Thanksgiving!

Hello again!  I've started back to work and am easing up on my first overnight (THREE NIGHTS to be exact) away from my babies for work.  Things here are settling into an exhausting groove, one that we are adjusting to quite well.  The twins are both doing well.  Eating and sleeping like champs and spending lots of time during the day 'talking', cooing and smiling at whoever might be close by.  Its fun times!

Since I started back to work the Monday before Thanksgiving it wasn't really in the cards to travel that week for the holiday, so Nana, Pops and Auntie Erin decided to come up to visit us - and Nana and Pops are staying through my work trip to help Jon with the babies.  NO ONE should have to manage three under three all by themselves for that many nights. :)

Natalie was OVER THE MOON excited about having Nana and Pops visit.  She LOVES time with them.  We spend a lot of time doing crafts, cooking, reading and playing.  It is wonderful.  

I think everyone is always shocked at how frequently the twins eat and need changing.  Everyone always laughs that the only thing they get done during the day here is feeding/holding/burping/changing babies.  It's true!

Thanksgiving was wonderful, DELICIOUS.  Erin and I cooked and cooked and amazingly EVERYTHING was ready at the same time.  But of course the star of the show was the brined 22 pound turkey that Jon smoked.  It was ridiculously delicious.  If you think that turkey is always dry and tasteless - you NEED to come to our house next year.  Jon can definitely change your mind.  Here are some pictures of the spread.

Jon's turkey and the "centerpiece" that Natalie made at school

Natalie's pine cone turkey. 

Turkey, brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, stuffing, hashbrown casserole, riesling gravy and HOMEMADE LIGHT ROLLS. 
(Mamaw Schenk would have been proud at how well those turned out).

Jon carving the turkey

Cheese!!

One of the many things I am very thankful for!

This is a picture I attempted to capture of Jon and Junior man both asleep after the meal.  Unfortunately Jon woke up just in time to give me this look.... But it was still adorable :)

My guys, resting together

Coincidentally the twins turned three months old on Thanksgiving day.  I am thankful every day for my beautiful family but this year, in the midst of all the madness, it seemed even more overwhelming to me how very blessed I am by these four people (1 big, 3 little) that I get to share this life with.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Three under three - a day in the life

All THREE of my babies are asleep.  Right now.  At the same time.  *Cue happy dance* so what am I doing?  I'm thinking and being thankful for the madness that has settled into our home since August 28th.  I've seen so many mothers of twins doing these "day in the life" type posts and I'm sure I won't remember much of this time in 10 years... or 10 months so I wanted to jot down what a typical day is like for me on maternity leave.

I'll start at 5:00 AM since that's around when our days start here.

Somewhere between 5:00 - 6:30 AM: The twins start to stir.  I jump up and run to warm the water for their bottles.  Jon gets up and usually grabs Junior first because he's ALWAYS the loudest and the first to be hungry.  I come back with the bottles and unswaddle Rylie so she can start waking up too.  We change diapers and give them their bottles.  Jon heads to the shower while I finish burping and changing the twins.

6:30 - 7:00 AM: Natalie wakes up and comes straight into the twins room.  She wants to see the twins FIRST and kiss them both.  Then we talk about her night, did she sleep well, is she looking forward to school, etc, etc.  She's so happy in the mornings, all the time. :)  She tells them she loves them at least 5 times each and "gets all their sugars".

7:15 AM: I get Natalie dressed and herded into the kitchen for breakfast.  If the twins aren't already back to sleep they come in the kitchen in their bouncy seats and watch the morning chaos from there.

7:45 AM: Jon and Natalie leave for the day.  Natalie goes to "school" and Jon goes to work.  The twins wake up after about an hour or so.  Sometimes they sleep at the same time sometimes they tag team.  Whichever is awake is the who I'm talking to/playing with.

8:00 - 9:00: Laundry!  Oh dear LAWD the laundry.  The twins are both PROLIFIC spitters.  They have NO LESS than 4 wardrobe changes per day (per child) thanks to the occasional blowout diaper and the constant spitting up.  They are HAPPY children but boy are they messy.  At some point Junior starts "asking" for his next bottle.  They eat every three hours during the day and he is like a flipping ALARM CLOCK about it.  He does NOT miss a meal. :)  I warm both bottles, feed Junior then either feed Rylie then pump or feed Rylie while pumping.

10:00 AM: Clean the kitchen from breakfast/dinner the night before, start dinner if possible or just get things cleaned up a bit.  If they are awake - their naps are sporadic at best - they are doing some jungle/play mat time.  They are getting pretty good at entertaining themselves and can go for long stretches of happy, awake time during the day.  It is awesome!  So many big, gummy grins now and the beginnings of a giggle every now and again. 

12:00: Bottles for babies and more pumping, wash bottles, more laundry.  

1:00 PM: Tummy time which always turns into Bumbo chair time because they HATE tummy time.  The bumbo is supposed to be an okay substitute and I can see/talk to/encourage them to hold their heads up in the Bumbo chairs.  This also typically leads to epic spitting up which leads to complete wardrobe changes for both babies.  And sometimes for me too.

3:00 PM: Bottles/Pumping/Changing and if the weather is nice a walk once all that is done.  They love being outside and do very well in the stroller.  I can even tilt them up a bit so they can look around.  Of the 1 hour walk I typically do, they can usually manage to stay awake for about the first 10 - 15 minutes.  This is a sure fire way to get them to take a good long nap.

4:30 PM: Pump again and try to feed the babies a little early so we can welcome Natalie home without too much going on and get through dinner before we need to do it all over again.  I like to be waiting for Jon & Natalie when they come home so they both get a warm welcome.  No crying babies or things to do for at least the first 30-45 minutes, if possible.

5:20 PM: Jon and Natalie get home.  YAY!  We talk about Natalie's day, Jon tries to get a word in edgewise about his day, since I asked, but usually it is just Jon and me smiling at each other while we listen to Natalie talk.  We LOVE it.  Jon takes whichever baby is awake and/or fussing and spends some quality time with each while Natalie and I start/finish cooking dinner.  

6:20 PM: We all eat dinner together at the table and again are entertained by Natalie's constant dialogue.  The twins are either being held by Jon and me or in their bouncy seats, depending on the level of fussing going on.

7:00 PM:  The dishes stay right where they are and we either head straight to the playroom or the living room to do some playing with Natalie.  Reading books, painting, pretending, and playing with the babies. The twins get bottles and I pump again.

7:30 PM: Start getting Natalie in her PJs and get ready for bed.  I read two-four books per night, sing songs, say prayers and she is usually down by 8:00 PM.  While I'm putting Natalie down Jon is playing with the twins doing Bumbo chair time, rocking, feeding, burping, etc.

8:00 PM: Clean the kitchen from dinner, prep Natalie's lunch for tomorrow, fold/put away laundry.  For the first time all day ask and actually get to HEAR how Jon's day was and talk about what the twins were up to that day.

9:30 PM: Start getting the twins ready for bed.  They get their 1 formula bottle for the day at bedtime, we think it helps them sleep longer - and since they are sleeping NO LESS than SEVEN hours/night, we aren't going to mess with a good thing.  Jon changes, swaddles, feeds one baby; I'm doing the same with the other.  We usually have them asleep by 10:30 PM and Jon goes to bed.  I sit down to pump and I'm in bed by 11:30.

2:30 AM: I'm up to pump.  Everyone else is asleep!  The twins are GREAT sleepers!

5:30 AM: We start all over again!

And it is sooooo worth every crazy, busy minute!  Just look at those sweet faces!

Pumpkin Carving!

The weather while we were in Hendersonville COULD NOT have been better.  It was warm and sunny many of the days we were there and we took full advantage of it.  All babies (as far as I know) like being outside - and that includes toddlers - so we pulled the bouncy chairs outside and the twins hung out in the BBQ shed while Natalie played and rode her tricycle all around the driveway.  It was perfect!

Pops and Nana had also purchased several pumpkins for carving and one day that was the activity of the afternoon.  Here are a few pictures of the festivities.

Natalie and Pops, hard at work

 As you saw earlier, Natalie was The Cat in the Hat for Halloween so we thought it would be good if she wore her hat for the pumpkin carving.  Its pretty adorable! 

Pops had purchased 4 pumpkins, two large and two small.  Natalie declared that they were "Pops, Daddy, Rylie and Jon Jr. pumpkins".  Each night she asked to go out and light the pumpkins and she would name each one as we went.  She really does love her little brother and sister!

Rylie and Jon Jr. in their Halloween outfits.  Pumpkins and witch/cats!

We didn't venture out too much - or take many pictures - unfortunately but we had a great time just relaxing and enjoying these three sweet babies.  It was truly a little vacation for us and we all enjoyed the time.

Over the River and Through the Woods to Nana and Pop's House we go!

After a brief but very fun party with Aunt Crystal and her extended family we headed West to Hendersonville to start our visit with Nana, Pops and Auntie Erin.  Natalie always has such fun at Pops' house so she was super excited.  We drove through the evening so it was dark in the car for most of the ride.  We had to make a short stop for a potty and diaper change break and the picture below was what I found when I went to get Natalie out of her car seat:

That's gray marker ALL OVER HER FACE!

She had been quietly coloring all over her face with a gray marker.  So when Jon took her into the gas station to go to the potty I'm sure they were wondering what in the world had gone on with that pretty girl's face!

We had a good laugh about it and it washed off no problem but it is clear that we'll be keep an eye on Natalie in the car from now on.  If its quiet in the back, we'll be checking in on her!

Fun with Family - Halloween Part 1

We spent several days just playing at Mamaw and Papaw's house.  Unfortunately I don't have a lot of pictures of the day to day because there is pretty much never a time that I'm not feeding, burping, changing, or holding a baby - or pumping... so you'll have to take my word for it that we had a great time! :)

On Friday we got to share in a Halloween party at Leslie's office for the kids.  Natalie, Jon Jr. and Rylie all got dressed up and we took every one over for a little trick or treating fun.  The Suess kids were a bit hit!

Poor Junior had to be spitting up RIGHT when the picture was taken... :)

The Cat in the Hat!

Mamaw and Thing 2 (Rylie)

Mommy and Thing 1 (Junior)

Natalie had a great time trick or treating with Katherine - who was a LOVELY Sprinkled Donut for Halloween.  They enjoyed every minute except for a hilarious run in with a Gorilla.  Natalie was NOT a fan but mustered the courage to ask for a piece of candy and wish her a Happy Halloween. 

Trick or Treating with Katherine the Donut in the background.

And just as a blast from the past - here's sweet Delaney as well.  She dressed up in Natalie's costume from 2 years prior and was the CUTEST Puff the Delaney Dragon that I ever saw!

I just love the little bow on the tail

Here's Natalie in the same costume in 2011:

Puff the Natalie Dragon :)

Better late than never? ROAD TRIP!

Jon and I must be crazy because we decided it would be a good idea to take a road trip all around North Carolina with our three sweet babies.  But honestly it would be cruel to keep all this cuteness to ourselves.  So off we went!  The drive down went really well.  

The only issue was 1 minor outburst - by Jon about the traffic ;)

Our seasoned traveler, ready for the trip

Sweet, sleeping babies

A little fun during our lunch stop

I have so many posts to write from all our adventures in North Carolina so I'll just go chronologically.  We drove down to Winston-Salem first and Jon and Natalie got to meet Nana and Pops at the North Carolina State Fair!  The twins are a bit too young for that adventure but you can bet that next year the Klimstra Crowd will be there in FORCE! :)

She's ready to go! 
The rah! tattoo was from a 5K that Mom and Dad did earlier in the month.

Photo op!

Silliness with Pops! :)

Deep in conversation

That's a mighty big chair!

Room for two.  This girl LOVES her Pops!

I'm told she had a great time and I know Nana and Pops loved seeing their sweet Natalie.  

Lots more to come from our time in NC!

Its been quite a month - and the twins are TWO MONTHS OLD!

I could really tell you guys some stuff.  

The details aren't important, however while we were battling stomach flu (Jon & Brittany), mastitis (Brittany), a very serious kidney infection (Natalie) and a 3 AM trip to the ER (Natalie), the twins turned into really happy little people.  And that is about the funnest news ever!  We are all finally on the mend and SO thankful that Natalie is back to her bright-eyed happy self.  I'm happy to report that we are enjoying A LOT of smiles and coos and interesting conversation around here with the babies.

Here's an update on how the twins are doing at TWO MONTHS OLD!

Jon Jr. is one outgoing little dude.  He is very quick with a smile - make that a BIG OPEN MOUTH GRIN and works very hard to talk anytime you are up for a conversation.  He seems as if he is going to be a lot like his big sister.   His crying jags in the evenings are all but a memory and for the most part he is a much happier dude.  Jon and I are SO relieved! :)

At his two month check up with the doc he weighed in at 11 pounds 12.5 oz and 22.5 inches long.  He's 70% for weight and 50% for height and 45% for head circumference ;)

Little Rylie - what a beauty.  She looks SO much like Natalie (fortunately for her!) and is still very calm and pleasant.  She is more reserved than her social butterfly brother and older sister but is still very happy and willing to talk and smile as well.  She's a sleeper!  Rylie probably sleeps 2-3 hours MORE than Junior in a given day and rarely is the first to wake up during the night.

 At her check up Rylie was 10 pounds and 20.75 inches long.  She is keeping track with Natalie's proportions at the same age - she's 45% for weight, 25% for height and 70% for head circumference :)

Sleep:  Both babies are sleeping great!  We get at least 6 hours between feedings at night - so a stretch from 10 PM - 4 AM is normal and last night we got from 9:30 PM - 5:15 AM!  I think it is incredible that they are BOTH great sleepers and I am thankful every day.

As I mentioned Natalie was a VERY sick little girl for a week or more.  Thank goodness after the third antibiotic she seems to have turned a corner and she is on the mend.  Our follow up appointment with her pediatrician was yesterday and afterwards Natalie asked if we could go to Chick-fil-a.  I figured she just wanted to play since her appetite has really been low with all the medicines, but boy did she surprise me.  She ate most of her chicken, fruit and milk then I offered ice cream (more as something fun to try) and she ate every bite, even the cone!  I wished you could have seen her face when she realized that you could EAT THE CONE.  It was a revelation!  Here are a couple pictures of the occasion:

Natalie's sick day - she wouldn't let me fix her hair...

I head back to work in a little over a week and I have some SERIOUS emotions to work through about that but the good news is that all THREE of my babies are happy, healthy and doing well.  What more could a momma as for!?!