Happiness Is...

Pushing two boys in a swing...

and bouncing with your little girl on a seesaw.

It was a pretty wonderful afternoon.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Long Hair

Just a few weeks ago, Eliza suddenly became obsessed with the movie Tangled. It's common knowledge that she loves Disney Princesses, but she wasn't too interested in Rapunzel or watching the movie. However, everything changed once she came home from her friend Ahnna's house, where she had dressed up in a purple Rapunzel dress. She has been hooked ever since.

I have to admit that I am really enjoying this new phase. I feel like our entire family needed a break from The Little Mermaid and Cinderella. The past two Fridays, we have watched Tangled for our "movie night" and it has been fun. I actually really enjoy the movie and the music. Eliza has loved reading her Tangled book (which I found at a garage sale last year and she refused to show any interest in) and sleeps with it in her bed most nights.

Eliza now prefers her purple dress (which is huge news), and it feels strange to see her pink dresses laying in the corner of the playroom. Ahnna also had an amazing braid made of yarn that Eliza loved. Her mom, my friend Wendy, said it was easy to make and really inexpensive, so Nathan and I decided to make Eliza some  Rapunzel hair this afternoon.

We took two different shades of yellow yarn, put two PVC pipes forty inches apart, and wove the string around the poles. Cheryl and I held the pipes, while Nathan went back and forth with the yarn.

After we had a fairly substantial amount of yarn around the pipes, we tied one end with a small piece of yarn and attached it to a hair band. At the other end, we cut the yarn in order to braid it.

A few minutes later, we had a very happy little girl who finally had Rapunzel hair!

Single Mom (for a few days)

Last weekend, Nathan went to Portland to hang out with his older brother, Dustin, and his family. I was mentally prepared for the trip, but I severely underestimated how tired I would be after four days. Nathan left Friday afternoon and returned late Monday night. When he finally walked through the door, I left him with two crying babies and headed to bed. Welcome home! (He wondered why I wasn't more excited to see him. I had to explain that I was too tired to smile.)

Being a parent is undoubtedly rewarding, but also exhausting at times. Going through the day and never having a break from 7 am to 8 pm was somewhat overwhelming. I would find myself mentally saying, "I can do this! I can do this!" Then, I was actually saying the words out loud, motivating myself to stay energized and positive throughout the day. And it worked. And I was happy, and I did an amazing job (if I do say so myself!). 

The babies were fussing and teething, Eliza suddenly had a 103 degree fever, and I handled it all without Nathan...and we survived! I went to bed at 9:00 each night because I was that tired, and before I fell asleep, I wondered: "How do people do this alone?" I gained a small glimpse into what it would be like to be a parent who never had any help (and even then, my mother-in-law was there to help if I asked most nights). I also realized that I am capable of being a positive, loving parent in a stressful situations and that attitude in crazy moments absolutely makes a difference. 

Most importantly, I realized how lucky I am to have Nathan around all the time. It is a blessing that we are able to work from home and spend our days together with our children. Even when he has a busy day helping students, he takes every break to help put the twins or Eliza down for a nap. I am grateful for his constant companionship and thankful that he allows me to have a few moments to myself during the day.

Lesson learned: I can handle our three children alone. However, I prefer to parent with Nathan. I am so glad he is back (and so are these little ones).

Could It Be Genetic?

For as long as I can remember, I have loved chocolate milk.

When I was little and visiting my grandparents, my grandmother would give my siblings and me one glass of chocolate milk a day. Grandma always prepared homemade meals, and I often found myself forced to eat a number of foods I didn't enjoy too much (like oatmeal, beets, okra, beans). After a rough day of healthful eating, drinking chocolate milk was heaven.

Somehow, I developed a habit of drinking chocolate milk out of a bowl (and sometimes a cup) with a spoon. In my mind, using a spoon to enjoy my treat made the chocolate milk last even longer. I didn't meet another person who drank chocolate milk like this until college, and yes, we are now best friends (we're just really awesome like that, Becca).

I haven't had chocolate milk in a bowl since Eliza was born. There is simply no time to savor my chocolate milk like there was before children (and yes, children are totally worth that sacrifice). I still love my chocolate milk, though, and so does Eliza. I attribute her love for the delicious drink due to my diet while pregnant. With both pregnancies, I had hyperemesis and was unable to keep any solid food down. The only thing I didn't throw up was Carnation Instant Breakfast. I am so grateful for that beverage and credit it with keeping me from getting a food tube again when I was pregnant with the twins.  So yes, my kids have been drinking chocolate milk since they were in the womb.

A couple of weeks ago, I gave Eliza a glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast and instead of gulping it down like she usually does, she ran downstairs. A few minute later, she came back to the kitchen counter with the tea set she received for her birthday. She poured her milk into a little tea cup, picked up a mini spoon, and proceeded to sip her chocolate milk.

Could a love for savoring chocolate milk be genetic? Quite possibly.

10 Months

Every month, I find myself thinking, "Really? Another month already?"

Time is going by so fast. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was laying in bed all day, watching seasons of every show imaginable on Netflix, finding cute baby things on Pinterest, worrying about eating enough calories, and anxiously awaiting the arrival of Ezra and Elliott. And although it is easy to imagine life before our boys, it is hard to think of life without them. They bring us so much happiness.

Here are some updates on the boys:

Elliott

At our appointment earlier this week, Elliott weighed 21 pounds. He is so big and chunky. I love it. Elliott already acts like the big brother. When Ezra is crying, Elliott looks at him with genuine concern. After the surgery, Ezra had a couple of rough nights. My mom and I went into the nursery and found Elliott reaching through the bars of his crib, trying to touch his brother. And although you may not believe this, my mom and I  both heard him babble, "Ez-ra. Ra-ra-ra." I wouldn't have believed it myself if my mother didn't immediately say, "Did he just say Ezra!?" It brought me to tears that Elliott was so concerned about his brother being in pain.

Elliott really wants to talk. He days "Da-da" constantly and has even manged to say "Pa-pa" a couple of times. Nathan likes to play a game with him where they say "Gee!" back and forth to each other. It is pretty entertaining for both of them. Elliott enjoys doing just about anything with Nathan, including going up and doing the stairs. When Nathan walks down the stairs while carrying Elliott, he will go "uh-uh-uhh!!" with every step his daddy takes.

We can already tell that Elliott has a big heart.  He is willing to let Ezra go first in most things and does okay with sharing toys and parents. Ezra wants to be picked up as soon as he is awake. If Nathan isn't working, we each get a baby. If Nathan is working, I pick up Elliott and take him immediately to a high chair. I then pick up Ezra and hold him until he is happy and willing to be put down. During this time, Elliott is fine with eating a few Cheerios and usually watches us with a big, goofy smile on his face.

Elliott can pull himself up to standing anywhere. Yesterday, he and Ezra discovered how to open and shut doors. They had so much fun opening up every cupboard today. Elliott has also mastered climbing the stairs. He definitely is interested in exploring his surroundings.

I could probably go on forever and how cute he is and how adorable his cheesy smile is, but I think the above picture says it all.

Ezra

My little Ezra. He is just a few ounces behind his brother and weighs 20 pounds 7 ounces. He loves to be held (not cuddled, though, just held). Ezra loves to be held so much that he has started refusing to sit in his highchair. He will lock his legs, kick them outward, and do just about anything to stay in my arms. How can I resist that little face? While Elliott smiles with his whole face constantly, Ezra seems to always be grinning. It is so cute. His little smirk always makes me smile.

In addition to his trademark grins, Ezra has a few other personality traits that shows some of his spunkiness. When he is excited, he scrunches his face up and breathes loudly. Eliza did the same exact thing, so maybe this two of a kind face is taught in utero or something. I have never seen another baby (other than his sister) do this!

Ezra shares a couple of other things with his older sister: he has already started to bite the sides of his crib (Eliza was a beaver and seriously chewed up her entire crib) and he loves twirling his hair in addition to touching the hair of others. Eliza was fascinated with hair as a baby, so maybe he and sister will be two peas in a pod.

Unlike his brother, Ezra isn't as anxious to climb and stand. He likes to crawl around and find new toys, but he doesn't enjoy standing. He hasn't expressed too much interest in climbing the stairs and stays on the bottom step, crying for Elliott to come back and be with him. I'm not worried about Ezra "catching up" because he is allowed to accomplish milestones on his own time schedule. Our boys are individuals, so I expect them to do things at a different pace.

Ezra loves music. When a song comes on, he will rock and sway to the music. He loves to shake his head back and force in rhythm.  Ezra also loves his brother. When Elliott is playing with a toy, Ezra will often crawl over to him and just put his leg or face. He loves to be close to Elliott. Ezra often wakes up at night and will begin to cry for milk. If I don't get to the nursery quickly enough, Elliott will also wake up and sympathy cry for Ezra. I love the connection that they already have.

Ezra has four teeth (so does Elliott, but his front teeth haven't fully come through) and they make his laugh absolute adorable. It reminds me of a jack-o-lantern with the four teeth so widely spaced apart. I am determined to get a picture of him laughing with his mouth open! I could also write a novel on Ez, but I think those are the best highlights.

Our boys are pretty amazing.

(Oh, and Ezra learned how to twist out of his highchair and stood up while I was washing dishes. He is a little Houdini baby! I have a feeling things are about to get crazy with all the stair-climbing, standing, and demands for cuddling.)

Fall Family Photos

We had some family pictures made while my mother was in town last week. My friend Brittany was nice enough to come over and take them for us. She gave us a disk full of images, but here are some of my favorite ones that I have had time to edit so far. Eliza and Ezra weren't too interested in posing for the camera, but Elliott was nothing but smiles.

Eliza

Ezra

Elliott

We managed to get one get shot of all three kids together, too. Eliza isn't smiling, but at least she is looking at the camera.

We also got a picture of the boys and the girls.

And lastly, we took a family picture. There were about 60 various photos taken of this one sitting position and only two turned out. I guess that is what happens when you have two babies and a toddler.

My mother was visiting, so we also asked her to be in a few pictures. I'll edit those tomorrow. She is really cute holding her two grandsons, standing next to her granddaughter who is more than half her height.

The Hardest Thing About Having Twins

Last week, as some of you may have seen me post on Facebook, a complete stranger at the grocery store said, "Twins!? God must REALLY hate you!"

Ridiculous, I know. Of course, I shrugged off the comment and didn't let it bother me too much. I was mostly shocked that a person would actually deem it appropriate to say such a thing to another person.

Before I became pregnant with twins, I knew several other women who already had twins of their own. Four of these women had blogs that I regularly followed, so I was somewhat aware of the various challenges associated with parenting two infants at once (and by somewhat, I really mean somewhat). Nursing has taken a ton of effort, sleeping is even more precious than it ever was before, and things can get crazy with two screaming babies!

Now that Ezra and Elliott are nearly ten months old, we have a familiar routine. Feeding two babies doesn't take much longer than feeding one, diaper changes are a breeze, and putting two babies in car seats feels like second nature. The boys entertain each other when I am trying to clean up or prepare dinner, which sometimes makes having two easier than only one! Having twins is part of our life. It has become our new normal, so I am never sure how to respond when people ask questions like, "What's the hardest thing about about having two babies?"

If I wanted to be honest, I could talk to them for a couple of hours about the sleep training, the mastitis, the costs of providing for two infants, the feeding tube and horrible pregnancy. I could go on to discuss the fact that I feel like I can never get any errands done when I have the twins because people can't stop staring and asking questions. There are a number of things I would like to say, but I realized this morning that there is actually only one thing that really makes me feel bad sometimes. When the boys woke up, I walked into the nursery and they were both crying in their cribs. They saw me, instantly smiled, and raised their arms up, asking to be held. But who to pick up first!? This is my dilemma throughout the day. I try to alternate between boys, but it always breaks my heart when I pick up one little baby and the other looks at me like I am abandoning him. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the hardest thing about having two babies. Someone always wants to be held and usually, both babies want/need cuddling simultaneously.

Fortunately, my boys are still relatively small, and I can usually manage to find a way to hold them both (when I am sitting down). I know things will become more difficult when they are both walking and destroying our house, but I'm sure that will become normal, too, after a while. Right?

We really are lucky to have twice as many smiles everyday. These faces are some of the cutest ones I know. And at the end of every day, every mother has her own challenges. I'm glad these are mine.