2010

What a year 2010 has been for us - many lows and many highs! A year ago today was a very exciting day as the boys were moved from NICU level 3 to level 2 and we had our first ever family picture! Only a day before that I got to hold them together for the first time. When I think of those major milestones for those teeny tiny little babies, and then look at my 24 pounders today, it shocks me because I can't even remember them like that.

I am happy to say goodbye to 2010. 2011 will bring lots of great things and a new start for us after the most trying year. Rio will start school. The boys, hopefully both, will be mobile in some form. Both of them will be talking and causing trouble. I look forward to it all. No matter what the coming year may bring, this family will be very very loved.

I hope you are all enjoying your last day of 2010. We on the west coast are enjoying a cold, sunny day, just the way I like it! Whatever you are doing tonight (we're ordering take out and watching the Canucks), may it be a safe and happy celebration!

Prayers for Baby Molly

Surely those of you in Victoria, and likely now throughout Canada (they are featuring her on CBC), have heard the tragic story of Molly Campbell, a one month old Victoria baby diagnosed with leukemia. Our hearts break for her parents, her siblings and everyone who loves her. It is an incredibly daunting fight they are up against.

We, personally, know how much prayers and good thoughts help. Please send some to this family's way. Check out her website here.

Christmas Teardown

As of this afternoon, all signs of Christmas are gone in the house! We normally wait until after New Years, but Jordan goes back to work tomorrow for a set of 5 so I didn't want to wait until January 5th if I wanted any help. A nice, tidy house again. Ahh, I love it.

Four Christmases

Isn't there a movie called that starring Vince Vaughn? Well this one stars the Trousdell Five.

It started on Christmas Eve, carried in to Christmas Day, had a pause in unofficial celebrations on Boxing Day (but did eat leftovers), moved up island for the 27th, and then home for our last feast tonight.

We have covered my entire family (with the exception of my adult niece and nephew) - the first time all four siblings and families and our dad have been all together in too many years to count.

We covered Jordan's dad's entire family.

We covered Jordan's mom and sister.

We ate, we drank, and we were merry. We were spoiled beyond belief.

We are tired and resume real life tomorrow. Thank goodness.

Merry Christmas 2010 - bring on 2011!

Mommy Was A Bad Girl

This morning Rio asked me if I was a bad girl because I didn't get much from Santa. I told her we all got one present from Santa and she said "No your stocking, you didn't get much in your stocking". To which I then said "Santa doesn't bring much in grown ups' stockings - only kids". Rio thought about it for a minute and said "Why did daddy get so much stuff then?". We kind of skirted around the issue but it wasn't good enough, and the only plausible answer was that mommy was a bad girl and santa knew it. Then Rio went on to start listing off the reasons that I was a bad girl.

Wow! No way to explain to your 4 year old that Santa blew his budget on your gifts from daddy. So instead you just get to hear about what a bad girl you are. Great way to start the morning :)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! What a wonderful time we are having on our quiet Christmas morning! Check out how far the boys have come in the past year...

Christmas 2009 - 3 lbs 13 oz/ on CPAP

Christmas 2009 - 3 lbs 10 oz/ on CPAP

Note the difference from last year in baby to stocking size ratio!

Last year was a bittersweet Christmas. We were filled with love and thanks for the boys, but saddened by their journey and having to spend their first Christmas behind the glass of their isolettes. This year they are home and well and we have SO much to be thankful for!  We are so spoiled, not only with presents and food and celebrations, but with an amazing group of friends and family. Blessings all around. This is truly the best Christmas ever.

All the best to you and yours from the Trousdell Five!

A Christmas List - 2010

Remember last year's Christmas List? That was a harsh one. Things were not so good this time last year. Wow, we have come a long way! Babies are home with us for their first real Christmas; I can't tell you how much that means to us! In the spirit of last year, let's try an updated list for 2010. This year Rio gets included.

Slow Going

The boys went to our GP yesterday for a checkup and there is nothing exciting to report. Nolan's ears are still red and he now has a cough. Asher is the same - no cough - so we have no idea if the pneumonia is clearing up or not. Neither of them went for repeat chest x-rays, so we just have to assume the antibiotics will do their thing but have no evidence to prove they are getting better (besides the lack of fever). Bit of a pointless visit.

Rio is still coughing and my sore throat is back (thank goodness not as bad as it was, but still here). Jordan thankfully, is not sick (yet).  Everyone is feeling pretty much like themselves it seems, so hopefully none of this puts a damper on Christmas. Rio's head is about to blow off with excitement as it nears every day...

Featured Blogger

Hey check me out over at Multiples and More - I'm the featured blogger! Fun!

More Therapy

Today Asher had his last physiotherapy visit of 2010, and instead of making him work hard at his exercises, we moved him from seat to seat to seat in the house, ensuring that everywhere he goes he is in the best possible position. He got a fancy new table and chair that should help him sit nicely but I have to admit it reminded me of a wheelchair and gave me some horrible visions. That said, if it helps him we'll take it, no matter what it looks like.

His physio and I had a great chat today (as always) and decided that the best course of action will be to get him into the neuromuscular clinic in the new year. There he will be seen by a physiatrist, an orthopedic surgeon, and his regular PT and they will work out a plan to see if any further treatments will help (botox and casting are among the possibility, but those would be farther down the road). Essentially, this visit would serve to be a baseline so that when he gets older and some of the other treatments are more feasible, the appropriate specialists will already be familiar with him.

Additionally, it was suggested that he should see an Occupational Therapist. While PT will continue with the gross movements, OT will work on the fine movements (such as feeding himself).

Our PT was slightly hesitant to mention any of this in case it overwhelmed me and I didn't want any more therapy involved. It always surprises me that there are actually families out there who might turn down additional treatment because it's "too much". Yes, at times, it all is a bit much, but it's not about me! As if I would EVER turn down something that could help Asher (or any of the kids) no matter what kind of commitment it takes from the rest of us.

Of course, as happy as I am to be proactive, we're sad that he needs this much help. How could we not be? Nothing is going to come easy to this perfect little guy of ours and it makes me ill to think of how hard he has to work to do anything. But again, I am also incredibly thankful that we have this much service available to us! Could we live in a better place, with better specialists to give him a fighting chance? I think not.

As our physio pointed out, he is surely not lacking in social skills (nor is he lacking in the love that he receives or gives). Muscles aside, that's the important stuff.

The Rio Hat

Several months ago, a highschool friend, Krista, posted something on her facebook status about giving away gifts to the first 5 (10?) people who commented. There would be some fine print instructions once you said you wanted the gift, but that would come later. I thought this sounded fun and mysterious, so I signed up.

After she got her list of people, the instructions came. You would receive a handmade gift from her if and only if you posted the same status. The idea was that you got a gift if you were willing to pay it forward and do the same for someone else.

What a great idea! Not that I am that crafty, but I thought it would be a fun challenge, and I assumed everyone else would think the same way. Nope, apparently not. I was the one and only of Krista's friends who posted it on their status, and therefore the one and only to get a gift.

So now comes my turn - it's posted on my status and I see the comments coming in in no time. So I then tell everyone the instructions and wait for someone else to post it. NO ONE did. Not one single person was willing to GIVE a gift in order to GET a gift. I have to admit people, that made me awfully sad. Lots of taking, not a lot of giving. I was also disappointed because I was making a mental list of crafts for my takers and I had NONE!

Anyway, months passed and I knew Krista was good for it (I think the challenge said you had a year to deliver on it) and I was really excited to receive my gift because that girl is crafty. Well lucky me, just in time for Christmas and the cold weather, I got a package in the mail.

Is there much better in this world to get you excited than a good piece of mail? No! I love mail, especially packages. So without further ado, here is the contents of my package - ta da - my lovely new hat!

Isn't it pretty?! I feel so special and happy that I got this handmade hat, and the best part of it is that she is naming it "Rio" (she names her hats girls' names). Rio was super excited when I told her!

Thanks again Krista, you really made my day! Come on people, paying it forward (and reaping the rewards!) feels good!

Pictures

I know I have been bad at posting pictures lately, so here are a few to fulfill your cravings for the 3 cuties.

N - Stuffing his gob, as usual.

A - My teeth may hurt and my nose may be runny but I'm still smiling!

N - The sound that accompanies this face is "ooh", like a gorilla

A - Yes, I'm gorgeous. I'm practicing my model pose. Thanks for noticing.

This chameleon raided her closet for everything blue. Too bad the pic against the blue wall never worked out. Could she be any funnier?

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Update on the boys - Yesterday they were pretty sick. Nolan slept almost the entire day and Asher, when awake, was not himself. If Asher is not smiling and flirting and socializing he is no Asher of mine, and he could not have been more quiet. They both slept right through the night (thankfully for all of us) and today has so far shaped up to be more of the same - lots of sleeping and cuddles and a bit of whining. 

The main downfall of today is that their horse dose of antibiotics seems to be affecting their tummies, as the pharmacist predicted (sorry for TMI - but soaking through cloth diapers and pouring out of rubber pants with blacky/green goo....not cool). I called the pharmacist back and he was planning to fax the doctor, but the soonest the doctor will get back to us is Monday, and that's assuming he's in the office. So hopefully they can tolerate this for another day and we'll hear back from them tomorrow. The drugs aren't doing them a lot of good if they are losing all their nutrients.

Poor little buddies, I wish there was something more I could do :(

A Date and a New Do

Today Rio and I went out for a much needed mother daughter morning - haircut then coffee and bubbly milk (steamed milk, her favourite). I was so excited to get her hair cut because she agreed to have it cut to her shoulders. It was previously most of the way down her back and with her thickness and curl it always needed to be put up. Thankfully, care of my new short bob and the short hair of her two best preschool friends, she allowed a massive shearing - 3 or 4 inches. The lovely result is below:

I say this date was much deserved because what I forgot to mention in yesterday's post was what a star Rio was. When she found out we had to go to the hospital she quickly and quietly cleaned up what she was playing with and got herself ready to get out the door. Then she waited patiently at the hospital with us for 2.5 hours until my sister was able to come get her and take her home. There were zero complaints at the hospital even though we were stuck in a tiny waiting room with very little to keep her entertained. The only mild frustration was when I told her we could not go visit nurse Krista (yes KP, she loves you that much). Several hours after my sister picked her up, we then had to drag her to the pharmacy to get antibiotics and when we finally got home it was late and she was tired, so she quietly went to bed without incident (for a change). Let's also not forget that she is not feeling well and has been battling a cough and cold herself.

She can be difficult, lately especially. She has an attitude and a temper that throw me for a loop and often I don't know how to deal with her. But yesterday was a reminder of what an amazingly strong and good little girl she is. When it comes to her brothers nothing is too much to ask of her. We are very blessed to have not two, but three little troopers!

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Update on the boys - it seems as though both of them are feeling worse today. Nolan has barely been awake and when he is he doesn't make a move or a peep. Asher is very whiny and has not cracked a smile which is totally abnormal. I am hoping that by tomorrow the antibiotics start kicking in and we see a positive change. Jordan is at work tonight and then the next two days, so fingers crossed they aren't too much of a handful!

Not the Greatest Day

As I'm typing about my pumping woes this morning (update - meds have been disposed of! Step 1 complete!), little do I know our day is about to turn to sh*t (sorry about the language, it's been one of those days). I apologize that this is probably the worst non sensical and grammatically lacking post ever but I am tired. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Anyway, as I have mentioned, the boys have been running a temp for several days now. Nolan's has climbed to 39.4 C (not sure what that is in F, but it's pretty darn high) and has pretty much stayed there for 2 days unless he's had Tylenol. Yesterday we had to resort to Tylenol and Advil to break it and that did the trick, but we decided if things weren't better today we'd take them to the doctor. (Asher has also had a temp, pretty much exactly a degree less than Nolan the whole time).

Enough With The Pump Already!

So almost 2 weeks ago the boys saw their pediatrician who gave us the go ahead to start introducing cows milk and start weaning breast milk. Yet here I am, still pumping. To top it off, I haven't even stopped taking the drugs that increase my milk supply yet. That is the first and easiest step, yet I haven't taken it!

I HATE the pump. I have established this many times over. Currently it takes up about 75 minutes of my day, previously it took up to 2 hours. Let's average that out to 90 minutes a day, and in the past almost 14 months I have spent 37,000 minutes pumping. That's 615 hours or almost 26 days. I have spent nearly a month of my life pumping! So why continue?

Two Fevers, Three Coughs and some Tonsilitis

Ok I'm not sure if it actually was tonsilitis, I never went to the doctor. The beauty of having a nurse in the house is that he can assess me himself. For several days there I was feeling rough. Like could not have taken care of the kids on my own kind of rough (thank goodness Jord was on days off). According to Dr. Jordan my tonsils looked like "pizza" - full of holes and puss (mmm, what an appetizing pizza!). But on the day I was going to finally go to the clinic they took a turn for the better and now I am on the mend. I am still not 100% but feeling a lot better.

Literally, the day I started feeling better and Jordan started back to work for a set of 6, all three kids got sick. Coughs all around and fevers for Asher and Nolan. They were all sick less than a month ago and we are militant with the hand washing and staying away from germs, so I am really frustrated. Thankfully, everyone is in good spirits but last night the poor boys were sooo hot and red faced we had to strip them down and let them lie around naked to get some relief. The fevers are not so high today, but still there. Rio is for the most part her happy go lucky self, but things get pretty ugly in the evening when she is tired. We give her homeopathic cough medicine and she is over the moon with delight (what is it with my kid LOVING medicine?!)

This also means that once again the boys' second flu shot is postponed (first timers need two shots, a month apart, and it doesn't work until the second shot is given). They had their first shot in October but every chance we've had for their second dose, they are sick. Asher has already had the flu once, so we would really like to get on this. Frustrating.

Looks like this is my winter - home with three sick kids. Can't wait.

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PS - Thanks for the support for my friend, I have received some nice, thoughtful messages from you. Keep up the prayers/kind thoughts please!

A Heavy Heart

It is with extreme sadness today that I ask for your prayers and good wishes for my friend who has lost her 14 month old daughter. I am blinded by tears as I type this and cannot imagine the pain that they are feeling.

She and I "met" over a year ago through an online preemie support group. Her triplets were also born at 26 weeks, 2 weeks before Asher and Nolan, so we went through a lot of similar ups and downs. Although we have never met in person, we have been some of each other's greatest support. Not only could we relate to the preemie issues, but also the added challenge of having multiples and the roller coaster that brought - you could never celebrate the triumph of one because the other was undoubtedly going through trauma. We have emailed each other at least every second day (sometimes many times a day) for over a year and we have become close friends, sharing all our fears and sadness, but also a lot of laughs and happiness about our children, our partners, our jobs, and everything in between.

I know the Trousdell Five has been through a lot, but our journey seems like nothing compared to theirs. Within a few weeks of birth, one of her sons, the strongest and healthiest of the three, passed suddenly from completely unforeseen complications. Her surviving son and daughter suffered many complications but her other son finally came home from the hospital a month or so before our boys. Her daughter had the toughest journey of all. She had endless issues and surgeries that caused more issues and surgeries. She fought infection after infection after infection. They said goodbye to her many times, only to have her fight back over and over again.

Recently after 14 months of hospitalization, she took another turn for the worst. After fighting so long and so hard for over a year, her battle was sadly lost yesterday afternoon.

I don't understand how the pain and suffering this little girl, and this entire family have been through, is all part of some greater plan. While I do believe in God and Heaven, I am having a great deal of trouble understanding why this had to happen. As a mom, as a friend, as a human being with a heart, I am devastated for their loss and don't know any words of comfort to give her.

So in the best way I know how, I will send her support and prayers, and I ask that even though you don't know them, you please do the same. Their sweet little girl was nothing but an angel here on earth, and I know she is no longer suffering. It is now her parents who need some peace.

Well That Was Embarrassing

This morning the boys slept in till 8:30, so the rest of us stayed in bed that long too. At about 8:55 I sauntered out of bed, threw on my bathrobe and walked out into my disastrous living room, overrun with baby toys. I had 90 minutes to tidy the house, feed the family, get myself dressed, and be ready for our IDP appointment at 10:30. So I thought.

Two minutes later I hear a knock at the door. I panic, knowing who it must be. I quickly survey the house and then look down at myself. Jordan is in the shower so I am on my own. I open the door, and sure enough, it's our therapist, there for our 9:00am appointment. Can I get a big WOOOOPS?!

I am dying of embarrassment as we both apologize to each other for the miscommunication, unsure of who has made the mistake. I invite her in and quickly tell Jordan that she's arrived. I assume that as soon as he gets out of the shower he will give me a second to get myself ready, but instead he heads straight for the coffee maker and Rio's breakfast prep. So I spend the entire appointment in my pajamas with sleep in my eyes and non-flat ironed bed head. Awesome.

Despite the horrific appearance of myself and the less than ideal appearance of my home, the boys did great. Both boys are progressing as expected socially/cognitively and she said she is seeing improvements in Asher physically (even though we haven't in a while) so that is always nice to hear. We all remarked how great Asher's fine motor skills are in his hands despite his often useless arms and how it is as if his hands don't belong to his arms. Gives us hope the arms will continue to learn and not stunt the excellent work of the hands.

Two and a half hours later, my jammies and pissed hair remain. I think I am just too traumatized to get myself ready now...

Med Free!

It has been 8 days since we gave the boys their last dose of their reflux medication and I think it is safe to say they've kicked their habit! I never thought this day would come. In the early days, not only were they on two reflux meds, but they slept on a wedge and couldn't lie flat for a minute, even to change their diapers. Then over time the first med was weaned, then the floor wedges and extra pillows everywhere went away, then finally the crib wedge was gone, and we lived for many months on one dose per day, kind of forgetting it was even an issue. And now here we are - done.

SO LONG REFLUX, can't say I'll miss you. You've ruined many an outfit/blanket/sheet/spit cloth and I shudder to see what you've done to the lining of the boys' esophoguses. But all that's left of you now is a few errant barfs here and there - no gagging, coughing, choking, bradys, desats, and turning BLUE like you used to cause.

Hallelujah! Another notch on the old belt of normalcy for the boys!

Pajama Day

Last night was our 10th annual Christmas party and it was great. It was smaller than normal (in past years we have had upwards of 40 people - what were we thinking?!) partly because we had some cancellations and partly because I forgot to invite a few people (woops, sorry!). It was really nice that I actually got to chat with everyone here and our house was surprisingly non disastrous this morning. It was a good time had by all. Thanks friends, for making it a special night as you do every year. Thanks also for no breakages and no major spillage :)

The party was a bittersweet one for me. Sweet, because this is the first Christmas in a 2 years that we have been happy and had something to celebrate (our Christmas 2009 party was actually held in July 2010 because of the boys). Bitter, because last time we actually celebrated a Christmas party at Christmastime (2008) I was pregnant and blissfully unaware of how my life would change a mere two days later.

Which segues me to my next point. Today is 2 years since we had our loss so it's a bit of a sad day around here. I am mostly fine, I think because I try to not focus on the "anniversaries" of bad days. So for that reason I don't feel more sad today than I do any other day, but of course today I am thinking about it a lot more. Not only for the grief we suffered during that time, but for the fact that the Tracey that existed 2 years ago no longer exists today. My heart got a little smaller and a little harder that day and that will never be mended.

Oooh, mending, that segues me to my next point. I am really not feeling well (no, not a hangover!), so that is not helping things today either. I have been battling a sore throat for days, and last night I took enough Tylenol-Advil combo to get me through the evening but today I am suffering. The resident nurse took a look at my tonsils and confirmed they are indeed inflamed so if there is no improvement tomorrow I will head to the doctor.

All of this adds up to what should be a quiet, jammie day, cuddling with the kids. Is it nap time yet?!

12 month immunizations

Yesterday afternoon the boys had their 12 month vaccines and were of course little champs. They needed 4 shots each, all in the arms! I swear Rio had them in her legs, or at least one in each extremity, but all in the arms seemed a little much.

My heart broke a little bit - not because of how much they cried, but how little they cried. Our nurse commented that they were truly showing how much worse they have been through because of how brave they were. My amazing little rockstars!

Pediatrician Update

As much as I love our pediatrician, I was dreading today's appointment today because I was prepared to hear some things I didn't want to hear.

For starters, at the NICU follow up the neonatologist suggested he talk to our pediatrician about a referral to the pediatric neurologist for a "diagnosis" for Asher. If anything is diagnosed it will be cerebral palsy. We of course know that this is a very real possibility but are not yet ready to have a label put on it. We want Asher to show us what he can and can't do, without any speculation (yet) of what the future will bring. We did however want to be open to our pediatrician's opinion on the matter and we would take the referral if she thought it best.

Momoirs Essay: The Shadow It Casts

In addtion to all the writing sparks I posted for my writing class, we worked on a longer essay throughout the class. While the topics for the sparks were chosen by our teacher, the essay topic was completely our choice. The sparks were meant to be one short scene, but the essay is several scenes that are commonly tied together.

I started writing several different essays before I came up with this topic. Even once I had decided on the topic, I planned several different scenes before I decided these ones were the most relevant. At the end of it all, I am very happy with the result (even more so now that I have finally had a chance to incorporate my teacher and fellow students' comments).

I decided to write on the topic of resentment because these are feelings that I struggle with daily. In fact, I wrote a much shorter, less formal post on it here a while back. I know that there are many moms out there who have dealt with loss, infertility, prematurity, or a special needs child, who can likely relate to my feelings. I know there is also power in realizing that you are not the only one who feels like this. The responses I got to my previous post about it affirmed that and made me want to write this essay even more.

This essay explores the complexity of my feelings, detailing all the events that led to them; it is not quite so cut and dry as "you have healthy babies and therefore I envy you" and I hope I have successfully portrayed that. I also hope that this essay accurately depicts the immense love I have for my family and how blessed I feel, despite what we've been through.

Ok, enough of a disclaimer. Basically, you're going to relate to it or you're not. And if you don't, count your blessings because you're definitely one of the moms I envy. :)

PS - Better get yourself a cup of tea...it's a long one.

Letter to Santa

Today Rio and I worked on her letter to Santa. She was very sure about what she wanted to say, so she dictated and I printed, then she traced it all for a colourful finished product.

"Dear Santa,

I've been a good girl! Asher and Nolan can't write a letter so I have to write a letter for them. Please I want some ice cream toys. Asher and Nolan are asking for bath toys please. Please can you give Mommy and Daddy a surprise.

The brothers have been good boys too. Thank you. Love, Rio Asher Nolan"

She is very proud of herself and very hopeful they (the letter was written on behalf of her brothers too) get what they asked for. I think that can be arranged!

'Tis the Season!

We are having a great, relaxing Christmasy weekend. After Jordan got home from work yesterday we went to buy our tree, hoping Rio would let it wait till Sunday to be decorated. No such luck - we were at it literally within seconds of walking through the door. She was very excited and did a really good job of carefully putting on the ornaments. Really, you can't go wrong jamming ornaments on the Charlie Brown style tree we like!

 

Today after Rio's swimming lessons (she passed!) I went out Christmas shopping for the entire afternoon. For the first time in forever, shopping was completely non-stressful and dare I say - fun?! I had a list of ideas and a plan for which stores I'd visit and I ended up getting more than I'd even planned (within budget!). I have a few things left to get but think I may leave them up to Jord as he has gotten off easy so far. Now Rio and I have to do a bunch of baking and crafts and then I am pretty organized!

When I got home from shopping the kids and I drove Jordan off to his work party and now we are having a quiet evening. Tomorrow the only items on the agenda so far are hanging the Christmas lights and watching Love Actually.

The past two Christmases have been absolute crap. Hell in fact, and as they were happening we wished they didn't exist. This one is going to be a happy one and it is shaping up so well already!

Christmas Cards

This year I have decided not to send Christmas cards. I am usually a big fan of real cards - Christmas and Thank-You (I stopped birthday cards forever ago and just send emails, or Rio makes a card to accompany a present) - so it feels strange and wrong not to be sending them. However, 99% of the people I send Christmas cards to read the blog. You all know what we've been up to this past year so it was kind of a no brainer. So here goes with your virtual Christmas card.

It would say something like this and include the following photo:

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! We hope this finds you and your family well. 
We are great - the kids are thriving. Thanks for all your love and support this past year, and always.

All the best to you in 2011.

Love Tracey, Jordan, Rio, Asher and Nolan

So there you have it. In less than 2 minutes, all my cards have been bought, signed, addressed and mailed. Easy peasy and a few trees saved. Maybe see you again next year with the real thing...or maybe not.

Happy Holidays y'all! Tree shopping tonight and decorating will be underway this weekend!

Ouch!

Tonight I had the following conversation with Rio, while dying my hair:

R: Mama why do you dye your hair?
T: Umm, because I feel like it.
R: So you don't look old?
T: Yes, so I don't look old.
R: But mama, you're still getting old, even if you dye your hair black.

Wowsa. Thanks for setting me straight lady. "Black" hair or not, apparently this mama is OLD.

13 Months

Wow, seriously, another month has passed already? How did that happen? Today snuck up on me when I realized I had to take the boys' monthly pics!

Asher 13 months/10 months corrected

Nolan 13 months/10 months corrected

Rio 10 months (more hair, less chub)