12 days, 3 celebrations

Anniversary. On April 28th, Billy and I celebrated our 4th year anniversary. Because he was in Columbus, Ohio, for an anesthesiology rotation, we weren't able to celebrate together. But he did send me some beautiful flowers accompanied with a super cute note.
Logan, Taylor, and I spend the day as we would have any other day, except for the fact that I locked ourselves out of the apartment. I have never done that before, and I only realized it as I got to the car. Fortunately, LeiLani lives a couple of doors down, so I went to her place and hung out there until the manager let us in, 45 min. later.

Birthday. I celebrated my birthday by going to the Pella Tulip Festival, with Frederic, Marie, Logan, and Taylor. It's a huge thing here, in Iowa. Pella is this cute little Dutch town full of tiny specialty stores, 45 min. from Des Moines. We got to watch the parade and take lots of pictures with tulips. It was really fun!

And then, my wonderful friend Erin watched Logan and Taylor so that I could go out to dinner with my brother and his wife. We went to Texas Road House, one of my favorite places to eat. Of course I ate more than I should have and didn't leave any room for dessert... it was worth it.

Mother's Day. This was my First Mother's Day. (Well I guess I was already sort of a mom last year, when I was pregnant with the boys.) Billy surprised me with beautiful roses, chocolates, and a cute little card from Logan and Taylor. It was adorable.

And then Frederic and Marie surprised me with a beautiful necklace and a super cute card. Logan and Taylor even wrote a note on the card, with some help. This has got to be my favorite celebration of the year.

I feel so blessed to be a mom to these wonderful and special children of God. I never knew I could love anyone (other than Billy) so much. They truly are my pride and joy.

The BUSIEST day EVER!

Last Saturday was the busiest day ever!!! I don't even remember the last time I over-scheduled myself like this. Of course, we always have plenty of surprises at the Beeston home, so we didn't accomplish everything we were going to, but we had an awesome day anyway.

8:30 The Farmer's Market. The first Saturday in May is the day the Farmer's Market comes back, after a long and cold winter. It is a very exciting time for the people who live in Des Moines, so of course we had to go. I think everybody who lives in Des Moines was there because my friend and I could barely walk side by side.

9:30 Neighborhood yard sale. I had planned to check out a few things around this time, but it took us a little longer than I had expected to get through the Farmer's Market, so we didn't end up going. I know of some people in that neighborhood who have twins. That's where we bought our umbrella stroller and jogger last year (both for $15). Oh well.

10:00 Baby Shower. A friend of mine is having a little girl at the end of the month, so there was a baby shower planned for her today. Logan and Taylor usually take a nap around 10, so I figured I probably wouldn't be able to go, but it was on my To Do List, anyway, just in case. Logan and Taylor actually fell asleep at the Farmer's Market, so when we got back home, I slowly picked them up and put them into their cribs, where they slept for another 30 min. I don't know how they were able to fall asleep, with all the people and noise around them... I guess they were exhausted...

Break... not really. Just when I thought we could have a little time to relax, Taylor slobbered on my phone and it started vibrating without interruption. I tried to touch a few keys. Nothing. I tried to turn the phone off. Nothing. Crap. Billy's out of town and my brother's on his way here. So I took the battery out and the phone stopped vibrating. Then I put the battery back in and the phone started vibrating again. Crap. Looks like we have to go on another trip to buy a phone. Fortunately, I had had my phone for 4 years, so I was eligible for an upgrade. Looks like the boys won't be playing with my phone anytime soon. In the meantime, my old phone has become their "security" phone. They LOVE it and take it EVERYWHERE!

4:30 Uno de Mayo. We decided to celebrate with a nice barbecue. We went to a park with a bunch of friends, set the kids on blankets, and chatted while eating some food. It was a beautiful day to celebrate.

6:00 Double birthday party. 2 friends of mine had a birthday this past week. I am so glad they decided to celebrate together! I don't know how I would have fit 2 birthday parties in my already over-scheduled day!

9:45 Frederic and Marie got to Des Moines after a 15-1/2 hour drive from Columbia, MD. I am so glad they were able to come spend some time with me and the boys. I know it was a big sacrifice of time and money.

Logan & Taylor are 9 months!

In just 3 months, my little babies will be turning ONE year old! I've already been looking at birthday cakes because, if you know me at all, it will be the celebration of the century. We might be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt right now, but Logan and Taylor will have an awesome party! But for now, we'll just enjoy their 9 months birthday...


This month, Logan:
- hung out with some friends at the park... and discovered grass and leaves... yummy!
- started holding his own bottle... and he did it with his feet, too!
- went on his first Easter Egg Hunt... at his girlfriend's house!
- had his first taste of ice cream... and couldn't get enough!
- started pulling his socks off... to eat them!
- went on his first walk in the jogger
- started whispering
- clapped his hands together
- can feed himself using his pincers
- creeps all over the place
- gets on all 4s and rocks
- attemps to pull up
- stands holding on to me
- said "mama"
- sings along with mommy
- holds, drinks, but mostly plays with his sippy cup
- sleeps through the night
- has an obsession with hair and mouths (future hairdresser or dentist?)
- sat in the shopping cart with Taylor (thanks Costco for your huge carts)
- is still put to sleep by laying on mommy's chest while sucking his thumb

This month, Taylor:
- hung out with some friends at the park... and discovered grass and leaves... yummy!
- started holding his own bottle
- went on his first Easter Egg Hunt
- had his first taste of ice cream... and couldn't get enough!
- started pulling his socks off
- went on his first walk in the jogger
- started waving
- clapped his hands together
- can feed himself using his pincers, but tries to stuff 5 puffs into his mouth
- creeps all over the place
- gets on all 4s and rocks
- attemps to pull up
- stands holding on to me
- holds, drinks, but mostly plays with his sippy cup
- sleeps through the night
- has an obsession with hands and feet (future hand surgeon or pediatrist?)
- sat in the shopping cart with Logan (only at Costco)
- is still put to sleep by being rocked while sucking on his binkie

This month, I look foward to a weight gain... this little guys are falling off the charts!
Our schedule got way off when the boys started teething. Even after their 2 bottom teeth cut through, they were still waking up in the night. But a few weeks ago, after some trial and error, we figured out a schedule that worked for us. The boys now wake up between 6:30 and 7:00. They have a bottle, play, and take a nap between 9:30 and 10:00. Then they have veggies and meat, play or go on a trip, and take a nap between 1:45 and 2:15. Then they have fruit, play or go on a trip, and come back to play some more. Then they sit at the table while I have dinner, take a bath, have a bottle, and go to bed between 7:30 and 8:00.
That's right, the boys are not breast-feeding anymore. They kind of stopped on their own, actually. They latched on for a few minutes and then pulled away and refused to eat anymore. I kept pumping for a few more weeks, but my production was getting really low, so we stopped. Every now and then, they pull on my shirt, looking for you-know-what, but it doesn't happen much, and usually only when they need to be comforted, are tired, or need food right-now-or-I'm-going-to-die! I know it's a lot of information, but this blog has been my diary these days.
The boys also went through a phase where they were eating very poorly. Eventually I figured out that they were sick. Taylor started a fever, and Logan got one 3 days later. Lunch and dinner are normally their biggest meals. They eat 3 jars for lunch and drink 9 oz. of formula for dinner. But while they were sick, I could only get them to eat 1/2-1 jar for lunch and 4-5 oz. of formula for dinner. It was a really frustrating time for me, especially knowing that they were already underweight. After talking to my mom, I felt a little better in knowing that I was a poor eater, too, and made it through. I discovered that I can't push them to eat more than they want to eat. Eating should be something enjoyable not miserable. But seriously, there were a few days when I was not looking forward to feeding them because I knew it would be stressful to me. During those days, I would rather have cleaned the men's bathroom... of a BAR... than feed these little guys. But they're doing better now, eating again like they used to. And feeding is fun again, to them and to me.
This month, Billy has been out of town, and we have been missing him like crazy! Logan and Taylor always get excited when he comes home. They bounce up and down and cannot stop laughing. I hope Billy gets that same excitement when he gets back after a full month of being away. My brother, Fred, and his wife, Marie, are coming into town this week, and we are really looking foward to having a blast with them. I could use to adult company, too. I speak baby language a little too much these days. I also feel like I am not speaking English as well as I used to, now that I speak French to Logan and Taylor all day. Oh well!

A slap in the face

Billy loves to roughhouse with the boys, but they love it even more!!! Logan especially loves to slap Billy, scratch his face, and pull on his hair. He know better than to try that on me, though.

4th Anniversary

On April 28th, Billy and I will be celebrating our 4th anniversary... separately. He'll be in Ohio, doing an anesthesiology rotation, and we'll be in Iowa missing him more than ever. (I am writing this now because we will be left without a computer while he's away. SuX!)

I feel so blessed to have found my Perfect Man, my Best Friend. We have gone through a lot together - the good and the bad - and it has made us stronger as a couple. These last 4 years have been the best of my life.

Although I don't see Billy much these days - and it will only get worse - what initially attracted me to him hasn't faded at all. His ambition, determination, hard work, sense of humor, intellect, ability to separate work from personal life and, most importantly, the fact that he is drop-dead gorgeous, are everything I was looking for in a man... and found them in Billy. He can make me laugh harder than anyone I know, he treats me like a queen, and I still get excited when he comes home. I never knew life could feel so complete until we were married for life and eternity. There's no one else I'd rather grow old with and raise my children with. He is a wonderul husband and an amazing dad. I look forward to many more anniversary celebrations.

I love you Honey Bunny =)

Easter with the Beeston

This year, I really wanted to start a few Easter traditions. I almost talked my way out of it because I thought that the boys were too young to really "get it" and participate. Then I figured that I could probably come up with some type of excuse every year.

SO, we started by having some friends over on Friday to decorate Easter eggs. Unfortunately I didn't capture the 2 adults and 3 babies at the table, but I did take a picture of the end products. From left to right, there is Billy, a football, me, our pet chick, Logan, and Taylor.

Logan and Taylor were talking practically the whole time, while Kylee was observing the unfamiliar setting and listening to my loud little guys. Every now and then, the boys would get quiet long enough for Kylee to say something. It was fun to watch.

The next day, we went to a friend's house for an Easter Egg Hunt. Logan and Taylor really enjoyed grabbing the colorful eggs, which went straight into their mouths, as does everything else. Every now and then, Billy and I could convince them to put the eggs into the baskets. The eggs were, for the most part, filled with goodies for the adults. But my friends were thoughtful enough to fill half of them with puffs for the kiddos. We had a great time and the weather could not have been better.

Then on Sunday, we gave the boys their Easter Baskets. They were both very curious to find out what was inside. Sorry boys, once again, the eggs were, for the most part, filled with goodies for mommy and daddy. What else was I going to put inside of them? But there was a book for each one of them. I think they will really enjoy them because they are Touch and Feel books.

HAPPY EASTER, Logan & Taylor!

Logan & Taylor are 8 months!

WOW, Logan and Taylor are so much closer to being 1-year olds than they are to being newborns. Just a week ago, I was holding a newborn baby, and it brought back memories of holding my own babies. It's hard to believe they used to be barely over 4 lbs each.

I used to think that it wouldn't be very different to have a baby boy or a baby girl the first year. But as I watch Logan and Taylor hitting and throwing toys all over the place, I am starting to think that boy traits can be seen early. I just can't imagine a little girl being that rough.

At 8 months, Logan (a.k.a. Mr. Thumb-Sucker):

- loves scratching and pinching daddy's face... and pulling his hair
- weighs 16 lb. 4 oz.
- throws himself backwards when he throws a tantrum
- had juice (twice)
- started eating Cheerios (by eating them off the table)
- started eating meats (but does not like ham)
- can get on all 4s (but doesn't move far)
- rode in the big-boy stroller (without carseat)
- had his first bath with toys
- got his first 2 teeth
- loves to babble dadadadadada
- loves to snuggle on mommy's chest while sucking his thumb
- eats solids twice a day
- had many rough nights because his gums were hurting

At 8 months Taylor (a.k.a. Mrs. Binkie-Man):

- loves pulling daddy's hair... and occasioanlly scratch and pinch his face
- weighs 14 lb. 7 oz.
- had juice (twice)
- started eating Cheerios (not by himself)
- started eating meats (but does not like ham either)
- got on all 4s a couple of times (did not move forward)
- rode in the big-boy stroller (without carseat)
- had his first bath with toys
- got his first 2 teeth
- loves to babble loudly
- loves to kiss mommy all over
- eats solids twice a day
- mostly sleeps through the night

They are both getting really loud at this whole babbling thing. It makes it a little harder now to go places, like the movie theatre or the restaurant. A lot of people are super nice about it, but others definitely give us dirty looks.
They definitely know how to get around. They don't actually crawl, yet, but they can move around on their tummies to get places, usually to each other.
They love to grab my feet. It's almost an obsession... maybe because I don't let them. Feet are gross, and I don't want them touching them and then putting their hands in their mouths.
Logan has another obsession: my hair. He loves to grab it, pull it, and then suck his thumb while holding on to my hair. And Taylor has an obsession with my hands. He loves to touch them, hang on to them, eat them, and hug them.
They both love to play with big-boy toys, like cell phones, remote controls, and whatever else is just laying around and they're not supposed to touch or play with.
Feeding them has gotten harder as they both get really distracted by each other and objects near by. They have also been trying to feed themselves, by grabbing the jars and spoons.
Logan does not enjoy being in his crib unless he is asleep. Occasionally he can entertain himself, but it doesn't happen much. Taylor is completely satisfied being in his crib, asleep or not. He can play with his binkie, the bumber, or look down on Logan. (Logan's crib is lower - I haven't gotten the energy to lower Taylor's, yet.)
We used to have a routine, but when those teeth started coming through, everything changed. Right now, we're still trying to figure out a new routine,... and change these 45 min. naps.
We often have to come to the rescue of Taylor because Logan has gotten to him and is trying to bite him. But we also have to come to the rescue of Logan because Taylor has gotten to him and is trying to bite him. These 2 can have a lot of fun together, but they can also be rough with each other. Boys will be boys, I guess.
They love shaking, hitting, biting, and pulling on toys. I cannot imagine a little girl playing that way, but no matter how hard I try to teach them to be soft, they play rough. I'm gonna have to keep a close eye on these guys or they'll seriously hurt each other.

What I'm looking forward to this month: a growth spur. These little guys need to gain some fat!

When I was a little girl...

I talk to my parents every Sunday; it's our tradition. This past Sunday, we talked about what I was like when I was a little girl...

Apparently, I was a little daredevil. Mom could never leave me alone, otherwise I would jump into swimming pools, climb onto furniture, etc. and get hurt.
I was kind of messy. I used to take a bunch of toys out, knowing well that my brother would clean up after me to keep me out of trouble.
I was also a little pooper. When we were very young, my brother and I would take baths together. It just happened that the bathtub was my favorite place to poop.
I was a smart-a**. Yep, no matter what was said to me, I always had a comeback, which was usually enough to keep the other person quiet.
I was also artistic, if you can call it that. I used to draw on walls, at home and other places. My brother was usually behind me, erasing my works of art.

But I was also disciplined. When it was bedtime and I was tired, I didn't wait to be put to bed, I just went on my own. (any mother's dream, right?)
I was independent. I could stay in my room for hours at a time, playing with my Barbies (and having them kiss Ken so passionately that his head fell off).
I was also organized. I especially enjoyed lining up my perfume bottles and lotions by height. I think I might also have done that with my stuffed animals.
I was a good listener. People enjoyed sharing their feelings with me because I listened to them without interrupting with advice or personal experiences.
Finally, I was caring. When I had some money, I usually spent it on others, including my brother's tithing.

I really enjoy hearing about my childhood. I remember a few things, but I always like finding out more. One of the things I remember is having to wait for what seemed like hours after church because my mom was talking to people. I remember being sooooo annoyed with it that I would keep pulling on her skirt and interrupting her. Mom, I am sorry I was much an impatient brat. Now I understand how important it is for a stay-at-home mom to have some social time with other adults. I love you, mom. You are the best.

Different pregnancies

One of my best friends just had a baby girl - a beautiful baby girl, if I may add =). While she was pregnant, she and I talked a lot about how different our pregnancies were. Now that she has had her baby, she and I talk a lot about how different our deliveries were. Besides the obvious, here are some of the key points:

Pregnancy:
-I was looking forward to gaining weight and getting really big. I knew that Logan and Taylor would be small because they would be delivered at 36 weeks (or before), so I wanted to get them as big and fat as possible.
- I was not looking forward to ultrasounds, most of the time. Sure it was nice to see my cute little guys every week, but my belly quickly got sick of the rubbing and poking. Imagine someone doing that to your belly over and over again, in the same spots, for 45 minutes to an hour.

Delivery:
- I never experienced labor, with the water breaking, contractions, and all. I also never had to push to get the babies out. Surprisingly for some, it is actually something I'd like to experience some day.
- I didn't get to hold my babies after the doc delivered them. But Billy did bring them to me so that I could see them. It makes me kind of sad to think that I wasn't the first person to hold them.

Unanswered questions:
- How long would have I been able to keep my boys in my belly if I hadn't had a scheduled C-section?
- Will I ever be able to experience labor and a normal delivery? I guess we'll find out... but not for a little while.

My big boys

People often say that children grow up too fast, and while they are 100% right, I find myself really looking forward to my boys' milestones. I guess that because they were preemies, I am sometimes afraid that they will be behind in some areas of development. I know it is completely normal for them to develop closer to their adjusted age than their actual age, but I just want them to fit in with their baby friends. I also know that they will reach milestones whenever they are ready and not whenever I think they should be ready, but I want them to successful at everything they do.

Anyway, Logan and Taylor both really enjoy walking with assistance, especially when the goal is... daddy =) So here are some videos:

Logan

Taylor