Sniff...Sniff..

Well, I've had to shed a few tears so far this week. I'm back to work and Avery started daycare yesterday. I really got upset thinking about passing her off to someone else. I teared up every time I thought about it. Yesterday actually went pretty well. I dressed the girls in "Big Sister" & "Little Sister" shirts for the occasion. I had to take their picture, of course. (It's a little fuzzy because someone wouldn't hold still.) That did slow me down a bit but it was important. :0) Ryann really likes to go to daycare and she was excited for Sissy to go with her. Once we were there, she forgot all about Avery & went off to play. I feel very comfortable with our daycare provider and we had already met about Avery last week so it wasn't too bad handing her over. Although, it was a much slower process than when I drop Ryann off. I had to peel myself away from her slowly. I teared up as I left the daycare but didn't cry after that. It was much easier than I thought. That doesn't mean that I like it by any means but I'm not falling apart like I thought I would. Now that the school year is beginning, I'll be looking forward to weekends, holidays and our 2 week breaks to spend with my babies. It makes it a little easier having a job that I love to go to. It keeps me busy and the days go quickly. I am grateful to have a pretty good situation, even though I can't be home with my kids all the time.

Hand-Me-Downs

For some reason, I find it fun to compare pictures of the girls in the same outfits or poses at similar ages. I don't know why. It's just one of the ways I'll drive my kids crazy someday, probably.

I have discovered that it's much more difficult to get pictures of Avery than it was to get them of Ryann. My eldest child doesn't seem to like it when the younger one gets her picture taken. I'm not sure if it's the attention that Ryann isn't getting at the moment or truly the fact that Ryann is obsessed with pieces of technology. She begs to see pictures of "Ry-Ry" on the camera whenever I get it out to take Avery's picture. Avery is often confused by the commotion and her smiles are hard to catch. Oh well, maybe it'll get easier. :0)

My morning babies.... They're so happy when they wake up. Well, at least Ryann used to be. Now, it's more hit and miss with her. Avery loves to smile and "talk" when she wakes up.

I'm noticing that their pictures don't look as similar anymore. I guess they'll be more different looking than we thought. When Avery was born, it was deja vu. She's definitely becoming her own person in looks and personality. Ryann was always content and fairly independent as a baby. Avery is a snuggler and needs love all day. She sleeps well at night but demands attention all day. Hopefully, that'll pass. It's super fun when Avery is fussing for attention and Ryann is having a terrible two episode. Ahh...the good times.

Summer's Coming to a Close

If I were still in NY, I'd just be settling into my summer routine, with a month off of work ahead of me. Well, I'm in AZ. That means that summer is just about over. I start work on Tuesday, July 28th. I've already spent 3 days at school and countless hours at home preparing for the new school year. I've always loved the beginning of the school year, even as a student. I guess that's one of the reasons I wanted to be a teacher. You get a fresh start every year. It's so exciting! I always have big plans for the most successful year ever. However, by the third or fourth week of school, the novelty has worn off and I'm ready for fall break. Unfortuantely, the first quarter is 9 weeks long. :0) The beautiful thing about our school calendar here is that we finish a quarter, get a 2 week break, recharge, and start a new quarter. It's sort of like the first day of school 4 times a year. Well, sort of. Nothing beats the real first day. :0)

On the flip side, there is one bad thing about the school year starting. I don't get to spend every day with my kids. I admit, I do get stir crazy and, sometimes frustrated, but I do love my time with my girls. Avery starts daycare on Tuesday. I'm very sad about it but I know she's in good hands and she's less than a mile from my school. Ryann loves it there and has always had a good experience. It's just hard to let go. If only I could take the girls to work with me. :0)

Here's a picture of something Ryann and I did almost every day this summer...the froggy pool.

Kid Pics

I thought I should post some new pictures of the girls, since it's been a week. :0)

Scott and I were just commenting tonight on how much Ryann has grown this summer and how much more alert and strong Avery is. Here are some recent pics.

Another New Addition

Back in December of 2001, I went car shopping. I wanted to trade in my 1999 Corolla for something new. I really liked the Highlanders but decided I couldn't afford one at the time. I ended up buying a 2002 Corolla. Well, after more than 7 years including countless road trips, I traded her in. I finally broke down and bought a Highlander. I needed the space for the kids. In the Corolla, Ryann used to kick the back of my seat while I drove and the passenger had to have knees in the dash so Avery's seat would fit behind it. It was ridiculous. We realized that it just wasn't safe. It was time for an upgrade. The good news is that we can comfortably fit up to 4 adults and 2 carseats in my vehicle now. I love that! I even got my favorite color. Here's a picture of my newest baby.

Our Big Girls

Avery is becoming a big girl, just like her sister. She sat in her Bebe' Pod chair for the first time on Thursday. I thought she was so cute that I had to take her picture. Ryann kept jumping in and posing as well. She'd hate to miss out on the attention. Avery still has some difficulty holding herself up but she has improved greatly in the past few days. The picture below was taken on Sunday the 5th. Isn't she cute? :0)

More Trips To The Doctor

Yesterday was Avery's 2 month check-up. We left the house early to stop at my doctor's office to get an order for a chest x-ray. Ryann already had one ordered at the end of last week but I wanted to go only once so I waited. We have both been battling coughs for a month or better.
At my doctor's, we unloaded, got the order, loaded back up and headed to the pediatrician. I was in a hurry to be on time so I may have been exceeding the speed limit and had my picture taken by the nice camera along the road.
When we got to the doctor's office, there was a mix up with the insurance which caused me a little added stress. Then, we went in. Avery weighed 11 lbs 11 oz. That put her in the 75th percentile. For height, she's in the 90th percentile. That's different from Ryann. She was always lower in that category. Avery was hungry so she cried the whole time I talked to the doctor. She was also very upset when she received 3 shots for immunizations. She screamed, I teared up, and Ryann ran around the room. A good time was had by all.
Then, I fed Avery in the car before heading to the radiologist. I looked at the paperwork for the nearest radiologist location. It was in the same building as my doctor. Ugh! If I were a little more on top of things, I could have avoided that whole additional trip before Avery's appointment.
Once back at my doctor's building, we stopped at the bathroom to change diapers before going to the radiologist. I remembered that I only had 1 diaper for each of them. I changed Ryann and started changing Avery. She peed on the table and her onsesie. I had no back up clothes. I cleaned her up and started putting the clean diaper on. She peed again. Great! I know better than to leave the house without back ups of everything. It was just one of those days. I decided she'd be ok to be wet for a short time.
We headed to the radiology office. It was very busy once we arrived. After I filled out paperwork, Avery made a loud noise in her diaper. Awesome...no diapers left and she pooped. I just crossed my fingers that it would be quick so I could get her home & change her. We waited for an hour or so in the waiting room. Ryann made friends with some older kids and Avery fell asleep. We were finally called. Ryann did pretty well holding still. I was very relieved to get back home. We all went down for naps in the afternoon. I was hoping to forget what a rough day it was. Avery ate & fell asleep, Ryann went to bed, I crawled into my bed,.....and Avery woke up. It took an hour to get her sleeping soundly. Then, Ryann woke up. So much for a nap. I was really happy when bedtime arrived. :0)