I Used to Think I Had Lots of Patience, Now I Have Toddlers

I used to think I had lots of patience, really now I'm not so sure.  The boys are almost 2 1/2 now and pretty typical toddlers.  I feel like all I ever say is no.  "No no no no NO!", "Shut the Fridge", "Don't touch the trash", "Stop jumping on your bed", Don't climb on your changing table".  I'm trying to do my best as a parent, but I find myself wondering sometimes if I'm doing everything right, am I yelling too much?  I can't be the only parent who feels this way right???

Don't get me wrong, the boys can be total sweethearts.  Owynn now says "I luf you" which makes my heart melt.  Oliver really loves hugs and snuggles.  And they are pretty darn cute.

So not the most current photo, but I love this one. Oliver and Owynn their first Halloween 2011.

 

 

But then there are days like today where I was counting down the minutes to nap time, hoping that after they get up they will be in a better mood.  (Owynn didn't nap and is quietly hanging out with us in the living room playing with his kindle fire.  Oliver is sound asleep, he really needed it.) 
Or yesterday; the boys woke up and instead of going into the living room and turning on the tv or getting out their kindles, they decided they needed to raid the pantry.  They dumped corn meal all over the carpet in the living room.  Dumped out my baking soda on the kitchen floor, along with onion soup mix, yeast, and other baking supplies I keep in there.  They also got into my little baggie of hershey kisses I had saved from my baby shower that said "It's A Boy", which were almost 3 years old, there were bits of wrapper everywhere.  The boys also got into the birthday candles, we're hoping they didn't eat any of those.   
Or the day before yesterday.  They pushed Oliver's bed up against their dresser so they could reach the stuff on top.  They got down a small bottle of lotion and got it all over Owynn, Oliver's teddy bear, and the bed.

I've been told by other parents of multiples that things don't necessarily get easier, just different.  I can see that, but I'm still really hoping this stage will get a bit easier.  

Learning To Walk

I recently re-found a video we got of Oliver as he was learning to walk, just after he turned 1.  I can't get over how much they have changed!  We don't have a cute video of Owynn learning how to walk unfortunately.  He would practice walking in his room when he didn't think we were watching.  He actually started walking on our trip to NY last Easter.  One morning while we there I was changing his diaper and he just took off.  Owynn pulled himself up on the couch, turned, and slowly started toddling toward me.  He stopped just out of arms reach, gave me his mischievous smile, turned, then took off in the other direction!  And that was it, he decided he was ready to walk and hasn't stopped since.  We do have this video of Oliver though.  He took his first steps at their first birthday party.

My First Trampoline and I Sound Like My Mom

When I was growing up I pretty much begged my parents for a trampoline.  Three of my very best friends had those giant trampolines and I wanted one in the worst way.  Every time I asked though I always heard, "No, they are soooo dangerous", "Do you know how dangerous they are?" Pretty much danger danger danger.  Finally I got one for my 17th birthday and I was both shocked and thrilled.  I loved that thing.

Last week while we were at Sam's Club we saw this:

Seriously called "My First Trampoline"

John jokingly suggested we get it for the boys.  The first words out of my mouth without even thinking were "Absolutely not!  Do you know how dangerous those things are?!"  Oh man, I sounded exactly like my mom.  Which isn't always a bad thing, because my mom is awesome!  But I definitely surprised myself.  And trampolines are dangerous (which I totally don't know from experience...), but a whole ton of fun.  I hope to cross this bridge a long way down the road.    

We're Back From Our Winter Hiatus!

I'm hoping my winter hiatus is over.  Like most of our tv shows!  We haven't been so much busy here as sick.  Thanksgiving was good.  Our weather was gorgeous, just days before we were having beautiful sunny days in the 70's.  It was a little weird listening to Christmas music while it was so unseasonably warm. 

Oliver and Owynn

Then we all caught super mega awful worst cold ever.  I wonder if it may have been the flu, it was horrendous.  I lost my voice for almost a week and I missed two days of work.  I finally dragged everyone to see the doctor.  Everyone else was fine, but I got antibiotics and man did they help.  Apparently my throat was still all nice and swollen and red.  And then immediately after we all caught the stomach bug.  Ugh!  Christmas was great though!

Oliver, Mommy, and Owynn

  We were all healthy for the week between Christmas and New Year's, but by the time the boys' birthday rolled around we were all sick again.  I succumbed to the cold this past Friday and then on Sunday I managed to severely mess up my stomach.  I finally started feeling better Thursday night.
 The boys are doing much better now too.  I am sooooo ready for Spring and to be healthy again for some sort of extended period of time.   Between work, everything going on at home, and being sick, I just haven't had the time or energy for much of anything else.  I've barely been on the computer, never mind blogging.  On Tuesday I was able to take almost a 3 hour nap after work, it was amazing!

On a happier note John filed our taxes last week.  The company John used holds our filing until the IRS starts accepting them, which was supposed to be on the 30th.  But today John got a text saying that our filing was accepted by the IRS.  OMG! It is such a relief.  I'm really hoping we get our refund soon, we could really really use the money.  I'm thrilled though that they accepted them early.  Tomorrow is Friday and we earned jeans day again, I love jeans Fridays.  And it's Friday!  Yay for the weekend!  I am hoping to try and get some more posts together this weekend for next week. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Woohoo I added a widget! (At least I think that's what I did) and Holiday Wishes

Yay me, I figured out how to add a Facebook like button to my blog!  I am waaay excited now, this is totally a big deal to me!  I am not overly computer savvy and have pretty much been learning about this whole blogging thing as I go.  So please follow me on Facebook, help me feel even more proud of myself.  I would really appreciate it! =)  And it wasn't nearly as hard as I feared it would be.  And bonus, I didn't destroy my site by playing with the HTML!

I have been absent a bit because of the craziness that is the Holidays.  To be politically correct I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays, because I know I have readers of different faiths.  Also Merry Christmas, because this is what we celebrate in our household.  I hope this season has brought your families, happiness, peace, and joy. 

This year I am very thankful for answered prayers, lower levels of stress, the kindness of (near) strangers, our friends and family, and my husband (I don't know what I would do without him).

 I don't really talk about it much, but I have been praying more and attempting to find some sort of faith that works for me.  I'd like to think that my prayers have been heard; there have been several incidents to make me think so.  So thank You! 

To say that our budget has been tight the past 6 or so months would be an understatement.  Lately it's more like what bills can I put off or what can we do without so we have enough money to buy diapers and food.  (I can see our tax refund on the horizon now and I can't wait.)  After months and months of trying John got a job working from home, and his first paycheck literally came just in time.  The fact that he can work from home and choose his hours is pretty amazing.  I am very appreciative of what he has been trying to do for our family.  With his anxiety, I know how hard it can be for him to do this.  I feel like I don't thank him enough.

Even though work has been just ridiculously busy, my stress levels have dropped quite a bit.  I think it's because John is working and even though our budget is still really tight, we have some breathing room.  I am thankful that we can pay our bills and can actually afford to order a pizza every once in awhile now.  (I love you pizza and have missed you more than I realized.)  And our tax refund is so close I can taste it!

Because of our monetary problems we didn't have any money to buy the boys presents this year.  Although I did manage to spend a few dollars here and there on a few little things for them over the past month or two.  I want to thank again our friends, our family, and friends of our family, who helped to make Christmas very special for the boys.  I wish I could show you how their eyes just lit up Christmas morning.  And also thank you guys for helping us through this very rough patch.  Without everyone I don't know how we could have made it.       

Why Does He Put Food Up His Nose?!

I don't know why Owynn insists on sticking food up his nose.  I don't understand the appeal of it.  I've blogged about our previous adventure here and here.  Sunday before we went to the birthday party he stuck macaroni and cheese up there during lunch.

Well last night at dinner he must have thought it would be fun to stick as much corn up there as possible.  (Seriously, why???)  I pulled 4 kernels out fairly easily.  But I was still pretty sure there was more up there, so off I went in search of the flashlight.  Found it, (crap it's dead), pray we have enough of the right size batteries, (score we do!)  I look up Owynn's nose and sure enough there is at least one more in each nostril (this can't be comfortable).  So I go and find a bulb syringe and manage to suction them out.  At least he doesn't mind his nose being suctioned.  I grabbed the flashlight and there are even more stuck in each of his nostrils! (WTH kid!)  At this point I'm asking myself, why this? Why now? Ugh!  So I call my mom for some advice, then I have to hurry up and get the boys into bed, because John has a shift he needs to work.  After more talking to my mom I finally decide to call the on-call doctor, because after googling I've seen way more than I need to about kids getting infections and aspirating their food and I've become completely paranoid.  The doctor said that because I've pulled out so much already and there's at least one piece in each nostril I should probably bring him into the ER to be checked out just in case.  Crap crap crap crap crap, I really don't want to be dealing with this right now.  So I wake Owynn up (he's not too happy with me at this point), put on his coat, shoes, and mittens (ok he does look pretty darn cute), grab his teddy bear, and off we go to the ER.  They got us in immediately, thankfully we live in a small city with several hospitals so we've never had a wait.  Owynn was weighed, 27.4lbs yay!  He had his temperature taken and his pulse, he cried pretty hard over those (at this point I am really glad I remembered to grab bear).  Owynn was looked at by the doctor and there was no corn that he could see. *Sigh* At least I feel better now, somewhat.  The doctor said it was very unlikely he aspirated it, it probably made it's way into his throat and he swallowed it.  He did say to keep an eye on him though just in case.  And if he starts having like a mega runny nose out one side that isn't from a cold, that means the corn is still stuck waaay back in there.  It may come out on its own then, but if it doesn't then we would have to bring him back in.  Joy.

So I bring Owynn home and give him a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter fudge and some milk.  He loved the fudge, he was making his happy food noises while eating it.  I love when he does that.   I change his diaper and jammies, he says night night to Daddy, then goes over to his door and says "bed!"  Ok little man it's time for some sleep.  By this point it's around midnight and I am totally wiped out from the day so John and I head to bed too.  Ugh, is it Friday yet?  I can't take much more this week.

Work has me stressed beyond belief, but I keep telling myself I definitely should not post an angry rant about work, even though I really really want to.  K mini angry rant, they messed up my paycheck this week and I am 4 hours short.  That is a lot of money to me people!  This on top of everything else, I keep wondering when I am going to hit my breaking point.  Friday can't come soon enough.  I have moved from constantly repeating that I love my job, down to I appreciate the fact that I have a job, because right now I most certainly do not love it. 

We Made An Apple Pie!

A few weeks ago I came across my special pie apples at the store, woohoo!  It isn't very often during the fall season that I come across these particular apples.  So when I find them I buy them pretty much immediately and bake them into a super yummy pie.  I will only use McIntosh or Cortland apples for my pie.  According to my mum, the pie expert, those are the best kind of apples for pie.  You can find these apples all over the place in New England where I grew up, but in the Midwest, well not so much.  So to me it's a pretty big deal when I find them.

After buying a bunch of Cortland apples and everything else I needed at the store, I was ready to bake a pie!  As you can see from the photos I used a Pillsbury pie crust.  Mum advised me that even though I could make my own crust, and she has before, the Pillsbury is pretty much just as good and a whole lot easier to work with.  I love things that are both yummy and easy!  Although she did say, don't buy the off brand, it's worth it to buy Pillsbury.

The boys "helped" me make the pie, they were pretty cute, and we all had a lot of fun.  The boys enjoyed eating apple pieces while I peeled, cored, and sliced the apples.  Oliver helped me out with the pie crust and throwing stuff in the trash.  Owynn held the measuring cup while I measured out the sugar.  Owynn kept sticking his fingers in the sugar and eating it, he really enjoyed that!  Then while I was spooning the filling into the crust the boys kept stealing apple slices out of the pie.  They really had a fun time helping me with the pie.  I really loved it too, and it brought back memories from when I was growing up "helping" my mum bake apple pie.  Our pie turned out absolutely perfect and was super delicious!  It did not last very long here.

Oliver and Owynn.  Please ignore my messy table.

Oliver

Owynn

Our delicious finished apple pie

Owynn really enjoyed eating his pie!

Oliver refused to smile for me.  Eating apple pie is very serious business!

 

World Prematurity Day. Our Story.

Eventually I want to write in detail about my pregnancy, I think mostly because when I was pregnant I had a hard time finding information about twin pregnancy.  There is an overwhelming amount of information out there about having a baby, but not so much about having more than one.  Today I want to talk some about dealing with my preterm labor and the boys premature birth.  I talk about my pregnancy usually in general terms and I joke about it at times, but in all honestly it was the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with.     

According to the WHO today is the second annual World Prematurity Day.  And today I am so very very thankful for modern medicine which helped me carry the boys for as long as I did.  Two years ago today I was in a hospital in Omaha praying that the boys would stay in there just a little while longer.  And thank God they did, they were born pretty darn healthy at 34 weeks and 5 days gestation.

My first two trimesters of pregnancy were a breeze.  I had no morning sickness, just the unrelenting exhaustion that comes along with pregnancy.  I was one of those women who had the glow of a happy pregnancy.  I was thrilled to finally be pregnant and I loved those two little beings growing inside of me from the moment I knew they were there.  Our blissful state came to a crashing end when I was just 25 weeks along.  It was just a few days after my baby shower and exactly one week before Thanksgiving.  I had been at work all day and I just didn't feel right.  I couldn't exactly put my finger on it, but I just knew something was going on.  A bit of TMI here, but I kept having this weird feeling down very low like you have to go to the bathroom but nothing ever happens when you run in there.  So I called my ob office after I got off work and the on call dr. told me I should head off to the hospital.  Not the one I had toured and was thinking about giving birth in, but a hospital more prepared for emergencies that John and I had yet to go to.  I was driving home and was about halfway between home and the hospital, and I remember arguing with John that I was indeed going to come home and pick him up before heading off to the hospital.  We only had one working car at the time and I was not about to go to this new hospital all by myself.  And I am so so thankful that I insisted on picking him up before heading to the hospital so he could be there with me.  When we got to the hospital I still wasn't too terribly worried, I figured they would check me out, hydrate me, and then send us home.  It turned out though that at just 25 weeks I was already 2cm dilated and starting to efface, I was in some very preterm labor.  The memories of the week I spent there are a bit fuzzy, I think mostly because of the magnesium drip I was on the first several days, that stuff really knocked me out and left me with that really drugged feeling.  I remember there being a flurry of doctors and nurses and lots of drugs to try and stop my labor and to help us if they couldn't.  I got two steroid shots to force the boys lungs to develop more quickly in case they were born early.  They were the most painful shots I have ever had, but I am so glad I had them.  When the boys finally did come, they did not need any breathing assistance at all, and that was a HUGE deal.  I remember the hospital sending up a nurse from the NICU to try and prepare me for what may happen if the boys came so early.  They would have about a 60% chance of survival (that would increase every week I could stay pregnant) and a high chance that something could be permanently wrong with one or both the boys.  They would most likely stay in the NICU until at least my due date, which was in February.  The first 24 hours were the scariest, but thankfully they were able to stop my labor, and I was actually able to go home on strict bed rest the day before Thanksgiving.

My big goal I set for myself was to make it to 32 weeks, and I celebrated every week that passed that I managed to stay pregnant.  In all honesty though I was not a happy pregnant lady at the end.  I was in a lot of pain and discomfort and I just couldn't wait to be done.  I was tired of going to the hospital constantly and getting ivs and shots, and then being sent home again empty handed.  I remember calling my mom several times and complaining about how unhappy I was.  She kept reassuring me that once the boys were born and I held them for the first time that it would be all worth it.  I really didn't believer her until I did get to hold them, and my whole life changed in an instant.

I would wind up back in the hospital 8 more times for preterm labor before the boys were finally born.  I was sent to the hospital that final time because my blood pressure had spiked, it was a Wednesday evening in January and I was 34 weeks pregnant.  I had to have a 24 hour urine test to see if there was protein in there, which would show if I had developed pre-eclampsia.  At about 1am Friday morning my contractions started again and luckily my ob was just a few rooms down delivering a baby.  She got my test results and it turns out I had developed pre-eclampsia. That coupled with my contractions returning, I was scheduled for a c-section that afternoon.  I had to have a c-section because Oliver was breach and Owynn was transverse, my ob had told me that if at least one of them were in the correct position I could try for a vaginal delivery.  I was terrified of having a c-section, and I got no sleep that night knowing that in less than 12 hours our boys would be born.  They ended up pushing my c-section up, which sent me almost into a panic, but that way I had less time to worry about having it.  The c-section itself was a whole lot easier than I feared it would be, I was in and out in less than an hour.  It was the recovery that I had the most difficulty with.  Owynn was born at 11:26am on Jan. 14, 2011 at 4lbs 7.8oz 18&1/2 inches long.  Oliver was born two minutes later at 11:28am at 5lbs 2oz and 18 inches long.  I remember I was absolutely thrilled they were born with hair, I don't know why I was so obsessed with that at the time, it was the first question I asked after making sure they were ok.  They needed no breathing assistance at all, which was amazing, and were able to stay with us in the OR until the doctors were done with me.  John and the boys went down to the NICU while I was sent back to my room to recover.  I had to go back on a magnesium drip for the first 24 hours after my c-section because I had pre-eclampsia.  I couldn't leave my bed, never mind see the boys.  It was awful.  I was elated when the nurse finally came in and said I could go see them.  By the time she got me up and prepped, I was so incredibly weak and light headed that I needed to stay and eat lunch before I could head down to the NICU.

Thankfully they boys were born big and healthy, just extra early.  They only had to spend 9 days in the NICU, we got to bring them home on the day I would have been 36 weeks pregnant.  I was discharged the Wednesday evening following their birth, and going home without the boys is by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do.  I cried the whole way home.  The nurses at the NICU were all super nice and very supportive, they all loved taking care of the boys, they said the boys were some of the easiest babies they have ever had to care for.  The boys loved their sleep, and liked to eat.  The nurses would actually have to wake the boys up every 4 hours just to eat.  Before the boys could come home they had to be able to regulate their own temperature, get over their bit of jaundice, and show that they were eating and growing well.

Today the boys are normal 22 month olds, Owynn weighs 25lbs and Oliver weighs 28lbs.  Here are some pictures of them while they were very tiny and still in the NICU.

Oliver being fed by Daddy

Owynn wearing newborn sized jammies

Oliver, Mommy, Owynn

Owynn, Daddy, Oliver

      

 all photos are property of DoubleOTwins.com

Random Tuesday Thoughts A Few Days Late

Brought to you by Stacy

I called the Dr's office right when they opened on Monday and thankfully they had an appointment open at 4:30. Perfect! I was able to leave work a few minutes early, rushed home to pick up John and the boys, then off to the Dr's office. He didn't find anything left in Owynn's nose, and told us what to look out for just in case. Poor kiddo, he even had a little bit of swelling in his face because of all the veggies he put up his nose.  We're supposed to bring Owynn back in if he develops a fever over 101 or starts to smell. He described it as not just normal bad breath, but a smell like something had crawled up in there and died, awesome.  Although the Dr. did tell us some funny stories about stuff he has found up other kids noses.  I didn't feel as bad after that.  So far so good though!  Both boys got their flu shots finally, and they weren't too happy with us.  Owynn got his first, and so when it was Oliver's turn he started whimpering when the nurse was rubbing his leg with alcohol.  I felt so bad, the poor kiddo knew what was coming.  After finishing at the Dr's office we drove by the new Chik-Fil-A, and it was crazy busy! The parking lot was full, and the drive through lane went around the building and almost out to the street.  We were pretty bummed we couldn't stop for dinner, especially John.  I felt pretty bad too, normally when we go up to see the Dr and the boys get shots we all go out to eat as a treat before heading home.  But we are flat broke at the moment and couldn't afford to.  

Work has been getting better thankfully.  It amazes me though the stupid questions I get.  Monday morning at 7:30am I get a call from a guy wondering if his dr. had approved his refill, uh no not yet,and then well why not!?  Maybe it's because you called in your rx at 7:30pm on a Sunday and with it being only 7:30am on Monday, your dr's office has yet to open.  They don't have magic elves that just approve prescriptions over night.  I nicely explained it to him, but honestly people! Please think before you call me and get all upset.  My favorite question I get though is "When will my dr call you back?"  Really? 1- I don't work for your dr's office. 2-I am not psychic.  I think it's kind of on par with "What time is the 3 o'clock parade?" at Disney.  Some days I have a hard time turning off the sarcasm at work.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is in a week.  Where has the fall gone?  Pretty soon John's brother will be coming for a visit during school break, then Christmas, then just 3 weeks later the boys will be 2!  This time of year always seems to go by too fast.

At the dr. Monday Owynn got to stand on the big scale! He is 25lbs now.  Oliver decided that since Owynn got to stand on it, then he needed a turn too, he is 28lbs now.  They are getting so big!














 

We Made A Ball Pit

Owynn and Oliver

Owynn and Oliver

Owynn and Oliver, what goobers!

 

Owynn and Oliver

Oliver

Owynn

During the summer I was having a pretty frustrating day with the boys.  So to contain them so I could finally manage to get something done, I turned the pack n play into a ball pit.  They boys had a ton of fun and my frustration melted away.  How can you be upset at this cuteness?  We got this idea from the one class we took while pregnant, about parenting multiples. 

all photos are the property of DoubleOTwins.com

I've been absent for a bit. Can't. Stop. Watching.

I've been pretty absent from the internet in general for the past two weeks.  We discovered Once Upon A Time on ABC.  And we couldn't stop watching, thank you for Netflix and Hulu.  We watched all 22 episodes of season 1 and are mostly caught up on season 2, we just need to watch the episode that aired on Sunday.  I am both happy and a little sad to be caught up.  I'm happy to be caught up, but at the same time I can't watch multiple episodes back to back, now I have to deal with commercials, and worst of all I have to wait an entire week for a new episode!  The show is the story of all of your traditional fairy tale characters, but they have been brought to our world by a curse from the evil queen from Snow White.  They live their new lives in Storybrooke, Maine with no memories of their fairy tale lives, and it's up to one person to break the curse.  We are totally in love with this show now!

In other news, we need to take Owynn to the Dr. Monday afternoon.  He decided that instead of eating his veggies Saturday night, he decided he should stick them up his nose.  Ew!  I pulled a pea out Saturday night, then he sneezed out a kernel of corn.  I thought that was it, until Sunday afternoon he sneezed out two carrot chunks.  Oh man, now I'm worried that he has more food shoved up there.  I called the on call doctor who told me that it's not an emergency, but he needs to be seen to make sure there isn't anything else up there.  I can't see this being a pleasant visit.  Oh well, we needed to go up to see the Dr. anyways, it's past time the boys had their flu shots.

Hopefully your Monday will be better than mine, and that Owynn doesn't have any more food up his nose!

Carven Der Pumpkin

Owynn, Mommy, Oliver

Mommy and Owynn

I did in fact get stuck working until 10pm on Halloween, I wasn't very happy about that.  Then to top it off I had to be back at work at 7am.  I was not a happy camper.  We did have a pretty good week though, aside from work.  I baked like 6 dozen Halloween sugar cookies.  I rolled them out, cut them into fun little shapes, and frosted them and everything.  I made a big deal about carving a pumpkin and we had a lot of fun!  John had to cut the top off the pumpkin, but the boys and I did everything else (well ok so I did most of it).  Oliver wasn't too into it, but Owynn had a great time.  We tried really really hard, but we just couldn't stop Owynn from trying to eat the seeds and pumpkin guts.  Mr I didn't want to eat my grilled cheese for dinner just couldn't stop! 

Oliver Checking Out The Pumpkin

Oliver stole a cookie off the table

Owynn rolling the pumpkin

Owynn stole a cookie too!

Oliver, Mommy, Owynn

Owynn...mmm...Pumpkin

We had so much fun carving our pumpkin! I am pretty darn proud of how it turned out too.  John and I spent most of the time saying "Carven Der Pumpkin", all we could think about was this video.  Man do we LOVE the Muppets!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

brought to you by Stacy

We completely messed up our sleep schedule yesterday, but man my nap was nice.  I got home from work just before 5 and we put the boys down for a nap soon after.  They weren't too happy about Mommy getting home from work and then putting them down for a nap though.  John and I were pretty worn out so we decided to take a "quick" nap too.  Ya, so that totally didn't go as planned.  We woke up at 9:30pm and the boys were still sleeping! Crap!  So the boys didn't actually go to bed until about 12:30am and I think I managed about 2 & 1/2 more hours before having to get up for work in the morning.  I am doing surprisingly okay right now.

Work has been crazy busy and the grumpy customers have been out in force.  Which I am sure will get even better since they just cut our hours (ugh! Please note the sarcasm here).  I love this video, and seriously this stuff actually happens way too often.  I have literally dealt with everything in this video. 

I am pretty positive I am going to get stuck working the late shift on Halloween and I am pretty bummed about it.   I am hoping to have a Halloween themed weekend at least.  I want to make Halloween shaped frosted sugar cookies.  I have my Mum's homemade sugar cookie and frosting recipe, they are so incredibly good.  I also want to carve a pumpkin or two.  We did this every year growing up and I haven't done it in a long time.  Now that we have the boys I want to start carving them every year.  I always loved it growing up.  It should be lots of messy fun!

Hopefully this week will get a bit better.  Tomorrow is payday and time for more budgeting, that always gets me depressed.  Happy Tuesday, at least the weather here is gorgeous! 

Beginning Potty Training

I've been generally leaving the when of potty training up to John since he will probably end up with the brunt of potty training.  He's home with them every day, and plus they're all boys and Mummy doesn't have those parts.  We have one pretty basic straight forward potty seat.  We pulled it out today in hopes that the boys may be interested in it and to try to get them used to it before we really dive into potty training.  Well interested in it they were.  They fought big time over who got to sit on the potty seat.  They yelled, pushed, shoved, and cried big tears about who was sitting on the potty seat.  I have never seen them fight like that, it was definitely not the reaction we were expecting.  Apparently we are going to have to get a second potty seat sooner rather than later, because sharing one just is not going to work.  At least they are showing interest in it though.   

The Terrible Twos Are Almost Upon Us!

In just 3 & 1/2 short months the boys will be 2, I can hardly believe it!  And I can already start to see "The Terrible Twos" approaching.  The boys are slowly becoming more independent and trying to deal with all those crazy emotions they have.  One of Owynn's favorite words is "Mine!"   This morning he took a book right out of Oliver's hands, declared it "Mine!", and then lays down to read it.  (Well look at it, they aren't quite reading yet.)  Though Oliver is by far the bigger drama queen of the two; he's always been that way.

They are good at letting us know what they want, and then letting us know how they feel if they don't get their way.  Owynn insists on having naked time while I am getting them ready for bed, and is very upset if he doesn't get to run around that way for at least a few minutes before I put his jammies on.  They like to do things for themselves now too.  They help me get them undressed, and also put their shoes on and take them off.  The boys insisted on coming into the bathroom with me the other night, and while I was in there Owynn threw a bunch of their bath toys into the tub and then tried to take off his clothes.  He wasn't too happy when I said it was already past their bedtime and would take a bath this weekend.  

The boys are pretty good at sharing for the most part.  They do tend to fight over a single toy if they both want to play with it.  Although if one of them takes a toy from the other, we tell them to give it back to their brother, they usually do what we ask but you can tell they aren't too happy about it.  The one thing they refuse to share now is food.  Although, if I hand one of the boys two of something, they will bring the second one right over to their brother.  They each have to have their own now.  Like bananas, I used to be able to feed them one banana together, now they absolutely insist on having their own.  When we give them donuts (they think it's the best food ever!) they really want one to eat by themselves.  Unless they are in their highchairs and I am in the mood to deal with that giant mess, they usually just end up sharing one.

Stick with me here as I go off on a brief tangent to share some of their cute donut eating stories.
Sometime around the beginning of the year we had an almost empty box of a dozen donuts sitting in the laundry basket, on top of some clothes, with the whole thing sitting on top of the couch.  I went to the bathroom for like 2 minutes and I came back to find this:

          

(I love Oliver's face in this photo, he's the one in the background behind Owynn.)

A couple months ago John brought home donuts for everyone, and then was feeding them to the boys.  They boys got so happy and excited about having donuts that they came running over to me and gave me giant hugs.  John was like hey where are my hugs? 

Just last week John brought home some donuts.  I got them out and showed the package to Owynn and his eyes got HUGE and he just started SHAKING all over! OMG donuts, I am soooo excited! (Is what I imagine he was thinking).    

The boys are starting to throw tantrums already.  Oliver freaked out today when I tried to put him in his car seat (both going to and from the store).  Then when we got home he didn't want to go into the house.  He laid down outside the door and threw a fit.  Owynn seeing what Oliver was doing, then laid down and started copying his brother. Ugh!  On our way up the sidewalk I asked the boys to hold hands to keep them from running all over the place (this by the way is the cutest thing EVER) and when Owynn let go to climb up the step to the front door Oliver also started crying.  It really didn't help today though that they were both past due for nap time.  I have to say though, they were very well behaved while we were shopping in the store.  *knock on wood* and I am about to jinx myself here, there haven't been any breakdowns while grocery shopping.  I did take the boys to Barnes and Noble by myself last weekend, that did not go well.  That was my fault though, by the time we made it there after our other errands, they were very tired and ready to go home, and I didn't have the stroller with me.  

Overall though, the boys really are very well behaved.  But I can see the "terrible twos" creeping up on us, and will be here before we know it.  They are growing up so fast!

Holy Baby Talk Batman!

Apparently Owynn has decided he is ready to talk, because all of a sudden he is saying new words left and right.  Before he could say:

All done
More = Mo
Mama
Dada
Drink = Dink
Cracker = cracka
Mine

In the past WEEK or so Owynn is now saying:

Grandpa = Papa
Please = Peas
Door = Do
Hot = Haw
Cold = Co
Poop = Poop poop (he sounds adorably like Poof from the Fairly Odd Parents)
Hi
Bye Bye
Night night = Nigh nigh

When asked what a kitty says he says Maaaooow
When asked what a doggy says he says Woof woof
When asked what a monkey says he shakes his finger and says tsk tsk tsk (which is what the monkeys do in one of his favorite books, Caps for Sale). 
He also now holds his finger up to his lips and says Shhhhh (which he picked up from The Monster At The End of This Book).

Owynn is also working hard at saying his letters, he can say a few.  Dr. Seuss' ABC book is the favorite of both boys, we read it several times a day.  Our board book copy is pretty beat up already, it's been chewed, bent, and had food spilled on it.  I actually bought it while I was still pregnant with them.  When they get a bit older I plan on buying it in a normal paper page book.   

Oliver isn't saying nearly as much as Owynn at the moment, but he is further along in other aspects.  Oliver has gotten really good at climbing up and down the stairs upright holding the railing.  He loves numbers, we count things like crazy now.  He also is pretty good at figuring things out, and catches on really quickly.  The other day I asked him to bring me a diaper and he found one, but it was underneath his highchair (we use the small chair top ones).  He tried to pick it up but couldn't.  He stood there for a minute looking at it, then picked up his highchair and moved it, then brought me the diaper.  He knows how to work a smart phone, and knows what the mouse, mouse pad, and keyboard are for on the computer.  On my phone I have a radio app and a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic sound bite app.  He can turn on my phone, slide the screen saver up, and navigate around to find exactly what he wants.  He knows what button turns on my in-laws TV, he also knows how to do it at home too.  Home is a bit more complex.  In the morning he will turn on the tv, the receiver for the sound system, then go and get the clicker for the cable box so either John or I can turn it on.  When we are getting ready to go out, Oliver will go up to the entertainment center and turn off both the tv and the receiver.  He is one smart cookie.

I find myself comparing the two of them probably more often than I should.  I have to remind even myself occasionally that even though they are twins, they are two totally different people.  They are fraternal twins which means that they came from two different eggs.  So they are like any other siblings, they just happened to be born at the same time (well you know, 2 minutes apart).     

18 Month Check Up

The last weekend in July I took Friday off and enjoyed a nice long weekend.  Friday we all went up to Omaha to see the Dr. (s).  I made four appointments back to back and hoped that my Dr.’s weren’t too delayed.  We go to a small office in a new addition at one of the area hospitals.  I know my OB is always late, so I scheduled her appointment last.  All four of us see one primary Dr. (who is amazing by the way) so when I schedule us multiple appointments (3 that day), they usually just put us in the big exam room together and see us all at once.  Thankfully everything went as planned and I made my second appointment with my OB on time (yay).    

 The boys were there for their 18 month check-up.  They are doing well; Owynn is still slowly but surely gaining weight.  With everything that boy eats I’m amazed he doesn’t weigh more.  He normally eats more than Oliver, we just can’t figure out where he puts it all.  Owynn is 21lbs 16oz and 30 ½ inches long (he’s 2 & ½ feet tall!) Oliver is now putting good distance between himself and Owynn at 24lbs 13oz and 31 inches long.  If Oliver keeps growing at this pace he’s going to be fully in 2T clothes by Christmas.  My boys are getting too big too fast.  I did bring up to the Dr. that they aren’t really talking much yet.  From what I read this age is the time where they start picking up a lot more words and the really just aren’t.  The Dr. asked us if they “talk” to each other, and they do, A LOT.  He said because they are twins they essentially have their own language and can understand each other, so to them there really isn’t much need to be able to talk yet.  They boys say a few words, like Mommy, Daddy, all done, cheese, cracker, and some more they are working towards.  The Dr. told us not to worry, they are “talking” to each other and they understand pretty much everything we say to them, they will talk eventually.  And if for some reason they haven’t started talking much more by their birthday, we will talk about it some more then.  Owynn didn’t handle the visit very well; he cried the whole time the Dr. was looking at him.  Oliver on the other hand did amazing, not only did he not make a peep, he actually toddled over to the Dr. and asked to be picked up.  He sat like such a good little boy on our Dr.’s knee while I was talking to him about my stomach stuff. 

My stomach is still being stupid, but lately it’s been a little less so.  I’m still getting motion sickness way more than I should, but I haven’t had a random episode recently.  Since all my tests have come back normal so far he is going to try me on a new acid reflux medication and see how I do.  I also saw my OB who gave me the green light on another pregnancy whenever we are ready.  That didn’t really do much to help my baby fever, which I still have and still needs to go away. 

After our appointments we went out to lunch at this really yummy sandwich shop called Which Wich.  We shouldn’t have spent the money on lunch out, but after a day spent at the dr. and the stress of everything that has been going on lately, I decided we needed it. 

Every time we go back up to Omaha I find myself missing our little suburb we used to live in more and more.  Even though it’s about 45-60 minutes from our family and friends, it is such a nice town.  It still has a small town feel even while developing quickly.  Eventually (several years from now) we will have to decide where we want to settle down (i.e.: buy a house, which we WILL make happen).  John pointed out to me yesterday that here a house costing $124,000 with a 30 year mortgage at a full percentage point above the current rate would cost approximately $596 a month before adding in any extras to the financing.  That pretty much blew my mind, why was I thinking we’d be paying like $1,000 a month for a home???  Here’s to hoping that in 5 years we will actually be looking at buying a home.

Sick Day and One LONG Week

I decided to take a much needed sick day on Thursday.  I always feel guilty about calling in to work, mostly because I know by doing so it effects all my co-workers and usually creates more work for them.  But I try to remind myself that work gives employees sick days for a reason, and that I rarely call in sick.  Everyone here had caught a cold, it made the boys extra grumpy.  For some reason I just couldn't sleep Wednesday night, I felt like crap, was achy, and completely worn out.

Let's back up though.  I've had some ongoing stresses lately, like our finances and my upcoming HIDA scan on Friday (which I am dreading).  My glasses broke on Monday, which is so not what I needed right now.  Although perhaps I should look on the bright side, I am beyond due for an eye check.  I can tell that my eyesight has been getting worse.  Tuesday by the end of the day I was just done.  I was feeling horrible and the boys were super fussy.  I fed them dinner after which they both had a massive bout of diarrhea.  It was an awful poopy mess.  Ugh!  By the time we got them to bed around 9:30ish I was done.  I had been up and constantly going since 6am.  I told John that even though we shouldn't spend the money I wasn't cooking and it was fast food for dinner.

By the time Friday rolled around though things were much better.  Everyone was feeling good and I actually got an early shift that day and was done by 5pm.  It made my weekend seem much longer.  We took the boys to the mall Friday afternoon and we had a good time pushing them around and window shopping.  We went because I had to get my engagement ring it's twice yearly cleaning and inspection in order to keep my warranty valid. 

Our weekend was fun.  On Saturday we all went over to a friend's house for "Dine For A Dollar".  Everyone brings $1 then heads off to the grocery store to decide what can be made for everyone.  We had veggie fried rice, egg drop soup, and salad.  It wasn't too bad and it was lots of fun.  We had a good time hanging out with some friends we don't see terribly often.  The boys had a great time playing with our friends' son who is about a year older than them.  Sunday we ended up at my in-laws doing laundry.  But summer laundry days are definitely not boring.  We spent a couple hours at the pool with two little boys who think they are fishies and then we stayed for a yummy dinner.  It was a nice way to end what was a long rough week. 

Our Twins are Too Cute for Their Own Good

The boys have been acting super cute lately.  They do things that are frustrating, but I love them to pieces and can't stay upset for very long.  Case in point; I was changing Oliver's very poopy diaper yesterday and just after I had finished cleaning him up Owynn distracted me.  Oliver quickly rolled over and started to crawl away, but then he just stopped mid-crawl.  Then he started peeing on both himself and the carpet (awesome), but then he looks at me like "what did I just do?"  I really am starting to think we need to think about potty training soon.

The other day the boys got into the package of baby wipes, I couldn't get mad though.  I looked over and Oliver was trying to clean himself and Owynn was trying to clean Oliver.  Apparently they have picked up on my slightly obsessive hand and face washing.  You could say I am somewhat of a germaphobe.   I used some hand sanitizer earlier tonight (5/16) and Owynn started rubbing his hands together while watching me.  They will also try to clean their hands and faces after eating if I give them a baby wipe.  They are still too little to be anything but adorable while trying to do it.

(5/17):  Last night when we put the boys to bed we couldn't find Oliver's little Pooh rattle.  So John went out to the living room to look for it.  When he came back into the boys' room he found me looking under Oliver's crib, Oliver looking under their little set of shelves, and Owynn looking under the changing table.  They are starting to copy what we do quite a bit. 
I had this "conversation" with Oliver yesterday:
Me: mama
Oliver: dada dada dada
Me: mama
Oliver: dada dada dada
Me: mama
Oliver: dada dada dada
Me: cheese
Oliver: cheeee! 
*sigh*

 Owynn called me Mama a little bit later thankfully.  Usually the only time they call me Mama is when they hurt themselves or are really upset. 

They are so good about bed time too.  We tell them that it's bedtime and Owynn wants me to pick him up while Oliver toddles into his room and over to his crib.  Even when Oliver doesn't want to go to bed, he toddles into his room crying all the way.

During football season John and my MIL were trying to teach the boys to raise their arms for touchdowns.  Well we were watching baseball the other day, with Owynn in my lap all of a sudden he lifts his arms up for a touchdown.  I giggled, I said it was the wrong sport, but good job anyways.

I don't think they'll have any problem providing us with an endless supply of cute.  =)