23 Weeks

22 Weeks

Valentine's Day

 

 Somebody was pretty excited about his cookie for breakfast!

I will stand here for a picture, but I really just want to eat it.

My mom found these slinkies on clearance in the dollar spot at Target a couple years ago and grabbed them to use for party favors someday. I was trying to think of a cute (affordable) Valentine for Max to give his friends when I thought of these. I think they turned out pretty cute!

Ben at Nine Months

Ben on February 11 you turned nine months old! Three quarters of your first year down...and not very long to go. I think time must speed up the more children you have, because it has gone so very very fast. I was just thinking that this time last year we were starting to get a few things done to bring you home and then poof...not very much longer and you were here! We are so very thankful, and we are having so much fun watching you grow!

This picture is so "you" these days. We've decided you may not be as quiet and gentle as we originally thought...you may just be the one constantly making us laugh and keeping us on our toes!

At your nine month appointment this month you weighed 20 lbs 9 oz, and you were 29 inches tall.

Your top two teeth just popped through, which means you have 5 now!

You are wearing size 3 and 4 diapers, and you can wear anywhere from 9 month to 18 month clothes.

You are eating more and more solid food. You like fruits, pasta...you know. The good stuff. You will eat vegetables too, but you make the worst faces when you do. You are still liking baby food too.

You have started scooting around the living room, and you pull up on your knees and rock back and forth. You mostly prefer to sit up, though.

You are still a fan of the jumperoo. I worry you will give yourself whiplash jumping around in it like a wildman.

You are in a big boy carseat now. You hold on to the sides of it for dear life.

You are starting to babble a lot more, and you can mimic quite a few sounds. 

You still love to shake your head no whenever you hear the word, and it makes you laugh so hard.

Sometimes when you get excited you sound like a barking seal.

Sometimes when you cry you sound like a barking seal.

You really just have the seal thing down.

(Monthly stickers here)

21 Weeks

Mardi Gras

Last year my friend DeAnna and I got together and made a king cake to celebrate Mardi Gras. We had so much fun (and it was so delicious) that we decided to do it again this year. I even made red beans and rice for dinner...I felt very official. This year was a little crazier since the number of kids between us quadrupled (if I am doing my math right) in the past year. It just made it that much more fun though...and the king cake was as delicious as I remember!

Last year, we took a similar picture and DeAnna was the one pregnant with twin girls. Crazy! Also...I think puffy face has officially arrived. Sigh.

 So yummy.

 

20 Weeks

 

20 Weeks

It feels crazy to say that I'm (at least) halfway through this pregnancy! I am so thankful for the second trimester, and I'm feeling pretty good these days. I have struggled more with pain this time around, but with two little ones to carry around all day (I'm talking about the ones I already have!) I think that's to be expected. We are super busy with school, church, and life these days, but I'm making lots of lists and trying to get things ready. If the next half of this pregnancy flies by like the first, these girls will be here in no time!

Ben's Room

 

Since we are in the process of switching Ben and Max into one room, I thought I'd better snap a few pictures of Ben's room before it's too late. I kept his room pretty simple from the beginning knowing we wanted them to share a room someday...I just didn't realize how soon that would happen!

You probably can't see it, but his name shows up three times in this picture. And just in case you don't get the message about whose room it is, there's a B on the wall for good measure. 

 My good friend Larissa made these for both boys...I love them!

I really need to start filling up his first year frame!

 

Big Boy Bed

Once we got through Max's surgery, it was time to work on Operation Max and Ben Share a Room. The first step? Max had to move into his big boy bed. I was kind of nervous that it wouldn't go well since he has not tried to climb out and is pretty much in love with his crib. For several days I thought we were getting somewhere, because when I asked if he was going to sleep in his big boy bed he would get excited and say, "Yes!" Then one afternoon I asked him to point out his big boy bed, and he pointed to his crib. Fail.

We went ahead and bought a rail for the twin bed, and we thought we would just try it at nap time. He slept really well, so we thought we would do bedtime too. That worked also, and we've never looked back. The first couple nights he woke up kind of confused a few times because he would get turned around in bed and it felt so different. There have also been a couple of times the built-ins in the living room have started to shake because he's rolled into the wall so hard! Overall, though, he is officially a big boy bed kind of guy!

(The picture above is of the first night in the bed. It is now full of pillows, stuffed animals, and blankets. He has developed quite a little system to keep himself comfy and cozy!)

 

Max Has Surgery

Back in December, our pediatrician told us to make an appointment with an ENT, because Max was having trouble with constant sinus and ear infections. We met with a doctor at the beginning of January, and by the middle of January we were at the hospital bright and early for adenoid removal and to get tubes put in his ears. We got there by 7:45, so we thought we would be out of there and home by late morning. Well...not so much. They had some delays, so we ended up being in the waiting room a very long time with a toddler that was sleepy and couldn't eat or drink anything. He played well, though, and the hours passed.

Heading downstairs to prep for surgery. We had spent a lot of time talking about the doctor fixing his ears and mouth, but I'm not sure what he was thinking at this point.

Hanging out in a prep room watching Calliou. They let him pick out that stuffed dog upstairs, and he is still sleeping with it. Everyone who came in to see him was really nice, and from here we said goodbye and they carried him to surgery.

After surgery. They warned us that toddlers cry coming out of anesthesia, and they were right. Break my heart.

As out of it as he was he heard daddy and wanted him to hold him. He actually got a lot calmer after that. Someone has been a daddy's boy lately!

He did really good drinking his juice, so we were out of there in less than half an hour!

He got a "shake milk" on the way home. Those make everything better. He took a nap, got one dose of Tylenol, and never looked back. He was back to playing and being his chatty, busy self in no time!

 

Twin Gender Reveal

On January 14 I had my "big" ultrasound to see if all was looking good with the babies...and to see if we could find out if we were having boys or girls! I was 17 weeks, so I was nervous that it may be just a tad early or they wouldn't cooperate, but they did. Also, as a side note, it still feels kind of funny every time I use the word "they." Like I have a village in there.

I went the night before the sonogram and bought two boy balloons and two girl balloons. I may have gotten some very interesting looks at the grocery store! Here the boys are posing with all the possibilities before we left...what were these babies going to be??

When I put this picture up on Facebook the majority of people guesses boy/girl followed by a few boy/boy responses. So imagine our surprise when we found out that it was in fact...

TWO GIRLS!

I was beyond shocked. I really just didn't every think it would be two girls, especially since two other sets of girl/girl twins have been born to our good friends at church this year. As the house begins to fill up with girly baby bedding, dresses, and bows it is becoming more real. Two little girls will be here before we know it!