Home Again

Sorry to all for the delay in posting. We arrived in Washington safe and sound on May 30th around 9:30pm. We have since gotten settled in with family for the time being until Tm finds a job and we can figure out what we can afford (and where we'll eventually end up living in the long run, depends on where he finds work).

Some updates:

Dario cut his first tooth last Monday, June 11th, 2007!

Both boys are working hard on learning to crawl and to sit up unassisted.

Solid foods are a fun experience for both boys: Dario seems intolerant to oatmeal, they both don't like green beans very much, and we are continuing our adventure with peas.

Tm has had one interview thus far but has a few job leads and we are hoping that something will happen soon.

We have gotten back in touch with plentyh of family and friends here in Washington and are very blessed to have great family support.

We miss Boston, Brookline, and all the folks/friends there.

Will post pictures as soon as possible.

Cute & Handsome

I find myself frequently telling Raymond how cute he is - and apparently, as Tm points out, I tell Dario how handsome he is. Well, here's lookin' at you, babe. My cute and handsome babies, now nearly 5 1/2 months old. This last week (Ray on Wednesday, Dario on Thursday) they both rolled from their backs to their bellies for the first time. And the second time, third time, and on and on. They soon will be adept mobile rollers. Not crawling, not walking, not scooting, but rolling. Today we just took the bumper out of the crib because Dario likes to grab it and stuff it into his mouth.

The transition back to work has gone well thus far. Daddy is doing great at home with the boys - pumping is going well - and I miss them all during the day. I try to make the best of the 2 hours I have each night with them before the boys go to bed, and weekends too. We're starting something of a bedtime routine, and trying a little bit of CIO (cry it out) when they don't go right to sleep. Parenting is a hard yet rewarding job. We love it.

No longer a SAHM

(SAHM = Stay At Home Mom)

Wednesday, April 4th I will be returning to work - just 3 days away. This last Friday, March 30th was Tm's last day at work, and he is going to be staying at home with the boys. I'm anxious about my return - being away from the boys for so long, pumping at work, how long will it take me to get back into the swing of things at work, will Tm have a hard time at home with the boys, will he have the support he needs, will I continue to produce enough milk? So many concerns, I just have to trust God and pray about it. Could you please pray for our family? It would mean so much.

Photo Update

So, I haven't updated my blog lately, so here are some pictures to share:

March 7, 2007 - Dario is wearing one mitten because he really likes to shove as much of his fist into his mouth as possible lately, and has developed a skin irritation as a result. Here he is shoving the mittened hand into his mouth. Not sure if that is an improvement or not!

March 12, 2007 - Dario & Raymond chillin' in the crib.
March 18, 2007 - The boys are baptised! We got the cake at Costco.. Do you see the mistake? There was no-one in the bakery to fix it so we left it as-is. It was very tasty, however!
Here we are up front of the congregation with Pastor Um.
Dario receives his baptism.
Raymond receives his baptism.
Dario was so worn out he was conked out after the service.

Grandma K. came to town for a weekend visit, and to see the boys receive their baptism. What a proud Grandma!

March 29, 2007 - Raymond & Dario chillin' in our crib.

April 1, 2007 - Daddy comes out of the bedroom with Raymond to show me this cute sight. He also enjoys making Raymond "fly" like Superman with his bib on backwards. Custard's mommy calls this "Mr. Shirthead".

Ray's News

I totally forgot that I was supposed to post about "Ray's Big News". Thanks for reminding me, SKF! It may not seem like big news to non-parents but for me, it is a BIG DEAL.

Raymond has always hated baths from his first bath in the NICU. Once you start washing his face, he starts getting the fussy face, then you start washing his hair and the screaming starts. Short break while you dry his hair and take off his diaper for the whole body wash, but once he hits the baby bath sling (or actually IN the water in the bath) he goes nuts - hysterical crying. And yes, our bath has a thermometer and the water was not too hot, and I thought also, not too cold.

Well, while we were on a trip out of town, I had to bathe him in a baby bath that did not have a thermometer. So, I just tested the water on my wrist - I think it was a little warmer than usual. Well, with the warmer water and with mommy singing to Raymond the whole time, he hardly fussed at all. Once we got home and he got his next bath, he DIDN'T CRY AT ALL. That was in the sling (only his bottom is in the water, kind of a sponge bath). The next time, I put him directly in the water and again, he DIDN'T CRY AT ALL! I also made sure I fed him right before his bath so I was sure he wasn't hungry.

I wanted to call every single mom I knew and share the news! I would dread giving him his bath because he would cry so hard - I would be giving him a speed-bath, apologizing the whole time. I would give Dario his bath first, then wait awhile kind of pumping myself up for giving Ray his bath. I'd undress him, cuddle and flirt with him cause I knew that soon enough, he'd be wailing. Well, no longer! This is one happy mommy!

Pre Bath photo:

Post Bath Photo:

He's actually happy!!

Cutie Patootie

I took some pictures of Dario right after his bath yesterday, he is such a cutie! I gave Ray his bath a little bit later in the day and there's big news for Raymond to share - but I'll do that once I get a chance to put the pics on my comupter and blog about him. :) We also took a last minute trip back home last week due to family emergency (everyone is alright) so have some pics of the boys with their grandparents to share. Later, though. For now, I need to get back in bed.

Sad..

My SIL's neice had 9 month old boy/girl twins - I just found out that a few days ago their little boy died. They woke up one morning, and he had died in the night. They are doing an autopsy to find out whether it was from an illness or SIDS. This is so extremely sad to me. At what point in a child's life can you stop worrying about SIDS? I just can't imagine the horror of waking up one morning to find that your child is gone, just like that. You'd think you could get past a certain point and stop worrying about it. Life is so terribly fragile.

3 Month Portraits

Enjoy!

Scrapbooking Again?

I had a few extra minutes today while Ray was sleeping and Dario was sitting on my lap at the computer, and thought - why don't I start a scrapbook page? It's been a long time since I did any scrapbooking, even digital, but here it is - my first scrapbook page after the boys have been born. I think the last page I did was when I was 18 weeks pregnant and we found out we were having boys :)

3 Months Old in 3 More Days

Look at these handsome boys! Mommy and Daddy have fun making them laugh and smile these days. Raymond really thinks it's funny when Daddy makes big eyes and a big "O" mouth, and we suspect that Dario is ticklish.



Gone are the days of screaming on the changing table, they don't mind those cold wipes anymore. Ray could be inconsolably crying, but once you put him on the changing table, it's all smiles now. They go tomorrow for their 3-month pediatrician appointment, and Sunday they will officially be 3 months old. Dario has started wearing 3-6 month clothes, and Ray has a little while yet to go in the 0-3 month stuff.

I have two more months off from work before Tm and I switch and I go back to work while he stays at home to care for our boys full time. I really think he's looking forward to it!

Norovirus Sucks

Well, the Yepes clan will be quarantined to home for about a week until we are no longer contagious. Yes, that blasted Norovirus has struck our household. So far I'm the only one to exhibit full symptoms, but we figure Tm brought it home from work as his unit is basically quarantined with the bug. I'm just now starting to feel a little bit better, but last night and yesterday were hellish. Tm stayed home to help take care of the boys, who are not yet showing any symptoms. It's my hope that the magical properties of breast milk will keep them from getting sick.

Please pray for our family and we'll see you again in about a week and a half. It's my understanding that even after symptoms go away, that the virus can be passed on for about a week.

My Birthday Present

Well, my birthday present from my hubby finally arrived today. Yes, my birthday was back in December but it was well worth the wait. It feels good to have a ring on my finger again. My wedding ring still doesn't fit (yet) so I am wearing my present on my wedding ring finger and when that hand slims back down the 1/2 size, I'll wear it on my other hand (that has always been slightly bigger sized than the left). I'm so happy! The boys names are inscribed in the ring (silver) with their birthstones (November).

The Time it Takes to Make Toast

I'm writing in the time it takes to make toast, so who knows how much I'll get to write. I guess it depends on my thought processes and how fast I can type. Being a mom is an amazingly difficult and rewarding job. Taking care of these two little babies is certainly a full time job - I really look forward to when Tm comes home to assist with our little ones. They are growing every day, in size and in development. It's wierd to think that even though they are 11 weeks old now, they are only 5 weeks old adjusted for their prematurity. They've been home now for about 9 weeks.

Ding - toast is done.

Recliner x 2

Dario had to get into the act as well. This is at 6am when the boys decided they were hungry.. again! I bet they are going through a growth spurt. No rest for mommy!

Lounging in my Recliner

This picture was taken in the middle of the night / morning (about 4am) after one of those late-night feedings. My son was completely content, lounging in his boppy with his feet up. I had to take a picture. You're so cute, Raymond!

Scrubs

Merry Christmas!

We had a "fun" time taking pictures for our photo Christmas cards. Last year we took about 50 pictures of us with Hershey, trying to get the ideal photo with the cat in the picture. This year we only attempted to get the babies in the picture, and that was tough enough! Here are some of the pics that were super cute but didn't make the "cut" for the card. Enjoy!

At Home

Blessedly, Raymond came home the Monday before Thanksgiving, and Dario came home just 2 days later, Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving. Here we are at home taking a little rest..
These boys are really thriving! They had a pediatrician appointment today - Dario went from 6 lbs 9 oz to 7 lbs 6 oz, and Raymond went from 5 lbs 10 oz to 6 lbs 7 oz! They are doing great, and Mommy & Daddy are sleep deprived but happy to have them home.

Sorry I haven't posted lately, I'm sure all you other new parents out there completely understand. I hardly get 10 mins a day on the computer to check email, much less catch up reading other folks blogs and posting to my own. I'm starting to get nervous that the boys have been sleeping for so long - what's the likelihood that we'll get any sleep overnight? I'd better go take another nap.

Handsome Boys

The boys have graduated to a shared open crib :) Aren't they cute? I guess I'm a bit biased but honestly, they are doing great. We still don't know exactly when they'll be coming home but hopefully soon.

The Yepi Boys Have Arrived!!

Yes, they are early. Yes, it was a surprise. :) They were born Friday night / Saturday morning (November 4th) at 12:30am at 34 weeks, 3 days gestation. Everyone is doing well, including Mom who was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday. The boys will be spending some time in the NICU as they are premature and have some skills to learn before coming home.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is pleased to share with you some wonderful news.
We've had a new birth and you have been invited to meet the new baby online!

To visit the baby's WelcomeSite, please click the link below.
You will need to know the mother's last name and her secret word, which appear below.
Mother's Last Name: Yepes
Secret Word (for Dario): twins
Secret Word (for Raymond): twins2

You can find this WelcomeSite at any time by visiting www.welcomenewborn.com and entering the Mother's last name and secret word into the fields provided under the Friends and Family section.