Jax in the snow

Jax playing in the snow in Yosemite National Park. This video is a good one because it shows what a free spirit my little Jax can be. He's having so much fun rolling down the hill that you can't help it but to smile along with him. He has a contagious laugh and a smile that can brighten any room.(or forest)

Maryam singing

Maryam started ballet tonight!!!  I'll post video of that later.  This video is from after ballet when Christi and I took the girls for ice cream at The 29 Palms Inn.  (we had wine, they had ice cream)  The musician asked if anyone had any requests and Maryam ran over to request Its a Small World.  Well the musician asked Maryam if she'd like to sing it and Maryam said, Yes!!!  Here is the end of the song.  I hit record way too late.  But I promise, she was as cute as could be. The patrons LOVED her.  Proud Mommy Moment.

Holding a Preemie

Holding your baby is one of the most precious and amazing experiences a mother can have. Holding a preemie in the NICU is something entirely different. Its still very precious and amazing, but on top of those feelings you also experience stress, anxiety and fear. The first time I held Maryam she was just over 7 weeks old and still on total life support. The nurses had to tape her ventilator tubes to my hospital gown so that Maryam would remain stable enough to hold. I was only able to hold her for a few minutes before the stimulation was just too much for her.
I wanted to look only at her. I wanted to remember every little wrinkle of her face. I couldn't believe I was finally holding her! But my eyes kept wandering towards the monitor. The alarms were buzzing around me. The nurses and doctors and Brett were all so excited to see that the baby was no longer in the box! And I know they had everything under control. They were there watching in amazement as a baby who was so close to death so many times, was finally out of her box and in her mother's arms. My eyes kept wandering back to the monitors. It was difficult to train my eyes to watch her, listen to her, not to watch the numbers on the screen or hear the alarms buzzing in the air.
Here is video of the first time I held Maryam. The moment in time is one of my favorites. Enjoy.

At the sprinkler park

Here are the kids playing at the sprinkler park. As you can see, they LOVED it!

Maryam's first "at bat"!

Here is Maryam's first time batting at t-ball practice. She barely hit the ball, but she took off for 1st base anyway. Such a cutie. :-)

Jax singing Its a Small World

I took this video in March and CANNOT believe I forgot to post it! Its of Jax singing Its a Small World when the only words he could actually say were Mama and Dada. Enjoy!

Singing and sliding

This is one of millions of concerts Maryam has performed while jumping on the trampoline. I also caught Jax trying to go down the slide by himself...so close.

Maryam's ballet class, week 9

This is video of the ballet routine. Its so cute! The music is from one of the Tinker Bell movies. They love the music.

Maryam's solo for week 9

I just love the videos of the girls dancing.

Week 4 of ballet/tap

Maryam really LOVES ballet/tap. We finally got her some tap shoes this weekend. So, next week she'll have tap shoes for the tap portion of her class. She's so excited!

Aren't they all just adorable? Priceless.

Maryam's solo

Maryam's Bow

At the end of the class they get to do a "free dance" and then bow. I think the teacher wants her to do some of the dance and the bow she was taught in class but that's not Maryam! Ha! Enjoy!

Maryam in Ballet class

Maryam is in a combination ballet/tap class. She LOVES it and love watching her in it! I took tons of video at her last class. I'll put some more up on youtube.com and add them to the blog next time I get a few minutes of free time. In the meantime, enjoy!

Maryam walking..

Maryam walking around our new place waving to everything. She does laps around the dining room table pretty much all day...she does take a break from the dining room table to do laps around the coffee table though.