What's your vision?

Owen & Carter's first birthday is almost upon us and some times I have to wonder where the time went. The first three months were somewhat of a blur as sleep was definitely at a premium. They have grown and changed so much over the last year. It's hard to believe these 25 pound little boys were ever tiny, 6 pound newborns.

People always ask what it's like having twins and often I am at a loss for words. There is no way to accurately describe the joy of being a mother of multiples. Sure there are days when I want to pull my hair out and curse at the top of my lungs because they are both screaming and crying at the same time. And if I am being honest here, I should tell you that I've been known (on occasion) to join in. What's that saying again? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Most people tend to have this wonderful vision of what it would be like having twins. You know, the one where the babies are happily entertaining each other, sharing toys, giggling and carrying on without a care in the world. I too fell victim to this picture perfect dream, that is until I actually became a mother of multiples. That vision was quickly shattered when I realized not only did Owen and Carter not show any interest in each other, but that they seemed to be oblivious to the fact that they weren't the only baby in the house.

It's only in the last few months that Owen and Carter have really started taking notice of their other half. Every morning and after their naps they greet each other with big toothy grins, almost as if they haven't seen each other for days. It is these moments that melt my heart and make me feel truly blessed to be the mother of identical twin boys. I guess those visions weren't so far fetched after all, it just took some time.

Here are some videos I shot a couple of days ago.... does this look like your vision of twins?



OWEN & CARTER- 08-10-2009 006.mpg



OWEN & CARTER- 08-10-2009 003.mpg

Wordless Wednesday

I have shamelessly stolen "Wordless Wednesday" from some of my fellow BBC blogging Mommas. It's a way for me to post some recent photos of my adorable little monkey's without having to write a long note. So without further ado....

Like my Baby Legs?
Don't worry Daddy, these aren't tights.

In memory of my Momma (Nana)

As most of my blog followers know, my beautiful Momma (Catherine) passed away on June 30th, 2009, after a very courageous battle with cancer. I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with her before she left us, time I will always cherish, and certainly never forget. It's still so hard to believe she's gone that sometimes I have to remind myself. I keep expecting the phone to ring and hear the sweet sound of her voice. It has been almost a month since we lost her and I miss her so much.

In memory of my Momma, I decided to dedicate this blog post to the beautiful woman we called a loving wife, a cherished daughter, a devoted mother, a doting Nana and a loyal friend.

A loving wife...

A cherished daughter...

A devoted mother...

A doting nana...

Always Loving: Always Loved
xoxo

Owen & Carter's Baptism

After much procrastination Josh & I thought it was time to have Owen & Carter baptized. We got in contact with Father Rick from Saint James' where Josh and I were married in 2006. He was kind enough to arrange the service just a few short weeks later. It was truly a family event as Jon & Jule decided it would be nice to have Graysen & Andrew baptized on the same day. All of the kids were on their best behaviour (as were the parents) and the service went off without a hitch....minus a few missing shoes! We had a small reception back at our place afterward, where family and friends joined in the celebration. I am still waiting for some of my blog readers to send me some of their photos. Hint hint!

Unfortunately I didn't get many photos of the boys since they slept through most of the reception. I am still waiting for my blog readers to send me some of their photos. Hint hint! Here is a special picture of Owen & Carter admiring their beautiful wooden cross from Great Aunt Karen & Uncle Bill. It was crafted out of wood from the original church in Mount Forest.

Easter

It's been a few weeks since my last posting and boy do I have a lot to catch up on. We celebrated Easter by having brunch at Gramma & Grampas, and dinner at our place. I managed to get a few photos of the gang with the exception of Jon & Graysen since she was sick. Maybe I'll finally get the whole gang when we gather at Jon & Jule's to celebrate Gran's upcoming birthday! It was a wonderful weekend filled with good food, family and friends.

Meatatarian? I think not.

Owen & Carter will be 8 months old this Sunday. Where does the time go? Last night Josh and I decided it was time to try giving the boys meat. I had honestly thought about doing it a few months ago, but I just couldn't. Not because I thought they were too young, because the look of pureed meat was enough to deter me. It was time for me to get over my fear and anxiety of meat in a jar. Is it just me, or is something about that just terribly wrong?

I had heard many babies have odd reactions to meat for the first time, so I came prepared for the occasion with my camera in tow. Let me tell you, I was not in the least disappointed. As I popped open the jar of chicken and chicken broth I was immediately overcome with horror. Those of you who have cats will understand what I'm talking about. The disgusting gelatinous mush in the jar not only looked like cat food, but smelled and probably tasted like it too! Now being the good Mom that I am, I usually taste all of the food before I give it to Owen & Carter, but last night was Daddy's turn to be the good parent! Judging by the look on Josh's face I think it was fair to assume it tasted as horrible as it looked.

Here is Owen's reaction to his first taste of cat food. I mean meat. Is it wrong that Josh and I laughed the entire time he was eating? Does it make us bad parents? Call us what you like....it was funny! You be the judge.



Meatatarian? I think not!

Giggly Guys

No one can make Owen & Carter laugh quite like their silly Daddy. They were in exceptionally giddy moods last night and I was able to capture some of their simultaneous giggles on video. What is making them laugh you may ask? For some reason Owen & Carter find it hilarious when you spit their soothers at them. Who knew something so simple could be so funny?



Giggly Guys

Hoppy Easter

Owen and Carter were subjected to yet another holiday photo shoot. This time it was in celebration of the upcoming Easter long weekend. They sat so innocently and smiled at the camera while mommy took shot after shot of her adorable little bunny rabbits. I'm sure they will thank me for these photos when they are older....NOT! However, their future girlfriends will certainly get a kick out of these. Either way I think they look adorable....rabbit ears and all. We hope you all have a wonderful Easter filled with delicious food, family and friends.

Carter Cotton Tail

Baby Bunny Owen

Attack of the killer bunny

Busy Boys

It has been another busy week around the house. We've had lots of friends over to visit and the boys have been on their best behaviour. It seems that the boys are finally getting back to their old sleeping habits. Carter has slept through the night for the past 3 nights (knock on wood I didn't just jinx it!), and Owen the past 2 out of 3. I have started using the crib wedges again in an effort to keep them from rolling on to their bellies and waking themselves up. Not sure if this is the right thing to do.....but for now it seems to work.

They are starting to enjoy tummy time, and by enjoy I mean they don't immediately scream and cry when they roll over. I am letting them fuss longer and longer in hopes of them finally figuring out how to roll back the other way. No luck so far, but I know they will do it soon.


Owen and Carter love to sit up like big boys. They are so excited when they are able to sit on their own and look around. Their big smiles demonstrate how proud they are of themselves at this new found independence. That is until they topple over to the side or unfortunately sometimes flat on their face. Ouch!


We are looking forward to the Easter long weekend as (great)Gran is coming to join us for dinner. It's been a few months since she has seen them so I know that she will notice a big difference. I wonder if she'll be able to tell them apart.

Caught on tape

I am happy to report that after several failed attempts, Owen has finally been caught red handed! Poor Josh spent the better part of a half hour on the floor of Owen's room trying to catch the little monkey in action. Unfortunately we can't figure (and by we I mean me) out how to rotate the video so I apologize for your sore neck in advance. Enjoy!



Monkey business

Happy St.Patrick's Day

It was a very busy weekend but we did manage to squeeze in a photo shoot just in time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! Thanks to Nona & Poppi for the headbands and bibs. We hope the luck of the Irish finds you all today.


Now stop reading the blog and get out there and drink some green beer!

6 month stats

So we just returned home from Owen and Carter's six month check-up and I am happy to report that all is well. Their doctor couldn't believe how much they have grown in the last 2 months. They did extremely well with their vaccinations and only cried for a minute or two. I am starting to think the needles are harder on us than they are on them! They are proving to be identical twins in every way, shape and form. Owen weighs 19lb 1oz and is 27.8" long. Carter weighs 19lb 2oz and is 27.6" long. Can't get much more identical then that!

Owen & Carter's doctor has only seen them 4 times since they were born and she has never mixed them up. I have always been very impressed that she is able to tell them apart considering she only sees them every couple of months. Well there is a first time for everything and today was the first time she got them wrong. Maybe it was due to the fact that Grampa Ian was trying to sabotage her record by making them wear identical hats! Here is a photo of the boys on the way to their appointment. Can you tell them apart?

Some of my favourite smiles

Owen and Carter have always been pretty smiley guys so I thought I would share some of my favourite photos. How can you not smile at these little faces?

Car seat catastrophe!

Anyone that has a baby can understand the frustration and confusion that goes along with purchasing a car seat. Unfortunately Josh and I got to experience this first hand this past weekend when we purchased 2 new car seats for Owen and Carter. They have just about reached the maximum height and weight limit for their infant seats so we knew time was running out.

After doing some research on Consumer Reports and reading customer reviews on multiple websites we decided to purchase the Radian 65 car seat from Sunshine Kids. Along with a great safety rating and good reviews we were ecstatic at the idea of being able to fit 3 car seats across the back seat of our Toyota Rav 4. This meant that should we decide to have another baby one day, we wouldn't have to purchase the dreaded soccer-mom minivan! This excitement was short lived.

Josh quickly assembled the new car seats with ease, it was almost too good to be true. We had Owen be our guinea pig to adjust the height of the chest harness. We had to do the same for Carter once we learned that even though they are identical twins, their bodies are quite different. Out came the old car seats and in went the new with a little bit of brute force and perhaps a few explicatives. These things are never easy to install!

We had just gotten the boys dressed and ready to go to my dad's for dinner when we loaded them in the car and realized we had a very big problem....we couldn't tighten the chest harness! Since the boys are less than a year old they must continue to ride in the rear facing position. The strap for the harness was buried against the back seat of the car making it impossible to properly secure them in their seats. We thought we had done something wrong during the set-up or installation so Josh removed one of the seats. After reading and re-reading the instruction manual we learned that not only had we done everything correctly, but that we had purchased probably the worst car seat ever! To add insult to injury it was obvious that we were indeed going to be purchasing a minivan should we decide to have any more children. What's that saying again? "If something seems too good to be true, it probably is".

By this point Owen & Carter were crying and I must say I wasn't far behind. We were already 30 minutes late for dinner but had no idea how to make the seats work. After re-installing the seat for a second time Josh came up with a plan. We tightened the harnesses to the point where they were snug and safe for the boys before putting them in their seats and then just fastened the clip. It worked just fine but we knew that this was just a temporary fix.

We knew we had 3 weeks to return the car seats as instructed by the salespeople, provided we had the original receipt and packaging. After finding the shriveled, illegible receipt in he clothes dryer we headed back to the store to return the seats. Thankfully the nice saleswoman didn't give us any trouble after hearing our dilemma.

After more research and looking around we have since purchased 2 new car seats and can only hope that we have better luck the second time around.

Be careful what you wish for

It's funny how things work some times. When Owen and Carter were first born their needs were pretty basic; change, feed, love, sleep and repeat about every 3 hours. They would look up at you and flash the odd gas smile but other than that there wasn't much interaction. As you can imagine, sleep was hard to come by those first few months but it's amazing just how quickly you forget what it was like. As tired as we were, and as much as we complained, it was always worth it to see our beautiful boys....no matter what time of the night! I can honestly say that Josh and I had some of our best conversations, and laughs over feedings between 2 and 4 a.m.

My niece Graysen was born in August of 2007. I can remember being over at my sister and brother-in-laws place one night not long after she was born. We were sitting around talking about how things were going with the new baby and what it was really like living on no sleep. My very tired looking brother-in-law Jon said things were going well but that he couldn't wait until Graysen was older so she could walk and talk. I wonder if he would would still feel the same way today now that she is a very busy 18 month old? I'm sure like all parents he wonders where the time went.

I think most parents of newborns often find themselves saying the same thing; "I can't wait until....." fill in the blank. I too have been guilty of saying this a few times over the past 6 months since the twins were born. Just yesterday I told my cousin I couldn't wait for the boys to be able to sit up on their own without falling over. It got me thinking; why is it that we always wish for something that we know will happen to come sooner?

Both Owen and Carter are much more mobile then they were just a few weeks ago. Gone are the days when I could leave them on my bed and walk away for a few minutes knowing they would be in the same place when I got back. Now I'm afraid to turn my back for a second in fear of them rolling off the bed. I was visiting my sister one day when she asked me if the boys had started rolling over yet. I sort of sighed and said "no" when lo and behold we look down at the floor and doesn't Carter roll over right then for the first time. I was so excited and proud that he had accomplished this milestone until he proceeded to smash his face in the play mat and scream his head off because he was now stuck on his belly.



Fish out of water

Owen followed suit and started rolling over about a week later. Since that day my life has never been the same. I now spend a good portion of my day rolling the boys from their stomachs to their backs only to repeat the whole thing again in a matter of minutes.... sometimes seconds. There is nothing more pathetic then 2 screaming babies stuck on their bellies that resemble fish out of water. I have started leaving them a little longer now in hopes of them figuring out how to roll back on their own. I can't wait for that day!

The boys are growing and changing so quickly that sometimes it makes me sad. As much fun as it will be when the boys are crawling and talking I have learned to be careful what I wish for, as there are always good and bad things that come with every step. For now I am going to appreciate every day with them no matter what they can and can't do. Somehow I have the feeling that the things I wish for will be here soon enough!

Monkey Business

Every morning at my house is pretty much the same. I guess it's the anal, organized side of me that feels the need for a schedule for Owen & Carter (and lets be honest...for me too). This morning I awoke to the usual sound of Carter talking away to himself in his crib. I grudgingly got out of bed at 6:45 after he had exhausted his voice and went to his room. My mood quickly changed as this is probably my favourite part of the day as I love to see the big gummy smile on his face when I first greet him in the morning. He gets so excited that he kicks his little arms and legs so ferociously while he grins ear to ear until I pick him up. After changing his diaper I put him back in his crib to amuse himself while I went to repeat the same process with his brother. I am again greeted by a very smiley-faced little boy with outstretched arms as to say "pick me up already".

Having twins always posed a dilemma as to whom I should feed first in the morning; so I have come up with a solution that I think is only fair. I now feed whoever has not eaten for the longest period of time first. Last night Carter was up at 3:30 and Owen at 4:00 so logically Carter gets to eat his breakfast first. If you have ever tried to feed 2 babies in highchairs at the same time you will undertsand that it is not an easy task. They both usually end up covered in food because I have turned my attention to the other for a split second to give him a mouthful of cereal.



Since I was going to feed Carter first this morning I took Owen and put him back in his crib underneath his beloved mobile. This usually keeps him entertained for a solid 20 minutes giving me plenty of time to feed his brother. I took Carter downstairs and got him settled in his highchair while I was preparing his cereal when I heard laughter coming from upstairs. Now Owen is usually a very happy, funny guy that is easy to get a laugh out of....but not without some form of human entertainment. I listened intently from the bottom of the stairs and he wouldn't stop laughing. Then I heard a clicking noise which I could not figure out so I quietly went up the stairs and poked my head in to Owen's room.

What did I find? There's Owen with his little hand stretched as far as it could go, hanging on to his mobile for dear life. He had finally caught the monkey's leg and wasn't letting go for anything. The clicking noise was the sound of the poor mobile trying to turn against the sheer will and determination of my 6 month old!He giggled each time the mobile would try to get away from him. Owen had the proudest look on his face as if to say "finally, I've got you". I wish I could have found my camera to take a picture but I was afraid he was going to pull the mobile on to his head. He startled a little when I asked him what he was doing and realized that he had been caught red handed. He then flashed me another one of his ear to ear gummy grins before letting go. I guess this means I'll be moving his mobile to higher grounds!

Virgin Blogger

So after much consideration I finally gave in and decided to join the world of blogging. You will have to forgive me as I am definitely new to this so it may take me a while to figure things out. Being a first time mom to twin boys doesn't leave a lot of spare time but I'm hoping I can make a real effort to post at least a few times a week. We'll see what the boys have to say about that! I think this blog will be a wonderful way to look back and see what was going on in our lives at certain points in time. I am looking forward to the adventure.