Not a creature is stirring......

Chris and I are busy getting ready for Santa. This year we opted for the artificial tree and just set it up tonight after we put the little elf’s to bed. We thought any earlier would have been just torture trying to keep them away from it. It's nothing fancy but does the trick. There are not many ornaments and what is there can be licked, bounced on the floor and lost forever in a toy bin. We will not be able to have the nice stuff out for many years! 

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

So November has gone by in a flash. Geesh! We had a great Thanksgiving, very low key. I actually cooked this year! The boys are great. They are getting more teeth, which makes for not sleeping very well and cranky days, that is Matthew attached to my leg whining, but for the most part all good. They are weighing in at 24 lbs - Nicholas and 26 lbs Matthew; as far as their height, it is almost impossible to get this as they are squirming around a whole bunch, but around 31-32 inches. Nicholas has about an inch on Matthew. They got an overall great check-up. Our days are spent stacking blocks, driving trucks, chasing the dog and just general trashing of the house. Chris and I have the pleasure of cleaning up the mess at the end of the day, or as Chris likes to call it "baby shrapnel". I have started to sing that silly clean up song and pick things up hoping they will get the hint but they just follow around behind me taking all the stuff apart again. We are looking forward to the paper flying this Christmas as the boys love to open things and see what treasure is inside.

Happy Halloween!

More Halloween pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/cgplanner/Halloween08#

Gibberish 101

I have now taken on a new language, toddler gibberish! No one said there was going to be a new language involved in this whole thing. You can make out doggy, kitty, daddy and then the rest is just blah, blah, blah all with the hand gestures and a very intent look. If you answer them, they talk back! I am almost a little frightened as to what they are actually saying. They do also chat back and forth, although Nicholas answers most of the time with a little giggle which makes me nervous too.

We have also added a new rule to the list, Finger out of your nose! Matthew thinks this is quite comical and follows me around showing me how his little finger fits perfectly in his little nose. This of course makes me laugh very hard which makes him do it even more! The challenge list gets longer each day.... get off the kitchen table, leave the dog alone, out of the kitty box, no the dog does not want to share her food, do not do pull ups on the handle to the stove, stop licking the windows, out of the dishwasher, it just seems never ending but brings a new challenge to each day.

That's what we have been up to.

This one's for you Ray.....

Thank you to everyone, those who could make it and those who could not, for the great birthday celebration. The boys had a blast and loved all of the thoughtful gifts. They were especially happy to be able to have cake and ice cream AGAIN!
Nicholas is officially on the move and is walking more than crawling. He has also started to climb like a little monkey, it must be from watching his brother. Matthew just keeps powering along and setting new goals for his brother on a daily basis. Watch me climb on the couch, throw things behind there, reach the doorknobs, grab things off the counter. Where there is one, there is another right behind him, heaven help me the day they figure out they can work as a team.

Happy Birthday Boys!

Yes, we all made it to the first Birthday! The boys really enjoyed their cake. Matthew dove right in and double fisted the whole cupcake down while Nicholas found the cake to be quite icky to start and then proceeded to squish it all between his fingers. They weren't really sure about the whole singing and candle part but appeased us with a clap at the end. Matthew is officially walking, he still crawls but spends more time upright than on all fours. Nicholas is still crawling around, he gets around pretty quick so why waste all that energy with walking. They love to go for rides in their wagon, Nick loves anything with wheels and happily vrooms them along while Matt is climbing everything, I truly believe he will be joining the circus soon. Not too much as far as words go. Nick now throws his cup on the floor and has found that "ut-oh" seems to make it more fun and Matt has been walking around saying "Hi Bob" funny thing we don't know anyone named Bob!? They are waving bye-bye, can say Daddy and are coming up with new things everyday. We have quite a bit of teeth, Matt has 8 while Nick is trailing along with 4 and they happily use those chompers to eat like champs. They seem to come up with something new everyday to keep us on our toes. Happy Birthday Boys, We Love You!

Just 14 days to go

Can it be a year already?! We have actually survived?!?! There have been so many days where we thought we weren't going to make it, 3am feedings, both crying at the same time (us and them), when we thought we would never sleep again, being left alone with both of them for the first time, making two bubbas at 2am while holding a baby. The list goes on and on. As much as I didn't think I would miss the baby stuff, I will. Now it's like holding onto a cat that just wants to get down all the time. The snuggles are few and far between, it's more picking up the trail of stuff they leave in their dust as they move on to the next thing.

Yeah Vacation

We made it through our first family vacation. As you can see there wasn't anything to worry about as far as entertaining the boys. They found that the daily newspaper was entertainment enough. The weather was great, we did a lot of walking including Matthew taking his first unassisted steps, spent some time in the pool and relaxed as much as you can with two little ones.

Thanks for putting this here

I guess it's time to move the basket

We must not have been clear when we explained that he is supposed to be walking in it, not ON IT!

How many Cheerios can a baby eat!?

Things have been very busy at the George house. Both boys are on the move, not walking as of yet, but moving in any other way possible. It is amazing how quick they are! Matthew is the climber of the two. He pulls himself up on anything he can, the crib, windows, the TV, cabinet doors and of course the gates! I can't imagine what he is going to get into once he is actually moving upright. Nicholas is just incredibly fast. Once he got moving in the forward direction, watch out! They both have teeth and it seems as if there is a new one popping up every day between the two of them. Food has become quite an adventure, we have now reached the point that they want whatever you have. Matthew has mastered food and will take anything (food or any other object that will fit) you give him and shove it right in his mouth. Nicholas was having quite a time with getting the things in his hand to his mouth and was getting VERY frustrated but has now managed to figure it out. My question to you all is how many Cheerios can a baby eat in one day? I think stock in General Mills might be a good idea.
We have been busy planning for our first official "family" vacation. Who would have ever thought we would be worrying about whether a hotel room was child proofed and exactly how many diapers we would need for a week. I will let you know how it goes if we actually make it back in one piece. Happy Spring to all!

A little maintenance on the truck

Just like his Dad!

The gates are up

Yes, the gates had to be put up. This not only protects the dog & cat food, which Nicholas finds very interesting, but the dog as well she has some solitude from little grabby hands. Matthew is cruising everywhere, that is pulling up and holding onto things as he goes. He has also taken to trying to climb on things. Yes climb! I thought we had a little longer before that was going to start. Nicholas has finally started moving forward and is quite excited about his new found freedom. This allows him access to things like the kitchen rug to chew on, quicker access to the cats and trying to get the cabinets open. He has also started to pull up in things over the last couple of days. Everyday is a new adventure. Happy Spring!

On the Move

Yes, both little buggers are on the move. Matthew has been crawling for a couple of weeks and also pulling himself up in the crib, on the couch, end tables, gates, just about anything. This has caused us to break out the child locks. What an adventure that has been. Nicholas had been moving, but backwards! He made his moving forward debut on Easter weekend. He is now happily getting into everything with his brother.

Mmmmm Juice!

Boy do they love the sippy cups.

Finally!

Nicholas now has his first tooth. After months of drooling all over the place and having a rash on his face, and just about everyone other classic teething indicator, it's just started to poke through. I think he thought he was going to have it easy as he watched his brother just breeze through two teeth coming in at the same time. I don't have the heart to tell the little guy that he has a whole lot more on the horizon.

No more carriers?!

The boys 6month check-up was today. Nicholas is still the leader of the pack at 28 inches and 18lbs with Matthew just a trailing behind at 26.5 inches and 17.6lbs. The doctor said it wouldn't be long before we won't be able to use the handy infant carrier seats, I will be sad to see them go as they made things so much easier. Snap into the car, snap into the stroller, and you could bring them in the house asleep and they would just stay in their seats for a little siesta. Oh well, onto a new adventure. The days of carrying both seats at once were short lived anyway, I am barely able to carry just one now without pulling out a shoulder :)

21 Bubbas

Yes 21! Why there are 21 and not 22 considering there are two babies - 21/2 is not an even number, we don't know! We always look in the fridge at the last bottle wondering "Why is there only one left?" The other night while I was making all of these tummy fillers I was thinking about the last 6 months. Where did the time go? It went to sleepless nights, lots and lots of diaper changes, many tears, many laughs, spit up on everything I own, those first smiles and many more milestones. I have to say it has been some of the best months of my life so far. I have already mastered the art of holding two babies, changing two diapers in 1 minute flat, feeding both at once, sitting down for lunch, taking a shower at least every other day, being able to venture out with these little guys on my own, and Chris and I actually getting out to a movie and dinner, those are my most recent accomplishments and I am feeling pretty good about them. For a while it seemed as if none of those things would happen in this lifetime. As everyone has told me, it does get easier, and now I believe them.

How we spend most days

See here they are!

First Photo Session

6 Month photo - very handsome boys I must say!

Correction, that would be two teeth

Matthew must take after his mother, we don't like to do anything on a small scale! The closer we looked we realized there are two teeth coming in! We are still waiting on Nicholas but I am sure they will pop through when they are ready. For now we will have to continue to change his clothes a million times a day as the drool just keeps coming.

We have a tooth!

Yes, Mr. Matthew is the first to pop through a tooth. We hadn't expected it to be him first as Nicholas has been the one who seemed to be suffering the most with chewing on everything in site and drooling non-stop.

The food is flying!

We have finally ventured into the world of food! Green beans, sweet potatoes, peas, applesauce, bananas & carrots Oh My! They are really liking all the new tastes and textures. Nicholas gobbles everything down, I am not sure that he actually cares what is on the spoon but whatever it is please get it in his mouth ASAP. Matthew is the "swatter" the closer you come the with the spoon the faster his little hands fly, he would rather mash it around with his fingers and suck it from them than use that silly spoon.

Happy New Year!

Unbelievably we made it through 2007. What a year! We are so happy to have expanded our family and are really enjoying every minute. It is amazing how much life can change (and begin) in just 12 months. Christmas was great, Nick and Matt enjoyed chewing on wrapping paper and looking at the lights twinkle and we enjoyed starting our own holiday family traditions.
We wish everyone a happy, safe and healthy 2008.