December 2011

Twins are 5 months!

We tried oatmeal!  They loved it!  Can't you tell?

We got our family pictures done!

The babies got their first introduction to Santa, and they did a pretty good job. No crying, screaming, trying to wriggle away etc.  They weren't thrilled, but hey, they'll figure it out soon enough.  For now, it's just another person mom and dad are trying to pawn them off on.  :)

Brax has learned to blow strawberries!  He and Daddy were swapping spit - that is, taking turns blowing strawberries at each other.  So cute!

 As I was creating the Christmas card, Elias told me he did not want me on the Christmas card.  Say what?!

We all went to an IU game with Grandpa Jim!  I think Elias likes the concession stand as much as the actual game. We played Notre Dame (and won!) on December 17, 2011. 

 So, months after the actual song came out, we found an IU song, "This is Indiana," and have now become obsessed with it.  Elias knows the words and sings it randomly all the time. This is Ollie and Elias singing the song on New Year's Eve.  This is also the same night that IU beat Ohio State.  Yes that's right, IU beat Kentucky, a number one seed, and then Ohio State, a number two seed, in the same season.  We're back!

New Year's Eve!  Ben and family came over to watch the IU game with us but left before the new year.  Surprisingly, Elias and Brax were both awake, but I didn't have the heart to wake Brant up.  This year has been so great.  We have a beautiful new house, added to our family, spent lots of time with friends and family, work at good jobs...I'm not sure it can get any better, but I'm so excited to start the new year and see what adventures we can find ourselves in!  Happy new year!

Five Months Old

The babies had their first Thanksgiving.  We enjoyed lunch with the Pugh side with 80 others and went to Mimi and Papaw's for dinner on Thanksgiving.  The next day, we ate lunch at Mamaw and Grandpa Jim's.  We also went downtown to see Uncle Jeremy's new apartment and watch the lighting of the Christmas tree.  Elias got to spend the night with Mimi and Papaw and all the cousins.  Saturday night, Mom and Dad went a Mystery Dinner where Mom solved the mystery! 

Brax is now also getting some occupational therapy through First Steps.  They are most concerned about his reflux and the possibility that he is aspirating.  We are taking him to get a swallow study and a pulmonologist for his lingering cough.

The babies have discovered each other!  They have also discovered how fun fighting can be!  Usually Brax (the smaller one) picks on Brant.  :)

Brant's cute little cry has turned into a terrible screechy cry.  He has also learned that if he skips the fussing and goes straight to all out screaming, we move a lot quicker.  Luckily, he hasn't taught his brother that yet.  Smart, really. 

I wake Elias up every morning singing the Raffi song, "Rise and shine!  The day is calling. It's time to rise and shine..."  This morning when I went in there singing, he told me to stop singing that song.  He also said, "Didn't you see the sign outside that said 'No singing!'"  I must've walked right past that.

No matter how upset Brant is, he will always cheer up and laugh as soon as you say "Boo!"

Christmas Card

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Four Months Old

Here's a glimpse into our lives this month!

Dad asked Elias why he always woke him up instead of mom.  Elias said, "I don't know.  That's just how I was made."

Brant's head still has a flat spot, and so we have been referred to a plastic surgeon for a helmet.  The first appointment, the doctor came in, looked at him, and said he would definitely need a helmet at 6 months.  We are returning in 4 weeks to see if there is any change.  He was also referred to First Steps for his torticollis.  We were given stretches (which he hates!) and a physical therapist will start seeing him once a week next month!

Even though we've been trying to lay the babies down in their room.  They find a way to weasel themselves into our room almost every night.  Even Elias tries to work his way in some nights.  I guess it's a good thing we have a king-size bed.

Brax automatically rolls to his right as soon as you put him down.

I finally broke down and got them a bathtub.  With Elias, I could just lay a towel down in the bottom of the tub and run an inch of water.  But with these guys, I can never find the time for that.  So we have a whale tub now and I took some videos of them in it!

Four month old doctor appointment stats:
Brant: 13 lbs, 5 oz;  23 3/4" long
Brax: 12 lbs, 1 oz; 25 1/4" long


The babies have started to put everything in their mouths.

Steve is getting Lasik eye surgery.  He got his 3 year bonus and has decided to use some of it to get his eyes corrected.  His vision is 20/400.  The man is blind!

I have been sick the ENTIRE month of November.  First I got strep throat, then we all got a stomach virus (except Elias, not sure how he escaped that!), then the flu which turned into a fantastic cough.  Lucky for me, Daddy is a fantastic Daddy and took care of everyone while I laid in bed. 

We enjoyed our first Halloween!  Unfortunately, we couldn't get a group picture because Elias went out trick-or-treating by himself (with Daddy, of course) while Brant, Mimi, Mamaw, Grandpa Jim and I answered the door.  Brax slept through the whole thing (he wasn't feeling well).  By the time Elias got home, Brant had already puked all over his costume and had been changed.  By the time Brax got up and got his costume on, Elias had already changed and was getting ready for bed.  Oh well, they all looked very cute.  Next year, we'll get a good picture!

My family has become addicted to Angry Birds!

Brax Playing 5 Little Monkeys

Fall Break

 So this week, we are on Fall Break!  In the past, I would've loved the relaxation of the 4-day break.  However, these days...it's more work to stay home than it is to go to work! And to add to it, Steve has drill all weekend.  Boo!

Elias, however, needs a break.  More like his teacher needs a break from him.  He has been in trouble so much this school year.  He's been in the principal's office more than once.  Well, more than twice; sometimes for hitting, sometimes for throwing mulch, a lot of times for talking out when he's supposed to be quiet.  Imagine that, right?  We've punished him, rewarded him, threatened him, and called everyone I know to help him.  Hopefully, he'll mature a little soon and stop getting in trouble at school.  Here's to hoping, right?

Update on the babies...they are 15 weeks now.  They are very smiley and talkative.  They slept through the night for the first time, in their own cribs, on their 3 month birthday.  Now, we can pretty much count on Brant sleeping through the night consistently.  Brax has been getting up around 3:30, eating and then going back to bed.

We've also been taking lots of trips to the doctor.  We think Brax has silent reflux.  He has been foaming at the mouth, coughing and sneezing, seems to be uncomfortable, arches his back, wants to be held, digs his face into blankets and shoulders, is gassy and burps gross, gets the hiccups a lot, has low weight gain (he weighs almost a whole pound less than Brant) and so on.  The doctor started him on some Zantac.  He seems to be happier, but the cough has lingered.

Brant has a flat spot on his head.  We've noticed for awhile that he likes to only look to the left.  This has caused a pretty significant flat spot.  The doctor has been keeping an eye on it for a couple of months now.  We try and do neck stretches with him, but he belts out loud, painful screams still.  So we have First Steps coming out to address tightness in his muscles...not just his neck, and an appointment with plastic surgeons at St. Vincent next month.  He may end up needing a little helmet to reshape his head.  Otherwise, he is pretty perfect.

Fun facts: Brant rolls from his belly to his back.  Brax rolls from his back to his belly.  Also, Brant is grabbing toys now.  However, he doesn't know how to let go.  He gets mad and yells at it, rips his hand around...nothing works.  :)

Final note, I'm about to run short on breast milk.  I think we're gonna have to supplement here soon.  Right now, I'm just trying to figure out the best way to go about it.  Brant is fat (according to us, not the doctor) and Brax has been having so much trouble with the reflux.  Should I keep Brax on breast milk only since it's easier to digest? Or would formula help his belly and help him sleep through the night?  Will Brant gain too much weight on formula? Or should I treat them the exact same?  Ahhhhhhhh!

Inspiration

Recently, we've had what feels like a lot of people die around us.  Closest to us was Grandpa Vince.  Steve Jobs, the Apple guy, also died.  This was something he said once that resonates with me:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s ...change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

 Now as Steve and I are raising a family, I want to not only follow my heart and intuition but teach my children to do the same.  I think about my Grandpa a lot.  He taught me so many great things in his life and already, he has made me get up and do things with my kids and husband that I normally would have made an excuse not to do.  I'm committed to make as many memories with my family as I can.  Enjoying the ride!!!