Luke is 11 months old ❤️

Luke is officially 11 months old and this mommy is wondering where the time has gone?

In the past two weeks he has really become quite a ham! He thinks he is pretty funny and giggles often.

His top right tooth popped through during nap time one day!

The other top tooth is playing peek a boo popping in and out with swelling gums.

He is babbling much more which makes me so happy. He doesn't say momma and dada as often if at all anymore. I try to not be concerned with his speech, but it is hard to not compare him to the twins. I know it will come with time. 

It took me a whole to realize he does not cry tears. He is so happy that he only cries or makes a crying noise when hungry or tired. These two things are easily fixed so he has NEVER cried tears. The week he turned 11 months he was sick and making a mess on his high chair tray. He was ready to go to bed and was uninterested in food. I told him no for slamming his hands down and knocking the food off the tray. He cried real tears. It absolutely broke my heart. He ended up needing to go to the pediatrician because  his fever of 101 kept coming back over a 2 day period. Sandy and I also noticed a change in the smell of his pee. So he had to be catheterized in office which hurt my heart. He did fantastic and didn't cry tears. Screamed, but no tears. I was able to nurse him before and after which helped him to be happy quickly. 

My blessed evening ❤️

There are times that such sweet things occur between my children that I think no one is going to believe me. 

Tonight was one of those nights. 

The twins came home from Meme and Pawpaw's in a very talkative mood. Hunter saw bananas on the counter while Drake was going to the bathroom with Brandon. He managed to eat nearly the whole thing before Drake came back into the living room. Drake asked for one since he saw the last of Hunter's. He immediately told Hunter he would share without being asked by Hunter. He would take a bite, give Hunt a bite, take a bite, have me pull down the peel, etc. The whole time telling me "I'm sharing with Hunt momma" "I'm sharing because he's my bestfriend" Hunter was so ecstatic he was telling us "Drake share with me momma" "We sharing!" 

After bath time Brandon and I were dressing the boys, I noticed Drake has some red dots sporadically on his body. I told Brandon I may need to schedule an appointment with Dr. Amy. Immediately Hunt starts saying he is not going to the doctor. Drake explains he is going to the doctor and he likes Dr. Amy. He talks about the fish at the doctors office and getting shots. For the record, they hate going to the doctor. So I was surprised by Drake's response. Both boys explain that Drake is going to go to the doctor with mommy and Hunter is going to stay home with daddy. In the moment I was surprised at their willingness to be apart! Lately they have been willing to have different shirts on at times, different snacks, different toys, and  these things have never occurred before.

This quickly changed. Hunter went into full on panic mode when he realized Drake was saying he was going to "stay with Dr. Amy" He was begging Drake to stay with him. Drake was saying he was going in a little bit to see her and Hunt would say "no you go tomorrow!" Hunt kept saying Drake needed to "stay with me!" We could not get Hunt to calm down. He wanted Drake to say he was not leaving him tonight. Finally Drake tells him "I stay with you Hunt because you're my best friend" Then they exchanged several hugs and kisses. They would get in bed and then give each other more hugs! We said our nightly prayers, and I cried.

This. Is. My. Real. Life. 

I look at Brandon and we are both melted. I was in tears. In these moments I look at them and thank God. I thank him for all the amazing people that are in my boys' life. I watch as my boys grow and think there is no better reflection of myself than looking at my boys. Watching their kindness with each other and their love for one another is a sight to see. 

There are days I need more patience. I need to put away laundry. I need to mop. I need to dust. I need to put the Christmas decor in tubs. In moments like tonight, I realize I am absolutely making the right choice when I snuggle them instead of finish cleaning the kitchen because they come up saying "I want to hold you!" 

Before I know it these boys won't want to snuggle, give special kisses, and hold their mommy. So for now, I'm going to embrace these moments and write when the moments are just so sweet I never want to forget ❤️

As I write this and look at the monitor I see they decided to sleep together in Hunter's bed! My precious boys ❤️

Christmas 2013

This Christmas was so incredibly special in our home. The twins will be 3 in April, so they truly understood this year. 

We read bedtime stories every night before bed with the twins. One night in November Hunter started crying because he wanted a Santa book. That night I got online and ordered 30 Christmas books for my boys. I decided I would wrap them as the boys would open them before bed. The boys absolutely LOVED doing this! This experience is what made me realize I would need to wrap more of their gifts this year. Just the unwrapping of the book was exciting for them! 

The enjoyed the nightly routine of opening a new Christmas book. Halfway through the month I tried to give them their books unwrapped. Drake quickly informed me that the books were supposed to be presents that are wrapped. 

The boys loved decorating a small tree for their own bedroom. A couple of their Christmas books came with pop out ornaments that we also added. 

We also did the Elf on the Shelf. They named him Buck, with help from Daddy of course. They enjoyed looking for him in the mornings. Buck made a train, hung from the play room light, stayed in the stockings, and many others. 

Hunter absolutely loved Christmas, Santa, and Frosty the Snowman. He would wake up talking about it. He was completely amazed by Christmas.

The twins understand that Christmas is Jesus Christ's birthday. They had several books that explained the reason for the season. They asked if we would sing happy birthday and if we would have cake. 

They went to Brandon's Union Hall Children's Christmas. We were able to pick a gift for each child. Drake picked Elmo, Hunter picked Super Grover, and Luke got a Weeble School Bus. They were able to sit in Santa's lap for the first time this season at this event. The twins were so excited to tell him what they wanted. They made a point to make sure he talked to their baby brother Luke. They asked for toys, trains, and planes.

My mom and I made Christmas cookies with them. Hunter loved putting the Hershey kiss on the peanut butter cookies! We also made cookie cutter Sugar cookies. I iced them and the boys did sprinkles. Oh. My. Goodness. The. Mess. It was so worth the memories! We also made chocolate chip cookies.

We also took them to the Alvin Christmas Train. This is a short ride through tons of decorated Christmas and nativity scenes.  The boys absolutely loved it. 

They asked to have the outside lights and Christmas tree plugged in immediately when arriving home.

They sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Jingle Bells, and Frosty the Snowman often.

We waited outside for Santa to come by on the fire truck! They loved this! They grabbed the candy from the driveway that was thrown to them!

They really love Christmas. Everything about it. 

They did fantastic with all of our Christmas festivities. 

Christmas Eve the twins had a hard time falling asleep. I went in several times to remind them that they had to go to sleep for Santa to bring their gifts. One of the times I went in to tell the boys to go to sleep Drake told me heard noises, but they were NOT Santa on the roof.

Luke was 9 months old at Christmas, so he did not understand what was going on, but creating the memories was so much fun! 

Christmas morning the boys were so excited! The twins woke up first and were able to come out and see their stockings and gifts. Luke woke up 30 minutes later. 

Hunter's favorite gift was the Thomas the Train PlayHut. He played in it all day.

They loved their Mickey Mouse umbrellas that are just their size.

They love their train table.

Luke loves his Laugh and Learn Story Time Chair and his Fisher Price Swirl and Surprise. 

Hunter sings Frosty the Snowman ALL the time! He asks for his Elf to come back from the North Pole.

All snowmen are Frosty.

Luke at 10 months

Luke is 10 months old!

He is 19 pounds 9 ounces.

He is in size 4 Pampers Cruisers.

He wears size 9 and 12 months clothing.

He is still breastfed! He nurses in the morning, gets two bottles at Sandy's, and nurses before bed.

He eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

He also snacks on puffs, mum mums, Gerber cookies, Gerber crunchies, and Cheerios. 

He loves Gerber Yogurt.

He typically sleeps through the night. He goes to bed around 7 pm after a bath and nursing. I wake him at 6:30 am to nurse before we leave.

He babbles SO much more now. He is finally saying momma! I was so excited when he started doing this! 

He gives kisses unprompted! 

He loves to bounce.

Luke follows the twins everywhere! He plays with them all the time. They are very good with him.

He loves bath time.

He walks behind his walkers often.

He has stood unassisted for a second, but he is still not confident.

Luke cruises down furniture quickly.

He crawls just like his brothers now. His knees do not touch the ground and he is FAST!

He still has only his 2 bottom teeth!

He seems to be teething his top two teeth. He has been fussier at times and drooling a ton. 

Luke loves his Fisher Price gumball machine. He knows to put the balls in it and push the lever down.

He also loves the Laugh and Learn House and Car.

He also enjoys taking DVD cases out of the entertainment center. 

Luke is an incredibly happy baby! He only fusses when he is tired or hungry! He was up all night one night tossing and turning due to his teeth, but after that he was fine.

Luke at 9 months old ❤️❤️❤️

Luke is my last baby. He makes me so incredibly happy. I adore the twins and love them just as much, but I now see even more how people say they love differently. The bond with each of my children is different. My bond with each of the twins is very similar, but I feel like my bond with Luke is different. I wonder if it is because I know he is my last baby?

He started clapping at 8.5 months! He claps all the time!

Luke wears size 9 months and 12 months clothing.

He is in size 4 Pampers Cruisers.

He is still breastfeeding. We made is 9 months!!! Yay!!! He started only taking 12 ounces while away from me at Sandy's during the day! He is eating more solids. He nurses in the morning, when we get home, and before bed. On the weekends he nurses 4-5 times a day.  

His hair has started to lay down. Some days more than others it lays down flatter.

At 8.5 months he started really walking up and down furniture with one hand. He has become much more confident with standing and holds on with one hand typically. 

Luke goes wherever the boys are in the house. You can tell he absolutely loves playing with them. They are so incredibly gentle with him.

He loves food and eats 2-3 meals a day. 

He is great at self feeding! He loves puffs, crunchies, Cheerios, mum mums, and avocado! 

Luke prefers to drink out of his brothers straw sippy cups!

When I lay him down to go to sleep he immediately flips on his belly with his butt in the air and his arms down by his sides.

Right after Luke turned 8 months I noticed some pain in my right nipple when nursing. I could tell it was different than a thrush pain, but didn't know what was wrong. It turned out to be a clogged duct that caused a bleb on my nipple. It has been the most painful issue we have had since starting this breastfeeding journey! I wish it hadn't taken me a week to realize what it was, so it was able to continue to get worse.

Luke constantly pushes on my chest while he nurses. I have no idea if it affects the flow, but even if I try to hold his hands he gets them out and does it. 

His little knees get so red from crawling around the house after the twins. 

Brandon made a comment that Luke eats so much better than the twins! He is less messy for Brandon. I think a lot of it has to do with how long I waited to do solids with Luke. The twins had cereal at 4 months, and homemade baby food at 6 months. Luke did not start homemade baby food until 7 months when he finally showed interest. 

He started shaking his head no-no the week he turned 9 months. 

At 8.5 months he got a flu shot and weighed 19 pounds 11 ounces. 

His 9 month appointment he weighed 19 pounds 15 ounces!

He is my quiet baby! He doesn't babble nearly as often as the twins! He says dada, and shrieks more than anything! I asked the pediatrician and she said it is most likely due to listening to the twins and taking everything in. Sure enough we've noticed when the twins are napping or with Meme and PawPaw he babbles a ton more! 

He still wakes up random nights. We snuggle in bed and nurse. He is very distracted when baring during the day. It is nice that before bed, any middle of the night, and his first nursing session he actually focuses on eating!

He still sleeps with a white noise machine on at night and nap times! It keeps him from waking when the twins are loud, and the twins don't wake to him when he gets up.

Luke takes a morning nap, an early afternoon nap, and sometimes a late afternoon nap.

He got his first ear infection this month from being sick for so long. He has had a head cold for 2 months. Snot pouring out his nose gets better then worse. We love humidifiers, boogie wipes, and amoxicillin! 

He celebrates his first Thanksgiving this month! He looked precious with a Camo and Minky brown onesie that said "My First Thanksgiving" We celebrated at Meme and PawPaw's first, then went to Aunt Kitty's house. My daddy, Luke's Grandpa got to come home from California to see us! It was a very blessed thanksgiving! 

Drake and Hunter 2.5 years old ❤️

The boys are growing so quickly! They are more little boys and less toddlers lately. They have a full vocabulary. They speak very clearly, and are rarely misunderstood.

Hunter is still stubborn and independent. He is so incredibly sweet though! He loves to say "I love you" and says it often. I think it is because of how often he hears us say I love you that he has picked it up as a habit. I love it ❤️ He has perfected his pout and crosses his arms when upset. 

Drake is still a major Momma's boy. He sits with me a lot. Asks to be held very often. "I want to hold you" is how he asks to be held. He gives the best puckered up kisses! A perfect pucker and just recently started holding my face when he kisses. He is incredibly loving to everyone. He adores Luke and plays with him often. He now says I love you as often and Hunt.

The twins share incredibly well. Hunt does have an issue with wanting whatever Drake is playing with. He at times cries until Drake gives it up and then he is fine. Other times, they share with absolutely no issue. 

They were Mickey Mouse for their 3rd Halloween this year! I asked them what they wanted to be and that is what they picked!

They are in a major Caillou stage. They LOVE this show so much. We watch it several times a day. We do not watch Barney often anymore. We still watch Mickey Mouse and they love it. They ask for Caillou more often though, I remind them we need to watch Mickey for Luke. They do not mind. They also watch Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Chuggington, a recent Sesame Street stage (really only Elmo).

Drake had a scary event in his life this month. They had been eating the small bags of m&m's and skittles from Halloween. There were no more in our candy, so I gave Drake a chewy candy the size of a quarter. He did not chew it and swallowed it whole, well tried. He choked. Literally. Tears, no noise, choked. Hunt was screaming at the top of his lungs "Drake! Drake!" I flipped him over and hit his back several times, then stuck my finger in his mouth and pulled the candy out. Hunt threw his candy on the counter. He was petrified. Drake was crying, Hunt was hysterical. Luke was crawling on the floor. I was crying, holding the twins trying to calm them down. Hunter took longer to calm down than Drake. It was traumatizing. He kept asking "Drake okay?" Drake would say "I choked!" 

Drake choked again a week later at a birthday party after he put several chicken nuggets in his mouth! I pulled them out of his mouth, and Hunter kept saying "Drake is ok." Drake was in tears, but not crying badly. He was scared. 

They often ask to sleep on the floor or in each other's bed. 

Sometimes naps are issues because they talk the entire time. 

Some quotes ... 

"Mommy you saved me" 

"I love you ... So much"

"I need my oculars"

"It's in the fridgafrater"

"maybe later" 

"I save the day"

"You are my bestfriend" 

"I want popplesauce" - Hunt

"I want to hold you"

"Santa" for Drake 

"Claus Claus" for Hunt

"I Wove You"

"I don't like chocolate in my waffles!" - Drake

"I want my deer blanket" 

"I want Caillou"

"____ not being nice"

"You're mean ____"

"Be nice _____"

"I want Mickey Mouse"

"I want toast" --any waffle, french toast sticks, etc for breakfast.

Every single bath they wipe their eyes with a wash cloth after you put water over their head. They hand it to each other while I pour the water!

They love to sleep together !!

They are in an Elmo and Cookie Monster phase ! They don't like the show that much, but love the characters! They call is Elmo Street!

Hunt especially loves to line any objects up and call it a train! 

They love to play catch!

Drake plays and wrestles with Luke often!  He shares really well with him. 

Hunt loves to get in Luke's crawl around car and fake drive! He will drive around stuffed animals.

They love bath time and writing with bath crayons! 

They both call me momma or mommy !

Brandon is daddy!

Luke is sometimes called Lukey by the twins, which I dislike. We are working on breaking this habit!

They absolutely love books! They read ALL the time! 

Drake refers to Hunter as Hunt often. This is because I often call him Hunt!

Drake is going through a picky eating stage! 

They do not like chocolate milk! 

They love sweets, applesauce, fruit snacks, oatmeal, yogurt, chicken nuggets, French fries, burgers, spaghetti, lasagna, bread, veggies, and chips to name a few 😜

They are not able to drink juice, so I use the flavor enhancers to spray in their water to give it flavor. 

They are very attached to their "deer blanket" from their crib bedding set! They did not become attached until they were a year old, but this blanket has magical powers! If they are hurt, upset, or tired they ask for their "deer blanket" This blanket can solve any problem! I bought them a Mickey Mouse blanket thinking they would move on to a different blanket, they absolutely did NOT work! 

They also sleep with their Barney pillow pet every night!

They must be dressed the same at ALL times! They throw a fit if they do not have the exact same outfit on! Hunt throws more of a fit than Drake.

They freak if they don't have a shirt on which makes me laugh since they were diaper babies for 18 months! 

They ask to have their pants, socks, and shoes taken off while at home. They are typically running around in a shirt and underwear. I think they should be comfortable while at home so it does not bother me at all. 

They do great wearing hats!

Their biggest fights are when one twin wants the other to play a certain game or with a certain toy and the other twin does not want to play at that moment.

We read a Jake and the Neverland Pirates book. One of the characters is "Smee" Hunter was firs told this name by Brandon. He thinks Brandon is saying this character is "me" So if you ask Hunt to say the characters name he says it is Daddy! We have gone over it no less than a hundred times and he does not realize we are saying Smee! 

When they sing "Jake and meeeeee" from the theme song of Jake and the Neverland Pirates it is precious!

Hunt's hemangioma on his butt is almost completely flesh colored!

Drake's is on his shoulder blade and doesn't seem to be going away nearly as quick. This surprises me since it is so much smaller.

They call their butt their "booty butt" 

They have become much more independent lately! They get themselves out of the car, and will tell me "Don't help me mommy, I can do it" 

They go to bed between 7 and 8 and sleep 12 hours. They still take a 2 hour nap around noon.

Drake was up until 10 the other night so he was overtired and emotional. I was rubbing his head and telling him "mommy is here, you are okay." He was almost asleep when he said "Mommy" I said ya baby, "I love you" I immediately had tears rolling down my cheeks. I feel that he truly understand what love is and the appropriate times to say it. I will never forget that night as long as I live.

These boys are such a blessing. I wish more people could experience how truly amazing they are to watch. Identical twins are fascinating, and I am loving every minute of raising my sweet boys. 

 

Luke is 8 months old ❤️

Luke is 8 months old and growing too quickly.

He got a flu shot at 8.5 months old and weighed 19 lbs 11 ounces fully clothed, so probably more like 19 lbs 6 ounces.

He started pulling up and pulls up on everything in sight. 

He will pat-a-cake with one hand open and one hand closed when he claps!

He is in size 4 Pampers Cruisers. 

His two middle bottom teeth broke through the week he turned 8 months. He was not fussy at all when they came through.

He crawls everywhere and chases the boys.

He is in size 9 months clothes. 

Luke giggles all the time! He laughs when I talk, laughs when he knows he is about to nurse, laughs at his brothers, literally anything is funny to him. It is heartwarming to hear that sweet sound!

He goes to bed around 7 pm and typically sleeps 11 hours. 

We are still successfully breastfeeding! I am so excited to be able to write that! He nurses once before we leave for Sandy's, and one to two times in the evenings. He typically takes 3 to 4 six ounce bottles while he is away from me for 9 hours a day. Nursing can calm him down if he is ever upset which is nice. If he does not want to nurse something is really wrong. 

Luke still randomly likes to sleep with me at night. He will fall asleep in my bed nursing, then when I go to take him to his room he bursts into tears. I give in because this is not often, so I know he must need some mommy time. Being a working mommy I miss so much, he is my last baby... I will take all the snuggles I can get. I never imagined myself co-sleeping in any way, but with breastfeeding it has become something that does occur with Luke and I. 

He eats solids two times a day. He loves avocado! We have yet to find something he does not like. 

Luke eats yogurt melts, puffs, and MumMums! He is good at self-feeding!

He will drink out of a straw sippy cup. He prefers the boys large ones to his smaller one. 

He learned how to climb on the twins Mickey Mouse couch, then climb on the coffee table! This is a daily occurrence! He has yet to hurt himself while on the couch, but loves to stand there and bang things on the table. 

He plays with all the toys in our home, the twins or his! 

Everything goes into his mouth right now!

He still sleeps with a pajama sleeper on, a blanket, and his white noise machine! 

Luke managed to pull his curtains into his crib the other day! So now I pull the curtains to the side where he can't reach them! 

Luke is SUCH a wiggly boy when he is awake and nursing! He is practically doing the alligator death roll half the time. When he is half asleep it is not an issue, but when awake it is comical. He will sit up and nurse, lay on his belly, lay flat, unlatch and talk, giggle, switch sides. He has a hard time staying focused when the twins are around so I typically take him into the bedroom to nurse.

We still think he looks just like mommy! He has my eyes for sure! His hair stands straight up, but not quite as much as Drake's did! 

He takes two naps a day. One around 9:30 and the other around 1/1:30. We start baths around 6:30 and he goes to bed at 7 after nursing. 

He loves bath time.

Luke scrunched his nose often! He quints his eyes when he does this! 

He is an incredibly happy baby. Rarely is he fussy unless it's bedtime or time to eat. He had a fussy week at the start of this month, but we think he may have been feeling bad.