Six Month Professional Shots.... AND TEETH

A lot has happened since my last post. Let's see..... On Wednesday we noticed that MacKay had cut his first tooth. For the few days prior we were noticing he would chomp down on the rubber spoons when we were feeding him his veggies - I don't know why I didn't think to check for teeth. But last Wednesday (5/14) I was cleaning the spoons and saw little indentation marks on the bottom of the spoon. Stuck my finger in his mouth and low and behold there was a little razor sharp tooth coming in on the bottom left. Then just a few days later on Saturday we checked Oscar cuz he was drooling more than usual and there was his first tooth, in the same place that MacKay cut his first one. AND, today we just saw Oscar's second tooth coming in right next to the other one. So now Oscar has two little teeth coming in on the bottom. So far teething hasn't been too bad..... it's worst at night when we are trying to get them down to sleep. But chilled teething toys and frozen wash cloth corners seem to be doing the trick. And we're not sure if they have developed colds again or if it is yet another symptom of teething but they are a little stuffed up with runny noses as well. Otherwise the boys are handling it very well and in pretty good spirits. I personally am bummed cuz that means my boys are just growing up too fast... not to mention I love the look of those little gummy smiles. :)

Thursday night we headed down to the cities because the boys had an appt Friday morning with Mandy Birdwell for their 6 months photos. Overall it went pretty well and we think we got some good pictures out of it. This time we even did some family photos. Only bummer was that during the outside pictures we couldn't really get a lot of smiles out of the boys as they were more interested in their first encounter with grass..... they couldn't get over how it felt on their bare little feet and were just kicking around in it. And every time Mandy would put her camera down or fiddle with different settings on it they would just beam ear to ear with smiles. Unnnnghhh. I think they are so used to Mommy sticking that camera in their face all the time that they have gotten a bit camera shy :)

So we just hung out at Grandma Chris's for the rest of the day on Friday and the boys' Uncle Dennis even stopped out to see them. He came equipped with his hair cutting tools cuz we had mentioned that MacKay is in need of a hair cut.... but we decided to give it a bit more time before we hit that milestone. Dennis was pretty amazed at the things they are doing now and how big they have gotten.

And while at Grandma Chris's the boys even tried their first Cheerios (Daddy's idea). MacKay actually got the jist of it and had about 6 of them and played around with them on his play tray. Oscar wasn't a fan of the Cheerio though. On his first attempt he spit it out quickly..... and on the second attempt he gagged so hard on it and just gave us some pretty horrible faces so we gave up on him for the time being. But so far the boys have tried Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Applesauce... and their newest is Green Beans which I was a bit worried about, but they really seem to like them and scarf them down. And they are on a great schedule where they are eating breakfast (cereal), lunch (veggies/fruit) and dinner - gotta love that. Oscar has even become such a good eater that he gives MacKay a run for his money and sometimes even finishes before MacKay.... just opening up waiting for that next spoonful. We also stopped at Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Dean's on Saturday for a few hours on our way back up to Brainerd. They had a wedding to go to so we couldn't stay long but we had a nice visit.

This coming weekend Daddy and a few other guys are going to install new soffets (sp?) and fascia (sp?) outside on our house so Grandma Chris is going to come up and help out. Maybe she'll even watch the boys for one of the nights so Mommy and Daddy can go out and socialize (something Mommy needs more than Daddy... but oh well). I should note that last week we got a new roof put on. I LOVE IT. Every time I am outside I just have to admire it. And after the work this weekend is done we're going to pick out colors to re-paint the house. We've already checked and Grandpa Gary and Terri are willing to come on down to help us paint for a couple days when we are ready to take that chore on. Our house is going to look SO different. Will post pictures when it is done.

Anyway..... I think that is about it with us. Here are some pictures......

AND... be sure to check out our photographer's blog to see some of her favorite pictures from the boys' 6 month photo shoot: http://mandybirdwell.typepad.com/photoblog/2008/05/hoglund-twins.html

Here are some pictures of MacKay and Oscar eating for the first time in their portable Fisher Price booster chairs that they got from Nikki Bjugan and family. Thank you again Bjugan family, I love these things. So easy to use and easy to travel with - not to mention the boys actually seem to like being in them. (Note: and the little dudes are wearing one of the MANY sets of big boy PJs that Grandma Chris got for them)

Here's Oscar being fed his Applesauce lunch by Grandma Chris.

MacKay with his first Cheerios. He made some weird faces while trying to mush them up in his mouth but wanted more when he was done.

And Oscar scowling and spitting out his Cheerio. We were only successful in getting him to actually eat a half of a Cheerio after he spit out and gagged on his first two attempts. (P.S. I had a picture of him gagging on it, but thought better of posting that one - we're not THAT cruel) :)

It was such nice weather last weekend in the cities that they boys got to romp around in just their onesies. Here are some cute pictures of them sitting and smiling for the camera (btw - what is with Oscar's goofy smile? It almost looks like it hurts his cheeks to puff them out like that)

These are some cute outfits that Grandma Diane's friend Becky got for the boys. Caught Oscar in the act of either putting his arm around his brother lovingly.... or giving him a good whack on the back - can't remember.

These are the most adorable pants, and these are from Grandma Diane. They roll and tack up to be cropped and are nice and lightweight for summer. After getting these I had to go get a couple more pair in a bigger size too for later.

Just a cute picture of MacKay and Oscar interacting. They are constantly reaching out to touch or put their arms around each other. And they're wearing the cute onesie and jean short outfits they got from Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Dean for Easter.

And lastly... the video I mentioned in a previous post of MacKay laughing SO hysterically over Chris shaking a can of almonds. He did this for about 10-15 minutes.... long enough for us to get video of it and to call Grandma Chris for her to hear it. We were all in tears listening to MacKay cackle. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOV_soj87Ho

YAY - Winter is Gone.... Right?

I am so excited that winter is finally gone (it IS gone right?). For the last week I have been able to get out daily for some really nice long walks with the boys (and usually Angus too). It is the highlight of my day. And the boys like it as well. They usually stay awake for the first 20 minutes just taking in the scenery... and then are lulled by the motion and fall right asleep and take a nice nap. And sometimes our neighbor friend Dee Dee is able to meet up with us with her little girl Avery (about a month old now). Nice to have someone to chat with along the way.

Saturday Chris went fishing with a coworker and Jolene and Kelly came over to help me out and visit with the boys. They even got to feed MacKay (the easier one to feed) his cereal and sweet potatoes. And as always the boys got showered and spoiled rotten with lots of hugs and kisses.

Later that day we got the boys all dressed up in their jammies and brought them to Tim and Michelle Ramerth's (another one of Chris's coworkers) who have been dying to babysit for us. They watched the boys for a few hours while Chris took me out for a very nice Mother's Day dinner at Prairie Bay. We went to pick them up only to find out that MacKay had pretty much screamed the entire time - unnnghh. Normally they are so good..... but I think the boys are starting to develop some "separation" issues. Lately they will just scream if we leave them in the living room and go into the kitchen - even though they can still see us (and we them) they get very irritated. So poor Tim and Michelle didn't have it too easy with them..... sorry guys :)

Oh - and we got our Huggies Overnight diapers (from diapers.com - our Target doesn't carry them) on Friday and they work like a charm. No more leaks, no more soaked PJs and sheets... and even better yet, there isn't that overpowering smell when I walk into their room each morning either. Thank you Huggies.

Everything else is still the same. They're sitting so well, still sleeping through the night, and rolling all over the place. We get to start another food today, not sure if we're going to do pears or applesauce, but I think it is time to try some fruits.

Oscar has been doing his fish lips and is sticking his tongue out "Gene Simmons style". He's always been very aware of his tongue but now he is really sticking it out. And MacKay has developed these weird squeaks that sound like he is trying to laugh and screech at the same time. Infact, the other day we caught MacKay in an extra-special hysterical mood - he was laughing like we have NEVER heard before. We got it on video and if I can figure out how to post something like that out here (youtube.com?) I will do so. It is absolutely hilarious to watch.

Well as always - here are the pictures you come here to see

Here's a picture of the boys in their stroller, right after one of our walks. Had to post this so you can see the train I have to push around. This is the same stroller that my lovely friends Heidi and Monica were in stitches about when they were helping me register for baby gifts.... they couldn't get over the fact that I was going to have to push this monstrocity around. (which it really isn't that bad)

I'm totally loving "rompers". They are my new favorite style of outfit cuz you get to see those chubby legs :) Here they are in some little baseball themed ones - our little sluggers.

Pictures from Saturday with Auntie Jolene and Cousin Kelly. And below pictures of the boys in their jammies before heading off to Tim and Michelle's

Here are some pictures of Oscar's crazy fish lips and him sticking out his tongue. It really is non stop with him - he's constantly doing something with those lips and his tongue.

As always.... the outfits section.....

The boys in their first shorts outfits. They got these from Jerry & Char Doerr. Had to post this one as I hear Char just HAD to get a cute outfit for them so they could get on our blog. Well here you are guys....

I love these shirts, and the jeans of course too (their little butts look so cute in them). These were from Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Dean for Xmas. The boys finally fit in them and they are so soft.

These outfits are from my mom's cousin Rich (Uddie) & Lynda Lund. They too have a set of twins (boy/girl) and just recently adopted an adorable boy from Guatemala.

Stay tuned......there is always more to come.....

We did it.... no more swaddling. (And we all survived)

Well, we did it. Last Friday night (5/2) we put the boys to bed (completely groggy after their last bottle of the day) with no swaddling. Within hours they were both on their tummies and sleeping so soundly. Oscar had a little mishap around 1am and Daddy took him out in the living room in the recliner for a while... but after that he went back to sleep for the rest of the night. And all this time I thought that once we stopped swaddling I could stop worrying and could get a decent night's sleep. WRONG. Now I worry about them on their tummies and the bumpers. MacKay insists on burying his face in the mattress (apparently he can breathe that way, but I can't stand it) and now I worry about them scooting around in their sleep - which they do a ton of - and the hazards of bumpers (suffocation etc). Unnnghh. I guess I just need to accept the fact that I will never enjoy a restful sleep free of worry for the rest of my life. :) But HEY.... we're swaddle free and the boys are EXCELLENT tummy sleepers. YAY!

We also started the boys on Squash this past weekend. They were NOT a fan of it for their first feeding. Some how Daddy was able to force feed MacKay and entire serving, but I probably only got about 6-8 good spoonfuls into Oscar who just kept spitting out whatever I did get in there. 3 days later though and they are eating it like champs and aren't giving us those hideous faces when we shovel it in. I think we'll give the poor guys a break and give them some fruit next time... something a little sweeter like Applesauce.

Buppa Gary and Terri stopped in for a few hours on Saturday too. They were pretty amazed at how big the boys had gotten...... but unfortunately MacKay was in a funk most of the visit. Probably residual from the immunization shots he had the day before. Buppa Gary even got to feed the guys. He first tried with MacKay who started getting a little too fussy to handle (something he unfortunately had also done earlier that week when his Grandpa Dean tried to feed him too) so Mommy had to step in..... but he had much success with Oscar who since the visit has come full circle with his once horrible eating habits and is now just as good of an eater as his brother. Maybe it just took Buppa Gary's magic touch. Either way.... we're now thoroughly enjoying spoon feeding the both of them.

On a bit of a bum note though.... the excellent tummy sleeping the boys are now doing all night long came with a price. On Sunday morning we went in to get them and the whole room smelled of pee. When we turned them over to pick them up they both had softball sized wet spots on their tummies and on their beds. Turns out that they are leaking out of their diapers. I did some checking with other mothers and apparently this is pretty common. We got some good ideas... one of which was to move them up a size in diapers for nighttime. We tried that and it is touch and go on that one. I'm not seeing the wetness but it still smells like it is seeping out. Another idea was to try another brand of diapers, specifically Huggies Overnights. And wouldn't you know it, our Target (note, our Target is neither a Super or a Greatland..... just plain Target. I think it is the ONLY one standing in the US) doesn't carry that particular style. So I ordered some online which won't be here until Friday so we're just going to muddle through and hope for the best until then. Hopefully those do the trick though.

Some pics related to the details above:

The boys' hideous faces after their first taste of Squash.

Buppa Gary feeding Oscar. Buppa was entertained by how messy Oscar gets during his meals. I'm bummed we forgot to snap some pictures of both Buppa Gary and Terri with the boys.... next time. We plan on seeing them around Memorial Day when they swing through town again.

Just a picture to show how Oscar likes to sit in his swing now. Apparently it is just too EASY to lie back (eh? Linker?) relax and enjoy. We constantly find him sideways in it.

Like father like son..... MacKay (our mini version of Chris) shows his undying love for the Simpsons. Daddy is so proud.

AGAIN, Daddy couldn't resist the urge to mess with MacKay's hair. Somehow MacKay got spit up in his hair, and after Daddy cleaned it off he couldn't fight the temptation to make this nice faux hawk. When he heard me coming down the hallway he just belted out "You may not want to come in here" I thought I was going to walk in on him changing a stinky or blow out diaper.... but turns out this is what the two were up to.

Here are the boys in their first pair of "big boy" PJs that they got from Kayla, an old neighborhood family friend of Mommy's. Note, MacKay is still sporting his faux hawk, being as Daddy let it dry like that and there was nothing that was going to tame that down.

Until next time.............

SIX MONTHS OLD ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Holy cow our boys are already SIX MONTHS. We just had our six month check up at the doctor's office and the boys are doing well. Despite both of them (and us) being sick with nasty colds, they were pretty healthy. MacKay weighed in at 18 lbs 12 oz & 26.5" in length. And Oscar weight in at 19 lbs 6 oz & 27" in length. They both are in or above the 75th percentile. Quite a jump from being in less than the 3rd percentile when they were born. They've done a nice job catching up in these 6 months. And they both were real troopers with their shots. As always they were a bit miffed at the three jabs they got... but once we picked them up and gave them some lovin' they were back to their normal happy selves.

They're growing like weeds and are in size 3 diapers and have now moved onto their size 9-12 month clothing - tho some of their 6-9 month stuff still fits. They're sitting up and rolling around like champs too. I quite frequently look away for a few seconds and they are a few feet from where they were when I had last seen them. And they've been on 2 cereal feedings a day now for the past week and are doing quite well with that..... bring on the flavorful fruits and veggies :) MacKay is a hoot to feed as he is like a little bird squawking at you if you can't shovel it in fast enough for him.... and then there is poor little Oscar who doesn't quite get it. Unfortunately he has his tongue working against him - it is so huge for his mouth and he loves to roll it around in his mouth and push everything out that we try to shove in. Not to mention he doesn't "open up" for his spoonfuls like MacKay does either - he would much rather slurp it off the spoon with pursed lips.... which makes for a VERY long feeding with Oscar. But we're not giving up - we're hoping that when we start fruits and veggies this weekend that he'll be more apt to "open up" for us. And I think we should be seeing the signs of teeth any day now.

Daddy had to run off to Iowa yet again overnight (but came back early to our surprise) so Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Dean came up to visit and help out for a day. They even got to help out with one of the cereal feedings.... tho MacKay was having an off day and was a bit crabby which is uncharacteristic for him during cereal time. But they had a ton of fun playing with Dean and Bonnie and getting spoiled rotten with hugs and kisses.

This weekend Grandpa Gary and Terri are going to swing by on their way through town. They're coming back from their AZ place and heading back up to the lake place in Duluth for the summer. It's been a while since we last saw them - will be interesting to see their shock at how big the boys have gotten.

Well as always, some pictures of the boys.....

Both the boys love to sit and play with their "top" toy from their Uncle Dennis.

MacKay has developed this new love of "spitting" and making motor boat sounds. Here he is on Daddy's lap making some noise and an amazing amount of drool

Oscar with a rather fowl and tough look on his face.... we're pretty sure he's going to be our future little linebacker.

Some pictures from when Grandpa Dean and Grandma Bonnie came up to "play". They were dressed in outfits they got from Bonnie and Dean this last Christmas. Cute little Addidas outfits (Bjugan, are you proud or what?)

And like father like son..... (referring to previous pictures where Daddy Chris likes to mess with the boy's hair and make "faux-hawks" and Alfalfa do's)..... Grandpa Dean just couldn't help making a crown of rings for the boys to wear. MacKay wasn't a big fan and kept ripping it off his head... but Oscar wore it with pride

I LOVE THESE JEANS. Here are the boys in some adorable little jeans they got for Xmas from Dean and Bonnie. I just love the way their little butts look in them. We'll definitely have to pick up some more pair in some bigger sizes cuz they are just too cute.