Top Five Moments with the Boys

Wow, this Multiples and More Question of the Week is tough!  But here goes, our top 5 moments with the boys...

1. The day we found out we were having twins definently tops the list!  I was going in for a confirmation of pregnancy, just to make sure the bean was sticking.  Hubby almost didn't go to that appointment, but because he was able to go to work late that day, he did.  Good thing, too!  I'm not sure how I would have broken the news to him otherwise.  Maybe I could have just said what the doctor did..."Looks like there are two in there." 

2.  Memorial Day '09 was, well, memorable for us!  I won't recreate the birth story here, but the best moment of the day was meeting them for the first time outside the operating room.  We held them for a few minutes before they were whisked away to the NICU, so I didn't see them for two hours following my stitching up and hour spent in recovery.  I wish I knew how to post video because it's both sweet and funny to see me flying high as a kite on the morphine, petting Matthew's back in his incubator, saying "We had a surprise birthday party today."

visiting Nathan in his "house"

Holding Matthew for the first time on day 2

3. Having BOTH boys at home was one of our top five moments.  I'd pictured taking them home like you see in the movies: mom being wheeled out holding the baby, dad carrying flowers and balloons.  When we took Matthew home, it was Steve carrying the carseat, me carrying my leftover baby belly and the three of us ever so slowly walking down the hall, to the elevator and through the parking garage, me crying all the way because Nathan was still in the NICU.  Three days later it was a different story.  The nurse told us Nathan could be discharged, so we prepared for a long day since it took hours to discharge Matthew.  When we got there, she said she'd read the paperwork to us while we packed up Nathan.  What?!  Right now?  Forget the cute going-home outfit, start packing!  We were out of there in 30 minutes, feeling very much like we'd just stolen our baby!

five minutes after Nathan arrived, we snapped our first family photo at home

4.Their first airplane ride makes the list, of course!  The grandparents live several states away, so as soon as we got cleared to travel, we packed them up at two months old and flew for a visit.  We were nervous because they were so tiny, but they are great travelers and have been to 4 states (ok, 5 if you count not leaving an airport) and they are just 6 months old.  A detailed description of one of our flights can be read here.

5. I've recently posted about some important days like their 6 month pictures, Thanksgiving, and baby dedication, which are very important moments, but for number 5 I'm going to use our trip to the apple orchard.  I know, I know, I've already posted about that, too, in Little Pumpkins, but I think it's important because it was a special family outing.  It might have been the first time we took them anywhere besides the airport, the doctor's office, or the grocery store - and without help! 

Baby Dedication

Today was a very special day.  We chose to dedicate Matthew and Nathan at our Michigan church this morning for several reasons.  First, all the grandparents and great-grandparents live in this area and would be able to attend the service.  Second, our families' church is where Steve and I met and married.  Third, our pastor, who married us seven years ago, is still preaching and did the dedication service today.

It was quite a service!  My family and my husband's family filled up two pews and the whole church was packed because there were - get this! - SEVENTEEN children being dedicated this morning! 

I was worried that my sons would not be pleasant by the end of service because I knew they wouldn't nap well during worship and the message.  But those of you who know me know that I just worry about stuff and get all worked up, then nothing happens.  I guess it's my way of making sure nothing happens. 

Nathan fell asleep on Grandma K during worship and Matthew fell asleep on Grandma A during the message, so they were perfect angels, praise God!  I really think they like church; okay, I think they like the lights and the ceiling fans, but whatever it takes to get them in church, right?  That's what pastor's message was all about: training up your children in the way they should go so that when they are old they will not depart from it.

I just have to put in a good word for my parents and in-laws.  Both families did a great job raising Steve and me and our siblings to love the Lord when we were young.  Now they are reaping the benefits of their labor, as their adult children in their 20's and 30's are serving the Lord and dedicating their babies to Him.  Thank you Mom and Dad K and Mom and Dad A for showing us the way.  I pray that Steve and I can do as good of a job as you did.

Pastor and Mrs. S. anoint and pray for Matthew...Nathan was next, but they were too quick for the camera.

Grandparents K and Grandparents A...and Matthew reaching for Nathan's bink

Got it!

Rollin', rollin', rollin'....

Keep them doggies rollin'!
Yep, that's what Matthew's been doing the last few days.  I just can't leave him laying in the middle of the floor on his blanket anymore.  He's figured out that he can get from A to B by rolling back-tummy-back-tummy.  I suspect in a few more days he'll figure out he can also go in "reverse" when the couch stops his roll.  That's as far as he can go...roll, roll, roll into the couch then stop. 

Of course, this new talent does not just take place on the floor.  Oh, no!  His absolute FAVORITE time to try rolling is during a diaper change - and the dirtier the better.  What fun!

Nathan's doggies are rollin' this week as well...with the scary exersaucer barrel!  Both boys just LOVE Grandma K's exersaucer - it has WAY more toys attached than theirs.  It's got a cat with a bell and a steering wheel, but most exciting of all is the barrel.  It's a clear barrel filled with beads that clatter when you roll it, presumably fun for small children.  Nathan loves the exesaucer, until, in his excitement, he hits the barrel which then rolls and makes a noisy clatter:

Rawhide!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are so blessed and thankful to have many, many family members with whom we celebrate Thanksgiving.  Matthew and Nathan had two "first" Thanksgivings.  Okay, Nathan had two - Matthew slept through the first one!  The boys had sweet potatoes to celebrate the holiday while we ate turkey and all the trimmings with my family.  My sister and her husband brought some friends to experience their first American traditional Thanksgiving dinner - they must have liked it because they asked to make "reservations" for next year!

After the dishes were done and hugs were given all around, we packed up our little family and traveled down the road to Steve's family holiday dinner.  They were finished with the meal, but we made it just in time for their famous dessert buffet!  Aunt P. and co. made so many pies that there were still 3 whole pies chilling when we got here this afternoon.  We all fight over the peanut-butter pie...heavenly!  You can have some next year, boys, I promise.

Grandpa and Grandma S, the grandkids and great-grandkids

Happy Half Birthday!

Six months went by SO FAST!  I can hardly believe our drooling, giggling, baby-food-eating, rolling-all-over kiddos are the same teeny tiny preemies we held a few months ago. 

November 25th marked M and N's six-month birthday and we celebrated by going to get our portraits taken at a studio.  Why is it that we ALWAYS spend more on pictures than we intend?  I'm a bargain shopper to the core, but when it comes to the boys' photos, we've already spent...a lot.  That's because my wonderful hubby let me have a multiples-mom photographer come out to the house when they were three weeks old to take newborn shots.  It was something I've always wanted to do because I LOVE LOVE LOVE those naked baby shots.  The portraits were FAB-U-LOUS!

 three weeks old

We didn't have a fabulous budget for six month photos (let's be honest, we didn't have it for newborn photos, either) so we bundled them up and took them to the mall.  It was only their second trip to a mall and they were very well-behaved.

The first shots were good, but I think the guys were pretty startled by three photographers and the two of us blabbering, jingling bells, and shaking stuffed animals at them to get them to smile! 

Yum, boxes!  What?  Smile?

Oooh, a camera up there!

After the Santa-suit shots, we thought we'd try our hand at our first family portrait.  They guys seemed to be more comfortable in our arms, or maybe they were getting the hang of what we were trying to do.  It only took two snaps and we got a great Cheesy grin out of N and a very excited smile from M.  It's the same smile M has been giving this week every time he sees N - or anyone - playing with a toy that he doesn't have.  Of course, the photographer was waving a new puppet at him!

Happy Half Birthday!

Happy 80th Birthday!

Last night we celebrated a very special person, my grandpa.  He turned 80 years old!  Grandpa has led a full and happy life and is still getting around very well.  I'm happy that he's able to hold and snuggle my babies. 

Nathan with Great Grandpa P on his 80th birthday

Every year we celebrate his birthday on Thanksgiving, but Grandma wanted to make his 80th a bit different, so all of the family in town got together at Bennigan's!  We enjoyed just talking, eating, and playing with the boys.  Afterward, everyone had cake and ice cream at their house...except the boys, of course.  They had their regular vitamins and babas.  Sorry, guys, you can have it next year!

More Babyfriends!

Yesterday, I wrote that one thing we like about Michigan is seeing old friends who also travel back here to see their families for the holidays.  Today I had a special treat!  Thanks to Facebook, I've been able to reconnect with a high school friend whom I hadn't seen in (gasp!) 14 years.  We've been chatting all summer because lo and behold, we were both pregnant with twins at the same time! 

When we realized we'd both be in our hometown this week, we decided to get together for one BIG playdate.  For old time's sake, we ate LaPizza pizza and breadsticks for lunch - our high school lunch staple. The kiddos didn't exactly play together - they're not there yet, but we adults had a good time catching up with all the old high school gossip (some of it very interesting, but I won't spread it here) and Hubbies got to talk twin-dad shop, something that they very rarely have an opportunity to do. 

K's babies, C and J, were little (okay, BIG!) sweeties this afternoon.  C and J really seemed to understand what vacation means; lounging, eating, smiling, giggling, and watching the ceiling fan.  Nathan and Matthew, just one month older, seemed to scare K and her hubby because they were showing off their rolling-over skills.  In fact, just after they left, Matthew figured out how to go back-to-tummy-to-back over and over!  He kept going until he bonked his head on the footstool and that was that.  We'll see if he tries again tomorrow.

There was a very brief sliver of time all four babies were awake for a photo, so we snapped a few and I even got one with all eight eyes open!  We had such a good time and can't wait to get back together again.  In the meantime, K, let's keep skyping and emailing!  Thank you for a very special and memorable afternoon!

New Babyfriends: Baby C, Baby J, Matthew, Nathan

Things We Love About Michigan

Playing on Daddy last week

We made it to Michigan to celebrate Thanksgiving with both families this week.  Steve and I have lived out of state for nearly 6 of our 7 years of marriage, and we realize there are some wonderful things in Michigan that we miss when we're gone.  Fortunately, we get to come back and enjoy them often:

1. Spending time with our families; watching the boys play with their grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins, in particular.
2. Vernor's ginger ale soda
3. Mackinaw Island Fudge ice cream
4. Spatz bread - best toast ever
5. Meijer's grocery store, where one can buy these goodies
6. Visiting our old friends who also live out of state, but who return to see their families for the holidays as well
7. Rooting for the Lions on Thanksgiving
8. Tim Horton's; can you believe we don't have them in MN- we're like half Canadian eh?
9. No traffic
10. Ya Ya's Chicken - a caesar salad to die for!
11. Airports that are not that busy
12. Golf courses on every corner
13. (Somewhat) warmer weather in the winter
14. The ability to turn left on a blinking red light

These are just a few and we're always happy to be home with our family.

Two Tooth Wonder

It's been a busy week at our house - Nathan's feeling much better, the boys had their six month appointment and shots, and Nathan cut another tooth!

Nathan: 2, Matthew: 0

He loves running his tongue over his new sharp chompers!

Matthew has a little cough and congestion, so it seems like he's coming down with Nathan's crud, unfortunately.  I wish it weren't happening over the holiday, but we're dealing as best as we can.  He's a little more tired than normal, but had a fun day playing with his Grandma A, Aunt L, and Uncle D while I attended a beautiful wedding.  It was a lovely ceremony and reception, and a welcome few hours off for me!

Matthew shares a smile with the camera, Nathan making sure he's in the shot.

We're Legal!

We can start feeding them solids!  Yeah, yeah, we've been doing it for weeks, but we were kind of breaking the "law."  Our pediatrician wanted us to wait until they were six months old, but as soon as we discovered that rice cereal had magical sleeping qualities....you know the rest.  I was worried about getting in trouble for feeding them too soon - not sure why...what could she have done to me?  Turns out it was a good thing because even with the cereal and peas, they're still hanging out in the 15th percentile.

To celebrate our first "legal" solids foods feeding, we gave the boys organic baby food bananas with some hilarious results:

Serious Matthew eats his bananas very neatly,

shocked at his brother's banana fetish!

Nathan loves bananas!

Loves them,

LOVES THEM!

Going to the Doctor

Yesterday was the boys' six month well-baby appointment.  I can't believe they are already six months old!  First things, first, the weigh in.  Drumroll, please...

Matthew now weighs 15 lbs, 1 oz and is 25.5 inches long!

Nathan is 15 lbs, 4 oz, and is 24.5 inches long!

You read that right!  Nathan outweighs Matthew now - look at that belly! They are already turning into the little baseball players that Great Grandpa S. has been praying for; Matthew pitching with his long limbs and Nathan catching with his low center of gravity!

After the weigh-in, measurements, and the once-over came the shots.  Of course we don't have any photos because Daddy and I had our hands full of two very unhappy babies.  They really wailed this time, which may have prompted the nurse to give us Tylenol samples on our way out!  I took the freebies, but I swear I DID give them Tylenol before the shots.

They were real troopers and seemed to get over the shock quickly with a little snack.  Gosh, I'm already bribing them with food.  Guess I need to keep it up because even though I think they're enormous, they are hardly on the weight charts at 15% for 6 month olds.

Both boys had the last word, though.  We had to drop a vehicle off at our mechanic's afterward.  While I was waiting in the van for hubby, I smelled a stink and changed Nathan's poopy diaper in the back row - another day I'm glad for the minivan.  Got all packed up, ready to go home...wait, it's still stinky in here.  You guessed it, Matthew had a present for us, too!

Sinus Infection

Poor little Nathan has been battling a sinus infection all week.  I feel for the little guy because he's having so much trouble breathing, especially at night.  He falls asleep, then wakes himself up snorting because there is so much mucus up there, so I give him saline drops and suction him out.  Sometimes I get stuff, sometimes not.  He hates it, squirming and crying, getting all worked up.  When he can finally breathe, I try to get him to fall asleep, but then he thinks it's time to play.  Later, when he falls asleep, he wakes up again an hour later.  What to do?  If I don't suction his nose, he's not going to breathe and keep snorting. So do it again, but this time he wants to eat....then play.

And this was the kid who was sleeping 12 hours without making a peep just a week ago!

Today starts day 3 of the antibiotics, which the doctor said would take 2-3 days to start working.  He seemed to feel better during the day yesterday, but last night was a doozy, so I'm believing that today the meds will kick in and tonight will be great.

Except that he cut his second tooth yesterday.

And we have the boys' six month well-baby appointment and shots today.

The good news is Matthew is being his normal, cantankerous self because he's teething with a jealous ferocity!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast and Chili

What's for dinner?  Tonight I'm making Slow Cooker Pot Roast and I thought I'd share the recipe because I know a couple of my readers are collecting slow cooker recipes.  I'm adding the chili, too, one of my favorite recipes.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

4 lbs. chuck roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkt. dry onion soup mix
1 c. water
3 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 stalk celery, chopped

Season the chuck roast with salt and pepper to taste.  Brown on all sides in a large skillet over high heat.
Place in the slow cooker and add the soup mix, water, carrots, onion, potatoes and celery.
Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Crock Pot Chili

2 med. onions, coarsely chopped
1-1.5 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 c. finely diced green peppers
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
30-32 oz beans (kidney and/or pinto)
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. beaumonde spice, optional
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 Tbs. (or more) chili powder
1 tsp. dried basil

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cover.  Cook on low 8-12 hours or high 5-6 hours.

Fight for Preemies

November 17 is the March of Dimes fight for preemies day.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would learn so much about preemies, but I did. 

We knew that carrying twins, I was at risk of giving birth prematurely.  However, I had a fairly easy, uncomplicated pregnancy.  Every doctor's visit went well; the babies were on track and growing steadily.  Even though I was getting uncomfortable during the eighth month, I felt certain that I would make it to my 38-week sceduled c-section date.

I wish now that I would have paid closer attention during our Expecting Multiples class the night they talked about preemies.  All I remember was smirking at my husband when the instructor said that half of the couples in the room would wind up having one or both babies spend time in the NICU, according to statistics.  Not us, I thought, these babes are showing no signs of wanting out.  I kept the paperwork handed out that night, thinking, I won't need this, but I'll keep it just in case.

The funny thing about keeping it just in case?  I never had time to read it.  My water broke and the boys were born four hours later.  You can read the birth story here. 

I had on-the-job training.  Here are a few things I learned:

1. Babies learn to suck, swallow and breathe during gestational week 36.  Since my boys were born at 35 weeks, 3 days, they were whisked to the NICU immediately.
2. They have to be fed through a gavage tube until they can do it on their own.  Nathan pulled his out more times than we could count.  That's why you see extra tape on his face in this photo.
3.  Preemies need to maintain their body temperatures outside their isolette.  Nathan was the first one weaned off of it, but then his temperature dropped and he had to go back in for another two days.  Here you see Matthew the day they were born in his isolette.  He spent 3 days in there.
4. They can't go home until they've accomplished breathing on their own, eating orally, and maintaining body temperature.  Matthew experienced respiratory distress at birth, but quickly recovered and did not need oxygen.  It took us a total of ten more days to get both boys' temperatures correct and eating orally. 
5. The most important lesson I leared: ours is a happy story.  We are the fortunate ones.  We were sent from the fancy-pants Level III NICU down to a less-comfortable room in Level II NICU, but soon learned that meant we were showing signs of going home soon.  In the bone-weary post-partum days of NICU life, "soon" sounded like "forever."  Seven days later, we took both boys home, a dream come true for the other preemies with whom we shared the room.
   

Of course, I learned invaluable lessons on breastfeeding and caring for preemies from the staff at Children's St. Paul.  The wonderful nurses who cared for them were kind and gentle; I owe them a debt of gratitude for putting up with me and my post-partum dimentia! I've heard that they host a NICU reunion every spring - I hope that's true so we can show off our babies, who, by the way, are now 15 POUNDS EACH!  That's almost triple their 5 lb, 5oz and 5 lb, 9 oz birthweights.

Nathan and Mom at birth, and two weeks ago. 

Five Small Successes

This week's blogging Question of the Week from Multiples...and More is, "What are five small successes you've accomplished this week?"

1. took a meal and some baby goodies to a new-mom friend, fun
   
2. cleaned out the drawer containing my plastic containers so every container has a lid - something I haven't done in ages (obviously, from the look of the drawer)
   
3. ordered Christmas cards -they'll be on time this year!
   
4. replaced my 4 year old cell phone, something I've been putting off for WAY too long!
   
5. survived two nights and days alone with my five month old boys who are teething, whew!

Not feeling well

Nothing is cute about a teething baby who's not feeling well.  Our family did not sleep much last night, so we don't have any funny anecdotes to report. Nathan is sleeping off his all-nighter, but Matthew is feeling fine and wide awake. Mom's tired.

Mall of America

Only Steve and I would take our children to four different states before we visit the Mall of America, located just a 25 minute drive from our house! 

When we first moved to Minnesota, we thought it was the neatest thing, and don't get me wrong; it is.  The novelty wore off after a year or so when we figured out it was just a giant mall and we can get most of the stuff we needed at a smaller, closer mall where parking isn't a (big) hassle, the crowds are reasonable, and the walking distance between the stores you want to go to is much, much shorter.

In fact, our last trip there was 7 months ago, and that was because the nearest Sears wasn't carrying the item we needed and the MOA Sears was the next closest.  I was hugely pregnant and could hardly walk the seemingly mile-long distance from the parking garage to the Sears electronics department.  In fact, I wound up sitting in the appliance department amongst the refrigerators because there was chair there next to the salesman's desk!  I swore off the MOA that day.

But Christmas season is upon us and there is ONE store at the MOA that we can't get anywhere else: Nordstrom Rack.  We LOVE Nordstrom Rack!  So we made our Christmas list of anything we could possibly buy at the MOA and headed out this morning.

I love my hubby.  You know why?  He can be someplace once and remember exactly where everything is (this CAN be annoying, but it came in handy today).  So instead of parking in our "usual" spot, he knew right where to park so we could just stroll in (rather than climb/take escalators).  I was so impressed that he thought of that because I didn't remind him!  He also remembered where all of the elevators were; something we've never had to use before.  AND, he remembers where all the stores in the mall are located in relation to one another, so we were able to plan our route while driving there! 

We were very mission-minded this morning, arriving as early as we realistically could.  Saturdays in November or December are very dangerous!  No dawdling, no window-shopping, no 'just-looking.' We had our list, our plan of attack, and our coupons.

And would you believe that Matthew and Nathan were as good as gold?  They never made a peep!  Both of them had their eyes wide open, taking in all the sounds and lights.  I'm guessing that it was one of the first times that the ceilings they stare at were interesting, because at the MOA, you can look up and see the shoppers and Christmas decorations on the floors above you.

I am amazed at how well behaved the boys were, how easy the shopping was (for the most part) and how, for what seems to be the first time in public, we were not a spectacle.  You see, EVERYONE has a double stroller at the MOA.  If you don't have a double, you have a single stroller and probably a walking child.  So we fit right in.  Only one salesperson noticed we had twins in the ENORMOUS stroller and that was because we had to stop and ask where the elevator was - it was the only one Steve didn't know, Macy's. 

All in all, a successful trip.  The boys were good, Steve and I had fun (gasp!  Fun while shopping with twins?  Yes, it can be done!), and we crossed a few items off of our Christmas shopping list. 

One Tooth Wonder

I shouldn't have been so surprised.  After all, my little guys wanted to come into this world earlier than we expected.  Naturally, their teeth do, too.

A few days ago I blogged that we were sleepless and I asked my readers to vote why.  Right now "Time Zone Warp" is winning, probably because my entry was a little biased that direction. I'd like to leave the voting open, but I'm closing it because we've learned the cause:

NATHAN CUT HIS FIRST TOOTH!!!

I couldn't believe it!  Okay, it's not the greatest photo, but I've never claimed to be a photographer.  If you look REAL close, you can see his right central incisor poking up.  And boy, it's sharp!  He chomped down on my finger today and I yelped.

We were all just playing on the floor, the boys were showing off their almost-turning-over skills, I was folding laundry and Steve asked, "What's that in Nathan's mouth?"

"Spitup," I said, because he is the king of cottage-cheese-mouth. 

"No, look!"  And there it was; a gleaming little tooth.

The light bulb came on: so THAT explains it!  All the crying, fussing, and carrying-on that had been going on in our house this week.  Why didn't I expect it?  Because the doctor said that the average child cuts his first tooth at 7 months.  While I DO think that my children are above-average (and who doesn't?), I wasn't expecting their physical development to be ahead of schedule, considering they were preemies born at 35 weeks.

We laughed and smiled, applauded, hugged and kissed, like we do every time one of our sons does something remarkable.

Then we gave them both Tylenol and everyone slept!  Hmm...now I wonder how this nursing thing is going to go?  

 Matthew chewing furiously to catch up with Nathan One-Tooth-Wonder

Whirled Peas

We are moving up the food chain, from rice cereal to peas.  However, some of you have voted that the peas are related to our sleeplessness, which absolutely cracks me up!  My readers are funny people!  Sunday night, we busted out the peas and the boys....well, I wasn't convinced the boys were fans.  Here's Nathan's response:

Not so sure about this, Mom and Dad

Neither one made that classic "this is disgusting" face that we were expecting.  But we did get a "this is weird" kind of expression on video.  Both boys opened wide for more, though, so I guess peas aren't that bad!  In fact, by the end of the meal, it was looking like Matthew liked them:

I love peas and rice!

We knew it was time to try solids because they've been watching us intently as we eat.  In fact, I was trying to multi-task - eat toast and tandem nurse one morning (I was in a hurry!), but Matthew was more interested in my toast than his breakfast and kept turning his head, watching it go from the plate to my mouth.  I had to stop eating the toast so he would finish nursing.  Besides, I'm probably not teaching them good manners by dropping crumbs on their heads.

  

NaBloPoMo

You heard me right, NaBloPoMo.  I just learned that November is National Blog Posting Month.  Another Multiples Moms blogger wrote about it on her site, so I checked it out.  Basically, they encourage writing by hosting a website where your blog can be attached to their blogroll so others can read it.  Then, in November, if you enroll on their blogroll and write an entery every day from November 1-November 30, you're eligible for prizes donated from bloggers.  Neat, huh?

Unfortunately, I learned of this too late to particiapte for prizes, so I'm not adding myself to their blogroll.  I still think I'm up for the challenge.  There are 19 days left in November, so I'm going to try to write an entry every day for the next 19 days.  Just to see if I can do it.

Please stop by any day in November. I know many of you read after I share a new entry on Facebook, but I'm not going to that every day.  I would annoy MYSELF with that, so I know it would annoy others.  Or you can just wait for me to post the link on FB every 2-3 days, anyhow.

And don't forget to vote on why we are Sleepless this week! (I'm so proud of myself for figuring out how to add that poll!) I figured out the answer last night!

Time Zone Warp

I'm not sure what's happening at our house this week, but we might be in a Time Zone Warp.  What's that?  I made it up.  But I'm pretty sure it has something to do with taking two babies through 4 time zones during Daylight Savings Time. 

After arriving home from our trip, both boys slept from about 3pm on Saturday to 10pm on Sunday, waking just long enough to eat and play for a few minutes. No matter what we did, we couldn't keep them awake.

Matthew and Nathan both fell asleep nursing on the pillow at about 6:30 on Sunday night (left) so we thought everything was okay for the night.


Then the Time Zone Warp began when we were getting ready for bed on Sunday night.  Crying!  Fussing!  Hungry!  So we fed them.  They wanted to play.  They wanted to laugh and cuddle and smile.  We wanted to sleep - we were still a little jet lagged from the day before.

Finally, around midnight on Sunday (Monday?) we all settled in.  Whew, that's over, we thought.

Monday night: Round Two.  Ding!
9:30 pm, two hours after the alleged "bedtime" (during which, I might add, I went grocery shopping and scored some great deals): Waaaa!  After a half hour of stuffing Matthew's binky back in, I caved.  I gave him a snack.  He loved it.  And wanted to play, laugh, and kick.  Matthew finally went back down and guess who started up?  What kind of question is that, Kim?  Of COURSE Nathan wasn't having any of his brother getting a snack without him.  Gave Nathan a snack.  Both went back down.

11:00 pm Monday night: Round Two, extended version
We were both getting ready for bed since the boys were quiet (note I did not say sleeping).  Wrong!  They are still famished; that snack was not enough.  Come on, guys!  We put you into a food coma at 7:00!  You were both so out of it we couldn't get you to open your mouth to finish the baba.  In utter exhaustion, we fed them again.  And it worked.

We all were asleep by 1am.

Then up again for binkys at 4:30.
Then wide awake at 5:30.

All that sleeping progress we gained has been flushed down the toilet.  How do I explain it?  It could be:

1. We are totally being punished for taking a vacation.
2. We fed them peas.
3. They are in a Time Zone Warp.
4. They are beginning the 6 month growth spurt at 5.5 months.
5. They are teething.
6. All of the above.

Whatever it is, I'm sure it will pass within 2 weeks.  Why 2 weeks?  Because we're traveling for Thanksgiving, of course!

Hawaii Highlights

Yes, we did.  We took two five-month-olds to Hawaii.  Now I know we are officially crazy!  Hubby had to do some business in HI, so we decided to extend his trip by a few days and take our first family vacation.Let me share with you some highlights:

1.   The plane!  We couldn't have done it without help, so Grandma A. and Aunt L. came along.  We flew from MSP to Honolulu, then caught a flight from HNL to Kona, on the Big Island.   The boys were very good on the flights, but would NOT sleep!  You've read about how Matthew won't close his eyes and he was true to form on this trip. 

Aunt L. and me suiting up to go through security at MSP.

Matthew, Nathan, and Grandma A. playing on the plane.

Me, Aunt L, and the boys with ALL OUR JUNK in Kona, waiting for hubby and the rental car (ok, mini-van-no convertible on this trip!)

2. The condo!  We spent a lot of time hanging out at the condo, more that we would have on a "normal" vacation, but I've decided that nothing is going to be normal again!  Not that it ever was, though....  Anyhow, we stayed in a really great place with both ocean and mountain views out the windows.  Hubby and I had to keep the pack 'n plays in our room, which was new to us, so we got a little less sleep than "normal."

Nathan and Matthew doing tummy time Hawaiian style.

 

First Hawaiian sunset just steps from the condo

Aunt L, Daddy and Matthew hanging out.

3. The pool!  This turned out to be one of my favorite activities!  We don't usually spend a lot of time at the pool, but it looks like we will now that we have children.  The boys really seemed to enjoy the dip!

Steve and Matthew

Nathan and me.  I love this photo for two reasons: first, Nathan is just so stinkin' cute here, and second, it makes me look great in a swimsuit!

The four of us playing motorboat

4. The beaches!  The van was full of chairs, umbrellas, boogie boards, snacks and a cooler - our days of taking just a towel are long gone.  Having four adults made it possible for everyone to snorkel, boogie board, swim, and walk along the beach.  The boys really seemed to enjoy the sea breeze and slept most of the time.

Nathan sleeping at Place of Refuge

Daddy, Matthew and Aunt L. putting on sunblock at Turtle Beach

I dip Matthew and Steve dips Nathan into the ocean for the first time at Kahalu'u Beach

The beautiful walk that wasn't.  Every trip has to have a meltdown and Matthew had his at Ka'upulehu Beach while we were strolling down a MAGNIFICENT path in front of the Four Seasons Resort.  If this were a video, you'd hear Matthew's ear piercing screams as we walked back to the van.  (Sigh)

5. Mountain Thunder Coffee!  You might remember my  previous post about visiting a coffee farm; we got to go again.  All of us on the trip are big time coffee lovers so it was the perfect place to visit on our last day.  While we drove up the mountain, the temperature dropped from 85 to about 68, and it became misty and grey.  It's like driving through a jungle, then opening your van door to the delicious aroma of roasting coffee beans.  Mmmm...

Our first visit to TMC in 2007

2009, starting them young!  Just kidding, the boys and I are not drinking coffee...yet.

6. Coming home.  Not a highlight, but I had to have an excuse to add this pic.  See how tired we were when we boarded the plane?  You can only imagine what we looked like by the time we got home!

7. Many thanks and much love to Grandma A and Aunt L, our nannies, photographers, and sanity-savers.  We love you!