Standing

Brandon is getting stronger and stronger every day! He pulled himself up on the toy bin last night...



...of course Connor had to go see what Brandon was getting into!

We took the boys to the dr this morning for their monthly RSV vaccination and Brandon is 19 1/2 pounds. He has gained a pound and a half in one month. I haven't been buttering their veggies or adding heavy cream to his milk like the nutritionists suggested...and he still gained! He's definitely on the little side, but he's healthy and eats like a champ! I am pushing the avocado every other day and he seems to be enjoying it.

Connor has started trying to balance himself in a standing position and letting go...here's a video

Having Fun

The boys are really hilarious to watch!

Here's Connor trying to "drink" his snap beads! He was SOOOO funny trying to tilt the bucket back like a cup
Here's B just being his normal happy self
Connor pulled the dog food dispenser out, took off the dish and put it on his head...scholar in the making!
A bending laundry basket, set of twins, and a diet Sunkist bottle = 30 minutes of glory!

Fun in the kitchen

Being in the kitchen is a real treat for the boys. I don't like them to be under my feet when I'm trying to cook, nor do I want them to burn themselves if something splatters. BUT...Eric made a good point...boys need a hard surface to play cars on. So, I let them in there from time to time as long as the dogs haven't trashed the floor!!! Here are some pictures of them from the other night. While they were playing, I was trying a new recipe for macaroni...didn't turn out!

They figured out how to open the drawer under the stove and proceeded to put their own toys in there. I have some very expensive pots and pans in there and would rather NOT let them become toys. Let's face it...this isn't my house anymore...it's theirs!
Brandon loved my expensive pan SO MUCH that he decided to chew on it...geez! Watching Connor pull the skillet out was SO funny that Eric and I were almost crying with laughter. We were both sitting on the floor in the family room just watching the boys. That's one of my favorite things to do. Life is too short, and I have to force myself to slow down and smell the roses sometimes. No one is going to come and yell at me if there a few a dirty dishes in my sink, toys all over my house, and a load or two of laundry to do. Those things will always be there...the boys won't always be the age they are right now, and I'm loving this exploration age!
Here's a picture of Brandon standing. He has pulled himself up on the couch a few more times. He likes to stand up next to me if I'm sitting on the floor and crawl into my lap. He's getting there!

Birthday Party

We had the boys' 1st birthday party on Sunday and it was a total success! We had about 14 adults and 11 kids ranging in age from 8 weeks old to 4 years old. The boys really surprised me on how well they handled all of those people in our itty bitty house.

Connor's "vegan" cake. I iced them on parchment paper and then taped that to their trays so they wouldn't throw the whole cake on the floor.
Brandon's "vegan" cake! Since Brandon has a severe allergy to eggs, I had to make the cakes eggless. I found a vegan recipe site called vegweb.com. It actually tasted OK.
Connor cried in his cake at first. There were so many people singing happy birthday to him and I think he got a little overwhelmed. I had to cut it up a little for him before he finally dug in.
Unsure....
Brandon wasted NO time! He put his little fingers right into that cake and chowed down
Santa beard of icing.
Connor playing on the floor after cake.
Here's Brandon playing with their NICU friend Reese. Reese's mom was due the first week of April, but he was born the first week of December. I'm pretty sure he went home about 2 weeks after Connor did. This is the first time we've been able to get our boys together for a "playdate." Brandon and Reese really hit it off with the balloons.
Brandon really wanted Reese's glasses! Reese was a good sport and just let Brandon snatch them. I wish I had a video of it.
Here's Reese and Connor playing!!!

Thank You to everyone who came out and helped us celebrate! We had a great time and it was really nice to see some people that we rarely get to see. Thanks also for all of the great toys, books, and clothes. I went out the night after the party and bought a new organizational shelf for the family room to store all the new toys and it looks awesome.

Some Cute Pictures

Eric has been snapping all kinds of pictures! Here are some cute ones...guaranteed to make you smile!

Connor-man all nice and clean after his bath

Here are both of the boys after their bath. They're always in a good mood at that time of night.
Look at that belly!!!!

He did it!

Brandon put himself into a standing position today! Of course, he did it a few days after the developmental appointment which has become kind of standard for him. He saw the plastic bag of groceries on the couch and wanted it SO bad! I'll try to get some video of him doing it soon. WAY TO GO BUDDY!!!

Developmental Appointment

Both boys did really well at their appointment this morning.

Connor

He's still totally average when it comes to height, weight, and head circ....although his head is a little large...HAHAHAHA. He tested almost completely at the 12 month level this time! That means, he's quickly catching up and losing his "preemie" status! The one and only thing he's not doing that most 12 month olds are is recognizing a word with its action. For example, if I were to say, Connor it's time for your bath. He should know to crawl towards the tub. Or if I were to say, Connor grab your pacie, he should be able to do it. This isn't a concern though. He's still well within normal development. He did ok with the hearing test but was so unbelievably tired that he almost fell asleep sitting up during the test. He talked SO well for the OT and wowed her with his awesome pincer grasp. I'm going to continue what I'm doing with them as far as their toys and language and work more on associating words with objects.

Brandon

Poor guy...he's SO little! The ped. nutritionist showed some concern about his lack of weight gain. They were surprised that I've already transitioned them off formula. There's no way I'm going back to that! They are doing well on whole milk now and I'm not going to screw that up. They want me to put butter on all of his food, and I really don't agree with that. I don't want him to get used to things tasting buttery and heavy. She also suggested I put a tbsp or so of heavy whipping cream in his milk. I'd rather do that than the butter! I'm going to replace a few of his fruit servings each week with avocado for the awesome fat and protein it has. Connor will not get any! He's a healthy kid that doesn't need to fatten up by any means. If I were to video Brandon all day long you would see that the kid never stops moving. No wonder he's a skinny minny. I'm going to start using olive oil more often and will add butter as well, but not to everything. Although Brandon may seem small, he has gained 8 ounces since his 1 year check up 3 weeks ago. That's nothing to sneeze at!

Brandon is testing at his adjusted age of 10 months which is just fine. Their only concern with him is that he's not standing up. However, Brandon has consistently been 2 months behind Connor on almost everything. He crawled, sat up, figured out certain toys, and even got his first tooth 2 months after Connor. I'm going to give Brandon until March 5th to see if he'll start standing up...that's 2 months after Connor did. If he's not standing by mid-March, the OT wants me to bring Brandon back in for a PT consult. My sister, Ann, brought up a good point. I was specifically told NOT to put my children in exersaucers or walkers because it puts them in a standing position before they are strong enough. Now, my child is behind on that issue...hmmmmm. Oh well! I'm sure he'll surprise us! His hearing remains to be a concern, but we're very proactive with it and are monitoring it very closely. I know he hears, but it might not be as clear as it could be.

We took them both for their very first hair cuts the other day! My hairdresser has the pictures on her camera (since my batteries died) and I hope to get those pictures from her soon. Brandon was being mistaken as a girl TOO many time for my liking. He looks completely different now...more like a boy than a baby...or even a girl for that matter.

Eric and I have been busy getting lots of things done. I don't think I've gotten to bed before midnight since he got home. He's been getting to bed about 2 hours before me...ARG. I've started working from home and so far it's been working out. I'm doing the billing for the CPA firm I used to work for...but from the comfort of my own home. Not a bad deal! It'll probably be 20 hours a month...give or take. It's not demanding by any means, but it gives my brain something to do!

Have a great one...time for me to hit the sack. Tomorrow is vet day for the dogs. This is a day that Eric and I dread since Jade is the Amazing Wonder Barfing Dog in the car!

Attitude

Connor has developed an attitude lately. He likes to drop things from his tray or car seat and scream until someone hands them back. I give it back ONCE and then that's it. If I picked up their toys and cups every time they dropped them, I'd be doing that all day long between the two of them. However, he was being hilarious today with his purple ball and the baby gate. The funniest part is the amount of time between when he drops the ball and then realizes it and gets upset about it. Drama drama drama...enjoy!

While Mommy is Away...

Daddy will PLAY! Connor and I left after lunch to run some errands while Eric stayed home to have some alone time with Brandon. I came home to the following picture on the camera...

Before anyone gets upset...the can was NOT open! Eric has been serving his country for almost 4 years. 14 month of those 4 years have been on deployment where no drinking is allowed. He is definitely savoring a few cold ones and I say MORE POWER TO YA!
Of course he had to do the same with Connor when we got back! Once again...the can was NOT open!

Feeding Time

I cleaned out the boys' drawers the other day and put the onesies that don't fit on a set of drawers right next to Brandon's crib. I was not moving fast enough for Brandon's liking this morning so he pulled all of them into bed with him! He did this the other day too...you think I would put them somewhere else...nope!

He was a little upset at me
Here they are holding their welcome home signs for Daddy
YAY!!!! Welcome Home Daddy! I put them in sheet protectors so they could chew on them and not actually eat the paper
Daddy feeding them cherry yogurt for dinner. When Eric left, they weren't even eating from a spoon yet and had just started sleeping through the night. Daddy gets an A+ for feeding.



Brandon warmed right up to Eric! He had him giggling and laughing at his silly faces. Connor warmed up to him too, but spent a lot of time staring at him...especially in the car on the way home from the airport. Brandon was calling him DADA during dinner...so cute!

Daddy's Home

Eric arrived safely into Fayetteville this morning. We'll probably be in seclusion for the next 18 days. Don't be alarmed if I don't call as often, or at all for that matter!!!! I'll try to put up some pics of Daddy and his boys soon.

Saturday Outing

It was yet another beautiful day here in NC, so the boys and I decided to take a trip to Target with my neighbor, Bettina. She lives 2 houses up from us and loves my boys like they are her own. She cooks wonderful German food for me and sits with the boys at night every once in a while so I can run an errand or just get out of the house.

I switched the car seats back to the Explorer yesterday and turned Connor to face forward! This was his very first time sitting in a forward facing car seat! Brandon still has to gain 2 pounds before I can switch him around.
The boys have NEVER been in the front seat of a shopping cart before! That's one thing that singleton parents get to do with their kids that I can't do with mine. I could put one in the cart itself, but if I'm going to do that, I'll just use the stroller. Here's Brandon holding my pantyhose...hahaha
This is my neighbor Bettina...Brandon LOVES her! He crawls right into her lap whenever she and Beine (her dog) come over.
Here's Connor in my cart holding my mascara! Poor kids...have to hold mommy's girly things! HAHAHAHA.

They both loved riding in the shopping carts. It was a new experience for them! I wish I could do that more often. I ended up buying them the Amazing Animals Choo Choo train with some gift cards they received for their birthday. Connor already figured out how to make it sing annoying songs over and over and over! I also got them each a pair of khaki shorts for the summer. They are fast asleep for the night and I'm headed to the family room to do some steam cleaning. Fun fun let me tell ya!

MAD SCRAPBOOKING!!!

I couldn't even begin to tell you how many pictures we've taken of the boys since they were born. I'm sure it's up into the 1,000s. I told Eric I was going to make them each a scrapbook, and until this past week, I have been procrastinating. However, I've busted out about 32 pages of pictures and memories since Sunday and I'm darn proud of it. I'm not a very elaborate scrapbooker. I think pictures and captions are most important and try to stay away from a lot of the embellishments. Eric helped me get the first few months of their lives complete before he left, and I caught everything up. I decided to do 2 pages per kid per month. One page of at least 4 pictures with a matching page of words. Those words include what they did that particular month, what they were eating, number of teeth, crawling, etc. I also tried to make the books very similar so there won't be any arguing over whose book looks better or different. I know what it's like to be a sibling and these things are important! These pages will all go in one book, and I'll continue the "2 pages per kid per month" approach in a new book every year. Completing this makes me feel awesome and I know Eric will be super excited when he sees that it is complete. My THINGS TO DO BEFORE ERIC GETS HOME list is getting smaller and smaller everyday! Balancing the checkbook, steam cleaning the carpets, straightening the office, and picking up miscellaneous stuff are the only things left. I can handle those few things in the next few days. Please keep Eric in your thoughts for a safe return home. It'll only be for 18 days, but I'm sure it'll be a wonderful 18 days!

28 pages per kid! There were so many that they didn't even fit in the picture!

Connor can...

CLAP!!! He's just learning how, but I've been working with them on this for almost 2 months now! Way to go bud!

Bowling for fun

I've been REALLY busy the last few days and the boys are feeling the effects from it, so we had lots of play time today! Melissa, their sitter, was here today for a few hours to give me break and a chance to get a ton of errands done which included going to the commissary. When I got back, the boys joined me in the kitchen to play with their bowls while I put the groceries away. I still forget sometimes how quick the boys are now. Connor reminded me today! I had the fridge door open and was putting salad type veggies inside. I turned back to the counter to get the eggs and milk, and in a split second, Connor made his way into the fridge and pulled out the Crystal Light fruit punch I just made this morning. The pitcher came crashing to the floor, showered him with punch, got Brandon too, and also most of my counter tops, under the fridge, INSIDE the fridge, and all the way up to the freezer. All I could do is strip them both down, and put them back in the family room while I cleaned it all up. It was 2 full quarts of STAINING red juice...ARG! Connor's leg is still stained pink! After I got it all cleaned up we took the bowls from the kitchen and played with them in the family room. Below are the results of "bowl"ing for fun!

Preparing for Daddy

The fact that Eric is coming home sometime this week has been a big motivator for me to get things done around here! My neighbor helped me get the whole yard cleaned up. Thanks goodness she likes to "work for food!" I'm almost completely caught up on the boys' scrapbook. That's a full time job right there. I have all the pictures ready to go, and now it's just a matter of finding the time to sit (undisturbed) and get it put together. One of my most important projects was getting the closet in the boys' room cleaned out so I could put up a rod to hang their clothes on. I have SO much clothes for them, and about 90% of it has been given to me from other mothers. I don't have anywhere to store it anymore so I cleaned out the closet. Here's the result!

It used to be full of Pampered Chef stuff. I've managed to find a place for it in the kitchen, and what I don't want anymore is going to be sold! I have a few things that are discontinued and Eric is going to help me put them up on Ebay. I know my sister knows what this closet used to look like, and I'm sure she'll be proud of me!!!

Connor is starting to walk along the perimeter of the couch...here's little video!

Fun in the Kitchen

Today, the boys played in the kitchen while I completed my morning "kitchen chores" I try to prepare all the food for the day or at least know what they are going to eat, clean out out the dishwasher, clean up breakfast, sneak in a cup of coffee or 2, listen to my morning talk show, and make the bottles/cups for the day. The boys have been a little "off" lately and I think it's because there are too many changes going on in their little lives. So, to try and balance things, I gave them back their bottles for 2 feedings and cups for the other 2 as well as their afternoon snack drink, and I cut back the amount of whole milk they were getting. They weren't taking to whole milk really well, so we're going to take it slow.


Here they are playing with some old bowls that I almost got rid of..they are their new kitchen toys.
Connor is standing up on everything now...maybe he'll take his first steps while Eric is home. He should be home in about about 2 weeks or so!
Look at those teeth!
I left the fridge door open to put bottles, cups, and Brita water container back in and they were digging in to see what they could find
They both went for the yogurt...good choice boys!

It was in the upper 70's today, so the boys and I went for a nice long run after lunch. They went down for their nap and I tackled the garage and started up the 'stang. The garage is getting more and more organized every time I get to it! One of the main reasons I buy my diapers at Sams is for the box they come in! Those boxes are awesome to store things in! WOOHOO!

Blocks

Both boys like to pick up their toys and put them somewhere else. Here's a short video of Brandon doing just that...and hitting Connor with a few in the process!

1st Year...CHECK!

Now that the first year is over we have so much to look forward to! The boys are doing new things everyday and I love to just sit back and watch them. They love to play together, give you "five", crawl with toys in their hands, drink from their big boy cups, and eat whatever concoction I come up with. They had their 1 year check up and here's how it went....

BRANDON

He's my little man weighing in a 18 pounds. No front facing car seat for him just yet. He's 28 inches long. He's in the 3rd percentile for weight, 25th for height and head circ. That's really about all on him. We have another developmental appointment on Feb 20th. Their doc was surprised at what all they eat. She said..."They eat better and healthier than I do" I think she was really shocked when I said they eat asparagus! He likes to wave (to himself) and to shake his head NO.

He LOVES to crawl around with something in his mouth!
I couldn't figure out why he was crawling funny, but then I realized I put his shoes on the wrong feet. Since I consider that a blonde moment it was definitely picture worthy!


CONNOR

He's definitely my star heavyweight weighing in at 22 1/2 pounds and is 30 1/2 inches long! I'll be switching his car seat to face forward when I switch back to the Explorer this week sometime. He's in the 40th percentile for weight, 50th for length and I think 75th for head circ. He loves to throw his tennis balls, is starting to cruise down the side of the couch, and loves pushing the buttons on all of his toys.
Here he is riding a new toy from "Aunt" Rylan!
This is that same toy with him standing and holding onto it.



BOTH BOYS

They are both drinking only out of big boy cups now! I never realized how awesome it would feel to pack away the bottles, but it made me sad at the same time. Eric left with the boys drinking only bottles, and now they have big boy cups, are feeding themselves, and are almost completely off formula. (An expense I will not miss at all!) They do really well when I brush their teeth and like to chew on the brush when I'm done.
After worrying that Connor wouldn't figure out how to use a big boy cup,
here he is sitting up and drinking.
He will tilt his head back as far as he can to get every last drop!!!