The Weather Man and Other Outings

Tuesday was a record high day here in Northern Colorado, so how could I resist packing up the cubs for another walk to the post office?  Dad came over in the morning to help out and that made the adventure much easier.  I was able to get baths done early, Dad and I got them fed and we were off in our stroller with baby sunglasses and all.

I've mentioned before how much I love Windsor, it's so friendly here.  Well on our way to the Post Office yesterday I cut through the park and ended up on a street coming home where this little old man was sitting outside in a lawn chair.  He had no yard, just rocks where a lawn should be so it had to be hot for him.  But as we passed by yesterday he smiled and started talking to me about the weather and how it wasn't as warm as they said it was going to be.  Today Dad and I passed by him on our way to and from the Post Office.  On our way there he had his little dog on his lap and again we smiled and said hello to him and he went straight into the weather.  On our way back he was still sitting out there and told us that he had just called the weather and they told him it was 77 degrees.  So from here on out when I pass him I'll refer to him as the weather man.  Sweet old guy.

Once we finished our walk we got the cubs fed and changed again and then we were back out the door.  This time to the used baby store.  A friend of my Mom and Dad's, Kelly, sent them over with a huge bag full of baby girl clothes.  So Calista is now dressed to the 9's.  However my poor little Alex didn't have much in the way of outdoor clothes.  And after all I can't really dress him in pajamas and sunglasses... I don't want the other babies laughing at him.  Dad and I each took a baby in a cart and I managed to get several pairs of jeans, shirts and a couple pairs of shorts for the little guy.  However his 'It's All About Me' sister was not a happy girl and cried through the entire shopping experience.  I figure it's because she's just like the rest of us females and it's just no fun if you're not getting any new clothes for yourself.  Since she was so fussy I decided to forgo the grocery store and just head home with them.

I should also mention here that the cubs are 4 months old now.  I'm amazed at how big they've gotten in such a short amount of time.  And the way they are learning is incredible as well.  We've been practicing our vowels still and Alex will just concentrate on your lips and try to mimic you when you say Ooooooo.  Calista is in such a hurry to hold her own bottle, she has her little hands on it most of the time and once it's light enough we can usually remove our hands and she'll hold it herself.  I think that both of them are going to be musical like their mommy.  Probably Calista more than Alex.  She just loves her musical toys.  One of these days I'm going to take her downstairs to our old very out of tune, Antique Player Piano and see what she thinks of it when I play it.  Luckily both of them have nice long fingers like their mommy so there will be no excuses when it comes time for piano lessons.  Unfortunately they are also moving their heads around a lot more now and bashing them into the unsuspecting adult that is holding them.  I don't know how it isn't cracking their skull as hard as they slam into us all?

Here are their 4 month pictures I took of them yesterday.  They sure look happy don't they?

Time for the Best and Worst of Motherhood:

The worst part of motherhood today is the black eye, bruised cheek bone and fat lip I have from my children head butting me.

The best part of motherhood today is buying new clothes for the babies.  I could just go crazy buying those cute new outfits!

Twin Rockstars

The day was just wonderful.  The cubs slept until 4:30 a.m., almost completely through the night.  They were a breeze to take care of in the morning and took a nice long nap on their play mats on the floor for me. 

To top it off, Monday was such a beautiful day we just had to get that stroller out and head to the post office for another walk.  After their nap I got them both fed and changed into stroller clothes.  I had already changed a poopy diaper for both of them so I figured I was safe and headed out the door.  But about half way into the walk I started to smell something foul.  I did notice some flies buzzing around Alex but didn't put two and two together until after I got home.  By the time we got to the Post Office I was sure I was smelling something, but of course didn't have a diaper on me... and if I did where would I change a child?  On the postage scale?  What else could I do but forge on to home.  Sure enough, once we were home I found another poopy mess on Alex.  Just goes to show you, you're never safe!

One thing we did get to do though was sport the new sunglasses that Grandma got them.  Oh My were they ever the hit!  Every one just giggled and loved them.  Kari at the Post Office couldn't stop slapping the counter and exclaiming how adorable.

The rest of the afternoon was sort of quiet until around 3 p.m. when they start their afternoon/evening fussies.  But amazingly enough they both went down in their own little beds by bed time.  However they didn't stay that way for long.  Calista was up at 1:30 and by 5 a.m. she was sleeping in our bed.

Time for the best and the worst:

The worst part of Motherhood today is being unprepared.  You think you have all your bases covered, but you just always have to plan for the unexpected.

The best part of Motherhood today the great 'high fashion' items they put out for babies these days.

ACK! So Far Behind

Ok, so I'm very far behind in getting my blog updated. I'll do what I can to catch everyone up on the last few days.

Thursday brought both Mom and Dad over to help out, but it still ended up being a crazy day. I was attempting to get my hair colored, Mom had a Dr. Appointment for her back and it ended up that I didn't get my shower taken until after 1 p.m. After that I did get a couple hours of work in, (not nearly enough), a quick run to the post office, put gas in the car and the grocery store and before I knew it it was 4 o'clock and Mom and Dad had to leave.

Friday I was just bound and determined that I was going to find a way to get some work done at the DJBeads bead store. Of course my twins had other ideas. If only I could somehow find a way for the cats to entertain the twins and vice versa. That didn't pan out so my plan then became to find a way to wear them out so I could come and work while they slept. You guessed it, adventure time! This was a trip to Target again. Our mission, find some sort of organization for the accumulating toys. I found a storage cube system with 9 cubby holes and bought 4 material drawers in pink and blue. They now have a place for all their toys and books. That is until Grandma and Grandpa spoil them some more with more toys and books.

While at Target though Mom and Dad did find these adorable bunny ears to try on Calista. Isn't that hysterical?

Friday was also a day that I started working on vowel sounds with the kids. When they are on the changing table I'll go through the vowels with them.... Aaaaaaa Oooooooo. I can see Alex really studying my lip movements and attempting to copy me. While Calista has no patience for one sound at a time, she wants to say them all right away. However by the next day Alex is really doing well making his Ooooo sound.
Saturday, oh sweet Saturday. In exchange for the long hours that Ed is having to work his boss got the entire department $100 gift cards for Outback Steakhouse. So again Mom and Dad came over to watch the cubs so we could go out. (And we do realize how very lucky we are that they watch the kids for us as often as they do so we can get out). We went to see Hot Tub Time Machine and loved it! Definitely a play on Back to the Future, it even had George McFly in it... but it was the kind of stupid humor that was right up our ally... 'Whisper' Great White Buffalo' Great White Buffalo'....lol

Outback was fantastic as usual and we ate like pigs, in fact worse than pigs, we ate like hogs! And I paid for it by having a case of gut rot all night long. Remember those days in high school and college when you could eat Tupperware, stay up all night and still feel good the next day? Gone are those days.

Sunday was one of my favorite days, Craft Day. Once a month I try to have a craft day with several of my friends here at the house. Everyone brings a project to work on; we have snacks and lots of laughter. I'm very close to being finished with a Christmas Ornament that I started back in Nov. Once I do get it done I'll put up a picture of it here.

I was amazed at how quickly the cubs calmed down last night. Calista was a good girl and went right to sleep in her own crib at around 9 p.m. Alex went to sleep for a few minutes then started fussing, then the fussing grew louder and louder until we were ready for it to turn to crying. I'm pretty sure his reflux is acting up again and I need to call the Dr. to find out if we need to increase his prevecid medicine. So he ended up sleeping with us last night. However, they both slept until 4:30 this morning!

Now for the best and worst of Motherhood.

The worst part of Motherhood is the unbelievable amount of time it takes to do the simplest of tasks, like run the vacuum or scrub a toilet.

The best part of Motherhood is watching your baby try to mimic you and work on talking.

The Hair that Caused Hysterics

We woke up so thrilled yesterday because the cubs slept through the night.  They got to bed late, but slept until 4:30 a.m.  We were both just elated!  The only bad part was that with this twist in our routine it became doubtful that I was going to get a shower for the day.  Luckily around 10:30 they both fell asleep and I was able to get my shower done.

Right after my shower Alex started to wake up so I put him on the changing table, changed his diaper and upon putting him back together I found a little fluff of toe jam on his right foot.  I kept pulling on it to try and clean it out but it just wouldn't budge.  What was worse is that the more I pulled on it the more Alex seemed to scream.  That's when I saw the top of his foot and his little toes turning red.  Remember when I told you all how my hair was falling out like a chemo patient?  Well in that tuft of toe jam was a long piece of mommy hair that was wound around 3 of his toes.  When I pulled on the tuft it tightened up the hair around the toes.

So began the excitement for the day.  I tried and tried to work that piece of hair out of his toes but all it did was make it tighter and tighter.  So I buttoned up his one leg and left the other one out of his pajamas and took him upstairs where there was more light.  About this time Calista started waking up and started crying on the floor.  With Alex on the couch I tried some more to work that piece of hair out, all the while watching my son's toes turn bright red, then purple and his cries get louder and louder.  Hysteria set in at about this time.  I ran to get a bottle for Calista warmed up, thinking at least I can get her in her car seat and prop up her bottle so there won't be so much screaming and I can think clearer.  I called Ed at work in tears and the words 'I can't do this myself' came out of my mouth.  That piece of hair was wound so tightly down to his skin I couldn't get anything in between it without cutting his skin.

I asked Ed if he knew our neighbors phone number.  The guy does our lawn for us and just a few weeks ago I had met his wife and knew she was a stay at home mom.  Maybe she could come over and help.  Ed couldn't find it so I hung up with him and called my Mom and Dad to see if maybe they were out and about to come and help me hold Alex's foot down.  They weren't, they were 40 minutes away.

So last resort, I wrapped Alex up in a blanket and left Calista on the floor crying and ran across the street to the neighbor's house.  Mike answered the door and I ran through my dilemma with him and asked if he or his wife could come over and help me out by holding Alex's leg down while I searched for the hair to cut.  We ran back across the street and started on the surgery of removing that miserable hair.  Alex just screamed and screamed, which made me cry so I couldn't see what I was doing.  And thank goodness cooler heads prevailed; Mike was able to get Alex's skin pushed down far enough for me to get my cuticle snipers in between that and the hair.  I had to make about 5 cuts before we finally got that hair out.

Such a relief once it was all over with.  Mike saw that I was rattled and put his hand on my shoulder and asked if I was ok...lol.

So I feel I should give his business a plug here.  He owns a company called Rocky Mountain Lawn Medic and they are the nicest people!  He does a great job for us every year and we were really sad to see them put their house on the market.  It's hard to find good neighbors sometimes.

The rest of the day went smooth, baths were given all around and Alex still is having issues with that.  However I was amazed that by 9:15 last night all little babies were in their own little cribs sleeping.  However they did get up at 1:30 for a feeding so they didn't sleep all the way through the night.  But we're getting there.

Today's picture is of Calista and Lucy one of our 3 cats... all of a sudden they discovered one another.

The best and the worst time.

The worst part of Motherhood yesterday was feeling so helpless when your child hurts.

The best part of Motherhood yesterday was getting those babies to sleep early and in their own beds.

An Ordinary Day

Yesterday was a very ordinary day.  The cubs ended up in our bed in the morning where I nursed them back to sleep and then was able to get my shower taken and a few things around the house done.  They did sleep until almost 10 a.m. in our bed, so I got a lot done at the DJBeads Store.

Mom came over to help out and when she got here the cubs were still sleeping.  Once they woke up we got them changed and fed then took off for a grocery store adventure.  I was out of formula and close to being out of diapers.... two things that should NEVER run low in this house!

The grocery store adventure went pretty good; both cubs fell asleep in the store.  Alex got a little fussy once we got back in the car, but the entire adventure was pretty quiet.

Of course I had to play with the camera on my new phone some more and got this picture of Alex and his Grandma.  And being the little ham that she is, you can see Calista's feet kicking away down at the side there.

The evening brought a snow storm and it just felt like a good night to hunker down and cuddle up with some cubs.  Alex fell asleep hard on me.  We gave them both their night time feeding and started the process of putting them to bed.  ARGH!  This is such a battle!  They were both crashed out, snoring away, but the minute you lay them in the crib the eyes pop wide open and after just a couple of minutes the crying starts.

So in an attempt to get them used to sleeping in their own beds I tried this approach.  I nursed them both to sleep in our bed, then slipped out and folded some laundry for about a 1/2 hour.  Once I thought they were good and asleep I put Calista in her bed where she fussed for a minute or two then fell asleep (against her will I think, she was trying to keep those eyes open).  Then I waited 15 minutes and got Alex out of our bed and put him in his crib.  He fussed for a couple of minutes as well then drifted off.  And low and behold, I went to my Baby Free Bed!

Time for the best and the worst of Motherhood....

The worst part of Motherhood yesterday was the never ending battle of getting the baby to sleep in the crib.

The best part of Motherhood yesterday was succeeding at this finally and sleeping in a baby free bed.

A Sunny Day

It was a beautiful day in Northern Colorado so I set my sights on a nice walk to the post office with the cubs. The morning had gone really smooth, so I anticipated that the rest of the day would go as well right? Obviously the thinking of a new mom.

I had two very fussy cubs on my hands, and how do you fix that? Go through the check list of needs... diapers changed, food given out, etc. etc. Still Calista was fussy. I put her in her chair so I could get Alex fed and changed and after a while she got really quiet. I just figured it was her chair occupying her, (yet another Rookie Mom mistake). I got Alex changed to find a huge poopy mess. Once he was cleaned up he was all grins. You've never met a baby that loves a clean diaper like Alex! Just look at those grins.

So Alex is now all changed and a happy camper. I get him in the stroller and it's time to fetch Calista. I start to pull her from her chair, "sniff sniff", "Is that residual from Alex or did she make a present for me as well? I check and yes, she has a massive poopy diaper now too. The light bulb goes on and I realize that's why she was so content.


Anyway, I got her all changed, packed up in the stroller and we were on our way.

I just love strolling my little babies through the town. Everyone just has to stop and look at them. Windsor is a friendly town anyway, but when you have a stroller wheeling in front of you they just seem extra friendly. The cars all stop and let you go through the crosswalks, people hold the doors open for you, and everyone is just really helpful and nice.

The cubs of course missed out on all this attention because two blocks down the road they conked out and didn't wake up until we got home.

Alex was a little angel for the rest of the evening, but his sister just had to be held. So when her daddy got home he got a baby shoved into his arms immediately. Especially since she had just deposited a large portion of her last feeding on my shoulder. So Ed changed her and I got myself into the shower and cleaned up.

We had a rather late dinner because we were trying to feed them and once again had the nerve to say out loud... 'Let's see if we can get them to bed a little earlier tonight.' They were having none of that. We gave Alex a bath since he had puke in his hair, and again he screamed bloody murder. I'm not sure why all of a sudden he doesn't like his baths, he used to love them. He was really sleepy after his bath, but once again it was 10pm before the last child was asleep. We started with both babies in our bed and I managed to get Calista asleep in her own bed. I tried that with Alex, but it didn't work. He kept fussing so much that I was afraid he was going to wake up his sister. So he ended up back in our bed. I figure his sister was claiming so much of my time that he just needed some Mommy time.

Alright, I can't believe I got this done while they are still sleeping. Hurray for me!

The best and worst now...I always like to end on an up note so that's why I put the worst first.

The worst part of Motherhood yesterday was being paranoid on our walk. Will the cars stop, what if a car comes speeding so fast that I don’t' see them in time. What if a vicious dog that isn't on a leash comes after us? Etc. etc. The worry wart mother I am.
The best part of Motherhood yesterday was parading my little ones through the town.

The Weekend

This was a really nice weekend, quiet and productive. Ed watched the cubs on Saturday so that I could get some work done at the Bead Store. I managed to get a lot of beads labeled and up in the shop that has been sitting on my desk for several weeks.

Ed had the cubs asleep in the living room when some idiot woman came and rang our doorbell. She had the misfortune of me answering that door and barking at her that she woke up my babies. She had some flyer in her hand to elect somebody to office and I just ripped her a new one and didn't listen to a word she had to say. So directly after that I came back to the office and made the following sign:

NO SOLICITING - BIBLE THUMPING - OR POLITICING
IF YOU RING MY DOORBELL I HAD BETTER KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Grumpy? Maybe, but if you've ever had babies that have finally fallen asleep and you have precious time to get a few things done, well I'm sure you can sympathize with me.

So that was our Saturday, pretty smooth sailing. Today was also a smooth day with waking up with cubs in our bed again. I gave Alex his bath and he just screamed blood murder! I'm not sure why, but it put him in a bad mood all day. But we once again watched our Sunday morning politics shows, had some waffles and this afternoon went on an adventure to K Mart.

At K Mart we found a little sound toy and oh how it made my little girl grin and smile! Alex wasn't too interested in it; however he's been kind of grumpy all day today as I said. We couldn't resist taking a video of Calista with that little musical toy, so I'll post that to Facebook later on tonight.

Our last stop was at the Verizon store to get some cases and screen protectors for our new phones. The cubs were really good through that, which surprised me. I thought perhaps they would have a screaming fit, in which case we might get moved to the front of the line just to get us out of there...lol. But it all went smooth.

Ok, best and worst time....

The worst part of Motherhood this weekend is no longer having our bed to ourselves.

The best part of Motherhood this weekend is watching my children learn and being amazed at the speed that is happening. They also learned to hold a rattle this weekend and today Calista had both hands on her bottle and was almost holding it. I'm in awe at how fast they are learning things.

A Two-Fer

We got back rather late yesterday so I never got to my blog so on this one you'll get yesterday and today.  Yesterday was Date Night for Carrie and Ed.  Mom and Dad came over around 10 in the morning to take care of the cubs for us. So here is the run down of the day.

Calista woke up at her usual 5 - 6 a.m. slot and ended up in our bed, I lay out some receiving blankets and a burp cloth and we're all set.  Mostly because Mommy was still very tired and she just loves sleeping on 800 thread count Egyptian Cotton sheets... well what baby doesn't?  An hour later Alex got lonely in the nursery so he came to join us in the big bed.

They sure do sleep soundly in our bed, although I know I can't let them do this all the time.  I'm sure it will be a hard habit to break in the future.

Not to mention that even though we have a king size bed, between those 2 little babies and 3 cats there is hardly any room left over for me and Ed!  We're going to have to see if we'll fit in the cribs if this keeps up.  Ed has already practiced getting in and out of the cribs when he put them together before the cubs arrived.

I don't think he'll fit, what do you guys think?

Anyway, the morning went as usual.  Then Mom and Dad got here and I was able to take off and get a much needed hair cut at Aveda Ten Salon

I then picked up Ed and we went to see the movie Avatar, which was the second time for me, the first for Ed.  And then topped it off with a nice dinner out at Macaroni Grill in Fort Collins.

Unfortunately it's Spring Break and therefore we had to deal with punks at the movies.  About 6 teenagers, one of which was named Brenden.  I know this because as Brenden made comments throughout the movie his friends were shushing him and saying, 'Brended shut up'.  I should've gone out and complained and had the punk kicked out... but I didn't.  I sort of felt sorry for Brenden afterwards realizing that he acted that way because he needed so much attention.

Then off to dinner where we usually have an outstanding meal, but this time were also a bit disappointed.  Ed had the Lobster Ravioli which had a very fishy taste to it.  I had a Mushroom Ravioli dish that was so scalding hot from the heat lamps I had to wait 5-10 minutes before I could eat it.

On the way home I decided the only way I'm going to be able to keep in touch with people is to get a new fangled phone.  So I bought myself a new Droid phone last night that will allow me to keep up with emails, Facebook and Twitter.

Today was almost a repeat of yesterday morning, other than I got out of bed and just surrendered it to the cubs.  The afternoon was a baby melt down when Alex had a MASSIVE poopy blow out and I was trying to get him changed downstairs while Calista was screaming her head off upstairs.  Finally I just took him upstairs in his onsie and decided to dress him up there.  Once upstairs with him though I found he had poop in between his toes, so I had to go back downstairs to get a washcloth and get him cleaned up.  I couldn't get the stupid bottles to heat up fast enough when I did get back upstairs, so both of them were screaming out of control.  We got through that feeding and then it was Calista's turn for a poopy blow out.  Luckily this time Alex was nice and quiet through it all.

There were no adventures yesterday or today because it's really cold and snowy.  If the weather improves tomorrow we'll be going to an Assisted Living facility to look at for Ed's mother Jo.

Now for the best and the worst of Motherhood.....

Today the worst part of Motherhood is massive amounts of oozing baby shit that squeeks out from the sides of diapers and onto everything from your wrist to your hands and from baby's belly button to their toes.

Today the best part of Motherhood is a quiet sleeping baby, which is what they are doing right now.

New sounds for Alex

The morning started out with my poor girl hurting from her teeth, so I brought her into bed with me.  Partly because Alex was still asleep and partly because I was still very tired.  By the time Alex woke up at 7 a.m. I was able to nurse him a little bit and he went right back to sleep for me.  So with Calista safely on our bed and Alex asleep in his I managed to get my shower done, dressed and ready for the day before 8 a.m. for a change.

The day was fairly usual, nothing out of the ordinary other than Alex and his new sound.  Calista was still asleep and I was fixing my tea when I kept hearing the strangest sound from the office.  I had put Alex in his swing and it was as if he discovered his voice.  I did get it on video and those are uploaded to my Facebook account if you care to go look at them.

By afternoon though we had a baby meltdown.  Calista really freaked out, she wouldn't eat from the bottle at all and finally just cried herself into such a frenzy that she fell asleep in her car seat, (where I was trying to feed her).  Footnote here.... this is how you feed two babies at once.  Set them in their car seat and then you can hold a bottle in each hand and get your Advil ready for the pain you'll have in your back from hunching over.

So after that we took a small adventure to Target to meet Ed and pick up a couple of items.  Again, Alex wanted nothing to do with the stroller and I had to carry him through the store and push a cart that needed a front end alignment.  But we got what we needed and made it home.

On the subject of Target, it's time for a product recommendation.  We bought the Fisher Price 2 in 1 projector/crib mobile and OMG is this thing worth every penny!  It has a little canopy with a projector that shoots pictures onto the canopy while little stuffed animals go around on the canopy.  To top it off it has 3 settings for sound, music, nature sounds and a heart beat (which is what our Dr. had recommended to get our kids to sleep).  I can put the cubs in their crib and turn that on (most of the time), and they'll just stare at it and let me get laundry done and even sometimes I get to go to the bathroom.  So if you're expecting or need a baby shower gift be sure to look into this item.  We paid roughly $45 per mobile.

Today's picture is of Calista in her outfit that her Aunt Sandy bought her.  She looks like she's passed out, maybe she's a milk-a-holic (gosh I hope Lindsey Lohan doesn't sue me for that).

Ok, time for the best and the worst.

Today the worst part of Motherhood is not really being able to run to the store or post office quickly.  All trips are now an ordeal.

Today the best part of Motherhood is hearing your baby find their voice.

Calm that child!

Today was a fussy day for Calista.  I'm not sure if I mentioned before or not, but she's already cutting teeth and she just really had a tough time with it today.    She woke up at 5 a.m. then went back to sleep for about an hour.  I tried and tried to get her down for some kind of a nap today, but she just kept screaming out in pain.

Since it was bath day anyway, I figured I'd give them both their bath to see if that would calm her down at all.  Amazingly enough, it did!  But before bath time I had her half way undressed and her and Leo, our littlest cat, found a new game to play.  Both the cubs would kick on the side of the play pen and Leo decided whatever that protruding thing was, it needed to be dug out.  But after bath time she fell asleep in the play pen in the office and I attempted to get some work done while Alex slept in his swing.  Of course Leo had other idea's.  He thought it would be fun to continue the game.  So while Calista slept Leo dug and dug at the side of that play pen, shaking it all over the place.  Once I chased him away from that he tried to crawl into the swing with Alex.  It was a no win situation for me.  There was no way they were going to let me get any work done today.

So after their afternoon feeding I packed them and the stroller up in the car and we adventured out to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Berthoud.  It was the first time they've been there and needless to say, both Grandparents seemed to enjoy parading them up and down their street.  I did forget the camera today so I don't have a picture for the day.  But if you're on my Facebook page I'll be uploading a video of Leo and the cubs in the crib and their 'Little Game'.

When I got them home it was a race to get dinner done while they were still asleep in the car seats.  We almost made it and the rest of the night was about par for the course.

So the best and worst for the day.

The worst part of Motherhood today is a teething baby that you just can't console.

The best part of Motherhood today is when that child finally calms down and you just hope they feel a little better.

What a busy day!

First I'd like to say that I'm currently writing this with Alex crashed out in my left arm and Ed in the living room with Calista screaming her head off.  Good thing we shut all the doors up from this afternoon or I'm sure the neighbors would be calling Child Protective Services on us thinking we were neglecting that child.  Ed told Calista last night that she is the loudest Edwards woman that ever lived.  The girl does have a set of lungs on her.  However from my side of the family she's hardly the loudest.

Mom came over to help me out today and we drove all over Northern Colorado.  We started out dropping the POS off at the shop.  Turned out the tubes had separated from the two front tires.  So two new tires were in order.  Then we grabbed some lunch, (Arby's again), and off to Wellington to drop off the MIL taxes.  The CPA she uses couldn't be further out in the sticks and I had a good chuckle when I called for directions, (because even my Tom Tom couldn't find this deserted road the guy lived on), and the CPA told me that there was a green sign right past his big white barn.  I just don't know of too many CPA's with a barn on their property.... but maybe there are.

So after that it was back to Windsor where we dropped off a deposit for the MIL, then the post office and back home to feed the cubs.  After they were fed we were off again.  We stopped at the Fire Dept. to have their car seats checked.  The cubs seem like they are getting too big for the inserts, but the firemen said no they were fine.  However these 3 firemen looked like they were barely out of grade school... I'm sure I have cat's older than them.

After the Fire Dept. we picked up the POS car and drove it out to Ed's work and dropped it off.  Then hit the grocery store for that milk I needed yesterday and were finally home by about 4:30 to feed the cubs again.

God willing and the creak don't rise I'll get to work on the bead store tomorrow some.  Although I don't have any help coming in, I'm still hopeful that the cubs will take a nice nap for me so I can work.  I've actually gotten the newsletter finished for this week and am starting to send it out tonight.

Today's picture is of Alex sporting one of his new onsies.... it was just too cute to pass up.  Don't worry, all those snaps and zippers are painted on there and I assure you he's a very comfortable little boy in this.

And now for today's best and worst of Motherhood.

Today the worst part of Motherhood is having a screaming/crying baby in a store when everyone is looking at you.  And by looking I mean judging!

Today the best part of Motherhood is watching your mother make the craziest gurgling sounds to your child and watching the two of them make each other smile and laugh.

The End of the Day

It's been a fabulous weekend for us.  Saturday I gave Ed a break so he could go and play some golf.  He's been dealing with a lot with his Mom in the hospital and then Friday his boss told him they were going to have to start working 9 - 10 hour days.  That's the new way, lay off as many people as possible and then ask more of the ones that are left.  Anyway, Ed got to play 9 holes with his friend Jeff on Saturday.  It was a beautiful day here in Northern Colorado so when Ed got home we packed the cubs up in the stroller and headed off for a nice walk.  Unfortunately by the time we got everyone out the door the wind was picking up a bit so we didn't go very far.  I was worried that it might be too cold for the cubs.  But we made it down to the library and around the parking lot of the Elementary School before heading back.

Sunday morning was a wonderful family morning in our house.  Calista had started crying at around 5 a.m. so I went and got her and put her in bed with us.  By 9 a.m. Alex was fussing on the monitor so Ed went and got him.  Then the four of us laid in bed and watched our ritual Sunday morning politics shows while I nursed Calista first, then traded places with Ed and nursed Alex from the other side.  It was just a nice family morning.  However I'm sure as they get older the political shows will be replaced with Saturday morning cartoons.

Since Ed had his 'play day' on Saturday today was my turn to get out of the house.  I went to go see a movie, Crazy Heart this afternoon.  But before I could leave there were a ton of chores to get done.  To get out the door the following had to be prepared, Calista had her bath and since Alex was asleep we gave him his bath after I got back.  Ed made up bottles so he would be prepared for the afternoon alone with the cubs.  Then I watched the kids while he changed out the littler boxes.  We both went down and changed the sheets on both cribs, fired up a load of laundry and then Ed gathered up some of our medical paper work he needed to fax off tomorrow.  All of this was done before noon.

Heading out to my movie the car steering wheel seemed possessed and was shimming from side to side.  I stopped to look at the tire and it seems a little low, so I turned around and headed back home to get the other car.  This is a car that we bought from Ed's mom for $1 and in all honesty we should probably ask for our dollar back.  So from here on out I will refer to this car as the P.O.S.  (Piece of Shit)

When I got to the theater I was amazed that it was packed!  Must have been the colder weather today.  The movie was good, I'm not a big country music fan, (I tried to listen to it but find that when I do I lose my will to live).

On the way home life kicked into high gear again.  We had to figure out how to get the POS to the shop to be fixed.  Ed still had to get to his Mom's house to gather her tax items to be filed.  Then there was the fact that we are out of milk so a grocery store trip was in order and what to do about dinner.  So our plan is for Mom to come over tomorrow to help with the cubs instead of Tuesday. We'll take the POS in and drop it off at the shop.  And this evening we went to his mom's house to gather the tax info and this also counted as an adventure for the cubs.  Dinner ended up being a stop at the Arby's drive thru and a quick quart of milk from the gas station.  After we drop the POS off at the shop then Mom and I will have to drive out to the sticks to drop off my Mother In Law's taxes.

So it turned into a busy day after all.  We did get Alex bathed after all was said and done.  He wants so badly to talk and kept 'sassing' his father as he was trying to dress him with loud sounds of "Nyet Nyet".

It's time for this tired momma to go to bed though so I'll do my best and worst and call it a night.

The worst part of Motherhood today is going to the movies and smelling baby puke in my hair and wondering if the person sitting next to me can smell it too and what she must think of me!

The best part of Motherhood today is a snuggly sleeping Alex all nestled up next to me while I watch Brothers and Sisters.

Good night everyone!

Yesterday

I'm going to try and do two posts today since I never made it to the post for yesterday. However yesterday was an awesome day! The cubs slept from 9 a.m. to noon so I was able to get some work done at the bead store, which was a relief.

Mom was here to help all morning and afternoon so I could just work on the things I needed to get done. We got baths done and then proceeded to take two clean babies on our daily adventure. And although still a bit big on him, I dressed Alex in one of his new tee shirts... I just love this one.

Alex's bath had mom and I in stitches. He discovered if he kicked his feet he could make a real mess. We were trying to wash his hair and he had both feet splashing water everywhere. Maybe he'll be an Olympic Swimmer?

The adventure for yesterday was a trip to Sam's Club. We got them both loaded up in the car, went to the Post Office, then the King Soopers Pharmacy and then off to Sam's. At Sam's we broke out the stroller, (Thank you Joe and Julie!), and proud momma got to show off her little darlings. We were stopped by an older gentleman that told us he remembered when his daughter was that little and she was now 52. He then gave me some worldly advice... don't let the girl date until she's 40 and even then check the guys bank account to see how much money he has.

The only bad time I had with them yesterday was when I got home. I was hoping they would sleep in their car seats until Ed got home. But no such luck. I started feeding Alex and Calista laid on the floor crying for 20 minutes straight. Silly me figured Alex had come up for air so I could take the bottle out of his mouth, put him in his car seat and start nursing Calista. Nope... Alex proceeded to cry for another 10 minutes before Ed walked in the door. But the night went really well. They were both down by 8:30 p.m. and didn't get up until 3:30 a.m. After that feeding they slept until almost 9 a.m. this morning. So there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

Now for the best and worst....

The worst part of Motherhood yesterday was not being able to get to both babies at the same time and having to listen to one cry and cry and not being able to do anything about it.

The best part of Motherhood yesterday was watching Alex learn that he could kick his foot and make the water splash.

A Busy Busy Day!

I've been trying to get to my blog all day today, but that little girl just wouldn't leave my lap/shoulder today. For most of the day she was laid out on a pillow across my lap. Princess Calista just had to be on her pillow/throne. Every time I tried to put her in her crib, play pen, chair, swing... any where... she was just having none of it.

Alex was a little angel in the play pen today... nice and quiet all day for me.

We also had a communication break down on what time my Mom was going to be here, so that threw my dinner and shopping timing off by a bit. But at least her and Ed are here now and my arms are getting a break from holding the little girl all day.

Our adventure today was nothing spectacular, a trip to the grocery store. We were about out of formula and I wouldn't want to see this house with out formula in it.

So no pictures today, hopefully tomorrow. But I will give my best and worst of motherhood for the day.

The worst of motherhood is that it takes 4 hours to unload the dishwasher.

The best of motherhood was yesterday listening to my husband reading a book to Calista, making doggie and kitty sounds. Then listening to her coo and kick her leg in excitement.

I've found that if we take the cubs out on a little outing, or as I call them, adventures, they seem to get a little more worn out and sleep better. So yesterday's adventure was to go to Fort Collins and pick up my new glasses and then off to the Used Baby Store. No they don't sell used babies there, just their clothing.

Word of warning expecting mothers. Pregnancy did quite the number on my eyes! I've now had to go to progressive lenses, which is just a nice way of saying bifocals. Trying to look at my children up close when I fed them was just murder on my eyes and head. So for the next few weeks I'm sure I'll be getting used to these new glasses. Another thing to prepare yourself for is the unimaginable amount of hair you're going to lose! I have thick hair to begin with, but I'm losing handfuls by the day. I even had to bargain with my husband to clean the shower drain for me. In trade I changed all dirty diapers for a 24 hour period, but anything is better than shower drain hair, (makes me gag just typing this).

Our adventure to the used baby store, Once Upon A Child, was fairly pleasant. They have such good deals there, most of the clothing is around $3-$4. And with the speed in which the cubs out grow the clothes, it's a great way to keep from going broke. Mom and I each had a baby in their car seat in a cart to push around. Calista just slept through the entire outing. Alex however was not a happy camper! I picked out about 5 outfits for him and then it was time to shop for his sister and he was having none of that. He had his loot and he was ready to go. So we quickly shopped for Calista, bought her some adorable little dresses, and tried to check out as fast as possible.

Today is bath day, and I just have to say out loud, is there anything better smelling than a clean baby? So far Calista has had her bath, but Alex seems to be having some issues today. We're not sure if it's his reflux acting up, teething or maybe a gas bubble in his tummy. On top of that we're having snow off and on today so I may not take them out on an adventure today.

So here is the picture today of Calista looking up at her Grandma right after her bath. We were trying really hard to get her to smile, but all we managed was a smirk out of her.

She is quite the little manipulator. She'll cry and cry like someone is killing her. Then the minute you walk into her room she stops crying and smiles up at you, as if to say, "Ha Ha Made you come get me".

This is something I'm going to try out on my daily blog as well. I'll call it my Best and Worst of Motherhood.

Today, the worst of Motherhood is this: Trying to cut those itty bitty tiny fingernails. How can something so small do so much damage to an adults chest? I swear I look like I have chicken pox from all the scratches on my chest from the two of them.

Today the best of Motherhood is this: Last night I had just finished nursing Calista, it was just the two of us in the quiet living room. She was laying on her side on my nursing pillow and I watched as her eyelids became more and more heavy, until they finally became so heavy that she just couldn't hold them open any longer and she drifted off to sleep. It was a very simple thing, watching my child drift off to sleep... but it was a moment.

To begin....

I thought I would start a blog for a couple of reasons. First to keep distant family and friends up to date on the daily life with our newest additions. Secondly, to maybe help out a new mom of twins.
Our blessed event arrived at the end of November when Calista came bursting into the world screaming and Alex sort of wandered in quiet as a church mouse. Of course they were early, as most multiples are. So Calista spent the first 2 weeks of life in the NICU.

And with multiples and preemies you can always expect complications. Our little Alex had reflux, (actually he still does), so he found himself with an extended stay at the NICU.

By January though we had our whole family home with us, and that's when things started to hop around here! For those of you with 1 baby that think it's a lot of work... well you're right, but you're still just Jr. Varsity. When it was just Calista home with us at least someone in the house was getting sleep. But when Alex came home nobody was getting any sleep. That is until my Mom and Dad stepped in. They started staying the night and switching shifts, Mom would stay one night, then Dad would stay the next. What a gift this has been!

We're now just passing their 3 month age, and with Preemie's you'll find that you have to 'adjust' their age. For instance their birth date was supposed to be Jan. 13th so in reality the 'adjusted' age is more like 2 months old.

The good news though is that we are now down to one 3 a.m. feeding and a nice long nap in the middle of the afternoon. This has allowed me to finally get back to my home business, http://www.djbeads.com/ and http://www.flutterby-jewelry.com/ as well as try to start up a blog.

So up to now this is my advice for new twin moms.

1. Take any and all help offered to you! I thought I would be super mom and do it all myself, my body told me something different. When you've been on your feet for 2 hours and had only 3 hours of sleep, swaying a wide awake screaming child back and forth your legs just won't hold you up anymore. It's nice to have someone to hand them off to so you can take a short break.

2. Patience may be a virtue, but it's pretty hard to come by at 3 in the morning. No matter what, always keep in the back of you head that it's just a little baby. If they are screaming there is something wrong and crying is the only way they know to tell you about it. I run down my 'Problem Solving' list. Is their diaper wet? Are they hungry? Do they need some love and cuddling? Is something hurting? After all of that I assume they are just over tired, and unfortunately the only cure for that is sleep that they just won't do.

3. Once they give you that first smile and/or giggle... OMG! Is it all worth it! This is when you truly fall in love with your baby.

I'd also like to give a quick shout out to a few products that I feel are the best.

Every child and parent is different, but in this house Pampers rule. We've had Huggies, Luv's and every generic diaper on the market today brought through the front door. And while we're very grateful for the kind gestures and free diapers, trust me.... the time and money you spend doing laundry because the diapers leaked is hardly worth the savings on the diapers.

Also, I wasn't sure if I'd use it or not, but I bought a Boppie nursing pillow. This thing is GREAT! I would recommend getting a couple of covers for it though. I only purchased the one cover and it seems like it's always in the wash.

So here is my initial blog. I'll do my level best to keep posting with the daily or weekly goings on around here.