Phone Etiquette

We’re pretty happy that daddy is safe. In case you want to know a little bit about his trip, this blurb was in most local papers:
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/jetlanding25.html
Scott will be writing about his experience when he’s not so jet-lagged.

Two words together. I didn’t realize this was a big deal, but he hadn’t done it yet. Yesterday, he said “Hi, baby!” and today he’s been saying “hi, mama” “hi, dada” and “bye bye, dada” – the last two he did into his play phone. And today, he came up with “come on, baby.” We have no idea where he got that.

He also improvised snapping his fingers – he puts his fingers into the right position and clucks his tongue to make the noise. Pretty clever guy, huh?

Today the phone rang just once (wrong number, maybe?). Joe picked it up, and said “Heddo” then “yes…kay…bye bye” then he pretended to push a button to turn it off. We thought it was so cute, so Scott called him from his cell phone so he could get some more practice.

Thanks, Grandpa

Thanks for all of the help, Papa! We love you! We will miss our breakfasts together (all that oatmeal!), our morning excercises, our hikes, having our dishes and laundry done each day, adventuring out to restaurants, watching the olympics and the evening news together, checking our college funds in the Wall Street Journal, playing ball, learning how to make faces, turning summersaults, getting our ears chewed, wrestling, horse-back riding, and having fun with you. We will miss you!

A Sad Farewell

The next door neighbors moved last Saturday, but today is the last day that they officially own the house. We will miss them being next door very much. Joe will especially miss them coming up this spring. He used to love running around in their yard with their kids, playing ball and exploring their garage. Today is a sad day.

Christian and Joe

Patrick and Ryan

Joe, Megan and Luke

We started our day at the doctor’s office – Patrick and Luke’s 4-month appointments. Patrick was first to be examined, and about 2 seconds before the doctor came in, he totally filled his pants – all the way to the top! While I was trying to clean up the mess (in front of the doctor, of course) he peed all over! We even had to change the exam table paper. How embarrassing. And to complete the triple play, as soon as I picked him up off of the table, he yarfed all over my shoulder. Lovely.

After all of that excitement, I can report that Patrick has surpassed Luke in weight by 6 oz. They are in the 50th percentile in height and head circumference and close to 50 in weight. Yay! It’s nice to know they’ve caught up after their small start. Oh, and they got shots. It made for a rather unpleasant afternoon. Poor boys.

On a lighter note, Joe now laughs at me whenever I trip or drop something. He thinks it’s SO funny to watch mom mess up. I’m pretty clumsy, so he gets many hearty chuckles everyday.

What's that smell?

“Stinky Feet” is more than just a game in this house. Can you believe the twins already have some smelly piggy toes? They think the game is pretty funny, too. Joe has always enjoyed it, and the game is enjoying a resurgence with the addition of two more players. Joe sniffs their feet and makes the “P. U.!” face, then he tries to get them to sniff his feet and laughs hysterically when I say those magic words: “Ewwww! Stinky feet!” I’m the mother of three boys now – completely outnumbered in my own home. It’s the first of many funky smells and gross things for me!

Playing with Papa

Joe getting his ear chewed by Grandpa

Luke: "I'm sick of milk. Bring on the steak!"

Patrick just chillin' while watching the Winter Olympics

We love chewing our fists!

Asleep on the job

Sleep tight

All swaddled up and ready for bed!

I don’t really like the questions about how a baby is sleeping. Sure, there are super moms out there that had their babies sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, but that’s not me. And, more often than not, these are formula-fed babies that don’t need to eat as often. Scott gets this question at work a lot, usually followed by an example of one of those super moms. I have to tell him that how our babies sleep is normal and good for them, even though it’s a big sacrifice for him. I would say me, too, but the twins sleep in our room so I don’t have to really get out of bed when they wake up. It’s a good deal for mom. That all being said, I must mention that these twins are phenomenal sleepers! We have enjoyed many a night of 5-hour stretches of sleep (which is the doctors’ definition of “through the night”) and a few 6 and even one 7-hour stretch. It made me nervous at first, especially about my milk supply, but we have come to the conclusion that this sleeping is just a gift from God. He is merciful, after all!

All of the boys were up early and smiley this morning. It was 11 degrees below zero when we woke up, hence the hats.

The twins looked at each other and smiled today. Not for long, though, so maybe it was a fluke. I have heard that they “discover” each other around this time.

We all went out to eat yesterday! Grandpa treated us all to breakfast (my favorite meal of the day) at Cracker Barrel. Yum! Joe loved it all – the eggs, apples, biscuits, and especially the grits. He can’t help himself – he has southern roots! Grandpa took us out to Culvers a few days ago (frozen custard and butterburgers for those of you that haven’t had the pleasure) and Joe didn’t touch his burger. When it came time for dessert, he opened his mouth as wide as possible. He looked like a little birdy. For anyone that has seen this, it’s pretty funny. Who can blame him?

The 15th marked 4 years since Scott and my first date. We had a good laugh about how he brought me a chair instead of flowers and how he was wearing wet jeans – a fact that I didn’t know until we had spent a good 20 minutes outside waiting for our movie. Poor Scott! He had wanted to take me to the Bristol because it was a Friday during Lent (and because he’s a pretty classy guy) but I was in RCIA classes then and the instructor used that specific example as counter-productive to the purpose of the Lenten sacrifice. So I made him change plans! He must have thought I was some religious nut! As is turned out, we saw a movie on the IMAX, went ice skating and enjoyed some frozen custard and good conversation. It was a lovely first date and a lovely start to a wonderful marriage. Thanks, Scott!

Thundersnow

Gary Lezak said it was impossible, but we have seen it! A winter storm came through this morning, and when I was out shoveling while it was still snowing, there was thunder AND lightening. It was an amazing phenomenon. We probably got 5 inches of snow, and while it’s not too cold now, it’s supposed to be in the single digits tomorrow and the rest of the week. Dad says that the only reason we have to shower and get dressed it to watch the Olympics tonight. So, I’m embarrassed to say, but Joe will be getting up from his nap soon still in his pajamas. What a lazy day!

The day didn’t start out that way – before 9 we were all fed and we had dusted and vacuumed the first floor. During all of this, Joe was dragging around a mitten on a string – you know the kind that are supposed to go in the kids’ sleeves so you don’t lose them? Well, one mitten fell off of its string, and Joe was dragging the attached one all through the house calling it his “doggie.” I think this is a little milestone – playing pretend.

St. Valentine's Day

Since my main squeeze is gone this special day, my Valentines are my little squeezes!

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Joe loves giving kisses!

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Some more differences in the twins: As the babies change so much, their differences aren’t valid for too long, really. Here are a few more observances about the two… Patrick often takes a break from nursing to burp or settle down. He whines at first, but then doesn’t mind too much. Luke, however, will let out a furious scream if anyone dares to interrupt his meal. Even when Joe is being loud, he’s the one that will whimper a bit to complain about the disruption. Both of the boys are extremely smiley. This is such a wonderful gift. However, Patrick is extra smiley for longer periods of time and tends to smile more in the middle of the night. This happens to be a pleasant way to be woken up. Luke is more serious, and while Patrick used to furrow his brow a lot, Luke now has the concerned look more often. They both babble a lot now, which is precious.

Both of the boys like their baths and like getting their diapers changed – just like their big brother Joe did. Joe still LOVES his bath. It has become almost exclusively Scott’s job since I got too fat to do it when I was pregnant with the twins. I think they both really enjoy their play time together. I almost forgot how to do it, it had been so long. We were getting a quick wash in the other night (there must have been a baby wailing in the background), and I pulled him out when HE wasn’t quite done. I dried him off and fluffed his hair with the towel and went into his room for the diapers and PJs. When I got back, he had climbed back into the tub and was playing happily and dumping water all over himself again.

We went to Sam’s today. Guess what we bought? About $60 worth of diapers and wipes. Another lesson I learned today: always double check when Grandpa buckles in the babies.

The twins wore their little Chinese fortune cookie shirts, a gift from our good friends Vince and Melissa from Iowa. One says “A nap is my near future” and the other, “A surprise will appear in my pants.” So, I didn't think much about it until about 3 in the afternoon - Luke had been napping since about 10:30. Patrick was up and wanting to play - his favorite bobsled game. I forgot to change both of their diapers until I felt a little warm wetness - Patrick had a totally soaked diaper and had pooped out of it - all over his shirt. Guess which boy was wearing which shirt? Here’s a shot of Luke being a little grouchy. No kidding, a nap is in his near future!

Baby Olympics

Grandpa arrived safely and he’s been trying to get acclimated. I left him home with the twins while Joe and I went grocery shopping. The twins were crying the whole time! Poor Grandpa! He said he was looking out the window watching for us after we’d only been gone a few minutes.

A first: Joe responded on a phone conversation. He answered yes and no to questions Scott asked and said bye bye to daddy and waved at the phone. We have been trying to get him to talk on the phone forever! This is very exciting.

Joe was brushing his teeth and I told him to make sure and get his bottom teeth. He took his toothbrush and started brushing his rear end! Grandpa and I got a big chuckle

The twins are getting more coordination. Patrick is currently pawing at Grandpa’s watch with total fascination. They have also both grabbed toys. Next stop, the Olympics. Speaking of, Patrick and I were playing a silly little game where I pump his arms while saying “run run run” and then the hands go up in the air as we say “jump on the bobsled!” He thought this was HILARIOUS, and it was good for a good ten minutes. When I tried the same game with Luke, he was completely unimpressed and didn’t even crack a smile. Go figure!

Grandpa and Luke checking their portfolio

Bye Bye, Daddy

We will miss you! Have fun in China!

Picture gallery

Just hanging out in our overalls!

Luke is getting so strong.

Tummy time for Patrick

"I didn't do it, I swear!"

Joe's "Incredible Hulk" face

Grover, et al

Goofing off before his bath

Now Joe can say “Grover” and “Elmo” and he recognizes most of the other characters, especially Cookie Monster. (They have a lot in common) We really enjoy our daily dose of Sesame Street. Joe watches in our room as I feed the babies their breakfast. It keeps him from demanding his breakfast at the same time and gives mom a little breathing room before starting the day. Thank goodness for PBS!

Grandpa D. is coming to visit us. When I told Joe this morning, all he kept saying was, “Papa, Papa.” He went to the back door, apparently to let him in. I tried to explain that it would be in a few days, but it was to no avail. He’s napping now and maybe he’ll forget by the time he gets up.

Things I can now do with one hand:
Load a dishwasher
Load a washing machine and dryer
Put on socks (it’s tricky…try it!)
Wash out one poopy outfit
Put on make-up
Pick Joseph up off of the stairs
Latch on, nurse, de-latch AND burp one baby
Make a grilled cheese sandwich
Type (takes forever but works in a pinch)
Lift Joseph out of his crib
Go to the bathroom (again, very tricky)

Making New Friends

Joseph has a new friend. Actually, it was an old friend rediscovered at the bottom of the toy box. Our friend Emily (pictured here with Joe as a baby) gave him this monkey when she came up to visit.

He has never really been that interested in stuffed animals, but this one caught his eye, and we decided to let him sleep with it. We decided to call the monkey “Happy” because Joe recently learned this word and he love to say it very loudly – “Hap-pee! Hap-pee!” Happy wears Joe’s socks and sits in his special chair. He likes to make Happy give the babies kisses.

A few days ago, I found this:

Teeth marks on a bar of soap. The soap happened to be coconut scented. Apparently, Joe got a hold of it and thought it would taste like it smelled. It’s a tough lesson to learn for anyone, right, Grandpa D.?

Last Monday, we had a woman come to our home to interview us about medical history and draw blood in order to get life insurance. When she came in the door, Joe brought her a book to read to him and toys to play with. He just couldn’t understand why she didn’t want to play with him. Every other stranger that comes through our doors lately has been to help us out and they usually play with Joe. He was very confused.

Yesterday, we had an open house for our neighbors that are moving. Joe was a very good boy. He was eating the WHOLE time. I caught him with a mouth, face and fist full of brownie at one point. We made the mistake of having two chairs near the table of food and Joe just helped himself. “Pardon me, I need a cookie!” He was walking around like he owned the place, not even noticing that he was by far the shortest one at the party. He even had his own little plate of cheese slices and cucumbers. He looked so grown up!

New Job

Luke, Joseph and Patrick

Okay, the picture of Joe from yesterday was of him flexing. Missed that. Scott took the picture and wanted me to explain it. I just thought it was a cute shot.

For those of you that asked about Scott’s new job: He is now working in product management. His area is new business – he’s in charge of researching, developing and launching new products. It’s pretty interesting. I will have him write more about it later if anyone wants to know.

Lots of smiles

Our new camera sure is fun! (Patrick on left)

Big smiles from Patrick

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Joe is not allowed to play with the baby swing because he can not distinguish when it is empty vs. when it is being occupied by a baby. His punishment is “time out” in the corner of the living room – far away from toys and all of the action. He was playing with the swing the other day and I gently reminded him that he could end up in time out. He promptly walked himself over to the corner and stood there for a few seconds! What a funny kid – it’s Joe version 5.0. Comes equipped with a self-punishing feature!

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Luke giggled for the first time yesterday. Scott was tickling him under the armpit while getting dressed for bed, and he let out the cutest little giggle.
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I feel like a real person today. I had two helpers today and so I went out to run errands. For those of you waiting for thank you notes, they may actually be coming soon (assuming I remembered to write down that you gave us anything…) Thanks for your patience!
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Patrick posing for pictures - and falling over...

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Finally, Happy belated birthday to Aunt Katie!