Something Nice

For my 30th birthday, Brian wanted to get me something nice. I thought briefly about asking for a nice bag, or even a nice watch. But those things, although definitely nice, were not what I really really wanted. What I really really wanted was to be able to take nice pictures...

...of my little man's perfect chubby feet:

...of Charlotte's ever-changing facial expressions:

...of Jensen's beautiful long eyelashes:

 

...and Charlotte's beautiful long fingers:

 

...of Jensen trying desperately to get Charlotte to notice him (using the unorthodox method of shoving his hands and feet in her face):

...and of the moment when Charlotte actually does notice him and rewards his persistence with a huge smile:

...and I wanted to capture all these moments with a nice camera. So that's what I got. I also wanted to be able to take decent pictures with my new camera...fortunately the camera came with a series of lessons, so hopefully my pictures will show a great deal of improvement soon.

Oh, and I also wanted to be alert enough to take nice pictures...so I got a nice Keurig coffee maker as well (thanks, mom and dad!).

Welcome Home, Mommy!

I returned from my Girls' Trip early Sunday afternoon (more on our trip in another post). The good news was that Brian is awesome and the house was clean and he had had a great weekend with Charlotte and Jensen (with help from the grandmas, of course!). The bad news was that Jensen seemed to be a little, er, blocked up. As in no poopy diapers since I had left town. (If that last sentence wasn't enough of a warning for you about what this post is going to be about, now is your official warning. Stop reading if you are faint-of-stomach! But keep reading if you like funny stories! If you are faint of stomach AND you like funny stories, then you have a difficult decision to make.)

He was obviously pretty uncomfortable for the rest of the day Sunday, and Monday he just kept getting worse. I consulted the nurse at my doctor's office, the Internet, books, and of course my sister-in-law. We tried prune juice, suppositories, and up-the-butt thermometers! Oh my! My little man was miserable...either sleeping or awake and crying (or crying in his sleep...that was the worst). Finally I called my doctor and said I wanted to bring him in. I know that constipation doesn't usually warrant a trip to the doctor's office, but I just wanted him to feel better NOW. After checking him out, the doctor decided that an enema was in order. She called in the lucky nurse to do the dirty work.

Back story: This was the same nurse that messed up Charlotte's catheter and had to do it again (understandable) and then laughed when Charlotte peed on her own, meaning we could have just used that pee instead of having to catheterize her at all. I don't think she's a bad person or anything, I just could have done without her laughing when Charlotte was so miserable.

So. Nurse inserts enema. Jensen screams. Nurse bends down to get a closer look. At that exact instant, a stuck turd becomes really, really un-stuck and, with impressive force, torpedoes out of Jensen's butt and directly towards the nurse's face. Apparently she is used to flying turds, because she raised her gloved hand at the last second and blocked the turd with expert agility. And I laughed. Fortunately, so did she.

And Jensen is feeling much better today.

Sweetness

Five Months!

What a big day we had yesterday! Jensen and Charlotte turned five months old, and their mom (aka me) turned the big 3-0! Birthdays are a bit different when you're a mom. There are still bottles to be washed, babies who refuse to nap, dirty diapers to change, and mounds of laundry to do. But you know what? I wouldn't change a single thing about it. People kept asking me if I was freaking out about turning 30...and I was surprised to realize that I wasn't. At all. And I think it's because I am incredibly blessed to be where I am in life.

(And I did get to have some "me time" on my birthday--I actually did a transport for the rescue group and got to bust a sweet boy out of the animal shelter! And then I had dinner with the fam at Tillman's. Yummy!)

On to Charlotte and Jensen...they had another wonderful month! Here is a little bit about what they have been up to...

They have really started to enjoy playing with their toys. Charlotte continues to love her musical bug the best:

And they both enjoy playing in their exersaucer:

Another new favorite is their swing!

Jensen LOVES the swing. It is his spot to go when he wants to just chill.

Another new activity this month has been interacting with one another. They both enjoy watching one another, but Jensen especially seems to be enamored with his sister. He just loves her...it's so sweet!

They also had their first "fight" about a week ago. They were lying together in their play yard. Jensen was holding one of their two "crinkle books" (which have become prized possessions). Charlotte reached over and grabbed it from him. He looked at her with a confused expression and grabbed it back. She shrieked and began to cry. I quickly grabbed the other crinkle book and gave it to Charlotte, and both were happy:

I am bracing myself for lots more of these fights to come! I wonder if it's possible to have two of every toy?? But for the most part, all of their interactions are positive and they just really like to watch each other.

OK, see what I mean? He LOVES her!

Of course, we often have the "one-rolled-over-onto-the-other" problem:

Charlotte Anne at Five Months:

(I don't know her weight because we haven't been to the doctor for awhile...if you could all just pause for a second and knock on wood, that would be awesome!)

Charlotte--our pretty little Peanut. Her dad's little mini-me. I don't know when she became such a happy, content, pleasant little baby, but somewhere along the way, she did. I never thought I would describe Charlotte as "an easy baby", but at this point she is. She has a huge personality and makes the best facial expressions:

Charlotte is very active and always on the move, but at the same time, she is a great cuddler. She loves to be rocked before naps and bedtime. I have recently discovered that Charlotte is a great shopping companion! She is content in her stroller for a long time, and she particularly enjoyed her recent trip to Baby Gap, where she "talked" to all of the pretty clothes. She still likes to let you know if she isn't happy--for example, at night and at nap time she will periodically change positions in her crib. When she does, she squawks a bit as if to let you know, "Hey! I am not as comfortable as I could possibly be, so I am changing positions now!"

Charlotte has a very special relationship with her Grandma. Grandma calls Charlotte her sunshine and says that Charlotte can always cheer her up, no matter what! They also love to read books together:

Jensen Todd at Five Months:

(Again, no weight. Knock on wood.)

Jensen--our roly-poly little boy. Right now, he looks like a mix between me, my dad and my brother. Definitely a little Morlock! I call him my roly-poly baby because he is constantly on his back, feet in his hands. This often results in him rolling to one side, then rolling all the way over, then getting mad because he hates being on his tummy and doesn't know how to roll back over yet. I spend a lot of time flipping him back to his back only to watch him immediately roll to his tummy again. Jensen is very observant, and like I previously mentioned, loves to watch his sister. He continues to be a happy boy, and he loves to flirt with anyone who will engage him. I am still completely, head-over-heels in love with his sweet smile, big laugh, and chubby little feet!

Jensen is so sweet...but he is not a cuddler. He would prefer to be put down in his bed when he's sleepy (my mom says my brother was the exact same way, and she used to have to sneak in his room and pick him up when he was sleeping to rock him and get cuddle time!). But when he's not feeling well, he wants to snuggle with Mommy during naps, and I take full advantage.

I also crack up at the way Jensen sleeps in his crib...don't you wish you were this relaxed right now??

Here are a few more pics of my lil' chunk:

And here are some pictures of Charlotte and Jensen together:

As you can see, my etsy obsession continues and I ordered Charlotte and Jensen personalized onesies. They each have half of a wiener dog, much like the old-school 'Best Friends Forever' necklaces!

 

This past month (and turning 30) have been awesome. My love for Charlotte and Jensen has continued to grow stronger every day. I definitely don't know all there is to know about being a parent, but here are some things that I have learned over the past five months:

Being a mom is exhausting (in a good way): I go to bed every night feeling absolutely wiped out. But, more than ever before, I go to bed feeling like I have spent my day really doing something important. Also, being a mom is kind of an ego boost: I love how much Charlotte and Jensen need me. I love that they smile at me, and I love that I know them better than anyone else does. I love that it's my shoulder that Jensen buries his head in after he's given someone his flirty smile. I love that Charlotte and Jensen think that my terrible singing voice + a rousing rendition of "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" = pretty much the most enthralling musical performance ever.

I think that, above everything else, I've learned that being a parent is humbling. Usually, once you've figured something out, that's it--you know it. It doesn't constantly change on you. But babies change on you. Throughout the past five months, there have been times when I've thought, "Okay, I've got this whole having-twin-infants thing figured out. There's not really all that much to it. I am totally on top of things and pretty much the most awesome mom ever!" That feeling usually lasts anywhere from a couple of minutes to a couple of hours before either Charlotte or Jensen throws me for a complete loop and I am back at square one trying to figure out what on Earth I'm doing. And feeling like the most lost, confused, inexperienced mom ever. But then that feeling only lasts for a short while, and I'm back to where I usually am: somewhere in the middle, with the realization that I am doing the best that I can. And that's definitely good enough.

Happy Five Months, sweet babies! You are loved beyond measure!

Three Birthdays

Lucky for y'all, they don't make onesies that say "30 Years" on them.  So I had to improvise using my phenomenal Microsoft Paint skills.

All By Myself...

Brian spent this past weekend in Breckenridge, Colorado--it's the town's annual Oktoberfest celebration, and it's also Brian's annual Boys' Weekend. He goes to Oktoberfest every year, and I have a Girls' Weekend every year, and we decided that we should keep these traditions alive even after becoming parents. He was gone Thursday through Sunday, which doesn't sound very long, but his flight left Thursday morning and he didn't get back until Sunday evening, so it was basically four full days. Bleh. Too long. No me gusta.

I had planned ahead for him being gone and tried to fill up my days with fun stuff. Thursday we were going to have a visit from my friend Jen, who lives in McKinney--she hasn't met Charlotte and Jensen yet so we were going to have some lunch and hang out. Unfortunately Jen had a sick baby so those plans got scrapped...which stinks, but hey, it happens. And I am definitely the type who appreciates the non-sharing of germs! :) So we've rescheduled that for another time. Thursday night I decided to turn down my mom's offers of help and do bedtime all alone. It actually went great--only one near-catastrophe, which is definitely worth sharing: I had Charlotte and Jensen on the floor on a fluffy blanket where Brian and I read them stories and give them massages (which we don't know how to do, so it basically consists of us rubbing lotion on them) before bed. I took off Charlotte's wet diaper and started putting a new one on her. She is quite squirmy these days so sometimes it takes awhile. I happened to look over at Jensen just as he had her old wet diaper clenched in his little fist, which was rapidly moving towards his mouth! I pulled the diaper away just in time, much to his disappointment. Anyhow, the rest of bedtime went off without a hitch.

Friday, I used a gift certificate Brian got me to get a hot stone massage at a local spa. He gave me the gift certificate several months ago for Mother's Day, but I tend to save gift certificates for a rainy day. (Sometimes I save them too long, forget I have them, and they expire. But that's another story.) I decided that Brian being gone qualified as a rainy day, and I enjoyed every minute of my spa time! Then I spent the afternoon at home, fed the kiddos their dinner, and got their bedtime routine started before my mom came and took over for me so I could go grab a late dinner with Tiff.

Brian spent his Friday doing this:

Whitewater rafting! And looking like a mix between a Smurf and the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man!

Saturday we pretty much hung out at home all day--my one errand consisted of driving through Walgreen's to pick up a prescription. We did enjoy a visit from Uncle Dot and Aunt Biff, whom Jensen and Charlotte absolutely love. I have a funny video that I took of Uncle Dot and Jensen, but since my computer hates me, I will just describe the video: Uncle Dot and Jensen are lying on their tummies facing each other. Uncle Dot screams at Jensen. Jensen screams back. Both laugh. Repeat. Oh, and of course Uncle Dot had to pose Jensen so that it looked like he was holding a can of dip, take his picture, and send it to Brian. Boys, huh?? So classy.

In the midst of all that fun, I decided to dress Charlotte and Jensen up for College Football Saturday! Aunt Biff got these outfits for Charlotte and Jensen before they were born. Jensen's is getting a bit snug, while Charlotte's is still a tad big.

Hook 'em! And Gig 'em!

Saturday evening my mom and I put the babies to bed, then my dad brought over sushi and the three of us ate and watched college football.

On Sunday, my wonderful friend Cristi organized a little get-together/girl time/pampering for my birthday, which is looming just around the corner...yikes! Seven of us girls got pedicures and had lunch at the cafe at Daired's. Cristi even brought cupcakes from the new(ish) place in Mansfield, Frosted Pink. It was my first experience with Frosted Pink cupcakes...if you haven't been yet, GO! They were delicious! We had lots of fun having lunch, cupcakes, wine, and girl talk. Then it was time for me to go back home, shake off the wine and mimosas, and get ready for Brian to come home!

In the old days, Brian would come home from a trip and find a clean house and sometimes even dinner in the oven...yep, that was the old days. I had good intentions of cleaning and all that, but it just didn't work out that way. Instead, the babies decided to launch a two-man protest against napping, and I got absolutely nothing done. So Brian came home to the three of us on the bed...Charlotte fussing, Jensen spitting up, and me probably looking like I'd seen better days. But I think he was so glad to get home that he didn't mind our frazzled state.

So anyways, I survived my first weekend without Brian (with a lot of help, of course). The funny thing was, I had expected to miss him and wish I was in Breckenridge with him. But I didn't. I missed him and wished he was home with us. Next up: Brian's first weekend alone with Charlotte and Jensen as I hightail it outta here and head to Austin for my 3rd Annual Girls' Trip!

Being a Twin

I have no idea what it's like to have a twin. If I had to guess, I would think it would be pretty awesome. But, at this point, there is usually at least once every day when I feel like I should apologize to Charlotte and Jensen for the fact that they are twins. They have to share toys, books, and most importantly, my time. It is hard to completely focus on two people at once, so often I feel like I am engaging one of them and the other is left to fend for him- or herself. (That might be a bit dramatic. It's not like I am leaving one of them home alone while I take the other out for ice cream or something like that.)

But recently Charlotte and Jensen have started to notice each other, and even interact with each other! It's almost like, if you look closely enough, you can see the very beginnings of a friendship developing. I am in awe of the feeling that comes with watching two little people whom you love so very much develop a relationship with one another. I think about my brother and the relationship that we have and I pray that Charlotte and Jensen will be as close as Todd and I are...but I'm guessing that, as twins, they'll be even closer.

Here is a little story-with-pictures of one of their first interactions with each other (this was a few weeks ago). I just happened to think they were in cute little outfits, so I decided to take some pics with the ever-handy iPhone camera. As I was taking pictures, they started their little interaction. I was laughing so hard and ended up taking almost 100 pictures (not kidding).

Started out like an ordinary picture...babies lying side-by-side on their blanket so Mom could take pictures.

Then Jensen decided that he might like to roll over. But he soon discovered that Charlotte was in his way. No problem, she can be used for leverage!

Then, all of a sudden, it was like he noticed that she was a little person. He was feeling her face and "talking" to her. 

She wasn't sure at first, but then decided he was okay. She smiled at him for the longest time!

Then, the conversation came to an end and Jensen continued his roll. Charlotte got a pair of chubby feet right in her eyes! I was so shocked when she didn't seem to mind at all.

Her patience was soon rewarded with a tasty treat!

With Charlotte's help, Jensen finally made it all the way over. She looks like she doesn't quite know what just happened.

But I guess she decided that playing with her brother is pretty fun...feet in her face and all!

Picture Day

Paige is a friend of a friend of mine (actually, she's a friend of several friends of mine) and she recently decided to take her hobby of photography to the next level and turn it into a business. I heard that she was recruiting volunteers to help her build her portfolio so I eagerly volunteered Charlotte and Jensen. She came over today and we got some beautiful pictures of the babies--she already has them edited and posted on her blog; how awesome is that??

Here is the link so you can check them out:

www.paigewalkerphotography.com/blog/

Enjoy!

Things We Learned This Weekend

I learned that a "Wine Crawl" is best enjoyed when it is not a billion degrees outside. Also, it helps if there is actually wine involved.

Jensen learned one of life's important lessons: a golden retriever makes the best pillow you'll ever find:

Brian learned that he can wait until I'm gone, then dress Jensen in UT gear for college football Saturday:

I learned that Charlotte is a better shopping companion than Jensen. (I also learned that I am not above being rude right back to crabby old ladies who complain that my stroller is in their way.)

Story about our shopping excursion: We went to Decorator's Warehouse and had lunch at the Rose Garden Tea Room. As you may know, that place is a haven for old ladies. I could not go two feet without getting stopped and told how cute they were. Most people said something along the lines of "Twins? You must have your hands full!" or "How sweet!" or something like that. But one woman came up to me, looked in the stroller, looked at me, and said, "You are so blessed. So blessed." For some reason, it really touched me...I nearly cried right there amongst the fake Christmas trees! Anyways, back to the lessons...

Brian learned that it's best to make two trips down the stairs rather than to toss a wet diaper from the second floor to the first floor. The diaper may explode on impact and make quite a mess.

I learned (and this is a big one!) that I am capable of taking Charlotte and Jensen out somewhere by myself! 

On Saturday, I took the kiddos on our first outing involving just the three of us. Brian had to go up to his office (which flooded last week) and check on some things. I needed to return some books to the library and get some more books to read to Charlotte and Jensen. So I decided it would be a perfect opportunity for me to take them out someplace by myself. You may be thinking that a library does not sound like the perfect place to try to deal with two babies by yourself...but since I used to work there, I knew that if I had any kind of crisis, my friends at the library would help me out rather than point and laugh (okay, they might laugh...but they would probably wait until after I left!). But I'm pleased to say that we did very well...no meltdowns, mishaps, diaper blowouts, etc. And of course, the first thing I did when I got home was text my friend Whitney and tell her about our outing! Only a fellow mom of twins can share the excitement of a successful first solo errand. Here are Charlotte and Jensen in the work room at the library. See that file cabinet in the top right corner? It used to be mine!

We learned that dressing your kids up to support your team does not necessarily lead to a victory.

 We also learned that Bailey is our most photogenic child. :)