Santa/Satan?

Well, we saw Santa yesterday. And FYI- if you get a Christmas card from us this year, this is what it will look like:

We owned it!

Steve's squadron put on a Trunk or Treat for the kids complete with costume contest. And who owned the Under 5's? We did. The girls won a pumpkin full of candy and a 3 day pass for their dad. If you can't tell, Amelia is Little Red Riding Hood and Claire is Dorothy. So sweet!

Mostly this is what we saw of Little Red- her back. That girl was running EVERYWHERE! And she can run, not just walk. She is so fast!

And Claire just hammed it up for everyone! She is such a sweet funny baby. She can whistle now!

So Steph, what have those girlies been up to?

Well, I'm glad you asked! We've been...

Checking out our bracelets from Aunt Heather

Refusing to smile for the camera

Climbing like a monkey

Cramming two girls into one car

Refusing to smile while taking a covered wagon ride

Wandering around at the Pumpkin Patch

Riding a pumpkin like a pony

Playing in Mommy's cabinets

Emptying an entire brand-new box of q-tips

Riding bareback on our pony

Seriously, Claire has turned into such a little monkey! I was putting Amelia down for her nap and when I came out to get Claire, this is what she was doing! She scared me to death. I mean, until I said "ok don't move so I can get the camera!"

I am enjoying this age so much! The girls are funny and they are learning so much ever day. Claire likes to growl at her dad and Amelia loooooves to say and sign "baby." Both girls are picking up a good bit of sign language and they can both say several words. Steve and I both love the way Amelia says "baaaaabee" and Claire likes to point at things and say "Wow" but it comes out "Wowow" which is adorable. I feel so lucky to be their mom!

Sweet Family Photos

I stole these off of my mother-in-law's facebook but I'm sure she won't mind.

Sweet Claire

The girls with their only cousins. From left to right- Leighton, Nana, Tommy, Amelia, Bob-bob, Claire

Steve's mom has cancer and she is going through chemo (like a trooper) right now and she's lost all her hair. I know she'll be glad to get her hair back but for now she's got a bunch of scarves and a wig!

They didn't know what to think about the new baby.

Bob-bob with all his grandkids. Check out our stylish look- shoes and pjs.

Things you never thought you'd say

"No baby! I just used that (rectal) thermometer on your sister! Don't put it in your mouth!"

I'm not going to say who did it. But Amelia has been sick with a 102 fever and she threw up in the night last night. That's a heck of a 2 am wakeup call.

We got shoes!

Now that we have a walker in the house, we decided it was time for shoes. After much deliberation, we got these:

They are absolutely darling. Much cuter than that picture makes them look. And the girls actually seem to like them. It was so hard to find a pair of shoes that would work for both girls. For one thing, they are two sizes apart- Amelia is in a 6 and Claire is in a 4. And apparently Claire has skinny ankles or oddly-shaped feet or something. Amelia was really easy to fit but we tried every pair of shoes in the store (literally) on poor Claire. One size would be almost too small (like she would grow out of them very quickly) and so we would go up a size and they would be like clown shoes. Even half-sizes didn't help. Anyway, these finally fit her and then it was easy to fit them on Amelia too. So we have shoes!

Daddy almost had a stroke when we told him how much they were though ($32). But I wanted them to have a good pair of shoes that they can wear for awhile. And for growing feet, I figure it is better to have one or two really good pairs of shoes than 4 or 5 crap pairs. Plus, look how cute!

One Year Later- What I've Learned

I think I've learned a LOT in the last year. I have learned how to be a mama to two without ever having been a mama to one. I have learned how to evade questions I don't want to answer! I have gotten to know my two little loves so well! But here are some other things I've learned:

1. Most people are really nice, if a little nosy. I have had so many people rush to open doors for us, pick things up off the floor for us, and offer to help with all kinds of things. And I'm talking strangers. 
2. People are nosy! Most often the questions we get are "are they twins?" and "are they identical?" But we have also gotten our share of really inappropriate questions. Again, I think people are well-intentioned but just don't think before they speak.
3. I'm REALLY glad I don't have triplets! I love both of my girls and mostly, I love having twins. But I am glad there's not another one. I only have two hands. 
4. There is a reason babies usually come one at a time. The first few months with twins is brutal. I wish I could have enjoyed it more. But I was just so tired that I can barely even remember it. The mother/baby relationship is meant to be a couple and not a trio. Despite that, we have managed to bond and enjoy our time together and I can definitely say both girls love Mama!
5. Nursing twins is intense and not something everyone can do. We had so much trouble with this and I'm glad I finally just gave myself a break. And that I realized that nursing doesn't make you a better mother! I am so so thankful to live in a time when there is a perfectly acceptable alternative. Every time we go to the doctor, they say that you would never even know the girls were preemies. And they've never had more than a cold. Claire just had her first fever (she was teething) and Amelia has never had one. 
6. I did XYZ and my kids were fine... I am guilty of saying this too. But I don't take it for evidence of anything. If we went with that, we wouldn't even buckle our kids into car seats because, after all, our parents were fine. I do my research and try to do my best for my kids. 
7. I know more than you do. About my kids. We went to the doctor this week for our 12 month check-up (alone- just me and the babies!) and I took the single stroller in with me instead of the double. I had several reasons for this- I usually end up holding at least one of the girls anyway and its way way easier to steer the single-stroller one-handed. Our doctor's office doesn't have any automatic doors and it is pretty challenging to get a double stroller through a regular spring-closing door by yourself. Since no one at the doctor's office will help me! And there are THREE doors between the parking lot and the back. So when all the ladies who work at the doctor's office (and who were NOT offering to help me!) kept saying "Oh honey, you need to get a double stroller!" it was irritating. I actually have TWO double strollers, thank you. But maybe, just maybe I know something you don't. 
8. Other twin moms are the only ones who "get it." Unfortunately we don't have a Moms of Twins club here but I have met several twin moms. And they are the only ones who really know what its like. I have also met a lot of moms that tell me that their kids are so close in age that it was "just like they were twins." Um, no. Its not. Look, having children 11 months apart brings its own challenges. But it is NOT like having two screaming newborns. Its not like trying to potty-train two at the same time. Its not like worrying that one twin is behind because her sister is doing X and she's not.  
9. Other moms are a great resource. But don't be mad if I ask for your advice and then ignore it. Not everything that works for one kid will work for another. And not everything that works for one kid will work with twins. 
10. I love my girls more than I ever thought possible. Sometimes when we are snuggling, it brings tears to my eyes. I never knew being a mom would feel like this! These two girls and their dad are the best things that have ever happened to me. 
11. Being a mom to twins is the hardest thing I've ever done. Seriously. It makes being pregnant with twins look like a piece of cake. It makes going to college and working and being married look like a piece of cake. 
12. Watching your parents be grandparents is really interesting and sweet.  My parents love my girls so much. They are so sweet with them. My in-laws are obviously not my parents but they love them too! The girls have two cousins on Steve's side and Nana and Bob-bob love to have them all together and help them play together. 
13. Sometimes you have to hide from your children. LOL If I want to go to the bathroom without help or use the computer, I have to hide!
14. You will do things you never thought you would/always said you wouldn't. I thought I wouldn't let them watch tv or cry-it-out and I have done both. Although I still don't let them watch much tv. I'm pretty sure they don't know there are baby shows on tv because we only let them watch movies. Which is a policy I would like to keep because there are no commercials on movies. But we'll see how that goes. I'm sure they will eventually discover Dora or Barney or something.
15. The relationship between twins is incredible. I never would have believed how early it starts or how much they love each other. They hold hands in their high-chairs. They smile at each other when they wake up in the mornings. They talk when they are in their car seats. They chase each other around the house and Amelia will stop to let Claire catch up if she falls behind. They are best friends all ready and its amazing. 
16. But its important not to play up the "twin mystique" too much. Amelia and Claire are sisters who happen to share a birthday. I really want them to stay friends and stay close as they grow but its not my choice! And I don't want them to feel pressured to have some kind of incredible twin-thing that isn't real. But I hope they will be as close as any sisters. And I hope I find a way to facilitate that. My brothers and I are not close but Steve and his brother and sisters are very close. So I need to figure out how to encourage that. 

I can't wait to see what we learn this next year!

We had a birthday!!!

The girls had their birthday on Thursday and their party on Saturday! Here is a picture from their actual birthday:

Claire actually ate some of her cupcake but Amelia mostly just crushed hers. Their party was so much fun and we had SO many people at our house. We really enjoyed it and the girls did great. I was a little worried about them being overwhelmed and Amelia was a little bit but they both did really well.

Claire with Daddy in her party dress

Amelia with Daddy in her party dress

Sweet family picture

We only got two pictures of the cake and this is the only one before it got eaten. It was black and white and pink and spells ONE. Next year, I am definitely buying the cake.

This is the only other picture of the cake. As you can see, we did big cupcakes for the girls' "smash cakes." Unfortunately I kind of forgot about them so we just let the girls have them after everyone left.

All the kids at the party LOVED the swings. They were very very popular. Amelia got upset at one point because she wanted to swing but they were full.

The birthday banner that I made.

Present table before everyone got there.

Steve made this picnic table for the girls for their birthday. Its sooo cute- totally looks like Pottery Barn Kids.

Decorated water bottles

The girlies enjoying their birthday present from Daddy!

Opening presents

Amelia only smashed her cake and didn't eat any

You can't see the party hats well but they were CUTE!

Claire kept trying to pick up the whole cake and put it in her mouth.

I just can't say enough what a wonderful party we had! And it was a great day all around because we got to welcome our new nephew, Thomas Cash. We haven't been able to see Tommy yet but we will next weekend. So excited!

Overheard

Steve is giving the girls their bath and I just heard the following rhyme:

Rub-a-dub dub
Stink removal in the tub!

LOL I love that.

We have walking!

Skip to about :35 for the good stuff!

Teenage boys? No, two tiny girls.

Lately I feel like I am feeding teenage boys. In a week we can go through:
3-4 gallons of milk
3-4 large containers of yogurt
1 large container of cottage cheese
12 cheesesticks
1 bag of grapes
1-2 baskets of strawberries
12+ fruit cups
1 large Natural Applesauce
1-2 loaves of bread
1 large bunch of bananas
Plus various other veggies, crackers, yogurt melts, puffs, cereal, lunch meat and peanut butter. I like to think my girls eat fairly healthfully but they are probably a little heavy on the dairy and fruits. Still, they are growing up into beautiful girls so I don't complain :) Even with all this eating, we really don't go through as many diapers as people probably think. Usually 150 diapers will last us about 2 weeks.

Look for a video to be posted soon!

Proof

Here is the proof that parents DO NOT know their babies aren't cute-

I thought these were the two prettiest babies I'd ever seen in my life. I can't believe they're about to be 1! I'm so excited about their party!

Sickies

Well, my two girlies are sickies. Last night, my almost-one-year-old Claire had to sleep in her baby swing because her nose was running and it was bothering her so much that she couldn't sleep. Best night of sleep I've had in awhile. Its just a good thing it was Claire and not Amelia because the seat belt almost wouldn't go around her.

Does anyone else have this problem? My babies are 11 months old and they don't sleep through the night. They used to. And occasionally one or the other of them will sleep all night but usually, they each get up 2 or 3 times a night and want to be comforted. I think they are playing us- they wake up a little bit and know that if they cry, mama will come rock them back to sleep. But its exhausting! A few nights ago, I was up NINE times in one night.

The good news is, the girlies are at an incredibly sweet age. They like to hold hands when they sit in their high-chairs. They play together in the mornings and smile at each other when they wake up. They have "baby parties" when they get up from their naps. They will stand up on the sides of their cribs facing each other and talk and laugh and jump on the beds. Its very cute.

Hopefully the snotty noses will clear up soon.

New video

I hope this works...

Its long but very cute

Quick Update

Ok since I am woefully behind on my blogging, I am just going to give a quick rundown of everything that has happened in the last 2 months. In June, Steve took a week off from work and we had a "staycation." We visited Atlanta and went to the Georgia Aquarium, Coke Museum and Ikea. We also got to visit one of my grandmothers and tour Historic Westville.  At the end of June, Steve went to a wedding in Texas, leaving me alone with the girls for 4 days. It was tough but we survived!

In July, we celebrated the 4th with some friends but still made it home early to get the girls into bed.  Steve took command of Dog Troop and became the official "Dog 6." AKA Commander AKA CO. I celebrated my 28th birthday on the 21st with lots of help from our sweet girls. At the end of July, we got a pig! Ok, not really. We had a random little piglet show up and take residence behind our house. He was here for about 2 weeks but our neighbors just called Animal Control to come get him. Percival couldn't stay forever but I hated to see him go! Also in July, we got to attend my oldest brother's stepson's 1st birthday party. Happy First Birthday Landon! In sad news, we found out that my mother-in-law has Stage 4 cancer but she has a great attitude and is ready to fight! Our Nana is tough as nails.

In August, we have mostly just been hanging out! We have been able to visit with some new friends and Steve just had a 3 day weekend. On Sunday, we visited my dad's mother and most of our extended family. There were 3 little girls there including ours. My cousin has a 1 year old who was not sure what to think of the other babies! She is an only child and doesn't go to daycare so she's not used to other children. That was kind of funny to watch.

In girly news- both girls are crawling and pulling up on the furniture. Amelia is cruising along the furniture and pushing her little stroller all over the house. Claire is waving at everyone and will sometimes give you 5. Both girls will give "noggins" when asked. Claire has 5 teeth (and is cutting a 6th) and Amelia has 7 teeth and is cutting an 8th. We are down to one nap a day and still mostly have a 7:00 bedtime. Both girls are getting better at self-feeding but Claire does better than Amelia. Both girls are drinking from a sippy cup but they still get bottles too. And that's what we've been up to!

Happy Flag Day!

My mom made these outfits for the girls. You can't see it but they have cute little bloomers too. I love this picture- I swear Claire knows she's cute when she's wearing her piggies. Such a ham!

Speaking of hams...

Sometimes I just can't get Claire to smile for the camera.

The girlies LOVE to swing on the swingset that my dad built for them. We go out there almost every day. I wish I had a picture of Claire swinging. I think she was sleeping when we took this one.

My husband is sexy. LOL He sometimes needs to do practice ruck marches to keep in shape for when he has to do real ones. Luckily (for me) he decided to take the girls with him one day. Which gave Mommy some peace and quiet. 

Claire has 4 teeth!

The girls were watching Baby Einstein like this the other day. Claire was just sitting there with her foot up on Amelia's back. Not sure what to think about that.

I am so proud of this! I was looking for a new stroller for the girls and I really wanted this one but at $250 plus shipping, well, I wasn't willing to pay that. Luckily I got this one on Ebay as a local pickup for $52! That is incredible! It is practically new- it has a couple of small scratches but its in great shape. I can't wait to use it with my girlies! Its a LOT easier to steer than our current stroller too!