Catching Up

The lack of updates over the last week and a half can be blamed on this......

You may remember this post from awhile back saying that it took a few months to plan a get together with three other twin mama friends and their families. Well, it took us only a few weeks to plan a 4 day getaway to Palm Springs, CA! 

We packed our bags and headed to the airport last Thursday morning for a little sun, adult conversation, relaxation, and drinks (more than a little of a few of those things!). I had good intentions of catching up on sleep, but my body must be programmed to wake at 4:00 or 5:00am every morning even without the sounds of Oliver. I enjoyed relaxing in bed but didn't ever manage to "sleep in"! It was just what we all needed and although we admittedly talked a lot about our babies, we still managed to have a lot of fun.

We are all so different but share a unique common bond and have so much to share with one another. In the cab on the way home from our outing on Friday night, we came to the realization that it had been exactly one year ago to the day that we had all met for the first time at Punch Pizza. Kam was 34 weeks pregnant and myself, Patty, and Sue were in the early 20ish weeks of our pregnancies. What a difference a year makes! We scared the cab driver and got a good laugh every time we mentioned the fact that between the four of us, we have EIGHT babies under the age of one! So blessed to have these amazing women in my life!

While I was having fun in the sun, O & S were spoiled yet again with a visit and help from Grandpa and Grandma Christensen. Dad also had a day off and they enjoyed some time at our favorite place - the zoo! Again, so blessed to have them so close and willing/able to spend time with the twins!

We have also managed to get our house ready and on the market in the last few weeks. Yes, I think we are slightly crazy to take this on with 8 month old twins, but such is life! Looking for a great house in South Minneapolis, check it out (sorry for the shameless self promotion)!

In other news, Oliver and Stella continue to grow and show their personalities everyday. Oliver is pretty content with not being on the move. As if we don't go through enough wipes in this house, I came into the living room to find him doing his latest favorite activity.......pulling wipe after wipe out of the dispenser! 

On the other hand, Stella is trying her hardest to figure out how to crawl. She ends up usually just "belly" surfing and when she does get on her hands and knees, just cries because she doesn't know what to do next! She also was the unlucky recipient this week of picking up a walking pneumonia bug. After a night trip to the doctor filled with a chest x-ray and blood draw, she was sent away with antibiotics. She definitely hasn't been herself but we're guessing she'll get right back to trying to figure out this crawling thing when she gets better!

I dressed them today in these "I will make a difference" onesies (for every purchased onesie, a book is donated to a child in need - awesome!) that we received as a gift from the Mosiers.

I couldn't help but think every time I looked at them that regardless of what they do someday, they have already made a difference in our life. Can't imagine it without these two little babes!

A Day in the Life of an 8 Month Old

Since the twins turn 8 months today, I was trying to come up with some fun little post where I would take a picture at 8 minutes past each hour of the day. That went out the door first thing in the morning when I forgot at 8 minutes past the hour. Heck, I can barely remember to brush my teeth some days so why was I thinking I would remember this task? So then I just decided to take a picture "around" that time each hour of the day. So here is what O & S are up to these days now that they are 8 months old (warning: this was a rather boring, uneventful day around the house).......

6:00 am

Rise & shine (for Stella......O has been up since 4:20am)! Morning bottle time.

7:00"ish" am

My little kitchen helpers while I make their breakfast.

8:00"ish" am

Hanging out after eating.

9:00"ish" am

Down for naps.......this is when I have exactly 30 minutes to myself each day. Most of that time is consumed by quickly eating breakfast while catching up on emails and phone calls.

10:00"ish" am

Oliver is up from his 30 minute nap and he helps me keep an eye on the monitor while we wait for Stella to wake up from her nap.

11:00"ish" am

Playtime in the nursery.

12:00"ish" pm

Bottle and snack time.

1:00"ish" pm

Oliver is down for his second nap so Stella has some one on one play time with mommy.

2:00"ish" pm

Oliver is up from his second 30 minute nap and we hang out while Stella takes her second nap. 

3:00"ish" pm

Loaded up and ready for a trip out to our favorite store......Tarjay! 

4:00"ish" pm

Out and about.......go figure - O makes up for his lack of naps at home while Stella helps me shop.

5:00"ish" pm

Dinner time......homemade sweet potatoes, beans, and peas. We tell them that their bowls have to be licked clean before they can have a Mum Mum! 

6:00"ish" pm

A little fun before bath, pjs, and bottles......our work is almost done.......

7:00"ish" pm
Babies down. Time to make wash/make bottles, eat dinner, and head to bed. Whew!

March Madness

In a very methodical manner that involved two puffs placed in front of them, each representing a team, O & S selected their March Madness pool picks at breakfast!

Final game for Stella: Pittsburgh vs. Duke

Winner: Pittsburgh

Final game for Oliver: Florida vs. UNC

Winner: Florida

Tug of War

I don't think I have ever seen O or S play with this toy. Until today, when it was the prized possession and caused some serious drama to unfold before my eyes in our living room.

You'll notice they managed to pull over and dump an entire basket of toys right in front of them. But that didn't matter. Pretty sure this particular toy exchanged hands no fewer than 25 times in a matter of 15 minutes. And I'm not exaggerating.

And then Stella did her best "pretending not to care" face........

And moved on to a different toy. The end.

Best. Skill. Ever.

O & S might be in the bottom percentile for nap lengths but they can now both hold their own bottles (although you will notice Mr. Oliver found the even lazier way of doing it!). And let me tell you, I'll take any free 15 minutes to run around the house like a mad person to get things done!

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badgers......

At first I was upset with Grandpa's antics.......

 And then I was just bored......

 

Go Gophers!

We're In A Box

The best part of Grandpa & Grandma C visiting is that they introduce us to new toys like a diaper box!

Whew - What a Week!

It has been one crazy week in our house!

Our stubborn daddy began feeling sick last Tuesday morning. It was mommy's birthday and he called home to say he was leaving work early. She thought for sure that he was making it up and he was really coming home to take care of us and was going to send her to the spa for the day. Boy, was she ever wrong! He went right to bed and we didn't see him the rest of the day. We did hear mommy all day telling him he should go to the doctor or urgent care and he finally decided to go right before our bedtime. Mommy did our baths and bottles alone that night. We are so totally spoiled and this was a big change for us. We protested with some screams and crying but still went to sleep okay. At urgent care, they told daddy he just had an infection, made him drink a concoction that was supposed to settle his stomach, and sent him back home.

Daddy continued to pretend to be sick on Wednesday and we hardly saw him at all. But that was okay. Stella practiced her weight lifting with the wagon.

And Oliver pretended to be a tough guy.

On Thursday morning, mommy had to wake us up (well, only Stella really since Oliver was up way earlier) at 5:45 AM because they had decided daddy should go to the ER (maybe he wasn't faking after all!). So we all made an early-morning trip to Fairview Southdale to find out that daddy's appendix was causing all this pain. It was awesome.....the nurses all loved us and we were spoiled with attention. And the best part was that mommy gave us Mum Mums on the way home so that we wouldn't fall asleep in the car. And then when we got home, she gave us more treats to keep us happy while she made a bunch of phone calls to try to figure out who was going to help take care of us while she was at the hospital with daddy.

That day, Auntie E came over with cousins Owen and Lydia. Then our favorite babysitter Lindsey came. And then Auntie Joan and cousin Alexa showed up all the way from WI. We know they must really love us because they offered to make the 3.5 hour drive on a super short notice. And little did we know, Grandpa and Grandma C packed their bags and hit the road just hours after getting the phone call that morning and were driving back from Hilton Head. They left 80 degrees and sun for us!

By 10:30 Thursday, daddy was in surgery where they discovered the appendix was ruptured, meaning a much longer recovery time. Don't worry, we were still as cute as ever when we visited him!

Whee! This bed bends!

Daddy finally came home on Sunday night and because of some drain or something in his stomach, he gets to stay home with us all week. Whoo hoo! But he just sits there and looks at us because he isn't allowed to pick us up. Bummer. We still like to have him around though!

And Maizy likes having him around even more. She was always barking and whining while he was gone because mommy always forgot to give her food and water. Poor puppy! 

And Grandma and Grandpa C are still here helping take care of us. We get fed super fast because we don't have to take turns like normal. And mommy has them trying to teach us sign language. Why do we have to do something with our hands to ask for more, aren't our grunts enough?!

Mommy has gotten all kinds of text messages, phone calls, and emails from friends and family offering help over the last week. She keeps saying how lucky we are to have so many peeps that care about us. Thanks to you all!