I got up first BIG brother, so the swing is mine

It is clear that the swing is the coveted mode of sleeping/playing for the little people.

This is Connor's stare down look with regard to the idea of removing him from his swing to get a bottle or diaper change. He had claimed it and he is not ready to get up.

As of now, the boys sleep a lot in their bouncy chairs.  The boys have been starting off with sleeping in their crib instead of their bouncy chairs as mommy prepares to return to work.  Initially, mommy and daddy were getting their sleep in by taking shifts.  Daddy would go to sleep early and relieves mommy around 3 so that she can sleep until 8ish.  Now, mommy is upstairs with the boys and daddy is downstairs. He's waiting for longer stretches to join us and still helps with overnight feedings.

So, with how much time that they spend in their bouncy chairs,  it is completely understandable that they like some other baby gear.  Jackson didn't mind too much this day but he has the same smirk when he gets in the swing first. We will definitely be looking to borrow another.

Activity Mat Fun

To give the boys some more options, we pulled out their Baby Einstein Activity mat.   And, they have been having more fun and appear to actually enjoy their time together on the mat (although generally still oblivious to the other).

Almost positive that the first big smile from Connor was directed to the octopus and at other times, he starts crying when looking at him. So proud of Connor because he has recently shown the Octopus who is the boss and pulled him down. He has him in his sights in this picture.



The boys are in such close proximity that Jackson is given an opportunity to swipe Connor's pacifier after he has gotten himself so excited that he has lost his. It is something to watch until the tears start.

Let's just suck on our brother's head like it is a bottle

The boys were napping on the boppy in the front room.  There was a TON of snow on the ground and Michael was shoveling out the cars in anticipation of returning to work after yet another massive dumping of snow.  We haven't had this much snow in Baltimore in YEARS.  But, of course, give us 2 newborns and the most snow that has hit the region in such a long time.  We have formula and diapers and are good to go.

Jackson woke up and apparently was hungry and I didn't have his bottle ready fast enough for him so, Connor's forehead worked :

Jackson was sucking so hard that besides having to remove Connor from the "situation," he had a wet spot. It was sooo funny and it is one of those times that I am happy that the camera was easily accessible.

And, how can you be so sleepy that your brother sucking on your head doesn't wake you up??

2010 Valentine's Day

Celebrating their first Valentine's Day.

 Sometimes you just need your pacifiers in the middle of a photo session.

 

They need to get used to pictures because this will never end.

 

And, a look at the cutest set of feet in town. 

And, if not on any other day, on Valentine's Day, we are loving Connor's new happy face :) 

Oh what Big Eyes Jackson has

Despite some tummy issues, Jackson is very engaging and can lure most people in with just one look. One of the best parts of our days are when he is getting burped. His eyes are so wide open and he seems so happy that you just want to be a part of his life even if it is a blow out poop at 4 a.m.

Connor's poker face....

Connor has the same face in EVERY picture taken of him and he maintains the same look during the day, that is when he is awake. We are thinking that you definitely do not want to play him in cards because his face would not reveal anything and he definitely doesn't need sunglasses to mask his hand!!!

Head turned to the left and still the SAME face.

Hands moving around and still the SAME face. 

Hopefully -- we will get some smiles out of him soon :)

newest and possibly youngest members of the Who Dat Nation

Despite the snow and blizzard conditions the prior 2 days, the entire family was excited about the Super Bowl. We were definitely rooting for the city of New Orleans and the Saints. It is a feel good story that you just can't ignore. We were very excited with the results. Despite our complete respect for Peyton Manning, we knew that the Colts could not beat them Saints!!!'

1st Quarter - Colts 10, Saints 0

And, when the game got close, don't ask Jackson to chat because he just can't.  No way. No how.

And, the final score was Saints 31, Colts 17 (this is about ALL of the excitement you are going to get out of Connor :) )  He was practicing for his swaddle.

As long as we have formula and diapers

Luckily, the boys' main requirements are formula and diapers, which we have, or otherwise they might be starving or bored of their food choices like their parents.

We are getting a serious dumping of snow this winter....

After a bunch of work, the walkway is clear. 

Now, if the icicles start melting --- we are in trouble.  Except for the fact that the forecast shows us getting more snow in a couple of days. Good times.  Seriously, we are hopeful to get the boys out before the end of their mama's maternity leave. We can hope, right?!?

Boppy fun

As of now, the boys can share the boppy.  Jackson is waving hello and Connor is skeptical about the whole process, oh, that's right, that's his face ALL THE TIME.

It is a great way for Jackson to work on his tummy time and for Connor to perfect his poker face and look pathetic enough to be picked up and held.

This is my favorite as Jackson is crying and Connor doesn't appear or notice that he is even there. It is a regular occurrence in the crib and it never ceases to amaze us.   They sleep so closely and if one of them is crying, it doesn't wake the other one up.  It definitely wakes us up and we are in a different room but not the person less than a foot away.

Celebrating Andrew's 21st and First restaurant trip

It was Andrew's 21st and we were invited to dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. It was the boys' first restaurant trip and they handled it very well.   The first boy outfits that I had bought for them arrived and I was able to get a pick of Connor showing off his new polar bear onesie.

The normally wide awake Jackson didn't even open his eyes much to everyone's dismay but he was happy. 

Connor woke up and everybody at the table took turns holding both of the boys.

Twin Twin Cuddles.

The boys and I let Daddy go out and it was a good thing that mommy decided to go home.  Jackson had a very rough remainder of the night with tummy issues and we had almost an hour of playing the pacifier spit out game after the 2 a.m. feeding where both boys had "surprises" for mommy and part of Connor's surprise ended up on the changing pad cover. The boys were having their own party at 2 a.m. and we aren't even sure that Andrew made it to last call?!?

Jackson and Connor : One Month (actually 5 weeks but close enough)

The boys had their third visit with Dr. Sibila on February 1st and we were told that whatever we were doing -- we were doing right. He was very pleased with everything and gave us direction to let the boys inform us when they were hungry. This has been chaotic but we are starting to figure things out. Connor can go almost 5 + hours in the crib without issue but Jackson is having some tummy problems and needs a little more attention. But, they are only 5 weeks old so we understand.

Stats:

Jackson - 8 lbs 15.5 ounces and 21 inches

Connor - 9 lbs 4 ounces and 21 1/2 inches

It is really hard for 1 month olds to keep their eyes open.
Thanks for trying Connor.

Everybody that sees the boys thinks that Connor is so much bigger but Jackson is only 4 ounces behind. With regard to their weight and length, they have moved out of the newborn diapers and are on to size 1(in case you didn't know --- there is only 1 Sesame Street character instead of 2), are going through their last wear of Newborn sleepers and have moved to the "big boy" bottles since we are aiming for 5 ounces at each feeding except the early morning. Anybody that has fed them has noticed that it almost takes triple the time with the extra ounce but we have to try!!!

The boys are doing so well and have started to get in to some new things like their crib (we are finally getting use out of the nursery) and the swing. They are 2 different personalities. Jackson loves to be held AND spends a lot of time looking around. It is not like he is getting in to much now but it is looking as though he will be an energizer bunny like his mom. Like his dad, Connor is more serious and appears to be thinking about things and of course, likes to nap a lot. At times, we wonder if he would ever wake up to eat.