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Thursday, December 31, 2009

2009-Year in Review


I can't believe another year is already coming to an end! 2009 has proven to be really busy, but completely amazing! I am happy to report that we had a wonderful year. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the girls grow and learn immensely. They both continue to amaze me each and every day! They have exceeded everyone's expectations of their developmental progress for being 28 week preemie's, and I could not be more proud!

The year started off with the girls having just learned how to walk, and venturing in talking with a few words here and there. Now, at 26 months old they speak in full, coherent, clear sentences and they love to run, jump, and dance all over the place.

Watching the girls different personalities develop over this last year has been such a joy! There is no doubt about it, these girls definitely have Personality! They are both little Ham's, and have the greatest sense of humor! They are constantly making me laugh and smile! It is amazing that although they share the same exact DNA, they are sooo incredibly different!

Kaylyn is our little dare devil! She is not scared to take risks when it comes to climbing, jumping or getting herself into precarious positions. The bigger the better in her opinion. I think she is going to be an adrenaline junkie like her dad! She has acquired the nickname "bruiser", because even when she does fall, she rarely cries about it. Typically she will just get up and keep going. She is also VERY talkative, and always has something to say. Kaylyn also tends to be very logical, and not much gets passed this kid!

Kylee tends to be a little more reserved both in talking and taking risks. She likes to talk in more of a one on one setting, where as Kaylyn likes to perform for an audience. Although Kylee doesn't like to jump off bar stools (yes, Kaylyn did this!) she does love Bugs and Reptiles, where as Kaylyn is a bit more squeamish in that department. Kylee is very sensitive in a lot of ways, and loves to cuddle.

They definitely balance each other out nicely, and are the best of friends. They share a bond like no other. As different as they are, they share a lot of similarities as well. They are both very kind and empathetic. They also have a wonderful use of manners. Both Kylee and Kaylyn tend to be a little shy at first around strangers, but once they warm up there is no stopping them! They are very sweet girls, and over all extremely well behaved. I couldn't ask for anything more!

In April the girls started dance class! It started off as a Mommy-and-Me class, but once they turned two they graduated to dancing on their own! Not only do they absolutely love dancing, but it has been really good for them developmentally to learn to listen to instructions, take turns, and play nicely with friends. I love watching them dance!

In October the girls celebrated their 2nd birthday. I still can't believe that they are two years old! It is hard to even wrap my head around the fact that they entered this world barely over 2lbs and not breathing! To look at them now, and see all that they have overcome is truly astonishing. Right after their 2nd birthday, the girls had their final developmental appointment to ensure that they are developing appropriately (because they were born so premature). The Dr that administered that standardized test was amazed at how well they are both doing, and cleared them from the developmental follow up program! Amazingly, they both tested at a 2 1/2-3 year old level in all areas! They are also both extremely tall, in the 97th percentile for height!

It has also been a year of a lot of learning. Their intelligence just blows my mind!! I am constantly trying to think of new ways to challenge them, and they never cease to amaze me. They are both very smart. Aside from their remarkable vocabulary and language abilities, they have learned a lot! They know their shapes (octagon, circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, and heart), they can both sing their ABC's all the way through, they can both count to 20, and we are working on colors. The girls have an amazing memory, and have memorized several books from cover to cover, and also have the ability to recall facts from months ago. The girls also use several Chinese and Spanish words and phrases (thank you Dora and Kai-Lan!). I am trying to make sure I keep up with them, so I know what they are talking about!

Their little imaginations have been running wild in recent months. From playing with their dolls and other toys, to playing with each other, I just love watching them pretend and role-play. It is crazy how at such a young age, they have the ability to pretend and make up their own story-line.

Then-January 2009

NOW! December 2009

What a difference a year makes!! 2009 has been a fabulous year, and I hope that 2010 will be equally as enjoyable if not more! Happy New Year!!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Christmas 2009



I can't even begin to tell you how much more I enjoy Christmas now that I am a mom! Seeing my kids faces light up, and enjoying the magic of it all is truly priceless!

This year our Christmas schedule had to be altered a bit to coordinate with Keith work schedule. Keith had to work Christmas day, so we talked to Santa and he agreed to make a special appearance a day early for us. That Santa sure is a good guy! ;)

Christmas Eve-Eve, we went down to Keith's parents house and anxiously awaited Santa's arrival that night. We left out Cookies and Milk for Santa, and Carrots for the Reindeer. We talked to the girls about how Santa was coming that night, and he would come down the Chimney and bring all the presents. Kaylyn instantly questioned this logic and said, "Santa cannot fit [in the chimney], he will get stuck! He is too big!". Nothing gets by this kid! So we just explained to her it was the magic of Christmas and Santa would make it down just fine. I don't think she was fully convinced, but she let it go.

Christmas Morning (Christmas Eve) the girls woke up to some wonderful gifts! I was amazed at how much they enjoyed each and every present they received. They would open 1 present and play with it for 30-45 minutes before moving on to the next one. With each present came a variety of "Oohs, Aahs, Wow's and Cool!" as they opened it. It was great to see how much they loved every single thing! It took quite a while to make it through all the presents, but they did it and enjoyed every second of it!

Some of the biggest hits out of the presents they received were their new Big Wheel Tricycles, the Barbie Pretend Make-Up kit (that included a blow dryer that they absolutely love), a Little People Doll house, Baby Doll beds, and their Dinosaurs. Within a couple of hours the girls mastered pedaling their tricycles and were cruising all over the place. I could not believe how quickly they picked it up!

Christmas Day Keith had to work, so the girls and I went to the Fire Station to visit him and have dinner with him and his Fire-Family. It was a lot of fun, and the girls ate a ton of food! It's hard having Keith away on special days such as Christmas, but we are thankful that we got to spend some time with him that day.

That night the girls and I went over to my Dad's house to share Christmas with him and Grandma Darlene. Again, we opened more presents and enjoyed spending time with family.

It was a busy few days, but I couldn't ask for anything more. We are so lucky to have such a great family to share these special times, and create such wonderful memories.


Thursday, December 17, 2009

"Mommy, I didn't Pee-Pee in my Panties!!"



This morning when I got the girls up and went to change their diapers, Kaylyn was adamant that she was NOT going to wear a diaper. I gave her the option of wearing panties, and she decided that sounded like a good idea, so I went with it. Of course once Kaylyn was in big-girl panties, Kylee wanted to join the party as well, so she also got panties.

I put them on, and we had a long talk about how we don't pee in our panties, and if they have to go Potty to tell Mommy etc... Somehow this conversation evolved into them listing everything in the house they are NOT supposed to pee on, like the couch, the rug, the floor, the trampoline, their baby dolls and on and on.

I went ahead and printed them out some cool little Potty Training charts, hung them up, and explained that every time they went to the bathroom in the potty like big girls, they would get a sticker to put on their charts. Once all the squares on their chart are full, they can go to the store and pick out a new toy. They were all about that and very excited!!

So on we went with our morning. I periodically asked them if they had to go to the bathroom, and put them on the potties every so often, with no success. So then I was doing something in the kitchen, when I noticed Kylee went outside via the doggy door. I was curious to see what she was doing, so I went to the window to watch her.

She climbed up on Bandit's bed, pulled her panties down and Peed!! She then pulled them back up, and came back in (again, through the doggy door), and ran up to me and told me, "Mommy, I didn't Pee-Pee in my Panties!" She was so incredibly proud of herself!! I was trying not to laugh and to make sense of the fact that my daughter just went outside to go to the bathroom (when her potty was sitting in the middle of the living room floor), and told her it was Very good that she didn't Pee-Pee in her panties! Apparently, she thought the whole not peeing in the house conversation extended to her potty as well??? It was hilarious, and definitely a story we will share with her when she is older.

The girls wore their Big Girl panties from 8:00am-11:45, and it was then that they requested to have their diapers back. I think they were getting tired of me in their space, constantly asking them if they had to go potty. Thankfully there were only 2 accidents all morning, so that is pretty good I think.

I will continue to follow their lead with this whole potty training thing, and I am not going to push the issue. I have left their charts up in the meantime, in case they get the sudden urge to wear panties again.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

SNOW- Southern California Style


With the last storm that made it's way through Southern California, it brought a lot of snow to our local mountains. Since the snow doesn't come to us directly, we had to go to it, and it was definitely worth it!

We had such a great time! The girls went sledding with Daddy, built a snow man, and really enjoyed eating the snow!

Both Kylee and Kaylyn refused to keep gloves or mittens on, but that didn't stop them from picking up the snow to munch on it. The problem arose when their hands got really cold from holding onto it. At that point, I would take the snow out of their hands and put it on the ground, which then resulted in them being angry at me for taking away their snow. It was a no-win situation!

Fun was had by all, and I can't wait to take them back!!


In Search of the Perfect Tree



It has become tradition that every year we all go with Grandma and Grandpa to cut down a Christmas tree for their house. There is a local Christmas tree farm by their house, and it is really fun to hike around and find the perfect tree and cut it down!

I was so impressed this year with how well the girls did. There is quite a bit of hiking and climbing involved in this adventure, and they did awesome!! I think they are better hikers than I am! We didn't find the perfect tree right away, but as we were getting ready to leave Grandma spotted it, and it just might be the best tree they have ever had!

The owners of this tree farm, also have 2 horses and the girls loved them!! The man even gave the girls carrots to feed them. Kaylyn asked me if she could Ride the Horse, but of course I had to tell her no. Right as we were getting ready to leave, the horse peed, and the girls are still talking about how much that Horse peed in the dirt! Apparently, it was very impressive to them!

Monday, December 7, 2009

RAIN!!!!



We got our first big Rain Storm of the year in Southern California today!! This was the first storm that the girls were really old enough to somewhat understand what was going on. They woke up in the morning and saw it raining, and were very excited! They immediately asked me if they could go jump in the puddles, so of course I obliged.

At first, I think they were a little confused about it all, but after a couple minutes they were jumping like crazy and having a great time!! We went out several times, and each time they were pretty disapointed when we had to come back inside.

The Rain was definitely a welcome change!!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!



This year I really tried to gear up and get the girls ready to meet Santa. I bought several books about Santa, and we talked it up quite a bit. I was still unsure of how the meeting would go when we finally went to see him in person.

I think the picture says it all, and it couldn't sum up the girls personalities better. Kaylyn was as cool as a cucumber, and Kylee hated every single second of it!! Kaylyn even tried to calm her sister down by telling her that "Santa is Not Scary, Santa is nice!", but it didn't help. They did both, however, enjoy the Lollipops that Santa gave them after their visit.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Who would have known....



That getting a good picture of all 4 of us for a Christmas card would be so incredibly hard!!! We went to a picture studio, and we got one taken there, but I wasn't in love. The girls weren't smiling, and the way they had us positioned was weird. Then we tried at home, took some in front of the fireplace, some in front of the Christmas tree, and various other spots around our house. Again, not in love. So then we went up to this beautiful waterfall by our house, tried several positions there. Nope, still nothing!!

Is it so much to ask to get them both to smile, and somewhat looking at the camera??? Apparently, YES! It didn't help that they have both been sick, and so has Daddy so no one was quite in the mood for this.

Out of pure desperation, I finally made a decision, chose a picture and went with it. No, it isn't my favorite, but it works and that is all that matters.

This year we sent out 122 Christmas cards to 34 different states and 5 different countries! It was a big undertaking getting all those addressed and stuffed, but well worth it.

Happy Holidays!!!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!!



Per tradition, every year we go to the River for Thanksgiving, and this year was going to be no different. Keith got the time off work, and we were super excited about our annual get away.

Leading up to the trip, the girls had both had runny noses for a few days, but nothing ever came of it, and they seemed fine, so we decided to go ahead and go anyway. We got there late Wednesday afternoon, unpacked everything and were enjoying the great outdoors.

All was well until around midnight, and we heard it. The infamous Barky-Croup cough from Kaylyn. We were not willing to take any chances (considering our past experiences with croup), so within minutes of hearing it, we were all up and loaded in the car headed back to Children's Hospital in San Diego.

Thankfully, I think we caught it early enough, that she wasn't in severe respiratory distress just yet, but we knew we were racing the clock to get those meds in her. Stupidly, we forgot her nebulizer and humidifier at home, so we were without any kind of intervention whatsoever.

The river is about 3 hours from San Diego, but we knew that if she got really bad we could stop at the Hospital in El Centro. Obviously, El Centro is not the greatest of the great when it comes to hospitals, so our first choice was definitely Children's in San Diego.

Whenever we tried to put Kaylyn in her car seat she would get really upset, which is the absolute worst thing you can do for a kid with croup, and their upper airway is already inflamed. We weighed our options, either put her in her seat and risk her going into respiratory arrest or let her sit on my lap, where she is calm and risk an accident. Obviously, neither of those choices are ideal, but ultimately we decided the second option was best for her and we decided to let her sit on my lap for the duration of the ride home, and that kept her calm.

We made it to San Diego in record time (just over 2 1/2 hours), and they gave her the usual cocktail of croup medications including steroids and breathing treatments. They watched her for a bit and set us home. At this point it was Thanksgiving morning, and we were all exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before.

We spent Thanksgiving day just the 4 of us. There was no big Dinner, and no extended family, but we were so incredibly Thankful for the medicine Kaylyn was able to get to help her breath better!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

'Lil Lady Bugs


This year the girls were Lady Bugs for Halloween, and quite adorable little ones if I do say so myself.

I am quickly learning that my opinion on what they should wear is no longer valid, and they are very clear about their own ideas of how they think things should be.

For about a week leading up to Halloween, I kept telling the girls that they were going to be Ladybugs. Kaylyn was not having it! I would gently remind her, "Kaylyn this year you and Kylee are going to be Ladybugs for Halloween.", to which she would staunchly reply "No Mommy. I'm a be a Dinosaur!". After going round and round with her on this issue, I let it go and hoped that it would resolve itself come Halloween.

We decided to forgo Trick or Treating this year as the girls are still pretty young, so instead we went to a Halloween Festival with Grandma and Grandpa at a local elementary school. The girls were fascinated with all of the different costumes, and enjoyed watching all of the kids. Wouldn't you know it that the very first costume we saw was a Dinosaur! I thought I was in for it. Kaylyn followed that kid around for a good 10 minutes, but ultimately must have been distracted by something else and eventually let it go.

It was a fun time, and the girls were so good. I think next year I will just let the girls pick what they want to be from the get go.



Monday, October 26, 2009

Pumpkin Patch 2009


We made our annual trip to Bates Nut Farm again this year, and fun was had by all! The girls loved all the gigantic pumpkins, feeding the animals, and especially loved the hay ride. It has become such a fun family tradition!






Thursday, October 15, 2009

"No More Mommy, No More Daddy"



Now that the girls are 2, it was time to move up to the "Big Girl Dance Class", which means that it is no longer a Mommy (or Daddy)-and-me class and the girls have to dance by themselves without the parents. Seeing as though Kylee and Kaylyn both tend to be very clingy and shy, and this class entailed having a new teacher and a new routine I was a little nervous as to how it was going to go.

Keith and I had talked it up quite a bit during the week leading up to the new class, and the girls knew this was coming. If you ask them who their new dance teacher is, they tell you "Miss Collette" and that would always be followed by us reminding them that they are going to dance by themselves, which to that they would say "No more Mommy and No more Daddy". We were pretty confident they understood what was going to happen, but whether or not they would cooperate was still yet to be seen.

Once again, Kylee and Kaylyn did not dissapoint. These girls never cease to amaze me. Kaylyn walked right in, started playing with the other girls in her class and never looked back. Kylee was a little more apprehensive at first but once we talked her into it, she was all about it. They did great, and I would even venture to say they did better without us in the room with them.

Since this was a new teacher, I was a little concerned that she was going to have trouble telling the girls apart. So to help ease the transition, I did their hair differently. Kylee got pig tails, and Kaylyn got a pony tail. The teacher said that worked out great, so we will continue doing that for a while until she gets to know them better.

Even though we aren't able to be in the room with them, they do have one of those Mirrors that even though the kids can't see out, we can see in from the other side. It was nice to be able to take an hour, watch them dance and relax a bit for a change.

After it was all over the girls kept telling us "Dance class SO fun!!", and "Favorite Dance Class" over and over again. So apparently they enjoyed their little bit of freedom as well. My little girls are growing up!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Happy 2nd Birthday Kylee and Kaylyn!



I cannot believe that my babies are TWO!! These last two years have flown by!

I can still remember the day they were born like it was yesterday. I will never forget when I called Keith and work (he had just finished running a call) and told him them were prepping me for an emergency c-section. Everything happened so quickly, and we passed each other in the hallway as they were wheeling me to the operating room.

When the girls were born, it wasn't the joyous moment that everyone envisions for the birth of their children. They weren't crying, they weren't moving and they weren't breathing. The nurses didn't even show them to me, they were just quickly carried away to be resuscitated. Keith went with them, and I went to recovery. Definitely Bittersweet to say the least!

In recovery I stayed until I could move my legs. I had no idea if they were alive or dead and I wanted to see them so badly. Finally after a couple of hours they wheeled me to the NICU in my bed. They were so so tiny, and had wires coming out all over the place but they were gorgeous!

After 10 long weeks in the NICU, where they plumped them up, taught them how to suck, swallow and breath we were finally able to take them home. They were perfect! They come home without any medications or monitors. You wouldn't even know that they were born so early!

From then on, they continued to thrive and do wonderfully! Constantly amazing us, and their Dr's with their accomplishments, and surpassing everyone's expectations of what they should be doing based on how premature they were.

That first year came and went, and now somehow they are 2! Wow! It's been a wild ride, but such a joy! Here are some of their recent accomplishments:
  • They can sing their ABC's (and lots of other songs)
  • They can count to 12 (sometimes to 14)
  • They talk in full sentences
  • They can dress and undress themselves
  • They love to sing and dance
  • They love to pretend, whether its playing with their baby dolls, having a tea party or pretending to be an animal of some sort
  • They are kind and loving and use the words please and thank you all the time!
  • They have opinions!! From what they wear to what they eat to what they want to do. They definitely let us know what's on their mind!
  • Next week they will start dance class by themselves, and I will no longer be in the room to assist them!
  • They are best friends! The bond they share is like no other, and it warms my heart daily.
I could not be more proud of my little girls, and amazed at everything they have overcome in 2 short years. I am so lucky to be their Mommy!

Our Last Developmental Appointment!!



Today the girls had their routine developmental appointment. They have been followed periodically since they were born due to the fact that they were born so prematurely. All of the appointments up until now have been good, but this appointment went great!! They have officially been cleared from the Early Infant Special Care follow up program because they are going doing exceptionally well, and they don't ever have to go back to get checked again!!

This appointment took almost 4 hours for both of them to get tested. I was pretty nervous about the fact that it was running into lunch time and nap time and I feared a major breakdown from at least one, if not both of them. Amazingly, they both held up great and were in excellent spirits, and cooperated wonderfully. The reason it took so long is because of how well the girls were doing, they continue the tests until there are 5 things in a row that they cannot complete. This took quite a while!

The Dr. that administered the series of standardized tests has been the same person that has followed them since they were discharged from the NICU, so she is very familiar with the girls. The appointment included a series of different tests that tested their gross and fine motor skills, along with their language abilities. She was blown away by how great they are doing, and she made it known that these girls are definitely the exception not the rule when it comes to preemie development.

Not only are they caught up, but they are extremely advanced. They scored on the high end of all of their tests and averaged around the 30 month mark (2 1/2 years old). On their Vocabulary and Cognitive language abilities they scored between the 30-36 month old mark!! That was despite the fact that they were both being extremely shy!

On their growth stats, Kaylyn weighs 30lbs and is 36" tall and Kylee is 27lbs and 35 3/4" tall. Very tall girls! Their heads are still large, but they are both on the growth curve, so that is good!

The Dr. said that she could tell that we work with them extensively in all different areas. It blows my mind that 2 years ago we weren't even sure that the girls were going to make it and now they are thriving! They are definitely a preemie success story! I am a very proud Mommy!!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Party Time!!



Today we had the girls 2nd Birthday Party!! They had threatened that it might rain, but thankfully the weather cooperated and it turned out to be a beautiful day!! This year we had their party at El Monte Park. It was the perfect location! There was lots of things to do, and the scenery was beautiful! We also got a jumper, and not to worry because the adults got plenty of play time in there as well.

I have never seen the girls play so hard! They were running from the Jumper to the Park area, and back All day Long!! Amazingly, Kaylyn did not nap at all today and she still managed to be in the best of spirits. I know they had a fabulous time!

As per tradition, the girls each got their own Happy Birthday song sang to them individually. Kylee wasn't too sure about all these people serenading her, but Kaylyn was all about it and soaked up the attention.

I decided I was not going to do goody bags this year for their party. They are pretty expensive, and most of the stuff that goes in them is junk anyway and gets tossed right away. So instead, I bought little plain canvas bags and fabric markers for the kids to decorate them. Then I got 2 pinatas (everything comes in 2's in our life!) and the kids used their cool decorated bags they made to collect the candy. It worked great, and I think all the kids really enjoyed them.

When it came time to open presents, the girls got through 2 or 3 and decided that they were done opening presents and they both got up at the exact same time and headed for the park area. They didn't even look back! The older kids that were at the party hung back and helped me get through the mountain of presents! They got so many wonderful gifts!

It was so fun to spend such a special day with all of our close friends and family. We are so thankful that so many people were able to make it out to celebrate with us!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Bad Blogging Mommy!



I have not been as diligent as I would like this month in keeping up with this blog! This month has been super busy, and somehow it just got away from me! Keith was gone on a boys trip at the beginning of the month, and then I was gone 2 weekends in a row as well.

The girls are doing great, and they continue to amaze me! I will save their accomplishments for this month for their upcoming Birthday Blog, but I thought I would leave you with Part 2 of "Out of the Mouths of Babes" and share some of the funny things the girls have said and done recently.

Kaylyn: "Daddy, Drive Faster"
Keith: "OK, we can go faster" {Faster we Go!}
Kaylyn: "No! Faster Daddy!!!!............wait, COPS!!!"

Kylee and I were discussing their upcoming Birthday Party. I was telling her all the fun things we are going to do that day. After we were done talking about it, she says "and a Pony at the Party too???" I told her, "No, I don't think we are going to have a Pony". That was not what she wanted to hear, and she got the last word in by saying, "Yes, a Pony at the Party".

Kaylyn grabbed my chin, and turned my head towards her and said, "Look at Me Mommy!" So I look and she continues... "Say Sorry!" This was after I had just announced it was time to go upstairs and go to bed, apparently she was not too happy about that!

The girls love to rub Bandit's tummy. So we were giving Bandit some love and Kylee proclaims, "Bandits Nipple!!". Too bad it was NOT her nipple, and Kylee stuck her finger in the dogs butt!

After Keith finished changing Kaylyn's diaper, she told him to "Lay Down. Time to change Daddy's Diaper!". Daddy told her that he is a big boy and uses the potty, and he does not have a diaper. Well, Kaylyn didn't buy it and demanded that he "Take Pants off Right Now!".

Kylee walked up to me, latched on to my leg, patted my butt and said "Hi Honey!! I Love you!!"

I am sure there is more, as these girls keep me laughing all day long but those are the one's that come to mind at the moment. They are such special little girls!!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

23 Months


This is officially my last Monthly update before Kylee and Kaylyn turn 2!! :(

This has been a crazy eventful month. Unfortunately we have battled more than our fair share of sickness. It started out with both of them having Pink eye and Kaylyn having a double ear infection and evolved into Kylee getting RAD (reactive airway disease) and a double ear infection and Kaylyn getting Croup (which require a 911 Ambulance ride to the hosptial), Pneumonia (another trip to the ER), and yet another double ear infection ALL in the same Week! The Dr's have said that Kaylyn is more prone to the croup becoming extremely serious due to the fact that she was intubated for almost 2 weeks when she was born (Kylee was intubated for less than a day), therefore there is scar tissue in her airway so any inflamation at all can potentially completely cut off her airway. We are hopeful that the bigger she gets, the less of an issue this will be. I am happy to report that things are finally on the up and up health wise here and both of the girls are back to their normal happy selves.


It is unbelievable how aware of their surroundings they are becoming. They are both constantly telling me to "Look" and "Listen". They love to identify different sounds that they hear including puppies, cars, lawn mowers, airplanes, helicopters and more. It was really funny because we went to the River for a couple days a few weeks ago and we were standing outside and the generator was on and Kaylyn said, "Look Mommy!! The Moon in the Sky! ......Noisy Moon!". She thought the sound the generator was making was coming from the Moon!

Along with being aware of their surroundings is knowing what belongs to who, and especially if something belongs to them. They have become very possessive and "My", "Me", and "Mine" have become very popular words around here. They are both also very efficient in their use of Prepositions. They use them often to describe whatever it is that they are talking about. They are consistently talking in full sentences now, and their vocabulary and ability to utilize words and phrases correctly constantly amazes me. They also have the mastered the concept of opposites such as up and down, open and close, hot and cold, on and off, in and out, and more.

They can also identify "Owies" now and they tell me when something hurts them. They even point to and tell me the correct body part of the injury. Whenever they get hurt they instantly come up and tell me what hurts and tell me to kiss it. Once it is kissed they both announce that it is "All Better!".

They have begun to actively play together more and more, as opposed to mostly parallel play. They have such an amazing bond and friendship. I love watching them interact with each other. Their imaginations are fascinating and its so fun to watch them explore their world.

I think I have little clean freaks on my hands. These kids LOVE to clean! They love to sweep, do dishes, vacuum, and wipe things down. Hopefully if I encourage it enough they will still have this passion when they are teenagers!


I can't believe it was nearly 2 years ago that I was admitted to the hospital on bedrest with the girls. They really have come so far and exceeded everyone's expectations of where they should be right now both in development and growth. I am amazed by how much they have overcome in such a short period of time. They warm my heart daily!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

I Spoke too Soon!


Kylee woke up this morning with the goop!! I should have known better than to think that I was actually going to get away with only one of them getting Pink Eye. Thankfully, the medical group that their Dr belongs to has a walk in Clinic on Saturday mornings, and I just took her down there and got her checked out. Unlike her sister, she does not have any ear infections, so they gave a prescription for more eye drops and sent us on our way.

In a way I am glad that she got it because it means our quarantine can officially end tomorrow! 24 hours after she has been getting the drops she will no longer be contagious. It will be nice to get out of the house. We have now been on lock down since Thursday!!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Double Ear Infection and Pink Eye




For the last couple of days, Kaylyn seemed to be a little "off". She just was not acting like her happy-go-lucky self, and she was more whiney and clingy than normal. I didn't think much of it, but then shotly thereafter her nose started running, she started coughing and sneezing a bit, and her eyes looked a little puffy. Keith and I decided that she must have allergies and kind of left it at that.

Yesterday afternoon when she woke up from her nap her Eye was all goopy and gross. I wiped it off (thinking it was sleep goobers), and not 10 minutes later there was more goop. I decided I better call the Dr and see what they say. I talked to the triage nurse and she wanted me to bring her in right away. She got us an appointment, and off we went.

I took Kaylyn to the Dr, and Keith stayed home with Kylee. The entire time we were gone, Kaylyn was extremely concerned about where Kylee was. She kept asking where her sissy was, and why she wasn't buckled in her seat. It isn't very often that one of them goes somewhere without the other one.

The Dr. determined that Kaylyn has Conjuctivitis (Pink Eye) and a double ear infection! I had no idea! Her eyes weren't even pink, so pink eye did not even cross my mind. Apparently, not everyone actually gets the pink coloring in their eyes with this infection. I felt so bad for my little bug! The Dr prescribed Eye drop antibiotics to do away with the Conjunctivitis and Oral antibiotics for the ear infection.

After wrestling her down, and fighting her to get the eye drops in her eyes to seemingly no avail, a friend of mine gave me some great advice! She told me to try having her close her eyes and put the drops in her tear ducts, then when she opens her eyes the drops with cover the entirety of her eye ball. I gave it a try, and it worked like a charm! Thankfully, Kaylyn loves the oral antibiotics so that is not a problem at all.

As many of you probably know, Pink Eye is highly contagious! It also has an incubation period of 1-2 weeks before any symptoms show up, but it is still contagious during that time. Right now, Kylee hasn't shown any symptoms of having it but that doesn't mean we are in the clear. We are currently on Pink Eye Quarantine and won't be going anywhere for a few days.