The holidays have come and gone. So too has Nana's visit with Braelyn and Gwendolyn. It's funny how quickly two weeks flies by when it's a happy experience and how long it drags on when it's a painful one. (No worries Nana, we were referencing how quickly your stay went this holiday... we PROMISE!!!)
Regardless, Braelyn and Gwendolyn have spent their mornings since her departure asking for "Nana?" each morning. They no doubt enjoyed the extra story telling that came along with her visit... Especially just before bedtime.
Another departure that left the girls perplexed is that of our Christmas tree. Mom is a stickler for getting the Christmas decor put away quickly after New Year's (which apparently is something she inherited from Grandma much to Dad's chagrin... but we digress). As the girls continued their morning ritual of sitting on their potty and eating their breakfast (sorry if that grosses you out but with twins, we've learned to multi-task as much as possible) today they just knew that something just wasn't quite right. Finally, Braelyn looked over her shoulder and pointed to the vacant corner of the room asking "tree?" Shortly thereafter, Gwendolyn joined in the inquisition and all Dad could think to say it that Santa took it with him to the North Pole but will bring it back next year. Sorry to throw you under the bus St. Nick but it actually met with approval from the members of our jury so we're sticking with that story for the time being.
As for the twins New Year's, they celebrated with a pizza party at Grandma's alongside their cousins. Earlier in the day, Mom and Dad took the girls grocery shopping. They had New Year hats and noise makers in a big display smack dab in the middle of the meat department... Because when one thinks of New Years, they apparently flock to pick up some freshly butchered meat? Of course, Mom and Dad took the opportunity to snap a video of what transpired.
Click here if you'd like to see the goofiness that is the girls on a trip to Hy-Vee. (And we aren't kidding when we say goofiness)
Regardless, we hope that you too enjoyed your New Year celebration and that you have a blessed 2012!!!
Loved the video. Happy New Year to all of you.
ReplyDeleteHi Heather,
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon your blog, and reading few of the entries has given me a very meaningful inside perspective about having a child affected by spina bifida. I am inspired by your courage and touched by the pictures of your family that I had to reach out. My name is Courtney Beyer, and I am the new Study Coordinator at VitaPath Genetics. Earlier this year, we successfully completed the first phase of our landmark study looking at the genetic factors contributing to spina bifida. In conjunction with our academic collaborators at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), Stanford, UC Berkeley and UCSF, we recruited over 1,000 women and their child affected by spina bifida to participate.
Our first phase produced promising results but, we believe that it is appropriate for us to replicate this study in a second, independent group of mothers. We are beginning our second study in early January and are reaching out to more mothers to participate. In order to reach as many women as possible, I would very much appreciate if you could include news about the study in your blog. I also have banners and buttons if you would like to post something on your site. In addition it would be great to connect with you via facebook (search SB Genetics) and twitter @sbgenetics.
I would like to get in contact with you to share more information and answer any questions that you may have. Please email me at CBeyer@vpgenetics.com and visit www.sbgenetics.org. This website gives an in depth explanation of the study as well as a link if you are interested in enrolling. Thank you for taking the time to read my note and I am greatly looking forward to being in contact.
Warmest regards and happy new year,
Courtney