A Few Things I Really Like Lately...

1). Washing my face with a baby wash cloth. Who knew it could be so refreshing?

2). Peanut Butter M&Ms. They are my downfall.

3). George W. Bush’s book Decision Points. He writes in a way that makes you feel like you are sitting in a room listening to stories. I also like all his nicknames for people.

4). Turning off the TV.

5). The Twisted Peppermint flavor at Bath & Body Works. It is all I can think about. And sadly when I went to buy some for myself, they were all sold out. It's gonna be a long 2011.

6). The Glee version of Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream. There's something about a male acapella group singing about their "skin tight jeans" just speaks to me.

7). Plastic Utensils and Paper Plates. When you are suddenly robbed of a simple pleasure, you realize how much you were taking it for granted.

8). Scarves and fingerless gloves. I am always cold.

9). The way Stephen and Annabelle hold my shoulder really tight when I am holding them. I love snuggling.

10). Christmas Ornaments as presents. They are my new favorite thing to give and to get!

Highlights of Weeks 10-15 in the lives of Annabelle and Stephen

1). Annabelle rolled over on Wednesday, December 1st! She is a rolly poley girl and had been flopping around for a few days. Wednesday night we were just maxin and relaxin and noticed that she was on the floor making these squealy grunting sounds while rolling back and forth. A few minutes later, she had managed to maneuver her way to her belly and then back on to her back. It was a very exciting night! We think Stephen has more girth and weight to maneuver so he tends to lay on his back still. I am confident his time is coming.

2). They are talking a lot. They respond to you when you ask them questions with “ahhs” and “eeees” and “ooohhs”. It is pretty cute.

3). They had their first Thanksgiving. We let Stephen try mashed potatoes and he seemed to like them, although I don’t think he can tell the difference between those and the rice cereal he eats every day.

4). They are eating baby applesauce with their rice cereal twice a day. We are thinking of moving them to three feedings a day soon. They are also consistently eating 6-8 oz/feeding instead of 4.

5). They moved from the pack ‘n’ play in our room to Annabelle’s crib in the nursery on Thanksgiving eve. This was a lot harder for me than it was for them. I liked having them a few steps away instead of across the hall. They still sleep swaddled and together though. I want to keep them together for as long as we can, mostly b/c they are just so freaking cute. Every night we lay them down side by side and every morning we come in to find that Stephen has maneuvered himself down so his head is under Annabelle’s chin. It is just precious.

6). They actually play with some toys. When they are in their baby play place they will grab the rings and rattles that hang down. Stephen also has a lovey that he always holds when he sleeps. It seems to calm him down. When we can’t find a lovey, we use a burp cloth as a substitute. He is not picky.

7). They are so much more responsive and interactive. Stephen loves to stand on your lap. He cries when he is “held like a baby”. He wants to be looking around, standing up, snuggling, and getting LOTS of attention. He is so much like me! Annabelle is so content and pleasant. Her features remind me of a precious moments doll. She is always happy to sit in her chair and watch with folded hands what is going on around her. She is very active. She loves to splash in the bath and squeals with delight all the time.

8). They had their first Halloween! We did not do costumes this year but we got cute pumpkin onsies with little hats and I think it was good. The day after Halloween we got their costumes for next year for $7 total. The cuteness factor of these will blow your mind and I am going t

What’s New With Mom

I Went Back to Work

The biggest event for me in the past five weeks is that I went back to work on Nov 16^th. I was not really looking forward to it. In fact, I was pretty sad about it and I cried a lot beforehand. It is ironic b/c everything I said about having babies, “I’m scared… I’m not ready... Etc,” I said about going back to work. Just like having the babies, going back to work has been much better than I expected.

I did not realize how much I would appreciate putting on real clothes and going to be around adults during the day. I feel like I am a better mom when I am with them b/c I really appreciate each moment I get to spend taking care of them.

A lot of this is a testament to God’s grace. He has provided an awesome babysitter for them that we all LOVE so much. I am also thankful that I work for a company that made coming off maternity leave easy. Everyone was so kind and understanding and I appreciated that a lot.

I Started Running!

I have gone running twice since returning to work and worked out in the gym twice. The first day I was out for 30 minutes and ran for 22 of those! This is huge! I have not run in almost a year so I was expecting it to be a lot harder than it was. I am hoping to be able to run a 10K in April, a half marathon in June, and maybe maybe maybe the Marine Corps Marathon in October. I might be overly ambitious. We’ll see.