Winter ONEderland Birthday Parties

I've learned a lot over the last year, about my limits, my strengths, about being a parent of twins...and also when not to schedule a birthday party for those twins.  You know when not to schedule a birthday party for the twins?  On the weekend of their birthday, that's when.  Because these kids apparently really are blizzard babies.  And the snow their first birthday created made this past weekend a super fun, SUPER tiring one. 

So tiring, in fact, that I still don't have it in me to write a post to go along with the pictures I'm about to share.  Maybe I'll come back later and fill in the details.  Then again, I do have one year old twins...so maybe not.

First, in CT on their actual birthday:

This Saturday we threw the first real party for the boys, in MA:

And finally, Sunday the rescheduled party, back in CT.

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us.  It means a lot to us.

One Year Photo Shoot & Birthday Party Time!

I can't believe it.  In a week and a half, our boys will be turning one.  ONE!  How the heck did that happen?  Parenthood is truly the biggest time warp I've ever experienced.  That saying, "The days are long and the years are short" is totally 100% true.  I really can't believe it's been almost a year...

We're in the thick of it now, planning two birthday bashes**-one in CT, and one in MA.  Lots of craft projects and menu planning.  And this past weekend, a one year photo shoot.

Anyone who's ever paid a photographer for studio time knows it's not cheap.  In fact, most of the photographers I've looked at want no less than $250 to take photos of our family for us. They're gorgeous, yes, but we just don't have that kind of money floating around right now.  Because we really wanted formal pictures though, I decided to take matters into my own hands.  Instead of paying a professional photographer hundreds of dollars, I hired my niece Mariah for A LOT less to spend a couple of hours snapping pics for us.  I bought (on black Friday) a few yards of white fleece and a few strands of white lights.  I made a banner out of card stock, twine and duct tape and bought a bunch of balloons.  And then then we just spent some time taking tons of pictures to ensure we'd have a handful of keepers.  The results, while not professional grade, are amazing.  And I feel proud that I saved our family a butt-load of money (for diapers) and that my niece did such a wonderful job. It was a lot of work (we were all sweaty after the shoot was over!), but well worth it.  Take a look at the results:

 

 

 

**Jack & Bobby's wishlist can be found HERE. 

Santa's Elves: Week 45

Babies on a Plane

Last week Brian and I met my whole family in Orlando for a week-long, fun-in-the-sun vacation.  The babies did great.  They have once again proved to be laid back, go with the flow kind of kids, and for that, I am so grateful.  It's always a little nerve wracking taking twin infants anywhere new.  It takes a lot of planning and sometimes research to ensure that everything we need will be available to us.  And if not, it takes a little creativity to figure out how we'll manage. 

We've been traveling with the boys since they were a month old, so we know they are resilient.  But our travel has always been by car.  I've heard horror stories about flying with babies and the trouble they have with their little ears, sitting still or staying quiet, and rude, mean strangers on the flight treating parents badly because of a crying baby.  Multiply that by two, and I was kind of freaking out internally.  I read stories and know of some that made little gift bags, if you will, for fellow passengers, thanking them for their patience and debated making them for us.  But then I came to my senses.  These are 9 month old babies, who don't know any better.  They are, for the most part, very easy going, smiley babies who aren't any trouble.  If, for some reason, they were going to act up, I wasn't going to bribe our neighbors to be nice to us.  No, I was going to demand respect and kindness, should we have any trouble.  I had a few comebacks in my pocket, ready for anyone who was stupid enough to make comments about our crew.  Luckily, I never once had to even consider going to battle with our fellow travelers.

Because Jack and Bobby fly like seasoned veterans. 

They didn't even bat an eyelash during take off or landing.  If the change in cabin pressure hurt their ears, we didn't know it because they were either sleeping or laughing or flirting with people next to us.  It was amazing, and I'm so proud of them.  Even after being on the road (and in the air) for a very long stretch, they were gems.  It. Was. Amazing.

As for our neighbors, they were also amazing.  I boarded all planes (4 total) carrying both boys myself, as Brian was carrying our bags.  As I walked down the aisle, most people smiled and waved, said things like, "God bless you", or "You've got your hands full!".  And when I sat down with both boys, all but one person offered to hold one for me.  On this trip only, I threw away my "no stranger" rule and happily handed over a baby.  It was great!  That said, it was also very tiring.  We opted to bring our car seats and our stroller with us, because we had two layovers that were several hours long.  At every boarding, we had to pack them up in their covers and walk them down the ramp.  While also toting two babies and two pieces of carry on bags.  One passenger offered to help, but otherwise we were on our own.  (Which is why I carried the boys-Brian carried all 5 bags himself!)  It was a bit of a cluster you know what and we got a lot of attention and admiring stares.

Oh, and while holding a 9 month old baby on your lap during a flight, you cannot participate in the in-flight beverage distribution.  Nope.  It doesn't work!  On the way home we bought our own bottles of water and shared them.  It worked so much better.

Here are a few observations about vacationing with twin infants:

1. Pay extra for the airport parking that is right there.  Do not try to save $100 by parking in the economy parking.  It adds an extra step to an already tiring process.  And also, you will almost miss your flight.

2.  Airport security with two babies is a nightmare.  Thankfully we were able to get into a faster line with less people each way, but we still managed to almost miss our first flight, and we lost a blanket.  We also got stared at.  A lot.

3. No matter how many people you are vacationing with, it will still not be relaxing.  Perhaps when they are teenagers?

4. Babies move.  Put your alcohol in sippy cups, or else they'll drop them.

5.  People on vacation don't care if you have a baby in a stroller.  They're still rude when they "have" to get to an attraction. 

6.  Having to wait in line for an attraction with a sleeping baby in 90 degree weather is pretty much like being in hell.  I never realized how not baby friendly Disney was until I went last week.

7.  Even though they might be too little to remember the vacation, it's still worth going.  We have the pictures and the memories.  And seeing their little faces examine new things was so cool.

The boys most enjoyed:

Playing in the pool (a complete surprise-he usually isn't thrilled!)
Eating french toast with syrup for breakfast every day
Playing with cousin Jameson
It's a Small World
Seeing the Penguins at Sea World

Overall, a great trip!

Forever

There is no way I could possibly begin to recap the crazy wonderfulness that has been happening over the last two months.

The boys were christened.  They rolled over, smiled, laughed, and begin interacting with each other.  They babble all of the time.  THEY SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT.  Their little feet were dipped in the fountains downtown.  They went to the Boston Aquarium.  They swam in a pool for the first time.  We went on our first family camping trip.  They can almost sit up on their own.

They love: bouncing in their new jump-a-roos, fart noises (makes 'em laugh every time!), hearing mama sing, hearing and watching dada play the guitar, cuddling, television, being tickled, Green Eggs and Ham and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, playing with their crinkle stars, walking in the slings, hanging out in the cockpit, and eating books.

They hate: tummy time (when we put them on their bellies, not when they roll over on their own), peas (Jack), being put in the slings (the process), hand dryers in public bathrooms, the vacuum (Bobby) and sitting still.

People often comment that our boys are so good-natured.  It's rare they fuss or cry and when they do, it's because they are hungry or tired (or scared-see hand dryers and vacuums, above).  They usually don't even cry when they have a dirty diaper.  We know it's early, and there are many phases coming which will probably change this (hello teething!), but for now, we'll take it.  We feel very, very lucky to have such happy babies.

Not a day goes by without us looking at our boys with wonder.  They fill us with such joy, such pride...love in its purest form.  We made them.  They are ours and we are theirs.  It's only been 6 months, and yet, it's been forever.

Peas and Oats and Pears, Oh My!

Pears, Peas & Squash

Maybe it's because I couldn't breast feed my boys. Or maybe it's because I want to keep their little bodies as clean and pure as I can for as long as I can. Or it could be about the money. It could be all of those reasons, and on some level, it is all of them. But mostly, it's about me loving to cook for the people I love. And feeding them. Man do I love to feed people. So it was pretty much a no-brainer that I was going to make all of our baby food when the boys reached that point.

As we rounded the corner on their 6 month birthday, my excitement started to grow. I can't explain it, really, why I was freakishly excited to steam fruits and vegetables. I mean, it's steaming. Not roasting or braising or searing. Not very sophisticated or even fun. And let's not even talk about the fact that it's unseasoned. But still, I was giddy with excitement. I went shopping for a new steaming basket, extra big ice cube trays and containers. I pulled out my handy dandy Cuisinart boat motor and lined all of the tools up in a row, making sure they were ready for the big day. And I researched which fruits and vegetables had the most calories vs. vitamins vs. fiber vs...everything.   And I waited.

And waited.  And waited...because everything I've been given says wait until they are 6 months old.

But really, what's a couple of weeks going to do?  Right?  So I stopped waiting.  And I fed my babies solid food.

And for the most part, they loved it!  Their first solid food was peas.  Bobby was a pea freak.  He loved them.  He demanded I keep feeding him and when I stopped to feed his brother, he protested by pounding his little hand on his tray.  Jack, on the other hand, would have happily let me feed his brother all of his peas.  While he didn't hate them, he certainly didn't love them like Bobby did.  But he tolerated them, and that was OK with me.

Bobby says, "Mama!  Stop taking our picture and FEED ME!"  Jack says, "I'll happily give you 1000 smiles if you just forget about those peas."

Over the past few weeks the boys have tried peas, squash, pears, green beans, bananas, sweet potatoes and apples.  They are about to try chicken, peaches and Brussels sprouts.  I really hope they like the sprouts.  We eat those a lot in this house.

They've done really well with all of the food so far.  Bobby had a small rash after eating the apples, but both the pediatrician and me think it was a heat rash and not an allergic reaction.  We're really hoping that neither boy is allergic to anything, especially because Bobby already has one allergy we have to worry about (milk).  I think Bobby's favorite food so far is actually the peas, and Jack's is apples.  They both love the banana and like the rest just fine.  Neither are psyched about the baby oatmeal I give them sometimes, but if I swirl in the fruit of the day, they gobble it up.

Making the food is ridiculously easy.  It takes less than an hour for me to make 3 trays of food, which right now lasts a little over a week.  And knowing that what I'm giving them is clean, preservative free, natural food makes it even easier for me to justify the effort.  And truthfully, making the food is actually cheaper than buying the small containers of store bought baby food.  Even when compared to buying organic.  (I think the exception to this is going to be the chicken.  That was really expensive today when I bought it, but I don't think I could feed the boys jarred chicken anyway, just because of my own ick meter.) 

Home made baby food for the win!