Our first family Christmas card!

Come check it out! We are Shutterfly JUNKIES in this house :)

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Piggy Aubrey

Aubrey started eating rice cereal on Monday, just a few days shy of her 5 month birthday. I had every intention to wait until 6 months but curiosity got the best of me. Aubrey did such a great job eating! She was fascinated with the spoon - she realized she can slurp and blow bubbles and she even tried to feed herself (long, tired mommy sigh). I plan on continuing with the rice cereal once a day at dinner time for the next month before introducing veggies. I'm even letting out my unknown crunchy side and will attempt to make our own baby food!


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Pictures from our first ultrasound

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Anniversary of our first ultrasound

I remember not sleeping very well the night before. I just laid there, excited and scared all wrapped in one. I kept wondering if there was even going to be a baby in there. I guess I was still in shock that I was pregnant so I was doubting it.

We woke up with a little pip in out step. Mike was watching the news but I could tell he was just as excited as I was. My hands were shaking as I buttoned my pants. I was doing my hair and I ran out to Mike saying "What if there isn't a baby?". He looked at me like I was nuts (rightfully so) and he reassured me that either way, we'd be fine. I started applying my makeup and I scurried out again. "What if it IS twins?" I asked. "Cool" he said in his I-think-your-over-reacting voice.
A parent of twins at my day care had ESP or something. Before I announced my pregnancy to anyone other than my husband and a few coworkers she asked me if I was expecting. With my mouth wide open I confirmed I was. She then told me she just KNEW I was having twins. After she left I rolled my eyes. There was no way I thought I was carrying two little peanuts.

I filled out all the forms at my new OB/GYN's office. No, I didn't smoke.. Yes, I wear a seat belt... Then they called my name. I have never been so anxious and nervous in my life. As I laid on that awkward OB table I was sweating and my heart was racing. In walks a beautiful, petite Midwife named Wanda. She was so friendly and she asked me some basic questions and gave me some standard answers. I asked her how many ultrasounds a woman gets throughout her pregnancy and she said only 3. That was a let down. She started looking around and found a sack with a tiny little baby inside. Relieved I looked at Mike and we began joking about twins. The midwife cleared her throat and said "Well... Honey, you ARE having twins".

My head spun around so fast to look her in the eye. She looked nervous, as if she just delivered me some bad news. I instantly started crying. I laid back down and I kept saying "Oh my God". She waved her magic ultrasound wand and there they were. Two sacks with two babies. She said one was measuring behind by a few days but she reassured me that was normal with twins and a few days was nothing to worry about. Instant panic for the baby I knew I was carrying for a whole 2 minutes sunk in. To ease my mind she asked if I wanted to hear their heartbeats. First was baby A (Aubrey) whose beats were in the 160's. Second was baby B who was in the 150's. Then, she played them both together. It was a glorious sound. I was balling.

I miss that moment. I miss crying those tears of joy instead of sadness. I wish I could go back to that moment so I could see my healthy baby again and tell him or her how MUCH I love them. I miss that baby with all my heart. The pain of loosing a child, one you haven't even met, is a deep wound that feels like it never heals. Today, that wound has reopened. I just have to hug my Aubrey tight and thank God I still have her (the poor thing is looking up at me so confused as I hold her and cry). But I cannot express the feelings I have in my heart right now. I just wish I could have my other baby here with me today.
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Aubrey's first baseball game!

Aubrey enjoyed her first baseball game this past Saturday night!

When we arrived to the Gwinette Braves (minor league) stadium and she loved people watching (and many people enjoyed watching her as well). A little girl in the row in front of us got some pretty sweet Aubrey smiles just by turning around. We watched the big, colorful mascot do some sweet dance moves and Brian McCann hit a home run! When the fireworks went off and everyone started screaming she was a little startled but over all did good.

By the 7th inning it was well past Aubrey's bed time so we started to head home. Not without a trip to the G-Braves store where daddy picked her up a [pink!] baseball bat and ball to remember her special day.

Go Braves!
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Aubrey is 19 weeks old!

19 weeks ago I was in shock and awe as I looked into my baby girls big blue eyes for the first time. 19 weeks ago... I remember it like it was yesterday yet it feels like it was so long ago.

Now that Aubrey is a little over 4 months old she is growing by leaps and bounds. Last week she rolled over from her back to her tummy for the first time! My life is over... She is now one step closer to being mobile. She can circle around to access different toys on the blanket and has even scooted forwards a few times (gulp). Now that she is a roller we have gotten rid of the swaddling blanket. I was anticipating a hard transition but now Aubrey loves to sleep on her tummy in her crib and will sleep throughout the night. How did I get so lucky!? *knock on wood*

Aubrey has finally allowed us to pass her off to my mom (and that's about it). She has some pretty severe separation anxiety - or maybe it's her built in stranger-danger vibes. She has also discovered the glory of toes. She holds them all.day.long! She tries to put those stinky piggies in her mouth and squeals at them (pun intended) when she's unsuccessful. Her other obsession is touching faces, especially when I'm feeding her. She has realized she can reach up and stroke my cheek or grab at my lips, nose or hair (and she gives me not so friendly reminders on when to cut her nails).

I like to compare her weekly birthdays to the weeks when I was pregnant with her. A few days before I was 19 weeks pregnant we found out we were having a girl. She was around a pound or so in the womb and here she is today at 13lb 7oz (according to my home scale). Exactly at 19 weeks pregnant I painted and hung her name letter which she now sleeps under every night. I was so excited because I finally started to really feel her kicks and flips and today she still kicks the mess out of me. No matter what milestone she hits or how old she gets, I simply cannot get enough of her. My heart grows every day with love and joy for being a mother to my sweet Aubrey Ann <3


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You Name It!

The other day I was chatting amongst some fellow mom's and they begin asking what one another did for work. I explained that I was a chef, a personal shopper, a maid, a laundry mat, a janitor, a nurse, a chauffeur, a wife, an accountant, occasionally a secretary, a dog walker, a personal assistant ... Essentially, I am a mom. And a stay at home mom at that. Unfortunately all those jobs I perform come with little pay. Okay, no pay.

What to do, what to do... So I started my own "business" (humor me). I loved making the name letters for Aubrey's nursery and have recently completed an even cuter set of letters for my friends' baby. It was something to make me feel productive and keep me entertained and to make some extra money. I created a Facebook page for my business called You Name It, where not only do you name that fetus you are growing but you tell me how you want your nursery letters to look. Within 2 hours of creating the page I had 2 orders.

I am really excited to start this business venture and I hope to make a lot of mommies happy and nurseries unique :)


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