Watch Us Grow - Month 1 (November 17, 2013)

There's two to wash, two to dry;
There's two who argue, two who cry....
There's two to kiss, two to hug;
And best of all, there's two to love!
~Author Unknown

Happy 1 month birthday Ava & Ella! You have brought our family more love and joy than we could ever wish for! The past month has gone by so quickly, but it is hard to remember life before you girls arrived. Your daddy and I have been sleeping A LOT less lately, but our tired nights are worth our days full of hugs and kisses! We love you both so much and you have brought us such happiness!

Ava Nicole

You are such a calm girl. You only cry when you need your diaper changed or if you are hungry. You are such an alert baby and you already can track things that move in front of you! When we burp you, you are able to hold your head up all by yourself! You hate to be swaddled, but if we don't you will hit yourself and your sister with your forever moving arms. You love stretching and make the loudest grunting noises when you stretch! You love to do leg exercises with Grandma and belly exercises with Daddy. Your sister likes to sleep late, so you and I get to hang out by ourselves every morning! You weight about 8 pounds and you are growing by the minute! Everyone loves to hug you because you are so cuddly! You have a tight grip and love to hold hands. Your favorite hang out spot is in someone's arms, but you also like the swing.  We are still trying to get you to enjoy the bouncer, but so far we have not had luck. You eat quickly like your daddy. You would not take a pacifier until this week (week 4) thank goodness because your daddy and I caught you trying to eat your sister's head! Bath time is fun for you and you smell delicious when you are clean! We love you so much Ava!!

Ella Justine

You are such a funny little girl! You do not like to sleep (ever!!) and you are always alert and curious. You are such a good baby and you very rarely cry, but when you do, you have mastered "the pout" and it breaks everyone's heart to see you sad. You love to be swaddled and you make the cutest little baby burrito!! We were so worried about you gaining weight because you were so little when you were born. You would eat all day if we let you (and believe me you try to!) and we are so happy that you weigh about 6 1/2 pounds now. Keep up the great work! You love to be close to your big sister and when we lay you down next to her, you immediately get calm.  Your favorite place (besides next to mommy in bed) is the bouncer. You love the pacifier and it is almost as big as your face! You HATE the bath and daddy hates giving you a bath because it makes him sad to see you sad. You have long fingers and feet just like mommy. You are working on lifting up your head by yourself and your curiosity is giving you good practice! Your hands are always touching your face and mommy has to keep cutting your nails so you don't scratch yourself. When you are happy, you blow bubbles and make funny noises which always makes us giggle! We love you so much Ella!!

What's cuter than one baby?

A precious set of twins!

With matching little outfits -

And matching little grins...

With twice as many babies,

How very busy we will be -

Just think of all the loving

They'll bring our family.

~Author Unknown

Parenthood

There are places in your heart that you don't even know exist until you have a child.

~ Anne Lamott

On October 17, 2013, I was promoted to my most important title. I became the mother of the two most amazing little miracles! Ava Nicole Helms was born at 10:36am, weighing 7 pounds 15 ounces and was 18 3/4 inches. Ella Justine Helms was born at 10:37am, weighing 5 pounds 7 ounces and was 17 inches long. We had a scheduled c-section since both girls were breech and Richie was by my side every step of the way. Our little family was now complete!

We couldn't believe how immediately alert both girls were with their eyes wide open looking all around! They felt so good to hold and after a long 9 months, it felt amazing to finally meet them!

The 4 of us were moved to a recovery room immediately following the surgery where Richie and I had some long awaited alone time with our brand new daughters. We checked out their toes, fingers, and perfect little noses. We cried, we hugged, and we gave lots of kisses. We stared, and gawked, and giggled over how lucky we were to have these precious girls enter our lives. I could have stayed in that room for hours, but we knew what was waiting for us...the grandparents!

We are so lucky to have such a supportive family and both sets of grandparents were eagerly awaiting Ava and Ella's arrival. Everyone was over the moon and the initial meeting was love at first sight for everyone.

Grandma and Papa

Papa 

Papa

Memaw and Pawpaw

Ava and Ella both lost over 10% of their body weight in the hospital, which of course made their new parents very nervous. Although Richie and I were anxious to hear that they were gaining weight, the doctors and nurses seemed quite confident that both girls would be just fine and we were released to go home. 

Ava

Ella

We were very fortunate (and extremely grateful) to have Grandma with us the first week we were home because Richie and I had no idea what we were doing! Grandma taught us the secret of bouncing, making up songs, exercises with the girls, and so much more! We would not have made it through the first week without Grandma's help! Thank you Grandma!

Ella and Ava

Ella

Ava

Ava and Ella

We had our first pediatrician visit the day after we left the hospital. We were thrilled to hear that both girls had gained weight and were getting closer to their birth weight!

The weekend after Grandma left we got a special visit from Aunt Nicole! We had so much fun with her and the girls loved being hugged so much! Aunt Nicole was so helpful! She even came with us on our first family outing to Target! Thank goodness she did because I almost had a panic attack and Aunt Nicole saved the day!

Aunt Nicole got the girls dressed for the Jets game and even consoled them when the Jets got crushed! (Sorry girls, but it's going to be tough for you during football season - please know that the whole family is in this together!) 

I keep telling the girls how lucky they are to have each other because there is no better friend than a sister! I know that Ava and Ella will share a bond with each other just as special as the one I share with Nicole!

We were so sad when Aunt Nicole had to leave and can't wait to see her again! We are so lucky though because we get to do face time with her and our cousins, Ryan and Dylan! We can't wait to meet the boys!!

After Aunt Nicole left, Richie and I were finally officially on our own with the girls. We had learned so much during the first week of parenthood, but we had (and still have) a lot more to learn!

I had no doubt at all that Richie was going to be an amazing dad! I've heard so many girls brag that they have the best husband in the world, but when I say that, I know it's true. He is one of the most thoughtful, generous, supportive, and loving people I have ever met! I knew that fatherhood would be no different for Richie. Our girls are so very lucky to call such an amazing man their father!

Daddy and Ella

Daddy and Ava

Daddy and Ava

Daddy and Ella

Our first walk in our neighborhood!

The girls are two weeks old now and I already can't remember what it was like without them! Our lives have changed so much over the past two weeks and my heart is overflowing with love for our little family! I'm so excited for the adventures that lay ahead for us and I know that Ava and Ella will continue to make our dreams come true! We love you both more than you could ever know! xoxo

You are the closest I will ever come to magic.

     ~ Suzanne Finnamore 

52 Week Project (Round 2): Week 1 - Self

(March 2012)

"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off."

-Gloria Steinem

Is anyone every really prepared to hear what others think about them? I know that I was not. We see ourselves so differently than those around us do. It's like the first time you hear your voice recorded and you think, "eww...do I really sound like that?!" It's hard to hear the truth from others, but I have recently learned how necessary it is. 

I can't say that 2012 was one of my favorite years. As a matter of fact, I hated 2012 and was so ready to start fresh in 2013. It was a pretty tough year and one of the only highlights was Michael and Jasmine getting married. Unfortunately, I had several medical issues this past year and had to visit doctors that I didn't even know existed. On top of the medical issues, I was becoming more and more unhappy with myself as the year progressed. My weight was rapidly getting out of hand, I was feeling horrible, getting migraines, and becoming less and less motivated to do anything. I have struggled with weight for as long as I can remember, but now my weight was negatively impacting my overall health. It wasn't until I had a very scary visit with my neuro-opthamologist that I realized what I was doing to myself. It was time for a change.

My first big change was educating myself. I read EVERYTHING! I read about my condition. I read about eating healthy. I read about exercising. I read blogs, articles, magazines, and watched health shows. I tried new recipes and searched websites for hours. Then I started making changes. Richie kept telling people we were on a "diet" when they asked, but I hate the word diet. I didn't want to keep starting over - I wanted to make a permanent change in my life and knew how important it was (and still is) to succeed. I started using an app on my phone to track my food, bought a food scale, and strategically put measuring cups all over the kitchen to help with portion control. I noticed my body changing within the first 2 weeks, but it took awhile for people around me to notice. It was amazing how quickly I started feeling better. My headaches had disappeared, my vision returned, my hearing improved, I was sleeping straight through the night, and I had so much more energy. Although it was encouraging to hear my friends, family, and colleagues say how proud they were of my hard work, I was the most motivated when my doctor had to read my chart twice to make sure she had read my weight correctly. I was headed in the right direction! Yay!

I was never really a new year's resolution kind of girl, so I am setting a goal instead. My goal this year is to be a better me. My focus will be on a healthy Erika - mentally and physically! I am going to try to fear less; hope more - eat less, chew more - talk less; listen more - stress less; laugh more. Here's to a wonderfully productive 2013!

I am posting the "before" (top) picture again along with my "after" (I should probably say "during" since this is still a work in progress) picture, so you can better compare the two.

                                                                                         

                    (March 2012)                                                 (January 2013)

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try."

-Unknown