11/28/2010

Well we made it through your first Thanksgiving Mason and Madelynn. It was hectic to say the least. You both slept most of the time at G&G Ludois' house. Everyone got to see you for a little bit, but then you both needed a nap. Then when we went to Daddy's G&Gs house, you were sleeping so we put you in a back bedroom. I swear though, it was a little ridiculous of the sprint that happened when someone heard one of you cry. They practically ran in the room to get you. I guess that just shows how much you both are loved.

You both were dressed to the nines, and looked so cute. It was a very hectic day and boy were we glad to be home. You both haven't been sleeping very well at night the last 2 weeks and mommy had been up since about 3 and 330am the two previous days. So needless to say, we all needed sleep badly. Then daddy got the opportunity to get up with you Maddy at about 4 Saturday morning. I have to say it was nice to sleep in a bit:) This weekend has been pretty uneventful since Thanksgiving. We decided not to go up north to see Great G&G Bell. I just thought it would be too much with all three of you on my own with just Grandma. I don't think anyone would have had a super time. We will try soon enough, because your family up in the cities have yet to meet you.

I can't believe yesterday you both turned 4 months old. It seems like just yesterday you were up in Meriter and we were praying that you would come home soon. I asked Daddy yesterday if he can believe we have already made it this far. Who would have known we would be doing so well at 4 months, when we were struggling so much for the first month or two when you came home. We love you guys so much, and I cannot wait for your first Christmas.

Conner butt, you are just such a pill. You make us smile and laugh every.single.day. I hope you always have such a free spirit. Yesterday we were talking and you said, "when I grow up and get bigger, people will pick on me and be mean to me." I assured him, that I doubt he will ever have to worry about that, but it is so sad, that even at 4 years old, kids realize that other people aren't always nice. As a parent, I wish I could always keep you safe, and kick the crap out of people that hurt your feelings. But I know I can't. That is what is so hard. I never want to see you get your feelings hurt, because when I see that happen, it hurts us as parents about a million times more. For right now however, you are definitely the BMOC as Grandpa Mark says. The big man on campus. When you get dropped off for school in the morning, you hear, "Conner, Hey Conner, Conner!" coming from all directions. It is so cute.

The other day when we were talking about school, we asked about your girlfriend. You told us, "Ms. Vogt says there are no girlfriends, just buddies" Oh, I wish that could always be! Such a smart teacher!

You have enjoyed the last 5 days off for Thanksgiving break. It has been nice having you home for so long. I think though, you are anxious to get back and have fun with your buddies. With the babies being so young and it getting colder out, it is alot harder to get out and play. But we still try and have fun inside.

Well my loves, today we are hopefully getting our Christmas tree. Kind of bittersweet because I know that this year is almost over, and my babies are all getting older. There is a Taylor Swift song of her new album called "Never Grow Up" and it is so true. I wish you guys would never grow up and just stay little when life is so simple. Where nobody can hurt you and you still think this world is a safe place. I know growing up is inevitable, but I hope you guys always know that you always have a safe place to go when the world gets to be too much.

XOXO

Mommy

11/22/2010

My angels,

Sorry it has been so long so I have written. It has just been so crazy. Imagine that, a crazy, hectiv life with twinnies and a rambunctious 4 year old?!

Maddy, Oh Maddy. You are our smiley girl. It seems unless you are tired or hungry (or sleeping), you are smiling. Even the few times you wake up at night, or when we are trying to put you to sleep, all you see is your precious gummy smile. It is the best.thing.ever.

Mason, you my dear are a totally different baby since you are on your new formula. It is seriously amazing. You are quite the talker and smiler yourself. We are going to nickname you "squeaky" because that is how you talk. It is so adorable. You also love to be on the move. When we sit you in your swing, you seriously make the whole thing shake by kicking your legs around. I have a feeling you are going to be a little spitfire like your big bro.

You both had your first taste of food on Friday 11/29. I broke the rule of only one thing at a time *shame on me;)*, you both split little jars of bananas and pears. I probably had to give you Maddy, the same spoonful about 4 times before you got it all down. Mason, you on the other hand seemed to really get the hang of it. It was so cute, because when you knew it was your turn you started kicking and flailing your arms and going "mMm, MmM" You both seemed to really like it. With having both of you eating solids, I am going to try and be "thrifty" and make your baby food. I apologize in advance:)

Mason, you are SO close to rolling over. The other night when I was gone, daddy had you on your floor mat. You rolled completley on your side, and then passed out. You stayed there until he rolled you back on your back, where you fell fast asleep, with arms wide open and on your sister.

Maddy, you are close too, but we still need to work more because you are just content chilling however you sit you down.

Both of you are still sleeping in your darn carseats. We try our hardest and usually lay you down in the crib downstairs for your nap first, then when you wake up we end up putting you back in your carseat. It just doesn't seem like either of you get a very restful night sleep. Granted you are sleeping mostly through the night, but you both seem so tired the next day and if you do wake up during the night you are arching your back like you want to lay flat. Oh how I wish I could understand babytalk or you could tell me what you wanted.

You both had a great Halloween. You didn't stay in your costumes too long however. Maddy, you didn't even make it out of the driveway. You were in a big pumpkin costume and Mason, you wore Conner's lion costume from his first Halloween. You didn't walk around with us, because it was pretty chilly. Instead you stayed with Great Grandma and Grandpa Ahern at their house, and then when we went and saw Great Aunt Tammy and Uncle Scott, they watched you while we walked around their neighborhood.

I can't believe though, your first official holiday is over. Now Thanksgiving is in a few days and then this Saturday you will be 4 months. Time is just going too fast and you guys are growing up way to quickly.

We are going to try and take you both up, along with your big brother to Great G&G Bell's house this weekend. I think Grandma Kim and I are out of our minds, but hey, we might as well give it a whirl. I may end up being committed in the end, but I really want all of us to get up there, I just wish daddy were coming along. Not only because we will definitely miss him, but it SURE would be nice to have an extra set of hands.

I love you both so much. When I look at you, it is hard to even remember how long we waited for you. You both are so wonderful, I hope you never forget that.

Conner butt, you my love, definitely keep us on our toes. You are just too darn smart for you own good. You are learning your days of the week and can spell anything you see. You suprised us all when you were talking about your friend Griffin, and you said, my friend G-R-I-F-F-I-N. The things you are learning just amaze us. We are really trying to work with you on sounding things out. Because since you are so good at spelling we feel it is just a matter of time before you start being able to read.

The love you have for your brother and sister makes us smile. You always make sure to give your brother and sister a kiss and hug before you leave for school. And you tell us all the time, " I love my sister and brother". The other day after I got the babies dressed, I was holding Madelynn and you said, "OH, she looks beautiful!" I hope you always love your brother and sister this much.

I love you all so much, don't ever for get that

XOXO

Mom

10/30/2010

My dear babies,

I can't believe you two are already 3 months old. The time has just flown by so fast. You both are doing so great. You are sleeping through the night, for the most part, and smiling and coo-ing up a storm. Both of your smiles just melt our hearts. Your big brother can make both of you smile like no one else can. He just walks by and you both smile so big. I hope you still feel that way about each other as you get older!

Mason, you are doing SO much better on your new formula. You honestly are like a whole different baby. I am so glad we finally found a formula that seems to work for you. I hate to think of how miserable you were for the first 2 1/2 months. You are so alert, all the time. You love to have your eyes wide open, and to catch everything that is going on. You like to be sitting up alot more now than laying down. So we just sit you in the crook of our arm when we are sitting around the house. And you are just perfectly content just looking around, taking everything in.

You have your little half smile/smirk going on. I think you are going to be a ladies man just like your big brother. You have a little shyness to you too when you smile. You always turn your head to the side. It is so adorable.

You are doing fairly well at night with sleeping. However, you have been waking up it seems almost 10 times a night for your pacifier. We give it to you, and off to sleep you go. Repeat this cycle about 9 more times, and then it is time to get up!

But you are doing so great. You can see that you are bigger than your sister now. You "look" thinner, but you can feel the weight difference as soon as we pick you up. You are solid, just like Conner. I see alot of similarities between your big brother and you.

Maddy, you are our easy going girl. Your smile is just infectious. You are starting to laugh too, and that is just absolutely adorable. You seem to talk alot more than your brother does. I hope that is not a sign of things to come, seeing that when I was little, you could NOT get me to shut up!

You are a great sleeper and eater too. Like I said, just easy going. Last night you were crying and daddy picked you up and held you on his stomach while he was standing up. You proceeded to fall asleep in about two minutes with your legs on each side of his stomach and your head tilted back. You don't care where you are, or what is going on. You just go with the flow!

You have the biggest, squishy little cheeks, and look SO much like I did when I was a baby. You have a few chins as well. A few weeks ago you had your head tilted back and I noticed in one of the skin folds of your neck it was starting to chafe a little bit. So now we make sure to clean under your little chins to keep it nice and dry! And boy do you NOT like that!

I cannot believe that your first holiday is coming up (if you don't count Labor day!) Halloween is tomorrow and we were going to have you both go as M&M's, but we decided to use two costumes that we have at home. Maddy, you are going to be a pumpin, and Mason, you are going to wear the lion costume that Conner wore for his first Halloween. It is going to be cold, but I can't wait to take you guys out tomorrow.

Oh my sweet, sweet Conner. You my love, have been trying every.single.ounce. of our patience this past week. I do not know if having the twins is catching up with you, and you are getting jealous or what. But good heavens. The constant , "Mommy, daddys being ruuuuuude", or vis versa and "Your being mean" is grating SO much on our nerves. When you get an attitude and I tell you to please NOT talk like that, I get "Don't talk like that" shot right back at me in a very mocking voice. Oh yes, to be 4 years old. I wish I could understand what is going on in your little head. I talked to you the other day, and asked you, "Are you feeling like you aren't getting enough attention? That we are paying too much attention to the babies?" You got all shy, and didn't want to answer me, which gave me my answer. I told you to be honest with me and that you could tell me how you really felt. And you finally told me that yes, you felt like you weren't getting enough attention. I just want you to know, we try SO SO SO hard to give you your "special" time. We know going through getting two new siblings at once is not an easy process. It hasn't been for us either. I just hope that you know we love you more than anything in this entire world, and we are sincerely trying our very best.

Last Saturday, you woke up and went into our room. Daddy and the babies were still sleeping, and I was downstairs working. I came up to snuggle with you guys, and dad told me that when you came in, you hopped up on the bed and said, "Let's talk about something" and got under the covers. So you and daddy proceeded to talk about school and cartoons among other various subjects. It is moments like those that I don't want to forget. You are so special Conner. And if your brother and sister grow up to be even 1/2 as great as you are, we are truly, truly blessed. I know they have a great role model to look up to.

On another note, tomorrow you are going to wear your Bumblebee costume for Halloween! You love Transformers. Daddy and you had orginally picked out a Wolverine costume, and I have to admit it was pretty awesome looking. But after wearing it only a few times, it started to rip. When we took it back they didn't have any bigger sizes, so we ended up getting you Bumblebee. It will be interesting Trick or Treating with three kids tomorrow, but I have a feeling we will just have Mason and Maddy in their carseats in the stroller so it will be easier to chase after you!

Well my loves, I need to go hang up the 50 million pounds of your clothes that are piling up in the laundry room. I hope you know how much daddy and I love you.

XOXO

Mom

10/19/2010

My loves,

It has been hectic for sure since I last wrote. Poor Mason, you have had quite the week. You have always been the "fussier" baby between you and your sister. But this past Wednesday you started having diarrhea. Then on Saturday it started having blood in it. Needless to say your dad and I (and everyone else) were extremely worried. We ended up taking you to urgent care where they doctor on call said not to worry, try soy formula and follow up with your ped on Monday. Well on Monday, we saw the ped on call since yours had the day off. He told us, as of right now, to try another type of formula called Nutramigen. It is seriously a miracle! We could tell a difference in you after your first bottle. It is so expensive, so thank goodness we get a little help in that department, but to see you this happy and content, I would pay a million dollars a can! It makes me feel so bad, knowing that when you have been so fussy and looked like you were so uncomfortable over the past 2 or so months, it was most likely because you were allergic to the milk protein in your formula. I guess it is just a mother's poragative to feel bad about everything! LOL So hopefully this keeps on working. Even Grandma Kim when she stopped over today, kept saying how you were like a different baby. It is so wonderful!

On another note, the past two nights you guys have slept through the night!! No bottle feedings at all! Last night Maddy, you did wake up just screaming. Then dad tried to give you your pacifer, and that REALLY mad you mad. He layed you on the bed while he made your bottle and I just rubbed your head and off to sleep you went. You are such a character. You always let us know when you are NOT happy.

Both of you are just smiling up a storm now. It just melts my heart. You both are such wonderful babies. We waited so long for you to finally be here, and now that you are it is just surreal. We are so blessed.

My sweet Conner. Last week we went to your bedtime stories get together at Adams. You were so excited to get to wear your PJ's to school. You enjoyed all the books that the kindergarten teachers read. There was only one other little girl from your P4J class that was there, the rest of the kids were in kindergarten. We sat right up front, and it was so funny seeing you wanting to play with these few boys that were sitting next to you. They were playing with their stuffed animals you all got to bring, and we could see that you were just itching to play with them. When you finally got the nerve to, I was so relieved that they were nice boys and you guys played for a few minutes. You are just so brave. You just go with the flow and make friends where ever you go. Nothing really bothers you. I just pray you keep that trait as you grow up.

We went this past Saturday to play at Camden park with us 5, Grandma Kim, and your cousing Teyton and his Grandma Simi that were visiting from S. Dakota. You guys sure had a good time. Other than that, it has been pretty low key. You still are such a good helper with the babies *most of the time*. We are trying our best to make sure that you know how special you are to us by having some playtime outside with just us three. We know how huge of an adjustment having two new siblings has been, but you have been doing SUCH a great job. And you always make sure to give Maddy and Mason a kiss before you leave for school and before you go to bed and you always tell them you love them and that they are the best brother and sister you have ever seen.

When I see you next to other kids, I really get to see how wonderful of a kid you truly are. I mean, I KNOW you are wonderful, but you are such a polite, sweet and just awesome kid. We are SO blessed that we were chosen to be your parents. Every night when I come up to bed, I always check on you and cover you up and give you a kiss and tell you I love you. It is so hard to realize that you are growing so fast. I want you to stay my baby forever. I sometimes touch your hand, and just marvel at what a wonderful child you are.

Well goodnight my loves, I hope you all know how much we love you. And I pray to God every minute of every day that you three grow up never doubting that, and that he will keep you all safe and sound.

XOXO

Mom

10/10/10

My sweet babies,

Mason and Maddy, you guys are growing like weeks. You just had your two month appt on Friday. Mason, you are now the bigger one! You weighed in at 12 lbs 12 ozs and an even 24 inches long. And you Maddy, are 12 lbs 1 oz and 23 1/4 inches long. You also got your shots. Poor Mason, you were so miserable the whole night. It was also mine and Daddy's 5 year wedding anniversary and you and your big brother all spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa Ludois' house. Neither of you were very happy campers, but Mason was the most miserable. At least on a good note, you both are starting to be very good sleepers! You usually fall asleep around 830-930pm and only wake up once during the night to eat. Hallelujah is all I have to say!!! At almost 11 weeks old, you guys are growing so much. You both started smiling about 2 weeks ago finally. It just melts your heart when you guys give your little smirks and smiles. It makes you Mason look even more like your big brother, where Maddy, it just confirms it that you are my spitting image when I was your age. Last Thursday we took you guys and big brother to Peace Park. I tried taking some pics of you guys but neither of you were really in the mood. But we went for a nice walk on the trails and Conner got to run some energy off with daddy. It is days like those that I will always remember. Just us 5, enjoying each other on a gorgeous fall day. There is nothing better! Last night we had to laugh, we think staying at G&G's house wore our you guys as much as it did them. Mason, you fell asleep on my lap after eating around 630 or 7pm. We tried waking you up and you just were not having it. You ate a little when we fed Maddy but you were just down for the count. You didn't even wake up until 345am! You were one tired boy. And today Maddy, you have been asleep in your carseat most of the afternoon just snoozing away!

My sweet Conner,

Oh do you keep us busy. You haven't been feeling the best the last week or so. You have one heck of a cough, but it doesn't slow you down any that is for sure! You loved your time over at G&G's house. You and Grandpa had a "peeing" contest as well as your usual "farting" contest. You always laugh so hard when you tell us about it! You also told Grandma that when she is at work you miss her so much, and you told her that about 3 times. You are such a sweet little boy. You are so much like your daddy. You look rough and tough on the outside, but on the inside you are one big teddy bear with a heart of gold. You really enjoyed our time at the park. You just run non-stop! It has been pretty low key though, we haven't done too much since you haven't really been feeling well. You have started to show a little more attitude as well. I think the whole "sharing" mom and dad with two new babies is starting to really sink in. You love your babies so much, but I can really see that you have been acting out a little more. But that just means you need a little more one on one time with us.

On another note, you sure love school. You have really adjusted to going every day for 2 1/2 hours. You talk about your friends, and how much you like your teacher. I just hope you always love school this much.

That is it for now my loves

Love

Mom

SO much

Dear loves,

Maddy and mason, thank the heavens you are starting to sleep more through the night. Daddy and mommy can finally go to bed together again! The whole shift thing was really starting to wear on us. Now you sleep fairly well, and only get up usually one time to eat. That is super nice:) You both are starting to smile and coo also. I love your little half smirks. Grandpa Ludois was over on Thursday helping me out while Daddy was gone, and he got you to smile Mason, and you could tell he was so proud. He loves all three of you more than you could ever know.

This weekend you finally got to meet your great-grandparents. They were so excited to meet you, and said how adorable you both are. We spent most of Saturday over there, hanging out. Daddy was helping a friend, and I thought it would be fun to spend the day over there. Hopefully they all felt the same.

Conner, my sweet Conner. Saturday you didn't have a nap. We tried laying down on G&G's bed. The first time I was holding Maddy and you snuggled in my arm. We had our eyes closed, and then Mason let a HUGE fart. God, your laugh is just infectious. We both laughed so hard. So needless to say, no nap for you. Later that night, once we got home, you asked if I wanted to snuggle. So I sat on the couch with you, with you legs over mine and you fell asleep in no time flat. Daddy actually carried you upstairs and you didn't even wake up. I cannot remember the last time that happened. It just goes to show, how hard you play and that you still need a nap everyday! You pretty much played non-stop at G&G's house. But it was so sweet, seeing daddy carrying you upstairs. It's little moments like that I don't ever want to forget.

You are finally getting accustomed to going to school every day. When we get there you always ask me to lift you up. So I pick your 56 lbs up and we sway. It is funny, that even though you are 4, I still sway when I hold you. It goes to show, that no matter how old you get, you will always be my baby boy.

I think you are adjusting as well as can be expected to being a big brother of two new babies. You give them hugs and kisses constantly and you always tell them you love them. You are the best big brother, and Mason and Madelynn are SO lucky to have you as their big brother. I remember the night they were born, you were so excited to get there to the hospital. When you got in the room, Grandma Kim had tears in her eyes, and the room was kind of strained. We knew the babies were having some problems, but we didn't know to what extent. When you cam in the recovery room, you had the absolute biggest smile I have ever seen on your face. You were SO proud that you were finally a big brother. I think that is what breaks my heart the most about the whole experience. I feel like you were cheated out of getting what you deserved. You didn't get to really see or touch the babies until they came home over a week later. It isn't what I imagined would happen when we welcomed the babies into our family. And I feel horrible that that was your experience becoming a big brother. I know everything is great now, and the day you first met each of the babies and how you acted will forever remain in my heart. You were so proud. And your smile could not have gotten any bigger. You didn't know Maddy was coming home at all. It was a total surprise. It was to us as well! When you walked in the door and we said we had a surprise for you and when you saw her, and you started giggling and smiling. You were saying how happy you were while you were helping feed her. Like I have said, you are an amazing big brother.

I love all three of you more than you could ever know

XOXO

Mom

9/20/2010

Dear babies,

This weekend went so fast. Conner spent the night at Grandma's house while Grandpa was out of town at a pool tournatment. You had just a great time. Then Saturday night Grandma offered to watch Mason and Madelynn. And of course you wanted to stay too. Grandma had quite the handful with all you three. I asked if she had a death-wish! With babies crying and Bella barking, Grandma was almost reduced to tears since Mason was crying off and on from about 730pm to 1230am. I said she could have called, but she wanted us to have a good night sleep! She said you were SUCH a big help, Conner. And on Sunday morning when she was feeding the babies, you grabbed whatever glasses you could reach and gave her a big glass of water. What a sweetheart you are.♥ You also informed her that mommy had water too, and she puts ice in it to make it cold! And after going to the bathroom, you gave grandma a good laugh, stating that, "uh oh, I have dia-we-wah" You always can put a smile on anyones face baby boy.

Sunday was pretty uneventful. We just layed around the house since it was icky outside. Those are the best days though, the ones that we can just relax and spend time together, with nothing else to do.

Mason and Madelynn, you guys are starting to sleep more, THANK GOD. On average you both sleep about 3-5 hours at a time. Maddy, you are the better sleeper I have to admit. Maybe you can teach your brother a few things. You both are growing so fast. Almost 8 weeks old already. I wish time would slow down and you both would stay my little, wrinkly newborns a little longer. But I am so excited for the journey ahead and am so looking forward to your first smiles and your first laughs. SO many awesome things await my babies.

That is it for now. I am going to try my darndest to blog every night to recap the day. I want to remember these times, and I want you three to be able to look back when your older, and see how our little family developed over time.

I love you my three angels.

XOXO

Mom