You know what's so cool? When the nursery workers act happy that you brought your kids to church. We went tonight and felt so welcome. The mother/daughter team working in the baby room just loved on Noah and Naomi and when we picked them up they were so happy.
It is nice to see how happy these babies make other people. I took them with me to my local Chase bank to talk about our refinance. Noah stole the show. Naomi slept through the whole thing. We were there for at least 30 minutes. He was giggling and laughing and flirting. It was so cute.
We did end up going back with Chad today to talk to their person about the refinance, but we had just missed her. This time, Chad was pushing the stroller and the people at Chase remembered the babies. Even though the person we were supposed to speak to was not there, we still ended up "hanging out" for about 20 minutes. (Sidenote: We have a fantastic banker named Angela Turner who works there. She is going to make sure we don't show up without getting with the Refinance person again).
After going to the bank this afternoon, we went to church. Noah and Naomi got lots of love from strangers today. It was so nice to see them being so sweet to everyone. Chad was so proud. He was almost as cute to watch as the babies.
I'm going to try to start taking the kiddos to friends homes on Saturdays before or after church - Instead of trying to cram visits with my entire FT office + all my friends/adopted family in Irving/Euless/Colleyville in one trip.
Next week I hope to see either Julayne and Greer or Erin her family. I just need to coordinate with them. There is time. We'll get it done. :-)
In Him,
M
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Quick post
They are growing so fast. Naomi is purposefully using her hands to grab things. She examines them carefully then sticks them in her mouth. It is so cool to watch.
Noah is still a little of an Arm-Flailer. The one item he always seems to grab is his other hand - then he puts the doublefist into his mouth. He is always giggling and very easy to please.
I am sooooo tired. Our schedules have been really off kilter since going to the hotel. Our days are starting LATE (around 12-1pm) and not ending until 1-2am. I am taking a nap in the afternoon when the babies are napping - but I'm not very productive.
Chad is home today. Corinne (and Joe) are watching the babies tonight so we can do a date night.
Noah is still a little of an Arm-Flailer. The one item he always seems to grab is his other hand - then he puts the doublefist into his mouth. He is always giggling and very easy to please.
I am sooooo tired. Our schedules have been really off kilter since going to the hotel. Our days are starting LATE (around 12-1pm) and not ending until 1-2am. I am taking a nap in the afternoon when the babies are napping - but I'm not very productive.
Chad is home today. Corinne (and Joe) are watching the babies tonight so we can do a date night.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Chad's first father's day
We have been celebrating Father's day all month. We were going to go away for an overnight trip and use Marriott Rewards points, but we ended up spending those earlier in the week.
It was totally worth it.
Noah, Naomi, and I stayed in a hotel right next to Chad's work on Tuesday and Wednesday night. It was so nice because we had an extra 90 minutes with him each day and those were really hard days at Chad's work. His case load has been multiplying while this team size has remained static. I guess it's job security. Chad and his teammates are banding together to keep up.
My parents came down on Friday and Mom brought food for a Sunday potluck for Dad. Chad left right after he had lunch with us. Mom made him homemade barbeque sans vinegar. He was so giddy. I also got to present him with a digital picture frame (Thank you Joe and Corinne) with pictures of the babies on it.
We did 5 month pictures of me and the babies on Mother's day. Corinne loaded them on a memory card for Chad's Father's Day present. He loves it. It is already in his cube at work.
Noah has started growling. He has always liked to make noise waaaaay more than Naomi. She hums to communicate. Noah belts out to let us know what he is thinking. He just started growling though. Its adorable. We are calling him our little Anbusa (AHN-bisah). It means lion in Amharic.
This week I have to get their cranial appointments hammered down. Pray for me as I juggle everything along with my economics class. This is week 1 of my 8 week MBA class.
Also, Chad's Dad and My Mom are both in a lot of pain. Please join me in praying for healing for the two of them. I want Noah and Naomi to know their Papa and Ayate (ah-YA-tay). (Ayate is Grandma in Amharic)
Thank you!
M
It was totally worth it.
Noah, Naomi, and I stayed in a hotel right next to Chad's work on Tuesday and Wednesday night. It was so nice because we had an extra 90 minutes with him each day and those were really hard days at Chad's work. His case load has been multiplying while this team size has remained static. I guess it's job security. Chad and his teammates are banding together to keep up.
My parents came down on Friday and Mom brought food for a Sunday potluck for Dad. Chad left right after he had lunch with us. Mom made him homemade barbeque sans vinegar. He was so giddy. I also got to present him with a digital picture frame (Thank you Joe and Corinne) with pictures of the babies on it.
We did 5 month pictures of me and the babies on Mother's day. Corinne loaded them on a memory card for Chad's Father's Day present. He loves it. It is already in his cube at work.
Noah has started growling. He has always liked to make noise waaaaay more than Naomi. She hums to communicate. Noah belts out to let us know what he is thinking. He just started growling though. Its adorable. We are calling him our little Anbusa (AHN-bisah). It means lion in Amharic.
This week I have to get their cranial appointments hammered down. Pray for me as I juggle everything along with my economics class. This is week 1 of my 8 week MBA class.
Also, Chad's Dad and My Mom are both in a lot of pain. Please join me in praying for healing for the two of them. I want Noah and Naomi to know their Papa and Ayate (ah-YA-tay). (Ayate is Grandma in Amharic)
Thank you!
M
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Be Flexable
Ok, so I had these high hopes for coming up to the Irving area. I hoped to visit people I could introduce the babies to people who have been a part of my life long before they came onto the scene.
then reality struck -
I have been able to coordinate with 1 (one) friend and have her over to the hotel. ONE!
There is just not enough time in the day. I can barely find 2 minutes to place a text to someone - much less 10 minutes to send out 5 texts. And then there is the responding! and coordinating!
Even now - I have had to take breaks in typing b/c of taking care of the babies. I'm typing with one hand as Noah sits on my lap. I *just* put up a post I typed yesterday announcing that we were headed up here.
got to go -
Omi needs me.
M
then reality struck -
I have been able to coordinate with 1 (one) friend and have her over to the hotel. ONE!
There is just not enough time in the day. I can barely find 2 minutes to place a text to someone - much less 10 minutes to send out 5 texts. And then there is the responding! and coordinating!
Even now - I have had to take breaks in typing b/c of taking care of the babies. I'm typing with one hand as Noah sits on my lap. I *just* put up a post I typed yesterday announcing that we were headed up here.
got to go -
Omi needs me.
M
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
More travel
Heard the term "staycation"? The kids and I are going to stay at a hotel very close to Chad's work for the next couple of nights. Why?
1. Chad has been working crazy hours because they are understaffed in his group. Staying 5 minutes from Chad's work will add 1 1/2 hours to each of his days. He can choose to sleep or spend time with the babies. We are very grateful for Chad's workload though - considering positions are getting cut in other parts of the company.
2. The kids will get to meet many people that were praying for them during our pregnancy (Fellowship Technologies, Danelle, Tara, Melissa, Erin, etc..)
3. Make it easier to pick up Cori, Joe & Isaac on Thursday noon.
4. It won't cost us much to stay there - it has a full kitchen and I've already prepped food for the week - we also used Marriott rewards points to pay for the room.
5. This is a relatively low risk opportunity for me to travel with minimal assistance with the children. I am pretty confident we (God and me) can handle it. We'll see. ;-)
So, I am packing our stuff and we are off. This afternoon we are going to head up there - Prayers appreciated.
1. Chad has been working crazy hours because they are understaffed in his group. Staying 5 minutes from Chad's work will add 1 1/2 hours to each of his days. He can choose to sleep or spend time with the babies. We are very grateful for Chad's workload though - considering positions are getting cut in other parts of the company.
2. The kids will get to meet many people that were praying for them during our pregnancy (Fellowship Technologies, Danelle, Tara, Melissa, Erin, etc..)
3. Make it easier to pick up Cori, Joe & Isaac on Thursday noon.
4. It won't cost us much to stay there - it has a full kitchen and I've already prepped food for the week - we also used Marriott rewards points to pay for the room.
5. This is a relatively low risk opportunity for me to travel with minimal assistance with the children. I am pretty confident we (God and me) can handle it. We'll see. ;-)
So, I am packing our stuff and we are off. This afternoon we are going to head up there - Prayers appreciated.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Noah and Naomi are reaching for what they want more often now. They used to grab things by accident - now they reach.
This morning, Chad was taking Naomi out of her highchair and she reached for the book he took out of her hands. It was amazing to see her intentionally letting us know that was what she wanted. When Chad held the book out and asked her if she wanted it back, she just gave him a look like "PLEASE" while using all of her upper body to reach. It was so cute.
Noah is more laid back about asking. We hold something just out of his reach and ask him if he would like it. He usually looks back and fort between the object and our face with a little bit of hesitation. Then he slowly (very intentionally) reaches for the object, grabs it, and *tries* to put it in his mouth. He usually misses at first.
Once we get our second high chair the babies will be eating different babyfood each week. I hope to give them a wide enough variety to help them not be very picky. We'll see how that works.
This morning, Chad was taking Naomi out of her highchair and she reached for the book he took out of her hands. It was amazing to see her intentionally letting us know that was what she wanted. When Chad held the book out and asked her if she wanted it back, she just gave him a look like "PLEASE" while using all of her upper body to reach. It was so cute.
Noah is more laid back about asking. We hold something just out of his reach and ask him if he would like it. He usually looks back and fort between the object and our face with a little bit of hesitation. Then he slowly (very intentionally) reaches for the object, grabs it, and *tries* to put it in his mouth. He usually misses at first.
Once we get our second high chair the babies will be eating different babyfood each week. I hope to give them a wide enough variety to help them not be very picky. We'll see how that works.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
6 month appointment
This will have to be short - sorry if this sounds like a book report!
Noah is in the 10% for his height/weight (right on track since birth) 14lbs 11 oz
Naomi is in the 25% for her height/weight (also right on track) 14lbs 3oz
They are both 25 1/4 inches long and on track for development too.
The doctor wants them both to get checked out at the cranial place for headbands. Noah's plageacephaly (sp) is milder than Naomi's, but still prominant enough that he wants it checked out. There just wasn't enough room for both of them and their big heads before they were born. :-(
Off to feed them and go to bed.
Noah is in the 10% for his height/weight (right on track since birth) 14lbs 11 oz
Naomi is in the 25% for her height/weight (also right on track) 14lbs 3oz
They are both 25 1/4 inches long and on track for development too.
The doctor wants them both to get checked out at the cranial place for headbands. Noah's plageacephaly (sp) is milder than Naomi's, but still prominant enough that he wants it checked out. There just wasn't enough room for both of them and their big heads before they were born. :-(
Off to feed them and go to bed.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
San Antonio
Saba's youngest daughter, Tesava is graduating from high school this week. We really wanted to be able to go down for the graduation because Saba has not seen Noah and Naomi yet. Graduation was scheduled for 6:30pm Tuesday night. The adventure went sort of like this:
We went to Abilene on Sunday afternoon - Noah, Naomi, and I. We met up at Mom and Dad's house with Alberta and her kids. Monday we caravan-ed out to San Antonio and got a couple of hotel rooms about 10 miles from the Astrodome (where the graduation ceremony was to take place).
Sunday and Monday the babies were sort of under the weather. Their ear infections and teething were not making travel super easy. They are troopers though. As long as someone was holding them or comforting them, they were fine. They slept in separate pack-n-plays at Mom and Dads, and we used the same ones at the hotel.
Tuesday was our first opportunity to visit with Saba and her grown kids. Once Chad arrived we went to Saba's house and Caravan-ed over to the Alamodome with her and Tesava. I got as many pictures of them as I could. Naomi took right to Saba, it is so cute. Noah really only wanted to be held by Mommy or Daddy - his teething was making him a little less smiley than usual.
Both Noah and Naomi are getting to the point where they can sit up by themselves (sort of) and they can roll to their back and front with little effort. I think Noah is going to crawl first. Naomi doesn't like being on her front at all. I think she equates it with exercise, since she's had to have more tummy time than Noah.
Their dexterity is getting better too. We are trying to help them practice with grasping different objects. Noah always seems to go for new objects, whereas Naomi is more discerning. If it requires for her to flip onto her front, she doesn't usually put out the effort to get a new object. She is happy just watching.
Got to go -
San Antonio was fun. But we are glad to be home.
M
We went to Abilene on Sunday afternoon - Noah, Naomi, and I. We met up at Mom and Dad's house with Alberta and her kids. Monday we caravan-ed out to San Antonio and got a couple of hotel rooms about 10 miles from the Astrodome (where the graduation ceremony was to take place).
Sunday and Monday the babies were sort of under the weather. Their ear infections and teething were not making travel super easy. They are troopers though. As long as someone was holding them or comforting them, they were fine. They slept in separate pack-n-plays at Mom and Dads, and we used the same ones at the hotel.
Tuesday was our first opportunity to visit with Saba and her grown kids. Once Chad arrived we went to Saba's house and Caravan-ed over to the Alamodome with her and Tesava. I got as many pictures of them as I could. Naomi took right to Saba, it is so cute. Noah really only wanted to be held by Mommy or Daddy - his teething was making him a little less smiley than usual.
Both Noah and Naomi are getting to the point where they can sit up by themselves (sort of) and they can roll to their back and front with little effort. I think Noah is going to crawl first. Naomi doesn't like being on her front at all. I think she equates it with exercise, since she's had to have more tummy time than Noah.
Their dexterity is getting better too. We are trying to help them practice with grasping different objects. Noah always seems to go for new objects, whereas Naomi is more discerning. If it requires for her to flip onto her front, she doesn't usually put out the effort to get a new object. She is happy just watching.
Got to go -
San Antonio was fun. But we are glad to be home.
M
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Last week as "newborn" babies
So I read that once the babies turn 6 months old, they are put into the "toddler" catagory. I guess I understand why. They are definately getting more mobile, although neither one of them can crawl yet. I am not in a hurry to get them crawling - the house is not babyproofed yet. If we just put up gates to block them off and keep them in the living room, they may end up crawling under the sofa - which would be bad.
So, I am considering a baby fence/gate system to keep them in one area of the living room where they can play. Chad wants to see them before I buy them, but I think we can get 'em for under $100 if I find the right sales. :-)
Noah is learning how to reach for what he wants. This is totally melting my heart, because he reaches for me when I come to get him from the crib. He used to not do that, he would just smile. The reaching is amazing. He has no idea how much power he has when he does that.
Omi is dancing a lot. I love it! She bounces up and down in whatever seat we place her in - or when she is on our lap. We let her lead - since she has an ear infection - we don't want to bounce her too much.
Both babies have ear infections according to their Dr. They are on different antibiotics, and Omi has to eat yogurt to counteract the side effects of amoxicillan.
Got to go - Noah needs me.
1 more thing: Next week we are going to San Antonio! Pray for safe travel. I'm excited they get to meet their aunt saba and her other two kids.
In Him,
Marie
So, I am considering a baby fence/gate system to keep them in one area of the living room where they can play. Chad wants to see them before I buy them, but I think we can get 'em for under $100 if I find the right sales. :-)
Noah is learning how to reach for what he wants. This is totally melting my heart, because he reaches for me when I come to get him from the crib. He used to not do that, he would just smile. The reaching is amazing. He has no idea how much power he has when he does that.
Omi is dancing a lot. I love it! She bounces up and down in whatever seat we place her in - or when she is on our lap. We let her lead - since she has an ear infection - we don't want to bounce her too much.
Both babies have ear infections according to their Dr. They are on different antibiotics, and Omi has to eat yogurt to counteract the side effects of amoxicillan.
Got to go - Noah needs me.
1 more thing: Next week we are going to San Antonio! Pray for safe travel. I'm excited they get to meet their aunt saba and her other two kids.
In Him,
Marie
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