Jax is testing out the new exersaucer while Jake shows Dex how to walk around the outside. What a neat trick! 

More wedding photos

Thanks to my friend, Sophida, I have a few more photos from the wedding reception! Here's Jax goofing around with our friend, Mike.

Mama and Jax... getting ready to dance the night away! 

Daddy with Dex and Mama with Jax. What fun! 

Ooh la la

These are the three guys that took me home Saturday night... lucky me! I'm fairly certain that Jax is on the left and Dex is on the right. This is one of those angles where it's hard to tell!

The Wedding Crashers

Dex and Jax went to their first wedding reception on Saturday. I have to say, I had some major anxiety about it! Their usual bedtime is between 6-7, and the reception didn't begin until 7:30. Saturday morning, I was convinced we shouldn't go... I told myself I would rather back out sheepishly at the last minute than have to make an emergency exit at the reception with two screeming baby boys. Thankfully, my mom talked me into braving this new experience!

We gave the boys a late afternoon nap, dressed them in their snazzy new sweaters, spiked up their hair, and we were out the door! They slept the entire 30 minute drive and awoke to a room full of people and loud, loud music. I held my breath as I waited to see how they would respond.... and.... THEY LOVED IT! They were completely loopy with excitement as they danced with their mama and daddy, ate cheerios galore, smiled for the wedding paparazzi and made googly eyes at anyone who would stop to coo at them. It was as if they were thinking, "So THIS is what happens when we go to sleep every night!"

They managed to stay up until 9, at which point, we made our way back to the car with two sleepy boys. When we arrived home to take our sleeping munchkins out of their carseats and up to their cribs, they stirred a bit, opening their eyes to examine their surroundings. The expressions on their faces were priceless. It was as if they were thinking, "Where's the music? Why aren't we dancing? Was it all a dream?"

All in all, it was a great evening. Sure, we still had to leave earlier than we would have had to without the babies. Sure, we may have left a trail of cheerios behind us. Sure, D.R. and I had new, and much smaller, dance partners for the evening... but it was SO worth it! I can't wait for our next family outing!

Grandpas have the best laps

The boys love their grandpas! It must be all the baby holding they've done over the years! Jax thinks his Grandpa's lap is SO comfy. 

Dex finds a comfy home on their other Grandpa's lap.

I could stay here all day... 

When I grow up...

Dex is contemplating the possibility of his hair one day turning blue like his uncle Seth's. 

A picture is worth a thousand words...

... or at least a few, "ba ba ba's"... Here is Jax reading his farm picture book to his mimi. 

Oh, how far we've come

Last night, D.R. and I braved another social event with the boys. You see, we've gotten fairly used to having people over to our place, but we haven't had much luck with evening "outings." The boys usually fall asleep for the night around 6 or 6:30, so it makes leaving with them around this time rather difficult. Yesterday, however, we turned a new page! I gave the boys a late afternoon nap, about an hour and half before we normally would have put them to bed for the night, bedtime was extended by a good two hours... and the rest is history!

Though they were greeted by a small room full of people, there were no major meltdowns (okay, so there were a few initial tears... but we're talking seconds, here). We placed the boys in the middle of the room with a few toys, and they sat (yes, they SAT!) and played for the longest time! In fact, we were able to stay until a bit past 8:00, when it became clear that they did, in fact, need to go to bed. Ocassionally, I would find myself deep in conversation with another adult (no, I wasn't dreaming), look over and see our two little boys sitting and playing together, and wonder how we ever made it this far.

Yesterday, they were the tiniest little babies who were completely dependant on my constant care and attention. They required frequent feedings, diaper changes, much rocking and holding, walking, singing.... basically, they required everything I had to offer at all moments of the day and night! How did the past few months go by so quickly? Don't get me wrong, I clearly and vividly recall the moments I thought would never pass, the hours of babies crying, the endless nights, the days I sat exhaustedly praying that I would somehow make it to tomorrow.... and, yet, somehow, I suddenly find myself having dinner with friends, arms completely vacant, listening to the sounds of our two little boys cooing and giggling as they sit and play in a completely new environment. Amazing.

Hee hee hee

I can't help it... I giggle everytime I look at this! Jax (right) has the goofiest expression on his face! They're both still really into keeping their tongues out of their mouths as much as possible. :)

What do you think?

Some days the boys look so much alike, and other days, they look SO different! See, in this photo, it's pretty easy to tell that Jax is on the left and Dex is on the right. In the next photo, though, they look pretty similar. Hmm... it will be fun to see what happens as they continue to grow. 

 

 

 

Big Blue

I've started calling the boys Big Blue and Big Blue Number Two. Here's Dex, our little Big Blue, showing off his daddy's hairstyling. 

Lions and Tigers and Beards, Oh my!

Over the course of the past 7 1/2 months, the boys have learned a range of emotions and responses... happiness, pleasure, sadness, frustration... the list goes on and on. It is always interesting to me what triggers these responses. D.R. is highly adept at eliciting rounds of giggles from the babies, they are easily frustrated at items beyond their reach and being put in their cribs is a sure trigger for a moment or two of protesting tears. In the past few weeks, however, I've also learned a new cry... a new response... and it's triggered by fear. The sound of a sudden loud noise (a sneeze, a cough, a cupboard being closed too quickly), a stranger reaching to hold one of the babies, the moment one of them realizes that I've left the room...these may all bring about a cry that is absolutely heartbreaking, though easily remedied by a few moments in Mom or Dad's arms. Most of these fears make perfect sense. A sudden noise will even make me jump, I would certainly be frightened if someone I had never seen before tried to lift me into their arms and feeling suddenly abandoned can be an awful feeling! We're starting to notice, however, that a few of these fears are simply because they involve the unknown, and from the vantage point of an experienced adult, they can seem downright funny. The most recent involves beards. Yes, beards.

Christopher and Sarah stopped by last week to visit and, normally, the boys adore both of them. Christopher had recently grown a dark beard, though, and when Jax first came down the stairs and saw his uncle with this beard on his face, he screamed long and hard! We couldn't help but giggle. It took awhile for him to realize he had nothing to worry about... and for the rest of the visit he would look at Christopher with a bit of skepticism. Dex had a similar response. I wonder how long this fear of beards will last!!

The boys meet the Yum Yums!

Here are some photos from last week-end. Dex and Jax were the honorary boys present at the annual Yum Yum week-end.... a time for the gals on my dad's side of the family to get together. I was SO excited to introduce the boys to my aunts, cousins and Granny. What a special week-end! Here is Dex learning how to eat measuring spoons with his Great Aunt Kim. 

Jaxon gets some one-on-one time with his Great Granny! What a lucky boy! 

What fun! Here's Jax and Great Aunt Kathy 

Dex LOVES his cousin Sally! 

Here's Jax getting a manicure by Great Aunt Kim while learning how to use a cell phone with Great Aunt Kathy!

It's fun to play in your jammies when you're with Great Aunt Kelly! Here's Jaxon, multi-tasking, as he works on sitting AND eating a kitchen spoon. What talent! 

Seven month photo

Such little wigglers!! Trying to get a photo of them when they're not crawling all over each other is near-impossible! :) Dex is on the left, Jax is on the right! 

Dex and Jax: World (okay, regional) Travelers

The boys and I accomplished an amazing feat this week-end.... out longest road-trip so far! I have been pretty impressed with their ability to survive long car rides. The three of us have gone to visit my parents several times, which is typically anywhere between 4-6 hours with nursing/diaper-change stops. This week-end, however, we survived seven hours together!! I know there are a few twin mommies/mommies-to-be who read my blog, so let me tell you, traveling alone with twins is not as scary as it may seem! I've learned that the most important this is to be patient. If mapquest says it will be a four-hour trip, tell yourself it will be an eight-hour trip... when you make it in 6 or 7 hours, you'll be thrilled!

For anyone who's interested in details of how this is done, keep reading. If you find these details too mundane... stop reading now! :)

When the boys were only a month old, we took our first road trip together. I have to admit, I was terrified! What if they cried the whole way? What if they were too hot? Too cold? How would I know if I was driving? How was I going to feed two babies in a car? What about changing them? What if I had to go to the bathroom? Do I leave my babies in the car? How do you maneuver two babies in a public restroom?

A few things I've learned:

- Leave right after feeding the babies. The older they are, the longer they'll be able to go without needing to stop and eat. When the boys were younger, we stopped every two hours. Now, they can typically make it 3-4 hours (though, there is the occasional 2 hour stop).

- Leave about 30-40 minutes before their regular naptime. The rhythm of the car should calm the babies for the first portion of the trip... and help lull them into a nice long nap (in theory!).

- Feedings: For nursing, I would take one baby out his carseat and place him in the driver's seat. Then, I would take the second baby from his carseat and carry him and the nursing pillow into the passenger seat. Once I got him settled on the nursing pillow, I could reach over to grab the first baby from the driver's seat. Yes, they are most likely screaming their heads off at this point... but they'll soon be happy! I have found that large parking lots are ideal for nursing. It's pretty easy to find a secluded spot to nurse two babies.

- STRETCH! After nursing, I play with them for about 5-10 minutes. This has gotten easier the older they get. We sing songs, wiggle toes... anything to get them moving and giggling. They'll be in their carseats a long time!

- Diapers: This is probably the most challenging aspect of traveling with two babies. I've got a pretty good system down where I can place one back into a carseat (but not strapped in... that would just elicit tears) and change the other one on the floor of the backseat or on the driver's seat. I've also learned how important it is to have plenty of blankets, wash cloths, wet wipes and plastic bags handy! After changing one baby, it's just a matter of switching babies and repeating the process. Yes, this takes time. No, it's not the easiest thing in the world.... but it's completely do-able.

This whole process can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes.

The hardest thing, in my opinion, is bringing the babies into a public restroom with me. It is possible, however! Again, the idea of it is way more stressful than the actual task. Re-bundling the babies to take them outside, removing them from the car, carrying two carseats into a gas-station... it just takes time.

All in all, we survive these long car-rides together. I have found that the hours following a car-ride can be the most challenging, as we're all out-of-sorts. It's nice to have someone waiting for you at your destination to help with the car-seat-crazed babies and to let you unwind, as well. D.R. is great at taking over for me... especially when it comes to unloading the car (which is packed full of baby gear!) and entertaining the boys (who are usually completely wired!)... thank heaven!

Wazzzup?

Here's Dex... I can't stop giggling.

So much to say!

The boys have begun babbling almost non-stop. This just cracks me up! It's especially cute when they turn and "talk" to each other. One of them will say something, the other will giggle. Then that one will say something and the other one will giggle. I love that they're becoming so aware of each other. (Dex on left, Jax on right) 

When a stranger...uh, smiles, talks, looks, moves, etc.

About 2-3 weeks ago, the boys began experiencing their first real signs of stranger anxiety. There are some definite pros and cons to this. The upside is that they definitely know who Mom and Dad are... and that feels SO good... for awhile I felt like I would get looks from them that said, "Hey, lady, who are you and why are you always around?!" The downside is that when placed in new situations, with new people, all it takes is a smile from a stranger and it's enough to send them into complete meltdown mode. I've noticed that this seems to occur primarily in crowded, noisy places.

For example, if we have a group of people in our small apartment, it's guaranteed to cause a meltdown, or two... especially if any of these people tries to talk to, smile at, or goodness gracious... hold one of the babies. However, when we've been visiting friends or family in with more spacious rooms in their homes... and fewer people around... the babies seem fine with strangers. Hmmm... space, quietness and fewer people=good... close-quarters, noise and large groups=bad... I wonder how long that will last...

It's so interesting to see how aware they are of their surroundings. These changes and developments are happening so quickly these days! It's so exciting!! Now, we'll just have to see how long this stranger anxiety lasts... in the meantime, I've found it easiest to introduce them to new people slowly. Once they warm up to someone being around, they're usually really open to being held and played with by that person. I guess that's going to be the key: patience and a willingness to let them move at their own pace. I can do that.