Three Months!!

The boys are now three months old and I don't' know where the time has gone. They are SO much bigger, especially Ryan. Justin is currently suffering from his first cold and has a slight cough but no fever--which is more than I can say for Abigail and Guy when he had it. Although they still sleep a bunch they are so much more alert. They love to watch Abigail and Zoey, again especially Ryan. They don't go to the doctors this month so there are no stats on height and weight, although this month they "outgrew" the size one diapers and are no longer wearing 0-3 month clothes.

Ryan likes to watch TV, more so for the lights and colors and he likes any toys that have lights.

Justin loves music and is calmed by his music box teddy and his new glowworm he got for Christmas. The boys love tummy time and like being down and out on the playmat batting at their toys and watching and listening to the star that Grandpa fixed for them. In the past two weeks they have really started kicking their feet both on the playmat and in the bouncy chairs. They have started using the bumbo, for short periods of time--their head control is great, but it's a lot of work so they don't stay in it for very long. Ryan has also been in the exersaucer and really liked a yellow octopus which is on it. We also got out and about to enjoy the warm weather we had and went to the Elmwood zoo and Longwood Gardens. The boys also continue to be very smiley babies and Ryan loves to "talk" and hold a conversation, while Justin is still just learning to use his voice. A few days before Christmas we were lucky enough to snap a picture of them when they were BOTH smiling for us!

Both boys did well on Christmas day. Justin was super smiley in the morning and late evening. Both boys let me eat dinner without interruptions. They didn't get to really look at all the colors on the Christmas wrapping paper like Abigail did when she was their age, but that's because she was ripping off all of the wrapping paper for them. Justin did however like the sounds of the crinkling wrapping paper. Ryan started blowing raspberry's on Christmas day and Pop-pop was the first to hear them.

Nursing--we're still nursing so that is a good thing.(bottles are still not going so well--that's not a good thing) During the day they still nurse every 2-3 hours and it truly depends on whether they are awake or asleep for how long they go. They still start to scream if hungry and the other one is eating, even if not sitting right in front of me, the sense of smell is really amazing. Tandem nursing is going well in bed, when I try in the mornings but is not something I'm pursuing at this time.

Sleeping--they are going to bed between 9pm and 10pm and up until the past few nights(over the holidays), the boys were sleeping 6-7 hours before waking up to eat. Then they will go back down for another 3-4 hours. We are starting to try and move bed time up to closer to 9pm or earlier but for now that hasn't worked so well. The boys are also still swaddled at night, but are getting to big for the swaddles and should be moving out of them soon.

Things we hope to accomplish this upcoming month:

no more swaddling

naping in their crib

earlier bed time

better bottle taking

Better Than I Could Have Hoped

Well it is now Christmas Night, almost the same time as I was writing last night and Christmas 2008 is almost already a thing of the past. I am finally just settling down for the evening with a glass of wine--but unlike what I had expected, it's not the first I'm enjoying the day. Many gifts are away, toys put together, gadgets already used, the kitchen and house somewhat cleaned up and we even found gifts that we forgot to give to the boys(their just not old enough to tell us yet--as I might have done once upon a time)and tomorrow will be yet another busy day for us. But as the title says Christmas 2008 was better than I could have hoped for. Both boys did well last night and were awake at 5 and then 8:30am to nurse and Abigail was up a little after 9am and we got our day started opening gifts etc. Abigail I think was more excited by our matching pjs, than the sight of all the gifts but she was cute as ever. She ripped into gifts and unwrapped like a speed demon and was more than willing to help everyone else also unwrap their gifts, if given the chance. Our day was jam packed full of excitement as promised, the day started with just the five of us and Zoey(geez that sounds funny) then grandma and grandpa came over, followed by Nana and Pop-pop we then ate and finished up gifts with Nana and Pop-pop and then off to bed for the little ones. Guy then put together toys of Abigail's, which he promised, so she can play with them tomorrow. But I've gotten ahead of myself.... Dinner was fantastic and although "we" cooked, I can take no more credit than planning what we were eating. Guy did EVERYTHING with a little, much appreciated, prep work from Grandpa and Pop-Pop--and the meal was timed perfectly and tasted fantastic. Christmas was not at all what I expected and I guess the lack of stress put on me by everyone was part of my gift from them to me. The boys were wonderful, Abigail was full of joy and energy and everyone else was beyond helpful in their own ways. Santa was very giving in the Delp household this year, but in the years to come that's not what we'll remember. What I will remember is that my lap, arms and heart were filled this year with love and joy. Merry Christmas everyone!!

Christmas Eve

Yes it is still Christmas Eve, as I'm FINALLY sitting down to write this post. That means that all of the gifts are made, wrapped, the baking is done and the kiddos are in bed. Guy is watching a Christmas Story and I'm blogging. This year has been particularly hard for me to get in the Christmas spirit and even though we have plenty to be thankful for and many reasons for which was are very blessed this holiday season. I read a blog entry from one of my favorite sites called How Do You Do It, written by other mothers of multiples. A MoM wrote about how she had made a plate for Santa with her wish list on it, and it talked of two toddlers who sleep through the night and other various things, the post made me cry, b/c it hit so close to home this year. My kids are all great sleepers and I certainly wouldn't wish away the years, before I know it my kids will be all grown up. BUT, it's been hard to enjoy this season with two newborns and a toddler. I've felt very unorganized, we don't have Christmas cookies, the gifts aren't perfectly wrapped and some gifts and cards just didn't get sent out on time. We're hosting and cooking Christmas dinner tomorrow and although Guy will do most of it my help will be needed. My biggest fear is that I won't get to actually sit back and enjoy the holiday and take it all in, b/c I'll just need to "get through" the day and then the next day and even on the weekend--between opening gifts and cooking dinner and nursing babies and trying to keep an overtired, excited toddler somewhat under control etc. I know I will get help from everyone who is here, but I also know how overwhelming the day will be for me. However, I really WANT to enjoy tomorrow and the boys first Christmas, after all they only get ONE first Christmas. So here's hoping to the calmest day possible tomorrow. My Christmas wish is to try and relax and see Christmas through the eyes of my two year old who will walk down the stairs and see all the gifts and try and say so much that her words will get all jumbled b/c she can't get it all out fast enough.

Please Stop

We have been working on potty training off and on with Abigail. So this evening I could tell she had to go and she was willing so into the bathroom we went. Well after sitting and a little dancing and her still not going I kept asking first if she had to go stinky. She apparently was confusing that with getting her sticker book, b/c she gets two stickers if she is successful. So I changed what I was saying and asked if she had to go poopy. I asked this several times with her still dancing around in the bathroom, avoiding eye contact etc. still obvious to me that she had to go, when she finally said "Please Stop", which means in our house that you really need to stop what you're doing now. So Guy asked "Please stop what?" So she looks me in the eyes and says "Please stop asking me if I have to go poopy". Out of the mouths of babes. So that was the end of trying to get her to go on the potty for that time and the diaper went back on. I was trying so hard not to laugh, but that wasn't possible and Nana and Pop-pop were out in the other room. Nana too was laughing, which then prompted Abigail to ask "Nana what are you laughing at?" --something else she says a lot recently. Oh Abigail, sometimes you really can be my comic relief, sometimes...

Describe your child in one word

Abigail: Joyful
Justin: Sweet
Ryan: Captivating

This is simply how I'm feeling today about my children, who knows what tomorrow will bring, or what word will describe them then..but these are my thoughts for today!!

The good and the bad

It seems like when I haven't written in our blog in a while it probably means that it's been a rough couple of days. I don't always like to write about the hard times or the times when I just joined in with the crying because it was just easier to get it all out. But the good news is that as rough as it is sometimes just a little time away, a great husband and good friends seem to make everything better. The beginning of last week was a very rough couple of days and I didn't know if we would all make it to the end of the week, and we even had help. But on Wed. just about when I hit my breaking point, I knew I was headed out to a holiday dinner with the other MoMs and I knew that if anyone were to truly understand and not just be sympathetic it would be them. To be honest I didn't even know if I really wanted to go because the boys hadn't been taking bottles and even getting away doesn't always seem worth it if you come back into a house of screaming babies who are hungry and can be and should be demanding of me the second I walk through the door. But out I went to have a good time and decided to let Guy and Grandma hold down the fort. On the way home, although I had a Great time and had a chance to relax, I was still apprehensive as to what I was going to walk in on. To my surprise, I walked into a decorated house and two happy babies, who had both taken a bottle--Yay boys, daddy and grandma!! It was a WONDERFUL surprise and I felt once again refreshed as if yes I can do this.
The weekend also provided us with some nice times of normalcy and that always helps. Friday evening we had a great time with friends and their children- it was a chance to get together, have the kids play and just chat. There was no fancy sit down meal, just pizza and cookies something everyone could enjoy. Guy and I each had a chance to go Christmas shopping this weekend. We also went to the Elmwood Zoo on Sunday as a family. It was the boys first trip to the zoo and it was a good time. Abigail also had her first bites of Cranberry bread which she liked and was important simply because it was the first time she had any nuts, no allergic reaction noted so we'll keep trying other nuts. Doing things as a family is so important to me for life to feel normal. I often shy away from doing things with all of us, just because it isn't as easy as it used to be, but then I feel guilty that we have done next to nothing with the boys compared to all the things Abigail did by this age--even though they'll never remember or know. I also feel guilty that we're not taking Abigail to holiday things because of her brothers and my fear of what going out may turn into. However yesterday went well and tonight we're headed out to Longwood Gardens. So we're taking baby steps at doing things out and about, others are usually impressed we're doing as much as we are, yet it's not in my nature to want to stay in. I need to get out to keep my calm and yet not be out and running around so much that it's too hectic for all of us. Finding the happy medium is difficult but we're doing our best. I think this will be a long week, Nana is out of town and not around for that call to come over earlier or just to talk to on the phone for me or Abigail. So hopefully we'll have a good week, Mondays are always hard because I never know what the week will hold. But I try to take it one day at a time and sometimes just one hour at a time or even less, but this past weekend helped refresh me and get me ready for the week to come.

Christmas Pictures

I need to start by saying that as a little girl/tween I HATED going and getting Christmas pictures done, yet I did it every year, even when I was in Spain b/c I just couldn't not go. Well I must admit that I am now putting my children (and husband) through that same torture, even we got very nice pictures for our christmas cards last night at the house. So with a lot of help from Nana, we made it out of the door by 10:55 for an 11:30 appt down at Sears. We met Guy there and all was well. The boys ate shortly before we left and everyone was good to go, until we got there. To say they were short staffed was an understatement and not only that but one of the two people that was working was new and didn't know how to do anything honestly. So we waited patiently and then not so patiently untill we were eventually taken back, almost 30 minutes late if not more. So by now, the boys are looking to eat again and suprisingly Abigail did not ask to eat, but it was getting to be lunch time for her. We go back in the tiny room, three kids, three adults and a photographer who has no clue about taking newborn pictures let alone twin newborn pictures in addition to a toddler. I also have to state that I got a phone call the night before asking the ages of the kids, what backgrounds/poses we were looking for etc, all in efforts to make today go smoother--I'm still not really sure of the purpose of that call as it did no good today. So as the photographer is looking for something out of the room, I truly thought that Guy was just going to take the picture himself. So after a few pictures and the photographer telling us that Abigail needs to look into the little circle...yeah right...we snapped a few pictures had Abigail sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to get some smiles we were lucky enough to get a great picture. Abigail is smiling, both boys are awake and Ryan's fuss even looks like a smile. Was it a Perfect picture...no there are things I would change, but is any picture perfect with newborn twins and a toddler-- I think not and it was pretty darned near perfect!! After all the pictures were snapped, the boys ate again, Abigail ate cheerios we picked out our one pose, paid a great price for everything we'll eventually get, everyone left happy. Some more than others, but happy none the less. Do I think I'll do it again--probably not, I told Guy he wouldn't have to do this next year, I'm not crazy enough to try again with a three year old and two 15 month old boys. Will I be able to give up the tradition easily, knowing me--NO, but I'm sure Guy will remind me of the fun/or lack there of, that we had today, and we'll just get our near perfect pictures at home!!
I do have to note though that now that we are home, the pictures deffinitely tuckered everybody out, and I have THREE sleeping kiddos that all went down without a fuss. I too should probably take a nap, Lord knows I need one, but the peace and quiet of this moment has given me the opportunity to catch up on some blogging that I so enjoy doing!!

Pictures with Santa

The boys both got to sit on Santa's lap for the first time. They didn't really tell him what they wanted for Christmas and if they did we didn't hear it, but they were both good boys. Abigail is not so fond of Santa, or the idea of sitting on Santa's lap, but I really wanted a picture of the boys with him. So Guy, the boys and I went out to lunch and then headed to the Coventry Mall to see Santa, while Abigail was having fun in the city with Nana and Pop-pop. While waiting in line both boys were awake but by the time that it was our turn, Ryan was asleep and Justin was the only one awake. In the picture, Santa is the only one smiling, but it's a memory and a picture that I will always have and cherish of the boys first Christmas and first picture with Santa. I'm not sure when I'll get a picture of all three of my kiddos with Santa--probably not for the next two Christmas's if the boys are anything like Abigail. She has not enjoyed sitting with Santa since she was the boys age--so for now we'll take what we can get and remember how blessed we are this Christmas season.

our first conversations

Ryan has become more and more vocal and when he starts he doesn't stop. It is so great it's like he's having a whole conversation, he just chatters away and smiles!! We took this short video when Abigail was with Nana and Pop-pop and Justin was sleeping. I think he enjoyed the one on one time something that's hard to come by around here.

Two Big Boys

The boys went to the doctors today for their two month check up. I must say that as crazy as this sounds, going to the pediatrician is a real ego booster for me. We are VERY blessed to have two healthy boys and I in part get recognition for that. They are always thrilled that the boys are doing so well, impressed at their weights and that they're both exclusively breastfeeding and doing great. The nurse today even remembered me and the boys from when they were delivered and how well we all did and how rare it is these days, to deliver such big twins vaginally.

Anyway the boys did great with four shots each and their first dose of the rotavirus, which they kept down and didn't give any back to us, which Abigail did.

So on to the stats:
Justin:weighed: 12lbs 14.5 oz (75%)
length: 25 inches (97%)
head circumference: 15.5 (40%)

Ryan: weighed: 13lbs 7.5 oz (90%)
length: 23.5 inches (75%)
head circumference: 15.25 (25%)

Yes you read that right my little dude surpassed his brother in the weight department and gained 3.5 lbs in the past month. So for now Ryan looks like my chunky monkey.

Thanksgiving

We truly have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Our morning started out by watching the Thanksgiving day parade something that I've always enjoyed doing--and you don't just watch the parade, you channel surf between all the channels so that you're watching the best parts of all the parades. Perhaps I should have asked Guy about picture in picture, but maybe that's an idea for next year. Then the most important part of the parades is making sure you see Santa on EVERY channel. Abigail was not all that impressed by the parades and I can't blame her they do tend to be long, but she wandered in and out of the room when I'd call her to show her something that she'd like. She really enjoyed the Disney Characters and the Sesame Street ones as well and she waved at them, it was very cute. Then around noon, Nana and Pop-pop came over to start cooking the meal--Nana and Pop-pop always do Thanksgiving but lucky for us, they decided it would be easier for everyone to for us to stay put here and they'd come to us. Later in the afternoon Grandma and Grandpa came over, we took some family pictures outside since it was such a beautiful day and we ate a wonderful meal. ,
I critiqued the meal for Pop-pop as I always do and he did a really great job this year, only the onions needed some help. I'm sure some day Abigail will do this to me too and I'll get my paybacks. Abigail did a great job in her big girl booster chair and the boys took a front row seat, in their bouncy chairs. Ryan ate right before dinner, as we were running few minutes later than planned, as always, and he couldn't wait. But I was then able to eat my whole meal, without a peep from Justin and then right after dinner it was his turn to eat. Later in the evening both boys were awake and we had them sitting facing each other, until it turned into more of a wrestling match--is this what I have to look forward to at all family gatherings for years to come?
The evening was then completed by watching football, another Thanksgiving tradition, and the Eagles even played so it was more exciting than just watching a random game. AND not only did the Eagles play but they WON!!

Day and Night

I've written about comparisons before and while yes we still compare the boys, it's not all bad. Some of my posts are simply observations of the boys and how they are alike and different, at this time and point. So that someday when I've forgotten these newborn days I have something written down to look back upon. Nursing seems to be one of the many ways the boys are different. During the day Ryan usually has his eyes closed and just nurses and often takes his time and lingers, while at night he's all eyes and looks around yet doesn't nurse for as long. Justin seems to be the exact opposite--during the day he's all eyes and is easily distracted, but at night he gets to business and keeps his eyes closed, barely waking up to nurse--in fact most nights I wake him up to nurse so that I'm not up all night long and in hopes of keeping the boys on the same schedule.

2 Months Old

The boys turned 2 months old today and I can't BELIEVE how time has flown. Somehow 8 weeks sounds like a lot less time than 2 months. Both boys continue to do very well and are growing like weeds, way to fast if you ask me. We have yet to go to the dr. for our latest stats.

This month the boys have started sleeping in one crib in their room. The night time routine is getting better and they usually go down to bed between 9:30-10:30pm. They have slept through the night once but typically sleep for 5-6 hours for the first chunk, nurse and then go back to sleep for anywhere from 2-4 hours. Since they've moved over to their room, about a week ago and knock on wood, they haven't spent any time in the swing or bouncy chair at night. Both boys are still swaddled and look like long mummies. However in the next week or so I'm sure they will each get to keep one arm out of the swaddle. Hopefully this will not only help them soothe themselves but also because they tend to work really hard and get frustrated until they get one arm out.

During the day they still sleep quite a bit, but when they are awake we try and spend time on the playmat on the floor either on our backs hitting at toys or on our bellies working on head control and looking at toys. Awake time has been getting more and more fun as the boys have started smiling and interacting with us and enjoy vocalizing. For the time being Justin is my flirt and just has this adorable cute smile. Ryan smiles and then usually follows it up with making lots of sound and just captivates you and reels you in!! They are also better able to grasp objects such as rings, and my hair, hence one of the reasons I got it chopped off!!

Nursing, I'm still exclusively breastfeeding the boys which has been difficult more so in the time that it takes more than anything else. I haven't completely given up on tandem nursing but it has not gone as well as I had hoped and is very difficult when I'm here by myself. The boys nurse every 2-3 hours during the day. I had been stressing about keeping them on the same schedule, so I let it go a little bit this month. But having them get off schedule makes life even more difficult so I think I will again try to keep them closer together with their nursing sessions this month. They boys have found their hands and this has helped not only in self soothing but also an easier much nicer, quieter way of letting me know they are getting ready to eat instead of just screaming once they are really ready.

Some questions we've gotten this month regarding having twins is do they tend to look for one or the other of you to be comforted. My answer to that is mostly no, it seems like we hold Justin more often because he seems to be on edge a little bit more, but honestly Justin seems to be becoming a Mama's boy. He will be smiling and laughing with me, just have eaten and changed and be fine and then I leave and he tends to fuss for whoever is watching him, until I return. But this isn't to say that when I'm around he's not fussy or that I can calm him any better than anyone else. I've also been asked can you believe you have twins, or do you ever think Wow I have twins. My response to this is that when it's hectic--no believe me I'm quite aware of the fact that not only do I have twins but also a toddler. But when it's all calm and Abigail is sleeping and it's just the two boys and myself, I often think "WOW-- I have twins and I carried both of these beautiful boys inside me for almost 9 months. The last twin thing that really isn't a question is just their sense of knowing when the other is upset. They can be in different rooms and if one fusses the other starts as well, thankfully this doesn't seem to be true at night, even though I wake them both to eat at the same time.

Other things that have occurred this month have included your First Halloween, your Baptism and your First Thanksgiving--I hope to blog about the later two even though I have yet to do so. Life tends to be busy and blogging doesn't always happen when or even as often as I would like. But there you have the the long and short of it. It's been another fun month, at times long, but very rewarding and always a learning experience.

Smiley Man

Both boys have started smiling much more these days. Justin will smile anytime that he gets near Mommy or when you tickle his feet. He also is starting to really enjoy interacting with his mobile, rings or other toys that you dangle in front of him. This video is of Justin talking, smiling and hitting at the rings attached to his mobile on the upstaris swing. He was so proud of himself and so are we!! Way to go Justin, keep smiling.

1st night in a crib

Last night the boys slept in a crib together for the first time. They had been sleeping in the pack n play in our room. They both did great!! Ryan went for 6 hours and Justin for about 6.5 hours before they woke up to nurse. They were both a little unsure of going back to sleep in the crib but after some tears and screams of protest, being reswaddlded and some Mylicon all was well and they continued to sleep for 3 hours--Justin and 4 hours for Ryan. Good job boys!!!

Sleeping through the night!!

Last night BOTH boys slept THROUGH the night in the pack n play!!! Yesterday was a long day for them with the baptism and our schedule was off but that didn't seem to hurt them at all. Justin nursed at 10pm and Ryan around 10:30pm and Ryan woke up at 5am and we woke Justin up at 5:20am to nurse!! They are not yet in their crib, which is the goal for this week, we have to put a monitor in their room first. But not only did they sleep through the night , they did so in the pack n play and not the swing or the bouncy chair!!! Who knows how often this will happen and whether or not this is a sign of things to come but after a long day, I'll take it!!

Our First Snow

Thursday night we got our first dusting of snow. It was enough to cover the grass and was a very wet snow--perfect for making a little snowman. Although the grandparents have had snow at their houses already this year and Abigail has seen snow there, this was the first time we've had snow at our house since we've lived here. It was a little late at night for Abigail to go out playing, but she had a late afternoon nap and was so excited that it was "Snow Time." Also it was the boys first snow--so we bundled them up in their warm bear outfits and took their "first snow" pictures and got them back inside, then Guy and Abigail worked on making a snowman and Zoey ran around in the cool air.

Snuggles with Daddy

The bed time routine is to get Abigail down around 8:00 and then start swaddling the boys and feeding them around 9:30 so that both of them are down a little after ten. Tonight, Abigail went down as usual and so did Justin. Ryan however had a rough time falling asleep so I help in the rocker for awhile until he calmed down as was willing to fall asleep. Around that time however Abigail woke up crying (she had been feeling sick). She was crying so hard that I went into her room and found her sitting up sobbing. I picked her up and held her but as soon as I started to put her back in she broke out in tears again. So I decide to have her cuddle with me in the rocker which was really special. She just laid on my lap perfectly still and we both drifted in and out of sleep. Mommy came by to check on us which was good, although Abigail got upset when she left the room. We stay cuddled in the rocker for about an hour or so and once Abigail had fallen asleep I carried her back to the crib where she slept just fine. It was some of the best cuddle time we have ever had : )

Nicknames

So how did you name your kids? What nicknames do you or they have and how did they get them and lastly do you like them? Nicknames are difficult sometimes it something simple that just ends up sticking, like "guy" and often it's ok. But how you deal with it or what do you do if you don't like the nickname that someone has given you or your children. When we named Abigail we knew and still do know that some day if she chooses she may be an Abbey (with any various spellings) and at the time we liked that. However now we always call her Abigail and can't imagine ever calling her anything differently. I often wonder when others call her Abbey if she even knows they're talking to her or what she thinks of a name she's not used to being called. I'm almost surprised that she doesn't correct them, becuase she tends to correct everyone about almost everything including when we call Zoey by any of the random nicknames that we have for her. Many of the nicknames that we do have for Abigail are very random and we don't even really know where they came from and it's odd for me to hear others use these nicknames for her even though we do.

So this time around knowing how bothered I get or how I just don't think Abbey fits Abigail for a nickname we put a lot of thought into the boys names--trying to find names that didn't have nicknames per say. In fact it's one of the reasons we ruled out some names that we really liked. However we quickly found some nicknames for the boys as did others. Ryan is my "Little Dude" and Justin is my "Little Man" although I really call both of them both names. The other thing that I've caught myself doing, is saying can you get me "the other one". It's something I must say I'm not proud of because it would be so much nicer to say can you get me "his brother" or even use their names--Guy is much better at this than I am. What really made me think of this again was when I put them in Thing 1 and Thing 2 onesies--very cute, but not really nice I suppose, especially since I'm trying to get better about using their names. I guess even though Guy and I both go by our nicknames it's odd to say that I typically don't really like nicknames. Yet there are the small few that we've chosen for the kiddos that change over time and as new ones emerge the old ones are hopefully left behind but not forgotten.

When it rains it pours

I so often blog about our family and the kiddos, after all the name is Five and a Dog. This weekend my good friend Ami came down to visit us and spend a long weekend. So today I'm blogging about my afternoon/evening with Ami. Almost the whole time she has been here it's been raining or at least misty, foggy and cold. Yesterday we went shopping and of course right as we headed out of Khol's it started to POUR and we got SOAKED. Well as the saying goes "when it rains, it pours" --this could not have been more true. When we got to the Explorer we found that the battery was not working properly, so after a couple of calls to Guy we figured out what to do and got it under control but not after our clothes were completely soaked. You'd have thought that that might have put an end to our shopping trip but no, off to Target we headed. The rain had mostly subsided to a drizzle by this point but again when we got out of Target the battery wasn't working quite right. So Ami was kind enough to go "fix" the problem while I tried to start the car, needless to say I pulled up so far, in our VERY close parking spot--something that never happens at Target, that she had to jump over and basically in the bushes to get to the hood. Then to make matters worse apparently I forgot to say ok and our communication was lacking as I tried to start the car and sparks were flying-- in the end no damage was done just a surprised Ami, but the car started and we headed home to get warm and some food and drink. The whole experience was a good opportunity to share a good laugh and create a funny memory with a great friend.

Time Well Spent

We haven't had a chance to blog lately becuase time is precious and life has been very busy. We've been blessed with lots of visitors and lots of help and yet there often seems to not be enough time in the day to get everything or anything done. So as it was time to go to bed tonight and Ami and I were trying to decide whether or not to stay up and watch TV or go to bed. We talked about how I never know what the nights hold or when we'll be up again so we said good night and off to bed we went. Well last night that was deffinitely the right choice, not because the boys were up a lot or that it was a long night, but because it gave me cuddle, snuggle and quiet time with each of my boys. Ryan had a rough time falling asleep and maybe I just wanted to hold him a little bit longer while he's still so young, so we rocked on the rocker. Then Justin decided that he too needed a little Mommy time, I swear they know when the other is being held and know how to work me (and probable always will) so Justin cries, Ryan smiles because he's being held and then drifts off to sleep. So after Ryan gets back down I held Justin rocked him and then fed him--Ryan still had a few peeps and Justin smiles becuase now he's the one being heldand fed and then off to bed we all went.

Sleeping Beauty

If my boys could sleep on their bellies they certainly would, especially Justin. Today he decided that instead of working his muscles and his head control for tummy time he'd just take advantage of the pillow and use the time to sleep on his tummy. Eventually he took his head off of the pillow and just laid his head down on the play mat. It was so cute I couldn't resist taking a ton of pictures. He then just kept getting cuter and put his little bum up in the air and so I kept snapping pictures.

A story by Abigail...

Once upon a time there was a dog who went woof, and he went for a walk to the farm. Then he hid and he had something to eat--a bone, then he sat in chairs and he saw something and a big hug and gave a big a kiss and then he saw a man, then saw mommy and babies and tvs and some toys to play with, then he saw me and gave mommy a hug and kiss....(and then we started over at the beginning with once upon a time)....

Usually Abigail likes Guy to tell her stories and she lists all the things that are to be in the stories, generally starting with sharkie and the princess and various other things. Today she told me the story while we were sitting on the couch. So she looks around and names the things that are in the room and put them together as noted above, pretty smart and imaginative for a 25 month old, ok so I may be a little biased. Since this was the first time that she put so much together I started typing as she was telling me the story.

Little Bo Peep and her Sheep

Little Bo Peep and her Sheep had a great time "halloweening" according to Abigail. We tried to convince her that it was trick or treating which she thought was ok. Abigail even learned the words to Little Bo Peep but was too shy most of the time to say it without a lot of prompting.

In the early afternoon we tried to go see Mom Wetzel who wasn't feeling well and then we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. In the early evening we hit a couple of neighborhood houses and then over to the Pro's for a Halloween Open house and trick or treating around their townhouse development with a bunch of other little kiddos. Since it was such a warm night we even took the boys out with us and carried them.

We had a great time and it was nice to get out with friends not only for me but also Abigail. She talked all the way home about how fun trick or treating was and how she liked playing toys and getting candy!! The boys did very well and were cute as could be in their sheep costumes.

Saturday Nana and Pop-pop came over to check out the costumes and Abigail thought she was going trick or treating again...sorry Little Bo Peep not today. But it was a good opportunity to take a TON of pictures of the little ones all dressed up together without being rushed and Abigail could be bribed by the candy that she got the night before!! She has since talked about it almost everyday and even told Guy when he got home from work that she went trick or treating again on Mon. Silly girl....

Some One on One Time

It is often really difficult for any of us to find one on one time with anyone else in the house, but this weekend in addition to our family fun including Halloween and another trip to the river, we were all able to do so.

Guy and Abigail...they usually to get the most one on one time..going to church and working in the yard, playing in the basement and bath time tend to be some of the things they do a lot together.

Guy and the boys..well Guy got some of this time as well but not exactly the time that you may want. He got time alone with Justin listening to him scream for no apparent reason, while rocking him on the rocker trying to keep him out of hearing distance for the rest of us. I'm not sure what alone time if any Guy got with Ryan this weekend but he was part of the special bottle that Abigail gave to Ryan--and it was nothing like what giving a bottle was like to Abigail.

Me and the boys...usually that's what it is with little time with just one or the other. Ryan and I got some great snuggle time in bed after nursing one morning and we also were able to read some great books together that their great aunts have sent to them. Justin and I spent some time with him laying in his crib watching his mobile and he had huge smiles-probably his first real smiles.

Abigail and I...we got a lot of time together but not just the two of us and she and I got some special time playing in her house with her Alphabet puzzle.

Abigail and her brothers...Abigail got in Justin's crib with him and watched the mobile with him and just enjoyed time the two of them. They also got a big bath together with Guy's help. Abigail also gave Ryan his bottle all by herself for the first time with close supervision by Guy.

Guy and I..yes we too also got some alone time when Nana and Pop-pop watched all of the kiddos so we could get out and go to a nice dinner just the two of us!! It was close by and we were only gone for about an hour and a half but it was time well spent away from the house.

Dr's Appt--One month stats

The boys had their one month appt. today and they did great. They each got their second Hep B shot--Justin in the left leg, Ryan in the right leg, the first they got while in the hospital.

Justin weighed 10lbs 7 oz (75%), was 22 1/4 inches (75%) and his head was 14 3/4 inches (30%)

Ryan weighed 9 lbs 13 oz (50%), was 21 3/4 inches (50%) and his head was 14 1/2 inches (20%)

The visit was uneventful and the dr. thought they both looked great and was happy with everything he saw. They will go back in a month for their two month visit and next round of immunizations. Abigail was also a very good girl and looked at books while the boys were measured and weighed. She also got her second nasal spray of the flu shot and she was a champ.

One Month...

I CAN'T believe the boys are already a month old today. It was a pretty uneventful day and evening so far. We even all got a nap, Abigail, Nana with Ryan sleeping on her, Justin, both dogs and myself if only for a few minutes. Last night the boys did GREAT and slept for 5 hours before they woke up to eat for the first time. Who knows if it was a fluke or something that we have to look forward to.

Today we took pictures of the two boys on the chair, one set in regular onesies and one in Phillies onesies. We're hoping that they will help bring them luck, since Game 5 is being played again tonight.

So how far have we come in a month....

I don't have stats yet on weight and length--they're one month appt. is tomorrow. But the boys still fit in newborn clothes although they're getting tight length wise and 0-3 months tend to fit better, especially on Justin.

Nursing is getting much better. We're still nursing back to back, although we're trying tandem one or two times on day most days. You tend to nurse for about 10-15 min on avg. and tend to eat every 2 hours except one 3 hour stint during the day and then 3 or more hours at night--I can't complain. The boys will also take a bottle which is fantastic, although they're still not given the opportunity all that often, I tend to want them to nurse and not take as much help as maybe I should--we'll see as times goes by that too may change.

Night Time and Sleeping arrangements--well that depends on who, when and where...Ideally they would both be sleeping in the pack n play and eventually both in the same crib. Right now Justin does fairly well with this and spends most nights and most hours of the night there, however if he's not there he's usually in the swing. Ryan tends to spend less time in the pack n play although I'm really trying hard to start him there and get himself to sleep, which he's done better at the past couple of nights. He generally spends some time in the pack n play, some time in the bouncy chair and then in the early morning often in bed with us. I'd prefer not to have him in bed, as it's not a habit that I'd like to get into, but for now sleep is sleep and you do what you have to. And lastly sometimes two or three of us end up on our rocker/recliner. So hopefully I'll be able to update this in a month and have even better news on our sleeping arrangements. Both boys are swaddled, Justin likes to have his left arm out and Ryan looks like our little mummy all wrapped up. Most nights the boys are in bed by 9:30 or 10:00 which is great compared to Abigail at this age who was a night owl and up many nights until between 11 and 1am.

During the days Justin is my morning person and then my sleepy bear during much of the day. Ryan tends to be awake much more throughout the day and at night. When Justin is awake he enjoys playing on his playmat and batting at the duck and bird. He also tracks and follows the mirror with his eyes. He also responds very well to music and singing.

Overall I'd say the family is doing very well. We've gotten out as a family and I've gotten out with all three kiddos and even with just the two boys by myself on a miserable rainy cold day. Zoey is hanging in there, she has had a run in with eating the boys Mylicon. We've even survived a 4 day stint with Guy out of town, where Nana came for two nights and I spent one night alone with the boys while Abigail got to spend her first overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's. Things are still chaotic and we're continuing to figure it all out before it will change again, as it always does with babies. Some days are beyond overwhelming while others go smoothly and you'd never know that we have two newborns and a toddler in the house. So here's to a great month and many many more to come!!

Congrats PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES on a World Series WIN!! On the boys ONE month B-Day!!

TV Stars

Our boys are stars...what a proud mama moment, seeing your boys on TV. Ok so they had a little or a lot of help from Pop-pop who has a few TV news connections but our boys pictures were on TV tonight in their Phillies gear. The reporters say that the boys are 4 weeks old, which they were when it aired, but were about 2 weeks old when the picture was taken. Enjoy the videos!!

Weekend Fun..

What a weekend we had. It's great to be a Philly fan these days, the Phillies kept winning, The Eagles won, Penn State won, heck even the Flyers won!! We watched several of these games and were thrilled with the outcome of all of them. But what we really did this weekend was have some good family time.

There is a local winery-Salford Valley Winery and we have been there several times for their open wine tastings. We took Abigail when she was an infant and well we just "had" to take the boys as well. We almost always also take a friend or two with us- this time Trisha came with us and Nana and Pop-pop who first introduced us to the winery surprised us and showed up as well. It was a great outing, and a fun way to spend a couple of hours on a windy rainy day. Abigail had a good time playing with empty wine tasting cups and petting the newest kitten.

Later that evening we watched Penn State and eventually we saw some of the Phillies, but then we DVRd the rest b/c afterall we do have two newborns who require me to be awake in the middle of the night and I Do TRY and get as much sleep as I can.

Sunday we all took a walk down to the river. We took a ton of pics and hoped to see some trains or some nice fall foliage but we didn't see much of either. The wind the day before must have blown off most of the leaves and no trains were to be seen. The boys slept almost the entire time, until Justin decided he wanted to eat and then he let everyone know it.

Then after Abigail's nap we carved our pumpkin--again the boys slept through the family fun. They should be thankful, as we decided not to put any babies in the pumpkin this year, only Abigail had to suffer through that when she was a newborn. For those of you that never saw that picture I've included one. Then it was bath night for the boys and we again watched most of the Phillies game and finished the rest in the morning. The real question will be whether or not I can make it up for the whole game on Monday, since I'll be home with the boys alone.

So that was our weekend but here are just a few other things that we would like to remember:

• Ryan is our cry baby--meaning that when he cries he almost always has tears in his eyes it really makes you feel bad.
• Justin often has tummy problems and his cries tell of the pain he feels.
• Justin and Ryan, but more so Justin really enjoys the playmat and looking in the mirror and batting at the toys.
• Justin is my sleepy head, but is starting to get the night time routine down
• Abigail voluntarily came over and helped fold Ryan's hands to say prayers before bedtime

Grey skies and clouds with silver linings!!

Things have been rough. Rough days, rough nights and they take turns and the boys take turns as to who has a bad day and who has a bad night. And then there's ABIGAIL--she has been a true champ with all of the changes that have occurred in our house. Our other saving grace has been family and friends--without them we'd be lost and even more sleep deprived then we already are.

We have help two nights a week, from Nana and Grandma, mainly so that I have help in the mornings when we all wake up and everyone is looking to eat. Yesterday was a very rough day and thank goodness Nana was here to let me sleep in a little, take a short cat nap and watch two fussy boys while Abigail and I got out to Target and Marshall's to do some shopping. A rough day was then followed by a long evening for Guy and I and and even longer night in which I spent most of the night on the recliner with both boys and me getting very little sleep. However I did bed time with Abigail and not only did she say prayers with me at the same time we sang her book "Hush Little One" together which was a very special moment.

Most days I'm not even sure what day it is, yet even with a long day and night yesterday today we were out the door and almost on time to go to a sing along at the mall for a singer who Abigail enjoys seeing. Thankfully our friend Leah was there and she not only held a baby but watched Abigail as she danced with Carson. I sometimes wonder if it's worth the hassle to get out of the house, especially on a time frame but seeing friends and getting out is good for all of us. We then had a nice relaxing lunch afterwards.

This afternoon Abigail had difficulty napping, meaning she didn't nap but was still in a great mood--lucky for me because Ryan was already starting to have a rough late afternoon. The early afternoon went well. Abigail and I even had a chance to snuggle and read a bunch of books a great time for me since she and I get so little one on one time. Then shortly before dinner Ryan again started to have a rough time of things, even though he was fed and had a clean diaper. After dinner Abigail climbed up on the couch with I think it was Justin..and she laughed as Justin was touching and "tickling" her hair, face, arms and various other places--she thought it was so funny and it was very fun to watch the interactions between her and her brother. But again in a brief moment where both boys were settled Guy and I shared more special one on one time with Abigail when we were BOTH able to put Abigail down to bed,. She was really good again tonight about saying prayers like a champ and sang the book with me for Guy. The moment of silence was short lived and as we were putting her in her crib both boys started serenading us. The boys were again fed and didn't calm down after eating at 8:15 until around 9:30--for about 15 minutes, although the quiet time did feel like longer than that. This time of night generally tends to be a rough time of night but thankfully Grandma got here and held Justin and Guy held onto Ryan. Justin seemed to settle down, but Ryan not so much. One thing Ryan really did enjoy doing was looking at a blanket of ours that was close to his face and black and white.

In all of this craziness our silver linings have truly been help from family and friends and most importantly Abigail. We can't say enough about how well she has done with all of this, perhaps better than the rest of us--then again she's sleeping--but that in and of itself is a blessing. She continues to impress us everyday not only with the changes but in new things that she's learning. She now has her colors down pat, she's doing more and more gross motor skills including jumping, dancing and following directions with dances. She's still talking up a storm and is super polite, today in the car after sneezing she said "God Bless you Mommy." So even though times are tough and I often feel like it's grey skies ahead, but I know that there is always a cloud with at least one silver lining.

Justin and Ryan's Birth Story

At approximately 35-36 weeks I started having contractions and was about 1cm dilated when checked by the OBs...no one wanted to boys to come that early and kept telling me to stay off of my feet and rest as much as possible. Not only did everyone in the medical field want me to take it easy but Nana and Pop-pop were going/in Hawaii and they really were hoping that I'd wait to have the boys until the got home. By 37 weeks, I had my last u/s growth check and they estimated the boys at 7.13 and 7.7lbs, so needless to say I felt huge, was having lots of trouble sleeping and was ready to have these boys. I then had my Wed. appt and we saw Dr. Silverberg and I said "I'm done, the boys are big can we talk about a date?" and after we found out I was 3cm dilated he was more than happy to give me a choice on Mon. or Tues of the following week.

We chose Monday, Sept 29th to be induced and were thrilled about the dr's that were going to be on call and just needed to make it through the weekend. So on 9/29/08, at 38wks and 2 days, we had an alarm set for 5:30am, I was already awake but we both showered, Guy got the bags in the car, said bye to Nana at 6:20 and arrived at Phoenixville Hospital around 6:40am.

I had two nurses named Carol and Heather, and after we got in my gown and got into the bed in the labor room I was hooked up to my IVs. At 8:35 am Dr. Cohen came in and broke Baby A's water. At 9:10am Dr. Cadiuex came in to do an u/s to make sure that both boys were still head down. We then started the Pitocin. Around 9:30 the nursery nurses came in to take my fingerprints and to get all of the ID bracelets ready for me, Guy, and both babies.

By 10:25 my contractions were less than comfortable and I decided I was ready for an epidural. We tried watching Made of Honor to take my mind off of things but it didn't really help much. Dr. Wilson came in at 10:55 to administer the epidural, he was very nice and knew that although this was what i wanted I'm not a big fan of needles. Much to my surprise, Guy was able to stay in the room and hold my hand and let me lean on him literally while they gave me the epidural. After I got my shot, life was much better. I could still feel pressure, which is what you want but the pain was no longer there. We called to check in with Nana and Grandma and give them updates around 11:20, both were very excited and anxious for you to join the world.

Dr. Cadieux came in to check on my progress at 11:30 and she said we were 5-6cm dilated and were over half way. She then came back around 12:25 and asked how I felt and if I felt the need to push, I said "no" but she checked on my progress and Guy and I had a BIG surprise when she said I was 10cm dilated and we were ready to go. Guy was given scrubs, we got the cameras ready and made a last call home to tell everyone we were ready!! I was then taken to the operating room, just as a precaution--typical twin protocol, at 12:46pm. Dr. Cadiuex had warned us that there would be a lot of people in the room and not to be worried because of it, she said it was rare to go this long with twins who appeared healthy, who were both head down and looked like it shouldn't be a problem to deliver both vaginally. She told me to focus on her and Guy and that no matter what she'd let me know how things were going. She wasn't kidding, I had Guy count the number of people and not including him and I there were 13 others in the room. I'm not sure exactly when I started pushing but I believe it was around 12:50-12:55 and at 1:11pm Baby A was born. I then started to close up a little and Dr. Cadiuex broke Baby B's water and after a few more pushes he entered the world at 1:33pm facing upwards instead of looking down.

I held both babies individually and both together before they took them to the nursery. We then also gave them names, Baby A is Justin William and Baby B is Ryan Lawrence. Guy went with both boys to the nursery while I finished up with the last part of delivery. When they were in the nursery they weighed in at 8.4 lbs and 7.3 lbs and were 20.5 inches and 20 inches respectively.

Later that afternoon, I was able to nurse both boys before they became tired from the long day we'd had. Also Nana and Pop-pop brought Abigail to meet her baby brothers and Grandma and Grandpa also came by to visit. We also had a nice visit from Pastor Krais who said a blessing for our new family. Justin was given his bath and eventually so was Ryan, we realized that the boys needed to be monitored for low blood sugars and that went on all night and made for a long night with both boys being poked in the heel before feedings and various other times. We supplemented with bottles of formula for the first few days, but in the end everything was fine by day two.

We had other visitors as well, including Grampy, Pastor C and Nancy and Trisha all before we left the hospital.

Their birth story was obviously very different from Abigail's but both went very smoothly and were special and unique in their own way. We feel extremely blessed to have left the hospital on 10/1/08 by 11:03am, less than 48 hours after they had been born, with both boys coming home with us, healthy and having spent no time in the NICU. Both boys lost weight and left weighing 7.14 and 6.14lbs and they maintained this weight as we found out when we went to the pediatrician that following Friday. The pediatrician was very happy with how both boys were doing as well as how they were healing from their circumcisions. All in all this whole pregnancy and birth was a long yet amazing experience and the boys have done so many things that aren't typical for twins that we look forward to all of the other things we have to come as we have just begun our journey as a family with twin boys, a toddler and a dog.

Off To Church

Today was the first time that the whole family went to church. It was a hectic run out the door but we made it on-time (although the service was in a different room today). After church we went to the yearly congregation breakfast and saw Rose and Marie, who were the wonderful ladies who orchestrated the meals that we have been getting for the past 3 weeks. The boys got walked around and introduced and then we headed home. Our neighbor Laurie unexpectedly brought by some subs for lunch and we ended up having them for dinner as well (a well balanced meal)

Today we decided that Justin is no longer a peanut and it seems that Ryan only has a few days left in this fleeting stage of life.. It's amazing how fast these boys are growing so I made sure to hold Ryan a little longer than usual today so that many years from now I can remember just how tiny these boys once were. Since he can still fit we took some pics of Ryan in our Eagles helmet.

We spent some time cleaning up and then after Abigail's nap Guy, Abigail and Zoey went for a walk down to the river.

It was a bath night so we did the boys first, then Guy gave Abigail a bath while Becky nursed Justin. Becky made a pear cobbler!!! (recipe) for dessert and we watched some of Game 7 of the ALCS.

Fairy Princess

This was one of those little things that I wanted to make sure got written down so that we didn't forget. Abigail was playing in the living room on a sunny day and we had the window shades up. I was standing by the window and the sun hit my watch and put a little circle up on the ceiling. I pointed to it and said "look at the fairy". Abigail's eyes got wide and she proceeded to watch the fairy fly around then the got excited as the fairly came to give her kisses on the feet. We did this for 10 mintes or so and then the fairy flew out the window.. I'm sure she'll come back soon.

Quiet Time..

It never seems to last very long but once in a while we get a few minutes of quiet cuddling time with the boys. Abigail was up for a nap and the boys and I drifted off as well.

Nursing Twins

Nursing twins has proven to be the most frustrating thing up to this point and time. Don't get me wrong, this is a personal decision that I have made and want to see through because I know how rewarding it can be. Nursing Abigial is something I am very proud of and found to be extremely rewarding and I look back on the time with very fond memories. There are several schools of thought when breastfeeding twins, one is tandem nursing, one is feeding back to back and one is nurse one and bottle the other and then switch at the next feeding and then there is everything in between. The one thing EVERYONE seems to agree on is keeping them on the same schedule so that no matter what you're doing you're not constantly doing it, even though it may already feel that way. Here in lies my dilemma. Both boys are good enough at nursing and bottles. I hate to do bottles even if it's mommy's milk,just b/c I don't want them to become even more lazy than they already sometimes are, yet I know how much Abigail hated a bottle and it's SO nice to know that they WILL take a bottle. My boys are such different nursers--Justin prefers to snack at every other feeding or nurse for 5-8 minutes, but then wants to eat almost every hour--basically he wants to nurse on demand, which would be fine if he didn't have a twin brother. Not only does he want to nurse on demand he gets so hungry and frustrated that he has a harder time nursing. Ryan on the other hand wants to eat every 2, 3, maybe 4 hours or more if I'd let him--he also gets the nursing thing so much better and stays on and eats for longer. But because the boys are so different it makes keeping them on the same schedule so difficult and then we take an hour or so to feed and then Justin wants to start all over again. We do this craziness in the evenings which makes for long evenings, me often missing Abigail's bedtime routine, all so that night time feedings seem to be spaced out and we all get some sleep on most nights. If we get at least a 2 to 2.5 hour chunk of time to sleep we're great. It's the time when one or both boys don't go back to sleep or didn't get enough time to burp and they become fussy that the nights become really long and we spend hours on the recliner sometimes two of us and sometimes three.
We've also tried tandem nursing--we try at least once a day so the boys and i get comfortable with it. This would be a huge time saver for us both during the day and at night, but Justin tends to have a harder time getting started and needs more help continuing to nurse and the logistics of lifting both boys and even getting started seems difficult especially when I'm alone with them and Abigail during the day. Tandem nursing does at least help keep them on the same schedule and it's what we rely on when our timing has somehow gotten way off track. We haven't tried this in the middle of the night yet just b/c I don't really think Justin is ready for it yet. Eventually this is where I'd like to get to once more of our nursing issues get resolved.
The bright spot in all of this is that not only DO both boys nurse, Abigail has been a champ. She needs to get taken care of first and always thought of before I start nursing so that she doesn't need too many things while and once I've started nursing. But she doesn't mind it or bother us and she likes to watch the boys and knows that they're eating.
I hope that in a few weeks, maybe months I'll be able to look back on this post and realize that even though right now I'm really frustrated, I'll be glad at whatever decisions we make from here on out. I hope that we have accomplished our goal of tandem nursing for the majority of our feedings and that the boys will still take bottles so that i can feel like I can get out a little bit more. I also hope that I'll have more time to "just" hold my boys and enjoy some of this infant, newborn time when they want to be held and snuggled so close. Right now I feel like I can only hold them so much with nursing and calming, instead of just the joy of looking at them sleeping peacefully on my shoulder or in my arms.

Scarecrow!!

Take some old clothes, a bale of straw and some paperclips... What do you get? Well a scarecrow of course! With the boys acting as supervisors we were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather that we are having and build a scarecrow to put on our front porch. Of course the quest started with a google search of "how to build a scarecrow"... ki

nda sad that we had to look it up but I didn't know h

ow to make him stay together or what to use as a head. Turns out that the easiest way is to use paperclips to attached the pants and shirt and to use a pillowcase as the head with a board down the shirt to hold his head up.

We put the pants and shirt together inside and then Abigail proceeded to drag the clothes outside to the driveway to start construction. Mom and Abigail began stuffing the shirt while the boys looked on from their car seats. It took some help from Dad to finish stuffing and to attach the head but in the end we were rather impressed with ourselves.

We took some pictures on the front porch of our new creation and now he is standing guard over the Delp household.

A Day of Firsts

Today was Guy's First day back to work since the twins were born. Which also then meant that it was my first day alone with the twins. Abigail went to the zoo with Nana and Pop-pop so it was a way to ease back into being home alone with the kiddos. The day went really well, we were all dressed, fed and I was showered before 10:30. The boys then nursed again around 11 which we did another tandem nursing session, our second of the day and that too went well. We had a lunch date with Guy at 12 and we made it there on time--all really good things and then headed to Target for a number of things, but most importantly MORE DIAPERS. The boys and I easily survived our first day at home alone--tomorrow will be more of a test with Abigail home too. Justin also had his first real tear today and it was because he wanted to eat and honestly it hadn't been that long since he last eat, he's more of my "on demand" eater and he'd eat all day if he could. Abigail also had her first Pony ride at the zoo and we were lucky enough to see some pictures which see seemed to really enjoy herself.

This evening was our big firsts for the boys though--their first real baths. Both boys stumps fell off and tonight was the big night. Guy sat on the edge of our tub and their little tub filled with warm water rested on an empty tote. Both boys did VERY well. Justin was a little less sure of his new bath surroundings,while Ryan just chilled in the little tub like he was at the spa.