10 months

Caleb and Logan turned 10 months old yesterday!  It's so hard to believe.  I'm trying to remember what I was thinking and feeling 1 year ago.  One of the gals in my twin mom's group is pregnant with her first two and will be having them any day.  I remember the beginning and end of my pregnancy seemed like an ETERNITY, but now time flies!

The boys had their first combine ride ex utero last night.  They seemed to enjoy watching everything.  They weren't scared of it at least.

waterfall

walk the line

The boys got to try out a walker at Uncle Eric & Aunt Lea Anne's house last weekend - Caleb took right off!  Thankfully, Uncle Harold & Aunt Kara had an extra one to loan us.  Logan has taken a few steps with it, but he's more interested in chewing on the handle which throws the balance off and he ends up falling backwards. 

stats

Well, the official results are in.  Caleb and Logan had their 9 month appointment tonight.  (Yes, even though they're almost 10 months...  Their 1 yr appointment isn't scheduled until they're 13 months...  Do you think that bothers a perfectionist like me just a little bit??)  Anyways, we're finally on the charts!

Caleb is 28 inches long (25th percentile) and weighs 17lbs 14oz (7th percentile).  Logan is 27 1/2 inches long (15th percentile) and weighs 16lbs 15oz (3rd percentile).  Since their 6 month appointment that's a 4lb gain for Caleb and 3lb gain for Logan. 

They did quite well during the appointment.  We were a little worried it was going to turn into a nightmare because Logan was cranky on the way there.  They both layed nice to be weighed, measured, and checked out.  They got a little antsy while we were talking with the doctor so he got out a bunch of plastic containers for them to play with (pee jars - clean, of course) and they had fun with those.

They did all sorts of stuff to show off for the doctor and nurse - scooting around, sitting up, pulling themselves up, jabbering.  The doctor is very happy with their health and development.  Sure they're still a little on the small side, but they continue to eat good, stay healthy, and develop on track.  Actually, Caleb even crawled with his tummy off the floor for the doctor!  He hasn't done that at all at home.  He was squirreling around on the floor in just his diaper and all of the sudden I noticed he took a few 'steps' forward!

We talked some about what their diet consists of, the doctor told me some new foods we can introduce.  I'll admit I've probably been a little on the slow side on starting new foods - partially due to being nervous about it and partially because of the hassle.  He did say though that because of them being small we probably shouldn't take them off formula right when they turn 1 year old.  We'll continue using formula until their 1 year appointment (at 13 months) and then he'll let us know how to proceed.  I am still nursing some, but I'm honestly not sure how long that will continue.  Mike is fine with me stopping whenever, but I'm not sure I'm ready yet.

No shots tonight, phew!

discovery

I made an important scientific discovery the other day!  Plenty of times I've witnessed our dogs ingest grass and then puke it back out (including any other contents of their stomach).  Well, apparently babies will do the same thing.  We were outside enjoying the beautiful day - the boys were penned up on a blanket.  It was quite windy out and they were getting a kick out of that.  Caleb pulled up the blanket a little and started pulling on the grass.  I figured some would end up in his mouth, but I actually consciously thought, "It's okay...let it go...it's not going to hurt him...I know kids that eat dirt and are just fine, how could grass be worse than that...you can't keep your kids clean all the time..."  Well, a few minutes later he puked on the blanket.  I could tell right away just from the quantity that this was not just spitting up.  I brought him inside and he was acting like he still had something in his mouth, and as I was turning him towards me he projectiled big time down my arm and on the floor.  I was SO close to getting it full on in the face.  Yuck.  One of the things I've dreaded about being a parent is dealing with puke.  It's just plain gross.  Thankfully, the boys' diet is such that the puke isn't a whole lot different than what goes in (it just kinda smelled bad), but it's just going to get worse as they get older.

The other night the boys stood by the window in the playroom and watched Mike cut the grass.  They loved it!  I think he mowed that area of grass a few extra times.  :)  Mike has been saying they were just excited about the mower, not that it was him, but this afternoon they watched my uncle cut the hay behind our house and they watched, but didn't get nearly as excited.

I've dealt with a couple bloody lips lately.  I guess that's one of the hazards of having sharp teeth and poor coordination. 

The other night I dusted off my running shoes and got back at it.  It's been too long!  Ran with my brother Eric in his neighborhood.  I certainly didn't have a stellar performance, but it was better than I expected after about 2 1/2 months off.  We just barely beat the storm.  It started raining at the very end when we were walking, and when we got to his driveway it was raining and blowing like crazy.  Visibility was terrible driving home.

giggles

One of my favorite sounds.

preacher or politician?

Logan has something to say. 

diapers

The boys are on the brink of moving up to Size 3 diapers.  I have been stocking up as I've come across good deals - haven't done too bad between sales and coupons and such.  Anyways, there are 1,032 diapers in that stack and if my math is correct (and that's a big 'if' since arithmetic is not my strong point...), at approximately 12 diapers a day, give or take a couple depending on the day, that should last us just over 12 weeks!

update

I'm not feeling a whole lot of creativity right now, and I don't want to get behind on this blog.

First, a little while ago I asked for prayer for our friend, Norma.  She had good news last week - no more cancer!  I'm a little short on certain details because much of the info is transferred via Mike, and it's a little hard for him because this is 'female stuff'.  :)  Anyways, she will not be having a hysterectomy now, and just has to be checked periodically to make sure the cancer doesn't return. 

Mike's packing shed will only be going for a couple more weeks, and the other shed for a couple weeks after that.  Hard to believe that another harvest is almost done! 

The boys are sure keeping us on our toes.  Caleb wants to pull up on everything.  And yesterday, he took a few steps while pushing a chair!  He has stood without hanging onto anything for a few seconds, but he hasn't tried that much.  For the last month or so we've been noticing that he feels heavier than Logan - they have a doctor's appointment later this week and we are very anxious to have them weighed.

Logan is pulling up more and more.  We've had a few problems with him standing in his crib and then getting upset after awhile, but not too bad, so hopefully he figured out quicker than Caleb how to get back down.  He has crawled with his tummy off the floor for a couple steps, but is still content to scoot around (and is plenty quick that way).

We are still dealing with some spitting up.  Sigh.  It has lessened and isn't as regular, but it definitely still happens.  The other night (of course after I mopped the floor) they were both spitting up rather large quantities.  I don't know what that was about. 

I very much dislike handling bathtime by myself.  At this age (the boys' age, not mine) I can't manage both in the tub at the same time by myself, so that means while I'm giving one a bath I get to listen to the other in the bedroom screaming like they've been abandoned.  It's a rather stressful situation.  I try to save bathtime for when Mike can help, but with our schedule lately that's just not always possible.

Alright, the boys did not sleep well this morning and they're quiet now, so I've got lots to get done!

barn raising

We had a modern day barn raising the other day.  My dad bought a grain bin from the neighbors and had to get it moved that 1/2 mile down the road.  Of course, this is a fun event that is a good time for a party, right?  Most of the family was there (we missed you Emily, Natalie, and Wingerts!), and even a few others came to observe.  The weather was PERFECT - a beautiful late summer day.

I think making the corner from the driveway to the road was the hardest part.

So far, so good!

Almost to it's final resting place.

rained out

This past weekend was a big one - alot of firsts!  It was the 13th annual canoe trip for Mike and his friends from high school (I believe this was the 7th year I've gone).  This canoe trip is a big deal and I didn't miss out last year due to being pregnant with twins, and so I wasn't about to miss out this year just because we had to leave them overnight.  So yeah, this was our first overnight away from Caleb and Logan.  I didn't think I was going to have a hard time with it because I felt ready for a break and some time away, but when we said good-bye and drove away I was feeling pretty sad for a few minutes.  Then I was able to relax and enjoy our kid-free time.  Every once in a while on Saturday I would check the time and think of what they would be doing, and I was anxious to get back to them on Sunday, but we had a nice time.  Mike feels a little bad because he worked almost up to their bedtime on Friday night, Saturday morning we got them up just to load them in the car and then drop them off, and between naptime and church last night he didn't get to see them much.  But, they'll get some quality guy time tonight because I have a photo session.

Anyways, the other 'first'...  For always having the canoe trip in September, surprisingly the weather has never been a problem.  Until this year!  This is the first year we weren't able to canoe - it was just raining too hard and was too cold.  Some sprinkles and clouds are tolerable, but this was just too much.  Thankfully, rather than have to sit out the rain at the campground, one of the guys has a cousin that runs a hotel in Manistee (1/2 hr from where we were), and we were able to go there and hang out for the afternoon.  He gave us a conference room to hang out in and eat our lunch, and we made good use of the indoor pool.  :)  We went back to the campground in the evening for supper and to hang out - things were wet, but it wasn't raining anymore.  We had a few small puddles in our tent, but our air mattress kept us off the ground so it was no big deal. 

Switching subjects.  Please be in prayer for a friend of ours, her name is Norma.  She found out a few weeks ago that she has cervical cancer.  She will be having a hysterectemy soon.  I think she has a doctor appointment today to find out more details (date of surgery, any other treatments, etc.). 

weekend

Saturday evening my guys took me out on a date!  We walked around downtown Holland - it was a little chilly that night, but that was our chance to get out so we bundled up and had a good time.  It IS getting harder to take the boys out to eat, they're not content to just sit in their car seats anymore!  We did manage to have supper, take a walk, then have coffee and dessert.  Here's a pic of what it's like to go out with twins...  (I had stepped aside to look in a store window and then when I saw this I just had to quick snap a pic!)

Okay, so we don't always attract THAT big of a crowd, but we don't go unnoticed either.  I saw a video on YouTube the other day of a family that tried to take their infant triplets to the zoo, I think they felt like one of the attractions.  It seems to me like each 'extra' baby adds 10x the amount of attention you get - if you have one baby some people are going to look and say "How cute..."; if you have two babies everyone will look and many will say something ("Are they twins?", "Are they identical?", "You have your hands full!"....); and if you have triplets or more the attention is even more intensified.

Yesterday we went up to Harold & Kara's cottage.  It ended up being a very nice day!  A tad on the cool side, but not too bad.  Still warm enough for the wave runner, and Mike took a quick dip in the lake.  Logan enjoyed lounging in Alyssa's princess chair, but Mike doesn't want him to get too attached to anything pink.

This morning I had a newborn photo session for a friend.  What a doll!  The baby is 7lbs and I just CANNOT believe my boys were that little!  It felt like air when I picked her up.  Once her mom got her sleepy she did great and I had so much fun shooting her.  We tried to get a few pics with her big brother, but when two-year-olds aren't in the mood there's just not much you can do about it.  :)  Of course it was great to come home after being gone for the morning, the boys came right to me and started crawling all over me.  Love it.  The only problem - they were too good for Mike while I was gone!  Now he thinks my job is a piece of cake!  :)

splish splash

The boys took their first bath together in the big tub.  This is definitely something I would not attempt alone!  These clips don't really show how much they get into splashing.  There were a few tears when it was time to get out of the tub, but I would alot rather have that than not liking baths.

marines

Caleb is ready for the marines.

more

We've been working on the sign for 'more' and are making some headway!

thoughts

A few random thoughts:

1.  It doesn't matter if you have two of the same toys, one baby will always want what the other one has.
2.  I wonder how many times in my life I will say, "Don't hit your brother."?  It starts so early!
3.  It's a good thing Hobby Lobby isn't closer to our house and is difficult to go to with the boys or else I could spend lots of time and money there.  They don't have cart corrals in the parking lot (a must with non-walking twins) and the carts are itty-bitty.  I managed yesterday, but it wasn't exactly enjoyable, and I feel like a bad member of society for leaving my cart in the parking lot, but what am I supposed to do??
4.  Is it bad that I put Chick'n Lick'n's phone number in my cell?  Having them open up down the street is bittersweet.  Love their chicken, don't love what it does to the waistline and arteries.  It's super handy though to be able to call ahead and pick up my order at the drive-thru.
5.  I've now made one trip in to lay Caleb back down since naptime began.  It's rather quiet at the moment, maybe I won't have to go in again?
6.  Logan can now pull himself all the way up, too!  He did it yesterday while playing in Caleb's crib.  It hasn't turned into a major problem yet.  I mean, I love it that they're learning new things and developing like they're supposed to, it just creates new challenges for me.  :)
7.  What's this about a holiday weekend that everyone's talking about?  This is just a bad time of year for a holiday.  Mike has been working really long days this week, and is working today, too.  Plus taking care of the farm while my parents are gone.  And he has to work some Monday.  I have a photo session Monday, too, but I don't really consider that work - it's a chance for me to get out of the house alone and do something fun.  :)
8.  I believe I'm all out of deep thoughts for now...

P.S.  It's still quiet in the boys' room.  A successful naptime is always a blessing.  Gotta run - need to make the most of my time while they're sleeping!

current challenge

My current challenge:  getting a 9 month old with the newly acquired skill of pulling himself up in his crib to lay down and sleep.

I've gone in and layed Caleb down a few times now and he keeps pulling himself up and stands there and cries.  I might just put him in a pack-and-play soon, he can't stand up in there yet...