Progress

As soon as I finish a post I think of a ton of other things I wanted to write so I can track their progress. It is amazing how fast they learn to do new things.

They both have teeth coming in and are crabby enough to prove it. I think Logan has about 5 that I can see trying to break through and Alyssa I know has them, but I can't see them yet. They are so alert now...and it is not always a good thing. I used to be able to walk around behind them and they were none the wiser, but now they can turn their heads to see what all is going on. They have been rolling for almost a month now and are getting really good at it. Often they still stay on their stomach and complain, but they know how to roll back over if they really want to. We are working on sitting up unassisted now.

Logan -
Went to the ENT on Thursday and they said his ears were not red anymore and there was only a little fluid left...he expects the infection to go away...it is now Monday and he started messing with his ears again Saturday so we will see when we go to our 6 months visit this Thursday. We have a hearing test scheduled later this month. His hernia is almost completely gone...it almost looks like a regular belly button.

Logan surprised us the other day and has graduated from giggling to full on laughing. It is so much fun to get him going. He has moved on and no longer uses his binkie either...we are glad that we won't have to fight them to get them off of the binkies. Although they both get startled sometimes he seems to get startled much more frequently. I always feel a little bad when I start talking and he jumps. And sadly he had his first fall off the bed while in Katy.

Alyssa -
Has not liked to be on her back ever since she learned how to roll. She has begun to arch her back before you can even get her straps off when removing her from her car seat. When she is in the seat she is still doing her crunches and you have to tell her to lay back. We sat her in the car seat without the straps on Friday and she was sitting up in it and Alex mentioned that she almost jumped out of it yesterday at church.

Alyssa got her first doll a few weeks ago from her Aunt Kris and she loves playing with it. She also seems like she will be crawling soon. She gets her legs up under her belly by putting her head down but then she tries to stand up and she pushes forward...she looks like a little bulldozer. She gets mad at me every time I wipe her nose now...she is not a fan.

They spend at least an hour a day in their toys. They have an entertainer/saucer and last month in Katy we picked up a walker for them. It is so nice to have a toy for each of them...and now they started reaching up for you when you go to get them out of their toys. What a great feeling when your kids start reaching for you. They have started eating everything...their stuffed dogs, the toys on their walker & saucer, burp rags, bibs...which does not make feeding them any easier...pretty much whatever they get their hands on. Alyssa is getting a little better at eating, but Logan is still the easier one to feed by far.

They still get to fly, but they are getting heavier every day...the only exercise I get right now :) and they have started getting horsey rides.

They have started using their side by side stroller. They have been interacting with each other more and more. I see them holding hands all the time so I was not surprised that in the stroller the first time Alyssa reached over to Logan and they were holding hands. We will probably be using both strollers for a little while, but they are almost too big for the snap n go...poor little Logan can not stretch out his legs...but I have a feeling he likes to kick her seat already.

Almost 6 months

I am waiting for the laundry so I am going to try and start on the 5 1/2 month post before we are already at 6 months...it is right around the corner.

Logan -

Our poor little boy has had an ear infection since April 30th. We have gone to the Dr 4 times and have now tried 4 different meds/doses. We hope he gets over it soon...he is still such a happy boy most of the time, but you can tell when it is bothering him :(

We also took him to the dermatologist and they gave us some miracle ointment. Seriously the redness goes away in a matter of hours. With the summer heat now I think it may not be as effective...I guess we will see.

What a giggle box he is. He laughs all the time and at almost anything...when he is feeling well. He is also a talker at times.

Alyssa -

She is progressing beautifully. She started giving Mommy kisses and high fives. She is a handfull though. Once she is asleep it is wonderful...sometimes she goes right down...other times she needs some convincing, but she and Mommy are fine with her sleeping in her room now.

She is starting to laugh more, and is beginning to sit up unassisted...for a few moments. The other day when she was laying on the couch watching TV we noticed that she had her hand on her tummy...it was so cute.

Both -

Just yesterday I got them both laughing at the same time at the same thing. That was really fun, but they don't laugh for a long time you have to keep making them laugh.

Today I had them both playing on their piano toy...I think they play well together and will learn quickly that they are supposed to share. They play in their entertainer a lot better now...they turn around and play with the different toys and of course their favorite one is the loudest that at first they were scared of because they were not expecting the sphere to turn and all of the little beads inside to fall all over.

They play with their rings and rattles that we attached to their carseats. They have both fallen asleep while holding onto the rings. Speaking of asleep I have funny sleeping pictures of both of them...Logan while eating and Alyssa in the entertainer...I guess she was no longer entertained.

I am almost ready to move them from their snap and go stroller to the side by side...my only reservations are having to buckle them in and out of the car and getting them to and from the house. I guess I could use the carriers to/from the house and then leave them in the car while we are out and about...not that we are out and about all that much. Mostly weekends and Dr apts and playgroup.

Here is his first trip to the Dr...care now actually Mom & Dad decided Friday night about 8PM that he needed to go to the Dr. Can you believe how big he is?

These are some sleeping moments I mentioned.

And here they are on the piano.

Laundry is done so I am off to bed.

Our Family as Babies

Here we are together, together, together;

Oh, here we are together in our family.

There's Daddy and Logan and Mommy and Alyssa;

Oh, here we are together in our family.

Baptisms

Last weekend we were able to go to Katy and participate in 2 family baptisims. Our Sister-in-law Kristine and our nephew Bailey. We could not be happier for them...and I was very impressed at 6 months pregnant Kris could get that low...the water was barely knee high on my brother. I blubbered my way through the talk and Alex was asked to do Bailey's confirmation. We are so blessed with wonderful family. They are already planning a trip to the temple next June to celebrate their 6th Anniversary and be sealed together for Eternity :)

4+ months

I don't have the time to write everthing out in paragraph form so I made a list...I am good at lists and it is faster and I will add pictures as time allows...here is how they are doing.

Logan –
Holding head better…getting less mis-shapen
Standing better
Sitting up better
Smiles all of the time
Waxy ears
Hernia is starting to go away
Red spot going to get bigger before gets smaller
Likes 1 2 3 jump and Yesterday threw him up a little on jump and really enjoyed it
Likes to be upside down
Great eater
Sighs the biggest sighs
Has the saddest little cry that makes me want to cry sometimes
Likes to sleep on his side with his head all the way back
Likes to kick mommy
Sensitive skin…constantly rubbing eyes and forehead
scratches couch
15 lbs 4.5 oz 24.5 inches
learning to not eat during night

Alyssa –
So happy when she wakes up
A bear to get to sleep, but doing better
Likes to fly like a butterfly and be upside down
Likes to grab at mommy’s face and pull her hair
Pulls out her binkie and successfully puts it back in sometimes
Likes cuddling with blanket and taggie
Pulls covers over her head and then cries b/c she can't get it back off
Abs of steel…when she does not want to lay down she holds a nice long crunch or arches her back and pushes with her legs to scoot
Holds her own bottle sometimes
Always seems to need held when mommy is trying to eat
15 lbs 8 oz 24 inches
Bald spot constantly looking around
Messy eater…tries to drink the spoon like a bottle and wants her hands in on the action
Alyssa & mommy learning to have her sleep in her own room
Still very gassy
Dr said teething...and she is blowing bubbles

Both -
Started eating about 3 weeks ago - and high chairs today
They scoot/move around in the beds and on the couch
Starting to get on a schedule
Started going to playgroup
Mommy learned that carrots and sweet potatoes do not wash out in the laundry after getting it on a ton of burp rags and clothes
Starting to try and laugh…succeed once in a while
They are very talkative when they are most happy…just woke up or just fed
I sometimes think they try and imitate some of the silly sounds I make for them
Like to sit on mommy’s lap while she is working
Great at sharing their food...only mommy is still trying to teach them to only share it before they eat it not after…but they are spitting up a lot less than they used to
They are so strong
Mommy makes up all kinds of short little songs to sing to them...Aunt Jenny would be so proud
They get the hick ups a lot less frequently
Most of the time they can drink a full 6oz bottle before they burp
Not very patient
They have the cutest fuzzy hair heads

Now in size 3 diapers and 3-6 clothes

3 months

They just keep growing and growing. I measured them at home the other day and they are about 13 lbs now. WOW!!! Those carriers are getting a lot heavier. They are now in size 0-3 clothes and 1-2 diapers.

They seem like they are learning or doing something new almost every day. Even their cries/screams change and new ones are added to their options. I have been asked if I can tell which one by their cry and YES they are very different. I do feel bad sometimes they will wake up and scream...I think it is from gas, but I am tired of switching formulas trying to find one that they will not have gas or make them spit up...it just does not exist...or at least on our budget. They use about $20 in diapers a week and $70 in formula.


They are both sitting in their bumbos for a few minutes a day(I think the first day I tried was when it snowed on the 11th of Feb), but their little heads still get tired...especially Logans so they don't stay in them long.

They have started batting at and sometimes grabbing toys and want more attention than they used to. Logan seems to use his right hand more, and Alyssa her left more...I don't know if that is any indication as to which hand they will write with...They also are getting louder when they get upset and that is fairly often when there is only one of me and 2 of them, but we make it through the days alright.

They are beginning to try and talk to me as well, but I still have not learned their language. I don't know if they understand each other, but if Alyssa is really upset it seems to upset Logan as well.

They like their binkies especially when they are tired and if Mom is not quick enough to get it to them they have learned to resort to their little hands. They smile often and on purpose now and we can even get them to smile if they are already in a good mood (especially right after they eat if they are still awake). Once a while they seem to giggle in their sleep, but they don't seem to be laughing yet. They are also getting slightly mobile. Sometimes I will lay them down on their back and after some time has passed they will have moved their legs a few degrees to the left or right.
Logan still seems to have really sensitive skin...I am almost convinced he might have eczema. I guess we will see when we go in for our 4 months if that is what the Dr thinks and if he has any other suggestions for us.

Last month I listed some of their nicknames and I missed a few, some other names they go by are brother bear and sister bear and little man and my little ewok.

Do you see the resemblance?

Trip to Utah

Some of the family decided to make a trip up to Utah so we could introduce the great grandkids to their great grandparents. Our little family flew up from Dallas and the kids did great on the plane. Thankfully we had some baby bjorns and that made the fights easier so we did not have to physically hold them the entire trip. Mom, Jenny & Chris flew up from Houston and we all got there at the same time Wed night so that was nice. The rental car was a little full with the 7 of us and all of our luggage and baby gear...When you take kids you have to bring a babysitter or 2 or 3 if you plan to go out and enjoy the weather.

Thursday Alex, Jenny & Chris headed to Brighton to hit the slopes. They had a blast snowboarding...best weather ever according to Alex...I think the mountain got 14 inches that day. Friday was Alex's b-day the big 30 and to celebrate I was supposed to spend the whole day with him and go snowboarding as well, but I could not bring myself to leave the kids all day with Grandma (eventhough that is one of the main reasons she came so I could go) and the great grandparents. I was still convinced I was too tired from my lack of sleep the past 2.5 months and I couldn't get hurt because they would need me when I got back. So the 3 went again and this time to Park City. Way better than Brighton according to them, but the weather was not as awesome.

Friday night we had dinner at Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Shauna's house in West Jordan and celebrated Alex's birthday.

Since I didn't go Friday the group decided to go a half day Saturday...I decided I could leave the kids for a half day as long as I did not push myself too hard so I could move when I got home and it all worked out...we went to Brighton and I got a little exercise and had fun in the snow.

Saturday evening we got to see my Aunt Renate and briefly my Cousin Mindy and her family since they were tired from a long day and feeling a little sick.

Sunday we went to Draper to show the kids off to Alex's cousin Paola.

Monday we did some sightseeing. Went to the Church Office Bldg with Mom to get some pictures from above and then took her to the airport. We had heard good things about Cafe Rio so we ate ther for lunch when we got back into downtown and then we toured the Conference Center and Temple Square. Alex was excited to get to try out his new camera, but a little diasppointed that all of the landscaping was tarped and the trees bare since it was still winter. I guess next time we will have to go at a different time during the year.

Tuesday we took it easy. Omi made her delicious German Pancakes for us and then we packed up and headed to the airport.

Mommy and Aunt Jenny also scored some new Omi made slippers during the trip :)