BIG SISTER HELENA JAMES

So Yesterday Helena turned 22 months.... SHE IS THE MOST AMAZING LITTLE GIRL! I feel so blessed. We take the good with the bad, I think she is a very normal tantrum throwing little lady:) She has her moments of pure meltdowns, but then the next minute she is hugging you, kissing you, playing with my hair! She is just so sweet!

Helena understands that was are having babies, we ask her how many babies are you having.... she responds with 2 fingers in the air and states DO.... toddler word for TWO:) Know does that means she really gets it??? Not sure, but she is trying... I am sure she will freak and 2 really do come home!!!

She is such a big helper, she loves to help put dishes away, she cleans up when we sing the CLEAN UP song.... she feeds the cats, she puts all the shoes in the house away. BJ tells me she likes to organize his shoes for him!!! She is really good at making PAIRS! She has been trying to help us get her dress which is fun and exciting. I think the biggest girlie thing that is happening in Helena life is she has officially gotten to wear a ponytail and pigtails! That's what big girls do, so I guess my baby is gone!

She does something new everyday..... she is doing really well with me being at work and her and BJ have an amazing bond now that they spend so much time together in the mornings. Helena loves to get up at 5-6am.... BJ IS NOT A FAN of this... however he does get up, he has officially made us a hotel, since he chops Helena a fresh fruit salad every morning.... Apparently I did not get that memo that we are CASA de la Cook.... I have very high standards on the my mornings to fill.

Helena is saying many words, however she says them once or twice then stores them somewhere... we ask her to say it again and then she jumbles a few words together! Cute, but BJ and I are very ready to hear her little voice, we both know once she starts talking though there will be no going back:) She will talk from the minute she wakes until the minute she goes to sleep! I think she gets that from BJ!

BJ has also started a blog about Helena and being a dad... I recommend reading it, he is such a great writer and it melts my heart to hear what he thinks about all the crazy stuff we do:)

http://www.dadsarerad.com/

It is hard for me to think that we are having 2 more babies, I just look at Helena and wonder how am I every going to love these babies as much. I know I will, but she is just my BABY.... and I just feel so blessed to have her! Im excited to continue to watch her grow and flourish into a little girl. I have started to realize that I do not have a baby any more, she is my LITTLE GIRL or as BJ would say she is a MINI LADY FRIEND:)

I promise to be better about updating, I just get busy with Helena, work, sleep, eating, ..... all the stuff , but this is important so I can remember all the amazing things my family and I are doing!

GUESS WHAT TWINS!!!

13 weeks 5 days preggers!!! Below: BABY B was partying on its head and also was showing off its feet:)

BABY A (ON LEFT) Waving at the camera, already not shy and has Big Sisters profile!!! Ultrasound 13 weeks, 6 days
BOTH BABIES: 10 weeks, 6 days

I started this update back on MAY 17th...... at that time I was officially 13 weeks pregnant... and we had found out we are having TWINS...... so I think I am going to have few different posts.... This one I will just fill everyone in .... Ultrasound Both Babies: 8 weeks, 6 days

On March 17th, HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY... BJ, Helena, and I found out we were going to have another member of our family! We were all very excited! I knew I was pregnant from the get go... we had been trying and a week later I was feeling sick, tired, cranky... I waited until I was one day late and before work took a test and low and behold, our St Patricks Day did not include Green Beer, but a really pretty PINK plus sign!

At almost 9 weeks we went in for our first appt, I believe the date was April 19th, I had a weird weekend and thought I was feeling movement, so I looked up when do you feel TWINS move??? Yahoo answers had moms feeling them as early as 8 weeks, so I thought.... HMMMMM could there be 2???? At the drs appointment, BJ and Helena were with, the first half I was on my own and I let the nurse know that I was curious if there was more then one. I felt this way because of the early symptoms I was having and because of the weird movement from the weekend. So I asked her to PLEASE look in every nook and cranny of my uterus. The second half of my appointment, Bj and Helena were present and it was time to meet the FETUS! and with in ONE MINUTE she confirmed my motherly instinct and said there are 2!!!!! We were excited, scared, shocked.... no words can truly describe that moment. Good thing BJ was holding Helena because had he not was would have been picking him up from the floor!

I was feeling pretty good up to week 10 and then I started to become VERY ILL!!! This is why you are all just getting the blog update and I uploaded over 3 months worth of pictures last weekend:) I was lucky to keep one meal a day down, I was not sleeping even though I was beyond tired. We had another appointment at the almost 11 week point, we all went again, it was crazy too see how much bigger they were. They did a little wave to Big Sister! We also were then informed of all the good, the bad, and the ugly of what was to come with a Twin pregnancy. The Good.... I see the babies every appointment... The Bad, I go to the doctor every 2-3 weeks, The Ugly, I could end up on bed rest, the babies could come early, at some point I should not carry Helena, the list goes on and on!!!

So that appointment sent me in a TIZZY.... I ended up with almost a week off of work because I was having mini panic attacks... my heart would start racing and I would get so sick.... We figured it out...ONE DAY AT A TIME.... MIND OVER MATTER..... I have decided to tackle what has to be done. And as for bed rest and babies coming early, I just tell myself that it is not an option.... so that means that I am going to do what I can to keep them in until November 9th, that would put us at 38 weeks.... as for all the other craziness that has come along with twins. We are dealing... we plan to move in August, we are in search for a house, with a yard and some storage:) We are debating preschool for Helena..... but hey she is only going to be 2.... I figure lots of other people have done this.... SO CAN I!!!

We had our last appointment right before our 14th week on May 24th, I went to this appointment alone, again I was lucky to keep a meal down so I was actually a little worried about the appointment, but they say the sicker you are in your pregnancy the BETTER! I had not gained any weight in the 1st trimester which is normal and when we did the ultrasound on the babies, they had gotten so big that they did not fit on the screen together! They were both doing well... Baby A has a higher heart rate and is very active.... Baby B was chilling and had a much slower heart rate. This appointment lead me to believe we have one of each....

So today is June 12th, I am no longer feeling sick, I have my days that a smell gets me gagging and I lose it. I am still pretty tired, however I pee every couple of hours so a good night sleep is not happening, I also love sleeping on my back, which makes me not be able to breath and its not good for the babies!!! So we are working on that:) The good news is that I go to the DR June 14th..... we will be 16 weeks 6 days and Dr Ohara said he will take a look for us to see what the babies are.... please babies let us take a look:) If not I have an appointment on my birthday July 2nd, not a bad birthday present RIGHT???

18 Months

I was suppose to write after Christmas and guess what THAT DID NOT HAPPEN... so the time is now to catch you up on what the Cooks have been up to and it is A LOT!

So the Cook that is the most important and has the most updates is, you guessed it HELENA JAMES!

Helena just turned 18 months... really she is a year and a half. Where has the time gone. She is not a baby anymore, she is getting longer hair, she is talking, signing, singing, marching.... you do it she mimics. SHE IS AMAZING. She has lost her baby features to and totally looks like a little GIRL! There is so much she is doing so bear with me while I share with you and document it for us....

• Helena's vocabulary is growing here is a list of things she loves to say: cracker, car, read, bubble, woof, kitty, puppy,yummy, Blues Clues, plane, truck, ROAR , I did it, mama, dada, fish
• She also is in love with the show Blues Clues, from this show she has learned to say, Blues Clues, Hi Steve, and sing "EIEIO" She also does all the dances to a perfectly and begs us to watch it DAILY!
• She is also signing very basically. She signs more and says it too, signs milk, all done, help, and we are working on Thank you.
• She also tells us when things are hot by waving her hand and blowing on it and she like to tell us when things are yucky by saying "ish"

Other milestones that she is reaching:

• She is in her big girl bed... she has been since the New Year and is doing AWESOME in it.
• She loves her body parts, she points to all of hers and yours as well. She likes belly, teeth, and tongue the most right now :)
• She is very independent she likes to pick out her clothes, wash her hair and body by herself. She also like to pick out her snacks and food for herself!
• Something that is funny... we take a lot of pictures of her from our phones, she now takes our phones and holds it towards us and says " CHEESE" like she is taking a picture:)
• She tells us NO of course, but she also started to shake her head YES, and shrug her shoulders for I Don't Know.
• She tells us OH OH if she did something or I DID IT... very funny especially if it is something she is not suppose to be doing.
• She hit a huge milestone at the park, she climbed a ladder after she watched 2 other kids do so.... she was so proud she could not stop smiling or clapping.
• She also loves jumping.... we say 123.... she squats then tries to jump up, she usually gets one foot off the ground, its pretty cute!
• OBSESSED with BUBBLES.... to all the moms out there GAZILLION bubbles from Target ROCK and they just came back out.... stock up now!
• The other big thing she is into is pointing at things and wanting us to tell her what it is... its like she is an encyclopedia that just stores every word sometimes she will try to mimic. Most times she will just go back and forth between 2 or 3 objects.

On a negative note..... Helena is a TANTRUM thrower and WHINER some days are awesome and others are very challenging. I just keep telling myself that she will be talking soon and that will help both of these things.

Grammies was just here to visit and Helena liked that very much. As I called Grammies THE ENABLER..... its funny, I love having my mom around,but all rules go out the door! Grammies allows ALL:) HA HA Helena and Grammies had an awesome visit. BJ and I got to go out a few times since it was our 3rd Anniversary and I also got some just Sarah time. All and all it was a great trip .... 11 days went by so fast though :( Glad she made it home safely and I am sure in a week she will be begging to come back to the 70 degree weather!!!

As for the last big change in the Cook house..... I am going back to work part time. Starting in March I will be working 3 days a week. We have hired a nanny to come in and help with Helena, this is going to be a huge transition for us since I have been home with her everyday for 18 months. I went in a few times when my mom was here and I am looking forward to interacting with adults. Even though I am working I guess it will be time I am working on myself. I'm very nervous about going to work and missing out on things Helena maybe doing. However I will be with her Friday thru Monday and working Tuesday thru Thursday from 6:30-3.... so it will really be about 18 hours a week that I am missing..... I know it is going to be a tough transition but a very good one.

BJ's business is growing rapidly and it sounds like there is a lot of new and exciting things in store over the next few months. Well I hope everyone has a very Happy Valentines Day..... again I say that I will try to blog more GOAL at least once a month:)

I almost forgot, Helena had her 18 month check up..... 25lbs 62 %, 32.5 inches tall 66%, 19 inch head 90% :) and she is developing fine:)

Dadpreneurship - Balancing Family, Business and BJ

So I've only had the time to write once on our family blog here. So I decided it was time to "make the time" to give my side of what's been happening so far the past few months :)

(I started this post about 2 weeks ago and like most things that fall into the "BJ" bucket; I am finally getting around to it)

What I like most about this post is that I don't have to do any research, see what types of topics people are interested in reading about currently or make sure I've got keywords present throughout my post; I just write.

What is Dadpreneurship?

Well it seems to be the act of being a dad. Also seems to be about a dad that assembles resources available to him to ensure that he addresses the goals of his family and business, while balancing the organization of his life to also meet his personal goals. Those goals being: 1) staying healthy 2) growing one's knowledgebase 3) being in touch with one's values and so on. The end goal with all these really is balance at the end of the day and if you can achieve that, well then you've got a great formula and I wouldn't mind borrowing it sometime.

Knowing that I've got people reading this who are my family, colleagues and complete strangers; I hope you find little nuggets that may help you or just feel up-to-date on what we've been up to.


What a year I have to start off with ... 1) Started a new business 2) Moved to a new place 3) Watched Helena James learn and grow everyday 4) Helped Sarah start her own entrepreneurial endeavors 5) Discovered that balance was harder than just doing it.

Helena has moved into her big girl bed (I hear Sarah telling her why standing in her bed is dangerous), started saying words like "bubbles", "fish", "kitty", "dada", "mama", "i did it" and "ball" and battled her first real cold that lasted about 2 weeks. The kind of cold your child gets where you can't really give her anything, you give your spot up to her in your bed so she's comfortable, she wipes her nose on everything and she learns that coughing makes mommy and daddy run to see what's wrong ... kind of like strategic manipulation.

Christmas was way different this year for me because not only was I thinking about what I needed to get for my family, I was also thinking about the other 10 people in my business. So this year we did the DOoeys 2009, where each person was recognized for their own special superlative. I happened to get "Mr. Late Night." We had Ryan and his mom make custom wooden-bases with springs that held a corrugated cardboard DO logo. Fully sustainable of course! I think it went off well and we'll be taking it to another level next year. The little things you put into place in your business are what make all the difference in the culture you try so hard to maintain and communicate the importance of to the people around you.

So for 2010 you might wonder?

Well, I'm looking forward to finding a better balance this year to 1) Spend more time with Sarah/Helena 2) Find the right people to put into place at Digital Operative to distribute responsibility 3) Splice out more time for training/exercising for myself and 4) Set goals for my 40th birthday that span both family, personal and career.

That's all for this year! I'm going to go kick my feet up and enjoy my vacation time. Blackberry on silent, unplugged and recharging for 2010.

Merry Christmas

Well again.... story of my life I have not written in over a month! HA HA it is Christmas Eve... presents are wrapped, BJ is at work, Helena is taking a nap and I am BLOGGING... one day Helena you will read this and laugh because I hope you know how excited we are to see your face tomorrow once Santa comes. I told him to not bring you coal this year... you were a good girl:)
Helena has been quite the comedian lately, she has been trying to talk to us... I am not sure what she is saying... but she does say, GOOK or COOK when asked what her name is. She says CA CA for cracker. She says I did it... for when she does things... I love when she tells me that and she is doing something when she is not suppose too!!! This is 99% of the time! She has been battling a cold for almost a month and it has dwindled down to a cough. So I would say she is on the mend and getting back to herself. However this means I have had a month of no sleep! I have been getting 3 to 5 hours of sleep a night again, not ideal but hey I signed up to be a mom... so Ill take it:) I promise to write more after Christmas. I have a list of things to update so my next blog will be LONG, with lots of Christmas pictures of Helena and all of her gifts. I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! (The picture is of Helena and I at the San Diego Zoo... we participated in a show and got red noses just like RUDOLPH!!)

NO MORE BOOB!!!

Well I know it has been a long time coming... however after 468 days of breast feeding we are done!!! Helena has been putting herself to bed at night with out MILK from a cup or from the boob! Now lets see how I hold up. I have been wanting to be done for some time... however I have felt fulfilled that I have been able to keep up with her for this long! We have been down to 1 to 2 times a day for awhile and she has not been asking any more so I figured why not give it a try. And what does she do, she sleeps all night! Man she is really a big girl now:) This is a good thing for me too, I get to have 3-4 morning workouts along with a afternoon run a few days a week. I am going to participate in a half marathon on Valentines day and I am really looking forward to training and also doing most of my training pushing Miss Helena!
Helena was working on her cheering this weekend while we cheered on the 3 day Breast Cancer Walkers in San Diego (she cheered so much she passed out.) What an amazing experience and San Diego is so welcoming and there were lots of horns honking, whooping and howling going on for the ladies and gentleman participating in the 60 mile trek. My favorite shirt was from the guys I saw walking "We are busting our balls for BOOBS!!!"
I hope everyone had a great weekend... I am sure most of you are looking forward to a short work week and a nice long weekend! I am looking forward to starting and finishing all my Christmas shopping and taking Helena to see Santa. I am also thankful for having a nice relaxing 4 day weekend with my HUBBY... putting up Christmas decorations and making our new place nice and Christmas like.... and figuring out how to make our stuff child proof and safe... SHOULD BE INTERESTING!!!

Lots of New Stuff.... Helena is 15 months!

Well we have been having major Internet issues so I am so sorry for not updating. First things first.... Helena is now 15 months old! Where has the time gone:( She went in for her check up and she is 32.25 inches tall, 25 lbs, and her head is 18.5 inches..... she is between the 80th-90th percentile. She is just getting SO big. Here is a list of stuff she is doing now...

* She is now an expert climber at the park. She can do almost everything on her own including going down the slide all by herself!! She loves it and she laughs all the way down:)
* She is getting better at eating with a fork or spoon on her own, she would still prefer to use her hands, so I just give her a utensil so she gets use to it.
* She loves drumming on everything. She uses anything and everything as in instrument. I love it. (Helena got to play a grand piano on Halloween.... I think she is going to be better then me. Look at the way her fingers fly across the keys!)
* She also is an expert car singer and dancer. I have the same CD playing in the car and when #5 comes on she is singing before they do! It is awesome that she knows what is coming.
* She is still saying the same words... ( DADA, MAMA, Bubb Bubb (bubbles) ball, kiki, wuff, pup pup) are a few. I feel like she is trying to mimic things we are saying but a lot of the time she stares at us and watches our lips instead.
* She really like to mimic her dad. Pretty much anything he does she does. She does not do that with me. If I say Helena can you do this.... NOTHING. BJ asks and she does it on command. He loves it.... Helena always makes him laugh. I think it needs that especially after a stressful day at the office:)
* A negative thing is that Helena is a very picky eater and will not try new things! We are trying to get her to but no luck so Avocado, Bug Mac n Cheese, Cheese Sticks, Pasta, Oatmeal, Fruits.... those are out staples at this moment.... oh wait DON'T FORGET PUFFS:)
* A positive thing... she has been sleeping almost through the night... we had a whole week with no waking up. I have not been getting her in the night when she does... I need her to know and understand that night time is for SLEEPING! Another positive thing about this is that I get up early around 515am to head to the gym! I love it and it really jump starts my day!

So in October Helena and I were in Minnesota. It was very nice to have some fall weather, see family and friends, and drink Caribou Coffee everyday! We also went to the apple orchard picked some apples and played with the barnyard animals. There was a baby cow who was 4 days old that kept mooing at us.... so cute. We were there with Grammies, my bff Robyn,Auriana her daughter, and Robyns Mom Sue. It was an awesome girls day:) We had lots of fun and I think we took over 100 pictures:) I also got to spend time with my family it is always nice to go home. I hated that it rained almost all the days I was there, however there were about 3 really perfect fall days. The last day I was there I woke up to snow on the ground so I knew it was time to get out of there! Helena loved having a yard to run in and a pup pup to throw a ball too! She was very funny around Ava, our black lab. At first she was really into her and then Ava knocked her down for her cheese stick... for that moment on she would scream and crouch down when Ava would walk by. Then she got a little braver and would back herself up against the wall and sneak by her. This was too funny... Ava is the biggest baby in the world and would not hurt a fly... maybe lick you to death so to see Helena so cautious was very funny.

Well we made it home safe and it took us awhile to get back into the swing of things... but we are back in normal mode. We made it to a pumpkin patch to get ready for HALLOWEEN:) We had a great Halloween, we were at a birthday party that evening for my CA grandma Alice. She had an amazing party with her friends and family. Helena had the best costume... for those of you that did not know she was a LADYBUG! She enjoyed dressing up and got to eat some M & M's. We did not go trick or treating this year. But next year we will be up for that.... I guess I better start thinking of some costume ideas to top this year!!!

So we are into November and I can not believe that holidays are around the corner. With all of this crazy flu stuff, we have not been doing to many organized indoor kid activities. We go to the park daily and swimming once a week. I just get nervous.... some parents are just so irresponsible and I do not want Helena getting these nasty viruses since she can not have her shot until next month. I lost a friend from high school last week from H1N1, she was only 29. I do not want to be paranoid.... but I am a little!

We have been battle the temper tantrums here... a lot of screaming has been happening. I am thinking this is because she really wants to communicate to us and just does not have the right words to say yet! She has also been on a biting kick, this is not good and I do not like that she does this! I ended up putting my teeth on her arm after she bit me 3 times in one day.... good news is she has not done it since. Helena has a very bad temper.... somethings that really make her mad are, diaper changes, getting dressed, and getting cleaned up after eating or her hair washed! SHE HATES THESE THINGS..... however she really loves the bathroom and is very curious about what BJ and I do in there. Is it time for a potty? I think at the start of the new year we will get one for her to try... She is really growing into her own little person. She is very funny, energetic, silly.... she is developing a very unique personality.