Day In the Life: 13 months

4:00 am- Ella whines for her binky- she's clearly asleep but usually can't find her binky on her own.

540am- Ella whines for her binky again. Pop it back in. Bria immediately starts crying. Sometimes she will fall back asleep, sometimes not. 

Today she didn't. Andrew brought her in. Usually they both just wake up, but Ella was pretty sleepy still. We play in bed until 6am and then it's up for everyone and diaper changes! (If it were a day I worked I would be up at 5:30)

6:10 warm up their morning bottle. Andrew is in the shower, I feed the girls their bottle. Ella is in my lap, Bria is on the boppy. Watching Octonauts. After they are done, Ella runs around the upstairs. Andrew made breakfast for himself so we go downstairs around 6:30. 

Downstairs, the girls help him eat his pop tarts. He goes upstairs to finish getting his things ready for work, packing his lunch, etc- then he makes three girls breakfast. 

715- Today it was bananas and chocolate chip waffles which I'm beginning to think they don't like. Daddy has left and it's just us girls! 

A lot of playing or keeping the girls occupied happens. 

800am- change diapers and a small snack. Bria left me her morning surprise. Ella hasn't yet. 

Craziness ensues. 

830- Bria starts to get fussy. We start the trek upstairs. I ask if they want to take a nap, they crawl to the baby gate and crawl up the stairs! 

835- everyone is in bed and quiet! 

This is the time I usually should eat but I don't. I need to get everything ready for the day. We usually try to get out once a day. Especially since it will be winter here in a few short months. This is imperative. I pack my backpack. Sippys, diapers, wipes, snacks. Oops! Out out a lot of snacks today so a little trip to Walmart is in order. 

I fix the flyaways on my pony tail, out on fresh make up, contacts and try to decide what to wear. I recently dyed my hair. Terrrrrible idea. It looks awful and my hairdresser can't fit me in until Wednesday. So I've been living with pony tails for the past week. Only a few more days left! Like 5 ugh! 

920- Finally- I can sit down for a minute. 

This is the time I can pay bills, work on my photography or do homework. I just submitted an exam last night so I don't want to start a new lesson and only have a few minutes to work on it and all the bills are paid, so I get to relax. I drink my usual diet coke (yes I know- im not a coffee drinker and this is a must to get through the day!) 

10:00am girls are awake like clockwork! 

She hides her face until she can see me! 

1005: Diapers changed and clothes changed too! 

We play upstairs for a little while. 

1010-1030 trying to fold laundry with a leech attached to my side 

1030: We went down the stairs and everyone put on their shoes. Both girls can say shoe and Ella usually backs up and will sit on My lap. We count shoes. I say one and they say two. I carry Bria out and Ella walks out the door. Strap Bria in and run to get Ella who has walked behind the car out of my sight. Luckily she is still in the driveway and not in the main road. 

By 1037 we are in the car and ready to go! 

1050- We go to Walmart for cheesies, string cheese, snacks for the girls and a gift for my Papaw who turned 81 yesterday. Mums and cookies! I forgot my disposable shopping bag again so I had to buy a new one. 

1122:  We are in the drive through, once a week we go to Burger King and visit my Mamaw and eat lunch there. Today we have to take Papaws birthday gift to him. 

Papaw does see me pull in so he helps and grabs Ella, thankfully since I have our lunch, his gifts and Bria already in my hands. 

The girls LOVE playing there! After they eat their lunch- it's PLAY time! 

Chicken fingers still in hand. These girls could eat all day long. They usually do.

My favorites. 

1:00 pm- change diapers Bria first,  Ella has ran into the kitchen and found the cat food and water and spilled the water everywhere. Grrreeeeaaat. 

I clean that up and drag Ella into the living room to change her diaper. 

Clean up the mess we made while the girls are in the kitchen with Mamaw and Papaw. I grab the shoes, bag and trash and go to the kitchen.  Sit down, Ella comes over to put her shoes on. Done. 

Bria crawls over. I put her shoes on only to realize I smell poop. It's 115 at this point.

Change Bria's diaper in the hallway. Ella comes over to see what's going on, makes a face and walks away. 

Finally ready to go. 

1:20pm - Packed and in the car. 

We literally live one minute away. 

122: Home and inside! We push a few stools around. 

Watch a minute of Doc Mcstuffins and it's naptime! 

133: Girls are in bed! 

I plug in my camera battery remembering I'm taking some pictures tonight. 

135-205- finish folding laundry, putting it away and hanging It up. Track has not moved since we left at 1030! Must be nice. I'm over here sweating. AC on please! 

205: My sister calls to FaceTime. Forgetting the girls are napping. I entertain Lylah for a few. I think I'm her favorite. 

210- start a new load of laundry that I'm sure I will forget to put in the dryer (mom brain I guess??)  even though the load only takes 57 minutes. 

220- frantically searching for my favorite loaded baked potato recipie. Of course I'm certain the one I pinned on Pinterest wasn't it. Search and search. Looks like that's the only one without sour cream and heavy whipping cream. Must be it!

230- Start dinner (loaded baked potaoe soup, grilled cheese)- by cutting up potatoes. I had just enough!  Whew! 

242- Start unloading the dishwasher. It NeVER fails when I do dishes someone wakes up. So at this point they have had 1 hour and 15 minutes of sleep so if one wakes up they should be good to go. 

245: Bria wakes up! I knew it!!! I desperately need to get a 2nd sound machine. I bring her out and realize I left the girls snacks in the car. We walk to the car, get snacks and leave Bria with the entire bag of cheesies, so I can finish the dishes and she feels like a big girl for eating out of the bag! 

Dishes are  being washed in the dish washer. Of course the pan I need is in there. I pause the cycle. Take it out. Wash by hand. 

3:00pm- Ella is awake. Go get her bring her out. She starts to throw a mini fit until she sees cheesies. All is well. 

Fresh water and ice In their sippys.  

Potato Soup on the stove

 

325- Girls are playing on the couch and reading 

330- Andrew calls. I put it on speaker. Ella immediately takes the phone and runs away. I year him yell I'll see you when I get home. 

345- Daddy is home! Momma is trying tofinish  the potato soup and the girls are trying to open every drawer possible!

They start getting fussy so dad brings up the walkers so I can finish. 

400: he takes over doing grilled cheese so I can change diapers. I was going to change them earlier but Ella kept squatting every few minutes so I knew she was working up a big poo. 

I chase her into thebedroom and change her stinky diaper. 

I come back out and grab Bria to change her diaper. 

422: We are all outside eating dinner. Its a little early dinner for us but since I have to take pictures later this will have to do. Plus I had an early lunch. 

 

450- we are changed and playing on the porch. 

I want to get a few pics of the girls too when we are there,,, they want no part of that. Dad walks Ella back home during the session. 

515: photo session. Daddy on duty 

620: photos done & we are playing in the yard. 

The girls are helping pushing the stroller.

650: we stop at the neighbors and drop off some baby food my grandma had for their granddaughter. 

7:00: String cheese as a snack before bed. 

705:bath - I bathe the girls, I already set out a towel, 2 diapers, desitin and monkey pjs. Andrew warms the bottles. I've gotten really fast at bathtime. Makes me laugh being afraid to bathe them by myself. 

715: Bottle- the girls both down 6 ounces of whole milk. 

720: Bed. I take Ella into bed and Andrew carries Bria. 

I immediately start cleaning up the upstairs. Then I Grab my camera and hard drive and head down stairs. I like to edit on my desktop because I prefer Lightroom version 3 and my laptop has the newest one. I connect my camera and start transfering all 389 pictures. 

In the meantime, while that's loading I throw the clothes in the dryer!! Yay! Only 5ish hours later! & I start cleaning the downstairs. Pick up all their toys, put them in their places, etc. 

735- Time to start editing. 

935- Finally done. Time to head upstairs and get ready for bed! 

Clothes changed. Contacts out. Melatonin taken. All lights off. In bed under two blankets! 

Thank goodness it's my turn to sleep in tomorrow! :) 

Let Me Clarify

So the last blog post left much to be desired. FYI- having twins are hard. Having sick twins= even harder. & although we had bumpy few weeks of sleep around 8 months- it's been a breeeeeeZe since! So for the girls to both be sick and no meds, no amount of cuddling, no bottle or rocking will help. Seriously what do you do? 

The girls have Hand Foot and Mouth. They got it from their cousins and their cousins got it from a family Friends boy who came over to play with Kayleigh one day. My sister texted me Tuesday and said I think Lylah (her youngest) has hand foot and mouth. Great. We had seen her Friday, Sunday and Monday. Sweet. Not even 15 minutes later my SIL texts me who is watching our girls and says hey, Ella has a fever of 99.2 and is sleepy. Plus she has a blister on her lip. Are you kidding?! Now the girls have it full blown , blisters on hands feed and a few on the mouth. Seriously. Three days later- Andrew gets it.  Sore throat, blisters on his hands and feet. This weekend- I have had a sore throat and a hellacious fever all weekend. I'm hoping it's not something  I'm getting as well. It wouldn't surprise me since the girls favorite thing to do is put their fingers in my mouth and now kiss. 

(Just now finished this post Monday. Yup. I have it)

The girls have been trying. It's not been easy and my anxiety- or whatever you want to call it- can't handle much more. Both girls threw a huge fit on Saturday hugeeeeee. I can't take it the screaming, crying, etc. 2 minutes later the girls were kissing each other!! Kissing!! The first time. I was bawling! 

If I figure out how to post videos I will! 

Now let me go soak my blistery feet! 

I can't even think of a title for this blog post. I'm that lost. It's 12:06am. The girls have both been up screaming and crying for over an hour. I've cried. I have had enough. Seriously more than my brain can handle. Today was a challenge anyway and I usually get 10-11 hours to recharge myself baby free. Of course on the worst day I've had in months- they are screaming. 

The girls currently have HFM. Hand foot and mouth which they got from their Weaver cousins. Lylah has it pretty bad apparently and no sooner did my sister text me that she thought Lylah had HFM that my sister in law texted me that Ella felt warm, tired and had a blister on her lip. Really?! 

So we've been dealing with that. I even gave them both Motrin before they went to bed to prevent all of this from happening. And here I am. Head under the covers, listening to one scream, role up the other one and it is deafening. I can't take it! My anxiety is already through the roof, this is totally not helping. 

We've tried rocking, nothing. Ella was never rocked to sleep before that's just not how she rolls. Didn't work. Might have made it worse I'm not really sure. I just know I'm dying. Nap times were hell today. Nighttime is hell. I can't deal. 

13 Months! 13!!!!!

Okay. Time is going faster- I'm almost positive. Yup. It is. 

Ella Faith, 

You have tested my patience in so may ways this past month with your newfound independence. You know what you want and when you want it. It's not a bad thing, but it's so hard to read all your cues- usually you say "eh" "uh" etc. You has become much more Of a talker these past few weeks. You can say shoes. You go get your shoes, I sit Indian style and you back you booty up and plop down on my lap! One of my favorite accomplishments this month! You also repeat a lot of what mommy is saying. I say one, you say two. We do a lot of counting!! A lot! You are atill a solid rock of muscle and you are so strong! You picked up an entire milk Jug full of water! You are crazy! We call you baby hulk sometimes! You know what I mean when I say do you want to go take a nap? I open the gate and you crawl up the stairs. Daddy said you two were so sleepy today you walked into your room and stood beside your crib! Such a smartie! Some of my favorite things you do or say besides two and shoes- if how fast you ride your horse-- it's hilarious! I'm convinced one day you are going to buck off but so far, so good! I love when I open up my arms you walk right into them and hug me, your open mouth kisses- usually 4/5/6 in a row! Your smile! It lights up your whole face! I mean- it's to die for! 

Puh lease girlfriend. I'm dying. 

I love how free and independent you are. You would walk all the way down the road by yourself without looking back once if we would let you, but yet you still love to keep me in sight! Even if I am In the bathroom! 

You are down to 2 bottles a day and I can't seem to get you to drink milk out of a sippy! But you love love water! You live most foods, fruits are hit and miss but you are the neatest water out of the two (you are still messy though). Your favorite snack is either- string cheese or cheese puffs/balls. Seriously you can be throwing a fit or crying and stop all together if you see one of those! You have grown so much with your vocabulary in the past two weeks I can't wait to see what's next! Love you to the moon and back little one! 

Bria Cole,

Oh Bria! You are still our uber sensitive girl! You love to be loved, you love to be cuddled and worn (baby wraps- Aunt Neenie has you hooked on that)! You are so sweet and love to hug/kiss all your stuffed animals! So cute! You also love to be held and hugged yourself! You still have no interest in walking. But I know you secretly can do it- you just want to wait until the time is right. You sometimes will forget you aren't holding on and stand for a few minutes or turn and walk to me. Then collapse in my arms!! One day.. :)

  You are still such a talker and I'm pretty sure you repeated "Andrew " the other day and I have it on video! You will babel all day long and repeat okay everything we say! Your hair is getting so long and my favorite is pulling the top into a pony tail! 

You understand so much of what I say it's crazy. I can ask if you are ready for a nap and you crawl to the gate. I open it up and you Start crawling upstairs. I ask if you want num nums and and you start saying num nums and licking your lips. In the last month you have become more acclimated wih grass- which you hated before. You are obsessed with crawling up the slide. You are so good you crawl up by yourself, turn yourself around, sit and slide down all by yourself! It's the cutest little thing! 

We are so in love with your hearty belly laugh, your adorable smile and how much you love us. You love to be happy and are easily offended. You have the saddest cry. 

You love food and snacks/ cheesies are a new favorite! You are still a very messy eater! It's getting harder and harder to clean your clothes!! I use a bottle of spray on your clothes for every 2 loads of laundry. It's making for a lot of laundry! 

We can't wait to see what you accomplish this month! Love you and sis to the moon and back!! 

Drowning

II totally feel like I'm drowning. 

Okay. I'm being dramatic, but I'm stinking busy! 

I work full time. 

I have two babies - 1 year old. 

I'm going to school. 

I just had my gall bladder taken out 

I just took, edited, ordered and sorted pictures for middle school- football, volleyball, cheerleading, cross country & boys and girls soccer. 

Seriously. I'm drained. I started complaining to my husband last night who was tired (wah,wah is what I thought) after watching a football game and playing on his ipad. I was sitting there thinking about all the homework I had to do while finishing up a 600$ photo order. 

Today we went to church, for the first time in a long time. Like... January/February? I was so scared to take the girls. No way would they sit through 1.5-2 hour service. 

We totally picked this church because of their awesome children's nursery/church and teen program. Time to use it. 

We left the girls in the nursery. 

I cried. I have never left the girls with just a total stranger. Ok. Not total. 

Luckily, the girl in charge of the 1-2 year old room is a girl we went to high school with who owns a local daycare. And her husband so we totally knew her, but still. 

She even texted my husband pictures! I think diaper changes did them in and they got cranky but other than that- they did great they said! 

I mean. How cute are they?! 

I have about 30 adorable pictures before church. Sigh. I love them. 

Post nap and church play. 

Perfect weather. 

Time to clean out the twin mobile! 

But I'm so glad we went. I'm not drowning. I'm blessed. 

I have a full time job. 

I have twin girls. Perfection.

I have the ability, money and technology to go back to a school. 

I have insurance to have the procedure to get my gall bladder out. 

I have an extra job that will allow me to buy Christmas presents and pellets for our pellet stove to heat the house (what I always use my photography $$ for lol) 

I am beyond blessed.