A week in review

Last week was insanely busy. I mean, we are talking, INSANE. Glad it's over and that we're starting a--relatively--calmer one. :) Some of the highlights of the week were...

My niece (Mya Elise) is still completely adorable. Actually, we have four adorable nieces (soon to be five!). This one is just particularly squishy and cuddly right now. She came with excellent hair that just keeps getting better. If you know my Grandpa (or just know of his hair), than you will appreciate it when I say that her hairdo is EXACTLY like his!! (Minus the Grecian Formula, of course.)

On Sunday, we were in desperate need of some quiet family time. So, after church we headed up the canyon to the river. The kids had a blast throwing rocks, "fishing" with their toy fishing poles, and leading Spencer and me on hikes through all of the little paths that run along the river.
At one point, Isabel was struggling with casting. When Milo tried to interject with a very step-by-step (and accurate!) instruction as to how to properly cast, she wasn't having any of it. She snapped back at him, "Milo! Please stop telling me that! Besides, my fishing pole is "awnrymatic" and I don't have to do any of that anyways!". Betcha wish you had an "awnrymatic" fishing pole too.
In true Isabel form, she gave us another gem a few minutes later. When I asked her what she was going to do if she actually got a fish, she said, "Oh, I would just, um, like save it for my c'llection." (That's "collection" with the the 'o' of course.) If anyone would like to volunteer to store Isabel's upcoming fish c'llection, I'd be forever grateful. ;) Anyone? Bueller?
The March of Dimes March for Babies was on Saturday. You can't really tell in this picture but is was approximately -58 degrees with a windchill factor of -78 degrees. It was also snowing sideways and gusting wind like you wouldn't believe. Given the terrible weather, we had a pretty small turnout. However, our team did have a few amazing and dedicated walkers/volunteers who stuck it out. The ambassador family did such an amazing job telling their story of prematurity and (as usual) brought me to tears. Most importantly though, our Poudre Valley Hospital team raised a record amount of money AND we had a record number of registered walkers for our team. Thank you so much to those who donated to sponsor our family as we walked (or rather froze :) ). *Please note the creepy clown in the picture above. This is a checkpoint along the route. We were manning the checkpoint and, somehow, we ended up with a complimentary clown. I couldn't shake her all day. That's all I'm going to say for fear that she will somehow read my blog and get clown-style revenge on me.

Not for the faint of heart...

Wow. Seriously, if you are faint of heart, easily grossed out, easily appalled, or otherwise not accustomed to hearing/reading about the things that small children are capable of saying/doing, then DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS POST.

Milo in a completely staged monkey bars photo--staged by him. He had a whole plan that he laid out for capturing the moment.

Having forewarned you, let me start with Milo. Both of my kids have been on a roll this week with the "saying funny and semi-embarassing things" business. Milo first:

Overheard while Milo is urinating: "I have a penis. I have a penis and it pokes out! I have a penis." Yup, he was making up a little song--a jingle if you will--about his penis. We try to always use the correct terminology for body parts and, sometimes, it results in a semi-embarassing little gem like that.

Question from Milo while I was helping him put on his shoes, "Mom why no one likes a frowny face?" He'd heard the Primary song about smiley/frowny faces in the car and, apparently, had thought about it for a good 4 hours. :)

Sassafras herself at her last tap class of this session. Where does she learn that pose?? Also, please note that her headband is bordering on "Rambo Style".

The next one I'm categorizing as Isabel although, technically, I don't know that it was her. But, let's be honest, it totally was her.

A few days after our trip to Utah, I was cleaning the house and the bathroom was on my list. I reached for the toilet brush--which we keep in it's handy little stand next to the plunger just to the side of the toilet--and was mystified when I saw the, um, substance on the brush. My first thought was, "Weird. Who was playing with this in the mud." My next thought was "OH BARF. OH I AM GOING TO PUKE. WHO IN THE WORLD??!!!" Yup. You got it. You know what was dried and crusty on the brush. Apparently, someone (Isabel) in my family (Isabel) decided to be "helpful" (Isabel) by trying to plunge the toilet (Isabel) or otherwise...um...agitate it's contents (Isabel). After I wretched all the way to the outside trash and threw the offending item away, I confronted the potential culprits. Of course, there was complete "confusion" and denial. Isabel sealed her guilt by then telling me, "Um, Mom? You might want to ask Dad about that because I'm pretty sure he knows something about this one." (All the while refusing to look at me and giving the shifty-side-looking-eyes that she previously employed in the Nutcracker photo).

As if that wasn't enough...my sister had her ADORABLE baby on Thursday via c-section. As we were driving home that evening, I was fielding no less than 2354 questions about why they didn't get to see her come out, what she looked like when she came, what an "operating room" is and why Aunty Stacy's tummy hurts. After a (finally!) break in the questions, Isabel piped up with "Well, guys why didn't Baby Mya just come out of her vagina anyways?!" Priceless. I have no idea where she heard that babies come out of vaginas. Believe it or not, it wasn't from us. Thanks to our good friend Anna and the book The Birds, the Bees and the Berenstain Bears, they had previously been tossing around the expression "birth canal". I guess that's a thing of the past. Awkward playground moments here we come! **It should be noted that I am a nurse and Spencer is a therapist. We are, therefore, obligated to use correct terminology such as "penis" and "vagina" that might embarass lay folk--such as my mother. Sorry mom! :)

I love, love, love this picture. :)

On a less disturbing note :), the kids had tons of fun spending the day with Sagie and Porter (while Spencer and I were in Denver), my niece is seriously adorable (and chubby!), and we got the greatest family pictures taken. They turned out so great! Oh, and the March of Dimes March for Babies is on Saturday--we're so excited. The walk is for sure a highlight of the year for us. :)

Happy days are here again...

Today has been the most awesome and beautful day! Fort Collins is such an incredible place to live--and so beautiful year round.

One of the things that I love most about our town is that it has an incredible trail system that is all interconnected. The trails run through parks, along rivers and creeks, and against the foothills. There is never a lack of places to run/walk/bike/hike! I can't wait to get out on my bike on the trails again and today was my first official "long run" of the spring/summer.

I'm getting ready for the Bolder Boulder (a 10K and the funnest race I've ever run--you hear that Marcie and girls??!) and the Run the Rockies Half Marathon. Today was the best run I've had in a very long time! I ran along the Spring Creek Trail while the kids and Spencer played at the park. GORGEOUS. Oh, and the predatory geese have, officially, invaded us again. Is hissing back an effective defense mechanism? Seriously?

Spring Canyon Park at the end of Spring Creek Trail
Cache La Poudre River

This river runs West-East through FoCo.
Spring Creek
A tributary of the Cache La Poudre. This runs along the Spring Creek Trail.
Me with the twinnies at last year's Bolder Boulder.

90% of our trip...

Please do not let the previous post fool you. This is how we actually spent 90% of our trip to Utah. And by "we", I mean everyone but me--and the kids (except Milo, see below). The Andersons have met Rock Band and the Andersons intend to conquer Rock Band. I thought it was bad with Guitar Hero. I was so very wrong. So wrong indeed. Now, the whole family can participate AT THE SAME TIME. No more taking turns. No more waiting for Spencer to try that Foo Fighters song "one more time". Now there are drums, a guitar, a bass, and a vocalist!!!!Melissa said that the only way it would be better is if they somehow added a dance component--you know a combo of Rock Band and Didder. Wow. Maybe then I would participate. Wonder if they have any songs from Dirty Dancing? Sage, care to join me?

The band jamming in Grami Tami and Grandpa Terry's basement. Matching costumes are being arranged for our next trip. ;)

Note the "Anderson Intensity". :) Mel held her own with the boys.

Please note how flushed and sweaty Royan is in this picture. His intensity was pretty funny. Nothing like learning the words to Black Sabbath songs with your family. FHE anyone?

Isabel quickly lost interest when she realized that there were no babies, dancing, princesses, or fashion opportunities in the game.

Milo was completely hooked. He played the (broken but don't tell him that) "kintar" with the rest of the band.

Milo and Grandma Cathryn just before Grandma Cathryn tore it up "on stage". As Spencer said, "Wow, you really haven't lived until you've heard your mom sing Nirvana."

10% of our trip...

Last week we made a trip to Utah to visit the fam. We got to take our sweet rental car (thanks Careless Cellphone Talking Teenager Who Rearended Us) and we made it there in near record time. We visited Grandma Cathryn, hung out Josh and Royan, enjoyed Lyla and Olivia, hung out with Melissa and Justin, laughed and laughed, ate at Cafe Rio and Crown Burger, visited Grami Tami and Grandpa Terry (and Mel and Erika), and had a big family potluck with Grandma Cathryn's side of the family. We even got to see the Romneys and 6/7ths of the Utah Seeleys (we're still cursing the Colbie Caillat concert that kept the other 1/7th of them away). I finally got to visit with my BFF since 8th grade (or was it 9th??) Amy Lynn and remember how lucky I am and how funny and beautiful she is and how amazing her sweet daughter is. It was almost too much adventure to even summarize. The kids had SO much fun. Since we got home, they've asked me at least 57 times a day when we're going back to Utah. So fun (but we missed you Abbie!!!).

We stayed with Josh and Royan, in Josh's sweet new townhome. Cooking in the ultimate bachelor pad was awesome. :) Anyone ever make pasta in a wok? I have now!

One of the few times that Milo held Lyla. He prefers to hold Olivia because, as he said, "That one (Lyla) drills on me too much." Could you guess that Lyla is teething?

Oh, sweet joy. Real live babies, so many aunties, a variety of miniature furniture, and a magnificent tea set. Grami Tami's house is always a big hit.

Yes, that is a wading pool. Yes, those are nets. Yes, there are approximately 30 goldfish in there. Er, make that, there WERE approximately 30 goldfish in there. Thanks Ali. Explaining why dogs eat pet fish is not an easy task. LOL

Isabel's recipe for a good vacation: babies. Milo's recipe: Royan. A sucker or two from Uncle Josh just sweetens the deal.

Some shuffling and some spiking...

Isabel started tap dance lessons a few weeks ago. While the other girls wear small, wispy tu-tus, Isabel goes all out. Shocking I know. This sucker is so big and so puffy, that I was nervous that her teacher Miss M. (the M could stand for her first name or for "militant") would ban it from class. No worries, Isabel asked her if it was "too fancy" (thanks Fancy Nancy) and Miss M. gave it the all clear. Phew. Oh, and she loves tap dance--as if you couldn't have guessed that. ;)
Milo, on the other hand, is all about the team sports. He started Sporties for Shorties again. (Could the class name be any funnier?) They've played soccer, volleyball (mini net and all), and basketball. He works up a serious sweat and has a complete blast. My favorite comments from him have been, "So, Mom, how was Issy while I was at Sports Class? Was she okay?" and "Mom, I just kept shooting and shooting and shooting the basketball! They couldn't even stop me!". So, either my son has some wicked offense or he is a very poor listener. ;) I'm going with the offense.

Four years...and it's time to march

Milo's tiny hand wrapped around Spencer's thumb. One week old.

Four years ago, I was a sleep-deprived-pumping-every-three-hours-terrified-NICU mom of twins. Many of you know our story, some do not. I don't know that I've ever summarized it in writing...

After so much heartache and struggle, I was finally pregnant--with twins! The reality was something we couldn't even begin to grasp. We saw each other in fleeting moments between work and school. Excited and terrified. I loved being pregnant and hoped for everything that every mother hopes for.

Just shy of 24 weeks, I just didn't feel right.

At just shy of 24 weeks, I was dilating and nearly completely effaced. I fought for, and received, steroid shots to help mature my babies' lungs.

At just shy of 24 weeks, I was placed on strict bedrest.

And there I sat, for 5 more weeks. Terrified. More terrified than I could ever describe. That my babies would be born. That they would die. That they would be born and would struggle and struggle and that I would not be enough for them.

I layed down to eat. I layed down to talk. I just layed down. I was "allowed" to go the bathroom. I was "allowed" one five minute shower every other day.

Trips to the doctor were horrifying. And terrifying. Too many bumps. Too much time in the car. I was convinced the babies would bounce right out. It was all too soon.

My parents and my in-laws did their best. To keep my toes painted, my house clean, my belly full of food, our fridge stocked. Spencer was more than I ever knew he could be. But, I was the only one. The only one who could keep the babies in.

At 29 weeks, it was over. I thought. The contractions wouldn't stop. One right after the other. No matter how much water. No matter how long I layed on my left side. They just kept coming. Too terrified to even cry, I rode that long way to the hospital.

7 more days I sat in limbo. Surprising everyone by keeping them in even one day longer.

When it was finally time, I was overwhelmed with the enormity of the fear and, still, almost relieved--and horribly riddled with guilt to feel anything other than guilt.

Isabel came first. So tiny and blue, she didn't make even the slightest sound as they whisked her limp body through the window to the NICU. I didn't know what to feel or how to say it. She was so small...and now she wasn't in me. She was so far away. The first person that touched her, that smelled her, that talked to her was a stranger. It was not her mommy.

Minutes slowly melted away as we waited for Milo. He seemed to want to take his sweet time. They would break his water to speed things along--not a question. A statement of fact. I watched the monitor as his heart rate went. Dum. Dum. Dum....dum.......dum.........and then nothing. His cord had prolapsed. Screaming chaos ensued and out I went and, after a splash and a slash, out he came.

It was nearly 24 hours before I could see my own sweet babies. These beautiful things that I had helped to create and I couldn't even touch them, examine them, or marvel at them. At 3lbs 6oz and 3lbs 4oz, they were so big for their gestational age. But...so tiny.

The next 8 weeks were a mess of alarms, apnea, reflux, pumping, skin-to-skin, medications, head ultrasounds, cardiac defects, central lines, ventilators, and--finally--at 6 weeks and 8 weeks, they came home.

Our story doesn't end there. You all know. The next 3 years were filled with more doctors' visits that I could ever count. More specialists than I care to remember. More than a dozen hospital visits and 6 or 8 hospital admissions. Procedure after procedure until the big surgery last April. Eye surgery for both. Whew.

Life for us is different now. We play outside. We go to church. We use the carts at the grocery store. We go to gymnastics class. We don't live in fear--or quite as much fear--as we once did. We still thank the Lord every single day for what we have been given.

Our journey was difficult--but others have had much more difficult journeys. Prematurity has changed who we are and has affected our family (both immediate and extended) in so many ways. My children both benefited from research funded by the March of Dimes. Specifically, they both received surfactant therapy within minutes of their birth. Without it, their lives would have been much much different.

If I can help the March of Dimes to educate even one mom about the signs and symptoms of preterm labor, then I will have done something good with the challenge that we were dealt. The March of Dimes does incredible work. They fund research, they support legislation, they educate the community and, especially pregnant women, and they support the familes of children in the NICU. We believe in their mission and we believe in their work. That's why we participate in the March of Dimes March for Babies every year. Please consider pledging to support us in our efforts to support the March of Dimes. Visit our March of Dimes website to make a donation--every single dollar helps. Live in the area and want to walk with us? Email me. :)

Just in time to say goodbye...

This adorable chicken (a.k.a. Porter) just got back from Portland. SIGH. We missed him and his mom terribly. (Ask me about why Porter is in Old Town in a Halloween costume on a day that is NOT the day of the Tot Parade...my kids were there in full costume too. Oops. Wrong day.)
This cutie in the middle, Maycee, just got back from a trip to see her Grandparents. Her brother, Spencer, just got back too. We missed them terribly too. Isabel stared longingly at their picture every single day that they were gone. That's 14+ days folks.
These fun friends returned just in time for us to leave to see this cutie patootie, her cute momma, her cutie sister, and all of our other cute family in Utah (including Jessica and the Utah Seeleys!). Look out Grandma, Grami, Grandpa, and everyone else, we're on our way! Oh, and Isabel told Maycee and Spencer that we'll be gone for 5 weeks. More like 4 days but whatever. ;)