Haven't you heard???

Summer is the "new" winter! Well it has been in our house :) Yes, the boys are sick again. We got a restful few weeks and now it is all back! We did manage to squeeze in a good weekend though. The boys got to go where few men have gone before them...."the Girls luncheon". In Jared's family "the girls" (Great Grandma, Grandma, Aunt Kim, Mommy, Aunt Linda and Amanda) typically go out to lunch for our birthdays and this time it was Linda's. Happy Birthday Linda! Due to Jared's playoff games the boys joined me in what would be a lovely day. We also stopped to check out Daddy's games and they enjoyed the scorching, yet beautiful, sunny weather. Sunday we attended church which is always SO good for the soul (literally) and they loved playing in the nursery. Sunday afternoon after nap we headed to the petting farm and I know this will shock some but I actually forgot my camera...gasp! I forgot it for Linda's Birthday celebration too. I am definitely slipping :) Eli was eager to hop into the pen with the animals but couldn't because Mommy had him wear his crocs and apparently this is not appropriate pig pen attire. Who knew that there was a farm version of "black tie"? He did thoroughly enjoy petting them though. Alex would act as if he wanted to touch them but when he got close enough he recoiled quickly. :) He would have been fine had we stayed there are bit longer and he could have witnessed the animal's response to other patrons. He is very careful and has to study these things and I love that about him. Sunday evening brought the all night crankies and it has rolled through until today. Poor babies but they will be feeling better soon I am sure. So there's our weekend recap on Wednesday. I am SO on top of things!

Here are my sick babies kicking back and watching "Sesame Street".

They look so grown up, don't they? :(

Score 1 for Mom!

I'm actually kind of on a roll lately because the boys are officially down to one nap AND last night I found the solution to the bib wars. The boys constantly take their bibs off and I have to put them back on. When they take them off all of the food in the pocket usually goes flying and it is very messy and more importantly it is annoying. So last night while grocery shopping I "splurged" and got two of the greatest bibs ever. First of all I do realize that it is sad that my splurges were on bibs but that's motherhood. Even Jared said it was my most boring "splurge" thus far. Anyways they have a pocket and the most important feature is that they SNAP not velcro. YES!!!! So here is my victory in photos. Just don't ask me about the weaning from bottles or pacifier issues. That is for another day (far, far, from now).

A: "Is she kidding with this thing?" E: "I sincerely hope so."

A: "I think she's got us with this one. It won't budge." E: "Say it ain't so!"

E: "Give her the pleading eyes, the pleading eyes!"

E: "Ooh ooh, the toothy grin........

nothin', I got nothin'."

Me and My Baby Brother

I believe that in this picture my son was having an "I wish I were an only child" moment. I too remember having moments like these as do my sisters but for the most part I am sure that Alex and Eli will appreciate their bond as they get older as we all appreciate our's. I have to add these pics to their memoirs though because they display his "moment" brilliantly.

Alex playing contentedly with his letters.

Eli joining in on the "fun".

This picture needs no explanation ;)

"What? I am innocent! I only added this picture to show Eli's new "camera smile".

Yikes!!! It is very "Chandler Bing" of him isn't it?

The Results are in!

We had our developmental assessment today and it went beautifully, so beautifully, in fact, that we are officially discharged from their clinic. Both boys graduated!!! YAY! We are so amazed at their progress and the speech therapist was particularly impressed with their speech. The PT informed us that we need to encourage Alex to sit with his legs out in front of him instead of tucked behind like he always does. We will work on this and if he continues to revert to this method of sitting they will want to do further therapy with him but only if it affects his walking and other developmental milestones which doesn't seem likely based upon his progress. It is just so thrilling that these sweet boys are coming out of their "preemiehood" relatively unscathed. We also visited our NICU and thoroughly enjoyed showing them our healthy boys. It was a great day. Oh and last night we got the boys fish or "shish" as Alex prefers to call them. He thoroughly enjoyed watching them and as the fish swim around the boys walk along the tank with them. This was Jared's idea and I have to admit it was genius. We can now add "visiting the fishies" to our daily activities :)

16 months old!

Another month has gone by Alex and Eli and you are doing a million new things.


Alex you

• Say Hi, Bye-Bye, Baby, Mama and Da-da.


• Love for daddy to show you all the pictures in the hallway and he lets you turn the light on and off.


• You love to be sung to. Your face lights up when you hear "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Pat-a-cake", or "I love you a bushel and a peck".


• Have learned to lift your arms to us when you want up instead of screaming :) Thank Goodness.


• Typically don't stop doing whatever we are saying "NO" to you about until we come towards you which leads to a scramble to get down. It's very cute to watch and we struggle not to laugh at you.


• LOVE books and hand them to us all the time. Today you handed one to me at least 6 times in a row and I kept reading it just to see if you'd keep picking it up and handing it to me. This continued until it was time for breakfast.


• Hug us now and it melts Mommy and Daddy's hearts of course.


• You are our sleeper and if you don't get the right amount we ALL know it. (Sorry bubby, you got this one from Mama). You also fall asleep almost every time we get into the car.


• You are VERY stubborn and I have to tell you to lay still while I change your diaper about a million times and you still protest. The stubbornness comes from Daddy and Mommy so I guess we kind of deserve it :)
  
• Light up my day with your smile


• Love to have your teeth brushed and have 6 of them currently.


• have been in the "Daddy Zone" lately which is really cute.


• sang with Grandma and Grandpa a couple of weeks ago and made us all tear up.


• Rock back and forth to music.

Eli you

• are obsessed with closing doors behind you. I typically follow you and recently you were just sitting in your room reading with the door closed. It was very "adult" of you.


• have been closing these doors ON your brother. As in he is standing in between a gate and the door that you are crushing him with. We are definitely working on that one with you. Poor Alex is hoping we succeed SOON!


• Have a very toothy smile that is adorable. You have 4 teeth and love having them brushed also. Unfortunately for Mama you like to bite down while my finger is still in your mouth while I brush your teeth.


• have a fake cry that is very funny looking and you started doing a new "camera smile" that is equally funny.


• are a morning person and are always the first one up around here.


• are a comedian of sorts and like to make funny faces at us so that we laugh.


• still enjoy your bottle and cry when it ends no matter how much you've just eaten.


• have recently converted and become somewhat of a mama's boy which I am enjoying :)


• are like your dad in SO many ways. You've even begun to use your blanket like a cocoon much like Daddy.


• say Hi, bye, up (utt), what (as in I call your name and you answer "what?"), Mama, Daddy (dah-tee), Alli, Why?


• You have begun to sing.


• Love the opening song to the Backyardigans and get the HUGEST grin on your face when it starts. You also enjoy pat-a-cake and itsy, bitsy spider.


• wake and cry every once in a while at night and I LOVE getting a quiet chance to rock you and as I feel the weight of you on my chest I thank God for that moment.

I love you guys and look forward to seeing what next month brings. Who knows it may bring Mommy actually doing your monthly update on the correct day instead of having to backdate it. (oops, did I just admit that ???)

Muddy Monday

Pre-Mud

Oh, it is definitely a Monday around here. I am not a "dread Monday" kind of person but today has been textbook "Monday". I got the boys dressed this morning and after having breakfast and playing inside a bit we headed to the great outdoors (our suburban backyard is probably the more appropriate term). I put the boys in their swings and began watering the flowers. I had the grand idea of filling up the pool also so that it could warm up and they could get into it after their nap. I got the boys out of their swing and as I'd suspected they decided to get into the pool in their clothes and I figured "what the heck?". It went a bit downhill when they crawled through the dirt following their dip in the pool which made for some pretty muddied little boys. No big deal, boys will be boys. I took them in bathed them and put in a video so that I could start lunch and pre-soak their outfits. I did accomplish all these things and got them down for a nap. At this point I ran the basket of laundry downstairs and discovered, as I was separating them, that the clothes were dripping with laundry detergent that I'd used to soak their shorts in. Oh well, I was washing them anyways no big deal. I washed and organized the basement a bit only to run upstairs and realize that I had trailed detergent all over the upstairs. I cleaned this up. I went into my bedroom at this point and realized I'd set the laundry basket down on the bed and detergent had soaked through my quilt, comforter, sheets, and down mattress topper. Free time, during the boys nap??? What's that???? Ugh, I guess I know what I will be doing the rest of the day. Washing, washing, washing and oh yeah washing. I write this so that someday when the boys are older and I am busy and I think for a split second "What did I do the whole time they napped when they were that age?" I will be reminded that each day came with a whole new challenge with which to fill my time :)

Post-mud

(oh, did I fail to mention that Alex didn't want to come inside?)

They've Taken Over!

It is official. The boys own the house. Jared and I are trying to purchase some toys that will help the boys exude their energy over the long Michigan winter. The NICU urges parent of preemies with lung issues to be cautious for their first two winters so we plan to make some sort of play room for them in the basement. Today we picked this up and decided to put it together in the living room. The boys loved it but we have to laugh at the fact that the house is no longer our's.


These pictures don't really do justice for the size of this shark.