8 Months - Christmas Joy

It's been a busy month around here! Both boys are becoming a little more active, both physically and linguistically. Our evenings are usually so go-go-go with dinners, baths, and bedtime routines that sometimes everyone gets a little overwhelmed, especially since everyone (except Taylor) have been up since 5am. Both boys are starting to settle into a more defined nap schedule which has been nice. However, they are both NOT sleeping through the night consistently. I think it's my new normal, waking up at 3:30am to console someone in the nursery. If they both happen to have a good night and sleep past that mark, I usually wake up anyways. Since Ryan is teething and Jacob is soon to follow, I guess it's safe to say, and realistic to think that they WON'T be sleeping through the night anytime soon. That's why God invented coffee!! I'm readdicted to it - I love Starbucks holiday drinks. Luckily, I had none while I was pregnant. Nowadays, it's 1-3 coffee drinks a day - especially around the 4pm hour. 

 

Here's what Ryan's been up to:
* Got his first tooth (bottom).
* Army crawling is his preferred mode of transportation. He's FAST too!
* Finally said "Dada". Also likes to say, "lala and baba"
* His birthmark appointment with the pediatric dermatologist went well. His birthmark is NOT a Mongolian birthmark just a congenital birthmark that's darker in color due to it being so close to the surface of the skin. His little identifier will be with him for life and will grow a bit more as he grows.
* So active and always on the go...a mini Taylor!
* Hates green vegetables. He'll gag and spit them out if he can.

Here's what Jacob's been up to:
* Not crawling yet which frustrates him because he sees Ryan off somewhere and can't get there.
* Has recently decided that he can just roll continuously until he reaches his destination. It's cute to see because he does this tuck-and-roll with his head because of the hardwood floors...he's learned it's not a soft surface!
* No teeth as of today.
* Loves the Christmas lights on the tree.
* Said "Mama" one day when I was leaving for work. Broke my heart...needless to say I was a bit late that day!
* Loves all foods as of now. Just eats whatever you give him and hardly ever complains.

 

Merry Christmas from the CW Family

&

Happy New Year 2013

7 Months-Lots to be Thankful for!

 

I've tried to take the boy's month picture on the same chair each month so that I can go back at the end of their first year and have a point of reference as to how much they've grown and changed. As you can imagine this month was more difficult to have them sit and stay still for the camera...what a bunch of clowns! They were both all over that chair in one fashion or another. By the end both babies were done with their photo shoot! Both happy babies are still doing great this month!

 

 

 

Here's what Ryan's been up to:

*early crawling (scooting a lot on his tummy, pulling with his arms, and pushing off with his feet).

*LOVES his bottle time!
*new nickname - wiggle worm

*high maintenance baby (HMB). Loves to be held, whines to be picked-up all the time.
*lots of talking but no true words yet.
*wants to move sooooo bad. Always on the go!
*first stomach bug this month, got it from Jacob.
*the picture doesn't do it justice but he has a double chin.
*we will be going to the pediatric dermatologist in December to have his birthmark looked at more closely (right wrist). It's gown since birth (but so has he) so our doctor wants to make sure everything is fine with it. Only 10% of Caucasian babies have Mongolian birthmarks, and luckily most go away by age 5.

 

Here's what Jacob's been up to:

*happy to sit and play or jump.
*LOVES his bouncer!

*new nicknames - J.J and Jakers

*low maintenance baby (LMB). Loves to sit and chill or bounce for that matter. 
*first spoken word this month...Dada!!
*had his first stomach bug-yuck! It's going to be really hard keeping one twin away from the other when it comes to times of sickness.
*LOVES to smile and giggle at Taylor all the time.
*still has hazel eyes!?!
*LOVES to giggle when kissed on the neck (funny video below).

 

 Wrestle time and a little bit of hair pulling...

Oh what trouble will the Curtis-Wellings boys get into together!?!

 

 

Is it nap time yet?

 

How do I get off of this thing? I'm ready to go!



Coming Full Circle

 

One evening when everyone was a little busy, Taylor said that he would go stay with Ryan, who had just woken up from a nap. While I was finishing up the bottles in the kitchen I could hear Taylor talking away at Ryan. When I finally peeked my head into the nursery, Taylor was quietly just reading Ryan a book. I said stay there I want to get my camera! Taylor then proceeded to jump into the crib to continue reading to him. What struck me most as a moment to capture forever was the book Taylor chose to read. It was a book we read to him as a baby. It was an amazing moment for me to watch our first born son reading to his baby brother. We are so proud of him and his reading and happy that he's beginning to share it with his brothers!   

 

October Randomness...

 

If I had to sum up my life right now the word randomness quickly comes to mind. It seems as though I'm running a marathon everyday to make it home to spend some time with ALL of these cuties. So here's a picture walk through some of the moments of the last few weeks.

 

Taylor was Robin Hood for his Kindergarten Nursery Rhyme Parade.

 

He was so proud of his costume! Thank you GeeGee!

 

Daddy came too!

 

Taylor was a Ninja for Halloween.

 

The twins were along for the ride on Halloween night-

they slept through the first block but were wide awake for round two! 

 

Brotherly LOVE!

 

Motherly LOVE x2!!

 

Nothing like a drooly, wet kiss from Jacob.

 

When will I get TEETH?



Picking Pumpkins-6 Months

How have we already made it to six months?

My baby boy twins are already half a year old?

The last two months have flown by since I've been back at work and Taylor's been in Kindergarten. We keep charging forward, day after day, dreaming of sleep again one day, but unfortunately that day has not come. It's been 6 months without consistent sleep and we're so ready for these boys to eat more solids (starting this week) and hopefully sleep through the night!?! We've had lots of changes since last month's post. Here's a recap of what the boys have been up to lately.



Ryan:

* Weighs 17 pounds, 11 ounces.

* Loves to sleep on his tummy now that he can roll over with ease (yes, even in the Boppy).

* New nickname the Screaming Pterodactyl -

his talking involves lots of loud screams, screeches, and squeals.

* Had his first cold this past month.

* He's pulling up his knees a little bit under him when he's on his tummy -
trying so hard to move!

* Gives sweet hugs to Jake when you ask him too.
* Finally has new darker hair growing in. Maybe black like Daddy?
* Finally sleeping in the nursery in his own crib-yay!
* Can hold his own bottle while he eats, which is helpful as you know.
* Likes to sit with his legs crossed at the ankles
* Learning to sit unassisted.

 

 

Jacob:

* Weighs 18 pounds, 4 ounces.

* Loves to airplane on his tummy (arms out wide, legs up and kicking).

* Had his first cold too! Now his talking involves this little
made-up cough every other sound...funny!

* Finally learning how to roll to his side from his tummy -
doesn't get nearly as frustrated as he use to.
* He seems to be the easier one this month...not as needy as Ryan. But last month he was the needy one. They just love to switch things up!
* Finally has new darker hair growing in but still has two little circles on the top of his head that have very light hair in them??
* Learning to sit up unassisted.
* Falls asleep during the day very easily (twice while playing on the play mat, but fights sleep at night so much!

Video is of Jacob looking at himself in the mirror-very expressive eyes!



My Daddy

 

My Daddy loves me...

He tells me so...

He tickles my sides...

And laughs when I giggle.

 

My Daddy loves me...

He tells me so...

He rocks me to sleep...

And lets me hold his finger.

 

My Daddy loves me...

He tells me so...

He plays with me on the floor...

And talks to me all the time.

 

My Daddy loves me...

He tells me so...

He makes funny faces...

And laughs when I smile.

 

My Daddy LOVES me!

 

 

 



Oh, How True!

 

The clothes shabbier holds special meaning for us. Our lovely spitter-uppers have gotten us good over the last 5 months! Our bankroll has been on a rollercoaster ride of it's own since I was on bedrest for 11 weeks and now with 2 babies we go through a formula tub every other day!! Needless to say, we can't wait for solid foods because they're less expensive! But as the quote states our love is stronger and the future looks oh so bright:)

Yummy, Yummy in my Tummy!

We just couldn't wait another month before we started feeding the twins rice cereal in the highchair.

We've been feeding them a little rice cereal in their nighttime bottles since they were 3 months. Does anyone ever really wait until six months to begin more solid foods? They are so ready for some extra daytime calories it isn't even funny (maybe it will help with sleeping?). These kids LOVE to eat and it's a struggle somedays to get them to wait to be fed every three hours. Most days they are hungry and ready to go at 2 1/2 hours! I finally got myself organized enough today to give it all a try. Overall, it went pretty well for both babies. I had plenty of baby wipes on hand and I only fed one at a time.

 

~Jacob's Story~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had no idea what I was doing to him.

For a baby who has his mouth open all day long to drool, it was as tight lipped as ever (not evident in the picture of course. I had to get a sweet smile shot)!

Pushed most of it out with his tongue so I did a lot of clean up with the spoon and tried my best to shovel it all back in.

I think by the end of the bowl he was finally interested and wanted more.

 

~Ryan's Story~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wanted the spoon from my hand right away.

Got the hang of it rather quickly.

Looked like he was amazed that it tasted like a bottle, therefore wanted more immediately.

Gobbled it all up!

Yay! 5 Months and Getting Bigger!

This month has flown by! With school starting back up for Taylor and I it's been a whirlwind of activity during the week with a little reprive on the weekends. We've been able to really get into a good routine in the mornings with both Andrew and I up at around 5am, he feeds the twins while I get ready for work. Then we get Taylor up and fed and then we leave to school. It's a busy, go-go morning but we've been making it work and it's actually not that bad. I'm so thankful that Andrew has a semi-flexible work schedule, otherwise it would be really rough around here.

 

 

Here's what Jacob's been up to:

• Talking more: g's and b's mostly
• Giggling when you kiss his neck
• Excitedly yelps or screams at people or objects
• Rolling over from back to front
• Easily frustrated when stuck for a while on his tummy
• Loves the Jumperoo
• Loves to smile and laugh

Here's what Ryan's been up to:

• Talking lots:g's and b's are favorites
• Rolling over from back to front
• Very mellow baby for the most part
• Very happy and calm
• Loves the Jumperoo
• Recently found his feet to play with
• Loves to smile and laugh

The twins are up to 6oz of formula every 2 1/2-3 hours 5-6 times a day.

This system works the best with one person feeding them alone!



Rolling Over is Hard Work!

 

Little did we know that learning to roll over could be such an exhausting milestone to meet.

Jacob's got it down now, and both he and Ryan love to just lay around on the floor rolling over from side to side. They are definitely becoming active little boys! They usually get up between 5-6am so this video was shot early one morning. It's funny to see Ryan grabbing for Jacob to see if he's okay. These boys continue to delight us each and everyday with their smiles and their pure joy!

 



A Week of Kindergarten

 

 

Besides some major melt downs after school because he was so exhausted from the day, I would have to say the first week of Kindergarten went extremely well (I hope his teacher would say the same thing)!  He excitedly got out of bed each morning, got dressed, ate breakfast, and brushed his teeth. Even with bad allergies this week, Taylor was a great trooper and didn't want to miss a beat. Here are a few comments we heard about his days...

 

 

Did you know that you can't cut in line...

 

There's no spot saving in line...

 

My teacher is a really good singer...

 

I really like PE...

 

I made an octopus but I don't know or don't remember why...

 

I'm going to have all GREEN days this year because I know how to (I hope so!)...

 

Can I have a playdate with....(can't remember her name)...

 

I want to buy lunch on Fridays because they have pizza...

 

Something about "F" is for firework (singing to himself) but then got embarrassed and quit...

 

 

 The spiky hair-do

 

 First day jitters for both of us:)

 

The twins were along for the ride too!

  



Kinder Camp

 

As if we didn't have enough going on right now, we also have our oldest going into Kindergarten this fall. Last week we got to experience Kinder Camp first hand with Taylor. He got to meet his teacher, meet his classmates, and see his new classroom. Taylor has been super excited ALL summer for this day to arrive! I myself am also gearing up for school. This will be my 10th year of teaching! This is the "Year of Transition" in the Curtis-Wellings household, so once again we're going to strap in, hold on, and enjoy the ride of our lives (however bumpy it may be-haha).

 

 

 

 



4 Months

 

It's hard to believe, but yes it's been 4 months since the twins were born!

They are beginning to be much more active and animated during the day and their happy little personalities are shining through more and more.

 



 

Here's what we've learned about Ryan so far-

*Mr. Smiley
*Very easy going

*Looks/resembles Taylor when he was a baby, a definite Curtis-Wellings

*A charmer when he flashes his smile
*A happy spitter (spits up and smiles and laughs afterwards)
*Can roll over from his stomach to his back and from his back to his front
*Currently NOT sleeping through the night again...arrgh!
*Ticklish on his back
*Plays peek-a-boo

 

 

Here' what we've learned about Jacob so far-
*Big grins

*Momma's boy (oh dear...)

*Looks more like me, a definite Murray
*Has finally found his voice
*Giggles and laughs loudly
*Sleeping through the night...yay!
*Ticklish on his neck
*He's a cute chunky baby so he's not rolling over yet

 

 

 

 

Welcome to BabyLand...

formally know as our living room...

We have:

1 swing,

2 play gyms,

2 bumbo chairs,

2 bouncers,

2 exersaucers,

and on any given day Taylor's toys too!!!!





Swim Team 2012 - Our Future Olympians

This July we made the month long commitment to put Taylor on the community swim team. Taylor loves to swim and it really started to catch on last summer. We were super excited that he was finally old enough to participate on the Shooting Stars. He's learned a lot including, freestyle, backstroke, diving starts, water starts, flipper kicking with kickboards, floating on his back, and most importantly breathing. I'm sure Taylor could have done without the 7am wake-up call, 3 days a week, to be in the pool by 7:30am. I'm happy that next year we'll be in the next age group that gets to start at 8:30am! I hope this is just the beginning to a lifelong love of swimming!

Watch out Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte!

Warm-ups on the pool deck

Loves the girls already...what a smile!

Overall, I think it was a great success and we're excited to return next year!

Taylor's Time Trials:

July 12th - 25m freestyle was 59:44

August 2nd - 25m freestyle was 37:42 (improved 37%)

Taylor is swimming in the 2nd lane from the right

July 12th - 25m backstroke was 0:00 (did not wish to participate-lol!)

August 2nd - 25m backstroke was 1:11:69 (improved 100% - yay!!!)

A Cookie + Lemonade + a Gold Medal = Priceless!