Showing posts with label to raise an infant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label to raise an infant. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

I Have the Best Husband on the Planet....

....because he does things like crochet beanies for Baby Hippo while he's out of town....

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(For some inexplicable reason, Baby Hippo's eyelid was swollen this day, and he was also in a bad mood (my attempt at tickling couldn't even illicit a smile), perhaps the latter being related to the former.)

When John came home and fitted this over Baby Hippo's head, I said, "You didn't make that, did you?" When he answered "Of course!", I was stunned, my mouth literally gaping open. I have no idea how to crochet. So anyways, sorry if you're jealous. Love you, John!



Friday, August 19, 2011

Hallway Randomness

A few days ago after cleaning up breakfast I ran into the 9-year-old girl and Baby Hippo sitting together on the slate floor of one of the hallways. I asked what they were doing. The 9-year-old girl said, "Randomly sitting in the hallway."

Something about them sitting and hugging was endearing to me. Perhaps it was the lighting, or the randomness, or the fact that it was just so unexpected. Just another thing to capture on film!


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Thanks for listening. :)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Wordless Wednesday: Waking Up With an Idea

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(Stunning quilt courtesy of my sister, Kristin.)


P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!

See how we're doing it HERE! :)

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Baby Hippo is One!!!

Let's start with a chronological progression of Baby Hippo's development since before he was born...

In utero...

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First photo out of utero...

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7 hours old, taken by my favorite professional photographer, Shauna Nielsen

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1 month old...

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2 months old...

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3 months old...

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4 months old...

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5 months old...

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6 months old...

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7 months old...

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8 months old...(compare to in-utero photo above, just for fun)

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9 months old...

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10 months old...

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11 months old...

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And the birthday boy...!

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He looks a little confused and concerned because of this...

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But soon he warmed up to the idea...

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....although Twin B never did. He just solemnly held the stick the entire time....

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Still, what with these...

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...and this...

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(Looks a little possessive, doesn't she?)

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...we all had a great time celebrating the anniversary of Baby Hippo's birth. Happy birthday, Baby Hippo! We love you!



P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Friday, February 25, 2011

They're just trying to help...

I have to keep reminding myself of this when it comes to the twins..... like when Twin B helps me make oatmeal cookies, and neatly places the balls of dough on the cookie sheet....

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...or when Twin A serves Baby Hippo the entire bulk-sized bag of craisins...

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Three years old is fun. Thanks for listening.


P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

A Little Bed Time Tip

Bed time can often be a sad time for kids...

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...and parents alike. Especially if you are a parent with four kids four and under. Try to imagine how it often goes. I announce it's bedtime. I have the 23-pound baby on one hip, and I am trying to corral 3 agile, shockingly fast boys into their cribs down at the end of the hall. I can physically drag one with my free arm, flip him up into his crib, then leave to drag the next two if I so choose. The problem with this method, though, is that child A can easily climb out of his crib, so no matter how many times I drag children A through C to bed, they will remove themselves infinity times from said cribs while I leave to chase and drag their siblings in. This is often done through hysterical laughing, on their parts.

Another method I've been known to use is to have the older four kids help. I have more success with this tactic than the former, but the 4 four and under often scream when anyone puts them to bed but me or their father.

And why, you ask, is my darling husband out of the picture? The dear man is usually out of town. You can bet that when he's here, however, things are much better. The following solution is one to use if you are without help....

Step 1. Make it a habit of rarely giving your children candy.

Step 2. Have a bottle of children's vitamins on hand.

Step 3. Announce to the kids that it is bed time and that the first person who jumps into his crib will get a "vitamin candy" first. See, this is where the "rarely giving candy" part comes in. They don't realize that the vitamin tastes nowhere near as good as candy.

Step 4. Say "On you marks, get set, GO!"

Step 5. Run with the little angels to their cribs with them, watch them fly up and over their railings then watch them wait patiently, standing in their cribs, for the vitamins.

Step 6. Give them their vitamins, read them their stories, give them their sips of water, hold their hands while you say prayers, let them kiss your hands or lips, whichever you prefer, leave their door open at just the right width, go back and let them kiss you again, and say good night.

There... Easy! I realize that there is one flaw with this technique, in that you are giving them vitamins after they brush their teeth, or without them having brushed their teeth at all, so you make your own decision as to whether or not this plan is right for you. Best of luck!




P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

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I am pleased to list this post at 5 Minutes For Mom dot com!

P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

The Developmental Stage I've Been Longing For.... (Or Not?)

As most of you know, I've dreamed of having twins since the time I first conceived over 21 years ago. With every pregnancy I was always disappointed when the ultrasound results came back with only a solo embryo in my uterus. So, you can imagine my elation 3 years ago, when, as my Mexican doctor was rubbing the ultrasound wand (that's what I'm calling it) over the slippery gel on my belly, he paused and said, "Creo que hay dos," which, being translated, means, "I think there are two." Fifteen agonizing minutes later, he finally pointed to the screen to show me two tiny black and white hearts beating simultaneously.

Having twins has been everything I thought it would be, and more. The first year was grueling though, and I often had to remind myself that "this, too, shall pass". As most of you know, the baby phase isn't my favorite, and having two babies at the same time was physically the most difficult thing I've ever done. I remember fantasizing about how easy my life was going to be once they turned three, which is one of my favorite ages.

I can't believe how fast the time has gone. The twins will celebrate their third birthday in a little over two months. They can talk (if you can call twin-talk talking), so the screaming and back-biting (literally) have decreased somewhat. They can turn on the TV and push play, so even if I'm nursing Baby Hippo, they can entertain themselves for a while without assistance. And if I bribe them with gummy Vitamin C, they will even run to their cribs on their own and hop in.

Yes, my life is easier, and I never thought I'd say this, but there are some things I miss about the twins not being babies anymore. Just today, I gave away one of their high chairs. Having two high chairs lined up together for more than two years...

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(Just so you know, I did NOT balance that cake with burning flames between their two high chairs. I just snapped the shot, which is actually no better than having balanced it myself. At least THEY seemed to realize the precariousness of their situation.)

...always gave me such a good, twinny feeling inside. Seeing just one, which Baby Hippo now uses, makes me a little nostalgic.

And if the twins growing up wasn't enough, Baby Hippo will soon be rolling over (don't ask me why he hasn't yet) and when that happens, he will leave our bed and inherit the 4-year-old boy's crib which has been converted to a toddler bed, soon to have the side rail reattached. Which leaves another question unanswered. Where do we put the 4-year-old boy? Do we start scouring the internet for futon bunk beds and buy one to put in the 10-year-old boy's bedroom for them to share? Or do I give him the 10-year-old boy's bedroom altogether, let the 10-year-old boy have the 14-year-old boy's room, and move the 14-year-old boy to the now moved-out 18-year-old boy's room?

Sometimes I think it's easy when kids start to grow up, but sometimes it just adds more confusion to my life.

Even so, I still love it that the twins can now push play.

Thanks for listening!


P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)