Raising twins

My boys are the best yet I find sometimes I wish I only had one at a time. They truly are a double blessing, but when both are crying and I am alone it would be nice to only have one. I enjoy them so much, they are the best thing that every happened to me (besides Ryan).

The boys are growing so quick, they are already 5 months old. I can't believe how quick time goes. My advice to anyone with newborns is to hold them as much as possible. I look back at pictures of our boys just a few months ago and I already wish I had spent more time holding them. It goes so quick and they grow so fast.

Wesley is outpacing Jonah in weight and height. I weighed them this morning and Wesley was 14 pounds and Jonah was 13. I always thought of Jonah as bigger, but Wesley definitely takes the cake. He is a more efficient eater, even when he is asleep.

So far both boys have rolled over from their stomach to their back and Wesley is almost ready to roll over from his back to front, I think mostly because he is so wiggly. Our other adventure is starting rice cereal. We are on our second week of it. I think the boys are finally starting to get it. With the two rice cereal meals a day I am having to pump, which is not my favorite thing. I am also trying to stock the freezer for when I go to the women's retreat for church in a couple of weeks. I am blessed to have abundant milk...

Here are a few photos of the boys sitting in their high chairs.

Going for a hike...

I had the great idea of taking the boys on a hike in the Bob after speaking with another mom. She told me about a nice path that was four feet wide and about two miles round trip so instead of getting specific directions, I just looked it up and came up with what I thought was the right place. So I convinced Ryan to go with me and I thought it would be fun to take the dogs, well it was way different...

We get to the location after riding in the car for fifteen minutes with Schmidt our Westie whining the whole way and Ryan telling him no. Finally the dogs were banished to the floor of the passenger side. When we arrive we get all loaded up with the stroller and the dogs on their leashes and start down this long hill to the "path" or more like a little foot trail. So we decided to give it a try with cross country in the Bob. Ryan sure got a good workout pushing it while I walked ahead with the dogs. Let's just say that we only went about a 1/4 mile before we turned around. The twins were wide eyed the whole time, not sure if it was from fright or excitement. So we turned around and came home.

It was Ryan's day off and unfortunately it was not a relaxing hike like I thought it would be, next time I will get more specific directions...

Nap time

Since taking the pacifier away almost three weeks ago, nap time has gone out the window. I decided that today was the day that that was going to change. As I sit here, I can here the chorus of crying from the nursery. Part of me is sad that they are crying, but I know it is better to do it now before they get too much older. I decided the only way to do it was to cry it out with frequent check ins. It seems almost pointless to go in and check on them because all they do is continue to lay there and cry.

Anyway, I read quite a bit and decided to let them CIO for 70 minutes and if they are not asleep by then, we will take a 1/2 hour break and do it all over again. If they have not slept in the second time we will take a short car ride to get them to hopefully sleep for a few minutes and they will try it again this afternoon.

I realized that I can't keep having them not nap as all of us are tired and cranky when Ryan comes home and we all need a break during the day. Yesterday we had to drive to Lincoln about 40 min from home and they both fell asleep for over two hours. It was much nicer at home last night because of their long nap.

They sleep great in their cribs at night. The photos here show how cute they are when they are asleep. I love my boys, but sometimes it can be tough being a mom, especially when there is no break during the day.

keeping up

The boys are becoming more interactive yet I am finding I am having a harder time getting things done. Having twin boys is truly a full time job. They are so much fun and are learning new things everyday.

I find myself resorting to things I though I would never do, the boys are avid watchers of HGTV on some days depending on their nap schedule. I took their pacifiers away two weeks ago and they are getting better at self soothing but their naps have become short and infrequent unless we are in the stroller or the car.

Some fun things that have happened recently include Jonah rolling over today. I figured it would happen soon but it still surprised me. He was on his stomach and then all of a sudden he was on his back. Wesley was happy to just lay there and watch. I am sure he will be doing it soon...

We went to my inlaws over the weekend and enjoyed a dinner out with Ryan's family without the boys. They did pretty well with the babysitter, I did just fine too, I only had to call one time. I made the call right when we got to the restaurant so Ryan would not give me a hard time about checking up on them, however he caugh me because they had gotten a close parking space. Oh well!

Well, I will try to update the blog more often. Each day goes by so quickly and I find myself thinking about things to do and then never doing them. Mommy brain strikes daily here at the Maddox house. I have become a great multitasker though I forget half the tasks I am doing right after I start them. As I type this I am bouncing Jonah and Wesley is watching House Hunters.