Fifth Month Celebration

On the fifth month anniversary of the boys' birth, they had the pleasure of meeting many of their family members. We went to my aunt and uncle's house and introduced our little guys to a number of loving family members.

Elliott and Ezra with their Great-Grandpa Hudson.

Uncle Garry and Aunt Dava with the boys

My brother Hudson and Lindsey with the boys.

My cousin, Naomi, and Aunt Rowena holding Ezra and Elliott.

We managed to get a family picture and Eliza assured us that she could "hold" Elliott.

I was reminded, yet again, that it is hard to live so far away from half of our family, and I was happy we had the opportunity and the means to travel across the country to see so many loved ones.

At five months, Ezra and Elliott are giggling and smiling constantly. They love being held and will give smiles to just about anyone. Just recently, they both found their voice. By this, I mean they spent the majority of their waking hours squealing in delight. They aren't crying, they aren't laughing--they are making loud noises and trying desperately to talk. 

Recently, we like to face them towards each other and they laugh at each other and begin to make "dolphin noises" (as my mother describes it).

Ezra and Elliott definitely notice each other these days. We like to practice their "twintuition" because it is so much fun to watch them staring and then smiling at one another.

People constantly ask us, "How do you tell them apart from each other?"

Well, it can be difficult to the untrained eye. Although they have similar personalities and nearly identical appearances, they continue to be unique. Each baby has expressive eyes, but looking at them is a completely different experience. Ezra is typically serene and calm, while Elliott is wide-eyed and curious. That being said, the boys have a tendency to change things up and confuse us from time to time.

Both of the boys are sensitive to touch. If they are crying, as soon as you hold them, they instantly light up. In their sleep, they reach out to each other and sometimes (if they are really upset), just holding their tiny hands soothes them immensely.

And size wise, the boys are enormous (as you can see). My brother-in-law, Kenny, calls them "linebacker" babies, as they weigh nearly 18 pounds each. People always ask how they got so big so quickly, and I just explain that they still nurse every 2-3 hours. We implemented a tentative schedule, which has helped me maintain my sanity, but they still cannot manage to sleep through the night without being fed at least two times.

Nathan and I are still tired, but we love being parents to Eliza and these boys.

(p.s. One month to my nursing/pumping/breastfeeding goal!! Not like I'm counting, though...)

Board Game Predictions

This weekend, Nathan and I went to a couple of the local Goodwills. Nathan loves vintage clothing, and I enjoy looking for books, games, puzzles, and other things I don't need.

We found a couple of Disney Princess chairs and a pink Radio Flyer tricycle for Eliza, so the trip was instantly a success. I then wandered back to the board games and found a brand new game of LIFE for only $1.50. Nathan and I have talked about LIFE recently and reminisced fondly over the game and memories of playing it years ago. We've been looking for a used edition for a while, so I was pretty excited to find one in such good condition.

In a rare afternoon moment of all the children sleeping, Nathan and I opened up the game and relived our childhood for a few minutes. I told Nathan how I always wanted to land on the "TWINS!" space anytime I played the game and said for the millionth time that we should always be careful (and insanely happy) about what we wish for.

A few spins into the game, Nathan landed on the "Twins!" spot. We laughed.

A couple of spins later (I was behind him a little), I landed on "Twins!" We laughed again and joked saying, "What are the chances!?" I assured Nathan that the chances of us both landing on the spot were probably lower than actually having twins.

Nathan didn't land on any more children, but I picked up a "It's a Girl!" a few moves later. We laughed that my little blue minivan in the game was full of children--two boys and a girl. It's amusing when reality is mimicked in a game of LIFE.

The correlation to reality ended abruptly when I landed on "It's a Girl,"which was immediately followed by "Adopt Twins!!"

Nathan made sure to point out that our minivan was already full, so there would be no room for another set of twins.

Brilliant observation.

(I'll find room).

Quintessential Ezra and Elliott

This picture really describes their individual personalities perfectly.

As you can see, Ezra is contemplative and a bit more serious. Conversely, Elliott has playful eyes and a mischievous grin on his face almost always. I love that they are identical (by definition), but obviously so very different .

They are well on their way to being best friends. In the last couple of weeks, they really have taken notice of one another and smile and coo when they see their brother.

And I love how they still reach for each other automatically.

Elliott tends to reach for Ezra first...and Ezra tends to suck on Elliott whenever he is given the chance.

Dramatic Irony

Definition: Dramatic irony is when the words and actions of the characters of a work of literature have a different meaning for the reader than they do for the characters. This is the result of the reader having a greater knowledge than the characters themselves.

A fine example of dramatic irony (in my opinion): 

A year ago today, I took a pregnancy test before I left for work. It was three days earlier than the early pregnancy test recommended, but I couldn't wait another day. I was mildly surprised when a faint blue line showed up almost immediately. Because I wasn't sure about the results of the test, I didn't wake Nathan up before I went in to work. The line was that faint. Instead, I left the test out for him to see. An hour or so later, he sent me a message, saying that he was also unsure if the test was absolutely positive. We were really excited about the possibility of pregnancy, though. (Looking back, I realize the test was positive so early due to the extreme about of hormones associated with a twin pregnancy).

I was trying to remember the details of our conversation and decided to look at our chat history on Gmail. I couldn't help but smile when I read this:

Nathan: anywho, I had a dream you were pregnant with twins last night, so this pregnancy thing must be true!

9:53 AM really though, my dream of twins was pretty cool. i wouldn't mind 'em. :)

  as many as can come in one more delivery, bring it on. because that's all the chance we're giving it. haha

9:54 AM (and I say that meaning a scale of one to two)

With the knowledge we have today (that yes, I was, in fact, pregnant with twins), this conversation was pretty hilarious to read. Twins seemed "cool" because it was such an impossibility. And due to my hyperemesis (extreme all day sickness) with Eliza, we always joked that we should have as many kids as possible at once in order to get the pregnancy part over with. We wanted more than two children, but didn't know if I could handle being so sick two or three more times. Well, we certainly got what we asked for!

 I love how things worked out so perfectly. We are incredibly blessed to have been given two babies at once.

(I thought long and hard before I actually decided this could be an example of dramatic irony. So, if in your mind, this is not dramatic irony--I am sorry. And so is my English degree.)

Cross Country Snapshots

Our trip, thus far, according to my iPhone:

We headed to Utah and soon realized both of the boys were teething. 

Fortunately (for us), Ezra and Elliott didn't complain much and have proven they can successfully sleep anywhere. We attempted to stick to our schedule as much as possible, and the boys were incredibly well-behaved at the hotels and in the car.

We did our best to entertain Eliza in the car and at the various hotels. She enjoyed watching Little Mermaid countless times in the van, wearing sunglasses, taking pictures with mom, and playing with her brothers. By the time we got to South Carolina, she was more than ready to be done with our trip. 

Eliza's favorite stop (by far) was Provo. She enjoyed playing with friends and developed a particular fondness for sidewalk chalk. She has made several requests to play with sidewalk chalk since we arrived in Columbia. She will be disappointed once she realizes I cannot draw robots as well as Katy and Becca.

Although the trip was lengthy, it was worth it to see our friends and pick up a great new car.

We've been recovering the last few days (and I still feel exhausted), and we're definitely glad we don't have to go anywhere for the next few weeks.

(Ezra on the left, Elliott on the right. They are so identical these days!)

Call Us Crazy

Is driving 2, 877 miles across the country with three little ones a crazy idea?

Yes. Yes it is.

That being said, we are currently 1, 588 miles into our trip and things are going pretty well.  We've seen some of our dear friends, visited with family, eaten Chick-fil-a, and enjoyed the (continual) change in scenery. Additionally, Eliza and I have bonded while watching The Little Mermaid thanks to the awesome DVD player in our new van.

Yes, you read that right. We have a new van! It is the most amazing and spacious creation ever.

We love the automatic sliding doors and abundance of cup holders. It really doesn't take much to make us happy :)

We still have three days of traveling left, and I am praying that everything continues to go smoothly.

Wish us luck!

Baby Animals

That post title caught your attention, right? I bet you are hoping to see some baby animals, right? Well, I will not disappoint you!

Last weekend, Nathan and I decided it would be nice to celebrate feeling better and planned to do something fun as a family. We thought Eliza would enjoy seeing the baby chicks and ducks at one of the local stores (and I was dying to see them myself), so we packed up all three kids and headed out.

When we pulled into the parking lot, we saw some cages with lambs and baby goats (I know they are called kids, but it would sound strange to say I saw kids in cages). The kids were allowed to go inside the cages to pet the animals, but I wasn't sure Eliza would be brave enough to actually do it.

 She was hesitant at first....

but then, the goat started running around her legs, acting just like an excited puppy, and she couldn't resist petting him.

Nathan has been saying he wants a pet goat for years now, so maybe it isn't that bad of an idea. They are pretty adorable.

We finally made it inside to see the chicks and the ducks.Eliza wasn't too impressed, but I was in love.

The chicks were the cutest things I have ever seen. 

Nathan also wants a few chickens, and I find myself being more okay with the idea as long as we get them when they are little baby chicks.

I decided it was time to leave, though, when Nathan started asking for a puppy....

This was the first times the boys had been out to somewhere other than the doctor's office or the local Chinese restaurant. It was also the very first time Nathan and I had been out with all three kids at once. It was a pretty momentous occasion for us. I fully expected to be bombarded with questions and comments from random strangers, but no one said a word! Of course, everyone stared at the double stroller, but the baby animals were apparently cuter and more exciting than our human babies.

Now our trip to Costco is an entirely different story that I'll save for later. I guess people had warned me about going out with twins, but it was kind of crazy!

Times are a Changin'

Just two years ago, Nathan and I discussed how we would never buy a minivan. They were large, they were ugly, and they were made for older women who took their kids to soccer. Basically, we felt too cool (and young) for a minivan.

Well, trying to fit three carseats in the backseat of a compact car will definitely make you rethink hating minivans.We need a large car, and I fully embrace looking like a future soccer mom. Furthermore, I actually think Honda Odysseys are beautiful.

Can you tell I've grown up?

I think the remnants of teenaged Celia just died. It's official. I'm an adult.

Bring on the minivan!

This is the one we have our sights set on. If you have any feedback regarding minivan preferences, please feel free to share your thoughts!