Parents in Disguise

A funny thing we've noticed is that sunglasses throw the boys for a loop these days. Especially after a car ride, when we come around back to get them out of their seats and they look up at us with unsure and nervous faces, until we realize why and quickly take the glasses off so they can see it's just mommy or daddy!

This weekend we discovered that Ryan's baseball cap had a similar effect. Even though Oliver could tell who Ryan was, he still wanted to know what that thing was on his head! So we let him try it on and see for himself.
 

Things To Be Thankful For

While there are so many things to be thankful for this year, some of you may not know that we have yet another to add to the list!  The babies aren't going to be babies much longer - about a month after their 1st birthday they're going to be big brothers!

And it's definitely a BOY!!!  After getting to know the sonographer so well during the many visits when I was pregnant with the twins, we believed her when she told us she was 99% sure this baby was a boy at only 12 weeks.  She took a ton of extra pictures, with arrows showing us (see 12 week sonogram pic below)!  But this has now been confirmed at the 20 week ultrasound.  One thing is for sure - this little boy is going to have lots of clothes to wear...and can even wear the same outfit (or varying color version of the same) 2 days in a row if he wants!  Looks like I'm going to be a woman living with (and keeping fed and happy) 6 boys, if you count Geoffrey and Wesley!  And I wouldn't have it any other way :)



Mall Trip

Ryan and I have taken the babies to the mall one time before, but recently I wanted to venture out and actually do a little shopping.  Our nanny came with us, which was very helpful, probably more so for me mentally to know there was backup...just in case!  But I still tried to manage them completely by myself and it wasn't that hard at all.  The boys are really good any time we take them out somewhere - they never cry and are always really interested in new surroundings.  Here they are taking in the dressing room (yes, I actually got to try a few things on!).  I never really took notice of how nice and roomy the handicap dressing rooms are - essential for bringing a double stroller in with you! 

And now that the malls have Christmas decorations up, there was a nice photo op next to a tree.  At this point they were ready to go home and eat dinner!

The Diaper Change Challenge

Just when diaper changes had become so easy and routine at our house, that I could do it in the dark with my eyes closed, the boys decided they would keep me on me on my toes - literally - as I try to balance everything needed during the change and at the same time wrangle a wild baby.  It has become a huge challenge to get them to stay flat on their backs.  It sounds simple enough, how hard can it be to turn them back over and put a diaper on?  But let me tell you, this often turns into a 10 minute ordeal, sometimes ending with a crying baby that does not get his way, even if we do resort to changing the diaper in the crib or someplace else.  As soon as they are laid on the table, the contest begins - me trying to get the old diaper off and a new one on (it's a whole different setback when the diaper is actually dirty!), and baby trying to squirm and fight to get on his belly and look around.  Owen is a bigger contender, cleverly using the wooden bar on the back of the table for leverage.  He grabs hold of it for dear life as he twists and turns his entire body.  I've seriously had hold of him by his feet, lifted up in the air and trying to turn back over, while he clings to that bar.  That would be a better picture to post, but would require a 3rd party to be on standby with a camera.  You can see in his expression that he thinks this is some sort of game - one that he has clearly won on this particular diaper change!

Weekend with Wesley

After months of being confined to the basement (it's not really that bad down there), we decided to let the cats out for some play time with the babies.  Normally, they get a few minutes here and there to come out for dinner and spend time outside on the deck when it's warm enough, but they always look so sad when they have to go back downstairs.  So when we let them out into the family room for an extended period of time this past weekend, Wesley took this as an opportunity to prove his value around the boys!  He was such a good kitty - playing nicely and letting them grab fists full of fur without complaint.  Oliver and Wesley especially got along and I think will become good buddies as time goes on.

We even discovered that they have similar interests!  Most of the toys the babies play with are right on Wesley's level, having lots of moving parts or balls to chase after. 

Here's a video of Owen passing a ball back and forth with Wesley!

Up and Up

The big boys are movin' on up!  Last week our nanny sent me a text of this photo.

Apparently Oliver decided he wanted to play with a different toy and pulled himself up to search through this box!  Probably the first time he's gotten all the way up on his own like that.  He's not really concerned about what he uses to get up and whether or not it's steady.  So when he starts trying to get up by grabbing a plastic toy like the ball popper, we have to be close by and ready for both baby and toy to tip over. 

And here's Owen trying to peek over the top of his crib.  I am pretty sure having both cribs end to end is going to cause some sort of trouble down the road.  The boys are already pretty good at pulling the bumpers down to make faces and noises at each other in the morning before we come in to get them up. 

Speed Walker

Reed and Brandi gave us an Exersaucer that has one stationary leg and two on wheels, allowing the baby inside to not only play with all the toys attached, but to move around in a big circle. The boys have loved to play with the toys and work their way around the center, until last week when Oliver discovered he could move pretty quickly (practically running) if he wanted! As usual, he ends up with only one sock on during play time...

Baby Commandos

The babies have been on the move for a couple weeks now, with increasing speed each day.  They're still in the commando mode of crawling, only getting up properly on their knees to rock back and forth.  But they sure know what they want and how to get there!  One will usually spot a favorite toy across the room and then the race is on.  It's funny how in a room full of toys, they generally want to play with the same one at the same time.  Here's a video of them racing for the baby xylophone and music cube.

Oliver tends to be the more vocal baby, squealing with excitement at just about everything.  As they continue playing he gets so excited that he kicks one of his socks off!

Sharing A Good Book

Just hanging out, reading some ABC's on a Sunday

Cow Meet Cow

We took our little Pumpkin and Cow to the Northern Virginia Parent's of Multiples Halloween party at Frying Pan Farm, and after the band and indoor activities were done walked around the farm to see some of the animals.  We had fun showing Owen the cows and taking pictures, but I really think the babies enjoyed watching the pigs best since they were the loudest and most active of all the animals we saw that day.