Pittsburgh Steelers "Mini" Fans

Cousin Steven (13 months); Faith and Jonathan (7 1/2 months);F and J's first friend, Toby (11 1/2 months)all dressed in their Steeler's garb for the game Sunday. Thanks Aunt Beth for the outfits!

Steven, Faith and Jonathan. Faith was working on her splits the whole day!

Toby with his mommy, Megan.

Post Christmas Let-Down

From the achives...look at my bald little girl!

Anyone else ever feel this way? You rush and hurry and look forward to, and wrap, and bake and cook and shop and take pictures and clean up and Poof! Christmas is over for another year! For us, Christmas is definitely all about family. Now that Jay and I have kids, we really are our own little family, and our relatives are infinitely more important to us, in part, because they are F and J's family too!
And so, we spent oddles of time with my family, and Jay's family, and Jay had lots of time off of work (he normally works quite a bit) and I had TONS of help. I was so spoiled! I will really have to get back into the swing of things in a few days here. With so much family around, I have been on a semi-mom vacation!

Update on F and J:

They kids are doing great! This morning, I took them to breakfast with my SIL, my MIL and nephew. Faith ate Jonathan under the table, hands down! She was so eager to eat, and packed away quite a bit of food into that little tummy. There is a commercial on tv, that says a toddlers tummy is only as big as her fist...if that is true, than F's stomach must be in her hollow leg, because the girl can eat!

Jonathan is so funny. Almost everything he does (when he is playing) makes me laugh. Although he has been spitting up continuously, and it is really getting old. At 7 1/2 months old, we are seeing no improvement what so ever in the puking department.

Our schedule at 7.5 Months:

Faith is usually up around 7, but I don't go in to the nursery until 8, unless she is crying. Often I find her on her tummy, pulling down the bumper to peer into Jonathan's crib.

Quickly change worlds stinkiest overnight diapers, and feed babies.

We head downstairs, where the kids play in their playroom while I make my coffee, eat breakfast and fix theirs. Next I feed them in their highchairs. They are so funny, as soon as they see me carrying their little dishes into the dining room they start hollering. But if I put them in the highchairs more than a minute before I am ready to feed them, they protest. It is a balancing act! Also, I have to sit on the end of the couch where they can't see me, because if they see me eating, they want what I have.

After breakfast, they play and I get their outfits assembled. I change diapers, wipe faces/noses and get them dressed. Then they go down for a nap between 10 and 10:30. They sleep for 1-1.5 hours, and I scramble to clean up the kitchen, start the laundry, email, blog, and clean. One hours can go by VERY quickly! When they wake up, F likes to nurse immediately. Jonathan doesn't want anything to do with a bottle before 1pm.

Lots of playing/errand running. This is the best time of day to get out of the house, but it is often tricky as I likely haven't eaten or packed a lunch yet.

Around 3-4 they are ready for another nap. If they have fallen asleep in the car, I am in trouble, because they often won't go back to sleep once inside the house. This is the short nap, 45 minutes to 1hr. This is the "Mommy really, really, really needs you to go to sleep now" nap. While they nap, I pump and do whatever else I need to do. They also need to eat sometime around now, either before a late nap, or after an early nap.

Dinner is at 6. After dinner, I either bath the babies or just get them wiped off with a washcloth and into their pj's. They play and usually this is when Jay gets home, so he can cuddle one and I the other, because they are getting tired and are at their fussiest. Bedtime is at 7, unless I am by myself, and then sometimes it is as early at 6:40. What can I say? A Mom has to do, what a Mom has to do!

Thankfully, the kids with rare exception, sleep for 12 hours. I have noticed that they seem to sleep more lightly than they used to, and sometimes they will cry out before settling back down. My children are creatures of habit, and if they nap too long or don't play enough, one or the other may wake up (usually Faith) way too early.

That, in a nutshell (or really long blog post) is our schedule. Just in case you were wondering! :)

5 to 0

New tooth for Jonathan! That makes 5! for him, 0 for Faith.

Our Report

Boy, it has been quiet in blog-land lately, as everyone was very busy I am sure. I for one missed being able to read updates from my Internet friends, and of course I am a "comment junkie," but hadn't posted in a while, so opening up my email where I read my comments was very boring as well!

It is funny how I used to think Jay was absolutely wacky with his "imaginary Internet friends," as I used to call them. But when you share aspects of your life, family, struggles and triumphs through a blog, you start to look forward to hearing from your friends, real and Internet. I enjoy hearing about the lives of others, especially Mom's of Multiples. It is so neat to read about mom's expecting twins and triplets, and especially thrilling to hear of their births. It is in this vein, that I ask you to pray for Cindy and Brian, parents to triplets born on December 11th. Their little girl, Alexis, weighed 2.15 oz's at birth, and is now battling a Staph infection. She is such a tiny little one, and her parents are so very very worried. Would you please pray for them? You can visit their blog (and perhaps leave an encouraging comment, NO PLATITUDES PLEASE!) at http://brianandcindy.blogspot.com/
I do believe that God hears our prayers, and I know I have always been encouraged to know that I was being prayed for during difficult circumstances. Thank you!

Now for a few pictures...would you believe we took ZERO pictures on Christmas?! For a camera junkie like myself, that is unheard of! But the kids didn't last in their outfits long, as diaper disasters and torn stockings prevailed! However, here a few cute ones from this week...


Gramps with F and J.

J and F opening presents at Aunt Debbie's. They did amazingly well, lunging for tissue paper and tearing into the wrapped gifts. I didn't expect them to really open anything at all, but their competitive nature prevailed, as they took turn trying to grab the wrapped gift away from each other, and in the process, opening the gift!

My little guy after a nap and after the company left. He seems to get overstimulated so easily, and was being very high maintenance. Once the house was quiet again...my smiling boy was back. (He is SOOO much like Jay!)

J sleeping in his Daddy's arms...it has been MONTHS since J has fallen asleep on either of us...we were both thrilled, and I took a ton of pictures of it! Unfortunately, I don't have any good ones of F from this week...will get some for next.

Bathtub Part III

If hungry, J and F are great at holding their own bottle. If not so hungry, they play with the bottles more than drink from them.

Look Mom! One hand!

I have been using the tub to feed J when I am busy with F, as J rolls around so much, and doesn't yet understand gravity. He will be laying on his tummy, slurping away on his bottle to no avail. So, to keep him on his back, I use the tub!

Faith in the tub! F and J are both longer than this tub now, which is why we quit using it inside of the big bathtub. But I think when summer rolls around, it will make a great little place to splash and play with toys.
F likes to play in the tub with her duckies.

Felix and Oscar

I give you "Felix" and "Oscar." After a full dinner of green beans, carrots, organic chicken and squash, I snapped these pictures. Believe it or not, I had already wiped Faith down several times. *Note to self: Why are the children eating so much better than me? I had eggs and toast for dinner...

Bathtub Pictures Take II

Okay, first off, the laundry basket idea is not my original idea. I wish it was, because it is pretty darn clever, but I read it on someones blog, but I don't remember which one. But thank you all for thinking that I could come up with such a good idea! But we have been making good use of our blow up tub this week, as we are finding most of our baby gear is more fun when used in a manner it was not intended for!

When I was in 4-6th grade, our library at school had a big, claw foot tub lined with pillows, and we all took turns reading our book in the tub. I guess Jonathan is getting a head start!

Faith was being pretty squirmy, and didn't want to share her toys, so she arched her back and got out of the tub pretty quickly, but I didn't get a picture of it.

However, I did get one of J doing the same thing!

Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Two Babies In A Tub

The kiddo's took a bath together Sunday night, and really seemed to have fun splashing and soaking everything in a 5 mile radius. They are in a laundry basket, inside of the bathtub, and it worked really well. I also put a big bath sponge on the bottom of the basket so their little bums wouldn't slip all around.

I Never Thought...

I never thought I would ever take my children out of the house and into the public in puke soaked clothes. But today, I did. And I'm sure it won't be the last time.

I am not sure why I am finding it so difficult to leave the house with the kids by myself now. I am not sure if it is the new car seats, the weather, the need to bundle the kids into clothes that they hate, the lack of places to go, the nap schedule or what. Likely it is a combination of all of thee above. But sheesh, the first day I was with them all alone was when they were three weeks old and we went to the mall! But anyway...

After the second nap of the day, which happened earlier than usual, because the first nap wasn't very long, I decide to run out and buy a Christmas gift that I forgot I need to get into the mail. At this point, F had nursed, and J wasn't yet hungry. I had given him just the tiniest bit of orange sherbet, as he has a cold, and I thought it might make his throat feel good in case it was hurting. ( I just got over being sick and my throat felt awful.) He seemed to like the 2 or 3 teaspoons that I gave him. Of course, there was orange drool all over his bib, but I figured I could change that no problem.

A friend called and I ran down to the basement to put a load of clothes in the dryer while talking to her. I then ran outside and started my car. Tromped snow through my house, and find Jonathan trying to pull Faith to him by her collar. Faith wasn't too happy about this. And he had taken her sock off and obviously was chewing on it, as it was wet. Quickly shove his little arms in to his coat, and jam his 12-24 month hat onto his head, forgetting that it barely fits. I picked him up, grabbed his shoes, and hurried him out to the car, leaving Faith wailing. When I strapped J in, I quickly saw that his pant leg was soaked in puke...as was his sock....orange sherbet puke, on dark green pants...what's a mom to do? I was desperate to run my errand and get out of the house, and I knew F was crying and waiting for me, so I ignored the puke, and ran back inside for F.

When we arrived at the store, I changed J's orange puked on bib to a clean one...or so I thought. Half way through the store, I realized that I exchanged one gross bib for another. Apparently one of the bibs he has puked on while at church was still in the diaper bag, but at least it was dry! At the check out counter, I switched his bib yet again, because I just could not stand the thought of him wearing a day-old pukey bib. There was a woman at the counter who was so taken with the twins, that she walked away without her purchases, and the clerk had to go after her. We also ran into some very nice older people, and a couple of moms with little kids who said nice twin things.

We got what we needed, and even visited Borders. I had a cup of coffee, and put on a puppet show for the kids. Faith squealed in delight, and Jonathan screamed. I think I annoyed the saleswoman, so I meekly put the puppets back and slunk away. We also stopped at the pet store, and I showed F and J the parakeets and kittens. They are really interested in our cat, Monty, but weren't very into these cats, as they weren't moving.

I ran out of stores to take them that didn't require going out into the bitter cold, so we got back in the car and went home. I wish that winter didn't last so long, as I really miss taking the kids on picnics, and walks in the park. I much prefer being able to leave the house with out bundling the kids so much that they can't put their arms down. I hate carrying them on the sidewalks when they are icy...to say I will be glad for spring is an understatement!

Seven! Months! Old! Part II

Sitting up an playing like a big girl!

You roll and roll until something stops you...this time it was a big basket.

Eating breakfast at a restaurant.

Taking a quick bath in the bathroom sink.
My Dear Little Faith,

I know I start every letter by exclaiming that you can't possibly be as old as you are, and this month is no exception! Truly, this 7 month birthday hit me hard, as you are now closer to being a year old than you are a newborn. All I have to do is close my eyes and I can remember being pregnant with you and Jonathan...man were you feisty! And you would really react to any sweets/sugar that I had eaten. It was always a catch 22 with you...I really do like sweet things, but was I willing to pay for all the extra activity that occurred when you had sweets?! The end of our pregnancy, I spent trying to dislodge you from up under my right ribcage. I thought for sure you were separating my ribs.

Little girl, it was so worth that ridiculously painful and uncomfortable pregnancy to have you in my life. I was so thankful when we had the confirmation that you were indeed a girl. I am thrilled to have a daughter, and truly hope that we will have the type of relationship that I have with your granny. A mother-daughter relationship is one of the biggest blessings I could ask for!

The first few months of your life, I didn't get to bond with you as much as I did with your brother, because he demanded my attention, and you were content to be held by anyone and everyone. I felt so badly that I didn't have a lot of "Faith time," and even wrote about it a few times. I am pleased to say that the fact that you are a nursing champ gives us lots of special time together, and we have made up for the early days when I felt so guilty being divided between two children.

For most of your short life, we glibly referred to you as the "easy" baby. You were the designated errand runner, movie theatre partner, public-place goer. Yet, something happened over the last month or so. You have suddenly become more vocal, more insistent, more aware of your surrounds, more needy. Our "easy" child suddenly has strong preferences, more likes and dislikes and an incredible ability to vocalize her opinions. I believe this is a normal developmental stage, but sometimes it tears me in two, trying to meet your needs and wants, and your brothers. Some days the three of us work like a well oiled machine, other days we crash and burn. I write this not to make you feel badly, but because I want to be honest with you. I hope some day to compile this blog into a book of our lives as a family. And when you have your own family, if for some reason I am not around to tell you these things, or if your babyhood melts into a rose-colored memory, I don't want you to think that you are the only Mommy wondering what she got herself into when you feel overwhelmed with your baby.

You are growing up strong and healthy, and where your brother lacks an appetite, you now seem to be eating for the both of you! You are chubby, and your hair is really growing quickly. I believe your beautiful blue eyes are here to stay, and I like that you, Brother and Daddy all have that in common.

You have become very intense in all that you do, be it nursing, eating, playing, trying to pull yourself up, splashing in the tub or sneaking a toy away from your herculean brother. You tolerate him stealing your pacifier quite well, and are almost always thrilled to see him. I think you are his biggest fan. It is very sweet the way you squeal when you see him. Although I think he could do with less hair pulling.

You have decided that you hate to be changed out of your clothes, and that jackets are your own personal form of torture, as are anything with confining straps like the car seat, stroller and high chair. You are incredibly strong and determined, and I think that you may start crawling before your brother out of sheer force of will. You do seem to get frustrated easily, and that is one area where I will need to pray for you more. I know what that is like, and I don't want you to struggle with it all of your life. Daddy and I will always love you with the love God has given us for you, regardless of what accomplishments or abilities you possess.

You are a funny little lady when you eat. You won't eat what you don't like, but you like a lot of things. When you don't want something, you clamp your lips together, and won't budge. You often try to grab the spoon, and when you aren't doing that you are trying to chew on your plastic bib, which results in food going everywhere, even up your nose.

You are very good at riding in the car, and are consistently sleeping through the night. You wake up earlier than your brother, and get tired earlier, but he naps longer. When you take bottles you drink 28+ ounces a day, and for the first time are eating more than Jonathan.

You continue to be wary of the general public, but you know your family and are very comfortable with them. In particular, you have become a real Mama's girl, and you want to be with me or held by me quite a bit. You simply aren't appeased with toys, the exersaucer or your brother for very long. You do delight my heart when you lunge for me when you are in someone else's arms, and you follow me around the room with your eyes. It amazes me sometimes, that when you are screaming your head off, that all I have to do it pick you up. I am simply astonished that you just want to be with me...no fancy plastic made in China toys, no crazy bouncing or roughhousing, no fun Daddy and giggly brother, just...me. I never knew that a baby could help me understand my Maker better, but you do. And I find joy in you.

I love you Faith Marie.
~Mama

Seven! Months! Old!

What a happy little guy in his pj's!

Your "Sock-in-the-Mouth" pose.

Politely waiting for your next bite of dinner, hands on your lap as usual.

After capturing Faith's pacifier, you immediately jam it into your mouth, usually backwards.
Dear Jonathan,

My sweet little boy, I know I start every letter by exclaiming that you can't possibly be as old as you are, and this month is no exception! Truly, this 7 months birthday hit me hard, as you are now closer to being a year old than you are a newborn. All I have to do is close my eyes and I can remember being pregnant with you and Faith...you were always the larger baby, and I knew in my heart that you were a boy and Faith was a girl before we had our ultrasound. I knew that you would be large twins, even though that isn't the case for most twins. I just knew that you wouldn't arrive early, and indeed you didn't! I knew that you would have dark hair, but your wonderful blue eyes were a surprise to me. I also knew that I would love being your Mama, but I never could have imagined how much!

Your infancy was a rough time. You cried A LOT. You were uncomfortable A LOT. You made me anxious to go out in public, as you seemed to really holler when we would be in stores or at church. You hated the car seat, and would cry this awful cry when in the car. Truly, you were a little hard to get along with. There were times when it was very tense in our home, when your screams filled the air and Daddy and I wanted each other to take their turn with you.

I write this not to make you feel badly, but because I want to be honest with you. I hope some day to compile this blog into a book of our lives as a family. And when you have your own family, if for some reason I am not around to tell you these things, or if your babyhood melts into a rose-colored memory, I don't want you to think that you are the only Daddy wondering what he got himself into when your baby is screaming in your face in the middle of the night!

That said, you are so different from the infant that we brought home. Everything has changed! You used to be a voracious nurser/eater, and now you are so busy learning and playing that drinking your bottle seems to be a bother. It simply amazes me that you are content to drink less milk than you did when you were days old! You take 4 bottles a day, roughly 24 oz a day. You eat breakfast and dinner in your highchair, and have yet to turn down anything I offer you, but if you don't like whatever is on the spoon, you won't look me in the eye, and you grudgingly open your little mouth. You are the neatest little eater, completely opposite of your sister. You sit there, with your hands, palms side down on your legs, and you swallow every bite. You rarely grab for the spoon, and only make a mess when Daddy feeds you, as he likes to give you things like half of a pancake. That time, you were so tired, you rubbed it into your eyes!

You have mellowed considerably, and are a pretty jolly little fellow. You still cry some when falling asleep, but 90% of the time you wake up happy. You like to pull down the bumper pad in your crib to peer at your sister, and will often play contently in your crib until Daddy or I come to get you.

Daily your abilities change. Suddenly you are sitting up well, rolling like a master and standing like a champ. Your ability to grasp and manipulate objects amazes me. I think I am going to stop wearing earrings, because you and Faith are on the verge of yanking them out of my ears. You seem to want to crawl, and spend some time each day attempting to do so. Right now you pull yourself along with your hands, and can pivot on your belly.

You are riding great in the car, napping 2-3.5 hours a day, and sleeping for 12-13 a night, although this week you had a couple of occasions where you woke up and needed a little hug before going back to sleep. I wondered if maybe you are dreaming? Your Mimi watched you last night while Daddy and I were out, and she said you were crying but asleep. One of the things I pray over you all the time is that you would have courage and not be afraid. I think I will add no bad dreams to my list!

You are enthralled with your sister and her pacifier. Right now you like her pacifier better than her, but I suspect that will quickly change as you realize how fun she is. I love watching the two of you "play" together.

You currently have 4 teeth, and are growing in so many ways. You had one minor haircut, but I think I may take the really long stuff off the top soon. Your body is strong and sturdy, and you are very curious. When you are tired, or hurting, or overstimulated, you get cranky, and you still spit-up WAY too much, but for the most part, you seem to delight in life.

Jonathan, I am so thankful that God gave us you, and will continue to thank Him daily. It has been so much fun being your mom, and I love that we get to spend so much time together.

I love you buddy!
~Mama

Antics of Almost 7 month olds

As the kids near their SEVENTH!!! month birthday, I thought I would share some of their latest antics.

This morning I noticed Jonathan carrying around a sock in his mouth, which is a normal occurrence. But I noticed something odd...he had both of his socks on! Didn't take me long to realize that he had pulled Faith's sock off and had it soaked with slobber. She didn't seem to mind, but her tiny little foot was cold, so she got a fresh pair of socks, AND shoes.

Along with the sock in mouth thing, Jonathan impressed me on Sunday. He was on his belly in the living room, which is hardwood. His sock was on the floor, and he decided he wanted to move to a different location, so he picked up his prized possession, stuck it in his mouth, and propelled himself across the floor using only his arms. What struck me was the complex thought process. He did look just like a mother carrying her puppies in her mouth by the scruff of the neck.

Faith has suddenly become LOUD. She shrieks, pounds, squeals, cries and whines. She has not been very easy this week at all. But I think she is going through a major growth spurt as she is eating like a little piggy, and insisting on sitting up 95% of the day. In fact, both of them are so intent on sitting, that they have practically stopped rolling. She is, however, rolling in her sleep which is an incredible feat considering the hip brace that she wears. We can't figure out how she does it, but she is moving all over her crib at night.

Also, she genuinely tries to pull herself into a standing position, and quickly gets frustrated when she can't. To say she has my personality is a gross understatement. :) I was really hoping that the kids would not inherit this aspect of my personality, as it really isn't very fun.

Both F and J are trying to "army crawl." They aren't quite there, but will be soon. J can stand alone (holding onto something of course) for at least 20 seconds. He seems very happy to play most of the day, and has been a real joy lately. It is amazing how they trade off on who is going to be the "easy baby" for the week. Let me tell you, Jonathan wins hands down this week!

As for me, still not feeling terrible, but having all sorts of coughing now accompanied by some shortness of breath and tightness in my chest. The MD thinks that I might be getting pneumonia, but she can't see me til Monday, and ordered me an antibiotic. I am grudgingly taking it. I really don't like to take meds without knowing if I actually need them or not. But if I am getting pneumonia, it must be the "walking" variety, as I don't feel THAT sick. I just have these very annoying symptoms and feel terrible in the morning. After my shower, it isn't so bad. I guess I thought that I would feel worse and really bad if I had something like pneumonia.

I don't know about the rest of you, but we have had nothing but MISERABLE wet weather this whole week. We are all feeling very cooped up. I think we had 10 minutes of sunshine in 5 days. Bah Humbug. So we are heading to the land of artificial sunshine/lighting: The Mall, where we will meet Aunt Debbie who took the day off of work. I am glad to get out of the house, and the kids will be too. And no, Mom, I'm not overdoing it. :)

Play Time

Faith was very interested in my camera.

Jonathan had a ball meeting the other little boy in the mirror...he tries to reach out and touch the other little boy...so cute!
The kids are changing sooo much, play-wise. They are beginning to interact with eachother, even though this means squabbles over toys, Jonathan yanking Faith's pacifier out every chance he gets, and Faith's stealth sneak attacks on whatever J is currently playing with. My babies are growing up! Faith insisted on sitting up almost all day long, and would screech when she tipped onto her back. I put Boppy pillows behind them, because J fell on the hardwood and got his first bruise Sunday, and the Boppy is a nice safeguard and keeps the bruising at bay.

I spent a lot of my day divying up toys as one or the other began to hoard them. I also propped up cranky-tipped-over babies all day. :)

Still not feeling great...longer post later this week...

Our Little Boy/Puppy

He eyes up the sock...

Pulls it off...

Shoves it in his mouth...

And then chews on it until we take away his soggy sock and put something warm and dry on his feet...

It Could Have Gone One of Two Ways...

Yesterday was jampacked. The kids and I went to the mall in the morning because I needed to walk. We didn't stay long, and came home for the babies naps. My mother-in-law graciously agreed to come over and help me watch my neighbor's kids while she got some much needed time away. I was going to watch one of the twins (2months old) and the 2 year old. But since my MIL agreed to help, we watched all FOUR of her kids plus my two! It could have gone so badly, but it didn't! At one point, all four babies were asleep, plus the 2 year old was napping and we just had the 4 year old who wanted to play barbies. (How do you play barbies? I only remember coming up with new outfits for them...)

My neighbor's twins seemed sooooo very small. Amazing what a four month difference is in size and development!

Anyway, today I am kinda miserable with a sore throat, but the kids are being sweet and I am popping Tylenol and eating soup, so that helps!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Another Steeler's Fan...in LA!

This is my cutie pie nephew Steven, who lives in Los Angeles, but who will be at our house for Christmas! He turned 1 on November 26, and we can't wait to see him! Of course, we are also thrilled that his mom and dad will be accompanying him home on his cross-country flight. Check out my sister-in-laws blog: irishbruin.blogspot.com

Developmental Update

Christmas pictures that didn't quite make the cut!

I have to write this stuff down before I forget it, because the kids are changing so fast, I can hardly remember what they could do last week vs this week!

Today is a bitter cold, blustery day. We had to leave for Bible study around 8:40 this morning, and I had the kids ready to go, in their fleece snowsuit type gear, laying on the floor by the front door. I grabbed the diaper bag, my purse and my books and ran out the front door, and started the car. When I came back, about 1 min 15 seconds later, the kids had moved, in their suits, far enough away that I exclaimed "where'd you go?!" when I opened the front door.

Last night, Jay layed down the puzzle piece flooring that I bought for the kids as an early Christmas present. It is softer and much less slippery than our hardwood floor. Today, Jonathan rolled all the way across the new flooring and into the living room. In the time it took me to put Faith in her highchair, he had scooted himself backwards toward the kitchen, very close to the basement steps. Needless to say, I called Jay and said "we need to talk gates." I also quickly cleaned out the cabinet below the kitchen sink, where most of our cleaners were stored. And I dragged out all of the babyproofing stuff we registered for and put it on Jays side of the couch!

Faith is also rolling, rolling, rolling! She rolls until something stops her. Usually this is the wall, although she did try to go under the pack n play. I don't know how she doesn't get dizzy. Since she started rolling under the swings and Jonathan found out that he could hold on to the stationary bars on the swings and stop them from swinging (motor groaning), they have since been moved to the basement.

Both kiddos are spending part of the day with their cute little butts in the air, as they try to get into crawling position. Jonathan did a pushup the other day, which impressed me to no end. At 6 1/2 months, he likely can do more than me!

My latest nickname for Jonathan in "puppy," because he constantly has something in his mouth, dangling out of the corner, just like a puppy. Mostly, he chews on blankets, burp cloths and his right sock. He leaves the left one alone. He also is very taken with his new top teeth, and often has an underbite, as he scrunches up his face to check out the new teeth. Oh, you know that cute "puppy" hat I got him for winter? The 18-24 month one? It barely fits anymore. But honestly, I think all of his rolling, scooting and pushups are slowing down his growth. I don't think he is as chubby as before.

Faith's latest nickname is "lou," short for "little lou." I think she will always seem small, next to Jonathan, even though she is above average for a girl her age. She is sitting up really well, but I hesitate to let them sit on their own, as they topple like a ton of bricks. Her hair is growing fast, Nicole, and does seem to be darker. It is fluffy, and soft, and I have to brush it now, where as before it never made a difference.

Both kids are starting to lift their little arms when I pick them up. They are eating well, although my formerly voracious little guy is barely interested in his bottles. It is a struggle to get him to take his 4 bottles a day, but I know he is growing and healthy, so I don't push him too much. But he will wiggle and squirm and get distracted, and everything else seems so much more interesting than his bottle of milk.

They are also so much more aware of each other and the cat. They get excited to see each other, although Jonathan consistently takes F's pacifier right out of her mouth, and F pulls J's hair any chance she has. The cat doesn't let them get too close, and I think he is confused that they can now move at all. For six months, they pretty much stayed where we put 'em! I have a feeling that my days are going to get a bit more challenging here pretty soon!

My Cuties

Just a quick update....Jay's case was dismissed and he made it back home Friday evening. Yeah!

Saturday we tried our second photo shoot for the kids Christmas pictures...boy was it hard work! And I think the kids knew it was work, not play, because they didn't smile this time around either! But my parents, as usual, were GREAT with them, and mom made us chicken noodle soup, and John gave the kids their first drumming lesson, so it was a very fun day. The weather was a bit ugly on my drive home...freezing drizzle, which made it really feel like December!




Sunday Jay and I had a "family day." We didn't go to church, we went to Bob Evans for breakfast! The kids both sat in highchairs and it was so darn cute! They liked the oatmeal and loved pancakes! It was surreal sitting there with my two "babies," who are growing up so fast!

We also made a stop at Walmart (ugh), but with two of us, they each got to ride in their own cart. It was the first time for Faith, and she did great! Really seemed to like it too!

So that is our weekend in a nutshell! Hope all of you out there in blogger sphere had a good one!