They…Are…Numba One

Cause two we’ll  have another and three…well, at the rate we’re going, probably another.  But, back to the present because who wants to think about the chaos of three under two much less the possibility of four under three (shudder with a smile…if God giveth, we will taketh).

The twins turned the big ONE YEAR OLD and on that blessed day we went to the zoo.  A week or so later we threw a little birthday shin-dig for them with family that was in town.  I know maybe some of you expect my party planning skills to be detailed and cute and all that jazz considering my diy loving heart but that is just not the case.  I had a very teeninsy (think $10) budget to work with so I threw up some dollar store tablecloths as ceiling decor and laid out a tablecloth, napkins, and paper/plastic eatery provided by me madre and called it a par-tay, capital P.  I love me a cute little themed party but into planning them I am not…I’d rather be painting junk.  :)

Anyway, the party went off with a few hitches and all was great, grand, and wonderful.

The twins were adorned in the cutest birthday suits ever, consisting of lots and lots of pink and lots of tulle, courtesy of their Auntie Debbie.

Presents were a hit and mostly clothes (much needed for these growing weeds) until somebody turned all party pooper but since it was her party, we let her cry if she wanted to, cry if she wanted to.

We haven’t exposed the girls to many sweets but this day we went all sugar overload - funfetti cupcakes with rainbow chip frosting (theee best eva).  Everything was running like a smooth, oiled machine until Daddy lit the birthday candles and Seraphia grabbed her flame, sending her into a fit of tears (do you blame her?), a lifting out of her high chair, some halting their musical notes and some fighting forward creating a clash of Happy and youuuuu…, Cecilia wasting no time digging into the cupcake in her face, me just trying to get a good memory shot, and well, I’m sure you get the picture.  Oh look!  Here she is (top and left) a split-second before charring her tiny phalange:

We did manage to “fix” the broken finger and the birthday party ensued.  I think they liked the cake, no? 

They get their sweet teeth from mwah.

Funday Sunday, truly.

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At one neither of the girls have yet to take steps however, Cecilia can stand without support and without any motivation to do anything else.  They both climb and stand on whatever is in front of them though and as a result, have had plenty of crashes and bangs.  I had to stop breastfeeding the girls three weeks before their big day due to a decrease in milk supply at 13 weeks pregnant so we switched right then and there to whole milk.  They get about 16 oz. per day – four in the morn upon waking, five around two in the afternoon, and seven at night.  As far as eating solids goes, I never knew how much I would love the day that they could basically eat anything under the sun.  I never minded making baby food but my life has become ten times easier know that I can just cut up little pieces of our dinner and serve it on the platter of a high chair.  They’re big eaters in little bodies, shoveling in a cup or more of bits at each meal before they’re finished.  You’d never know.

We haven’t been to a one-year check-up yet, I blame busy summer, but I expect much of the same – tall for their age, lean for their age.  They still nap twice a day and sometimes me too.  :)  They babble like it’s their job.  They’re into EVERYTHING.  Cecilia is the ring leader when it comes to trouble-making and thinks “no” is a joke, giving me a four-toothed grin and laugh when she hears that word and sees my stern face.  Seraphia listens like an angel and moves on to other trouble.  We just got some cabinet locks in the mail today and I can’t wait to get them on.  My daily exercise regimen of picking up scattered tupperware, cleaning supplies (no solutions, don’t worry Grandma), and pan and pot lids is 16 screws from over.

They sleep through the night most nights, sprinkling a few I-lost-my-pacifier crying sessions in the mix that bring one of us into their room, groggy as all get out, and usually on our hands and knees groping the carpet under one or both cribs, which reminds me, I really need to make some crib skirts.  Maybe that would help the situation.

Anyway, I don’t know what else to bore you with.  I like to type down details in case another mother out there is wondering about the “whats” of certain stages but I realize most of you probably could care less.  If you have any questions, send me a line or just wing it.  It’s worked for us thus far.  ;) 

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P.S.  If you’re wondering about progress on the desk, it’s sitting pretty with one coat of paint except I’ve had a little bump in the road to smooth out.  The plan is to be done with it and all details spilled to you and yours next week. 

P.P.S.  Also in case you’re wondering, all of the above picture collages were made with Pic Monkey (picmonkey.com).  I recently discovered this site and let me tell you, it’s amazing!  Making collages has never been so easy peasy!  Go there.  Use it.  :)

P.P.P.S.  How do you like the blog’s new design?  I’m really excited about it!  It’s still in tweaking stage but coming along as fast as my very amateur html/css skills can move!

Bean Sprouts: 10 Months

Before I dive into the last month of the twins’ lives, I just want to give a big hug and thank you to you all for your sweet words of congratulations on the upcoming number three!  It’s such a joy to be surrounded by people who love life rather than those like the dude in Wal-Mart who, after seeing the twins and asking if they were in fact “twins?”, told me “You better not have anymore!”  I got the pleasure of telling him that we were in fact expecting our third around Christmas to which he mumbled something and gave me a raise of the eyebrow.  I just gave him a smug smile and went about my merry, hands-full way.  :)

 

So, it’s been 10 months since the birth of the two we once thought was just one.  Actually, we’re coming up on 11 months and momma over here is a little late on her posts.  We’ll blame it on the lack ‘o motivation that is known in this household as first trimester laziness.


[In case you didn’t notice, the only ham in this house resides in the fridge.]

Both girls are crawling, crawling, crawling and are now more interested in any room other than the room where all of their colorful toys live…the rooms that have bookcases, drawers, and lots of other things that really aren’t “child-proof” yet.  We really, really have to get on that.  Can anyone recommend some child-proofing gadgets for drawers and doors by the way?  We haven’t the faintest idea.

Seraphia:
Her new thing is to point or just throw out an arm with an open hand just for kicks.  She did it this morning circa 4:30 when she just needed to be out of her crib and she does it at other random points throughout the day.  We haven’t the faintest clue what she means by it but it sure is funny bordering weird.  She learned how to say “mama” two days before Mothers’ Day which melted my heart into a little red puddle but has since forgotten…  Compared to her courageous sister she’s, as Anthony says, a “little wuss”.  She’ll pull herself up on her knees but to her feet she wouldn’t dare.  She’s very careful to keep herself safe at all costs, which I guess is good for me.  She’s very sensitive and if she’s in any sort of foul mood, Cecilia just touching her will set her off into a fit of tears.  She listens when I tell her “no no” and immediately seeks out some other form of entertainment than the forbidden but only after letting me know her feelings were hurt.  She’s still the runt of the two, with my narrow profile and crazy long legs.
   

Cecilia:
She celebrated her 10 month birthday by cutting her first tooth.  It’s still her only tooth to date.  She’s my little cuddler.  She loves to cuddle with mommy and she’s very much a momma’s girl.  She’s a wild child though with frequent outbursts of loud noises and a care-free attitude which leads her to crawl wherever she pleases.  It doesn’t matter how stable the object she’s holding to stand, she’s determined to pull herself up on it.  Once again, we really need to child-proof.  She sings/yells to the tune of Scuttle on The Little Mermaid.  Heard it?  It’s ear-wrenching but cute all at once.  We’re pretty sure baby tylenol has the same effect as a large dose of sugar on her because it sends her to the moon and back, giggling all the way.  She eats almost anything I try to put in her mouth except avocado.  Her and S have no taste for those healthy things.
 

Both girls are now eating almost anything, which means that our lives are so much easier in the feeding department because they can eat minced versions of whatever we’re eating and on top of that, they’ve learned to pick up their own bits of food and feed themselves.  I’m still nursing them three times a day and we’ve starting supplementing with formula at night due to the depletion of milk the bean in the oven has brought on.  Cloth diapering has saved us roughly $900 to date (and that’s based on the price of Target generics)…holy wow…and I haven’t the faintest how much making our own baby food has saved us but it’s probably not quite that much.

If you stopped by, this is what our living room would probably look like these days:

and last week both girls wreaked havoc in our closet among my shoes, belts, and purging pile:

I have yet to clean up from their little excursion.


[Quick!  Look the other way and maybe she won’t know we did that.]

Speaking of things I still have to do, the dresser is going two-tone as soon as I can build up some energy and spend a nap time not napping with the tots.  Also on the list are the coffee table going ottoman, two gallery walls, and a ton of pillow covers that need to be sewn for the living room.  Here’s to hoping that “nesting” thing kicks in soonish.

Bean Sprouts: 9 Months (& a Link-up)

It’s getting real folks – they’ve now spent more time outside the womb than they did inside.  Nine whole months.  That’s three months away from one year, in case you didn’t do the math.  Crazy.

[heavy cheeks make for a nice perma-frown]

Both girls are masters in the army crawl and thisclose to crawling which makes me thisssclose to making me want to pull my hair out every minute.  I’m coming to terms with the fact that there are 785 things in our house that are going to have to be stored away or padded or locked up for more mature ages lest they provide harmful circumstances involving two overly curious tots and also hampering my decor dreams…ugh.

 
[blurry hand going in for the ear]

We’re still going strong catching waste in cloth diapers, breast feeding, and making our own baby food (courtesy of the Baby Brezza – the thing is all kinds of wonderful).  I know it all sounds very over-achieverish but I assure you, it’s not.  If we weren’t saving literally hundreds of dollars doing each, I’m not sure the first statement would be true…

[vogue]

We’ve had several nights of eight plus hours of sleep which has been no less than amazing.  I’m pretty sure I can thank solid food for that.  Both girls are still skilled in synchronized napping – the one thing I’m adamant about – and saw logs twice a day.  Everyone wonders how I pump out projects while raising twins, well, that’s how.  They’re fluent in “da-da” and Seraphia just started gibbering “ba-ba” which makes scratch my head since I’m the only “ba-ba” she’s had the fortune of drinking from…

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<<< Cecilia >>>

Still a big eater.  You know how they say to watch your baby’s signs when it comes to figuring out how much they’ll eat?  She screams exception.  She’ll eat it if it’s in her face, no stopping until it’s up and back out.  She still gets reeeally impatient and growls to show it when it’s not her turn for a spoonful of food.  Still no teeth.  Still the chunkier of the two (even though the margin is slimming).   Still spitting up like it’s her job (will I ever not be a living burp cloth?).  Still chillin’ like a villian.

Her hair in back is still a wee bit longer than that on top so I’m still a wee bit scared of dealing with a future mullet.  It’s starting to get an inherited wave in it too which could either bode good or bad for said mullet.  I have my scissors ready for any necessary adjustments.

<<< Seraphia >>>

Eater?  Only if it’s real smooth-like and a little sweet.  I purposely started veggies first hoping to ward off any picky-eaterisms but it obviously didn’t work with this one.  She’s a slow eater too.  Every meal is a dinner party to her – take a bite, socialize, take in surroundings, take another bite, socialize, etc…  It’s a little frustrating since I have to make sure she’s down with her food before Cecilia lest Cecilia throw a fit that the spoon isn’t coming in her direction. 

She’s still a little skinny-mini.  Her height, weight, and head-size rival that of her little sis’, but she’s super narrow from the neck down.  Her hairstyle screams “I’m  a boy”, making it mandatory that she don a headband in public.  She’s a mommy’s girl 100% and not fond of strangers.  We just found out she has torticollis – a slight tilt of the head due to one neck muscle being tighter than the other due to limited space in the womb due to Cecilia sprawling out in their uterine apartment.  (And we just thought she was always deep in thought…huh.)  A few stretches every day and she’ll hopefully be on the straight and narrow asap.

    

  

Anyway, I’m sorry if these monthly posts are cringe-worthy and “hey, look at my kids”.  I love keeping track of how they grow and it’s especially helpful when keeping distant family up-to-date.  But, I know I don’t have the only cute kids out there so that’s why I’m going out on a limb here and hosting my first ever link-up!  What are your kids like?  What are their quirks?  What did they inherit from you and what did they definitely not inherit from you?  What makes you swoon over them and what makes you want to post them on Craigslist?  I want to know personalities…they all have them!  Write and link because I can’t wait to read.  If you don’t have a blog, leave a rambling comment below or on Bean In Love’s Facebook page!  Or, if you don’t have kids yet, write about what you’re hoping they’ll inherit from you OR just humor us moms and write about how glorious it is to be able to be spontaneous and how you’re lucky enough to wear shirts more than once before they get tossed in the dirty pile or about how good margaritas taste or how awesome your two-door sporty is……………

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I’m off to get the diy ball rolling again with a frame collage I’ve got laid out on the guestroom floor and a diy sunburst mirror in the works.  My hands are itchin’ to hold a spray paint can again so I’m thinking today might be the day for that.  Keep on the look-out for a post about my sweaters-to-cardigans Saturday, assuming I see through this almost-crawling-and-getting-into-everything stage to the end of the week…

P.S.  Guess who just got a smartphone?!  Meee!  Instagram is about to get a little more busy.  :)

Bean Sprouts: 8 Months

Eight?!  EIGHT?!!  You can’t be serious!  Our little bean poles are EIGHT months old?  I guess time flies when you’re having/or have had babies (Ana hit the nail on the head with that one)!

Milestones, personality traits, what have you, here’s what we know so far:

-After exclusively breastfeeding the girls for their first 5.5 months of life, they now enjoy a wide variety of pureed people food – apples, bananas (an unfortunate source of much constipation), pears, peas, squash, sweet potatoes, avocados, carrots, rice, and oatmeal.  I’m still nursing but we’re down to four to five 10-minute sessions per day, a welcome change from the 7+ I spent doing the same thing during their first few months of life.

 

-We’re still riding the cloth diapering train.  In the beginning, we’ll admit it was a little rough/inconvenient, but know it’s all we know and we’re LOVING the extra $700+ we’ve been able to keep in our bank account because of it.  By the way, I’ll spare you the details but solid food, so much easier to clean off.  Praise God for that.

 

-Both girls are still small for their age width-wise but average to above-average for height.  As you can imagine, this makes for lots of clothing issues.  They’re currently sporting three month dresses as tops and pants as capris, some newborn tops, six month onesies, and six to nine month footed onesies.  It also makes for a he**ish time sorting clothes.  I’ve pretty much given up.



-Seraphia is chomping down with two teeth with two on the way while her toothless sister looks on in complete admiration and love.



-Both girls are sitting up unassisted.  Seraphia gets up on hands and knees and rocks and dances the army crawl slowly but pretty well but Cecilia seems content on her butt or belly, until bedtime, when she thinks I’ll let her stay up if she gets up on knees and elbows to practice this thing her sister is so good at…

-Cecilia is still chillin’ every second she can, in case you were wondering.



-Cecilia still has eating at the top of her list of priorities.  When we feed them people food, we alternate girls – three bites to S, three bites to C.  During Seraphia’s three bites you can be sure Cecilia is letting out a guttural growl in frustration and impatience.  It’s really quite impressive.  I’m not sure yet if I should be worried about this little act or not.  It’s as scary as it is cute.

-They both love getting out of the house which is awesome for this mom.

-Very saintly sprouts have we when it comes to napping.  Six out of the seven days in every week they nap at the same time and they take two naps a day lasting at least an hour each.  Tons of people ask me how I have time for all this DIY and blogging and well, that’s how.

-As of three weeks ago and minus a couple of nights in between then and now, the girls have been sleeping around eight hours straight every night.  If it wasn’t Lent I’d let out a big ‘ole A!!&!$^@.  I’m finally sleeping long enough to dream!



Bonus Video!!! 

If you’ve been following the twins monthlies, you might’ve noticed we’ve had a change in venue.  Monthly photo shoots were taking place on the (still) unfinished loveseat in the living room.  Well, sorry to say but we sold that dadgum thing – unfinished and “as-is” – but we sold it!  It got to the point where it just became a big weight on my shoulders.  Every time I walked past it I thought of all the work still left to do and how I needed Anthony to do all of that and how he’s too busy right now to work on it with me and blah, blah, complaining blah.  So I petitioned Sir Craig and his list just to see if there were any takers and before it was posted even an hour I had at least three interested peeps.  Out the front door it went the next day and now two swings occupy it’s previous spot.  I was super sorry to see it go but super happy about the fact that we picked it up (off a curb) for free and sold it for a profit.  Once the twins no longer are interested in their swings, we’ll probably fill that empty space with a couple of small comfy chairs or a buffet/dresser of some sort.  Time will tell…and so will I, you can be sure of it.  Over-sharing comes with the blogging territory.

Until tomorrow then, we bid you good day!

Bean Sprouts: 7 Months

Seven long and short months have passed since the twins exited the confines of mwah and seven long and short months have also passed since the last time I slept more than six hours at a time, had a schedule not dictated by feedings, I could wear a shirt more than once without washing it, “doing laundry” didn’t include washing diapers (many, many diapers), or since I’ve spent a peaceful morning with a cup ‘o joe by my side, just wisting away my big plans for a wide open day.  But, I’ve loved every minute of it…nope, that’s a lie.  Those hundreds of times now where my peaceful slumber has been ripped to shreds by baby pipes aren’t so loved…accepted, but not loved.  Anyway, I’ll stop my rambling and get on to what I know you really all care about anymore (becausemommyischoppedliver), the offspring.

Seraphia.
The girl with two bottom teeth, barely protruding from the surface of her gums.  The girl who hated food at the beginning of the month but is now open wide at the sight of her rubber spoon.  The girl whose hair I still just can’t wrangle…another trim of the left side is impending. Her new thing as of this past week, being the girl who can get up on knees and elbows and wobble back and forth before falling and getting right back up.  First one to get teeth, first one to start making mobility moves, first-born…it all just makes sense, I guess.  She talks and talks and talks, whether something is in her mouth or not and, speaking of her mouth, loves it to be always occupied.  Not in a ‘hungry’ sort of way, but just always ‘chewing’ sort.  As a matter of fact, anything and everything she gets her long fingers on goes straight to the mouth usually preceded by a monstrous “arggghhh”.

Cecilia.
   The girl who eats anything and everything – pears, oatmeal, squash, medicine, Mommy’s hair – it’s all one and the same to this girl.  Her mouth is always WIDE open, ready for any sort of nourishment that might find it’s landing there.  She’s the girl who, even though she was falling asleep whilst eating two seconds before, suddenly thinks that once we make our way with her to the crib for bedtime, that it’s now play time.  Girl without a tooth to be seen, girl with the two biggest baby dimples I ever did see, girl with her hands always behind her head:
Seriously, this girl can chill.  My sister took all of these pictures during her five-day stay a couple of weeks ago.  It’s her go-to position.  One.of.a.kind.

Sooo…

Per monthly tradition, we sat the sprouts on the ‘ole loveseat to get some proof of growth the other night and they just wouldn’t have it.  The first snap was okay but then it just went downhill from there.

So the next day, after being reminded that we are dust (Ash Wednesday, in case I lost ya there), I sat them back down for another try: