God is GOOD

On April 30th of last year, I was driving home from getting a massage in hopes of it totally relaxing me for my second transfer that was scheduled at 12:30 the next afternoon (May 1, 2008). I can remember it just like it was yesterday. I remember waking up and trying to be calm, driving up there with mom and wondering if Cory was going to make it in time (since he was waiting on a family), getting all prepared for the procedure, walking into the little OR room for the procedure, and being able to watch Dr. Grunert on the ultrasound machine transfer two little embryo's into my uterus. I remember Cory and I holding hands and laughing as we watched one of the embryo's bounce off my bladder...any guesses which little one that could have possibly been...my guess is Burkley, but I'm not sure!

You see, tomorrow is going to be a "sappy" day for me. One, because I will be heading back to work (I know, I know...it's only for one month, but still) and two, because my life forever changed on May 1st. Little did I know what God had in store for Cory and I, but I am forever grateful and thank Him daily for the two most beautiful gifts that He has given me! Oh, and this week just happens to be National Infertility Week as well...so if you (or someone you know) is facing infertility, please do not give up hope.

Well, it's getting late and I better get going so that I can get in bed...hopefully I won't toss and turn all night long and "wonder" (or should I say worry) if my alarm will go off! Say a prayer that I will make it all day tomorrow without having a nervous breakdown...I'm sure going to miss my sweet babies and I know they are going to wonder where on earth their mommy is!

"D" Day

Six months ago, May 1st seemed like a long time away. That was then...this is now. You can probably imagine how I'm feeling right now...pretty bummed to be quite honest. I thought I had myself all talked into going back and getting through the month of May, but when last week rolled around, surprisingly so did all of the emotions. I'm very fortunate to have had this time off with Brooks and Burkley, but still, I'm just not ready to go back. I know that they are going to be well taken care of and spoiled rotten by their Nana, so at least I don't have to worry about that. The month of May will be super busy with all of the end of school stuff, so hopefully it will go by fast. I haven't counted the days yet, but I think I just have to make it 4 weeks. Can I do it...maybe, but it's going to be hard! So, if you don't hear from me for a while, know that as of tomorrow morning, I am no longer a SAHM (stay at home mom). That title will resume again the second week in June (for good...well, I will be a part time stay at home mom and will sub a few days a week next year).

Here are a few pictures of my darlings from last week...enjoy!

I'm training her early!

So sweet and so TIRED!!
(look what one of those shots did to his little leg)

Okay...I'm off to get things ready for tomorrow...YEAH (not)!

Hungry, Hungry Hippo

So, I gave in and decided that we should introduce Brooks to cereal Sunday evening. After a bath, we geared up for the big taste test and he LOVED it and did GREAT. The only thing he did not like about eating was that it (or I) was to slow...not quite as fast as drinking from a bottle! Here's a few pictures to document this milestone...enjoy!

Getting everything ready for this experience!

HURRY UP MOMMY...

Don't you know I'm STARVING?!?!

YUMMY...this stuff is pretty good!

Look at my big boy eating from a spoon!

Not a happy camper when it's all gone!
Hurry up daddy with my bottle!!!

17 Weeks Old Today

Can you guess what song I was singing to Brooks this morning while I was getting him dressed for church? If you guessed Every Girl's Crazy bout' a Sharp Dressed Man, then you're right! I LOVE getting them all dressed up...it's so much fun and they are so stinkin' cute!!I wasn't sure if we were going to make it in time for 8 o'clock Mass this morning, but we were able to pull it off...and no, we were not late! Thank goodness Burkley decided to have her blowout before we left this morning, but Brooks on the other hand, saved his for church. Half way through Mass, he sounded off, so Cory had to be Mr. Mom and take him since I had Burkley in my arms. Dad was successful at his first time changing Brooks out in public in the men's restroom! Ha, ha, ha...I'm laughing just thinking about it (he had to deal with shoes, pants, wipe case, diaper, and the changing pad, but he managed)!

And here's a picture of my Little Stinky. Can you tell that she is SUPER tired in this picture? Girlfriend pretty much stayed up all afternoon today. After I took these pictures, they ate and I put them down for their morning nap. Well, she only slept for about 30 minutes (if even that long) and she was up the rest of the day yawning away and just as happy as she could be. She has really discovered her voice and boy, does she like to "talk"...so cute!

My photo shoot attempts from this morning. By far, not the best photos, but you get what you can get with two hungry and sleepy babies. Don't they look spiffy in their coordinating outfits? Look at Burkley's little hand under Brooks' arm...so sweet!

Enough said...it's feeding time!!

I can't believe it's already been 17 weeks since these two were placed in my arms for the first time. God has truly blessed Cory and I with beautiful and healthy babies!!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Geez...is it ever going to quit raining? It has been raining all day long and at times, it was really bad. Needless to say, Poppy didn't quite make it to LaGrange this afternoon. He picked up "Uncle" Craig and they made it as far as Nasa Rd. 1 and then they just "happened" to pull over at the Guitar Center parking lot-the rain never let up and the radar wasn't looking good at all, so they made a wise decision and decided not to make the trip. They are pretty bummed about not being able to ride, but I'm glad they made a smart and safe decision. There's always next year! The twins and I have had a low key day and I actually enjoyed it (I guess I'll admit that I'm STILL in my jammies)!! Cory had to go in this morning and wait on a few families and then he came home. He tried running back up to the funeral home earlier to meet someone, but he couldn't make it there because so many streets are flooded! He came in laughing because there were two guys on the next street over floating up and down the street in floats (and no, they were NOT children...he said they were about his age). ONLY in Alvin!!! Hopefully this rain will stop sometime soon...we needed some rain, but not this much. It's pouring as I'm typing!

This picture was taken last night. I turned on Baby Einstein's Baby McDonald for all THREE of our children to watch so that we could eat dinner. Holly LOVES this movie and she will sit and watch the entire thing...my mom has this same DVD and it's the only one that Kyla will watch, so Holly has seen it numerous times (I wonder if she has it memorized like my dad does?)!!

Look how strong my sweet little man is...he's kind of started squealing and making loud noises when he's on his tummy! So cute. Oh, and he's really rolling over from his tummy to his back. Burkley rolls from her back to her side and will be rolling over soon too!

This is what I saw this morning as I was pumping. Not the best picture because I was trying to take it with one hand, but isn't it super sweet? Brooks is trying to hold her hand and look at his eyes...they are glued on me (and yes, I LOVE IT)!!!

Since it was such a nasty day today, I decided to pull out and wash all of their rattles and things they can hold with their hands. We had a good time and I loved watching them play with the rattles.

And yes, I did sing Shake, Rattle, and Roll to them and they just smiled and laughed at me!!!

Holly is scared to death of rain, so you can only imagine how her day was today. She has not left my side all day long...she's been my little shadow. This is where I found her at one point today...I guess she thought Brooks and Burkley might be scared of the rain too! Such a sweet big sister protecting her babies!

Burkley was waking up and "talking" so Holly went in to check on her!

Our view from the living room today!

Look how full the pool is!

And this is the retention pond across the street from us.

I've never seen it this full...not even after Hurricane Ike.

Ride Poppy Ride

So, this weekend is the BIG MS150 ride from Houston to Austin and my dad, along with his buddies, will be riding again this year. This is his 7th year to ride and support the MS foundation. He's a little bummed right now because they canceled the first leg of the ride today from Houston to LaGrange due to the horrible weather we are going to get. But, better to be safe than sorry...don't think it would be much fun riding a bike in the pouring down rain with the wind blowing 90+ miles an hour). So far, the second leg of the ride is still on for tomorrow, so he will be leaving this afternoon and driving to LaGrange. Tomorrow morning they will ride from LaGrange to Austin and then drive on home (makes for a long weekend...or this year for a long day, but they enjoy riding for a good cause). Speaking of a good cause, this year is going to be an extra special ride for them because "Uncle" Craig's daughter was recently diagnosed with MS, so dad will be riding this year in honor of Becky, Uncle Leo, and Judy. Good luck Poppy and "Uncle" Craig!! Be careful and have fun ridin'! We LOVE you!!!

4 Month Stats...

Today we (me, mom, and cousin Kyla) took Brooks and Burkley for their 4 month well child appointment at Dr. Judice's office. Other than the shots, the appointment went very well. Both Brooks and Burkley are following their own growth chart and are right on track with height, weight, and head circumference. They are also on track developmentally, which makes me very happy. Here's what they can do at 4 months old:

• Brooks takes 6 ounces of breast milk and Burkley takes 5 ounces of breast milk every 3 1/2 to 4 hours (sometimes a little longer)
• They both sleep ALL NIGHT LONG- they have been sleeping between 8-10 hours at night, but the past few days, they have gone even longer at night without waking to eat (this morning I woke them to get them ready and it had been a little over 13 hours). I questioned Dr. Judice about this because I wanted to make sure that I didn't need to wake them and she said that was perfectly normal...I consider myself pretty lucky! Brooks is pretty good about letting us know when he's ready to eat, so I've been pretty impressed that he's going that long at night!
• It's a matter of days before both are rolling over on their own. When placed on the quilt/play mat, they will turn from their back to their side and the other day Brooks rolled from his tummy to his back without any assistance.
• They are scooters...especially when they are sleeping or getting a bath. I put them in the middle of their beds at night and when I go in the next morning or during the night to check on them, they are at the other end of the bed with no covers on them at all! They also scoot on the mat when I'm giving them a bath and I'm scared to death they are going to bump their heads.
• They both follow objects really well with their eyes and respond when anyone talks or sings to them. The continue to melt every one's heart with their precious smiles and giggles and I love to just sit and listen to them coo!
• Both LOVE their hands! Burkley loves to suck on her thumb (and sometimes her fingers) and Brooks loves his fist. I hate for them to wear bibs all of the time, but it's either that or the front of their outfit gets soaking wet from drool!
• I'm sure the list could go on and on, but I think I have hit the major things.

Dr. Judice also talked about introducing rice cereal to them if I wanted to, but said that I could also wait a little longer since they both seem satisfied with just my milk. She did suggest waiting a month or two before introducing it to Burkley since she is so petite...she would rather her continue to get the calories that she is getting from my milk a while longer. Since I will be going back to finish out the year in May, I will probably wait until I introduce the whole rice cereal thing...but I'm not 100% sure yet (another milestone that makes me realize my babies are growing up WAY TOO FAST...I hate it). We will go back next Thursday to get the other 2 shots. Here's a few pictures from today's trip to the doctor and their 4 month stats!

Brooks Allen

Weight: 13 pounds 4.3 ounces

Height: 24 1/4 inches long

25th percentile for both height and weight

Brooks getting the oral immunization

Burkley Ann
Weight: 8 pounds 15.9 ounces
Height: 21 1/4 inches
She is now in the 3rd percentile for height and weight
(when I was little, I was in the 5th forever)

Burkley finishing up the oral immunization

And a picture of their battle wounds!

OUCH...makes my leg hurt just looking at it!

Oh, and since they were such little troopers today, they got to pick out a sticker on the way out! Burkley picked out a Hannah Montana sticker and Brooks picked out a Batman sticker!!!

Where's Burkley?

This is how I found Sleeping Beauty this morning! She was obviously doing some major snoozing...notice that thumb in her mouth! I guess it's time to get rid of her sleep positioner too! Oh, and I think they both got a good night's sleep...12 hours and 43 minutes to be exact! Have a Wonderful Wednesday!!!

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

Just wanted to share a few pictures of my sweet and silly little monkey's with you this morning! We're just hangin' around the house today...catching up on laundry and picking up around the house. It's a beautiful day, so I suppose we will get out for a breath of fresh air and take a stroll around the neighborhood! Have a great day!

Monkey # 1

Monkey # 2

My silly little monkey's

Monkey see, monkey do!

Those hands are so good!!

Is this sweet or what...

She LOVES her big brother!!

Gotta run...monkey # 1 is waking up from his morning nap and is ready for mommy time!!!

Our First Easter

So, our first Easter as a family of 4 was EGGcelent! This was the first holiday that we woke up together as a family of 4 in our house (at Christmas Burkley was still in the NICU and she spent most of New Years in there too before she was discharged). Cory and I woke up extra early (around 5:15) so that we could start getting dressed and ready for church before the babies decided to wake up. We ended up having to wake Brooks and Burkley up around 6:45 (after they slept for 11 1/2 hours) so that we could get them fed and changed into their Easter outfits before heading out the door for 8:00 Mass (and allowing a few extra minutes for diaper changes)! We made it to church on time and were getting settled in the pew when all of a sudden Burkley decided to have an explosion! It was so loud and I was so embarrassed!! The couple in the pew in front of us turned around and was laughing and the two little old ladies sitting next to us looked and started laughing! So, I get a diaper, wipes, and changing pad and head out to the ladies restroom to change a stinky diaper (and I'm laughing to myself the whole time). Holy cow, that diaper change was an ordeal with the frilly dress, bloomers, and lacy socks!! After that, all was well. Both babies slept through Mass and woke up right at the very end (when everyone was coming over to see how precious they are)! We came home, fed, pumped, and then loaded up and headed to Pappasitto's for lunch with the Scott family. We go there every year for lunch on Easter since Cory's dad gives up Mexican food for Lint. After or tummy's were FULL, we headed on over to my parents house for more food. Neither one of us was hungry, but we ate again and it was yummy (fried turkey, ham, dressing, slaw, corn, and green beans)! The babies were perfect and got so many baskets filled with goodies (I was beginning to think it was Christmas all over again with everything they got). And...here's several pictures from our first Easter! Enjoy and hope your family had a Happy Easter!

Getting ready for bed on Easter Eve

The Easter bunny came to see Brooks and Burkley

Brooks with his goodies from the Easter bunny

Burkley with her goodies from the Easter bunny

Brooks and Burkley with their goodies from the Easter bunny

The Easter bunny even left some treats for Holly

Sweet babies on Easter morning

Dressed and ready for church

Super cute and Super sweet

Our little family of 4

Easter 09

And here we are again

Avery, Burkley, Brooks, and Colton

The bunny at Pappasitto's came to see us too

Brooks' goodies from Nana and PaPa

Burkley's goodies from Nana and PaPa

Brooks and Burkley's goodies from Uncle Matt, Aunt TT, Luke, and Baby Hudson

Brooks and Burkley's goodies from Grammy and Poppy

Bunnies from Grammy and Poppy

(L-R Holly's, Brooks', and Burkley's)

Brooks and Burkley's goodies from Uncle Kyle, Aunt Shu Shu, and Kyla

Goodies from Uncle Kevin, Aunt Mandy, Colton, and Avery

Brooks and Burkley's goodies from Great Pop and MiMi

One tired little man and sweet little girl after all of the Easter festivities

Thanks again to everyone who spoiled Brooks and Burkley on their first Easter. What a difference a year makes...who would have guessed we would be where we are today this time last year? Cory and I are so blessed and I thank God each and every day for giving me my two precious and healthy babies. I love them more than words could ever describe!

XOXO~

Hay