11 Months!!!

Seriously. 11 Months old today. This is insane! I've already started the whole "1st Birthday Party" planning stuff, and am stupefied staring at him anymore... I meant to get him weighed today to see how he measures up- but I'm guessing around 20lbs and about 27-28"... (will measure him tomorrow when he's awake)... I made the mistake of putting him into a "9 month" pullover hoodie this afternoon, and spent 5 minutes trying to pull it back off- whoops. I have got to go through his clothes!

These pics are from yesterday, but my sister did a good job with the great outdoors :) Aside from making fun of me trying to put up Christmas lights on the roof :/

Life With Twins- Updated

Ah, it's been a while since I've gone on about this- mostly because I just couldn't juggle them both so I stopped babysitting so often. But... today is an exception, so why not? Let me just say, it's much easier and much harder now at their ages (9 months and 11 months respectively). Easier because they can play and entertain themselves quite a bit, and have some sort of routine (naptime) and eat mostly solids... Harder because they are constantly on the move, into everything, and trying to figure out how to get them into carseats/wagon/etc? Ha!

But, no risk, no reward... and they were pretty fun this morning. Sure, a little cranky (too close to naptime), but overall? Really well-behaved! I decided to take them both to school this morning in the wagon (taking Kaely to school), then I needed to run to the store for stuff for dinner.... nothing like those awesome shopping carts and free balloons to entertain them!

Also- the babyproofing had to be stepped up. My sister bought a baby gate (semi-permanent with a walk-through gate- really awesome!) and one of those baby corrals... the corral didn't last too long. I started with it in an octagon shape, then realized I could open it up and give them more space by trapping them to the wall/couches... then I realized just using the baby gate and doing some serious babyproofing in the kitchen/family room area was much more effective and gave them more room to roam. I am pretty happy with it- plus it locks the dogs out- which means less hair on the rug!

Gotta love these clowns!

Desperate Times...

Not to pick on Chase solely, Kaely has been a source of angst and anxiety herself lately- compounding any frustrations I have over Chase's crazy antics. Anyone with the misfortune of being around me recently has seen how exhausting and overwhelming the two of them can be- especially Kaely and her mouth (hello karma).

Sigh... I swear, although these issues have been floating around here and there for years- nothing has compared to the past couple months. Blame it on school issues with substitutes for the past couple months, her "friend" (more like the frenemy crap), Chase, or whatever else you can think of- all I know is that if I don't get a handle on this now, the pre-teen and teenage years are going to bowl me over hard.

Sooooo... when in doubt- chart it out ;) j/k... but seriously. It's worth a try. Both a rewards chart, and a consequences chart. I'm hoping that being able to visualize and keep track of her actions may help towards changing habits for the better. Worst case? I wasted 15 minutes creating it... if she does awesome, I'm out $10 total- ehhh, so what (small price to pay for my dwindling sanity). I figured I'd leave the consequence up to her- be it a spanking (which I think I've done maybe 3 times ever in her life- apparently I should've done it more), or grounding for a week. Not that the grounding is all that different from normal routines (since I rarely have the tv on when they're awake, no video games anyway, and playdates are hard to get people to follow through on)... but... it's the principle of the matter.

Plus, I feel so horrible by the time she's finally in bed, constantly having to repeat myself over and over and over (...and over...) again every single day about the same things- clothes on the bathroom floor, leaving the toothpaste/toothbrush on the sink, towel on the floor in front of her dresser, in the morning her pj's on the floor in front of her dresser, the same issues listening to the 'safety' rules when she rides her bike to school, focusing on homework, her grades slipping at school, etc... it's like Groundhog Day... AHHH!

One can hope- it's worth a try... besides, some of the things she does go out of her way to do- such as wanting to dust or vacuum, deserves acknowledgement and rewarding :)

How to Discipline a Baby...

No- not "punish"- but discipline. Guidelines, teaching, etc... but I swear! Everything I look up talks about either "shame on you" for looking it up, or disciplining things like pulling socks out of a drawer, or banging spoons, or tugging on glasses. Hello! I'm not that stern to believe a baby shouldn't be curious and constantly exploring... that's not my real issue. My issues are things like biting when nursing (still!- and I've tried just about all the suggestions), or lately, his screech- seriously- if you've been here for the full-on screech he has, you'd understand. It makes your brain cells slam into each other and quit working- full on headache and your blood pressure to shoot through the roof. 

What did I find on this subject of the screeching? (Ages 12-18 months supposedly):

 To keep your sanity intact, remember that your child isn’t trying to ruin your dinner; he’s only testing his vocal cords. 

Bring quiet toys and books to occupy his attention. If he can’t stop shrieking, take your order to go (if out to eat)

“Children this age don’t have the self-control to inhibit a behavior like this,” Lerner says. “Just keep explaining the rules, and by age 2 1/2 to 3, he’ll begin to understand them and be better able to act on them.”

By 2 1/2 - 3???? Are you flipping kidding me? I may not have any hair left and my frown line between my eyebrows will be completely permanent...

Sigh... I can handle chasing after him playing in the dog's water, or trying to eat my flip-flops constantly, or pulling my hair (most the time- it's my face/skin that he grabs that hurts like crazy)... all those things I expect, while they are exasperating, they are understandable. I just don't know what to do about these "cries" for attention if you will- because they happen when I'm right there, either feeding him, playing with him, etc- so it's not like I'm ignoring him (which is one of the suggestions/accusations), and I've been trying to get a frowny face when he does it, then correct by signing and saying "More please mom" or something along those lines with a big smile... but then a second later he does the screech again. 

Oh- and throw on the arching and throwing himself backwards crap- I just put him on the floor now and walk away. But is this the right approach??? Ahhhh! He's such a different creature from any child I've ever worked with- and I feel horrible about how frustrated and tired I am by the time I put him to bed at night. Oh- and trying to explain things in a calm patient manner? Sure- all the time- especially when my nipple has become a teething toy and he's thrown every single toy or snack onto the floor in a fit of temper. UGH!

Oh well... any suggestions/opinions/thoughts are welcome at this point. Anything I thought I once knew no longer applies to this little creature known as Chase :) 

Firehouse Field Trip 2012

Click here to view these pictures larger

Tree Trimming...

Just because it's obligatory to post photos of putting up the Christmas tree decorations :)

'Tis the Season...

I found a new version of hell- that would be the portrait studios a month before Christmas. AHHHHH!

By some miracle though, Chase and Kaely both remained in good spirits before the portraits were to be taken, so fortunately, we got some good shots of the kiddos. Mom and Dad? Well, sleep deprivation doesn't work so well, but all in all, we survived it :)

Here are just some small pics from a few of the shots- I don't have any that are big enough to print (aside from the one pose we ordered)- sorry :/

Once we managed to escape the two hour wait (between waiting to take the pics, waiting to view them, and then waiting to get the prints...) we headed to complete the Christmas tasks of finding a Christmas tree.

This is one thing I recall as a kid- we nearly always had an artificial tree, and my aunt and other family/friends would get fresh ones- the smell of a real tree- needles and all- just makes Christmas for me. So, ever since I moved out at 18, I have to have a real one... I LOVE it! Usually I'm one who goes through twenty trees before finding the perfect one, but for some reason the past year or two, I see one and just go with... scary- what's happening to me???

Here we go! One month 'til Christmas!!!!

UNCLE!

As in- I cry UNCLE! I give up! AHHHHHH!

Crazy baby. Sigh... dare I say, more teeth? Who knows at this point, but this child has me tucked under a blanket stuffing my face with crackers, pepperoni and a cheeseball... LOL. A majority of the day was spent with some cranky, whiny, high maintenance little boy driving me insane. Was all motivated to start this project I've been procrastinating on, then... I knew better than to start distracted. Instead, tackled the fun job of putting up Christmas decorations- all but the tree and the roof-top lights (save that for Dave)... at least this way he can be entertained as I pull everything out. But man! If he wasn't squawking every minute. Sigh...

So, it's 7:00pm, I have since made sure he was fed, bathed, changed, and tucked into bed. I'm in restart-mode, and am praying that he cooperates for portraits tomorrow :/ We shall see!

This photo makes me laugh though- from yesterday afternoon- I went to the store specifically because he was cranky, thinking that getting out would help, and playing in the shopping cart would get a smile... this lasted long enough for the photo- the rest of the shopping trip 30 seconds afterwards was spent with me carrying him and pushing the giant cart with one hand... ugh!

Happy Florida-Florida (State) Saturday! Go Gators! :)

Happy (1st!) Thanksgiving!

36+ hours of cooking and cleaning later... and phew! We survived the day!

It was a great dinner with family, and a chance to remember all the things to truly be thankful for... and my baby boy is becoming a little man- already! So scary...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

The Army Crawl

Just for laughs as I sit for a brief break after baking all afternoon/evening... ahhh! Thanksgiving is tomorrow- so much to do... but fortunately little boys have a 7pm bedtime, I'm not too far behind them :)

As I'm attempting to clean the house (this really feels futile- if it's not one kid, dog, or adult, it's another walking across my clean floors! lol), Chase and this darn vacuum cleaner... cracks me up...

Another move to his own rhythm he's established... one day I'll listen to the whole "Mom! I'll do things when I what to do them, how I want to do them!" - the sooner I accept this, the easier the next couple decades will be :)

In the meantime, Nathan is all over the house- and I must say I hate having all the doors closed and furniture out of place in order to block other things (like the bookshelf)- but these are random things that the boys get into in the brief seconds I am distracted... ARGH!

Gotta love these boys!

Jumping Aboard the Holiday Train of Chaos!

Hello Holiday season, getting into full swing now! AHHHHHH! Is Thanksgiving really only 4 days away? Seriously? Well, fortunately for Chase, we've been working on doing "real" meals a lot, and he had his first sampling of (pre/mini-) Thanksgiving dinner today at my mom's. I swear, anything on the silver fork/spoon is golden ;)

Also, as the weather has swung back and forth between 80's and then 60's, we've enjoyed being outdoors more- walks, playing in the yard, trying to get out on the weekends- it's awesome! Finally wrapping up the grass project, and hoping the rest of our house projects fall into place as well. People around us are starting to put up Christmas lights, and I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that yet... maybe next weekend :)

High on our agenda is also the family portrait we've yet to tackle. It will be sent in Christmas cards in the next couple weeks- I swear! One way or another we'll get it...

For the new parents out there- if you have yet to discover it- the grocery shopping carts that are built like race cars, rocket ships, etc., are AWESOME! It dawned on me the other day that Chase was getting pretty big, and I wondered how that would work... seriously, I walked up and down the aisles JUST to entertain him, and even then, he did not want to get out. It was a blast!

Then, there are issues of being goat-like... it's a premonition to battles over wrapping paper and ornaments on the tree.... this kid loves paper, books, etc- to chew on! UGH. I let him play with this postcard for a minute while I opened other mail, turn back, and he has a huge chunk bit out of it. UGH! CHILD!

Lastly- my thoughts over the upcoming holidays and somebody's first birthday make me cringe over toys... oh boy... the toys! I have to say, seeing how much they all cost brand-new versus the things he loves- gently used from garage sales, hand-me-downs, or household items (i.e., the dog's ball, kitchen spoons, etc)... well... I worry. It's the age-old issue of the kid loving the box more than the toy- so PLEASE!!!! don't go crazy on toys... sigh... a waste of breath, but worth a try ;) In the meantime, Elmo never fails to entertain!

The Monster Mash

Had this song stuck in my head (couple weeks belated?) since the boys looked like absolute monsters today- free rein to feed themselves- on the menu? Pasta meat sauce with bread and broccoli. Oh my...

and yeah, he has lost some weight since last week, but we'll be back up to chunky in no time I'm sure!

Also got the Jumpy in today! Was sooooo excited- even has Chase's name embroidered on it! How cool is this??? It's a tool to help assist them with learning to walk without having to bend over, or them relying on having their hands over their heads the whole time... sweet!