3 months

Well, it's been a big week! I turned 30! Adam had a little surprise shin-dig for me with family and some friends. I really was surprised and I think I am hard to surprise, so good job hubby. I had accidentally left the camera card out so we don't have any pics. Boo. It was a nice birthday and I love where I am at in life right now. I feel like an accomplished 30 year old. =) Tucker started laughing and 2 days later Loey Kate laughed too. (12 weeks old) Tucker likes to have little "conversations" with me right after eating. Love his coos and ahhs! He has the creamiest, smoothest skin in the world! Tucker is still heavier than Loey, even though he is skinnier. Loey smiles with her whole face. Her cheeks are squishy and edible! She has dainty feet and almost no neck, haha. She's my tiny girl, but looks bigger than Tucker bc of her rolls! Loey rolled over 2x tonight! I thought Adam was kidding me at first, but I ran to get the video camera and she did it again! I think being a little squirt helps her out. Quite the strong abs 13 weeks They are improving ever so slightly with their nap schedules, but the night time is still random. Some nights they go for 6 hour stretches and others they want to eat every 3-4. I've made it my "rule" that I'm not feeding them before 4 hours. Here is a our "schedule-ish" right now for 3 months: 6:30/7:00 wake up and eat then bouncy seat time while Graham and I eat breakfast 8:15 back down for morning nap 1 1/2-2 hours 10:00 eat and usually run errands so napping in car seats out and about 1:00 eat 2:30 nap 1 1/2-2 hours 4:00 eat 5:30 short 30 min nap 6:00 awake time while we eat dinner 7:00 feed, bath 7:30 or 8:00 bed time! 10:00 dream feed Up one time to eat between 2 and 4 am I have worked hard to get them on the same schedule and they mostly are! We follow the rule of one up, both up. Or one gets sleepy, then both go down. It is working slowly. The days that are off really drive me bonkers. There are only so many times I can run in and replace pacis before going nuts! Graham knows the drill: If a baby keeps crying before nap time is over I run in to give that baby a paci or put him/her in the swing. He'll tell me, "Mom, baby crying. Go get paci." Graham has upped his two year old temperament lately. He is in time out daily. I have to pick him up off the floor, crying daily. He is either good as gold, or in melt down mode! Luckily, if we are out, he is usually good as gold! He likes to save the tantrums for home, which is better. Today he put himself in timeout bc he hit me while I was nursing the babies and I told him that when I finished he was in time out. (Automatic time out for hitting) He went ahead and walked over to the corner on his own. When he is not acting out, he is SO DELIGHTFUL! HE is so incredibly verbal and knows about 100 songs. He sings all the time. He loves to read books still and likes to read to me and the babies when I'm feeding them. He is addicted to TV and we plan on "weaning" him off of it a bit this summer. He got used to it when I couldn't move while pregnant and now with nursing. His favorites are still Barney, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Blues Clues, Chuggington, and The Cat and the Hat. He also newly likes Imagination Movers! Well I'm off to bed! Just wanted to document a few things before my children grow up on me! Pics to come...

What's better than being 10 weeks old? Being 11 weeks old!

Still might be a tad early for the bumbo seats. =) They lasted a few minutes though!

The first weekend of March was great! Aunt Becky came to visit us. Becky lives in CO so we rarely get to see her, so it was a treat. She got to enjoy her new niece and nephew. =) We love you Aunt Becky!

Mr. Graham really loves his Aunt Becky and wishes she lived closer. (tug at your heart, Becky!) =)

Graham had to show Aunt Becky how he knows all 26 letters and sounds. Graham is very interested in letters these days and always asks us to spell out words. He is really good at picking out the beginning sounds in words as well. I'm so glad he loves to learn!!!

Melt, my heart sweet, Tucker! Love that smile!!!

My boys

Its kinda like a sleep mask...hahaha!

Sleeping makes Mommy and I happy!

Happy 11 weeks babies! This week I have seen a big improvement in your pleasant awake time, your ease in falling asleep at nap time (now STAYING asleep is another story), finding a good consistent bedtime, and only waking up 1 time at night to eat. That makes me happy!

Here's to making it through the first few months! Not going to lie...glad we survived and are looking forward to spring.

February Pics

My sleepy, hairless monk/Christmas Elf. =)

Bible reading time for Graham and Loey Kate. I think they already have a special bond...

Love Loey's face in this one...she's like, "Excuse me!"

SWEET Tucker

Posing like a twin in my car seat...

Posing opposite of Loey Kate

Matching boys

They look ready to be parents to me! =) Can't wait to meet Baby G SOON!

Excuse the look of the Mommy. Holding my sweet, sick Graham. Enjoying the snuggly time.

Another smiley pic of Loey Kate. Tucker smiles too, but NEVER when the camera is out!

Look! His hair is growing back. Only took a few weeks- phew. =) Mommy guilt is going away...

Melt my heart!

Daddy and Graham's first snowman- it might be small but they had fun! (This pic is a few days later from when they built it- it had melted a little and the snow on the ground was almost gone, but we forgot to take a pic when they made it.)

So long winter! Hello March and soon-to-be-here Spring!

Amazing bubbles

Have an extra bubbly, good day!

venting...

Oh. my. word. I used to be such a good blogger. I want to be better but...

Life right now is SO difficult. Probably the hardest it's been for me when it comes to no sleep, feeling at a loss on how to handle twins + a toddler, and just giving up all free time to other things. I DO feel blessed to have my 3 children, but twins are certainly not a cup of tea. It probably drives me more nuts than some mothers, but getting these kids on a schedule has been a challenge! I give up many days after running in to put the pacifier back in a baby's mouth for the 10th time during a nap so they don't scream and wake up the other baby I just put back to sleep lie 5 minutes ago. We have tried it all- cry it out, rock, swing, bouncy seat...and everything works at different times and everything doesn't work at different times. I have to stop comparing how things were with Graham bc I've realized one thing; Being a parent to ONE child was a PIECE OF CAKE. My life was centered on that little being and Graham had every need met exactly when he wanted it. That's probably why he seemed like the dream baby. He was an amazing sleeper and eater. Nursing twins is tricky logistically and on the timing.
When I step back and think about my life, I do feel blessed and I love, love, love my kids. But when I have a toddler screaming, "Hold You" and two hungry, crying babies I sometimes think that spring will never come- that the babies will never sleep through the night-that I've got to shower or the neighbors might smell me. I've been called "super mom" for being seen out at the mall with all three kids, but they don't know that it's purely for my sanity; that if I stayed in my house for another hour that I might not make it.

Seriously.

The twins are 9 weeks old, Graham is 26 months old. I'm a mom and it's HARD folks. I'm jealous of Adam on Monday's when he gets to go to work sometimes and talk to adults and have a lunch hour. Moms out there...wouldn't you love a lunch hour? THEN I remember that my dream was to be a stay at home mom and I would not give it up. Do I want my teaching job back? Seriously? Heck no! Would I bawl my eyes out if I had to leave my kids? Oh man...it'd be bad. I really wouldn't want to have lunch with any other people than my kids. So, after all that venting, I'm back to being grateful for my little family of five, my REALLY, REALLY great husband, and the blessed life of being a stay at home mom. I'm living my dream (even if my dream did have a showered, make-up me in it).

Phew.

On a funnier note, I need to document some of the funny stories Graham has said lately...

While at CVS, Graham saw some canes and yelled out, "Pogo Sticks"! He definitely got a few chuckles...

I DVR shows for Graham to watch, so he really has no concept of "waiting" to watch a show. He asked to watch Curious George but we didn't have any recorded. I was trying to explain it to him that I needed to tape it first and then we could watch it later. He was getting frustrated and then smiled and ran off into the kitchen. I had no idea what he was doing until he came running back with the tape! =) "Tape it Mommy", he said.

We have a lady named Julie that comes to clean for us 2x a month right now (AWESOME christmas gift!) and she was cleaning the kitchen while I was getting ready in the bathroom. I had just showered and was getting dressed. Graham has become very aware of my boobs lately since they are out daily feeding his siblings. We've talked about how just girls need bras (since he was tryinig to put one on the other day). He was playing with a box of nursing pads and I asked him to give me 2 and put them away. He then said, "For Mommy's Boobs. She a girl. Julie a girl. I give her some." My son was about to go take nursing pads to the cleaning lady!!! hahahahaha She's a girl too, so of COURSE she needs some. I like his heart. =)

Sorry no pics...hoping to download some SOON! Smiling twins melt my heart...