Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Mimi saves the week



Andy was scheduled to go to TX for a business trip a few days after Reid was diagnosed with RSV. I was spending so much time nursing Reid; rocking him to sleep and giving him breathing treatments that I knew that I would not be able to take care of all three kids by myself. Thankfully Mimi agreed to come to PA for the week to help me. We had a fun week together and all of her help was greatly appreciated. I could not have done it without her.

During the week Gwen started staying "What?" after everything I said. At one point, I asked her: "Are your ears clogged?" to which she answered: "What?"

The kids enjoyed chatting with daddy on skype but did not fuss about missing him. they just said: "Daddy on plane in Tx working". One day when Grandpa came back from the grocery store they asked if he had brought back daddy (They knew that Tim had taken Andy to the airport).

Winter 2012 is full of sickness





We can't seem to stay well around here. Right before Valentines Day Gwen and Cole picked up a virus that wiped them out for at least a week. It was the sickest that we had seen them. My poor little ones could barely get up off of the couch/bed to do anything :( Here is a pic of the night they started to feel sick (at the time we didn't know they were ill and found it quite amusing that they slept in the car and then on the family room floor for a few hours before bed). Once they started feeling better, Reid started with some cold symptoms but unfortunately it turned into RSV. The doctor says that Gwen and Cole most likely had it as well but may have had milder cases because they had Synagis shots when they were infants due to prematurity. It really is strange to think that RSV is the reason why we stayed in the house with Cole and Gwen for the first six months. REid was definitely sick (wheezing and needing breathing treatments every few hours) but thankfully he did not have to go to the hospital. This is the second time that I have really had a mother's instinct (first time when cole ended up with pneumonia and I took him to Kristin's house and Andy's work to get their opinions)--The morning that I decided to take Reid to the pedi's office I told Andy that i was going to call and he said: "he just has a cold" but I just had a feeling that it was something more. I ended up at the pedi's office with three kids, which was quite amusing. The doctor and nurse needed to get Reid's O2 levels and we could not get him calmed down and still enough to get a good reading. I ended up nursing the baby while Gwen, Cole, nurse and doctor all leaned over us to try to get the reading (Gwen and Cole were thrilled to "help" but the nurse certainly didn't realize that she should not have offered one pinwheel for them to share while I was busy!). At one point Gwen pushed Cole; he fell down and came running over to me. He was looking at me (i'm holding the baby and talking with the nurse) but clung on to the nurse's leg. We certainly were a circus act! Thankfully after about an hour of this Andy was able to come get the big kids. Reid and i stayed for another few hours to get a chest Xray and a few other O2 readings.

More Reidster






Reid has been growing like a weed! He is now close to 17 lbs and is already up to no good! He recently learned the art of scooting backwards on his tummy. He pushes with his arms and also is getting good at sticking his bottom up in the air and rocking back on his knees. This is the main way he gets around as he is not yet comfortable rolling over. It is funny because he seems to know that he can roll over but can't figure out how to move his arm out of the way to do so. He is also sitting up well now with little assistance and knows the words "kiss, kiss" (he smacks his lips together) and "tap, tap" (he uses both hands to tap the table/floor etc.). He is enjoying being able to be down on the floor and play with the big kids and lights up when Cole and Gwen give him attention!

Check out the pic above where he officially left his tummy time mat. Also, there is one of him on the kitchen floor. I put him down for a minute on his tummy and he managed to push himself across the room and wedge himself under the highchair!

Reid's First Playdate

On Wed. 2/8/12, Reid and I hosted a MMLV tummytime playdate. Ironically no multiples showed up but Reid did have fun playing with his little girlfriend, Delaney. In reality they played for all of 10 minutes and slept the reminder of the time but at least Carina and I had a nice quiet morning to catch up while the big kids were at school.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The 7 Musketeers and Gwen!

Last weekend we hung out with Eileen, Rishi, Dave & Deb and their little men. This was the first time that we were all together since our little ones were born (within 2 weeks of each other). All things considered I think the morning was fairly calm and uneventful..in a good way, that is. We loved catching up and Gwen and Cole had fun playing with Ian's toys. Gwen gravitated right to a baby doll and stroller and Cole played with magnets and the roller coaster. We somehow managed to get these pics of the kids which I consider to be fairly impressive. AND i have to brag that there was no bribing involved!

5 Months Old




I swore that I was going to be more on the ball with Reid's 5 month pics so here they are! At 5 months old Reid is an expert at tummy time. He has only rolled over a few times but can push up very high and creep backwards. A few times I have seen him stick his bottom up in the air and push backwards. He fits into 6-12 month clothing and 9 month clothing well. He is into everything but still likes to be carried around (now he just grabs on to things as we pass by them). He specially enjoys pulling Gwen's hair. His hand continue to be fun but his feet are his newest discovery. He enjoys lying on his back and trying to pull his socks off. Everything goes in his mouth. During this photo shoot, he squealed with excitement every time he got Tigger's nose in his mouth. He still does not sleep well at night but does consistently nap during the day when we are at home. When we're on the go, he powers through because he does not want to miss the action.

4 Month Pics

I know these are a little late but I am just now catching up on the blog. I tried to take 4 month pics several times and each time Reid was fascinated with his tongue, hence his funny faces in each picture. As you can see, he is sitting fairly well with support and loves to lean forward to look for his feet. He is a smiley, giggly little man who has grown a bunch of blonde hair recently. He wears 6 month clothing with little room to spare and recently moved to size 3 diapers. He weighs about 16 lbs. In his spare time he likes blowing raspberries, gumming on Sophie the Giraffe and watching the world around him.



Why, Why, Why, Why, Why????

Can someone tell me why 3 year olds ask 1,001 "Why?" and "What happened?" questions a day? I feel like 75% of my day is spent attempting to answer their questions! They not only want to know why I chose to wear these pants today but they also want to know why it is snowing outside! The funnies part (and most frustrating part at the same time) is when one child asked a string of these why questions and then the other piggybacks off of it only to ask the SAME EXACT QUESTIONS. A lot of times i find myself answering the questions and then asking them: "What did Mommy just tell Gwen/Cole?".

Some days I like to reference one of my funny twin books just to know that other multiples mommies have had similar experiences. Yesterday I read a chapter where the author said that when her twins were this age she felt like she was in the movie Groundhog Day because every morning she woke up and could predict how most of her day was going to go. I had to laugh because every morning Cole walked into our bedroom and asks: "Mommy/Daddy, I had a good nap?" and halfway asleep one of us always says: "Yes, buddy, you had a good sleep" to which her freaks out and yells: "No, i had a good NAP!".

Twin Love

...is that cute or what? (when i ask gwen and cole similar questions they usually answer with "what")!

All things considered these two cuties have a lot of fun together. They certainly have their moments but I think it is very special that they always have a playmate. Cole often gets upset because he "want my Gwennie to play with me". They play monster together; build trains/planes/cars together to take to Chick Fi La; hoard toys together; run together; snuggle together.

Recently we moved Gwen into her big girl room. The kids were not phased at all by this move which is understandable because they had been separated for naps for years. I, on the otherhand, was a little sad about this move. It didn't really hit me until the first day I did laundry and had to separate their little clothes to go in different rooms.

One thing I have learned as a parent is that just when you think you have things figured out and under control, kid go and change things on you. Recently, I had to rethink how our evenings were going because to sum things up they were chaotic and nooone was enjoying family time. One night it dawned on me that maybe the kids would enjoy more one on one time with Andy and I so we decided to bathe them individually (we hadn't done this since they were infants). Mommy gave one child a bath while the other got special one-on-one time with Daddy. WE've continued this routine because it seems to make for a much calmer evening and we have been having fun spending individual time with all of the kids. One of my favorite conversations with Gwen during individual time has been something like this:

Gwen: "Mama, I like to wear my baby in a sling. Do you wear your baby in a sling?"
Me: "Yes.
Gwen: "Mama, my baby cries a lot but she is a sweetheart and I give her mama milk"
Me: "You are such a thoughtful Mommy"
...

what I like about this time is that I can truly hear what my kids are telling me and learn about what they are doing and thinking.

She's free!

When Gwen finally started feeling better, I asked if she wanted to help me run an errand to Kohls. She was EXTREMELY excited to go (poor little girl hadn't be out of the house in days). In fact, she was so excited that she got all fancied up herself to go. I can't help but notice her special lovies in this picture (bunny & blankie) along with her tissue. She is a chronic nose wiper but at least she doesn't let her snot drop everywhere like some other people we know ;)

Sick times call for lots of indoor fun!


The kids had fevers and some kind of cold a few weeks back so I tried by best to entertain them indoors. We did lots of crafting and pretending. One morning I had the idea to make playdough. Unfortunately, it turned out rather gooey and the kids played with it all of 5 minutes before they were back to running the circle (family room, hallway, dining room, kitchen). I recently discovered that Reid is much happier sitting in his high chair during crafting and other table activities. He is one happy little man when he can watch the big kids and Mommy. We also had a few tea parties and even had a picnic lunch. The kids wanted to make sure that I made sandwiches for all of their special animals.