The Workmans

Express Couponing

2011-12-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

I posted back in Nov 1, 2010 about a shopping trip to CVS, where I got a bunch of free stuff (Titled: Yep, It was all free). I can't say that I am extreme by any means, instead I am a practical coupon-er. I do it when I can and I know some tricks to make it relatively easy and quick...hence I call it Express Couponing. During this trip, I did no prep work before and I only spent my typical 30-45 minutes shopping. The total bill was just over $200, but I only spent $80. I could have saved about $10 more if I had all the right coupons in hand at the time...but oh well. Perhaps a 60% savings isn't something to brag about when there are all these episodes on TLC (which I still have yet to see) where people buy $100's of groceries for a few dollars. In this particular trip, there were 23 organics products (including 2 lbs of organic chicken), which makes any bill slightly higher. I also have to add that this trip was at Safeway, which typically has higher priced products when compared to surrounding stores. My favorite find was Safeway's Friday deal: I bought 4 bags of fish and chips for a quick weekend meal for a family of 4. This sounds silly but I can't wait until my kids are big enough to use scissors...then we can have some family time clipping coupons and chatting :)

Yep...He is all boy

2011-12-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

I know I am stereotyping but Jakob is all boy. He is attracted to mud, trucks, cars, destroying things, eating stuff that shouldn't, and climbing on things. Let me demonstrate...

...and repeat another 10 times!

Playing Mommy

2011-12-05T19:06:00.000-08:00

Meet Joslyn's baby...

She carriers her baby like her mommy carriers her...

Perhaps the carrier isn't sold in petite-ity size but it works.

Anything that Joslyn does, Jakob wants to do too!

Jakob is unique and has to add his boy-ish touch to all activities...in this case, nose picking. Joslyn thinks it is funny :)

This video shows Joslyn carrying her baby and following simple instructions...and then enters Jakob, who gives some typical brother affection :)

Color Me Real

2011-12-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

When the twins were 17 months I decided to try out coloring. Joslyn really enjoys it but Jakob can't get passed chewing on the crayons. I have learned that taping down the paper is necessary and twistable crayons are less appetizing (Thanks for the tip, Jenny!).

Below is a video of the twins having fun coloring and chewing :)

Tiny Christmas

2011-12-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

Last year the theme was "Christmas Elevated" and I put our tree on a wood box so the crawling twins couldn't get to the ornaments. This year things either have to be gated off or even higher off the ground for my high-reaching, ornament-snatching twin toddlers. I am anti-gating off or decorating only the top half because it takes away from the look of the tree and our home is too tiny for the added gate. I love decorating our tree each year, and if it has to temporarily get smaller to go with the look I like, I am fine with that.

The easiest and best place to elevate our tree was on our kitchen/dining room bar. It is preventing us from using that space as a dumping ground for mail :)

Even though our tree is tiny, the twins LOVE it! The first morning they saw it you would have thought it was Christmas day with the reaction they gave. They could hardly eat their breakfast out of the excitement of the tree sitting, lit up only a few feet away. "Ball!" ...pointing... "Ball!" Although the picture below doesn't exactly show that excitement, it was hard to catch them actually looking at the camera...at the same time. They are adorable!

Pre-potty Training

2011-11-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

I have no idea what I am doing BUT I am reading a number of potty training books to try to figure it out. The one thing that is very clear to me is that, at 18 months of age, Joslyn is more interested than Jakob. This particular Sunday morning I asked Joslyn if she wanted to "sit" on the potty. She ran to the bathroom as I followed...and it quickly turned into a family affair.

After bath one night we decided to "test" out the potties for the first time. Guess what?! They sat happily while we read books and they both peed in the potty! Kind of lucky, I think...but it was the first time they realized they actually go pee. After we poured their pee in the toilet, we cheered and waved bye to it. It is definitely a ritual they have picked up on since. The photo below is demonstrating the ritual in action on this particular Sunday. Notice that Jakob is fearlessly flushing the toilet while Joslyn watching and holding my arm. Ever since Joslyn learned she pees and we pour it in the toilet, she is slightly concerned.

Joslyn isn't scared enough to lose interest. She actually "asks" to sit on the potty, can happily sit on it for 10+ minutes, and has peed in it 4 times. She is showing all the signs I read about...but the problem is I haven't finished reading the books to know what the process should be beyond the introducing them to the potties! Plus, it is sooooo difficult to concentrate on her when Jakob isn't ready (but insists on being in the bathroom doing everything but sitting).

Jakob will sit on the potty but it is brief. He is more interested in flushing and pulling on the toilet paper. He does a lot of "musical potties." We have two on the ground and the regular toilet with a potty seat. He will often steal Joslyn's seat if she stands to check the contents of her potty, which makes her upset. This is what brothers do best, right?!

Fun Fact...and probably too much info: In one day we average 7 poopy diapers. Yes, I am ready for them to take care of their own "business" but I don't know if I have the energy it takes to potty train at this age. Good news is they poop pretty much on schedule so perhaps that will make it a bit easier when it comes to helping them learn to know when to go to the bathroom.

Stay tuned! Will we get one or both potty trained before 2? Wouldn't that be great!

Happy Halloween: Updated

2011-11-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

The little duck and little dog had a wonderful Halloween this year! They got to wear their costumes at two events and they passed out candy at our home.

Halloween night the twins greeted trick-o-treaters. At first they didn't understand why kids in funny clothes got candy but they got nothing :( So I decided to let them dig in the bowl and put the candy in the kiddos' bags. That kept them very happy... in fact, they loved it so much that they ran to the door frequently to press their little faces on the glass door to see if anyone was coming.

Sleep Website!

2011-10-06T15:14:00.001-07:00

www.InfantSleep.KrystalWorkman.com

It is official! I have a website for my sleep consulting stuff. Check it out!

Here's how it all started: In November 2010 I created a lecture complete with PowerPoint and handouts, reserved a location, and hosted a free infant sleep workshop for what I thought would be a small group of parents. I even rallied enough support to provide free childcare for the 2 hour lecture. Little did I know that there were/are lots of parents in my community who struggle with obtaining good, reliable information about sleep, just as I did in the beginning. That first workshop was packed with no empty seats; we estimated over 65 people were in attendance. Since that first workshop, I have been a guest speaker at other events and provide in-home consults to families all over the DC metro area. I have a passion for this subject and for helping families build a strong foundation. Due to the overwhelming influx of emails and requests for sleep assistance, I can no longer provide free support...my personal life just can't take the extra load. I do want to continue helping families but those families will have to decide if my expertise and time are valuable enough to them. I have done a lot of research on pricing and, it might seem surprising to some, but I am still way low for what others charge. However, since I began charging, my work/life situation is a little more balanced.

Volunteer effort: I am still remaining true to the very first reason I started this endeavor: to serve my community in a unique (but practical) way. As long as I can manage it, I plan to post free daily/weekly sleep facts and tips on my facebook business page. Search "Krystal Workman: Infant Sleep Consultant" and like this page!

A side note: I am so proud to say that I designed AND coded my own Flash website! It took way to long but I had fun learning along the way. The site currently takes a little too long to load (so be patient)...I need to do some more coding/adjusting to make things run a little smoother. Limited time is the only thing holding me back :)

LOL, thinking about it, this the exact reason I haven't updated my blog in a while. I will get back to it soon...so many new photos and stories to tell! Stay tuned...

The First of the Fruits

2011-08-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

I rarely consider a tomato a fruit but it is what it is...

On July 26th we got our first ripe tomatoes and there happened to be just two of them. All of our tomatoes have been HUGE this year so that is probably the reason they took so long to ripen. The following pictures are of just the tomatoes in the garden and an example of the size we are getting from this batch this year.

This particular day I picked the two ripe tomatoes and the babies remembered the zucchini fest they had earlier this month. They demanded to touch, then hold, and finally eat the first of the fruits. Needless to say, it was a mess! Good snack though :)

In the following video you will notice that Joslyn likes to savor her foods while Jakob likes to eat on the run...

Then there is this video that demonstrates that we are just now grasping the concept of sharing...it is a hard one to learn.

Giant Legos

2011-08-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

I bought these Lego blocks nearly 6 months ago but only recently did I feel that they were age appropriate (according to the label). I am so glad I grabbed these because the twins love them. To my surprise, this is the first toy that they have grasp the concept of "putting it back where it belongs." We will see how long that lasts. In the meantime, they love pulling apart the blocks but haven't figured out how to connect them.

Step 1: Build something.

Step 2: Disassemble it.

Step 3: Joslyn is an innocent bi-stander and Jakob stands at the scene of the crime.

I have a feeling that the look on Joslyn's face of "You wrecked my stuff!" is going to be used a lot over the course of the next few years :)

Above is a video of Jakob breaking apart the tower Jared made...at the end he throws it and it breaks into many pieces.

Jakob's Little Quirk

2011-08-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

You know when your kids do something quirky and then they grow out of it...and then you miss it. Our twins have gone through several quirky phases but they were too hard to catch on camera or video. Well this time I finally caught Jakob scrunching his nose and breathing heavy. The reason I was able to catch it on camera is he is in copy mode right now. Other than copying, it seems to be random when he decides to put on his "cute" face.

Here is a video of him copying me at the dinner table...

Make-up is part of the twin's routine

2011-08-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

Getting everyone ready in the morning, including myself, takes a lot of preparation...especially if I want us to be on time to a particular place. I get myself "half" ready before the babies wake up. Really the only thing I do is shower (if I didn't do that the night before), brush my teeth and wash my face. It is not until AFTER breakfast and the twins diapers are changed that I can get the rest of myself ready for the day. They usually stand close by if I need to dry my hair and they are ALWAYS fully involved when applying my make-up. They think it is funny for me to put stuff on my face and they often giggle if I fake putting something on their face. I really do enjoy this period of play in the morning...even if it is multitasking/being productive. I know they look forward to it because they will bring me my make-up bag. Once they learn to unzip stuff, I am going to be in some serious trouble!!

Here is a video of the make-up routine. As I mentioned, they are VERY involved...

Segs in the City

2011-08-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to ride on a Segway...FINALLY, there was a Groupon for 50% off a 2-hour segway tour in Annapolis, MD. We had never been to Annapolis so this was the perfect excuse. We made it into a weekend trip by staying in a hotel and taking the tour the following morning. We had a babysitter come up since they didn't have baby-sized helmets for them to ride on our backs :)

I made the following video! It is super cheesy but we took sooooo much footage that I couldn't possibly post them all...so I merged what I could.
P.S. I have no reason for picking a Bob Marley song...it seemed "vacation-y" to me.

We went at the very beginning of July...and it was really heating up by this time of the year. The cool breeze from the 12 mph segways felt good.

Jared is a real dare devil when it comes to trying new things. He was the only one in our tour group that got an off-road segway so he was pushing the limits on it. These things don't go that fast so it was more like slow-motion stunts :)

This is the "homely" tour shop. A bunch of teenagers worked there. We weren't impressed with the information by our teenage tour guide...but that is ok because it was all about the thrill ride.

Family Photo Fun

2011-08-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

We had a few quick minutes to take some pictures in our backyard this weekend. We rigged the camera from the tree and used the delayed timer. I have been inspired by the color yellow recently so I decided to dress the family in this color and take some pictures!

Baby Blues

2011-07-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

Need I say more...

Beautiful eyes! I love you, Jakob!

Teething Molars

2011-07-10T19:22:00.001-07:00

Joslyn has been an angel when it comes to teething in the past. A tooth would pop up and we wouldn't even know it. However, the molars have been a different story. For about 1 week she was on edge...like, "don't cross me or I will fire!" I gave her Tylenol during this time but that didn't even seem to help. The two things that did comfort her was sucking on her stuffed animal and getting extra sleep. One day during her nap, she woke crying hysterically, which got her brother upset. I went in to comfort her but that only made her more mad (and I was shocked at the response). She was kicking and squirming so I put her on the ground to calm down. In the meantime I picked up Jakob to calm him, which worked quickly. Joslyn was next to me on the floor throwing a temper tantrum. I tried to calm her down in other ways but she shifted her body all the way under her crib, where she finally calmed down and finished off her nap...for an additional 2 hours.

I was so worried about her that I kept checking under the bed every 10 minutes. After her nap she was a lot better but it was still a few more days of teething before she got back to her normal self. I really fear the teenage years with that fiery attitude!

Thank for visiting Fogg Family!

2011-07-10T18:52:00.001-07:00

Jared's aunt and uncle with their kiddos visited in early June. We had fun at the zoo and making pizza at our house. Their kids are talented in so many ways and have bright futures ahead! Thanks for visiting. It was a blast! Our favorite red-headed cousin (not a Fogg) hung out with us on our pizza night. She has since returned to school out west. We will miss you, Diana!

Jakob's 1st Haircut!

2011-07-10T18:38:00.001-07:00

On Friday June 3, 2011 Jakob got his first haircut and he cried like a baby :)
Despite the squirming, I think I did a fairly good job for my first child haircut. I didn't clip anything that wasn't hair!

Jakob has naturally long hair in the middle of his head with short hair on the sides (widow's peak). It can kind of be seen in the following picture. He is so adorable...this is his goofy-tired laugh face just before bed.

I plan to always cut my kids hair. I will learn as I go so good thing that they don't feel the need to "fit in" at this stage in life. Hey kiddos, Mommy will be a pro by the time it matters, I promise :)

That Hair!

2011-07-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

If having twins isn't a show stopper enough when we go out in public, Joslyn's red hair always gets attention. Comments are numerous and I can't go anywhere without hearing one of the following: "People pay money for hair that color," "It is on fire," "What a gorgeous head of hair," and "Those curls are adorable!" I feel like my camera doesn't take realistic pictures enough to get the true color across. It truly is beautiful!

Apparently, less than 2% of the entire world population has red hair. We hope that Joslyn will always feel special for her beautiful head of hair.

Veggie Lovers Garden

2011-07-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

In late May we planted our garden, 3 weeks later we got some incredible-sized produce. Below is the garden pictured at 4 weeks. I think we got the soil combination right this time!

I take the babies out to the garden often in the afternoon. They dig around in the dirt (and eat it at times), while I weed the garden. This particular day I took them out to the garden in their push cars. When I pulled out the huge zucchini, they had a hysterical reaction. They cried out to hold the new vegetable. They were curious so they began chewing on it.

Below is a video of them eating the zucchini in their cars. Note in the video that Jakob has the need to remind his sister that he is close by...as he usually does during any meal time.

A few bites turned into 30 minutes of eating! By the end of the zucchini fest they each packed away HALF of their zucchini. I couldn't believe it. They were enjoying the experience so much that if I attempted to part them from their beloved vegetable, I received a meltdown response.

The thing I was most surprised with was they continued to chow down on the zucchini as they incorporated it into their play.

Below is a video that captures Jakob eating his zucchini while playing. At the end of the clip he picks up a green bean that I had also picked from the garden and eats it.

Joslyn did her own multitasking. In this video she is bouncing, singing, and eating.

I cut the remaining zucchini up into spears and they would have nothing to do with it the following days...interesting. Parenting tip: Grow a garden, let children roam free exploring their hunting/gathering origins and eat what they find with their bare hands in the great outdoors. Don't bother with food preparation, the formalities of utensils, and uncomfortable bibs or high chairs.

Our Souvenir Collection

2011-07-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

Here are 3 postcards from our recent trip to NYC. All of them have their own unique message about our family vacation. They are addressed to ourselves and from ourselves!

When Jared and I first married and were on our honeymoon, Jared purposed we start a souvenir collection from our vacation destinations. He thought spoons, cups, or ornaments would be cool BUT the new bride was anti-nick-knacks (with all the moving and small-space living, where would we store the stuff!). I also didn't like the commitment to find something to match the collection during each vacation that potentially might cost a lot of money... with the future thought of which kid would get to pick out the one item (I could envision the dispute). So we thought about it and compromised on something...postcards! It is a fun tradition that we have kept since our first vacation together. We have a photo album with postcards of all the places we have visited. They are usually better pictures than we are able to take but they are always of something we did. Some vacations we may come back with more postcards than others depending on what we did and what postcards were available.

Financial impact: nickles and dimes, Storage space: 1 album, Memories: Priceless :)

It wasn't until the recent vacations that we addressed the cards to ourselves and wrote a message. We never actually mail them, just put it in the album...mailing would be too much for us as we have a hard time just getting the cards in the album. I can't wait until the twins start to talk, pick out their own card, and tell me what they would like to write about our family trips together.

I love this tradition! Definitely one worth keeping as the experience alone will be memorable...but also a great way to remember all the fun we had together as a family.

Happy vacationing!

Spaghetti Squash Mania

2011-06-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

For dinner one night we tried substituting actual spaghetti noodles with spaghetti sqaush. I love this type of squash because it is a wonderful way to avoid unnecessary carbs at dinner and sneak in vitamin-packed veggies! The sauce I make is loaded with veggies so this dinner is very colorful...as you can see on the twins' faces :)

The following video shows just how the twins got the color on their faces and bibs...trust me, it didn't take long.

I love this series of pictures as Jakob is done eating and tosses his bowl in front of Joslyn. For some reason, since he was very little, he has a need to touch her, take her things, and be in her "space." Yeah, I know, sounds like trouble. I am pretty sure this has been going on since the womb...he was the kicker, and we even witnessed him kick her in the head at our 20 week ultrasound.

Sorry Jakob to make you wear a pink/white princess bib! We don't have any plastic boy bibs for you to wear! When you develop a preference, we will get you something else :)

Ever Considered a Videographer for the Park?!

2011-06-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

I took the babies to the park one afternoon and brought along Bethany Campbell, a talented videographer. She did a wonderful job at capturing their cute smiles and personality. I love this video!! The music is a perfect fit to the babies movements...looks like they are dancing! Just what I need to preserve some great memories :)

If you are interested in seeing more of Bethany's work, check out her site: http://vimeo.com/bcfilm.

Thanks, Bethany!

Outside Fun on Wheels!

2011-06-06T19:09:00.001-07:00

The babies are having a blast outside these days. We LOVE our over-sized carport because it provides us shade and a dry, safe place to play. Now that the babies are walking more, they love pushing around their toys. They don't have much free roaming space inside so with no cars under the carport, they have tons of space to move around in.

Jakob is doing so much better at walking independently, though he gets frustrated easily. The following is a video of Jakob pushing the bike around and you can see his frustration at the end when his bike gets stuck and he falls over.

Joslyn is also doing well with walking while pushing something. She still has "fancy feet," the term I use because her feet do some crazy movements that doesn't give her much stability while walking. She LOVES this big red car and whenever she sees it, she gets frustrated if she is NOT pushing it. She is constantly taking the car "off roading." She got that from her mom's country roots :)

This is a video of Joslyn in the carport pushing the car around. Surprisingly, she runs the car into an obstacle and is able to move it into another direction...something she has never done before.

The babies both LOVE the red car. We actually have two of them to avoid fighting but only one of them ended up in our front yard this afternoon. They both wanted to ride in it, and it worked for a short bit. Then Jakob got antsy, which made Joslyn upset. I couldn't resist grabbing the camera to take a picture of Joslyn getting frustrated and Jakob looking clueless. I think this is going to be the story of my life from here on out :)

Colonial Williamsburg

2011-06-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

We took a 3-day trip down to Williamsburg when Grandma and Grandpa came out to visit. Our first stop on our walking tour was a small, beautiful garden. Actually, we made many walk-throws in various vegetable and flower gardens. Seriously, I wish I had the time and resources to do one of these in our backyard!

The following is a video of us walking through the garden that are pictured above. The day was beautiful for a long walk!

We didn't let Grandma and Grandpa get off easy during this trip!

We visited Jamestown, the first settlement by the English in 1607, and Yorktown, a significant battle in 1781 that ended the Revolutionary War. We toured the museum and ships at Jamestown and the museum and battle field at Yorktown. We learned that 9 out of 10 people wounded and sent to the "hospital" died from the medical procedures performed.

We ate at Chownings Tavern. Meals were pricey! We went with the hopes of being entertained by the Gambles but they didn't make their appearance until later in the evening. They did have a fiddler there singing folk songs. The babies LOVED the music and Joslyn did her little jiggle dance whenever she hears music...so cute!

This is my favorite picture of Jakob chillin' in the stroller with his chuncky-monkey legs! What a cute boy!

Traveling with PeaPods!

2011-06-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

We have gone on several short weekend trips with the babies. We NEVER take pack-n-plays or use the hotel cribs...why...because we LOVE PeaPod Plus tents! I don't get commission off the sale of these tents, but I should! They pack up so tightly and hardly weigh anything so it is easy to travel with. We practice naps at home in these tents so using them on vacation is second-nature to them. We started using them when the babies were 7 months old and they are 13 months now.

Everyday I want to film the babies getting out of their tents after nap but it is hard to do alone and unzip the tent at the same time. Unzipping the tent after nap is one of my favorite things of all the day. The babies are so happy when they wake and I love sitting on the ground and having them crawl to me to give me a hug. We sit and cuddle for a bit before we begin playtime. The following video was my attempt to unzip the tent and do some filming...

The reason I think these things work so well is the fact that they are use to sleeping in them and when they are inside them, it is like they are at home. They can't see out so they can't get distracted or scared by the new surroundings. In the following pictures I placed a light blanket over the face of the tent to block the light from the TV that we are watching in the same room. I also have a small semi-noisy fan running in front of their tent to provide some white noise since the TV is running softly in the background. They are use to their room at home being very dark and having a box fan running on high. My goal was to get the hotel environment as similar to home as possible so they would keep up their good sleeping record...and it works every time!

This video is me talking about why I love PeaPod tents and pretty much repeating what I already typed...

PeaPods Rock! Did you know that they come with a carrying case, an inflatable mattress, and a sleeping bag that fits the tent perfectly??!! Of course the sleeping bag is for older kids, not babies. I usually ditch the mattress and sleeping bag and stuff the bag with the babies' clothes and essentials along with the tent itself. That way I only have to bring one light-weight bag for each baby! Beat that, Pack-n-Play!

Caution: Floor may be slippery when wet!

2011-06-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

While we were staying in NYC, we went to the pool after one of the hot days we experienced. The video below is of the babies hanging out in the pool with their dad. They are semi-enjoying themselves as their dad is trying to humor them.

Of course the hotel pool is always fun but who knew that the slippery, wet floor could be more fun?! Below is Jared prepping the floor for our final slide of the day before leaving. Check out the videos that follow for the giggles that go along with the ride!

This is Joslyn having fun sliding into Jakob...

This is Jakob returning the favor to Joslyn...

This is the ultimate slip contest. Jakob really slides down in style!

NYC Memorial Day

2011-06-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend (actually Sun-Tues) we went to New York City. It was a fun get-a-way but we weren't getting away from any traffic! NYC is intense, in my opinion. The drive took us just over 4.5 hours on Sunday and 6.5 hours on Tuesday (made one stop). The babies did fabulous in the car. However, sitting in their car seats was a bit frustrating to them toward the end of the trip. I think next time we will just take the train because after gas, tolls, and parking, that is nearly the same price as train tickets. Plus, on the train the babies can roam around happily, which is priceless!

Our road trip included a drive through Holland Tunnel. It runs under the Hudson River and connects Manhattan, where we stayed, to New York City.

We stayed at The Millennium Hilton in Manhattan, which is right across the street from Ground Zero. We were on the 48th floor of this 55 story building.

The view from our hotel window overlooked Ground Zero and the Hudson River. It was amazing! Ground Zero is still under construction but much work has been done since the last time I visited in 2004.

Brooklyn Bridge

2011-06-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

We arrived in NYC after a long drive and were antsy to get out. Our first trip was to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was sooo hot and we forgot water! The walk was really cool though. We ended up carrying the babies or letting them "walk" because they were getting frustrated in their stroller. People kept bumping into them, it was crowded, hot, and I think they couldn't see much from their vantage point.

The purpose for our walk across the bridge was to go to a famous pizza place, Grimaldi's Pizzeria. We underestimated its popularity until we got there...and saw a LONG line of people waiting for sit-down or carry-out. We didn't walk all that way for nothing so we waited it out. Inside, they packed us in like cattle. We were shoulder to shoulder with strangers. The pizza was great though and we used the stroller to roll our leftovers home since the babies wanted to be carried :)

While we waited in line for about 45 minutes, we ran over to The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. Dessert before dinner! It was so hot that the ice cream was melting on the spot! Of course this place had a line too but it went much quicker since it wasn't a sit-down like the other place. Inside, there was a placard that read "Ice Cream is the New Health Food." We liked that concept :)

Carry Me to NYC

2011-06-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

Our trip to New York was equipped with both a double stroller and two carriers. We ended up using the carriers the entire trip because it was easier. The streets were so crowded that people wouldn't let us walk through easily or people would run into the stroller. The restaurants were so packed they wouldn't let us bring in our stroller...at least the one we chose to go to because it was that popular. Now when I say "easier," that doesn't mean on the feet! The babies both weigh over 20 lbs now so hiking all around with 20 extra pounds, a camera bag, and a diaper bag is a little heavy. I am pretty used to it though so it wasn't as bad as it might sound. In fact, we felt it was very doable and fun. We probably walked several miles over the three days we were there.

This is a short little video clip where Jared and I were posing for a picture with Manhattan in the background, but the babies were enjoying the view more than posing for the pictures. We tried a few techniques to get them to look but nothing worked! In the following video we tried to do a quick spin to see if that would distract them from their gaze...

The Statue of Liberty

2011-06-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

On our trip to NYC, we did the typical, American sightseeing venture: The Statue of Liberty. We walked from our hotel to Battery Park to take a ferry out to Staten Island. First I took Jared's picture getting aboard...

Then he took my picture getting aboard. Notice the New Yorkers in the background shouting at me to get on the boat and stop taking pictures...

The kids really liked being on the boat. I LOVE this picture of Jakob! We rarely get them looking at the camera and smiling so this one is golden.

We loaded the boat at the perfect time of day, 9:30 in the morning. The boats were just getting crowded but we were able to squeeze into a spot along the railing on the top deck to see the sites. The day wasn't too hot and the breeze was wonderful!

The babies had their morning snack on the grass in front of the Statue of Liberty. They enjoyed the freedom of crawling around on the grass, though we put limits on their crawling extent :)

We road the ferry again to Ellis Island. We had lunch under a tree in front of the immigration building, which was a ton of fun. Then headed inside to see the museum.

By the time we got into the building it was already time for their naps. We carried them for another hour and both of them eventually took a short snooze in the carrier. This is Joslyn snuggling into the carrier getting really drowsy. She was soooo adorable. Each time I looked at her she would peak back out of the carrier and grin, then put her head back down to rest. We got them back to the hotel to take a proper nap in the afternoon. These kids were troopers!

NYC Fleet Week

2011-06-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

We took the babies on the metro and then a long hike in the heat to the west harbor in NYC to view the naval ships. Each year NYC opens its arms to our service men and woman over the memorial day week. Dozens of naval cruise ships dock on NYC's harbors, so it is termed Fleet Week. All week certain ships are open to the public for a free tour.

Since I forgot to bring my photo ID, we found out that we couldn't go on the free ships (i.e active duty ships). So instead we paid to tour the Intrepid...

This is the USS Intrepid, "one of the most successful [aircraft carrier] ships in US history, and now a national historic landmark and one of the most unique attractions in New York City. In 1943, Intrepid was commissioned and served proudly in World War II. She went on to serve as one of the primary recovery vessels for NASA, three tours of duty off Vietnam, and submarine surveillance in the North Atlantic during the Cold War. Today she continues her service as a premiere educational center and a monument to all who have served our nation in uniform." www.intrepidmuseum.org

So long story short, we only had an hour to view the ship. Within that time we had to feed the babies, so it was a quick tour in a BIG ship. Very cool, though.

NYC Chinatown Street Market

2011-06-05T12:02:00.001-07:00

Memorial Day weekend we went to New York City. The streets of Chinatown were packed with vendors selling all kinds of things. The stands that caught my attention were selling produce. From a distance I thought of the dirty streets of NYC so I didn't pay much attention but with a closer glance, I was amazed at the wide variety of fruits and vegetables I had never seen. I was hesitant to purchase anything from a street vendor but after several stops and a lot of questions, I had to try some of the exotic fruits. We tried Jack fruit imported from Mexico, two types of Lychee berry and Dragon fruit (Pitaya) from China. Nothing was overly sweet, to my surprise, but it was all delicious. Since I am frugal by nature I have to mention that the prices were unbelievably cheap, even in comparison to DC.

I was so inspired by the wide variety and range of color that I took tons of photos. Enjoy the rainbow of color:

Garden: Year 3

2011-06-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is our third year to have a garden. We love having a garden, though we don't have all the time in the world to devote to it. Ok, truth be told, we have no time to devote to it these days. Since it is something we REALLY want, I got creative and came up with a solution: Community Garden!

We know two families that live close by, who have little kids too, that love gardens. We decided to all get together this year, pitch in on the garden care, and share the produce. Since we would be sharing, we needed the garden to be a little bit larger than what we normally do. Jared, with his awesome carpentry skills, built us two raised beds. While we were building the boxes, one of my friends started all the seeds in her home. Once the beds were done, the shoots were large enough, and the weather was nice, we planted them!

We still have several packages of seeds we would like to plant, like broccoli, carrots, cucumber, etc. but don't have the space for it. Jared bought some more lumber and built a third box...but we lack the time to dig more dirt to fill it! We will see if we can make it this season or if we will have to hold off until next year.

Here is what we planted this year:
Tomatoes (2 varieties)
Green beans
Pumpkins
Watermelon
Squash
Peas
Green onions
Spinach
Lettuce
Cilantro
Basil
Oregano
Peppers

Why 3 spoons for 2 babies?

2011-06-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

Starting 12 months I began encouraging the babies to spoon feed themselves. We practice this everyday at breakfast after they drink their milk, and occasionally at dinner, depending on what we are having that night. Joslyn loves feeding herself but Jakob lacks patience at times...and some of those times can be pure meltdowns, which I haven't had an available hand to film yet. Of course, the twins can't scoop food onto their spoon yet. Right now it is spoon to mouth...we work on one thing at a time!

So to answer the question "why 3 spoons?" I have provided two videos. The first video is the babies at 12 months. You will notice how often they throw their spoons on the ground. I filmed the second video at 13 months and you will notice that I improved my feeding methods by upgrading to 3 spoons. I also figured out how to work around Jakob's impatience but still get him to learn. FYI: Jakob is surprisingly quiet this day but you can sense the slight attitude he has by the way he flings his head after each bite. Makes me smile :)

Babies at 12 months:

Babies at 13 months:

Just like I showed in the last video, I "tricked" Jakob into spoon feeding himself by first feeding him, then quickly following up with a "loaded" spoon in his hand before he is even done chewing. He usually is distracted enough that he doesn't get frustrated by this method and chooses to feed himself. Because I have another baby, I can't do this with every bite but I do it around every 2-3 bites to keep up the pace with him. If he gets frustrated, I feed him myself...after a few bites, we begin trying again.

I must admit that things are getting 100 times easier now that they are capable of feeding themselves finger foods and starting to feed themselves with spoons! As long as there is another adult at the table, we can actually sit down and eat a meal at the same time!

Guest Bedroom

2011-06-05T05:52:00.000-07:00

This is our guest bedroom. I got the brilliant idea to have a college student live with us for the summer to help me around the house and with the twins. Since our home is small, I got creative with the space we could offer and made it really inviting.

Jared and I made a loft bed out of a dresser we had refurbished years ago. Not only is there tons of space in the drawers, there is plenty of storage space behind the dresser. It is a tall bed...needless to say...so I provided a leather footstool at the end of the bed to climb up (not pictured), and it serves as a storage unit as well. The footstool was something we already had in our living room.

Above the bed is a "floating" night stand with a lamp. Jared cut a triangle out of scrap wood and I painted it white. We used a lamp from another room. This is necessary since there should be some light in the room when climbing up on that tall bed.

We also made a "floating" desk out of an old door. I love this concept because the piece is functional but doesn't take up any floor space, making the room feel larger. Adding a HUGE mirror that I purchased from a second-hand store, really opens the space and provides more light. Since we only have one bathroom, this space is critical in this room for our live-in nanny to have some personal space to do hair and make-up.

Here is what is not pictured: At the end of the bed, there is another mirror with hanging hooks and a whimsical painting I did years back. Ideally, I would like to add a comfy sitting chair to this space but haven't found the right one just yet. I'm still hunting :) And of course, there is a closet in the room that is not pictured. It is small but on the inside of the closed door I hung a functional storage unit that runs the entire length of the door. It provides TONS of space for small items, like socks, bottles, make-up, hats, etc. It is actually meant for a pantry but why not the closet?! I love this unit so much that I put it on the inside of all my closet doors. Below is an image of a similar unit I snagged from the Container Store website. We bought ours at HomeDepot because it was cheaper, but the baskets are not removable.

Here is the cost breakdown of this room transformation:

Drapes: Pier-One Import (purchased second-hand) $2.50 each
Bedspread: Ethan Allen (purchased at Ross) $30
Accent pillows: $8 each (purchased at Ross)
Twin mattress: Free (did a swap with our old queen bed with another family)
Dresser: Free (already owned)
Desk: Free (Old door we had replaced in our home)
Large mirror: $15 (purchased second-hand, and painted)
Footstool: Free (already owned)
Paint: Free (already had from other projects; Green accent wall and white paint for desk)
Nightstand: Free (already had wood and lamp)
Closet storage unit: Free (already owned)

TOTAL cost: $66

Learning to drink with a straw

2011-05-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

At the babies 9 month check up, one of the questions was "can your baby drink out of a cup?" The doctor was preparing us to have the babies off bottles by 12 months. We introduced sippy cups at 6 months but only used them sporadically for water. The weaning book I followed suggested using the cups early so they would be easily weaned from the bottle by 12 months. I have also read that straws or drinking straight from the rim of a cup after 12 months is better for speech development. After the 9 month check-up, I decided to take the transition more serious.

The goal was set and the work began at 9 months. Joslyn learned quickly to drink from her sippy cup and by 9.5 months she was 100% sippy (i.e. no bottle). It took Jakob longer and he got frustrated at times. He picked it up at 10 months when the bottle began to take longer than his sister drinking from her sippy. The more he saw her do it, the more he was curious.

The way I made the transition from bottle to sippy was gradual. I gave them the sippy first, they would drink only a little, then I would give them the rest from the bottle. If they became distracted at any point while drinking from the bottle, I slipped the sippy cup back in. If they got overly frustrated, I gave them back the bottle. I focused only on the milk feed after their mid-day nap because it was the most relaxed feed to them. Once they conquered after-nap milk from a sippy, I worked on the morning and evening milk feeds the same way. Those went surprisingly quick since they were having success during the day and practicing 3 times a day at that point.

At 10 months I started experimenting using a straw from an open cup. It was hard for them to understand the concept at first. I made the suck distance as short as possible by using small cups and cutting down the straws. I also did not try this at a milk feed but during a relaxed snack when they were more playful. I made them a tasty shake (ice, banana, formula) one day. Once they got even the smallest amount in their mouth, they were hooked and wanted more! I was also surprised to see that they thought it was fun. They sucked the entire cup dry...I couldn't believe it. So from then on, they drink out of a cup and straw at snack time and lunch, though we only offer water.

The following video depicts the babies drinking a banana milkshake:

Now they are learning to drink from open cups!

Humor at a Young Age

2011-05-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

The older the babies (actually toddlers now) get, the more fun our interactions are. They are picking up on social cues and developing a sense of humor. I really didn't know it started so young! It just goes to show you that we are inherently built to enjoy life.

The babies LOVE it when I wear a pony tail. They crack up laughing and want me to turn my head to see the pony tail swing. It is like they both discovered this humor at the same time and it is nothing that I pointed out to them. The following video is one of those days where Joslyn noticed that my hair was pulled back and Jakob found our interaction especially funny.

What kid doesn't think blowing on their belly is funny?! In this video Jared is getting Joslyn to crack up by blowing on her neck. Adorable!

Sick Ninjas

2011-05-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

In late-March the babies got really sick. We were told by the doctor to use a nebulizer to help break up the congestion in the lungs. The machine has a mask with a valve. We put medication into the valve and the machine vaporizes it so it can be breathed into the lungs using a mask that covers the nose and mouth. Below isn't the exact machine we used but it looks very similar to the one we used.

The babies needed the nebulizer every 4 hours for 5-6 days. We only woke them up once during the night to administer it to them. The picture below is Joslyn when she was woken at 10pm for her final dosage of the day. The night was easier than the day. When they are awake, they HATE it. They cry and squirm a lot to try to get away.

Jared took off one day from work to take a sick shift. Our babies are high demand when they are sick...as I am sure all kids are. This sickness they were whiny, tired, and uncomfortable. In attempts to entertain them, he transformed our sick kids into ninjas. If you look hard enough you can see the slobber and runny noses.

The pictures make you believe they had a good time but in the video below you can see that these sick ninjas aren't feeling so well.

Reverse Psychology

2011-04-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

"Reverse psychology is a technique involving the advocacy of a belief or behavior that is opposite to the one desired, with the expectation that this approach will encourage the subject of the persuasion to do what actually is desired: the opposite of what is suggested." -Good 'ol Wikipedia

We used to have open garbage cans but the babies kept knocking them over and pulling all the trash out...and attempting to put it in their mouths. We don't have any under-the-counter space for our cans so I went from store to store trying to find the perfect baby/toddler proof trash and recycle cans. It seems that stores only sell really expensive cans with automated lids (that will eventually break in my opinion), awkward sized cans, or open-top cans. Only the really expensive ones have a weighted bottom to prevent tipping.

As I typically do, I thought a little outside the box this day and went with a cheap light-weight, tall tin trash can for both garbage and recycling. I weighted the bottom with a box and a brick. THEN I put the babies magnets all over the cans to actually entice them to play there (FYI I keep the outside clean).

The babies enjoyed the new kitchen addition for a week or so, got bored of it, and now they don't even play near the garbage unless I "make" them because I am cooking dinner. Ha! It worked! Now I just need to figure out how to make my cell phone and computer less attractive.

Happy 1st Birthday Workman Twins!

2011-04-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

The twins were born on Earth Day, came home from the NICU on Cinco de Mayo, and were blessed on Independence Day. There is much to be celebrated when it comes to our babies! To honor the fact that we all made it to this 1 year milestone, we went to the zoo and had some cake.

We all enjoyed chocolate angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries. Joslyn knew what to do with her cake the second it was put on the table. She had pretty much devoured her cake before Jakob figured out he could eat his. Once he did, he was excited about the new taste.

Notice in the picture below that their plates are empty and there really isn't that big of a mess on the floor. They LOVED the sweet treat they got for their birthday.

The following are two videos of them eating their cake. Over the month prior, we sang the Happy Birthday song many times. They were excited when we began singing this day, especially since food was involved with a lit candle.

We didn't take many pictures at the zoo. It was an overcast day with a light off/on drizzle. We are brilliant parents because we wore the babies on our backs and carried umbrellas so everyone was able to stay dry and still enjoy the zoo. Our zoo is really awesome because it has a lot of indoor exhibits (with "please" no stroller postings) so we took full advantage of those venues. Did the babies like the zoo? I don't know that they were aware the animals but we do know that they enjoyed being with us and being in a new environment with lots to look at.

Wow...the 4 of us made it one year! I can't believe that the twins are now considered toddlers...they are still babies to us!

Here is a vague recap of the year:
The babies were born 34 weeks gestation (i.e. 6 weeks early) and had a 2 week stay in the NICU. They both came home at their exact birth weight. Jakob was 5 lbs 10 oz and Joslyn was 5 lbs 2 oz. They seemed to stay in that "newborn" stage for almost 3 months. I didn't start putting on 0-3 month clothes until just over 3 months and the newborn diapers lasted much longer than that.

We watched them graduate from isolates in the NICU to open-air cribs in the satellite NICU. At home they slept in bassinets and later moved to regular cribs just before they turned 6 months (they were so tiny!). We swaddled them from the hospital all the way to 5-ish months. They began sleeping through the night at 3 months (12 hour stretch with 1 feeding around 10pm) and by 6-ish months they dropped their 10pm feeding (complete 12 hour stretch).

Breastfeeding was a challenge but I figured out each babies preference and was able to tandem feed at 8 weeks. We made it to nearly 6 months. At 4 months we began introducing runny oatmeal and gradually worked to introduce new foods. By 6 months they were eating salmon and a wide variety of fruits and veggies. I made all my own baby food. By 8 months they were holding their own bottles and by 9.5 months Joslyn was drinking exclusively out of sippy cups. By 10.5 months Jakob was off bottles and by 11 months they were both holding their own sippy cups and began drinking out of open cups with regular straws.

Bath time was also a gradual process. In the NICU they bathed them in round pink tubs. They were sent home with a small rectangle-shaped plastic storage container as a bath tub. We used the 12 inch bathing incline from the storage container in the kitchen sink around 7 weeks. One baby waited in the bouncy seat while the other bathed. By 3-4 months I used the bumbo seat as a "holding area" while the other baby bathed in the sink. Around 4.5-5 months I used the exercauser as the "holding area." From 7-9 months I was so excited to be able to bath them at the same time in the regular bath tub with bath seats. By 9 months the babies were bathing without any seating support!!

The other major things that happened are their eyes changing from that dark black to beautiful light blue, they grew a lot of hair and Joslyn's red hair is curly, rolling over (4 months), sitting up (6 months), crawling (7-8 months), and attempts to walk (9-12 months). We didn't have full-blown walkers by 12 months but Jakob has been taking 3-4 steps on his own a few times a day...and they both do a LOT of furniture surfing. To name just a few other accomplishments, the babies have learned to wave, point, turn pages on a book, clap, push buttons, and turn on/off the lights.

This past year they have really developed personalities. Jakob is very active and giggles/smiles a lot. Joslyn is focused on her activities and loves music (she sings and dances in her own little baby way). We enjoy seeing their cute personalities evolve each day.

Happy Birthday Jakob and Joslym! We love you!

Sharing swings...AGAIN!

2011-04-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

The babies are 11 months and still enjoy sharing...because they don't know any better. Today we went to the park and they enjoyed being pushed in the same swing. I could push from both sides and give both babies attention at the same time, which got a lot of giggles out of them. These pictures were taken from Jared's cellphone. I wish we had our video camera to take some footage because it was so cute!

Don't try this at home, kids!

2011-03-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

What kid doesn't love the swing! Unfortunately, we only have one so the babies have to take turns. Daddy had a brilliant idea to share, but Mommy didn't think it was safe.

This is Jakob being told by Daddy about his great idea...notice he is amused by the thought of danger.

They are seemingly enjoying the thrill of this death-defying event.

Now they are bored by it and want to do something more extreme. Mom says "No way!"

The video below shows the dynamic-duo swinging from the tree tops without holding their breath:

Balloon Fun while Skyping

2011-03-08T20:11:00.001-08:00

Jakob and Joslyn were skyping with grandma and grandpa workman when they were 9 months old. They entertained the audience with some balloon fun. We barely had enough time to grab the camera to catch the end of this play. Each baby was grabbing for the balloon giggling while it bounced around between them. Caution: The video below may be too adorable for sensitive individuals!

"Da da"

2011-03-08T20:04:00.000-08:00

Jakob's the walker but Joslyn is our little talker! She has been practicing her D's, B's and M's. She also loves clicking with her tongue and thinks it is funny when we copy her doing it. This video is of her when she was 9 months old saying "da da."

Walking

2011-03-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

Jakob has been able to stand with his stiff little legs since he was 3 months...but only with assistance. By 6 months he grasped the concept of walking when we helped him stand. By 9 months the kid was begging us (i.e. whining cries while pulling on our fingers) to "walk" around with him. Once we give in to his need to walk, the kid is so happy! This video is him at 9 months doing just that:

I have a hunch that he is going to be athletic like his daddy.

Spring Cleaning

2011-03-08T19:20:00.001-08:00

Well it isn't spring yet but we took advantage of the nice weather the first weekend in March to clean up our carport and organize our two sheds. We began this project when the babies went down for their 2-hour mid-day nap. After their nap, we weren't finished so we enlisted the babies for their help :) We each strapped a baby to our backs and kept cleaning. They really enjoyed being involved in the action and spending time outside.

This video shows us hard at work and even depicts daddy's little helper lending a hand moving some wood:

Lunch Time!

2011-03-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

The babies LOVE, love to feed themselves. They are 10 months old and have been doing this for several weeks now. I keep introducing new finger foods and so far they haven't turned anything down...and they have had quiet the variety. For lunch they typically have one meat, one veggie, one cheese, and one bread with a sippy cup full of water.

In the following video, you can see the babies eating their peas and carrots...good little babies!

It is OK to cry sometimes

2011-03-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Today was a difficult day...and I almost shed some tears. I held my composure and pushed through the evening. I think the most difficult part is that I am usually home with the babies alone in the evenings. Much of the crying that happened tonight could have been avoided if they could get some one-on-one time. They only need a few minutes of that quality attention and then they would be good to go BUT if that attention is denied, their emotions escalate. The video below is one of those escalating moments (FYI this isn't as bad as it was prior to filming):

It all started at 5pm when I needed to prepare their dinner. I wore Joslyn on my back in a carrier and I held Jakob on my hip...and tried to prepare dinner one handed. This juggling act is my typical routine and for the most part it works. Tonight, however, Jakob knocked something over and when I turned, Joslyn reached for the steamer. Her little hand felt the hot steam and she began crying. I was worried she burned her hand so I put Jakob down, who also began crying. I left Jakob on the ground crying and hurried to finish dinner while crying Joslyn was on my hip. The whole thing just kept escalating as I wasn't able to meet all their needs right then. Once dinner was done, I rushed to feed them...and they kept crying. Once their bellies were full..they both wanted to be held. Then I needed to cloth Joslyn...who began crying and Jakob was upset I wasn't holding him any more. I thought I would solve it be taking them for a walk...it worked but when I got home, taking them one-by-one inside, upset them again. I was hoping Jared would have been home by the time our walk was over but he had to work late. So I had to set them both down to make their bottle, and the crying escalated again until they got their milk. Ugh...finally, it was bedtime. I didn't get any crying, instead Joslyn gave me a kiss on my cheek with a big smile. It is only the second time she has done that and it was that little bit of cuteness that made my eyes start watering. Being a mom is hard and being a mom with twins ALONE is even harder. Tomorrow is a new day and I look forward to their smiling faces when they wake.

Pretty in Pink

2011-03-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

I signed up for a 3-day photography class at the local community center. Just weeks after the babies were born we ran out and bought a fairly expensive camera, which to our frustration, we don't know how to use. The class teaches about the basic functions of the camera and how to get "good" shots (if the babies would just sit still). For this weeks homework assignment, I took pictures of Joslyn in the tutu I made her. She is so adorable!! I think I semi-understand the camera now and was happy with most of the pictures I took. Here are my favorites:

And of course I took pictures of Jakob...he is such a busy body that he was in and out of Joslyn's way. So going with the tutu theme, here is Jakob doing what he does best...chewing on stuff!

Rub-a-dub Bath Fun

2011-02-10T19:23:00.001-08:00

We moved from washing the babies in the sink to the bath tub just after 6 months when they could sit up. They couldn't sit up well enough on their own so we used bath seats. The picture below only shows a portion of the bath seats but the video following gives a great depiction. Once Jakob figured out how to turn himself around and even stand up, these seats became ineffective for him. Joslyn likes to lounge so the seats worked for her a little longer.

I absolutely LOVE bath time now that they can sit and play on their own in the tub. We transitioned to the tub without bath seats around 8.5 months. Jakob doesn't get scared any more if water gets in his face, which was an instinct since his first bath. He has even dipped his face in the water and it didn't even phase him. Joslyn has always loved the water and has never mind getting water in her face, though she gets nervous sometime when we encourage her to lay on her back in the water.

I love this video as it shows how fun bath time can be. Joslyn is quite the talker during bath time and loves to make big splashes, whether on purpose or due to a slip.

Biker Chick

2011-02-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

Look, Mom, no hands!

The babies love riding on their bike up and down the hall and playing with all the little gadgets the bike has to offer. I think Joslyn is an aspiring engineer as she is so fascinated with the moving parts of the bike. For example, I open the little trunk and she is more interested in closing it than seeing what is inside.

This video depicts our little biker mama peeling out in the living room.

5 Finger Discount

2011-02-10T18:03:00.000-08:00

While we were on vacation over the New Year, we went sight-seeing at Olympic Park in Park City, UT. Jared got a call from work so he wasn't paying much attention to the fact that his 8-month-old son strapped to his chest picked up a t-shirt. When the phone call was over, we all headed out the door. As we were leaving someone pointed out the t-shirt and we promptly returned it to its rightful place in the store.

Traveling with twinfants

2011-01-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

We took our very first flight with the babies the first week of the New Year. We were nervous but our hope was the flights would lag behind the holiday rush. We purchased 2 tickets in adjacent rows since only one lap infant is permitted per row. Since the flights weren't packed we were able to get the middle seat for free (asked at the gate) and bring the car seats on board. That relieved a lot of stress since the 4+ hour flight coincided with bedtime one way and nap time the other way. They are used to falling asleep in their car seats but not in our arms so sleep went smoothly. We didn't have any crying with take-off or landing either but was prepared with a pacifier and bottle, if needed.

We decided that we would not check anything. Jared and I are used to packing for carry-on only but weren't sure it would be possible with all the babies gear. In the picture, Jared and I packed all our things in the blue suitcase while the babies things are in the backpack. The black bag is our over-large diaper bag containing toys and needed items for the entire day. The stroller folds down really small and is checked at the gate. We would have also checked the car seats but were able to bring them on board with us. We packed for 4 days and just washed clothes mid-week. We purchased diapers, formula and baby food when we got to our destination. It was a tight squeeze but it worked out pretty smoothly.

The one souvenir I wish we didn't bring back with us was colds...babies and mom are pretty sick! I previously thought this would happen so it isn't a surprise. There is a lot of adjusting to do now that we are home...we need a vacation from our vacation!

Carrying Twins: Hands-free!

2011-01-09T15:31:00.000-08:00

After my post about the stroller-less shopping trip, a few moms of twins enlightened me that it is possible to wear two carriers at once. I found out I don't have the right type of carriers to effortlessly wear both babies (i.e. I bought cheapo ones). I tried and tried and finally was able to do it with the carriers I currently have but the couch was required for support to get the baby in back on. So I can do this around my house but cannot do it from the car in order to go to a public place. It would be nice to be completely hands free and not rely on a cart or stroller.

Wearing two babies at once actually balanced me out since they are about the same weight. With one I am either leaning forward or backward. I didn't do this for longer than 10 minutes so I don't know if it will get tiring if I went for a walk or to the store. Perhaps I will get buff thighs...that would probably require some squats.

As a side note: the baby in back LOVES to pull my hair, whether in a pony tail or not, and thinks it is really funny. I got a tip that I should attach a small toy to the strap of the carrier and throw it over my shoulder so the back baby has something else to tug on :) Brilliant!

Definitely Nice This Year

2010-12-26T15:38:00.001-08:00

The twins got some Santa time during Jared's work party mid-December. I told Santa they have been nice this year.

Jakob asked for his 2 front teeth for Christmas. Low and behold Christmas morning, he got one of them. Just a few days following he got the second front tooth...and then a another top tooth...now working on his sixth tooth (poor guy is producing teeth like crazy).

The babies opened presents from their grandma, grandpa, and cousins. They were a bit confused at the mess on the floor and didn't really grasp the concept but it was fun to watch them crawl around the small piles.

This is Jakob "patiently" waiting for Dad to open his new toy.

Here is Joslyn smiling about her new toys.

Merry Christmas!

Silly Elf Dance

2010-12-22T17:31:00.000-08:00

The Workmans practiced and practiced to get this dance just right! Watch the silly video below to see our latest moves...

Christmas Elevated

2010-12-12T18:20:00.000-08:00

The babies are in the beginnings of the crawling stage. Though they aren't efficient crawlers yet, they can maneuver their way to anything that catches their eye. For any kid, the Christmas tree is an eye catcher :)

Our fake Christmas tree is actually a 3-tiered tree that nearly touches the ceiling. However, this year I only assembled the top 2 tiers and put in on a square footrest, making the tree much smaller/skinnier AND out of the babies' reach. I would rather have a smaller tree elevated and put it behind the couch than use a baby gate with decorations only at adult-reach. I LOVE the overloaded ornament look so I just couldn't give that up. I am sure this trick won't work next year when the twins can walk and climb on furniture...but I love challenges, especially in our small home!

As for other decorations, they are all out of reach. In fact, they are out of my reach without a stool. This is pretty much my plan until the twins are much older. I have some great ideas but this year I just don't have the time...but next year cool ideas will be put into action!

Merry Christmas!

Kitchen Remodel: Tile Backsplash

2010-12-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

The workpersons are working again: You may have assumed we were done with our kitchen remodel that we started long before the babies got here...well we aren't done yet. We have the finishing touches so we are taking our time to get those done. Thanksgiving weekend we worked on the tile backsplash behind the stove.

We bought long, skinny glass tile in an ocean color scheme. It matches our glass stove top and counter tops perfectly. This is Jared cutting the pieces to fit the space.

Here Jared is putting in white grout to match our white cabinets.

This is the finished master piece! It looks so good, especially since we now have an open floor plan and you can see it from the livingroom.

We still need to paint and put up a tile backsplash behind the sink...our plan is to get that done before next Thanksgiving :)

For the Love of Crackers

2010-12-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

Having 2 teeth has given them some new things to do...chew on things :) After they ate lunch, I keep them in their seats for a few minutes. This particular day I decided to eat my lunch in front of them while they sat there. They intently watched me eat saltine crackers and hummus. I decided to give them a rice cracker (meant for babies) for the first time. I was so surprised that they easily picked it up and fed themselves! I guess I should have tried a little sooner. They have a hard time with small food but these rice crackers are the perfect shape to grasp with their hands and fit in their mouths. The crackers melt quickly so there isn't worry of choking. I love these crackers as much as the babies do!

Here is a video of the first time I gave them the crackers. I tend to feed them with only a diaper on because they are messy and it is easier to clean up naked babies than clothed babies.

Turkey Dinner for All!

2010-12-08T18:27:00.000-08:00

The babies turned 7 months a few days before Thanksgiving and have 2 teeth. We were so excited to share the American tradition of turkey dinner with them. They had a little of everything we made: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce. We blended it up and they loved it! They got a few bites of pumpkin pie for dessert :)

After we spoon fed them their food, we had them sit at the table with us while we ate. This is probably our first family meal...the day we all eat at the same time I will count as another first :)

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Although most of us had pretty bad colds during this holiday, we still had lots to be thankful for this year. For me, the year started out a little difficult as I was defending my masters thesis while working full-time and dealing with a painful pregnancy...only to move onto a few stays in the hospital and strict bed rest for 2 months. That was not just physically hard but also mentally. This period was followed by a rough postpartum recovery and months of sleep deprivation. I wondered what the end of the year would be like...would I make it through?? I am so glad to finally answer my question. "YES! You will make it through!" I am so thankful I have 2 beautiful, healthy, and happy babies who sleep through the night. I have a wonderful husband who supports me. I have a balanced family-work-social life that fits me (and a master's degree). The year has ended and I am seeing the fruits of the labors (no pun intended). There is much to be thankful for this year.

1 Adult + 2 Babies and NO Stroller = PERFECT OUTING!

2010-12-06T11:54:00.000-08:00

The 15-step master plan...
1. Fix babies next feed in advance
2. Load babies in car seats and put on front carrier
3. Drive to store and park by the car return
4. Put baby #1 in front carrier
5. Get cart from nearby cart return and put baby #2 in kid seat of cart
6. Put purse/diaper bag in seat next to baby #2
7. Go shopping!
8. Feed babies puffs if it gets close to a mealtime to keep things calm
9. Check out and ask for help loading bags in car if available
10. Load baby #2 in car seat while still wearing baby #1
11. Load baby #1 in car seat
12. If no one helped me to the car, empty cart in trunk and place cart in nearby cart return
13. Go home! Unload babies but leave stuff in trunk (unless freezer food)
14. Feed babies previously mentioned prepared food
15. Get stuff out of trunk

You think I am joking but freeing myself of lugging around a double stroller is actually liberating. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE our Maclaren double stroller but it is currently set up in our dining room for the babies milk feeds. If I want to go out, I have to get the babies and the stroller out to the van or car and the stroller has to be returned to the house promptly for the subsequent milk feeds. I have ran into tight return times where I am rushing back into the house to minimize crying and don't have time to make the third trip to get the stroller...only to need it later, which can result in more crying because I wasn't prepared.

Another problem I have with a stroller is when I am shopping. If I want to buy more than what fits in the tiny baskets, I have to get creative in the store by making piles at closed registers (i.e. takes WAY too long)...or just go alone after the babies are asleep in the evenings when Jared is home.

Now that the babies are 7 months old and can sit up, this works perfectly!! It doesn't take me very long to get in and out of the house and store alone, which is a miracle in itself, and I have all the room I need to effectively shop. And to top it off, the babies are happy the entire time because it is full of smooth transitions...no crying!!

P.S. I must make things look really easy because someone stopped me at the grocery store to ask the standard twin questions and proceeded to tell me that twins are easier than having 2 kids 1 year apart :)

No Joke...I get the craziest questions DAILY

2010-11-25T06:07:00.000-08:00

I am a pretty outgoing person as most of you know. I don't mind talking to strangers or speaking in public. But I had no clue that having twins would make you the center of attention (like it or not) in any public place. I get all kinds of questions and it is crazy how BOLD people are when they don't even know you. I have had "jaw-dropping" conversations with people I don't even know (daily/weekly), like the following...

1. "Are they twins?" Yes.
2. "You are so lucky." Sometimes I think I am.
3. "Is it a boy and a girl?" Yep.
4. "So that means you are done, right?" We'll see what happens.
5. "Which is your favorite?" Both of them.
6. "I meant, do you tend to favor one over the other?" I try hard to keep things equal.
7. "So are they identical twins?" No, one is a boy and one is a girl...
8. "Oh, I guess they can't be identical then. Are they natural?" Natural, well, they aren't aliens.
9. "I heard that fraternal twins aren't natural." Well that's not a true statement. Fraternal twins means there were 2 eggs instead of 1 egg splitting.
10. "I mean did you take something to get twins...like a drug or something?" That's a pretty personal question to ask.
11. "Well, I guess I should have asked if twins run in your family." Yes. Both sides.
12. "Cool. I know someone with twins in their family." That's neat.
13. "I always get pregnant really easy. Did you plan your pregnancy?" We knew we wanted kids.
14. "That stinks for those that can't have kids and you get two at once. Aren't you glad you don't have triplets! Have you heard of that Octomom? That would be crazy." Yep, I am sure it would be.
15. "I don't know how you do it with 2 babies." I have no other choice. I learn as I go.
16. "Well it will get so much easier when they are toddlers and can play with each other." I hope so.
17. "I think it is harder to have two kids at different ages." No comment.
18. "Are you able to nurse them?" Yep. They are normal babies.
19. "Do you do it at the same time or one at a time?" Same time.
20. "I bet that feels weird. It is a good thing these are your first because you don't know any different."
21. "Well, good luck. Bye." (and I think...Good luck to you in making new friends.)

So the above conversation is a NORM among mothers of multiples (MOMs). Yep, there are that many people out there that will be so bold to ask a complete stranger these questions on a regular basis. So if you are not an MOM, are you one of these strangers in another MOM's life? I hope not. The following video was sent to me by another MOM and demonstrates this conversation in a humorous way.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for my blessings...no matter how they are given to me.

Got Spare Time? Host a Workshop!

2010-11-21T09:19:00.001-08:00

As any parent can attest, there isn't really a concept of "spare time" any more, especially with twins. However, this past Saturday, November 20th I hosted an Infant Sleep Workshop for new and expectant parents...just for fun. About 2-3 weeks prior to this event, I began creating a PowerPoint, advertising extensively, making hand-outs, looking to reserve a location, and pooling together 15+ volunteers for childcare. I got floods of emails for desperate parents from all over the place! The day of the workshop, we estimated there were more than 65+ in attendance (I only knew a handful of the people who came). Within the 2-hour session, I outlined the importance of good-quality sleep and walked through sleep-training techniques to implement healthy sleep habits in infants. Good-quality sleep is a biological necessity, not a parenting style. The parenting-style of choice should be founded on sleep principles.

By gathering advice from other mothers and an EXTENSIVE review of literature, I successfully helped our twins learn to fall asleep without crying and unassisted in their cribs, stay asleep, nap regularly during the day, and sleep 12 hours at night. My 6-week-premature twins were sleeping through the night by 13 weeks old. Now our daily routine happens effortlessly and comes naturally to them.

I did this as a volunteer effort to strengthen families. In the beginning I, like so many other parents, had misconceptions about infant sleep needs. Such misconceptions can set new parents off to the wrong start. Confusion, frustration, crying, hopelessness, you name it, can follow. Sleep deprivation (in you and your child) doesn’t allow us to be our best self. I believe that having the right information about sleep is just a “tool” to help with parental confidence and strengthen marriage relationships. I would like to take my show on the road...anyone want to fly me out! LOL

Good Night Babies!
This video is of me putting both babies to bed after they drink some milk and we read a book. Bedtime is around 7:00 PM. This is a typical night for me because Jared usually doesn't get home until much later. As the babies get bigger, they are getting harder to pick up at the same time :) The video is really dark with only a red night light on and there is a funny loud sound coming from the camera...but you will still get the idea.

Good Morning Babies!
Jared and I are both together in the morning to see the babies wake. It is our favorite part of the day and we often tell the other to "wait for me!" before entering their room. They wake up pretty much around 7:00 AM on their own. We hear little cooing and often talking back-and-forth to each other but once we flip on the lights, it is nothing but smiles.

Sleep-training tools for success:
"Happiest Baby on the Block on DVD" by Harvey Karp, M.D.
"Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins" by Marc Weissbluth, M.D.
"The New Contented Little Baby Book" by Gina Ford
(A Best Selling Author)

Totem Pole Twins

2010-11-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here is my last post of this evening...a little silly but the picture is so cute. Their facial expressions are open to interpretation.

Daily Walks

2010-11-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know this already, the Great Outdoors really are great because they make grumpy kids happy. I swear it is a tool I use everyday. We live a block from a nice grocery store so I go there at least once everyday and have noticed everything about every person's yard in my neighborhood. All of this is actually wonderful for me as I have a chance to exercise, get fresh air, and the babies calm down during those afternoon "bewitching" hours.

I am a little nervous as cooler weather is already making its way here and how that will impact our daily walks. I have stroller sacks to help keep them warm but I don't know if I have the guts to endure the cold. We may transition to mall walkers once it gets too cold for me. We live less than 1 mile from 2 really nice malls so daily walks should still be doable, though it will take a little extra effort.

We have a BOB jogging stroller that we bought at an NVPOM consignment sale. It rocks! It is my favorite stroller out of the 5 strollers we currently own. Yep, and all 5 are used on a regular basis :)

Something in the water?

2010-11-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

I am pretty sure water doesn't cause pregnancy but tis the season! I have been surrounded by awesome women who were pregnant at the same time as me. We had a get-together before and after the babies were born. In the first picture we are standing in our due date order though, I jumped up to second place when it really came time to deliver as my babies were 6 weeks early. (Looking at the picture I just realized how short I really am...)

In this picture we are missing a few babies from the women above but you can see that everyone is healthy and officially welcomed to the world.

Tribute to Katie

2010-11-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

This blog post is to remember this awesome girl who popped into my life at my most desperate hours. I was sleep deprived with no help. I wasn't sure if I could make it another day. Mothering twins is so difficult, especially for a first-time mom. Through God's mercy, he sent me an angel, named Katie. She has since left for college but she helped me day and sometimes night to care for the twins while Jared was at work. We paid her for her help but it was worth every penny as she was beyond flexible and eager to make things easier for me. She had no infant experience coming into the situation but she has left a pro and if she is lucky, she will be blessed with twins too (but not anytime soon!) She came when the babies were 8 weeks old and left when they were about 16 weeks old. During that stretch of time was when I began sleep training the twins based on Gina Ford's books. I needed helping hands to implement a schedule and figure out what worked for our family. Her help was crucial in our current success. Thank you Katie for finding your way into our lives! We wish you the best of luck in your near future and one day down the road with a family of your own!

Bedtime Routine

2010-11-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Most evenings Jared is working when I put the twins to bed. I have gotten creative during bath and feeding times to make things work for the 3 of us (and my 2 hands). Our evening routine is as follows:

5:00pm Dinner at the table
6:00pm Baby 1 bathes while Baby 2 plays in ExerSaucer
6:15pm Baby 2 bathes while Baby 1 plays in ExerSaucer
6:30pm Feed both babies the rest of their milk in their calm bedroom
6:45pm Book time with classical music playing in the background and lights dimmed
7:00pm Babies in bed WITH NO CRYING

This routine has taken many months of hard work but things are coming together and getting easier, especially when I have to do it by myself.

Again, I cannot stress Gina Ford's The Contented Little Baby Book enough!! It seriously works miracles!!!

Yep, this was all free!

2010-11-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

While I was on 8 weeks (yes, that is 2 solid months) of bed rest...laying down bed rest...I did a lot of surfing the web...a lot. I think I hit the end of the Internet and on my way back I came across a YouTube video of organizing coupons and several other websites about shopping for free (No, not shoplifting). Well, I have put my coupon research into practice and below is an image of the things I got FOR FREE from a recent shopping trip to CVS. I have gotten so much stuff for dollars and pennies, it is crazy! It is fun for me but I don't have much time to keep up with it. I gave a fun lesson on couponing to a group of woman at my church a few weeks back...I think I saw jaws drop :)

Master Bedroom Closet

2010-11-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

In the midst of caring for twins, we have managed to build ourselves a master bedroom closet. As we have blogged about before, we have an EXTREMELY small single-family home built in 1954. The closet in the bedroom was small so we took away just a little of the room's square footage to build a larger closet. In the following picture you can only see half of the full closet. I think a baby was crying and I didn't get to take a shot of the other side :) But you get the idea. We also made custom closet built-ins to fit our clothes AND all my rows of shoes. I love all the new closet space and it really seems like it has been there all along. Oh, a side note, we haven't painted the walls yet, just primed them. I am thinking of going blue...my favorite color!

ExerSaucering

2010-11-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

Joslyn and Jakob love to play in their ExerSaucers these days. Watching them play, we can really see some big differences in personalities. Joslyn is excited to play with each individual toy. She goes around the entire saucer touching and focusing on each toy. Jakob, on the other hand, is just happy to be standing up strait and not as interested in his toys. He swings his arms around and shouts out with excited and he watches what's going on around him. Sometimes he cries out because he wants to play with the toys on Joslyn's saucer. It's fun to watch the play!

Here are the babies in their ExerSaucers...

Jakob is our hyper baby and he always has lots to say. Here is what he has to say about his ExerSaucer...

Joslyn playing in her ExerSaucer. She LOVES the bee!

Fainting Goats and Sitting Babies

2010-11-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

The babies started sitting up on their own around 5 months. We practice everyday and they are getting so much better these days. I took the following video a few weeks ago and it made us laugh (still does). It reminded us of a video we once saw on YouTube of fainting goats. If you haven't seen it, I attached it below for a humorous comparison.

Sitting Babies

Fainting Goats

6 Months and Sippy Cups

2010-11-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Hello, crazy thought, but this book I am following for weaning the twins from milk to solids suggest I introduce sippy cups at 6 months. So I did it and Joslyn has took to it immediately. She is so cute when she drinks from it! We do not feed them their milk through the sippy cups, just water or watered-down juice. Jakob did great the very first day but has hesitated the past few days. We will just keep trying.

This video is of Jakob drinking from the sippy cup for the second time that day. We were feeding them in their stroller with a blanket covering the seat while our BRILLIANT feeding table was being made. The stroller served a great purpose for feeding the babies simultaneously with their bottled milk but solids were just too messy.

Here is the book I am using to wean the babies: Gina Ford's The Contented Little Baby Book of Weaning

Gina Ford is brilliant the way she introduces solids and a well balanced meals. She takes a lot of approaches that will hopefully avoid picky eaters during the toddler and later years. For example, offering diverse meals early on such as the salmon we have in our food in the above video. The babies have loved all the food we have given them so far. If there is one person I could meet, I would pick Gina Ford :)

Sunday Best, Nothing Less

2010-11-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

Way to go Grandma Hansen for finding Jakob a 3-piece suit. Someone had given us a mini tie so he was all decked out for church on Sunday. The boy was profiling! To top it off, Jared wore his gray suit with a light blue shirt and red tie too. I wish we had taken a photo but we will repeat this again in the near future.

As for Ms. Joslyn, she was stylin in a pretty sun dress, purple cardigan, and white tights. The hat complimented her cute round face. She was the belle of the ball. I don't even own purple so we couldn't be all "matchy-matchy." I will have to do a little shopping at some point so we can at least coordinate an outfit :)

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

Jared picked out cute costumes for the babies at the NVPOM consignment sale. He did a good job. Jakob was a gold fish and Joslyn was a pink poodle. Jared thought Joslyn's costume was a pink lamb so I believed him without even looking at it. It wasn't until halfway through a Halloween party that I realized she was a poodle! Joslyn makes these cute noises kind of like a lamb so we thought her costume fit her perfectly...oh well!

Here is a video of them on the couch with their costumes on. Joslyn has rubbed off her whiskers and dark nose. FYI Jakob doesn't fall off the couch at the end of the clip. He just rolls and I freaked out...I'm a typical mom, right!

Sharing & Snuggles

2010-11-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

Having a twin means lots of opportunities to share...whether they like it or not. The babies are starting to become aware of the other and that the other has needs/wants. For example, sharing during mealtime can be a bit frustrating. They have to wait for the other to take a bite before they get a bite. Jakob is a little less patient during meals. As for toys, they watch what the other is playing with and if they are close enough, they will try to play with it too. This picture is of the babies the first time I really "made" them play together. They are just days after their 6 month mark.

Here is the video of the above photo:

In this video the babies naturally gravitated toward the same toy on the floor while I was changing them into their PJs.

I really hope the babies learn to share and play nicely!! We will do as much positive encouragement as possible but who knows! So with wishful thinking of smooth toddler-years, this video shows Joslyn suggling next to Jakob after their bath in the nursery. So cute!! We didn't position them this way, they did it on their own and were happy.

Half Birthday Gift!

2010-11-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

On October 22nd the babies turned 6 months old and they got themselves a gift...their first tooth! Yep they have been whining for days about wanting one and I guess they splurged by finally getting one. It was so cute that these twins chose to get the same tooth too. The tooth fairy better start saving...

Here is Jakob's tiny little tooth:

Here is Joslyn's tiny little tooth:

I knew the babies were teething (they had all the classic signs) but I really didn't think they would get their first tooth until 8 months. I assumed that because they were 6 weeks premature...so I thought they would be behind. Apparently not! I didn't really offer them many teething toys. The following day I felt bad and gave them a frozen slice of peach in a teething ring. Jakob LOVED it but Joslyn wasn't that interested...she has a high pain tolerance :)

Here is a video of them chewing on their peach in their stroller:

The Ultimate Twin High Chair

2010-11-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is a must have in our books! My cousin told me about activity tables for Daycares. I thought, "Why in the world would I buy 2 high chairs if I could have one of those?!" I checked the price and those things sell for $300+, which is not in our high chair budget. Plus I would want something to accommodate the whole family at mealtime. I decided to make one instead for a fraction of the price. I found replacement seats for the table online (pkg of 6 chairs for $16.99 and pkg of 2 belts for $2.99 on elitedeals.com) and had Jared cut holes in our free Ikea table. We figure we can invest in a new table when the babies are bigger. In the meantime, we will make wood fillers for the holes when we have company over. The table/chairs are good for kids up to 24+ months.

The table rocks! When the chairs are turned facing out, we can feed the babies easily when they are infants. Jared is demonstrating our plan at 1:00AM when we finished the job. We were so excited for the next morning's feed.

The chairs can be rotated to face inward, as Jared is demonstrating.

When the chairs are inward, the babies can use this as an activity table with toys or later, coloring/playdo/painting/crafts OR for eating together as a family. Our home is soooo small that this fits our space perfectly!

Joslyn & Jakob BEFORE eating:

Joslyn & Jakob AFTER eating:

Feeding twins at the same time is a circus act! This table has improved our efficiency and the babies love it! The babies just turned 6 months in these pictures and we began the weaning process, which means more mess with solids. The chairs come out easily and I can rinse them out in the sink...seriously, brilliant!

We haven't implemented the "No Feet on Table" rule yet.

Here is a video of Jared feeding the babies at the table. They are not buckled in so they are all over the place.

FYI Since we got a shipment of 6 chairs, we plan to make 2 swings out of the extra chairs so the babies can both enjoy swinging outside at the same time. Not sure what we will do with the final 2 chairs???

The Babies Graduated to Cribs

2010-11-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

The babies have been happy and content in their little bassinets from May to the end of September (5 months). Cribs were a little over due but we had 6 week premature babies so they lasted a bit longer than most babies AND we were waiting to buy cribs from the Northern Virginia Parents of Multiples (NVPOM) consignment sale, which wasn't until October 2nd. We got REALLY, REALLY nice cribs for $60 each! I love them and the babies love them! They are actually canopy beds but I felt that was too much for the room so we (i.e. Jared) only put up the fore-posts.

So here is the nursery! I have added a few pictures on the wall since but it is finally looking like we have babies in our house. Since I was on bed rest so long and way passed sleep deprived after the babies were home, I wasn't able to get this room really put together the way I wanted. The room is so small...8x10. I was worried the transition from bassinets to cribs would dwarf the already small room BUT I think it is put together in such a way that works for the small space. We have everything in there we need and just enough room to move around. We have never planned on having the babies play in that room so it currently is serving its purpose: sleep, diapering, and story time.

We were nervous that the babies would not like their cribs after being in those tiny bassinets. We feared crying nights! During the crib transition we also were transitioning out of swaddles. It didn't take long to make both transitions. The babies did really well and continued sleeping through the night and during naps. In the following pictures we had just woken the babies up in the morning and placed them in the same crib. They were so happy and were playing with their stuffed animals.

The babies aren't swaddled anymore when they sleep. They love sleeping on their stomachs now and turn over immediately when put in their cribs. When we wake them in the morning of from naps, their cute little bums are always sticking up in the air.

Two babies = Twice the giggles

2010-11-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

The dynamics in our home started changing once the babies started smiling and giggling. So much effort (seriously so much effort) goes into parenting and the reward comes when the babies start smiling. This video is so adorable of the babies at 4.5 months! Jared is acting silly and the babies are giggling.

Backyard Fun

2010-11-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

We bought a swing to go in a tree in our backyard...we should have bought two! The babies just love it. Joslyn is our swing model demonstrating how fun the swing can be :)

Here are some videos of the babies in the swing:

Oh no...our babies are about to scatter

2010-11-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

Jakob is our busy body! He can't stop wiggling and gets frustrated if he is still. He has hit all the "moving" milestones before his twin sister. In the following video you can see Jakob's efforts to crawl. He is exactly 6 months old. Joslyn is scooting around and will catch up to him in no time.

Jakob's Ears

2010-09-23T03:36:00.000-07:00

The babies love Jakob's ears :) Either she is holding his ears or he is! If they are laying next to each other, Joslyn tries to grab Jakob's ear. Jakob tolerates it but doesn't like it for long. However, Jakob's hands like to have a death grip on his ears while he eats or sleeps but Jakob usually ends up crying because his ear's don't like it. Here is a video of Joslyn holding Jakob's ear.

Oatmeal and beyond!

2010-09-23T02:36:00.000-07:00

Jakob is our hungry hippo...by 3.5 months (remember they were 6 weeks early) he was downing large amounts of milk so the pediatrician suggested he could start tasting very runny oatmeal from a spoon a few times a week. The following 3 videos are his very first tastes:

I started feeding both of them oatmeal every evening at 4 months and by 4.5 months we fed it for breakfast too. By 5 months we introduced fruit and veggie purees for breakfast, lunch, and dinner feeds...they are still taking full milk feeds (7-8 oz) with the purees as tasters after. They usually split one jar of food. We get a few cute wrinkle faces when we change the food every 3 days. However, every day is a consistent mess!

Tribute to the Hallmans

2010-09-23T01:44:00.000-07:00

Our great friends that lived across the street have moved...oh how we miss them! Our little friend, Jane, was our neighborhood watch program as she was always looking out the big picture window to see what we were doing at our house. I jokingly asked this 3-year-old if she had seen Jared one Saturday morning while I had been out with her mom. I thought she wouldn't answer but instead I got a response "Yes, he picked up the newspaper." Jared and I spent many late nights chatting at their house...until the wee-A.M. hours. It was so great to have such good friends right across the street!

The babies paid one last tribute to our fleeing neighbors in the following video (Excuse the messy house...we have twins):

The young couple that bought the Hallman's house have torn it down and are building a new 2-story home. The demolition and building has gone fairly fast. Our neighborhood is spotted by rebuilt homes since these homes are small but in an ideal location. These small homes with large lots, like ours, sell quickly if priced fairly. The Hallmans never even listed their home on the market...someone approached them and they happened to be "thinking" about moving (though we were trying to discourage it). We don't plan on taring our house down but we may need to build on in the future to make room for our growing family. We have been keeping tabs on the process across the street.

Can you fall asleep anywhere?

2010-09-23T01:21:00.000-07:00

Do you remember those days when you were a wee-thing and could fall asleep anywhere? Right now I am making this post because I couldn't fall back asleep at 4:00AM.

Family Photo

2010-09-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

We took a family photo at the church's Annual Chili Cook-off Friday, September 17th. The babies had a blast and they got to stay up way past their 7 PM bedtime!

Hours of Entertainment

2010-09-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

The babies love to look at the ceiling fan! We have clocked hours (not continuous) of entertainment from the bedroom fan as the following video demonstrates:

While Jared was doing some remodeling in our bedroom (building master closet) he put the babies in their bumbo chairs to learn handyman skills...needless to say, they were distracted by the mesmerizing fan.

Imaginary Friend

2010-09-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

Our hands are full with the twins, so Jakob and Joslyn don't get to have friends over very often. One day we came into the living room and they had created a "friend" to play with...clever little babies :)

This is how we feed 2 babies at once...

2010-08-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

Everyone asks us how we feed the babies. Yes, we feed them at the same time. However, for the first month or so we were staggering their feeds like they had done in the NICU but that took a lot of time (i.e. we were sleep deprived) so we figured out how to cut the time by mastering the art of double-timing it. So I want to share this survival technique...

This is how we bottle-feed 2 babies at once. The bouncy seats have been invaluable to us as well as the bumbo chairs for burping themselves while the other baby is still eating.

Sometimes this is how I feed 2 babies at once...and check my email :) I have issues with posting this image but it is modest and quite the accomplishment. This was not easy to learn but it was out of shear desperation that got me to this point. The blanket behind me is used as a burp cloth while the blanket underneath them is to catch their spit-up and 2 other blankets used to prop their heads up (I don't have to use those blankets anymore because they are much bigger). I am using a twin breast-feeding pillow. Once I am positioned, it is really annoying if I forgot something so in the corner of the couch is a bunch of little things just in case I need them (cell phone used as a clock, bottle/nipple, formula, booger sucker, tissues, water, extra burp clothes, wipes, etc). Before any feeding, I have to have this all set up...if I don't, the feed can get stressful and take a long time if I am not prepared and alone.

We are following an eat/sleep schedule outlined in Gina Ford's "The New Contented Little Baby Book" (We also have the twin version: A Contented House with Twins). I highly recommend this book. I did a LOT of research and this one seemed the most logical/natural and worked like a charm. We have the babies sleeping through the night 7:00pm-7:00am and eating like champs (approx. 6-7 oz.) 4 meals during the day with 1 small snack (approx. 1-2 oz.) at 10:00pm, which we wake them for. Oh, and we are feeding them a little bit of oatmeal at their dinner feed (I will post pictures of this cute event later). They hardly cry now...literally contented little babies. Trust me, it is NOT luck, but a lot of hard work! They eat and sleep very differently and if we were to let them individually call the shots around our house, we would be in a big mess. I could list the differences but I am actually saving that for another post because it is quite cute how different these guys really are.

Upgrading Bathtubs

2010-08-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

We have been through 4 types of bathtubs...well the first type was a sponge bath while they were in the NICU. Here is Joslyn getting her hair cleaned and drying off under the red-warming light.

The next bath tub was in this little pink round bucket at the NICU. This is Jakob getting cleaned. The is sooo small. I can hardly remember them being this small! He was about 4.10 lbs in this picture.

When we got home we were bathing the babies in this rectangular tub the hospital sent us home with. We took this picture the very last night that they could possibly fit in it...but before that they fit perfectly in it all stretched out. This is Jakob...

Right now we are bathing the babies in the kitchen sink. We are still using the support that the hospital sent home. I love bathing them in the sink! They love their bath and we do it every night before they go to bed. In the following pictures they are staring at their toy and swatting at it.

First Swim

2010-08-29T19:13:00.001-07:00

We went swimming with our friends and the babies loved it! We weren't surprised because the babies LOVE their baths so essentially it is just like a large bath but a little cooler. Joslyn is wearing Aunt Lori's swimsuit. Grandma Workman brought it out when they visited.

Jakob is wearing swim diapers. I bought him some swim trunks but they wouldn't fit over his swim diapers.

Here is a video of all of the babies swimming! Ignore the huge mosquito bite on my back when it first starts and just watch the cute babies float.

The babies are using their hands!

2010-08-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

It has been so fun watching the babies discover their hands and actually use them! At first Joslyn would go cross-eyed as she found her hand in front of her face. It was hilarious when she was starring intently at her hand and it would hit her in the nose...she would let out a sad cry of disapproval and freight. So cute!

Another cute finding was they are beginning to grab on to things within their reach...intentionally, I think only sometimes but a few times we have caught them holding on to the other's ear. Once Joslyn was crying because Jakob's grip is quite strong!

This video is Jakob holding 2 rattles. We helped him grip on to these. It was one of the first times that he showed he was using his hands.

In this video Jakob is holding onto his rings. He is REALLY good at gripping things but he hasn't yet learned how to let go. He actually gets really frustrated when he wants to let go...just watch...

Joslyn discovered her hands first but she began using them second. Well, that isn't entirely true since she was using her hands before Jakob during feeding time. Jakob uses his hands more during play while Joslyn uses her hands more during feeding. This video is Joslyn on her playmat...so cute!

Carrying the babies

2010-08-15T10:45:00.001-07:00

We have two types of carriers, one is called a Moby wrap and the other is a front-carrier (Infantino brand). They both work great. The front-carrier is easier to put on but pulls on your back, while the Moby wrap is more ergonomical/comfortable but it takes some time to put on and get the baby in.

Moby Wrap:

Moby wrap is the only carrier I know of that will allow me to carry 2 babies at once (and have free hands to take a picture). It was kind of difficult to get them in there though by myself. I had to include the second picture below because Jakob was getting upset and hit Joslyn in the nose...and hence, in the picture, they are both crying (while strapped to my chest so there was no escaping!).

Front-carrier:

Message from the babies at 13 weeks old!

2010-08-15T10:42:00.001-07:00

The babies can't text because they don't have a phone and they can't talk but they still have lots to say so we wrote it down and took a picture :)

Click on the image to make it bigger so you can see what each of them have to say!

Grumpy in the Bumbo Chair

2010-08-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

I could watch this video everyday...and sometimes I do :) Jakob is ready for his nap and is unhappy in the bumbo chair. Sitting up is a lot of work for this little guy!

You got to love the big frowns...they are able to dramatize them. We try to copy their frowns but can't do it justice!

Happy 1st Father's Day

2010-08-15T10:22:00.001-07:00

Jakob, Joslyn, and I made daddy a card Father's Day card and gave him a tie. We made the coolest tie on Snapfish.com using photos of the babies footprints when they were first born. Jakob has the bigger foot :)

Jakob and Joslyn have the best dad in the world!

Kitchen Remodel: Status

2010-08-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

Everyone keeps asking us about the status of our kitchen remodel...and YES we have running water and working appliances now!! It is seriously such a luxury :) As I mentioned before, the day the babies came home was also the day our kitchen sink went out (along with all major appliances except the frig). We were without a kitchen sink and appliances for 6 weeks!! NEVER do that if you are bringing home a new baby and are a first-time parent...to twins!! Although it was tough, our old kitchen wouldn't be any easier...so it had to be done and now that it is ALMOST done, we LOVE, love it!! I don't have the most updated pictures but this will give you an idea of how awesome AND totally different this space has transformed to...

Just a reminder, this is what we once had:

Swaddling: 1 Key to Sleeping Success

2010-08-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

While on bed rest a friend of mine lent me her DVD "The Happiest Baby on the Block." (Thank you, Tiffany!) There are 5 techniques that help sooth a baby, one of which is swaddling. Jared and I decided we would do that long before the babies were born. Whether we had previously committed to it or not, the babies were swaddled tightly in the hospital. The NICU staff taught us how to swaddle properly AND they even gave us swaddle sleep sacks to promote babies to sleep on their backs. Swaddling is a tight form of wrapping and they love it. If they are fussy because they are tired, it calms them right away.

Here are the babies after they have been changed. They are crying in "surround sound" because they are tired and fussy. It was nearing time for a nap.

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Here are the babies after we swaddled them and turned off the lights. Consistency is the key and thus, works like a charm every time.

Here is a video clip about Harvey Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block (and Toddler on the Block). I totally recommend this, especially for premature babies!