Guest Blog Post from Grandpa Robert – First visit!

Hey, y’all –

That includes Braydon, Heather, Kyle, Owen and Meera Grace . . . . it was spectacular to see all of you this last weekend. The arrival began with gang tackling by the Boys, and softened by the joy of the introduction to the “small person” by Braydon and Heather. It brought back to me the powerful emotions of the welcoming of new people into the world. And the joy on the faces of the new parents, coupled by the power of the five of them as a family, was wonderful. There are times in one’s life, unfortunately too few, when one is stricken by what is just right, and this was one of them. Added to that was the arrival the next day of Sabrina (“auntie Sabrina”) who stepped in as parental support and looked perfect for the part.

Here’s a little side-light from Kyle and Owen. As we were sitting at dinner eating Lasagna, Kyle looked at me secretively and held out a small piece of broccoli. Asking me if I liked it, we exchanged a couple of whispers away from the table, and I acknowledged it was not my favorite. After that, whenever Kyle came across a dab of broccoli, he quietly placed it on the edge of my plate, and we swapped knowing glances. And, as if food times were a focus, the next morning Owen insisted on sharing with my shirt the syrup from the AM French toast. I thought being a grandfather to the boys was wonderful, but now there is even more for me to love and care about.

Thanks for inviting me and thanks for a wonderful visit.

Love,

Grandpa Robert

Guest Blog Post from G'amma – First visit!

There really aren’t any words that adequately describe the joy of meeting a new grandchild, especially one as beautiful and wonderful as little Meera. Of course I’m biased and presumably most grandparents feel the same way. Still…..

And the boys are as amazing as ever. Honestly, how many just four-year-olds do you know who can hit a ball all the way across the yard (both of them), steal bases (Owen mostly—pretty funny), execute nearly perfect dives (Owen), practice the crawl (Kyle), and be incredibly gentle with a tiny baby? Perhaps just as remarkable, sit quietly in the back seat while grandpa and grandma spend over an hour lost in the countryside, never complaining for an instant? And then thanking us for taking them?! No kidding.

There was only one troubling moment while in a convenience store paying for cookies and encountering color negativity. Fortunately that was offset by distinct approval on the part of one who asked about the boys’ parentage and was told about their adoption. We can hope that seeing these boys with their parents sets such a good example that it will change the way some people think.

I simply don’t know how Heather and Braydon manage everything and manage with patience and grace. It is truly incredible. But I do know that it leaves me more determined than ever to continue working toward a sustainable future for all of them.

Guest Blogger: MorFar Tells the Story

Guest Blog Post from MorFar – The Birth of Meera
by Don Johnson on the occasion of the birth of his granddaughter Meera

It is truly an honor and a privilege to be so close to the beginning of life for another human being. I’m sure that the witness of this miracle is even more intensively emotional when the person giving birth is my daughter and the person whose life is beginning is my granddaughter.

One of the truths that this experience has reaffirmed is that there’s very little in life that we can be sure of; and even less that we have control over. The plan for MorMor (Janet) and I has been that as soon as and whenever labor was to have begun, we would get in the car and drive for 8 hours from our home in New Hampshire to Pennsylvania. It was a commitment we were happy to make because of the honor of being invited into the process in such a profound way.

So when the report from Heather’s doctor visit on April 28 was that it could be any day now – our bags were packed and our night ears sensitized for middle of the night phone calls. It almost seemed like we were working round the clock to get our work obligations completed ahead of schedule for the next few weeks. We were ready!

As we have all learned, Meera was not ready. We went to Pennsylvania for Kyle and Owen’s fabulous birthday party on May 5. We returned to NH so we could be with our granddaughter Sadie’s birthday party in Maine on May 10. Surely Meera would arrive by her May 15 due date but where was she? I called off a work trip to South Carolina scheduled for May 19-21 so I could be here in NH with MorMor when the call came – convinced that the extra gravitation of the full moon would beckon Meera into this world. We started to joke around that maybe Heather was faking it for who knows what reason and then we started to think that maybe we shouldn’t joke around anymore. Finally it was May 24, Memorial Day Weekend, and we made the trip to PA without a phone call in the middle of the night. This sure wasn’t the frantic departure in the night as we planned it – it turned out to be a nice leisurely trip to PA without the urgency of an any-minute-now birth.

Never did it cross my mind that Heather’s intention of a totally natural childbirth experience was not going to happen.

After the 3-day weekend, we had a great Tuesday afternoon with Kyle and Owen when Heather and Braydon were at the doctor appointment. But it did seem like they were at the doctor’s for an extended amount of time. When they returned to their home to tell us that they would be checking into the hospital at 8 that night for the induction process to begin – that’s when things started to really seem a little surreal. Inducing – that’s not how Heather had planned it.

Heather and Braydon put the twins to bed and shortly thereafter headed off to the hospital. Nobody had planned it this way. How come it wasn’t happening the way it was planned?

May 28 dawned pretty normal – for us. Kyle and Owen got up, wondered where their parents were (even though they were fully apprised the night before), and Janet brought them to pre-school while I got caught up on some work details. We went out to lunch, knowing that Kyle and Owen would be picked up from school by Alex, their Nanny. A call to Braydon informed us that things were moving slowly at the hospital and allowed us to find out what he wanted us to bring him for lunch. Janet and I arrived at the hospital around 2 pm.

You know how on Christmas Day you lose all track of time because no matter which day it falls on, there’s no other day like it – it’s not Monday or Thursday or Saturday or Sunday – it’s Christmas. May 28, from 2 pm on, was like that – totally swept up by what was happening in Room 304 of St. Luke’s Hospital. It was like no other day. I’m pretty sure Heather will agree with that.

Now I’m not one to stick around a whole lot when someone is going through lots of pain and/or distress, especially when that person happens to be my beloved daughter. Give me a support role and I’ll take it hands down. So I surprised myself a little that I spent so much time in the labor room. Most of the reason for that is that Heather endured several hours of serious labor in very stoic fashion – it was quite amazing as I now look back on it. I tried to divert attention by chit chatting about absolutely nothing and I’m still not sure of that serving any redeemable function. And of all the people in that room – Heather, Braydon, Janet, nurses, etc. – I know I’m the one who achieved most familiarity with the hospital gift shop, cafeteria, corridors, and maternity section waiting room. I was the volunteer and very eager gofer for whatever anyone needed and I could easily manufacture the needs of others when what was happening in room 304 necessitated a relaxation of my daughter’s modesty – there’s no way I needed to be witness to that.

Those hours of labor were indeed tedious and slow-moving. So when I was fetched from the waiting room with the news that the doctor had decided that it would be best to do a C-Section, I was relieved. And when I went to the room to see Heather before she got rolled into the OR, there was noticeable relief coming from her direction as well. I was there when the anesthetist explained what would be happening and witnessed his attempt at humor when he asked Heather if she preferred to go to the OR by walking or on the gurney. He sure did a double-take when she said, “sure, I’ll walk”.

It’s one of the most vivid images that will always be with me. I’m now at the end of the corridor, waiting to see Heather get rolled into the OR. The door from Room 304 opens, and out comes the entourage. Heather leading the way, shuffling down the corridor as pregnant as anyone can physically be; Braydon at one arm, right beside her; a nurse, pushing the IV stand, on the other side and one step behind; a student physician, right behind her; all followed by another nurse, rolling the gurney that Heather was supposed to be riding on. It was amazing! Heather Beth Johnson marching triumphantly to the operating room. That was at about 10:00 pm.

After all the waiting (a month’s worth) it was almost a surprise to see a nurse come down the corridor, rolling a baby on whatever they roll babies on, Braydon right behind, smiling and as proud as could be. They stopped to let Janet and I take a look and observe that Meera had a great pair of lungs and also all of her fingers and toes, and then into the nursery. We just stood outside staring into the nursery at Meera in amazement and wonder and awe with the miracle of new life. It is truly one of the most emotionally and spiritually stimulating experiences of my life.

And it was a relief to talk briefly with Heather as she went from the OR to the Recovery Room. Yes, this time she was being rolled on the gurney. It’s not how we envisioned that it would be happening. The whole experience is a reminder that as much as we try, we aren’t in control.

If there is a sequel to this story, it might be the total sense of gratification and love that I experienced on the day after Meera and Heather came home from the hospital. Not once but twice having Meera fall asleep in my arms and stay there so contentedly for at least a couple of hours each time. I sense that there’s a lifelong bond beginning between Meera and MorFar – just exactly as I envisioned it!

Guest Blogger: MorMor Tells the Story

Guest Blog Post from MorMor - HBJ's Pregnancy
by Janet Johnson on the occasion of the birth of her granddaughter Meera

September
Don and I were sound a sleep at our summer cottage on Lake Winnipesauke when the phone rang at 4 am one September morning. It was Heather “Mom, I’m pregnant.” She was so surprised and couldn’t believe it. Heather and Braydon had talked about another adoption and talked about a biological child but hadn’t decided yet – they just knew three kids was what they wanted. Well the decision was made for them! We were so excited!

October
We were scheduled to watch the boys at their home for a few days so Braydon and Heather could go off on a celebration trip for her getting tenure at Lehigh in the fall but they decided they shouldn’t leave the country because she was pregnant. So we got invited to join them in AZ for a long weekend and had a really great time. Talked a lot about what the new baby would be like, how the boys wanted a baby, race, family of 3, etc.

December
Everyone came home for Christmas and Heather’s belly was showing she was pregnant. She was beaming and beautiful! Braydon was watching her every move. What a change when she couldn’t drink the traditional Swedish Glogg and couldn’t eat the raw sill and dilled salmon! Heather was tired but otherwise feeling great. She didn’t ski or snow tube with us but enjoyed watching instead.

January
I remember my visit and thinking oh my, how will Heather ever handle it all, being a professor, wife, mother of three (two who are extremely active), cook, chauffeur, and organizer of all. Braydon was showing signs of feeling extra pressure to provide financially as well as emotionally. They needed cars for 3 car seats, newborn “stuff”, baby’s room furniture, fixing up a guest room, financial planning for the future, etc.

March
I came for a few days to watch Kyle while Owen had his surgery and to generally help out. Heather was acting very normal; being pregnant didn’t slow her down a bit. Full of energy, caring for the boys, planning for Meera, all of it. A few days later we all met in Worcester for Easter and had a great weekend. Heather although visibly pregnant didn’t act any different. She handles pregnancy so well – maybe she should have more children??!!

April
After a work trip in southern PA I visited for a few days. H + B got to check off a few things on their massive list with a trip to IKEA and Baby’s R Us. I took home curtains to shorten, made a quilt, and covered a few pillows all in pinks!! The anticipation was building for baby sister’s arrival. H + B were talking a lot with the boys about what to expect with the arrival of baby sister. In the Johnson tradition there is always a lot of talking about things so everyone knows what to expect. The plan for Meera’s arrival right down to Alex coming during the night (didn’t happen she picked them up from school) to MorMor and MorFar coming when baby Meera was going to arrive (didn’t happen we came early), to driving home all together in the “black” car (did happen) was discussed completely! The boys were prepared.

May 2
We came prepared to stay a while (just in case) for the twins birthday party and had a great visit. We left for NH thinking it would be just a few days until we got the call to return!

May 10
We were able to celebrate our granddaughter Sadie’s birthday with all her friends in Maine May 10. All four of our grandchildren have May birthdays!

May 11
Don gave me a fourth emerald bootie for my grandmother necklace for Mother’s Day. We began our daily routine of emptying of the trash, buying food for one day at a time, keeping the suitcase by the door, keeping the car filed with gas, lawns mowed, house clean, laundry done, office work kept up, etc. We were waiting for a call and NO CALL CAME!

May 24
We finally said “we are coming anyway” and can at least help cook, clean and pass the time!

May 27
H + B come home from the doctor and tell us they are to be at the hospital at 8 pm because she needs to be induced. Two weeks is as long as the doctor will let her go after the due date. I felt badly because I knew how important it was to Heather not to have any drugs in her body and how much she wanted a natural birth. H + B explain to the boys what is going on and in true Johnson-McCormick fashion the twins go with the flow. MorMor and MorFar are there and they love us and feel comfortable with us. In true HBJ fashion she cooked the family’s favorite pasta dish (and doubled it so there would be leftovers) for dinner! They put the boys to bed, Heather took a shower and they left for the hospital. The baby would be coming soon now.

May 28
Braydon calls in the morning that the induction process had begun and we can come anytime. We get the boys off to school, arrange for Alex to pick them up and head to the hospital. Heather handles the contractions so well. By late afternoon, early evening the doctor says she is in active labor and the pain is as bad as it will get. He offers an epidural, she refuses it, she’s so strong it’s unbelievable. During contractions she doesn’t yell out at all, she looks at a focal point and listens and responds to Braydon’s voice. The thing I will remember most of this time is how much in love Braydon and Heather are. How together they are. How Heather trusts Braydon so completely that she did everything he asks. He’d say “Let your jaw drop Heather, relax your shoulders” and she did. They are as if just one person at times and this was one of them. It was a gift for me to watch. When the monitor lost the baby’s heartbeat and they took her off the pitosin and contractions slowed to almost nothing the doctor said she’d done as much as she could and she needed to have a c-section. It was 10 pm Wednesday night. Because she’d had no pain meds she walked with Braydon to the operating room. It was the funniest thing to see her walking down the hall to the operating room! Braydon was dressed in scrubs, camera in hand of course, walking with her. Don and I sat waiting for just about 25 minutes and out came the nurse from the operating room with Braydon and Meera. What a beautiful baby. Pure happiness, she is here, relief it is over and everyone is ok, the miracle of birth, new life, faith in God, family, mother and father, brothers, sister. Braydon went into the nursery with Meera and we watched through the window as he put his head down next to her and talked to her, held her hand, rubbed her head, cried with joy. Next came the line of doctors with Heather on a stretcher coming from the operating room. The doctor told us Heather has a misshaped pelvis and she couldn’t have given birth without the caesarean. Thank God for good doctors and timely decisions. We have a beautiful granddaughter who has wonderful parents and loving brothers who will forever watch over their little sister I’m sure. Baby Meera is here!

June 2
We leave for NH knowing Meera is a beautiful and very good baby, nursing is going perfectly well, the boys are happy to have their parents back, Braydon has family leave and can do everything and anything, we’ve left a few days food for them to eat, the house is clean, laundry done, the weather is beautiful. Life is just waiting for fun and playing and good times for the Johnson-McCormick family of five.

Post note:
At this same time of new life and pure happiness for our family my sister and her family are experiencing the worst time of their lives. My niece, Karen, age 35 with 2 children ages 2 ½ and 5 has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. Please pray for Karen and her family. Although the diagnosis not good we believe there is always hope and we believe God is good and miracles do happen.

~MorMor

Baby Shower Guest Blogger: Corey

Hi All, O.k., so over the past few months many people have asked us if we're having a Baby Shower and/or where we're registered. Being the oh-so-traditional girl that I am (not! ...but...hey... some traditions do have legitimacy to them), I've answered those questions by saying that we're not having a Shower and we don't have a Registry. My logic was that we had FOUR (4!) amazing Baby Showers when we were waiting for Kyle and Owen and tradition is to not have showers for 2nd babies, 3rd babies, etc. When I'd say this most people would respond the same way: "But this is different!!! You've never been pregnant before!!!" Well, it is true, this is different, and I haven't been pregnant before (for those of you who don't know-- we never even tried to get pregnant before, we just went straight for adoption with K & O), and, like many people have pointed out, we've definitely never had a newborn baby before!!! (eeeks!), but still, I was feeling a bit funny about the idea of a Baby Shower for Baby Sister... until I talked it over with our dear friend Corey. Being an adoptive and bio mom herself, she was somehow able to put me at ease about it all. She also insisted that she was going to throw a Shower for us! And then she put us to task to set up a Baby Registry (so Braydon and I registered at Babies R Us for all the newborn/infant things that we need). Corey's non-traditional Baby Shower idea is beautifully perfect for us and makes us feel truly showered with love. She really wants to get the blogosphere involved -- so, folks, here's a Guest Blogger post from our wonderful friend Corey!

Dear Readers,

A few years ago, I was hanging around an online group for parents involved in Haitian adoption when I heard a woman mention that she lived in our town. We had just brought our first Haitian child home, and we didn’t know anyone (in real life) that had adopted from Haiti. We made email contact right away, and quickly invited Heather and Braydon to visit us. I don’t remember much about that first visit except thinking that Haiti was going to rock their world (as it does nearly everyone’s) and that I hoped they knew what they were doing, adopting twin boys as their first children.

I never anticipated that my family would come to love theirs so thoroughly. When your family looks different than nearly everyone else’s, there is deep comfort in being with other families that “match,” that have similar composition, experiences and interests. As adults, we have spent hours talking about poverty, malnutrition, post-traumatic stress, birthparents, racism, orphanages, etc, etc, etc. We get together almost monthly, often planning months in advance because those “dates” are a priority for us all. Our children are the best of friends. Our kids look forward to playing with Kyle and Owen so much that we usually don’t tell them they’ll see the boys until we’re driving to their house. Otherwise we hear “when are we going to Kyle & Owen’s house” about 7 million times per day.

I love Heather and Braydon for a million reasons. For their generosity. Their love of others. Their intellect. Their collective sense of humor. For caring about social issues. For their love of their children. For always having time for their friends. For their devotion to their work, and for the crazy juggling act they do every day to balance work and family. For good recipes and good beer. For introducing my kids to step dancers. For cleaning my kitchen when it was the kindest thing anyone could do for me. On and on and on. They are good people.

And now they’re growing their family, this time through pregnancy, and no one could be happier for them than we are. This child, this precious baby girl, is so blessed to be coming in to this family, and such a blessing to everyone around her, as well. I can’t wait to see her. I can’t wait to watch her grow. I can’t wait to know the person she will be.

This is getting long, but I want to acknowledge that I know that as much as my family loves the Johnson-McCormick family, that we are only one of MANY that feel this way about them. And so, because we know that other people will want to shower them with love and affection in celebration of Baby Girl’s arrival, I want to invite you to a Virtual Baby Shower in their honor. Please join us at http://babyshower4hbj.blogspot.com/

With love,
Corey

Guest Blogger ~ From A Distance

Kyle & Owen after a visit from MorMor (i.e., after MorMor left us with literally dozens of loads of clean and folded laundry), March 2006.

Through the blogosphere, via email, from far far away (at home in New Hampshire), MorMor has requested a post on the blog! This is a first for the Johnson-McCormick Family Blog! A Guest Blogger From A Distance! Here's MorMor's blog post for today:



How many mother-in-laws have gotten the following phone call?....
I answer the phone in NH
Janet: Hello
Braydon: Oh my gosh, the washer and dryer came today and I just have to say thank you for shaming me into buying new ones.
Janet: They came today?
Braydon: I just put in at least 20 towels from the washer into the dryer. It's so quiet. Now I'm putting "all" the boys clothes in the washer right now. Oh my gosh it's so quiet, listen can you hear it? No you can't because it's so quiet. I should have done this a long time ago. Holy crap this is amazing!!!
Janet: laughing hysterically, Oh my gosh Braydon, you are so funny!


PS The washer they have had for the last 10 years was an apartment size for one or two people. Braydon, who is responsible for all the cleaning and laundry in the house, was stuffing so much into the washer that the clothes never got to agitate and even with a dryer sheet in the dryer (which rumbled, and I mean so loud that we couldn't do laundry when the boys were asleep) the clothes always smelled bad. Last week when I was there it took 3 loads to do the boys laundry basket (Braydon would have considered it one load). The next day Braydon was cuddling one of the boys, I can't remember who, and he says to me "the clothes smell so good". At that point another discussion was had about the new large capacity, low water washers and dryers. Right then and there he went online and ordered them!!!
Kyle and Owen know this... your Papi is my laundry hero!

Guest Blogger: G'ama

G'ama (Braydon's mother) was here last week for a visit. While she was here we had a Major Milestone Event... G'ama voluntarily had the boys stay home from daycare on Thursday and she single-handedly took care of them both for the whole entire day. Let me repeat that: she spent the full day alone with the both boys. I know that to anyone who doesn't know our twins it might sound crazy to make a big deal over a person spending a whole day alone with them... but to anyone who does know our twins-- hmmm... how can I say this? Um... to anyone who does know our twins, I can guarantee that it sounds CRAZY to even consider spending a whole day alone with them, let alone to actually do it!!! It is exhausting to spend a couple of hours with them... imagine spending from 9-5 with them... alone! No one except for Braydon and I had ever done this until this past Thursday. We didn't blog about it last week because G'ama wanted to think a bit about how to word her Guest Blogger Post (understandably!)! Well, she's thought about it, and today she's composed her post! (Click here for her previous Guest Blogger Post). In order to entirely grasp G'ama's post here, you must first read my post "Where's My Prize?" just below it.

[And just a quick note here: G'ama deserves Honorable Mention in the 'Where's My Prize?' Competition because although K & O didn't sleep a full twelve hours after the day they spent with G'ama, they did get very very tuckered out... and... G'ama should get extra points because: a) other than Braydon or I, G'ama was the first to enter the competition, and b) G'ama really deserves to be in a whole other competition for people her own age -- we fully recognize that it isn't really fair for her to have to compete with 30-somethings like Braydon and I, it is just that we have yet to find anybody else willing to compete in her age category. Any volunteers out there???!] ;)

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G'ama writes:

Heather is SO right about the boys' activity level! During the day I spent with them there might have been all of 15 minutes when they were actually sitting more or less still (working on puzzles or drawing). Even during the "rest hour" they were playing (Owen jumping on his bed and kicking the wall). Not that it was a whole hour. Otherwise it was running, jumping, swinging, climbing, riding every conceivable thing with wheels (or pushing it). I've seen a lot but never anything like it. And their physical capabilities are remarkable. It's impossible to grasp that they're not yet three. Four is more like it.

It's fascinating to see the way Owen closely calculates reactions to what he says and does. He is very receptive to instruction (i.e. turning puzzle pieces to fit). Kyle appears more independent (except when hurt and needing a hug) and has a charming innocence. They are both incredibly appealing children.

I have only one suggestion/correction. The prize should be a week worth of free massage, maybe even two weeks. And a soak in a hot tub.

Guest Blogger: MorFar

MorFar & Owen last night

This is MorFar's Second Time Guest Blogging!

(For his first post click here)

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MORFAR BLOGGING


Well, it’s been another wonderful and active visit here at the Johnson-McCormick household. In just a few weeks Owen and Kyle have grown in some very noticeable ways. The most noticeable, from my point of view, has been the way they are now talking with each other, scheming with each other, laughing with each other, and playing with each other. It’s fun to watch them. Even more fun to get on the floor and roll around with them, play airplanes with them, and try to keep up with the energy level. Of course, keeping up with the energy level by me, soon to pass a very significant milestone birthday (I can’t remember which one!) is a losing battle. It was rather interesting working with Kyle and Owen to blow out the birthday candles thanks to Heather who had un-extinguishable candles placed on the cake. It was delivered to me with too many candles burning and too much of the frosting already nibbled by quite a few anxious fingers. Everything about our visit was terrific – the great dinner out while Alex babysat, the great dinner in of beef Wellington prepared by master chef Janet, Little Gym, the sidewalk lunch on a beautiful, warm, Saturday afternoon in New Hope, the ride on a real train, and everything in this busy, joyful, full-of-life family. We’re already looking forward to the next visit.

Guest Blogger: MorMor

MorMor & Kyle tonight

This is MorMor's 3rd Post as Guest Blogger!

(Click here for her last post)

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It’s been a great few days living life with the Johnson-McCormick family… it seems like the boys are changing tremendously from month to month these days. It’s hard to remember they are only 2 when you watch them ride scooters down the hill in the driveway, hear them count and recognize numbers and letters, play steel drums like the “African Drummers” or the trumpet like the “marching band”. Sweet Kyle is so special. He kisses and hugs with such love in his heart, when he snuggles with me it’s wonderful! His smile when he looks at me makes my heart skip a beat he’s so cute! I am so proud to have him as my very own grandson. Endearing Owen is so special. He’s developed quite the sense of humor and likes to make people laugh! He constantly makes up a story and ends it with “just kidding”. He’s really funny these days! When he looks at me it melts my heart. How proud I am to be his MorMor. Heather and Braydon are wonderful parents and an amazing team. Lots of time and hard work go into their work jobs and yet they together are raising these adorable, smart, athletic, energetic, little guys. Life is so very good!

Guest Blogger: Alex

This is Guest Blog Post #2 from Alex (in case you didn't read Guest Blog Post #1, and would like to, click here)

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Saturday Guest Blog from aLeX:

Tonight was a joy to be with my favorite boys, just like every other second I spend with them. As the boys finished their dinners and Mama and Papi went to the infamous restaurant, the beautiful angels were asked if they wanted ice cream or a popcycle. They both chose the same, of course, which was the yummy peanut butter ice cream…along with the requested whip cream and sprinkles (and for the life of me I can’t remember for some reason what they call sprinkles…darnit!) As we sat there Owen turns to me and says “Alex, we missed you!” Of course this just makes my heart completely melt and I smile from ear to ear! “I missed you, too, love!” I replied…feeling as though that just wasn’t enough to verbally explain my profound feelings and affection and love I have towards both of them. “I missed you, too!” echoed Kyle….I LOVE THESE BOYS!! Talk about makin a person feel special…golly gee! Then Owen started playing with my necklace and says, “what’s this, alex?” “It’s a neck-liss” I reply trying to annunciate carefully so he’s able to pick up the word. “Neck-liss” he says back. “It’s a pretty necklace, alex” ß what a schmoozer!!!! I can just see it now…Owen and Kyle bringin in their hot dates with the wind!!! Anyhoo…they gobbled their yummy desert up pretty quickly and off they were to play with their toys. Owen picked up the saw and started making the engine noise before even pushing the button! Kyle soon followed suit and they both worked together to “chop down the Christmas tree” to “make it pretty.” (Have I ever said that they’re the most enlightening, uplifting two boys I’ve ever babysat for in my life??!!! I just love these darn kids!) Before I knew it they were putting away the saws and driving around the kitchen on their trains as fast as they possibly could, confusing Cyprus as to which way to run because they each came from opposite directions! “Beep Beep, Cyprus!” Kyle yells. A few moments of time pass by and then Owen announces that its video time. “Bath-time first!” I tell them. “Oh, I can’t, alex,” says Owen. “mmmmHmmm….suuurrreeee,” I reply. “So you do YOU want to take a bath, Kyle?” Kyle looks at Owen for some help with the answer. The answer isn’t exactly a surprise: “No thank you, Alex!” “Owen, do you want to take a bath?” “No thank you, Alex! Video time!” “Nope! Not yet…pj’s first!” So we march upstairs to a few different random tunes that Kyle and Owen choose and we complete the normal routine minus the bath: brush teeth, wash face, change diaper, put on pjs, and look at each other through the mirror. Finally, the most exciting moment has arrived: new video time! Woohoo!!! So we gallop downstairs with Cyprus close at our heels and watch the amazing Dora and Diego rescue the animals in the jungle, being sure to help them along the way on their journey. After two episodes the attention starts to wander and Kyle’s eyes are heavy, so I decide it’s time for night-nights. They both go down beautifully and magically and are now sleeping quietly and hopefully dreaming about their great adventures with Dora and Diego and the wolf pups! I could do this nanny thing as a full-time job for sure. These boys are just perfect in every way! Probably because they live within one of the most amazing families I’ve ever met. I love you all with all my heart! ~Alex

Guest Blogger: MorMor

MorMor & Owen in NYC on Saturday

MorMor & Kyle in NYC on Saturday

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MorMor is guest blogging today! This is her second time posting to our blog (for her first time, click here!)... Today MorMor writes:

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How can I describe the Johnson-McCormick household? In a word – LOVE. This family LOVES each other. Braydon very often gets tears in his eyes he’s so moved by how the boys act (like giving hugs to each other and sharing everything) or by what they say which almost always comes straight from the heart unprompted (many, many times a day we hear “I love you mommy, I love you Papi”, and I get to hear “I love you MorMor” too!). Heather's sweet talk and cuddles with each of them warms your heart, by example these boys know how to feel and express love.

A few things from my trip here this time are:

• Hearing the boys remind each other to be “gentlemen”. Which means no screaming at the table, no throwing food, etc. which in this house is a miracle if any one of us makes it through a meal in clean clothes!
• Watching the boys march (and I mean a stomping march) through the house with Owen blowing a huge horn with his cheeks puffed up just like Louis Armstrong, and with Kyle playing his beloved trumpet.
• Waking up to one of the twins coming into my room and saying “Get up MorMor” and being very excited myself because I got to sleep until almost 8 am – YES, 8 am! The boys are totally off schedule this week with Heather on semester break and working from home. So they get to go to bed a little later and sleep in. This is really nice for me because when I’m with my granddaughter, Sadie, she can often get up and be ready to play as early as 5:30 am!
• Hearing “No, I cannnnnn’t”……… they both say this when they don’t want something. No I can’t stop playing to get in the car to go somewhere, no I can’t have milk in my cereal, no I can’t go poops on the potty (Kyle), no I can’t stop playing and get ready for bed (Owen). And it’s said in all sincerity, with no temper tantrums or fussing, just the plain truth! No I cannnnnn’t!
• Watching them talk to each other when they don’t know we are observing them. Kyle will say “Owen chainsaws” and then they both switch toys to the chainsaws and begin playing (always within inches of each other). Or Owen will say “Kyle, wannnna go on the bump, bump slide?” and they do. It seems like they always oblige each others request. Twin activity is amazing to watch.
• “How about……………… ice cream?” About half way through every meal Owen will say it. And he says it with his hands out, palms up like he’s really just had a unique thought that we all will want to do! Too cute!

It’s been a great visit; I leave tomorrow but am making plans to come at the end of February. I love being here and can’t go too long between visits. I love these little guys so much. Who ever thinks it’s biology that makes a love bond between parents and kids or grandparents and kids is so wrong. I often hear “She’s MY MorMor” and they point at me with big smiles. Nothing can be better.

Guest Blogger: Gamma

Introducing...

Our Third GUEST BLOGGER!!! -------- Gamma!!!


Gamma writes:

What an amazing experience, visiting The Little Gym with Braydon, Heather and the boys. Kyle was instantly able to walk the balance beam side stepping, a remarkable feat for a child many years older. And Owen was a fearless jumper, walking the beam without assistance and leaping off the end. The boys love their new guitars, Kyle in particular. He grasped how to hold the instrument by watching Braydon and sat by himself singing and strumming. One has to wonder what will happen with these boys. They are simply amazing!

Braydon and Heather continue to be wonderful parents. How they cope with everything in their lives in addition to two of the most active children I’ve ever seen, is beyond belief or reason. What a fortunate family!

Guest Blogger: Alex

Introducing...

Our Second GUEST BLOGGER!!! -------- Alex!!!



In case you didn't read it back in October, here's a post about our fantastic, fabulous, *perfect*, babysitter/nanny Alex: Click Here Today was Alex's last babysitting Wednesday for the fall semester. But not to worry! She (and her dog Cyprus) are going to be picking the boys up early from daycare two days a week (instead of just one) for the spring semester! The boys are psyched! Here's Alex's post from tonight as our Guest Blogger...

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Kyle and Owen are always a blessing and a half to baby-sit. Today was no surprise – we had a great time! :) I picked up the boys with my friend, Esther, whom the boys adore and remembered how she “hit the ball!” this past summer. We went to the grocery store, which is always loads of fun with the two most adorable kids in the world! They sat in the truck cart and would say “excuse me!” as we came down the aisle and when I would make driving mistakes and bump a cardboard box along the aisle they would never cease to remind me – “we’re crashing, alex!” One woman even stopped me to ask what company I worked for and I told her I didn’t work for a company I was simply a personal nanny to these beautiful boys. She didn’t like that answer, but she surely enjoyed saying hello to Kyle and Owen! Another woman asked if they were “ours” referring to Esther and I (I’m assuming she assumed we were a lesbian couple that had adopted) and I, of course, sadly told her “no,” I was only their nanny.
We then went back to my house and played with Cyprus, colored with crayons and made the shape of our hands on paper, and played hide and seek in my big closets. We had a yummy snack of cheese and crackers and bananas! Someone then had a stinky diaper, which lead to adventure number 598! (exaggeration…) We went to the store again to buy diapers and pick up our dinner from Tulum. The boys didn’t end up enjoying their quesadilla, so instead we went back to their house and had “yummy in my tummy” pasta, as Kyle described it! When I asked if they wanted some water Kyle goes, “um, actually, I want coffee” – ha! Well, that certainly was not an option, but I told him he could pretend his water was coffee. “Okay!” he agreed. Then he was sure to remind me not to touch his cup because it was his coffee and “it’s very hot, alex. It’s very hot. No touching.” It wasn’t long after the pasta feast began when Cyprus realized if he sat quietly under the table little treats would fall in his direction from the boys’ laps!

After we had our pasta, bananas, and vitamins, we headed upstairs where Kyle went peepee in the potty and Owen did a massive poopoo in the kid’s potty!!! Woohooo!!!!!!! We all cheered and Owen got a yummy caramel Hershey kiss treat. Then we brushed our teeth and took a fun bubble bath with as many toys as one could possibly fit in a bathtub with twin boys! Sadly, Alex had to end the fun because it was story time, so the boys got their pj’s on and read three books with Alex and Cyprus, then curled into their warm beds awaiting for mama and papi to give them kisses while they’re sleeping. :) Owen awoke about thirty minutes later crying, saying that the puppy had run away. :( So I assured him that the puppy was still here and pointed to Cyprus and that everything was okay. I patted him to sleep, and here we are! Night Night Cutie-Pa-Tooties!!!!

Alex playing with the boys in our yard this fall

A photo that Alex took with her cell phone this past summer

At the playground

Guest Bloggers! MorMor & MorFar

Introducing...

Our First GUEST BLOGGERS!!! -------- MorMor & MorFar!!!

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MorMor writes:

We arrived Wednesday afternoon in time to pick-up Kyle and Owen at Daycare. The love between 2 little boys and their MorMor and MorFar had begun again! We were greeted with smiles, hugs and jumping up and down. What warmth and love flows from these little guys... they make us feel so special! We played awhile outside (their favorite thing to do) had a great "pasta" dinner that Heather made (their favorite thing to eat) then watched the bedtime scene (their least favorite thing). They don't want to stop the fun to go to sleep but boy, oh boy, by 8 pm do we adults ever need them to go to sleep! It happens eventually and after we adults chat awhile we go to sleep ourselves - afterall tomorrow is another day to play!

Thanksgiving we take our daily walk in Bethlehem, in the rainy mist, through the park, the boys being ever so good in the strollers. Always greeting the strangers we meet with a "hi" and "good morning"! I wonder what they think when some people don't answer back and others stop to chat to such polite, cute boys.

MorFar and Kyle playing at the table in the resturant where we went on Friday. Thank God it was such a nice day we could eat outside because MorFar gets them all riled up!!

We are in love with the Johnson-McCormick's and we are so appreciative of how much time Heather and Braydon put into fostering our relationship. They are the best of the best parents and they are raising the best of the best children. We so look forward to our next time together which will be for Christmas in NH with Stina, Tim and Sadie too. Life is GOOD!

MorFar writes:

It's been a great Thanksgiving weekend here with Owen & Kyle; Heather & Braydon. One thing is for sure. It's not a quiet weekend! Kyle and Owen have so much energy and zest for life - it's thoroughly refreshing. From the time the day starts with the pitter-patter of little feet down the stairs with a peek around the corner to find me, MorFar in the family room, to the end of the day - it's non-stop action. What's very much obvious, in addition to all the activity, is how much they love life. And love the family they must have been destined to be part of; and inspire their MorMor and MorFar to love life even more than we already did. And Braydon and Heather have most definitely already given Kyle and Owen a legacy of the positive, upbeat happy way that they engage in life on an everyday basis. So are we having fun? You bet we are! And are we tired at the end of the day. Without a doubt! and are we eager to get the next day started. Absolutely! We have to leave here tomorrow (Sunday) but we don't have too long to look forward to the Johnson-McCormick clan to come to NH for Christmas and we'll have the added excitement of having the Johnson-Ouillette family be part of the action. We look forward to all of this wondering how Kyle and Owen will change in the next few weeks because their growth and development is so noticeable every time we see them. THis time we've been amazed at how extensive their vocabulary has become and how easy it is to talk with them and how much they carry on conversations with us and each other.

So there you have it - MorFar's feflections on a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend.