momma mondays: meet button

Our sweet little "Button" is here and doing so much better than I anticipated. He is three weeks old today!

We knew our little guy was going to be joining us a bit earlier than his August 24th due date, but I was not expecting it to be as early as it was, July 13th. I went to the specialist on a Thursday and was supposed to see my doctor on the following Monday, but on Friday morning she called me and told me rather than my regular appointment on Monday morning, I would be having my c-section! He didn't even have an official name, other than Button! 

But he's here and he does have a real name! 

Meet David Pio Agustin, aka Button

When my father-in-law passed away back in May, Button still was just Button. We had not thought of any names, first or middle. But within a few days after he passed away and my mind was thinking again, I knew I wanted to name him David. I just didn't know when I could bring it up with my husband to see if he was okay with it and liked the name. While we were up there over the three weeks, he came to me and asked if we could put David in his name somewhere and that is when I asked him if he was okay with naming him after his Dad, using David as his first name. He really liked that and wanted to be sure I didn't feel like we had to name him that. I knew we didn't have to. But I really, really wanted to. So from then on, he was almost officially David, but we didn't tell anyone. We didn't talk about names again for the most part for a while. Our minds were elsewhere with everything going on. In my heart, Pio, after St. Padre Pio, was tugging. It's not the actual name that I love, but more the meaning behind it. As soon as I found out about David's condition I started to lean on Padre Pio, for my worries and his health. And I was blessed twice from that day on and each priest, without knowing of my prayers to Padre Pio, blessed me with his relic. We went back and forth with other names and nothing hit us real well. The night before he was born, the Hubs kept looking through the lists of thousands of names online and we were still back and forth. I still wanted to put Pio in it because I knew he really was a big part of David's journey. After he was born, we knew he was David and then the Hubs said to me (I think in the OR still) that he thought Pio should be his middle name too because David was born so healthy. It was kind of a confirmation to him, to us, that St. Pio was Button's little patron. And the Agustin was a no brainer. Each of our boys has an English and a Spanish name in their name, and each boy has Agustin somewhere in his name so I wanted to carry that on to him. 

David was born weighing only 2 pounds and 8 ounces. So, so tiny. But he was incredibly healthy. He did not even need a minute of breathing help. Everyone was stunned at how healthy he was and how little "help" he needed. He was born strong but tiny, a fighter for sure. 

He has grown so much in the past three weeks and now weighs 3 pounds 9.7 ounces. I'm hoping at the rate he is going he hits the big 4 pounds by the end of this week. 

Thank you all for your prayers for him and the support you have given our family. Though he is healthy and doing so well, it has been a very tiring and difficult time for our family so we appreciate all of the love we have received. If you would like to follow along with his sweet journey, you can follow him at @teambabybutton on Instagram!

surviving the unimaginable

You always think you won't be the one that tragedy hits. At least I thought that. Sure, hard things happen and life gets hard. But those really hard, tragic times. No, it'd never happen to us. Please God don't let it be us. But one month ago today, our family was hit with the greatest tragedy I hope any of us ever have to go through. 

My father-in-law passed away very young and very unexpected. I will never ever forget how that morning played out, the moment my brother-in-law called my husband to tell him, watching his reaction out the window while he was on the back deck, running out to see what happened, and taking the phone from him talking to my mother-in-law. I will never forget any of it. And from that moment until today, one month later, life has been beyond hard. Completely unimaginable. I can't wrap my mind and heart around it and many days I feel like it is not real and somehow he is just gone or away for right now.

I fear the future for our whole family. My mother-in-law, my husband and his brother, my kids, myself and my sister-in-law. Life is going to be so different. There will be no more memories with him in it. I've only known him for seven years. Seven way too short years. But some how, he filled those seven years with so much love and kindness and so many memories for me, that I too felt like I lost a lifetime of love. Sure it in no way compares to the feeling of loss my mother-in-law, husband and brother-in-law, but my heart still aches with incredible pain. 

My little guys only had 2 years with him and Zelie less than a year. He knew about Button and was so excited for another grandchild. I am so, so grateful they were all so close with him and loved him so much. There was no one quite like their Grandvater. Some of us worry they won't remember him, but they are smart little ones and by us telling them about him and reminding them of the memories they made with him, they will know who he was. 

My mother-in-law, though completely broken from his loss, is the strongest and most faithful lady I have ever met. In HER time of complete grief, she was our rock of strength and our pillar of faith. She is amazing and never failed to blow me away during the three weeks we spent with her. I pray that if I were ever in her shoes, I'd be half the woman she is in dealing with the tragedy.

Watching my husband grieve the loss of his dad has been heartbreaking and a tragedy in and of itself for me. Helping him walk through these difficult weeks has been so incredibly painful for me. I don't have the best words, I can't do anything to take the pain away or even lessen it. There is absolutely nothing I can really do to help the situation. I try to wrack my brain for any ways to help him, anything to lift his spirits. But sometimes just being there, so he knows I'm here but have given him the space is what I have to do. He may need to talk to someone other than me, or hug someone other than me. That is so hard for me, but whatever it be that he needs, I do. 

We have lost a husband, Papi, Grandvater, son-in-law, and brother-in-law. He was a blessed man to be part of our amazing family, but we were each blessed to have him so special to us. Please keep his soul and our family in your prayers, but especially our Mami, my brother-in-law, and my precious husband. And If any of you have dealt with a loss so painful and have found helpful ways of getting through each day with this new, hard normal, please pass along your suggestions.

I love this picture of the two of us. It was the night before I married his son. We were family long before, but you can see the love and happiness in our eyes. I loved being family with him. And I will always love our memories and keep them tucked in a deep place in my heart. And I will share every ounce of that love and those memories with his "anklekinder" grandkids. We will drink milkshakes and sit and talk about him. We will dance to Taylor Swift. We will browse Swarovski stores. And we will watch silly YouTube videos. We will always love you, Papi.

Momma Mondays: I'm Back!

I've been gone for a long time, but I was gone for a reason. 

Yep! We will be a family of six comes August! Life has been c r a z y! A newborn, two two year olds, morning sickness and first trimester exhaustion. I wish I could get my mind in order enough to be back on a regular basis, but it may still be a bit off and on. Bear with me if you would. I just wanted to come back today, as a fresh start in June to let you know CiaoMarezy was still alive. 

We will have four children under the age of three when our little "Button" comes. Baby four has been affectionately named "Button" by the boys. The scary thing. It's sticking. But there is no way we are going with a celebrity-like name. Apple, North, Button... Nope. We'll share soon whether we are having a boy or a girl, but I have a feeling Button will remain it's name for a while.

I really can't wrap my mind around the fact that I will have four such young children. Four kids doesn't scare me at all, it's the fact that our two oldest will not even have celebrated their third birthday yet! A few people have said, "Oh, three is a lot harder than four! You'll be fine." But my oldest isn't going to be a helpful seven year old and the one under isn't five. I'll have two soon-to-be three year olds, an almost one year old and a newborn. If any of you have littles so young and close in age, I welcome any tips! 

While this is going to be one wild ride, we are so excited to add to our family! Hopefully sooner than later I will figure out this crazy life and get back on the blogging schedule! I certainly miss it!

hold your loved ones a little closer

Last Sunday my Dad's younger brother passed away very unexpectedly. He spent the day as he normally would with his family and went out to mow the grass on his tractor that afternoon. My Aunt went out to bring him water and found him sitting back on the tractor, peaceful looking, but he has passed. He was a healthy man with no problems that anyone had known of. They are suspecting he had a heart attack. If you would, please keep our whole family in your prayers.

The picture above was the last time I had seen him. Since we lived so far away from each other, family visits became harder and harder over the years as his kids were busy as was our new and growing family. I am very thankful we had this sweet time with him and he was able to enjoy moments with Gus and Will. And we had wonderful memories a few years back at our wedding. I am so thankful he was able to be there.

My life has so many memories of and with my uncle scattered throughout and I will cherish those always. All of our hearts are broken with sadness right now, but we are able to hold on to each of our special memories of him to help us get through the grief.

One small but special memory for me with him was our mutual love of photography. I think we would both compete for who took the most photos at family events. We both could easily get snap happy with our cameras and I loved that! Even though we had a wonderful photographer at our wedding, my uncle snapped a few special memories that I will treasure even more now after his passing. He had great joy in capturing my special day for me. Below are a few memories he captured.

Arriving at the church and seeing my bridesmaids outside waiting with a few other special people.

Getting out of the limo with my Dad.

 

Possibly one of my favorite memories... Walking through the double doors, with a huge smile on my face, to walk down to my love when my veil got caught on the door. I leaned back as to not rip it and he caught that moment on film.

I am so very glad he was not only there to celebrate our special day with us, but was there to capture some of the happiest moments of my life.

You never know how long you have with a loved one. They may pass unexpectedly like my uncle, or have a long and tiring battle. Keep in touch with your loved ones, especially those far away or those you don't see often. Treasure the moments you do have while you have them. 

The death of my young uncle caught us all completely off guard and we are still in the state of shock while we grieve, but it really makes me think of how short life can be. Live it well, live it right, live it intentionally.

Like I said earlier, please keep all of our family in your prayers as we get through this hard time, especially his wife, three sons and daughter. 

six months

It has been six months.

 Some days it feels like an eternity ago. Others, like it was just yesterday.

And there are even some days that the feeling that it didn't happen wash over me. 

 I looked at one of the few pictures I have of my Popa with Gus and Will and just stopped and stared. He's gone.

 There will be no more faxes from him sending an article, no more calls to Gus wanting to bet $1 on an upcoming football game, no more cute greeting cards with scratch tickets inside, no more funny notes on random paper written in his black or red pen, no more phone calls to share the latest story of the boys... and now girl, no more breakfasts in their kitchen when he sneaks food he shouldn't eat, no more spills all over his freshly cleaned shirts, no more "glory be's"... no more new memories.

 My heart aches for my grandmother, figuring out for the first time in sixty plus years how to live without him. It aches for my mom and her sisters, knowing their sweet Dad, one of their very best friends is gone and not a visit or phone call away. It aches for the son-in-laws who were always his sons, without the in-law. For the grandkids, all six of us, not having our Popa cheering us on for the latest sport or school project, for the new job, for the hard day of a mom, whatever it may have been. It aches for my husband and my cousins' future spouses that they won't have all the years of love and fond memories that we did. It aches for Gus and Will, that they didn't get to make memories with him; that they really only met him once. For Zelie, that there was no connection with her Great Popa. He knew he would be a Great Popa again, but not to a sweet little girl. For John who just got married to his sweet bride that Popa loved, and for Leanne who is getting married in just a few months to her best friend, who Popa also loved. For the fact that they won't have the precious and treasured moments I was blessed with having with him at my wedding. He will be there. At weddings, at births of new babies, at each and every moment... in our hearts.

 The ache is there in so, so many ways. But I do know he will forever be a part of all of our lives. And we will never forget him. 

 His stories, his specialties in the kitchen, his traditions, his example, his love...

 it will all go on.

 For generations.

 Popa, life has changed so much for all of us since you left us. 

Months have passed with Nana living with Mom and Dad and I hope you are looking down on them as they take care of your sweet wife like you did for so many years of your life.

 We miss you, but know you are still a big part of all of our lives, in our hearts, in our memories and always in our prayers.

 Love you Pops!

quick vists are better than no visits

If you've been a follower for a while, you know that the Hubs whole family lives in the Northeast, as well as most of my family. The only family we have here are my parents, now my grandmother, and my Dad's sister and her family. While we love living down south, we certainly miss our family far away.

Two people in particular are my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. I dream of the days where we live close by (preferably in the south - wink) to each other. Not only do the Hubs and I enjoy their company, but so do our kiddos. They always have great fun with their aunt and uncle... their only aunt and uncle by blood relation. I wish the boys could grow up with them around regularly. But since they don't, we make the best of the distance.

They couldn't be here for Zelie's actual arrival, but they came and spent this past Monday and Tuesday with us. After they arrived on Monday, everyone (except Z and I) went out to lunch and then they took the boys to the zoo for a while and came back and we enjoyed hanging out for the evening at the house. And on Tuesday we went out to lunch. It was my first little outing since Z's birth. I really enjoyed it. My Hubs sweet mom stayed in the car with Zelie and Gus, since he was taking a good long nap and the four of us and Will had a very enjoyable lunch together. I wish we could do these outings together more frequently. Unfortunately, I am guessing the next time we are all together is at Christmas. 

For my readers who live far away from family and loved ones, what do you do to make the distance sweeter?

momma mondays: relief servies

Back in March, my birthday to be exact, my grandfather passed away after many, many months in and out of the hospital, suffering very much. After a few weeks past with my Mom living with my grandmother to help her out, my grandmother made the trip to my parents home and now lives with them. Unfortunately I have only been able to visit with her once since she has come down, but hopefully as she settles in and my life quiets down from the Hub's family visiting, we will have a lot more time together.

So needless to say, life has changed very much for my grandmother and my parents. It has also changed for me. Every week I could count on my parents aka my relief services, coming down for a day or two to visit and give me a helping hand. They'd help me run errands so I didn't have to go in and out of 10 places with two toddlers, help get some ironing done, etc. The things that were harder to do with two little boys that don't nap. Now that Nana is living with them, their time here can't be as much. They are only able to come down for a quick visit here and there. So, I am learning to adjust to being a SAHM with no extra hands.

Hopefully as she becomes more familiar with her new life in my parents home, they will be able to come more regularly to not only just help, but visit. To my readers who are a SAHM, do you have any sort of relief services? If not, what are your tricks to doing it all?

losing grip

Over the past few months, I have started noticing pain and weakness in my right hand. Over the past two months or so, it has becoming considerably worse and certain functions can't be done without bad pain. After speaking to a few people and doing research online, it seems pretty clear that I have some sort of tendinitis (De Quervain's Tendinitis). Unfortunately I have been told that lifting heavy things... or babies (two is even better!)... continually aggravates the situation not giving the area enough chance to heal on its own. The pain is in my right hand, the one I do everything with. Even the smallest things have become painful. From putting a pen to paper for a grocery list or note to a dear friend. Or capturing all the cute moments of my boys' lives behind my camera lens. Changing diapers, brushing my hair or teeth, or washing endless dishes. The pain is here. Sometimes it completely cripples my abilities. Temporarily.

Now, I am not writing this for a poor me so you feel sorry for me. I am because it leads to deeper thoughts. While I am temporarily crippled, my thoughts travel to my sweet Aunt Mare, my mom's lifelong, dear friend. She is the kindest, fun-loving, God-lover, enthusiastic, creative soul. Her glass ia always full. Back in August, she was diagnosed with ALS, the same disease she lost her father to. And to now see her suffering the effects of such a deadly disease stings my soul. I think of her husband, her two daughters, one of which is one of my dearest and closest friends, having to watch their wife and mom suffer is painful. My friend, Jilly, has been such a support to her mom, taking off weeks of work at a time to be there to care for her in every way needed, taking her to quilting retreats, helping her sew still. Everything. She is such a strong heart for her mom.

Each and every day I notice the immobility of my hand, it send my thoughts directly to her and what she is going through. It helps keep her always in my prayers. Her entire life and those around her that love her has dramatically been changed upside down. When I pick up a pen to write a check and can't for the moment, I think about how she can't just reposition her ways to regain the ability.

Aunt Mare is blessed with a joyful outlook, a positive mindset, and an incredibly loving and strong support group of family and friends. She has a long road head of her and it certainly won't be an easy one, so if you would, please keep her and her entire family, especially Jilly, on your prayer list. You can also follow her blog that she just started up. She has a gift of sharing her words. Share her journey.

Love you Aunt Mare!

Double Digits

I will never ever forget the day I found out that there wouldn't be three little sisters, but four! When Nahida told me she was pregnant, I couldn't contain my excitement! Life would never be the same!! And I will never forget the day she was born and going to see her sweet precious baby face on August 14th. We were all so excited.

When Nahida found out she was having a little girl, she told me she wanted to find a name that was similar to mine and asked me to be what would kind of be like Merima's godmother. I was pretty honored. On her first birthday, I had to cut her first curl. That was when this picture was taken. We were so little. I loved this sweet girl the day she was born, the day she turned one, today on her 10th birthday and every single day in between.

Merima's joy and her smile is contagious! This was one of the top memories with her. This was a great weekend with her and the girls at Mono's family's home!

Another top memory was the summer they stayed with us for a LONG and WONDERFUL visit! Including an amazing trip to Florida. Isn't she a cutie?

Meemsy and I have always been close, and when Mono entered my life, he was going to enter theirs. I was hoping they'd love him just as much as I did, and vise versa. It topped the charts. These two have a special bond that I love to see!

Taking her to see where I grew up was quite fun! This was where I lived at her age and it was a great little adventure for us.

Matching sisters! Goodness, I love this girl!

And 10 years later, she is now not only my special little friend, wonderful littlest sister, but the best auntie two little boys could EVER ask for! She adores them and they already adore her. I pray they have a close little bond growing up with her, like I did with her when she was a little girl.

Dear Meemsy, I have enjoyed each and every moment walking through your life with you. I hope even though I am far away, you know I am always close to you in heart. I'm only a phone call or Skype message away! I love you sweet pea. So does Gussy and the boys! Happy 10th Birthday, Merima. You are LOVED! xoxo- Marezy

it's their birthday!

From the day these sweet little faces entered my heart, we had an instant bond and they became my little sisters. I fell in love from the moment I first saw and hugged them.

Years passed and I was blessed to be a part of their every day life and watch them grow from sweet little girls to beautiful young ladies!

And today, we celebrate their birthday, all gorgeous and grown up. We still have that bond, they are still my little sisters and I am still in love with them. I love you Ines and Neijra and am SO thankful that in the end, God did send me sisters!!! Have a beautiful birthday. Wish I could be there to celebrate with you. xoxo

routines

Why do I find myself wanting to do so much and change so much, yet not actually do much at all? My days are full and endless, but my lists never shrink. My mind is on overdrive, but my body has its emergency break on. I have been extra tired lately and I do get lazy from time to time. I want to have the clock stop for the day, freeze life, have some energy, and catch up, get into a routine again and get my groove back. I want to be physically active again. I want to run. I want to notice and feel myself getting into shape. I want that routine that is just right for me. I want to finish things and be more well rested and less on edge. I want my time in prayer. I want to feel, and truly be, caught up on my random to do list so I can focus on the regular day-to-day, accomplish what needs to be done and have time to relax, unwind, enjoy, and feel rested. I want to create, whether it be in my journal, on my blog, through my photography, or being crafty. I want to stay updated in my writing. I always regret not recording my thoughts on time, or at all. And I like to do it. I always say I am going to, and don't. It's part of starting, but not finishing things. Maybe this can be a day one (again) for me. I've been wanting to go on my walks with the boys like I was doing after Nina left, but it has been so rainy which isn't good for walking the little men. Here is a good routine for a day in our life: 

Boys wake up

Change diapers

morning walk or boys breakfast (depending on what time they wake up and their moods)

*pray during our walk

breakfast if we didn't eat before our walk

playtime/facetime Grandma

*work on chores while boys are playing and talking to Grandma

naptime for boys and shower for momma

*if boys are still napping, check e-mail and get organized for the day

playtime

go to Mass (bring bottles along) - on days that it is doable 

*days we do not go to Mass, use this time for daily chore

lunch 

naptime for boys and free time for momma - do something enjoyable, or nap!

playtime/chores

dinner prep

feed boys

dinner for us and playtime for them

bathtime and bedtime for the boys

tidy up from dinner and the day

time to relax from the day

10/10:30 bedtime for me

Maybe I can try this tomorrow. I know not every day can go as planned, but I want to make an effort to have some routine that works!

To any stay-at-home mommas out there, or mommas of twins +, do you have any tips on how to keep to a routine?

prosecco + manchego

I feel so busy these days. So many days go by that I am in a pony tail, sweats and we eat grilled cheese for dinner. I dislike this very much and it is something I want to change for 2013. I want to spend time planning and preparing meals for dinner, I want to deliberately love on my family and friends with the food I prepare.

I want to simplify my wardrobe, morning routine and daytime routine to allow for more time to get myself ready for the day in the morning, get my tasks taken care of, dinners made, healthy and thoughtful dinners, all while taking care of my boys. 

I know this won't happen every day, but I want to enjoy some nice moments.

While we were in New York we stayed with my cousin, who made us fabulous meals and appetizers every day! I want to make nice little meals like she did, even if it takes me all day to prepare a little bit here and a little bit there. And then when we stayed a night with Mono's great aunt and uncle, who are both in their 80's, Tia Ali prepared us appetizers, a delicious four course meal, and then a nice, healthy breakfast the following morning. We had prosecco (Italian wine) and manchego cheese (my fave!). For dinner we started with a nice bowl of fresh cut fruit, followed by a salad with homemade dressing, then a wonderful roast chicken with carrots, potatoes, and fennel. Our meal was complete after we ate a delicious homemade cake/tart with fruit topped with carmelized almonds. Tia Ali is in her 80s, still goes to the gym, still wears heels and still cooks these amazing meals!

So after the time spent with my cousin and family and then Mono's great aunt and uncle, it made me crave to simply and take the time to do more cooking or even just serving nicely laid out food. A nice cheese and crackers, a simple salad or a nice cake.

Daily Thankfuls Day Seventeen

#dailythankfuls

#dayseventeen

Today Mono left for his trip to California. He will only be gone for just over 48 hours, but I will miss him terribly. I count down the hours until he arrives home. Pathetic maybe, but I am thankful I love someone enough to miss him even when he's only gone for 48 hours!

I am also thankful that Mono's parents are coming into town today! I am really looking forward to having them visit for the week. I love having their company here and treasure all the time we have together since they are not able to come as much as we'd like. 

So while I am missing my sweet husband, I can enjoy this time with Mami and Papi. And before long, Mono will be home and we will all be enjoying the visit together.

Daily Thankfuls Day Sixteen

#dailythankfuls

#daysixteen

#familyheirlooms

Mono's grandmother, Bella, had given Mono and his brother each a diamond from a pair of her earrings to use in the engagement rings they would give their fiancées. My sister-in-law and I each have the same center diamond in our rings! I love the fact that they were Bella's and that we each have the same ring, yet a little different. Her baguette's are round (if I remember correctly) and mine are pear-shaped. Now, my wedding band is not a family heirloom. Mono picked that out after we were engaged. In the picture above, I am hiding a missing diamond on the other side of the band! I lost a diamond, but believe it or not, as tiny as they are, Mono found it! Since Mami and Papi are coming to visit I will be able to send it home with them to a family friend who repairs our jewelry for us! I will certainly miss having my wedding ring on from now until Christmas, but I know it is in good hands and I will have a nice sturdy and intact ring again! 

Bella and I share a great love for jewelry. And no matter how nice the piece is, we wear them all the time! 

This was her beautiful piece of jewelry too, and she passed it down to me when Mono and I got engaged. Right after my wedding and engagement rings, this ring is always with me. I wear it with dressy outfits and even my jeans and sweats! I adore it and will always treasure it.

Daily Thankfuls Day Thirteen

#dailythankfuls

#daythirteen

I am thankful for healing.

Yesterday our friend Austin came over to hang out, have dinner, enjoy some guy time, and Monday Night Football! I have to say, I am always impressed when I see him. He always does something new that amazes me with his progress. The best was watching him rock the boys (who were both sitting on the la-z-boy) with his hand/arm... the one that isn't even as strong! He sat there and chatted with Will and Gus while he rocked them.

This doesn't take away from the sweetness of when Mono, or even other family members rock them, but to know the effort he uses to do it, and the fact that he even can rock them made me smile so big!

His Mom wrote on his Caring Bridge site: "Oh and did you know The ******* twins Will and Gus twisted their Dad's arm to put a ramp on the back patio so that (Uncle)Austin could come over and visit??? :) :) What incredible love..."

It's true. The ramp is built, Gus and Will love their Uncle Austin very much, but no one quite needed a twisted arm. We were all so excited to know we could do something to allow him to visit! He may be Mono's friend, but our whole family truly loves him! He has a wonderful family and such a sweet girlfriend as well!

It's so nice to see him healing. It's through soo much prayer and his incredible determination and strength that he puts into it, that he has recovered this much already!

I am also thankful for some positive news from family about my Popa's health. He was brought to the hospital yesterday with chest pains and many tests were done, but we didn't find out results until later tonight. Thank God it looks like his heart is okay, but wasn't getting enough oxygen and was being tolled a bit from bad kidney functioning. He may be able to be released on medication to help his symptoms subside! Thank you God! Please keep him strong and healthy!

Please keep Popa and Austin in your prayers!

Daily Thankfuls Day Nine

#dailythankfuls

#daynine

the boys face-timing with Bella in top picture and Gus telling Grandma (F) about his day

#thankfulforfacetime

We love Facetime!

Nearly all of our family and close friends live in the Northeast so they don't get to see the boys in person. We talk daily to at least one family member or friend! Sometimes I turn it on so their Grandma can talk to them during the day while I do a few things around the room, or sit and feed them... I am very thankful for it so we can keep in touch as close to being in person as possible and loved ones can watch them grow!