Christmas Card

We normally take our Christmas card picture after Thanksgiving at Bo's parents house. With two babies, Lilly does not take the trip to Raleigh anymore. There are too many kids there now and she would seriously rather be with my mom and dad by herself when we are away. So, that messes up Lilly getting in the Christmas card picture. We took our picture anyway, but I could not bring myself to print the Christmas card without having Lilly in it. I was also cutting the deadline very close of having the cards printed and mailed before Christmas arrives. Bo and I have done a picture for our Christmas card every year since we got married. So, after dinner the other night I decided to put the girls in another cute Christmas matching outfit. Of course Hannah fell asleep so we had to get Emma and Lilly to be cooperative. We got a cute one and decided to use both pictures for our card this year. So, Lilly made it in the card! We love you Lilly!

Of course after we took that picture we changed Hannah into her Christmas pajamas and she started smiling and posing for us. So, here is her picture!

Legendary Santa

One of my most cherished Christmas traditions was dressing up, taking a day off of school and going with my cousins, aunts and grandmother to see the Legendary Santa in Richmond. This was the real Santa that exceeded any mall Santa. This Santa came down the chimney, called you over by name and you got to eat lunch with him. When I was little he used to be at the Miller and Rhoads Department store. When it closed, he went to Thalhamers(sp?) and then that closed so he went to the Childrens' Museum in Richmond. I never went to see a mall Santa and knew that when I had my own children that I would take them somewhere special to see Santa. Bo and I have set "rules" that you have to see Santa in order for him to come see you. Also, mommy and daddy will NOT sit on Santa's knee with you. I know that the girls are young, and they are at a stage where they may cry. But, they will look back and see that they always went to see Santa. Bo did not go last year because Emma was so little that I just went for the picture. Now that Emma is more aware of what is going on he came too. So, at 5:30 AM I had everything packed (snacks, outfits, extra outfits, juices, bottles, coats, hats, etc) and had two babies in the Hamrick van along with my mom and sister. We had purchased tickets to be in the room when Santa came down the chimney and to be one of the first people in line.

Santa came down the chimney, talked to the boys and girls and then sat in his chair. Emma watched just fine. You have to visit the snow queen first and then Santa calls you over by name and you sit on his knee. "Emma and Hannah , come on over," he said. Of course I knew Emma would scream, but Hannah? Hearing Emma screaming made poor baby Hannah cry! It was so funny! I love the picture. It is the stage that they were in at the time and it is the same Santa that I went to visit when I was little.

Afterwards we spent the day in Richmond. We went to Southpark Mall and rode the train and did a little shopping. We had lunch and then went home. The girls were worn out and I was exhausted from only 3 hours of sleep the night before (because I stayed up and got so much done the night before while everyone else slept.)

It is so wonderful to share traditions with my girls. We had a fun day and I will always remember it!

two months old!

Hannah was two months old on December 3rd! She is already wearing 3-6 months clothes! She continues to be a wonderful baby. She started sleeping through the night on November 18th - right before I went back to work - how perfect. She loves her baths, she smiles at you and says her little "oooo" sounds. I am loving her wearing some of Emma's sleepers and outfits. They are still like brand new and I love seeing the sweet clothes again. Hannah has been hit once by her big sister. Emma was having a bad day with and ear infection and decided to take it out on poor Hannah. I had to sternly tell Emma "no, no- we do NOT hit the baby" even though she was not feeling well.

My mom has taken over the babysitting during the days. I would not know what I would do without her. Bo's mom is also coming about twice a month to keep them too. It is sooo nice having help from them. This is the only way I would return to work. I know many moms do not have the choice and have to put their children in daycare. I am so glad I do not have to make that choice.

Hannah weighed 11 pounds 13 ounces! She is in the 90th percentile for weight! She is 22 inches long!

Thanksgiving

I am trying so hard to keep up on the blog! It is so hard with all that we have going on! I am up at almost midnight and need to be up by 4:30 AM because we have a big event planned tomorrow. However, I want to update this so I do not get too far behind!

Thanksgiving was very nice. One of the most wonderful things to be thankful for this year is that my wonderful, amazing, loving, hilarious grandmother (Mammie) got to come home the day before Thanksgiving. She has been hospitalized since the beginning of September, then went to a rehab center. We are so thankful for her. She is the core of our family and loves her family more than anything in the world. I do not know what I would do without my girls knowing her. I want them to remember her so badly. We were there when she got home and we got her to mom's for lunch just fine!

Mammie coming home!

We spent Thanksgiving lunch at my moms with all of the aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. It is always so much fun when we are all together. The cousins drew names for polyanna's and we spent the afternoon talking and laughing (the boys watched football.)

us at mom and dad's on Thanksgiving (yes, matching outfits for the girls)

Then the Hamrick's hit the road in the new van!!! Wooo-hooo!! What a blessing it was to have that vehicle with two babies on the road for two and a half hours! I could easily get to the back seat when they needed something. Emma watched her movies. It was great!

We had a great time at the Hamricks' in Raleigh. Emma got to play with her cousins Owen and Gibby. Although, we had to separate Owen and Emma a lot - Owen is all boy and Emma is not used to being around a rough little boy! They were so cute. Nana and Dadoo got them new Christmas pajamas and we took their picture together. Bo and I also attempted our Christmas card picture. It turned out okay, but I think we are going to try again with Lilly. Hopefully I will have a Christmas card out by Christmas Eve! I have never been this late before!

adorable kids

We are certainly looking foward to the holidays. We got home Sunday afternoon, got our tree, and then went to my crazy cousins, Joey's house for his grand illumination of his house! What a weekend - and think - it is only going to get crazier! What a blessing!

Disney Live

The picture we had taken with the cardboard Mickey and Minnie. Emma thought they were real!

For some reason this event was such a big deal to me as a parent. Emma has been a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse fan since she was about six months old. She danced to the music very early and the pictures and music caught her attention earlier than I expected. She has three Minnie Mouse stuffed animals around the house and one Mickey Mouse that stays in the car. She has to hold one of them while watching the show. One of her first words was also "Mi Mou" for Mickey Mouse and soon after came "nienie" for Minnie. She also became very observant in stores when seeing a Mickey - she would point and say his name. Her favorite book is a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Christmas book. So, when I saw that Disney Live was coming to our area we had to go.

Emma before the performance began

Emma slept the whole way leaving the house, dropping off Hannah and then to Norfolk. She woke up knowing we were somewhere different. We walked in the building and all of the Disney merchandise made her light up. I was really afriad she would not make it through the show, but she did. She was awake the whole time and continued to point and dance through the whole performance. She was precious. My mom even had a special Minnie outfit made for her to wear, which she got tons of compliments on.

Emma waiting for it to start. I kept telling her Mickey Mouse would be there and she kept looking!

As a parent you feel so good when you are able to do something special for your child that makes them extra happy. After tickets, food, cotton candy, a Mickey hat, a picture taken with a cardboard Mickey/Minnie and a photo program we had contributed our share to Disney for the day. I know I will remember the day more than Emma, but I know she had a great time. It was a special day for her. To make things better we got to move to floor seats after intermission and see the characters closer. I remember the days when my parents took me to shows like this and I could not believe I was sitting there doing the same thing with my husband and child. This was just one of those days I will always remember.

New Ride

I have been driving for almost 12 years and I have had five cars. After three weeks of having two children Bo and I decided it was time for number six. The last car we owned was an SUV - a nice Honda Pilot. It was a great car and never left us stranded, however it was not equipped for two children, two car seats and a double stroller. It had a third seat that we could put up, however it left us no storage room in the back when you add in the huge double stroller. Additionally, nobody could get in the third seat because of the two car seats in the middle row. Pretty much, nobody could go anywhere with us if our family of four was in the vehicle. Moreover, traveling would be a nightmare because we would have no room for luggage.

So, we began the search in the summer. I did not want a large SUV - too hard to park and too much gas. We knew a midsize SUV would not work - as mentioned above. What else is there to consider but a van? Yes, that is what we purchased a Honda Odyssey. Many people have laughed at me, and that is fine! It was my decision and it is what I wanted.

It is loaded with the satellite radio, rear backup camera, sun roof, built in window screens for the kids, DVD player, wireless headphones, heated seats, IPOD hook up, electric everything, the store and go seats, automatic doors that open and close (and will stop if a child gets in front of them) and the best storage that any vehicle could offer for all of the "baby stuff" plus more for luggage space when we travel.

So far I love it. It is a child friendly vehicle - and let's face it - that is what we need. I like that I can take my mom, sister and whoever else along with us somewhere. Emma loves watching Mickey on the DVD player and starts pointing to it whenever we get in. She can watch her cartoons while I can listen to my music. I can press the button on my keychain and the doors open so I can handle both children getting in and out without putting one of them down to open or close a door.

View from the backseat.

I know - I am 28 and I am driving a van. But, I am a 28 mom of two. It is convenient, spacious, entertaining for the kids, SAFE, and easy to load up whoever I want and take off to any mall I need to get to - haha! I will worry about having another "cool" car when I am done with carseats, strollers, diaper bags, bottle carriers, etc. I am a mom - this car is for my kids and if it takes driving a van to keep our family together and comfortable then I am all for it :)

Check out this storage! Who wants to go somewhere?

First Night Out

So, this Friday was our first night out with the four of us. I have been so scared taking the girls anywhere with all of this flu stuff going around. But, Emma got her H1N1 vaccine this past week and I feel a little better taking them places. We decided to go to MacArthur Center, take a look at the Christmas decorations and eat some dinner at Max and Erma's. First, we caused such a big scene coming in the restaurant with our enormous double stroller and getting a high chair and a sling for the baby carrier. Everyone is staring at us, oohing and ahhing over the girls. I bet everyone was thinking "wow, they are close in age." Anyway, we just went on with our business. Then, some friends of ours happened to be there with their little girl, who is Emma's little friend. So, our table expanded with another high chair. Now we really were the center of attention. Emma and her little friend did a great job until they were ready to get up. Bo and Jeremy had to take them for a walk in the mall while my friend, Lindsay, and I enjoyed talking. They joined us again for dessert and Bo had to resort to taking out the Blackberry and playing an episode of Mickey Mouse to entertain them for the last part of the night. It is funny what you do as parents to keep your child happy! I was happy because I enjoyed my first drink in a LONG time!! We had a great evening. Here are Emma and Allie watching Mickey in the restaurant. How cute are they?

1 Month Old

Hannah was one month old on the 3rd! She has already gained over a pound since her two week appointment. At her 1 month appointment she weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces. She is such an easy baby. It is very different with the second baby. I put her down more, leave her in a room by herself, don't hold her when she sleeps as much, and sometimes she just has to cry a little. There is another child to chase around and care for! She is such a sweetheart though. I think she will be very laid back and easy going - very Bo like. Here is Hannah at one month old!

Our routines had to change a lot with having two babies. I have learned to feed Emma WHILE feeding Hannah her bottle, I have also learned to manage dressing two and bathing two at the same time AND mastered getting two babies to the car at the same time - I never leave one in the house or one in the car by themselves . I have come a long way and feel so confident in myself as a mom this time. Emma still will not let Hannah lean against her for pictures! Here is the best we could get!

First Blog

My goal was to start a blog when Hannah, our second daughter was born. I thought it would be fun to write more in depth about how our lives are with two, I must say, absolutely precious girls.

Life has certainly changed for Bo and I in the past two years. A little background: Bo and I met at Elon, where we went to college. We got married in June 2004 after I graduated, which was five and a half years ago. We knew we wanted a family and decided that if a baby were to come, then that would be great, and if it didn't then we had plenty of time. We ended up getting pregnant in December of 2004. We were extremely excited! It was such a fun Christmas telling everyone. Then, in the middle of January we had an ultra sound and things did not look good. There was a heartbeat, but it was not strong. A few days later I miscarried. I then understood what others had been through and felt the worst pain in my life. Unless you have been through this, it is very difficult to understand. I was beyond heartbroken.

We got the okay from the doctor three months later to try again. A year went by, no baby. Another year went by - nothing. So, we began fertility testing. There was never a targeted problem.

Bo and I then made a move back to my hometown in VA. We both got new jobs, a little apartment and basically started over a new life. We saw a doctor at the Jones Institute, a very well known fertility clinic in the state of Virginia. We went into more testing, more medicine, but never again had an indicated problem. So, we began IUI's. They were not successful. The doctor wanted us to have three IUI's before looking into InVitro. We had one IUI left, and it was December of 2007 - I did not want to go through with it. December had been so hard on me for various reasons and I did not want to waste my last IUI being so stressed out.

January 2008 came and so did a positive pregnancy test - without the IUI. We couldn't believe it. We had our baby girl, Emma on August 23rd, 2008. She was such a blessing. Bo and I had bought a house, jobs were good, we had our baby - life was great.

Then January 2009 came. Emma was 5 months old. We got another positive pregnancy test after noticing I had some symptoms of pregnancy. We couldn't beleive it. We struggled so long to get one baby and then both of our pregnancies just happened! Thus, Hannah was born October 3rd, 2009.

Life has changed dramatically. I never would have beleived I would be at this point in life if someone had told me this five years ago with all of the struggling. We are so thankful to have our two girls. I will never forget that first pregnancy or seeing that first baby on the ultra sound screen. He or she is still part of our lives and we remember that baby everyday. I want to dedicate part of me to understanding and learning about miscarriages and lost pregnancies. I sympathize with those who have gone through what I went through and those who have suffered far worst. It is my hope that my story will give someone hope and strength. You never know what is going to happen. I encourage women to not give up. I know the frustration of seeing other women with their babies at the mall, those who we feel do not deserve children, the stories on the news about what heartless people do to babies, etc. It is very difficult not being able to control something that you want so badly. My life has been changed by this event.

This blog I hope to continue will mark the funny, interesting, new, chaotic occurences happening in the Hamrick household. I am excited to share our stories!