FINALLY...Evan's tooth!!

My Tooth fell out and left a space,

A space so big my tongue can touch my face.

And every time I smile, I show the Place,

The place where something used to grow.

I miss my tooth as you can guess,

but now I have to brush one less.

Anonymous.

Evan has just been about to die because he had not lost a tooth yet...well...it finally happened...one night just after we got home from the cruise...and unlike the poem says...Evan does not miss his tooth! He's working hard on losing another one!

He was very excited to receive a special one time $5 bill from the tooth fairy with a letter saying that all of the other teeth will be bought for $1.

Evan has been holding on to this pillow forever!!!

I couldn't believe how long the tooth was!!!

Ella and Elijah...first day of school.

They seemed so excited when we were walking up to the church. Elijah cried for just a second when I opened the door, all of the carpool kids (older kids) were sitting in the foyer waiting to go to class...I think he thought that's where I was leaving him. I quickly said, "No baby, we're going to you're class. You're not staying here." He immediately stopped crying, I guess he knew just what I said. We walked past the kids and he made the turn and went straight into his room without me. It works out nicely that they are in the same room that they are in during church so they are already used to it.

I was afraid that Ella was going to cry when we left because soon after we walked in she said, "Hold Mommy" and held her precious arms up to me. She didn't...neither did Elijah...they seemed so big...no tears...I was so proud.

Elijah...ready to go!

Ella trying to get her balance... "This backpack is way too heavy for me."

Ella wouldn't cooperate to get a door picture...

her backpack was too heavy and she wanted it off!!

This is how we left them...after we had our Good-Bye kisses.

The babies are in "school" every Tuesday and Wednesday from 9-1. I even have to pack a lunch for them, how sweet is that?! Today...chicken nuggets, cheese, crackers, and fruit.

I can't wait to pick them up and hear about their day.

I can't believe that we have 3 backpacks hanging by our backdoor.

Big Kids...

We are now eating like big kids...using plates and forks!! Their favorite meal right now is either the Gerber Pasta bite or chicken nuggets (all natural of course) along with organic apples, bananas, strawberries or grapes.

This particular day, Ella didn't want her picture taken she would shake her head no when I tried to to take her picture. lol

Anyway, that's why I don't have a close up of her...Elijah on the other hand was very proud to show off his forking skills.

From Surviving to Thriving….Reflections on a Year

From Surviving to Thriving….Reflections on a Year

They say that, time flies when you are having fun, that time changes things, that it heals all wounds, there are so many famous quotes and clichés that have been said over the course of history. Andy Warhol once said, “They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” How true, though time does help, it is what we actually do during that time that changes things. When the twins were small, I remember thinking, “Just make it through the first 3 months, that’s all we’ve got to do, just make it through the first 3 months.” Then, “Okay, things are better now, let’s just make it through the first year.” Amazingly we did, we made it through the first year in what does not seem to have been a year at all. Where did the time go? When time once seemed to crawl along at a snail’s pace it has now flown by. I cannot believe that my precious babies are now a year old. There are things that I look back on with pure amazement, things that I learned along the way, and emotions that are so strong I cannot even comprehend. Ahhh, the joys so outweigh the trials, raising twins is wonderful!

I feel like we have made it! We survived that first year! We came home from the hospital with just our precious baby girl, Ella. Things did not seem to be that hard with her in those first few days. Yeah, we were tired but mostly just emotionally drained from being in the hospital for a week and not being with our precious baby boy. Elijah came home a few days later from the NICU; we were overjoyed when we were able to pick him up. We brought him home and it felt like we could finally begin placing our family together and figuring things out as a family. Life was hard, it was difficult, and sometimes we wondered what we were going to do. We laugh about one night in particular, though we certainly were not laughing at the time. We had the babies in their pack n play in our bedroom, (which we only did for about 3 weeks) and they just would not stop crying and go to sleep. We were both exhausted, mentally, physically, and oh so very frustrated. Clay said something out of frustration and my reply was, “I KNOW, AND THIS IS OUR LIFE!” I was so dramatic about it, but honestly, we did not know how we were going to handle it. If you ever watch Jon and Kate Plus 8, you know their tag line, “While the stress of raising multiples doesn’t always bring out the best in us, we’re a family, and this is our life.” Can I get an AMEN? I kept telling myself that if Kate Gosslin can handle her 8, then I can handle a five year old and twins, damn it! There were always people who would ask, “How do you do it?” Our answer was always the same, “You just do, you survive.” Looking back, I really can see that we were in survival mode. I cannot really remember what we did when they were 2 months old, but we survived. We all ate, we were all clothed, Evan made it to school and Clay to work. The babies ate much better than we did actually, since we spent about $600 a month on formula. See, it is things like that when I really do not know how we survived but we did. I look back and laugh at all of the well-meaning advice from everyone, everyone, being parents of singletons that is. LOL They would always say, “Sleep when they sleep.” That is just it, 2 one-month-old babies never slept at the same time in the beginning, so there were no naps for Mommy. It was the Mommies of multiples who had the advice, “Just Survive for right now, that’s all you have to do. It’s okay,” and “It does get better, I promise.” I can remember random strangers coming up to me in the store and telling me that it would get better. Was the exhaustion and in experience, written all over my face, did I really look that bad? No, I now realize that since they too were parents of multiples that they just got it. They understood the demands that I had one me, unlike many others. You see, we, parents of multiples, laugh all the time and say that raising one baby is a breeze.

There are some hard and true rules that I learned that I think can easily apply to every parent of multiples. Raising multiples involves a lot of trail and error. You have to accept the fact that things do not always go as planned and be willing to roll with it. That one took me a while. As a matter of fact, I think I am still working on that one. You do not need two of everything. You do need, of course, two car seats and two highchairs, but really that’s about it…well except Bumbo seats…you do need two Bumbo seats!!! A double stroller is a must! It is great when you need three sets of arms. I wish we would have requested only diapers and wipes on our baby shower invitations! In the beginning, we easily went through 20-25 diapers per day! In the beginning, I was a diaper snob. I would only use Pampers Sensitive. As they get older, you get over it and use Luvs. LOL Surf the internet and look for discounts and freebie offers for twins, we received many great coupons this way, especially from pampers. Be prepared for what we call, “Twin Swarm.” It happens every time you enter the store…any store! You are in a hurry and before you have even put three things in your buggy, you have already been stopped by eight little old ladies asking all sorts of questions. I wanted to tie a sign to the front of the shopping cart that listed their names, their ages, weights at birth, who was born first, etc. I also wanted my sign to say, “It is none of your business if how they were conceived and yes twins can be a boy and a girl and look nothing alike!” They are so sweet and it is nice, but come on, I am pushing a buggy with twins…do you not think I am in a hurry?!? Get the babies on a schedule ASAP and sleeping in their cribs. I mentioned that raising twins is a lot of trail and error. One of “errors” that we made was letting the babies nap in their swing or bouncy seat. I made the mistake of saying, “It’s okay, at least he/she is sleeping.” This made it very difficult to transition to their beds for naptime. I had to listen to some pitiful crying when I made the decision to get them on a better napping schedule. Create a bedtime routine and do not rush into their room with every cry or grunt. Give them time to self soothe…trust me on this one! Lastly and most importantly of all, laugh, do not forget to laugh! Laugh everyday! There is nothing sweeter than hearing them laugh at each other…as if they have an inside joke going on. Raising twins is a miracle in and of it’s self so enjoy it because before you know it, you will be writing about your first year.

In the beginning, it was rough and I freely admit it! I do not nor did I ever claim to be super mom and have it all under control. Alas, it did get better and with the passing of time came new milestones, which each seemed to be better and better. First, the nighttime colicy crying seemed to slow and then came more sleeping, and sleeping through the night. Then those first smiles and laughs. Then came sitting in the bumbos and sitting alone and being mesmerized by a world from a brand new perspective. Later came crawling, and entertaining themselves more, and now walking is on the horizon, for which I cannot wait! I know that with each stage comes a new set of issues and hurtles to cross but nonetheless, I feel like we have made it. No longer surviving, but thriving! The Hodges Five Thriving! Thank you Lord!!

There are two things in life for which we are never truly prepared—twins. Josh Billings, 19th C. American Humorist

First Sign...

More!

Ella Crawls!!!

And she's off!!!! Ella finally decided to give it a try and she is now crawling! Ella drags one leg behind her and pulls her body with one foot. It is so cute!! She started last weekend on Columbus day...October 12th. Her brother walks, well crawls on both of his feet.

I'll try to upload a video of it soon.

Our 1st Sippy Cups & 1st Juice...

Yesterday, the babies drank their first juice, it was apple, from their first sippy cups. I'm not sure which they disliked... the fact that they were drinking from a sippy cup or the fact that they were drinking apple juice. I don't think Ella drank any, she made a terrible face each time that she tasted it. Elijah drank some, but only if I held the cup. He refused to hold it, just like he does his bottle. Ella enjoys holding her own bottle, but Elijah just flat out refuses! He will grab it to put it in his mouth but immediately let go...the same with the sippy.

They did enjoy playing with them even if they didn't enjoy drinking from them. Oh BTW: for those of you who might be wondering....YES, the sippy cups are BPA free...probably an overreaction, but not a risk that I'm willing to take. Our BlogLink ABC News Report

Snack Crackers.

Yesterday, I gave the babies some very soft and very fast disolving snack crackers. They love them...especially our little piggy Elijah!


Whenever, we feed them, Elijah grunts and fusses at you for every bite that his sister gets and he doesn't...you can't feed him fast enough.


Today, we're starting solid food 3 times a day, instead of 2!




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1st Tooth

Ella has her FIRST TOOTH!!! Clay called me Saturday, (9/20/08) to let me know that he could feel it. I was so excited for him to be the one to notice it!

Elijah is Crawling...in his own way!

Elijah has been wanting to crawl for about a week or so now and this weekend, he finally mastered The Scoot! It's so funny! He gets up on all fours, rocks back and forth a bit, grunts, then pulls his toes up towards his belly and sort of walks them in. He gets better and better all each time he does it.

Here's a video that I took Saturday morning...Notice towards the end how he glances up and sees me with the camera and gives a quick smile, almost as if he's saying, "Are you getting this? Aren't I doing good?!"

You'll notice in the backgroud is, Miss Ella Cinderella, who is just as complacent in life as always and is just as happy sitting on the floor watching Elijah do all of the hard work.

1st Tooth

Elijah has his first tooth! You can feel it and see it, though it's only just poked through. Evan was almost the same age when he got his first tooth! Ella's certainly working on hers.

Baby Jail!

In my Good-bye/Hello post you read that it was time to remove the bumper pads and

raise the rails...we removed the front pad and raised the rail. I feel like the twins are in baby jail...I think they feel that way too!

Saying Good-Bye and Saying Hello

It seems like all of a sudden and yet incredibly too fast our three E's are saying good-bye to what they were and hello to a new portion of their lives. It's are very surreal to me and very bitter sweet.

When I sat down to start this post I was reminded about a book that my dear friend Debbie from Wisconsin mailed me for my birthday a couple of years ago, Let Me Hold You Longer By Karen Kingsbury. So many parents (including me) get so caught up in the first that their children experience that often we don't recognize the lasts. Let Me Hold You Longer reminds you to try and recognize those lasts and cherish them. The book makes me cry every time I read it. Lasts like the last nap, or the last time your child walks over to you and holds his arms up to be held, or the last time your son says that he wants to marry you.

When I picked up the book and opened it up just now, I read the inscription that Debbie wrote, "Brandi, As I'm sure you've discovered over the past year - time really does go too fast when you have a child in your home! Enjoy everyday - the "bad" ones fade from memory and HAPPY ones live forever! Love, Debbie" March 31, 2006. It brought tears to my eyes when I read that. I, too often allow myself to get too caught up in what is happening in my life with my kids that I don't take time to smell the roses so to speak...Even if the sweet smell of roses is replaced with the smell of dirty diapers, spit up, and a sweaty 5 year old, it's a sweet smell that's only unique to me and I LOVE every bit of it!!!!

So to get on with my good-bye/hellos...

The twins, we long ago said good-bye to their beloved Papasans and Papasan swing and now, last week we said to good-bye to their big baby swing because they didn't like it anymore since they couldn't sit up straight enough. We've said hello to babies who are both sitting up and wanting to explore their surroundings more and more. We're saying good-bye to pretty bumper pads and crib mattresses in the highest position. We've said good-bye to the days that we could sit them down and walk out of the room and hello to them wiggling and scooting and trying to crawl. We're saying hello to solid foods and highchairs...just to name a few.

With my oldest E...oh my my!!! We've now said good-bye to Preschooler and hello to the term, Kindergartner! YIKES!! We've said good-bye to the little boy who would wear whatever his Mommy picked out for him and hello to a strange little boy, who only wants "Cool Clothes and NOT Pretty Clothes" who has to pick out his own clothes. We've said good-bye to the little boy who would only watch Go Diego Go and hello to a boy who refers to that as a "Baby Show" and hello to one who wants to watch shows that Mommy isn't yet okay with. Hello to a boy who likes to watch shows like Camp Rock and now wants the CD and knows who the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus are. Good-bye to baby songs and hello to songs like "Step in side, walk this way, you and me....", "Start the Party", etc., plus a few that he shouldn't know. LOL!Good-bye to a little boy who thought girls were gross and hello to one who uses the term, HOT! Good-bye to a once shy and timid and hello to a rough and tough BOY (okay that was a good-bye said years ago) but hello to one who is now signed up to play 5/6 year old TACKLE football...yes Tackle, not Flag! With this ever changing boy, the list could go on and on.

Oh my sweet baby boy is growing up way too fast! It often seems like only yesterday we were giving E his 5 am bottle and spoon feeding him solid foods and now he is starting Kindergarten on Friday!

All of these Good-bye/Hellos are so bitter sweet for me. It is awesome to witness each of my children grow and change but sad at the same time. As reality slaps me in the face and reminds me that the three of them will not always be as young and innocent as they each are right now, I ask for one more snuggle one more kiss, and one more hug from all of them while they are just exactly what they are right now!

So here are Evan's COOL clothes and a few that we compromised on...can you tell that he's really into graphic tee's?

I thought the babies were sleeping peacefully, but kept hearing something strange. I went in to check on them and this is what I found...talk about a good-bye/hello moment!!!






After more noises...this. Notice the sleep positioner, on his left.


Okay, now it's time to get him up... and notice he's moved the sleep positioner yet again.

Yes, certainly a good time for the mattress to be moved!

And Ella, still sleeping like a Princess! There isn't a good-bye moment here (yet anyway) she still sleeps exactly like she has from the day she was born.

Sitting up...

I'm late with the post but Ella is now sitting up too! It's so cute to sit the twins on the floor together and watch them sit and play.

First Real Hairbow

Ella wore her first real hair bow yesterday!! Here are a few pictures of my big girl!

Man, bows are outrageous! I've gotta find some tiny metal ones so that I can add ribbon and make our own. I checked Michael's but they only have the big one.

A few weeks ago, I was feeling a bit crafty and decided to make a hair bow holder for Ella. Here it is holding her first real hair bows.

Big Kid High Chairs

We met some friends from church last week at Applebee's on the spur of the moment. We decided to try them in high chairs instead of keeping them in their car seats. Despite the look on their faces they really enjoyed sitting in the high chairs.

This is so boring.

Sitting up...

Elijah Day is beginning master...THE SIT! He is now sitting up for about 45 seconds or so before falling back. When he does fall back he smiles as if he knows that he just accomplished something big. Ella is working on it, but as usual, she's quite content with where she's at.

No Training Wheels!!

Way to go my big boy!!! Evan has learned to ride his bike without training wheels! It took a coaxing to convince him that he could do it, but then in no time he was riding all by himself. We still have to run beside him to give him confidence, but he's doing great! I'm so proud of him!

Calling Amma & Ampa, Mimi & Pops, Momi to let them hear all about it!

Sitting up..

The babies are really trying to sit up, especially Baby Lije...he's our physical one and Ella is our social butterfly. I had both babies leaning back in the crib and Elijah pulled himself up into a sitting position. Ella wasn't too thrilled by it. LOL!

Spoon Feeding....

Our Twins are 5 months old today! They had their first taste of cereal from a spoon today. It was super messy and super fun! Here are some pictures from our milestone.

Elijah's First Bite...

Ella's First Bite...

Okay, this isn't too bad...we're starting to get the hang of this...

Can we play with the spoon, please?

Elijah started to really catch on towards the end and wanted more and more. He was doing a great job slurping it off of the spoon. I was holding the spoon in front of his month and looking at Ella, Elijah grabbed the spoon and pulled it towards his month and wouldn't let go. It was so funny! While Elijah wanted more, Ella decided that she wanted her bottle.

This is too much work!! I want to lay back while Mommy or Daddy holds me and I drink my bottle!!!!

Eating

Didn't you notice

a bottle makes me hush?

So why did you fill

my mouth with this mush?

For this, you'll see,

Revenge will be mine

The floor will be covered

Along with the high chair and blinds.

You know this is true

But I won't stop there

If you feed me another bite

You'll wear it in your hair.

I don't want cereal

And don't even try peas.

Come on, get the hint...

A bottle is fine with me!

--Crystal Dawn Perry