blooming...

So reading other blogs of twinners I am so happy that I am sometimes not alone in feeling overwhelmed at times. I put on a happy face and say "oh, twins aren't so bad. I guess I got lucky".

It is true that I got lucky. I got incredibly lucky with Dylan and Riley. I couldn't have chosen better babies if I had the choice to make. They are amazing, wonderful, overall easy babies, and I am so happy to have them in my life.

Which is why when they both get upset at the same time, I sometimes lose it. Sometimes it's just too much for me to take. Probably because it is so rare that it happens, I'm not prepared for it.

Today I have had a nasty cold, I'm tired, achey, my head hurts, etc etc. Josh has been so great today taking the babies and handling it all, but the mom in me comes out and I have to take control (or try to). So I start playing with them and they are fine until they are done with playing and start crying. So I am trying to console one while the other is getting jealous (seems to happen a lot lately). All I want to do is take a bath and relax, but I can't if they are both upset.

Josh offered to take them for a walk, which he did, and so I took a long soak while they were out. I hear them come home, I get out of the tub, get my jammies on, and come out to flowers and a card.

"I know things are tough right now,

but just remember - 

every flower that ever bloomed

had to go through a lot of dirt to get there." 

So true! I love my husband :)

Wordless Wednesday (video edition)

Pumpkin Patch!

Over the weekend we went to Heritage Farms Pumpkin Patch! We had so much fun :)

The kids seemed a little overwhelmed - they both had "serious face" going on. They were also enamored with the hay on the ground and kept trying to eat it! We met another Rylie who was a month older than Dylan and Riley and very cute :)

Enjoy the pictures! 

my trip to Safeway paid off big time..

Thank you to Jason and Amber for inspiring me to show my savings!

Ok, I am a couponer. Most of you know that. I am not one of those hoarders though (I don't have the room!) BUT I will get things like shampoo and toothpaste if it's a good deal. I have found that things like that we tend to run out of and end up paying full price... well no longer :)

This week's grocery trip (excuse the junk food - I usually buy fresh produce from a stand or I get frozen, which I have a ton of right now...)

The breakdown... (reg price in BLACK, sale in PURPLE, saved in RED)

2 - Pepperidge Farms Cookies $3.69 each
BOGO + .60 off coupon = $1.55 each/$2.14 savings

3 - 12pk Pop Tarts $3.29 each
SALE with in-store coupon $1.88 each + $1/3 = $1.54 each/$1.75 savings

1 - Oreo Cookies $3.49
SALE + $1 off coupon = $2.00/$1.49 savings

2 - Similac Ready Made $5.99 each
SALE $3.99 ea + $6 in coupons from Similac AND $5 Similac gift check = $0/+3.02 MONEYMAKER

1 - Celestial Seasonings Tea $3.59
SALE $2.00 + $1 off = $1/$2.59 savings

1 - Bounce Dryer Bar (2 month) $5.99
SALE $3.99 + pgesaver ecoupon and $2.50 off coupon = .49/$5.50 savings

15 - Friskies cat food .65 each
SALE .45 each + $1/15 = .38 each/ .27 savings

6 - Stouffer's frozen dinners $2.79 each
SALE $2.25 each + 10% off all frozen in-store coupon = $2.02 each/.77 savings

2 - Marie Callendar's Dinners for 2 $5.69 each
SALE $4.76 each + $1.50 off coupon + 10% off all frozen = $2.78 each/$2.91 savings

2 - Lysol Disenfecting Wipes $3.99 each
SALE $2.50 each + $1/2 coupon = $2 each/$1.99 savings

2 - Glade Plugins Twin refill $5.99 each
1 - Glade Relaxing Moments Spray $3.99
SALE - Plugins $4.99, Spray $2.50 + BOGO Plugins, $1 off Plugins, BOGO Spray, $1 off spray = Plugins $2.00 each & Spray FREE + $1 off = $3 for everything!/$12.97 savings They let me stack coupons Woohoo!

1 - John Frieda Redhead Shampoo $5.99
SALE Clearance $2.99 + $2 off coupon = .99/$5.00 savings!

2 - Balance Bar $1.25 each
SALE $1 each + BOGO coupon = .50 each/.75 savings

The only thing I bought reg price was hairbands for Riley for $2.79 ;)

TOTAL REG PRICE: $112.33

TOTAL SPENT: $43.26

TOTAL SAVED: $69.07 (62%)

I find most of my coupons in the Sunday papers and have them organized in a binder so I can see them all easily as I go down the aisles. Today Riley slept through the entire shopping trip and Dylan charmed the pants off of everyone he saw. Not literally. Thank goodness.

I'm awesome. You can say it.

Feeding time

Feeding the twins solid foods at the same time was proving to be a bit of a task. I do it myself. I would love for Josh to help, but that's a story for another day...

Anyway, the problem I had been running into was keeping them both happy. Dylan would get mad when he didn't have something in his mouth and would yell at me. Riley is a bit of a slow eater. So I racked my brain with figuring out how to appease them both.

Then I got it.

Have you heard of Baby Safe Feeder? They are those little mesh bags with handles that you can put baby food in so that your child can feed him/herself. I picked up a set of them at a local baby shop figuring with twins they would come in handy. Well they did!

I had made my own baby food using recipes and techniques from an awesome cookbook called Baby Love. I froze the peas into little cubes. Well, I took a couple of cubes and put them into the Baby Safe Feeders and gave them to Dylan and Riley, then got out the bowl of baby food to feed them. Lo and behold, there was no anxious crying or jealousy (yes, it's starting) because either I was feeding them or they were sucking on their pea-cicles. Bonus - it helped their gums feel better. Teething is a pain.

So you multiple mommies that are reading this - try the Baby Safe Feeder. They are kinda gross, but have helped dinnertime so much in my home...

6 months... 6 MONTHS?!

I can't believe it. I just can't. They are 6 months old today. My babies!!

BTW Riley is doing just fine after her urgent care visit.

She is also trying really hard to crawl. It's freaking me out..

They are really beginning to interact too..

They have been eating peas or avocado every other day, but now that they have hit 6 months we are going to start an every day thing... they have a 6 month checkup next week - I'm eager to see what their stats are! They seem like the biggest of the the twins that I know around their age. Riley is tall and Dylan grows up then out. in spurts ;)

Happy 6 months babies!

4 days old!

Prosobee can suck it...

So I am visiting my SIL and looking for a new home in King County, WA. Late last night the kiddos ran out of formula while we were here. I didn't know this so imagine my surprise when I got up at 7:00 am to make a couple of bottles and open an empty can. Whoops. Dylan was still asleep but Riley was wailing. I gave her to Josh and off I went to the grocery store.

The closest store here had no Similac on the shelf except for Alimentum, so I went with Enfamil (which I never use) and grabbed the first one on the shelf to feed my babies. I didn't realize it was soy for upset tummies, but I didn't think much of it because they have both had soy formula with no problems.

There was a problem.

I got home and Riley was blissfully sleeping in Josh's arms (it was so sweet). Dylan was cooing in the pack-n-play so I made him a bottle, fed him, then fed Riley.

An hour or so after he finished his bottle he woke up an promptly vomited it all over my blankets and me. Nice. I had never seen either baby throw up as much as he did. I stripped him and got him into his tub and he seemed just fine. Riley and I raced to another store and found Similac for him.

We got back from the store and Riley began throwing up. She threw up twice. I bathed her and got her into some jammies and she fell asleep on me.

Dyan seemed just fine. he ate Similac and was happy.

Riley woke up and ate 1/2 ounce and threw that up. I called Enfamil to tell them that their formula made my kids sick and while i was on the phone Riley got really sick all over her and me. So I got off the phone with Enfamil called her Dr and waited for a call back.

She was looking pale and acting very lethargic, didn't want to eat at all so I took her to the local Urgent Care. By the time we finally saw a Dr (about an hour), she was acting and feeling better. She was checked for infection and we went home.

Poor little thing...

Enfamil assured me that they have high qc standards, but I am sending in my can of formula anyway. I have never seen my babies as sick as they were today, especially Riley :(

Playing ketchup ;)

Well, catch up.  not ketchup. That would be messy.

So here's how September went:

1. Both Dylan and Riley can sit fairly well, but they don't have the "controlling your excitement" thing down so the both throw themselves backward. So they sit in their Boppies or on my lap. Or on my bed..
2. They have officially tasted solids! We are on rice cereal and green veggies. I think we will probably do various green veggies for at least the next few weeks before we move on to orange veggies and then fruits. Althought they did each suck on a slice of honeydew over Labor Day weekend and loved every second of it :) I made some baby food from scratch using this great book called Baby Love... great book!!
3. They are growing leaps and bounds. Today I put Riley in her walker and was shocked when her feet touched the floor. When did that happen???
4. Dylan is undoubtedly a redhead. Sorry kid. ;) Actually I love it!
5. Riley is learning to play us really, really well. Uh oh.
6. Riley has been waking up super early every morning. It's so annoying. She also rolls everywhere. I willl lay her on her blankie on the floor and immediately she's on her tummy, just looking around like it's the most normal thing in the world!
7. Dylan can roll over, he just chooses not to.
8. Riley also sleeps on her side now. It looks weird. Anyone elses babies do that? 

Me? I am fine. I feel ok, but I kinda want to lose some lb's. I am the same weight I was prepregnancy, but I would love to be thinner... Oh and I also had a serious pregnancy scare freak-out. But I'm not.

We are preparing for Halloween - I made Riley's costume, and got Dylan's, but I think I am getting another one for him, this one is too hot and a pain in the butt to get on and off. But it's really, really cute :) I also got my costume. Josh is being a party pooper and won't dress up. BOO....

Um, YEAH they are cute.. :) My little monsters!!