Life Update

Hello, friends!!

Just popping in for a little Life Update

Soooo.... it's obviously been ages since I last blogged, and I'm soooorrrry. 

I mean my goodness. It looks like the last blog was back in October 2014, when the boys were about 9 months old. A lot has happened since then...

A lot

In December of 2014 my job title changed drastically and I began to work really, really long hours... booooo. Operations manager of a busy downtown hotel was not very friendly when it came to family life.I was only seeing the boys for about an hour to an hour and a half before they went to bed for the evening. It was really hard to only have that much time with them, especially considering how hard we tried to have children. It also made vlogging and blogging pretty much impossible with two little ones on top of crazy work hours.

Armor and Ronin, are now two years old and crazy as ever... We lovingly call them our tiny little tornadoes of velociraptors, ah aha... that one is actually more fitting. They talk so much and it's been so amazing to watch them grow into toddlers vs. infants. They make me crazy and amaze me every single day.

Also. . . 

I had another BABY!!!!

What?

Oh my gosh!

How'd that happen?!? 

Aren't you infertile!?!

Yep...

Sometimes... life throws you a well deserved surprise!

We were shocked, beyond shocked, and it honestly took us a little bit to get use to the idea that we were adding another baby to the family. It was so weird to know my body did what it was supposed to do all on its own... such a strange feeling. 

Right after the boys turned one
is when it happened... NO we were not trying, and to be honest we never thought we'd have anymore children. I thought for sure we'd have to bust into our frozen embryo storage.. It was pretty much a surprise and what I like to call our "valentines love baby" haha. I found out at the beginning of March right after our sweet Roxy passed away... She gave us 14 fantastic years of being the most awesome dog we'll ever have in our lifetime. Josh graduated with his Associate Degree in Applied Science in May and we found out the very same day we were having a GIRL!!!! How incredibly lucky are we???

We also decided to donate our 13 remaining embryos. We donated them to our fertility clinic so that other couples could adopt them. We both feel really good about our decision, and it's a little hard to believe that someone will be having our children... CRAZY!!!

Josh took the summer off from school and stayed home with the boys while I worked, then returned to school in September to continue with his Bachelor degree... I have an relatively uneventful pregnancy, but did wind up dealing with Gestational Diabetes. Luckily, I was able to keep it under control with diet restriction - yay, go me!!

I gave birth to Olivia Rose Bernard on November 9th, 2015, ironically it was the same date that I had my last miscarriage back in 2011. We defiantly came full circle.

Olivia was born at 5:19 pm 

weighted 8lbs 5oz.

Her birth was fantastic and I delivered with the midwives 

just like I did with the boys. I made a birth vlog video, so I'll share the link with y'all  Birth Vlog

I took 3 months off for maternity leave and wound up finding a new job the same week I returned to work. I put my notice in and bam... I have a new job in a completely different industry with a M-F 8/5 kinda hours. I could not be more happy for this change in employment and having more time with my family.  Obviously I'd love to stay home, but that is just not the season of our life right now. Josh is seriously an amazing dad, he is so great... I could not ask for a better husband, friend and father for our children. I truly love him more than I could ever appropriately articulate into words. 

So for now that is it. I'm going to start blogging a bit more since I don't have time to Vlog. I totally miss vlogging, but it takes so much time to edit, blah... 

I feel like I'm in a part of my life where if feels right to blog again!

Right now...overall,  life is good, I'm blessed in more was than I can count and I'm incredibly lucky for all that I have. 

They Boys are 9 months old!!

Hello world and Happy October!!

Just here to do a tiny update on the Boys and post a few pictures!

Armor has officially been crawling for about 2 weeks now - WHAT??? How did we get here so fast? Time is flying so fast and these little guys are growing so much... They amaze me each and every day.

I feel like 8 months was such a fun time, mixed with lots of fussing, lol. The Boys have changed so much over the last month or so, and have become very aware of each other and their surrounding. We've had some fussy times which also lets me know they have been going through growth spurts. They are such happy little guys! They laugh, smile and giggle at each other and us... They are so different!

So, Yes... Armor is crawling and pulling up on most things. He is everywhere, investigating and studying everything in his path. He still only has 4 teeth, but I feel a few more might be on the way soon. He has been so smiley and vocal lately.

Ronin is not crawling yet, but is rolling around everywhere, trying to pull up on things, and is really strengthening his upper body. He also looooooves to kick anything and everything in his path. He still goes to PT for Torticollis, but will soon be done (happy dance) He's been in therapy for about 4 months now and I'm so happy that it has helped so much, but a huge part of me will be relieved for him to graduate. My weeks are so full with working full time and appointments on my days off, but I love his Physical Therapist and will be a little sad not to see her anymore, because she is great with both of us!! Ronin has 6 teeth and and two more should break through the surface anytime :)

They turned 9 months old on the 8th of this month, had their 9 month check up and got a flu shot. We don't visit the pediatrician again until they are 12 months... I seriously can't believe they will be 1 year olds in 3 months!!

Armor is 19lbs3oz 28 1/2" tall with a head circumference of 45
Ronin is 18lbs4oz 29" tall with a head circumference of 44

 

The Boys are 7 Months!!

The Boys are growing so fast and sometimes I seriously want to stop time and just absorb every minute of their little lives, every breath, every smile, every cry and every fussy moment. They are absolutely amazing and fill my heart with such amazing joy. I do feel like I miss out on them while I'm at work, but when they smile and laugh at me all of the guilt from being gone literally melts away. I try and soak in as much as I can and stalk them at night from work by logging on to the baby monitor :) Josh also takes lots of video and pictures, so that makes it great! I take weekly pictures of them just like I did when I was pregnant and I post them on The Redhead Files facebook page. I also take a monthly photos with their cute little bowtie stickers that a sweet, sweet friend sent to me during my pregnancy. I love documenting their lives, for me obviously, but also for our family that are out of state.

Armor and Ronin, turned 7 months old on the 8th of August, 7 MONTHS!! How is this possible? I still remember their birth like it was yesterday *sigh*... time sure does fly when you’re having fun! 

We recently took our first road trip with the Boys to visit family in Lake Charles. It was a rather long drive, but they did fantastic on the drive down and overall It was a really nice trip and very much needed for both Josh and I. I got teary-eyed about an hour into our drive thinking, wow… I can’t believe we are traveling back home to see family with our very own family. It was a wonderful feeling. Many of  Josh's family members had not yet met the boys, so everyone got tons of baby snuggles, smiles, kisses and laughs. The boys also swam in the very same pool that Josh swam in as a child. Great memories

Armor is rolling all over the place!! From his tummy he pulls his entire body up from the floor and is basically practicing for future crawling, lol. He loves his bouncer and is now starting fuss when we leave the room. He is very aware of our presence. He smiles and laughs every day and his hair is really starting to come in. Armor is also getting really good at sitting up. He still wobbles a bit and tumbles over after a little while, but overall he’s looking pretty straight. One tooth on the bottom has broken the surface, one right next to it will come any day (hour) and his top two are also coming in right now, poor little guy. Teething hasn't been kind to him. He has Josh's eye color, nose, ears, feet and hands... The rest is all me!

Ronin is going to Physical Therapy each week for his Torticollis and is getting so much stronger. He is starting to roll over on his own from belly to back, and back to belly. He usually only rolls from his right side, so we are working on the left side roll. Sitting is getting better, but he still leans forward and is wobbly, but definitely improving. Ronin recently received a helmet to correct his plagiocephaly. He will have to wear it anywhere from 4-6 months, but I think it will be closer to the 4-5 month range. Ronin has already cut two teeth on the bottom and two top teeth. I call him my teething machine :) He smiles alllll day, everyday and is such a happy little guy. Ronin has my eyes, nose, ears and feet. The rest is alllll Josh!

Both Armor and Ronin are very vocal these days and each of their voices is so different from one another. When we are in another room or I hear them on the baby monitor I instantly know who is who. At their 6 month appointment they both weighed exactly same at 16lbs 10oz and were 27 ½ and 27 ¾ long!! They got vaccinations and did much better this time around. They are drinking 4 bottles a day and each have one full jar of baby food!! I buy nature's best and beechnut, they love sweet potatoes, green beans, squash and pears. I so wanted to make my own food, but seriously… I just don’t have time. Working full time is tough sometimes, but I do what i must in order to support my family. Josh is also a full time student, so our lives are pretty busy these days, but I love it and would not change it for anything in the world. To be honest... I'm madly in love with them and truly amazed at how much our lives have changed in such little time. Josh and I were so excited to know we were finally going to become parents, but there is no way we could have ever known just how amazing it would be, or just how much it would truly affect us. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

                                                           Some Instagram love

 

 

4 1/2 months!!

Life as a Mom is incredible, tiring, enlightening, empowering and by far the best thing I've ever done!!

(I feel so darn lucky)

The Boys are now 4 1/2 months old!!

Armor, squeaks and squawks while, Ronin, smiles and flirts.

The little guy's recently had their 4 month check-up and are growing fantastically. They are still a little on the small side and not even hitting the 50th percentile range on anything, but I'm okay with that, and so is their pediatrician. They were 3 weeks early so taking that into consideration, they are doing great. 

Ronin has an appointment with the cranial/facial doctor in July to discuss what to do about his plagiocephaly. He might need to wear a helmet for a bit, and we're waiting on his referral to the physical therapist for his torticollis. I'm ready to get things moving along for him so that it does not get any worse.

Armor is 13lbs 10oz and 24 1/2 inches

Ronin is 14lbs 1oz and 24 3/4 inches

They are sleeping through the night and what a blessing that is!! They wake up fairly early, but usually go back to sleep for an hour or so after eating. We snuggle on the couch together in the early morning, then move to the play mat and after about an hour or so on the play mat we do tummy time. Timmy time usually results in eventual sleeping or fussing. Ronin, has rolled over from front to back several times, and Armor has rolled from both back to front and front to back. Armor is really active and always kicking those little legs. Their individual personalities are really starting to shine through and they make my heart want to burst. The laughs and sounds they make bring a huge smile to my face and heart each day.

Life as a parent is so much more than I ever imagined it to be. I feel like I'm not such a boring person anymore, lol. I was on maternity leave for two months after they were born and I would have taken an extra month, but I was already out on bed rest for the month prior to their arrival. I was not ready to go back, I'll say that... it was definitely tough, I cried and totally wish I could stay home with them. I have adjusted to life as a working Mom, it is still hard, but you do what you must. Josh was in school the entire time I was pregnant, and started his spring semester just 5 days after they were born. Haha. Looking back at how we all survived those first few months makes me incredibly proud of the both of us. I'm also soooo proud of Josh, for even being able to make it to class each day and make the Dean's list all while adjusting to life as a new twin parent. Josh has taken to fatherhood quite well and it is a beautiful sight to see. He is fantastic with them. In the beginning, when I first went back to work  it was kind of tough on him. One day I came home and he said "They don't like me", he was serious and I felt bad for him, but since then he has created his own routines with them and learned how to be confident in his ability to care for them while I'm gone. It makes my love for him so much deeper. His mother, Sheila (aka Meme) has also been an amazing help. When I'm at work and he's in school she watches them for us and we are so lucky to have her!! She watches them about two days a week and we handle the rest. I just love my life so much. I feel like I waited an eternity to have this role as a mother and it has been worth every ounce of struggle I suffered on my path to Motherhood.