Sickness Stay Away...

Two weeks ago, when I returned home from work, this is what I walked into.  Harper, sitting proudly on the scale wearing only socks and a smile from ear to ear! She was celebrating.  It was the last of several shots she had to receive over the winter to keep RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) away!  The babies were given an antibody to help protect them from the virus since they were born prematurely.  A very nice visiting nurse named Lynne came to the house each month to inject the babies.  It was hard for her to say goodbye to them knowing she may never see them again, but I can assure you, they were happy they may never see her again...at least if she had to give them more shots! Hopefully(knock on wood), we have made it through the winter without any sickness!

Papa Comes to Visit...

Two weekends ago, Grandpa Geary , "Papa", came to visit.  He last saw the twins at Christmas, so it had been 3 months since he had seen them! When he first arrived, Harper was a little apprehensive about the strange man in our house with the red beard, but the next morning, she had him wrapped around her finger within a few minutes! Papa enjoyed seeing the babies and he couldn't believe how much they had changed in just a few months! I was happy to hear that he saw a difference because being with them each and every day, I don't always recognize how quickly they are growing.  Even though Harper is only about 13 lbs, she has grown 6x her birth weight! I have to keep this in perspective since they are still such little babies! We are looking forward to seeing Papa again when the twins celebrate their first birthday in May!

Home for the Weekend...

This weekend, we traveled home to Ogdensburg to celebrate my friend Stephanie and Matt's engagement! On Friday, we spent the day at my friend Alyssa's house baking cookies for the party.  Harper, Aven and Alyssa's daughter, Emmy, spent the afternoon playing together.  They were so cute! I learned that we are in big trouble when the twins start crawling! Emmy can move pretty quickly and I suspect that if you have two little ones moving that quickly, it will be difficult to keep tabs on them!

The engagement party was a lot of fun and I think everyone who attended had a great time! I am looking forward to celebrating again at Stephanie and Matt's wedding on May 22, 2015!!

Home Away from Home...

The riverbank is aglow from campfires that melt the gooey white mallows from a branch held by sticky little fingers. The night air is crisp and the water looks like glass reflecting the moon hanging in the polka-dotted sky. Crickets chirp and laughter echoes in the night to mark the end of another hot humid day of summer.

Childhood memories are filled with my time spent at camp. A small cottage nestled along a rocky dirt road that leads families to their home away from home. Their place of solace. My place of solace.  Daytime is spent cruising along the shore by boat or jet ski, as you zig-zag through the water speckled with fishing boats, usually ending up at the swimming hole or the sandbar. Looking over the edge of your watercraft you can see straight to the bottom of the river.  It is clean. It is comforting. It is my happy place. 

We celebrated our wedding reception in the lawn. A vast white tent covered sweaty bodies dancing the night away. Friends and family...food and drinks plentifully filling bellies while laughter, music and love filled the night air. Magical. The moments are burned in my mind, to tell my children the tale of our wedding one day.   

Time passes and life changes, but the river is always there to remind me of the simple life. To remind me of the days when we ran barefoot across the lush grass, over the dock and propelled ourselves into the cool water that seemed to wash our cares away. Pot-luck barbecues and fireworks,  family-friends, picnic tables, sunbathing, fishing, swimming, boating and bonfires.  A place that I hope to share with my children, so that they too can have a place to be carefree and create memories that will last their lifetime.

The mighty St. Lawrence River-my home away from home.
  

 To read more about other people's home away from home go to the dogvacay page on Facebook or check out dogvacay.com
  

10 Months...

The babies are 10 months old!  Harper is finally sitting up without support and Aven loves to bounce! They enjoy playing together on their mat and sharing their toys. The twins each have two teeth, which has caused them a bit of discomfort.  They are both eating cereal, fruit and veggies now!  Currently, their favorite is sweet potatoes and pears. Harper's hair appears to be growing a little bit each day (slowly but surely) and Aven has quite a bit of hair.  Both of the babies are sleeping exclusively in their cribs at night.  Aven won't be able to sleep in his Rock N' Play much longer, as he has learned to sit up and almost crawl out of it. He currently weighs almost 16 lbs! Harper is still a little peanut at 12lbs 12oz.  

Growing...growing..growing...

Harper and Aven are growing! We attended their 9 month checkup today and the doctor said that they are looking really good and are on track for their adjusted age of 6 months! Harper weighed in at a whopping 12 lbs and Aven is a bit heavier at 13 lb 14 oz.  Harper is 23 inches long and Aven is 26 inches long (he grew 4 inches in 3 months)!  We have been given the go-ahead for Aven to begin eating fruits and vegetables. Harper is still hesitant to eat her rice cereal, so we will continue working on eating with her.  Tomorrow the babies will be evaluated by Birth23 of CT to see what services (PT/OT/Speech, etc) they will receive to make sure that they continue to meet the milestones for their adjusted age.  

9 Months...

Today, the babies turned 9 months old! Can you believe it?  They are doing great sitting up by themselves, have started to eat cereal with banana and are babbling all the time! Harper even sounds like she is saying "hi" and "dada"! Aven is always on the move and is such a carefree little man! Harper is a little stubborn and has recently started making strange when she doesn't recognize someone.  She hates doing tummy time and prefers to be held rather than sit.  She has quite the diva-esque personality!  It is hard to believe that they will be 1 in only 3 short months!!!

Happy Valentine's Day...

Recently, while browsing Pinterest for Valentine's Day gift ideas for Harper and Aven's grandparents, I came upon a pretty cute idea! I was a little hesitant about how they would turn out, but I am very pleased with the end result! I bought the platters at TJ-Maxx and the acrylic paint from Michael's.  The babies loved the feeling of the paint on their feet! I am already thinking about craft ideas for St. Patrick's Day! 

8 Months...

Can you believe it?  The twins are already 8 months old!  Harper is laughing and razzing every chance she gets!  Aven also razzes and loves to smile.  He can almost sit up by himself!  Mommy is preparing for her dreaded return to work in 2 weeks…. (sigh)!  Where has the time gone?  My babies are growing up too fast.  Luckily, I will return to work knowing that they are in great hands, as Nanny Geary will be taking care of them.

Happy Belated New Year...

The twins celebrated the new year in style, with Aven sporting a tuxedo onesie and Harper wearing a beautiful tulle tutu onesie with sparkles (we're still finding them everywhere) adorned with a  satin bow!