Yahooooooos!

My little funny bunnies! The boys are escaping every opportunity they get! Diaper changes are a work out these days! Honest to pete I am sweating and exhausted after every one! I have a new trick though- we were giving them a special toy to play with during changes but now we turn on the ceiling fan and they are hypnotized!

Tonight, after their bath we gave the boys massages and they are just like their momma! They could not get enough of it. We always slather on lotion but this time I warmed some Burt's Baby Bee oil and Harry stretched his arms above his head and smirked the entire time. Ollie did his now infamous woody the woodpecker laugh!
We've been battling a yeast rash with Ollie and dry skin with Harry so I figured we would give this a shot!

Here it is! The DNA test! We completed it the night it came. Ollie did not mind getting swabbed whereas Harry needed lots of coaxing...

It went out in the mail today so we should get the results next week, hopefully!
Looking forward to spending V-day with 3 men this year!

Making Baby Food

I make most of the boys food. I will buy organic food if it's on sale for the convenience but most of the time they seem to like what I make more. It's been very easy. Usually one night a week I will whip up a couple batches.

When I first started I would mainly buy organic frozen produce, steam it and throw it in the food processor. This time of year is lame for fresh produce here. We did alot of squash, apples, spinach, peas and carrots... and blueberries and pears.

Now, I've made them roasted banana and brown rice mash and veggie mash (potatoes, carrots, peas and green beans). Making their food has become more fun with the different techniques and combinations. It's also forced me to look at the way we eat. We're typically pretty healthy eaters but I have been so careful to not add salt to their food and sometimes I'll find myself chowing down on some crap while feeding them an organic salt free puree and then I think, "what the hell?"
But that's a whole other story!
The saving has been significant and that makes it worth it alone! I also love knowing exactly what they're eating and not dealing with a bunch of wasted containers. I just freeze their food, pop it out, wash containers and repeat!

Mini Baby Banana Muffins!

The boys are digging feeding themselves and although they love puffs, melts, crunchers, mum mums, string cheese and the like I really wanted to make them a "snack." Well at my BAMMM (Bay Area Monday Morning Mommas) Group, Evie let Harry eat some muffin and he loved it so here is the banana muffin recipe that I made. For the locals, Festival Food has "well loved" bananas on sale for .33 cents/pound!

Banana Muffins

Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 ripe bananas
3 egg whites
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
2-1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions
-Preheat oven to 400° F.
-Grease muffin tins or line with baking cups.
-Mix sugar & applesauce together.
-Mash bananas into mixture.
-Add egg whites.
-Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
-Add dry ingredients to banana mixture to form batter.
-Spoon batter into prepared tins, approx. 2/3 full.
-Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
-Serve.

*Recipe taken from Baby Center.com

Stay at Home Moms

Stay at Home Moms are superheros. I always thought I wanted to be a SAHM and maybe with one baby I would want to be, but holy man- with two I couldn't imagine it. I stay home with them on Mondays and go stir crazy! I end up going to target to just get out of the house!
My mom, in the picture above, was mostly a SAHM- I'm- She has some serious patience and deserves an award!
I always "joke" that I'll be a SAHM when they go to school!

I am honestly so thankful to have the daycare situation that we do. Miss Jody could not be more perfect for the boys. She is so kind, laid back and go with the flow. Nothing is ever an issue for her and she treats all the kids as her own. The boys always come home for Jody's rested and happy.
It's adorable to see them there with the other kids. They are always getting loved on with kisses and hugs- so sweet! They are also always trying to destroy the latest Lego creation that the big boys made... we're working on that!
I have a lot of guilt for not wanting to stay home with the boys, I feel like I'm not really being their mom when I'm not with them. I have started to accept though that I just don't enjoy parenting alone. I love being with Brian and the boys. It's just hard when I'm a lone with them, I know a lot of it has to do with the fact that I am in pain. Everytime I lift one I have so much pain with my hernia and it just breaks my heart. I should just feel blessed that we have the daycare we have.

And to think I considered homeschooling?!?!?!? That ship has sailed! ;)

It's been one year...

Since I was put on bedrest. I had spent the week before up in Rhinelander. My sister had just given birth to Ashlynn. I was feeling great, toting Adrian back and forth and enjoying my time with the little man and the new Ashlynn.
On my drive back I was feeling tired and had some pressure. I just figured I had done too much and would rest. I went to my appointment and asked to have my cervix checked. Later that night I got a call to go into Labor and Delivery because I was shortened and funneling.

It was so scary, thinking I might lose my babies. Brian was freaked out but acting strong. The next morning the Periantologist came in and checked me. She and my OB agreed to put me on bedrest. I am such a busy body- this was a death sentence to me!

We drove home and I felt doomed. Brian quickly situated the living room to my liking, brought me food and water and told me not to move. He then went back to work. I had never felt more alone in my life! I was getting really down on myself. A major turning point for me was to paste ultrasound pictures of the boys up on the wall next to me. Then whenever I was feeling angry I would look at them and remember why I had to do this.

My bedrest survival kit included these items:

laptop computer (bedrest message board)
Wii (donkey kong)
Word searches
Netflix (mad men and big love)
Cadburry cream eggs
Handheld shaver
Nail file
Hair brush
Face wipes
Body pillows
Nice lotions
Lip gloss
cell phone (lots of calls to mom)
Notecards (to write thank-yous)

I know look back on bedrest fondly, it was just me and these little men. All my focus was on them and Don Draper. Although I was pent up with so much anxiety I feel like at the same time I had never been more at peace, I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

Whoops!

I'm sorry - I suck.
So yes, somethings do get easier but other things get harder, way harder.
The boys are mobile now- which is exhausting! Downright tiring. They also are no longer in their infant seats... which meant new convertible car seats and a double stroller. It is such a pain in the rear to get them in and out of the car and into the stroller. Especially in all of this snow?!?!?

I loved the double snap n go- it was so easy to transport them. This new stroller is cool, I got the Baby Jogger City Micro. Don't tell my husband but I'm already eyeing up another one, it's $400 but has the footprint of a single stroller- which would be so nice.

We're working on baby proofing the house. We moved the coffee table out of the living room and bolted the TV to the wall. We have a lot more room and it's tons safer now. The boys are teething, they each have their two bottom teeth and Harry is working on his top two. Teething is the pits- it takes normally happy babies and turns them into monsters!

The cribs also had to be lowered as Harrison thought it was a good idea to stand up in his. Luckily Bubs saw it and quickly lowered the cribs!

Happy Halloween!

Bubba with his peapods!

Moi with "crazy pea" and "chill pea"

Best buddies! The guys only made it into trick or treating about an hour. After that they called it quits and took a nap! The holidays feel different when you have babies. I can't wait for them to be older and really get it- well I can wait but ya know!

The little men are almost 6 months now and I can hardly believe it! I just am floored by how much they've changed and grown! Aubrey is taking pictures for us on Saturday and I am so excited! I can't wait for her to capture this amazing stage with them. They are so happy and goofy now.
In post pregnancy related news, it turns out I have an umbilical hernia which sucks. So I have a follow up appointment for that bad boy. I am sincerely hoping that while they're in there they can do a little tug, nip, smooth procedure! ;)