Biter Biscuits???

Whoever invented these things must be shot, or at the very least the package should come with a warning letting parents know these biscuits are the messiest things on earth. I had heard that the Zwieback kind of teether cookie was messy so I steered clear of those and got Gerber Biter Biscuits instead. They looked harmless. I gave Kaylie and Ryan one after their dinner. They loved it and it kept them occupied while I cooked dinner.





Kaylie got a little bored with hers. She was a little messy but nothing a washcloth couldn't cure. Ryan continued to gnaw his as I continued to cook.



Well after a bit, I look over at Ryan and THIS is how he looks! (Click on picture to enlarge and get full effect)




Biscuit residue was all over his face & hands, clothes, the high chair, and the wall!! At this time, dinner is ready and he is more than ready to get out of the chair. Another cold dinner for me is what I'm thinking as I have to clean these kids up. No amount of cleaning was good enough. I couldn't get them to stop smelling like biter biscuits. They needed a bath to get the job done.


Will I give them again? Yes, but my lesson learned here: Give teether biscuits right before a planned bathtime. Avoid other times at all cost.

Happy 10 Months!

Wow! It feels like yesterday I was posting Happy 9 Months! Time sure flies. This was the best we could do. They weren't too cooperative.

If you want to see other monthly pics go here: http://doubledutymom.blogspot.com/2008/02/happy-9-months.html

Pics of the Week

Playing together.

Here's Ryan sitting up in the crib. He can't get in that position on his own yet although I think it's time to lower the mattress.

This is how we find Kaylie in the morning these days. She has become a belly sleeper. (& sleeps a whole lot better I might add!)

My New Do

I got my hair cut today. This is the finished product. I cut about 3-4 inches off. I was just tired of putting it up in a ponytail (AKA "The Mommy Do") everyday.

Before: A picture taken in January.

Out & About

Here they are out for a walk in the neighborhood.
Ryan says, "I like this outside stuff."
Kaylie just taking it all in.

Backing Up

So here's my little cutie girl backing herself up under the pack and play. I thought it was adorable so I snapped a pic. Then Ryan needed some TLC and didn't want to be put down. In the meantime, she continued backing herself up (as I watched) to the point where she couldn't lift her head anymore. Of course what do I do before rescuing her? I take a pic to show all of you! Hey, I need something to blog about.

Let Me Awww For a Moment

My MIL told us today that someone at her work saw the pictures from "the photo shoot" up on her desk and wants to use them in a brochure that the hospital uses for their annual Baby Fair. I guess they want to show babies at different stages--sitting up, on belly, with teeth, etc. No names will be used though. My husband, being a patent/intellectual properties attorney and the one that took the pictures, wants to know where his royalties are from the copyright he's got on the pics. (wink, wink) LOL!!
I'm excited to see what the brochure looks like! Hopefully I'll be able to scan it for all of you to see.

Answer My Poll

I put a poll on the right of this page. I'm just curious about my visitors, so answer for me! Pretty please. :-)

It Can Be Done

Well I pulled it off....cooking for a crowd while taking care of babies. Mind you, Bob helped out A LOT and of course family members were more than happy to hold and play with babies. A little help is all you need.

Here are Ryan & Kaylie in their First Easter bibs given to them by their Nana.

Kaylie really enjoyed this egg! Kept her entertained for a LONG time.

They received money, new teethers, and Easter baskets filled with stuffed animals, bath toys, a new spring outfit and chocolate (mostly for Mommy & Daddy). They shout in babyspeak, "Thank You Easter Bunny!"

Pics of the Week

Happy Easter! (This pic is worth a repeat.)

Kaylie says to Ryan, "I'll race ya!"

Ry Guy

Yep, I'm going there again.

Got Milk?

This picture reminded me of those Got Milk? ads.

Not Our Day

Ok, so I found out the hard way that glass baby food jars and granite counters don't mix. I knew this already but managed to escape any accidents until this morning. One of the jars fell out of the cabinet and hit the counter. Little shards of glass were everywhere and I was splattered with Chicken Noodle Dinner. I had already measured out their cereal, so out in the garbage that went. I couldn't be sure that no glass got in there. What a mess and of course Kaylie was not being patient waiting for her cereal.

Before all that was going on, I discovered that the garage door was left open all night so I mentioned it to Bob. He jumps up and proceeds to tell me that he left the car on all night in an attempt to fix the XM Radio and forgot about it. So he was jumping the battery and trying to enter the code for the radio. Well, the car works but I only have about 6 XM channels. (Grrr.....)

And I have one of those killer headaches today!

What Not To Say

You've heard of the show What Not to Wear on TLC? Well, this is What Not to Say to a Twin Mommy. These are some comments I have gotten in my travels.


1. Do twins run in your family?--someone asking this is trying to see if you used fertility treatment.


2. Are they natural? --Aren't all babies? The correct term would be spontaneous.


3. You have your hands full.--Yeah.....DUH! Let's state the obvious Sherlock.


4. Are they identical? (when you see an obvious boy & girl) OK, OK, I know that scientists have actually discovered b/g twins can be identical. The chances of it happening? Slim to none. The average person asking this question has no clue about that! Plus, my kids look nothing alike!



Some comments I got while pregnant included:


1. Better you than me!--- Are you kidding me? I just wanted to be like yeah, it is better to happen to me than you with a comment like that!


2. How will you manage? (I still wonder some days.)


3. You're going to be HUGE! (by one of my 4th graders--I let this one slide)

And Again!

I know, I know. Enough already. I just can't resist it. He must like the feel of it somehow. Doesn't look too comfy to me though!

Pics of the Week

Some pics from this week. Not too many this week. They were tired after their photo shoot. :)

Kaylie practicing to be the next Mary Lou Retton. (Did I just date myself? Is that possible at my age? YIKES!)

Ryan with a new toy this week. A little piano. He does seem to have a grip on that ring doesn't he????

Thank You, Easter Bunny!

Here they are with the Easter Bunny. Not really smiling, but just hanging out on the bunny. They were oblivious this year and at least there were no tears. Again, proving Mommy wrong.

On a side note, when Bob was a kid he used to have to shout out the front door, "Thank you, Easter Bunny!" after finding a basket full of goodies on Easter morning. I think that's a tradition we'll keep for Ryan & Kaylie too!

And other news.....Kaylie rolled from her back to her tummy! That's a first. Ryan also finally rolled from tummy to back today. He has only done this 3 times in his life! Way to go! Also, Ryan has gotten his second tooth!

What's New?

Well we are very close to having our lives changed forevermore. No we are not expecting again! (Get real people!) The kids are getting mobile!

Kaylie is really getting herself around. Her favorite place to army crawl her way to is under the coffee table. If not the coffee table, then it's the hardwood floor. Of course anywhere that is hard and she can bump her head! There will be no rest for me!

Ryan continues to be up to his ring tricks. Well, this time he perked his head up as soon as I snapped the picture! No crawling for him but he can get from the seated position to his tummy and can scoot a little.

They both have begun to help me out when getting dressed. They will lift their heads up so I can get the shirt on over their heads. Very helpful!

We'll be visiting the Easter Bunny this Saturday! Stay tuned for pics of that. I'm sure they won't be happy about it, but I'm also sure they will somehow prove me wrong.

Survival of the Fittest

When feeding them at the same time it’s like survival of the fittest. I have noticed Ryan “begging” for more food. It’s like a mommy bird feeding worms to her babies. The louder you are, the more likely you will get a worm. I don't think this is something a mom of a singleton would ever encounter. Ryan just can’t get enough. He has never once pushed a bottle or spoon away to indicate that he is full, yet he spits up pretty often. Of course the other day I knew he had had enough but he continued to beg while I finished feeding Kaylie. It was like some eating competition. So I ignored that Mommy instinct and fed him more. BIG MISTAKE. He puked as I put him down to play afterwards. So I changed him and as soon as I get done---yep—puked again! I’ll never ignore the voice again!

Our Schedule @ 9 Months

So here's our typical day at home...obviously all times are not set in stone


6:30-7:00 Wake up and have a bottle


7:20-9:00-hang in bouncers (this isn't lasting too long anymore so we will be giving them up), play on floor, exersaucer/jumperoo


9:00 Breakfast--cereal and fruit & dress for the day


9:30-10:30 nap

10:30-11:15 play


11:15 bottle & lunch


12:00-12:30 play


12:30/1:00-2:30 nap (Ryan-sometimes sleeps until 3. Kaylie only takes an hour/hour and a half usually but sometimes goes back to sleep)


3:00 bottle

3:30-5:00 play--sometimes they need a short nap during this time but right now they seem to be dropping that nap. It's hit or miss now.


5:00 dinner & play some more

@ 6:45 begin bedtime routine of bath (every other night), bottle, and bed.

7:30 in bed!

If I have to do any errands I try to do them in the morning. If they don't get a good morning nap, at least they will get a good afternoon one and I don't have 2 cranky babies on my hands.

The Heat Is On!

The heat is working now. Turns out the igniter went bad. $500 later we are toasty again!

No Heat!

Ok so we have no heat. AGAIN! This is the second time this winter it has gone out. Last time, all Bob did to get it working was remove the furnace cover and replace it and then it worked. Not so lucky this time. Bob went to his office to steal everyone's space heaters. This was before I got a hold of a person to come. So here I sit waiting for the guy to come. It's midnight, and I'm bundled in extra thick socks, pajamas, slippers, robe, and a down throw. I was awakened out of a deep slumber I might add! At least we have a gas fireplace. It doesn't give off a tremendous amount of heat but if you sit close it is warm. The kids are sleeping with a space heater. So hopefully, they won't even know the difference. UGH! How much will this cost?

Leave the Kids?

So the topic of whether or not we would leave our kids for a week to go on vacation came up. Leave for a week you say!? I haven't been away from them for more than 4 hours---are you kidding me? What would I do with myself? I think I would go nuts with nothing to do. Living the life of a M.O.M. you just get used to always having something to do. Like right now, the kids are asleep and I should be ironing but I am doing this instead. Ironing will wait. It's not going anywhere.

After discussing we decided we could not do this at this age. You miss too much in one week. These guys are changing by the minute! If you blink you just might miss something. We would, however, leave them for a long weekend but probably be thinking about them every second. It just isn't for us at this time. See me in a few years.

Phew!

Last night was the first night that I had to put the kids to bed by myself. I know, lucky me having help every night. Some people aren't so lucky. It was weird that Bob had done it a half dozen times or so and I had never done it. I had to give them baths and bedtime bottles by myself. Bob has never done the bath thing though. They were actually very well behaved and it went so smoothly. Normal nights usually include whiney babies but not last night. It was so easy, like they knew I was by myself or something! Of course I'm by myself all day and it's not always so easy.


So how did I do it? I brought the exersaucer in the bathroom and put Kaylie in it. I washed Ryan and then switched them. This is where Ry got a little whiney. Usually a bath signals for him that he gets a bottle. Our routine is bath, bottle, and bed. He just had to be a little patient that's all. I also usually dry them off and get them dressed in their room but I just did everything in the bathroom so I could still be with the other baby. Oh and I also got the bottles ready before we did the baths so they were good to go. So to any future twin mommies out there---it can be done.

How Cute Are They?

Okay... (insert drum roll here).....Here are some of the pictures we took at our photo shoot. I LOVE THEM!! I think they look just as good as if you went to a studio. What do you think? We also took some cute diaper pics but sorry to say you won't see them on here. Again, if you click on the picture it should make it bigger--at least it does for me. Also the basket in the pictures was Bob's as a little boy!

Photo Shoot

Ok so anyone that didn't take me seriously in my post about buying a backdrop and umbrella flash things for our house was sadly mistaken. Our bedroom was transformed into a studio for a photo shoot of the kids. We got some good pics, didn't have to leave the house, and it was done with no crying! Well worth it for me. Stay tuned for pics...they are being developed/Photoshopped by Bob.

Pics of the Week

Here are some pictures taken this week:



First, we have Kaylie enjoying a book.





Ryan mesmerized by the camera.




Kaylie with "Bed Head"



Finally, Ryan & Kaylie so busy they couldn't even look at Mommy. They received these phones as a late Christmas gift and they were VERY into them. Kaylie can sit on her own--that's new this week!

The Mother of Twins

Okay, another poem I have tucked away that was either posted on a board I frequent or found on my travels on the internet. Yeah, M.O.M.'s are special people. I especially like the part about being smart. LOL. (Toot! Toot!--that's the sound of my own horn.)

The Mother of Twins

A meeting convened one day

in Heaven's sacred hall.

The Ideal mother must be found

for twins so sweet and small.

She must be patient, first of all,

And kind and calm and wise.

And capable of chasing tears

away from little eyes.

She'd have to put her children first

And be so very smart

Have dedication and resolve,

A sweet and loving heart.

They all agreed you were the best

No other mom would do.

Yes, Heaven found the perfect one

And sent those twins to you!

(c) Larry Howland

Baby in the Mirror

So Ryan, Kaylie & I have a 'thing.' Everytime we walk down the stairs they have to look in the mirror wall. For those that don't know my house, we have a wall in the hallway that is all mirror starting about 1/4 of the way up the wall. Hard to explain. I noticed this happening a few days ago. Everytime I go down the stairs with Ryan, 4 stairs before you can see yourself in the mirror he turns his head in anticipation. Then he smiles at himself, although he doesn't know that is him at this point. He must think Mommy has a lot of babies I guess. It's so cute. Kaylie does the same and flashes her smile at the baby in the mirror. Sometimes she even squeals about it. Again, it's so cute I can't stand it. We visit the 'baby in the mirror' a few times a day. They love it.

Check This Out!

I came across this blog on QUINTS--yes that's 5! That's a lot of babies. It's worth checking out just to gawk at how many bottles used in a day! I have it easy after reading this woman's blog---and the kids are oh so adorable!

http://wilkinsonquints.blogspot.com

A First!

Ryan and Kaylie went to the park today with their friend, Taylor. They had their first time on the swings! They seemed to enjoy it while trying to make out what was going on around them. We even saw another set of boy-girl twins! Very exciting!! We'll be back!

I Love My Rings!

Here's Ry up to his old tricks today! Must have been the walk outside that tired him out! Bring on spring already!!

Also happy to report, Ryan's first tooth has broken through and another not far behind.

On the Curve!

Well we had our 9 month check up today at the doctor's office. Some good news is that our Little Miss Kaylie is finally on the growth charts!

Kaylie is 15 pounds 3 ounces and is 26 inches long. She is in the 5 percentile for weight and 10 percentile for height.

Ryan is still growing like a champ. He weighs 19 pounds 4.5 ounces and is 28 1/2 inches long. That puts him at the 50th percentile for height and 25 percentile for weight.


They got another Synagis shot (for RSV) and a Hepatitus shot too. As expected, they were terrified and cried. I think they are really starting to learn that place is the place where they get hurt.

Pics of the Week

Just some random pics taken this week. Kaylie and Ryan modeling their sweaters knitted by Nana, Kaylie touching her newly found toes, and Ryan with a washcloth on his head.