Attitude

Awhile back I was reading through a fellow mother of multiples blog (as I often do) and she was writing about how much attitude counts toward your kids. I was thinking this morning how its so true, as with anything in life. If you go into something thinking you cant, you probably wont, & if you wake up thinking how bad your day is going to be, it most likely will be. I've realized there are 2 different ways I can choose to look at caring for my two babies every day. I can think "Geeze, I have to take care of two babies all day. Most people only have one to care for." OR, I can go into it thinking, "I'm so lucky. I only have two babies to take care of. Lots of moms have triplets, quads, or even quintuplets. And TONS of moms have several children of all different ages to take care of. Plenty of those children have disabilities or impairments that may require even extra care and/or attention. I am so fortunate to have two very happy, healthy children to take care of every day. They ADD joy to my day, every day, and I am so blessed to be able to stay home with my kids instead of having to drop them off at day care and go to work. I know lots of moms dont have the option to stay home & wish so badly that they could. Some days I find myself needing to remind myself of this & how blessed I am. My husband works hard all (and I mean, all) day, 6 days a week, so that we are all provided for. Who could ask for more?

Identical....Pssssh!

Everyone tells us the twins look so much alike and ask how we tell them apart. This amuses me since I think they look so clearly different. In addition to their physical differences, they are very, very, very different personality-wise.

Clay has been a snuggler since he was a month or two old. He's my little "lover boy." He was the first to start hugging and cuddling with me, and I noticed it right off the bat. I couldnt believe how sweet it was. He has continued to maintain this even now. He loves to be hugged and loved on. He is so happy when he is being held, and it has been very easy to bond with him.

On the other hand, Colt has been a little more difficult for me to bond with. He has very rarely in his 10 months, been one to cuddle with momma. He much prefers to laugh and be the funny man. He has bonded with Chris so well because Chris is also humorous in nature. These two have so much fun together, while Clay and I like to snuggle. Colt pushes me away if I try to do this too much with him. Its so hard not to though!

Just when I was starting to get a little concerned about my bond with Colt, I realized what I was doing wrong and why he wasnt bonding with me like Clay was. The problem was that I was trying to show my love for them in same way-the way that comes natural to me- which is to love on him and give lots of hugs and kisses. He was not responding well to this. After some soul searching, I realized I needed to show my love for him in the way that HE understands and communicates love, which is laughter. When I began to show him love by being silly, tickling, and making him laugh, etc, he responded to me SO much more.

My mom and I have discussed many times about how two parents can raise all their children the same, yet they grow up to be so different. In my case I've realized that even though my sons are identical twins, they are two separate human beings and that not every thing I do with one will work with the other.

Its going to be a long -and GREAT- journey, & I'm learning...

Love,
Ashley

Being a stay-at-home-mom

Otherwise known as a "SAHM". Before I became a so-called SAHM, I remember thinking that women who get to stay home with their kids all day and not have a job (bahahahahaha) while their husbands work must have the LIFE. Boy was I WRONG, wrong, wrong.

Staying at home ALL day by myself with the kids is difficult. Of course its fun. Its rewarding. But its hard. You can only play so much with the same toys (and we have A LOT). You can only amuse the kids so many times with the same faces and same jokes and same tricks. The weather in Texas is so hot during this time of the year that we cant even go on a walk or to the store.

We are very fortunate though. For the first 8 months after they were born, we had Chris's mom coming all the time to help, so they had another face to see during the day besides me. And we've always had my mom on the weekends. During the first 6 months or so it was all about having the extra help. (and boy did we need it!) I was soooo thankful. Now its more about Chris and I being able to get out of the house, and for the twins to have some other interaction besides us. When you have multiple babies, its much harder to get out of the house for a simple errand. I'm not yet comfortable with loading the boys in and out of the car by myself, especially in this heat.

Taking care of two babies all day is, to put it quite frankly, an ass whooping. I try all the time to think about the moms out there who have triplets, quads, or even quints, and I try to remind myself that they have gotten through it, and I will get through it too. I love reading blogs of other M.O.M.'s out there to see the different tricks of the trade and how they juggle their lives.

The amount of work that moms do every single day is amazing. Its amazing that I even have the strength to drink this glass of wine right now- HA! I may fall over.

And if I do, I will get back up, and do it all over again tomorrow....

"To be a mother is a woman's greatest vocation in life. She is a partner with God. No being has a position of such power and influence. She holds in her hands the destiny of nations, for to her comes the responsibility and opportunity of molding the nation's citizens." 

Super late 9 month post

I'm really late on getting my 9 month post up :( The boys are almost TEN months old now, but better late than never, right?

The boys are still growing so fast. Its amazing, even to me and I see them everyday. They are crawling EVERYwhere. They're pulling up and standing on everything. Colt can even stand unassisted for almost a full 10 seconds. Chris and I stared at him in disbelief when he did this the other night. Instead of playing inside their Baby Einstein activity center, they prefer to just use it to pull-up and stand & play with everything on the outside of it. They love riding around the house in their walkers (Thanks Nana & Papa!). I'm glad we decided to get hardwood floors when we built the house back before we were even pregnant. That was a lucky choice. Without them, the walkers would almost be pointless. The flip-side to that is, we are cautious when they are crawling all around the house for fear that they will fall and bust their little noggins. Here are some recent pictures:

Football season has started back up for Chris, & Nana (his mom) has been in Santa Fe, NM visiting her family so its been mostly up to me to make sure the boys are well taken care of. Taking care of two little ones day-in and day-out is exhausting and challenging. The bummer right now is the Texas heat, which keeps us from being able to go out on walks (or really anywhere for that matter). Its wayyyy too hot to get the boys out of the house right now :( I cant wait for the Fall weather to get here so we can go out again and play upstairs in the game/play room.

So much more to say, but I'll write again in my 10 month post. Until then...

-Ashley

8 months and counting!

The twins are 8 months old & I'm officially getting excited about their 1st birthday. I've started compiling some ideas on Pinterest for their party. I know lots of people are thinking, 'Just enjoy them now!', but I DO enjoy them now. Its just that they get more and more fun with each passing day! They are constantly discovering new and exciting things & that makes it more fun for me as well. Our latest accomplishment is......


CRAWLING!!!!!!!!!

Colt is officially on the move! He began rocking on his knees 2.5 weeks ago & has now moved on =) I can quickly see that I am about to have my hands even more full than they already are. But its a good thing! Clay hasnt started crawling yet, but I'm sure he will pick it up soon enough. He's being easy on me and letting me get used to one baby crawling at a time... ;)

Both boys are now sleeping 11-12 hours a night typically, which is amazing. Chris and I are able to put them down in the evenings and enjoy some alone time before we hit the sheets. When we do crawl into bed, it still feels like we just worked a gruling 12 hr shift, but thats because we did. Its all worth it though. Our boys are truly amazing. They bring us so much happiness & they are so dang cute. I swear they get cuter every day.

According to our pediatrician, they should be leaning towards 2 naps a day, so we've weaned them down from 5, to 4, and now my goal is always 3. Sometimes we make it, and sometimes they still get a 4th "power" nap to make it until bedtime. They stay awake about 2 hours at a time. Anything past that makes them prettttty cranky.


Here are some of their 8 month pictures:

 

                 

                     

I love you, brother        <3 <3










Thanks for reading!

Almost crawling!

I cant believe my once teenie-tiny little boys are almost taking off wherever they want to! Well, to some extent :) We will definitely be buying one more long safety gate to connect to our current one that will tie off the living room & keep them [somewhat] contained. Colt seems like he will start crawling earlier than Clay, but Clay is talking almost non-stop these days. Colt is the quiet one in this regard. Its funny how they are starting to do different things at different times.

Here is Colt trying to crawl:

[precious <3]

I forgot to include in my previous post that we found out on May 29th that they are, in fact, identical! Also known as "Super Twins." Would my husband have it any other way?! They are super, indeed. I'm so glad to finally know for sure so I dont have to feel like an uninformed idiot everytime someone at the store asks me if they're identical or not.

Sailing into 7 months

       I seriously cant believe it. The old saying "They grow so fast" is most definitely true. You dont realize how fast life goes by until you have an infant (or two!). Their growth in a 7 month time-span is truly miraculous.

Accomplishments of the boys at 7 months of age include:

• Sitting up with very little assistance
• Sitting in their bumbo chairs without assistance
• Playing by themselves in their big boy walkers
• Growing TEETH! (Clay has 1 on the bottom front, Colt has TWO on the bottom front)
• Eating all fruit and veggie solids without any problem
• Consuming 7 ounces of formula at each feeding
• Maintaining a steady schedule of 9-10 hours of sleep throughout the night (BEST part EVER of infants getting older)
• Big boy laughs. Seriously, Chris can get them to laugh like 3 year olds =)
• For the most part, keeping their food down without having huge spit ups all throughout the day

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but those are the biggies that come to mind.

       We braved the restaurant scene for the first time as a family this past weekend. We decided to meet up with Josh & Danielle and their little cutie, Ford, for lunch. I was expecting a little craziness but was not prepared for what ensued. Lets just say I dont think we're quite ready to dine out yet! The boys are teething and wanted to play with everything in site. It was a multi-tasking debacle of trying to eat, carry on conversation, and keep the boys from attacking everything in the restaurant. 

       Ah well, live and learn. We'll try again in a few months.....

Who's ready for 7 month pictures?! (For those of you who have yet to join facebook!)

We're 6 months old!!!!

I cant believe the boys just turned 6 months old. Time really does fly when you look back, but funny how it seems to sit still when you're in the moment. Anyway, this is by far my favorite age for the boys so far. They get more and more fun the older they get. Yes, newborns are cute, but big babies with personalities are FUN! They're like little people now. Its funny how they are completely different. I also think its funny when people say they cant tell them apart, because to me they look so different.

Here are some awesome things about having 6 month olds:

• They sleep 9-10 hours a night. This might be the number one thing that I enjoy the most. This fact alone enables us to have normal lives, normal schedules, and do normal things at normal times. Have I mentioned normalcy?!?!
• They LAUGH! I mean full-on belly laughs. They think everything is funny. (Well, Colt does. Clay looks at you like you're an idiot sometimes. ;) )
• They have the cutest, sweetest smiles that will melt your heart.
• They have a SCHEDULE! Granted, it is not an exactly-the-same-every-day kind of schedule, but a schedule none-the-less. 
• They can wear all their cute outfits! :) I absolutely love dressing them alike/coordinating. Sometimes Chris thinks I'm being a bit ridiculous, but he lets me do it anyway ;)
• They are starting to play with each other. I love that I can put them on the floor and they laugh, steal toys, and interact with each other. It makes you realize that having two babies is IDEAL! (Ha, for this reason, but others times having two is a bit of a challenge!!)
• I can finally take them out and not worry about every little germ. I have become much less crazy about germs. I even let their toys fall on the floor without bursting into tears and having a full-blown panic attack ;)

I absolutely love my boys and love being their mom. I feel bad for people who dont ever experience the joy of having children. It by far exceeds any other joy in life, and its a joy that cannot be explained to anyone who hasnt experienced it first hand. Yes, it is tiring. Yes, it is a lot of work. Yes, it is expensive. But nothing replaces it. They are my heart, and I'm so glad they're mine <3 (oh, and Chris's!) We love our little men more than anything and cant wait to raise two respectful, handsome young boys and see everything that life has in store for them <3 <3

Rice cereal is....YUMMY!

Well, not really. But we're trying to convince the boys of it anyway. Typically, babies begin eating rice cereal at 4 months of age, but since ours were a little over a month premature, our pediatrician suggested we start at 5 months. SO...we just started this past Friday. We tried mixing it with water and with formula, but both were a no go. So now we're mixing with apple juice, and the boys are taking it better than the aforementioned. Here are some pics of the twins trying rice cereal for the first time:

Much love,

Ashley

Big Moments! (originally written on 3/24)

In the past few days, Colt has discovered a new trick: He can now go from laying on his back to laying on his tummy all by himself! This means he can now put himself to sleep (or back to sleep) without me having to turn him over! He demonstrated this for me this morning when I put the boys back down after their early morning feeding. It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. He just rolled over and went to sleep all on his own. It made my heart glad & I was a proud mama!

Holly & Johnny's Wedding!

I never thought I'd see the day... that Johnny got married. HA. Anyone who's known Johnny for any length of time is probably smiling at that comment. However, I absolutely love Holly and think Johnny really did meet someone he can spend the rest of his life with. Chris and I wish them the best and are so happy for them! Here are some pictures from the celebration (St. Patricks Day, 2012!)

Big thanks to my mom (AS ALWAYS!) for watching the boys this past weekend so we could participate in the wedding festivities!

Congrats Johnny & Holly!!!

Personalities and Achievements at 4 months

Clay: Our first born (ha).
Personality: He's so easy going. He'll pretty much go along with anything and is usually fine wherever you put him. Its rare that he's upset so when he is, you know he's not faking it...(unlike someone, but I wont mention any names...)

Physical attributes: He has more hair than his brother, and is almost a pound heavier. He weighs 14.1 lbs and is 25.75 inches long. He looks more like his daddy than me.

Colt: Our youngest child ;)
Personality: He's extremely playful, and his emotions are extreme. He's usually either REALLY happy or REALLY unhappy. He absolutely loves to be played with and spoken to. He smiles all the time.

Physical attributes: He looks just like his momma. He is 13.3 lbs and 25 inches long. Blue eyes and brown hair just like his brother.


We're not 100% sure if they're identical or fraternal. When they were first born, we thought for sure they were identical. We literally could not tell them apart. A few weeks later they began to look different, and we changed our minds to fraternal. Now at 4 months, they're back to looking alike. They have the exact same eye color, hair color, and same unique features on their ears. Their nose and mouth are also the same. We plan on getting them tested so we can know for sure, but the test is expensive so we're going to wait a little while...and who knows, maybe a feature will change on one of them and then we'll know they're fraternal...for free! ;)

Both boys have great head control. They can sit in their bumbo (assisted), grab objects, throw objects (greeeeat! on accident, of course!), put toys/teethers in their mouths, laugh, smile, coo, squeal, attempt to hold their own bottle, roll from tummy to back, push up while on their tummy (imitating the crawling position), kick hard, stand and bounce (assisted of course).

Every day is an adventure for them (and us) and it seems they are always changing, learning, and growing. There's always something new to celebrate and be glad for. They truly are amazing and we LOVE our boys!!

Holly's Bachelorette Party

This past Saturday all the girls went out to celebrate for Holly's Bachelorette Party. I had a blast getting together with all the ladies. We started our celebration out at the Embassy Suites in Sundance Square with a little socializing and a lingerie shower for Holly. We then headed out on the town for dinner at Mi Cocina (yum!) and enjoyed the rest of the night out bar hopping. Everyone dressed in green/St. Patty's day attire since Johnny and Holly are getting married on St. Patrick's Day. We definitely stood out!

Here are a few pictures from our night:

Room Decor

Awesome cake by Betina :)

 The Bride-to-be, Miss Holly

Me, Betina, and Martha at Vice

The weekend was followed by a bright and early Monday morning root canal... NO FUN! It wasnt as bad as I was anticipating but still not exactly what I wanted to be doing.... ah well, now its done. 

4 months!!

For some reason, 4 months feels like a milestone!! I am so happy to be at this point. The boys are SO much fun. They laugh, giggle, coo, babble ("talk"), grab objects, and so many other wonderful things that make being a mom so much fun! I am so blessed to be able to stay home with my kids everyday and experience all of this with them. I know a lot of moms dont have this opportunity and I feel so fortunate to have it. I cant thank my husband enough for working so hard so that I can be a stay at home mom. Its truly priceless.

With its pricelessness, there comes a lot of work. There is a ridiculous misconception that stay at home moms get to stay home and do whatever they want all day, watch tv, etc. SO NOT TRUE!!!!!! Yes, there are times when I get to relax and take a break, but they are short periods of time and far between. Most of the time there is laundry to be done, bills to be paid, phone calls to make, sheets to change, dishes to do, bottles to be made, errands to be run, mail to sort through.......you get the picture. BUT, as I mentioned before, I have my WONDERFUL mother-in-law here with me most of the time and she absolutely goes above and beyond and makes my life SO much better and easier than it would be if I were on my own. She does SOOOOOOOOOO much for us and is SO wonderful with the boys. I dont know what moms of multiples do without a wonderful mother or mother-in-law to help!!!!!!! I really dont! Like I said, we are beyond blessed to have her and I could go on and on about her!

The boys have started sleeping pretty well at night time, starting a few weeks back, and I am oh-so-thankful for this. Life was a little rough when sleep was hard to come by. I dont know what I would have done without the moms. I honestly would have been a walking zombie and a not-very-nice person. I HIGHLY recommend reading the book "Babywise" regarding infant sleep at night. It has helped me out a ton! The boys are on a decent schedule now and life is pretty darn good and manageable!

4 month pictures:

Clay                                                           Colt

My 4 boys: Chris, Cash (our dog), Colt, and Clay <3

3 months....

Chris's mom was STILL staying with us during this time on most days, and my mom was STILL staying with us on the weekends most of the time. I cannot thank them enough or give them enough credit. We will forever be grateful. With the help of our moms, I have been able to be a better mother to my kids and a better wife to my husband. Our moms have allowed us to still have a life (get out of the house, run errands, go out to eat, be normal!, etc.), despite having newborn twins to care for, and I breathe nothing but gratitude for it. THANK YOU MOMS!!!! We love y'all both SO much. I am also SO thankful for my father-in-law, for allowing us to have my mother-in-law during this crucial time in the twins' lives! THANK YOU KEN!!!!!!!!!!

Here are pictures of the boys at 2 and 3 months old!

Clay (L), Colt (R)

Clay (L), Colt (R)

Colt (L), Clay (R)

My friend Kalie and I at her surprise birthday party. 

It was Chris and I's first night out after having the twins.

Me, Chris, and Will at the surprise party

The boys getting ready for a stroll
Colt (L), Clay (R)

Colt (L), Me, Clay (R)

Colt

Beginning to laugh a lot!

Sweet Clay

Learning to push up!

Our Clayman

Family shot :)

Colt (L), Clay (R)

Clay (L), Colt (R)