Pumpkin Patch

We had lots of fun going to the pumpkin patch this week! I am just beyond myself excited to start yearly traditions with our complete family of four.

 

 

We are 3/4 of the way to being one year olds!

I cannot believe I have 9 month old babies.

Actually, 9 1/2 month old babies!

Right now Mason waves and he gives kisses. Every time we walk in the room he puts his hand up like he's saying hi to us. Can you say cutest thing ever? We caught him clapping during Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when the hot dog song came on. He about melts my heart when he gives me his slobbery open mouthed kisses. I tell him thank youuuuuuuuu and he give me the biggest smiles. I want to cry just thinking about it! He also is doing the funniest noises, like a car. He goes vrrrooooom vrooooooom, especially when we're driving in our car -- it's like he recognizes the noise the car makes and imitates it.

Madilynn is a high-five master! She looooooves giving high fives! She also does the sound of a kiss, but will not give kisses... my little stubborn mini me! *edit* She gave my mom kisses over and over last night (10/13) and she still won't give them to me (**edit again** 10/14 she finally gave me kisses!!)! She also waves by sticking her arm in the air. She's very intrigued with things and likes to make toys "work". We have this little car track that you pull the gear shifter and it makes the cars start moving -- she loves turning that on.

They have three teeth each, two bottoms and one top, and Mason has his fourth coming through. Both of them are pretty good sleepers, we are really lucky. Even with this cold minus a few rough nights they sleep all the way through and love to sleep... Madilynn a little more so than Mason. They both are getting braver while standing. They will let go or go from holding onto one thing to another. They are SO getting ready to rock and roll around the house on their two little feet. We set up our spare bedroom with some of their bigger toys that take up our entire family room and they absolutely love having that as their play space.

They interact more and more as they are getting older. When one of them wants to go play in a different room or roam the hallway, they will do this loud yell/call to the other one and they quickly both start following each other. It's pretty hilarious. They also love when we say "I'm going to get you!" but they usually run towards us not away from us... they are so cute.

This past weekend we  had our first official "pass the cold around to everyone in the entire house so everyone feels miserable at the same time" sickness. We ended up taking them both to the Dr. yesterday just to make sure that they didn't have any infections going on and they confirmed it's just a cold.

I'm slowly beginning to plan their first birthday. I don't know where this year went but holy cow, it's coming fast! I'm excited for this time of year to start our family traditions and to enjoy lots of time with our families for the holidays! We are off to the pumpkin patch today as a matter of fact!

Did I mention we officially can do PIGGIES NOW?!

Cutest. PJs. EVER.

Slicked back hair for their Grampa!

Whoa, Babies!

Tomorrow we will have reached 8 whole months of being born. Interesting fact: I delivered them at 34 weeks and 5 days. Today, they are exactly 34 weeks and 6 days old. I can't believe they've officially been here longer than I carried them. Although I couldn't imagine my life without them it actually makes me really sad that I'll never be able to feel them kick me [from the inside] again.

Can I tell you how much fun we're having? It sounds really silly but I finally feel like I know them.Their personalities are out of this world. Over night they've decided they will get up from their bellies onto their booties, attempt to pull themselves up, and crawl. They are transforming into toddlers right before my eyes.

Madilynn has more of a traditional crawling technique. Mason on the other hand kinda belly flops forward until he reaches his destination. They are out of control. It's so much fun that they want to play with things and explore new things all day long.

Can we talk about snacks? I'm THAT mom now. When we go out I have to be equipped with a can of  baby puffs, mum mum crackers, baby food, toys and toy clips (best.invention.ever). I'm like, duffel bagging it UP! I never know exactly what I'll need but you betcha, I'm prepared! Their favorite snacks are the Gerber Graduates Lil' Crunchies -- the cheddar ones. Seriously -- they go NUTS! They are like their mom -- the cheesier the better!

They are communicating more and more with each other. It's so cute. I can't even begin to describe the consistent feeling of happiness and joy I feel having these two in my life. It keeps getting better. I am so thankful to have them. They repeatedly kill me with cuteness. By far, these have been the most rewarding months in the aspect of getting something in return. When they were first, born it's awesome, you feed them, they sleep, you repeat. However, you don't get the laughs, the smiles, the acknowledgement that they recognize you, the raising their arms because they want you to hold them, play with them, all of that. It melts my heart. Right now they both lunge towards us when they want to be picked up. It's just fun. I'm just madly in love!

SuperMom Tag

SuperMom Tag 

 I snagged up this fun little tag from Renae and her blog called Launderlife .

1.  How many kids do you have/what age(s)? 

 I have two amazing little babies, Mason and Madilynn, born December 28, 2012 -- so they are a little over 7 months old.

2.  Do you feel like you have it "all together" everyday? Cleaning/laundry/beauty/etc?

Absolutely not. That's just silly. My world has been a whirlwind since December 27, 2012 when I was told to go to labor and delivery because my blood pressure was elevated. My cleaning schedule is if it’s dirty, clean it real quick. Vacuuming and steam moping my kitchen/hallway/bathroom tile are my top priorities all of the time now that the little ones are on the floor constantly. Laundry is about once a week we’ll do a few loads. Beauty is almost obsolete. I do make time each morning to do a quick little makeup routine- foundation, bronzer and mascara are staples that take me less than 5 minutes… if I want to get REAL crazy I will do some eyeliner and rub on some eye shadow, still though, takes me about 10 minutes, max.

3.  When do you make time to shower? Day/night?

Early morning. Weekdays hubby and I both work and have to get out of the house about the same time. I try to beat everyone up (around 5am) and hop in the shower. I *try* to get out and do my makeup real quick before the babies wake up. Most of the time Mason will wake up first (between 5am-6am) and talk and play in his crib. At that point I know I gotta be quick because it won’t last long before he wants OUT! One of my favorite moments is sneaking into their room and watching them take their first glimpse at momma coming to rescue them – they are so happy and get so excited to see my face first thing in the morning.  Weekends are a different story – when we don’t have to be out of the house we take showers when they go down for one of their morning naps. Speaking of, is it Friday yet!?

4.  Do you wear makeup everyday?

Pretty much… weekends are hit and miss depending on if we have stuff to do… but again, my makeup routine takes all of about 5 minutes.

5.  Do you style your hair everyday? Or pony tail it?  

I comb it, is that considered styling? Haha!! Hair is up most weekends… I can’t deny that I’m one lazy girl when it comes to my hair– normal for me is that I like to bobby pin my hair to one side to keep it pulled back but it’s normally always down. When I want to get fancy and have a spare 15 minutes I love to curl my hair but I think I could probably count on one hand how many times that has happened since the babes have been born.

 6.  When do you find time to do your hair and makeup? When the kids are awake/asleep?

I guess I already answered that! Normally sleeping.

7.  Do you workout? When?

I do not. I wish that I could find a spare hour in my day but at this point in our lives my priority is playing with my babies and spending as much time with them as I can when I’m not working. We play outside, I wrangle two babies at once, who needs to workout anyways being constant like that!?

8.  What is your household cleaning routine? Do you clean everyday?

I would say that I’m constantly picking up and I don’t see that slowing down. Ever. In my entire life. I vacuum regularly, dishes are done everyday but other than that I clean as I find time throughout the week. For instance, hubby and I were giving the babies a bath and I took the opportunity while we were in the bathroom and hubby had an eye on them to wipe down the bathroom counter, mirrors, toilet, etc. I also use Clorox wipes on E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. I should probably buy stock in them.  Anything that makes my life easier I’m all about using – Clorox wipes, our animal dyson, and my shark steam mop are LIFESAVERS!!!!

9.  Do you ever get overwhelmed with all the responsibilities as a mom?

Oh yeah. Sometimes I just totally melt down, I feel like one of the babies. But I get over it. My husband helps with all duties of the house so I am really, really lucky. I go get a pedicure or do something to get out of the house without a baby (or two) in tow and I get back on track. I always remind myself that I’m going to want these days back and then I cry out of sadness that they are growing far too quickly.

10.  How often do you have alone/"me" time? And how do you relax?

That varies with what is going on. I try to go get a pedicure or go get my nails done every few weeks. Hubby and I on the other hand try to go out, alone, about once a month. We both need it.  

6 months -- say what!?

We are officially 6 months old! A LOT has happened since my last post. I thought I was so much better at recording milestones -- I'm not and it sucks. I'm just so busy (said every other mom out there). Anyway, we went to our 6 month check up and everything checked out great! They are getting so big! It truly blows my mind how fast time flies.

They are all rising on the percentile scales. YAY... our pedi goes over them so quickly I don't have the exact percentages. I remember that Madilynn is in the 70th percentile for head circumference (LOL) and Mason is above 50th in height. Goooooo babies!

Madilynn weighs 13lbs and 11oz! She is so funny! She really started laughing during the last few weeks. Blowing on her bare belly, playing peek-a-boo, she giggles so much. I.love.it. She's definitely my little sensitive girl. She gets startled easily, unlike her brother. She's very curious and loves touching faces. I tell her what she's touching and then I touch hers back. She also is such a squirmer! Bedtime is comical most nights because she moves all over her crib, I don't know what the heck that little girl is doing in there half the time. She's coming around to being more of a cuddle girl. At first, she didn't like anyone or anything all up in her face (Mason on the other hand has always EATEN UP kisses and me loving on him). She loves to give her momma smooches right on the lips. She gives me the cutest little looks and starts "talking" to me. She's still such an intense talker, she really has important things to tell me, at least that's how she looks! She's so mobile I'm just WAITING to see her up on all fours to start crawling all over the place. She tries! She's sitting up assisted well, almost unassisted. I can't completely trust her on her own just yet but she seems to be sitting up straighter and straighter every day!

Mason weighs 14lbs 14.3oz! Momma's big boy! He's consistently stayed about a pound

bigger than his sister since their 4 month check up. Mason is such a little lover. He loves to be snuggled, held, babied. He's also such a flirt. He does this funny noise where he almost gargles at people (if that makes sense) and laughs and smiles. He's more of the nosy one. He wants to know what's going on at all times and he makes it difficult on himself at times because he will fight his sleep. He sits up so well and so straight. Still can't FULLY trust that he won't topple over, but he's really close. Mason is all over the place, too. Can't keep him in one place for too long. He loves to play peek-a-boo, get tickled...he loves to laugh. Mason is the kind of baby who has to have a change of pace, often. He gets bored if we do the same thing over and over again. 

They are both eating solids and THEY couldn't be happier. In my last blog I talked about attempting rice cereal in bottles -- that didn't happen. I think I tried it twice and that was that. Around 5 months I could really take their cues in wanting to start food. My pedi said to hold off until 6 months but I finally broke down when they seemed interested in the food I was eating. They would watch us put our food in our mouths and acted like they wanted it. So, we started with one meal a day for about a week. We would do a veggie (sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, green beans, peas, etc) and they would share a fruit. Then we upped them to two meals a day -- oatmeal with a fruit mixed in the morning and then a veggie and their own fruit in the evening. They are all about food. Madilynn was able to get the hang of eating a little quicker than Mason but now they are both really good eaters. We are adjusting our feeding a little bit this week to incorporate a lunch feeding to make it 3x a day. They are so much happier eating food than eating a bottle, although we know the importance of them continuing to get the right amount of nutrition from their bottles. 

When my husband Jeff and I first brought the babies home and had decided we would put them in separate rock'n'plays next to our bed, we also decided that we would move them into their own cribs by 6 months. So, along with taking their cues (getting too big for the RNPs, rolling almost all the way over in their RNPs, sleeping in their cribs for all naps) we decided to move them to their cribs (in the same room) at 5 months and 3 weeks. This transition hasn't been all that bad, but it was sure a lot easier when they were within an arms reach if they woke up in the middle of the night and needed their pacis!

The first night I can't deny, I cried. Every single time they moved I stared at the monitor. As the days have gone on it doesn't quite seem like we are getting up less. I wonder(ed) if we are doing something wrong. So, we decided last night to see what happens if we let them stir/whine/cry and see what they do. Madilynn is a DEFINITE stirrer at night. She moves like CrAzY and fusses but eventually goes back to sleep. Jeff got up once to give Madilynn her paci after fussing for a few minutes but as soon as he walked into their room she stopped, since he was up he gave her the paci anyway (so I don't count that one). Mason on the other hand. I am unsure of how to approach him. He slept great from the time we put him down around 9:30pm until about 2:30am. He started fussing and so we let him go, then he started crying. Gave him his paci and rubbed his back, he fell back asleep. Then around 3:30 he fussed, and then cried, gave him his paci he fell back asleep. 4:00am rolled around, cried, fussed, SCREAMED. So we got him up, held him, put him back to sleep and I slept with him on my chest until about 6:15am -- thanks goodness for my comfy recliner. Bad habit, I know. But I don't know how to tell if he's teething, being needy, or if I should let him cry a bit longer to see what happens. At the point of when he was picked up he cried long enough he completely woke himself up. Maybe this was a needed vent session? Sorry. I guess what I meant by all of this is that we thought having them in the same room would be of a good benefit and we are slowly quickly realizing that we may have to do separate rooms for everyone's sanity. The lack of sleep is nothing compared to what others have to go through and I realize that little big things can throw off sleep schedules. I'm not trying to sound like a complainer I genuinely just hope we're doing the right things to benefit our babies and help them become good sleepers again.

I'll wrap up this blog by showing a few pictures from their 6 month photo shoot. How amazing is our photographer?

 

 

 

Happy 6 months to my beautiful babies! You guys are the most precious amazing beings on the face of the planet!!

We rollin'....

Four months hit and what a difference it's been! I've learned that Mason loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and gets a little upset when Mickey or Donald aren't talking. Mason and Madilynn are grabbing and playing with toys. At four months and one week we attempted to spoon feed both of them rice cereal. It went okay. Madilynn seemed to do much better than Mason did, I thought it was going to be the opposite! We tried again the following day and they had a few bites and then were done. I think I'm going to wait a week and try again.

I do have to admit I'm getting a little bit frustrated with my little man. He keeps waking up early morning (and I mean like 2:30am-3:30am) for a bottle. I would assume that he's going through a growth spurt and needs more to eat -- or needs something more to keep him full. We've tried to up their bottle intake to 6oz instead of 4oz... and sometimes they drink it and sometimes they don't, it's really hit or miss. So last night, although the subject is quite controversial it seems... we tried giving Mason rice cereal in his bottle. At first I used a "Y" Dr. Brown's nipple and it came out way too fast. Then I tried a number 2 Dr. Brown's nipple... he seemed to like it and then he stopped eating after 1 ounce and passed out on my lap and would not eat anymore, woke up at 2:30, hungry. Maybe last night was an off night so I'm going to try again tonight. I just want him to feel satisfied so that he will sleep through the night again... these early mornings are killing me when we once had such flawless nights. (when I say slept through the night I mean up between 5am-5:30am)

At 18 weeks and 5 days, at just over 4 months, on May 8, 2013, BOTH of my lovelies rolled over!!!! It was so funny because when I went to pick them up from their grandma's house, I was playing with Mason on the floor. I rolled him over from his back to his belly a few times as I was talking to my mother in law. One of the times I rolled him over I left him on his belly and all of a sudden we both looked down and he rolled from his belly to his back. We started laughing so hard! I was so proud of him! Then, later that evening, brother was taking a nap and Daddy and I were playing with Madilynn on her play mat. I started playing the "roll the baby over game" again with her this time and all of a sudden she rolled over, too, from her belly to her back! I rolled her back over on her belly and she did it again, in which case I caught it on video!

 

I love seeing them hit milestones! It's probably the most rewarding experience I've ever felt in my entire life... not that I have anything to do with it but it just made my heart so happy! 

Oh...to see what 5 months will bring!

 

4 months... almost!

We had our 4 month check up on Monday!

Let's start with my big boy Mase-a-Mason (twin A). This little one started his life at a whopping 4lbs 3oz... and at 15 weeks he's at 11lbs 9.2oz and 59cm long! Way to go big boy! It's obvious that he's got his eating down. He has really changed in a short period of time. His facial expressions are SO.ANIMATED.NOW! He smiles, "talks", makes funny noises, laughs, plays, and holds his head up really well! The only concern I pointed out to the pedi is the shape of the back of his head. It looks flat compared to his sister (always has). His pedi said that when we lay him down just try to turn his head. So I'm glad that she didn't think it was too much of a concern. I wondered if it was helmet worthy and am hoping that by adjusting his head and being more conscious of how he lays we can avoid that. As far as milestones, our pedi was looking to see if they smile/laugh when spoken to, and Mason (though he was beyond tired) was being so cute smiling and cooing at her. He does this thing with his eyes now where he blinks extra long like he's batting his eyes at you... it's adorable... the little flirt! Also, she wanted to know if they attempt to roll over and if they grasp/touch toys. He does all of those. I can say that he holds onto things more than his sister.

Now on to my gorgey (short for gorgeous, I don't know why that nickname stuck) little Madilynn. She started her life as the bigger twin (twin B) at 4lbs 7oz. She now weighs 10lbs 7.7oz and is 57.8cm long. Pedi said it's typical for boys to grow faster at first and it's apparent by their comparison (even in the picture above you can really see that Madilynn is smaller than her brother). She is just the sweetest little girl. She "talks" to you when you look into her eyes and she has the most serious looks on her face when she starts cooing and "telling me about her day". I mean it, if she could convey what she was thinking, she would be a riot. I have a feeling when she can start talking it's going to be nonstop! She was being adorable with our pedi, too. Dr. was talking to Madilynn and she was smiling and being so happy with her. The Dr. said "you kids sure make some cute and adorable babies". The only concern I had about Madilynn is that sometimes she gets very gassy and shows signs that her tummy hurts her. The pedi said to give her an ounce or two of water to see if that helps and if not to give her an ounce of prune juice. I tried giving her water that day and she did not want it! I think it was too cold, but we haven't tried it since because she's been fine. As far as hitting the milestones -- Madilynn does all of them. Compared to her brother though, she attempts to roll over much more than he does.

 

It's so interesting to have twins and see their differences as far as development. I'm so happy that they are both on track as far as our pedi is concerned... and they are in a percentile for almost all of their measurements.

His sister is pretty cozy!