Seventeen Weeks Old!!!

We just finished bathing the babies and putting them to bed! There is nothing sweeter than a sleepy baby smiling at you from behind the pacifier as you put them in their crib at night. Luckily for us, bedtime has become a relatively smooth routine. They get a bath, a bottle, a book (if they are into it) and then go down for the night. Sometimes they need to listen to their crib mobile to wind down, but more often than not, they go right to sleep. I am not kidding myself and attributing this to anything we have or haven't done...I think we just got lucky! As easy as bedtime has been, bathtime has been a bit of a challenge. First, we did the kitchen sink bath. At this point, we have abandoned that because the kitchen is under three inches of water when we are done....the babies LOVE the water and the thrashing around makes it difficult. Add to that the tiny size of the sink, and the slippery factor of the actual baby and we decided it wasn't working for us. We bought a "tub stool" that has a soft pad for your knees and elbows...you kneel on it and bathe the baby in the actual tub. This turned out not to be as comfortable as the box claims. I can manage it, but my husband (who can run sprints all day in 100 degree heat, lift weights until the cows come home, and generally enjoy any physical activity) claims it "blows out his back". This, and shopping in Hobby Lobby. But I digress.

So finally we have settled on a bath time rountine....I get in our big jacuzzi bath, and Shawn brings the babies to me one at a time. They get their bath, swim a little, get handed back to Daddy for a fresh diaper and jammies, and we're done! I am not sure how other people deal with bathing infants (much less TWO) every night, but I would be open to suggestions.

This week marked a big event for us: The babies stayed in the church nursery Tuesday morning during my Bible study. I was pretty nervous since they have only stayed with family, or Kelly and Ronny. I was so sad handing them over to the ladies in the nursery, but they were so sweet...and I KNEW it had to happen eventually. Plus, it does their mommy good to have some time with other mommies having some real conversations... When I was about to leave the nursery, one of the workers asked me if I had any special instructions...I said "No"...but in my mind I was thinking, "Yes, if you can just look at, talk to, and hold my babies the entire time and ignore all the other ones, that would be great!" Of course, they did wonderfully, and both were being held when I went to pick them up....spoiled much? Getting them in the car in the torrential rain was another story entirely...

Tonight Shawn and I took them for their first walk in their stroller with them strapped in "big kid" style. (without the infant seats...just sitting up in the actual stroller) I was worried they would start to droop after a minute or two, but they did great!!! They LOVED sitting straight up and facing forward, looking at everything around them. I told Shawn it is a little sad, because I like the fact that they look at me the whole time when they are in their infant seats....just one of those situations where they have to get bigger and I have to get over it!!

Speaking of me getting over it....it is SO hard for me to retire their tiny clothes to a storage box. Cale is in his crib right now, sleeping in jammies that are too little for him, sheerly because I can't bear to keep putting little clothes in boxes and getting out the bigger ones..it makes me so sad. Shawn doesn't understand this a bit...he said "They have to grow. Growing is a good thing." My rational mind agrees with him...my sentimental mommy mind wants them to crawl back into my stomach and stay there so that no one can ever hurt their feelings or steal their milk money. :) (Ohhhhhh.....watch out elementary school bully kid of the future....you will have one mad lady on your tail!)

My mom and dad's dog Lucy LOVES the babies...

I think I will be able to update this blog more regularly now, because my husband is in a trance in front of our TV that will last well into winter. He doesn't mind taking care of both babies for hours at a time as long as I don't ask him to change the channel....college football is in effect in our house! I love it! Shawn said I can do whatever I want when he is watching football....might be the impetus I need to go from tolerating football for 15 months a year, to LOVING it!! Saturday I actually got to go get a pedicure...it was heavenly!

The babies went to their first birthday party a couple weeks ago....I was worried they would be cranky since they wouldn't be home during nap time, but they were great! The party was for my friend Karen's little boy, and her family helped out a lot with both babies. Karen got out her old "Jumparoo" swing that attaches to the door jam....we gave both babies a turn in it and they LOVED it....Cale thought he was standing up on his own. They had such a good time we had to get them their own. My brother was messing around with it with Cale in it this morning, and we looked over to see Cale laying face down on the floor wearing the swing around his middle....no more adjusting the swing for uncle Andrew!! Last weekend Shawn's mom and grandma took us to Babies R Us to get the babies their high chairs....they have both been really generous about helping out with all the big purchases....it has been so nice! While we were there, we picked up the Jumperoo, and a huge box of diapers....of course, Shawn's grandma paid for those, too....which is SO not what we expected, but appreciate nonetheless. I have realized it is futile to argue with her when she has decided she wants to buy something for us....so I guess it is better to just enjoy and appreciate! We needed more formula, too...but I knew she'd want to pay for that, too, so I decided to go back later in the week.

This weekend we went to a wedding with my mom and brother...(dad is out of town in Korea) We left the babies with my grandparents and uncle....right when we were getting ready to leave, Hayden had a reflux related meltdown....I almost didn't go, but she calmed down a little by the time we were walking out the door....we left them my cell phone so that we could call them throughout the night, but the first time I called to check on them my grandpa accidentally turned it off so we spent all night wondering how things were going. Of course, they were fine when we got home at 12:00, but Hayden was awake....I guess if your grandma is not going to spoil you and let you stay up past your bedtime, who will?

The babies are getting really good at holding their heads and chests up on the floor, but they don't spend nearly enough time practicing since they would rather be held than do "tummy time"...the minute they make a peep, we pick them up, so they will probably never learn to crawl. Both of them can roll over on the bed, because it is so mushy, but not on the floor yet...they haven't figured out how to tuck their arm to roll over. Cale can almost sit up on his own now....it is really exciting how big they are getting....I know pretty soon I will be baby proofing our house and taking dog biscuits out of their slobbery hands...

Mommy and Cale in Rockport.

Warning: Rockport makes most people look like a cat sucked on their hair.

The days of sleeping all day are OVER....the babies want to be entertained now, especially Cale. He is so happy in the stroller at the mall...today he flirted with all the ladies in Dillard's....he was squealing and cooing to anyone who would look at him. They are getting so funny!

The last few weeks have been pretty eventful....the babies made their first trip to the coast with me and my mom....we met my grandparents and uncle in Rockport for two days. Despite my disappointment at realizing Rockport is not the tropical paradise I imagined it to be during my childhood, we had a pretty good time! I didn't take the babies to the beach or into the swimming pool, because Daddy stayed home in SA and I didn't want him to miss such important "firsts". We didn't do much except sit on the patio and look at the ocean (and wonder whether or not the tropical storm was going to wash us away). We had a pretty stressful lunch at The Big Fisherman....(home of the potato-less potato soup and the most disillusioned waitresses in the coastal area...) when Hayden decided to do her high pitched screaming routine while we were eating....I know it was her reflux acting up, and we were trying everything to make her feel better...when lo and behold I hear a woman's voice behind me say "They should DO something!" If I had known for sure who behind me had offered such sage advice, I would have had a colorful response for her...but seeing as I wasn't sure who exactly made the remark, I kept my mouth shut. That kind of stuff drives me crazy!!! Along with the comment, "I am SO glad I am not HER!" when people see me tooling in with my double wide of a stroller. My mom says I should smile and say, "Yes, you don't look like you could handle it." or the meaner response, "What a coincidence!! I was just thinking I was SO glad that I wasn't YOU!" Of course, I never actually say anything....I just think it and complain about it later....:) I have always been the person who hears the insult in temporal distortion mode and comes up with a great response in the car on the way home, wishing I had thought of it faster and at the time!

Of course, the babies loved being held by someone for 48 straight hours, but it made it a little hard on me when we got home....I am realizing we need a schedule!!! They are great night time sleepers, and Hayden naps pretty well, but Cale stays awake all day, and then gets so exhausted that dinner time is miserable if he hasn't had a nap in the afternoon... I have about a thirty minute window to try to get him into his crib or he goes past the point of no return and is hysterical. They are taking one great morning nap, and then I have been letting them sleep in their carseats when we are on the go....apparently (according to the baby books) we can't do that anymore.

They are so, so different now in their little personalities....Hayden is so easy that I would have five kids if they were all like her....she doesn't even cry when she wakes up...sometimes we just see her little feet kicking in the air and when we go check on her, she is smiling and looking up at us!! Cale, on the other hand, is a little demanding....you need a little bit more patience with him! He is still a sweet, happy baby, but I spend a lot more time trying to figure out what he wants! My mom said he is a "male chauvanist piglet"....wants all his custodial needs taken care of by women, (including feeding) but wants to socialize with men. He definitely thinks he is one of the boys!

I went to have lunch with my "school girlfriends" today....it was so fun seeing them, and it makes me a little sad I am not going back to school....I am so grateful I am getting the chance to stay home with the babies, but this is a big change because it is the first August in nine years that I haven't been getting ready for the first day of school! I was sad to leave them today....I may try to sub a few days this semester just to earn a few extra bucks and get to hang out with my girls! I will probably miss teaching....I loved making real connections with my kids, and knowing I made a difference in some of their little lives....plus, my students were always the greatest givers of unconditional love....I told Shawn that being spotted in HEB by my former students is my only chance to feel like a local celebrity! But I know the chance to be here every day with my babies is too great to pass up!! I love that I see all of their "firsts" first hand...

We are going Sunday to buy high chairs...can't believe they are already getting that big....I remember when it was easy to hold them with one hand! Makes me remember to enjoy every day as much as I can, because they are growing so fast!

Twelve weeks old...

My brother thinks Hayden looks like the alien from the notoriously horrible eighties movie "Mac and Me". Although I cringe at the comparison of my child to a second rate E.T. knockoff, I can't help but crack up everytime I think about it!! Hopefully she will someday grow hair and won't spend the rest of her life hearing this comment. We realized she also LOVES to listen to Andrew play the guitar. She stares and stares at him, and when he quits her lip quivers. He says it is nice to know he has at least one fan so far.

The babies were christened this weekend. They were so good in church...except during the mass suspicious noises started coming from Cale's diaper...I took him back to the bathroom to change his diaper, because I didn't want him to stink during his baptism....I ended up having to change him on the counter by the sink because there is no changing table at my parent's church. After cursing them for being blantantly "anti-child" I tried to take him into the bathroom stall with me. Going to the bathroom in a dress while holding an infant on your hip is no picnic, let me tell you. I had to look in the mirror before leaving the bathroom to make sure I wasn't going to walk out the door and back up the aisle with my dress stuffed into my underwear. Luckily, they were both so sweet during the whole mass and baptism afterward. The only grumped a little bit while the water was being poured over their heads....(we have been practicing in the bathtub!) Shawn had a hard time with the ultrafeminine baptismal attire they both wore. He kept apologizing to Cale while we were getting them ready. The gowns were crocheted by my grandma Mannecke before she died, so their wearing them was non negotiable...I am sure Cale won't remember wearing what my husband deemed "A dress". They looked adorable...and Hayden only threw up three times during the christening...at one point you could actually hear splashing on the tile....at least she didn't throw up on the bishop, which was our prediction. Speaking of throwing up, I have never laughed so hard as last Saturday morning....Shawn and Hayden were laying in the bed talking....He was laying on his side talking so sweet to her, and then he made this horrible noise and sat straight up...she had spit up right into his mouth and all over his face!!! I was crying laughing....which I am sure he didn't appreciate. I asked him how formula tasted, and he said, "I was trying not to taste it!"...I think he is officially inducted into the Daddy hall of fame!! Hopefully her spitting up is about to reach a crescendo and taper off....She takes medicine for reflux, and cries sometimes because her throat hurts....she screamed us out of Luby's today, while a whole herd of old ladies stared at me like they were judging my parenting skills. I was so frazzled I would have had to strangle someone with a shawl were they to comment....

We had a great time this week because my brother was home from Addison. We hung out pretty much every day....he really helps out with the babies. I am sure he thinks he has no idea what he is doing, but he helps anyway! He put together the exersaucer, which Cale loves. Cale is so happy in it....we think it is because he thinks he is standing up on his own. He SO doesn't want to be a baby anymore. He thinks he is twelve! Both babies are getting so good at lifting their heads and chests off the ground...although we can only do "tummy time" while they are in a really good mood, or lots of crying ensues. They are getting to be so much fun, laughing and smiling at us all the time....Hayden is about five seconds from rolling over...she gets her whole body twisted and could do it if she realized what was going on! Cale still wants to be held every second....which is getting harder and harder to do since he is HUGE....Shawn is worried he is going to be the "fat kid". He just got done eating a minute ago, and my mom said he looked like a tick. He was laying there with just a shirt and diaper on (yes, I have turned into THAT person...next thing you know it, we'll be in Walmart in nothing but a diaper) and his big old gut was hanging out...I am SURE he will work it off the minute he learns to walk, because I predict that once that kid starts moving, he is not ever going to stop!

I still can't believe these babies are mine...I sometimes have a hard time realizing they were the ones in my stomach. I can't believe that at this time last year, we were still hoping and praying for a baby, and now my whole world is babies! It becomes more and more clear to me every day that they are the very best thing to ever happen to me!!

Eleven Weeks Old!!

I am home all alone!!! Shawn and I are going downtown this weekend for our anniversary, and my parents took the babies home with them early so I could be by myself....I hardly know what to do...I can't decide whether to watch t.v., take a nap, or run screaming around the house. The sad thing is, I already miss the babies a little, and they have only been gone an hour...I am going to try to enjoy this weekend and not miss them too much.
This week has been SO MUCH FUN with the babies....they are smiling so much and "talking" a lot. Cale's word sounds like "Doh!!" Homer Simpson style....Hayden has been singing a little (or maybe it's crying) and it sounds like "Nye Nye Nye" It is too cute! She does that right before she breaks into a full cry....like she is warning us...."You people have about thirty seconds to figure out what I want before the REAL crying starts!" Cale's crying starts out with a sound that resembles a cat spitting and hissing...then he screaches like Howard Dean on the campaign trail. It makes us laugh so much...we let him "spit" for a minute before picking him up because we know he's getting ready to make a hilarious sound....
I have officially learned to do everything with one hand!! I can eat, cook, make a bottle, vacuum...I even once changed a diaper with one hand! I am learning skills I never imagined..which is good, because for some reason, Cale has decided he has to be held every minute he is awake....we are going through a little difficult phase...I will get him asleep and as I am laying him down in bed, he starts crying with his eyes closed....he has a sixth sense!
This week I met Kelly at Babies R Us to help her register, and then we went out to eat. I was gone for about four hours, and Shawn decided he did not like being left alone with the babies that long. I have to say, he is the best husband...he willingly watches them and doesn't complain at all....and he only called me three times while I was gone. It was pretty funny....he said Cale spit up all over himself, the loveseat, etc., which was pretty surprising because Hayden is the puker, not him. I asked Shawn what happened and he said, "Well, he cried, so I gave him another two ounces...and then he kept crying so I gave him another two ounces..." I guess there is only so much room in a stomach before it has to go somewhere.....Shawn said he would not want to be a single parent....I know EXACTLY how he feels....If I think he is coming home at six thirty and I call and he's still at his office, I feel like crying sometimes!!!

Actually, Shawn had it WAY worse two weeks ago....I woke up at about six a.m. with the most excruciating pain I have ever felt....It was way worse than any contractions or any pain associated with the c-section....I called my obstetrician, thinking surely she left a scalpel or sponge in me or something....she sent me to the ER where they determined I had a KIDNEY STONE! I thought only old men got kidney stones (or maybe that is prostate problems...whatever!!:) They gave me morphine (and lots of it) on an empty stomach, and I proceeded to throw up for two straight days...I felt a lot better after I stopped taking the pain meds...I think I might have overdosed a little. Shawn and my mom had to take care of the babies for about 48 hours while I laid in bed...I was trying to eat something so that I could take my medication and I was literally laying on my back in bed eating with my eyes closed. It was horrible!!! Thank goodness we live near our families, and that my husband doesn't travel. I am not sure what I would have done without them. My kids would have had to lay around in a dirty diaper for two days. Anyway, long story short-I am not sure if I passed the stone, so I have to anticipate that pain coming back again at some point...which I am not looking forward to. I couldn't even enjoy laying in bed all that time because the pain was so horrible.....I would never wish that pain on anyone, but it is true when they say having a kidney stone is the closet thing a man can experience to childbirth....I didn't even have the babies naturally, but the kidney stone pain hurt WAY worse than the contractions did. I felt guilty the whole time I was sick, like I was neglecting my babies....hopefully they don't have any awareness that they were being ignored by me! Come to think of it, I hope they don't realize we are leaving them this weekend....moreover, I hope my parents don't change their minds about keeping them....Shawn and I were joking that we are going to hear a knock on our hotel room door, and when we open it, the babies will be sitting in their carseats on the floor outside. I am sure we will miss them, but I am going to try to enjoy our time away, and not talk about them the whole time!!!

Somewhere in between "The View" and "All My Children" I realized that I have officially lost my mind.....if someone could peek in my window during the day, they would send the guys in white coats to come get me! I just realized that I spend a HUGE chunk of time singing ridiculous songs to the babies....there are songs on just about every topic imaginable, most of them entirely too inappropriate to share! The babies seem to enjoy them though, so I guess I'll keep it up since I have such an appreciative audience! Both babies have been smiling so much the last few days-it is so much fun! Hayden learned to "talk" today....cooing and squealing at me, which is really good because yesterday the pediatrician asked if they were smiling and cooing, and I said yes. (I was counting grimacing as smiling) It's a good thing Hayden is adorable, since she spits up on everyone in the tri-county area!
At their appointment yesterday Hayden weighed almost eleven pounds, and Cale weighed twelve and a half!!! I didn't get yelled at about his weight....he is only in the seventy fifth percentile....Hayden, however is in the ninety fifth percentile in length, which I am pretty sure means she is going to be 5'11'' and a supermodel or professional athlete! :) They were so good at the doctor, and so tough about getting shots....they each got four shots, and it was so sad! They were just happy as could be on the table, and when the nurse poked them, both of them looked so shocked. The both turned red and opened their mouth so big like a scream was coming out....and stayed that way a full five seconds before the world's loudest crying commenced. Of course, I cried more than them. They were fine in ten seconds, but I felt so horrible for them!! You could tell they did NOT enjoy shots at all! I watched them all day to see if they were going to get a fever, but they seemed fine....
It is reassuring to visit the doctor, because I had been worried thinking Hayden wasn't growing like Cale...she doesn't seem to hold her head up like him, and she is so tiny! He said everything looked great, and that they are two totally different people so they will develop at different rates. I had been thinking she was too little until our friends the Maziurs came over Saturday morning....they brought their kids Matt and Marlie, who is only four weeks old! I took the girls' picture, and Hayden looks like a full grown man next to tiny Marlie. Marlie's mommy and I lived together in the dorm freshman year at Baylor, and I told her maybe someday Marlie and Hayden will be living together at college, too.....maybe someday they will look at that picture and laugh! We found out this past week that two of our best friends (Kelly and Ronny McGinnis) are having a GIRL!!! So far we know her name will be Logan, but they haven't decided on a middle name yet...Hayden will have so many girls to play with growing up! Everyone we vacation with and spend lots of time with is having babies which works out great for my kids....Luckily, our other really close friends the Zunkers are having a boy in September, so Cale will have someone to play with, too. Which brings to mind the topic of baby names....I thought we did a pretty good job of naming the babies something interesting without sounding like we were making up names for Dawson's Creek or something. Interestingly enough, though, everytime Shawn and I tell someone what we named the babies, we have to repeat ourselves about three times....it's not like we named them Moon Unit or ESPN (actual baby name I read about online...thank goodness Shawn didn't think of that one first!) Our own grandmas are baffled....Shawn's made sure to point out that "Hayden" and "Cale" weren't Catholic names...my grandma said, "What is his name again? Conn? Cane? Kyle? Carl? Shane? Shale?" Even she was laughing by the end of that list!!!
We had a fun fourth of July....hung out with family and drove to the church parking lot to watch the Schertz fireworks show....we left the babies in the car because of the last horrific event involving Cale and fireworks. Shawn opened the door to check on them, and sure enough, Cale was in the car crying!! He could still hear them with the doors shut and he was so angry! Poor Shawn....he LOVES buying fireworks and lighting things on fire-hopefully Cale grows out of that so that he can enjoy them with Daddy later and I can worry about them burning their fingers off. Hayden doesn't seem to get nearly as worked up about things as Cale....she is such an easy going baby. She hardly ever screams unless she is really hungry. They both have the best personalities...just like Mommy! :)
Last night was a huge milestone for us...Cale went to bed at eleven and slept until six thirty!!!!! Yeah!!! I actually felt rested when I woke up. Hopefully this means we are about to start getting lots more sleep.

The babies are sort of sleeping now, and I have sat down for the first time in about seventy two hours....my mom went to San Fran to meet my dad, and we aren't used to doing without her! At least it is the weekend and Shawn was home...I would have been laying around in the same clothes for three days had he not been here. The babies must be going through a growth spurt, because they aren't eating and going right to sleep anymore...they eat, sleep for about fifteen minutes, and then are either wide awake or start to fuss. I wondered when we were supposed to start feeding them more-I guess I know now!! Cale is HUGE! He feels like a linebacker compared to Hayden. She is so dainty like a little bird, which is good I guess.....if one of them has to be a beefy baby, I would much rather it be him. It would stink for him to spend his whole life being bullied by his bigger sister.
We ran all over the place this weekend....on Saturday, we went to Boerne to visit with Kelly and Ronny. We ate at a Mexican restaurant, and the babies slept pretty much the whole time... after dinner we stayed WAY too late at their house talking and laughing...Cale needed a diaper change, and we gave Ronny the chance to do the honors, since their little one will be here in about four months...he cracked us all up when he said, "No, the first diaper I will change will be my father's." Our idea of Saturday night fun has definitely changed, but we don't mind at all! At least everyone else around us is having babies, too-so we have lots of people to hang out with at home on the weekends! The twenty one year old me would think that this kind of fun was worthless, but that is why I am grateful every day that we waited until when we did to get married and have babies. I am so much better equipped for this now than I would have been even five years ago, and that isn't saying much. It is so true that everything works out in the end for a reason....
I am starting to feel like we are settling into a little routine....I used to be pretty scared to be left alone with the babies during the day, but it gets better every day. I have realized it is not going to kill them to cry, and sometimes they are going to have to wait their turn....even if it hurts everyone's feelings and ears in a ten mile radius. Some days are definitely better than others....one day I will feel like I am really getting the hang of motherhood, other days I feel like I would be doing everyone a favor if I just called child protective services myself and turned the babies over before someone finds out that I have no idea what I am doing! Those are the days that Shawn comes home and I am still in pajamas and haven't showered or eaten, the dogs haven't been fed, and the vacuum cleaner is still in the middle of the room where I got it out and meant to do some cleaning! I have really mastered the art of burping one of them while balancing the other one on my lap....which is pretty funny...the one on my lap thinks they are being held when in all actuality, they are really just being propped near me. Whatever works!!!
I guess this is probably how everyone feels, whether they have one baby or five. The other morning Cale was crying and I had tried everything....I fed him, and diaper changed him, burped him, gave him Mylicon, talked to him....and all the while I am thinking about all the things that needed to get done around the house.....I had so much I wanted to get accomplished and the crying jag wasn't fitting into the schedule. Finally, I just crawled into bed and held him, and he was as happy as can be. I guess he was just lonely....I realized that I had been so worried about getting dumb chores done, and really the most important thing I need to do every day is make sure these babies know they are loved by me! I sat and held him for a long time, and thought about the day that he would want me to drop him off around the corner from the movies, or when he wouldn't let me kiss him in front of his friends....(of course, I cried! Doing that a lot lately!!) I need to remind myself every day that they are more important than dog hair on my floor, or dirty dishes in my sink. They are only tiny for so long, and I need to enjoy them now while they want me all the time!! Before I know it we will be learning to walk, shopping for school supplies, graduating from high school....here I go again!! I need to invent Kleenex on a rope!