Cameron and Lucy Started Pre-School!

Cameron and Lucy started 3 year old pre-school on Tuesday, August 25th. They go to school at Trinity Lutheran School which has classes for grades pre-school through 8th grade. They have school every Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8:30 - 11:00am. Their teacher is Mrs. Laura Busse and there are a total of 8 kids in their class. I cannot begin to explain how proud I am of Cameron and Lucy for taking on preschool at the age of 3 and adjusting to being on their own there! They amaze me! 

They started school before Rory was born and when I was 38 weeks pregnant. Grammy and I took them to school and picked them up on their first day. They were excited to go to school with their new school outfits and bags! They posed for pictures on our front porch and we headed off to TLS! When we got to school, I think the concept of being dropped off alone suddenly became overwhelming. They were both in tears and seemed pretty devastated. Cameron had to be carried to class by the school principal Mr. Hoffmann. He cried the whole way down to his class. Lucy cried hard and clung to me. Then she dried her tears and ended up walking down to her class on her own after I assured her I would be waiting outside when school was over. I hated seeing them so sad and it took pretty much everything in me to not demand on staying at class with them. I cried as soon as they were out of my sight and prayed they'd be okay. A classroom assistant called me twice to give me updates on their morning and assure me that they had both stopped crying. By the time we picked them up at 11am though, they were back to smiles and sharing stories from their day. Grammy and I took them to Panera to pick up lunch and then we headed to the dinosaur park for a picnic and playtime! On Thursday morning, Jeremy and Grammy took them for their 2nd day of school. Drop off was filled with tears again but it wasn't quite as bad. By the time they had their 3rd week of school, both Cameron and Lucy had stopped crying at drop off. Hooray! They do a great deal of fun things in class each day including art time, singing songs, Jesus time, gym or playground time and playing toys. They have a snack each day with chocolate milk. I have been emailing their teacher to ensure they are enjoying their time at school and they really seem to be! They have had great progress reports each week as well! I signed up to be head room parent for their class and really look forward to being able to help with all their class parties! 

Their first party was the fall party on October 29th. Myself and 2 other moms coordinated games, a snack and a craft. I made a bowling game and a paper plate pumpkin craft for the kids. When I arrived at their classroom the twins were so excited to see me! They had lots of fun that morning and made sure I stayed very close to them. Such a fun and special morning in their classroom! 

Pictures from their first day, their progress reports, and a daily report are included below. 

Welcome to the World Rory Andrew Bradley!

Rory Andrew Bradley was born on Monday, August 31st at 12:32 pm at BroMenn hospital! He weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. He has a a full head of dark hair and is absolutely perfect! Rory was delivered via C-section by Dr. Gratkins. Daddy was in the OR with us and took some pictures and held my hand during the delivery. Rory started cooing and crying the moment he was born which of course brought me to tears. His pediatrician came for his first check-up while I was still on the operating table and confirmed that Rory is indeed perfect. After my surgery was over, Rory and I were taken back to my hospital room, room 1110, where we started skin to skin care and nursing shortly after. Rory loves to snuggle and eats like a champ! Grammy came back to our hospital room shortly after Rory and I were brought back. I have to admit the next details, or at least the exact order of events, are a bit blurry probably due to the meds (and hormones, adrenaline, etc). Papa, Grandpa John, Uncle James, Uncle Ben, and Auntie Annie all came back to the hospital room to see Rory after an hour or so I believe. They had been in the waiting room during delivery. I think it's safe to say they all loved our new addition from the moment they saw his sweet face. Everyone took a turn holding him. The nurses gave Rory his first bath the day he was born. He really enjoyed having his hair washed!

On Monday afternoon, after Cameron and Lucy got up from their nap, Nana brought them to the hospital to meet their new baby brother. I was so happy when they arrived and felt beyond blessed to have these 3 amazing  babies (yes 2 of the babies are 3 years old). The twins were a bit overwhelmed I think to see me in the hospital bed and were not quite sure how to act around their new baby brother at first. It was cute to watch them slowly warm up to the idea that Mommy was okay, despite having to stay in the hospital a few days, and that its okay to kiss and love on Rory. The twins stayed at the hospital with us until about 7pm that evening. Before they left, we took our first family photo as a family of 5. This is my absolute favorite picture to date!

Jeremy stayed with us each night. He went home early each morning to see the twins and stayed with them all day on Wednesday as well. While he was with them, Grammy or Auntie Annie came to stay with me at the hospital. Cameron and Lucy came to the hospital each evening to have dinner with us, visit their brother, and play at the hospital. Being able to snuggle Rory all day and night and seeing the twins each day were the best parts of those hospital days. Blessings abound!! We had several other visitors while at the hospital including Great Grandpa Donn, my friends Lea Menning, Kelly Cornejo, and Kristy Hunt, and our friend Lisa Riess who was one of the night nurses who helped us when the twins were born. While we were at the hospital, Rory lost 11% of his body weight. Although this was cause for concern, we were still discharged from the hospital on day 4. Rory and I were discharged from the hospital on Thursday, September 3rd.

Jeremy, Rory and I got home from the hospital around 3pm on Thursday just as the twins were getting up from their naps. Grammy was here at the house with them. The inside and outside of the house was all decorated for Rory's homecoming by Auntie Annie and the twins. Everything looked so cute and festive!

We had to take Rory to see Dr. Emm on Friday, the day after we left the hospital in order to have his weight checked. He weighed 6 lbs 13 oz which was good! We took him back to see Dr. Emm on Friday, September 18th. Rory weighed in at 8 lbs 4 oz! Dr. Emm said he's clearly a good eater, which he is! He has had great checkups so far so we do not have to take him back until he's 2 months old. Rory is 3 weeks old today. Since we have been home, the twins have grown to adore Rory. They have been protective of him since day 1 and express concern when someone other than Jeremy or I hold Rory. They both ask to hold Rory each day, several times a day, and check on him any time they hear him cry. They love to pat his back or rub his head and give him little kisses. Rory is so lucky to have such loving siblings! They are enthralled with him!

Rory sleeps quite a bit still. At night he sleeps in the bassinet of the pack n' play in our bedroom. He typically sleeps 2.5 to 3 hours at a time so we're getting just enough sleep to get by I think! We've had a few nights where he eats at night and is then wide awake for seemingly forever. I think we need to make sure our little buddy understands days and nights. During the day he takes about 2 long naps a day and numerous small naps in between. He loves being held and snuggled which is just fine by me! We have done tummy time a couple times for a few minutes a piece. He doesn't hate it but doesn't really enjoy it either. That will come with time I'm sure. He's still wearing newborn clothes and diapers but will probably move on from both very soon! He poops all day long, and has earned himself a good diaper rash from it. Triple paste and Destin to the rescue! His belly button stump fell off around 1.5 weeks of age, and has not healed yet. We started using rubbing alcohol on it yesterday (per Dr. Emm's recommendation) and it's looking better already. Other than than, all is well in Rory's world. We're so in love with our baby boy and know he's the perfect addition to our family. We all love being a family of 5. The twins are too cute about this and like to name all of our family members!

 

 

First bath at the hospital! He loved getting his hair washed. 

 

 

Proud big brother and sister!

 

Best picture ever! Our family!

 

Silly daddy! All ready for Rory's delivery!

 

Welcome home baby Rory!

 

 

All ready to leave the hospital!

 

 

 

36 Weeks Pregnant - Summer Is Flying By!

I am 36 weeks pregnant and our little boy seems to be doing well. I go back tomorrow for another checkup and sonogram. I cannot wait! I was placed on modified bed rest around 32.5 weeks which means I have not worked since then. At my 32 week appointment the baby was measuring around 4 lbs 10 oz and was measuring at 34 weeks. Deb checked me for dilation (there was none) and I had a negative swab test for oncoming labor. Amniotic fluid was at the high end of normal. Between that and the baby measuring ahead, my uterus is irritable which explains the frequent contractions. Modified bed rest has truly been a blessing for us! I have loved being able to spend more time with the twins each day and also focus on having a relaxing and healthy end of pregnancy. Since being off work, the frequent contractions have really slowed down and I feel much more calm. My mom and Jeremy's mom have been helping out Monday - Thursday still which has been a tremendous help. The twins love going on zoo visits with Nana or spending the day at Grammy's house. I have had plenty of time to nest and do random things around the house for all of us. I have been going to the doctor weekly since my 32 week appointment so they can keep a close eye on the pregnancy.

Cameron, Lucy, and Grammy came along to the 34 week checkup. They got to see baby brother during the sonogram and hear his heartbeat. Pretty exciting! He was moving around, has lots of hair, and some cute and chubby cheeks! His measurements put him around 6 lbs! It was crazy and wonderful to hear that he likely weighs around 6 lbs already. The twins each weighed right around 5 lbs at birth and they were so tiny and fragile, particularly after they lost weight initially while in the nursery. Speaking of Cameron and Lucy, I think they are becoming even more excited for baby brother to arrive. Lucy has been kissing and hugging my belly lately and Cameron likes to pat it or press his hear against my stomach and wait for kicks. Cameron asked me the other day if the baby would be born in an egg. ;-)

Cameron and Lucy start pre-school on Tuesday, August 25th at Trinity Lutheran. They will go Tuesday/Thursday mornings from 8:30 - 11:00am. We went and registered last night. They were able to meet their teacher Mrs. Busse and visit their classroom. The visit went great! They were so excited to see all the toys, art supplies, and pet fish in the classroom. They used the little bathroom (the potty was just their size!) and found the cubby holes with their names on them. Cameron did not want to leave his classroom and declared he wanted to stay for school. He spotted a Ninja Turtle poster on the wall in the hallway so pretty sure that sealed the deal that school is a fun place. It warmed my heart like no other to watch their excitement about school. Part of me was ready to burst into tears thinking that they are old enough for 3 year old pre-school but I know they are going to love it. We all go back next week for their pre-school orientation. This is a private 30 minute meeting with their teacher. We will take their school supplies in that day day. I signed up last night to be a room parent. I cannot wait to be part of their classroom activities and school experience.

It's hard to believe it's already the middle of August and summer will be coming to an end soon. They have 2 gymnastics classes left. I have not yet decided if we'll sign them up for something else soon or wait until later in the year. Cameron had his first official haircut on May 19th and has had 2 additional cuts since then. He was nervous for his first haircut but he did great! Lucy had her first haircut on July 31st. She said she wanted to go to the beauty salon so I took her and Cameron in to have my hairdresser Jessica cut their hair. She works at Station 710 salon. Lucy did great at her first haircut! She sat quietly, ate her sucker, and let Jessica cut about 2-3 inches off her hair. It's still long and has curls but does not get as tangly. Cameron is a pro at getting haircuts now and Lucy did wonderful, too! I think their favorite part is when they get a ring pop when they are all done. It's the little things in life, right?! I asked the twins what they each want to be for Halloween this year. Cameron declared he wanted to be Superman or maybe even Mickey Mouse. Lucy said she wanted to be "maybe Cinderella" or even Elsa. I asked them what baby Brother should be and Cameron said, "Superman like I!" :-)

 

Baby Brother! Look at those chubby cheeks and that hair!

 

 

 Lucy's first haircut before and after!

 

Cameron's 3rd haircut!

 

BFF's :-)

31 Weeks Pregnant and Potty Trained Twins!

This pregnancy is flying by! Hard to believe I am 31 weeks pregnant already and our baby boy will be here in less than 8 weeks. We are progressing with getting the nursery finished (just missing some finishing touches and a recliner) and getting the house ready for the baby, too! I need to make some room for newborn baby things in the family room such as the pack n' play, a swing, and the bouncer. Cameron and Lucy's toys have taken over the room! With a little organization and shifting things to the basement, we will make it work. I am very curious to see what the twins think of all the baby things we will be setting up! So far they love to see all of baby brother's things and are very curious about what baby brother will do or if he will cry. I am currently going to my doctor's office every 2 weeks for checkups. At my last appointment, I was 30 weeks and I heard the baby's heartbeat. Strong and steady! I go again next week when I'll be 32 weeks and get to have another sonogram. I cannot wait to see our sweet baby again! The sonogram tech was able to get all the measurements she needed that she was not able to get at 20 weeks. Baby brother is right on track and actually measuring about a week ahead. He gives me some pretty fierce kicks and jabs on a regular basis so I know he's a strong little guy! I just found out my blood protein c level is outside of normal range so I am taking 81 mg of baby aspirin each day to prevent any clotting issues. Slight scary but its nice to know that there's an easy preventative measure. Other than that though, the pregnancy is going really well.

Our 3 year old big kids are potty trained!! They started wearing big kid underwear and using their potties on a regular basis a few weeks after their 3rd birthday. We had one tough weekend but then they both caught on pretty quick! I think the sticker charts and trips to the toy store each time the chart was full really helped. To be fair we only went to the toy store twice before the thrill of the sticker charts wore off. They still wear pull-ups to sleep in but otherwise use their potties. They do a great job letting us know when they have to go potty and love trying out the bathrooms at restaurants and stores! We are so proud of our big kids!

We took our last family vacation as a family of 4 last weekend. We headed to Saint Louis late afternoon on July 1st and spent 2 nights at the Embassy Suites downtown. Cameron and Lucy were so good the whole trip and loved being at the hotel. It was really cute to see how excited they were to see the hotel, drive around the city, and go visit places. On Thursday we went to the Saint Louis Zoo in the morning. It was fun seeing all the animals but I think the highlight of the visit was the zoo train! Such fun! That evening we went to the Galleria Mall to hit up the Disney Store and the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Yum! Then on Friday morning we went to the Magic House Children's Museum before grabbing lunch and heading to Marion to see Jeremy's family. The Magic House was really cool and had many hands on activities for the twins! After naps at the hotel in Marion, we headed to Uncle James' house. Cameron and Lucy had fun throwing rocks into Lake of Egypt (where James lives) and being on the dock. We then had dinner at Uncle Pat's house and played until about 8pm. We got to spend some time with many of the Bradley relatives including MaMaw, Uncle Bob, Uncle Pat, Aunt Marla, and many cousins! This was July 3rd so of course fireworks were being let off. Lucy was not a fan of the loud noise so we headed back to the hotel for the night. I will note that in Saint Louis, we had 2 queen sized beds. Girls in one bed, boys in the other. In Marion we ended up with 1 king sized bed so we all shared for that night! We managed to get a little sleep despite the twisting and rolling twinsies in the middle of the bed! We headed for home late Saturday morning on July 4th. It was truly a wonderful trip for all 4 of us!

This has been a good and busy summer for us! Its actually rained a ton here and we have had more cool days than hot ones I think. It feels like we live in Seattle! We have managed to squeeze in a couple visits to State Farm Park to swim (the lazy river is a big hit!) as well as the splash park at Tipton. Cameron and Lucy just love to get the hose out in the backyard or the squirt guns and chase each other around. They like to take turns walking Zoey down the street or to the park with us. Fortunately Zoey is very patient with them! They have spent quite a bit of time playing with the neighbor girls (Emerson and Elyse Williams who are 6 and 3) and John Wills who lives across the street (also 3). It's nice to have kids around their age on our street! The twins started taking gymnastics 6 weeks ago at Gymnastics Etc. We do the parent/tot class which means Jeremy and I stay with them the whole time. Mr. Brad is their teacher/coach. It's a ton of fun to help them on the balance beam, trampolines, rings, foam pit, and other stations. They're shy in class at times (particularly Lucy) but they get so proud of themselves when they master a new trick!

31 weeks! Baby boy is growing! :-)

 

St. Louis Zoo! So much fun! 

First time riding a train! They loved the zoo train!

 

Cheesing at the hotel room watching cartoons before bed!

Pretty girl eating dinner at Cheesecake Factory

Twin 3 Year Olds in the House, Plus 1 on the Way!!

Wow, a lot has happened since my last blog post. To say we have been busy is the understatement of the year. Well Cameron and Lucy just turned 3 on May 4th! So hard to believe they hit this milestone already! And our family is growing! They have a baby brother due to arrive on September 6th this year. We are all so excited and cannot wait for him to get here!

Becoming pregnant took some hard work again (both physically and emotionally) but our diligence paid off. We worked with Dr. Gratkins and Deb Gromley here in town and then Dr. Jarrett in Indianapolis, IN. We officially found out I was pregnant on NYE, December 31st. :-) Such wonderful news that absolutely made our day (and week and month and year)! We shared the news with family on Wednesday, January 14th and had a Big Brother Big Sister celebration for Cameron and Lucy. They each received a book about the special role they will play when the baby arrives and got a few extra presents as well.

March 25th was my 16 week checkup at Dr. Gratkins office. Jeremy and I were hoping we could find out the sex of the baby on this day and we were not disappointed. While the sonogram tech was checking the baby over Jeremy declared, "It's a boy!" the tech eventually agreed. There was no doubt about it, we were having another boy! I was in shock and over the moon excited. The combination of 2 boys and a girl seems perfect for our family. Cameron will have a little buddy to wrestle and tackle with (2 of his favorite things) and Lucy will do a great job bossing them both around and relishing all her girliness (2 of her favorite things)! The staff at Dr. Gratkins' office was very excited for us and as the news spread throughout the office several made a point to share their excitement with us. We had family over for dinner that evening and did a gender reveal. I purchased blue balloons and stuffed them in a giant gift bag. Cameron and Lucy opened up the balloons and found out they were having a brother! They were really excited as was the rest of the family!

On March 31st, I felt our baby boy kick and move for the first time. I had felt light flutters before but this was definitely baby movement! As I laid in bed for the night he seemed to be having a mini dance party in my tummy. Such an amazing and wondrous feeling that of course had this mommy in tears!

April 22nd was my 20 week checkup. The sonogram tech was not able to get all the measurements she wanted including lower legs and the cord insertion point. So we'll try again next week at the 24 week appointment. What she was able to measure looked great though and baby boy is measuring right on schedule. He was sitting breach so I think that aided to the measurement difficulty. Of course I'm in a slight state of worry that will not go away until they can complete their measurements but as a mom I've learned that there's always something to worry about! In the mean time though we've been busy creating the nursery. Jeremy and Uncle Ben got the room all painted and did a great job! Jeremy put the crib together and painted a whicker dresser navy blue. I found a gray and white shelf at Ikea and have been busy ordering accessories for the room. We love love love the way the nursery is turning out! I think getting the nursery going has gotten Cameron and Lucy even more excited about their baby brother. They love to play in there or sit in the rocker with me and read. They like to play baby brother with Lucy's baby dolls which is super cute. One night at bedtime as I was tucking Cameron in he said, "I want to kiss the baby" and then leaned over and kissed my tummy. Too sweet! They frequently ask about baby brother being in my tummy. Cameron has asked on several occasions if baby brother is stuck in my tummy or if he's crying. I know adjusting to a baby being around may be difficult for them at first but at the same time, I know they are going to be such a good big brother and big sister.

On May 4th the twins turned 3! We celebrated that weekend by heading to the Peoria Zoo on Saturday with Uncle Ben and Auntie Annie. It was a fun morning seeing the animals and then eating lunch at the zoo. The monkey and reptile room was not a hit this year. Lucy particularly wanted no part of it. I can't say I blame her due to the awful smell! Aside from that though they had fun seeing the wallabies, giraffes, rhinos, tigers, etc. Sunday evening we had dinner at Grammy and Papa's and opened presents. Then Monday I stayed home with the twins so we could spend their birthday together. We opened their presents first thing that morning with Daddy. Cameron got a large firehouse play set, a personalized Thomas the Train engine and book and Lucy got a large dollhouse, personalized book "Lucy's Tea Party" and a personalized purse. We ate breakfast (completed by both smashing blackberries on their foreheads), played with their new scooters (from Grammy and Papa), and then headed to Mayol Plumbing and Heating to visit Papa, Grammy, and Auntie Annie at the office. They had great fun pretending to answer the phone and write out invoices! We left there and headed to Sweet Temptations to pick out yummy cupcakes. We spend the evening playing as a family once Daddy got home. On Saturday, May 9th we had a big birthday celebration that included family and friends. There was about 50 people here including 18 kids I think. The theme was picked by the twins and it was a Super Frozen party! I decorated the house and themed the food with all things super heroes or the characters from the Disney movie Frozen. We played 2 games at the party called Hulk Smash (consisted of smashing ice cream cones with a blow up hammer) and the Eternal Winter Snowball Toss (consisted of tossing cotton snowballs into a bucket). Cameron really enjoyed the Hulk Smash game as did the other kids! After the big party activities were over including opening presents and singing Happy Birthday, the twins had tons of fun running around the house with their little friends. It really made my heart happy to watch them take friends upstairs to show off their bedrooms and have fun interacting with their little buddies. It was truly a great day! They ended the evening by dancing with Uncle Benny and tackling Uncle James.

Cameron: Cameron is such a sweetheart with a kind and sensitive soul. He frequently tells us he loves us and always wants one more "hug and a kiss". Any time one of us leaves he asks for several hugs and kisses then runs to the window to wave until he can't see us any more. He's quite attached to his pacifier (okay 4 pacifiers) and his dog stuffed animals. He named 2 of them Brownie and Charlie (our boxer Charlie passed away a few months back and Cameron is helping to cope with this by having his stuffed animal Charlie). He has an ornery streak, is very silly, and absolutely loves to laugh. He loves to be tickled and to make anything a game. Some of his favorite things to do include play chase (this includes wanting chased when it's bath time, bed time, potty time, dinner time, you name it), tackle, run around, visit the park, and anything having to do with super heroes, Ninja Turtles, and Thomas the Train. He is a big fan of the Avengers, Batman, Super Man, and Spiderman. He has many Super Hero toys, books, and clothes. Sometimes at meals he will not eat unless his super heroes are lined up across the table by him! He's really getting into sports as well including watching them on TV with Daddy, pretending he's a Chicago Bear playing football, playing golf with his plastic golf clubs, or hitting the baseball in the backyard. He is a big fan of his Daddy and says Daddy is his buddy. He likes to ride around on his tricycle but usually uses the Fred Flintstone method instead of pedaling. Sometimes we can get him to pedal but it takes some coaxing. He has a strong vocabulary and frequently surprises us with the things he says or thinks to ask. He is shy at times when he first gets around people but little by little this seems to be going away. Personally I still enjoy the moments when he looks to me for guidance or wants to latch on to my leg. He will also turn to Lucy if he feels unsure about something and waits for her to take the lead. He loves his sister very much and makes sure she's looked after if she gets upset or cries. He is doing a good job with potty training and is currently wearing pull-ups. He uses the potty several times each day but it usually takes some convincing by one of us to get him to go. He's a slightly picky eater but not too bad, and his favorite color is blue. He still loves books including his new interest in the Paw Patrol books. He knows the alphabet song and can identify numerous letters and words that start with a particular letter. He can recognize his name if written down. He is good at counting (to 10 or 20) and enjoys being sung to or singing. He loves having You are My Sunshine sung to him and often requests this.

Lucy: Lucy is very loving and is quick to give us hugs or kisses or a pat on the back. She is a great helper and loves to help clean or water flowers. She also has an ornery streak as well as a stubborn streak that her Daddy swears came from me. I have no idea what he's talking about ;-) She gets her mind set on something and persuading her otherwise is no small feat. Her favorite things are anything having to do with the movie Frozen, her baby dolls, washing dishes/playing in the sink, visiting the park, and being outside. She loves to snuggle with her blankie and her pacifier and frequently requests an extra snuggle. She really enjoys riding her tricycle (although usually takes Cameron's instead of her own) and swinging out back. I think she could swing for hours at a time. She is great at climbing and basic sports activities. Lucy is shy particularly around grownup guys still but she seems to have outgrown crying from this fear. Lucy loves to pretend play with her baby dolls or grabs a purse and tells us she is doing things with her girlfriends or taking someone to the hospital or doctor. I think this stems from hearing that their Papa was in the hospital (blood clots) and Auntie Annie was in the hospital (surgery for an ovarian neoplasm). We did not have the twins visit them in the hospital but they heard the term enough that it's become a frequent topic in their pretend play. Fortunately both Papa and Annie are doing very well and hopefully all will be avoiding the hospital again any time soon. She has really gotten into my jewelry and even convinced me to paint her nails. She is a big fan of her Mommy and Grammy as well. She is doing good with potty training and currently wearing Pull-Ups. Sometimes she refuses to use the potty or take a bath but usually we can convince her to do both. She is a very picky eater and her favorite color is purple. She loves books including her Sesame Street story book and Madeline. She knows the alphabet song, can count to 10 or 20 usually, and loves to sing. She likes You are My Sunshine and Skip to My Lou along with any nursery rhyme song.

I am going to do my best to make more blog posts soon. For now though all I can say is that we are extremely blessed to have Cameron and Lucy and another sweet bundle of joy on the way. Each day with these love bugs is a great day and watching them grow and enjoy life is an experience like no other. I am so proud of them and love each and every thing that makes them who they are. Often times at night, after they go to sleep, their Daddy and I spend some time laughing over the silly things Cameron or Lucy did that day or going over the little moments that made us smile. What amazing blessings they are to us!

 

Super Frozen party pictures! About 50 friends and family members came over to help Cameron and Lucy celebrate! Such fun! They had a blast playing with friends!

 

 

Birthday morning! Getting ready to open presents from Mommy and Daddy!

 

Watching the fish at the Peoria Zoo

 

Sweet boy with 2 of his favorite stuffed animals, Charlie dog and Brownie dog.

 

It's a boy! Baby Boy Bradley #3 due Sept. 6th 2015!

 

Cameron & Lucy are 2! (delayed post from May 2014)

It's been almost a year since my last blog post. To say we've been wonderfully busy would be the understatement of the year. Between Jeremy and I both working full time, the 2 dogs, and the twins, we're constantly on the go. Even if it's just running around the house or the yard, I don't think we really sit down until it's bed time. We wouldn't have it any other way though. So much has happened in the last (almost) year. This might be a long post just trying to catch up but I'll try to stick to the highlights.

Catch up: Cameron and Lucy had an amazing summer last year. They got quite a bit of use out of their swingset, water table and mini plastic pool in the backyard. We took several trips to State Farm Park where they got acquainted with the big pool and learned to love watching and feeding the ducks. For the most part they were content to splash around in the very shallow water areas at the pool or play with their toys on the side. Lucy was a little braver in the water and liked to walk (with help) in areas up to her chest. It will be interesting to see what they think of the pool this summer. In the bathtub at night they like to "swim" and flop on their bellies and splash around. It's so cute! Often times this results in one of them saying "kiss!" and they give each other a quick kiss. One day they're going to dislike their mama for sharing that story but it's so endearing to watch! We've gone through a wide array of bath toys in the past year. Lately their favorite toys are special bath crayons Annie and Ben gave them and a plastic bucket set from the Tulliers. I'm finding myself moving from last summer to present, so my apologies if these stories bounce around a bit.

Fall: We visited Rader Farms again with Papa, Grammy, Annie, and Ben. Cameron and Lucy had a blast looking at pumpkins and having a picnic lunch at the farm. Last year for Halloween Lucy was a black kitty and Cameron was a dalmation puppy. We put them in their costumes a few weeks before Halloween and they had an absolute blast running around the basement in them. We had a Halloween party at our house last year on October 25th and invited friends of all ages. It was cute to see all the kids dressed up. Then on the 26th, we drove to southern Illinois for Jeremy's Nana's 80th birthday party. It was a fun day and the twins got to meet a bunch of the Kigin family. We did a big lunch at Giant City State Park and then the 4 of us headed to Uncle Pat's house for dinner with the Bradley clan. We drove home that evening. We're almost certain that Cameron was bit by a nasty spider while in southern Illinois. By the 28th, he had a nasty spot on the back of his leg that was oozing. We took him to the pediatrician's office the next morning and learned he had staph infection. This was treated with antibiotics and fortunately healed quickly. The evening of Halloween we had a family dinner at our house and answered the door for trick or treaters. The twins weren't the least bit interested in answering the door or their costumes the night of Halloween. That's okay though! On Novemer 20th, we took Cameron and Lucy to see Sesame Street Live at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. Kristy and Jonah Hunt came, too. We were unsure how they would do at such a large show but it went really well! Cameron got very into the show and loved singing and dancing along to the music. I think this was when his love of Sesame Street really took off. Lucy was semi-interested in the show but seemed to have the best time with daddy walking her around. Since then we've learned that Lucy really can't sit still...home or in public...she's very busy :) Cameron is also a mover and a shaker but he definitely can be content doing one thing much longer than Lucy. I just love seeing how similar they are in some ways but yet so very different in others! We spent Thanksgiving day at Grammy and Papa's. We all had fun playing and eating way too much. Friday after Thanksgiving the 8 of us drove to Indianapolis. It was the twins first overnight out of town trip and first time staying in a hotel. To sum it up, we had an amazing weekend!! We stayed 2 nights at the Embassy Suites in downtown Indy. On Friday evening we ate dinner at Panera and then headed to the Indianapolis Zoo. It was lit up with lights and trees decorated for Christmas. Everything looked so pretty! We got to see many animals including penguins, dolphins, fish, and shark to name a few. Cameron LOVED the shark tank. Lucy had the most fun bopping around the paths outside and trying to climb into the light displays. On Saturday morning we visited the giant Children's Museum. Cameron and Lucy had fun in the little kids area Playscape and also checking out the exhibits for the bigger kids. We took a spin on the Merry Go Round but only Lucy enjoyed that. Side note, Andrea and I rode the Merry Go Round with the twins at Miller Park Zoo a few weeks ago and both of them enjoyed it this time! After the ride was over Cameron repeatedly asked for "more ride." After the Children's Museum visit, I went shopping with Andrea and my mom while the boys and twins napped. Well at least grampy and the twins napped. That evening we ate dinner at the hotel and then headed home the next morning. On Saturday evening, Lucy developed a fever but it was short lived and she was pretty much back to normal the next morning.

Winter: Christmas is our favorite time of year. Well, at least it's mine but I think I'm doing a good job of getting the others in this house into it as well. Our house was decorated from top to bottom with decorations. The twins enjoyed the tree this year and even did a good job staying away from the ornaments. I made sure to only put non-breakables around the bottom but they pretty much left them alone. Grammy reported that they were a little more hands on with her tree. Probably because she had about 10,000 ornaments on it ;-) Cameron and Lucy had fun playing with their Fisher Price nativity scene and Fisher Price Santa train throughout the season. We visited the Festival of Trees at the Interstate Center. Aside from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas tree, the twins probably would have preferred to stay home. There were some neat trees to look at though. The weekend before Christmas we spent celebrating with Jeremy's side of the family. We did Christmas at our house on Saturday with Grandpa John, Suzanne, Uncle James, Dan, Aunt Megan, and Cora. Then on Sunday we headed out to Bussy and Nana's for another Christmas celebration. It was neat for the twins to get some rare time with their cousin Cora. They moved to Ohio in 2013. On Christmas Eve we attended church at Wesley United Methodist with great grandpa and Uncle James. We came back here for dinner where cousins Kaci and Abby joined us. Each of the twins got to open one gift from us. Cameron got a mini Thomas the Train set and Lucy got a play purse with accessories. The next morning we opened gifts from Santa with the twins. It was so much fun watching them get excited about their gifts! We helped them open some of them but they opened some, too. Some of their gifts included a play kitchen, stuffed dalmations (they're in love with the movie 101 Dalmations), Sesame Street books, sunglasses, clothes, etc. Late morning we headed to Grammy and Papa's house for Christmas with them and Annie and Ben. It was a great day full of laughter, food, and gifts. We all couldn't believe how much the twins have grown in the past year and how different the holidays had been with them! They could talk, open gifts, get excited about them, and run around and play with everything. Papa even got out his train set. I think they will love this even more this year. We only played in the snow one time this winter. It was a pretty frigid and snow filled winter around here. I was too nervous to take them outside with bitter windchills. Late one morning though, Andrea and I took the twins in our front yard and let them play in the snow. They had fun marching in the snow and trying to walk in it. In mid February we made a change in their daycare situation. We had a couple small issues with their current sitter and some things just made me uncomfortable. I was able to change my work schedule so I could have Fridays off with the twins. Jeremy's mom graciously offered to keep the twins 2 days a week while my mom continued to do the other 2 days. This has been working great for all of us and it's a huge relief knowing the twins are with family all week long.

Spring: We celebrated Easter by going to church with Great Grandpa at Wesley. The church was beyond crowded so had to sit in the garden room. That was okay though because we got to have doughnuts and the twins were able to walk around a bit. After church we headed to Bussy and Nana's house to celebrate with Bussy's family and have Easter lunch. The twins had fun playing with Jersey (Bussy's granddaughter) particularly, who is a few years older than they are. Then we headed home for naps. It was a hot day so we all changed into cooler, comfier clothes and headed to Grammy and Papa's house after naps. We spent most of our time outside and the twins even got into the Easter Egg Hunt. Lucy was all about finding the eggs. Cameron found a couple eggs with some train pieces in them and settled in at the picnic table playing with his trains. Since Christmas, Cameron has grown to love trains particularly Thomas the Train! With the warmer weather we have spent a ton of time outside. The twins adore the outdoors and will ask to go outside any chance they get. The love the swingset out back and playing in the yard. We've visited several parks already and they have an absolute blast climbing and going down the slides. With Fridays off, I get to take them on special Friday adventures with Auntie Ann including the Normal Public Library, the Children's Discovery Museum, Miller Park Zoo, and the parks near our neighborhood. Both Cameron and Lucy's eyes jsut light up when we tell them we're heading to the park. I think the love the freedom they feel being able to run around and play as they wish in the open air. We've officially retired the stroller and stick to wagon rides, which they really enjoy.

2nd Birthday: The biggest event this Spring has been Cameron and Lucy's 2nd birthday. I can still hardly believe that they turned 2 on May 4th. In many ways, the past year has flown by at warp speed. Thinking back over the year though, I realize how many special things we've gotten to do with them. Watching them grow, develop, and talk more and more has kept me in constant awe of them. The theme for their birthday this year was Sesame Street of course. They are both pretty darn obsessed with Sesame Street. They can name all the characters and have numerous Sesame Street toys, books, and stuffed animals. They turned 2 on a Sunday. The day before we headed to the Peoria Zoo with Grammy, Papa, Auntie Ann, and Uncle Ben. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. We love the Peoria Zoo (we also made a visit there last summer) because they have some large animals but it's not so spread out and crowded as the big city zoos. Cameron will sit and watch the animals for a while. His favorite was the tiger. I had to literally pry him away! Lucy had fun at the zoo as well but she would look at animals shortly, then declare "more" and want to move on. We ate lunch at the zoo and then headed home. On the day of their birthday we had doughnuts at home and opened gifts from Jeremy and I. They got a train table, new shoes, some outdoor doors, water paints, a soccer ball, and some baby doll things. We also headed to the park down the street to play. Late afternoon we headed to Grammy and Papa's for Monicals Pizza, and cookie cake made by Auntie Ann. They loved singing Happy Birthday and insisted we sing a second round. It was too cute! The Saturday after their birthday we had a big Sesame Street themed party at our house. Family and many friends came over to celebrate. There was around 45 people here ranging in age from a few weeks old and over 70. We had tons of food, played 2 games (fishing and garbage toss), had cake, and opened presents. We were fortunate enough to have nice weather so we spent much of the party time outdoors. Cameron and Lucy each had their own 8 inch round cake complete with candles to blow out. I was a little nervous they would cry when everyone sang to them (they still get overwhelmed by strangers at times) but they liked it! We told them they could dig into their cakes but each one was pretty modest about it. Cameron had a couple samples of the frosting but Lucy took maybe 2 bites. To be honest, we've only ever let them have cake or ice cream on special occassions so they really aren't that into cake. I'm certain that will change with time! After a full week of celebrating, they were pooped by Saturday night and also extremely blessed to have been surrounded by so many that love them and so many wonderful gifts!

Unfortunately, at least for Cameron, things took a bit of a turn for the worse from here. On Saturday afternoon I noticed a few red spots on his stomach. I chalked it up to running around outside on a warm day and made a mental note to monitor the spots. When he got up the next morning, the spots had turned into a rash and we pretty wide spread thoughout his mid-section. Jeremy gave him and Lucy a cool bath (they hated this) while I called their doctor's after hours line. I was transferred to a nurse in St. Louis who advised us to keep watching it, give him Benadryl and follow up with the pediatrician the next morning. So we did just that and headed to Mother's Day brunch at the DoubleTree Hotel with my family, Jer's mom and Bussy, and his daughter Kim and her family. It was a very nice brunch and the twins had fun walking around grabbing plates of food with us. We headed home after brunch and after saying goodbye to Grandpa John, Suzanne, and James (they had come to town for the birthday party), we put them down for naps. When Cameron got up his rash was even worse and he was starting to swell in his legs. By 6pm that evening, he had a swollen face, swollen ankles, elbows, feet, knees, and hands. Even his tongue was a bit swollen. His rash was crazy in that it seemed to take on different forms from hives, to spots, to swelling welts around his armpits. I called my mom so she could come stay with Lucy and then we headed to the ER at BroMenn. We were seen by a doctor pretty quickly and Cameron was given some steroids. They monitored him for a few hours while Cameron enjoyed his first popcicle and we watched Full House from the hospital bed. They sent us home after 10pm with a Rx for more steroids, a 4ml dose, said it was likely a virus, and gave us instructions to call our regular doctor in 2 to 3 days. Dr. Patel (the ER dr) also said to watch out for increased swelling that may have to be drained with a needle. By Tuesday morning, Cameron still didn't look much better so I took him to see his pediatrican Dr. Emm. He was seen by both Dr. Boe and Dr. Emm that morning and they determined Cameron had actually had an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillin he had taken for 10 days for an ear infection. He had finished his last dose on Saturday, the day of their party. He said Cameron had Serum Sickness, increased his steroid dose to 10 ml and said to keep up with Benadryl. He also gave me a list of things to watch for and said to bring him back on Friday if things didn't improve or to come back immediately if they got worse. Jeremy and I were both pretty scared through this but considering this is the Friday after all this went down, I'd say Cameron is in pretty good shape. His swelling is all gone and the rash is almost gone as well. Dr. Emm said if Cameron is exposed to Amoxicillin again, it will be life threatening for him. Now I'm left wondering if Lucy will ever experience this same thing. So scary for all of us! It's interesting though, how Cameron and Lucy have been effected by sickness over the past 2 years. Cameron has had everything from colds, to RSV, the stomach flu, the Croup, breathing difficulty needing nebulizer treatments, staph infection, and now Serum Sickness. Lucy of course started out with really bad acid reflux, but then has only had numerous colds with runny noses and an ear infection (maybe 2). I think teething has been harder on her though. Knock on word, that the worst is behind all of us. We like things boring and routine please:-)

Okay this might be the longest blog post ever but I really want to capture the Lucyisms and Cameronisms as well. We'll start with Lucy. She is spunky, sassy, shy, ornery, and sweet. She is always very busy and rarely sits still. She's always been smart and continues to prove this. She picks up on little things and seems to understand or remember things that continually surprise me. Some things that are standing out in my mind include knowing that when I head to my bathroom after work, I'm going to wash my face as well so she grabs my face wash from the shower. Or months ago she started putting dirty clothes in the laundry room hamper because that's where they go. She easily remembers where certain things are kept and even though she doesn't always verbalize it, she clearly knows the meaning of many words and concepts. She just seems to get things if that makes sense. She's very opinionated in that she knows exactly what she wants and is determined to get her way. Don't get me wrong, she has the sweetest demeanor, but if she's not happy she'll let us know.

Cameron is our silly sweet boy! He is shy, kind, and of course ornery. For the most part he is pretty easy going. He is all boy and loves to run around and play. He is really good with his words and communicates well with us. He is independent with his play and likes to sit quietly with his toys. He has a really good imagination and its fun to watch him play.


***okay so it's now May of 2015 and I pulled this post up and realized I never finished it. Feeling like a terrible mom here. I captured so much but never finished capturing Cameronisms. I'm posting what I have and will add more about Cameron in the next post which I'm in the middle of writing. Yep, a whole year later.

 

How is it possible that they are 2 already?!

 

Sesame Street Party! All monsters, birds, and grouches are welcome! :-)

 

Loving water play this year as 2 year olds!

14 Months :-)

I have a hunch the blog posts are going to become fewer and farther between but I'm going to try my best to keep them going for a while longer. I love being able record memories for the twins and being able to look back to see what they did over the prior months. :-) This post is a bit long but I have a lot of reporting to catch up on! Cameron and Lucy turned 14 months on the 4th of July. We celebrated the day by joining the neighborhood 4th of July parade with their buddy Jonah Hunt. The parade was really cute since it was comprised of all the neighborhood kids on their bikes or strollers/wagons being pulled by their parents, all decorated for the 4th. They had more play time with Jonah that day and then we headed to Auntie Ann's and Uncle Ben's for a cookout. They had a blast playing with the toys Auntie Ann has collected for them and got to hang out with Ryder Marquardt. Cameron especially had fun grilling on the play grill. It was a great day! They haven't experienced fireworks yet though. We put them to bed at the normal time and figured we might give fireworks a try next year. Things seem to work best around here when we all stay on a schedule. ;-)

As I reported in the last blog post, Lucy can walk. She goes from room to room around our house and loves to walk laps around the main floor. She's had a handful of bruises on her head from perfecting her walk and even got a bloody nose today. It was brief and so far no bruising. We'll see how things look in the morning. Since the last post, Cameron has learned to walk, too!!! He took his first real steps on June 27th and has progressed since then. He will walk from Jeremy to me and back, and will also go from a piece of furniture to one of us. He's getting braver with his walking skills and is taking off on his own more. We used to have to encourage every step but the past few days, he's been venturing off on his own. He still crawls some but that is quickly changing! I'm just waiting for the bruising stage to begin with him as he takes a tumble or 2 learning the feel of his feet. :-( I guess sometimes you have to fall down and pick yourself back up as you learn new things. Knock on wood...no serious injuries yet for either one of them!

The twins have learned to crawl up the stairs. The other day, with daddy behind them, they crawled up the entire flight to the 2nd floor. This is shocking to me because we don't let them play on the stairs. We have gates up that prevent them from going up or down but somehow they have mastered stair climbing!! Cameron can crawl on his 4-wheeler by himself. Yesterday, Jeremy found him sitting on it in the family room waiting for a ride. Lucy is so impressed with her mobility that she apparently thinks she doesn't need to sit in her stroller any more. On several recent outings lately, she either refused to get in the stroller or hit a point where she was done riding in it. We're going to keep pushing this issue because we love getting them out on walks. We might try their wagon soon and see if that works better for her. Books are still a huge favorite around here. They pick out books and hand them to us so we'll read to them. Some favorites right now are Brown Bear Brown Bear, Good Night I Love You, I Love You Through and Through, Baby Einstein Barnyard Animals, The Very Busy Bunny (yes this is an Easter book), The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and anything with the Sesame Street characters. I may as well start the list of their favorite cartoons now as well because boy do they love a couple of them! We've tried hard to be anti-TV parents but over time they have watched a few cartoons and developed some favorites. We started turning on cartoons when Cameron has to have nebulizer treatments and then they catch some morning cartoons on the weekends (or on the 2 days they go to grammies during the week). They seriously get excited for a couple of them. Their absolute favorite cartoon is Super Why. They become mesmerized when the theme song comes on and usually start to dance or sing along with it. Using their own little language of course ;-) Other favorites are Cat In The Hat, Doc McStuffins, and Dinosaur Train.

The words they use most often are Dada, Mama or Mom, hey, hi, and doggie. Lucy can say duck. Cameron can say book, ball, moo, and yeah. They also say many other things that we can't understand yet. Cameron talks like no other some times and we just cannot wait to hear his stories one day. Lucy loves to sing in her own little way. They love to dance and hear music. If they start to get fussy or crabby, we can usually distract them with Itsy Bitsy Spider, Farmer in the Dell, or Old MacDonald. They pretty much love any and all toys these days. New summer favorites are the swings in our backyard, the water table, and their baby pool. We just started bathing them at the same time in the bathtub and they have so much fun!! Jer and I end up soaked from all their splashing. They laugh, scoot around the tub, line up their bath animals on the edge of the tub, and try to drink the tub water. Cameron likes to drink out of the fish cups in the tub. They love their stuffed animals and sleep with a few each night. They are quite attached to their loveys and carry them on and off throughout the day. And of course they can't go to sleep without them. One of Cameron's favorite games is to look at pictures. He points and wants for someone to tell him who the picture is of. I swear he gets most excited if we tell him the picture is of baby Cameron or baby Lucy. Lucy likes looking at pictures as well especially if the "dodgies" are in the pictures.

Other random updates...they are still in 12 month clothing. Cameron started wearing 18 month pajamas in the past few weeks. They are in size 3 diapers but wearing size 4 at night. We finally got rid of formula and they are 100% on whole milk. Starting tomorrow, they will be down to 2 bottles a day and using sippy cups the rest of the time. They no longer eat any baby food except for baby snack items such as Gerber puffs and yogurt melts. Lucy loves fruit and will only sometimes eat veggies. Cameron loves veggies and is more selective with fruit. We keep giving them everything to try though. When Lucy is done with her veggies she likes to fling her hands around her highchair tray and knock her food on the floor. She's very good at feeding Charlie, too. He has learned to sit by her and cry until she feeds him. Cameron likes to stick his unwanted food on the table next to him and will occasionally feed the dogs as well. Both Cameron and Lucy can be a bit ornery at times!! They're getting better about responding to being told "no." Sometimes Lucy accepts "no" as a challenge and will laugh and then proceed to do as she pleases. I will say that she has improved 100% with sharing. In the past few months, if she saw a toy that looked interesting (usually one Cameron was playing with) she would snatch it away from him. In the past couple weeks, she has changed to frequently offering Cameron toys and quickly giving him something she is playing with. It's so cute to watch them share! Cameron typically isn't too possessive with toys usually so this has not been an issue with him. For the most part, he's pretty laid back. Lucy has also started to "help" pick up toys. She will load all the Mr. Potato Head parts into the giant Mr. Potato Head they have. She will also hand me bath toys to put away.  We had to give Cameron another quick hair trim because his hair gets long around his ears and in the back. One day we're going to have to break down and get him a real haircut! Lucy's hair is getting longer and starting to curl in the back. Their teething are coming in like crazy. I can barely keep track of them any more!! Lucy has 2 bottom teeth and 1 top tooth, all in the front middle. She also has 2 more bottom teeth and 2 more top teeth coming in. Cameron has 2 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth with 4 more coming in. Within the past 2 weeks probably, their teeth finally popped through to the point where they aren't bothering them as much.

As Jeremy just said to me tonight, "our little joeys are growing up." :-) Joeys are kangaroo babies of course and they earned this nickname when I was pregnant with them. We have been blessed beyond belief with Cameron and Lucy. Each day is a reason to smile :-) Here are a few recent pictures.

Hmmm, I wonder if these will fit me...

 

Sleeping in her swing with her lovie (and a bruised forehead).

 

 

Playing with shapes.

 

 

A favorite book :-) Cam loves animals.

 

 

Night night baby Lucy. Then she pops her head up and then pretends to go to sleep again. :-)

 

 

Mmmm, grilled cheese.

 

 

And there's another bruise on her head.

 

 

An attempt to make a father's day picture for Jeremy. Cameron looks bored and Lucy appears to be givng the peace sign.

 

 

Waiting for a visitor.

 

 

Bottle time with his lovey and Lucy's.

 

 

 

Playing in the dirt as she's being told "no touch" over and over again :-)

 

 

Cameron decided to come help. They were removed from the scene of the crime right after the picture was taken ;-)

 

 

And on to the next month (or so!)!