Caption Contest #12 Winner

And the winner is ... Grandma!



Claire: Hold it! Hold it! It's my turn Grace!

Grace: Fine...

Check out all the funny captions here.

Picture of the Week: 29 weeks

Can you get enough of the smiley baby pictures? Although being a Mom (or a Dad) is a really hard job (I mean, REALLY HARD), moments like these remind me that it's also the best job in the world.

Caption Contest: July 28

We provide the picture. You write a caption (in the comments section below). The winner will be showered with fame and glory. Ready. Set. Go!

Seven Months

Yesterday, the girls turned seven months. I still have a hard time comprehending that. I'm a Mom. Of twins. And they are seven months old. Surprises me every time I remember.

So, last night when Scott and I were feeding babies, I was reminiscing a bit about the old days. When it was freaking cold and the girls were so tiny you only needed one hand to lift them.

Much of that time was a blur. They ate every three hours around the clock. Which by the time I got done feeding two babies and pumping, I had less than two hours to sleep before we started all over again. I'm still not sure how we made it out alive.

Fast forward seven months and we've moved past the demanding feeding schedules and onto other issues: viruses, teething, sore throats, tummy aches, constipation. There are moments I feel so overwhelmed that I don't think I can make it another minute.

But then I see things like this and can't help but laugh.

Camp Out

My family has a long tradition of "roughing it" every summer. And by roughing it, I mean my mom packs the car full of everything you could possibly ever need on a camping trip and lugs it out to the lake with us. And as much as we tease her about it, it never fails that we need that one random thing that no one should ever need on a camp out.

"Hey, Mom, you didn't happen to bring the electric tree trimmer, did you?"

"Sure did!"

So, when the question came up whether Scott and I and babies were going on the annual camping trip, we were feeling brave. On one condition. That we rent a cabin — somewhere to make bottles and somewhere for the girls to be out of the heat.

It went so much better than I ever expected. The girls ate well (mostly), slept well (kinda) and giggled all weekend.





P.S. Happy seven months, baby girls!!

Movers and Shakers

For the past few months, I have been able to lay the girls on the floor in their room while I did a few chores. Folded laundry. Gathered up the dishes. Made the bed.

Checking on them every couple of minutes felt slightly over protective because they never moved. But now that they are both rolling, I can't take my eyes off of them. Not even for a minute. Or else this happens.

Sister, Sister

Grace LOVES her sister. She giggles every time they make eye contact. It's the most adorable thing ever.

Up until recently, though, Claire has pretty much ignored her very existence.

Up until recently, that is.

Claire has finally taken notice that she is indeed not an only child, and her course of action isn't giggling, talking or even smiling at Grace.

She pinches her. She kicks her. She scratches her. She steals her toys.



And Grace screams. Naturally.

Sisterly love ... so it begins.

Baby Steps

So, this weekend, I took a huge step. Huge, for me, at least.

If you know me well, you know I have, from time-to-time, been known to maybe be a little bit of a control freak.

I admit it. I like things my way.

And this particular trait was heightened by about a million when I had babies. I have a certain way that I like things, and if you do them differently, well, most likely you're wrong.

I kid, I kid. But seriously. Let me show you how to do that.

Anyway, this weekend, my mom and sisters came to babysit so we could go out to dinner with friends. I annoyingly told them several times what time they should eat, sleep and play. I reminded them to check Claire's diaper rash frequently. Don't forget the diaper cream. Oh, and Grace will wake up and need to burp. Try up on your shoulder. It's more effective.

They finally pushed me out the door still spewing all of my many unnecessary instructions, "Don't forget to feed them!" We went to dinner, ate without babies on our laps, laughed, went out to our favorite pub and just enjoyed a night out.

When we got home, the girls were fast asleep. And they didn't even forget to feed them!!

Caption Contest #10 Winner

And the winner is ... Mike!



"Back away from the bomb, we're professionals we'll handle it."


Runner-up ... Brandi
Grace: What are you looking at? You want some of this???!!!

Claire: Dude, just walk away. She's crazy scary.

Check out all the funny captions here.

Pictures of the Week: 27 weeks

I didn't take too many pictures this week, but after a LONG week of crying babies, looking at these made me smile.

Caption Contest: July 15

We provide the picture. You write a caption (in the comments section below). The winner will be showered with fame and glory. Ready. Set. Go!

Rush Hour

I missed posting yesterday because I was busy chillin' in the seventh circle of hell.

It started at 8 a.m. while I was in the shower. The doctor was returning my phone call about Claire being possessed over the weekend. They had an appointment in 40 minutes if I could be there. Still dripping wet, I took the appointment and the rest of the day was a blur.

Rush to the doctor.

Rush to the pharmacy.

Rush home to feed VERY hungry babies.

Rush to work.

Rush home from work.

Rush GRACE to the doctor.

Rush back home to feed VERY hungry babies.

The bad news: Doc says Grace's throat is starting to get red, too.

The good news: At least they are learning to share.

Insomnia

It has been four days.

And I'm on the verge. On the verge of totally and completely losing it.

The line between sanity and insanity is starting to blur.

But let me start at the beginning.

As I have mentioned before, Claire struggles to sleep. And every time we develop a trick to lull her to sleep, she outsmarts it.

First, it was the swing.



Then the binky.



Then the blanket.



I really thought the blanket was the key. I was sure that was the one thing she had been missing— something to snuggle with.

It lasted nine days. Nine glorious days. She would pull that blanket up to her face and within minutes she was lights out.

But last week, it stopped working.

Which coincided with her getting a virus and a sore throat, which I'm positive made the whole mess even worse. She now refuses to sleep. No swing. No binky. Especially no blanket. And it's not that she isn't tired. Because you can tell she's tired. Between every wail is a yawn and heavy eyelids.

We're now on Day Four. Four days of a sick, exhausted, crying baby.

This morning she woke up at 6:15 a.m. We ate, we burped, we tried to sleep. Six hours later, she had not slept a wink and had resorted to just full on screaming.

I was at my wits end. I strapped them in, loaded them up and hit the road.

Oh, and I know all the advice about not using a crutch to get your baby to sleep. Because then she will always need it. And I wholeheartedly agree with said advice.

But when your baby is crying because she hasn't slept in six hours and and you're crying because your baby is crying and Grace is crying because, well, she feels left out, you're willing to try anything.



By the way, this parenting thing is freaking hard.

Caption Contest #11 Winner

And the winner is ... Edie!!



Grace: Move along, folks, nothin' to see here. Move along.

Claire: I never know when to quit with the bottle.

Picture of the Week: 26 weeks

There are few things better than a good hand to chew on.

Karma, You're Cruel

There are times you shouldn't say things out loud. Like you shouldn't mention bombs in an airport. Or divorces at a wedding. Or that no-hitter that's about to happen.

Oh! Oh! And I have another to add to the list: When your six-month-old babies are sleeping through the night and have been for three months, DON'T TELL ANYONE. Especially the Internet. You moron.



Because Karma will get you. She will get you good.

She might do something like wake your baby up at 4 a.m. and make her scream in excruciating pain. And just as you get her calmed down and put back to sleep, she'll wake her again and this time really make her wail. And then you'll be stuck with a tiny baby glued to your chest until your other tiny baby wakes at 6 a.m. Time to start the day!

This series of events will cause you to wonder what in the world you were thinking when you mentioned that your babies slept through the night.

Which will inevitably lead to a lesson you should have already known: don't mess with Karma. She'll get you every time.

Caption Contest: July 7

We provide the picture. You write a caption (in the comments section below). The winner will be showered with fame and glory. Ready. Set. Go!

King Me

For as much as I complain about crying babies, babies who won't sleep, babies who refuse to eat, we actually have it pretty easy.





We work our butts off during the day, don't get me wrong. There is rarely a quiet moment — if it's not one, it's the other.

But at night, after they eat, and we do our goodnights, they go to sleep. For the night. The WHOLE night. And they have been doing this since they were about three months old.

I don't know how we got so lucky, but we did.

But this also means that once they hit the sack, we're in for the night. Only a tornado will convince me to wake those babies after they fall asleep. So, we spend all of our nights home.

For those of you who don't have kids yet, that lack of freedom probably seems depressing. No late-night runs to Taco Bell. No spontaneous trips to the movies. No more singing in Irish pubs.

But for us, the sound of quiet, content babies is freedom. Freedom to relax. Freedom to put your feet up. Freedom to kick your husband's butt at checkers THREE times in a row.

Rain, Rain Stay As Long As You Want

I know I'm in the minority. Most of you are cursing the rain. The third straight rainy day. Not me.

Ok, truth be told, I'm cursing it a bit. But only because of my own laziness. We noticed there was a leak near the skylight a week or so ago and that every time it rains, the ceiling melts off a little more. Yikes.

But mostly I welcome rainy days. Cloudy, dark, pitter-patter days.





Maybe I'll have some time to fix the ceiling now.

Caption Contest #10 Winner

Fame and glory go to ... Gina!



Grace: I'm the favorite...say it or I kick you in the head!!

Claire: Fine...I'm the favorite...


I was going to choose a runner-up, but I honestly couldn't decide! Check out all of the funny entries here.

Pictures of the week: 26 weeks

So, we tried cereal for the first time this week. They were not impressed.

Fashionably Late

I was afraid it wasn't going to happen.

It's ridiculous, I know.

It had to happen. At SOME point. Right?

It's normal to be scared, though, I think.

These are the kinds of things I worry about.

Things that I have no control of. Things that will work themselves out. Eventually.

But, once again, I should have listened to my Mom: Don't worry, be happy.



I apologize for the less than stellar camera work. My assistant (Claire) was very interested in sucking on the camera.