Misc Pictures

Vanessa playing


Sarah in her new simming suit ready for her first day of swim class



Nicholas smiling

Sarah with her new fins

Sarah and Vanessa in the tub. Sarah takes baths with them every night. So much easier to bathe everyone at once! I can't wait until the twins can sit up on their own!

4 mos

Sarah feeding Vanessa

Nicholas getting ready to eat rice cereal for the first time.

Vanessa getting ready to eat rice cereal for the first time.

The twins went to the Dr. last week. They are 4 months already!! Here are the stats:

Nicholas:

• 13 pounds (25th percentile)
• 25 3/4 inches
• Head Circumference: 16 inches
• smiles
• laughs
• coos
• sometimes sucks his thumb
• does not roll over yet
• will not push up yet
• does not like to take naps in his crib!
• started eating rice cereal June 24th
• Dr. says he will be long and thin, feed him as much as he wants, whenever he wants

Vanessa:

• 10 pounds 15 ounces (5th percentile)
• 23 inches
• head circumference: 16 inches
• smiles
• laughs
• coos
• rolled over from back to tummy June 27th and from tummy to back
• pushes up when on her tummy
• sucks her thumb
• teething, may be getting a tooth on the side
• likes to nap in her crib
• started eating rice cereal June 24th

Al in all they are both doing very good. They got 3 shots again this time. Nicholas developed a fever that night and had me up about 5 times. Poor baby! Vanessa didn't seem to have any reaction.

Sarah also saw the Dr. becuase she said her ear hurt. I am never sure if she is just looking for attention or not, so since we were going there anyway, I had him look at it. He said her ears were clear, thank goodness!

Sarah "graduates" from preschool this coming Tuesday. It is at a park near us. Should be very cute! They have been practising their songs. Sarah also has started swim lessons. She seems to like it. She also is going camping this summer with Nanny (aunt Donna) and Uncle Randy. So her summer is booking up. She starts kindergarten August 26th. I will take that day off work because I want to drop her off and pick her up from school. There also an orientation for kindergarten parents. And the twins have their 6 month check-up that day. It will be a busy day!

Another Random Post

So it has been quite a while since I posted. Not much has changed. I went back to work on May 18th. So far it is going pretty good. I miss my kids terribly, but I am not the "Stay At Home Mom." type, I need the adult interaction. Which I think is very strange considering I have loved children ever since I can remember. I even wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. And now being home with my own kids is very stressful for me. Oh well, some women are meant to be home and some just are not. I love my kids very much and will do anything for them of course.

Now on to the children. Sarah is doing very well in preschool. The year is pretty much over, but they have a ton of stuff planned for the summer. Her preschool graduation is June 30th. It is at a local park, so it should be a lot of fun. She is so excited! She calls it her "gradulation."

Sarah went to Atascadero with Tim's parents last weekend. They stayed and Bob and Leah's. Sarah said she had a good time. I heard she went to the biys baseball game and was the "honorary cheerleader" for the team. So cute! I wish I had it on video. She told Leah she wants to go back to swim and see the horses. I told Leah anytime you want to take her this summer, just let me know!

Nicholas and Vanessa are doing good too. I cannot beleive how big Nicholas is! He has got to be about 14 pounds by now. And he is really long! He is in 3-6 mos clothes and will probably be out of them within the next month or so. I think he has the Thiele height. He is sleeping through the night (or has for the last 3 days). He smiles, coos, and just started to laugh.

Vanessa is just a little peanut. She is probably about 9 or 10 pounds. She has been sleeping through the night for about a week or so. I usually go in and get her at 6:45 when we leave for work. And she is usually just laying in her crib smiling away. She is smiling, cooing, laughing and talking. She does things quicker than Nicholas.

My parents have decided what the three kids will be doing when they grow up:
Sarah will be the actress (she is so drama!)
Vanessa will be the doctor (she does things ahead of Nicholas)
Nicholas will be the garbage truck driver (he is just slower, but hey, they make good money!)

I thought that was so true!

The next appoitment for the twins is at the end of the month. I will post stats then. I will also post pics soon too. I have some from Ted and Heather's wedding that I need to post.

Bathtime

Here are some pictures of bathtime. They both seem to like their baths. Nicholas loves the whole thing. Being washed, dried and lotioned up. Vanessa likes being washed, dried, but once you start the lotion, forget it! She cries every time! Weird! But we seem to have a good routine going. This is my last week of being off so we will see if we can get into a new routine next week.



Vanessa-wondering what is going on.


Nicholas-Look at that double chin!

9 1/2 week check-up

Well actually it is their 2 month but I was a little late getting them in. So here are the stats:

Nicholas-10 lbs. 12 ozs (25 percentile), 23 inches long (50 percentile), 15 1/2 inches head circumference

Vanessa-8 lbs. 13 ozs (10 percentile), 22 inches (50 percentile), 15 1/2 inches head circumference

Both got 2 shots and this other oral medication. Nicholas seems to be in a little pain from one of the shots so I gave him Tylenol. Vanessa seems okay. They are doing really well though. I am starting to sleep train them. The Dr. says don't let them sleep longer than 2 hours at a time during the day, hoping this will hekp them sleep a little more at night. I go back to work in 2 weeks, so hopefully we can get this started so it will help me.

This weekend is Ted and Heather's wedding! We are all so excited! The twins will be with their father overnight becuase the wedding is so late. The day will start at 10:30 when I drop the kids off! Sarah is getting excited to walk down the aisle. I will get lots of pictures and upload them next week. Well that is all for now.

Park

Vanessa at the park

Nicholas at the park

Cheese!

At the playground

Weeeeeee!!!!!!

This morning I took the kids to the park. It is such a nice day here I thught we should get out a little. Plus my time at home is coming to an end, so I should make the best of it. I go back to work May 18th.

Sarah apperantly has 2 new pets. She has two dogs, Joseph and Alea. She says they are like Marley in "Marley and Me." So this morning when we went to the park we had to bring the dogs with us. She tied them to the stroller and when they had to go potty she let them off and even picked up after them! And when we got to the park she threw the bags in the trash. She has such an imagination!

6 weeks

Sarah feeding Vanessa

Time sure does fly! The twins are 6 weeks old and they are doing great, except for the sleeping part. I guess they aren't doing terrible, but during the day they can go about 4 hours without being fed. But at night they go about 2-3 hours! UGH! At least for the weekend my aunt Donna(Sarah's Nanny) and uncle Randy will be here. They had twins about 24 years ago, so they know what it is like. So while they are here they said they would do the night shift for me. I am so excited because I am so tired!

Last night Vanessa woke up at 3:15 am. I got her changed and made a bottle, then we went in to my room, turned on VH1, and guess what was on? New Kids on the Block! It was a show all about them! I was in heaven! Then as I was feeding Vanessa she gave me her first real smile! It was so big and so cute! Just melted my heart!

Sarah is doing good. We had a re-check appt. at the dr. yesterday for her ear infection. She is all clear. Then we went over to Uncle Ted's (Unc/Best Friend) and Heather Boss's (Heath) house. Sarah loves seeing her Best Friend! They played marbles and she helped him water his flowers. Heather and I sat inside and talked and fed babies. Aunt Heather is getting very good at feeding the babies. Maybe next time I can get her to change a diaper!

1 Month Physical

On Thursday I took the twins in for their check-up. They are now 5 weeks. Everything looks great! They are gaining weight and following the curve. Vanessa is 6 pounds 13 ounces and Nicholas is 8 pounds 4 ounces. They are eating very well. They both take 4 ounces of formula every 3 to 4 hours. Everything else on them looks good.

Sarah continues to love school. Everyday she asks if she is going to school. Her class is hatching chicks. Last week she said the chicks chirped in the shell and in 4 days they will be here. SO fun!

4 Weeks!

Nicholas and Vanessa are 4 weeks old today! I cannot beleive how the time has flown by! They are both doing quite well. They went for weight checks last week and they are doing fabulous. Vanessa was 5 pounds 3 ounces and she is now 5 pounds 13 ounces! Nicholas was 6 pounds 7 ounces and he is now 7 pounds! The dr. is happy with their progress. They go back on April 2nd for their 4 week physical and the second round of the Hepatitus B shot. That is all from here.




Sarah feeding Vanessa, Such a little mother!


Sarah and the twins at 4 weeks

Nicholas and Vanessa at 4 weeks old!

And a Few More

Sarah sliding


Nicholas swinging



Vanessa bright-eyed

Some Pics

Nicholas getting a bath.


Vanessa Sleeping in the swing



Laying together.

Weight Check

Well we went to the dr. yesterday for the weight check. After 7 days they still are not what they should be. Vanessa is 5 pounds 3 1/2 ozs. That is 2 1/2 ozs up in 7 days. Nicholas is 6 pounds 7 1/2 ozs. That is 6 1/2 ozs up in 7 days. The dr. wants them to gain a half oz at the min a day. But a whole oz a day would be better. He said to feed them more. I was feeding them 2 ozs every 3 hours. He said to do 3 ozs every 2 hours. Well we tried that yesterday and they were so full they did not want to eat. So I am feeding them every 3 hours, whatever they will take. At midnight Nicholas took 4 ozs! So he was good for 4 hours. I do not wake them anymore at night. They seem to wake on their own now. We go back next Friday again.

I am excited for today, even though I am exhausted from Vanessa being up all night last night! Sarah and I are going to Grammy and Poppa's (Tim's parents) today for the day. Bob, Leah, and the boys will be there. I will get a ton of help and the boys will keep Sarah occupied. Should be a fun day. I am bringing my camera, so hopefully there will be pictures. I am so bad at taking pictures these days.

We May Be Getting The Hang of Things

Looks like Vanessa has finally learned how to eat. She did great yesterday and last night. Got her to eat 2 oz at a time, which is perfect. Nicholas is doing great as well. He is hungry right on schedule, every 2 1/2 - 3 hrs. Both babies are good babies so far. Yesterday was our first day home alone, with no help. It was only for a few hours in the morning, but we were still alone. We did quite well. Of course both babies got fussy at the same time, but I handeled it. I just had to listen to one cry while the other got fed first. Today Tim's mom will come over after she gets off work to help me a little. I am hoping to get a nap in while she is here.

Sarah has school today, so Tim will take her before he goes to work. I think she would rather be at school than home with me, but I really don't blame her. It is boring just sitting around watching me feed and change diapers all day long!

Thank you all for checking to see if we are okay. We are getting there.

The Twins are 10 Days Old!

I know, I have not been a very good poster lately. Pur lives have been turned upside down ever since the twins were born! So it has been 10 days sine they arrived. Let me ee if I can break it down as to what has been happening. Everything went great in the hospital. It was so great to have the nurses there to help me. After having a C-Section, it is really hard to move quickly! I had the best nurses! We came hom on Sunday, March 1st. My parents and Tim's parents came over to help us get settled. That was really nice! Lynn and Ronny did some gardening for us and my dad put together the cradle and my mom helped me wash some things. My mom and Lynn helped me in the baby's nursery to get organized and they changed our bed. Always nice to have clean sheets. They did all this while holding babies too.

The next few days, it was just the 5 of us at home. It went pretty good. Tim was able to be off for a few more days so he helped around the house while I cared for the babies. We took them to their first Dr. appt. on Wednesday. Everything looked good except for their weights. Their discharge weights were lower than the usual 10%, so that was not good. When we went to the Dr. Vanessa weighed 4 pounds 15 ounces and Nicholas weighed 6 pounds 1 ounce. Dr. was not happy about this. So we had to go back Friday. Yesterday my mom took us all to the Dr. to check their weight. Vanessa weighed 5 pounds 1/2 ounce and Nicholas weighed 6 pounds 3 ounces. So the each gained. They should be gaining about an ounce a day. We are having the hardest time feeding Vanessa. We have to undress her and feed her naked. Plus I use a washcloth to wake her up and the lights need to be on in the room. It is quite an ordeal. We have tried changing the bottles and nipples. Tried different flows of nipples, used a medicine dropper to feed her like a bird. It is so frustrating at night! Last night was awful. She didn't eat hardley anything except 1/2 ounce. She should be taking 2 ounces every two hours. We may be taking her back to the dr. today. She has to eat!

Sarah is doing quite well. She is a very good helper. She is being very patient too for a 4 year old. She sleeps through all the commotion at night too! She still goes to school Tuesday and Thursdays. Which is a life saver for both of us! It has got to be so hard for her having two new babies in the house.

I will try to be better at updating the website. I will even put pictures on it soon.

Mommy and me

Sarah and her siblings

Tanner clan

Daddy,Mommy, Sarah, and Vanessa

Sarah and Vanessa

Vanessa and her big sister Sarah

Nicholas Charles Tanner

What a big boy!

Noni ready for twins arrival

Twins arrival

Weds Feb 25th. I went to work at Costco today, and Jill called
me at 4:50pm and said she thought maybe her water broke so she was going to the hospital.
I quickly dashed from work and meet her, my mom & dad, Jill's parents and Sarah. Jill's water did break and around 6:30 her ob Dr. Gorelick said get ready. So at 7:05pm
Vanessa Elizabeth arrived then Nicholas Charles Tanner. She weighed 5 lbs 10 oz , 19.5 inches long and he came in at 6 lbs 11 oz, and 19.75 inches long. Daddy and Noni were in the delivery room with Jill. I saw Dr. Gorelick earlier today at Costco maybe it was an omen that they were coming. Sarah was thrilled to see her siblings she only held Vanessa since Nicholas was still in nursery when she went to Grammy and Poppys for a sleep over. Jills brother Ted and Heather
visitied us at the hospital. Hopefully Mom and the twins are resting now I left Jill at 11:30pm
since I work tomorrow and needed to get home to pack stuff for Sarah and mommy. I will post some more pics tomorrow its 1:15am and I need some sleep I work at 6:30am at Longs.

36 wks 5 days

Went to my weekly appt again this week. Still no babies!! Everything is going fine. My C-section is scheduled for March 5th at 10:30am. I could go before but I seriously doubt I will. I haven't been feeling very good today but the Dr. said to just take it easy. The longer they are in me the better off they will be with feeding. I tried to get him to take them sooner, but he didn't go for it.

My wonderful Sister-in-Law is coming down next Thursday to help me! I am so greateful! My mom and Tim are allowed in the OR with me (that should be interesting). I am planning on going home Sunday and then Tim will be off until Wednesday of that week just so I can get a little help with the babies. After that Sarah will go to school Wednesday and Thursday and then my mom is off on Friday-Monday to help me. And I am sure I will have some dirty toilets for her to clean!! :-)

Sarah is getting excited for the babies to come. I think she is a little un-sure about what is really going to happen. She asked me the other day if I will still be her mommy when the babies come. I said of course, I will always be your mommy. The things their little brains think of. I beleive she will spend the night at my IN-Laws the day the babies come. That way Tim can stay at the hospital late and try to get a good nights sleep that night. Since my SIL will be around, Sarah will love that!! Next week is going to be a busy one. But it can't come soon enough!!

If anythng happens before then, we will update the blog.

34 weeks 6 days

Well I had to go to the Dr. today. I have had a headache off an on for the past two days. I figured it being a Friday, I should just call and ask him what I can do for it. Of course I had to come in to have my blood pressure checked. That was fine. He said to look for swelling overnight and seeing stars. If I get any of that to call right away and have my blood pressure checked again. I am at risk for getting pre-eclampsia, a condition in pregnant women that could endanger her if not treated. The only way to treat her is to deliver the baby. Hopefully I will not get that. He said I need to rest more. I was able to fall asleep for a bit when I got home.

We are wondering when these babies are going to come. Tim says February 20th. I say February 25th. My mom thnks any day now. Only time will tell. I see both Dr.'s Tuesday.

Valentine Party

The teachers at Sarah's school invited me to come to the Valentine Party today. When I got there they were handing out their cards. I was so impressed as to how well behaved these kids were. I have worked in a daycare type atmosphere and these kids were very well behaved. They waited for their turn to hand out their cards. After that they had an ice cream bar with all the essentials, ice cream, chocolate syrup, carmel syrup, sprinkles, whipped cream, cookies, brownies, and cupcakes. It was quite a spread at 10:00 in the morning! They all enjoyed the treat. After that it was play time. I had to leave after that to go to the Dr. I was the only parent that came and I am glad I did. Sarah was so happy when I got there.





Sarah sitting between 2 boys, George and Rogoff

Sarah and Lila

Sarah in "circle time" again sitting between two boys! Andreas is the blond one away from her to the left. I didn't know that was him or I would have gotten his face. For those of you who don't know, Andreas is her "boyfriend."

Nursery

Letters that Susan made for the walls.


She did such a good job!



The cribs

Susan came over Saturday to help me make the cribs and put some stuff away. I so appreciated it. I would have not been able to lift up the matresses myself. I think the room is looking great! I have yet more clothes to wash and put away still. I also need to set up the changing table. Tim needs to move the tv (yes there is a tv in the nursery for when I am up at all hours feeding the babies!). We still need to get the swings out of the garage and the bouncy seats out and clean them. But I think we are pretty much ready.

34 wks 3 days

I am nearing the end, finally! I went to the doc yesterday and everything looks good. He said I should stop working, so I have. Starting today I am on maternity leave. I am glad about that but hope the babies come soon so I don't spend all my time with no babies. This week I have Sarah in school all week. Next week she will be home with me. I am hoping she doesn't get too bored. We can't go gallavanting around town too much. But I was thinking of doing a few play dates with some friends and maybe going to the library to get some books or movies. We can also go to the park or she can ride her boke while I watch. SO there are things we can do. She loves to help me with the baby stuff so that is a lot of help.

The babies weigh over 10 pounds together. One is 5 pounds and one is 5.2. So they are good weights. If they get to 5 1/2 pounds that would be great! The doc said I could go at anytime. But I still have March 5th scheduled. So hopefully they come in the next 2-3 weeks. My blood pressure was okay, it is creeping up there though. I am feeling a lot of pressure but it is because Nicholas is head down waiting to make a mad getaway!

Well that is all for now. I think it may be time for a little nap before I go get Sarah from school. I will update more as I hear more.

33 wks 6 days

Here I am today. I just don't see how much bigger I can get!!

Contractions

So today was not so fun. I started having contractions this morning, didn't think any thing of it. Then I realized they were pretty much every half hour. I thought well that is odd, so I started writing them down. They were coming anywhere between 15 min to an hour. Finally at about 2:00, I called my OB. Told him the situation and he ordered me to go home and rest. I told him at work I sit all day. He said he didn't care, I needed to rest. He called in a prescription for terbutline. Thiswill relax my uterus and hopefully stop the contractions. I am to take it if they become closer together. It is 6:30 and so far they have stopped. Haven't had one since 4:30ish. As long as I am not having any tomorrow, I will go to work. I have a Dr.'s appt in the afternoon so they will check me when they do the ultrasound. No need to worry, I am okay. He will not deliver the babies until I am 36 weeks unless my water breaks or the labor cannot be stop. If the babies were to come now they would be okay, but would have to stay in the hospital until their lungs develop and they have their sucking reflex. So we want them to wait until 36 weeks. That is the update for today.

Organizing!

With the twins coming soon, we had to get some sort of organization done in our tiny house. As you all know Tim is not handy. I am but not with stuff like this. So my dad and brother came over to help us out. It is great to have a family that knows how to use a hammer! So as you can see we look organized now. I don't have before pictures, but trust me we had a mess on our hands! This is our closte in our downstairs bathroom, the only closet we have downstairs. It is behind the door. I had a curtain up and it was just a regular closet to hang jackets, we kept the litter box in there and the vacuum, etc. We ended up getting MIRRORED closet doors and for half the closet they did all shelves. This side is kept closed and my dad put a cat hold in the middle wall so the cats can get to their litterbox and hopefully the messy litter stays in there instead of on the tile!

The top part of the closet.

Okay, now this is where the mess was. To the right is a very nice window seat, that collected CRAP! basically everything that was on these shelves was just piled over there. Now it is a nice NEAT place where Sarah can keep her toys. The TV was in this corner and we just moved it to the center of this wall. It actually makes our living room look bigger. LOVE IT! The bottom shelf will be where I keep diapers and wipes handy for the twins.

week 31 pictures

Here are a few pictures at 31 weeks. I am huge!!

30 Week Update

Well we have made it to the 30's! Everything is looking good. The Dr. will deliver me anywhere between 34 and 37 wks. So only 4-7 more weeks! I am starting to get very excited!

My Aunt Donna and her family were in town this weekend for Bunko. They had a little brunch on Sunday for Tim and I. We received a very nice double stroller from their whole family. So sweet of them! This stroller is so cool! There are so mnay different ways you can have the babies in it. I love options! We also got some cute clothes from Ted and Heather and my parents got us the carseat we wanted. We already had one, so now we are set and can leave the hospital! Tim is going to get the seats installed next week.

Other than that we are doing fine. I am still working but will probably stop working 2 weeks before the babies come. I can't wait! Until next week....

So Proud Preschool is Teaching my Child Something!

So today, Tim called to tell me Sarah had to tell me what she has learned in school. I was a little worried at first becuase you never know what she is going to bring home that she has learned from the other children! So Sarah gets on the phone and recites The Pledge of Allegiance! I could not believe it! I asked her if they say it everyday and she said yes. Whoever is the "Kitty" of the day (she is in the Kitty room) gets to lead the Pledge for the class. So cute! I don't think I knew the Pledge until I was in elementary school! The things kids learn today!

On another note, Sarah came home from school and has told us that she has a boyfriend! Yes a boyfriend! Do you beleive this!!?? His name is Andreas. I asked her why he was her boyfriend and she said because she fell off the slide the other day and he helped her. So cute!! But she is way too young to have a boyfriend!! I think I may have a Diva on my hands!

29 Week Update

Well another week is gone. And I am still pregnant. That is good though. Dr. J, the high risk OB said everything looks the same. Nicholas weighs 3 pounds 7 punces and Vanessa weighs 3 pounds 1 ounce. I was worried about the difference, but the dr. says it is normal. From what I have been reading I will go through a growth spurt the next few weeks. We need them to be at least 5 pounds. My twins buddy, who I met through a support group, is 3 weeks ahead of me, her twin boys are about 4 pounds each. Such a difference a few weeks make. My cervix is shortening which is good and I am not dialated yet. I go back in 2 weeks. I see Dr. G on Monday. I am still working, although it is getting harder everyday. By the afternoons I am so tired. We actually got home early today from the dr. and I was able to take a quick 20 min nap and I don't feel as tired. I may have to do that at work on a break. We do have a small couch in an office.

Sarah is doing well as usual. She has staerted going to school full time and loves it. So does her teacher Ms. Jennifer. When I do go out on maternity leave and I do not need to be on bedrest, we will take her out of school. The expense is something we do not need to spend and I think she will enjoy being home with me and the new babies when they come. She is such a good helper already. She has told us numerous times that she will not change stinky diapers, daddy will do that. I wonder if daddy knows this? Fine by me! Well that is all for now. I will update more next week, maybe with more pictures!

We have the Names Picked Out......

Wouldn't you like to know what they are???? Oh okay, we will tell you. Now, these names are NOT set in stone. So be ware, we may change them.

Baby Girl can now be referred to as Vanessa Elizabeth. Vanessa was a name my mom said she always liked. And when she told me I thought, hhhmm that sounds like a good traditional name, but I wasn't so sure. It definatly has grown on both of us. Elizabeth is Tim's Grandma Betty's real name. And I used it as my confirmation name. I have always loved that name. And it just flows with Vanessa.

Baby Boy can now be called Nicholas Charles. Nicholas was a name we were going to name Sarah if she was a boy. Both of us immediatly loved that name. Charles is Tim's Grandpa Charlie's name. We wanted the babies to have meaningful middle names like Sarah does.

It was definatly very hard to come up with 4 names! Sarah was so easy to name! I would have loved the same first inital but it dodn't turn out that way. Vincent was another one of our choices, but neither one of us really LOVED the name, like we did with Nicholas.

The twins have been referred to as Ike and Tina, thanks to my very creative brother, this whole pregnancy. But since we are not African American we thought those were not the names to stick. You should hear some of the other names that were suggested to us. Out favorites were Princess and King, courtesy of Sarah.

So there you have it: Nicholas and Vanessa.