Izzy

Isabelle Whittaker

I love her so much!

When I was pregnant by the time the girls were big enough to feel moving around in my belly, I could tell them apart. Izzy was always stubborn and strong. She sat in the middle of my belly and held her ground. When her sister would kick and try to move into her space, Izzy pushed back and NEVER gave up her spot. She would push against my belly so hard! Sometimes I swear she would plant her feet against my spine and her hands against my belly and push, and push, for hours! I would joke that she was going to come out with a body builders body because she was using those muscles like crazy! At 30 weeks, Izzy stopped gaining weight and I was put on bed rest at 32 weeks. My girls had Twin-to-twin syndrome. Which means one baby was taking all the nutrients and the other was not getting anything. I remember having a serious talk with my girls one day. (yes, while they were still in there) I told Izzy to start fighting and to not let her sister push her around. After all, she was Izzy, stubborn and strong!

She came out at 4 pounds and as far as I could see was strong and healthy. They did take her in to the NICU anyway, just to be safe, but within a day or two she was taken off the warming bed and iv's. The nurses told me all the time that she was so strong and was doing great. One time during a feeding in the NICU I was burping her and she lifted her head with complete control, just then a nurse walked by and stopped looked at her and said "holy cow, what do you think your 4 months or something".

Since we have brought her home, she has proved to us that nothing has changed. She is still stubborn and she is still strong. Whenever we feed her she always reaches a point where she is done eating. She clamps her lips shut and arches her back. There is no point fighting it. She is done! I never knew a baby could be so stubborn.

She is the biggest daddy's girl. She loves her daddy, and they love to snuggle together. She falls asleep on his chest all the time. I think the two of them have a special bond because Izzy is just like Cory. She doesn't like the blanket on her feet when she sleeps, just like daddy. She likes to watch baseball, just like daddy. She is not a big eater, just like daddy. She smiles just like daddy. She sleeps with her hands by her face, just like daddy. She has the biggest dumps, . . we will stop there.

She really is a joy to have as a daughter. She makes me laugh and I can't believe that my Heavenly Father blessed me with such a prefect little girl. I hope that I can be the mom I want to be for her. She makes me want to be better and I know that the next 18+ years are going to be the best, because I have the best girls.

Thank you Izzy for being you!

Work

First of all, I love my job! I love who I work for and who I work with. I love what I do and I feel like I am good at it too. Since I had my babies I went back and only work three days a week and I also feel like I am able to juggle twins and working part time.

But, . . . . .

I HATE leaving them in the morning!

I have to quit. I think it will be weird for me because I have never not had a job and although Cory has a great job and can support us, it is always nice knowing that we have a couple hundred extra dollars in cause we need it that month. But, the plain and simple truth is that I just can't leave them in the morning. It brakes my heart. Not only are they so cute, but they are such good girls too. They aren't too whiney and they smile everyday. They are starting to make the cutest sounds and when I am at work, my mind is always home with them. It's just not fair, for any of us. I really don't like quitting my job and I wish I had started working for these doctors sooner. They really are the best people I have ever worked for. It is going to be hard to say goodbye, but I think it is the right thing to do.

Okay girls, Mommy is coming home!

This is why Daddy doesn't dress us!

Bloomers on the head! Daddy! This is why we like when mom dresses us.

(maybe dad does this so he doesn't have to dress us everyday)

Either way, dad your silly!

Three Months!!!

Three Months! I can't believe it!

K, I'm not going to lie, sometimes life just gets in the way and messes things up. And sometimes mom has too big of a plan and too prefect of a plan that I just set myself up for failure. I had this three month picture all planned out. I knew what outfits I wanted and I bought bows to match! I knew how I wanted it to look and had it all figured out. However, after an hour and a half of fighting these girls and trying to make everything look prefect, I gave up . . . I would just do it tomorrow and say it was their three month picture. No one would know!

So I gave them their bath and got them into their jammies. And of course, NOW they were happy! So . . . this is why their three month picture is in jammies. Now that I look back on it, I think it's prefect. It is what happened anyway, and now I will always remember how happy they were after, not how mad they were before.

(Pepper)

(Izzy)

Sometimes these girls can drive me crazy, but I can always remember how grateful I am to have them. They warm my heart and I am so thankful everyday for them. I love being a mom. Now if only I can figure out how to stop them from growing up so fast.

The First Time Swimming (out of the belly)

I took the girls swimming last week for the first time ever. When I was pregnant I went swimming almost every other day, and in the last month I went to the pool everyday. It was the only thing that helped the pain in my back. Maybe they would like going swimming outside the belly. I knew that they liked their bath in the evenings and thought that maybe they would like to go swimming in a pool too. I have a friend with a really nice pool so she said we could use it.

But first we had to get dressed in our swimming suits.

(Pepper)

Why are babies so cute in two-piece swimming suits?

(Izzy and Aunt Jordan)

Oh no, Izzy! Where did you go? We got to have those big hats to help protect our heads from the sun.

(Pepper)

Now it's time to get our sunscreen on.

Jordan was being silly with Izzy and her sunscreen! Jordan you are supposed to rub it in, not just put dots all over my face.

Okay, I think we are all ready!

What a nice looking pool!

(Izzy)

Just hanging out in the pool. They loved it, once they got over the shock of the cold water they really just enjoyed themselves.

In fact,

Pepper fell asleep.

What a fun time at the pool. And because we live in AZ and summer sticks around until October we can enjoy swimming for another month! I have so much fun with these little girls!

How are the dogs doing with the babies?

I get asked a lot how my dogs are handling the two new babies and if they are acting jealous of them, or showing any dislike toward them. What do you think?

I really do have the best dogs. In fact, I think by now they understand English because when I ask them to do things now I don't even give them commands. I just tell them what I want them to do as if I were asking a person. As the girls get older it will be so cute to watch them crawl all over the dogs. I know they will pull their ears and tails. I know they will draw all over them with markers. I know I will go outside to find all four of them covered in mud, looking as happy as can be. And I know that my dogs will not only let them do all those things to them, they will be happy to have two more little people to lick and love on.

So no, my dogs don't show any signs that they don't like the girls. They love having them in the family too.

Cory

I have the best husband in the world! I hope every other wife thinks that about their husbands too, but truly mine is the best. I love him so much and for so many reasons. He is my rock and he keeps me sane when things get out of hand. He makes me laugh everyday. He calms me down when I am mad. He keeps me in line when I start acting up. He is on all levels my better half. And over the last three months I have learned that he is the best daddy ever!

I mean really, how many dads would stay home all day Friday and Saturday and take care of two, twin, newborn, girls while mommy went to work? Not many! And he does; and he is so good at it. He doesn't think so, but he is.

I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a great husband. He warms my heart every time he comes home from work and comes running into our room saying "where are my girls? I've missed them so much". He does so much for them everyday, and he is such a big help to me. I have no clue how I would be able to do any of this without him.

His girls love him so much and they light up when he comes into the room. They love to snuggle with him and fall asleep on him. They are daddy's girls and I fear the day they start asking daddy for money and cars, because they have Cory wrapped around their little fingers so tight already. He is going to have a very hard time saying no.

I Love you Cory. You are the best husband and Father to my sweet little girls I could ever ask for.

Grandpa's train ride

Grandpa. Where do we start?

I have never seen someone so excited to become a grandpa as my dad. He has always loved little kids and babies and if he could choose his calling in the church it would be nursery, for sure! He just loves little babies. In fact, when Cory and I were pregnant we used to say that my dad was more excited then we were for these little girls, and we weren't joking!

So when we bring the girls over to my mom and dad's house, he pretty much drops whatever he is doing and steals a girl. One of his favorite things to do with them is take them outside. The girls love it.They look at the trees and bushes and have a grand old time. He has even gone as far as to put a cart together with a flat bed that the bouncers the girls have can sit on it and he can pull them around the backyard. We call it "Grandpa's Train Ride", and both the girls and grandpa love it.

(Izzy)

Grandpa has a track in his head that he walks the girls around the backyard in and he could spend hours walking that track with them. So far the girls get tired of it before grandpa does.

(Izzy & Pepper)

Sometimes they go for rides during the day, as long as the weather is okay. And sometimes they go at night. He has also put twinkle lights up all over the backyard so the girls have even more things to look at during the train ride.

You can see the lights on the house behind them.

They love going under this orange tree. They look up under the tree at the leafs. It is so cute!

(Pepper)

(Pepper)

(Izzy)

(Izzy)

Oh, Grandpa! What are we going to do with you?

Sundays

Sundays are the best!

Not only do I get to dress my girls up in cute little outfits and bring them to church with me, but that's about all I do on Sundays. It's kinda a day off for Cory and I.

Let me explain.

When I get to church and find my seat (in the back, ya, I should be better) not even five minutes later I have three people asking to hold a baby, and two people holding their hands out to me asking also with their actions if they can hold a baby. I don't think I have ever held one of my babies during a sacrament meeting. Sunday school is the same thing, and do you really think that I could get through relief society without all those women also wanting to hold such cute, beautiful babies? No!

After church we go over to my mom and dad's house to have lunch. Grandma Michelle, Grandpa Keith, aunt Jordan, aunt Kaylee, and uncle Sheldon all live there. Do you think I get to hold and take care of my babies there? No!

After that we go over to Cory's mom's house. Grandma Karla, Grandpa Jim, aunt Kari, Kelcee, aunt Christy, uncle Weston, and Sophie have all been known to hold babies there. So, do you think I get to hold a baby there? No!

Really, it's not a bad thing. I like the day off, and I love that I can still see them and give them kisses whenever the urge gets to be too much. I just think it's funny.

Sometimes babies are just too cute for a mommy to keep all to themselves. I guess that's why we have Sundays.

Earrings!!!

When I was a little girl my mom wanted to give her girls earrings when we were babies, however my dad felt like the girls should be old enough to make their own choice and said that we should be at least 8 before we got earrings.

I understood where both parents were coming from. I thought it would be nice to be able to take care of the girls' earrings while they were still too young to use their hands, and rip them out. I liked the idea that I could set the hole in the ear while they were babies and that the skin, being so new, would not hurt them as bad and grow better around the earring, so in later years they have no chance of the hole getting infected. (look it up, it's true) I also thought it would be easier on me to clean their ears now, three to four times a day, because I knew I could just add it to my feeding routine. I have no clue how busy these girls are going to be at the age of 8, and I DON'T want to have to add clean your ears, clean your ears, clean your ears to the barrage of brush of teeth, eat your vegetables, do your homework, and clean your room that I am already going to be saying 40 times a day. (I mean 80 times, I have two of them)

On the other hand, I totally get where my dad is coming from. I do think that they should be old enough to make their own choices. If I do this while they are young and they don't want holes in their bodies, there is no going back. I would like them to be able to choose to do something like this and then take the responsibility to heart and take care of their bodies. An 8 year old would also sit still much better during cleanings, and would have so much more fun going to the mall and getting the earrings then a baby anyway.

Cory and I did not take the decision to pierce their ears lightly. We had many conversations about it and we went back and forth during my pregnancy on weather or not to do it. In the end though, . . . . .

it was just too cute not to!

I got them all ready to go and put them in their car seats. Grandma Michelle and Aunt Jordan came with me to help and hold babies when they were done so I could finish filling out paper work and pay.

This is the last picture of Pepper with no earrings,

and this is the last one of Izzy. PS, she didn't want her picture taken at the time.

Call me cruel, but I love this picture. Pepper is so cute when she cries.

Izzy can sure make you feel sorry for her with that pitiful face.

Don't worry both girls stopped crying not even 5 minutes after we were done. Yes, it was sad, but don't feel too bad for them, they were fine!

Or maybe not. As we were walking back to the car we noticed that Pepper had her toes clenched as tight as they could go. Ok, if you want to feel bad for them I guess you can.

Two Months

My girls are two months old, already!

Pepper. Oh, I love her so much! She is still eating well and gaining great weight. She is the first one to wake up in the morning and she likes to go for car rides and loves her bath. She is the bigger baby. It is funny that most people know her that way. She just now (at two months) is learning how to smile. She holds her head up pretty well, as long as she is awake, and for the most part is a very happy baby. (although I will say, today she was not)

My Izzy. She is the definition of a Daddy's girl. She loves her daddy and loves to be held by him. She likes tummy time and smiles whenever we change her diaper. In fact, she is the baby that has a better control over her face and smiles way more then her sister. She still does not eat very well though, but we are working on it. Isn't her smile so cute?

Man, I love my girls. They are so much fun, but I need to find a way to slow this whole growing thing down. I just can't believe they are two months already.