The good ol' outdoors

Playtime:

So helpful:

This looks like Emily's ball:

Giving Husky a kiss:

Feeling generous enough to give Mom a kiss too:

The week in pictures.

Sharing their space:

Close-up:

Another close-up:

Playing:

Sweet little man:

Who me???

Sweet girl:

Little Emily Bear:

Mom and Zach:

Mom and Emily:

So cool that she has to wear shades:

Soccer ball:

Hanging out in the "fort":

Such a sweet little guy:

Mine, mine, mine:

Fun times:

Happy Mother's Day to our moms!

Steve and I would like to wish our moms a very happy Mother's Day. We wouldn't be who we are today without your love and guidance. Thank you for all you do!!! We love you!!!

My Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a special day for me, especially considering how long and difficult the road was to get me here. I definitely don't take it for granted. As I celebrate my third Mother's Day I reflect on how lucky we were to be able to undergo IVF and to have it be successful. We are so grateful to Dr. Nackley and Lisa, our embryologist, who paired up our little guys and watched over them from the very earliest stage. We are also grateful to Dr. Zwernemann and Dr. Thigpen who kept such a close eye on me during pregnancy so that our little miracles would be brought into the world as safely as possible. We also thank the Doctors and nurses at Cook Children's who took care of Emily and Zach during their first weeks. I remember celebrating my first Mother's Day in the NICU and praying for the day that I could bring them home. What a difference two years makes. Today we celebrated our third Mother's Day at home together.

Random happenings around the Swine Flu

Emily and Zach had their two year check-ups on April 29th. We got out of there with only one shot each, however I think they managed to pick up a cold while we were there too. BOO HISS! I originally thought that they were suffering from allergies due to this crazy weather, but then it developed into a crummy cold. Commence nose mopping. UGH.

Stats:
Emily weighs a whopping 28 lbs. which puts her in the 68%tile for weight. A few weeks earlier she weighed 29 lbs., so she actually has thinned down a bit. I guess all of the running in, out and around the house has really melted away her baby fat. She is 36" tall which puts her in the 95%tile. That means that 95% of children her age are shorter than her. YIKES. She's going to be a tall girl.

Zach weighs 23.4 lbs. which finally puts him on the growth chart at a stunning 5%tile. That means 95% of children his age weigh more than he does. Big surprise. He's going to be tall and skinny. I'm ok with that. He is 34" tall which is the 40%tile. That's pretty close to average. Good enough for Mommy. He isn't throwing up anymore and for that I am so thankful.

That night I celebrated with another one of those tasty raspberry margaritas with my "scrapbooking" girls. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Thanks to the Swine Flu we didn't even attempt to go to Paradise Pond. Or anywhere else for that matter. Most of the school districts were closed here, so the Pond was probably closed anyway. We've been staying at home and playing outside when the weather cooperates.

On Saturday (May 2) Steve treated me to a day away. He took care of the cubs while I had a spa treatment (if I had money to waste I'd have one of these every day) and then lunch with my fellow moms at Brios. What a great day. Except for the weather -- it was pretty crummy. That afternoon a storm collapsed the roof of the Cowboys' training facility. We were fortunate and didn't receive any damage but sadly others weren't as lucky. Mother Nature can be very ugly.

Tuesday night was another GNO with my friends. I love that Steve is willing to put the cubs to bed so I can enjoy dinner with friends. We went to Cheddars, where I of course indulged myself in the onion rings (yum) and a Cookie Monster (more yummy)...and a raspberry something or other. This has become such a frequent order that Steve actually bought me my own bottle of Raspberry mix so I can make my own at home. I hope he doesn't think that this means I'll stop going to GNO. Hee hee.

Yesterday was Emily and Zach's ECI evaluation. Emily qualifies for speech therapy and I'm excited to get started with that. She speaks in her own little language. She changes her tone and uses facial expressions and hand gestures as if she's telling a whole story. Unfortunately I can't understand a single word. I do think that once she starts talking, she'll really take off. Zach also qualifies for speech therapy and occupational therapy to help with his eating aversions. No surprise there. That is the reason I called them. Zach has come a long way but he still has a way to go. We know he'll get there!

Boo to the Swine Flu.

I grabbed my calendar so I could blog about all the fun activities that we did last weekend.

I wanted to go to Mayfest on Saturday.

On the www.mayfest.org website:
"City of Fort Worth - official statement regarding closure of Mayfest.

MAYFEST 2009 IS CANCELED.

For 37 years Mayfest has been proud to be a part of the greater Fort Worth community. From all of us at Mayfest, thank you for your support and patronage.

Mayfest has a long, rich history of serving the Fort Worth community. The festival began in 1973 as a celebration of the beautification and improvement of the Trinity River and greenbelt.

Mayfest has now evolved into a four day family festival. The festival includes an Art Market, Children’s Area, Riverbank Area, Sports Area, The Zone (Teen Area), the Mayfest Run, Special Needs Day, Senior Citizen’s Day, Military Day and tremendous entertainment on over six different stages. There are a number of attractions, free activities and a delectable offering of food and beverage. From young to old, Mayfest includes something for everyone and strives to entertain the entire family."

BOO! Thanks Swine Flu. I think this was the first time Mayfest has ever been canceled.

Then I wanted to go to the Cook Children's NICU Reunion on Sunday. I thought it would be a really neat experience for the cubs to be reunited with the great nurses that took care of them during their first weeks here. Plus I was excited for the nurses to all see how well our miracle cubs are doing. We were unable to go last year because it was scheduled on their birthday weekend so we really made a special effort to go this year.

For www.cookchildrens.org website:

"The Cook Children's Neonatal/Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) reunion scheduled for Sunday, May 3, has been canceled as a precautionary measure..."

BOO! Thanks Swine Flu.

That sums up our family activities last weekend.

Lots of pictures with a little commentary.

Thank you to everyone for all of the awesome birthday gifts. Our cubs are well-loved!! Here are just a few of the birthday pictures.

They weren't big fans of the cupcakes. Don't worry, they didn't go to waste, Mom and Dad took care of them.:



Holding all of her outfits from Great-Grandma Betty and Tom. Included are the cutest swimsuits....perfect to go with the fun outdoor sprinkler they received from Grandma and Grandpa Bear.


Elmo phone and CD player from Grandma Shirley and Grandpa John:


Emily is all about the phone:


Caught red-handed trying to break into the Sand and Sea play table that Uncle Craig and Auntie Leslie sent. We can't wait for the weather to clear up so we can play.:


Zach is trying to distract me so I won't notice that Emily is still trying to break into the box.