The Dog Whisperer I am NOT!

Note to childless couples out there: If you are planning on EVER having children, take it from me...don't get a dog. Don't get two dogs, don't even get one dog. Don't even get a small dog. Our dogs were loved before these babies came along. We would get teary eyed at the thought of their old age. We let them sleep with us, eat off our plates, and ride in the car with us everywhere. We sat on the back porch with a beer and threw the ball/frisbee/plastic foot toy at them for forty five minutes at a time. I literally could not imagine a day could come that I would live a life of complete annoyance at the sight of them. Fastforward to May 8, 2007. I come home with tiny precious babies and immediately are bothered by the dogs. I don't like them licking my babies. I don't like them licking their toys. I hate when they find a ball, assume it is theirs, and pop it. I hate dog hair on my floor, where the babies lay. I HATE the barking right when I get two tired, cranky babies to sleep....my dogs bark at the wind, the mean old man behind our house, cars, little kids, etc. Don't even get me started on the doorbell. It rings, and they are SCREAMING at the top of their dog lungs. It doesn't help that I am married to the "Dog Hollerer" who can tear down four hours of dog training in twelve seconds. I will spend all day practicing the "we don't bark at the doorbell" lesson, and he comes in the door from work singing circus songs at them and chasing them around the living room. It also doesn't help that I live behind the world's biggest dog hater who complains if he hears them so much as breathe in the back yard, and asks us when we are putting them on "an electronic muzzle"...whatever the heck that is!
The point of all this ranting: I am finding myself with some rare silence this afternoon while my sweet babies are asleep on the couch. I decide to catch up on some projects I have been working on....when Dixie starts screaming like she is posessed by the dog devil. I ran her out the back door, literally shaking with rage. She had a kick coming to her rear end, but scooted pretty fast away from me.....dog lovers out there (I used to be one of you) I am sorry. I know this horrifies and offends you. Problem is: I don't really care that much anymore! Call the ASPCA on me or something. (Don't really call the ASPCA...I am not a dog abuser...just resentful I am an owner) This is a big change of heart for me.....I used to want to buy cute dog beds for them and dress them in hilarious costumes like "Batman" and "Chicken"...trouble is; I never imagined how I would feel after I had kids....babies were hypothetical for me at that point....if someone had told me all this then, Shawn and I would have shaken our heads at them and talked about it in the car on the way home, discussing how we would NEVER change how we treated our dogs. Ha! Double Ha! Take it from me: If you are dogless and want babies, STAY THAT WAY. It doesn't matter if you love dogs. It doesn't matter if your aunt's boyfriend's stepmom's realtor can get you a super duper price on a purebred something or another, It doesn't matter if someone gives you a free puppy in a pink sweater. Look down at the dog in disdain and run (don't walk) the other way..If you ever get the urge to purchase....DON'T DO IT! Just walk your neighbor's dog or watch you some Animal Planet. Trust me. Now it's too late. I realize they triple my workload and daily trouble....but we already kinda like them so it's WAY too late. Better to never have loved at all, that's what I say!

Fun Weekend

This weekend we had family in town, and decided to take them downtown to stay in the Westin and see San Antonio....it is funny we live here and don't go downtown that much...we ate at Acenar, which is not exactly baby friendly. They sat us upstairs, which meant the men in the family had to carry the babies in the stroller up about twenty stairs. We sat at our table and I looked around....lots of supercool 20-somethings out on the town, probably wondering why people like us weren't at home watching Sesame Street or something. Of course, the babies were not all that cooperative. They wanted to be held and passed around the table, until FINALLY, right before the food came we gave them bottles and put them in the strollers and what do you know?? They were asleep, and we got to eat (just like normal people) in peace, without someone's chubby little hand slinging our napkin on the floor or grabbing for the lemon in our margarita. This went on for awhile, with me silently wondering how we made this restaurant work for us....when in walk the mariachis. I saw them coming....creeping closer and closer to us, forcing the tables around us to listen to their music. (Don't get me wrong, I love their music...reminds me of home...I just don't want people forcing me to let them play music and then tip them like they are Avon ladies or something) I was thinking PLEASE go away....but NO-the table behind us decides they want to hear the Mexican top forty list. It was miserable! Both babies started screaming-staring at the mariachis in horror. My only consolation was that Shawn (in his desperation to get babies out of the stroller quickly) was sticking his rear into the fiddle player while she was trying to play. It was our own fault....noisy, hip Mexican restaurant plus sleepy babies equals disaster. Oh well!
When we were done eating, we went back to the hotel and all convened in our room while my sleepy babies tried to drift off on the pull out couch bed. They slept SO well in the bed like big kids! Hayden didn't make a peep until 8:30 and Cale didn't wake until 9:30! Neither even cried to wake up, just started babbling and looking for us...it was sooooo relaxing! Then off to the Guenther House for an amazing brunch....fun, relaxing weekend! We are lucky to have adaptable babies who are generally up for anything!
The babies are seeming to be so much older in the last few days....they are starting to wave "bye-bye", and when we say "YEAH!!!!!" and clap, Hayden does, too. When I talk about the doggies or daddy, they look to the appropriate animal/person. When we say "Do you want to get up?", they reach their little arms up at us. They are really starting to understand us now. Now is when I have to start thinking about EVERYTHING that comes out of my mouth...no more badmouthing horrible drivers on the highway!
One funny note about the constipation story I posted last time....while we were all cheering Cale on and trying to coax a poo out of him, we look over and notice Hayden chewing on a dog bone. Hilarious! That is what happens when you have twins....when there is a ruckus surrounding one, the other one is in the corner getting into who knows what! Probably not all that sanitary, but I read somewhere that kids who have dogs have better immune systems or something.....i think....

I don't know why, but I gave birth to the two most constipated infants on the planet. They hate food, and hardly eat any, so I know that is not constipating them....AHHHHHH! It is miserable..mostly for them, but sad for me too! (Who knew I would ever care so much about someone else's pooping habits?)
Yesterday Cale was grumpy ALL day...my mom had taken Hayden home with her so that I could have only one baby and get some sewing done....well, he was so whiny it was almost worse than when I normally have them both. He didn't want to play by himself, or be put down, so I had to try to sew while balancing him on my leg, facing him away from the embroidery machine, while trying to keep sharp scissors out of his reach. The ONLY thing that made him stop crying was to hold him, so I carried him around for about four hours...He was finally happy in the bathtub (that ALWAYS works!) My parents were here helping me get them ready for bed, and we bathed the babies, put their jammies on, and then let them play on the floor while we waited for Daddy to come home from a church dinner. Cale started grunting and his face turned red...of course, we all thought it was hysterical, until we realized that he was pushing ferociously and NOTHING was happening. He was crying so hard.....I went and got a Fleet Enema (SO FUN!) and a big towel to do "the procedure". The poor baby had the world's hardest poop stuck in his hiney....after lots of steps I won't mention, he finally managed to get some relief...by the end of this scenario, we were both in tears....I guess we are back to giving them Glycolax in their bottles...i just didn't want them to be dependent on the meds! When we laid him down in bed, his little head was sweaty...he had worked so hard to poop...it was horrible.
Disgusting story, I know...but moms out there understand this I am sure!
We have realized that this weekend we will be lowering the crib mattresses for the first time. After I had put them down last night I heard Hayden in there talking, and when I walked in the room, I could see her little face looking at me from over the rail. She has figured out how to get to a sitting position from her tummy, so we are scared she will start to pull up on the side! After laying her back down and going back in there about four times, we finally wore her out!
We are home all day today...as usual, I have errands I could be running, but it is just too cold to take these babies out! Even when they are all bundled up and covered in blankets and hats, I still feel bad. We are just staying in today where it is warm...babies playing on the floor and me trying to finish some sewing orders.....I am so ready for it to be summer!

We are teething all over the place!

So I found out Cale is cutting top teeth now too....in a pretty funny way...I thought he was chewing on a piece of dog hair (pretty white trash, huh?) so I stuck my finger in his mouth...no dog hair, but I felt teeth on top!!! A few days before, in Sears, Shawn spotted two tiny white spots on Hayden's bottom gums...which is sad because I stay home with her and never saw them. :( It is going to be funny to see her with teeth because I am so used to seeing her gummy smile. (which I love!) All day yesterday and today she has talked all day long....from the tub, the back seat, her crib...I hear "Da, da, da, da, da DEE, da, da, dee!" I am pretty sure she doesn't think she is saying "Daddy".....but it is cute anyway!
Cale says "Ma,ma,ma, ma, ma, ma..." but only when he is crying to be picked up..maybe he knows he is calling for me.....maybe he does know it is my name. It is pretty fun to think that they will be talking in a few months....

So grateful...

My cousin just sent me an email asking us to pray for friends of theirs who delivered their baby boy early....he was only 23 weeks along. He was born in December, and wasn't due until March...I have spent some time this morning reading their blog, and my heart breaks with this couple and their tiny baby! They have had to go through so much in his short little life so far....infection, so many treatments, blood transfusions, worry about brain bleeds, worry about kidney function and breathing on his own....
I can't help but be amazed at our situation....here I was labeled a "high risk pregnancy" and was monitored for EVERYTHING...and I delivered two perfect, healthy babies at 37 weeks (full term for twins) who had not one thing wrong with them.....and this sweet girl who was pregnant with ONE baby, and had a perfectly healthy pregnancy, went into labor at 23 weeks and now is fighting the battle of her life....it makes you realize that it is not us who is in control, but GOD, and these babies are only really ours to borrow while we are here on earth.
Please pray for this tiny baby boy...his name is Coy...(God will know who you are talking about ;)...that he continues to get stronger and thrive...and for strength for his parents.....
Praise God for his health thus far....and for those of us who don't know what this feels like....

Look what I did!!

In my quest to become the next Martha Stewart....I am always looking for ideas at baby shops for stuff I think I can make on my own for WAY cheaper...well, during Christmas we went to Dickens Christmas in Bracken, and they had some adorable, though very, very overpriced baby gifts....so I inspected the stuff and went home to make my own...

I love the idea of a matched burp cloth/bib set...I made about eight of these bibs for Hayden in a bunch of girly fabrics and I love them...I lined them in chenille so they are super absorbent, and even the pukiest kid in town (Hayden) doesn't get her shirt wet!

Yippee! I am giving these as baby gifts!!

Me and Eva Longoria are pretty much BFF....

Shawn got Spurs tickets from one of his bosses at work for the game last night....we went while my mom stayed with the babies....It was fun! I have decided I don't want to go to games anymore unless we get to sit where we sat last night. I have never sat in a good seat, EVER, which probably explains why I would rather watch the games on my TV at home. These seats were amazing...close enough to see everything but far enough up that I didn't have to worry the whole time about a huge sweaty man falling on me. We were joking about sharing nachos with Eva Longoria, and then Shawn spotted her about eight feet in front of us....I told him I wish he hadn't seen her because then I had to watch her instead of the game. She is so tiny...she makes Hayden look fat. Of course I had to text my friends that she was sitting by us, and started a text-a-thon that blew my fingers out....my cousin wanted me to throw popcorn in her hair, something I would NEVER do because I needed to look dignified in the rich people section. (which didn't last long because my phone fell out of my purse under my seat and snapped in half...while I was fishing for the two halves of my phone, I got the sleeve of my sweater all filthy with popcorn butter or something....Shawn said I should try to go and make friends with Eva looking like that. Apparently he thought she was out of my league!)
It was a good time...fun to do things by ourselves sometimes!
Stay tuned: Hayden is about to crawl any minute! She is up on all fours rocking now....I keep thinking today will be the day...we'll see. Meanwhile, Cale just sits on the floor judging my parenting skills and finding them unacceptable. I wonder how long he'll stay seated once she is off and going....he is NOT going to like that!

I love watching my babies...

I took these pictures the other morning while watching the kiddos play. Who needs T.V. when you have two precious babies to watch? I love the way they pick up everything and inspect it, turning it every which way to look at all sides of it and then in the mouth it goes! Once one baby sees the other with something interesting (even if they just had the toy and put it down in boredom) they have to go after whatever the other one has. Cale is a little quicker and stronger, so that usually means she gets toys jerked out of her hand...luckily she is sweet as sweet can be and hardly ever fusses about it!

I love the picture of Cale with the little stuffed horse hanging out of this mouth. He stuffed the horse's tail in his mouth, and played for another twenty minutes or so with that thing hanging from his mouth! Too funny!

I also love the pic of Hayden and Shawn...that girl LOVES her Daddy! He can always, ALWAYS make her smile and laugh. If I am holding her and he walks into a room, she kicks her little legs so wildly it is hard to hold onto her! I hope she always loves him that much...it means so much to him!

My obsession of the day is a new camera....I have a little Sony cybershot that I use all the time, and a fancy schmancy 35 mm camera that NEVER gets used.....I really, really want a fancy digital. My friend Brandi was showing me hers today...a new Nikon that makes all her photos look professional...I am pretty sure it is upwards of 1000 dollars....so I have something new to save for! I hate that I don't use my 35 mm....but who does anymore?? It takes beautiful pics, but is so impractical to have to develop a roll of 24 pics only to get three great ones...If I developed my own pictures, (which I have wanted to learn to do for awhile) it would make sense...but for now, digital is the only way to go for me!

Now I have to work on finding a good deal on a new camera and convincing my husband that we need a new one! :) Maybe I can sell my old one on ebay or something...I have never done that, so I need to check into it! Must have fancy camera before babies grow up and move out of the house, leaving me with sub par photos to document their childhood.

One last note for the night: Shawn and I went to a Cystic Fibrosis Benefit dinner last night with some great family friends....we have been involved for a while with this organization, because of our great friend Ali, who has the disease. Being there last night made me want to do something more; to be more involved in some capacity to help families struggling with this terrible illness....it is so heart wrenching...the median age of life expectancy is 37 years old....our friend Ali is 26, so hearing that fact again last night was sickening! To feel so grateful for my family and babies, and to think that so many people have to watch theirs become more and more ill and feel so helpless to make it stop....there are no words for how this makes me feel....if you are looking for a charity to donate to, take a few minutes to look into CF, (www.cff.org) and think about it! While you're at it, send up a few prayers for our friend Ali....for continued health and strength...she is an amazing testament to the term "will to live"...makes me want to be a better person and make every day count!

I know there is a lot of worthless junk at the dollar tree, but I have found some really good stuff there too.....In the last week, I have gone twice and picked up some good finds...
-some really cute square glass jars to put office supplies in for our desk
-scrapbook page protectors...(10 for a dollar!!)
-cute rubber stamps
-cute little tote bags to carry diapers and wipes in
-candy flavored chapsticks (starburst, whoppers, etc. I am OBSESSED with chapsticks, and these flavors remind me of being a little kid)
I am sure I "need" none of this, but it is all about the HUNT....I feel like I need to sneak in the door with dollar tree bags and hide from my husband....
I have gone and done what I said I would NEVER do....I am going to make and freeze my own baby food! I always thought people who did that had either a: way too much time on their hands or b: overly nervous ideas about additives and preservatives (like your kid isn't going to eat chicken mcnuggets at some point...and I am pretty sure those aren't even made of chicken)
Anyway, I figured it would be cheaper, and healthy....I end up opening one of those baby food boxes and wasting most of it anyway! I went today and loaded up on stuff at the grocery store that babycenter.com said they could eat. My babies both decided yesterday (eight months to the day that they were born) that they would go ahead and try to eat baby food. Up until yesterday, attempts had been on the futile side.....there was food everywhere, and I got frustrated. I think I might have been giving up too quickly, but oh well. They are healthy, and I am sure we will have them off formula sometime before they ship off to college. Mainly, I was motivated to start trying food more because we realized that almost ninety dollars of formula lasted a grand total of EIGHT days! I really had no idea that is how much we had been spending....lucky for us, my mom buys a can every time I buy one, or we would be eaten out of house and home. I am not sure if I am supposed to give them less formula now that they are eating way more food....another question for the doctor....or any mommies out there who know. One thing that made my mom and I smile yesterday...Hayden would fill her mouth up with food (we thought she was trying to swallow, but was storing it in her cheeks like a hamster)...and then start blowing raspberries...food went everywhere! We were trying to say "No!" and sound stern, but had to keep turning our head and laughing. It was so funny! It is interesting the kinds of things I laugh at lately!
One noted side effect of eating more real food: more poop! Yuck, yuck, yuck. I knew this day would come, but I am not excited about it....

Bad news: Cale pooped himself, and by "pooped himself" I mean it was literally streaked up his entire back all the way to his neck. It was all over his jammies and the living room smelled like the rodeo. Good news: Daddy is home because it is Saturday and he took care of it! Yeah! The minute he took off his pants I hear this coming from the other room. "Oh no!....Oh no!...It's everywhere...It's REALLY bad!....It's a total blowout!.....I need help....." I hollered at him to pretend he was by himself. (I am so mean!) He was trying to get him clean by using two hundred and ninety six wipes, and finally just gave up and put him in the tub....we took pictures of the filthy kid, and I debated posting them, but I figured that is borderline offensive to some readers. By the time he was in the tub, he was laughing and smiling like he didn't smell like a porta pottie at Fiesta. He had no idea he stunk. It was pretty funny.
More bad news: Shawn I bought a wall shelf to hang above our desk, and the installation did not go as planned. I measured perfectly (or at least I thought I did) and we ended up being just a hair off....we tried to fix it and ended up drilling about eight holes in the wall and completely annihilating about four feet of drywall. I am looking at the shelf laying here covered in white dust, (not on the wall) and wondering what we are going to do! I guess we are going to go the way of our old standby...my dad. Poop! Shawn and I can pontificate our theories on philosophy/education/politics/religion, etc. all day, but can't hang anything heavier than a picture to a wall without hurting something...Go figure! I hate that it didn't just "work"...it never does!
Good news: I am getting caught up on scrapbooking....I work and work on it, and feel proud of myself until I look at a book or magazine on scrapbooking ideas and I realize my attempts pale in comparison and are sort of pathetic. Oh well....my kids won't have a scrapbook with a home made quilt glued to the page, but they will have some pictures of their babyhood to look at, some even with something written underneath it! I am going to try not to let my feelings of scrapbooking inadequacy make me want to quit.
More good news: I re-joined the gym, finally, after about two years of pregnancy, laying around after pregnancy, and generally letting all my muscles turn into jello. I have gone three out of the last four days (yeah me!) and I am really going to try to make it stick! I am going to meet with a personal trainer....I tried having Shawn tell me what to do, but he gets a little overzealous and starts putting me through a workout that would make a Navy SEAL cry. I need someone to tell me realistic, fun things to do that I can actually DO...not all sorts of squatting and heavy lifting. :) I know I am a disappointment to my husband, who probably thinks it is idiotic of me that I don't like to do squats with the weight bar because: a; it hurts my shoulder bones, and b; it makes your hands smell like metal. It is better for our marriage if he doesn't try to "help". I took the babies to the gym's childcare for the first time Friday. I walked in, and fought the urge to walk right back out....there was a lady at the desk who had NO idea what was going on, a twelve year old walking around holding babies, and about forty kids running rampant all over the place. I asked where to put the babies and the twelve year old (most helpful "employee") pointed to the rug, in the center of all the bedlam. I informed her that "NO" I was not sitting them in the middle of all that....proceeded back to the check in desk to find out what the heck was going on, only to find out that the lady at the desk didn't really speak English all that well. I asked her where the babies went, and she said "In there." pointing to a room (and by "room" I mean a tiny stall about six by nine feet, stuffed with six old bouncy seats and excersaucers) I put Cale (reluctantly) into one of the excersaucers, and went to get Hayden. When I got back, she had pulled Cale into the main room, where any old freak-o kid could bang on him with a toy or something. I finally got them settled, and felt HORRIBLE. Long story short, I bawled to a gym employee about it, who looked at me like I was emotionally unstable...she didn't know whether or not to hug me or call security....I ended up working out for about twenty minutes, and couldn't stand it anymore and went to get them....Moms out there.....WHAT DO I DO???? Is this normal at gyms??? Shawn wants to check it out, and if we really decide it is skeevy, we will argue our way out of the contract. I am trying to decide if I am being a psycho about it, or I should trust my instinct....any advice is welcome....There is only one other gym near me and it is WAY more expensive and they charge extra for childcare so I am really debating what to do here.....
Gotta go check to see if there is anything good on the TiVo....(besides "GameDay" and "Snoop Dogg's Fatherhood") :)

Today my friend Amy came over with her two boys for a playdate....even though mine are a little too small to be any fun for her oldest (Parks, who is two and a half) He basically played while the babies watched and Amy and I talked. (And baby Davis slept!) It is always fun to have a long visit with other mommies...I wondered today why I don't do it more often! We ran to CostCo together (one of my new favorites!!) and had a good time traipsing through the aisles debating whether or not we needed a pool table or a forty pound box of Snickers. Or an eight pack of cans of WD-40....I was confused by that one...who needs that much WD-40 in a lifetime? I guess nothing would ever squeak in that person's house....
I am glad I like Amy so much....she is the wife of Shawn's best friend Daniel...and by "best friend", I mean BEST FRIEND. These two are freaks when they get together....those who know them would understand...they literally speak a different language. They will get to laughing so hard about something that they are crying, and none of us can understand what is even going on....then one of them will say one word, literally ONE WORD, and the hysterics start fresh. It is entertaining, if not a little confusing to watch. To Shawn, Daniel can literally do NO WRONG....not that he does anything wrong, but if he did, Shawn would deny it or help cover it up. They are the kind of friends that would help each other bury a body if need be. (But neither are sociopaths, thank God!) So for me, it is lucky that I love his wife...since whoever he married would be my friend forever. They are really more like family than friends, and for that we are lucky!
One dumb thing I am excited about: my mom found stockings at Pottery Barn today for 70 percent off, so she called and asked how many I wanted. I thought about it, and said five, four for us, and one extra for our next (God willing) baby. I almost said six, but thought I shouldn't get too out of control. If things are going really, really well and I have three kids who don't make me want to jump off a bridge, I think it would be really cool to have a fourth. I know I am four kinds of crazy, but I think it has to do with the fact that getting pregnant with these kiddos did NOT come easy. When it happens like that, it is hard not to imagine any potential baby as a miracle. I can't even fathom how people feel when they find out they are pregnant and get annoyed...that is so foreign to me! (But common to others, I know!) Anyway, I am excited about our cute new stockings!! I am glad we got them, even though it is hard to buy Christmas stuff in January for me...I know it's cheap, but I am usually too annoyed at Christmas stuff to buy anything....but when stockings come out to 4.80 apiece, you gotta be crazy not to get some! I am all about a deal, so there you have it!

Sweet baby Logan!

I am late-y, late-y, late, late in posting this, but we are so excited about the birth of sweet baby Logan! I watched her be born and it was one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed! I was honored to be in the room with my wonderful friends for such a momentous occasion. She is a little over a month old now, and is too, too cute!

Side note: the photo above was taken by my friend Dee Wallis who is an amazing photographer....she captures so much emotion in her photos...I am always touched to see her work. Her website is www.ladeedaphotography.com if you need a photographer for any reason...she is so, so, so talented!