Dada Bah

Macie has started putting words together. The first words that she put together were "Dada bah" (daddy bath). She loves getting a bath and would get one all of the time if we would let her. On the way home, she knew we were going to see Daddy when we got home so she said, "Dada bah" the whole way home! Unfortunately for her, it wasn't bath night!

Macie has also started singing songs. It is the sweetest thing! In fact, I hardly ever have my radio on in the car anymore. If I start singing, Macie will say, "No, no", and so I ask her to sing a song. It usually goes something like this, "Daaaaah, Daaaaah, dadadadadadadadad". Dah is Gavin. She just loves him! Her songs are so sweet. She sings softly and actually goes up and down like she is changing the tone. Tonight as I was putting her to bed, I sang her a song and when I stopped she started singing to me. One day when we were in the car, Brian said, "Macie, you make my heart smile!" I totally agree!!!

Cooking Day

This morning, we headed to the grocery store. Brian and I have been going about every other week or so and we try to plan out what we are going to buy based on coupons and meals we are going to make. Well, we had about $40 dollars worth of coupons and saved even more by price matching. I think our total savings was about $50 which was over 25% of our total bill. Definitely worth the time to clip coupons and look at the other ads!
When we got home, I decided to go ahead and prepare some foods to freeze and some things for the week. The more meals we have readily available on week nights, the less likely we are to go out to eat, therefore saving more money. I think we now have a total of 16 meals ready to go and a few more that we could throw together if we wanted something different. Here is what I prepared today:

• Cut up strawberries for dessert tonight and froze two more bags of them for a future date.
• Made about 5 pounds worth of mashed potatoes and divided into 5 containers to freeze.
• Made Southwest Roll ups for dinner tonight and froze 7 more.
• Made a chicken/pasta/vegetable soup for dinner tomorrow and lunches this week.
• Cut up a head of lettuce and mixed with spinach leaves for lunches this week.
• Made two dinners of baked spaghetti to freeze.

Yes, it took a few hours, but it will save me lots of time in the future!!! Hopefully, I will be able to make time like this every few weeks.

March of Dimes

Yesterday, Macie, Gavin and I walked in the March of Dimes walk with my mom and Allie. I had been watching the weather for a few days before wondering if we were going to get rained out. I was mostly concerned about whether or not to bring the kiddos with me. I really wanted to bring them because the walk is all about babies. Well, we lucked out! It was breezy and overcast, but the rain held out until it was time to go home. We literally were packing up the car and the rain drops started falling! Macie had a great time! Before the walk, she played on the playground with Aunt Allie and waved at all of the characters there. Evan the otter, a newspaper guy, and the Chick-Fil-A cow were there. Macie was perfectly happy to wave to them, but she wasn't thrilled when they came up close! Thankfully, both kiddos slept through most of the walk. It was a great walk and I got a good workout pushing the double stroller!
Brian stayed home to get some stuff done. When we got home, all four of us were able to take a little nap. I can't tell you the last time that happened!!! It was so nice. Later that evening we went to Mass and then to Logan's to celebrate Allie's birthday a day early. After a yummy dinner, we came home to put the kids to bed and hang out with Allie.

Before the walk
Penguins!

Macie loved the beads

My little jailbird

She kept showing me her beads

Peacefully snoozing

Gavin and Aunt Allie

Lunch time!

I have been blessed with two healthy babies!

Pizza and Playground

Tonight we invited Allie over for Mama Roma's pizza and bread sticks and to help break in Macie's new playground. It was a great evening to eat at the picnic table and run around outside before all of the rain comes. It looks like a gloomy weekend is on its way:( We had a great time playing outside and then came in to give Macie a bath and put her to bed. Then, we watched Bones before Allie went home. What a great way to enjoy the evening!

First time on the monkey bars!
Aunt Allie is so silly!

Boo!
Where did she go??

On the big girl swing

Check Ups

Today both kids had a doctors appointment. It was Macie's 18 month check up and Gavin's 2 month check up. As crazy as it is to have both of them at the same time, it is also nice to only have one appointment to go to versus two. My mom took the kids and met me there and was kind enough to stay and help during the appointment. Juggling both kiddos, undressing and dressing them, keeping them entertained and comforting them after the dreadful shots is a lot to handle. I don't know how mothers of multiples do it!!!

Here are the stats:
Macie weighs 24 pounds 12 ounces (70th percentile) and is 31 3/4 inches tall (50th percentile). She has met and exceeded all of the appropriate 18 month milestones (says at least 10 words, points to body parts, climbing stairs, etc.) and he even asked me about a few 2 year milestones. She got 2 shots in her legs and her toe pricked to get a blood sample. She did great with the toe prick and didn't even cry but she bled a lot more than the nurse was expecting. They checked to see if she was anemic and she her levels came back fine! She won't have to go back until she is 2 and no more shots until 4!!!

Gavin weighs a whopping 14 pounds (95th percentile) and is 22 1/2 inches long (50th percentile). He also has met all of his milestones (smiling and cooing) and Dr. Voyles was impressed at how well he can hold his head up. He looked at his hemangiomas and noted that they hadn't grown any. He got 3 shots in his legs and one orally. He will see Dr. Voyles again at 4 months and his appointment is actually 2 days after his Riley appointment so I will be able to talk to him about what we find out.

Overall, I have happy, healthy, growing children and a lot to be thankful for!!!

"You're Going To Miss This"

We had another crazy weekend. At one point on Saturday, Brian, my dad, and Uncle Alan were outside in the backyard putting the playground together, I was getting a quick shower, Annie was watching the kids, I had yard sale stuff all over the kitchen table, pizza was being delivered, and the guy showed up to service our air conditioner unit...oops! Brian and I had forgotten about it so we had to drag the dryer into the middle of the kitchen floor. I started to get a little overwhelmed and Annie just looked at me and said, "This reminds me of that song, 'You're Going to Miss This' ". I just started laughing and thought that even though my life is crazy, I would miss it someday! Overall, the weather was beautiful and we were quite busy this weekend. Here is all that we accomplished this weekend:

• Friday night we went to dinner with Rachel and Eric and then went to their house to see the baby's room.
• Brian, my dad, and Uncle Alan built Macie's (and Gavin's) playground. They worked on it for 12 hours and there are still a few finishing touches to add. Crazy!
• Annie was in town so we visited with her and she helped me watch the kids on Saturday.
• Went for a walk with mom, Annie, the kids, and dogs.
• I started cleaning out stuff for Jamie's yard sale. I found and priced 2 bags and 2 boxes.
• I cleaned out and organized the kids clothes
• We helped Allie move into her new house on Sunday.
• Watched Macie run around and squeal with delight the first time she played on her new playground. (By far the most rewarding part of the weekend!)

This is the before...look at all of the pieces!
Here is the after!

Side view

She kept wanting to go up the slide!

18 month pics

Last Sunday, Allie took Macie's 18 month pictures at the State Hospital. As usual, I think they turned out great! Of course, she has a great subject to work with! Here are just a few...

Macie and Gavin Photo Shoot

A few weeks ago (March 27th) we took the kids to Wesselman's park and Allie attempted to take their pictures. I think that we got a few good ones, but Allie hasn't had a chance to edit them yet. I couldn't wait to share them...

By far my favorite!!!

Hemangioma Pics

I thought I would post a few pics of a closer look at Gavin's hemangiomas. I only took pictures of the ones on his leg and back because the other ones are hard to see in the picture...

Right Leg
Back

Hemangioma Update

This morning, we took Gavin to the Riley office located at the Gateway campus. Because there are no pediatric dermatologists in Evansville, we had to do a teleconference where the doctor was on the tv and we could talk to him. We had a hard time finding the place and it seemed as if nothing was going our way this morning. We had a long wait because we were the last ones to check in. Before seeing the doctor, we had to fill out paper work, they weighed Gavin, and took pictures of his hemangiomas. Gavin weighs 13 pounds 10 ounces!! He is a growing boy! He was good as gold and kept talking to the nurse while she was taking the pictures. When we finally got to speak with Dr. Lewis, he pretty much told us there was nothing he could do without seeing him in person. He referred us to see Dr. Haggstrom and said that we actually need to come to the Riley campus in Indy. She is also a pediatric dermatologist but she specializes in hemangiomas. They set-up the appointment before we left for June 21st. I was glad that I will be out of school at that time and won't have to take more time off. Brian and I were a little frustrated because we kind of feel like it was a waste of our time. He took the whole day off to keep the kids, I missed 2 hours of school, and we still don't have any of our questions answered. Oh well...we just want what's best for our little guy! We did take Macie with us and she did very well considering how long we were there. In fact, the nurse commented on how well behaved she was and praised me for having two young kids so close together. I think her exact words were, "Better you than me," followed by "It will be great in a few years". We just have to make it there first!!!
I'll keep you posted on how he's doing...

Macie at 18 Months...sigh...

Today my precious little girl is 18 months old...a year and a half...HOLY COW!!!! Where has time gone? Here is what Macie Lu is up to:

• Favorite things: Gavin, pap, baths, going for a walk, being outside, Mickey Mouse, Elmo, and brushing her teeth.
  
• Gavin is her favorite person in the world right now. He is the first thing she asks for when she wakes up and she checks on him often. She doesn't like it when he cries and she tries to put his "pap" in his mouth. Some of my favorite moments to watch are when she gets down close to him and "talks" to him. It is absolutely precious!!!


• Macie has started feeding herself with a spoon more often and she is getting better at it. She also brushes her own hair and teeth and even rinses the toothbrush in the water!


• She can say more words than I can list. She is also making connections all of the time and is starting to put things together. She often is telling us a story and rambles in the back seat.


• Macie is a great helper. She will carry stuff for us. She helps me carry the mail into the house most days.


• She plays with most of her toys and still loves books. She can destroy the place in 5 minutes or less!


• She continues to be very busy! She wears Brian and I out and she is into everything. Safety locks are a must!

Congrats Aunt Allie!!!

My sister, Allie bought a house yesterday! I am so happy for her! It is right behind Bethel Temple so it is a lot closer to us (she currently lives in an apartment on the north side). She also qualified for the $8000 credit. Her house has been newly fixed up so it is move-in ready. She is moving in this weekend. Pray for beautiful weather!

Making Music

After another evening spent outside eating dinner at our picnic table and playing in the yard, we headed inside for baths and to get Macie ready for bed. I laid Gavin on the living room floor and put the activity center over him. Brian was giving Macie a bath and I was getting stuff ready for tomorrow. All of a sudden we heard some music coming from the living room. Gavin actually hit the button on his fish and music started playing. He got all excited and his arms and legs were going crazy! He obviously didn't do it on purpose, but I can't believe he is big enough to make it play. He is getting bigger and bigger every day. I call him my chunky monkey!

Of course Macie had to get in on the action. Look at that adorable smile!

Little Mommy

Macie has turned into quite the little mommy at home. She watches everything I do and tries to do the same. After dinner, we packed up to do a little bit of shopping. Macie went right to Gavin and tried to carry him out to the car. Daddy helped her get him into the car so she grabbed the diaper bag and drug it to the door. Such a cute little mommy! I know she will make a great mommy some day!

Brotherly Love

Last night, Gavin and I went to my health club meeting. Macie was eating when we left, so I gave her a kiss goodbye and off we went. Brian called me on the way there to tell me that Macie was having a meltdown. I guess she didn't realize that I took Gavin with me and she was searching the house for him. She ran into the living room, was beating on her bedroom door, and checked the pack-n-play in our room for him, all the while crying and saying "Dah". This girl truly loves her little brother! She won't go to sleep at night before giving him a kiss. He is the first thing she asks for every time she wakes up. I felt really badly for her. I guess we won't be able to take him anywhere without OKing it with her first!

A Few Firsts

I thought I would share a few firsts from the Mitchell household:

• For the first time...Gavin slept in his crib last night! Well, that was the plan at least! He started out in the crib, but he didn't sleep that well. He wanted to eat every 2 hours. Halfway through the night we ended up putting him back in our room. I am hoping that it was a fluke and that tonight will go much better!
• For the first time...Macie pooped in the bathtub! This is especially funny because Brian was giving her a bath. I heard him complain that she was stinking up the bathroom. The next thing I hear is "Oh God". I just started laughing because I knew instantly what had happened. He said, "What do I do?" He just started the bath over. To be honest, it caused some much needed laughter in the middle of a hectic evening. Something we will never forget!
• For the first time...we had a family picnic at my new table outside! Tonight was another gorgeous, although windy day. I didn't get home until close to 5 so Brian decided to pick some food up on the way home. It was so nice to sit outside and eat dinner and I look forward to many more memories made at that very table!

One bench still needs to be finished, but the rest is done!

Wolf Family Easter

Our last destination was my Uncle Dave and Aunt Lori's house. It was a beautiful day and we were able to spend most of the day outside. Macie had a blast running around, hunting eggs, and getting a lot of attention. Gavin also had a great day hanging out in the shade cuddling with lots of people. His favorite time though was when I laid him on a blanket inside so he could stretch out.
Everything went well until Macie fell on the concrete and busted her head. I swear the thud echoed and everyone stopped. It was silent for a few seconds before the wailing began. Brian and I were definitely scared, but she ended up being ok. She has a nice big bruise on her forehead. After some cuddling with Mommy and ice (although she wasn't a fan) she was ready to run around and play again! I'm sure it won't be the first time we experience a fall like that!

Sniffing the flowers

Macie wanted to check out Hannah's basket

Hannah is such a cutie!

On the hunt for eggs...

I found one!

Her bucket full of eggs

Gavin with his bib from Aunt Allie

Happy Easter to all!!!