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John's first tooth. Click on it to maximize it.

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The Boys

Feeling Guilty

I have had some thoughts in the back of my mind the last few days and I need to see what you all think about it. I feel like I am not doing everything I can to give the boys a full and eventful life... yes I know they are only seven months old but still it is how I feel. Most days we take one outing which is to go shopping then we spend most of the time inside our house with just the three of us and sometimes a grandparent. The eat, sleep and play... most of the time sitting and playing with the same toys or in their excer-saucers day after day. It just seems like a dull life and I am not doing everything I can to mature their minds and physical skill. Am I nuts? We go to little gym once a week which I love but that is it. We don't go to play groups mostly because I am scared. Scared because it is right around their feeding time and it is so hard to feed them if they are distracted and they would be with so many kids and moms around. I just don't know if I could personally handle it. But why am I being selfish and holding them back from being around other little ones? They need interaction right? I just want my kids to not be be shy and want to have friends when they get alittle older. I want to instill in them a sense of wonder and eagerness and to be friendly. I just think I am keeping my kids from their full potential by keeping them in their excer-saucers and not being around others. I know I am just being dumb but I needed to get it off my chest and make sure everyone else felt this way when their children started to play more and interact more. ok..ok..ok.. I'm done! :-)

San Antonio

After a nice ride around the lazy river
After having lunch

Playing around in the condo

Getting ready to eat

The family


Brandon

John

LONG... you are forewarned. This is really just for me to remember what all happened!

We left Thursday after the boys lunch. They sat in their new convertible car seats (eddie bauer 3-in-1). We really like them since we know the car seats will grow with the boys, the one thing we do not like right now is that when the boys fall asleep is that their heads fall forward rather than just resting to the side. This was the first long trip the boys took combined with the new car seats so it was pretty interesting.... on the way there John slept and Brandon talked/cried most the way. Once we go there and unpacked (we took everything) we fed the boys their dinner and let the girls (their cousins) play with them while we ordered dinner and tried to eat. Neither one of the boys took an evening nap so they were pretty fussy all the way up to their night bottle. Giving them a bath was not too much fun either. We did not bring their bath seat since we just thought it was one more thing to take up space and we decided to wash them in the sink which was not easy for us as it was too slippery and since we wash them with dove unsented soap (pedi recommendation) it got in their eyes when we tried to get their hair wet. They took their night bottle and passed out in two pack-in-plays in the living room of the condo we were in. Around 3am John started to stir and did that all the way until it was time to get up for the day around 7am. So needless to say I was up while John was up. Brian let me sleep until it was time to feed them breakfast so that was really nice!

Friday: I tried to out smart the little ones and brought with us oatmeal with apples and bananas in a jar just to save space instead of bringing the box of oatmeal. Well neither of them took to it. My little piggy Brandon ate it because I made him and daddy gave in and gave John bananas instead since John would not take the pre-made stuff at all. We got through breakfast and let them play till around 9am when it was nap time. They slept for about 30-45 minutes! So we decided to get them ready and go out to the pool to meet up with the girls. The place we stayed at had a lazy river so we thought that would be great for Brandon and John to start out the fun weekend with. They really seemed to like the lazy river but since Hurricane Dolly had made the weather overcast the water was pretty cold so we went to the indoor hot tub. It was nice until something scared John and he cried until we got out of the hot tub and went back out by the pool. I have a feeling it was to loud for him. Then Brian and I had the smart idea to try something new... our first lunch outing... our first outing ever when it is time for them to eat! Now remember, they only slept for about 45 minutes, been out in the sun and are in swim diapers and bathing suit trunks. We went to the restaurant (all 11 of us) and I went back tot he room to get their bottles and food. I had the smart idea to buy traveling bottle warmers... I did not read the instructions... and went back down to the restaurant. The boys did GREAT in the high chairs which was so great but not so great with a cold bottle (yeah, my travel warmers take 20 minutes to warm up). The boys were fussy, not wanting to eat even though we tried to heat up the milk in the restaurants microwave so we headed back to the room while the rest of the group ate lunch and brought our food back for us. Once we changed the boys diapers, warmed up their milk, they drank it all! We also tried mac and cheese for the first time... They thought it was ok, just smelt like cheese and we have been feeding the bananas too so think about that for a second. The boys had the hardest time going to the bathroom the rest of the weekend! We let the boys play for a little longer and then put the down for a nap... of course it lasted or about 30-45 minutes (the theme of the weekend). While they were down for the short time we went to the other condo where we played wii with our nieces and oh my gosh they rock at it!!!! We got the boys and they played till it was time for a bath (well they fussed and cried and played) and we decided to do bath time different and get in the bathtub with them and make it play time and that went better and they seemed to be ok with it. The night bottle and going down for the night went well and we went and played wii till around 10:30pm. Once we went to bed John decided to start to stir and wake up around 3ish again until it was time to get up for the morning AGAIN!

Saturday: Much of the same! Fussiness, play, nap, and pool. We decided that the boys needed to learn to eat out so we changed it up alittle... we changed them out of their wet bathing suits into a clean diaper and clothes and I went up and heated their bottle and got their food ready and brought it down to the restaurant. We sat outside since it was quieter and they took their bottle and ate their food and played with things while sitting in their high chairs while we ate our food! SUCCESS!!! After that we went back to the room and they took their nap after playing a bit and once they woke up we took them back to the pool, not to swim but just to hang out and they did great. We went back to the room to feed them dinner and after we went back down to the pool instead of giving them a nap at 5pm. They did great until we wanted them to take a nap... they cried and went down for a bit but fussed all the way up until their bath and I mean fussed, we had to get away from everyone to try and calm them down and we did not get dinner till after their night bottle and went down for the night. That in it self did not last long. Brandon woke up at 1:30am and John around 3am and did his thing till it was time to get up for the day.

Sunday: We fed the boys and left for home around 9ish. They slept for an hour and cried and fussed the rest of the way... with one stop to change Brandon's dirty diaper. We got home and much of the same happened. They were unhappy and fussed until bed time. John woke up around 3ish again and I went in and gave him his paci and he stirred the rest of the time.

Brian and I think they they are both really teething, John for sure! Also we think Brandon is allergic to San Antonio... he ended up coughing the entire time and it turned into a wet cough like he was trying to get something out of his throat. I will call the pedi if it won't stop with all the benadryl I am giving him right now!

So that was our first official trip. Lessons learned: do not start a new food, especially if it will "back" you up. Bring the bath seat. Make them as comfortable as possible if you are going out to eat and probably a whole lot more lessons I will remember once I get out of my trance!

We are back...

From where you ask? We went to San Antonio from Thursday-Sunday with Brian's family. This was the boys first "real" trip since it was more than an hour and a half away! All I have to say right now since we are all TIRED is that we survived and we had a good time. I will go into more detail with some pictures after a good night sleep since I never got one over the trip ;-)

I hope everyone had a great weekend... oh and Brandon and John are 7 months old today!!!

Bully

I have a son that is a bully :-(

When Brandon and John sit facing each other with their toys in the middle John will pick up a toy and Brandon will snatch it from him.... almost every time!
It is pretty cute but I can just imagine how it will be later on.

Just something new

The boys and I ventured out by ourselves today for the first time. Since I had no where to go and no one was coming over I decided since we were all alone today that we would venture out to TARGET! It went pretty well for the most part. The duo glider is a mystery to me and I can not get the boys tight enough in it so Brandon was all over the place trying to get out. The boys have been pretty fussy today, I don't know if that has to do with teething or not wanting to take naps so I had to let them cry it out this afternoon for their nap. They finally got some sleep and all three feedings went well. The last one at 4pm was the best and the noon feed the worst but we managed and all is done until daddy gets home tonight. Right now the boys are in the jumper and excer-saucer and talking in "baby code" to one another.... they take turns jumping and talking and fake coughing. It is too cute! We are also buying the convertible car seats this week to take on our trip to San Antonio... I just think they will be more comfy in the since all they want to do is sit up. I have decided it is either the Britax (don't know which model) because of the safety, the Evenflo Triumph because it has the same test rating as the Britax or the Eddie Bauer Deluxe 3 in 1 because it turns into a booster. What do yall think?

Houston....

WE HAVE A TOOTH!

On Brian's 30th birthday no less. I was playing with John and just happened to feel his gums and there it was. You can not really see it but it is there and it is sharp.

YEAH for John's first tooth

Being a MOM

I am still alive and well! I have been with the boys by myself with no help and have done great. It is still very hard and some days are better than others but being a MOM is not as scary as I thought it would be. I want to thank you all for your prayers, advice and encouragement.

Some things about the boys....
John is on gentlease formula now.
John is sitting up better every day.
They are both rolling all over the place.
They both reach for you to pick them up.
They both did great with their cousin who are here visiting.
They both go down at night awake and put themselves to sleep.
They both love their paci's during the day, dont know why they got so attached.
They both are doing wonderful with 2nd foods.
Brandon is talking up a storm (just screaming and fun stuff).
Brandon is loving his sippy cup.

John and the dogs

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I survived

I did it! I can't believe it! I did it!

well kinda... mom showed up and brought me lunch and help feed the boys but didn't need her if she didn't come. John woke up early this morning so I fed him while Brandon was still asleep and then fed Brandon then gave them both their food. They went down at 9:15 and Brandon woke up at 10:15 and we played while John slept till 10:40ish. Then we all played till my mom got here. We fed the boys at noon and they had spring veggies with brown rice (2nd food) and really took to it. Then I took a shower and mom ended up putting the boys down because they were falling asleep on the floor then she left. John woke up at 2:15ish and we played till Brandon woke up around 2:45ish. Then John took his podee bottle while I fed Brandon. Then they took their food together and now we are playing again. Can't wait for daddy to get home!!!

Pictures from the day...

I don't know why this one is sideways!

Just some pictures

Brandon loving his soccer ball John playin' around
so cute

to sweet
always movin' around these days
first time in the duo glider...without car seats FINALLY!
my new diaper bag/purse

Brandon

John
John
Brandon
loving the camera...hahaha

We are starting 2nd foods today... should be very interesting.

I am home alone for truly the first time... we will see if I survive

John is now sitting up alone... he still is very active so he falls alot but he can do it

I am putting apple juice in their sippy cups starting today... they do ok with the sippy cup but it will take some time to really use it

1st foods

This is a post basically just to remember how the Brandon and John liked their 1st foods. They will start second foods this coming monday. YAY!!!!

Brandon:
rice cereal- tolerates it
prunes- likes it
oatmeal- likes it
applesauce- loves it
green beans- it's ok
sweet potatoes- likes it
pears- likes it
squash-like it
peaches- likes it
carrots- likes it
bananas- love it
sweet peas- like it

John:
rice cereal- tolerates it
prunes- tolerates it
oatmeal- tolerates it
applesauce- loves it
green beans- likes it
sweet potatoes- likes it
pears- not to sure about it
squash- likes it
peaches- likes it
carrots- likes it
bananas- love it
sweet peas- like it

Wordle

Pretty cool thing.... click on it to make it bigger!

Weekend in pictures

Brandon swinging for his first time John trying out his sippy cup

the boys
Swinging

fun times

Brandon trying his sippy cup

Fourth of July outfits

First fireworks

sunglasses ???
John swinging for the first time

Daddy holding John and Uncle Brandon holding Brandon

lets blow up a float
John loves his float
my cake
more pictures?
still love the Astros

Daddy and his boys
a picture of me and Brandon... grandma in the background
cool shades
John