Twins are 7 months and 5 months corrected

From the heart.

7 months old

Time to reflect. This month I have been thinking a lot about my life. *It might be because I am trapped inside with 3 kids during the suckiest winter I can remember in Ohio*. It has been a very trying month for me. I boast that I am a positive person but you can get really depressed when you don't get ANY natural vitamin D! There are things I miss, we used to just get in the car on weekends and drive places and do randomn shopping, hiking, visiting friends, eat out and drink a lot! We did all of those things with one child just like when we had no children. Having 3 is a total game changer. We are out numbered and leaving is not spontaneous, it involves packing our Yukon to the gills with kids and stuff...lots of stuff! Because of their age group I literally cannot handle all 3 kids on my own in public. That is especially hard as I like being out doing things. I miss my friends, it's so very hard to get together with them or even just talk on the phone..we text...how sad! When I do get out I get glimpses of my former self...who knew twins would change me sooooo much!

Multitasking starts at 7:30 A.M.

To be brutally honest though, I wouldn't have it any other way! I am the luckiest person on the planet. I get to stay at home with my kids versus go to work! My whole life as far back as I can remember, I loved babies and wanted to be a Mom! Yep, that's it! I never gave too much consideration to a career because all I ever wanted was babies! God sure did produce! I love my kids with every ounce of my being. I sacrifice for them on a daily basis. I sleep less to comfort them, I eat less to make sure their belly's are full first. I clean less so that I have time to snuggle and cuddle them. I constantly think, that can wait- they are more important! Before now it was very hard to relax and just have true sweet moments with them. I was so consumed with the work load that survival was first love was second. I know someday we will be able to be social again and at least when the weather breaks we can go outside. Overall, it has been a very sentimental month. The realization of my tubes being tied has got me sad at each passing milestone. I won't be pregnant again, give birth or most recently, nurse ever again! That kind of stuff is sad to me, I know we made the right decision but it's still hard none the less!

At Christmas, my childhood friend and neighbor was diagnosed with cancer. He and his wife just had a baby girl. I have been thinking about him/them for these past months! I have been reading his very positive posts about radiation and chemotherapy and just hoping he would be lucky enough to meet his daughter! It has made me really appreciate that my family is all healthy and happy and that I have nothing to complain about! Life is not life if it's all sunshine and lollipops! Struggles are what make us realize when we are happy! So I am happy! Happy for our marriage, happy for our kids, happy even when things are difficult, happy my life is so very different than it once was and happy I live in freezing Ohio because that's where our family is, happy happy happy!

A rare dinner date out

And now for the usual updates!!!

The babies are on a roll this month, literally. Kelsey was first to roll tummy to back at a month old and now she can also go back to tummy. She is crazy strong and tosses her body over very quickly. Logan just learned too and needs some fine tuning. They are both sitting up with assistance in their boppy pillows and love to stand in their saucers. We are borrowing one that Logan can jump in because he is more rowdy! The boy loves to stand and has taken steps with assistance. He isn't strong enough to stand on his own or cruise but he sure does want too! I walked at 9 months so I would not be surprised if he can at least cruise by then. Logan is also my backbender! If we do not strap him into chairs he arches and twists until he is out of it!

Learning to play and share

Cousin Clara and Grammy feeding the twins dinner

We are finally seeing a consistent routine in the works! The babies wake up about 7:30 a.m. and have a bottle. They usually have a cat nap before waking up again to eat breakfast around 9:30 which consists of a fruit and oatmeal. So far we have introduced banana, mango, nectarine and pear. They take another small snooze(still napping between each feed) then have a bottle around noon. At 1:00ish I get everyone down for a nap including big brother Austin. By 3:30 or 4:00 they wake and have another bottle. They eat dinner about 6:00 which includes oatmeal and a vegetable. We have introduced squash, carrots and sweet potato. They sometimes nap again and then at 8:30 they have a bottle and go to bed around 9:30p.m. Kelsey is usually easy and goes to sleep in her crib on her own. Logan usually needs rocked or his pacifier back a couple times until he is officially out for the night! On any given night one of the babies ends up in our room and sleeping in the cradle (in effort to not wake up the other twin). Just about every night 2 kids sleep all night and one doesn't sleep well....I barely ever win and once in awhile all 3 sleep for an interrupted night!

This is what $3.50 of homemade carrots versus $5.00 of store bought Pears looks like!

This past Saturday we got really brave and super ambitious and decided to attempt to take all 3 kids to the West Side Market. We each wore a baby in the Bjorn and pushed Austin in an umbrella stroller and he walked for some of the time. We had no melt downs or unhappy babies and we got plenty of unsolicited attention and "you're brave comments." We have started to learn that if we want lives, we better be brave A LOT! We spent about an hour in the market and walked away with 4 bags of groceries and a tray of berries. Leaving was quite comical and I wish we had a photo of us lugging kids and the groceries back to the car!

Austin in his snow cave

Austin with Grandpa

Austin and Clara having a "suck" break, wore out from playing with each other!

Until next month...

Twins are 6 months old and Austin turned 3!

Sleepy, Sneezy, Doc, CROUPY, Bashful, Dopey, UNhappy and Snow White(aka mommy)

We love to watch Mickey Mouse

Sickness has infected us and overshadowed Austin's 3rd birthday and the twins 6 month milestone. We had 2 trips to the pediatrician, a stop at Urgent care and a visit to the Pediatric Emergency Room all in 10 days time.

All 3 sleeping...WOW!

It started with Kelsey, the day before Austin's birthday on a Saturday. She became super congested with a productive cough. I considered this to be mild cold and just decided to try and keep her away from her brothers. Three days later on Tuesday Austin woke up coughing and Logan woke with the very distinct Croup barking seal cough. It was very mild to start and didn't cause me concern. Austin had Croup last fall so I knew the symptoms and that it was mostly treated at home and left to run its course. Well, by the afternoon Logan's mild case went extreme with a constant Stridor(vibrating raspy breathing usually only heard between the barking cough) he couldn't breathe without crying and the Stridor was all the time. We rushed him to urgent care in efforts to avoid the price of the Emergency room(sad that we even have to consider the raping cost). He was given Decadron (oral steroid) and put on a nebulizer (compressor run inhaler with a mask). He laid perfectly still minus some leg kicks and received his dose. We then needed to wait and see how he managed and after about 30 minutes he relapsed and it was determined he needed to be sent to the Emergency room(we declined a ride in the ambulance) where they would decide to treat him again or admit him. Sure enough he was given another nebulizer treatment, this time we had a two hour wait period. At midnight he had improved enough to go home without needing admittance. We were given a script for another round of Decadron for the next day. He appeared to improve but the following day(Thursday) developed a whistling hiss to his breathing which warranted a visit to the Pediatrician. We decided to take everyone in on Friday to rule out anything serious such as Flu, Pneumonia or Strep. The final diagnosis, Austin had a ear infection and on Amoxocillan and Advil. Kelsey had RSV ( respiratory virus) using a home nebulizer with Albuterol and Tylenol as needed and Logan had the combo of RSV ( same treatment as Kelsey) and the lingering Croup treated with Prednisolone (oral steroid).

Logan on the home nebulizer

Outside to improve the Croup symptoms

starting to feel better

We had to postpone Austin's birthday party to get everyone healthy. I am grateful he doesn't understand his birthday yet so he wasn't disappointed. We are also grateful that my mom came to help out for 4 days when we truly had our hands full of snot, Tylenol and tears! She happen to be here for our worst night when we all divided up and slept with a child each. Paul and Austin in the master. My mom and Kelsey in the nursery and Logan and I in the guest room. It definitely made life more manageable but not easy by any means! These bugs took its toll on this family lasting a whole 12 days!

Last Monday, I was feeling ambitious plus we had ideal conditions for a photo shoot(snow and sun which makes our dining room bright). Even though the kids were still not 100% I managed to get some very good smiles and cooperation! Our one hiccup which ended our shoot in a screeching halt was Logan coughing so hard he gagged and threw up all over my prop blanket and mat! I really need to keep this picture thing up! I love being creative with my backdrop supplies and enjoy being crazy silly in order to capture fantastic baby smiles! I may even turn my photo taking skills into a business. I am in the process of coming up with a witty name for my company and buying some much needed supplies (lighting and vinyl backdrops). I plan to concentrate on maternity and infant portraits. I have had friends suggest that I get affiliated with the hospital and do in-house photography, we shall see!!!

Always holding hands

We can roll!

Too cute

such a stud

As for check-ups, Austin was in a couple weeks ago before he was sick for his 3 year old well visit. He weighs 33 pounds and is 38 inches tall. He is average for his age but we did get diagnosed with some developmental delays and sensitivities which we already knew but needed to receive a script to be able to have a private OT ( Occupational Therapist). We met his new speech teacher amid all the sickness and he took to her very well. Chris will be at our home every Thursday afternoon for an hour. We will then go to the OT every other Wednesday. We really wanted every week but our copay per session is $40 so we can only afford a couple weeks a month.

The twins had their 6 month well check visit this Thursday. These babes are growing like weeds! Kelsey is now 14.4 pounds and 25 inches tall. Logan is 16.8 pounds and 25.5 inches tall. Kelsey is starting to catch up to her not so chunky anymore brother. Both babies are now on the growth chart and are doing fantastic. This month we have had many changes. Logan is now off the Nutramigen and drinking the same formula as Kelsey the Similac Advanced. We are still waiting to see if he is experiencing any side effects. I also stopped nursing Kelsey as my milk supply seriously diminished and I was having to feed her more and more formula. The babies have also started eating solid foods. First we started with Oatmeal and now they are eating butternut squash from grandpa's garden. Next we will being trying pears. I will be making all of my own baby food again this time around. It is very easy and cost effective especially with TWO to feed! Kelsey is a good little eater, it only took her a couple of days to catch on and she even makes Yummy sounds! Logan on the other hand is not a big fan yet, he makes awful faces and it takes him double the time to finish his bowl. I am wondering if he will like fruits better than veggies?? The last change is that Kelsey's hemangioma(blood blister on her temple) is being treated. My uncle Rick had heard a talk from a local dermatologist that specializes in pediatric hemangiomas so we took Kelsey in for a consultation. We are first trying Timolol gel (a topical glaucoma medicine) twice a day for a month to try and shrink it. If there is no change we will use the oral Propanolol( blood pressure medicine) which is VERY effective but opted to use the less invasive method first.

Eating for the first time

Lastly, we were finally able to celebrate Austin's 3rd birthday, two weeks late! We had a drop off in attendance because of the date change but we still had plenty of people that were able to attend. He had a ball and it was really fun to see him interact with his peers, blow out his own candle and unwrap his gifts as he finally got the concept this year! We were lucky to have good weather, good food and good fun! As always Grammy Barb did a fantastic job on his birthday cake and nearly all of it was eaten. I may need to give her a hand this summer when it comes time to make the twins first birthday cake and smash cakes!

Austin's choo choo cake

Playing in the snow on his real birthday

snuggles with Kelsey

Until next month!

Twins are 5 months old. Corrected Age 3 months!

Better late than never!

5 months old already??

I am a little behind with this post and in a couple weeks I will be posting their 6 month updates! We had a very good holiday season! We were home for two separate visits during Paul's 2 week winter break. First for Christmas then again for New Year's and cousin Clara's 5th birthday! The kids all got lots of gifts but thankfully not too many so at least our house is not exploding! We received lots of money that will go toward formula for our expensive twins :)

Santa Babies

Kelsey and GiGi on  Christmas Day

Grammy and her 5 grandkids on Christmas Eve

The babies are starting to show their personalities! Logan is quite the attention hog! He prefers to interact with someone versus being left to himself. He has taken up standing often. He would much rather stand on your legs or in the exersaucer than lay or sit in a chair. He is getting more and more happy and is quite the ham bone always grinning and he is very fun to tickle with the best belly laughs! He is often tricky to get down to sleep but once he does he is out for the count (11:30-8:00)and when he wakes up in the morning he coos and babbles in his crib waiting patiently for a bottle! He is still using Nutramigen (4-6 ounces) about every 2 hours during the day. Kelsey is our little mouse. She is also very happy and has started giggling too. She is a fan of big brother Austin and finds him quite amusing, especially if we chase after him around the house! She adores watching him do things and I think they may end up being great pals! She is also our party girl! She loves to see what is going on and has a hard time sleeping if there is action or new people to look at! She whips her head back and forth to make sure she isn't missing out on anything exciting! She gets this from me! I get very anxious with the idea of a party!! She goes down to bed easier than Logan but often wakes during the night. She doesn't need fed usually just wants her pacifier back! Both babies have been chewing at their fists desperate to find their thumbs. They do succeed sometimes and suck but neither is a consistent thumb sucker and still use their pacifiers more often. They also have not shown a preference to which thumb yet, just chewing on which ever seems closer! Kelsey still nurses and I go back and forth about how long I want to continue. Next month they will probably start cereal and some solid foods so I will probably cut back or quit then but we will see!

Morning smiles

Logan standing on New Year's Eve

Each month presents a new challenge. This month is a juggling act. Almost every day the babies are on an one up, one down schedule with usually no break! It's exhausting! I am hoping that sometime in the next two months I can get their nap times synchronized so I can work with Austin or have time to relax! Luckily, I am writing this today because the babies are napping at the same time and Austin is learning letters on his tablet! I suspect the babies are exhausted from last night! We attended a party at Paul's boss' house for the National Championship Ohio State football game! The kids all did great and stayed up for the game. We arrived home and went to bed around 1:30 a.m. so everyone is a little off schedule as we slept in until 10:00!

O-H

I-O

New Year's Day for the Bowl game

I don't often touch on Austin but for this post I will! As many of you may know, Austin will be turning 3 this month and is delayed with speech. We have had a speech therapist and OT for the past year through Help Me Grow, a state funded organization! At age 3 he will then be switched to Lakewood schools. He is enrolled in speech preschool and will get services in our home from February until June. Then he will attend preschool for speech starting in the fall! He will go to school M-Th. We have not decided yet if he will attend the morning or afternoon session both lasting 2.5 hrs. He was referred by our pediatrician at his 2 year appointment because he had less than 10 words. He now only has about 25 words, 25 sounds and a handful of alphabet letters! We are hoping he blossoms soon because he has trouble communicating basic words to us. We are also introducing potty training. When placed on the toilet he does produce but he has no interest in telling us or cooperating so we are backing off for the time being because he is not mentally ready! This year will be a very challenging year with him and I am expecting the terrible 3's to rear their head soon. I think terrible 2's are a crock! Most 2 year olds are very good...age 3 is what's difficult!

Austin's 3 year old photo

Twins are in the air or water I tell ya! Everywhere we go, someone is having twins! I personally know of 5 sets last year (and a handful I have heard about but dont know them) and now I have two more friends due this year! I don't know if I am more aware of twins because we have them or if the rate of twin births is actually on the rise! Either way, we now have a large circle of people to share stories and tips with! They truly are a wonderful blessing but it's very exhausting mentality and physically. Lately I have noticed that I feel like I no longer know myself! I barely partake in anything that is not child related! Even when I leave the house it's for a child's appointment or to get supplies for kids! I am desperately ready to be me again and don't know when that will ever happen! Ashley the mom is here to stay but I hope Ashley the wife and Ashley the friend show up again soon!

Busy daddy

Mamma's boy

She sleeps like Mommy!

Drake Helping out During Christmas Break

I am a planning to take some portraits of the twins for their 6 month blog entry with their update on growth! Until February....

Twins are 4 months. Corrected age 11 weeks

Much to be Thankful for!

4 months old

Things are on the up and up since my last post. We still have our challenging days, like anytime we need to accomplish anything not baby related but life is getting better. I am able to decipher from their coos and cries if a baby is hungry, bored of their current position or tired and in need of sleep. We still have complex days but at least they are getting more pleasant.

silly faces

We spent the last 6 weeks diagnosing what might be upsetting poor Logan. He showed signs of reflux but also signs that he could have trouble digesting. With the medical professional help of my Uncle Rick, cousin Chip and best friend Laura, we sampled some different formulas to see what would help best with his colic/reflux. I chose to skip going to the pediatrician so they could charge me $20 to tell me to try something else plus I trust the people I mentioned far more. We tried the sensitive formula first with little to no change, the soy formula next with some change but not enough and now we are using the hypoallergenic variety known as Nutramigen which appears to be the winner! The real sign that it's working for him is that he is having nursing style blowouts versus the very firm for newborn stools he was having. I am fairly certain he has grown out of his reflux and I only administer the Zantac on days he shows symptoms which is getting less and less now. He has taken up spitting-up during feeds with the new formula but that is far better than the screaming. He is becoming a happier baby but still does have his moments of louder than hell cries but anything is better than what we were dealing with.

loves his bro

matching jammies

Kelsey is an angel! I am so lucky to have such a sweet heart. She has finally started cooing more and has a very quiet mousy voice in comparison to Logan's "hey everyone" squeals! She is very petit weighing in at only 12 pounds. Much smaller than her hefty twin! Logan is now 14 pounds and 7 ounces. She is a breast feeding champ receiving mostly all breast milk as Logan is no longer breast feeding. I was going to have to cut out all dairy from my diet if I wanted to continue nursing him incase he had a dairy sensitivity. It may be selfish but I said no thanks, considering most of my protein comes from dairy and I'm already losing weight like a fool from nursing. Kelsey is also quite the wiggle worm. She manages to go to sleep on one end of her crib and wake up in the morning with her head on the other end of her bed turning a whole 180 degrees! We have developed some nicknames for the babes! Kelsey is K-cup like the coffee brand or "angry kitty" because that's what her cries sound like :) Logan is Logi Bear (Yogi) and Austin is Booboo! Uncle Dylan refers to them as shrimps and is quite witty in coming up with names, shrimp baskets when they sit in their vibrate chairs and shrimp carryout when they are in their strollers :)

strong babies...shrimp donuts :)

I am ecstatic that the babies sleep so good at night usually 10 hours between feeds. They really like their nursery and cribs. They easily calm down and seem to realize when I turn their rain sound machine on and lights off that it's time for bed. Kelsey usually goes down on her own in a sleep sack while Logan usually needs to be rocked and cuddled with then swaddled for the night. Austin has been going down earlier and not waking due to the fact that he only naps on some days! We can usually all be in bed around 11:00 p.m. and up around 7 or 8 a.m. The babies still take at least one long nap a day with a couple shorter ones. I often have two children asleep and one awake giving me some one on one time with each of them. I love days like that when everyone gets the love they deserve :)

Ellee and Kelsey

We were recently home for the Thanksgiving holiday and enjoyed the many helpers including best buddies Drake and Ellee! We had a very busy couple days filled with multiple meals and visiting with friends and family. The kids all travel well so we have no quams about staying away from home every couple weeks. It helps that we have spare everything (vibrate chairs, blankets, swings, pack-n-plays, toys diapers and wipes) at grandma and grandpas and Grammy's so we don't have to pack as much each trip. We are heading home this weekend and then again at Christmas for an extended stay!

Drake and Logan

This month I decided to shoot my own infant photographs and our Christmas card photos because I had a hard time connecting with our previous photographer. I bought Paul a DSLR camera as a wedding gift and he bought me a fixed focus lens for my birthday! This lens allows me to take high quality portraits! It allows me to focus on the faces and blur the background. I set up a make shift studio in my dining room, set up a back drop, used the natural light during the day and artificial lighting at night. I shot photos for two days and got some beautiful results. Needless to say, I will be doing it again in the future. I just need to buy a real backdrop rack and some photography lights and I think I can rock this! I have all kinds of home decorations as props so the sky's the limit :)

Logan

Logan

Kelsey

Hats made by a friend

Letter blocks from cousins Katie and Chris

On another note, the idea of starting work again in March is seeming more fathomable now. I plan on watching Hugh's little sister Claire two days a week. She is the same age as the twins so triplets it is...yes I'm nuts :) Big brother Hugh is staying in a daycare/learning environment! We are going to try it out a couple days in February to see if I can manage 4 children. My hope is that it works out and then I can take her 3 days a week in the fall when Austin goes to preschool! Only time will tell! Depending on how things go this spring, will help me decide if I am capable of another part-time child on the days Claire is not with me.

The next post will be after their First Christmas so goodbye to this year of surprises,tons of tears, excitement, filled with emotions and most challenging times of my life and fingers crossed for a Happy New Year!

Twins are 3 months. Corrected age 6 weeks

Family photos in the park

The winds of change!

Lots of changes have happened in the past month. For starters and on a good note, the babies are both regularly sleeping through the night. (Happy dance) Kelsey on average goes 5-7 hours between the night feeds and Logan goes 6-8 with an occasional 9 hours between. His record has been 11 hours!!! He might have gone more but I woke him to feed in the morning. Then they both go back to bed and usually sleep another 3-4 hours. That means on a really good night I can get 10 hours of broken sleep or on a bad night I'm still getting around 7. Either way, it's wonderful because I need all the energy I can get because once 10:00 a.m. rolls around my day is non-stop until around midnight when they go down. I rarely nap anymore but sometimes I get lucky and manage a 30 minute cat nap. Remember last month when I said I try not to sit down because I get drowsy?? Well, this month if I get a chance to sit down, it's like heaven on earth to put my feet up!!!

I have sooooo much to do each day that it's just crazy bananas. Being alone with all 3 kids is really hard work and I often find myself eating for the first time each day around 1:00p.m. and it's not always healthy(lots of cookies! I have developed a sweet tooth much to my dismay). Between feeding all 3 kids(I am constantly feeding someone) washing and prepping bottles, preparing breakfast and lunch, laundry and prepping dinner I am usually run ragged by the time Paul comes home. It's nice to have him home in the evening to take some of the load off and provide Austin with more attention. I try really hard to contain myself but unfortunately Paul gets a lot of grumpy mommy moments, I really am sorry honey! I miss my mom (it's her busy work season) and cousin Katie's help. I have had friends come over for a couple hours each week which is really great but I really need someone here ALL day. With me not working, we absolutely cannot afford for me to hire help so volunteers it is! I honestly don't know where I even found the time to write this blog. It takes multiple days of writing a little here and there, adding pictures and editing and about a week later I can finally send it out!

Logan's first real bath- 13 pounds of chunk!

I live in my pajamas and only get dressed if I need to leave the house. Even when I shower which I find time for about every day and a half, I just put a clean pair of pajamas back on! Sexy!!! I have a appointment to have a massage this weekend and I just cannot wait to relax for an hour then enjoy lunch at Brio with friends! The mommies group is calling it Mom's day out at Crocker Park! I am attending 2 of the 5 functions during the day away! I would do more but they all cost money that we don't have!

Okay enough about me and back to the babies. They are now sleeping in their own nursery. We had to do a 3-room shuffle in order to get everyone where they belong. We have spent our weekends bit-by-crying-baby-bit cleaning out our 3rd floor and moving Paul's office up in order to move Austin into his new big boy room and the babies into the nursery.

As for the nursing, Kelsey is nursing wonderfully and in fact she gets most of the feeds now. Logan has started causing too much fuss while nursing and popping off too much so he gets nursed only twice a day and formula the other feeds. Kelsey has to have a minimum of 2 formula feeds because of the calories it offers or she would probably be exclusively nursed. I enjoy nursing her so I am sticking with it for now! Logan's reflux is much worse than Austin's was. With Austin, the one dose of Zantac a day was all he needed and he would just spit up ALOT. Logan doesn't spit up nearly as much but when he does, it really hurts him :( He arches his back and pulls up his legs in pain. He receives 2 doses of Zantac a day and to help him he eats smaller bottles(3 ounces) more often. Sometimes a hour apart and sometimes 4 hours apart. I also have switched him to a sensitive tummy formula as it appears that he might have an issue with lactose. They are both on an on-demand feeding sequence but it has it's own schedule built-in where they both generally take a long nap in the afternoon/early evening same as Austin. This is my only saving grace. I turn off everything (lights,TV,sounds) and sometimes just sit on the couch and stare at the ceiling motionless.

Kelsey after bath- 11 pounds of skinny!

The babies enjoy some wake time it the morning after their good night's rest and again in the evening after their long nap! We often have a witching hour starting at 9pm and ending at midnight when they usually go down. It really is the hardest part of our day because Austin, our night owl is usually awake until 11 or later too! Getting everyone to sleep is relentless! We are back and forth with Austin who still struggles with going down on his own and waking up in the middle of the night sometimes. We have tried so many different methods, limiting nap time, changing when nap is, no nap, keeping a light on, laying with him, letting him cry it out, sometimes things work but mostly he is inconsistent :/

Austin with his best buddies at 12 weeks old

When the babies are awake they are only sometimes happy. When they are content they are smiling and have started with some occasional cooing, mostly from Logan as he smiled first too. They can both roll over from tummy to back during their tummy time and I am hoping for some giggles soon! They have their fair share of fussing.(The majority of their wake time.) Again, mostly Logan. He is a very high maintenance baby, much harder than any baby I have ever dealt with which is mostly due to his reflux. Kelsey has her moments but usually calms down when she is propped up and can look around. I blame the fact that I can't just hold and cuddle with them as to why they are so unhappy. It is really hard to enjoy them when there are two. I was lucky that I got to spoil and snuggle with Austin and really wish I could give these babies that same attention. I am sad to say they both have to spend so much time in a vibrate chair or swing just so I can manage to get through the day. I would like to note that this hard time only started a couple weeks ago, up until then they were pretty good and I ran things very smoothly.

Logan is a cheese ball

Austin has adjusted to his siblings very well. He asks to hold the babies by putting his hands out in request. He gives the babies their NUKS when they cry and he likes pointing out their body parts. He was very used to other children in our home from me watching kids so he copes well with not having my undivided attention. He enjoys getting his picture taken with them and says "I chee" ( I cheese). We recently got ambitious and took our own family photos in the metroparks! They turned out well considering we were chasing Austin around, holding the babies and using the tripod and remote to take pictures!

Another self taken family shot

I am very much looking forward to the day when things get better and easier on me. I am definitely going through a rough patch with this age group and I have had great reasurrance from family and friends that their will be light at the end of the tunnel. No offense to anyone else but the only people who actually make me feel better are other moms of twins because THEY really get me and there really is no other comparison!

Mommies group Halloween Party- yes we match!

Annual pumpkin picture....epic fail!

So, on that note let's hope next month's post is more pleasant with the holidays approaching and I will have more help from family again!