No More Highchairs

Last week, when Matt was out of town, I decided to take the boys to Red Robin. I decided to try something new...no highchairs! The boys did great. I thought for sure they would be running around, but sure enough they just sat across from me without any problems.

Having twins is such a conversation starter. Everyone asks if they are twins and if they are identical. We always meet new people everywhere we go! We met 3 families just sitting in the booth!

During dinner, the staff would periodically sing Happy Birthday to children celebrating their birthday. The boys really got into clapping their hands and singing Happy Birthday to the kids. After they were done with dinner, I surprised them and had the staff sing Happy Birthday to them. They barely set Joseph's ice cream sundae down before he devoured it!

Dominic-

Joseph-


We had a great night. I cannot believe they are big boys sitting in a booth now. It just feels like yesterday when they were in their infant carriers resting in the booth. How time flies!

Easter Weekend 2008

I am back to blogging for good! I finally had back surgery on my herniated disk in January. I am feeling so much better! I am still in physical therapy for some weakness, but all in all, I am so much better than before the surgery.

Matt was visiting a friend in California so the boys and I spent Easter weekend at my parents. We all had a great time! The boys absolutely loved dying the eggs. I was not sure if they would understand the Easter egg hunt, but as you can see from the below pictures, they really got into it.


Nanny and Grandpa with the boys--

Mommy and her boys--


Easter egg hunt--




The boys are doing great! We are so blessed with all of their progress. I will write more about their lasted accomplishments in a later post.

A big congratulations to my sister Marji and brother-in-law Chris who are expecting a baby girl at end of July! I asked the boys what kind of cousin they wanted and Dominic said he wanted a "pink baby"! We are so excited to have a new baby in the family.

Also another big congrats to my other sister Chrissie and her NEW fiancee Keith! They are getting married next January. We can not wait and are very happy for them.

We love and miss everyone!

First Snow

I am finally back to blogging! I have just recently returned to a part-time status at work. I am so thankful I am able to work part-time. Working full-time, 5 days a week, with the boys was definitely a challenge.

One of the reasons I went into nursing was the benefit of working 12 hour shifts. If I was still working on the Pediatric unit I could work full-time, but only 3 days a week. With my new job, I was covering for my boss when she went on an extended maternity leave, our office hours are Monday-Friday. I am not used to working 5 days a week!! During the past 5 months I realized if I had to work full-time, I would have to quit my office job and go back to working on the Pediatric floor (3) 12 hours shifts per week. I think I just got spoiled with these great hours.

One thing I can say is I really have a deeper appreciation for any moms who need to work full-time, 5 days a week, to support their family. I also know how blessed I am to have an extremely flexible and high demand job in these days of economic uncertainty.

The boys are doing great. They are talking up a storm and very busy all the time.
They were shocked and excited when they came downstairs this morning and noticed all of the snow. We have about 8 inches of snow accumulation!

We took the boys outside just before their nap and as soon as they woke up they were begging to go back out again!

This is the first year there has been enough snow for them to use their sleds I bought 2 years ago!

Joseph-

Dominic-

Matt pulling the boys up and down our driveway until dark!


The boys finally came in and had hot chocolate in their new "coffee mugs". They were so serious with their treat--notice Dominic's eye is always on Joseph!



I hope everyone else is doing well and enjoying the holiday season!

First Day of Preschool

Today the boys had their first day of Early On Preschool. Since the boys were born prematurely ,they qualify for a program called Early On which is funded through our local school district. It is held in a school setting with the goal to provide the boys with support in any area they may be having difficulties such as; physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language, and/or social skills. The boys started last December and we all loved it. The school lasts 1 hour and is held twice a week. It is great for the boys to interact with other children.

They absolutely love school. They were so much more confident than last school year. I really notice a difference in their maturity level from June until now. They were even holding their on conversations with some of the other kids. I have very mixed emotions about their growth. I am happy because they have done so well and worked so hard to be where they are. But, I am sad because they are growing older so quickly. I swear, I feel like I just blinked my eyes and here they are 2 1/2 years old!

I have said a lot of prayers of thanks today. Today being September 11th, reminds me how lucky and blessed I am to have such an intact family. Talk about a blink of an eye, I cannot believe it has been 6 years. I remember even though thankfully, I did not know anyone affected, I was so scared that night. I became almost paranoid. Matt was working late and I kept listening for planes overhead. I fell asleep with my cell phone in my hand, as is my cell phone was my protection. Tonight I pray for all of those who lost a loved one 6 years ago in such a tragic event.

Here are some pictures. We tried so hard to get a picture of them together..no luck!
Joseph-

Dominic-

Joseph relaxing in his chair-

Dominic is just "done"-

Labor Day Fun

We had a great Labor Day. The weather was absolutely beautiful! Although, the boys had a mild form of the stomach flu and could not go to the park, we still had fun at home.

I had a long "To Do" List for this past weekend, and was all stressed out on Monday when I realized I had not done much on the list. But when I reflect back, I forgot to put the most important item on my list, to spend great quality time with Matt and the boys. And that is exactly what I did. I played, laughed, snuggled and loved all weekend. We had an absolutely amazing weekend here at the Distefano home!

Fun with Dad-

Splashing in the Puddles in their new froggie boots-

The boys are really into wearing their sunglasses ALL the time!

Part 3- "We are in the Game"

Here is part three of our Family story. This is a picture of Matt and I the night we found out Lisa was pregnant.



"We are in the Game"
August 27, 2004

I had just worked midnights and decided to stop by Lisa's house to wish her good luck with her blood work today. She was going for a routine hormone check but, they also checked her HCG (which is the pregnancy hormone). The nurse warned us it is usually too early to detect the HCG, but sometimes a small number shows.

When I arrived, I found Lisa and her husband Chris sitting out on their front porch. Lisa and I talked about how nervous we were for the results. Chris mentioned that Lisa had been acting differently, a little moody (sorry Lisa). He was convinced it worked really did not like us talking and thinking so negatively.

I went home and fell asleep on the couch. Around 1:15 PM, Matt came in and whispered, "Liz, Lisa's on the phone and it is good." I gathered my bearings and said, "What did you just say?" He handed me the phone and gave me a thumbs up sign. I will never forget the excitment on his face.

The first thing Lisa said was, "We are in the game!" I was in completed shock! Her HCG level came back positive and was already 68!!!

Matt and I were just elated. We have been waiting a long time for this day.

I can definitely say Matt and I have become a much stronger couple throughout this journey. We have learned to move forward and stay positive even through doubt and negativity. We have learned that the most important thing is to always love and support each other. By leaning on each other, the bumps in the road of life will come with a little more ease.

Part 2-Transfer Day

Unfortunately, my blog site has been "acting up" the past few days. I was getting an error message every time I would try to type a new post. Anyways, I wanted to consolidate my different journals so here is "Part 2" of our family story I wrote 3 years ago. I cannot believe it has already been 3 years! It seems like just yesterday.



AUGUST 21, 2004 TRANSFER DAY!!

I will start this entry with a little history of this past summer. In May, Matt and I were blessed with a wonderful offer from Lisa and Chris (Matt's sister and husband.) The offer was Lisa would try to become a gestational carrier for Matt and I. Lisa attempted an IVF cycle in Jyne with our frozen embryos, but unfortunately, it was an unsuccessful cycle. We all decided to take a month off to think about things. Matt and I had a few more frozen embryos left, and deep in my heart I just had a good feeling about them. In July, Matt, Lisa and I met with Dr. F to discuss our next steps. Dr. F was very straight forward and did not give us much hope for the remaining eggs since the June cycle was negative. We all discussed our options and decided to give it one more shot. I just could not bear not trying one more time when one of the embryos might just be the one.

A little about Lisa: Lisa is one of the most amazing woman I know. Lisa never questioned her decision to be our gestational carrier. She once told me she felt it was something she was sent to this earth to do. She is an extremely strong person. During this whole process she has never complained and has taken each step in stride. To get her body ready for pregnancy, Lisa's husband, Chris, diligently gave her nightly shots of progesterone (a very thick liquid made in sesame oil,and a very large needle). Lisa was so brave and determined that when Chris was not able to give her a shot she gave it to her self!! Holy brave mama!

On August 21, 2004, Lisa, Matt and I drove to Dr. F's office for the embryo transfer. Lisa and I went back to a small procedure prep area. The doctor came in and was looking at a picture of our embryos and said, "When it rains it pours". Lisa and I immediately thought the worst...none of the embryos survived the thaw. But, the doctor quickly explained there were 3 excellent embryos and 2 of them had already started to hatch on their own. The doctor said this was a wonderful sign and assured us this cycle should produce a pregnancy.

Lisa and I went back to the procedure room and the doctor transferred the beautiful embryos using an ultrasound guided catheter. The whole procedure took about 15 minutes. It was so amazing to see the little embryos on the ultrasound monitor. I gave Lisa a hug and kiss and said a prayer everything would be okay.

We all left the office in excitement. I had recently read that propping your legs for 6 hours after the procedure could be beneficial so when we got to Lisa's house she went right to bed to put her feet up. For the next 48 hours Lisa took it very easy while Chris held up the home front. Now comes the waiting and praying...