On January 4th, 2014, Abby and George turned 7 months old. Getting a tad bit easier, but still hard. Sleep was getting much better, although not consistent every night...we knew things were turning a corner in the sleep department and boy, we were ready for that!
In February, we celebrated my 31st Birthday and rejoiced in the fact that I was not in the hospital like I was for my 30th birthday in 2013! The hubs took me on a surprise trip to NYC for my birthday while Mimi and Papa took great care of Abby and George. It was a wonderful get-away...just what we needed. I could have done without the round-the-clock pumping while being gone from my babies, but Momma does what's best for her littles! I am so thankful for my husband who realizes the importance of family, but also how important it is for us to have our alone time too. When we make time for ourselves, we are better parents and better to each other. This month, I also went to Asheville with Abby and my Mom to celebrate Charlotte and the soon to be birth of baby-Clay! We had a wonderful time showering Charlotte and Clay with gifts.
My memory is escaping me with what we did in March. I know it was still quiet busy with two, 9 month olds. I was still nursing and pumping, and that, my friends, still took up a big chunk of our day. We also had a decent snow in March, so had fun taking the babies out for that. They didn't quite know what to think of the snow, so we didn't stay out for long. They also started to get the hang of solids more this month which was fun for me. I made all their food and enjoyed that from day 1.
They are crawling everywhere and keeping their Mamma and Dadda busy!
April came, and I was looking forward to the warmer weather coming so we could get outside more. A few times I met friends at a local gym that has an amazing indoor pool to swim there. My friends helped me with Abby and George and it was so much fun! At 10 months old, Abby and George are really starting to play with each other. It is the COOLEST thing ever to sit back and watch. Gah, how lucky are we to be parents of twins??? We went to Raleigh for Easter and had a nice time celebrating Christ and spending time with family.
(Abby wanting to walk!)
Easter!
May, oh May, thank you for your warmer temps! May was a busy but very fun month. My sister in law got married in Raleigh so we went there for the wedding. It was such a beautiful, perfect and very fun wedding! Mim and Papa were there to help with Abby and George...they hung around for some dancing at the reception and then headed home when they were getting tired. They stayed up the latest they ever had that night and went to bed around 9 pm. Tired babies! We all had so much fun though. The day after the wedding we headed to Pawleys Island for a week at the beach with Mimi and Papa. As always, it was glorious.
The bride the day before her wedding!
In June, my sweet, precious babies turned ONE. I had a very hard time believing this. Where did the past year go? I'd say the first 6 months of Abby and George's life were a blur and seemed to go by slowly (perhaps b/c we were in a constant state of exhaustion?), after that it started getting easier but then time just seemed to FLY. We had a small birthday party for them with mainly family. We didn't have a theme because I thought I'd make this party simple...well as simple as my Type A personality could ;) We had a blast and they both LOVED their first taste of cake! Abby killed her cake and wanted more...George was happy with the one small piece he got and was ready to move on. Very typical of both children! Unfortunately, Abby woke up that night with a high fever. I knew something was very wrong because she was burning up and crying like she was in pain. She wouldn't sleep unless she was sleeping on me...this is not like her or George. I know something is very wrong with my babies when they don't sleep well at night as they are typically great sleepers. We took Abby to urgent care on Sunday and found out she had hand, foot and mouth disease. :( She was absolutely pitiful for a few days...the sickest she's ever been. Just as she was getting over it, of course, George got it. The glory of twins. If one gets it, the other will get it. No rest for the weary. I was exhausted and felt so bad for my babies. Not a fun way to spend their birthday. I missed my god-son, Clay's, baptism because of this nasty hand, foot and mouth disease. I was so sad! After they got over this, the hubs and I headed to Greenville, SC for a sorority sister's wedding. Another get-away for Mom and Dad. It was much needed after caring for two very sick babies! We had a wonderful time and have to thank Mimi and Papa again for taking care of our precious ones. I also became a consultant for Rodan + Fields skincare this month. You can read more about my decision to join this company in my post below, but it has been the best decision ever. I am so happy with it and glad I can make money while staying home with Abby and George.
First taste of ice-cream...loved it!
Poor sick girl on her way to the doctor :(
For July 4th, we took the babies (can I still call them babies after they turn one??) to Buffalo, NY where my Dad's family lives. We took them on their first plane ride with Mimi, Papa and my brother and his family. It was an adventure to say the least. Not because of Abby and George, they were PERFECT. But, flying was a nightmare. Delayed after delayed flight, then finally our flight was canceled. I won't go into it but it was a nightmare. Thankfully Abby and George just went with the flow of things and were happy and content as ever doing whatever we needed them to do. That was definitely a blessing otherwise I'm sure we would have turned around and came back to Richmond! We had a great time in Buffalo visiting family, especially my Grandmother. We also enjoyed lots of time swimming this summer. Abby and George LOVE water! At the end of the month we went spent the weekend at a picture-perfect Ranch house with my side of the family. We had a great time swimming a lot, soaking in the sun, and resting as much as we could.
Abby going to work ;)
This is what two adults plus two babies looks like traveling!
Abby with her Uncle Stephen (her god-father!)
If my memory serves me correctly, we had a quieter August. At 14 months, Abby started walking. We had more fun going to the swimming pool and playing outside.
September. At 15 months, George started walking! Go George! I went to my first Rodan + Fields convention in Atlanta. It felt weird to be away from my family but I enjoyed the break and learned so much. We also went to Asheville, NC to shower my best friend who got married in October.
In October we went back to Asheville for the wedding. It was a lovely time!!!!! George and Abby got their first hair cut at 16 months old! Abby didn't really need one but got a small trim anyway. We had fun picking out pumpkins this year. Halloween was a BLAST. I wasn't sure how it would go, but it was so much fun. They caught onto the whole idea pretty quickly and loved walking up to the homes and getting candy put in their baskets. Abby was a pumpkin (recycled costume from last year that still fit!) and George was a monkey. I call him my little monkey and he is curious, just like Curious George, so it was fitting. She was the cutest darn pumpkin and he was the cutest dang monkey you've ever seen! What a fun month!
In November we went to Pawleys Island with my side of the family for a week for Thanksgiving. Even though it was rainy for most of the time, it was a nice change of pace and the kids had SO much fun with their Mimi and Papa, cousins and Aunt and Uncles!
Ahh, December, we made it. I am happy to report that we are ending this year on a good note. My business is picking up as is Daniel's. We are in a really good place with Abby and George. I can't even stand how much fun these are these days. I love hearing their little voices put words together and seeing their little minds work. They are like little sponges these days just taking everything in. Have I mentioned how much fun it is? Yes, we do have our hard days and days where I want to throw in the towel, but overall, things are really, really good. We celebrated the hubs Birthday at the beginning of the month and ended the month with a wonderful Christmas in Raleigh. Before Raleigh my Grandma and Auntie Liz came to visit. I loved spending time with them. I hate that I don't get to see them both more often as they are so very special to me. It was so fun watching Abby and George open gifts and get so excited to see what was inside the boxes. Their eyes truly lit up. They did NOT enjoy sitting on Santa's lap, but that was to be expected.
We truly have so much to be thankful for this year. It was a very good year. We are looking forward to seeing what 2015 will bring. We are so thankful for our health and our families health. We are also appreciative of our very supportive family and friends. May you and yours be healthy, wealthy and wise in 2015! Blessings abound!
2015: I've "got my mind on my money and my money on my mind..." Bring it.
