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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Project of the Day


Here is my little project I worked on today...A few weeks ago, while holding a squirmy Hayden in Half Price Books, I came upon the cutest book about "baby projects". Most of them were sewing related, and since I fancy myself a semi-decent sewing enthusiast, I bought it. The first project I tried out was this hooded towel and washcloth set. This was the first time I have made my own bias tape from scratch, and it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. This project requires cutting a bath towel, and piecing it back together to make a hooded towel for a baby. I like it because it has a nifty hook for hanging, and because those hooded baby towels you get as gifts are so quickly "too small" for baby. (At least mine) I love that I can make a towel for baby that is a little bit bigger than an infant hooded towel, that they can hopefully use for a bit longer. Next time I make this there will be some modifications....I lived and learned a few things about bias tape! Plus, I would like to try to make one with a bath sheet, instead of a regular towel...I think it will work a little better for babies one and older like mine.

This wasn't too hard at all, and I have that feeling of satisfaction that only happens when I create something....I am excited to try this again! Lucky for me, there are a TON of people I know expecting babies, so I have more than enough reasons to make some more of them. "Kate" is the baby girl expected by my cousin Casey in September....that fetus already has more than enough stuff with her name on it!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Memorial Day fun....







My friend Kim had a memorial day cookout at her beautiful house yesterday....I didn't know we would be swimming, so I brought my kids and husband completely unprepared. Luckily, Kim wrangled a swimsuit from her husband, and found a 6-12 month swimsuit for Hayden. Cale just wore a swim diaper like a little trashy baby. :) I was just fine sitting in the shade enjoying a beverage. :) Kim had a great idea to fill a little inflatable boat with water and put the babies in it like a little baby pool. It worked so great! They played with pool toys and watched all the big kids in the pool...for a while. Then they started to get brave and think about getting OUT of the little boat. Daddy took turns taking them in the big pool to swim and play with the waterfalls, while I was left to chase after the other soaking wet baby who was no longer happy sitting in the inflatable boat. Cale decided he could climb out of the boat on his own, and started crawling around on the rock patio (had to hurt, but he didn't care). He tried to eat bark and a whole grape, but luckily mommy was watching. I tried to hold him (as he soaked my clothes through) but he was NOT having it. He was thrashing all over the place trying to get down. I don't know where he thought he was going, but he thought he was going somewhere!



It was such a nice day...not too hot. Kim had planned some fun water balloon games for the kids, and everyone had cake and ice pops. (even mine) We had to leave earlier than everyone else, because my kids decided it was time. Big, big thank yous to Kim and Doug for planning such a nice Memorial Day for us all!

Our first wagon ride







Shawn's aunt and uncle gave the babies an adorable red wagon for their birthday....this is no ordinary wagon. (They have apparently improved since we were little) This thing has seats, seatbelts, and cup holders. It is the Range Rover of all wagons. On Sunday we strapped our peoples into this fancy thing and headed to the park for a walk. They had the best time.....pointing things out to us and "telling" us what they saw, and kicking their feet at each other and laughing. I can't wait to use this wagon more....it was so sweet seeing them sitting up and looking around like big kids!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

12 month check up


Well, we are fine and apparently growing right on schedule. Cale is three quarters of an inch taller than Hayden, and weighs one pound more! She was shocked and horrified by the series of shots, and again he was the tough one. We asked the doctor about her affinity for goldfish and cheerios, and he reassured us that she wasn't going to die of starvation, even though she refuses to eat almost anything of substance. Cale on the other hand is an eating CHAMP. The boy will eat squash, broccoli, any kind of meat, beans, and so on and so forth. I think if we gave him sushi, he'd eat it. Twins are the best and most humble reminder that you aren't nearly as good (or bad) a parent you think. I do the SAME thing, and these two little people are so different in so many ways. I love this age so much....I always want to remember the things they are doing right now.

Hayden is HILARIOUS. She knows when she is being funny, and makes us laugh all the time. She tries to say almost anything we tell her to, and is getting better (a little) about screaming at strangers. She will wave, sign for "milk", point to the ceiling fan and make her hand go "round and round", look for the doggies, and wave her hands NO if she doesn't want something (which is often) She could walk if she wanted to, but is still happy for now pulling up on everything, "walking" while holding our hand (she can do it with only one hand and very little help) and crawling into spaces she doesn't really fit into. She sometimes gets up too early, but can entertain herself alone for a while until someone comes to get her....we hear the rainforest soother on, or hear her "talking" and we know she's up. She is almost always laughing and smiling when we come to get her out of the crib, and she is usually hanging over the side of the crib by her armpits, trying her darndest to hoist herself over the side. (Please God don't let her figure that out!!) She adores her daddy, and throws herself (literally THROWS herself) at him when he comes home from work. She still feels best when her favorite five or six people are holding her....she tolerates different people sometimes, as long as she has mommy or daddy in her line of sight. She can play chase, and makes her brother laugh hysterically in the tub by splashing like a whale and covering him, the walls, the floor, and her mommy with water. She is a fabulous dancer, and has two very distinct dance moves. There is the bouncy knee bend to the beat, and the newest move: a shake from side to side which involves both shoulders and bootie. She has four adorable teeth, makes a "stinky" face and loves to snuggle.

Cale is ALL boy. Proof of this statement: his first "word" besides "mama" and "dada" was "touchdown". I am not kidding in the slightest. He was in the tub last night, and daddy put his arms over his head and said "Touchdown!". Cale immediately stretched out his little arms and shouted "Tadow!" It was forty three kinds of adorable, and a little alarming. Apparently we have another football addict on our hands. He is a thinker, and a little harder to make laugh. (He is a tougher critic of my humor) He can crawl about fifteen miles and hour, and is into EVERYTHING. (My mom calls him a "futzer") He is the kid who will pull the lamp down on himself, take the Glade plug in out of the wall, bend the metal blinds on the french doors, eat the dog food (yes, it has happened twice) and race into the open door that you are trying to close. He loves to watch his daddy dance (you would too!) and is SO smart. He holds anything and everything up to his face and waits for you to ask "Where's Cale?" (He even tries this with random items: a receipt, stuffed animal, etc.) He holds my phone by his ear, and "brushes" his own hair with his little blue hairbrush. (too cute) He thinks his sissy is the funniest person he knows, and does NOT like to be put down after his nap. (He needs to be snuggled for at least ten minutes before he can go play) He will eat anything, with his nine cutie teeth, and loves to play with my nail polish box. He loves feeling clothes when we are shopping..my mom keeps saying he is going to be a fashion designer, or textile importer. He squeals and races when anyone he loves comes into a room, and cries when he is tired. He pulls the wooden slats out of the blinds if you don't come get him out of his crib fast enough. He loves to play "Get You"....and even gets his sister to play, too. He can turn over and crawl away from you as quick as lightning when you are changing his diaper, so you've gotta bring your A game to the changing table! He understands EVERYTHING we say to him, and surprises us all the time with something he knows that we weren't even really trying to "teach" him.

Both babies are chewing the paint off the sides of their crib. (so much for using them over again) They are both super fast crawlers, pulling up on everything, and soaking up everything we point out to them. They are amazing sleepers, and have the sweetest, funniest temperments....it sometimes feels like there isn't enough room in my heart for all FEELING I have for them...I want to take them everywhere with me and hold them until they are too big and their knees are dragging on the ground. I know at some point this obsession needs to be reigned in: or else I will become the mommy who never wants them to spend the night at someone else's house or go on vacation with their friends. (The thought makes my hair want to curl up and fall off!) Until then, I will just enjoy them the way they are....wiggly and tiny and covered in slobber; loving me best of all.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

First Time Away....







I ventured out this weekend for the first trip away from the babies. The most I have ever spent away from them before this was one night away for our anniversary last year when they were two months old.....I was feeling very mixed about going away all last week....dreading it a little, but also looking forward to hanging out with friends. I went, because I knew I had to. It probably isn't healthy (or normal) to never leave your kids for a weekend away, so I sucked it up and decided to do my best. My friends showed up Friday to pick me up...we were headed to the coast for the Beach to Bay marathon. (Before you get too excited: I was going along as their driver. I am not in ANY kind of shape to be running a leg of a marathon.) My mom had agreed to watch the babies for a few hours until Shawn got home from work, and I thought I was okay with leaving them...until we started loading the car and saying goodbye...when I proceeded to burst into tears. I am an idiot....I know my husband is more than capable enough to take care of them alone, and they are too little to even miss me....but it was still nearly unbearable. I felt like even more of a dork because everyone else was really excited for the break from their kids, and as we were driving away part of me wanted to do the MacGyver shoulder roll from the car door onto someone's lawn and go sprinting back towards my house and my sweet babies. After some sweet encouragement on the part of my friends, and a little "liquid relaxer" in my drink, I started to loosen up about it. Despite a few phone calls to make sure my children hadn't found a replacement mommy, I did just fine!! We stayed in a beautiful house on the beach (all 21 of us), karaoke'd, laughed at absolute nonsense, ate too much, had a hilarious dance off, squeezed way too many people into beds, and generally acted like 12 year olds. It was really, really fun, and I am so glad I went! I am even a little motivated to consider running next year....this year I was just in charge of driving and dropping off people at their leg starts, and getting to the finish to watch them come in....but I have to say that watching them accomplish something difficult, and seeing them cross the finish line was really, really cool. Some of these girls are lifelong runners, but others are ones that just decided to learn to run and DID it. They are amazing inspirations for tackling something you think you aren't up for...I was so proud of them, and thought it really should be something I do. I need a challenge...and that would be a huge one....

On another note, our Schertz house went on the market Friday, and we have already had someone come back for a second showing! We are (tentatively) keeping our fingers crossed, but more than ever realizing that this situation isn't within our control. I would LOVE to just sell a house (any house) and move on to the next phase....hopefully we get an offer tomorrow. Highly unlikely, but I can hold out for a miracle....I am dedicated to:
keeping my house spotless for the duration, getting together more often with my girlfriends, strapping my duo into the jogging stroller at least three times a week (even if it is for an embarassingly short "run"), finishing all the monogramming projects I have started but not completed and most importantly, NOT worrying about our house issues and trusting that God has something in store for us!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

First Pool Day




I took the babies to the neighborhood pool this afternoon for their first swim of the year. It was empty most of the time, until one really nice girl came with her two little ones. No screaming kids running around (I am sure that will begin in a few weeks) and not too hot. We stayed in the baby pool the whole time....one baby at a time got to float in the hippo floatie, which they thought was super cool. It was just shallow enough for them to push themselves along with their toes...we tried going underwater with both babies, which didn't go over too well. They didn't like it much, but didn't cry, which I guess is a promising sign. Hayden wore her brand new yellow polka dot bikini, and was too adorable. I was suprised at how much fun they had...both were a little tentative at times, crawling up my neck, but enjoyed it more than they were worried. I am so looking forward to taking them to the pool this summer....the sad thing is, we are going to try to sell this house, so no more neighborhood pool. Oh well. I guess we will have to join somewhere else. I will NOT mind having that problem, because trimming the fat off our number of owned properties is much more important.

Fiesta!











The birthday party turned out to be a success....despite it being the hottest day in history. Luckily, there is a lot of shade in my mom's backyard....it would have been miserable without it! We enjoyed fajitas (my FAVORITE recipe) and tried to eat cake and ice cream before it melted into a puddle. The bigger kids (i.e.: not mine) had fun in the jumpy castle and with the pinata....everything wound down around three....we were so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family who came to celebrate with us. They all braved the sweltering heat, and brought such thoughtful gifts for the babies... Hayden once again screamed at almost everyone that tried to hold her...I am really REALLY ready for this phase to be over. She would be fine and then she would see me and start screaming all over again. I felt bad, but I was too busy to carry her around with me. We were all worn out when the party was over, but had fun nonetheless.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Birthday Cupcakes

Loved our candles.....loved the singing....



...but we weren't sure about the actual cupcake.







Smurfy babies!








The babies "real" birthday was yesterday, so we decided we had to commemorate it in some fashion. (Definitely for US, not them) Mimi made them a spaghetti dinner....they love the Gerber spaghetti, so she thought they could just eat our spaghetti. She mashed it up with a fork, and same as always: Cale ate and ate until he couldn't eat anymore, and Hayden took one look at it, waved her hands in front of her face, and refused to taste it. My mom was disappointed, because she was sure they would both eat it....but oh well! Hayden is going through a phase where all she wants is Cheerios, Goldfish and Nilla Wafers. I am not sure what to do, so any advice would be greatly appreciated! I think she just realized that she is a little person who can control things around her, and controlling the food that goes into her body is one way she can assert her little self. I am seeing a long road of hard headedness and strong will ahead of us, but I am glad! No one will ever wish she was a less strong willed adult....anyway, I am off topic. The main reason for this post is the HILARITY that ensued when we gave them their cupcakes. They LOVED having the birthday song sung to them, and smiled so big while we were singing....it was so cute. Of course, we sang it twice, once for each baby. Then, it was ON. Or, it should have been....they were so uninterested in the cupcakes! I am sure they were wondering what in the world they were...they were bright blue with red stars on top. There was a little poking at the icing, turning over of the cupcake, and trying to drop it off the side of their tray. After some coaxing, a few bites were consumed, but very begrudgingly....our biggest problem is that by the time we gave them the cupcakes, it was their bedtime. Blue icing and sleepiness do not mix....Cale kept rubbing his eyes, and looked like a smurf, as you can tell. They were grumpy about it, and were not crazy about their first cupcake. At least we managed to get some cute pictures!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Bucket-o-babies




We bought a big red tub at Target to put drinks in for the babies birthday party....but have since realized it is much more useful as a method for baby entertainment. They love when we put them both in the bucket and pull them around the floor. Today we were pulling them around pretty vigorously (probably not the best idea) and they LOVED it. There is barely enough room in the bucket for them to both sit down. They were facing each other and holding onto each other for balance while we pulled. They were laughing and squealing....I loved watching them!















Last Saturday was Shawn's mom's wedding....my mom, Shawn and I, and the babies made the drive to Devine to be there....it was such a nice time! The weather was beautiful for an outdoor wedding, the food was yummy, Hayden LOVED the live band and "danced" in our laps the whole time they were playing. We had so much fun visiting with Shawn's family, and the ceremony itself was so sweet. His mom and Eddie are so obviously in love, and their vows were so heartfelt and touching. You can just tell they are so excited to be together. I was their "photographer"...I use the term loosely, because I in no way, shape or form have the skill to be bestowed such a responsibility. Luckily, my camera is just nice enough to make up for my lack of skill, and we ended up with more than a few really nice pictures. (I took over 400 just to be sure!) I could have posted about ten pictures of Hayden being held by various family members and screaming in their faces. Hopefully she didn't hurt anyone's feelings....she is just SO sensitive!
We are honored to have been a part of their wedding....lots of love and best wishes to Mary and Eddie!! We hope you are always as happy as you were Saturday!

Friday, May 2, 2008

Babyproofing 101






















I got my tail kicked today! And not just figuratively...I am WORN out. It is 11:50 at night, and I should be in bed, but I am not. I decided today that I needed to broaden the babies world. They are way more aware of everything around them, thus they are UNHAPPY with the corral situation. They knew there was a world out there, and that I was the one keeping them from it. So today while they were laying down for there morning nap, I arranged the corral to block them out of the kitchen, and put my ottoman in the dining room entrance to block them off that way...I knew they were pretty safe, with the exception of a few things I was worried they would get into. Well sure enough, Cale discovered that the pulls on furniture doors are not merely ornamental, but functional....He also realized that if he pulls hard enough, he can dislodge the pet gate from the place I put it. UUUUUHHHHHH! (Sound of me sighing in exhaustion) I am (as Shawn likes to put it) "taahhred". I know they have to start exploring more, so I really have no other option than to put away everything decorative in nature, and follow them around all day. Despite my physical state, I have to say they were pretty cute. They pushed the canister vacuum all over the living room, loved standing up in the windows to look outside, and had the best time climbing all over everything....

I managed to catch a picture of Hayden's newest trick....when we ask "Are you stinky?" she crinkles up her nose and makes the funniest face. The picture didn't turn out very well, but it is SO hard to get pictures of my kids...for some reason, the tricks skid to a grinding halt whenever the camera or video camera come out. It's too bad, because they are starting to be the best mimics. My mom and I took the babies to Texas Roadhouse for dinner tonight and they were doing their tricks for EVERYONE who would look at them. Waving, clapping, showing them one finger (we are practicing asking them "how old are you?") giving the stinky face, squealing, laughing, and just generally carrying on. They can't help but get a lot of attention...they are definitely hams...her more than him. I told my mom today that they are going to be just like us....Hayden wanting to be funny all the time and making people laugh, and Cale doing more observing than making a fool of himself.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Bad daddy!
















The babies realized daddy was eating an ice cream sandwich last night, and some olympic crawling happened so they could get to the couch and beg for bites! It was so cute...they were paying such close attention to everything he did, hoping to get some. It is probably not the best idea to get them accustomed to such junk, but it is SO hard not to share when they are doing this....

We are pushers!


Daddy decided the babies needed a "push behind" toy to get them over the hump on learning to walk....Kind of like our version of baby gym I guess. I am not so keen on the idea of them walking in the next few days...I think I have a little bit of time left before things get a LOT harder! They are already so hard to contain....their little corral isn't working so well anymore. They know they are trapped and they want out, so much crying ensues. Plus, they are like the two sneakiest babies around, and they figure out the funniest ways to escape. When I catch them, he is always the one prying the gate open and holding it for her to get out first. (At least he's a sneaky gentleman) Today I turned around for about forty seconds, and they had both managed to escape. I heard the dog bowls clinking on the tile, and found him smacking the water bowl. Before I could get to him, he dumped the whole thing out (and for once it was full). Hayden was nowhere to be found....finally I heard giggling in my bathroom, and she was heading into the closet. (which they LOVE for some reason) When I picked her up to take her back out to the living room, she bowed her back and kicked her legs...She was SO mad that I had thwarted her plan! So anyway, they are enjoying the push car for the time being, even if they only want to push it when it is THEIR idea, not ours. We are hanging on to what I believe to be the last couple of weeks of crawling....

So sad...


Hayden is feeling better now, thank goodness! Monday she had a HIGH fever and didn't feel well at all....it is almost better when a baby feels sick and cries a ton. It is scarier when they are sick and quiet. She just wanted to be held all day, and sat so still. SO out of character for her! When she was cranky and trying to sleep, the only thing that would make her happy was if we let her hold the thermometer. You can tell she has it in her iron grip in this picture....she was already totally out, but wasn't letting go of it. My mom loved that she wanted to be held...it isn't often that you get to hold a twin until they go to sleep....there is always another baby that needs you...luckily my mom hung out with us the whole day she felt sick, and so she got lots of attention.