May...good riddance.

May is almost over...phew. This month has just been...something else. Andy has surprised me with a date night tomorrow night though, so I'm really looking forward to that. My dear cousin, Teresa, has graduated from college and is home for the Summer...she's coming over tomorrow to see the babies before they head to bed, and then we'll head out once they are asleep. Yay! I don't even know what to do with myself...where to go, what to do?! I don't think we've been out together since early April. It snowed that night.

*****

So, as usual, there are funny "Ethanisms" to share...

A few weeks ago, during a particularly gross diaper-change, I must have made a face because Ethan asked, "Are you sad Mommy?" I replied that I wasn't. Then he asked, "Are you mad at my poop?"

Ethie was being goofy after bathtime a few nights ago and while I was getting him into his pajamas I said, "You're crazy"...and he said, "I ammmmmm!"

This child has a memory like a trap. Ethan is very big into pointing out mistakes. I step on his hand (see previous post); I try to put a baby diaper on him; I spill a glass of juice...and he says, "Mommy made me a mistake"...this is an improvement from the first version, "Mommy made me a steak"...Every time Mommy "makes him a mistake" he talks about how Gramma Nana made him a mistake and drove her car into the snowbank....way back in March!!

Ethan loves to cook, and no matter what we are cooking, he announces, "We need the oil!"

I made the boys some fleece blankets for Easter and Ethan didn't like his. In fact, he declared something like, "Actually, I don't like it very much. I will put it on the floor at the bottom of my bed"...and it stung. Now, he wants his blanket at bedtime, and he wants it to be the first one put on top of him. I feel special.

Ethan is strong and when he says, "I'm going to hug/kiss you as hard as I can" he really means it!

Today, Ethan went to the arboretum with Gamma and friends. The plans to go were made a few days ago so we'd been talking about it with Ethan. It was interpreted as going to get a burrito. "Burrito"/"Arboretum"...Tomato/Tomahto...whatever. I heard he was pretty confused about not getting a burrito at the arboretum today.

"Suncream"...we wear it everyday.

Box Elder bugs...otherwise known as "soldier" bugs.

******

I need to take pictures of the baptism frames. I haven't hung them (or rather, requested that Andy hang them) yet because I don't want to put more holes in the walls before I do the room-swap because I will just have to puddy them up before painting. But at the rate I'm going with the planning for the room-swap, I might as well just hang them. Anyways, I'll post pictures of them soon...until then, here are the pictures I used for each of them. The frames also feature the baptism certificates, the church service program, and the baptism cloths. Dylan's and Owen's aren't shadow boxes like Ethan's so I couldn't get the baptism candle inside...I'm thinking about gluing on top, maybe?

Owen Gene Sandberg and his Great-Grandpa, Gene Schrader

Mommy lovin' up on Dylan...I really can't get enough of his cheeks.

Catching up from a long weekend!

Ethan:

H: "You're my favorite two-year-old."
E: "My cat eats cat food."
Which immediately reminded me of one of my favorite Ralph Wiggum quotes, "My cat's breath smells like cat food."

Tonight we were eating broccoli and Ethan said, "Broccoli is like a little tree."

Several weeks ago, I stepped on Ethan's hand. It was a proud parenting moment. He was climbing up the stairs with his hands and feet and I was coming down the stairs fast because I had just run up to get a sweatshirt for him...it left a mark and he's still talking about it..."Mommy stepped on me. She didn't know my little hand was there." Nice.

I may have mentioned this one before...Ethan talks about some of his little cars as his "littles"...it cracks me up.

The other night I said to Ethan, "Give me a kiss on the cheek." and he replied, "You can give yourself one." Sass.

Another one I may have mentioned, because he's been calling me this for awhile, but Ethan calls me Gummy and Guppy sometimes...pretty much only at bedtime. If Daddy is bringing him up to bed, he will say to me on his way upstairs, "Goodnight Gummy. I love you Guppy"...or some combination of that. I don't know where it came from, but I absolutely love that he has a nickname for me.

Ethan had his first skinned-knee of the Summer recently. He let me put a Sponge Bob Square Pants band-aid on it (the first band-aid I put on him was on a blister on his heel, and he freaked out!) and then wanted one on the other knee as well, so they would match.

Speaking of "matching"...Ethan head-butted me in the thigh a few mornings ago. Daddy had a talk with him afterwards...I was too busy trying not to cry. This kid has a HARD head. I got an instant bruise and it was/is nasty-looking. I showed Ethan to show him that Mommy can get hurt too. He said, "Oooooh" all sad, and then got a huge smile on his face and said "We have matching owies" while pulling up the leg of his pants to show me his skinned knee. Do you think he got the message?

Ethan has been trying out the potty a lot, and talking about all sorts of potty-topic things...no need for detail. He tries to go on the potty himself a lot, without prodding or bribes. He's very excited about it. I think we'll be there before the end of the Summer...maybe sooner. I've heard that letting kids run around naked helps them be more aware of when they need to go...Summertime and playing outside will make that a lot easier.



Dylan & Owen:

I finished their baptism frames today! That's one week and one day past their baptism. Beats the two years plus it took me to get Ethan's done but whatevs.

Size recap: Reminder, Dylan and Owen are 6 months on June 8th

Dylan is solidly in to 9-month sleepers...I think he could fill out a 12-month in some brands. He is girthy, yes, but it's that he's SO long!! His clothes are all 6-9 months, but he doesn't fit the 6-month sleepers...they are too short for him.

Owen still fits some 3-month sweat-pants. Most of his clothes are 6-month...some are 3-6 month, but the 3-6 month onesies are getting tight. He's also a little too long for the 6-month sleepers, but he's still in there for now. He's catching up to his younger-by-one-minute-brother. He's definitely filling out a little bit in the face....there are some rolls in his thighs.

The 6-month well-baby check is on June 11th. Now that we are done with Synagis shots, I don't get the monthly weight update and I just can't wait to see what they're at. These boys are HEALTHY!! We're still just doing rice cereal before bedtime...but I'm getting ready for the next step. I recently bought some teething biscuits (I hate that, sounds like they're dogs or something), puffs, and am ready to order some food storage containers because I'm going to attempt to make my own baby food for them with our food processor. If anyone has any tips on this, please share!

Dylan is rolling all over the place. I swear, any day now he will crawl. It is exciting and makes me nervous as well. The days of being able to run into the kitchen to grab something quick are almost over...they move so fast once they get mobile.

*****

I'm still thinking about the great room-swap. I picked out 4 blue-paint samples to let Ethan pick from. I may let him pick...I have a favorite too. At some point I will get organized enough to do this. There will never be a perfect time, and it's complicated by the fact that my husband thinks it's unnecessary, and he's probably right. But I really want to give Ethan a big-boy room, and if I'm going to go through the effort of re-doing a room, I might as well switch him into the room that works best for the big brother.

We are building a garden this Summer. I picked out lots of flower seeds, because Ethan wants to plant flowers and nothing else...primarily Sunflowers. I got lots of different flowers, because I want variety...Andy and I are going to try and sneak in some vegetable seeds as well. I'm also going to plant some tomato plants in some beds where some hostas didn't transplant well a few seasons ago. Andy also bought a few lilac bushes for a corner of our yard, 4 dogwoods, and two birch trees. We've spent the last couple years (4+) in our house just trying to get the yard into shape because it had been a serious mess, but now it's time to spice it up!

I brought all the kids down to Northfield on Saturday morning for the Annual Carleton Rugby Alumni game. The weather wasn't ideal at first, but we had come prepared with a tarp for underneath our blanket and set up camp in an area well off the pitch. As I unloaded the car, I realized that I must be crazy to bring the kids to this thing...the first game started at 11am...it was right around lunch and would run over naptime. It went pretty well...my Mom helped me out while Andy played and Grampa Pete showed up and walked around with Dylan and Ethan while Owen napped in his carseat. I drank a beer or two. After awhile, the kids and I went home...they all crashed out in the car on the way home...the sun came out. Later, my parents told me that their friends remarked at how in control and calm I was handling all 3 of them...it's good that I look that way on the outside!!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend...it was 4 days for me since I had Friday off also. My parents were in town...we had lots of fun and also some time to hang out as well!! Pictures from one of our afternoons in the backyard are on my new homemade banner!

Ha!

Wanna take a guess?

Let's play "create a caption"...no prize, just my nomination of "funniest reader"....ready...go!

Emerging from the haze

It's been a long time. But I'm back.

May has been a little rough. Andy was out of town the first weekend, then incapacitated from "man-surgery" the second weekend...and it's not an exaggeration to say that I've been working around the clock. My laptop has been attached to my hip, and Ethan has asked me several times, "Are you still computering, Mommy?" Oh, the guilt. It ebbs and flows. It's flowing right now.

Thankfully, my parents are in town this weekend. Dylan and Owen are getting baptized tomorrow with their cousin, Linnea Rose. Today I let my parents and Andy run the show this afternoon. I took a nap. The best nap ever. In my bed. It was awesome. I fell asleep around lunchtime, slept until 3, and then Andy brought me lunch in bed. The only bad thing is that I slept through the Twins game. But I was awake by the time we lost. Again.

My Mommy is staying in town this week, my Dad heads back to KY tomorrow evening, and returns next Thursday for the weekend for the Carleton Alumni Rugby game. I'm in Heaven. I've missed them. I will let my Mom cook for us (Dad too...we got "letter pancakes" this morning!), and soak up every hug. I'm not gonna try to be the hero. I'm tired, and my Mommy wants to take care of me, and I will let her. ...and gratefully.

I'm excited for the baptism tomorrow. I think it's so cool that Dylan and Owen are getting baptized with their cousin, Linnea. Her parents are their godparents, and us, hers. That means I'm godmamma to two beautiful little ladies...Linnea Rose and Emily Ann. I could not be prouder. The baptism is at Emma's church, and we met the Pastor earlier this week. I think it's going to be a really nice service. We're having a little reception for our parents and grandparents afterwards. Andy bought Dylan and Owen matching polo shirts to wear tomorrow....I try not to dress them alike too much, but this is cute...and their pants, shoes and jackets (it was COLD today in MN) are different. Come to think of it, what the heck am I going to wear? TBD.

Speaking of baptisms...I've had something on my to-do list....oh, since about March of 2007. I have Ethan's Baptism Certificate, the candle from his baptism, the "program" from the service...for a long time I've wanted to put all these things into a shadow-box frame. Guess when I got this done....tonight. The night before my 2nd and 3rd children get baptized...over 2 years later. On the list of priorities, this was way down there....but it's done now, and I like it. I predict Owen and Dylan will have theirs done by 2014.

Ethan has been saying lots of cute things lately, as usual. They come out so often that I'm really having a hard time documenting them. This one, from last night, made me cry from laughter...as usual, it's much funnier in Ethan speak, but I'll share anyways....I was working at the island, when I went to check on Ethan, who was playing outside on his own (we have a fenced backyard that is only grass, shrubs and a plethora of plastic toys). I peeked outside and he said, "Will you come outside to play with me, Mommy?" Work can wait. I sat outside with him and I felt a raindrop. I pointed to the concrete patio and showed him the wet spots where the rain had fallen. "Oh no, we must go inside. Mommy got a raindrop!" It's the franticness of the way he says "must" that kills me. It's too funny. He's still very charming. Still very TWO...but never fails to make me laugh.

Dylan is producing a lot of drool. Not sure if it's the beginning of teething, or just his salivary glands kicking into high gear. He soaks through his shirts and the bibs that he wears throughout the day to try and keep his shirts dry, and he's got a rash on his chin from all the wetness...I remember this stage with Ethan. Nothing stays dry...I do laundry all the time. Ethan still drools. When does this end?

Dylan and O are so cuddly. Two out of the last three nights Dylan has woken up about a half hour after falling asleep in the evening. I never feel more important than when I pick him up and he instantly stops crying. We sit in the rocker and he melts into my chest. He sighs and catches his breath from crying and falls asleep in my arms. I'm Mommy. I have soothing power. Just a few minutes from any of my 3 little boys and everything is put in perspective. Life is busy, life is stressful, but it's so amazing and fulfilling as well. Ok, I'll lay off the cheese now.

Ethan picked the trifecta in the Preakness today. Remember how I said that he picked "Mine That Bird" for the Derby? If Andy would have bet the way he usually does, we would have won over $1M on a box trifecta. He didn't bet that way. Today, he bet on Ethan's horses...won...probably about $200. It's not $1M, but we'll take it....straight to Babys 'R Us.

Happy Mother's Day

Rice cereal scenes from last night...or as Ethan calls it, "Mush"...like in "Goodnight Moon"!

When he keeps his hands out of his mouth, and when he stops laughing and grinning, Owen loves that mush!! He must think eating solids is really funny because he can not stop laughing during cereal time!!

Dylan complies with picture-taking so Mommy will put down the camera and GIVE him that grub! D pounces on the spoon and opens his mouth wide for each bite. I can't wait to see his reaction to food with flavor! Not to far away!!

*****

"Hil/Mommy, Thank you for being our mommy. You're a pretty girl, and you're skinny. We will always give you kisses. 'illegible scrawlings' (Ethan) & Andy"

My card, from Ethan and Andy, just moments ago, because I asked for one. Ethan wanted to give me his Mother's Day gift on Friday, so he hampered Andy's "plan". I got a fabulous suit (with skirt instead of pants...hurray!) and a lovely purple shirt to wear underneath! I have zero suits, so this was a very thoughtful gift. I'm assuming I might have to travel for work a few times this year so this will be great to have. Thanks, guys!!

I had worked most of the day (and Friday night and last night!), so I can't say that it felt like "my" day, but I got to spend some lovely time with each of my boys. Ethan snuggled up with me in bed this morning...Ethan, about 10 tractors, and I snuggled it up under our down comforter (still using it in May, with the windows open!). Owen and I took a super quick cat-nap on the couch while Andy and Ethan went to the park (and Dylan cat-napped in the swing). Dylan and I rocked and watched the Twins game. I gave the babies baths. I fed Owen rice cereal. I made faces at Dylan while we played tummy-time. D & O are SO smiley...belly laughs...I can't stop laughing with them. I did laundry, I washed dishes, I cleaned a toilet (Mary was sick last week...the house is SO dirty!!). Andy had a certain "man surgery" on Friday so he wasn't to full operating capacity this weekend, but he was much more helpful than I expected him to be. He's really awesome. He took Ethie to the park this morning and after naptime he took him outside so he could run around naked. I don't think I can post those pictures, but they are pretty funny. The point of having him being naked outside is two-fold. He's got a rash issue...outside the diaper. Lamisil and Desitin don't seem to be doing the trick...we're hoping the Sun can. Also, we are inching our way into potty-training. Ethan's had the potty in our bathroom for a long time and sat on it a few times. Today, he pooped and then told us he wanted to sit on the potty. So I took him up there and he sat on the potty for awhile. The deed had already been done in the diaper, but I figure this is a starting point. Andy and I have both read that being naked makes them more aware of feeling they need to go potty. It could be messy, and it's probably better to start on a weekend when Andy is more mobile...but we feel we should be moving in that direction sometime soon!!

I can't help but think about what a difference a year makes. On Mother's Day morning 2008, I took a pregnancy test. We had just been out the night before, at the Twin v Red Sox game, with Andy's siblings and significant others. I drank a lot of beer. On Sunday, I was 2 days late. We'd been trying again, so I decided to make sure before I drank any momosas at brunch. Before I even pulled up my pants, the EPT digital test flashed "pregnant" (no wonder, little did I know...it was twins!!...even at 4 weeks, my hcG levels must have been off the charts!)...I called Andy upstairs...he took a look at the test and said "Babyyyyy" to me. We hugged and then decided not to tell anyone for awhile. We were still fresh off the miscarriage in Februrary and a little hesitant to be celebratory. We celebrated Mother's Day with Andy's family. At that time, Ethan was the only grandchild and I had to share him. I'm still willing to share, but now there's 4 grand-kids!!!

It makes me wonder where we'll be next Mother's Day. Dylan and Owen will no doubt be mobile, and capably so I assume, at almost 1 1/2 yrs old. Ethan will be over 3 1/2!! One year doesn't sound like so long, but it's amazing how much your life can change within those 365 (or 366!) days. The changes seem to keep getting better and better for our family! I could NOT be a prouder Mom to Ethan, Owen and Dylan. They light up my life and I am thrilled to be their Mommy.

Uncanny

Owen - 2 Months

Ethan - 2 Months

Dylan - 5 Months

Ethan - 6 Months

Got some time?...read this

Ethie sat on my lap while Daddy gave him a haircut and we were covered in "Ethan hair!"...we were itchy so we took a bath...I cropped me out of this picture...it's a great one of him!!


Oh. My. Gosh. Could they be any cuter?! They are holding hands!!!


Action shot. When I first saw this picture I instantly thought the perfect caption is "STEAMROLLER!!"

*****

This is gonna be a long one...let's lead off with some Ethanisms...

"Hey dandelion, get out of here, this is for grass!"...tonight while keeping me company while I waged my personal war against weeds in our yard...I am SO happy that he doesn't like them this year because last year I had to pretend I liked the "flowers" that he brought me.

"This banana is hurting me"....huh? Liz and Gamma didn't know what to make of that one either, but it's funny....weird, but funny.

Last night I was outside waging the aforementioned war against dandelions and Ethan was with me in the backyard while Andy was doing something in the front yard. When E saw daddy come through the gate into the backyard, he looked at me, so excited he was pretty much shaking, and exclaimed, "There's my nice daddy. I must go help him!" and went running off Ethie-style, head bobbing up and down, arms at his side. I laughed until I cried.

"I remember MacKensie, she's not talking to me right now because she's in Carol's house"...I think this is the gist of it, but this sentence kept going on and on and on...We'd been talking about the little girl whose dad rents the basement of our neighbor's (Carol) house. She is probably about 7 and last year they played together...mostly through the fence of our backyard, passing crab-apples from the tree in our yard, through the fence to each other. I told him that this year he would be able to play with her more because this year he talks so much more...that's where the "she's not talking to me right now" came from.

When we came inside, Daddy was getting some stuff ready for grilling and Ethan ran into the kitchen and asked, "Do you need help with dinner?" Wow.

When we put Ethan to bed at night, we always ask him how his day was. Tonight, Andy forgot to ask him and so Ethan told him, "I had a good day. Now we will talk about my day." I think this guy is into routines!!

The two words Ethan uses that really crack me up are "because" and "actually"....the way he enunciates "actually" and the way he uses "because" in a way that doesn't make sense...it's so funny. Those seem like "grown-up" words to me...he's so smart.

*****

So, I had a great day with Dylan and Owen on Saturday. Sunday was good too...but adding a toddler to the mix was interesting.

During the morning, E was saying "no" to everything. Just being a serious turd. Just for the sake of being a turd, I think. Kristy came over at 10:30 and we got the kids ready and walked to the park. That was great...Ethan needed to burn off some energy, and I needed to talk to someone! Thanks, Kristy!! Ethan talked about you for the rest of the day. Especially about "he was super mad, because he had a big pocket"...about Mark ripping his pants!!

There was a weird drunk dude at the park which is unusual in "prestigious West Bloomington"...and he had wandered over from the church! At first I thought he was a father to one of the kids so I tried to be polite when he yelled at me about how churches weren't supposed to judge, but that church had judged him. Um...you're drunk. Don't go to church while you're drunk. Pre-noon on Sunday....crazy. Another mom called the cops, but they drove by after the dude had wandered off...very unusual for our family neighborhood.

There are two parks in the same vicinity in our neighborhood...the city park and the school park. Ethan usually insists on going to both. I had a bad parenting moment at the school park. The babies were sleeping in their stroller and KW and I were chatting away...Ethan was climbing a ladder that I knew was too high and complicated for him, but I tempted fate and decided not to hover. At the top, he slipped...almost fell through the rungs of the ladder. He caught himself, but I knew he bumped something. He was scared and started to cry. I ran over and rescued him...later in the day, a bruise formed in the corner of his eye. Great. It looks better today, but really...Daddy leaves for the weekend and Ethie gets a black eye. Nice, Mommy.

My second serious scare of the weekend happened shortly thereafter. Ethan was down for his nap...he crashed hard...on the floor, of course! Becky and Elizabeth stopped over to meet the boys. Becky was standing up and holding Owen, when I looked up from my spot on the ground and my heart stopped...Owen's legs were purple and red....so purple and red that I thought I must be seeing it wrong. I asked the girls if they thought it looked weird too and they concurred. I had taken his pants off when we got home from the park because he felt warm. Was he now too cold?! I put his pants and socks back on and laid him on the couch and pumped his legs. I kept pulling up his pant legs and checking to see if the color became normal again, and it did, before too long. But it was one of those moments where my heart was racing and I was like "Shit, it's Sunday...where can I call? Do I need to take him to the ER? Can I really fit all 3 kids safely in the Focus with all the car seats that Andy crammed in there before he left "just in case"?!" I think I'm over it now...occasionally, his feet turn blue-ish...I think he just inherited bad circulation from one of the people on both sides of our families that have it.

Anne and Chris stopped by to visit and help out. Thankfully Ethan woke up while they were here, because I think he might like them more than me. While they were here, Gampa Pete stopped by too. Everyone helped juggle around Dylan, Owen, and Ethan during dinnertime which was super helpful...thanks, guys!! Gampa stayed and had dinner with me and Ethan and there were definite signs that he was running out of steam. He had taken a 3-hr nap, for Pete's sake (no pun intended), but at 7 he was just done. He was overdue for a bath, and I really felt we couldn't go one more night without one. He started to flip out, Gampa fled the scene (sometimes it's better if there are less people around, and we both knew it)...it was a fit like I have never witnessed before. It was like he was possessed, honestly. It was the only time during the weekend where I truly felt like I didn't have control of the situation...from a physical standpoint, I can't control superhuman-strength Ethan, especially when he's wet in the tub and slippery. It was the quickest bath ever...Ethan screaming at the top of his lungs with a beat-red face the whole time. While coping with the situation (I just stopped trying to reason with him and just got him cleaned, dried, in his PJs, etc), I prepped myself for babies waking up. But they slept through all of it!

He calmed down while I put on his PJs and got his pillow/blanket set up on the floor...his preference, as you know. I wasn't prepared to read books after all this, but he seemed to have collected himself and I figured he'd get worse again if I refused. So we read and snuggled and brushed teeth and then he told me with a huge grin, "I had a good day!" Ahem, were you present for the last ten minutes?!

Are all toddlers bi-polar or just mine? Today he was pleasant in every way. I don't think I've ever received so many hugs and kisses...but I just can't get the image of crazy-Ethie out of my head. What was that?! Who was that?!

*****

I can't gush enough about Dylan and Owen. I am trying to hang on to each and every bit of of babyness about them. This is the last time around...x2...so I'm soaking it up!!

They are good babies. Really good. Really. They fuss, like babies do. But typically when they are tired, hungry, wet/dirty/need something. Gamma and Liz have them napping in their cribs for almost every nap...there's the occasional cat-nap in the swing...we're all okay with that. I truly believe that they are getting the restorative sleep during naps that Dr W says they need to get. If they nap in the stroller during trips to the park or mall, no big deal...they get at least one good nap in their cribs too.

Our evenings are really getting pretty regular...the babies eat rice cereal (well, Dylan doesn't "eat", he "devours") at whatever feeding falls between 3:30 and 5. Then they have a bottle when they seem to be getting tired...which is before 6! Seriously...we can't seem to keep these babies up past 6. I follow Dr W's guidelines, because you know I love him...and that stuff works, people. But I'd love to have more evening time with them. Sometimes Andy doesn't even get home until 6...so he has no time with them in the evening...plus, I'm doing bedtime, prepping dinner on my own, after I work all day at my job. I shouldn't complain...naturally, their bedtime will get later and we will have more time with them. And, I can lay them down awake but sleepy and I rarely even hear a peep from them and then they are asleep until morning (sometimes Owen sings, which is so sweet)...does it get any better than that?! I would just love a bedtime at 7 instead of 6. One plus is that we have that time for dinner and playtime with Ethan...and only Ethan.

Several people have pointed out to me recently that Owen seems to be changing a lot. Andy even noticed after being gone just a couple of days. His facing is filling out and in one picture taken recently he even looks....chubby-faced!! Not Dylan-chubby, but a little chubby! So great. Also, his hair is really growing back since the Big Shave of 2009. Looks like he's staying dark...hurray!

Dylan's hair is growing back fast too. He has a full little tuft on the top of his head in front...and some longer hairs above his ears...both areas feel a little wiry, like they could be curly. And I see tints of the red coming back. Fun. I can't wait to see what both of them look like in a month with more hair!!

Parenting,..home "alone"...

I had the best day!

So, Andy left on Thursday night, after the babies were in bed and we'd all eaten dinner. No big deal. I put Ethan to bed and we all slept through the night. Friday morning, I hadn't heard a peep from anybody by 6:30 so I went into the babies' room and Owen was just laying there sucking his thumb. Dylan was still asleep...no word from Ethan. So I brought Owen downstairs and fed him a bottle. Just as I finished with that, I heard Dylan and Ethan. Got Ethan changed and brought both of them downstairs, quickly set up Ethan with breakfast and fed Dylan his bottle. Thankfully, my boss had agreed to let me work from home on Friday so I didn't have to worry about getting myself ready for the day amidst all this activity. It went smoothly...noone needed anything at the same time...not frantically, at least.

Gamma and Liz were here to take care of the kids on Friday while I worked downstairs...Emma and Linnea too, for part of the day. Later in the afternoon, Gampa came over and he left around 5:30/6. I was starting dinner for me and Ethan at this point and was half way in to my second babies' bottle...Dylan and then Owen...they went to bed with no issues and we again didn't have any instances where someone needed something desperately at the same time.

This morning I encountered my first instance of that...both babies were up at the same time...and hungry at the same time. With multiples, or multiple children of any age I suppose, you have to weigh the pros and cons of your kids' needs. Dylan won. He makes things much more miserable for everybody when he is upset than Owen does...Owen has the self-soothe method of thumb-sucking, so he sucked and whimpered while Dylan got his bottle. My patient little dude. Ethan woke up after Dylan's bottle, I quickly scooped up some yogurt/english muffin/juice/vitamin (and later a whole banana too!) for him and then fed Owen. Owen and Dylan were off-cycle on their feedings during the rest of the day so it was manageable.

Gamma, Emma and Linnea came to pick up Ethan around 9:30 to go visit great-grandma Liz in Albert Lea, and then I was on my own with Dylan and Owen. It's quiet around here sans toddler. Really quiet. These babies are good...really good. Not always, but I gotta give them credit when it's due. Today, they were really good. They took a morning nap...and overlapped enough to allow me to shower and get some laundry going. Dylan took a longer morning nap, until about 1pm...so I got to hang with Owen. We played on the floor and in the Bumbo, and played peek-a-boo 'til we were both belly-laughing. By the time he was ready to go down for his afternoon nap, Dylan was waking up. Owen slept upstairs in the crib and Dylan and I played downstairs....tummy time...ROLLING time...played with toys, played in the exersaucer....squeaked at each other (my gosh can he reach some seriously high octaves!!)...he crashed for a cat-nap after awhile and I stockpiled some formula jugs, washed some bottles, did some laundry, dishes, got ready for the bedtime/dinner hours...then Owen was up, and shortly after, Dylan was up. We started rice cereal and then Ethan got home around 4:30.

So, I was busy....there was no down-time, I didn't get to nap, and I barely sat (unless on the floor!)...but I had the BEST time ever!! Granted, for the majority of the day I was actively taking care of only one baby at a time, and I realize this may be a fluke because I KNOW from Gamma that that is not always the case!....but I am SO happy that my day at home on my own with the babies was so enjoyable!!

After Ethan got home and I was trying to watch the Derby and keep the babies awake (they were ready to crash!!) and cook dinner for Ethan and me...yes, I was frazzled!! But most of my day was really pleasant. And ya know, even that frazzled time was pleasant...I just really savor this time with the boys. I didn't even take one picture today to document it...I just soaked in all their babyness, smelled their hair and kissed their cheeks...I can't get enough. They grow so fast.

Anywho, speaking of the Derby....Andy and I were texting shortly before, and after, the Derby. Before the race, he told me that he bet on Ethan's picks. So I was SUPER excited when Mine That Bird won...see previous post for list of Ethan's picks. Guess Andy wasn't comfortable with the 50-1 odds, despite Ethan's affinity for that horse's name. Crap. Like I said, toddlers have a way with these things...they don't over-think, they just go with their gut! :>

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Have I mentioned Ethan's obsession with socks?! Ok, so it's not really the socks, but the fuzz that comes from the socks. He loves to put socks on, but pretty much only so he can pull them off and pick the fuzz out his toes. He loves to pick the fuzz out of his baby brudder's toes too. It's weird. I don't get it. My feet are always cold. I want to keep my socks on. I don't want him pulling them off to pick in my toes for non-existent toe-fuzz! But it sure keeps him entertained with his own feet.

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I have no memory anymore...forgive me if I'm Mommy-braining right now....Ethan is taking a gymnastics class. He goes on Friday mornings with Gamma. Liz comes that day and stays at our house with D & O. The first week didn't go so well. He was shy and didn't want to participate much. He can't jump (the teacher says some kids don't learn until they are 4). We practiced some things during the week and the second week of class went much better. He participated in the stations and, though he wandered back to his favorites, he tried everything. He said "thank you" to the teacher and got stamps at the end of class (not interested at week one). Last week went well too...he loves to jump in the pillow cases and had stamps all over his legs after class. He can show me the crab-walk, somersaults, and the hee-haw (they get down on all fours and kick their legs out like a donkey). It is SO fun to hear him talk excitedly about his "himnastics" class.

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One thing I'm actually on top of this year is Mother's Day. I bought cards last weekend, and wrote, stamp and addressed them today....and...my mother's day gifts for Gamma Leslie and Gramma Nana came today. I can't share any information as they are frequent readers, but now that they are here I am bummed that I didn't order one for myself!! So cute.