earning my good housekeeping seal of approval

Tonight, for the first time I can ever recall, I was able to make chocolate chip cookies without it being premeditated. I am on a quest to lose the last 10 pregnancy pounds (because in 3 more months it doesn't count as baby weight, just regular weight) so I have rid my house from the normal stash of oreos (don't worry, I can get my fix when I visit Grandma Helen). Anyways, I was desperate for a sweet treat... I had a few plain chocolate chips, and even thought about concocting a mixture of chocolate chips, peanut butter, and cheerios... Staring in the cupboard, I realized I had flour, brown sugar, and regular sugar. A quick check of the fridge showed I had both butter and eggs (thankfully Justin's parents had visited us recently- that is pretty much the only time we have eggs just because). Thanks to my coworkers recent (within the past two years, anyways) trip to Mexico, I have a lifetime supply of vanilla. The only wild card was baking soda... it took some digging, but I spotted that rectangular orange box in all of its glory.

To add to the excitement, I was able to have raw cookie dough in over a year! That was the hardest thing for me to give up during pregnancy- wine? No big deal. Luncheon meat? Sold. But cookie dough??? Seriously, how much harm could a tiny bit of raw egg have anyways... but not wanting to take the risk, I abstained. Besides, my Grandma Verna always said raw cookie dough would give you worms (although my cousins and I all had copious amounts of it growing up, and I have yet to hear of any of us ever suffering from that ailment) and I had more serious complications to worry about (remember my pupps??)

Anyways, time to enjoy my cookies while they are still warm!

silly baby

Tonight Audrey only wants to sleep in my arms... The minute I put her down in her crib she starts fussing. Occasionally she'll need a few extra snuggles before bedtime, but tonight it has been an hour and a half of fighting bedtime.

I think she looks so precious in this picture- check out those eyelashes! Thankfully I am home with the girls tomorrow, so I *should* get the chance to sleep in a little. 

Off to see if my little sweetie is ready for the crib- this could be a long night!

 

tiger mother

It is never too early to start with piano lessons...

I make Claire practice until she passes out from exhaustion. Move over Amy Chua, there is a new Tiger Mother in town!

prepping for solids

Claire and Audrey will be ready for solids in about two weeks. Our preparation started months ago, when we (ok, everyone in the family but me) planted a garden at my parents' house. We planted a small garden last year, but since we have 2 more mouths to feed we went all out and planted a giant garden. We might just start a stand at our local farmers market. My dad even bought a fancy smancy rototiller... Let me tell you, we are not messing around with this operation.

Part of our bountiful harvest- this was just two rows of beans! We also planted squash, beets, and a few other things... the girls will have a well rounded palate.

I couldn't wait to test out the food processer.

I think we are going to invest in the baby brezza- it steams and purées in one step. I'm pretty determined to make all of the girls' food, so it should be a good purchase.

Because I have a compulsive need to prepare, I washed the baby dishes and found cabinet space for them.

The bambinos even had the opportunity to test out their high chairs and practice using utensils.

royal baby

I'm excited about the impending arrival of the royal baby... Pretty sure I woke up in the middle of the night to watch Will and Kate's nuptials, so imagine my delight when Audrey woke up for her 5 am feeding and I learned the baby is on his/her way.

In my dream, the baby was a girl named Penelope Treasure... Lets hope they come up with a better name!

grocery shopping

Tonight we visited both local targets and bought out their entire stock of enfamil. I am convinced that it would be less expensive to feed a ravenous pack of 16 year old boys. 

Our girls are super adorable... Maybe enfamil wants to use them as models in exchange for 7 months of free formula?

early readers

Audrey and Claire are quite precocious  and have already started reading novels- Sophie Kinsella is a favorite.

I have found that reading my favorite books aloud is a win-win... I get in extra reading time and the girls get extra story time. I'm sure it won't be long before they demand that I read them Goodnight Moon 20 times in a row, so I am taking advantage of having complete control of their literary pursuits.

Audrey taking advantage of independent story time.

three amigos

Claire and Audrey got to meet baby Cameron today. They were off to a bit of a rocky start, as Audrey tried to eat Cameron's foot... But I'm sure they will be awesome "frousins" just like their mommies.

These three are totally in synch- they all napped at the same time! You would think having three babies would cause quite a ruckus, but we were able to carry on real adult conversation (with scintillating topics like umbilical cords and nursing)! Cameron is coming up to visit us next week... Maybe we could even try a lunch date at a restaurant without plastic trays... You know one of those fancy places where they serve you your food and everything?

Cameron is only a few ounces bigger than Audrey was at two weeks- it is amazing how much the girls have grown! The teeny tiny newborn stage was a blur with the girls, so I am glad I can get my newborn fix from sweet little Cameron. 

I'm sure these three will have many great adventures together... Lets just hope it doesn't involve swamp tag! (Check out my cousin's blog the littlest cookie for more details on that) 

mom suit

Well, it's official I bought my first mom suit. It wasn't that many years ago that I  teased my own mother for wearing swimsuits with extra fabric. 

I found this gem at Macy's and I'm quite excited about it. Something interesting I noticed is that the price of the swimsuits and the amount of fabric seems to be inversely related. Pretty sure the teensy bikinis of my younger years were twice the price of the mom suit.

It looks a little blah in the photo, but it is very adorable on. I texted a fitting room pic to my mom and cousin, and they both approved. Maybe next year I'll be ready for a suit with a little less fabric, but this year I will rock my mom suit proudly. 

5 months

The girls are 5 months old today. To reminisce, last year at this time I was 7 weeks pregnant, experiencing my first bout of morning sickness, and up 5 lbs (dang, I'm up 10 lbs now... Time to put down the Oreos... Though they say 9 months up 9 months down)

Claire and Audrey bring so much joy to our lives- The other day Justin said they're becoming less like creatures are more like little people. I have to agree with him... They both smile, flirt, roll over, and giggle- plus countless other tricks. Some people ask if having twins is overwhelming, but I wouldn't have it any other way. One of the best parts is almost always being able to hold one of the girls (ok note to self, work on sharing...that is a value I want to instill in the girls) 

I am excited to see what adventures this month brings!

are they identical?

Here is a sampling of the most interesting comments and questions I've received about the girls over the past few weeks... for your reading pleasure, I've also included the thoughts that run through my head when receiving commentary from strangers.

Are they identical? Umm do you even know what identical means? They don't look anything alike!

Typical boy and girl the boy is so much bigger than the girl. Hmm... This would make a lot more sense if Audrey wasn't wearing a pink dress...

Did you plan on having twins? Sure I just told my body "hey I only want to do this pregnancy thing once so make sure you give me twins" 

Are they natural? Nope they aren't even real... Just very lifelike dolls.

Are they your only children? (Asked when Justin and I are both out and about with the girls) Naw... We have another one at home... He just isn't as cute so we don't let him out of the house.

You've got your hands full, kiddo. This comment is twofold... We'll start with "kiddo"- the person making the comment was only 10-15 years my senior... If it was a sweet little old lady, I would find the term endearing. The girls certainly haven't been a handful out in public... I strap Claire in the ergo and put Audrey in  the basket (yes in, not balancing dangerously on top) of the shopping cart and I navigate those isles like nobody's business. Wait until I have two screaming toddlers and mashed up bananas and cheerios in my hair...

Are they twins, or just siblings? Umm... I'm not sure how that would be biologically possible... Justin said the lady probably thought I was the babysitter or was borrowing a friend's kid.