Big Kid Baths

Sunday night was the first time I've actually bathed the kids in the real bathtub. Up until now, I've used an infant bath. Lately, they seem to only want to sit up (as opposed to hanging out in the reclined position that the bath/cushion is made for) and they are getting too big for the baby bath/ bath seat. So, I tried it out with them, one at a time. Eventually, they'll take their baths together, and that should be lots of fun. But I want them to get a little bit bigger and stronger. I'd hate for one/both of them to go a-crawling in the water and have to figure out how to keep them both under control and heads out of the water.

Alec's first experience was great. He was thrilled to have the extra room to play and all of the rubber duckies around to play with. It was a long bath because he was enjoying it so much. He figured out how to splash the water with his feet, and that was really fun. When I finally pulled him out, he was not happy. He wanted to stay in the tub and play. He's come a long way from his first bath, which he hated!

Emma was a little more hesitant. She sat there and looked around wondering what the heck was going on. When I handed her a rubber ducky to chew on, she was okay with it...but it wasn't until the second big girl bath that she started to see how much fun it could be (splashing the water and looking at her hands under the water...reaching for bubbles). Mommy had fun making her hair into a mohawk. Here are a few pics of the first big kid baths. Funny mowkawk/hair pics to come!

Stand, Sit, Spit

On Fridays, I teach for a couple of hours at the Institute of Music, Worship and the Arts (IMWA). I teach ballet and worship dance. Aaron only works a half day on Fridays, so he watches the kids in the afternoon. Every first and third Friday of the month, we have a young adult home group that we facilitate at a friend's house that is in the same town as the IMWA. So, those Fridays, he and the kids come to work with me. The IMWA is not only a music school. The building also houses a church and a house of prayer, so there is a nursery there. It makes it easier for him to watch the babies. Here is a video of them playing at the IMWA. Alec was getting such a kick out of banging his keys against the toy bench...and then, well...it reminds me of that E-Trade commercial with the baby boy that spontaneously spits up. Watch and see!

Eight Months!

Here are some pictures of Alec and Emma playing with their new crawl and cruise toy that Aunt Chrissy got them for Christmas. We brought it home at Thanksgiving so that we would have less to fit in the car at Christmas. They LOVE this toy and play with it for hours everyday. They turned eight months old on December 4th, and as of today they are 35 weeks and 6 days old. I delivered them at 35 weeks, 6 days. So, now they have been out of me as long as they were inside of me! Isn't that crazy??? I can't believe they've been here now as long as I was pregnant. It seems like I was pregnant a LOT longer. Anyways, I've been trying to post this really funny video that Aaron took while I was teaching last Friday, but I haven't been able to get it uploaded. I'll keep trying!

Big Kid Food (Sort of)

I decided to let Alec and Emma try some turkey (baby food, of course) in honor of Thanksgiving. We tried turkey and green bean mix and turkey and rice dinner. As you can see, they were not too keen on it. We'll try again later. It's just another food they'll need to get used to. They are, however, big fans of their new big kid sippy cups.

Thanksgiving with Mommy's Family

On Saturday afternoon, we drove to Enid, Oklahoma to celebrate Thanksgiving with my side of the family. We got to see my mom, dad, nanny (grandma), sister, and niece. We had lots of good food, enjoyed being together, and Aaron and I spent a little time being elves and scoping out a Christmas present for my mom and g'ma. We had a great time. Here are a few pics. The first one is my grandma with Alec and Emma. Then, Kylie giving Emma a bottle. (She wanted to help with everything!) And finally, my mother and sister with the babies.

Stroller Trauma

Okay, so we have a double in-line stroller. It's great because the same carriers that click into the car bases also click into the stroller, alleviating the need for you to physically unstrap your babies. The only stupid thing is that the one closest to the stroller handle often gets stuck. I am still unclear as to why this happens. It happens with both carriers, but only in the back seat of the stroller...not in the front one. Generally, when it gets stuck, Aaron gets it unstuck. When I'm out with Alec and Emma alone, I've always just been able to wiggle the carrier around a bit to get it to click out. Well, obviously, the day that I would not be able to get it to click out would be cold, windy and starting to spit cold rain. I had to go to Walmart to get some baby fruit and some chicken broth for the soup I'm making for dinner. When we got back out to the car, Emma came out fine. She was in front. Alec didn't. I worked for a good five minutes trying to get him out of the stroller. Finally, I decided that I needed someone stronger than myself. I asked a cart boy, but he couldn't get it and gave up fairly quickly. Then I asked the gentleman ringing the Salvation Army bell. He stood there and worked with the stroller and the carrier for a good ten minutes. (It was cold!) A vending machine dude came up to try to help, but he was afraid that his mammoth strength would break it. Another mom also tried to help out. Finally, the Salvation Army man saw this one piece of the clicker that was sticking out. When I pushed it in it fully clicked the carrier, which in turn allowed it to un-click. If you've never worked with a baby carrier...I know you must be scratching your head right now. But I was so relieved to finally get Alec out of the stroller. If I couldn't get his carrier out of the stroller, I couldn't buckle him into the car and I couldn't fold up the stroller and I couldn't leave. Emma slept in the car while all of this took place. Of course they were both very well bundled up, and Alec didn't get too disgruntled with the slew of people shaking his stroller around, but it was still very traumatic to me...that on the worst weather day yet that we've been out in, this had to happen. But thank God for the nice bell ringer man. Needless to say, I made a large donation to his kettle today. And I encourage you to do the same, because not only does the Salvation Army minister to homeless and hungry men, women and children...they help out mothers with stroller issues too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were invited to have Thanksgiving dinner with our friends from church, the Buck family. Mr. John Buck is an elder, and we have been good friends with their wonderful family as long as we have been in Arkansas. Anna, their daughter, has taken ballet classes from me, as well as danced with me in church. She has also become a second aunt to Alec and Emma, and has come over numerous times to help me out, and to love on them. We had a fantasic meal and enjoyed the company. Here is a picture of us over at their house.

We were originally supposed to have my family over for the holiday, but my grandmother had to go into the hospital a few weeks ago (she's out now) and is not supposed to travel. Aaron is having to work the Black Friday project for Walmart, so we can't go anywhere until Saturday afternoon. We will leave for Oklahoma then, and celebrate Thanksgiving with my family on Sunday. We'll see his family in Texas for Christmas.

Decorating for Christmas

So, over the past few days, the babies and I have been decorating our house for Christmas. Yes, I realize that Thanksgiving hasn't even passed yet, but we will be out of town this weekend, and I needed to get the decorating done while I had the chance. I don't want to belittle the Thanksgiving holiday in any way. I love Thanksgiving. I think that it is so important for us to take time to reflect on the many blessings that the Lord has given us, but not just on one day of the year. Something that I hope to instill in my children is the value of gratitude, and in rejoicing in the simple pleasures and bigger blessings that each and every day brings. Our family has much to be thankful for this year. We have doubled in size and grown exponentially in love, and we are so happy to have one another with which to share this wonderful season.

I say that the babies and I did the decorating because if it weren't for their contentment, cooperation, and good naps...I would never have gotten it done. Sunday, I worked on the inside decorations minus the Christmas tree. Monday, I did the outside lights. (Weather was nice...babies hung out on the porch with me and napped.) Tuesday, I tackled the tree. As most of you know, I love Christmas. I love the way the house looks when it's decorated. It feels so warm and inviting. I love the lights. I love the music...oh, how I love the music! I've been singing lots of Christmas songs to the babies, so I'm hoping that my obsession will rub off. : ) I also love giving gifts. Not necessarily fighting the crowds and the shopping itself, but the joy of wonderful surprises on Christmas day.

So, here are a few pics of the finished product. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and here's looking forward to Christmas!

Are they twins?!

So...Thursday, I took the babies to Target. I wanted to look at shoes, but I also just wanted to get out of the house. Granted, it's pretty difficult going places with two babies, but I do venture out every now and again. Sometimes we'll make a run to the post office. Sometimes to Wal-Mart when I only need a few things that will fit in one of the small baskets that you carry in your hand. I just hook it over my arm, and I have them in their double stroller. I always take them when its their naptime, since they almost always fall asleep in the car, and will be happy just to ride around in the stroller for a little while. However, I'm almost always in a bit of a hurry to get what needs to be done done, so that I can get them back home for the next feeding. As you can imagine, this is important...because while dealing with one fussy baby is one thing, dealing with two fussy babies is quite another.

That being said, whether it's just me with them, or Aaron and me with them...it's crazy how many times we get stopped, stared at, pointed at, called out to...and various and sundry other very interesting reactions. At least once, every time I take them out, someone asks me if they are twins. I guess I don't really understand that question. I mean, how could I have possibly had these two babies separately...as close in size as they are?? I guess it's conceiveable by a huge stretch of the imagination, or I guess maybe I could have adopted one or both or I don't know! But I have answered this question about 50 times now.

The other comment that is made at least once an outing is "You have your hands full!" This has been yelled at me across the parking lot, as well as by people stopping me/us in stores. I've had a few sets of mothers with small children, stop their kids and tell them to come over to Alec and Emma's stroller to look at the babies and have a conversation about them without making eye contact with me or otherwise asking me if it's okay for their kids to come up and point and stare at my babies (it's flu season, people). And perhaps the weirdest thing, is that a young male greeter at Wal-Mart, not too long ago, stopped me to talk to them and started stroking both of them and talking to them. He basically wanted me to wait to shop until one or both of them smiled for him. Now, I try to be a patient and loving person. And I am thrilled that people notice my children and are drawn to them. But there are times that I truly feel like we are a circus act or something. And the thing that peeves me the most is that (especially when I am alone with them) I am on a mission to get what I need and get out, because I have to get it done before one or both get cranky...and so getting stopped 5 times a trip usually makes this difficult.

You might ask why I don't just do everything on the weekends, when I have Aaron around to help...well, sometimes it's absolutely necessary, and I also like to rest on the weekend, and not just run errands and do shopping. I realize that I've done some venting here, but I just thought I'd tell a little bit about what our shopping adventures are like.

So, back to Target. I decided to swing through the baby dept. Truly, we have had to buy no clothes for our own kids because we received so much through our showers and so much has been handed down to us from friends. We bought them each an outfit for their 6 month picture session last month, and until this trip to Target...that had been it. So, I was looking for some jackets and winter hats for them...and found these precious Classic Pooh hats with the ears. I couldn't resist and also bought them each an outfit with a jacket. As you can see in the pics above, they look pretty darling in those hats!

Playing Together

Here are some pictures of Alec and Emma playing together in their octagon. As you can see, Alec is sitting up on his own really well. Emma would still rather be on her tummy, or back, or standing...not a big fan of sitting for some reason. Anyways, they play well together, but brother really likes to crawl all over sister. He uses her to prop himself up, or sometimes to get to another toy. It can be dangerous, so I really have to keep my eye on them. She has sort of figured out that if she gets in the "tunnel" toy, she will be somewhat safe from his shenanigans.

Get up, Stand up...

Yeah, so I had the babies by myself Sunday morning, because Daddy was needed on the worship team. (We both used to be scheduled for worship team quite often before the babies, but as you can imagine, we've taken a leave of absence for a while until our lives are a little less crazy. But sometimes, they are without a guitarist...so Aaron steps in. That means he has to be at church for early practice on Sunday from 8:30am until 9:30 or so, and then he runs back home to pick up the kids and me, and we have to make it back to church for him to be on the platform by about 10:20.) Needless to say, I handle two babies all week long for a good 50 hours or so by myself...so it's not that I can't do it...it's just that by the weekend, I am SO ready to have a partner in crime to do baby duty with. So, Sunday mornings are a little tough when it's just me. Getting them fed, cleaned up, dressed for church, entertaining them, and keeping an eye on them all while trying to get myself fed (hopefully) and also ready for church can be a challenge. Like I said, it's not that its not doable, it's just SO MUCH EASIER when Daddy is around to help. So, that's all the background to my story.

I was running back and forth between the living room and my bathroom, trying to keep a decent eye on them, and also trying to get ready. Alec was in the play yard, and Emma was in her jumperoo. I ran to the bathroom to do something with my hair, and then decided to check on them in between hair and makeup. When I got to the living room, you can see in the pictures above what I saw. Alec had pulled himself up the grating of the play yard gate and was standing up watching t.v. like it was nothing. As you can see, Cookie is standing on the other side, making sure that everything is okay. She started barking, either because she was worried about him, or about the fact that these kids are getting more and more mobile everyday and it kinda freaks her out. I have a feeling that he will be an early walker. He's got pretty strong legs. It's crazy how he's really taken off in the last month. All of a sudden he's crawling, sitting up on his own, holding his bottle, babbling and pulling himself to sit and stand. It's pretty amazing to see.

You may be wondering what sister is upto. She has been doing the army crawl and squealing and making noise for the longest time. She makes consonant sounds, and will repeat them...but usually when something is in her mouth like a teether or her fingers. Not a true babble yet. She sits up on her own, and is gaining stability. She will pull a bottle to her mouth and then smile and let go as if to say "nah, I'd rather you hold it." It's crazy how quickly they are changing. We can barely keep up!

Something that used to be so simple...

Okay, I can't say that I love changing diapers, but it used to be so much easier...that is, before my children became extremely mobile wiggle worms. Both Emma and Alec decide that they are going to go crazy if they can't roll over or crawl away as soon as I try to change their diaper. Something that used to take less than a minute (even with poop), now takes all of my effort and energy. I have to have one or two toys or diversions ready, or it just won't happen. Once I finally get them cleaned up and a new diaper on, and I'm trying to tie up the old diaper, they're already getting away from me, and I must regain their attention so that I can put their bottoms back on. Oh, just thinking about it makes me tired. They are both so darn strong! I guess that's what we get for having them on the strict weight-training and cardio program for the cage fighting. This scenario plays out about twelve to fourteen times a day (since I have to do everything twice : )). When the dog is around it's even more fun, because she thinks that she needs to sniff around and get in on the action. Good times, people...good times!

Sniffle, Sniffle, Ma-ma

Well, a change in seasons has officially occurred, and therefore, we are all experiencing the onset of allergies, sniffles, sneezes, etc. It's been pretty brisk outside lately, and we've been using the heater a lot more than we normally do (due to Aaron's frugality) since we have babies to keep warm now. Coincidentally, their nursery is the coldest room in the house...so we really have to keep the heater set at a decent level to keep them warm. Since it's a gas heater, it really dries out the air in the house, and thus the problems with sore throats and dry, irritated nasal passages. Aaron and I both grew up in Victoria, TX where the humidity was basically 100% year round. We are still trying to get used to the dryness here. Aside from what's already been stated, my skin gets so dry in the fall and winter, I have to bathe in lotion to keep it hydrated. Anyways, the babies and I have really been sniffly lately. We've had to suction snot (sorry if that's gross) everyday, and they just sound terrible when they're sleeping, trying to breathe through their stuffed up noses. We have two humidifiers that we are in the process of cleaning out. We'll put one in the nursery and one in our room to put some moisture into the air. Hopefully, we'll all start breathing better soon.

In other news, Alec said "ma-ma" repeatedly this morning. Daddy was worn-out and stayed home a little later than usual this morning, and Alec did this while he was feeding them breakfast and I was making breakfast for us grown-ups. I'd like to say that Alec knows the exact meaning of the sounds he's making, but it's probably just his natural first babble. I don't know...we repeat "mamamamama" and "dadadadada" to them over and over again. I'll bet Emma will say "dada" first. She is his little baby doll. Regardless of whether he knows what he's saying and which one Emma says first...it is really cool, and both of us got a big kick out of it.

The Octagon

On Sunday, Daddy put together "the Octagon." It's a big octagonal gated playpen area for the babies. They need to be able to roam free in a safe place, and their pack and play playpens just aren't big enough...plus, they like to play together. Up until we had the Octagon, I would always just play with them on the floor between the coffee table and the t.v. in our living room, and sometimes on the floor in their nursery. It was fine until they both became mobile. As I've mentioned, Emma does the army crawl at an amazing speed. We can turn our heads for a second, and she'll be under the table or making her lap around the table or into the electronic equipment. Now, Alec is doing the army crawl and even taking real crawling steps...and is picking up speed. So, they now have their play yard area with a brightly colored foam floor of the alphabet, and tons of toys to keep them occupied...until they decide that they're bored or need Mommy. It's really a pretty great invention, as I can let them play without having to scoop them up and move them back to safety a million times. I just have to watch to make sure they aren't trying to steamroll eachother, but then we are trying to prepare them for their careers as cage fighters. JUST KIDDING! That's a joke. If you watch UFC, you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, they're napping now...so I'm going to reheat my cup of tea.

A Trip to Fort Smith

On Saturday, we took the babies down to Fort Smith to Western Arkansas Ballet (where Mommy used to work as ballet mistress) for Act II Nutcracker rehearsal. We wanted to show off our cuties, as well as to visit with my former co-workers, company, and students. We had lots of fun seeing everyone and watching the variations from Act II. The board of directors had purchased several toys and a few outfits for Alec and Emma, and so we had fun opening their gifts and showing them their new toys as well. Afterward, we went to Furr's, Daddy's favorite "all you can eat buffet" type restaurant (which we don't have in NW Arkansas).

The drive was nice because we got to see the fall foliage. Lots of the trees had already peaked in color and shed their leaves, but we did get to see some nice color. We forgot to take our camera with us. I wanted to post more recent pictures, but here are a few of the company when I was still with them. There's also a photo of Aaron and I one year when we were party parents (2006), and a picture of Melissa (the artistic director) and Jennifer (the administrator/tap & jazz instructor) with the babies over the summer. The next time I make it down to Fort Smith will be December 13th, for their Nutcracker performance, which I'm really looking forward to.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Alex!

Hey, Uncle Alex! We hope you have a super 17th Birthday today! We are so excited to see you at Christmas! We had fun with you at Dixie Dude (where these pictures were taken)...and also enjoyed seeing you when we were in Austin. Enjoy your day! We love you!

Did you know that you share a birthday with Reverend Billy Graham?! He is turning 90 years old today. Pretty cool to have the same birthday as the man who has probably been the most recognized and influential evangelist in our country!

Happy Birthday, G'ma Wanda!

Hey, G'ma Wanda! We just want to wish you the happiest birthday! We hope that you have a wonderful and relaxing day...and we hope that your gift made it to you on time! We'll call you this afternoon. We love you very much and miss you!

These pictures remind us of how much fun we had with you and G'pa Jeff and GG'ma Davis. We were only two weeks old then! And we really enjoyed having you stay to love on us and help our Mommy for eight weeks. Now we're seven months! The next time we're all together, at Christmas, we'll be almost nine months old! We can't wait for you to hold us again!

We also want to add that GG'ma Davis' birthday was October 27th, the day Mommy started our blog. Sorry she wasn't "with-it" enough that day to think to do a Happy Birthday post for you, GG'ma! But you know that we love you bunches, and there's a fun picture of us with you and G'ma Wanda up top!

Election Day

Happy Election Day everyone! Alec and Emma want to remind you all to get out there and VOTE today! Their future depends on it. We Davises are supporting the McCain/Palin ticket. Whoever you choose to support...let your voice be heard. We are so grateful to live in a country that affords us this right!

On another exciting note, Alec and Emma turned 7 months old today! My, how time does fly. You might wonder what kinds of things they're doing right now. Well, Emma does the army crawl...and very fast. She also loves to squeal at the top of her lungs. She often sounds like one of those 4th of July screamers! Alec can sit up on his own for short periods of time, and he just cut his first tooth Sunday. He is trying to crawl, and we're expecting him to take off any day. Their solid food repertoire consists of sweet potatoes, squash, peas and carrots, bananas, applesauce, and an apple, banana, strawberry mix...and rice cereal. They sure are growing fast!

Boomer Sooner!

We all enjoyed watching the OU/ Nebraska game on Saturday. We were especially stoked to see the Sooners completely stomp the Cornhuskers pretty traumatically in the opening quarter of the game. Two touchdowns in 4 seconds!!! We flipped between that game and the UT/ Texas Tech game, hoping that it would be an upset for the Longhorns...which it was! We couldn't believe our eyes during that last wonderful touchdown for the Red Raiders! Now the Sooners and the Longhorns are on an even playing field again. HaHaHa!

Halloween Pics

Here are some photos of Alec and Emma in their Halloween costumes. We took them to Daddy's work to go trick-or-treating around the pods (cubicles). Of course, they were the cutest kids in the building. They collected a small bag of candy for Mommy and Daddy, as well as a lot of comments about their preciousness. We didn't stay too terribly long, because it was really HOT in the ISD building. As you might know, in an effort to save you money so that you can live better, Walmart keeps from using too much air or heat, depending on the season, too keep costs down. Now granted, it's technically fall here, but this was one of the hottest Halloweens I remember up here. Plus, there were a bazillion parents and kids in costume parading through the pods in very close quarters...so I'm sure that contributed to the sauna-like conditions. Alec and Emma made it through like champs, though. Enjoy!

Shout out to our blog followers

Hey, Great Uncle Larry! We're glad to see that you are following our blog! We miss you and can't wait to see you at Christmas!

We also want to say hello to our other faithful followers, little Miss Ruth and her mom, Natalie, and Christy! Thank you for being interested in us and following our blog. Bye for now!

Happy Halloween!

Okay, first let me make a disclaimer that neither Aaron or I are real huge supporters of Halloween. His family didn't celebrate Halloween, and though mine did...it was made very clear that we would never be allowed to dress up as anything ghostly, goulish, devilish, satanic, or otherwise anti-Christian. Often we went to church sponsored Hallelujah events instead...but we were allowed to get candy and for my sister and I, that's all it was about...getting candy. Aaron didn't miss out on the candy part though. His mom would buy them candy...they just wouldn't dress up and go around the neighborhood to get it. Anyway, all this to say...we are dressing the babies up for fun and to take pictures, and because all of Aaron's team at Wal-Mart really wants us to bring them by for festivities today. Alec is going to be a football and Emma is going to be a peapod. It's really just an excuse to make them look cute...which they always do anyway, but I digress. I will post pictures as soon as we have them. We will not be feeding the babies candy, duh! But we will accept candy and eat it for them. Whether you choose to endorse, enjoy, or ignore this holiday...have a great day and a great weekend!

Catching Up

Below I've posted pictures of the twins from when they were newborns through every month up until now. I thought it would be nice to catch everyone up. They have changed so much over the past 6 1/2 months! I can hardly believe it's been that long. It really seems like we were just at the hospital, but I'm so grateful to be right where we are with two healthy and happy babies.

Newborn

This was the day that forever changed our lives. And the two became four! I came out of recovery pretty quickly after the c-section and was being wheeled down the hall when they brought me Alec. I didn't get to hold my baby girl until a day later! This was the first time Emma and I met in the NICU. Luckily, Daddy had been able to visit her and take pictures and check up on her for me. You'd never know she was a NICU baby now...she's my little spitfire! The top photo is when Alec and Emma got together for the first time outside of me. Alec had this look on his face as if to say, "oh, there you are...I've been wondering where you went!"

One Month

At one month old, neither of the twins was very thrilled at the prospect of bathtime...but now they are all for it!

Two Months

When the babies were about 10 weeks old, we went down to Bandera, Texas to Dixie Dude Ranch for the annual Davis Family Reunion. It was our first big trip with them. It took us about 12 hours to get to San Antonio. Luckily, we had Aaron's mom, Wanda, with us on the trip down. She sat in the back with the babies. I'd pump every three hours, hand her the bottles of milk, she'd feed them for 15 minutes, we'd stop and burp them, change them, feed them the rest of their bottles, burp them again, and do whatever we needed to do at the pit stop. Thank God for grandmas. My mom and grandma stayed with us for 2 weeks after they were born, and G'ma Wanda stayed with us for 8 weeks after that...so this momma had lots of much needed and appreciated help! As you can see above, Aaron's family is quite large. Two of his cousins and his brother's girlfriend are all pregnant in that picture. Cousin Celina gave birth to a baby boy not long after the reunion. Cousin Tracy just had her twin boys, Collin and Cooper on October 17th. Aric's girlfriend, Bobi Jo, gave birth to Cira Jo on September 23rd. We are a rapidly growing family. The other photos were taken at our cabin during some down time. You need down time when it's 105 degrees in the Texas Hill Country. Thanks again to the matriarch of the family, Great Grandma (GG'ma) Davis...for making it all possible again!