Ho Ho Home for the Holidays

After much back and forth, debating and fretting, we decided to make the trip "home" to Buckhorn and spend the day Saturday with my extended family, most of whom had not yet seen Saxon and Ella.


The twinfants were able to model their Christmas clothes.

The trip was actually pretty easy and I was once again thankful for the space and comfort of our van. How on Earth did parents survive in the days before DVDs and built in TVs?


Grandpa Post and Ella enjoy a hug

Mom and Dad's house was a crowd of babies, with my cousins and I bringing up the next generation. Their boys are a bit older than the twinfants and it gave me a glipse of what my life will be like in a year. It also made me thankful that, for the time being at least, my babies stay where I put them.


Saxon discusses his Christmas wish list with Granny Post

Solid food!

Okay, the title of this post is a little misleading. It's not like the twinfants are eating apples or steak. However at one of our recent doctor visits, we were told that Saxon and Ella are old enough to start trying some cereals.

Callie and I both want the twinfants to stay on breast milk as long as possible as we believe it has been a major factor in them being so healthy. We initially said "We'll wait until they are 6 months old to start." But we decided to do a "try and see."

The results were mixed.


Saxon loved it.


Ella did not.

By the way, as of their last visit, Ella weighed in at just under 14 pounds and Saxon was 12 pounds even. Saxon is also now 2 feet tall, just a tad more than Ella. While they're still little, they've come a long way since the time when they were 4 pounds 15 ounces and 3 pounds 7 ounces!

Ella bonus photo

I don't have a lot of time to post today, but I have a great shot of Ella to share. I set up her bumpo chair with toys for her to play with. She went at them with gusto, but a few minutes later she got really quiet.

Being the nervous papa I can sometimes be, I went to check on her. She was perfectly fine, but totally asleep. It was just too much fun for 1 o'clock in the afternoon!


Sometimes, you just need a nap.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas is right around the corner and that means lots of shopping in the weeks ahead. One thing we bought ahead of time was a Santa costume for each of the twinfants. We actually bought them last year when we first learned Callie was pregnant. They fit perfectly this year and Saxon and Ella were able to show them off at Nick and Amanda's Christmas program tonight.

Here comes Saxon Claus!

Of course, things have been getting into the Christmas spirit since the end of November. The whole trucked out to Arrow Rock the last Saturday in November for the annual hanging of the greens. It was cold and kind of rainy, but we sang Christmas carols and the kids ate Chili and ice cream at the snack shop. Saxon and Ella also got their first visit with St. Nicholas himself, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof.

Poor old Santa wasn't quite ready for twinfants! He seemed nervous the whole time he held them.

Baptism time

In order for our Wisconsin relatives to be here, we decided to hold off on the twinfants' Baptism until the Thanksgiving holiday. So Following a massive feast on Thursday, we had the Baptism ceremony and another dinner on Saturday. Turkey and pie one day and ham and cake the next. MMMMMM.

This wasn't the cake we ordered, but it was delicious anyway.

It was nice to have our family in town, but it sure makes for a crowded house. Because of the travel time involved, the Wisconsinites usually come for several days in a stretch. My parents were only up for the weekend though, so it wasn't totally wall to wall people the whole time.

Our friend Andrea and my dad served as Ella's Godparents while Sara and Corey did the same for Saxon.

Saxon and Ella did great at church once again. They are so quiet and well behaved that most people around us don't even realize there are babies in the pew. Father Kevin also did a great job with the ceremony, keeping it short and sweet.

Having the family in town meant we finally got to get a picture of the three sisters together.

It takes a village

Hillary Clinton (our next secretary of state??) famously said that it takes a village to raise a child. Fortunately for Callie and I, we happen to have a village living under our roof.

Although the newness of the twinfants has worn off and the excitement of helping with their care is long since forgotten, Nick and Amanda are still helpful when it comes to lending a hand.


(Feeding two babies at once is a little tricky, fortunately for Saxon and Ella, big sister Amanda is up to the challenge!)

With the arrival of cold and flu season, Callie and I are being tested on our vigilance to Saxon and Ella away from people who have not been vaccinated. It's tough because very well meaning people, people who are our friends and who we truly like WILL NOT KEEP THEIR FILTHY HANDS TO THEMSELVES.

We do not take them to Wal-Mart anymore because we simply cannot go there without running into people we know. This is turning into a side business for Nick who we pay to babysit when we pop into town.


(Nick learned the hard lesson that sometimes putting a baby to sleep works both ways.)

Callie and I are discussing Christmas plans as we'd like to make it down to Mom and Dad's for the holidays. Once again its a scary proposition because of the shear volume of people -- adults and children -- and the likelihood that many of them will not have been vaccinated.

Mom bit the bullet this week and got her flu shot so she could come up and visit this weekend, but I don't think we can expect that everyone else in the family will. But Christmas is still a ways away so we have time to think it over.

Fortunately, Saxon and Ella are able to be vaccinated against some things. We continue to have this done, although Saxon doesn't always do so well for a day or so after the shots. He cries a lot when they're done and then needs to held and comforted for a while.

Their most recent round of vaccinations came Wednesday and the twinfants also received a "wellness" examination at that time. Both are perfect in all regards (I could have told them that without the exam!)

Saxon is now 23 inches long and weighs in at 10 pounds, nine ounces. By comparison he was 3 pounds 7 ounces and 16.5 inches long at birth, so he is 6.5 inches longer and now more than three times his birth weight.

Ella is a full two feet tall and weighs 11 pounds 15 ounces. At birth she was 4 pounds 15 ounces and measured 18.75 inches long. That's a gain of a full 7 pounds and 5.25 inches.

Outtakes and extras

I was going through the photos I've taken over the last few months and realized that some of you might like to see those that didn't make "the cut" the first time through.

As a habit I developed back in college, I will usually take two or three nearly identical shots of everything to have a choice of the best one.

Especially when you are taking pictures of people and animals, you'll find that even three pictures taken in quick succession will be noticeably different. The eyes will shift, the head will turn, someone blinks, etc.

So without further ado:


(This is an outtake from the infamous "Princess Headband" photo shoot. Ella doesn't usually mind the headbands, but this one she was not too fond of.)


(This is a photo from Eric's wedding day. I went with one of Saxon wearing the matching sweater for an earlier post.)


(This is a close crop from the headband day. Saxon had a lot of good photos that day, but Ella was a little off.)


(Ella has discovered her thumb and will suck it rather than her binky. I was trying to get a photo of it, but realized later that I should have moved the dangling toys first.)

As I've said before, I have a lot of respect for the photographers who work with babies. It takes a lot of skill and a bit of luck to get those perfect shots. I'm just glad I don't have to pay for film and processing anymore.

Long Over Due

Wow, has it really been 12 days? It seems like I should have a lot more to update than I do, but I will try to fill in what I can.


(Saxon did better during this photoshoot.)

I can tell you all that the twinfants are growing. They seem bigger and bigger every day. It still kind of tickles me when people ask how old they and upon hearing that they are three months old proclaim "They are so tiny!" I just think to myself "You should have seen them before!"

But, then again, Callie tells me it can take up to two years for preemies to fully close the size gap on full-termers. So we'll just have to wait and see on that I suppose.


(I think he was happy he didn't have to wear the head band.)

I cannot, however, tell you their full weights because we bailed out of our last doctor visit. When we arrived in the doctor's small office it was filled with kids coughing all over the place. We are VERY careful when it comes to what the babies are exposed to.

Essentially, what wouldn't effect you or me will make them not feel well. What makes us not feel well will make them sick. What makes us sick could kill them. We simply won't take chances with that, so we walked out and told the receptionist we'd reschedule.

Our doctor has a second practice in Sedalia that is in a larger building and has separate waiting areas for "wellness" visits and sick patients. We'll be going there for the duration of cold and flu season. It means and extra 60-mile round trip, but it's totally worth it to avoid any risk of infection.

One of the biggest developmental things I've noticed of the babies in the last few weeks are the smiles. They've been smiling for a little while now, but it has really picked up recently. They recognize my voice and their little faces light up with this big slobbery-lipped grins. It's just about too much for a dad to stand.

Callie called me at work today to let me know about another milestone in Saxon's development. During tummy-time today, he raised himself up on his arms and pushed himself over onto his back. This is great and puts him ahead of Ella who was the first to actually be able to raise her head.

That was the good news for today. The bad news, I'm told, is that I am ruining the children for sleeping. Most nights Callie takes care of the babies until about 4 a.m. This lets me get sleep from midnight or so. Then at 4 when the babies usually wake up, I take them into the living room, change them, feed them and then go to sleep with them. I lay on my back on the couch with them on top of me. It works great for putting them both to sleep quickly and then I get a bit more sleep before I have to get up for work. Apparently, however, the babies wouldn't sleep today unless Callie was holding them.

But Callie and I are both of the mind that you cannot spoil a child with love. And when those precious babies do sleep, they have looks on their faces that tell you that everything is right and perfect in their world. I wouldn't give that up for anything.


(Ella as Princess Leia)

Let's see... Halloween has come and come and gone. Nick and Amanda went with their tried and true Vampire and Witch themes, but we got a little creative with Saxon and Ella. They were Yoda and Princess Leia, respectively. Callie made the costumes from scratch and they turned out really well. My pictures aren't that great though, so we may have to suit them up again for a photo shoot.


(Saxon as Jedi Master Yoda)

This year Amanda was the only one of the kids to do any trick or treating and her nigh was abbreviated to go to a Halloween party. We plan on a lot more Halloween action next year when the twinfants will be able to participate a bit more.

Garden gnomes and baby photos

I am developing a profound respect for those brave souls who make a career out of photographing babies. It is a much tougher thing than one may imagine.

I've been trying my hand at for the last few months with mixed results. Following Eric's wedding on Saturday, Callie and I stopped by a flower garden in the park. She posed the babies and I took the photos.

To be honest, the results were not that good. It was nearly dark so the lighting was poor. The flowers were pretty tall, which meant that there were a lot of stems between the babies and the blossoms.

But I shot the shots I could get and in the end I got a decent one. At least, I think it's pretty good.

So here they are, my little garden gnomes:

Gaining a new sister

Well, Saxon and Ella have officially lost their position as the newest members of our family. It was a nice three-month run, but they joined the rest of us in welcoming their new sister-in-law to the family on Saturday.

It was quite the day for everyone, but the ceremony went off without any major hitches and Nikki and Eric are now officially man and wife. While the babies didn't have a part to play, they watched as Tyler served as groomsman and Amanda and Nick were the flower girl and ring bearer, respectively.


(The gang's almost all here. Sara couldn't make it.)

As for the rest our life, things are thankfully same-old same-old. We had enough excitement this summer to last me well into the holiday season. (Which I'm sure will have more than enough excitement to last me until the twinfants' birthday.)


(Ella dressed in pink for the wedding.)

Everyone in the house has been immunized against the flu, even me. The kids all got the nasal spray, but I had to get the old fashioned needle in the arm kind. The things we do for our kids! Actually it wasn't that bad getting the shot. It just left me wicked sore in the arm the next day.

Despite our best efforts to keep the babies away from sick people, they did come down with some light colds in the last few weeks. It basically made them a little more fussy than usual and they had some sneezes and boogery noses.

Callie and I have decided that with flu season coming on full force, it's time to stop taking Saxon and Ella out in public as much as before. People can't seem to control themselves, they just have to touch the babies.

Once, at Wal-Mart, a Hispanic woman kept rubbing their heads and faces. She didn't speak English, but through her young daughter we learned the woman had six children of her own. I didn't gather whether she had done the face rubbing thing with them too.


(Saxon went with blue for Eric's big day.)

It's a little sad for me to have to cloister the twinfants away. Callie and I have both noted how much joy they seem to bring to people, even strangers. At mass today, we met up with women Callie had gone to water aerobics with while she was pregnant. They oohed and aahed and they happiness they felt was evident in their faces.

I suppose the world will just have to wait until the end of flu season to be enchanted by my beautiful babies. HA!

Busy life

As I finally have a bit of time to sit and update this blog, I'm struck by how busy my life is and how trivial its details seem to me. When the babies were first home, it seemed like there were a million things to write about, but now, topics are a little more difficult to find.

The good news is that the babies are doing very well and are still growing growing growing. At their last check up on Wednesday, Ella was weighing 10 pounds 6 ounces and Saxon was about 9 pounds 1 ounce. They've both moved out of newborn sized diapers now and we are setting aside more and more outfits that no long fit.

The twinfants' little personalities are also starting to emerge.

Ella is much more level emotionally. Most often she is a chubby little ball of happiness, content to eat and toot the day away. She is the gasiest baby I've ever seen and she can really let some rippers go.


(Ella gives one of her heart-melting smiles.)

Saxon, particularly after a good breastfeeding, is also a little joy. He gets a serene look of peace on his face as the last of the milk runs down his chin. He's also got the cutest little crooked grin. (I haven't been able to get it on camera yet, but I'll keep trying.) However, when there is no question when Saxon is not happy. He lets you know with a piecing wail that he pulls up from the very bottom of his being. Add to that the most pitiful facial expression you've ever seen and it will absolutely melt your heart. There's no way not to feel sorry for him, even if he is doing it at 3 a.m. when you just got to sleep 20 minutes prior.


(Saxon still isn't sure why dad has to take so many photos.)

The twinfants also continue to be a hit sensation where ever we go. The most commonly asked questions remain: (in no particular order)
1. Are they twins? To which I think: How many people have two babies that aren't twins?
2. Are they a boy and girl? To which I think: Gee did the blue and pink outfits tip you off?
3. Are they identical? To which I think: You must not have been paying attention to question 2.
And
4. Are they good? To which I thik: Good How?

This last question has been asked a lot more of recent and it kind of throws me. They don't talk back. They don't steal or lie. They don't cuss, drink, smoke or gamble that I'm aware of.

Of course, Ella has been known to whack Saxon a good one in the chops from time to time. Both babies have developed a knack for hiding their binkies. And they do seem to have developed a system whereby only one of them sleeps at a time, thus ensuring that neither Callie nor I will get a good night's sleep until 2011.

I'm sure we'll field these questions and more this weekend. We have a soccer tournament and the Arrow Rock Craft Festival to attend.

We're also gearing up for Halloween. Callie has been busy with her new sewing machine making costumes. Saxon is going to be Yoda while Ella dresses up as Princess Leia. I'll likely be a Jedi/Sith character of some sort and Callie is making plans to combine her Great Pumpkin costume with a light saber to become the Great Jedi Pumpkin. I'll be sure to get some pictures of the costumes once they are finished.

A long night

Well, it's finally happened. After being off since February, Callie is returning to the working world.

We had our first taste of it Saturday night. The hospital called her in for a short shift to fill in. She was gone a little more than six hours.

IT WAS HELL. I know I've been leaving her home to take care of Saxon and Ella since they came home over a month ago. But they LOVE her. I'm serious, there is no comparison to the bond between mother and child. They like me, but they prefer their momma, no doubt about it.


(Ella can now sit with the assistance of this foam chair)

I walked Callie out to the van, and came back into the house to be greeted by crying babies. Actually, that doesn't come close to describing it. Wailing, screaming, totally inconsolable babies is closer, but still not quite there.

It was like they could sense that Callie had gone. Nothing I could do could calm them from total body-shuddering cries. How long can a baby cry like that? I'm not sure, but mine held out for an hour. Finally spent, they fell into a restless sleep.

They slept for about 45 minutes and woke up crying. The only way I could stop them was to hold them. So I spent most of the night rocking babies. I did manage to slip out to the kitchen and wash a few dishes, but I got nothing else done.

I always believed Callie had a tough job caring for the babies. That's why I always said "That's okay, honey." when she would tell me all the things she wanted to do, but didn't have time for. My belief was confirmed in that six-hour stretch Saturday.

Callie works again tonight, but this time its a full 12-hour shift. With drive time, plus arriving early and staying late to receive/give report at the beginning and end of the shift, I'm looking at about 14 hours on my own.

Pray for me.

Bigger and Bigger

Size, I think, is a relative term. People still see Saxon and Ella and remark "Oh my, what tiny babies!" But, to me, they seem huge. We had another doctor's appointment yesterday and the scales confirmed what I already knew: The twinfants are still growing.

Saxon was 8 pounds 3 ounces and Ella weighed 9 pounds 11 ounces. For those of you keeping track, that means both babies have gained 4 pounds and 12 ounces since they were born. It also leaves Ella just 3 ounces short of doubling her birthweight.


(Saxon takes in some sun while watching Nick and Amanda ride horses)

Saxon and Ella also got another round of immunizations during this visit. Both cried at the time of the injection, but Ella bounced back in no time. Saxon's reaction wasn't as good and he was in a bit of discomfort throughout the night. The babies still have one more set of injections to get, but we will likely hold off on it for a while. We don't think there's a big risk of diphtheria around the house and he will probably do better if we let him get a little bigger first.


(Ella went to sleep holding this texture blankie our friend Andrea made and had it in a death grip until she woke up.)

Beyond that, things are pretty much on a steady course around here: Work and School, sports and activities. Nick and I are getting more involved in Civil Air Patrol, Amanda almost scored a goal in St. Peter's victory over the Dresden Dragons, Callie is preparing to return to the working world.

It's fall now and the weather is great. I know I for one am looking forward to some outdoor activities with the family.

Horsing Around

It never seems like the weekends are long enough, but we took some time after church and before 4-H to saddle up the horses. Nick and Amanda are getting where they can do just about everything but tighten the girth straps on their own. This is a good thing because it means much less work for Callie and me.

In fact, the two have taken to riding bareback with only a bit and bridle so they don't need us at all. Thank goodness our horses are so well behaved these days.

The kids also got to do a little entertaining as Amanda's friend Abigail came to play. Abigail is on Amanda's soccer team, is in the grade between Nick and Amanda, has a horse and is in our 4-H club. She's an all-round good kid and the kids were happy to have her over.

The BIG excitement, though, was giving Ella and Saxon their first riding lessons. Actually, that's a bit of a stretch. They each sat on a horse. But the horses did not move and they were only there for a minute if that. No sense rushing into things.


(Saxon isn't quite ready to take the reigns from Nick.)

The weather has been great, so we've been trying to get the babies out a bit. We've been to soccer and church mostly, with trips to Wal-Mart as needed. I know it isn't so, but I feel like I'm buying diapers and formula almost every day. Those things just seem to disappear.


(Amanda and Ella, team ropers of the future? It could happen.)

In amongst all the activity of maintaining the house, trying to reclaim the yard from the overgrowth of summer and all the other myriad of activities the kids had going on, Callie and I also did some entertaining ourselves as several groups of friends bringing gifts dropped by.

In addition to dropping off Abigail, Andrea also surprised me with a portable crib. This gives us a crib to use in the living as the one in our bedroom is too big to be moved easily between the two places. Then, unbeknownst to us, the ladies at Bothwell Hospital had a baby shower of sorts for Callie. One of her friends from there brought the presents to us this weekend. We were overwhelmed by the volume of clothing we received.

Two months old

Today marks two months since Saxon and Ella turned our lives upside down. The whirlwind started just around 4 p.m. Friday, July 18. It's strange that it feels like only yesterday but at the same time seems a lifetime away.


(Saxon at one day old. He's still small, but nowhere near this tiny!)

As I think about it, I'm struck by the contrasts of what has changed and what remains the same.

For example:

We still do a ton of dishes. But now half of them are baby bottles.

We still help Nick and Amanda with their homework. But now I do it while rocking a baby.

We still watch the news after the kids go to bed. But now I do it while feeding a baby.

From the outset it was a goal for Callie and me for these babies to have as little a negative impact on the older kids as possible. In large part, I believe we have been successful in this. As pictures on this blog can attest, Nick and Amanda have taken to Saxon and Ella and the bond of family is already strong.


(Ella, shown her at one day old, spent her early days in a glass box. You wouldn't know it today)

I know that in the scheme of things two months is not a long time, but it certainly does feel that way sometimes. Maybe it's the long nights. They certainly don't make things very easy. In fact, the lack of sleep usually makes things harder.

I recently ran into the wife of one of Amanda's old soccer coaches. She is the mother of triplets and she offered me some insights. Her boys are the same age as Amanda (10) and people ask her if its any easier to raise them now.

"It never gets easier," she said. "It just gets different."

While somewhat of a stark prospect, she and I both agreed that singleton parents have no room to complain and that we wouldn't give up a single one of our multiple miracles.

They keep growing and growing...

Well,

The twinfants had a check on their growth and they are doing great. They will be 8 weeks old this Friday (can you believe it). Since the 4th of September was their original full-term due date, they are now essentially at what would have been their birth weights.

For those that don't recall, Saxon came it at 3 pounds 7 ounces. Since that time he has actually doubled his weight and now weighs 6 pounds 14 ounces. He still seems tiny, but looking back at his pictures from the hospital he really is coming along.


(Nick and Saxon share the recliner while watching some TV. Both are having a growth spurt)

Ella is still heavier and seems like quite the chublette next to Saxon. However, her total weight gain has been just slightly less than his. She was 4 pounds 15 ounces at birth and now weighs 8 pounds 7 ounces for a total gain of 3 pounds 6 ounces.

It doesn't surprise me that they are growing so well though. I've seen the steady increase in the amount they eat. Callie is still breastfeeding and we are fortifying with formula. It's not unusual for Ella to down 6 ounces in a setting and Saxon is not far behind drinking 4 or 5 ounces. Since we use two ounce bottles it's increased the amount of dishes to wash, but it minimizes wasted breast milk which is like liquid gold.


(Ella, Amanda and Nick re-enact a scene from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe while visiting the Lake of the Ozarks.)

Finding a proper formula was a bit of an adventure. After we finished with the preemie formula we tried soy. We tried sensitive blend. We tried milk free, lactose free, blue containers, red containers, orange containers. Nothing seemed to be ideal for them both. Some caused bloating. Others made them spit up (well spit up more than babies normally do) and others caused constipation.

Finally, we decided to just try the plain old regular style formula. Eureka! It worked. Whoda thunk it?

Sleep, who needs it!

I sit here on my lunch break contemplating my life as the father of twinfants. I'm happy to say that I got almost seven hours of sleep... if you add up the last two nights together.


(This is what Saxon looks like when he sleeps. Notice that it is daylight outside)

And my sleep comes at the expense of Callie's. Unless you've suffered from insomnia (which I have) it's hard to describe the way lack of sleep affects you. Here's my best shot at it:
1. Take your starting I.Q. divide it by 2 and round down. Now subtract what you have left.
2. Add caffeine.
3. Substitute agitated alertness for rational thought.
4. Trade your ability to focus for that of a four-year-old.
5. Continue to maintain your job, housework, help your older kids with homework and care for the aforementioned twinfants.
6. Repeat. EVERY DAY.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love Saxon and Ella with everything I've got and I wouldn't give them up. But, geez, is it tough.

Despite the fact that the babies don't sleep through the night they are doing quite well. I guess it's all the sleep they get during the day.


(Ella catches an afternoon nap to rest up for a long night of crying, pooping and being fed.)

We are still supplementing the twinfants' diet with formula. Finding one that agrees with their little tummies has been a little tricky, but I think we're getting there.

The babies are growing at any rate. We are now officially done with preemie clothes and diapers. We realized this when we noticed Saxon can no longer stretch his legs out in a preemie sleeper. Fortunately, when mom found those clothes at the church sale, there were newborn and 0-3 month clothes in the mix. Callie was digging those out today.

We are also settling into a more routine schedule now that the kids are back to school. Of course with the twinfants, there are always new experiences. For example: I had to buy diapers for the first time this week. The supply given to us as gifts had run out except for a box of size 2s. --This is the size for babies up to 18 pounds, so needless to say, they were quite huge.--

Those of you who haven't purchased diapers recently may think that a diaper is a diaper. Let me tell you, you are WRONG! Not just a little wrong, but utterly, totally, completely and in all ways WRONG!

I can't even begin to tell you how many different brands, styles, sizes and varieties of diapers there are. As I stood before the monolithic wall o' diapers, I felt my brain begin to implode. Fortunately, I recognized our "brand" (Pampers) and quickly located their Swaddlers style. Next it was a simple matter of finding our size (N, which I think stands for newborn, as opposed to P which was for preemie).

I was stumbled, however, by a packaging/price variance. I couldn't figure why the bag of 70 diapers cost $19 while the box of 92 cost $20. They appeared to be the same brand, style and size. But why was the box with 22 more diapers only $1 more? WHY would they practically give me 22 more diapers simply for taking them in a cardboard box rather than a plastic bag? Were those in the box somehow defective? Do diapers have expiration dates? What was I missing?

Confident that I was never going to solve this mystery while standing in the baby section of Wal-Mart, I opted for the box with 22 extra diapers. I figured if they weren't as good as those in the bag, at least I'd have a lot more of them. To date, I've not been able to tell any difference.

(Road) Trippin' Out

Faced with a long holiday weekend (Labor Day here in the USA) it was hard to decide what to do. Worlds of Fun was a bust as I had hoped to get press passes for the family. When that didn't happen, our options were narrowed to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival or a trip to Bagnell Dam at Lake of the Ozarks.

In the end, it was Nick and Amanda who decided we should visit the Lake. After all, they reasoned, we hadn't been to the Lake yet this year and the Renaissance Festival runs through Columbus Day.

We spent Saturday working around the yard. I'm still trying to clear out a summer's worth of overgrowth, but I can now see the walkout side of the basement. The plan was to wake up Sunday whenever we woke and head out.

The way things worked, Callie stayed up most of the night taking care of Saxon and Ella. Then when I got up in the morning, I took over and she slept. By the time everyone was awake and the babies were fed, it was just after 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

But the trip was still a go! We loaded up Nick, Amanda, Saxon and Ella and off we went! I must say the van is a comfortable vehicle for travel the kids once again made use of the built-in television and DVD player. I believe the movie choice for the trip down was Starsky and Hutch.


(Callie, Sara, Amanda and now Ella, are all at home in the saddle.)

Driving down in the middle of the weekend meant there wasn't much traffic until we got to Camdenton and we hit the Dam about 3:30 in the afternoon. The babies made the entire trip with hardly a peep and we stopped just before the Dam at a McDonald's. Everyone got a quick bite while Saxon and Ella enjoyed a bottled lunch.

And then we became celebrities. Or at least it certainly felt that way. Going out in Marshall, I expect to be stopped by people. We know most of them. But when I'm on vacation, I'm used to a certain amount of anonymity. Well, not anymore.

As soon as that jumbo dual stroller hit the ground, it was off to the races. Frequently asked (and totally real) questions of the day:
What are their names?
How much do they weigh?
Are those real babies? (An alarming number of people think we have given Amanda a $160 stroller to push her dolls around in.)
And my favorite question: Are they twins? No, we work quick and had them 15 days apart.


(10-cent skee ball is at the end of the strip. Saxon had given up by then.)

But it was a good time despite the unwashed masses who wanted to touch my babies. We didn't do everything, but we hit the favorites including the bumper boats and the 10 cent skee ball. What's funny is I recently got my old cell phone back from Eric and discovered pictures from a Bagnell Dam trip about three years ago in its memory.


(Nick, Tyler and Amanda do a little Lake shopping. This is from two or three years ago)


(Tyler had to work this year, leaving Nick and Amanda to pose without him.)

We finally called it a day as the sun was setting over the lake. As we were preparing to leave, the babies each got one last bottle and a fresh diaper and they slept all the way home while Nick and Amanda kicked back and watched "Look Who's Talking." I'm not sure who picked the DVDs that are currently in the van, but it certainly is an eclectic collection.

Crib in the Kitchen

This story actually starts months ago. In one of the few instances I can point to and say "Look at that, I was pro-active and forward thinking" Callie and I purchased a baby crib from a former co-worker of hers. As I said, we've had the thing for months, just waiting in the basement.

We haven't needed it so far because Saxon and Ella fit into the one bassinet. For the last few days, though I've been meaning to bring it up, as the bassinet is getting to be a little too close for comfort.

Unfortunately, the crib was too big to move by myself and the older boys and I never seem to be home at the same time. Last night (at about 11 p.m.) Tyler and I finally managed to bring the crib from the basement and to the kitchen.

I got out the furniture cleaner and tidied things up and then tried to get the crib from the kitchen to the bedroom. The front hallway did not work because it's too narrow to allow the crib to turn at the bedroom door. Drats!


(Ella shows the proper way to relax after a fine meal.)

That left the utility hallway which has a straight shot into the bedroom. Going this route meant I had to move all of the dirty laundry out of the hall. Fortunately there was not too much of that thanks to some industrious effort by Callie. I also had to move a wall-mounted coat rack and deal with a bothersome closet doorknob and air conditioning vent that narrowed the hallway at exactly the same point.

So all it took was a little push to move the dryer closer to the wall and PRESTO! right in to the bedroom. Yeah, right. The doorway from the utility hallway is about two inches narrower than the width of the crib.

So I had to fight the hallway back to the kitchen where the crib was still sitting when I left for work this morning. Sometime after I replace the radiator hose on the pickup -- an entirely different story -- and go to sleep, I'll have to take the crib down to pieces and reassemble them in the bedroom.


(Saxon was very excited to see Grampa as this picture illustrates.)

Of course, that means I'll have to do the same thing again when we decide to move the crib out of the bedroom again. I can hardly wait!

Last night's sleep total: 5.5 hours. Callie took pity on me and let me sleep through the night. I'm going to try to do the same for her tonight. So if you see me over the holiday weekend and I don't wave, I'm not rude, I'm probably just dead.

A whole week?

First off let me apologize to those of you who check this blog every day. I can't believe I've gone a whole week without an update. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

So, what have we been up to the last week? We've been up to all hours of the night! HA HA HA HA! Ahemm. Sorry about that. The sleep deprivation is starting to affect me a bit more as time goes on.

Saxon and Ella are perfectly healthy and happy, growing well and doing fine. In fact, Saxon is now getting a bit too big for his preemie-sized clothing. We're already moving on to the newborn clothing we've received.


(Grandma and Ella at lunchtime)

The twins have enjoyed meeting some new people and getting re-acquainted with others. Last weekend Grandma and Grandpa made the trip up from Buckhorn to visit. It was a short stay, but a nice time none-the-less.

Both grandparents got to hold and feed a baby and Grandpa discovered the mystery of baby-induced narcolepsy. This is the condition in which the afflicted person is put to sleep while holding and rocking a baby. The baby may or not also fall asleep.


(Grandpa and Saxon looking awake and alert. Both were sound asleep 30 minutes later.)

Saxon and Ella also got their first tour of a newsroom when they visited the offices of the Marshall Democrat News. Productivity in the newsroom ground to halt when we arrived, but I'd been promising a visit for almost a month now.

I also want to take a moment now to thank everyone who has sent gifts. The babies now have plenty of clothes and we are set for most of our furnishing needs. We have also used about a bajillion of the diapers we have received. All the wipes, baby lotions and shampoos are also coming in handy. Thank you, everyone, we do truly appreciate your kindness. It's been very nice having this stockpile to rely on.

Next up for the family: Labor Day Weekend. We have a few possibilities of what we're going to do, but no matter what, I'm sure it will be an adventure. I've been invited to a press event at Worlds of Fun, the K.C. Renaissance Festival starts this weekend and we haven't been to the Lake of the Ozarks yet this year. The possibilities for fun (and exhaustion) are endless!

Hello Babies, Goodbye Sleep!

The good news is Saxon and Ella are perfectly healthy and doing all the things that babies their age should be doing. Unfortunately for us, this doesn't yet include sleeping through the night.

A number of well-meaning people have told me "You just sleep when they sleep." Sound advice I'm sure if you only have one child. What these singleton parents fail to realize is the panzer maneuvers twins are able to perform on their parents. Twins, it would seem, are immune to the effects of the cries of their counterpart. So when one awakes crying to be fed and changed, the other slumbers peacefully. Once you have successfully fed and changed the first, returning him or her to the comfort of your bed, you may -- if you're lucky -- get a brief respite before the other twin awakes and begins the cycle again.


(Saxon catches a nap while I do some driving. So much for "sleep when they sleep!")

But I wouldn't trade all the sleep in the world for these two precious miracles. We had another visit with Dr. Shaffiey yesterday and Saxon and Ella are great. The nurse weighed them with their clothes on, so the numbers are off a few ounces, but Saxon weighed 5 pounds 6 ounces and Ella was 6 pounds 8 ounces. With the deduct for clothes this is still almost a pound gain each since their doctor visit a week ago and well past the goal an ounce a day. We've been feeding them breastmilk and occasionally breastmilk fortified with formula and it seems to be working very well.

Although I am getting used to the lack of sleep, one parenting issue that continues to vex me is why binkies (or pacies, pacifiers, etc) are made of clear material. These things are nearly impossible to see in good lighting, let alone in the dim light of a 3 a.m. feeding. Seriously, binkie makers, what is the deal? Don't I have enough problems without having to search for an invisible binkie?


(Ella enjoys an invisible binkie)

However, one baby purchase I am thankful for is our van. I never in a million years would have guessed that I'd be driving a full-size conversion van (especially with the price of gas) but I can't imagine life without it now. Everyone fits. Everything fits. We have a gigantic tandem stroller that we don't even have to fold up. Plus the open space makes fitting Saxon and Ella into their car seats pretty easy.


(Ella takes in the sights as we drive across town)

A note to new readers

This blog is coming along and getting longer every week. So long, in fact, that the posts now sprawl over three pages. To see the earlier posts, you need to click the "see older posts" link at the bottom of each page. Or you can use the archive links at the left.

One month old already!

What a day today is! Things got started early around our house as it was the first day of class for EVERYONE. Nick and Amanda are off to St. Peter's Catholic School for another year. Nick is glad to be in Mrs. Hartung's class and Amanda is now a middle schooler with her own locker! Tyler is a senior this year at Marshall High School and Eric is starting classes to become an RN at State Fair Community College.

Adding to the excitement of the day is the fact that Saxon and Ella are now one month old. It's hard to believe they've been here so long. It seems like just yesterday that I was witnessing the magic of their arrival. I guess the three-week stay at St. Luke's Hospital kind of created a time-warp. I know those days sure ran together.


(Ella and Saxon sleep side by side. I think he likes it a bit more than she does)

At any rate, things are going well for us. Gifts continue to arrive and we thank everyone for their thoughtfulness. We've got a ton of clothes now and Lynn Milewski sent us some bouncy seats that were a bit of a challenge to put together, but are very nice to have for the babies.

Callie and I also completely re-arranged our bedroom to allow for more space for Saxon and Ella. It was weird the first night, almost like sleeping in a different house. But at least I got some sleep. Poor Callie continues to man the "night shift" taking care of the twins through the night. Where do I submit the "Mom of the Year" award nominations?

Our next appointment is Wednesday, so we'll see how things are going "officially" then.