I Survived.

Friday was a momentous occasion...Charlotte and Jensen (and I) attended our first play group! I know that most babies have already attended a play group by the time they're nine months old, but what can I say? I guess we're just homebodies! Anyways, a member of my multiples group volunteered to host a play group at her house in Fort Worth, and I was very excited to attend.

Okay, that was a lie. A whopper, actually. Because I was not excited. I was nervous...as in, about-to-crap-my-pants nervous. All week long I was chock full of worries about this play group. First, I worried about the kids. I had visions of Jensen practicing his open-field tackles on unsuspecting babies while Charlotte hung out in the corner by herself examining the carpet fibers and shrieking if anyone came near her. Then, I calmed myself down about the kids. They would be fine...they always are. So with that worry out of the way, a much more, well, worrisome worry began to consume me and one specific word kept making its way into my brain.

Inept.

What if I was the only mom there who didn't know what she was doing? What if everyone else made having twins look downright easy while I fumbled around like an idiot? What if they all knew all kinds of twin-raising secrets that I don't know? What if, compared to all the other moms, I was totally inept?

Long story short, I wasn't. I discovered that us twin parents are all pretty much in the same boat. We did have a great time at the play group...four moms, one dad, ten babies (that's five sets of twins for you non-math majors). Yes, it was mass chaos. Here are a few pics:

Charlotte and Jensen (in the front) with their new friends.

Little Charlotte playing with the big boys (Jackson and Wyatt).

We decided (at the very end of the play group) to take a group picture of all the babies. Roughly half of them were not happy about it.

Anyways, we all survived play group. Of course, not without a few mishaps: First, I left one of the minivan's sliding doors open the entire time I was there...with the keys right inside. Not that unusual for me these days. Second, Jensen did tackle one other baby...fortunately it was a boy who was bigger than him as opposed to a smaller baby! Third, Charlotte had a couple of her signature meltdowns (but so did pretty much every other baby there, so no biggie). And remember how I was about to crap my pants from nervousness? Well, apparently Jensen was nervous too...because he did crap his pants on our drive to Fort Worth, so we arrived at play group with one very stinky boy who needed to be changed! One of the funniest parts of going to the play group was how Charlotte and Jensen acted when they got home. They crawled back and forth through the living room just grinning at each other like they were so happy to be in their own space. They were also exhausted...they didn't really act like themselves for 24 hours or so...Brian called it their "playdate hangover."

In other weekend news, I spent Saturday having a much-needed girls day/night out! Cristi, Kristen, Michelle and I headed to Dallas where we brunched, got manis/pedis, shopped, and finally had dinner and spent the night at Hotel ZaZa. How girly can you get?? I was thinking I would only join the girls for part of the festivities, but my wonderful husband insisted that I needed to get out for awhile, so he (and my mom and Auntie Tammy) were on baby patrol. I was so happy to see my little stinkers this morning, but they were in great hands while I enjoyed myself with the girls. I was a very bad picture-taker, but here are some hotel pics:

Kristen livin' large in our room.

Turn-down service included this little note and a candy bar on each bed!

We capped off our weekend with a lazy Sunday followed by dinner at my parents' house. My brother, aka The Diet Saboteur, cooked up yet another delicious feast:

I requested this salmon again.

Three different flavors of buffalo wings and two different flavors of fried shrimp (all made in his deep fryer).

So I will be going to bed tonight happy...and very full! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the lovely weather before our next "Arctic Blast" arrives!

Wordless Wednesday

Nine Months!

My beautiful babies are nine months old...they have officially been "outside" babies longer than they were "inside" babies! This month has been characterized by constant motion...Charlotte and Jensen are definitely on the move! I feel like they are developing at such a rapid pace and learning new skills (both physical and intellectual) every day. It is more difficult than the days when they simply lounged on their blankets in the living room, but it is so much more fun as well. Being there to watch them learn new things is absolutely priceless. I can actually feel myself beaming with pride several times a day!

This month definitely held some challenges, as well. Jensen's first ear infection. Charlotte teething. And sleep issues. Jensen sleeps like a log at night unless he is sick...and he was sick this month. He did, however, nap great...but Charlotte didn't. There were several days when I just felt worn out from them tag-teaming me with the whole "one is up at night; the other is up during the day" thing. There were also several days when I pretty much made my mom stay with me until Brian got home from work because they were both so crabby that I felt like I couldn't handle it. But things seem to have calmed down a bit and both kiddos have been sleeping well the past week or so (thank goodness!).

Here is a little bit about what Charlotte and Jensen have been up to this month.

Charlotte Anne at Nine Months

(Height? Weight? We go to the doctor on February 2nd)

(This cracks me up because her feet look huge--in reality, they are still tiny!)

(Also, the lighting in these pics is weird because I took them early in the morning. Too dark for no flash, too light for flash.)

Charlotte Anne--she definitely kept me on my toes this month! She struggled and struggled with crawling to the point where I was about to call the pediatrician (it was such a weird crawl and I can't even describe it. She would even roll her wrists under and crawl on the backs of her hands!). But about a week ago, it all seemed to click and now she crawls like a champ! Charlotte suffered from a lot of teething pain this month (she has four teeth now and is working on her fifth), which made for some very crabby days and loooong nights. Now that her front four teeth are through, she has been so much more pleasant...such a sweet little Peanut! She still does get us up pretty much every night to give her teething gel, but she's usually back to sleep afterward. 

One of my very favorite things about Charlotte these days is the expression of pride she gets on her face when she accomplishes something. She has recently begun pulling up on things (mostly me, but also the windowsill, her book bin, and a few of her toys) and when she first got it down she looked so pleased with herself. It cracks me up every time. 

Her first time crawling through the tunnel...she was so proud!

She has a few favorite toys, but she loves to play with toy cars! Needless to say, Brian is quite pleased with this and I think he might have fantasies of Charlotte becoming a car designer.

She examines the cars the way she examines everything else...with her little pointer fingers. So serious!

Even though Charlotte is now pulling up on things, she doesn't exactly have the best balance just yet. So she usually looks a bit funny:

 

And when she wants to get down from a standing position, she does so very slowly and very carefully. This is in such sharp contrast to Jensen's method of getting down, which is to just let go and see where you land!

Charlotte continues to look just like her Daddy but she has quite a few of my mannerisms and facial expressions.

That face is all me.

Charlotte loves to hang out in her highchair...I think this is due to her observant nature. She loves to have a good vantage point and view of everything that's going on. She is content to hang out in her highchair forever...unfortunately for me, her brother isn't! I know she is my daughter so of course I'm going to think this, but I think Charlotte is a very smart little girl. She waved "bye-bye" for the first time the other day, and it was pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen! She can also show you where her toes are and she says "dada" (which she has been saying for awhile, but now I am fairly certain that she knows that Brian is "dada"). You can tell just by looking at her that the little wheels in her head are always turning!

Charlotte is, despite being a sweetheart, still not what you would call "patient." In fact, we like to call her "Alpha Baby." She must be the first one put in her highchair, the first one taken out of her highchair, the first one given a sippy cup, the first one taken out of her crib when nap time is over, etc. etc. etc. And if she's second? She screams. So I am kind of at a loss as to how to handle this...do I always give her what she wants first to avoid screaming, or do I sometimes let Jensen go first to teach her that sometimes in life, you just have to wait your turn? Is nine months old too young for lessons like that? Charlotte also lets us know when she is not doing exactly what she wants to be doing...on the only nice day this month (that neither baby had a cold) I was so excited to take the babies for a walk. We got a few blocks up the street and...meltdown! Screaming, crying meltdown! She just didn't want to be in her stroller anymore. So home we went, where she played happily. She's a feisty little Bug!

Here are a few more pics of Charlotte's ninth month:

This is her signature scrunched-up-face smile. Love it.

Talking to the backyard.

Big girl drinking her bottle by herself!

Jensen Todd at Nine Months
(Height? Weight?)

Jensen Todd--my little dude. It killed me when he was sick this month...you could just tell that he didn't feel good, but he was never fussy. He was just sad. I wouldn't have known he had an ear infection if I hadn't been a first-time paranoid mom who insisted on taking him to the doctor just to check and make sure it wasn't just a cold. He is just a sweet-natured, patient little boy. Sometimes I watch the babies from the kitchen while I work on dinner (or baby food) and they play in the living room...every once in awhile, I will look in to find Jensen watching me. When I catch his eye he gives me a huge smile before going back to playing. It seriously makes my heart feel like it is going to burst into a million pieces. (Although, he does say "dada" and not "mama"...we are going to have to work on that!)

Jensen is still a wild man. Bath time ends with whoever is bathing him getting just as wet as he is because he splashes crazily the entire time. He is apparently going to be a climber...this month, he climbed up onto a leather cube and then up onto the sofa...yikes! Jensen also has great balance and often pulls up on something and lets go with one or both hands (and can actually stand unassisted for a few seconds before falling). I think he is going to be walking sooner rather than later...not sure I'm ready for that! He also has mastered the whole concept of "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line", meaning he climbs/crawls over whatever is directly in his line of motion as opposed to going around whatever it is:

And sometimes he stops and takes a break on whatever it is he was trying to crawl over.

He's pretty tough and rarely cries when he has a fall or bump...we call him "Bruiser" and my brother has called him "Bull" (as in bulldozer). And I don't know whether it was sheer force on my part or what, but my little man actually seems to have become more cuddly! He crawls over to me to be picked up and will let me hold him and rock him (for a little while, anyways) without trying to get away. 

He likes to cuddle with Grandma, too. I cannot believe how huge he looks in this picture. He is definitely not a little baby anymore.

Even though Jensen is very patient, he has begun having temper tantrums. (We call Jensen "Mr. Man", so when he has these tantrums we call them "Mantrums." Aren't we hilarious??) I cannot figure out exactly what triggers them, but sometimes when he is playing he gets really upset and begins to fuss and bang his arms up and down. I'm sure it's normal for babies to get frustrated because there is a lot they want to do but can't...and I have heard several horror stories about what a terrible temper Brian had when he was younger (if you know him, you're probably surprised by this...he completely outgrew his temper and hopefully Jensen will too). Anyways, it's yet another thing I'm not exactly sure how to deal with. I will have lots of questions for the pediatrician at our nine-month appointment!

And another random tidbit: Jensen still has zero teeth. Still waiting on that first chomper to make an appearance. 

Here are a few more pics of my man's ninth month:

Chubby feet! I literally could not find any shoes at Target that would fit him...so it's off to Stride Rite we will have to go...sorry Buddy, you got Morlock feet!

Just hanging out in the book basket.

So what have Charlotte and Jensen been up to together this month? We've been doing a lot of hanging out in our jammies. We do have a new favorite hangout...the master bedroom/bathroom. If I open the door to the bedroom, they begin crawling frantically towards it (and this often ends with Jensen trampling his sister). This area isn't quite baby-proofed so I usually wait until Brian is home and then we all hang out in the master bathroom as a family! One time my brother came over to find all four of us in the master closet, which he thought was quite odd...but the babies love to explore in there!

Mmmmmm...delicious shower door! (And please, try not to be jealous of the gold trim. We are super fancy.)

Diaper babies!

Haha...look at Jensen's hair!

Sharing (for a brief moment)

My view from the kitchen sink. This is one of my favorite sights.

Everyone told us that when you have babies, time flies. I think Brian and I would agree that the first three months crawled. The next three months picked up the pace a bit. But these last three months have indeed flown by so quickly that I feel like just yesterday we were in the pumpkin patch taking Charlotte and Jensen's six-month pictures. Now, we are thinking of ideas for their first birthday party. Brian and I also agree that nine months is definitely the best age yet...even though the babies are constantly in motion and wear us out every day, they are so much fun. They keep us laughing nonstop...one night after we put Charlotte and Jensen to bed, I was downstairs washing bottles when I realized that my cheeks hurt from smiling. It is an amazing feeling when you realize that your family makes you that happy.

Happy Nine Months, Charlie Bug and Mr. Man! We love you more and more every day.

Saturday = Birthdays X 3

Saturday was a big day of birthday celebrations for Charlotte and Jensen (and Mom and Dad, too!).

Birthday Celebration #1: Happy 9-Month Birthday, Charlotte and Jensen!
Brian and I woke up and were excited to get the day of birthdays started...unfortunately, when we went to get Charlotte and Jensen out of bed, we discovered that sometime during the night, the upstairs heater stopped working. The thermostat in their room said 62 degrees (which is not, despite what my Canadian mother said, a "perfect" temperature for sleeping). So Brian called the AC repair company and headed to the hardware store to get a space heater to use in the meantime. While he was doing all this, I took on the job of taking Charlotte and Jensen's 9-month pictures (I'm a stickler for doing it on the exact day of their monthly birthdays, and I knew we wouldn't have time later in the day). As has been the trend in recent months, they did not turn out so hot. Example:

Mmmmmm, who needs birthday cake when you have this tasty window?

Birthday Celebration #2: Happy 2nd Birthday, Cailyn!
Good news: the AC repairman could come out that day to fix the heater. Bad news: he would be there at 11:00 a.m., which was the exact time of the day's first birthday party. I was very excited about this party because not only is Cailyn really stinkin' cute, but this was Charlotte and Jensen's first non-family birthday party. So we decided that I would take the babies by myself while Brian stayed home with the AC repairman. I first called Cristi to make sure she would be at the party and that she was up for some baby-wrangling so I wouldn't be on my own, and we headed to the Samuels' house. I couldn't be happier with Charlotte and Jensen's behavior at the party! They were so great...Cristi and I took them in and they immediately began playing with toys and socializing, and there was not a meltdown to be had the entire time! Jensen was all over the place as usual, and Charlotte found Cailyn's papasan chair, took a seat, and did some serious observing. A good time was had by all...and check out this precious birthday girl:

Cailyn getting serious about blowing out those candles (with some help from sister Camryn)

After the festivities, we hopped in the car and drove home for some lunch and a nap before it was time to drive to Dallas for...

Birthday Celebration #3: Happy 3rd Birthday, Piper!
Charlotte and Jensen's cousin Piper turned 3 the day after Christmas, but her party wasn't until yesterday. We drove up a few minutes late to find tons of people (and kids) and a huge bounce house in the front yard! I was afraid Charlotte and Jensen would be overwhelmed but once again they surprised me and were total angels the entire time we were there. Charlotte chilled with various family members and played on the floor with a few "big girls" and Jensen was once again all over the place. He had his first experience on a trampoline:

He crawled on and off and ate a bit of grass while he was at it.

Jensen had also really been eyeing the bounce house. He is too small to get in with the other kiddos, so while everyone else was enjoying their cupcakes...

 Birthday girl Piper chowing down! Yummy!

...we let Jensen go crazy in the bounce house. I opened the flap and put him inside and he began crawling around without any hesitation whatsoever. The boy knows no fear.

Little dude, big bounce house.

After I put him in, Brian was like, "How are you going to get him out of there?" Fortunately Jensen came right out to me so I didn't have to squeeze myself through the entrance.

So we had a great time at Piper's party as well. We did not, however, have a great time on the way home as we sat in Dallas traffic listening to Charlotte scream at the top of her lungs for about 3/4 of the trip to our house. I suppose if she's going to melt down, it's better to do it in the car as opposed to in a house full of people, but it doesn't make it any easier for Brian and me to listen to (especially since nothing calms her down during her car seat meltdowns). Poor kiddo. Despite the car meltdown (and the $250 to fix the heater) we had a great day and were so happy to be able to celebrate Cailyn and Piper's birthdays with them. Charlotte and Jensen's 9-month birthday post coming soon!