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.

Starting Solids...

Well, we started the boys on rice cereal this past weekend and it was a success. They both took to it quite easily and as far as MacKay was concerned we couldn't shovel it in fast enough for him. Oscar did well too, but he really likes to roll it around in his mouth and play with it before actually swallowing. We got some nice pictures of their messy little faces too (see below)... can't wait to start veggies and fruits soon.

On a bit of a bum note, the whole family has "the crud" right now. Started out with Chris who is just now getting over a bad sinus and ear infection, and this weekend it hit MacKay and me, and yesterday it hit Oscar. Amazingly the boys seem to be handling it much better than we adults. I feel like I have been hit by a bus, yet I look over at MacKay and Oscar and they are just beaming with big smiles not letting this bug get them down. MacKay seems to be on the upward swing of it, and hoping Oscar is on his way there now too. I just hate hearing that "snotty" sound in their noses, poor guys.

Grandma Chris is here right now helping out as well cuz Chris had to run down to Iowa to do some work for a couple days/nights. She's been a HUGE help considering I've been out of sorts with this cold/sinus infection... I'm so glad she was able to come up and help out for a few nights. And she was very excited to see that Oscar has now figured out how to work the horsie bouncer and is a "bouncing fool" just like his brother now. Not to mention she got to handle her first grandchild blow out with Oscar... timing couldn't have been more perfect as they were due for a bath anyway. :)

As always... some pictures.

Messy faces here. We even got the chance to use the personalized and engraved spoons for the boys that we got from Bruce and Sandy Grivna for their first feeding.

Angus has been a source of entertainment for MacKay and Oscar, and lately they are just mesmerized by him and watch him all the time, reaching out to touch him as he walks by etc. Angus is amazingly gentle with them and loves to lick their slobbery faces... tho he loves to run off with their toys as well (naughty Angus).

Five and a half months....

Well only a few new updates to share, otherwise things are pretty much the same. We just got back from a long weekend (Tuesday - Sunday) down in the cities. Daddy Chris needed to go to CA to take a surveying test so we all went down to the cities so I could have some help (Grandma Chris) while he was gone. While we were there MacKay learned how to gasp in excitement (usually while in his Galloping Fun horsie bouncer) and Oscar started the high pitched shrieking. We also practiced some more sitting up and they do pretty well at that for a while (aside from me grabbing them before they topple over) before they start folding forward like tacos. And they're really pushing up off of their chests when on their bellies. Working out those muscles they will need to start crawling all around the place and driving mommy batty. MacKay also has rolled over from his back to his stomach, so now we're just waiting for Oscar to flip from tummy to back and we'll have "rolling over" completely checked off on our list of milestones.

Grandma Chris even got them for an evening by herself while I went out with my girlfriend's to celebrate Michelle's Wifette party. It was so great seeing all my friends again - I miss you guys terribly. :) We also took the lil dudes shopping at the Carter outlet store in Albertville. MacKay was really hamming it up with the girls that worked there. What a little flirt. And we stopped by Grandma Diane's on the way back up to Brainerd for a little bit too so she could get in her fill of the boys.

As always here are some fun pictures we've taken recently

The boys sitting up.

Oscar seems to be the more sturdy of the two, although MacKay can sense when he is going to topple to the side and catches himself before he completely falls over.

MacKay enjoying the Galloping Fun Bouncer at Grandma Chris's, and Oscar made a new best friend with this blue chew toy on Grandma Chris's Exersaucer

Here are some pictures of the boys dressed up in this adorable outfit from my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Denny. Get a load out of the matching caps. I'm hoping they still fit in these for their 6 month pictures. Wouldn't these outfits (and hats) just be a hoot?

And lastly just another cute picture of our little men in some classic jean overalls (cute socks courtesy of Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Dean).

5 Months....

Well the boys are FIVE months old now. WOW. Chris took them on the scale with him the other day and according to our scale MacKay is 17.5 lbs and Oscar is 19 lbs. We've hit a few more milestones as well. Oscar had his first "blow out" a few days ago - another onesie that just could not be salvaged. MacKay figured out how to use the Horsie Bouncy that Grandma Chris got for him. He for some reason is FULL of energy after their last feeding at ~ 7pm so we have to put him in the bouncy for about 30 minutes to tire him out. He's also started shrieking, these very high pitched squeals and screams in pure amusement of himself. They both are standing assisted and can even push up from a sitting position with us just holding onto their hands. And getting much better at tummy time and pushing up with their arms, long enough for us to read them a story. We also just took our first walk around the neighborhood today. It was so nice out and they were just entertained by all there was to see outside the walls of our house.

Yesterday Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Bean (Dean) visited for the night to bring Chris his early birthday present and the boys their Easter baskets since we couldn't make it to Easter with them this year. Which was a huge bummer cuz they got all the grandkids Bunny Ears to wear and that would have been quite the picture. Tho we did put them on them and get a few fun shots.

Next weekend we head down to the cities again to put Daddy Chris on a plane to CA where he is taking a test to be licensed to do surveying there. We'll be staying with Grandma Chris (who just informed me she got another "Horsie Bouncer" to have at HER house - that woman keeps Babies R Us and Toys R Us in business I swear) and she's going to have her first night alone with them while Mommy goes out with her friends to celebrate Michelle's "wifette" party. That should be interesting :) And another two weeks after that (the 26th) we head back down to the cities to have the boys' SIX month pictures taken with Mandy Birdwell again. Hoping they have learned how to sit up a bit better by then.

Well as always here are some more pictures of the boys:

The boys with Gma Bonnie and Gpa Bean (Dean) and their Bunny Ears

Oscar in his Exersaucer and MacKay in his Horsie Bouncer

Just some cute miscellaneious pictures. The sleepers they are wearing on their tummy picture are from their Aunt Dani and family (Chris, Tyler, Rachel, Keonata and Devin)

And as always, some pictures of the boys in outfits/gifts from friends and family. These striped hoodie outfits were from Gpa Bean (Dean) and Gma Bonnie for Xmas.

And here the boys are with their treasured Taggie Blankets from the Gohman family. Jon Gohman is a coworker/friend of mine from Thrivent that I still keep in touch with (and miss terribly) and he swore by these. THANK YOU GOHMAN, cuz the boys love them and won't go down for a nap without them. We also have some other Taggie Blankets from the Nepotes and from Ellie and Heidi. So even when they might need laundering, the boys will always have a nice clean Taggie to cuddle up with.