Half Birthday

(I am a little delayed in getting this up. Its been busy around here! Sorry!)

Holy moly the Twins are 6 months old!!! A whole half a year has already gone by! What a journey it has been and what a difference a few months make. My little men are growing up. It hard to believe that just 6 months ago they were little swaddled bundles that basically slept, ate, and pooped. Now they are two totally different and wanting to be independent babies who are full of personality and curiosity. I say this every stage, but seriously 6 months is my favorite.

Chillin' in the hotel room in Bend.

This month we were on the move, in more ways than one. Not a single weekend in August was spent at home in Independence. We road tripped everywhere! The boys were such troopers and loved going to all the places. We started out on a short family vacation to Bend just the 4 of us. Who says you can’t hotel stay with 5 month olds? I’m sure we looked like we were moving in for a month when Michael packed in 2 pack and plays, all the blankets, clothes, cooler with the bottles, diaper bags and everything else (Did I mention we were on the second floor and the Best Western didn’t have an elevator? What? Seriously? In 2013?!?! No Elevator?) but we did great. We explored Bend, sat by the river and watched people float while we fed the boys lunch, and even ate outside on the patio at a pub because the weather was so nice. It was so great to get out and enjoy a little family time even if it was a short weekend. The kids took in all the fresh air of being out all day and zonked out in the hotel just like they would have at home. I was a happy mommy and proud of my rockstar babies who didn’t cry the whole trip. We also vowed that we would be back to Bend many more times as they grow up. We loved it there.

The next weekend we hit the road again and headed north to our parents house for my 10 year high school reunion. If having twins and pushing 29 didn’t make me feel old enough, going back home and really recognizing that I left high school 10 freaking years ago made me feel ancient. But it was good to see some old faces, and catch up in person not just on facebook. The boys finally got to meet my dear friend Katie who was in town from Dallas for the reunion. It was so special to all be together with my boys and her little guy Will. I wish she lived closer so our boys could spend more time together but it was wonderful to see her.  We also took the babies to the reunion family day and met some of my friends kiddos too! My parents kept the boys the night of the reunion and Michaels parents kept them the night before when we celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary. I love Oregon, but the one thing I miss is being able to be that close to the water that easy. We celebrated outside on the deck looking over the sound at one of our favorite restaurants - Katie Downs. We don’t do a whole lot without little ones in tow, so it was fun to get out and hang out together.

Loving the River Property with these guys!

The Monday after that weekend was when the real adventure began. The boys, Makenzie (my 16 year old cousin), and I loaded up the minivan almost to the top and headed east on I-90. We had one mission: See the boys great grandparents and Idaho family. We made quite a trip out of it and the twins loved every minute. Heck they were the most spoiled little guys in the country during that 8 days. Great Grandparents and extended family are full of lovin’! On our expedition Braxton and Carter got to eat peaches with Grandpa Larry in the Tri-Cities. They got to meet the goats and baby donkey at Great Grams and Grandma Di’s in Lewiston. They had lunch with Great Grandpa Jerry and Great Grandma Bernice in Coeur d’Alene. They got to hang out with Auntie Tiffany and see her new house. They got to meet Auntie Shala for the first time who flew all the way from Colorado for the week. They stayed the night at GG and Grandpa Loran’s house in Pinehurst. And they spent a few days enjoying the outside up the north fork of the Coeur d’Alene river with Aunt Terri and Uncle Bob and their river family. They even went swimming for the first time and sat out by the campfire. We had an action packed week with lots of travel between each place, but lots of great memories. Because of the route we took we had only the one long trip home from North Idaho to my parents house that was about 6 hours. The boys were troopers until we go to Snoqualmie pass and hit traffic. Their meltdown was manageable, but honestly I didn’t blame them. After 5 hours in the car I was ready to meltdown myself.  Thank gosh Kenzie jumped in the back with them and we powered through.  I know one thing for sure, if it weren’t for Kenzie there is no way I would have been able to make the trip. She was a life saver! You have no idea how important 2 extra hands are! She and I have been having “Girls Days Out” which morphed into girls weekends and weeks as she got older since she was 4 years old. It was pretty special to have her accompany me on this trip and get to spend so much time with my boys. I would definitely say our Idaho adventure was a success!

They will be crawling soon!

The other reason we are on the move this month is both boys are starting to roll. Carter much more often than Braxton, but both are rolling more often and with intention to get to a toy or something they want. Towards the end of the month Carter even started to barrel roll turning over and over again all in a row. While this change is a huge milestone for my once immobile little dudes, this new found movement is also making me realize it won’t be long until they going to be doing laps around the couch. The thought of them crawling is crazy and scares me to death, but it isn’t that far away. Once they are on their bellies they push themselves up and  look like they are ready to go. At our 6 month appointment Dr. Allander even suggested we start “baby proofing” our house. Already? Crazy! Fortunately for a family who has a dog that at one time was eating everything under the sun, we aren’t too far away from making things “baby proof”, but I have  a few things to do.  Now if Dudley would stop sharing his toys we’d be doing good. I almost barfed when I walked around the couch the other day just as Carter was putting Dudley’s busy bone in his mouth. GROSS!

This month the boys have been teething even worse than before. I swear they could rival a bull mastiff in the

amount of drool that runs down their chins. That said drool means more slobbery kisses, louder noises as Braxton sticks out his tongue and makes raspberry sounds, and lots of shirt changes because a wet slobber ring around your neck doesn’t look good on anyone. We have been surviving with Highlands teething tablets and we don’t dare leaving the house without our Raffe (Sophie the Giraffe). I even spent about 12 minutes one day retracing our steps in Walmart when Carter chucked his Raffee over the side of the stroller while we waited for my oil to get changed. Who would have thought we’d live and die by what to me looks like a gloryfied dog toy? Oh the things you do for your teething babies. I actually had to replace a Raffee because one did get lost. It was missing on Saturday, and Sunday they had a new one.  Anything that can help them feel better, I am all over.

This month the boys moved to their own room and their own cribs to sleep. We had been putting them to bed in their cribs and then bringing them into our room but the day after their 5 month birthday (we had to set a deadline) we put them to bed and just left them in their cribs. I was worried they weren’t going to do well, so I slept in there on the floor, but they didn’t need me. They did just fine on their own and other than replacing a binkie a few times, I wasn’t needed.  Because they are rolling so much more we had to take their arms out of the swaddles.  This was a little weird for them, but within a few days they were all adjusted. I keep the video monitor right next to my bed and am up several times by habit checking on them, but they are doing great. They are also sleeping in their cribs better for naps and we’re working on that sleeping schedule too. My boys don’t cry unless they are hungry or tired, so sleep is a huge priority in the Feuling house.

To no ones surprise, the boys continue to be great eaters. They are fruit loving little men! This month we have added peaches, pears, and blueberries. They can’t get enough of any of them! We have also discovered they are a little spoiled and definitely want the real thing, not any store bought food. I try to make all of their baby food myself. I figure its cheaper, more healthy, and half the stuff on the back of a a lot of baby food I can’t pronounce, so they probably shouldn’t be eating it. A few times a month when they go to bed for the night I bust out my food processor and baby food ice cube trays and make a ton of food. However,  I have found that the PLUM brand and Happy Tot brands make squeeze pouch food that I can feel good about giving them. Their ingredients are things like organic Bartlett pears, water and lemon juice, which works for me. However my little stinkers are picky. They LOVE green beans. I make them at home all the time for them. But they WON’T eat pouch green beans. I tried to give them the pouch ones at Grandma Sandy and Aunt Di’s and they looked at me like I had tried to poison them! Spoiled. Spoiled little boys they are. But at least they are eating lots of good food. We aren’t going as far as calling me a crunchy mama, but I have enjoyed gathering fresh in season fruits and veggies at the local farmers markets and have this baby food making down to a science.

Thanks to all that eating they are still growing like weeds. At the 6 month appointment Braxton weighed in at 19lbs 7.5oz (84%) and was 26.75 inches long (57%). Carter was 19lbs 1oz (79%) and 27 inches long (68%). Thank gosh they both continue to follow their dad with his height (I am sure I’m in like the 6 percentile) and are big healthy boys. Everyone thinks they are much older than just 6 months because of how big they are, but considering that so many twins are small and born so early, I’m pretty lucky to have big healthy (even if they are a bit linebacker-ish) boys.

Love that smile...

One of the biggest changes this month for Carter is him pretending he is “shy”. When you talk to him and his eyes meet yours he giggles, scrunches up his nose, and turns and hides his face in the shoulder of whoever is talking to him. It’s a cross between acting like he is shy and that he is just so tickled about you talking to him that he can’t stand it. It is adorable! And because it is always accompanied by a big grin, it so a total Carter thing to do. Carter also loves toys but this month he has discovered tags. Most toys have warning or cleaning instructions tags attached to them like what you would find in the back of a T-Shirt. He will roll all the way across the room if he sees a one, and spends most of his playing time investigating and rubbing his fingers on the tag instead of the toy. He also loves to do the same thing with the car seat straps, and the stroller straps too. Because Carter is my major roller, we had quite a struggle with him sleeping during the beginning of the month. Once we moved the boys to their own cribs and unswaddled them, he started rolling in his sleep. He will move all over the place and turn and pivot, but no matter what we tried he was always ending up on his stomach. I don’t know how many nights we went in there 10-12 times repositioning him on his back just to have him flop right back over to his belly. Because of the SIDS warnings we were so nervous about him being ok on his front.  So we asked the doctor at the 6 month appointment the pediatrician looked at us smiling and said, “If you put him down on his back and HE rolls to his tummy, he’s fine. Get some sleep guys.” This was a huge relief for us. Apparently the SIDS research says if you START the baby on his back he is more protected. So that’s what we’re doing. A few more zzz’s for all of us is always a good thing.

Such a goofball

Braxton continues to be my little bruiser. My dad likes to call him a truck. He does everything to the extreme and his little chunky physique backs it up. He doesn’t just talk, he babbles as loud as he can. He also squeals and laughs and holds his breath till his face turns red. His arms are always flailing and when he jumps in his jumper I swear he throws every ounce of his 20lbs in every direction. This kid is the definition of “balls to the wall”. Fortunately, like his brother, he is a super happy baby and 90% of the time his goofiness is accompanied by a huge toothless grin. This month he has decided he would much rather stand than sit, and any time you try to get him to sit he straightens his back so hard you can’t make him bend at the waist. He also likes jumping so much that when you help him stand up he expects you to become his personal “jumper” too while he bounces up and down. Although Brax does everything to the extreme, he is also a super snuggler. He has become quite a Mama’s boy and loves to cuddle up with me. Sometimes when he wakes up early I’ll bring him in to lay beside me in bed. He likes to lay in a specific place and wants my arm to go a specific way so he can cuddle up to it and hold on. Within minutes he is back to sleep again. Sometimes I bring him back to his bed, and other times I soak up the snuggles myself. One thing I am super blessed with is both my boys are sweet sweet babies and love to snuggle.

Mariner Babies

We ended our month with one more road trip back up to Seattle for a Mariners game. The boys were decked out with M’s gear and we headed to the game with Micheal’s parents, my parents, and my brother and sister-in-law. It was a great opportunity to use the Ergo’s and the boys did great in the carriers. All was well until the game started. They were NOT fans of the loud noises. Braxton took almost 5 innings to not freak out every time the crowd got excited. Carter only took about 2 ½ innings and had a great time hanging with family while we got BBoy calmed down. Regardless of the hiccups we still had a great time and the boys even got first game certificates. This was the first of many professional games they will be going to in their lives.

So our 6^th month was amazing and the boys had a great Half Birthday. Michael thinks I am insane because I told him since the boys have to celebrate thier birthday in cold February every year when they get older we'll celebrate half birthdays too. I figure these guys are it for me, so we're going all out! :-) In August we were busy busy busy, but loving all the joys of the summer. The sunshine has treated us well but we are definitely looking forward to fall. The football rivalry has already started in the household and Braxton sums it up best with the video below. Go Hawks! J