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Reversible Romper (Jon Jon)

I got this bright idea a couple months ago that I wanted to learn to sew.  I used to have a sewing machine and actually made a few things.  One was a poodle skirt that didn't turn out the greatest but considering that I had never sewn before (I had a boy "help" me with my pot holder in home ec) was actually pretty decent.  So I decided to give it a try again.  I no longer have my sewing machine and thought that I should probably see if I could actually do it before buying one so I borrowed one from a friend.  That was over a month ago!  I have been taking my sweet time with this project.  In my defense I DO have two toddlers running around this house.  Step 1: I decided that I wanted to make a Jon Jon for the boys to wear to Disney World in September.  Step 2:  I searched high and low for a pattern and finally found this one .  You Can Make This is a wonderful website by the way.  Step 3: Picked out fabrics.  I actually bought some really cute fabrics to use for the ones they will wear at Disney World but then I decided that I didn't want to mess those up on my first try so I found a really cute piece of Mickey Mouse fabric at Goodwill for $.50 and a navy blue remnant for a couple of dollars at Walmart.  When I finally finish I will put some sort of applique on the navy blue side.  Step 4: Printed out the pattern.  Step 5: Cut the pattern out.  Step 6: Taped the pattern together.  Step 7: Ironed and cut out navy blue fabric.  Step 8: Ironed and cut out Mickey Mouse fabric.  This is as far as I have gotten.  If you add a few days in between each of these steps you will see why it has taken me over a month to get this far.  Hopefully I will start to sew this week (fingers crossed!) and I will have a picture of the finished product to show you.  Wish me luck!

Binky Free?

We really hadn't thought much about when to take pacifiers away from the boys but an opportunity presented itself last Thursday and we took advantage of it.  I took Trey and Ty to visit David at work.  When we got there around 1:00 pm he put their binkies in his pocket and I forgot them when we left.  We had several errands to run and didn't get home until around 5:30.  I realized that they had gone 4 1/2 hours without the pacifiers so I mentioned it to David.  He said we should try to put them to bed without them.  Trey went to bed without any problems but we gave Ty's to him when he woke up crying.  I thought, oh well we can make it a rule that they can only have them at bed time.  They didn't have their binkies all day Friday.  They both cried at bedtime so we gave them the pacifiers but soon regretted it when we realized that they were just crying because they didn't want to go to bed.  I am happy to report that they have not had pacifiers since they woke up Saturday morning!  I think we are done with them for good (knock on wood) and I am pleased that it was a much easier transition than I anticipated.  Hopefully potty training will be as easy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

                                The McNuggets are McCuties!

That's it! It's time to lose weight...

I reached my breaking point yesterday.  I weighed myself and I realized that I weigh about 12 lbs more than I did before I got pregnant.  It might seem strange for me to say that...plenty of women weigh more than they did when they got pregnant, right?  Well I lost all of my pregnancy weight within 2 weeks and another 12 lbs soon after that.  That's the magic of breast feeding.  It's healthy for baby AND mom!  The bad part is that you still have the huge appetite once you stop breast feeding.  I stopped breast feeding in July, when the boys were 8 months old.  I kept eating and eating and eating.  Now, 8 months later, I have gained almost 25 lbs.  Gaining 25 lbs when you are already overweight is bad news.  I am unhealthy and tired.  Something has to give.  So...I WILL lose weight.  I am writing it here for all to see so it will discourage me from giving up.  The first step is giving up soft drinks and sweets.  This is very hard for me but the last time I gave up those things I lost 25 lbs in no time!  I am also giving up fast food and I joined Spark People.  This website is awesome and will help me eat healthier at home.  Luckily the weather is turning warmer so I can go outside to walk with the boys.  My first goal is to lose 30 lbs by the time we leave for Disney World in September.  I will keep you posted!

Just a couple tidbits

First, David and I have been together 15 years this month!  That's quite a long time :)  Secondly, Trey and Ty are going to be 17 months old tomorrow.  Time sure flies.  That's all for now.

Disney World....Hooray!

We are going to Disney World!  Since our honeymoon in 2003, D and I had gone (almost) every year until I got pregnant with Trey and Ty.  Our last trip was September 2008.  We are suffering from major withdrawals!  We have booked our trip for September and hoping that they will announce free dining which will save us a ton of money.  Keep your fingers crossed!  We can't wait to take Trey and Ty.  Even though they are too young to remember the trip, I know they will have fun.  Everyone is always asking us why we want to take them when they won't remember....seriously people, this trip is mainly about us at this point and Trey and Ty are free until they are 3.  D's sister and our nephews are coming along.  It will be Hugh and Gabe's second trip.  They were 4 and 14 months when we went in '08 and will be 7 and 4 this time.  I can't wait to see how they react now that they are older!  Seven months is so far away.  I can barely stand it!

Christmas Pictures Take 2

Yesterday, I decided to take Trey and Ty to have their pictures made again.  Much better results!

Christmas Pictures Take 1

Last week we took the boys to have Christmas pictures made with their cousins.  They were not in the best mood so we were lucky to get at least one half way decent picture of all 4 boys. 

Guilty...

I feel so guilty.  I had Ty on the changing table this morning when I realized there were no diapers in the drawer.  I strapped him in and turned around to get more diapers.  Houdini wiggled himself out of the strap and fell backwards off the table!  I saw it as it was happening, let out a scream and ran to catch him.  I didn't make it.  The poor guy cried for a couple minutes but luckily no damage was done.  I think he was scared more than anything.  I know accidents happen but I feel responsible.  I know better than to walk away.  Big parental fail! 

Funniest commercial....ever?? Maybe!!

Reminiscing

David called to check on our "totsicles" today.  The annual storage fee is assessed in November so we wanted to make sure everything was still in order.  Those 2 little embryos have been in storage for 2 years now and it is so hard to believe.  I decided to take a walk down memory lane and read this blog from the beginning.  Sure there are several gaps in the posts but I had tears in my eyes as I recalled my journey from the despondent woman I once was to the happy mother that I am now.  Tomorrow marks the 2 year anniversary of my first embryo transfer.  It did not result in a pregnancy but thankfully we had 5 embryos that we were able to cryopreserve for future use.  It amazes me to think that, once upon a time, Trey and Ty were 2 of those little frozen embryos!  I thank God for them every day and I pray that someday our two remaining totsicles will result in a sibling(s) for my precious baby boys!

Baby Cereal Pancakes

I have SO much baby cereal in my cabinet and I hardly ever feed it to the boys.  I was so happy when I came across a recipe for baby cereal pancakes on wholesomebabyfood.com!  I frequent the site a lot but I somehow missed the recipe until now.  The recipe is as follows:

1 cup whole wheat flour


1/2 cup baby barley cereal (or other commercial baby cereal)

1 cup formula (or another liquid such as milk)

1/2 cup mashed banana (or fruit of your choice)

1 tbsp melted margarine or butter (unsalted type)

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup baby oatmeal ( commercial baby cereal)

apple juice (about 1/2 cup) or use water if you prefer



Add cinnamon, nutmeg, dash of vanilla or other flavorings if you wish.



Mix all ingredients together and add enough juice to make pancake consistency. Cook on cook top in frying pan as with "regular" pancakes.


I can't wait to try the recipe.  The only problem is that I'm not very good at making pancakes.  I guess this will give me a lot of practice!

Halloween!

I just took a few pictures of the boys in their Halloween costumes to submit for a photo contest. They look mighty cute if I do say so myself! What do you think?

Puppy Dog Trey

Ty the Turtle





Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime.....thanks to Shutterfly

I have always liked to send out Christmas cards.  Mainly because I know how it makes me feel to open my mail box and see those little tidings of good cheer.  In years past I have gotten your basic store bought greeting cards but since Trey and Ty made their appearance I like to show them off in photo cards.  It is never too early to think about your Christmas cards so I have been perusing the internet looking for the perfect card and I found it!  While on the Shutterfly website I came across a card titled With Love and I just adore it.  Not only do I love the song "What a Wonderful World" but those words just describe how I feel this year!  It is definitely the sentiment that I want to get across this Christmas.  The card has a classic and simple design that is very eye catching and I cannot wait to see what it will look like with pictures of my little family.  The best part is that Shutterfly has such great deals!  Right now Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards!  You need to check them out....not just for your Christmas cards but other unique offerings like gift tags and address labels.  You will be glad you did!

It's Me Again!

I can't believe I haven't posted since June. I keep promising to stay up to date and I keep failing. Sorry everyone. Can you believe that Trey and Ty turned 1 last week??!! It is so amazing how far they have come since their NICU days. They are both so close to walking. I can't decide if I am ready for those steps yet. We had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday party last week and it was so nice. We had a great turnout and the boys got some wonderful gifts. We are so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives! As always here are a few pictures....

Car Troubles

Two weeks ago, the battery completely died in my car so we had to buy a new one then we had more trouble on Saturday. David and I were driving to Walmart for some groceries and all of a sudden the a/c stopped working. David looked at the dashboard and noticed the battery and check engine lights were on. We were in the left turn lane and the arrow turned green so he executed the turn but with difficulty because the power steering was out! At this point we were trying to make it to a place where we could stop but all of a sudden what appears to be smoke is coming from the hood. We pull into the parking lot at Sam's and get out. Luckily, it was just steam. The serpentine belt had broken and knocked the coolant reservoir off. David, his dad and our brother-in-law worked on the car Sunday while I was at home getting myself, Trey and Ty ready to go to Holiday World. We had been invited by our neighbors and were really looking forward to a fun trip. We never made it. After many set backs the car was finally fixed...at 2:58 pm. It took nearly 5 hours and a trip to Boonville! I'm very sad that we didn't get to go to Holiday World but I'm happy to have a running vehicle! Hopefully we won't have another incident two weeks from now! At any rate, here are some pictures from the weekend.

The last few weeks....

I'm being such a slacker! I really need to keep blogging but I've been too busy playing Family Feud on Facebook (it's like an obsession)

So...let's catch up on the last few weeks. Trey and Ty are now 7 months old. Trey rolls all over the place and I can't keep him in one space for long. Mr. Ty has rolled from his stomach to his back a couple times but he hasn't done it since. Although he doesn't roll over he can sit up! Both boys have a tooth popping out on the bottom. They've been a little fussy but not too bad.


Mamaw and Papaw bought both boys a jumperoo and the love, love, LOVE them! Ty has fallen asleep in his and wakes up jumping. It's quite funny.



Last Friday, we were visited by my cousin Melissa, her husband Jason and their son Jackson. Trey and Ty were very excited to meet their second cousin. I somehow managed to let them leave without getting a picture :( Trey, Ty and Jackson are only 5 weeks apart, how fun! Yesterday, we went to the eye doctor for exams. They like to do this with preemies, especially if they were on oxygen. Thankfully, neither of the boys have any issues. I can't wait until their next check up to see how much they weigh. Trey has really taken to baby food and eats quite a bit. Ty is a little slow going but he's getting there.

I think that is all that has happened lately. I will post again soon. Until then...

Glee, musicals, The Tony Awards and other things

I have loved musicals as long as I can remember.  My grandmother started me on movie musicals at a very young age which resulted in a huge crush on Gene Kelly!  To this day, Singin' In The Rain is my favorite movie.  When I started high school, I really wanted to try out for the musical (which was Oliver that year) but I was too scared so I settled for playing in the pit orchestra instead.  It was still amazing to see something live on stage for the first time. Living in southern Indiana doesn't offer many opportunities to see great Broadway musicals although some really good tours do come to The Centre.  My problem is getting someone to go with me since David doesn't like musicals at all!  I basically rely on the internet to watch video clips and I faithfully watch The Tony Awards each June to catch the performances of the nominated musicals.  There are two shows that I have been dying to see for years.  The first is Jersey Boys.  I discovered Jersey Boys while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade back in 2005.  I have watched every YouTube clip I can find from this show.  I listen to the soundtrack like crazy and I adore John Lloyd Young who originated the role of Frankie Valli.  The Jersey Boys tour is coming to Indy and Louisville this summer and (fingers crossed) I will finally get to see it! 

Trey and Ty showing their Jersey Boys love!


The second show is Spring Awakening.  It is no longer on tour so I most likely won't get to see it but I still enjoy the soundtrack!  This is where I segway into Glee.  I saw the Spring Awakening cast perform during the 2007 Tonys and I discovered Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff.  Any Glee fan knows Lea as Rachel Berry and Jonathan Groff is now starring as Jesse St. James.  I began to follow their careers and discovered in early 2009 that Lea was starting work on a pilot which was eventually titled Glee.  I was so excited about this project because it would be like watching a little movie musical each week, not to mention that John Lloyd Young would be making a guest appearance (you might remember him as Henri St. Pierre the thumbless shop teacher in the Acafellas episode).  I began to tell everyone about this show and tried to convince them to watch it when the pilot premiered after the May 2009 finale of American Idol.  To my surprise, they watched it AND they loved it!  Thank goodness America feels the same because I would be lost without Glee!  I know there are other avid musical lovers out there, they just aren't in my circle of friends so to be able to share a little bit of that love with my friends through Glee is amazing! 

A Big Day for Trey

Yesterday was a big day for Trey!  He FINALLY rolled from his stomach to his back.  Twenty five days ago he rolled from his back to his stomach and it as taken him all this time to figure out how to roll back over.  Better late than never!  He can't do it consistently yet but he is getting there.  His other discovery was how to blow spit bubbles.  Cute but gross :)