Avery and Riggs's 1st birthday

Through the eyes of Aunt B....

the "big" cake

party favors and hats

the tags on the party favors

Sweets, sweets and more sweets

Miia and Avery pre-party

Avery in a custom Dearie dress

Not so sure of what Ryker is up to...

...as he goes in to get your hat!

Not too happy about that!

One proud mama!

Riggs up from his nap.

Riggs' cake

Avery's cake

Riggs is not so sure about the cake.

Nor is Avery for that matter...

...but she is ALL about the attention from the big girls!

What about me?

Looks like Abi has gotten into some cake.  Notice the white crumbs on her ear?

Ryker tuckered out from all the festivities!

Shy pigglets

This afternoon I watched the twins while Anne ran some last-minute party errands. 

beautiful Avery

They were both a bit fussy, so I decided to give them a snack - a cup of Cheerios, or Cho-chos as we call them.  Avery and Riggs were fighting over the cup and couldn't get the Cho-Chos in their mouths fast enough.

Eating Cho-chos with Maggie ready to bat clean up.

Give me some more FOOD!

Since I had my girls' dinner of red beans and rice ready, I got out the highchairs and started feeding Avery and Riggs.  Avery was shoveling the food in her mouth, and Riggs would grunt at me if I stopped feeding him to help Avery.

scraping an empty bowl in search of more food

Hmmm...how do I get Aunt B to give me more of that stuff?

I know, flash her my adorable smile!

Aunt B, stop taking pictures and just feed me!

They were gobbling up their second ladle full of red beans, so I called Anne to get some guidance.  She couldn't believe they were both eating so much, but gave me the go ahead to give them some more.  They both ate their third helping with the same gusto as their first!

Either I am an excellent cook (doubtful since it was boxed red beans and rice) or the twins are going through a growth spurt!

Birthday wishes from Aunt B

It is hard to believe that today the Crying Ryan twins turn one!  It seems like just yesterday I got the call from Anne asking me about what happens when your water breaks.

Avery and Riggs, I have loved watching you grow over the past year and practice my skills as a twin mom (I am bound and determined to be one myself!). 

Avery, I love your determination and your diva sass.  You remind me so much of my own girls, and they love you as if you were their sister.

Riggs, you are like all the men in my life that I love so much.  You are quiet and thoughtful, yet when you do "speak" it is worth paying attention to.  You're inner circle is small, and I feel blessed to be apart of it. 

Happy birthday Avery and Riggs!  May your lives be filled with more laughter than tears, more health than sickness, and more love than your heart can hold.

The birthday girl

The birthday boy

Meeting their Mama....January 6, 2009

How much they have grown in one short year!

It was much harder to get both of their faces this year!

My Frannie bird at your "party"

My big girl, Charlotte, singing Happy Birthday To YOU!

Riggs not so sure of his cupcake.  No worries Riggs, this is just a practice run.

Even Avery, who will eat anything, was unsure of what to think.

But she quickly got into the icing.

Hmmm....how do I get more of that?

Even Riggs came around and decided that cake was GOOD!

I still just can't believe it

Happy Birthday - Morning Fun

Mommy laid out our outfits for school!

Riggs Trey Ryan

Avery Kathryn Ryan

Two silly little monkey's!

"I'm gonna get you!"

Roaring?!?

My angel standing all on her own

It's our Birthday!

364 days since...

the last time I had uninterrupted sleep. I can honestly say that every moment with our babies is worth it. Tonight I am thinking back on how much joy they have brought to our lives and how much they have grown. Avery and Riggs started out a little small (4lbs9ozs and 4lbs5ozs, respectively) but if you saw them now you would have thought they were born normal sizes!!

Everyday I thank God for bringing me two perfect little angels - that are growing up way too fast!! There is nothing more nourshing for the soul than having your child look up at you with their full blown smile...and let me tell you these kids melt my heart daily with their smiles. It amazes me that they have gone from barely eating anything, to eating everything in site! Avery started out the better eater but Riggs is now really enjoying the food! They have also gone from never moving (love the swaddle!) to moving constantly. Getting a diaper on these kids somedays should be an olympic sport!

The past year has by far been one of the most challenging years of my life. I know some people think I made it look easy, but all I did was do what I had to do to survive. The whole bedrest thing definitely made things more difficult after I had the babies. All the things moms do to get ready for a baby had to be done from a horizontal position. I do believe the challenge of raising twins would have been easier had we not just moved south, bought a house, then move in and decide to emodel!! What in the world were we thinking!! So without doubt the thing that has weighed on me is the fact that I have never been fully settled in this house. Mind you it took a good two years before our house in Balitmore was up to my organizational standards. I hope in 2010 I can get our house into serious shape by putting things where they belong and decluttering. But enough about that...

I want to thank my husband, Dearie, and all of my wonderful friends and family that have gone out of their way to make things a little easier for me. I truly could not have done it without you.

Now I am going to go to sleep so that I can be a %100 for their very first birthday tomorrow!! (maybe tonight there won't be any interuptions ;)

Weighing in at...

Today, Anne took the twins to see Dr. Bailey while Tim worked. Avery still maintains a 6-oz edge on her leaner, not-meaner brother (21 lbs 11 ozs vs. 21 lbs 5 ozs).

She's faster on her feet too, buddy, so we'll have to work on guile and deceit to even out her physical advantages. Luckily, you've got the full mane of hair and wry smile necessary to be charming.

Avery's gone vertical

It's official...as of today, our little girl can stand on her own. It's brief, and if you're not paying attention you can confuse it with a "slow fall" from whatever piece of furniture or stand-up toy she had just pulled up on. But, if you watch carefully, you can see a few seconds of balance before her butt hits the ground.

Anne and I are celebrating by seeing a movie tonight...Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. So many of my life's more important memories (happy and sad) are tied to rather mundane things that happened that day. I remember the two together for some reason. For instance, when I found out Pepau Ryan passed away, I was playing an off road game on Nintendo, and that memory has stuck with me as vividly as speaking with Uncle Dan about Pepau. So, Avery, whenever I remember you standing, I'll think of rugby, Nelson Mandela, and the end of apartheid.

I think Emma taught her this...

Riggs has been saying "Dada" (repeatedly, over and over) for quite a while now (he either really likes his daddy or has no idea what he's muttering), but Avery finally joined in and identified a family member too...Abi. She really says "Abu" or "Aba" or "Abbbbb," but she tends to do it when Abi wanders into the room, so we know what she's getting at. She's always been fascinated by the dog, which we think she might have picked up from Miss Emma Bailey. Hopefully this is the first step in a series of steps leading to Abi to having a consistent playtime companion again, like she did with Anne and me before the kids were born.

He said Mama!!!

Big moment today, especially for me (Mommy). Tim and I were running around like crazy, frantically preparing for our first annual Christmas party, while Riggs chilled in his high chair in the living room, watching Baby Einstein and eating Cheerios. As I walked into the room, he lifted a pudgy hand in my general direction, looked dead at me, and said "Mama" (!!). Tim's repeated efforts at getting the kids do this (which, to date, have featured Tim saying "Mama" to the kids, only to have them respond 'Dadadadada" (Riggs) or "Abi" (Avery)) finally paid off.

Keeping me on my toes

Frances and I watched the twins today so Anne could get the finishing touches done for her Christmas party.  Avery and Riggs made sure to give me a great workout trying to keep up with all their exploring.  And it looks like I need to do a bit more baby-proofing around the house!

Riggs chillin' playing music while drinking his bottle.

Riggs, I'll take that, thank you very much!

Don't worry Aunt B, Aunt Beth showed me how to climb these things.
Thank you Aunt Beth oh so much for this new skill!

Avery, wait for me!

Come on Avery, climb faster!

double the trouble!

Maggie guarding Riggs

Happy boy banging on the coffee table

Avery showing off her teeth

and trying to master Frances' juice

the most adorable fireman

Aunt B, I'm gonna take this one for the road!

Well, if Riggs get the wine, I'll just have a Bloody Mary!

Role reversal

Yesterday I watched the twins while Anne went to a doctor's appointment.  Normally Avery is the diva and running the show, but when Anne dropped them off, she was fast asleep.

With his sister our for the count, Riggs was loving the lime light!  He was chewing away on toys, making Frances cry by picking all of "her" toys, and bless his heart, crying when the girls yelled a bit too loud. 

Aunt B's toys are yummy!

Avery who?

One happy boy!

Frances sharing for a second.

But not very happy about it.

When Avery woke up, she was in the best mood.  She was all smiles for the camera and so happy to play with the May Flowers. 

That was the best nap!

Can you believe how big I am getting?

But the biggest reversal of roles was dinner time.  Avery has always been the best eater and Riggs, not so much.  He was fussing off and on while Avery was napping, but when she woke up and he saw the can of Cheerios in her carseat, he went crazy!  I opened up the can for him and he couldn't get the Cheerios in his mouth fast enough!

So I pulled out our mini high chair, and he was literally pounding on the tray.  I put him in and his mouth remained opened throughout the feeding.  I tried to take some pictures to send Anne on my iPhone, and God love him, he started pulling at the food to feed himself! 

Mama, I think you have a growing boy on your hands!

Avery letting Riggs eat first for once.  But she was right there waiting for her turn!

Aunt B, quit taking pictures and just FEED ME!

11 months

Really, 11 months already!! I honestly can't believe how fast this time has gone. It's also hard for me to believe that I have not once been away from them at night. I am exhausted to say the least. I hope that by the time they turn 1 they are both sleeping through the night again. (PLEASE!)

Speaking of turning one, I am so not ready for my babies 1 year birthday party. I have exactly one month to order and send invitations, decide what I am going to do for the party, plan the party and then of course stress about the party. And yes I realize this party really is for me! But before I can deal with their party I must first get through our first Christmas party at our new home. I am looking forward to starting traditions with my family in our first home!!!

Dear Avery and Riggs, Thank you for the best 11 months of my life. I know it only gets better. Love, Mommy

Operation Sleep: Night Two

While night two didn't go quite as smoothly as night one (Riggs awoke, terribly upset and clamoring to get out of his crib, at 1am), it still went relatively well. Tim made two trips back into the nursery to plug his nunu back into his mouth (at the 3-minute and 5-minute intervals) and, by the end of the 5-minute interval, Riggs was fast asleep for the rest of the night. The little bugger still woke up at 5:45 wanting his bottle, but Tim coaxed him back to sleep for another hour.

So, it was not an entirely blissful night of sleep for Tim, but it was far better than what Riggs has shown us lately (especially in Louisville, where Riggs acted like a caged Kong trying to escape the pack-n-play).

Night 3 starts now.

Operation Sleep: Night One

From the age of 3 months to almost 8 months the babies were the best sleepers. Almost too good to be true. They would sleep 12 hours a night. It was awesome! We also got spoiled. Riggs would go down so easy and be asleep before his head hit the crib. Avery would toss a little and make the sweetest noises to put herself to sleep. We would have dinner, I would do house chores, Tim would go back to work and then we would go to bed around 11pm - and still get more than enough sleep.

After a trip to Tahoe this summer their sleeping habits went south. The time change, the sleeping arrangements, the climate change, the runny noses turned ear infections, and letting them sleep in the bed between us as a last resort did not help the situation at all.

The last three months have been the hardest (sleepwise) for us. I don't have the will power to let them cry it out - for selfish reasons. I'd rather get them back to sleep in the fastest way possible so I could get back to sleep!! We were up so much every night that I think our bodies began to adjust to 30 minute sleep intervals. This time frame was harder then when they were itty bitty.

Once Avery got back to her regular (by regular I mean 5 out of 7 nights without waking) decent sleeping habits I was scared to death that Riggs would wake her up with all of his tossing and turning. This is when Riggs got the boot from the nursery and had to move into the pack-n-play in the playroom. We hoped this would help him (have his own space to cry it out) and me (not hear him quite as well). Unfortunately it didn't. I don't think the 3 ear infections he had helped either. We finally got tubes on the 13th of November. I had heard such wonderful stories of how instantly babies were sleeping after getting tubes. This was not the case for us. Both babies didn't do well (again sleepwise) the first week of tubes.

After getting the clear from the ENT at our follow up appointment that we have no ear infections, Tim made the decision to lead Operation Sleep (Riggs) immediately. He has been wanting to do this for a while but I kept putting it off that he was sick, he was out of his routine by travel, etc, etc, etc.

Last night Avery and I moved upstairs. Her in the pack in play and me on the couch. Tim and Riggs would remain in the master and nursery rooms. Tim prepared himself for a rough night of letting Riggs cry for 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, and so forth. I prepared for a fabulous night sleep on our old couch. Avery did so so upstairs - we were up a few times. I personally think she was too cold. We came downstairs this morning at 6:30 and found Riggs in the bed with Daddy!!! I couldn't believe it...Daddy gave in?!? That wasn't the case at all - Riggs didn't make a peep the ENTIRE night. At 5:15 he started to stir and Tim was prepared to let him cry it out, but when Tim saw his watch time at 6:15 he figured it was time to get Riggs and make his morning bottle. Off to the kitchen they went only to discover that Tims watch was still on east coast time!!! Tim then took Riggs back to bed in hopes of getting a little more shut eye. (It took a while but they both got a little nap in.) and that is why I saw Riggs and Tim in the bed this morning.

Hopefully Night Two and Night Three go really well for Daddy and Riggs.