Lately

We are simple people with simple lives and as such I don't have much to report but here is the latest.

Phil nailed his first exam in biochemistry, phew! From here on out he has at least one exam per week and then things will crank up as the quarter wraps before Thanksgiving. His life now consists of studying, lectures, dissections, the library, studying, lectures and the library. He manages to squeeze in some face time with us and for that we are grateful. He walked in yesterday after his lab reeking of formaldehyde. This was after he had washed his hands at least four times. We will be buying better gloves to shield his hands as he dives deeper into the human body.

I have made some friends. Hooray! I met a lovely girl Monday for our first workout and we sweated buckets together as we walked outside with kids in tow. The next morning we were lucky to have the daddy's watch the babes and we wisely met in her apartment complex gym. Now my arches hurt and I a) need new running shoes and b) am considering seeing a podiatrist. At any rate I can tell we will be good friends and am grateful for the outlet. Library time is still in full swing and we meet a few other mom's there as well.

Max and Kate have runny noses again. Drat. I am suspicious of the library since that is the only public place we go where they gnaw on other toys. Max has taken to waking at 5am again. I suppose I am enabling it since the past two mornings I have nursed and then put him back to bed. He screams like he is hurting or scared though, not his normal cry. Whatever, this too shall pass.

We prefer to be sans clothing around here and their days are filled with cupboards, tupperware and all kinds of busy-bodiness that requires copious amounts of pick-up on my behalf when they retire for the evening.








Check out Max's toothy grin.

It must be grand to be a one year old.

I am being brave and flying with the kids to Texas to visit Phil's sister to photograph her family. Thankfully my in-laws are also making the trek so I will have extra hands. I am still obsessing about it all; nursing on the road/plane, the most likely absent naps and therefore lovely children, a day full of travel, etc. and can only pray that all will be well. I keep telling myself that. All will be well, all will be well...

We leave our house at 6:30am Friday and will probably pull into Allison's house late afternoon. Heaven help me.We will be home Monday. Quick trip. I am determined to be happy, positive and have fun and through all the trepidation I am excited to spend time with family. Stay tuned.

11 Months

Well, they've done it. Gone and gotten older on me. 11 months and the countdown is on until the big ONE.



Max & Kate just keep on getting busier. The main milestone reached has been standing on their own. Kate was a pro from day one. She was able to pull herself up and never had any fear about getting down. She just lets go and plops her little tushy down.

Kate still has only her two bottom teeth and I don't see signs of her upper two erupting anytime soon. She continues to bite me when nursing but it is gentle and when it is not then she is removed and sits in "time out" for a moment, which is really just sitting in the corner of the couch either crying or not caring and sucking her thumb. If her dad is nearby then maybe he will rescue her. We try again when she is ready and if she bites again then she is clearly done. Little booger.

She is still a peanut, our little Pip, only tipping the scales at 15ish pounds. She is wearing 3 month clothes and size 3 diapers only because Max is a size 3.

Max cut his lower teeth while we were in California and has wasted no time in moving on to the uppers. We are days away from one coming through. Drool is abundant, he has his moments of fussiness but for the most part is a happy camper.



This picture shows his upper teeth coming in and this was about 10 days ago, they are even closer now. *Edit: We have a tooth!



Max also stands though unlike his sister he had severe trepidation in getting down. He would just stand and cry. Being the nice mom I am I snapped a picture first in this case. I love his face and body stance on the left, pure indignation!

He has finally figured it out and our house is just a bit quieter now. Max is wearing 6 month clothes and weighs about 18 pounds. Both kids are now standing pros and pull themselves up on anything. Knees are becoming calloused as they crawl all over the house and they continue to keep me busy fishing things out of their mouth.



They are eating like pros and we have pretty much moved on from purees, they prefer to feed themselves. We are still nursing 4 times a day and I have tried to introduce cow's milk but they are not buying it. I don't really know what to do quite yet and continue to offer it. They love yogurt and cheese so they are getting calcium and fat in that manner. My homemade wheat bread with strawberry jam is a favorite and they get some graham cracker after lunch and dinner as a treat.

The other day Max woke up a bit before Kate so I nursed him and then got Kate. I sat down to nurse her and Max was playing until he saw us. He crawled right over to me on the couch crying and pulled himself up to the couch. I sat him next to us and gave him the remote to play with, that was not enough! He pulled himself up onto the nursing pillow and wasn't happy until I let him eat again. He had just eaten! They both know what I am doing if one is nursing and not the other. If I start nursing without one of them whoever is not nursing is very upset. Silly kids. Makes me think weaning is going to be a struggle.

They understand the following words: eat, cracker, and drink, both when we speak and sign them. I sign "all done" too and hope they know what that means as well.

They only take 2 naps a day and our afternoon is long, sometimes 5 hours before bedtime! I am often left wondering what the heck I am to do to keep them entertained for so long. We read stories, build towers, play "roar" where I hide around a corner and roar and they come and find me. We tickle and snuggle and they have independent play where they don't care if I am doing something else, at least until they see me. Being on the computer is impossible, especially with Max. He loves the keyboard and gets very upset when I am done letting him bang around and put him down.

When Phil leaves for school in the mornings Max will cry and crawl after him. Phil always comes back for one more goodbye, that has to make you feel good knowing you are so loved!

And So it Begins

It is after 8pm and Phil has been gone for over 12 hours and counting.

It has begun. The next 8 years of our life.

Phil officially started medical school Monday, August 9th, 2010. Sorry, no "First day of school" picture. He had one week of orientation the week before to get his feet wet. So far so good. He is taking biochemistry, histology, embryology, anatomy & physiology, and a course in Osteopathic Manipulation. He is working hard, studying for hours each day and night and I know that he will do well.

The night before class started there was trepidation and anxiety, still the whispering doubt of if we were doing the right thing. Well, we did it. We are sticking to it, we will conquer!

I was able to attend a spouse's orientation and meet a few girls and I am excited to be able to have some friends in the same situation and to help us all pass the time as we embark on this long journey. The key to my sanity is getting out of the house. I am going to start running in the mornings with one girl and the kids & I go to the library for a story time each week. Thursday nights I have started attending adult institute in my Stake. I am excited about that and grateful for new friendships. It can get lonely around here and I have certainly missed my friends in Mesa.

Today was a good day. I was productive at home and patient with the kids. Dinner was made, the kitchen is clean, my babes are sleeping and I am finally updating this family journal. Life is good even when it is uncertain.

A Laundry List of Reasons

Why I haven't blogged:

• I am sweeping my floors seventeen times a day.
• I am making 5 meals a day for two little birds and then cleaning up the aftermath 5 times a day.
• I am building block towers for my little tornadoes to knock down; over and over and over again.
• I am wiping two runny noses. Is it teething or a cold? I don't know.
• I am being awoken around 5:30am. This is not okay.
• I am then dealing with two cranky pants since they woke up too early and refuse to go along with my 7 o'clock wake-up plan. We've talked, they haven't listened.
• I am fishing various household items, papers, nasty objects out of mouths that are proving to be faster and smarter than I.
• I am going through boxes of crackers like nobody's business.
• I am keeping us clothed, bathed, fed and entertained.
• I am changing two sets of squishy and oftentimes stinky cheeks.
• I am trying to convince my kids that cow's milk is yummy. They aren't buying.
• I am trying not to ignore my children by being on the Master Time Waster, my computer.
• I am adjusting to single motherdom since Phil started school, post to come.
• And so on and so on...

Because I want to Remember

Last night I lay in bed reading before turning in. Max started crying around 10:30pm, I paused first to see if he would calm himself and at Phil's insistence I went in to check on him. The house was dark and my eyes had not yet adjusted. I felt around in his crib and found him sitting up crying hard. I scooped him up and cuddled him close to me, we went to the rocking chair in the corner and rocked. He quickly calmed down and I sensed he lapsed back into a sleep. He was twitching, dreaming, his little hands and feet jumping slightly here and there.

His head rested at my shoulder, nestled into my neck, my chin touching the top of his blonde hair. My hand cupped his bottom and I looked down the length of his long body wondering how on earth he grew so long. When did his body grow big enough to extend down into my lap? What happened to the little 4 pound peanut I brought home?

We snuggled a few more minutes as I drank it all in; the warmth and weight of his body, his silky soft skin, his deep, even breathing. Goodness, I love my children.





January 2010 - A 4-month old sleeping Max

Sundays

Yesterday I went to Relief Society for the first time in over 10 months. No lie. I don't know how mothers do it with juggling a three hour church block, napless babes and manage to soak in some semblance of spirituality. Obviously I don't manage it, hence the almost one year drought of feeding my Spirit in a formal church setting.

My kids are crib babies, meaning they only sleep well in their beds. Phil and I worked hard to attain this and I am happy with it. Our meeting starts at 9AM, about when the kids need to go down for their morning nap. Lately we have been enduring sacrament meeting and then Phil takes us all home where I nurse them and they go down for a nap and Phil returns to the rest of the meeting.

I received a new calling, Visiting Teaching Coordinator, and needed to be set apart after the block, so this time I got to return to church. It was so wonderful. I didn't get back in time for Sunday School but I was able to sit through a lovely lesson with the sisters, sing hymns and soak up the Spirit that was present. I needed it. I missed it and I am happy to get a little bit of "me" back. I've missed me, that part of me that has been neglected.

One of the greatest challenges I have faced since Max and Kate were born is still taking the time to nurture Heather, and remember not to lose myself in the great role of Mother. Being a mother is such a responsibility. We are in charge of growing and teaching little people; their physical well-being and playing the lead role in ensuring they are fed both physically and spiritually. We are to support our husbands, run a household, take care of EVERYONE. Oh yes, and don't forget yourself!

I have forgotten myself. In the beginning it was about survival, just the basics; sleep, feeding myself so I could then feed my babies. All of my energy was for them. And that is fine and well in the beginning. But now I need more. I am happy to be a mother and recognize this as my divine role but in order to be the best mother I can be I also need to feed the old me. My new challenge is setting aside time for scripture study and personal prayer before collapsing into bed. How can I expect to lead and teach my children if I am not being taught myself? I certainly can't do this alone and I am not expected to but I must remember to ask for help.

Phil teaches in Elder's Quorum twice a month. We have agreed to switch Sundays, I get to attend a full block twice a month and he will do the same when he teaches. For now that works for us and someday, I hope, we will all make it through, maybe when the kids start nursery?

What do you do to make it through church and how do you find time for yourself?

California 2010

Last weekend we packed up half our house (or so it seems) and made the five hour trek to visit Stephanie, Phil's lovely sister who is lucky enough to have made her home in California.

This was the farthest we have travelled with Max & Kate and we wisely left at their bedtime, seven o'clock. It means a weary Phil as the sole driver but it is worth the peace and quiet and minimal mom guilt I feel.

The kids did well and only Max seems to complain. But then again, I'd complain too if I was strapped tightly into a hard seat for five hours and every time I fell asleep my head bobbled and I just couldn't get comfortable. Our bums were very happy to get out of the truck when we pulled up to Steph's house at midnight.

We soaked up the glorious cooler weather and enjoyed some mighty fine company. Stephanie & I had a girls' night and saw Inception, Phil & I had two (2!) dates; goofy golfing & frozen yogurt and then a nice lunch that we ate outside at a park. We drove the hour to LA to go to the Fashion district and upon arrival decided to ditch that idea. Double-wide stroller, small crowded inner-city shopping with smokers left and right and wee babes just didn't mesh well. Stephanie was a good sport with our wishy-washiness and took us to the Santa Monica Pier instead. Bless her.









Kate rockin' some awesome hair.





The only pictures we took was on our beach day. It was such a nice day, overcast and cool. We walked the pier, enjoyed the breeze and I had brief nightmares of my children falling into the ocean and later that night my imagination launched into overdrive as I played out various horrific scenarios of children lost to the sea. Am I the only crazy mother who thinks of these things? Phil & Steph thought so.

I also had the immense pleasure of having a family session with these handsome mugs:



More to come on the new photography blog soon.

We had a great get away. Stephanie was the perfect host, her sweet boy shared his toys and had fun with the babes and we are still dreaming of cooler weather.