10 Months!!!

Yesterday our babies turned 10 months old!! We are in the double digits now, and just two short months away from being an ENTIRE YEAR old... I'm still not quite sure how this has happened...

Our 10 month photo session didn't start out great...

Note to self: do not attempt photo session directly after a nap, especially before proper cuddling and/or nursing has taken place.

Round two:



And then they got ahold of the sign...



Aren't they cute? =)

I think so.

And here's what we are up to around here at 10 months:

-Size 3 diaper
-12 month clothes for Lucas
-9 month clothes for Abigail
-Going to bed between 6:30pm-7:15pm at night
-Eating TONS of "real people" food, most recently chicken tenders, mac and cheese, and green beans
-Both scooting around on the floor with speed and grace...as soon you figure out how to get those knees get picked up you two are outta here!
-Both standing (assisted) really well


And now to you, my sweet babies...

Little Miss Abbey Mae...where do I even begin? You are in the process of getting your top two middle teeth, and it's making your little toothy grin all that more adorable, which Daddy and I did not think was possible! You have been smiling a lot these days (even in the midst of teething!) and we are getting to see more and more of your silly side! You are smiling and giggling and full on laughing more and more, and also just plain goofing around more often...it's such a joy to watch and be a part of. Your eyes have such spirit in them sweet girl, and when you are delighted they are alive.
Of course, when you are not-so-delighted, they are devastated. You have thrown us some full on fits lately when you don't immediately get what you want, or when your brother takes something away you were playing with. I honestly had no idea tantrums could start so young! Ha! But you toss your head back and stiffen your body and WAIL like you have been pinched or something. The first few times this happened I rushed to you to see what on earth had bitten you, or whatever. But then I'd give you whatever you were reaching for, and the tears would disappear on a instantly. Uh-oh. I think we are in trouble here.
You have such gumption baby girl, and I just adore that about you! You can pull yourself from sitting or even laying to a standing position, given you have a strong enough grab on something sturdy. It amazes me how strong your teeny tiny little body is. You are soooo close to crawling, but honestly I don't think you see the need in further developing your skills, because you army crawl yourself where ever you need to be with such precision and at such a rapid pace that it more than does the job. Your Daddy calls it "the inchworm" and even has a sound effect for when you do it =).
You have been sleeping through the night for the most part - although the last few nights you have been waking up chatting in the middle of the night. Not fussing, just jabbering away. Your Daddy -ever the linguist- pointed out that now that you are getting those top two teeth you are able to make new sounds that you couldn't make before. I wonder if you are just waking up to practice them? Whatever it is, it hasn't been too bad, and we are ever so grateful for that! You go down with ease and we usually don't hear from you until between 5:00-5:30am. For awhile that was both you and your brothers wake up time, but lately it's only been you raring to go at that time! Your Daddy goes in and gets you out of your crib and gets you a fresh diaper, and then he brings you to me and we go nurse on the couch and snuggle a bit. Since it's just been you waking up at this hour, I've been keeping the lights and TV off, and just having quiet play time after you nurse. Within about an hour you are usually ready to go back to sleep, so I take you in and lay you down in your crib, and you've been going back to bed for about an hour or so, waking up a little after 7:00am. I wouldn't mind if you cut out this 5am-hour-long wake up thing, but I WILL NOT complain, since you are going from about 7:00pm-5:00am most nights, and well, that is just glorious!!!! Besides, I don't even think you are waking for hunger at that time, as I tried a dream-feed type thing on you the other night at around 11pm, and you still were raring to go at 5:15 the next morning! We think it's just your natural wake time...all of a sudden we hear you chatting away through the monitor =). You haven't been the best napper lately, averaging about 45minutes each time, but again, your night sleep is going so well that I won't complain about that either. Besides, you are able to tolerate longer periods of wakefulness better than your brother, so we can still pretty much get you two down for naps at the same time, even if your previous one was much shorter than his.
You have been a great little eater lately and are so dainty with your food! You have an excellent pincher grasp and pick up even the smallest of bites with ease. You are such a sweet little sharer with your food =). You LOVE to feed Daddy and I, and are so proud of yourself when we reward your kindness with a "yum!".
You are loving books still, and will sit to listen to them for a long time. You are also great about laying on the floor and flipping through them yourself.
Even though you have the skills to get yourself pretty much anywhere you want to be, you are usually quite content to sit in one spot and play with some toys for long periods, especially if Momma or Daddy is sitting near you!
Your favorite toy right now is the play remote control that Lucas got for Christmas. You love it when we make it play music. As soon as you hear the first notes, a grin creeps across your face and you start bopping to the beat! Well, your favorite toy is either the remote, or whatever Lucas is playing with. You want whatever he has in his hands, always! Sometimes he just gives in and lets you have whatever it is, but other times he puts his foot down...but that does not deter you in the slightest!
Even though you two fight over toys sometimes, you sure do love your brother. You think he is soooo funny, and you are good about giving him kisses.
Your sweet little blond hair is pretty fine and straight as an arrow, but it's finally starting to grow a little bit! Your little eyelashes are becoming more prominent too, and you like to bat them at me while I nurse you...which melts me. When I see your little half grin and smiling eyes staring up at me while I feed you I can't help but thank God for making so many of my dreams come true.
You are such a joy, sweet baby girl, and we are so proud to call you our daughter.


My little man Lucas, I think I say this every month, but you are just the smiliest boy there ever was. You seriously grin at anything and everything! And you have one of the greatest laughs I have ever heard...and we get to hear it a lot around here! You crack up all the time at all kinds of things, especially your sister. You two just look at each other sometimes and bust out laughing. And honest to God, I don't think there is a better sound in all of Heaven and Earth.
You are a super affectionate little guy, always giving kisses, often even unsolicited.
You just adore your sister. You give her more kisses than you do Daddy and I, and you let her walk all over you, even though you outweigh her by 2+pounds! Such a sweet big brother =).
You have gone back to being the better sleeper between the two of you. You are averaging 11-12 hours each night, the night before last going a solid THIRTEEN hours!!!! I could not believe it. You went to sleep around 7pm, and at 8am I went in to make sure you were breathing! You woke up when I came in and started smiling and kicking your little legs...such a happy baby! You've been taking good naps for us too, usually going about 1.5 hours. You go down for bed at night and naps without any problems, which is great. I think you are starting to love sleep like your Momma does =). Hallelujah. You still LOVE your little teddy bear lovey, and we see you almost wrestle with him as you find a good position to sleep in, and then he usually ends up right next to your face.
For the last month or so when we rock with you and sing to you before naps and bedtime, you have been singing along with us...you have the best falsetto I have heard in a long time! You have also been known to randomly burst out in song while just playing with your toys too. You will look over at us with your eyebrows all raised and sing away! It's pretty dang adorable.
You have been a great little eater lately, always willing to try whatever we put in front of you. You are a becoming quite the foodie though, once you've tried something new and fallen in love with it, it's hard to get you back on the stuff you've had previously. I guess it's old hat to you by then. You've started to devour green beans, even somehow biting them in half with your gums...which brings me to your teeth - or lack there of! You still do not have a single tooth, and I joke that we are gonna have to buy you baby dentures =).
You have gotten quite adventurous this last month, and are loving much more "rough and tumble" play. One of your new favorite things is to be swung in our arms while we count to three, and then we toss you onto the couch. You dissolve into a fit of giggles. Just the other day I came out into the living room and your Daddy said "watch this!" and he sat you up on the couch, and then just pushed you over so you fell onto your back - and you belly laughed until you nearly coughed! You were having a blast!!
Your chubby little legs are getting so strong and you love it when we offer you an arm to old while you stand and rock back and forth.
You are also getting busier and busier. You want to explore everything and are often trying to leap out of our arms to grab something. You are scooting and army crawling so well, and you can often be found in the corner of the living room playing with the door stop.
You love dumping over toy bins and pulling everything out of them.
Another favorite thing of yours is when we walk you over to the fridge and show you pictures of all of us. You smile and point as we name off people in our family.
Just like Abbey, you love books and will sit so still when being read to. You also love throwing balls and will even play catch (kind of) with us!
Just the other week you started playing peek-a-boo! It is the cutest thing. You pull a blankie or something up over your face -sometimes even your entire head!- and wait for us to say "where's Lucas?" and then you pull it off and reveal the biggest smile known to man as we say "PEEKABOO!" and you laugh and beam with pride.
Such a silly little boy.
You are growing like a weed lately and filling out your 12 month clothes nicely. I couldn't believe it when I pulled them out and thought they would be SO BIG on you, only to dress you in them and instantly think it's a good thing I didn't wait much longer to get them all out! You are just getting so big. I look down at you laying across my lap as you are nursing and I can hardly believe you are the same 7 pound, 7 ounce boy we brought home from the hospital 10 months ago.
You are such a sweet little nurser, always playing with my hair or reaching up to touch my face as you lay there and eat.
We love you, sweet boy, and are so thankful we get to be your parents.

Happy 10 months my sweet babies, I simply adore you.
-Momma

Luke's first haircut!

The other day, I finally gave in and let David cut Luke's hair. He had deemed it "unruly" weeks ago, but I kept putting my foot down.

After coming home from work and being presented with photo evidence of said unruliness, I finally gave in. Let it be noted here that I didn't give in because I thought his hair was out of control, but because it clearly was bugging my husband, and I am nothing if not a submissive wife. (If David is reading this, he just fell of his chair)

Baby Boy's "wild" hair:



Getting ready:



The finished product:

I think he looks about 4 years old in this picture...sniff sniff...

Momma Bag O' Tricks

My sister Amanda turned me on to this blog recently, and although I haven't had time to read much of it (two 9.5 month olds will seriously cut into your blog surfin' time), the post that she sent me was balm for my weary, self-deprecating soul, and officially had me dedicated to read more when time allowed.

Today over at It's Almost Naptime there is a bloggy link up that I decided to participate in. If you've got your own tips and tricks to share - link up!

So what's in my Momma bag o' tricks?

Well, let's start with a little disclaimer first, shall we?...I just want to make it clear that I am in NO WAY claiming to have this Twin Momma Thing down. Because I so don't. God forbid I EVER give off the impression that I've got mothering figured out. There is a difference between confidence and arrogance. And while I see myself -(and by God's grace I hope to continue to)- gaining more confidence on a day to day basis, I can assure you I hope to never again be arrogant about my mothering abilities...ya know, like I was before I had kids.

Okay, with that out of the way. Here's my greatest tip:

I'm late everywhere, right? I mean EVERYWHERE. I was late to my own wedding. I have never in my life had a job review that didn't mention my constant tardiness. So you can imagine my fears (and my husbands) while I sat pregnant with two babies dreading how much worse this problem was going to become.

So I got proactive, right away. I make every attempt to ALWAYS be prepared to walk out the door (baby-wise, at least. All bets are off in regards to my putting on deodorant or brushing my teeth) as quickly as possible.

When we get home from an event, I leave the diaper bag someplace obnoxious and in the way, so that I will remember to repack it after everyone is settled in and I have a moment. That way it's always ready to go the next time I need to walk (dash) out the door. I repack the puffs and yogurt melts. I refill it with diapers and wipes. I make sure it has at least two spare binkies and two spare gender-neutral outfits. And only when it is completely repacked do I return it to it's home on top of the dryer.

I also make sure binkies are reattached to the carseat straps.

I guess I just figure that makes for one less thing to worry about in my frenzy to leave our house. And I'd like to think it's helped me stick my steadfast M.O. of being only 10 minutes late everywhere instead of creeping into the 15-20 minute range.



I also keep a fully packed diaper bag in both our cars in case of emergencies. I have baby food, spoons, diapers, wipes, outfits, a blanket, bibs, formula & a bottle (what if the babies get stuck somewhere without me???), and binkies in a bag in each car. I make sure to "upgrade" them each time the babies move up in a diaper or clothes size.

I also keep a big ol' Costco pack of wipes in the minivan driver's seat pocket. And two blankets under the seat. And two binkies in the glove box. Cauz ya just never know.

Our Favorite Spots

Given the choice of places to hang out in our house, we know right away which place each of our babies would choose.

For Lucas, it would be the Johnny Jump Up. No doubt about it.







For Abigail, it would be the chair, hands down!







It will be a sad day in our house when they have outgrown these things!

5 Things

1. The other day, while in a hurried frenzy to get ready for work, I somehow managed to graze the tip of my nose with my curling iron. Again. So now I am walking around with a giant red burn mark on the end of my nose. And yes, it looks just as awesome looking as it sounds.

Allowing this to happen in the first place takes some talent. Allowing this to happen twice in six months...well that takes a really special person.

2. Boudreaux's Butt Paste? Does not live up to the hype, in my opinion. This stuff, although pricey, works SO much better.

3. Yesterday at work on my way to my pumping break I stopped to chat with a co-worker who (politely) expressed her surprise that I was still needing to pump during a short time span of being away, leading to our discussion of how often I still nurse my twins. She (again, politely) questioned the fact that I still nurse on average 7 times a day, even though my babies are nearly 10 months old. I explained that according to my Nursing Bible I am right on track, especially since the babies are sleeping about 10 hour stretches at night now (God is still in the business of miracles people!) they need to nurse frequently during the day. I also mentioned that I am really wanting to hang on to both my supply and our nursing at least through one year, and breastfeeding often helps both. She (still, very politely) kind of guffawed this, stating the twins absolutely did not "need" to nurse so much. She told me stories about nursing her son, and how she slowly took away feeding sessions as he got older. I then asked her how long she nursed for. This was her response... "oh, I was only able to nurse for 6 months. I really would have loved to go through to a year, but my milk ran out"

Really?!? Did you just hear yourself?? Cauz if you did, you might realize that perhaps, just maybe, my current way of doing things might not be so crazy.

*disclaimer so I don't get a bunch of comments - I realize breastfeeding is different for everyone. Some babies and some Mommas are able to do just fine on fewer feedings at different stages. I just found the conversation ...ironic.*

4. This year I decided to take part in Beth Moore's Scripture Memory Team and will be memorizing 2 pieces of Scripture a month. I have always had a tendency towards fearful and anxious thoughts, and it has only gotten worse since I have become a mother. The idea of taking my mind and heart captive for Christ sounds incredibly inviting to me at this Season in my life, and I feel this will help me more actively hide His Word in my heart. My first verse I memorized this year is "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" Psalm 19:14. Gotta decide today what my next one is gonna be.

5. So I am reading this book right? And the other day's reading started with this quote"Perhaps if one really knew when one was happy one would know the things that were necessary for one's life"- Joanna Field. The author then goes on to say "What is missing from many of our days is a true sense that we are enjoying the lives we are living. It is difficult to experience moments of happiness if we are not aware of what it is we genuinely love. We must learn to savor small, authentic moments that bring us contentment. .... Let us grasp the awareness of what it is that makes us truly happy. Let us consider our personal preferences and learn how to recognize, then embrace, moments of happiness that are uniquely our own."

So I laid there in bed, closed my eyes, and asked myself what things make me happy.

And do you want to know the very first thing that came to my mind?

Was it my son's contagious belly laugh and the way his eyes shine when it occurs? Was it my daughter's delightful giggle and the way she often puts her forehead to mine when she does it, like we're sharing a secret? Was it my husband's embrace and the way I slide perfectly under his chin when we hug?

No. Although those were a close 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. No. When I closed my eyes, and asked myself "what makes me really happy?" I saw this, friends...

The perfect cup of Coffee with Fat Free French Vanilla Creamer.

Yup.

It's okay, you can judge me. I judge me.

But I figure the fact that coffee with creamer obviously holds such a dear place in my heart makes it all the more remarkable that I gave it up for 9 1/2 months of pregnancy and the first 2 months of the twins' life.

And that's all for now.

A Picture Post

Just some pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Lucas is all over the place now, and he sure seems to be loving his freedom!

We went to OMSI with some of our very favorite people over Christmas break, and Amy loaned me her Ergo carrier for the day. As you can see, Abbey LOVED it and I did too! And since Amy still puts her almost four year old in it, I am thinking I need to find room in our budget for one!



Luke took a nap in the sling on Daddy...



Playtime in a laundry basket (a favorite around here!) with Auntie Em (another favorite around here!)



Another one from Auntie Em's visit...



Abbeygirl, all tuckered out...



Baby bottle time while Momma is at work...



Abbey Giving the Princess Book kisses...



Momma and Luke...

Happy Friday!

Family pictures

I was very late in getting our Christmas cards out this year (as in, some people may have received them Christmas Eve...), and I wanted to wait to post these until I had sent them out, since I used some of these in our card...so these are now like a month old, but I thought I would post the family pictures we had taken on here...

(Do you notice how Luke & Abbey are smiling WAY bigger in the photos with me than they are with David? That's because while they were posing with me, he was being silly and cracking them up. They think he is hilarious. I tried to be silly and make them smile while he posed with them, but as you can tell by their expressions, I am not nearly as funny. Time for Momma to get some new material.)



SERIOUSLY, how blessed am I??

9 month stats

Figured I should record these somewhere, and as I've mentioned before, this blog serves as my baby "book". I do keep a journal that I write in occasionally...things that seem to personal or intimate for the blog. But for the most part, this blog is it for recording Lucas & Abigail's infancy thus far.

We had their 9 month well baby check-up earlier this month, and it went great.

Stats:

Luke -

Weight: 18 lbs, 7 oz (16%)

Height: 28.5 inches (56%)

Head Circumference: I didn't get the actual #, but his is in the 96%!

Abbey-

Weight:15 lbs, 8 oz (5%)

Height: 26.5 inches (15%)

Head Circumference: Again, I don't have the actual #, but she is in the 90%!

I had been SO nervous about Abbey's weight. She just is such a little Peanut and didn't seem to be filling out as quickly as her brother. She seemed to be getting longer, but just stalling out in weight. It's hard for me to let go of worrying about their growth. With breastfeeding you never know for sure how much they are getting, and being that I started out with MAJOR supply issues and supplementing full feeds with formula, it's still sometimes hard for me to take full confidence in the fact that my kids are "exclusively" (except for solids now, of course) breastfed, even though they have been for like 7 months now.

Dr. M was not worried about Abbey's growth. Like not at all. I even asked her "are you sure you aren't worried? She is barely in the 5th percentile, and she used to be in the 10th..." (luckily she knows me well enough now that she is able to just smile at my ridiculous worries and not be the slightest bit offended when I question her like that - ha!) She assured me that she is staying close enough to her personal growth curve that there is no cause for concern. She also pointed out all the areas that Abbey is thriving in, and said not to worry at all, she is just petite =). I am so thankful.

As we were leaving, David said "what a blessing to be able to answer all those questions so easily and with the 'right' answers", which was something I had easily overlooked. I am grateful to him for pointing it out. Here we had just been asked a significant amount of questions about their development, and so far there is not even the slightest concern about either baby. I had just kind of glazed over that, business as usual, but as David pointed out, what a BLESSING.

And also, on a more personal note, what a blessing it is to have such an involved husband. I am so grateful to be married to a man who views parenting as an equal partnership. David is such an involved father, and it made my heart fall in love with him all over again to hear him "report" with incredible knowledge and insight on what each baby is up to. He loves these kids so much, and they are so lucky to have him as a Daddy.

This date night brought to you by...

...Miss Abbey Mae!

That's right. Tonight David and I will be cuddling on the couch watching "The A-Team" together thanks to our daughter, who ordered the movie (and approved the $4.99 "rental" fee) in the 2 minutes the remote control was in her possession.

Lesson learned.

Finishing up the Christmas pics

On Christmas Eve day we packed up the minivan and headed south to be with David's family for the holiday.

I know I've mentioned this before, but this was such a special Christmas with the five new, long awaited kids in the family.

Luke and Abbey were more into the wrapping paper than their presents at first, but they came around to realizing their toys were fun pretty quick!

Momma & Lukey


Daddy & Abbeygirl


Trying to put one toy inside of another...

Abbey and her Uncle Peter
(Abbey went right to her Uncle Peter without any signs of separation anxiety or stranger anxiety...unheard of lately.
I think it's the beard. Daddy has a beard. Beards = safe... =) )

Lucas and his beautiful Aunt


Our sweet little niece. We got her "Luke & Abbey" twin baby dolls =)


That night we went to the Christmas Eve service at Church and then headed back to Dave's parents to get the babies to bed. We stayed up late talking with family and laughing to the point where I had tears streaming down my face. It was such a fun night.

The next morning we took it easy. Our babies got up around 5 (as per usual!) and nursed, but Abbey went back to sleep (NOT per usual!). We tried to lay Luke back down but he was awake and raring to go =). I took him out into the living room and we played for a bit just the two of us before Daddy and Abbey joined us.

We had some yummy breakfast and played with toys and just enjoyed hanging out with family.


Luke lovin' some cuddle time with Grandma Donna!

When it was time to take Luke in for his morning nap, I decided to lay down in bed and nurse him a bit first. When I noticed he was dozing off, I snuck his binky in and started to lift him up to lay him in the pack-n-play, but then realized there was no reason we couldn't just stay right where we were and take a nap together. So we did =). I woke up a little over an hour later to my son's chubby little hand gently patting my face. When I opened my eyes I saw him grinning at me from behind his binky...it was Heavenly.

After lunch we got ready and headed over to my Dad and Ann's house for some more Christmas festivities.


Grannie Annie and Abigail


Lucas & GrandDad


My Dad was being silly (totally out of character for him...=) ) and was down on all fours playing with the babies...they were loving it.

LOVE Abbey's cheesy little grin in this one...
...and Luke's little face in this one...


And that about wraps up Christmas 2010. One for the books for sure!