Two under two-and-a-half

Hi, my name is Amory and my husband's name is Martin, and we have a two-and-a-half-year-old; and a one-and-a-half-year-old. WOW! How did that happen?!

Here's an update on our amazing girls' stats!!!

Ava

You are amazing! You are finally potty trained to the max. Sleep in big girl underwear and have zero accidents during the day (we are working on the nighttime). You are in a big girl bed since you just figured out how to climb out of yours just a few weeks ago! The transition was a lot easier than I had expected! And I want to thank Emma for that, because when you were trying to abuse your freedom-- you'd just innocently open the door softy and shut it softy. :)

You talk so much! Show and vocalize great concern for others and others' feelings. My favorites are you say "thank you," "you're welcome," "sorry," etc. without any prompting. And you say "bless you" when someone sneezes-- one of my favorites. Another one of my favorites is when I ask Emma something and you follow with "you okay, Emma?! You okay???" You are shy around others, but aren't shy to give hugs when prompted to. You LOVE your grandparents and great-grandparents. You and your Nana have a great bond too. Well, both your Papas (Papa Ouchie-wah-wah and Papa Abuelo), you have great bonds with too.

We are working on clean-up time and not physically fighting with your sister.

Emma

You are amazing too!!! You have grown so much in the past six months. In the past month!!!! You say words, but it's still in baby worded talk. You have mastered "MINE" and "NO!" though. You follow and do everything Ava does. You try and put your shoes on when we are leaving. It's just amazing what you do!!!

You LOVE animals. You stop dead in your tracks when you see another dog when we're getting into the car. You love your Lucy and kitty. You love your Papas and have grown closer to your Nana. You don't like it when I leave you places.... like you are going through separate anxiety again at a later age. You run and you are fast!!! You really understood Christmas-- for what a one-and-a-half-year-old can understand. You point out Santa and say it over and over again. And you pulled tiny little pieces of wrapping paper and handed them off on every, single present. It was fun to watch. :)

We are working on not pulling hair and saying "please" and thank you." :)

Photo credit: Elevenorchids (They do AMAZING work. Check them out at Elevenorchids.com)

Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas/Feliz Navidad (threw that in because the girls speak pequeno (sp?) Espanol)!!! And a Happy New Year!!!!

32 weeks is a big deal

I started this blog to give me a place to remember things about my girls in case I forget to write something down in one of the girls' baby books, which in fact-- I have not written in since I started this blog! :) So I didn't start at the beginning of 'my' motherhood.

The start of my motherhood started when I found out I was pregnant-- just three months shy of getting married (which is great- what we wanted!!). I found out I was pregnant just days after my birthday and went along my pregnancy without any morning sickness or nausea (thank you Mom and Grandma!!!). My pregnancy with Ava was pretty awesome... awesome up until my blood pressure starting to climb the charts at 28-29 weeks. That's when I was referred to the high risk special doctor, perinatologist, Dr. Maier, at Kaiser in Walnut Creek. (He was wonderful!) At almost 30 weeks, I had an awful migraine at work that would not go away. I went home to check my blood pressure with hopes of returning to work right away, but that wasn't the case. The high risk nurse who received my frantic call about my blood pressure told me to go to Labor and Delivery right away!

I was admitted. It was extremely high. I was so scared. I didn't know what was going on and I couldn't wrap my head around it. I spent the night in an actual delivery room on a very uncomfortable delivery chair/bed thinking at anytime they might induce me and take my baby out. The whole week my blood pressure was extremely high and the team in the Labor and Delivery couldn't find the right meds to keep it down. I stayed in the hospital for an entire week which was the week leading up to my baby shower.

I was determined to get out of the hospital and was not going to have a baby shower in the hospital. And I didn't! The staff found the right mix of medicine to keep my blood pressure relatively low (not normal low, but around 140/90-95 and I was put on bed rest and was not allowed to get up from my bed or couch unless it was to shower or use the restroom. But a baby shower.. my first baby shower-- I attended and had a great time with the Mayers who graciously hosted it.

After a week of being on best rest, I had two NST appointments which the first I was released from but the second- not so lucky. The second appointment was on a Friday and my blood pressure was high again (probably around 160/100) and I was admitted. Through that stay, I was required to pee in a 'hat' and keep it so they could test the protein in my urine (which I did throughout the pregnancy once I was labeled 'high risk').

Saturday came and went... and Sunday came. I had had two shots of steriods during this stay to help strengthen the baby's lungs, with the first one on Friday and the second on Saturday. Thank God for those. Sunday afternoon came....

And the words came out of the doctors' mouth. The protein in my urine was extremely high and they were going to have to get her out now. Now. NOW?! I'm not ready. I'm not ready for labor. I haven't even attended the lamaza class or the newborn care class!!!!!!!!! I wasn't ready and I was so scared. So scared. I didn't even realize what was happening. It was so surreal.

Well they induced me around noon I'm guessing since I was eating lunch at the time they told me about the induction. So a couple of naps and hours go by.... I watch the Next Food Network Star for a couple of hours... waiting to feel an awful contraction... and the doctor comes in. He informs me that my liver levels and blood palates numbers are going down because of the pitocin (induces labor) and they need to do an emergency C-section... RIGHT NOW!

What? Now I was scared. I was already scared that I was going to have a baby born at 32 weeks, but didn't completely wrap my mind around it. But now I'm going to have surgery. I've never had surgery let alone a tooth pulled.

Ava came out screaming! (Thank God again for those steroid shots!) She was rushed to the incubator where the doctors examined her and held her up for two seconds and put her in another incubator and took her away. I was sewed up and brought into recovery... recovered well. I was wheeled into my room for the night and wouldn't see Ava until the next afternoon.

Here is the first time I got to hold my baby girl, one day old.

The journey of '32 weeks is a big deal' continues....

Mine

Mine mine mine mine mine mine mine minemine minemineminemineminemine!!!!!!!!

Sorry had to get that out because that's all I hear nowadays. From both of them.

Emma just says it to say it. Everything is hers. Wait, everything is Ava's. Now-- actually it's mommies and daddies. :) Especially our phones and the remote control.

Santa Claus is coming.. to town!

Sooooooo... the girls met Santa.

And yeah. They were cool with him until it was time to sit on his lap for picture time! :) When we approached the line, it was empty and Santa was standing at the front and was very soft spoken and gentle with his movements towards or away from the girls. Ava gave a soft "Hi Santa" and Emma stayed put in my arms!

Then it was picture time....

You are welcome for this laugh! Classic photo. Some parents are butt-hurt about these photos, but I think it's hilarious! Hilarious because they were okay with him until they were put on his lap for 2.3 seconds. We will laugh about this every year when we take it out of the Christmas boxes. :) My poor babies!!!!!!

The girls were even featured in a few local news media outlets, including: Danville Express, San Ramon Express and TriValley Views.

Perfect mommies

I follow a great blog, OMG Mom who I was introduced by one of my old coworkers. I stalk this blog because it makes me laugh. You should stalk it too. She's hilarious and real.

Today or the other day, she talked about perfect mommies and how people talk about how perfect their lives are when in fact, aren't they lying?? We all know these people. They've always been this way.

I am not perfect. No one is. And no one needs to post things on the Internet trying to reflect that their lives are perfect. It shows through like a sore thumb!!!!!!!!! Right?!

These mommy liars are the ones that say there child doesn't cry in public. Sleeps through the night at one week (okay maybe this happens, but really?), etc.

Our girls cry in public. Well of course they do! It's embarrassing! I remember specifically the other day in Safeway, Ava pulled a Rolo candy bar off of the shelf. And I said "no!" And she cried. Then she started to hit Emma. While they are both in the shopping cart with the pretend car in the front.. I could not access them. And I wasn't going to leave the line. And I wasn't going to buy the candy bar because I just bought one for them the other day (Ava justified it by telling me she's been peeing on the potty and I said ok).

Well this sweet soul of a mother of a teenager boy was ahead of us being checked out. I just let them cry and hit each other because they were stuck in between the candy and the check-out belt wall thingy. That teenager was starring at me!!!!! He had no clue why they were crying and really has no clue about being a father or about kids or whatever--right?! In my mind I was thinking-- oh my gosh, she must think I'm an awful mother because she's letting her kids cry and hit each other and scream. But no. After she got her receipt, she gave me a sweet smile and in her eyes told me I was doing the right thing with a reassuring look.

There needs to be more mothers like this. Because it happens. And when they are young like our girls are, you are raising them to be respectful humans. It's the groundwork. Right?

Cheers to screaming babies! Next time this happens, and you see it, give the mother or father a reassuring smile. They need it more than you know!