Thursday, March 7, 2013

22 months Drake and Hunter

The boys are learning so much at this stage in their development.

This month they had ear infections, and spent a week sick this month. My mom kept them the majority of the time they were sick. I took one day off work. Hunter also caught the stomach bug that was going around. He threw up in the car :(

Hunter is still more talkative than Drake, and warms up quicker to new situations.


When the sirens go off for "testing" in Deer Park, they are terrified! Especially Drake.

They LOVE milk. We have to limit them to 2 cups because if not they have an upset stomach.

They are able to have a cup of juice again. So, they have juice on occasion now.

This month they have not been napping as well as they always have. In the past they were like 2 hour alarm clocks, this month has been anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.

Since recieving a video monitor I can also see in their nursery at night. I was able to see that there are nights that they toss and turn.

The video monitor is amazing! Seeing them interact at bedtime without being in the room is priceless.

Hunter had a cough this month, and I would ask him "Are you ok?" after he coughed. Drake picked it up and now asks "You ok?" when someone coughs. Hearing this over the monitor, "Bubba, you ok?" absolutely melted me!!!

They are still eating great and not very picky. Hunter still struggles with cold foods. As long as he does not bite it, it does not seem to hurt. The issue is convincing him to try something once he realizes it is cold.

They love snacks and say "I want a snack" often. Drake especially loved Captain Crunch cereal. Hearing them say cereal is more like "cerio"

They will tell you when something is "a mess"

Hunter started saying "Oh man!" and it is too funny!

They tell us night night love you every night.

They absolutely love it at Sandy's. They are so happy when I pick them up. They don't cry when I leave them. It makes this momma happy! We are blessed to have her in our lives as not only a caretaker for our boys, but as a great friend!


They watch Caillou, Barney, and Mickey Mouse often. They will watch Sprout in general, but these are their favorite shows.

We transitioned them this month from being in Luke's nursery so often. We realized this could be an issue once he arrives, so they are not in his room as often now.

Drake started telling us when he poops this month. He will tell Brandon or I immediately. So, now we are working on telling us before ;)

These boys love to take their clothes off. They will tell you "off" and pull at their clothes.

They are definitely both left handed.

Both boys still love books, and play with them daily.

They love bath time and play with their ducks. They started playing with cups this month and love to pour the water out. Hunter may have poured it outside the bath a couple times ...

Drake is SUCH a momma's boy.

Hunter now calls me mommy.

Their manners absolutely melt me! I love that they say thank you to everything! After a diaper change, for giving them a sippy cup, anything!

They love to take things to the trash!

Drake is obsessed with doors. He is finally able to reach the handle, but has not mastered turning it. So, we let him close them for us often.

Drake is so my personality! He will tell you no in a heartbeat, and you better listen! If you don't, he will pop you. Seriously. He is my "right" fighter. You better follow the rules, or he will make it known you did not!


Hunter says No-No often, and I love the way he says it!! It completely melts my heart. Probably going to regret that ;)

The size 5 Pampers are getting a little snug on Drake.

They are in 18 month clothes for the most part!


Sunday, February 3, 2013

21 Months { D & H }

They speak in short sentences now! "I want that" is heard often. They say I love you and it melts my heart. It comes out "ove" you since they struggle to pronounce the l sound. They will tell me "Night-Night Momma ove you!"

They are such little boys. They are not my babies anymore. Hunter saying "Come here" and pulls your finger to take you to where he wants to go. Whether it is playing blocks, watching Mickey Mouse or Barney, or he wants a snack :)

They say yes and no and shake their head the appropriate way. They now say "okay" all the time and I know it is from how often I say this word. It is definitely my filler word. 

Hunter will disappear for 20 minutes watching a tv show. He loves to lay on his belly with his blankie and watch his cartoons. He absolutely adores his crib blanket. He carries it around and snuggles with it. 

Drake is such a lover. He loves to give kisses, hugs, etc. He has to sit right next to me or on my lap. 6 inches of space between me and him is too much ;)







They have recently really started building on their block table and they are good at it! They build them tall, and then knock them all down!




My boys have a love for books. They play with books daily. They read books at night before bed. They always have books! It makes me so proud!

They know when they sit in daddy's spot on the couch they are in "his" spot! They giggle the entire time waiting for him to realize they are there. 

They are starting to say their "l" sound and trying to say Lacey for Aunt Lacey!

If you ask them who's chin they have, they will tell you they have their daddy's chin! They know all their body parts.

If you ask them to wiggle, they will shake their butt! I love it!! I want my boys to be able to dance! What woman does not love a man that can dance ?! Channing Tatum ?!? Their wives will thank me one day!

They ask for milk, snack, juice, etc. They love a cookie at the end of dinner.

They LOVE bath time. I am just now allowing them to start standing up. Hunter loves to stand and pour water out of the bath cup. Drake does not stand as often. He would rather play with his toys. 

Every night they tell the deer in their room night-night and give it kisses. 



We had 2 weeks that they hated going to sleep, nap or bedtime. It was hard on mommy. They have never cried at times to go to sleep, so I certainly was not used to it. They are back to normal and happy when it is time to go to bed. 

They nap from noon to 2 pm daily. 

They sleep 12 hours a night. If they have to go to Mrs. Sandy's the next day I put them to bed by 7:30 since I have to wake them at 7 am. If they stay up later, they are so grumpy in the morning. On the weekends they can stay up to 8 or 8:30, then sleep until whenever.

Hunter says "WHOA!"

You can tell them to go tickle someone and they will go do it.

When Hunter lays on his belly to watch tv Drake will go sit on him! It is hysterical!!

They wrestle more often, and boy does mommy not love this! Drake is the aggressive one, and Hunter typically won't go after Drake.

They have definitely grown this month! Their pants are getting shorter :)

They still wear size 18 months clothing.

They are still in size 5 pampers.

They will ask for Meme and Papa or Nadi and Grandpa. It is precious when they do!

Hunter's hemangioma on his butt has been turning flesh colored! I bet by the summer all the red will be gone!

The boys are so great when I load them in the mornings. I load Hunter first and Drake hangs out in the garage. He never gets himself into anything, and comes straight to me now to be put in the car. 

They think their cousin Bowen is the coolest thing ever. They get so excited to see him!!




I cannot wait for them to meet Luke. I know they will adore their baby brother and be great big brothers!!! They lift my shirt at random times all on their own and kiss "Kuke"

Luke's room has become their main hang out. They love to be in there. 

They love Mickey Mouse now!! I am so excited they are expanding to other cartoons. They also like The Chica Show on Sprout and Caillou. 

You can tell them we are watching Football and they will say "ball-ball" and "touchdown"

They love blueberry muffins on the weekends!




They pulled down their curtains this month! :(




Hunter has started to get more picky when he eats at times. 

The love between these boys is like nothing I have ever seen. They snuggle, they console each other, they know when something is wrong with their brother, they are rarely apart, and they understand how to say sorry now. They will have a bond forever that I will never fully understand, but I thank God for giving them to me so I could witness it. 




These boys are my whole world!








Christmas 2012

We had an amazing Christmas with the twins! We have several different celebrations with our families. The boys were blessed with a ton of toys. We were able to read a book before bed with them, and set out water for Rudolph on Christmas Eve. The boys slept in Christmas morning until nearly 10 am! 

They were wore out from all the Christmas festivities in the days before! We celebrated with Brandon's dad's side of the family one night, we celebrated with Brandon's parents one evening and went to Zoo Lights at the Houston Zoo, we celebrated one day with Brandon's mom's side of the family, and we celebrated Christmas Eve evening with my family! It was a LOT of family time, and we loved it! 


They especially love their DVD players from Brandon's parents. They are able to watch them in the car on long trips, and we set them up at home for them also. They really like their work bench from Santa. They play with the drill often! Hunter likes to drill his own belly, it is hysterical! They draw on their Magnadoodle's from my parents all the time, and have even kept up with the little magnets that go with them! Here are some of the photos from our Christmas this year :)


























Thursday, January 3, 2013

{ D & H } 20 Months

Drake and Hunter are 20 months.

They are repeating everything we say which is neat! We tell them new words every day!

They say "touch" often referring to want to touch the mounted deer in their room.

They say please often, and it is so sweet. They also say thank you. We most often hear please in the mornings "Milk please"

They refer to their little brother as Kuke rather than Luke.

They call Aunt Lacey, Ce-Ce, and are now able to say Casey for Uncle Casey. They call Bowen "baby." We are working on saying Bowen or Bo, but they struggle since their grandparents have a dog named Bo. So, they associate Bo with the dog at Meme and PawPaw's. 

They are now able to say their names, Drake and Hunter. Hunter seems easier for them to pronounce.

This month they really started saying "no-no" It is so funny. They shake their finger back and forth and say "no-no _____ " Typically a name follows ! ;)

Drake says "k" in the appropriate way. I can ask him to "be careful, okay?" and he will say "k." I can also say "are you okay" and he replies "yes." I was so impressed that he knows when it is appropriate to say "k" in response. 

It amazes me how much they understand. They will repeat you and count up to 5. 

They still love bath time. Hunter still prefers to sit near the faucet, while Drake likes to sit in the back.

They love to play with their ducks during bath time and give lots of kisses to the duck.

Hunter LOVES to say bye. He tells everything bye. Bye tree, bye deer, bye barney, bye cup, etc. It is so precious.

They both adored having a Christmas tree in the house. They want it plugged in immediately when they wake up. I was very proud that they did not try to mess with the tree or ornaments!

They still love books and read often. They are now to the point they will actually let you read an entire page before turning it. Their attention span has definitely grown!

They are now into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! This is one of their new words, "Mickey Mouse" They watch that or Barney. 

They still wear size 5 diapers.

We are in size 18 months clothes. Some are a little on the big side, but most fit perfect.

They made their annual trip to the deer lease this month. To say they loved it would be an understatement. They had a blast. They got to throw out corn, go on a hunt, and ride the four wheeler. Their first hunt was with Brandon and his dad. They did not see anything, but the boys had fun!

They still LOVE their crocs and wear them often. 

They are often running around the house in diapers and crocs! I know from my photos people must believe that my children don't own clothes. This is totally the opposite of our situation. We have SO MANY clothes. They are well-dressed little boys when they leave our home, but when we are home, we are just that HOME. They are relaxing, playing, and laying around. They love being in a diaper. They pull at their clothes for us to take them off. I am sure this is because for so long I have let them run around in diapers so it is their "normal." My babies are only going to be babies once, and I love seeing their bellies and thighs! I love to kiss on them and I know they are comfortable. 

These boys completely adore each other. They are best friends. They are rarely in different rooms. They give each other hugs and kisses. They pat each other if one is upset. They share anything and everything. They often get 2 of the toy they want to play with and take the other to their brother. 

They are able to crawl up on basically anything. They have yet to try and escape their cribs which I LOVE!

They also enjoy hiding in their closet.

They love to turn on their music soother.

They still play in their laugh and learn house and have so much fun. They tell us Hi and Bye as they play.

Hunter has a new fascination with his blanket from his crib set. He LOVES this blanket. He calls it a blanket, Drake has started calling his a night-night. Drake is not nearly as attached, but since Hunter wants it, so does he. 


29 weeks with Luke ♥

Since 16 weeks I have been seeing my high risk specialist to be sure my cervix did not shorten early. 

At 16 weeks and 20 weeks it was measuring around 3.5 cm and not a concern. They were discussing my dismissal from seeing her which was both exciting and scary. 

At my 24 week appointment my cervix measured around 3.1 to 3.2, so she decided not to dismiss me. At this point, Luke was measuring nearly 2 weeks ahead at 26 weeks. My stomach was also measuring 2 weeks ahead according to my regular OB. 

Here is Luke at 24 weeks! I love his foot up by his face :)



At my 26 week appointment I was praying my cervix had no change and Luke was not still 2 weeks ahead. My main concern was the possibility of gestational diabetes causing him to measure large. My cervix was still measuring 3.1 to 3.2 and I will no longer be seeing my specialist! This was bittersweet. Dr. Adam was there through my entire twin pregnancy, and I love her as a doctor. Don't get me wrong, I adore my regular OB. It is just strange to think I won't need Dr. Adam ever again. Luke was still measuring 2 weeks ahead at 28 weeks. They asked about my glucose test, but it was scheduled for 2 weeks away, so I had no answer as to whether he was big due to genetics or gestational diabetes.

I prayed for 2 weeks straight that I did not have gestational diabetes. I wanted a normal pregnancy. A normal delivery. A full term baby. No negative effects for Luke later on. I was a flood of emotions because of everything I had envisioned for my one "Normal" pregnancy.

I went to see my OB the day of the test and she told me she would be genuinely surprised if I failed the test. She reminded me that the twins were large for their gestation and I seem to make large babies. Brandon was over 8 lbs, so we do have genetics on our side. She is still going to let me attempt VBAC, but with him continuing to measure large she has brought to my attention it could end in a c-section. I am fine with that, but I want the chance.

GOOD NEWS I PASSED MY GLUCOSE TEST! I am one happy momma!!

Luke has the hiccups ALL THE TIME. 

He stays on my right side and never goes on my left side. 

He is head down.

He LOVES my right ribs. This is exactly where Drake was, and he was my active twin. So, needless to say my right ribs are not catching a break.

The twins adore him. They cannot pronounce their "L" They call him Kuke. They often lift my shirt and kiss my belly.

They especially love his nursery. We got it cleaned out during christmas break. They run in there daily. The crib, dresser, changing table, and a shelf are all in their now. They spend a lot of their time in this room. They also like that they can see outside from his windows. 

The boys are going to be great big brothers. Seeing them with Bowen just makes me see it even more. They think Bowen is the coolest thing EVER.





22 weeks 



26 weeks



28 weeks


Yogi Bear Park 2012

Brandon's mom decided to take all of the grandkids to Yogi Bear Park for Christmas this year. Lacey, Pam, me, Bowen, Drake, and Hunter loaded up in Lacey's tahoe and went for the weekend in mid December.


There were several activities planned while we were there. From decorating cookies, to painting ornaments, making smores, movie under the stars, and a golf cart which was the boys favorite part.


We arrived around 9 pm, and the boys were excited to run around the house. They especially thought they were big boys because they could open the doors to the bedroom. 





Hunter


Hunter


Drake 


Meme and Hunter


Drake


The boys stayed up until around 10:30, which is way past their typical bedtime. They were in a great mood. Around 1:30 Drake woke up crying. I was up with him until 4 am. He hit his head on my head board and woke up Hunter. So, from 4 to 5 I had both boys in bed with me. Around 5 am I heard Lace up with Bowen, so I went ahead and got up. The boys were running around. Then they started to be fussy because they were so tired. We put them back down and they cried themselves to sleep around 6 am. I went back to sleep.

That morning once they woke up around 8 am they were still pretty fussy, so nap time was a must. After nap time they were great! 


This is one of the many faces of Drake.


Waiting to see Yogi Bear


Momma and Drake 


They were not impressed with Yogi Bear ;)

Pam rented a golf cart which the boys loved!! They think it is so neat to drive.





We decorated cookies and the boys liked eating the gum drops :)



Drake 


Drake



Drake


Hunter


Hunter

We also painted an ornament!


Drake


Hunter 

The boys loved this cut out and played with it for a while!


Hunter


Drake

We made smores and watched a movie outside! They did much better than I imagined! They watched an hour of the movie.




Aunt Ashley and Bowen




Lacey and Bowen



It was a great weekend!!! :)