Polar Bear, Polar Bear 2nd Birthday

Happy second birthday Wyatt & Grayson.  I'm sorry if I went a little crazy with color for your Polar, Polar Bear birthday party but snow and freezing temperatures in April will do that to a mama. There are lots of things I would bottle up about two. The way Gray struts when he walks. How he pets Icy and gives him the sweetest hugs. How Wyatt has stopped fussing and become the loviest nugget with the cutest dimple. How you both loved your first ride in the "waget" (wagon). How you both sang "Happpppy To You" at your party today.

A few things I won't miss about two? The constant fighting over toys. Seriously if you're reading this and considering ever giving my boys a gift be prepared to buy two of the exact things or we aren't friends any more. The screams that result from not having two of EVERYTHING have literally damaged my hearing. Struggling to take you out on play dates with your big brother and sister. Food allergies. Could you please be in the 10/20% that grow out of their nut allergy ? My anxiety would thank you.

 

First birthday flash back here. Wasn't this like yesterday? Today you are both sleeping from about 7p-7am pretty consistently. You both weigh close to 25 lbs, although for the first time Grayson (Baby B) is the bigger twin. You both love music and if I don't play your favorite songs on repeat in the car you literally will scream all the home. Wyatt esp was doing a ton of screaming in the car to the point we turned the car seats face forward at the beginning of March. I would have liked to do extended rear facing but the screaming is just as likely to cause an accident.  I don't think there are any long road trips in your future until this stops. 

You both make us smile and laugh everyday. Sure its hard. Damn hard, but boy do we love your little faces off and want to remember you just like this for always. Happy Birthday, Wonder Twins.

August Roundup

1. Mia started First Grade. She totally nailed the 1st day of school! Her first time riding the bus & she hopped on like it was nothing! She ate her packed lunch in the "capateria" which was a dream come true! The next day was even better bc she got to buy😂❤️

 I on the other hand was a neurotic person! I drove to her school right after she got on the bus to see her walk in & make sure she got there okay. I waited about 10 minutes, went inside to make sure I had missed the bus and they said "no the bus hasn't come yet, but we're aware they're not here." I told the ladies at the desk, "I'll be sitting out front waiting!". I sat on the curb and must have looked like a vagabond bc these cute grandparents drive up in a minivan & ask me if I need a ride bc they thought my car had broken down 😂😂😂 Keep in mind school started at 9:15. By 9:45 I go back in and the ladies at the front desk say, "oh all the buses are here." I said, "well that's funny because I've been sitting out front 🤦🏼‍♀️ They said, "Oh honey the buses arrive in the back!" I'm like great, could you have told me that before I sat out front looking like an escapee from the mental ward? #happy1stdayofschool #imthatmom

2. I hadn't read a book since the twins were born despite the fact we go to the library like every weekend. Not sure what happened but I tore it up this month and read a bunch!! I would highly recommend all 3 of these!!  We also watched the most recent  Game of Thrones which has been SOOOOO good. Pretty sure I'm going to be depressed when the series ends.

3. We took the big kids tent camping in Wayne National Forest. It was a ton of work for just one nite but we had an absolute blast! We stayed at Iron Ridge Campground #19.  I would totally snag this spot again. The next morning we spent kayaking on Lake Vesuvius. So happy to have checked this off our Summer Live List!!! I have a more to share about our adventure but I recently became a collaborator for the Columbus Moms Blog. I've got longer posts with tons more pics I'll be sharing over there!

 4. Wyatt & Grayson turned 17 months.  The theme of the month "So Much Screaming." Wyatt gives the most amazing hugs & is my adventurer. He loves to dance. He refuses to eat meat & just throws it on the floor if I attempt to give him any. He has been biting his brother to the point of leaving teeth marks although yesterday he tried to pin him down and possibly give him a hug. Grayson still loves to look at books esp Brown Bear, Brown Bear 🐻 He puts random toys up to his ear and says hello, hello? He'll eat anything we give him but loves to ask for "cookie," which is actually a Live G Free bar (treenut/peanut safe) from Aldi. They aren't walking quite yet but love to "go, go" with push toys or in the stroller. We've been taking walks almost every day to help w the witching times. Can't say witching hour bc there are multiple times/day where the only thing to do is get out of the house. Not an easy feat w a 6y/o, 4y/o and two 17 months olds.

5. We made it to COSI for Farm Days. The kids loved the giant tractors and we also had a blast exploring kid space. The have the cutest farmer's market play area, a chemistry lab & of course the water area for babies. Bring a change of clothes for sure. Wyatt had tons of fun splashing around (Gray screamed and had to be held) but ended up with some weird rash for ten days after.

Grayson & Wyatt: 15 Months

They are learning SO much. Babies are truly like sponges. Grayson is the more happy go lucky, attention loving twin. He will sit still and look at books, practicing animal noises over & over. Wyatt hates to sit still, and prefers to crawl around exploring everything. I didn't think he knew as many animal sounds as Gray, but then he'll throw a "neigh, neigh" or hoot, hoot" over his should as he crawls on to the next adventure.

Grayson learned to stand in his crib first but went thru a phase where he couldn't sit himself down. He'd be up 10xnite. We finally put him in a pack n play in the basement for a week to do a little CIO. He has slept thru the nite every day since!!!!! He loves giving high fives, clapping & singing "Up above," the world from Twinkle, Twinkle. He pulls himself to stand & loves cruising along the couch. He likes to ask you to read to him by throwing a book at you and saying "Thank You."

This month we transitioned from two naps to one. It's gone well which tells me they were ready. They nap from around 12:-3:30 and are usually in bed for the nite between 6:30-7pm. They get up between 7a-8a. By far their most FAVORITE activity is pushing cars around our house. They both make little vrooming noises and almost always have some sort of vehicle in their chubby fingers. We are still learning and figuring out safe foods for them as we deal with the egg/peanut/treenut allergies. A typical meal is a sweet potato, avocado, rotisserie chicken, yogurt and a pouch. They also  love Annie's mac n cheese w tuna, Van's gluten free waffles w sun butter & Applegate hot dogs.  Grayson seems a bit bigger than Wyatt but it could just be his giant cheeks. They both wear 12 -18 month cloths & a size 3 diaper.

There has been a noticeable shift with Wyatt's demeanor over the past month or two. He was the laid back, always happy guy. Lately he has been SOOOO FUSSY. He basically screams if he's not being held, but then slaps you in the face when you pick him up. I've attributed it to teething but will def mention it at his doctors visit this month. He has still been sleeping like a champ. Wyatt loves the water & his little legs go non stop the second he feels it. He can also clap, wave & say Thank You. If you lay on the floor he always comes & lays his little head on yours.

It Takes Two First Birthday

We canceled Thanksgiving during a bad bout of mastitis, had kids puking on Christmas day, so it was no surprise the twins had horrible colds the week leading up to their 1st birthday party. By some miracle the non stop screaming & snotty noses cleared and the party was on!!! When I  told Damon  I wanted to do an It Takes Two theme he said, Oh like Noah's Ark?' I was actually thinking more along the lines of Snoop Dog & Dr. Dre. We each picked our favorite duo & my BFF Brandi made us custom t-shirts to wear at the party. I chose John Lennon & Paul McCartney, Damon chose Kirk & Spock, Wesley, Batman & Robin and Mia, Mickey & Minnie. The twins wore the Best Friends shirts from Indie Nook.

When it was time for the smash cakes Wyatt had everyone laughing because he went crazy on his cake, eating it by the handful. He eventually picked it up with two hands. Like mother, like son. Grayson wasn't super interested. I think he was still feeling a bit under the weather.  Uncle Tony brought the traditional Mrs. Goodman's cake& I made the twins little cakes from a box after trying to research peanut free options. Honestly, I was pretty anxious the whole time they were eating it!!! We ate tacos & played with friends. All the kiddos loved snuggling with all their Grandma's. How lucky are they to have 3?

 

A few days ago I was scrolling through ig & came across a story. A mama was walking through a store with her 2 year old. An older woman approached & engaged the little boy. She looked at the mama who also happened to be pregnant & said I have a son who is 20. If I could go back in time for only one moment I would go back to hold & rock my boy when he was just 6 months just one more time. the sentiment gives me such a lump in my throat. I've said it before, time is a gift but also the most cunning of thieves. Happy Birthday Wyatt & Grayson, I want to squeeze you forever!!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Wyatt & Grayson

Dear Babies,

Did you know that the moment you were born the nurses laid you together & you immediately held hands? This whole twin mom adventure has been so incredible. From finding out there were two of you, seeing you through weekly ultrasounds to the magical day you were born & watching you grow this past year. You are the best babies &  I feel so lucky to be part of the twin mom club. I can't wait to see more of the special bond you share. Right now you mostly just scream &  pull each others hair, but I know there are so many amazing twin moments to come. Thank you for turning our world upside down in the best way!!! Mama & daddy love you so!! P.S I still can't believe there are two of you!!

Wyatt,
 My sweet baby A, oh how mama loves you. You are the laid back, great sleeper. You'd easily sleep 12 hours/nite and take extra long naps if your brother wasn't always waking you up. You started crawling around 10 months and we call you our  little explorer. You have no time for laying around drinking a bottle. You're too busy crawling around the house playing with all the match box cars you can find. You can sit up on your own and wave Hi. You can say mama, dada, nana & Mia (which sounds like eeeeee-ahhh). You also say uh-ohh. You've got one top tooth and 2 bottom. You were officially diagnosed with a peanut/tree nut/egg allergy at 9 months old after getting hives around your mouth. You love watching Baby Einstein Farm Animals, playing Peek a Boo & pulling every one's hair. You have a birth mark on your leg & make the funniest facial expressions so we always know it's you. Ever since you had croup last November your voice is very different then your brother's, so we can usually tell if it's you babbling or crying. You wear 12/18 month clothes and weigh around 19.5 lbs.

Grayson, 

My feisty Baby B. You make sure everyone knows you're unhappy with this crazy shrill scream we call baby  Black Canary. You just started crawling at 11 months but you prefer to scoot on your butt to get where ever you want go. You can't sit yourself up & don't really like rolling onto your belly very much. You're a great sleeper but ALWAYS wake up first!! You love playing peek a boo & being held. You  wave Hi & can say mama, dada & nana. You just started saying, uh-ohh. You love torturing your brother by reaching over & eating the food off his tray or pulling on him until he cries. At 9 months you were diagnosed with a peanut/tree nut/egg allergy after getting hives around your mouth. You only have two bottom bunny teeth, weigh around 19lbs & wear 12/18 clothes.

Dear Wyatt & Grayson,

Did you know that just after you were born the nurses laid you in a bassinet together & you immediately held hands? This whole twin mom adventure has been so fun. You are the best babies & I feel so lucky to be part of this club. I can't wait to see more of the special bond you share. Right now you mostly just scream & pull each others hair, but I know there are so many amazing twin moments to come. Thank you for turning our world upside down in the best way!!! Mama & daddy love you so!!