Sunday, January 22, 2012

9 months ♥

The boys are nine months old !! This has been one of the biggest months in their short lives!

A year ago today, January 22, 2011. I felt them kick for the first time! It is amazing to me how fast this past year has gone by like the blink of an eye! Now, I have beautiful 9 month old babies crawling around my house! How blessed am I ?!?!



Drake and Hunter

They had their first Christmas! We set out cookies for Santa and water for Rudolph. It was a great christmas with our family!



Drake and Hunter

Hunter got one of his top teeth last week!! If you are looking at him, it is his middle right tooth. You can feel the top left, but it is not through the skin yet.

Drake is chewing on everything, but has no new teeth! Hunter beat him ;)

They started crawling !! It is so exciting!! Hunter crawls with more ease than Drake it seems like. Hunter is fast, and Drake seems to take his time.

They first time they crawled was after a pretty difficult morning, so it was even more exciting! They saw my water bottle, and took off!

They began pulling up on surfaces! Drake did it while in the stroller at the Dr.'s office! I kept sitting him down, and he would pull right up. Hunter started pulling up in his crib!

These milestones have put us into a new stage! I babyproofed the house last weekend! I still need to get two baby gates for the kitchen entries! I bought some, but they were both defective. Go figure. It has definitely brought new challenges! Nap time is more of an issue. They pull up and talk to each other at the end of the cribs. So, it takes much longer for them to fall asleep. If they wake up in the mornings while I am getting ready for work they no longer stay in one spot! I am going to set up the Pack-n-Play in our bedroom for mornings like this! :)

If you had asked me 6 months ago who I thought would be my snuggle baby, I would have said Hunter. WRONG! Drake is such a cuddler. When you hold him he puts his head down on your chest or shoulder. It is one of the sweetest things these boys have done! It melts our heart everytime.



Can you say sweet?!?!

Brooke Radabaugh came and spent the weekend with us! Hunter was her baby! Drake is still going through his "Stranger Danger" phase, so it took him a while to come around. I am starting to think he might just be a momma's boy! He cannot be too far away from me without tears. When she put her glasses on we had a meltdown, so no glasses for Aunt Brooke ;)

They are still in size 3 Pampers!

Size 6 month and 6 to 9 month clothing!

Hunter's hair is beginning to lay down, and it is taking some getting used to on my part. I am so used to his hair being up, he looks like a different child!





Drake still has crazy hair that stands on end!



The wind is blowing into his hair, so it is standing even taller than normal :)

We bought them bath seats so they could sit up in the bath and they really enjoy them! They are able to face each other and splash! Drake likes to put his hand under the water spout while the bath fills up.

They played in their ball pit from Nadi and Grandpa this month! They love it! Drake seems to act like it is a sauna sometimes and lay out in it! They love to play with the balls!

Since the boys, me, and my mom have been sick it has been difficult taking off work. Thankfully, we are blessed with great family to help out!

They spent one day with their Papa while mommy went to work! The only part he was worried about was giving medicine, so Meme gave them their medicine before she left for work! He did great and the boys enjoyed it!

They also spent a day with Nanny and Pop! Don't we have some amazing family ?!?! The only meltdown was Pop putting his glasses on :)

They spent a day with Meme as well while Mommy worked! They always love going to Meme and Papa's !

Our boys are always with family, and it is such a blessing!

My mom has been truly amazing. She adores my boys, and they adore her. She keeps them on a schedule like I ask, helps me to make their baby food, and helps with anything that is needed. We are blessed beyond words to have her watch our boys this year! They are making memories that will last a lifetime! ♥

My mom taught them how to do Pat-a-Cake and it is precious! As soon as you begin singing it, they start to clap and smile! I sang it a million times this month! They also enjoy I'm a Little Tea Pot :) Hunter is more into it than Drake!


FYI, Boogie Wipes are AMAZING! I thought it was ridiculous when I heard of them, but after wiping noses for 6 weeks with normal wipes I see a huge difference. They are so soft, no alcohol, and have saline in them! My boys do not even cry when I wipe their nose with them!!

They have spent this entire month sick! It amazes me that they have had runny noses since the last week of November! We have been to the Pediatrician so much in the past two months it is ridiculous! They are teething and have runny noses now. We keep the Little Noses, Suction bulb, and Boogie Wipes out at all times now.




We got our first ear infections! :( Hunter had a double ear infection and Drake had one ear infected. They were put on antibiotics, and Hunter seemed to get better. Drake did not get better, so we went back to the Pediatrician. He still had an ear infection after being on antibiotics a week. So, he was prescribed a stronger antibiotic!

We went back to the pediatrician a week later because the boys are still coughing and runny noses. She says they have a cold :( So, humidifier and suction bulb it is! By the way, I love my humidifier! It is a waterless one, and it is so much safer! You put a tab in it and it works for 8 hours! It is by Vick's and I love it!

One of the doctor appointments I only took Hunter. This was the first time I have ever left the house with one baby. It was the strangest experience. I did not have to use a stroller, I could easily open doors, no one stared at me, and it was so easy! Carrying one infant carrier is cake!! I called my mom constantly wondering if she was having a strange experience only having Drake. I must say I did not really like it. I know we will need time with each of them individually, but it was incredibly strange. I definitely prefer having my boys together ♥

Hunter learned to JUMP on his jumperoo! He absolutely loves it ! So, I ordered a second jumperoo and both our boys jump! They enjoy it, and it gives me a couple minutes of free time!

We purchased a new vehicle this month! Mommy got a GMC Acadia! Having twins made us outgrow my Equinox much faster than anticpated! I needed a third row seat, so we went car shopping! I new the two cars I liked, so we went to drive a Chevrolet Traverse and a GMC Acadia. I fell in love with the Acadia, so that was the car we purchased! It is Carbon Black Metallic which I love! It has bluetooth which makes talking on the phone while driving so much safer! I love my new car :)

The boys had their first New Year's this month! They were in bed well before Midnight! Mommy spent it hanging out watching T.V. with Aunt Lacey and Daddy was duck hunting with Papa and Uncle Casey!


The boys had carrots for the first time and loved them!


Their diet consists of rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, bananas, apples, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, green peas! They love all their food! They are all made with love by Mommy ♥

Drake is doing well with the Puffs, but Hunter struggles getting them to his mouth. I think he is just not interested in them at this time. They are still working with Sippy Cups! Hunter will drink is sometimes, Drake does not want much to do with it.

The boys say Momma and Dada often! They will repeat Dada after you, but will not repeat Momma. You only hear Momma when they are upset, tired, or want something!

Hunter has become much more outgoing! Drake is normally more smiley, but this month Hunter seemed to smile just as often! Hunter definitely has a more serious side than Drake.

When we went to the doctor at roughly 8.5 months the boys weights were as follows;

Drake weighs 19 lbs 7 oz

Hunter weighs 18 lbs 5 oz

Their 9 month appointment is this week and I will update weights and length at that time ♥


It is time for this mommy to start planning their Dr. Seuss Thing 1 and Thing 2 First Birthday Party! Where has the year gone?

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Definitely a Mommy Moment !

January 14, 2012

All I can say is WOW.

Drake woke up with a crusty nose. I woke up with a sore throat, cough, migraine, and my body hurts.

I feed the boys their breakfast like they have every morning. They take a short nap.

Drake is extra clingy with me because he is not feeling well. I bring their jumperoo's into the kitchen while I make baby food. I am making a couple batches of bananas to put into the freezer.

I pull Hunter in his jumperoo back into the living room and I rock in the glider with Drake because he is fussy.

All of a sudden Hunter starts coughing hysterically. Then he begins to gasp for air. I put Drake down at my feet, rip Hunter out of the jumperoo. I turn him over and begin beating his back wtih the palm of my hand. My mind was racing to everything I learned in my NICU CPR class. I am also thinking what in the world could he have choked on?!?! He throws up a little on the carpet and takes a breath. Apparently, he was choking on spit or throw up? 

I turn him around and take a deep breath. What a scare. Not 2 seconds later he projectile vomits all of the bananas he had eaten earlier. It goes into my ear, hair, down the front and back of my shirt (still cannot figure that out!) But wait, who was at my feet?!!? You guessed it Drake. So, it lands on Drake's head, down the side of his face, legs, and diaper. Not to mention all over the carpet and the wall.

SERIOUSLY ?!?!?!?!?!

To top it off, both boys have diarrhea. I am at a loss as to where to start. Both boys are screaming. I take a blanket and set them both on it. I look for my cell, which of course I cannot find immediately. I call Lacey because she lives 1 minute away! I was so thankful when she answered! I asked her to come asap! She helped me to clean the floors, bathe the boys, and watched them while I took a shower. This was quite an ordeal!


Best part of the day ... 3 hours later the boys started crawling !!! They have been so close, but have not really started crawling. I had a water bottle on the ground that I was drinking and before I knew it they both took off crawling. They are not doing it consistently, but they definitely know how! I caught it on camera too!! YAY!

This day made me feel like I am officially a MOMMY! ;)

Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 ...

January

I was 5 months pregnant and teaching! The boys' fluid levels were just starting to be a worry. I felt great and was enjoying the 2nd trimester! Dr's appointments every 10 days! Extra protein and water in my diet!



February

I was 6 months pregnant and still teaching! The boys were doing great, and we were thinking positive! I was still eating extra protein and drinking lots of water! Still going to the Dr every 10 days! I had my baby showers and my first stay in the hospital! I was released after 4 days! We were unsure of how severe the complications with my cervix were going to be on the pregnancy! Brandon had the Flu for the first time and I had to move out of the house for a week! He also celebrated his 25th Birthday!




March

WOW! I was no longer teaching, and put on bedrest at 7 months pregnant. I was admitted to the hospital for the long haul! I spent all of March in the hospital. Woman's Hospital of Texas became our home. We watched a LOT of the episodes of CSI and 24! We watched multiple seasons! We had ultrasounds weekly. The boys were growing well! I missed my nephew's 1st Birthday since I was in the hospital :(



April

I spent 28 days in the hospital this month. The beginning was spent watching lots of TV! Teen Mom, One Born Every Minute, Army Wives, Coming Home, CSI, and 24! We realized the carseats would not fit in Brandon's truck! He purchased a 2012 4 door Chevrolet truck! My beautiful twin boys made their debut at 35 weeks pregnant on Easter, the 24th! Our life was forever changed and we were in love with Drake and Hunter! We spent the last days of April in the NICU with our boys! I was released on the 28th, and going home was strange! I had not seen my home since February 28th! I had never seen all the baby gear put together, and it was overwhelming finally seeing it when no babies were being brought home! I would pump every 3 hours, and spend as much time as possible in the NICU! I would spend typically 10 hours a day with the boys!






May

My mom drove me to the NICU daily around noon. She would stay until 4 when Brandon arrived. My boys got to come HOME on the 4th! We were so ecstatic to bring these bundles of joy into our home! Brandon took 2.5 weeks off work to stay with the boys and I! This was a very sleepless month for me! The boys were eating every 3 hours, so they typically slept for 2 hours at a time.



June

Our boys were a month old and still eating every 3 hours! I was still not sleeping! By this point, I was asking for a night of sleep here and there. Brandon's mom would keep the boys so I could get a night of sleep. I was in my best friend Lindsey's wedding :)




July

The boys started sleeping 4 hours between feeds at 2-3 months! This made a huge difference in my sleep! I was so excited! They began sleeping in their cribs! They were much more alert and showing their personalities! I was in my best friend Cirby's wedding :)





August

I returned back to teaching 8th grade math! The boys began cereal in their nighttime bottle and sleeping 12 hours at night! It was AMAZING! My mom watched the boys while I was at work. They started to enjoy their activity mats!




September

I felt better about being away from the boys 10 hours a day! We were getting a set schedule and it was working well. The boys started eating cereal with a spoon! Their hair was really starting to grow!





October

Their first Halloween and their 6 month shots!! Drake is scared of the dark in the car! They really begin to giggle! Their hair stands up because it has grown so much! They begin to roll back and forth! Drake loves to bounce in the jumperoo!




November

Their first Thanksgiving! My daddy moves to California for work and is away from us for the first time in our lives. He will be gone for approximately 10 months! He can come home every 8 weeks for four days! They learn to sit up on their own! I have a week off with the boys and they are teething the entire time!



December

We had the boys first Christmas and their teeth finally appeared! They take a trip to Fredericksburg! They get on their knee's and rock! Hunter learned to bounce in his jumperoo! I was off 2 weeks with the boys! They had their first really bad cold and Hunter had a double ear infection! They went through a no sleeping period! I purchased a 2012 GMC Acadia that will be the perfect family car for us as our family expands in the future!





2011




This has been an unbelievable year! I know it will always be one of the most memorable years of our lives! I look forward to many more years that are as eventful and special as 2011 has been for our family ♥

Monday, December 26, 2011

1st Christmas with the Twins ♥

It was a very special Christmas in the Olive house because we got spend it with our baby boys! I did most of my shopping online and started in early November. I went to amazon.com and searched all the toys for ages 6 months to one year. The boys were 8 months on Christmas Eve. I added anything and everything to my cart that I liked. On Black Friday I went shopping with my sister and price checked everything with amazon from my phone! I got a couple of their toys that night at WalMart! Since Amazon does free super saver shipping, I did not pay shipping on any of the items. I only bought 2 of the same toy when it was small individual toys. Cell phones, cameras, taggies, books, etc! The rest of the toys I bought one of, and they will share! I found a lot of neat toys online that I had never seen in the stores!


We had 4 Christmas Celebrations!

The first one was with Brandon's Aunt Rhonda, his Dad's sister. Her family and Brandon's family all got together at his parent's house! There were 3 more babies this year at Christmas! His cousin had a son, Rex, December 26, 2010. She went into labor on Christmas. Our boys made their debut on Easter. We must have something with Holidays ;)

This picture was a year ago at the Christmas celebration!



This was us with our boys at this year's Christmas celebration :)





Rex, Drake, and Hunter
Rex was fascinated with putting his fingers in their mouth! :)


Drake, Rex, and Hunter

Our boys December 22, 2011


The next celebration was with Brandon's parents and sister on December 23rd! This was their first time really opening presents. Hunter was not really interested in it. Drake was more likely to grab at the paper. Once the toy was out, Hunter was more interested. Hunter likes electronics! Buttons, phones, etc.









All their gifts from Meme, Papa, Aunt Lacey, and Uncle Casey!


Adorable shirts from Meme and Papa


They loved their table from Aunt Lacey and Uncle Casey!


The next day was Christmas Eve. We spend the afternoon with Brandon's parents, grandparents, and his Mom's brother's family. This is also family picture day every year, so we all dress up :)

While we were getting ready, our sweet Hunter passed out in the Jumperoo! He just learned how to jump this week and he LOVES it! I had to order a 2nd one since both boys now love to bounce! This baby was tired from all the Christmas celebrations :)











 The whole family :)


 Four Generations!

After we celebrate with Brandon's family, we head to my sister's house to celebrate with my family! This is the first Christmas, and hopefully LAST, that we spent without my daddy. He is currently working in California. I sent him a package with cookies that I baked, and some presents! It was definitely strange, but we made the best of it. We chat on webcam, but it just is not the same. He opened his gift while on webcam with me!! He will be home the first week of January to spend 3 days with us, and we CANNOT wait !!!!!















This picture melts my heart! I made Brett play Pretty Pretty Princess when I was young! That is just part of having a big sister! Well, Aiden has older cousins, and he wanted to play dress up with them! Brings back so many memories of my baby brother and I!

We headed home to get our boys in bed and ready for Santa to bring gifts. We put them in the Christmas pajamas after their bath, and started the Christmas Eve traditions.


We left out homemade cookies and milk for Santa Claus!


We put water out for the Reindeer!



We took a couple pictures in front of the tree, and then the tired boys went to bed :)

We think Santa came around midnight because their was some loud hammering. We think he may have had to put the wheels on the wagon once it arrived!

Our boys slept until 10 AM !!!!!! They NEVER sleep that late! I woke up to Brandon bringing them into our bed! I don't wake up until I hear babies, and they had not made a peep! Brandon went to check on them and Drake was awake playing in his bed, and Hunter was sleeping. When Drake saw daddy he started talking, and woke up Hunter Paul. So, Brandon brought them to our bed. We talked for a few minutes with our babies, then headed to see what Santa had brought in their stockings!





Santa even spelled our last name with the puzzle pieces!





Hunter Paul




Drake Brandon




This lion has an inflated ball hanging underneath it, and they LOVED it! :)



Daddy and the boys playing Christmas morning!


Our boys had such an amazing first Christmas! They received so many toys from all of our family and Santa! Thank you everyone for making it so special!

It was neat to begin our family traditions and spend Christmas with our boys ♥