Friday, September 21, 2007

ZACH.....HE'S 3!

Well, everyone.....my little peanut is turning three tomorrow (9/22). He's not such a peanut anymore, though! It seems like just yesterday I was at the perinatologist office with my mom, and the doctor telling me that the baby needed to be delivered TODAY (almost 6 weeks early) because he wasn't growing (failure to thrive). I remember calling Sam at work saying "this is it, honey....meet me at the hospital!" .... and now he's THREE. I just can't believe it. I never really realized how fast time really does go by ... but now that I have kids, it is simply amazing how quickly it goes. Before I know it we'll be taking him to soccer practice (spring), pre-school (fall) .... I don't even want to think what's after that!! He's growing up too fast on me!

Here was the picture we used for his birth announcement. He was the tiniest baby I've ever seen/held. His skin literally bunched around his bones....but he was a strong little baby and he grew into a little bubba...although he's back to looking like a string bean now.






Feel like taking a trip down memory lane?

www.kodakgallery.com/tramontana (It's the first album...click on the picture of his foot and when the next screen comes up, press the play button!)


Even though my little baby has turned into a raving lunatic lately, I wouldn't trade him for the world. Even when he talks back (new thing), fibs (new thing), hits his sisters (not so new), screams (definitely not new) ... I still can't imagine my life without him!

We're having his birthday party next weekend.... CARS, of course. I wanted to do pirates because he loves acting like a pirate (plus Farm Fresh had a really cute cake!) but in the end, we decided to go with what HE'S into, which is CARS. Tomorrow, we're taking him to Red Robin for lunch (his favorite place to eat) and maybe give him a small present to open (just 'cause he's my baby!!)

You all have a great weekend! I'll give Zach lots of hugs & kisses from everyone, and I'll give him 3 birthday spankings from you all too! (heehee!)

Sunday, September 16, 2007

What do you think? Identical? Not identical?

Well, since they've been born we've all been wondering....are Addison and Avery identical? Are they fraternal? They look mostly identical. Avery's face is still definitely more round ... and Addie is slightly taller than Avery. Couple of other differences: Avery's hair whorls to the left, Addie's whorls to the right. This weekend we took them to the Stride Rite for new shoes. When they measured Addie's feet first, we laughed when they told us she had one foot that was a size 4, and the other a 4 1/2. Then they measured Avery's foot. She has a 4. AND a 4 1/2. HOW WEIRD IS THAT????? Oh, and each of their 4 1/2 is on the opposite side.

Sam and I have thought for awhile that they are identical, despite the minor appearance differences. I read this and thought it was a good comparison:

If the differences between identical twins are difficult to understand, think of twins as two chocolate chip cookies made from the same recipe. Even though the same basic ingredients are used for the dough, it’s impossible to create two virtually identical cookies. Subtle differences in size, color, and texture are simply inevitable since a cookie’s position in the oven will determine how evenly it is baked. In this way, both nature and nurture contribute to the differences we see in identical twins.

Identical twinning is not as common as fraternal twinning, occurring approximately only once in every 80 twin births. Identical twinning, however, is not hereditary (which makes sense in this case as well as there is not one single set of twins in my family) but a random act of nature. (And in my own personal opinion, the result of white water rafting after conception!!)

Now we are wondering - between their opposite hair whorls and opposite size 4 and a halfs, are they not only identical, but are they MIRROR twins? Here's something I read and found interesting:

IDENTICAL TWINS
Results from the splitting of one fertilized egg after conception. The two babies are genetically identical; they begin life with the same hereditary endowment. Identical twins are always the same sex and have the same blood type. Identical twins in appearance are highly similar but not exactly alike. They will have the same hair whorl patterns, hair color and texture, eye color and iris pattern, complexion and shape of ears, nose, and mouth. Even the impressions left by their teeth are the same. Their finger prints are similar but not identical. Differences in size and appearance evident from birth are due to prenatal factors. One baby may have had a favored position in the womb and is therefore stronger at birth and can develop faster. Another may have suffered a slight injury at birth giving his twin a head start. All humans react profoundly to their environments and although identicals start with the same genes, there are countless differences in their surroundings which cause them to develop into individuals with separate personalities.

Mirror Imaging
Once in every four identical twin births, the babies are literally reflections of each other. This is called "mirror imaging" and results from a delayed splitting of the egg. The physical characteristics of one side of one child's body are reflected in the opposite side of the other child's body. Everything is opposite, one is right-handed and the other is left-handed. Occasionally the position of the organs in one child is reversed from the position of the organs in the other child.

We sure don't know for sure. I want to do the DNA test. Sam wants to wait. What's your vote, should we do it? Should we wait and see how they look when they're older? I think (besides the curiosity killing the cat) it's important to know because if they are identical, they will likely end up with the same congenital problems and diseases (God forbid.)


Here's some pictures, birth to now, just to put it in perspective. (Note: it was easier to photograph the two of them together when they were younger!)

































So what do you think? Identical? Not identical? SHOULD WE DO THE DNA TEST is the bigger question! :) Either way, they're pretty darn cute! It's funny how when I was pregnant I would say I was never going to "compare" them. I try not to, but I know both Sam and I often find ourselves comparing them to each other. "Avery talks more than Addie", "Addie's taller than Avery", "Addie's got a funny personality, Avery has a very serious one". I know this is bad, but it's SO hard not to..... it's amazing to see how really different they are - even though they look so much alike. If you haven't met her, Addie is a FUNNY, full of life baby. She walks around like a goofball - even if you're not watching...she just seems to love life! She's very high maintenance, and does NOT like to play by herself very much. She always wants to be where everyone is, and she loves giving kisses and hugs. Avery with her round face looks just like a little doll - she's a lot more serious - she likes to play alone a lot and is very cuddly, but she has a lot more temper tantrums than Addison. She also loves to sing. She "sings" along with all of her favorite TV Shows (Little Einsteins, WonderPets, Yo Gabba Gabba - sorry Jen!)

As many of you know, when I was pregnant, I was NOT HAPPY that I was having two more babies. We only "planned" for ONE more. Two more meant: our cars weren't big enough, our house wasn't big enough, I would have to go back to work because we wouldn't be able to afford two on formula, three in diapers..... you name it, I came up with every EXCUSE why were were not BLESSED to have twins on the way. I feel sad now thinking that I wasn't happy and joyous over these two during the 37 weeks that I carried them inside me ... having twins (while challenging) is the most AMAZING thing you could ever hope for. I can't imagine one without the other - they are a complete "set" .... and I couldn't love them any more and be any happier to have them BOTH! If you are reading this and are unexpectedly expecting two ... just remember - everything always works out. People would tell me that and I would get so frustrated feeling like they had NO idea what I was going through and that "everything always works out" is like the standard line when you don't know WHAT to say. But it really and truly does, and I'm living proof!

Monday, September 10, 2007

Priceless!



- Liquor needed to make Flykiller martinis for many people $80.00
- 4 Tickets to the Dolphins Game $400.00

- Seeing my husband do this:



PRICELESS


As you can see, we went to the Redskins / Dolphins game on Sunday. We started tailgating....ahem, drinking....at 9:00 AM. (Oh boy!) Sam mixed up so many "flykiller" martinis for everyone in our group ---- plus any other Dolphin fan who walked by and asked for one, his arm is literally SORE (too funny!!) As you can tell in the above picture he reverted to his fraternity days with one of our neighboring tailgaters (of course his sweet and innocent wife egged him on to do it, and I have to tell you all ... the neighboring tailgaters were like 21 ... and they were completely in awe of how fast Sam did it .... lol....he must have gotten lots of practice at college!!) And as most of you know Sam like I do...he's calmed down a lot since his college days...so seeing him do this was hysterical!!

The tickets were actually free - they were my company seats and they were awesome ... 45 yard line, 12 rows up on the Dolphins side. Sam was in heaven!

Here are some other pictures:







As you can probably tell, we had a great time even though the Dolphins lost! The Redskin fans are a class act (most of them anyway) and it was great fun bantering back and forth with them on every play.

We went to the Orioles vs. Red Sox game for my company picnic the night before and the O's won! (It was amazing...soon to be last place O's slaughtered the Red Sox - and even hit a grand slam!!) I have to say, though, being a Cubs fan we've never seen anything quite like this game. There were literally thousands and thousands of Red Sox fans there. I guess the Cubs tickets aren't as easy to come by but I have never seen so much opposing color at ANY sporting event.

FYI, in case you're wondering what a "flykiller" martini is..... Sam and I had stayed at the Renaissance hotel in DC for work awhile back, and Sam ordered this martini that was called the "50th state" at the hotel bar. This martini was DELICIOUS and it tasted like you should be lying on the beach somewhere. So we asked the bartender how to make it (recipe to follow) and we made them at home. The first time we made them, a fly was in the kitchen and it flew into Sam's mom's "50th state" martini. It died instantly. From then on, we've dubbed it the "flykiller". If you want to try to make one:

  • 2 ounces (2 shot glasses) of Captain Morgan Parrot Bay (coconut ) rum
  • 1 ounce of Midori (green melon liqueur)
  • 1 ounce of Banana liqueur
  • splash of pineapple juice
  • Cherries

Shake in a martini shaker for a couple minutes, serve ice cold in a martini glass....add the cherry last. Be prepared to drink more than one!!! YUM! ! !

Have a great night everyone!!!


Rachel





Thursday, September 6, 2007

Do I really look like these people?

Well, I got this idea from Jen's blog, and I thought it was too funny, so I ran my own "Celebrity-look-alike" ... heeeheee!




Here is Sam's:





What a hoot! The funny thing is that when I did this with other pictures, I had look-alikes such as Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson. Yeah, Right. I wish! Heeehee .... enjoy!

My son who wants body art ...

Anyone have any ideas how to get SHARPIE MARKER off a kid?








I told Zach he could play on the CARS website this morning while I slept for "five more minutes" ... and look what he got into. Oh, it's also on a chair. Of all the pens and pencils in the basket he picks the ONE Sharpie. I wish Carli luck today with the bath.....I have a feeling he's going to be wearing his "tatoos" for awhile.

I'm OFFICIALLY a SCRAPPER!


Well......after years of "saying" I'm gonna do it, I FINALLY have started scrapping! YAY!!!


Here are my three hour masterpieces from this evening. What do you think?



My neighbor, Jen, sells Stampin' Up and I went to a party and spent my paycheck ... so I thought I'd get started. (Please note, nothing I used in these two pages was done with my new Stampin' Up stuff. Hmm. LOL! Actually, I haven't gotten up the courage to put together my stamps that I ordered so the "stamping" part of these projects will come next....these first few are just my *practice* pages in preparation of our girl's weekend coming up in November!) I'm hosting a Stampin' Up party next month in case any of y'all are interested in attending/ordering! (Help a momma out, will ya? I get FREE stuff if you order!! :) ) <--- just kidding!!!

Hope you have a great evening!

Rachel

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Happy birthday to me...Happy birthday to me ....

Well as you all probably know, I turned 24 yesterday. Oops. That was a "typo" .... I meant 34. I can't believe I'm 34 years old, and next year 35. I remember when my mom was 35 and I remember thinking she was OLD. Oh boy. This year is Okay, I'm still SIX years away from the big 4-0 .... but next year, I think I'm going to have a hard time - just so you all know in advance! :)

As usual, Sam did "birthday week" for me ... he is so sweet and gets me a present every day for a week (yeah, I know I'm lucky!) I got a book, several pairs of pajamas, a "Dolphins" Tshirt (we're going to the Dolphins / Skins game next weekend), bubble bath and perfume. For those of you who know me well, you know these are my FAVORITE things in the world! (Well, minus the Dolphins T-shirt, of course....but I will proudly wear it next Sunday because I'm such a caring and supportive wife) <--- Be nice, Sam!!!! You know what else he did for me? He ordered Portillo's Italian Beef and Eli's Cheesecake for my birthday dinner!! (YAY!) We had another couple over who used to live in Chicago and we all thoroughly enjoyed the food. For those of you who haven't been to Chicago - it's just one of those things that you can only get IN Chicago, and in my opinion Portilli's makes it the best. It's kinda like Philly Cheesesteaks. You can't get a GOOD cheesesteak if you aren't in Philly!! Oh yeah, he also made me a "mix" CD too ... isn't that awesome!? (I'll attach the link to the songs on the CD shortly).





Well, another year older another year wiser. Isn't that the saying? (Heehee!) Seriously, though, life sure does go by fast - and the older we get the faster it seems to fly by. I can't believe Zach is going to be three in a few weeks. I mean...three! It feels like I just had him! (Oh yeah, well that's probably because I'm up half the night with him again!) Yes - as an update to my previous post he's not doing any better sleeping. (arrgh!) The twins are officially 18 months old, as of yesterday. *WOW* Hopefully in the next couple weeks I'm going to learn how to post some video on my blog so you can see the kids in action. Zach's favorite dance is a version of "electric slide" ... LOL ... and it's so funny to see him "sliding to the left...." Hehehehee! Of course, Addie and Avery are always right there acting like hams to make us laugh (especially Addie who is THE funniest baby I've ever seen....she's just seriously goofy.)


Hope y'all had a great Labor Day holiday.....or at least a nice day off work!


Catch you later......Rachel