FORMULA

Here's a photo of our formula stockpile in the basement. And no, I'm not a hoarder!



Yes, we go through a lot of formula with two hungry baby boys. :)

What you see here are 22 refill boxes (of 2 containers each) and 6 separate reusable containers. It's hard to see but the back row contains 14 boxes. This total amount lasts us approximately 6 months.

As you can clearly see, we use Enfamil formula. About a week after the babies were born last fall, Similac formula was recalled and taken off the shelves because beetles were found in the production area of one of their manufacturing facilities. And it was recommended by our pediatrician to use a name brand. So that was an easy decision for us, since we couldn't get Similac, Enfamil it was. We had actually received free samples of Similac from the hospital while we were there, but we later checked out the lot number and those were ones that were recalled!

Thank goodness for coupons and rebate checks. A special thank you to everyone who has so graciously helped us out with those coupons/checks.

And the countdown to their one year birthday when we can use cows milk begins...(Actually it began the day we started using formula.)

FEELING ASHAMED

I’m feeling very defeated today. Being a mother of multiples wasn’t supposed to be THIS hard. But then again neither was being a mother in general. Becoming a mom has changed me. And unfortunately, today I mostly feel like it’s changed me for the worse. Perhaps I’m just having a pity party. Well…whatever…it is what it is. I feel like I’m not fun anymore. I feel like I am neglecting my friends and family. I feel like people have forgotten about me. I feel like I never get a break. I feel like I can never keep up. I feel unhealthy. I feel envious of others. I feel like no one understands me. I feel exhausted. I feel left out. I feel like I’ve lost my freedom.

But most of all, I feel ashamed for feeling all of these things because I am so very blessed. I have two beautiful, happy, healthy babies. I have a wonderful family and a loving husband. I have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a roof over my head. Ultimately I should have nothing to complain about, but still I do.

After hearing about and seeing photos/videos of the recent devastation that all the tornadoes and storms have left throughout the Midwest, I ache inside. Hundreds have died and the devastation is unimaginable. People have lost all of their possessions and homes, and even lost their dearest loved ones. I cannot begin to imagine the heartache and trials. And I was complaining tonight about doing more dishes. Then I thought about how all of those people would love to have their dishes to wash. It really puts my petty problems into perspective. My heart and prayers truly go out to everyone affected.

So tonight, after a pity party afternoon, I am giving thanks for another day. I'm hugging my babies a little tighter, thanking Nick for his love, and praising God more than ever.

Dear God, please help me to stop looking inward and to focus outward. Help me be grateful and to give thanks in each and every situation. Please give me patience and guidance with my babies. Please forgive me for these selfish feelings I’ve felt today and help me to always view motherhood as a blessing and never a burden. Please be with everyone affected by the tornadoes. Heal their hearts and minds as they rebuild their lives. Help them know that everything happens for a reason and that you never leave their side. Thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for another precious day in this beautiful life. What a true gift everyday is! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

Will


Elijah

FIRST TIME TO THE PARK!

We took a walk on this beautiful day to the park by the fairgrounds for Eli and Will's first time at the playground. They went swinging in the baby swings and loved it. Lots of smiles and giggles! It was also their first "real" time in the sun without being protected by the shade. Therefore, it was their first time wearing sunscreen. What a big day full of firsts!

SWEET LOVE

How long I prayed for these miracles. And my first Mother's Day was worth the wait!

I love you Elijah and Will, you are my little angels. I'm so honored and privileged to call you mine. Thank you for picking me to be your mommy!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

There are many women out there that I look up to. And to all of you (if I listed all your names this post would be far too long!)- thank you for showing me the kind of mother I want and hope to be! I am so blessed to have so many amazing mothers, mothers-to-be, and women in my life. Thank you for all you are!

Happy Mother's Day! A day to honor ALL women in our lives...mother or not. To all the amazing women - mothers, non-mothers, mother-in-laws, pregnant moms-to-be, women who so desperately want to be moms, foster moms, step moms, adoptive moms, surrogate moms, mothers of babies and children in heaven, grandmothers, aunts, godmothers, Mr. mom's, daycare moms, & all the other kinds of moms there are!

A big shout out to my momma on Mother's Day. Dear Mom, thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for teaching me how to give. Thank you for teaching me the importance of taking care of your family. Thank you for coming to each and every one of my band and sporting events. Thank you for teaching me the importance of pride, hard work, and honesty. Thank you for praying with me. Thank you for raising me to know Jesus as my Savior. Thank you for your kind notes, gifts, and gestures always showing me how you care. Thank you for always cheering me on. Thank you for all the values you have instilled in me. Thank you for coming to my rescue and basically living with us after the twins were born and helping me make it through those first hard months. I know I wouldn't have survived those first months of motherhood without you. (For real - I'm not kidding one bit!) Thank you for always putting other people before yourself and teaching me what it truly is to be a mother. Thank you for all the joy you bring to my life!

Oh, but you never did teach me how to cook and that has made me suffer a little.(But thank goodness Nick knows how to and likes to cook!) Although on the plus side, that also means that you always made our meals and didn't make your daughters cook them. So I guess that makes you a good mom.

Happy Mother's Day to a beautiful woman, inside and out. I LOVE YOU more and more as each day passes.

Then...


And now...

HAPPY MOTHERS-TO-BE-DAY!

Happy Mothers-Day-To-Be to all of my special friends out there! Your courage and sacrifices do NOT go unnoticed. I am praying for you!


The following is by Drew V. Moffitt, M.D. taken from www.attainfertility.com

Mother’s day is upon us. It is not that welcome of a holiday for my patients. Gifts passed out at church or given by a well meaning spouse do little to fill the void of yearning that brings them to my office. We hear stories about the great love, sacrifice and courage that mother’s have for their children, but little is said about the incredible love, sacrifice and courage of my “mothers-to-be”.

It takes incredible courage to acknowledge that there is even a problem. We all want to believe that we are in control of our lives and to acknowledge that there is a fertility problem is to internalize a lack of control over this incredibly sensitive part of their lives.

It takes courage to seek medical attention. No one likes to see doctors (I’m over a year late for my colonoscopy), and the trip to the fertility doctor is a particularly difficult journey.

It takes courage to undergo procedures that are not comfortable and are in an area where discomfort is particularly unwanted.

It takes courage to face the possibility of disappointment. Studies have shown that when a woman experiencing infertility has a period, indicating that once again she is not pregnant, she experiences the same degree of grief as if her brother or sister had just died. Most of us will go through that only once or twice in our lifetime. Imagine going through that every month for years. Then imagine going through a specific procedure to get pregnant and having it not work.

It takes courage to hope that it will work the first time and proceed , and even greater courage to experience a failed attempt and then turn around and have the courage to hope again.

These women undergo great sacrifices.

They sacrifice the intimacy of what was supposed to be a wonderful and intensely personal experience with their partner for a doctor’s office.

They sacrifice time on often repetitive visits for monitoring and procedures.

They sacrifice financial resources as they struggle to have something that everyone around them seems to receive without thought and sometimes with disdain.

They sacrifice personal comfort, sometimes thinking that if they experience pain, they will be more worthy of the “gain” they so desperately seek.

Why? Why do they do this? They do this for the same reason the mother gives her bread and goes without. They do it for love. The only difference is that they do it for a deep abiding love for a child that they have not yet held, a voice they have not yet heard, a smile they have not yet seen, and a touch they have not yet felt.

My patients are the epitome of the courage, sacrifice, and love that characterizes mothers in general and the “mothers-to-be” that I have the privilege of associating with every day.

To each of them and to mother’s everywhere, Happy Mother’s day!

Drew V. Moffitt, M.D., FACOG, is the co-medical director of the Arizona Reproductive Medicine Specialists (ARMS), the director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center and an assistant professor at the University of Arizona. He is now president of ARMS and director of the Division of Reproductive Medicine and infertility for the residency program at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. Dr. Moffitt has significant clinical experience in assisted reproductive technologies and reproductive surgery.

MOTHER'S DAY IS APPROACHING!

Mother’s Day is coming soon and I am honored this is my first year as a mother. Last year I was 4 months pregnant with the twins on Mother's Day. But this will be my first official Mother’s Day with two precious babies of my own in my arms. It’s a strange transition to go from dreading this holiday to looking forward to it. It's something I've longed to experience for years and years. So, I'm excited to celebrate all that this special occasion brings. But even in my happiness, I can’t help thinking about those who are still longing for a baby, perhaps dreading the celebration of Mother's Day. It can almost seem like a slap in the face reminding you that for yet another year, you are not a mother. There isn't a day that passes that I don't pray for those men and women longing to start their families. I know God has a plan for their family and I pray they trust in that plan.

I know Mother's Day isn't a happy celebration for everyone for various reasons. A person might have a difficult relationship with his or her mom or a mother who is no longer living. A person might be struggling with infertility or a past abortion or a miscarriage, all of which might be emphasized by Mother’s Day. I don't know how those other people feel in those situations, but I do know about how infertility makes one feel.

Infertility is painful and lonely. Acknowledging that someone may be struggling on Mother's day will make her feel understood instead of forgotten. So, please don't forget those longing to be mommies on this special holiday. Tell them you love them and that you care. Tell them that they will be mommies, someday, in some way. I know I will. Because no matter all the happiness I feel, I will never forget that sadness. It's a part of me that's made me stronger and more faithful and trusting.

Thank you, God, for the gift of all mothers.

And dear Elijah and Will, thank you for making me a mommy. You are my miracles and I love you more than you'll ever know.