My little Artist

For Christmas, Grammy bought Hayley those cool crayola markers & finger paints that don't show up on anything but the paper they're made for. If you haven't seen them, check them out @ Target. Now she can be the little artist I would LOVE for her to love being without all the stress. She can colour while I do something else and not wind up colouring the whole house. It's probably not the best best product for one reason: when given real markers or pens she may assume she can draw on anything. So, we use these for travel & if I'm trying to get something done but I also try to use real markers & crayons when I have time to sit down with her & teach her only to use them on the paper.

BLUE times TWO!

Today was the {second} big day! Big Day #1 was, "You're having twins." Today was, "You're having 2 boys!" And Big Day #3 will be D-Day of course, whenever that comes! Our first OBG in Senegal predicted that I was due August 4th, putting the boys at 17 weeks tomorrow. Today the ultrasound measurements here in Alabama placed them at 18 weeks tomorrow. I delivered Hayley at 36 weeks and am pretty small to be carrying two. So all things considered, we've been told to expect them anytime in July. That's when this blog will really get interesting!

Noah Adam & Jayden Isaac Ibsen are healthy in there and we're all very happy!

This was just a precious shot. That's their bellies {they were face to face but too far apart to get on the ultrasound pic} and Noah's little hands & Jayden's little legs.

P.S. Did you know that with twins "Baby A" is always Baby A in the ultrasounds and "Baby B" is always Baby B? Baby A is said to present them self first, ie they will be the first to be born. This depends on their position mostly. So all throughout we will be able to see our firstborn, Noah and know the difference from the second-born, Jayden. There are so many new things to wrap your head around with twins! It's still somewhat mysterious to me.

Choices choices

Well, I have had a very fun day {more on that in the next post} but as the evening approaches, I'm facing the daily dilemma. Hayley's become very specific about wanting only Mommy to tuck her in at night. Anyone can give her her bath & read her her book but when the lights are going off & music on, she BEGS for me. She really got into this when we were away from Kyle for 10 days. {Prior to now, we've put her to bed interchangeably since she was an infant} So, tonight I made the harder choice to not go in and take her at the "mommy" point despite feeling like a big bully and let Kyle do it. I've been waffling back and fourth on which approach to take. Approach 1= She's not going to want this forever & since the twins may require a lot it may not be able to happen forever; so I just take all the turns putting her to bed. Approach 2= Not going in and having Daddy put her to bed every other night or so. She may benefit more from this approach once the twins arrive b.c. it won't be a shock that I cannot tuck her in some nights. Plus, Daddy likes this part of her routine and has always enjoyed his nights.
Isn't this a classic parenting dilemma though? Its not black & white. A lot of choices we make as parents are closely scrutinized and often judged. You've just got to think it through & do what's best for THEM first, YOU/your spouse second & others LAST. This is my conclusion.

What makes it worth it

 Hayley's at that age where we feel like it was all worth it.
"it" & "all" refer to the scheduling, not fitting in dates for months {we're planning to do better}, nursing when I just wanted to keep my cute outfit on and in-tact, turning off the Saturday morning shows we used to love to read to her and play with her {or sometimes not-so fun things like clean up her messes or deal with her cranky little mood}, no longer travelling overseas with just our camping packs but dragging a pack n play, carseat, stroller & baby along... "all" that stuff that you sometimes wish could just go back to normal after your little bundle of joy comes along. We never didn't love or want her, but don't trust any new parent who says there's nothing they miss from before baby... even if after-baby is all of their hopes & dreams come true! It's a life change like any other: bitter but so sweet, you win some things while you lose others. I wouldn't trade having kids for anything {most days! ...Just a joke.} so don't let this discourage you, its like nothing else.
These two pictures from yesterday & this morning pretty much speak for themselves:

~She's becoming quite the sweetie pie!~

Shop 'till you drop

We are currently on vacation in Alabama >> my birthplace, home to Hayley's Grammy & Poppy {my parents} What's there to do here? SHOP. I think Alabama & Georgia probably have more outlet shopping centers than any other state. We're not quite close enough to the beach {plus, its February} and there are no mountains... so we shop. Yes, it can get pricey if you don't make finding sales the name of the game. My justification this time around is that we've been in Africa for 8 months!

In Senegal, the most fun shopping I had was getting with a friend and going to the "Monday market." Picture a large, outdoor thrift store under umbrellas along a sidewalk. Sounds pretty but it can be hot, smelly or crowded on any given day but that never stopped us from getting our shopping fix on.We also had to wear culture-appropriate clothing... so no "dresssing up" for going out... skirts & tshirts it is! While there you can pick up "Bignets" (fried sweet dough) & frozen juices for under a dollar. >>We left the kids at home with a househelp (common in Africa, not a sign of wealth as Americans may be thinking) or the Dads. It's not kid-friendly unless they're okay with being tied on your back the whole time {which yes, Hayley did do a few times but it was HOT}.

So, you can imagine how fun it is for me to get my mall on & get my stroller on! Oh... and my sweet tea/Dr. Pepper & Great American cookie on.

Sweater- present from Grammy, Carter's. Necklace- from Africa. Shirt- 78 cents @ Old Navy. Khakis- $6 at WalMart.

We have been successful in a few nearby malls & Targets, but today we ventured into Birmingham... to the Outlets, Bass Pro Shop & The Galleria (check it out if you're ever down south! I love it.) 

 Maybe I'll post some of the cute cute outfits we've gotten sometime, but for now you can enjoy the hat show. Having a baby girl is too. much. fun!

p.s.

This is the special little lady that makes me a {proud} mama!

Down-time for me.

My first post on this blog was made possible by pretending I was sleeping in after my {wonderful} husband sweetly snuck out of the room to entertain our 16 month old when she woke up for the day. I'd do a lot worse some days to get alone time from my mommy's girl. I wouldn't have her be any other way, but no one can prepare a first-time parent for just how demanding these little beings can be! 

My personal tips:

Napping or laying down and reading when she naps. NOT CLEANING UP, NOT GETTING ON FACEBOOK OR BLOGGING, DEF NOT CALLING UP A FRIEND. Actually, literally kicking back and resting.

Letting her play in the bottom of the tub with toys while I have a long shower. Sometimes that still doesn't cut it and I wait until she's in bed for that long shower.

Doing hand massages together with lotion.

If its one of those really bad days where they're fussy non-stop, sit on the front porch with coffee {and a coat & slippers if you live in Canada like me} and leave them in their crib 10 or 15 minutes early before their nap. {with a monitor handy, obviously... a break can only be SO MUCH of a break, you're a mommy!}

Chocolate. Just eat some chocolate. And when they're old enough to beg for it: hide behind the fridge door as you cram some in your mouth, in the pantry, around the corner from the baby gate... or in a less-desperate time, offer them chocolate milk.

Have one evening set aside per week that you go OUT OF YOUR HOUSE, ALONE. Whether you go buy groceries, or if you're so lucky to be rich enough to go buy yourself a new outfit, or go sit at a cafe with a coffee or go do a yoga class etc. {You could include girlfriends sometimes, depending on your personality- but it always needs to be YOUR time.} My husband's at work all day & I don't want to miss every evening at home with him, but once a week is perfectly healthy. And he enjoys that time & gets to bond with Hayley.

I could go on and on but those are some basics that keep me sane. Stay tuned one day for what it takes WITH TWINS thrown in the mix! I hope it doesn't have to change too much.

This is all about my journey from family of THREE to FIVE to {hopefully!} Fabulous. While in Africa for a year {See www.mkibsen.blogspot.com for more on that}, we got pregnant... with TWINS. {Note: No twins on either side of our families=big shock} I'm a stay-at-home mom to {currently} my daughter Hayley and my husband {of 3 years} is a carpenter. 

So if you don't want to read about babies, messes, day-to-day life with kids, or what this stay-at-home mom is raving about: THIS BLOG IS NOT FOR YOU.