A Day At the Circus!

Okay, not really...but close enough in their world...Here you go Chels!

Benji checkin out the elephant

Check out Abe's train of drool

Squirts
A.B.

Sweet boy Benji using his Jedi Mind Tricks to make the carousel spin

Perfect form :)

Hilarious!

"No daddy, please don't!!!"

I guess this is how the tabloids do it; take a picture at the right/wrong moment. Really what was happening is that A.B. was having a sneeze attack and Jer was trying to keep him from falling forward. I just happened to snap this pic. Oh the stories it could tell.

7 Months Old!

The boys are 7 months old today! It's ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, CRAZY how fast the time is going! People tell you it will happen that way but there's no way you understand until you experience it! I am so very grateful for these last seven months home with them. We have gotten to know each other in such a different way than I ever was able to imagine. It's a unique relationship; the one between a mother and a child. It's almost indescribable. I find myself unable to resist kiss after kiss. Not silly cheek kisses either. Big, fat, juicy baby lip kisses. The kind that leaves a trail of slobber and a laughing baby. I take in their smell over and over. Not because I forget what they smell like, but because I know the time is fleeting where they will be curled up and so content in my arms. A wave of change is coming, I see the transition already. They are both starting to hold their bottles and move around like crazy. Few and far are the days where they would just snuggle into my chest and fall asleep. I read today another mom's feelings about her growing babies. She seemed to capture exactly how I am feeling. She said, "We can videotape their milestones, but we can't record the joy or pride we felt in the moment. We can snap all of the pictures in the world, but we can't capture their smell or the feel of kissing their chubby, baby cheeks. I wonder why that is. These thoughts make me resolved to hold them more, stare at them longer and record my thoughts every chance I get." So true, I guess I'm going to stopping blogging now and go hold some babies. Enjoy the seven month shots. I sure did.

Here's what I mean about being on the go! It takes about 20 seconds before he does anything but watch him go! (no sound)

Koehlinger Twins Update

Here's an update on the twins:

The surgeons completed the surgery on Kelly and the twins at about 9am this morning. Chris said it “went as well as could be expected.” The “donor twin” has about 25% of the placenta, so our next big prayer is that that will be enough to nourish and sustain this precious baby girl. Kelly will stay overnight or two in the hospital, then go back to their hotel for a couple days and be rechecked and released from the hospital. Pray for a quick recovery for Kelly also. Thanks for your prayers and support. I know it means a lot to all our family. Sally

Please continue to pray for this family!

Protesting Green Beans at Grammy's

Ben's THAT interested.
Good boy, Abey! Keep eatin. Ben, just keep looking clueless, maybe we'll forget you're there!

Maybe we should have brought a high chair. Maybe he just doesn't like green beans. I'm going with the second choice. Stinker.

Straw Man

Aber and Grammy, sharing a glass of ice water

It amazes me to see just how much The Deuce are growing and changing everyday. One week they are not able to do something and by the next week, they've mastered it! Lately, I've been especially surprised with Mr. A.B.. He just seems so "big" and to be doing so many new things. One of his newest favorites is to drink water out of a straw. He's really loves it if it's ice cold.

As much as he loves his ice water though, there's NOTHING that takes the place of his bottle!

Koehlinger Twins

An update sent by Chris and Kelly:

Hello all. Thank you to all of you who have been enduring our journey through thoughts and prayers. For those of you who may not know we found out last thursday that our twins have been diagnosed with TTTS(Twin Twin Transfusion Syndrome). We are now in Cincinnati and I am writing this letter on Wednesday, September 24. We just finished eating dinner here in Cincinnati after a tiresome but highly anticipated day at the hospital. We had appointments all day that consisted of many different tests i.e. ECHO, sonogram, MRI etc. The tests were meant to first, determine if in fact they do have TTTS, second, what stage they are at, and third, what our options may be to correct this disease. Today we found out that TTTS is occurring in our baby girls. They are believed to be in stage three of the five stages. This is the typical stage at which people come into the hospital. There are a few options available, but fetoscopic laser photocoagulation is clearly the best option. This surgery cuts off the connecting blood vessels between the girls and has been shown to fix TTTS. However, there are many risks involved in this surgery under the best conditions. A few issues have arisen during our visits that have created some concerns. First, an issue with some bleeding earlier in the pregnancy has created a blood clot disconnecting a portion of the placenta. This has caused "placental insufficiency", meaning exactly what it sounds like. The compounding issue with this is that the laser surgery when performed, can lead to a disproportionate amount of placenta remaining for either twin. More specifically, the concern is that the donor twin is connected to a small portion of the placenta but then has even less because of the blood clot. Second, the recipient twin has a minor issue with an extra glug on the glug glud side of the heart beat. i.e.. glug glug glud. Because the doctor when informing us of this problem immediately followed it up by saying it happens all the time in normal pregnancies and isn't by itself a big concern, I immediately redirected my focus to the bigger issues. This is also the reason for my glug glug glud terminology. Tomorrow we only have one appointment and it should be a typical physical type exam to make sure Kelly's body is able to handle the surgery. The surgery at this point is looking like it will be on Friday followed by one night at the hospital. Then a couple days at our hotel, and then another exam. At that point we would be discharged to our doctor in Albuquerque for the remainder of the pregnancy. With all that said, God is good. We thank Him every time we get to see them and holding Kelly's beautiful belly feels like I'm holding them in my arms. God has opened our eyes to so many things through this experience. Suddenly, every conceived baby seems all the more sacred. And as the odds stack up against these girls, so greater their testimony. We don't pretend to know what God's plan is for these two, but we do know it will work for the good. (Romans 8:28) Kelly and I are holding up pretty well considering. We have been blessed by Kelly's mom and dad being able to be with us here and support us. Sasha is staying with Grandma in Albuquerque. Between the Barrett's and Lively's, they are all having a pretty good time with her. We have been blessed to be able to video chat with them each night. Below is a short list of some things to be praying for. Feel free to add as many things to the list as you think of them. We need all the prayer we can get. Love you all.Things to pray for:The health and well being of the girls.That there will be a sufficient amount of placenta for both twins, specifically 25 percent minimum per twin.Energy for Kelly.Patience and helpfulness for me.The surgeons.That we can be a witness for Christ through our joy and contentment in his plan.White Castle moving out West. jk

Hide-N-Seek Benji Boy

Peek-a.....
Boo!

Way Back When-esday!

Three weeks old. Can you tell who's who?

NO cheating!

Ben (r) Abe (l)

Little Did I Know...

That this...

Would end up as this...

Thanks Aunt Debbie for the wonderful gift reminding me how much "I didn't know." What a year can bring!

Prayer Update

From Sally, regarding her brother and sister-in-law:

Chris and Kelly have been approved to start the process that involves a bunch more tests, MRI, ECHO gram, ultrasounds etc. THANKS for all the prayers. Keep praying please. They will book their flights for Ohio today and be there by Wednesday to start all the tests. If all the tests go well they will do the surgery while they’re there. Pray they are a good candidate for that and for the finances and actual surgery success.

Geaux Saints!

This past weekend, we were in Colorado visiting with family and so Jeremy could go to the Broncos/Saints game. Dad and mom didn't think The Deuce wouldn't be able to hack it at Invesco, so the boys cheered from home. They looked oh-so-cute in their Reggie Bush jerseys too!

This Must Have Been Invented By a Mom

Tonight, while I was making dinner, I gave the boys these mesh bag "thingies" that hold food but prevent baby from choking. Let me just say, These. Things. Are. Genius. The boys ate applesauce out of those suckers for almost 45 minutes while I cooked (and took pictures). Brilliant. Not sure how long the novelty will last, but I would definitely say they were worth the $10.99. What is this thing?
I think I'll just play with it!
This smells familiar!
Okay, I'll taste it...
Do you mind?!
My precious! Gholam, Gholam!
Uh, can I have his?!

Please Pray For This Family!

I received the following email from a dear friend and fellow twin mommy today. This prayer request is for her brother and sister-in-law who are expecting identical twin girls early next year.

We have a special prayer request that needs our immediate attention! Chris and Kelly Koehlinger went to an OB appointment yesterday to check on the twins and Kelly's bleeding. They did find out that the bleeding spot on the placenta is better and that are having two precious little girls. But they also found out that there could be some complications. The dr. sent them to Albuquerque to see a specialist today. We just heard back from them and the twins have been diagnosed with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. One twin is taking all the nutrients from the other. So one twin is getting too much and the other is starving. Both little ones are really sick and need our prayers. Kelly and Chris are waiting to see if they will qualify as a candidate to have a special surgery that may be able to help the girls. If they qualify then they will be traveling to Ohio in the next few days. We will keep you posted. Please keep them in your prayers and claim God's love and grace for the Koehlinger family. Kelly wanted me to thank you all for your prayers and concern.

Please be in prayer for this family. If you would like to learn more about TTS, please click here.

Who Are These Funny Boys?!

Slice us and serve us up cause we're hams!
Funny boys
Did someone say dinner?!

Benji's "excited arms"

Crackin' up for mom

They were laughing so hard!

Silly Goose

After dinner. Food on the face. Shirt on the head. Happy as a clam. Oh, my Benji Boy. You are such a silly goose.

Still Here...

I know, I'm in shock too. I haven't posted in almost a week! I don't really have any reason for it other than a lack of creative juice. I'm not really sure what the deal is but hopefully I will pull out of this funk! In hope of rekindling my love affair with blogging, I thought I would just give you all an update on who else other than The Deuce! Whodathunkit, right?!

So Ben and Abe have been rockin-n-rollin on their solids. We are up to quite the assortment these days. Pears, plums, apples, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, avocado, pumpkin, oatmeal, and rice have have passed the test so far. They seem to enjoy all of them quite a bit but particularly love the fruits and sweet potatoes. It's probably the sugar and I probably passed that gene on. Poor guys, I wish they got the vegetables and dairy gene from their daddy. It's a blast to see them actually eating and enjoying it though. At first it was very discouraging when they rejected it time and time again. But now...now they get excited for it! In fact, Abe actually opens his mouth and reaches for the spoon when you try to feed Benji. He thinks all bites are for him! The downside to solids though...sneezing kids with mouths FULL of pureed goodness and colored spit up. Not.

The diapers are going great now! Abe's rash is gone and I have ordered some diaper doublers and changed our detergent to make sure it doesn't come back. Ben hasn't had any problems with his whatsoever and I am pleased at how easy washing and folding them has been. We seem to have adapted our system pretty well. While rinsing dirty diapers is no walk in the park...it's a small part of the process. I am also still on the hunt for a particular brand of detergent, Country Save. If you see it here in ABQ, please, please, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it!

The Deuce had their 6 month well baby appointment scheduled for last week and I, well, blew it. I completely forgot and was a no-show. Thankfully, the doc's office was very forgiving and rescheduled us for the 23rd. The boys will get shots, weighed and all of that other well baby stuff. Fun, fun.

Overall, the boys and I have been relishing these last days of summer before fall fully takes over. I try not to think about the cold weather and all of the extra steps that it will add my to-do list before I am able to leave the house. Jackets, blankets, hats...more stuff to remember and more stuff to lose! It's definitely on it's way though. It's colder and darker in the mornings. I have been buying 6 month clothing that's appropriate for cold weather for a while now. Hands down, without-a-doubt, my favorite are these fleece lined jean jackets. They render me speechless. What are your thoughts?

Here's hoping for a better week of blogging!

A Plum Massacre

I made prunes for the boys tonight. Don't grimace, I love them and I fully intend on passing that love on to my boys. I mixed it with a little applesauce and the Deuce gobbled it down. Their bibs are a disaster because they like to suck on them in between bites. I say whatever helps the food go down!

The Good and the Bad

So cloth diapers have exclusively existed in our house for officially one week. For the most part, they have been a dream...except...for A.B. I really am very discouraged and frustrated by the last few days we've had with Abe. He had an allergic reaction to the soap I am using and as a result broke out in a terrible rash on his hips. The rash has only been compounded by the fact that he needs a more absorbant insert. Those are on the way but...sheesh! I feel so bad, mostly because I feel like my desire to use cloth diapers is what led to the rash...irrational, I know...but still. So, Sultana, my diaper lady is working with me, trying to sort out the kinks but I am just so very impatient sometimes. I want it fixed yesterday if you catch my drift. So for tonight, he's back in Pampers. We'll see how tomorrow goes...

How To Play the Game

On Sunday, A.B. participated in a Sloan tradition and watched his first Saint's football game. His Uncle Shaan was kind enough to share his spot on the couch and explain the game play by play. Benji was there too but he was too busy snuggling with Aunt Maxine to take any pictures.