Evening the score

That's right, the boys are tied 2-2. Reid's first tooth finally made its appearance on June 22, and we noticed #2 on June 26.

So happy he caught up to his brother!

My mom said that all four of her girls got our first bottom tooth around 5 months and our second a week or so later, followed by a top tooth within a month or so... so we'll soon see if the boys are on that same schedule.

So many people warned me that teething would be really bad, and that the boys would be fussy and would probably stop sleeping through the night for awhile. Thankfully, that has not been the case! Aside from the buckets of drool, nothing has changed; they are still the same smiley, sweet, funny kids who sleep exactly 10 hours. Don't think for one second that I don't know how fortunate we are!

Jump up, jump up and get down

Our new favorite past-time:

These doorway jumpers keep the boys entertained for at least 20 minutes at a time... which, in baby time, is an eternity.

Reid hunkers down and makes himself cozy... with one arm hanging out the bottom half the time.



And Grant leans way back, picks his feet up, and spins.

Here's a video of them in action:

And let's not forget their jumping theme song. (I can't hear this song without thinking about the movie "Mrs. Doubtfire.") We won't be winning any parenting awards with this one, but they love it.

The Daily Cute -- June 25



Happy Grant



Happy Reid

You're a good man, Charlie Brown

See a resemblance???

Here are a few more cute ones from today:

My little blockheads (Grant L, Reid R)

Sweet smiling Grant:

Check out those chompers!

And here's my funny little Reid, who was actually named after Charlie Brown (Charles Sumner Brown, my great-great-grandfather who was a Texas state representative):



Action shot: Get a load of that drool! (Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

We had the best day together. There is something magical about this age (I'm going to say that about every age, I know), and I could not possibly love these sweet, hilarious, precious kids any more.

This is where I tell on myself

I have a confession to make: I have a problem. Some of you may choose to see it as an addiction; I prefer the term "collection." You see, today I purchased our fifth stroller.

Before you think I'm nuts, I can explain. All of our strollers are great in certain situations, but not one can do everything I need it to do. I haven't found a single stroller on the market that can be all the things I need it to be: lightweight, easy to maneuver, small enough to fit through standard doorways, easy to fold, able to recline at least a little, and able to collapse small enough to fit in the back of my car without having to fold down part of the third row. So I'm a little picky. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned cargo space; I'm so used to schlepping things around at this point that cargo space is a luxury I'm willing to forgo. For now. 

The very first stroller we got was this tandem double, which can accommodate two infant carseats and also grow with the boys once they're able to sit up on their own. It was a shower gift (thanks, Memaw and Papaw!), and I think our first big twin-related purchase.

I have used it many times and it's great to be able to leave the boys in their carseats and just pop them into the stroller without having to wake them up. I'm sure we'll rely on it more and more as the boys get bigger, but for now, most of the time it's too much of a beast for me to deal with on my own. This sucker is HEAVY. It is way, way bigger than it appears in this photo. And steering it feels like how I imagine piloting a cruise ship must feel.

Our second stroller purchase, and my favorite to date, was this double jogger. (And before you think I'm crazy, my company's fitness subsidy program reimbursed us for half the cost of this one since it's designed for exercise.)

The manueverability of this one is amazing. I can literally push and steer it with one finger, and the shocks and rubber tires make for a really smooth ride, even off-road (so smooth, in fact, that the boys are usually asleep within 2 minutes). This is perfect for walking around our neighborhood and on the jog and bike trail at the end of our street. It's narrow enough to fit through doors at the mall, but barely. Really my main complaint about this one is that it, too, is crazy heavy to lift, and it takes an act of Congress to fold it flat enough to where it will fit in the back of my car with 2/3 of the third row still accessible. (And if I'm honest for a second, Ryan is still the only one who knows how to do it.)

Our third and fourth (which, in my opinion, should technically count as just one) are these single umbrella strollers.

We bought these right before our trip to Georgia because we wanted something easy and lightweight to check at the gate, and something inexpensive so we wouldn't be too upset if they got messed up on the plane. These little babies could not be easier to fold up and get in and out of the car--I can even do it one-handed. And the boys really like them because they can sit up and see everything, and they seem to be less hot than the others. The main drawback to these is pretty obvious: two strollers require two pushers, which isn't always possible.

Which leads us to today's purchase. One of the moms in our neighborhood e-mailed a bunch of us to give us a heads-up that she was having a garage sale in case we wanted first dibs on any of her stuff. When I saw that she was selling this gently used double umbrella stroller for a fraction of its original price, I quickly e-mailed her and claimed it.

I am thinking (and have read, and am hoping against hope!) that this will be the best of all worlds for awhile. It's lightweight, smaller than a yacht, easy to fold (supposedly... I haven't figured it out yet), and narrow enough to fit through a single doorway. And best of all, I can justify the purchase because I know that whenever the boys outgrow it, I'll be able to sell it through my Moms of Multiples club for as much as or more than what I paid for it--these puppies are in high demand.

Reid, Grant and I picked it up this morning, and I am way more excited than any rational person should be. I have half a mind to load up the boys and #5 and go to Ikea or something, just because we can. Crazy talk, I know. Instead, as soon as they wake up and have lunch, we're going to drive to Pearland to see Aunt Sassy and Uncle B's new house that they just moved into yesterday.

And finally, just because no post is complete without a picture of these little stinkers:

We love breakfast! (Grant L, Reid R)

Sorry for the terrible quality--it was taken with my phone (cue Steph and Candi on how I need an iPhone).

Happy Friday!

No concept of personal space

Grant loves him some Reid. And Reid loves him some personal space.

A couple of notes:

(1) Probably only grandparents will want to watch 3 minutes of these kids just laying there. But man, they're cute.

(2) I'm sorry for the terrible video quality. I had to compress the life out of it in order for it not to take 154 hours to upload.

(3) I'm also sorry for my annoying voice. I had no idea I was such a hick.

(4) Did I mention they're real cute? And really that's all that matters, right?!

Happy birthday, Honey!

Today is my mom's (cough cough)nd birthday. Reid and Grant will be calling their Honey as soon as they wake up but I also wanted to give her a little shout-out on the ol' blog here.

I won't get all mushy (or maybe I will, but just a little), because there really aren't adequate words to express the gratitude and admiration I have for my mom. Let me just say that there is nothing like having a baby (or two) that will make you appreciate--and need--your Momma.
 

That belly... I still can't believe it.

She dropped everything to be here for me when the boys were in the hospital and once we brought them home... and she didn't even put up a fight when I wouldn't let her leave me alone for several weeks. 

She will never know how much I appreciate her help and support... and how grateful I am that even when she didn't know the answer to my questions (like "What am I supposed to do when they both wake up 10 minutes into a nap screaming and I'm here by myself???"), she always listened and encouraged me. And even cried with me a few times.  

Like I told her on Mother's Day, I get it now. I finally understand how much she loves us. And I know she will always be there for my boys.

I will always make sure these little boys know just how blessed they are to be loved by so many people, and their Honey is at the top of that list. But something tells me they'll already know.

We love you, Honey, and hope you have a wonderful birthday! We can't wait to celebrate with you on Sunday.

The Daily Cute -- June 20

Daddy's boys -- taken June 18 (Grant L, Reid R)

*Please pretend you don't see the unmade bed. I have twins (and I'm going to use that excuse as long as I can).

Happy Father's Day!

I always knew (and many of my friends with kids made it a point to tell me) that Ryan would be a great dad. What I didn't realize is just how much work twins would be and how much I would have to rely on his help. And I never could have dreamed about how much he would go above and beyond typical "daddy duty" every single day. I am one blessed wife, y'all.

The boys asked me to help them write down a few of the reasons they love their Daddy at this stage of their lives. So here it is, Reid & Grant's "Top 10 Things We Love About Our Daddy":

• We love riding in your truck in the mornings when you take us to meet SuSu. We like to pretend we're big boys going to work with their daddy. And thanks for letting us listen to KSBJ; it makes Mommy very happy, too.
• We love how we can go really high ("Arms out!") when you play airplane with us.
• We love that we hardly ever spit up when you feed us. (What's up with that anyway?? We know it really ticks Mommy off.)
• We love how you are the best at making up silly songs that go on for several minutes, even when they don't rhyme or actually make sense.
• We love when you make us laugh by saying "Ay, chihuahua!" in your funny voice. And we love how you were the one who discovered that wiggling our legs really fast can keep us from fussing when we're getting ready for bathtime. 
• We love that you let Miller and Rocco lick us when Mommy's not looking.
• We love that you love our Mommy even when she is crazy and bossing you around for the 174th time in one day.
• We love that you do whatever it takes to help make sure all of our needs are met--whether that's washing or fixing our bottles, changing diapers (even the gross ones), washing our never-ending laundry, feeding us, bathing us or playing with us--without a single complaint.  
• We love that you love us more and more each and every day. We know we are very blessed little boys to have a daddy who can't get enough of us.
• And last but not least, we are so thankful that you work so hard to support our family and always put our needs and wants above your own.



The Three Amigos (May 21, 2011)

Here's the front of the Father's Day card the boys made for Ryan at www.tinyprints.com:

And of course, I can't end this post without wishing a very happy Father's Day to my dad and stepdad, Ryan's dad, Papaw and PopPop. We love you all dearly, and Reid and Grant are so blessed to have three wonderful grandfathers (a Pops, a Big and a Poppy!) and two great-grandfathers who love them so very much.

P.S. Yes, that's three times that I've used the word "blessed" in this post, but if there's another word out there that sums it up better, I sure don't know it.

A visit from Aunt Jordan and Uncle Dylan

Today was a fun, family-filled day (the best kind!). Jordan and Dylan came over because in early July Jordan will be leaving for a 6-week study abroad program in Europe. They wanted to see the boys and we wanted the chance to celebrate Jordan's 21st birthday, albeit a couple of weeks early.

Uncle Dylan and Grant

Aunt Jordan and Reid

Aunt Jordan and Grant

And of course Aunt Sassy and Uncle B joined the fun.


Reid and Uncle B, mean-mugging the camera



Uncle B, Future Rangers fan Grant and Aunt Sassy

Reid is thinking he's not too sure about crazy Uncle B

Grant again... this kid likes hats!

Reid loves the monkeys on his exersaucer... and his Aunt Sassy:

And here's Mr. Two Teeth. Look closely and you can see one of them peeking out!

Aunt Jordan and Uncle Dylan, we are so glad you came to see us. Jordan, have an amazing and SAFE trip and take lots of pics. And Dylan, remember: both hands on the wheel, and both eyes on the road. We love you both very much!

No place I'd rather be

My favorite little guys (Grant L, Reid R)

Big boys

Just in case there was any doubt, the boys' appointments today confirmed what we already knew: they are b-i-g! Grant weighed 19 lbs 8 ozs and Reid was just half a pound behind him at 18 lbs 15 ozs. This means that in the past 5 1/2 weeks, Grant has gained 2 lbs 4 ozs and Reid has gained 1 lb 13 ozs.

In other growing-up news, Honey discovered that Mr. Big Britches now has a SECOND tooth peeking out. That puts him up 2-0 over Reid, but Brother is hot on his heels.

Oh, and the doctor said they're both fine; they're likely just getting over colds.

And finally, a tidbit that falls under the (admittedly very small) category of "Things I hope I DO forget about these baby days": the joy of poop under my fingernails. It's a glamorous life, folks.

He speaks the tooth

The shirt doesn't lie -- my Grant baby cut his first tooth last week!

And if the copious amount of drool is any indication (hence the 24/7 bibs), we're pretty sure Reid has one just waiting to make its appearance.

And here are two more just because I love these little stinkers!

(Thanks to our pal Oliver for these super-cool bibs!! His mommy, who is ridiculously talented, made them.)

They're going to see the doctor this morning because their coughs are still lingering. I'll try to post their height/weight stats this afternoon. Ryan and I like to make a little wager on their size before their appointments, so here are our guesses so no one can change their story afterward (cough cough Ryan cough):

Melissa
Reid: 18 lbs 1 oz
Grant: 18 lbs 9 oz

Ryan
Reid: 18 lbs 3 oz
Grant: 18 lbs 8 oz

Good morning, sunshine

Anyone who knows me well can attest to the fact that I am NOT a morning person. Leave it to these precious boys to change that. How could I not love 6 a.m. when this is what greets me??

Grant (on his tummy and facing the opposite direction of how we put him to bed)

Reid, who seems perfectly content to stay on his back... for now

These little guys wake up in the happiest moods every morning. I can usually hear them talking in their cribs before I make it upstairs, and then I'm greeted with the biggest, sweetest, gummiest grins.

They are like clockwork and sleep 10 hours every night without a peep. (I just hope I'm not jinxing it by posting this!) And, bless their hearts, they started it between 3 and 3 1/2 months, about two weeks before I had to return to work -- perfect timing that is not lost on this grateful mommy!

It's raining twins!

The first part of June is always my busiest time at work, so after wrapping up my big project on Friday I was SO excited to have the weekend with all my boys ahead of me. Colleen came over Friday evening to say good-bye since she is heading back home to Georgia (and then on to Spain) after a year of living in Houston. While she was here we realized that she had also been over at our house on the exact same weekend in 2010 (more on that in a second). 

Saturday morning brought something I had been looking forward to for several weeks. I'm a member of a local Moms of Multiples group, and another mom and I set up a playdate for a few twin moms who live in our area. We met at a nearby elementary school playground at 10 a.m., and it was lots of fun to get to know other moms and admire each other's adorable babies. And y'all. We were a SIGHT! We had 5 moms and 9 twins ranging from 3 months to 8 months old: Reid and Grant, Ethan and Wyatt (my dear friend Melissa's boys), Kaitlyn and Jake, Spencer and Phoebe, and Peyton (sister Sophie stayed home with Dad). And you can't even imagine the amount of gear our group required: multiple double strollers the size of small cruise ships, carseats galore, enough blankets to carpet a football field, and on and on. The boys and I lasted just over an hour because (1) I had woken them up early from a nap and (2) even under the playground's big covered area, it was H-O-T outside -- so all 3 of us were fussy.

Here are a couple of photos from the playdate. Of course my children would be the ones not even looking in the direction of the camera. And if you're wondering why I didn't hold them or sit them up for the picture, it's because they were finally content just laying there and you're nuts if you think I don't know better than to leave well enough alone by now!

Baby Central!

My pink-cheeked playdaters... ALWAYS with their hands on each other! (Reid L, Grant R)

Saturday night our besties Candi and Jeremy came over to hang out and see these giant babies. They got to the house just before bathtime bearing our favorite: fajitas! (Side note: my two best friends are both on fabulous beach vacations this week. Amy is in Jamaica and Candi and Jeremy are heading to Cancun. Jealous!) We love you, Jansens -- Houston misses you!

Jansens with Grant (L) and Reid
(This is a terrible photo of Reid but it's the only one I got of the 4 of them.)

Ryan had work to do today, both for his job and to finish getting our house ready for the kitchen renovation that starts tomorrow, so the boys and I headed to Dayton for a little swim at Honey and Big's. The water was much warmer this time (hello, 100+ degree temperatures in June), and they did great... or at least better than Round 1.

Finally, today is a special day in the Wolf House. It was on Saturday, June 12, 2010 that I found out I was pregnant! Colleen had stayed at our house on Friday night and she and Ryan were hanging out in the living room when I just decided on the spur of the moment to take a pregnancy test, unbeknownst to them. After 10 months of negative tests, I honestly didn't think it would actually be positive; little did I know just how (doubly!) wrong I was. I will never forget how hard it was to keep a straight face when I walked out of that bathroom so they wouldn't suspect anything.

I wanted to do something special to tell Ryan, so after Colleen left I ran out and bought a Father's Day card intended for an expectant dad. When I gave it to him, I told him it was a Father's Day gift from Miller and Rocco and in typical Ryan fashion, it was like pulling teeth to get him to open it since Father's Day was still a week away. I think I made up some fib about how he had to open it right then because it contained a gift that was going to expire. When he finally did, he read the card with confusion on his face and looked up to see me holding the pregnancy test.

I love thinking back to how clueless we were about what God had in store for us. The rest, as they say, is history. Or better yet -- the rest is really just beginning!