Happy Birthday

How fun to celebrate a full year with you little boys! Daddy took the day off to spend some special time with the birthday boys. For lunch you visited me at school (you were quite the hit and loved by all my students!) and then we had a blast playing that night. New Legos, birthday books, bath-time fun, and a surprise visit from Paka. It was a fun, full day!

12 Months...ONE YEAR!

Wiley

• You are an official walker at this point. While it's still a little shaky, you seem to prefer walking to crawling. You are even starting to be able to bend for a toy, stand back up, and keep walking!
• You are still chatting all the time. I still don't think you call us "mama" and "dada" intentionally, but you sure have mastered those sounds.
• You are trying to communicate and tell us things more now. When you need our attention, you often give a loud shout.
• You have started clapping now and will do so on command.You also wave hello and goodbye (not to strangers so much, but definitely to mommy, daddy, and other familiar faces).
• You now like to dance too! You bend your knees and do a swaying, bounce move anytime music comes on.
• You are still toothless, but the slobber seems to be increasing...so maybe sometime soon!

 Ryan

• You have taken your first steps and now take several at a time. Depending on what you're walking towards, depends on how far you're willing to go!
• You are still chatting all the time. You are making many different sounds and imitating more and more of what you see and hear.
• Your love for music hasn't lessened. No matter where we are: at home, in the store, in the car, if you hear music, you're dancing!
• You wave hello and goodbye on command. We have begun working on blowing kisses too!

We prayed so hard and long for you little boys. It seemed like we may never have the opportunity to be parents. And yet, here we are, celebrating your first year of life. You have brought a joy, deeper than we ever knew, to our home. It is just amazing to reflect back on this first year. You have been fighters since before you were even born. Once here, you continued fighting, defying the odds and reaching milestones much faster than you should have as preemies. It's amazing to think how far we have come in a year.  Happy Birthday, our sweet Wiley. Happy Birthday, our cuddly Ryan. We love you so much and look forward to all your lives have to offer you.

Snow Day

Today...in the middle of November...we had our first snow day! While I'm the queen of the snow dance and praying for snow days, I really didn't want one quite this early.

However, I quickly got over it and was thrilled to have an extra day home with my babies! Although this wasn't your first official snow fall, last year you were way too little to understand / care about snow. I was itching all day to get you outside and play in it, but since you'd never experienced it before, we didn't want daddy to miss out on the fun.

By the time he got home from work, it was way too cold to go outside (we're talking in the teens...in November!! Crazy!!). So, we got creative and brought the snow to you! You weren't too sure about it and were hesitant to touch it, but still all of these firsts are just so fun!

National Preemie Day

Did you know, my little preemies, you were born just two days after National Prematurity Day? I was doing some reading on some of my favorite preemie sites today which mentioned a lot of the risks of prematurity. As I read risk after risk, I was overwhelmed with such gratitude for the miracle God has worked in your life.

We knew that there were many things to fear when we were first hospitalized, but all we could do was pray. When you were born 10 weeks early, again, we knew there was much to fear, but all we could do was pray. The first several weeks of your life, we faced many tests that would reveal problems you may have. And test after test, you both defied the odds and passed all of them with no concerns. God has had you both in His hands since before you were even born. I know He was such great plans for your lives.

Splish Splash

Tonight you had your first big boy bath! Two slippery, mobile, curious babies sure made for an interesting experience to say the least.

 

Happy Halloween

Yuck, what a cold and rainy Halloween we had. We decided not to take you boys out, but instead hung out at home with Zsu Zsu, Paka, and TseTse, passing candy out to the trick-or-treaters. Don't worry, you still had a chance to dress up too. Plus, last weekend we took you up to General Butler to go trick-or-treating with your cousins. You boys absolutely loved the wagon your daddy made for you. You were squealing and clapping your hands all night while we trick-or-treated through the camp ground.

We also let you "help" us carve the pumpkins. Wiley, you didn't seem to like the feel of the goop of the pumpkin, yet you couldn't help but to keep reaching in it to feel it again. Ryan, you quickly realized the pumpkin was something new to make noise and music with; you pounded on the side nonstop.

It's so fun experiencing all these firsts with you boys. It's been a fun month of October, enjoying the fall season and your first Halloween.

 

play

11 Months

Wiley

• 17 lbs 2 oz; you are in size 3 diapers (starting today! they look so big!) and finally wearing 6 month clothes. You are growing quickly though and it's clearly you won't be in this size for long (this will be the first size that probably doesn't last us more than 4 months!)
• No teeth yet, but I'm sure they'll pop up any day now. You slobber as much as your brother now and are biting hard on everything you can.
• You like to let go when standing; you can stand alone now for several seconds at a time now
• You have taken your first steps already! You used to only take steps to me or daddy, but you are becoming more daring. You have taken up to six - eight steps across the living room when trying to get to your toys now.
• You like to show your distaste for food by blowing raspberries and spitting it back at us. You have seem to grown more picky with foods in the past month or so. You really don't seem to like any "dinner" foods (uh-oh -- did you get this picky trait from me?!) and vegetables are hit or miss.
• When we say, "Yay! Clap Wiley!" you throw one hand into the air, grin, and twist your hand around.
• Your smile still lights up the room and warms all hearts. You continue to smile with mouth and eyes. It's our favorite is when you are just sitting and playing in your own little world, look up and make eye contact with us, and give us one of your brightest smiles.

Ryan

• 15 lbs 2 oz; you are in size 2 diapers and wearing 6 month clothes.
• You have two teeth! Your bottom two teeth came in a couple weeks ago. Thankfully, this first round of teething really didn't seem to effect you too negatively at all. There was really no extra fussing, just a lot of extra slobber!
• Last month, when we'd try to get you to stand alone, you would squat, refusing to try! But now, you will show off your skills and can stand alone for several seconds.
• You aren't quite ready to take those first steps yet, although I know you could. You walk one handed, hardly holding on with your toy walker. Just like crawling, I know it'll be in your own time when you are good and ready. You watch Wiley take his steps and I just imagine you taking notes and analyzing exactly how to do it. You can tell you're getting ready to walk because now you crawl with one leg hiked up, ready to stand up. You can get yourself to a stand from the floor too.
• Although your weight still doesn't reflect it, you are our eater. There's not much you won't eat and even when it's not your favorite, you usually eat without too much fight.
• When we say, "Yay! Clap, Ryan!" you immediately start to clap and shout.
• You still just love music and it brings a smile to your face every time you hear it. Any song, hum, or even just a beat, you start to bounce, clap, and sing. We were bouncing the ball the other day and caught you dancing to the rhythm of the bounce.

I just cannot believe that in one month we will no longer have babies in our house! This has been an insanely fast, but fabulously fun year.  You both continue to amaze us every day with all you learn to do. It is so fun watching your personalities develop and seeing how what you have in common and how you are different. I don't know how it is possible, but we continue to fall even more in love with you both as time goes on.