshua and Caleb's complete story here or watch their video here.

Happy 3rd Birthday Joshua and Caleb!  Mommy and Daddy love you just as much today as we did 3 years ago!  We are SO grateful for every moment we had with you... there is not a moment I want to forget!  We love you and miss you and will see you soon!

Yesterday my family was complete.  Wayne, Case, Ty, and I spent some time at the cemetery.  Case, who doesn't easily give up his toys, so kindly set two toys on Joshua and Caleb's headstone.

He also enjoyed climbing all over it... typical Case form.  I'm sure his brothers wouldn't want it any other way!  

We also played in this big open grassy area at the cemetery.  All of this probably sounds so strange and maybe a little morbid to many of you and if I hadn't lived through the past 3 years of my life I would have been right there with you but the cemetery is the only tangible thing we have of our boys.  We live with certainty that our boys are in Heaven and that we will see them again someday but the cemetery is what we have while we are here.  It's ok if you find this strange... in a way I hope you do because that probably means you haven't lost someone that you didn't think you could live without.  For us yesterday was beautiful.

All my boys! 

Our family :)

I can't tell you how my heart wants to burst with joy when I
get to the boys' headstone and find flowers that we didn't
put there.  Someone left these for my boys and I have no
idea who it was but it means the world to me!

I had bought a kite because I thought Case would get a kick out of it and the cemetery has a great open area and the wind was perfect.  Now granted it was a $2 kite but I didn't figure it needed to last long... I just wanted to play with it for the day.  That was A LOT to ask of a $2 kite.  Good thing McGuyver, I mean my husband was there.  One wreath stake (yes the kind that you find sitting at headstones but these were in the trash pile) ,one wreath ribbon, and a couple rocks later... oh and probably an hour or two, Wayne got that kite to fly... for about 15 seconds.  Funny how things can seem like such a good idea in your head!  

Wayne trying so hard to make that kite fly!

Defeated by the $2 kite!

Regardless of whether that kite flew for 15 seconds or 15 minutes the day was perfect and our family was complete!  

Thank you to all of my boys for a beautiful day that I won't forget!  And most of all thank you to God for surrounding me with such amazing blessings!!!