The Nelson Narrative

Today is the last day of 2008, which will always be remembered as the year our twins were born! And the year of the white Christmas but that's secondary. We started the year off still living at our friend's place while we waited for the construction of our house to be completed. Around the middle of January I started working fewer hours as I was 30-something weeks pregnant with the twins and very miserable. On the 24th we celebrated my 39th birthday AND signed the closing papers on our house! Moving was interesting, as all I could do was sit and watch and direct where things went.The next month or so was spent getting the new house in order, particularly the nursery! I was completely off work by then so I was home all day, but even so I could only do a little bit each day because it was so hard to move. I also started having twice weekly appointments at the maternal/fetal medicine clinic (high risk ob) so that got pretty hectic. Finally, on the 28th of February, our girls were...

As much as we all love Christmas, it can be rather stressful trying to get the shopping done, gifts wrapped, food bought and prepared, etc. Add to that two feet of snow (or close) and almost 10-month-old twins and, yikes! This was definitely my most stressful Christmas ever, but still very much enjoyed anyway. Christmas Eve was so chaotic! We hemmed and hawed (sp?) for several days about whether or not we could make it up to Mount Vernon for the family gathering, because of all the snow and icy roads. We finally decided we could, but then hemmed and hawed some more about whether we would have to spend the night up there or come home (depending on if we got more snow or if the roads were too icy, etc.). We really wanted to come back home so we could be here Chirstmas morning to enjoy a little family time before Paul's family arrived. But since we wouldn't be able to make that decision unitl we were already up there, we had to pack up as though we were going to stay. It took me f...

Well, we made it through the storm without having to pack up and go anywhere. We never did lose power but we sure did have stong winds and lots of snow. Paul was supposed to go to work Sunday morning (for storm related overtime) but couldn't make it out of our alley because the snow was too deep. The main road in front of our house is ok but he couldn't get to it. So Sunday evening he parked his car on the main road instead of the garage so he would be able to get to work this morning. I've never seen snow this deep, except at a ski resort. I have to say I love it, but that's because I don't have to commute in it! I am starting to get a little cabin fever, however. We all went for a walk on Sunday but today I only left the house to get the mail. And I haven't driven anywhere since Friday. I always have so much to do around the house, though, that it doesn't seem to bother me as much as some people. I'm also very excited to actaully have an official white...

Things are getting interesting around here. We are supposed to get some pretty high winds tonight and there is a possibility of prolonged power outages in our area. Paul was worried about me and the girls being couped up here by ourselves with no power (he'd be working most of the time) so he thought we should pack up and head to my mom's just in case. Traveling anywhere with 10-month-old (almost) twins is NOT easy. At the very least we need both pack and plays, food, feeding supplies (spoons, bibs, bowls, etc.), clothes, diapers, wipes, toiletries, bottles, a bottle brush, burp cloths, changing pad, toys and the stroller. I spent the morning packing but then we decided that since the roads up there are so bad and it's kind of far (1.5 hours normally, probably a lot longer in these conditions) maybe we could stay at a friend's instead. So now we're just kind of waiting it out and we'll see what happens. On the bright side, it's beautiful around here and we h...

We got our first snow this weekend and I just love it! It makes it feel so Christmasy. And since I've already been in full on Christmas mode making up for last year (see previous post), baking tons, watching lots of Christmas movies and listening to lots of Christmas music, it justs adds even more. The girls and I were all snuggled in our flannel pj's looking out the window at the falling snow and all the neighborhood Christmas lights (Paul, too, minus the flannel pjs). It was awesome. In other news, it seems the girls have officially dropped to just one nap a day. I guess that's ok, because at least it's a pretty long one instead of the 20 minute naps they used to take. In addition, they've been sleeping in a little later, which is great, but then they end up staying up later, too, which is not so great. But they've been sick again (HOW do they get all these colds when they're not even in daycare? That's three since August!) so they've been waking u...

Every now and then, we have a horrible, fussy, no nap, miserable day. Yesterday was one of them. Just when I thought Olivia was over the fussies because she finally started crawling, she was awful yesterday because she wanted to be standing all the time and she can't pull herself up yet! Then, they didn't take an afternoon nap and by 6:00 Kayley was a beast and Olivia not much better. We put them both to bed, and they crashed but then they were up until almost 10:00. The good news is that whenever they have a day like that, the next day is a dream! Today they went down for their first nap at 10:00, an hour earlier than normal. It's now 12:40 and they are STILL sleeping! That is unheard of. And look, I have time to blog! Anyway, they probably won't take an afternoon nap since they're sleeping so long, but I think that will be ok. They will probably just go to bed around 7:00 instead of 8:00ish. We won't be here anyway because Paul's parents are co...

I am so loving the Christmas season already. Last year I kind of missed out. I was entering my third trimester pregnant with the twins and I was huge and miserable with horrible back pain. I could barely move or stand for any length of time so I didn't do any baking at all. Plus, we were staying at a friends house while we waited for our house to be built and he doesn't decorate and all of our stuff was in storage. So no tree, no lights, no baking. Luckily Paul's mom did lots of baking and sent plenty of cookies our way so at least we got our Christmas cookie fix! Anway, I'm really looking forward to making up for it this year. We already have our tree up and the house decorated (except outside) and I've already watched "Christmas Vacation" and "Serendipity" (not technically a Christmas movie but it has Christmas-y scenes). I can't wait to start baking but it's hard to find time during the day now that the twins are eating three meals a d...

Thanksgiving was the twins' first, and my first hosting! It was so fun to finally be able to use all the wedding china and stemware. We had a small group--just us, Paul's parents, his sister and her friend. I made stuffing for the first time in my life and luckily it turned out pretty good! The girls got their first taste of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (of the non-pureed variety) and pumpkin pie. No turkey, though, as they still don't really have the hang of finger foods. Friday we started decorating for Christmas, and yesterday we made what will be the annual Thanksgiving Weekend trip to the tree farm for the Nelson Family Christmas Tree. It was kind of rainy and the girls got a little wet and fussy, but overall we had a fun time. Friday was also the girls' 9-month birthday. Olivia is finally crawling and is much less fussy--thank GOD! She's been pretty frustrated lately with her lack of mobility and her frequent whining was grating on my nerves! The last few d...

Last Saturday we spent the day at the In-Laws. When we got home around 10:00 pm, Olivia was shivering. I thought it was strange, but figured she must just be cold so I put her sleep sack on (which I was going to do anyway since it was time to go to bed). The shivering stopped and we all went to bed. The next morning we had a wedding to attend at 11:00 am (the couple had availability issues with their site, thus the 11:00-am-on-a-Sunday wedding). As we were getting ready, I thought she didn't quite seem herself but figured I was just being paranoid. We went to the wedding, but while we were waiting for the ceremony to begin, I could tell she didn't feel well. She felt warm and went from fussy to really sleepy. So, when the ceremony was over I decided to run home with her to take her temperature (we were only 5 minutes from home--nice!). Sure enough, she had a high fever. I gave her tylenol, called the doctor and then had to go pick up Paul and Kayley, who were still at the weddi...

If you're wondering what it's like to have twins, I'll use a trip to the store for a small taste. First, when I decide I want to go out I start by making sure both babies are changed and fed, then I have to pack the diaper bag (mostly already packed but I fill bottles with water and pack the formula or might need to add a few diapers or whatever). Then I have to get myself ready, i.e, put on a little makeup, socks, shoes, pee, grab a coat, etc. This can all take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and a half. When that's done, I get the carriers out of the pantry, put socks (they would normally already be wearing socks but they never stay on) and a jacket on one baby and strap her in. Repeat with the other baby. Then, since it's too hard to carry both carriers and the diaper bag at the same time, I take one baby and the diaper bag and carry them out to the garage. Then I go back in the house for the other baby. I get one baby in the car, go back to the garage for th...

Tomorrow is Halloween, and I've been looking forward to it for an entire year! See, I love being home on Halloween giving out candy to trick-or-treaters, but for the last several years I've lived in condo/townhouse communities that don't have many children so I/we haven't had any (or extremely few). Either that or I went to a party or had Bible study that night or whatever. This year we are in our new house in a very family-oriented neighborhood and are anticipating several. It was about this time last year that we were visiting this neighborhood frequently, checking progress on the house as it was being built, meeting with the loan officer, going through the model home for measurements and decorating ideas, etc. and as we drove around we noticed that many of the houses were decorated for fall/Halloween. It made me excited for this Halloween, knowing that we'd finally live in a neighborhood where we'd actually get trick-or-treaters and be able to hand out candy....

Today the girls are 8 months old! I can't believe it. It goes so fast. Kayley has started pulling up on furniture but Olivia still has yet to assume all fours. Routine-wise, they have started sleeping later, until between 7:40 and 8:00. Great on one hand, but it pushes morning nap time back so late that Kayley often skips her afternoon nap and Olivia takes it so late that she ends up staying up until 9:30 or 10:00. It's too early for them to have only one nap a day (mommy needs a break!)! I'm wondering if I may need to started getting them up at 7:00, but I'm just not sure I want to mess with their natural body clock, so I'll give it a few more days and see how it goes. The last week or so has been pretty tough as the girls suffered from their second cold (mom, too). One day in particular Olivia was very demanding of my time and attention, causing me to neglect Kayley somewhat. I felt horrible. That's one of the hardest things about having twins. You just do the...

The twins were born on February 28th, 2008 via scheduled c-section due to breech presentation. The surgery went fabulously, with both girls born at 9:09 am. Olivia Brooke was first and weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces. Kayley Renee followed and was 5 pounds, 15 ounces. Great size for twins! The next 48 hours were a sleepless blur with a constant stream of nurses and visitors. We actually let the nurses take the babies to the nursery from 1:00 am until 6:00 am both nights so we could get some sleep--we were SO tired! I never thought I'd go for that but I was desperate! Unfortunately, however, it didn't really help because nurses were still in and out checking blood pressure, etc. all night long. On Saturday, March 1st we arrived home with our precious bundles, accompanied by Paul's parents, a family friend and her daughter, Paul's sister and her then-boyfriend. We all had dinner and then they watched the babies while Paul and I tried to get some much needed rest. Around 7:00 ...

So I finally decided to start a "real" blog (I've been doing a teeny bit of blogging on the Nest/Bump), although I'm a little leary that I'll be able to find time to keep up with it. But the twins are starting to sleep in even later (I thought 7:00 am was pretty good but now it's more like 8:00! Whoo-hoo!) which means I can stay up later so I should be able to find blog time after they go to bed. Anyway, they are almost 8 months old now! Unbelievable. I guess I have a lot of catching up to do as far as pictures, etc. but I'll take my time. This is such a fun age. They are really playing and interacting with us and each other and they laugh and giggle and squeal when we "chase" them or play horsie. Kayley is crawling and Olivia has two teeth. Their first Halloween is coming up and I'm not dressing them up. I hope I don't regret that later. I just can't justify spending $20, probably even more, a piece, on costumes that they will wear f...