Easter Happenings

This was our first Easter at home in a couple of years. Typically, we are with friends in North Carolina.  While being home was nice, even nicer because Grammy was here, we missed North Carolina.  Next year, we will travel South again.  Everything seems to happen for a reason though, and if there was ever a year to stay home, this was it.  A nasty stomach virus ran through all three of my kids and was just wrapping up by the time Sunday rolled around.  Savannah was the last one hit and it took the wind out of her.

We were all a little low on energy which made the quiet holiday a much needed reprieve.  We took the morning slow which allowed the girls to check out their baskets and do some egg hunting.  (I find the whole Bunny thing so far fetched.  It is hard for me to try and pull it off with my pensive, Savannah.  And really, how did the Bunny  become apart of this holiday?)  After a great egg hunt, where my girls made sure that they helped each other look and not just grab as many as they could, we dressed up and went to church.  It is always interesting bringing our children into the adult service (no Sunday School on Easter.)  Rhetorical questions were answered by Adeline.  She also got right in there for the "greet your neighbor," wishing all a Happy Easter.  When the word, "peace," was said, Adeline misunderstood it for, "pizza," and announced to everyone that she really likes pizza!  When Peter was mentioned, she really needed to know who he was.  The girl obviously listens!

After church, we went to a gourmet brunch at the Applebee's fine dining.  It was nice to have the place to ourselves and, hey, kids eat free on Easter!  We rounded out the day with a trip to Longwood Gardens which gave us an opportunity to soak up some sun and beautiful flowers.  We all came home very tired and had oatmeal for Easter dinner.  Classic!  I was just too tired to cook.

Please ignore the sweaty workout gear. . .

Eggs are serious business!



Apparently, Adeline knows her nursery rhymes. . .

Happy Easter

So Much For Screen Free

While we are a predominately screen free house, when kids are sick, we are not.  This week both Savannah and Adeline were hit hard with a stomach virus and high fevers.  Fevers so high that they didn't make it out of bed for the first day of being down.  When my kids are this miserable, I bring them into my bed and turn on the TV.  Somehow it seems better than laying their own beds staring at a wall. 

Since both kids have been down, our screens have been on.  Better luck next time I guess.

Going Screen Free

It is National Screen Free Week starting April, 18.  Visit here to see the supporters and data that stand behind going screen free.  Certainly, many children and adults could benefit from less screen time. 

We are taking the pledge to be screen free this week (for Alex and those who make a living using the screen, it means no recreational screen time).  While the TV stands in the off position in our house, our girls watch movies in the van.  I would say they watch them 35% of the time we are driving which isn't a major concern of mine.  Regardless, we are flipping up the van TV.  I will only use my phone for talking and email.

I am really proud that the TV stays off inside the house.  I can't imagine watching my girls sitting passively on the couch watching TV each afternoon.  When talking to Savannah about it, she commented on how she isn't interested in watching TV after school and has no desire to learn how to play video games.  She followed it up with, "Did you raise me to be like this since you don't watch TV either."  You bet I/we did! 

You won't hear from me for at least a week. . . .

Princess Sisters

Our local local library held a mature princess tea this weekend.  It was for ages 4-8 and involved Miss West Chester University and her court.  There wasn't any of the Disney Princess stuff that I have successfully avoided with my girls.  Savannah has never been a princessy type girl but with Miss Girly Lila in the house, Savannah has been caught dressing up from time to time.  Dressing up in a fancy princess dress is right down Lila's alley. 

When I saw the registration, I thought it might be nice for Savannah and Lila to attend.  With Miss West Chester University there to teach the girls proper etiquette and read some stories, how could I go wrong.  Lila would love it and Savannah would get to see another side of princesses.  I should make clear that I am not trying to turn my girls into princesses but rather open their eyes beyond that of Disney princesses.  I also thought it would be a special Lila and Savannah outing.  By the way, Adeline was very excited to go to Target with Daddy and had no desire to join the princess tea.

Savannah and Lila had a blast.  Miss West Chester University gave each girl a special necklace (rather nice too) with a heart that flips from upside down to right side up.  She reminded them that each day they should find a way to be generous.  They were told to flip their heart once they extended their generosity.  Pretty cute idea.  After some fancy cupcakes and pink lemonade, Miss West Chester University danced with the girls.  My two girls were dancing together which was a very sweet sight.  (parents had to stand outside the door which prevented picture taking)

Sadly, this might be the last time Savannah leaves the house dressed up as a princess. 

As an aside. . . Lila wears this green dress up dress because her other dresses have torn.  This dress shows her belly which I am not a fan of but when we have torn up the two more conservative dresses that were in the collection, what is a Mom to do?  When Lila walked into the party she immediately pulled the shirt down in effort to hide her belly.  Unfortunately, that exposed her chest and wasn't acceptable.  Miss Lila was so embarrassed to show her belly that she started crying.  I settled her and told that her she chose to wear the green dress instead of the ones with holes and we had nothing else for her to change into.  Eventually, she pulled it together and walked into the party.  I believe this will remedy her desire for a bikini.  Can you believe my four year old wants a bikini?  Savannah doesn't even have one.  For the record, no one will have one for years to come!

April Sickness

I was thinking about how lucky we have been this April.  Adeline has been moving through the month illness free.  Of course that set the inevitable in motion.  Yep, 103.5 and puking all day.  Didn't even try to lift her head off the pillow.  Poor little girl.

Things are still looking up though.  This virus doesn't seem to be settling into her lungs and will likely run its course in a couple of days.  Every other April of Adeline's life has been spent in the hospital and on oxygen.  Even last year, The Belle was sporting a cannula for a couple of weeks.  Viruses settle in her lungs and eventually they give into infection.  Her lungs tire and sats drop.  That's when we are in the ER trying very hard to avoid admission. 

Fingers crossed that this year is different.  We are half way there. . .

March of Dimes

We are going to pound the pavement again in order to raise money and awareness for the March of Dimes.  Their organization played direct role in the twins' lives.  Without their contributions that funded the research for surfactant, my Adeline would not be with us today.  The same could have been true for Lila Grace.  I sit here today and try to imagine my world without my baby girls.  I can't wrap my head around how devastating that world would be.

I remember very little of Adeline's birth - my eyes were closed until she was out and being worked on by the NICU doctors.  I wanted to see her but all I saw was more than twenty scrubs surrounding my one pound baby.  I kept repeating, "She has a name.  Please God, let her live, she has a name."  She was my baby, a life, a life that I so desperately wanted to live.  While I was chanting my incoherent thoughts, Dr. Chang was ventilating my baby girl and administering surfactant inside her tiny lungs.

By the grace of God and modern day research, both of my girls are alive and thriving.  We are the lucky ones.  I don't know why we were chosen to carry our babies out of the NICU when so many others never get to take their babies home.  I struggle with this thought frequently.

As we gear up for our walk in two weeks, please feel free to join in on the fun.  There is a fund raising button on the side of this blog.  A big thanks to our very generous supporters in years past.  If it better suits you, we  would love for you to lift us up on 4/30 as we walk.  It is an emotional experience.  It is a time when we are forced to face what could have been, which leaves me holding my girls close to me while my heart swells with gratitude.

Here is our story. . .

Sleep (continued)

This is what happens after the girls skip their naps and snuggle up to me on the couch.  There was a day when I could hold both on my chest with a little room to spare.  Today, there was a lot of "spill-over."  They are growing too fast but, at moments like this, I remember they are still my sweet babies.

After wiggling out of this position and placing both girls on opposite ends of the couch, I came back into the room to find this.  They may not look alike, have the same schedule or schools, but there is definitely a twin connection. 

Chicks

First grade at West Chester Friends is known for hatching chicks.  Savannah was able to visit the chicks when she was in Kindergarten and has been eagerly awaiting her chance at hatching the eggs ever since.  This was the week!  Last week the eggs arrived and the students were responsible for turning them four times a day, holding them up to bright lights to check for movement, and monitoring the temperature in the incubators.  It seems that hatching takes 21 days exactly because they all started hatching on Monday, just like T. Connie predicted.  The first one hatched ten minutes before the school day was over, and the rest decided to wait until the students were out the door to emerge.  If you look at the egg picture, you can see that all of the eggs had been punctured when the students left for the day.

Here is a video of a ten minute old chick.

T. Connie let families come in before and after school so that the students could share their experience. It was nice to see Savannah's growing attachment to these fluffy little birds. She often ended up with six or seven of the chicks asleep in her lap. These chicks were pretty exhausted after being taken out four times a day by 16 First Graders. The class even took the chicks to the Quaker Retirement home that is located on the school's campus. The students loved sharing their chicks but the chicks came back very tired. Here is a clip of one that couldn't seem to keep his head up.



After many scientific observations, writings, drawings and, most noted by the kids, playful interactions with the chicks, the students said a tearful goodbye this morning.

Here are some pictures of the girls getting some chick time.  Needless to say, ducky-lover, Lila Grace, was in heaven.  She has requested that we refer to chicks as ducks because it makes her happy.

Sleep

If I am not mistaken, there are four ducks covering Miss Lila while she sleeps the afternoon away.

After two days without naps, Lila Grace falls asleep while waiting for a bedtime story.

This is what happens during heavy rain.  We have visitors in the middle of the night.  Really glad we went with the king size bed.  As they grow, we are getting pushed closer and closer to the edges.  Hmmmm. . . .  this will be a problem in five years.