We love to party!

 Our fam celebrating Court's birthday!  (No, we did not pay for this pic.)

 Lil & Di dressed up for dinner!

Wednesday night we celebrated Courtney's birthday at Benihana.  Phil, Krista and Addie made the trip to Indy...it was so nice for all of us to be together!  Each time I see Addie I can't believe how much she has grown (more in personality than size), and I know Phil and Krista say the same thing every time they see Lilly and Diana (although more in size than personality!)

Lil is not a big fan of the pool (or was it the hat?!)  P.S. It's not typical that I would post a pic of myself in a bikini, but this is the absolute only shot I have from the girls first day at the pool...thanks to Caroline's i-phone. 

Saturday was probably one of the most hectic day in the girls' lives thus far!  We woke up and Matt took them over to visit cioci Becca and uncle Mark so that Becca could watch the girls while the boys laid mulch. Meanwhile, I sat out the mulching party and enjoyed a very nice mani/pedi instead.  Then I started to run errands, but that immediately got sidetracked after Alina and Caroline called to invite us to join them at the Meridian Hills pool!!  I pretty much brought my car to a screeching halt, did a u-turn and drove immediately to Target to pick up some swimmie diapers, grabbed the girls and off to the pool we went.  Kate was so sweet and watched Diana (who was peacefully sleeping in the shade) while Lilly and I splashed around in the pool.  As you can see, Lil was not so sure of this oversized bathtub - I think she much prefers her personal one at home.  I, on the other hand, considered that 2 hr. pool day equivalent to a week long vacation to Tahiti.  I think I have been longing for sunshine, the smell of chlorine, a yummy alcoholic beverage (which Chris provided), and a bit of relaxation for WAY too long now.  It was amazing even to me how desperate I was for all these magnificent pleasures!

After the pool, we got cleaned up and headed to our friends' Chad and Gena Pulley's baby shower.  They are expecting a girl in July, and I am so excited b/c they live just a few streets over from us.  Gena also has an identical twin sister so Gena's mom loved being able to hold Lilly & Diana.  The girls were on their best behavior and hardly fussed the entire night...and this was after about 12 hrs. of non-stop motion!  As a result, Diana slept until 8am and Lilly slept until 9am...over 10 hrs. of sleep!!! 

Sunday we spent the entire day over at the Stephensons for their Indy 500 race party.  We got there at 12:30pm and left at 10pm.  I am pretty sure at this point Lilly and Diana were saying to themselves, "not another party!"  We walked into the party with a cooler of beer and a pack n' play.  Hmmm...wrong?  During one of the girls' naps Mindy peeked in and Lilly was 'smacking' Diana in the face while Diana was cracking up!  Min came out and got me, and we just watched this for another few minutes.  It was hilarious!  I ended up having to separate the two b/c Lilly was desperately wanting her sleep and Diana was refusing to let her get it!  Another long day = another long night (yet again, 10 hrs. of continuous sleep!)

 If you come to our house, this is what you will often find.  It's amazing to me how a simple hold calms a baby(ies) down.  This pic was taken after some very loud wails, but once in arms....silence.  

Happy Memorial Day all!  We went back to our boring lives of cleaning the house, doing laundry, picking up more formula at Target, washing bottles, wiping up spit, ordering pizza and saying "this little piggy went to the market..." about 20 times each!  Ha...!

 

Happy Birthday, Mom...&...Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad

Today would have been my mom's 59th birthday.  And tomorrow would have been my parents' 37th wedding anniversary.  Those combined with Courtney's birthday, Memorial Day and high school graduations always made it a very big week at the Seger household.  I know for sure that if there is one thing my mom doesn't miss, it is the prep work that she always put in to a week like this.  But this was one of those weekends that all of us would have gathered at home to celebrate, and that is one thing I know we all miss...our whole family together again.  However, there is comfort in knowing that my dad is there to celebrate my mom's big day today, and they never did have to celebrate a wedding anniversary apart.  

Happy Birthday, Mom & Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!  We miss you very much!

May 27, 1973

Happy Birthday, Aunt Courtney!

Today is Courtney's 22nd birthday!  We surprised her this morning with a grande caramel macchiatto from Starbucks, and actually have a few other surprises up our sleeves but she doesn't know about them yet (and I highly doubt she will be reading this blog today...)  Mickey, Brenda, Kaitlin and Stephanie came to celebrate, and although the Bajorek crew is going to sit out tonight's dinner (we are all celebrating hibachi-style at Benihana's tomorrow), they all made a pit stop at the house today to shower the girls with love and take a few feedings off my hands!  Thanks all...and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COURTNEY!!!

 All the ladies showering Courtney with lots of birthday love!

 Kaitlin with Diana and Lilly who are sporting outfits from Courtney

Lilly + Diana = a whole new meaning to the word "busy!"

I'm a little behind in the blogging world because things have been pretty busy around here!  To any moms out there, if I ever rolled my eyes at you when you claimed to be too busy because of the kids, or you were always so exhausted because of the kids, or you just never knew what busy meant until you had kids...I apologize!  I totally get it now.  And Lilly and Di aren't even crawling yet...

Courtney moved in with us last week b/c she took a summer internship in Indy.  She has been very helpful with the feedings and although I am sure there isn't any 22 yr. old around who would ENJOY living with 2 newborns, she has handled it very well, and I am excited that she is already playing a role in the girls' lives!

(PSA:  if you know anyone looking for ad space in the IUPUI student planner, please contact their newest sales rep, Courtney!)  :)

Roses from Rose!

 

Aunt Maureen and Aunt Rose came to visit us this past week!!  In a conversation that took place last spring, Rose told me that on my 1st Mother's Day she was going to send me a dozen roses.  WELL, I was so happy when she surprised me at my door with TWO dozen roses...one for each of my babies!  (We later discovered there were actually 4 dozen roses!)  I want to thank Gene for having band camp in Dayton so that Rose was close enough to spend a couple of days with us!  She stocked our fridge with all sorts of fresh Costco goods, her and Maureen took the girls on a nice long walk while I made a Target-run, and Rose gave us the best gift ever - sleep!  She got lucky though b/c the girls slept until 6am!  Each day is a little different with their wake-times.  Sometimes, it's 4:30am, other times it can be 7am.  We just never know, but luckily we seem to be inching toward a consistent 6:30-7am timeframe.  THANK YOU AGAIN MAUREEN AND ROSE!

Maya, Aubrey, Lilly and Diana having LOADS of fun on their playdate!

 

Lil:  "My sister is crying.  Again.  And you also put a sleeping girl on my lap?  What do I have to do to get some love around here?!"

Friday my good friend Ali and her new daughter Aubrey came to visit from Chicago!  We had a fun girls' date with our friends Meredith and her daughter Maya and Allie (sans her sons Eli and Ethan.)  You can imagine the look on the hostess' face at the Cheesecake Factory when we come walking in with 3 newborns in carseats and a 1 yr. old!  Luckily all 4 girls did great!

Diana:  "I got my paci, lots of noise, fun things to look at, warm weather, and I'm naked.  Life is good."

The rest of the weekend was actually pretty chill (as noticed in the above pic) which was a rare thing for us; however, Diana took that opportunity to come up with some sort of stomach bug that kept us from getting out too much.  Luckily she never had a fever so we managed to head over to Chris and Caroline's for a Qdoba fiesta on Sun. night.  Poor Kate got a glimpse of Diana's stomach bug, and Lilly apparently had a vengeance against Randy.  Lilly very rarely ever gets worked up but BOY was she not happy when Randy was holding her!!  But not to worry, Randy, we later discovered the culprit to her very rotten mood...constipation! 

 My little Kermit the Frog (aka, Diana)...

...and the lovely Miss Lilly

 Are we identical or what?  (I will let you ponder over who you think is who!)

3 month photos!

The girls' 3 month photos are here - and I think they turned out really great!  There is also a cute video montage at the end.  :)

Click here to view:  http://jamiesangarblog.com/

Did someone steal my babies...

...and replace them with a slightly better version?!  That makes me sound like a horrible mother, I know!  However, ever since the girls turned 3 months it is like we have the same irresistibly adorable (in my biased opinion of course) but slightly less fussy ladies!  They nap well, they sleep well at night, they eat well, and when all of the above has been accomplished, they fuss less.  I always heard that once babies are past that 3 month mark, life gets a little easier.  I just wasn't sure the same would hold true with twins, but alas, it does!  (If this post is mysteriously deleted in the next few days, you will know why...)

Our "new chicks in town!" (Lil & Di) My mom was with me when Matt brought these home before the babies were born.  She thought they were hysterical.  Wishing she could have seen her grand-daughters in them.

Thank you to my BFF, Mindy, who took a day off school on Fri., which just so happened to fall on the day of the girls' 3 month photoshoot!  She helped me get the girls camera-ready!  I am not sure our photos went all that well b/c for starters, when it comes to cuteness vs. practicality, cuteness always wins, meaning that the strapless dresses in 65 degree weather may not have been the best choice.  Shame on me. 

Diana trying on the hat that mommy forced her to wear for the photoshoot

Friday evening we hired our 1st non-family-related babysitter, Marcy.  She is Courtney's best friend, though, so that pretty much makes her family.  Matt and I managed to make it downtown, tour his office, wait for a table at Oceannaire, eat 2 appetizers, an entree each, a dessert, down an entire bottle of wine (embarrassingly consumed mostly by me), and make it back home in just over 2 hrs.  Surprising as it may seem, it was relaxing and so nice to get out!

Saturday:  Lilly & Diana getting ready to walk the monon and have a picnic with mommy and daddy

Diana

Lilly

Saturday evening we went to Hudson Weiss' 1 yr. birthday party.  We were actually one of THREE sets of twins there...and all 3 sets were identical!!  There were 21 month old boys and 8 year old girls.  Lauren was the mom of the boys and was someone who 'coached' me through my entire pregnancy and who referred us Carol, our night nanny.  This was the 1st time I met her, so I was glad to tell her 'thank you' in person!  I stalked both her and the mom of the 8 year old girls.  It is amazing to me to see just how identical both sets of twins were, especially the girls being that they are a bit older.  I was just happy to see that they were politely sitting next to each other and not pulling each others hair out!  However, when we asked if they liked being twins they answered very firmly, "NO."  Hmmm...

Sunday:  All dressed up for church and brunch with Adam and Alina

Funny church story:  the girls were so good the entire time, and then at the very end, when mass was ending and everyone was saying their SILENT prayers, Lilly took that moment to let out her very loud trapped gas!  OMG, to say Matt and I were embarrassed would be an understatement!  And then there was Lil, just smiling away, relieved of her pain.  And yes, the ppl in the pews around us definitely heard!  Thanks, sweetheart!

We have slept through the night...3 times!

As any mom of a newborn knows, it's a big occasion when the baby sleeps through the night.  And it's especially big when 2 babies are sleeping through the night!!  They woke up for the 3rd day in a row at 7am after we put them down at 9pm.  I'm not sure Matt and I get quite the quality sleep that Lilly and Di do b/c we are still waking up wondering when the crying will begin.  I really didn't think Diana was quite ready for such a feat, but she proved us wrong.  We are so proud of the girls!

In order to accomplish this though, the days are back to a rigorous every-3-hr feeding schedule, but it's a fair trade.  We can now feed 2 at once, they eat much quicker, and we have dual diaper changes/clothing changes, etc. down to record speed! (However, their new talent of slobbering makes for several more daily clothing changes.)  AND they seem to actually be on a 'real' napping schedule, sleeping for about 2 hrs. in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, with a few short ones in between.  Of course during those there are several minutes of 'crying it out', several trips to the nursery to calm one down, etc.  But this has all led to a much more peaceful environment here in the Bajorek household and (do I say it out loud?) a potential hour or more of uninterrupted "me" time!  I even cooked 3 times this week!  (Although should I be offended that Matt begged to go out to dinner last night?  Hmmm...)

We have our 3 month photo shoot this morning, something I am sure the girls will not enjoy nearly as much I will!  :)

Happy Mother's Day...Happy 3 months... and so much more!

What a week/weekend!

AU REVOIR
Thursday we said 'goodbye' to our wonderful night nanny, Carol.  What a sad day for all of us (mommy especially!)  I am pretty sure I even shed a tear...no more guaranteed sleep-filled nights!  However, I am very proud to say that in Carol's 20 years of experience, she said that Lilly and Diana were among her top 2 easiest babies!!  I wonder if she says that to all the mommies?!  Regardless, WAY TO GO LIL AND DI!!!  

Friday we picked up Aunt Courtney from the airport as she returned from Australia.  The girls were SO happy to see her!  All 5 of us then packed in the car and drove to Jasper and were greeted at my parents' house by Tom and Cindy with some yummy grub!  THANK YOU T&C!

HAPPY 3 MONTHS!

1 month (D & L)

 2 months (D & L)

3 months (L &D; I didn't realize until now that I usually put Di on the left and Lil on the right - need to switch that next time!)

How are my babies already 3 months old??!!  The girls celebrated by sleeping until 5:30am!  And we rewarded them by switching from 4 oz bottles to those giant 9 oz bottles.  Lil and Di were VERY happy b/c every time those 4 oz were gone, they would scream for more!  Now they suck down almost 5 oz of formula at each feeding.  I remember not too long ago trying to wake them up to eat just 30 mL!  Man, how far we have come...!

So what are the girls up to now?  Well, for starters they smile A LOT!  I really cannot get enough of those big cheeky smiles!  They also seem to notice one another now and just kind of stare into each others' eyes with a confused look, like "wait a second, you were that girl who kicked me for 9 months.  So this is what you look like!  Pretty darn cute if you ask me."  (Ha...)  They are discovering their hands and rubbing their eyes, putting their hands in their mouth, etc. They like to show off how strong they are by not wanting to sit on my lap but instead 'stand.'  We are trying to work on napping in the crib, which usually proves unsuccessful but today they did really great!  They love love love to go on walks.  And truthfully (knock on wood) we have absolutely no problems putting them down at night.  I am not sure Matt or I have ever had to go back into the room after we settle them in for bed. The days are a bit more interesting with very few moments where one is not needing our attention.  We have begun the whole 'crying it out' game, which I am not a big fan of but I think it's becoming necessary or I will never ever do anything but hold, cuddle, rock and feed!  No matter what though, we are so proud that 3 months in, we have very happy and healthy girls!!!  We love you, Lil and Di!

IN MEMORY OF...

Saturday morning there was a wonderful dedication in memory of my parents at the start of a Jasper Tennis Invitational. Coach Yarbrough gathered the teams and the Segers and said about 5 minutes of very thoughtful words...he mentioned my parents' dedication, strength, and strong family values.  There were 2 trees planted in their memory, one with a very nice engraved stone.  We are so deeply grateful for such a thoughtful gift to remember our parents!

We managed to make it back to Indy just in time to celebrate Maya Loughmiller's 1 yr. birthday!  The girls showed off their tutus and jean jackets (although mean mommy didn't get a single pic) and were able to give Maya the attention she deserved by being VERY good the entire time! 

MOTHER'S DAY

Today, on Mother's Day, Matt gave me some of the best gifts ever...sleep (he took all early morning feedings), a mini-video cam, and he even made up a late afternoon bath equipped with all my favorites...bubbles, wine, tunes by Michael Buble and an US Weekly.   I think I died and went to heaven for an hour!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially my own who I miss more than I will ever be able to say. I love you.  :)

Daddy's Little Monkeys...

This photo cracks me up so I had to share.  Of course daddy dressed the girls this particular morning!  If Diana has a signature expression - this is it!  She always seems so nervous about what is coming next.  Lilly very rarely has this same expression, which is why I find it even funnier that Diana does.  If only she knew that later in life this furrowed brow will lead to wrinkles!  AHHH!  :)

Thank you!

Thank you to all who supported the Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation's efforts to win the $250,000 grant money from the Pepsi Refresh Project!  I am happy to announce that out of hundreds of entries, they finished in 1ST PLACE!!!  Everyone knows how much this research meant to my parents and our entire family, so if you voted once, twice or every single day, we thank you!  I am sure my mom and dad were all smiles at this accomplishment. 

All in a week's work...

 

Diana

Lilly

The 3 cousins!

The Bajoreks

The bride and Kate!

There were so many things that happened this week that I think I need to list them all out in day-by-day order!  And most of them had to do with other ppl (AS IF the world revolves around anyone other than Lil and Di?!)

Wednesday:
My dear friend Ali and her husband Ryan who live in Chicago welcomed a baby girl, Aubrey Joy Stimac!  Aubrey just so happened to come out weighing a wimpy 10 lbs 12 oz!!  And yes, Ali actually delivered her...no c-section.  Come to find out, that's the exact weight of our Diana.  Ali, you are SUPERmom!  :) 

Matt was out of town so Maureen and Cindy came to spend the day with the girls, took them out for a nice stroll while mommy headed out to do some shopping!  It was a GREAT break for me and I truly can't thank them enough!

Thursday: 
We had our re-scheduled 2 month (or 11 week appt. in our case) pediatrician appt!  (As an update, the pediatrician's office called me the day after our 1st debacle and said they had an opening.)  All went well and Lilly weighs a whopping 12 lbs and Diana is 10 lb 12 oz!  The only prob. with this is Lilly is too big for our newborn clothes while the 3-6 month clothes are still too big on Diana.  And now they are also in 2 different sizes of diapers.  Oh, and potentially 2 different formulas if Lilly can't tolerate the new one.  Oh boy!

Our other good friends Meredith and J.T. moved back to Indy from Chicago!  We greeted them back to the 'hood with a few Starbucks frappuccinos.  They have a 1 yr. old and Meredith also stays at home, so I expect lots of playdates in our future!

Friday:
The girls slept for 8.5 hrs. straight!  WOOHOO!  Could it be that we are inching towards sleeping through the night consistently?  I think Lilly would just about be there, but we still have to wake her when Diana wakes.  Come on Lady Di!  

Saturday:
Well, they didn't quite sleep for 8.5 hrs. (5.5), but we still have hope!

We headed down to Jasper for my best friend Mindy's bridal shower!!  Mindy looked awesome and she got some great gifts.  We surprised her with her favorite cupcakes from The Flying Cupcake, but otherwise I feel as if I failed in my role as maid of honor b/c apparently my role as mom took precedence.  Not that the girls were bad, but there was usually one who was always a bit fussy (a very common trend around here now.)  However, Mindy was a trooper and it was great to spend time with our friends.  We can't wait until the wedding!

After the shower we spent a couple of hours with my Addie (and Phil and Krista too of course.)  Addie is the most active 1 yr. old I have ever seen...ALWAYS on the move, NEVER wanting to stop!  It is impossible not to love her for it, but I am sure Phil and Krista sometimes feel otherwise!

We headed back to Indy that same day b/c after the travels lately, we realize how much simpler it is to be in our own home.  And we are planning to come back May 15 weekend, so for those of you in Jasper who didn't get to see us, DON'T HATE US...we hope to be back soon!

Sunday:
The girls slept for 7.5 hrs straight!  :)  I have to give a shout-out to Matt b/c he got up with the girls at 4:30am and then again at 7am while I slept.  I sort of maybe knew he was doing this but sadly the guilt didn't will my body out of bed!  I figured since he got to gamble at French Lick on Saturday and then is leaving for Chicago for a few days this coming week, I deserved a few feeding-free hours.  But I am still thankful for him because he did this with NO complaining whatsoever!