Link to 9 Month Pics

Here is the link for Luke and Olivia's 9 month pics. She was able to get some cute pics, but not as many as usual. Luke and Olivia were very busy taking in the outside scenery and could not be bothered to sit still for long! We took the pics at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, where Dan and I got married almost 7 years ago. They are sitting on my wedding dress, and that was why Luke and Olivia were so dressed up. Enjoy!

www.boldimpressionsphotography.com

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It takes a village

I have always heard the saying "it takes a village to raise a child," and now I truly know what it meant by that statement. I am humbled by how wonderful my family and friends (new and not-so-new) have been while Dan is thousands of miles away. A neighbor brought me dinner the other night, and a friend from college that is happily moving in just a few miles away went shopping with me yesterday and then helped me get the babies ready for bed. Oma and Opa are coming over tomorrow to cook dinner and spend some time with Luke and Olivia, and PawPaw will be here this afternoon to help with their afternoon feeding. Even just an hour of help allows me to recharge some to get through the next couple of weeks, and I'm so grateful for everyone in my life! Thanks!!!

Dan is adjusting to Japan, and he said the guys he is working with are great. Hopefully he can get out and explore the city and surrounding areas during the weekends. Skype and the webcam have been wonderful-how did people communicate before all this wonderful technology? =) I think Luke recognizes Dan on the computer and cries when I put it away (partly because he misses daddy and partly because I took something away from him!) Olivia is too busy being Olivia to sit still and actually look at daddy, but she can still hear his voice, which is good. I miss our "family time" immensely, but will treasure it all the more once Dan is finally home.

I also discovered a playground in a nearby neighborhood with infant swings, and I hope to take Luke and Olivia swinging again tomorrow morning before it gets so hot. By the way, is it really over 90 degrees in the middle of September? I hope they enjoy the swings as much as they did last time. They are still growing too fast, but learning so much along the way. I have recently started teaching them to crawl up and down stairs, and they are getting brave and trying to stand on their own for a few seconds. I can only imagine how crazy it will be once they finally do start walking!

Just a swingin'

Today Luke, Olivia and I went with MauMau and PawPaw to a family reunion. My niece, Paige, also came and man, was she a big help! Unfortunately the rain put a damper on the day's activities, but we were able to get Luke and Olivia into the swings for their first time before things got too wet. Luke had THE BIGGEST smile on his face the entire time, and Olivia just laughed and laughed. I think they would have stayed in the swings for hours. Well, probably more like 20 minutes but for 9 mth olds, that's a long time!



A great time was had by all, and there is absolutely no better sound in the world than my babies laughter.

A new routine for 3 weeks

Today Dan left for his trip to Japan for 3 long weeks =( We can't believe this day is finally here, and we both hope time goes by equally as fast while he is away. I am used to taking care of Luke and Olivia during the day, but it is nice to have Dan's help in the evening for baths, night wakings, feedings, and being a great daddy in general. I am going to miss him so much! We are just hoping Luke or Olivia don't decide to take off walking while he is gone. I told Dan I would just push them over if that happens (just kidding!)

We got skype set up so Dan can see Luke and Olivia while he is away and they can see him, too. It will be interesting to see how they react to daddy via webcam tomorrow once he finally gets settled. Please think special thoughts for us as this will probably be our most challenging time since they were born!

9 Month Pics

Today we took Luke and Olivia's 9 month pics. Our friend and photographer, Candi, drove all the way to us from Atlanta and back home in the same day just so she could take their pics before Dan's trip. How awesome is she? We decided to take the pictures at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, where Dan and I got married almost 7 years ago. Dan's mom crocheted a beautiful white dress for Olivia and we got a tux for Luke. Too cute! There were a lot of distractions for our little ones (running fountains, people walking by and just being outdoors in general), but hopefully we were able to capture a few great moments. It was much easier to take their 6 month pics as they could sit but not yet move. It's tough to keep 2 little babies still when all they want to do is crawl, crawl, crawl!

Thanks so much, Candi, and we can't wait to see the photos. I will post the link as soon as I get it!

A trip to the middle of nowhere!

Dan and I decided to venture to my dad and stepmom's timeshare near Lake Hartwell for a couple of days. It was a much different trip from last year as then I was 26 weeks pregnant. Little did I know at that time that I would be on bedrest shortly following that trip.

This year I was able to play golf twice (thanks, Oma, for watching Luke and Olivia)and go for a run-two things I was unable to do last year! Oma and Opa were gracious enough to baby-sit one evening so Dan and I could go to dinner. As luck would have it, Luke wasn't feeling well and decided to poop in the tub during his evening bath. Other than that, the evening was pretty uneventful for them. Hopefully Oma and Opa will watch Luke and Olivia again! =)

Omigoodness-we had to take so much stuff for just a few days! Two highchairs, two pack n plays, the play-yard and baby gate, toys, pool stuff, clothes, toys...the list goes on! I don't know how people with triplets or more do it! We borrowed MauMau and PawPaw's big truck just so we could haul everything. We know as Luke and Olivia get bigger, their "needs" will get smaller, but it was nice to have everything we needed.

We really enjoyed our trip, and it was a nice little getaway before Dan leaves on Friday for Japan. More to come on that, and pics soon!


Our last swim in the pool for the summer

Opa showing Luke some "magic tricks"

9 Month check-up

Even though it's one day early, we took Luke and Olivia for their 9 month check up today. I can't believe our babies are already 9 mths old!

Dr. Colyer said both of our cuties are progressing very well. I asked her what I needed to be doing with them developmentally since I stay home with them and they don't have exposure daily to other babies, and she said to keep doing what I'm doing-talking with them lots, reading, playing, and singing. They seem to especially love to help me with the laundry. Their favorite thing to do is pull all of their clothes out of the basket and play peek-a-boo with each and every item. It's the cutest thing! Tasks seem to take much longer now, but they are never boring!

Here are the measurements from today's visit:

Luke
20.7 pounds; 50-75%
28.5" long; 50-75%
Head circumference: 45cm 50-75%

Olivia
16.9 pounds; 10-25%
26.25" long; 10-25%
Head circumference: 42cm 3%

We hopefully won't return to see Dr. Colyer until they turn one year old. She said at that visit they will get 4 shots and one finger stick, so we'll probably wait until after their birthday before we make them endure that torture! In the meantime, we are enjoying seeing them continue to learn new things everyday. Dan has recently taught Luke how to "throw" a soft baseball (with each hand, no less!) and I am teaching them to give hugs and kisses. Olivia has almost mastered clapping and Luke is working on waving hello and bye-bye. They laugh a lot each day, and talk with each other in their own special language. It's quite amazing to see what a close relationship they share with one another, and we hope it's one that endures their lifetime. Happy 9 month birthday to our precious little babies!

Grandma' 85th Surprise Party

My grandma (dad's mom) that lives in FL has been visiting for the past couple of weeks, and her time here just happened to coincide with her 85th birthday. We decided it would be great to throw her a surprise party, and surprised she was! It was wonderful to have my sister's kids and our twins all together so she could spend time with everyone. Hope you enjoy a few pics from the day:

Olivia's first tooth

For the past few weeks, we have really thought Luke or Olivia would have a tooth coming in soon. This past weekend, I was checking gums (as I do every morning!), and I felt something sharp on Olivia's bottom gums. Sure enough, she has a tooth on its way. Finally! =) We feel sure Luke's aren't far behind, and hope that is why he has been a little more fussier than his usual chill self. I will be sure to post a pic once her little tooth finally makes its full appearance!

A tough decision

This past Friday Dan was presented with a great opportunity at work, and a very tough decision for our family. His company mentioned a few months ago that there is a new project starting up in Japan, and they may want him to be involved with the project. We decided we wouldn't really worry about it until or unless it became a definite reality. On Friday, it became a definite reality.

They gave him through the weekend to decide, and we talked a lot about the pros and cons. Obviously the most difficult thing is our family being separated for such a long time. But thankfully we now have video chat, email and phone calls to make things a little easier. And it really is too good of an opportunity for Dan to pass up. So he will be in Japan for 3 wks, home for 3 wks, and back to Japan for 4 wks. Luckily the timing is such he won't miss any major events (anniversaries or birthdays) except for Luke and Olivia's first Halloween, but we are still having to rearrange our schedules some. For example, I have to reschedule my trip to visit Lara in Texas and we have to find a new date to take 9 month pics. But everything is workable, and at least this trip isn't happening when Luke and Olivia are just born or when I was on bedrest. It won't be easy, but I think I can handle being both mom and dad for 7 weeks. The toughest part will be Dan missing out on Luke and Olivia day to day. Wish us luck!

Role Reversal

Since Dan's foot is in a boot, we are having to switch roles for a few weeks. He plays with and entertains Luke and Olivia while I get to cut the grass and take out the trash. The last time I cut grass was, well...never! We grew up on an acre lot of trees, so it took me until half way through the yard to figure out the lawn mower was self propelled. Things went a lot faster after that! I am definitely looking forward to Dan's foot healing very soon!

3 babies

I thought that would get everyone's attention! =) Nope...not another bun in the oven, but Dan is now my 3rd baby since he has a broken bone in his left foot. We aren't really sure how it happened, although we think it was when we were out for a run a few weeks ago. His foot has been bothering him ever since and he decided to get it x-rayed today. He has to wear a boot for 4-6 weeks and then have it re-examined to determine if everything is healing properly. Luke and Olivia are very intrigued by his boot and the funny noises the velcro makes when opened. It should be an interesting few weeks all around!