Twick or Tweat

Carter and Aubrey did not have a good night again last night.  We decided to give them each a bottle in the middle of the night even though I didn't want to.  I'm so sleep deprived that I get cranky in the middle of the night.

Carter and Aubrey wore their Thing 1 and Thing 2 outfits today.  Calvin and Brayden had their "Will trade Sister for candy" shirts on today.

I made sure to leave work right at 4:00 today so that I could get the kids and make it home in time for Trick or Treating.  We got the kids fed and changed into their Halloween costumes.  Calvin and Brayden were very excited to put on their Lightning McQueen race suits.  Carter and Aubrey were less than excited about putting on their costumes, but they didn't fuss too much. 

I decided to take the canopy off the wagon even though it was supposed to rain.  It started sprinkling after a while, but it wasn't bad.  It was actually a very nice night for Trick or Treating.  Everyone loved seeing the little ones.  Brayden really enjoyed getting candy.  In fact, Calvin and Brayden wanted to eat their candy as soon as they got it.  I'm not exactly sure how much they ate tonight, but it was a decent amount.

They stayed up pretty late and didn't go to bed until after 8:00.  I'm sure they were tired because they went down without a fuss.  I didn't think they would go to sleep that easily considering all the chocolate that they ate.

Is it attention that we crave, don't tell us to behave, I'm sick of always hearing "act your age"

Erin and I took the kids out to Wal-Mart for our regular shopping trip.  Erin made it through, but she was struggling.  She's doing very well though.  I'm impressed with how tough she is. 

After we got back and the kids all had lunch it was time for a nap.  The babies didn't want to take a nap.  Carter was hysterically crying.  We tried giving him a paci, rocking him, holding him, giving him a bottle, but nothing seemed to work.  We ended up putting him in a swing and shortly after he fell asleep.  We could tell he was tired, but he just wouldn't sleep until he was in the swing.  Of course after he was asleep Aubrey decided to cry out.  So we put her in the other swing and she went to sleep.

We had Erin's family over for dinner and to carve pumpkins.  Calvin and Brayden helped mama carve her pumpkin.  Dada took advantage of having people over at the house and finished spreading the rest of the dirt in the backyard.  Then I took a short nap on the couch.  Although I didn't get to sleep much because Brayden kept cimbing up on the couch and laying down with me.  Then he would get up and run around and then hop back on the couch.  He just wanted to be with his dada.

I took the boys out on a trial run in the Radio Flyer wagon. They loved it.  Halloween night should be lots of fun.

We had our first bloody nose tonight.  Calvin punched Brayden in the face and gave him a bloody nose...just kidding.  Calvin and Brayden were running around the house having a great time and Brayden tripped and fell on the hardwood floor.  He smacked his face off the floor and got a bloody nose.  He also must have bit his top lip because it was also bleeding.  It's always really sad to see them get hurt.  This is especially true when they are in a great mood and having fun.  I'm sure he'll have a nice fat lip tomorrow.  If you haven't figured it out the Title of this posting is from the song "Fat Lip" from Sum 41.  Appropriate, wouldn't you say?  We gave the boys a popsicle which helped to calm Brayden down.

How about those Buffalo Bills?  Shutting out the Redskins...love it.

Boys' day out

Carter had a bad night.  He still had a fever and he kept waking up about every hour.  He also wouldn't keep his paci in his mouth.  Both babies had been doing better sleeping at night.  We decided to switch to Huggies Overnights for the babies when we put them to bed.  We had been using the Huggies Overnights on Calvin and Brayden for quite some time.  I'm not sure why it took us until now to do the same for the babies.  We love Pampers diapers during the day.  We had tried a number of different diapers with the first set of twins, but Pampers are the best.  We also really like the rewards points.  We just reached enough point to buy two big wheels.

Carter has been doing baby push ups.  If you're not sure what that is, it's exactly what it sounds like.  He rolls on his stomach and then pushes up with his hands and lifts his body up so that just his hands and feet are touching the ground.  I remember that Calvin used to do this as well.

Erin and her friend took her car to get inspected this morning.  We always tend to wait until the end of the month to get vehicles inspected.  Dada had all four kids while they were gone.  It wasn't bad at all (of course it was only about thirty minutes). 

I changed out the Diaper Genies this morning which is becoming somewhat of a Saturday morning ritual.  We have three Diaper Genies (one in the office on the first floor and one in the older twins room and one in the babies room) and all ran out.  We only had two refills so I needed to head out to the store to pick up more refills.

Calvin and Brayden went shopping with dada while Carter and Aubrey stayed at home with Erin and her friend.  We went to Babies R Us and picked up another double umbrella stroller.  We went to a few other stores before going to the mall.  We ate at Wendy's in the Food Court.  The boys had chicken nuggets and french fries, but Brayden pretty much just ate ketchup for lunch.  He did end up eating some french fries at the end, but not much.  We went to Dick's Sporting Goods and I found Mountain Dew Livewire.  I am a big Mountain Dew junkie.  Livewire is one of the best (I also really like Pitch Black) so I bought four 20oz. bottles of Mountain Dew Livewire.  It's hard to find in this area. 

Anyway, I bought a few gifts for the boys while we were out.  I have been buying toys when I find them on sale even though they won't be old enough to play with some of them for a few years.  Erin thinks I'm crazy, but I think I'm being a responsible buyer.  What kid doesn't like Tonka trucks, Hot Wheels and Legos?

Speaking of toys, I also had this great idea to buy a bunch of Transformers toys from the movie line when they first came out in 2007.  I have continued buying some from each of the movies and put them in storage containers in the basement.  I figure that I'll sell them in a few years and make some pretty good money.  I check eBay every once in a while and see that some of the toys are already selling for 5 or 6 times what I paid for them.  It's sad to say, but this appears to be a better investment than my 401(k).  Erin doesn't believe that I'm going to sell them, but I definitely will.  There are a number that I actually purchased to keep.  I plan on putting a display case in the media room at some point for them, but most were purchased just to sell them later and make money.

One of the other things I did when we were out was to get Aubrey and Carter's Christmas stockings engraved with their names.  Now we all have our own personalized Christmas stockings.  Aubrey's stocking wasn't big enough at the opening to fit on the engraving machine so I had to remove all the stitches and then we'll have to sew it back together eventually.  Ther is quite an interesting story behind the Christmas stockings.  When I bought stockings about two years ago for Calvin and Brayden I actually bought three.  The reason is becuase I figured we may try for a girl and I wanted everyone to have matching stockings.  The extra one was off-white with a red top (I figured it would be suitable for a boy or girl).  Calvin's stocking is Green with an off-white top and red lettering.  Brayden's stocking is Red with an off-white top and green lettering.  When we had a second set of twins I asked my mom if she could make a stocking that looked like the others for Aubrey.  She was able to make a great light pink stocking with an off-white top.  Aubrey's stocking now has pink lettering and Carter's has off-white lettering.  All of the stockings are unique, but they all match very well.  The best laid schemes of mice and men...

The boys and I left the house around 9:30am and didn't return until about 3:00pm.  I figured that they would nap on the way home, but they didn't.  As a matter of fact they didn't nap at all today.  Part of the problem may have been that I bought them some sports balls (basketball, football and soccer ball) that they played with the whole ride home.  They were extremely well behaved while we were out.  As a matter of fact there was one lady that came up to me and said that it's nice to see such well behaved children when we were sitting in the Food Court.  Overall, they really are very well behaved.  They obviously act up every now and then, but it's to be expected given the fact that they are two years-old.

When I got home Erin and her friend went off to pick up her car from the state inspection place.  So I was home alone with all four kids again.  Once again it wasn't that bad.  This time I was alone for about an hour, but it went by quickly.

It rained today for most of the day.  I always get a little bummed when it rains on the weekends, but at least it's not snow.  That's one thing I don't miss about moving down to Virginia from Northern New York.  I know that they already got a dusting of snow this year.  We almost never get any snow down here.  I'm sure the kids will like to get snow when they get a little older, but I have seen enough snow in my lifetime.

Well Carter is doing better after a few days of medicine.  He is still not 100%, but he was smiling a lot more so that's a good sign.  His fever is gone as well so I have my fingers crossed that he'll sleep well tonight. 

Carter does quite well sitting up when you prop sit him.  Aubrey is rolling over much more than before.  They are progressing very well.

By the way, who had the great idea to make baby/kid medicine pink?  I realize that it is bubble gum flavor, but really.  That pink is aweful at staining clothes.  Maybe someone out there should work on a colorless medicine...

The tummy tuck saga - by Erin

It was a week yesterday since I had the tummy tuck.  I must say, it has been quite an ordeal.  I knew it would not be the most comfortable thing in the world, but I never expected that much pain.  The first day I was still in a bit of an anastesia haze.  It hurt, but I was still pretty out of it so I was able to sleep most of that day.  Percocet every 4 hours helped with that. 
The second day I really felt the pain.  I couldn't get up or down on my own, I couldn't cough or laugh without agony.  It was honestly the most painful thing that I have ever experienced.  Yes, I had two sets of twins but that came with an epidural each time.  No epidural with a tummy tuck.  It was strange having drains come out of me.  I pretty much avoided having the kids see me at all.  I came out of the room when they napped and went back to bed when they were awake.  I had to sleep sitting up with pneumatic compression stockings on my legs to prevent blood clots.  James also had to give me shots of Lovenox, a blood thinner.  As an engineer he really does well giving shots.  Maybe he should consider a profession change. 
It was day 4 before I even attempted to shower.  I took of the abdominal binder and felt like I was going to rip open.  I didn't think to bring my phone in the bathroom with me so I attempted to call for help.  Yelling, that is anther thing that you don't realize requires abdominal muscles to get much volume on.  I finally got James' attention and he helped me back into my binder. 
On day 6, still no shower, I went in for my post-op exam and had the drains out.  Quite possibly the strangest feeling ever.  These plastic tubes that are about 6-8 inches long are snaked up into your abdomen to drain excess fluid.  They are yanked out through a hole in your skin.  Seriously, they just pull them out in the office.  I could feel the tubes drag out from underneath my skin.  It felt like worms wriggling around inside me.  Not something I want to have to do again, but not painful. 
Day 7, I went on a short walk around the neighborhood looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame because I still can't fully stand up.  I also finally got a shower!  Still couldn't shave but a step in the right direction. 
Finally, day 8, I did a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood a little more upright than yesterday.  I go back to work on Tuesday for a half day.  At first I didn't think I would be ready, but I seem to be getting better much quicker now.  Who knows, maybe today I will shave...maybe.
So, that is the story so far.  I still can't cough or laugh without pain.  It's a huge production for me to get up off the couch or out of bed (especially out of bed).  I still can't lift the little babies for another week and won't be able to lift the big boys for 6-8 weeks, so we still have a long way to go.  It has been tough.   So far I don't regret doing it and if I had it to do over knowing what I know now I would still do it.  Now whether or not James would go through this again is a different story :)

Radio Flyer wagon

The babies did pretty well sleeping last night.  They woke up a few times and needed a paci and then went back to sleep.  Erin has actually been able to get up and help out at night.  She still can't pick up the babies, but she does what she can.

Aubrey actually ate baby food well tonight.  Normally she spits out more than she eats.  She also is normally more interested in playing with the spoon than eating.

Carter had a fever tonight.  He didn't look like he felt good.  When Carter isn't smiling you know something isn't right.  So we gave him some of Aubrey's Amoxicillin.  I'm happy that Carter and Aubrey will take their Tylenol and medicine.  Calvin wouldn't take any medicine for the longest time.  He would always spit it out.  We had to mix his Tylenol and medicine with some Icee in order for him to take it.

Calvin wanted to eat baby food tonight.  He actually tries to get the baby food from time to time.  At least it's healthy.  I'm sure it's healthier than the other food he eats.  I'm actually impressed with how good Calvin and Brayden are with using utensils when eating.

The Radio Flyer wagon that I ordered arrived today.  It came just in time for Halloween.  I already put it together.  I'm sure the boys will love it.  This thing is like the Cadillac of wagons.  It has a canopy, large storage bag that connects to the back, padded seats, four cup holders, large wheels.  What more could you ask for in a wagon?

Erin had both of her drains removed yesterday.  She said that having them removed was one of the more gross things she has experienced.  She also said that she feels a lot better now that the drains are out.  She is doing quite well.

Is it possible to keep the floor of your car clean?

I actually got some pretty good sleep last night.  Which is good because I was so exhausted last night that I could barely get up off the couch to get the kids some chocolate milk.  I felt very refreshed in the morning.  Carter once again slept through the night.  Aubrey got up once, but that's it.

When I drop the kids off at daycare I always get a big hug and kiss from Brayden and Calvin.  This morning Brayden gave me a hug and kiss, but Calvin ran away.  So I asked Brayden for a second hug and kiss to make up for not getting one from Calvin.  That was all that Calvin needed to run over and give me a hug and kiss.  Sometimes kids are so easy to manipulate.

I picked up the kids and got them loaded in the minivan.  Calvin and Brayden always ask for "nacks" after they get buckled in.  We fill up Zip-Lock bags with their favorite cereals (Honey Comb, Trix, Froot Loops, Cap'n Crunch Berries and Cocoa Puffs).  I give them one of the bags each day for the ride home.  They sometimes drop the bags on the floor and cereal always spills out on the floor.  I'm pretty bad about cleaning the cereal off the floor.  I normally only do it once every other week.  I should probably clean it more often so that the kids don't think it's okay to have a filthy car.

I tried not giving them a snack for a few weeks hoping they would keep their appetite and eat more for dinner.  Eventually I gave up and decided just to give them their snacks.  I think one other reason I stopped is because I found myself eating the cereal.  The last thing you need when you have kids is another reason to snack on their food.  You already become a human garbage disposal for anything that they don't finish eating.  It's easy to gain weight after having kids.

Calvin and Brayden got a bath tonight.  They go through phases where they like taking a bath and hate taking a bath.  They seem to always be excited about getting in the bathtub.  Although they enjoy being in the water and playing more than getting cleaned.  We always use the soaking tub in the master bath for giving them baths.  We figure that the tub is bigger than the tub in their bathroom and the soaking tub actually gets used.  It's amazing how sometimes you end up with things in a house that never get used.

Need to go to bed earlier

Last night Carter slept through the night, but Aubrey still isn't close.  She woke up twice.  Again, I had no intentions of getting up to feed either of them, but Erin decided to wake me up.  I'm really not happy about it.  I need sleep and the babies need to start sleeping through the night.  We'll figure it out.

So of course I was completed exhausted today.  I didn't feel like I had any energy until after I ate dinner.  When I got home I didn't want to do anything other than sit on the couch.  It was all I could do to get up and play with the kids for a little bit.

Carter loves to be on the floor.  He just rolls over and over and over.  He also grabs onto things and plays with whatever he can get his hands on.  Aubrey still prefers to be held and isn't very interested in rolling around.

Erin goes in for her first follow-up visit tomorrow.  They are supposed to remove one of her two drains.  She is walking around more and more, but she gets exhausted pretty quickly.  I can't imagine how people that aren't in good shape deal with surgeries like this.  Erin has worked out six days a week for as long as I can remember.

Time to get in bed.  We'll see how tonight goes.

It's not easy being a dada

Last night was tough.  Carter and Aubrey did not want to sleep.  After getting up five times before 10:30 I decided to turn off the baby monitor and let them cry it out.  They are a little over seven months-old now and should be sleeping through the night.  I'm pretty sure that I made Erin mad because I wouldn't get up with them when the woke up again later in the night.  She tried getting up, which probably wasn't the smartest idea in the world given her current condition.  After a while I ended up giving the babies each a bottle to get them to sleep.

I was exhausted at work today.  I didn't get much sleep last night (maybe two or three hours).  I'm not sure how much longer I can function being exhausted all the time.  I definitely can't wait until the babies are fifteen months-old (that's how old Calvin was before he slept through the night).  If you are good at math you have already figured out that we had about two months of sleeping through the night before the babies were born.

I had to get all four kids changed, ready and loaded in the minivan myself this morning.  Obviously I also had to pick them up from daycare. 

I didn't have enough time to go to the gym this morning.  It looks like I won't be able to go until Erin can start taking the kids to daycare again.  This is a real shame because the gym is a great stress-reliever.

Erin is doing better, but still really sore.  She's goes in for a follow-up on Wednesday.  They said it would take six weeks before she would be completely healed.

Calvin and Brayden always want us to read bedtime books.  I have to admit that sometimes I skip pages when reading to speed up the process.  They love Dr. Seuss and Sandra Boynton books.  I prefer the Sandra Boynton books because they are much shorter.  Barnyard Dance; Oh my Oh my Oh Dinosaurs; and Happy Hippo Angry Duck are Calvin and Brayden's favorites.  It's really quite amusing to watch Calvin when I read Happy Hippo Angry Duck.  We have read the books so many times that he has some of them memorized and says it with us.

Two little Binjas

Brayden was in trouble twice before 7am.  Brayden got his diaper changed first when they woke up in the morning.  Then I was trying to get Calvin so I could change his diaper and he was playing around and not wanting to lay down.  Brayden decided to take matters into his own hands and he pushed then pulled Calvin trying to get him to get his diaper changed.  About ten minutes later while eating breakfast he took Calvin's french toast without asking.

Aubrey is much happier today.  Her fever appears to be going away and she is happy as usual.  Not sure if it's the antibiotic or if it was viral and it is passing.  Carter also didn't vomit at all today.  He was his normal happy self, always smiling.  Carter is starting to get to that stage where he likes to move and wiggle all the time which makes it hard to change his diaper.  I can remember having to hold down Calvin and Brayden with a forearm or elbow in order to get them changed. 

The babies were taking a nap so dada took the older boys to Target to get a few things.  I really wanted to pick up a Radio Flyer wagon and Target has them on sale this week.  Unfortunately they did not have the one I wanted at the store.  Fortunately they have it online with free shipping.  We'll see if it makes it in time for Halloween.  I think it would be fun for the boys to go Trick or Treating in a wagon instead of in a stroller.

I have to say that we really like Target.  They have good quality products at decent prices.  I also like the fact that there is a Target only three miles from our house.

I don't think there was any point during the day where all four kids were sleeping.  We missed the kids' cousin's birthday party today because Calvin, Brayden and Aubrey were all napping at the time.  I thought about waking them up, but they need their rest and so do I.  This is especially true right now since mama can't really help with the kids.

Calvin and Brayden started something that we refer to as "Binja" which stands for baby ninja.  They do this really slow walk (crouched over like an old man) and have this goofy thing they do with their hands (they move them around in circles with their finger tips all together, sort of like pedaling with your hands).  Then when they get close to someone they run and tickle them.  It's really quite funny.

Erin is still really sore.  She actually said that if she knew how much pain this would be she wouldn't have done it.  I doubt that.  I think she would have done it anyway.  Of course in a couple of months she will have completely forgotten about all the pain.

French fries at a pharmacy drive through window?

We decided to change things up a little and have our Wal-Mart trip on Saturday instead of Sunday.  This is primarily because Erin's sister was here to help and came with the kids and I.  Erin stayed at the house still recovering.  Erin's sister got to see first hand how many people comment on having two sets of twins.  Of course most people thought all the kids were hers.  We never seem to get out of Wal-Mart spending less than $300.  Buying diapers and formula the way we do tends to inflate our expenses.

After leaving Wal-Mart we had to stop by Rite Aid to pick up a prescription for Erin.  As we pulled up to the drive through window Brayden said "fench fies?".  They have figured out that most of the time when we go to a drive through window that it is a fast food restaurant and that they get french fries.  Fortunately Rite Aid is very close to Burger King so that's where we went afterwards to pick up some french fries.

Carter and Aubrey both Vomited today.  Carter got me really good twice.  Aubrey didn't vomit nearly as much, but she hasn't been feeling well.  We picked up an anit-biotic for Aubrey today.  We figured it was time to do something since she has had a fever for the past 48 hours.  It was easily controlled by Tylenol, but she still wasn't happy.  We're not sure why Carter vomited.  He was smiling and playing within a minute of vomiting.

Speaking of Carter, he has started scooting backwards.  He even was up on his hands and knees for about a minute today.  He is trying everything he can to crawl.  Aubrey still doesn't really care to be on her tummy.

Calvin and Brayden were very well behaved today.  Brayden was down on the floor playing with Aubrey and Carter a lot.  Calvin has started trying to climb out of his crib.  I'm trying to figure out when I need to take the front of the crib down.  The last thing we want is for him to fall out and hurt himself.

Overall the kids have been better than I expected considering that Erin can't pick them up or play with them.  I am glad I have had help these past few days.  I don't know how I would have taken care of everything without the help.

A day off work isn't really a day off

I took Friday off from work to stay home with Erin.  She is still in quite a bit of pain from the surgery, but she is doing great.  Her mom stayed over Thursday night to help with the kids since Erin won't be able to pick up the kids for six weeks.

Aubrey has been really fussy lately.  She had a slight fever which I'm pretty sure is just teething.  It could be an ear infection, but she isn't showing any of the other signs to make me think it is an ear infection.  Erin would normally look in her ears to see if they are infected, but she's all doped up so she's not really in a state to do that.  Getting the kids ready in the morning and dropped off at daycare was pretty easy.

Speaking of daycare, Erin got a call from one of the ladies that works at the daycare and told us that the lady that runs the daycare is going to stop in December!  This obviously is not good for us.  It is not easy finding someone that is willing to take four kids.  The lady that called said that she would do it from her house so we're going to look into that.  Erin said she had a few other possibilities as well.  Either way, a change like this will not be easy on us or the kids (especially Calvin and Brayden). 

When we moved to Williamsburg earlier this year we had to switch daycare's.  Calvin and Brayden were not happy about going to a new place each day.  It took them a few weeks before they were able to adjust.  I suppose things like this are good for them...builds character.

Oh, and the lady the runs the daycare didn't say anything to me when I picked them up.  I wonder when she is actually going to let us know that she plans on stopping daycare.

I did a whole bunch of yardwork on Friday.  There were a number of low spots that needed to be filled in with dirt.  I almost got all of the dirt spread.  It will probably only take another hour or so to finish everything up.

I came in a few times to check on Erin and she was doing well.  I also had my cell phone on me in case she needed me while I was outside.  She will probably watch more TV during the weeks of her recovery than the entire rest of the year.

One of the hard things is that Erin has gone up to the bedroom while the kids are up.  This is to prevent the kids from jumping on her.  Calvin and Brayden definitely want to see their mama.  One of Erin's sisters came over Friday evening and stayed overnight to help out.  I'm not sure how I would be able to do everything without the help.  By Monday Erin should be able to move around enough to help make food for the kids and things like that.  That should make things a little easier.

Brayden and Calvin have these "Cars" which they used when they started learning to walk and now the ride on all around the house.  My oldest brother got these for them for their first birthday.  One is Lightning McQueen and the other is Mater.  These may be the best gifts they have received.  They still ride around on these things.  Brayden sometimes likes to run into Calvin when he is on his car.  This upsets Calvin greatly.  I can already see them picking on each other and doing things just because they know it irritates the other.  Brothers.  I should know how it works since I have two older brothers.  I was typically on the receiving end of most of the picking since I was the youngest.  It will be interesting to see how the dynamic changes and Carter and Aubrey get older.

No pain, no gain

Erin had her surgery today.  She's at home and doing well.  Her mother was with her during the surgery and she came to our house to help with the kids.

We'll let the kids sleep in until they want to get up in the morning.  Then we'll give them breakfast and take them to daycare.  After dropping them off I'll have all day to get some stuff done around the house.

Calvin really likes singing "twinkle, twinkle little star".  Calvin is the more vocal of the two older twins.  I hear that it is quite normal to have one that speaks more than the other.  Brayden certainly understands just as much as Calvin.  He just chooses to save his words for when he really needs them. 

Calvin and Brayden were very good tonight despite not seeing their mama.  Calvin has become less needy in the past week or so.  There was a point where he wanted to be held almost all the time.  Now he prefers to play than be held.  This is a good thing.  It's hard holding a two year-old and getting anything else accomplished.

Carter and Aubrey were both pretty tired tonight.  They went to bed without any issues.  They have also recently reached the stage where they put everything in their mouth.  Aubrey especially likes to grab one of my fingers and chew on it.  I'm sure it feels good whie she's teething.

Reach down your hand in your pocket, pull out some hope for me

It's been a Long Day.  I had to be at work for a 6:00a.m. meeting and I didn't leave work until a little after 6:00p.m.  I knew I was going to be late so my mother-in-law had planned to come over and help with the kids tonight.  I didn't get home until it was close to their bedtime.

Aubrey had just gone down to bed and Carter was about to go to bed.  At least I got to see them before they went to bed.  Calvin and Brayden had just finished getting a bath.  They stayed up about thirty minutes later than normal tonight.  Calvin has become quite the basketball player.  He always claps and says "yay, Calvin made basket" after he makes a basket.

Today was a really crappy day at work.  I was thinking about work the whole drive home until I got close to the house.  Then my thoughts shifted to seeing the kids.  While seeing the kids didn't 100% fix my mood, it certainly was a big lift.  I get to have another long meeting tomorrow, but I at least will be able to leave work at normal time and pick up the kids from daycare.

Erin has her surgery tomorrow at 10:00a.m.  Her mother is taking her in and picking her up.  I asked Erin how she felt; if she was nervous or not.  She said she wasn't nervous, but that she was excited.  That's not to say she is excited to have surgery, but she is excited for the outcome. 

I am taking Friday off from work to make sure she is okay (not to mention I just need a Kit Kat bar...I mean a break).  Aside from taking time off when Carter and Aubrey were born and two days for Calvin and Brayden's birthday I haven't had any time off this year (excluding Holidays).  I am going to take a week off soon just to maintain my sanity.

The next six weeks should be interesting.  We normally have to tag team to get the kids ready in the morning and get them fed when they get home from daycare.  Erin always drops them off in the morning and I always pick them up.  I am going to have a heavy burden these next few weeks since she won't be able to do much, but I am up for it.  Either that or I am in denial.  I'm not sure what the hardest part will be, but I think it will be having to get up at night each time the babies wake up.  We won't be able to alternate getting babies.  More to come...

Brain Stew

I heard the song "Brain Stew" by Green Day today and it seemed fitting.  "I'm having trouble trying to sleep...The clock is laughing in my face...Passed the point of delirium".  That babies didn't have a good night last night.  I had first baby duty, but it didn't really matter.  They went to bed at normal time, but it took a while to get them to sleep.  Carter spit up twice and we had to change his outfit before he would finally go to sleep.  Aubrey woke up around 9:30.  I tried to plug her with her paci, but it only worked for fifteen minutes or so.  Her cries got progressively louder until she woke up her brother.  So we both had to get up and feed the babies around 10:00.  Aubrey then got up again around 2:00.  She went back to sleep for another thirty minutes after plugging her with a paci.  I am so ready for them to sleep through the night.  I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning.

We always alternate who gets up with the first baby each night.  This way we have a chance to sleep all night if one baby decides to cooperate (it happens from time to time).  We did the same thing with Calvin and Brayden and it worked quite well.

Erin decided to pick up two Fisher Price Classic Doodlers today for the boys.  They play with one at daycare and they definitely were excited to play with them when we got home.  As a matter of fact, I don't think they ate any of their dinner because they were busy drawing.  They didn't even eat any of dada's dinner.

Aubrey was actually asleep for the first thirty minutes or so when I got home with the kids.  I can remember when we only had Calvin and Brayden and we would hope that they would sleep for thirty minutes or so when we got home so that we could eat dinner before feeding them, holding them, playing with them, etc.  Carter and Aubrey are almost never asleep when we get home.  I guess at this point we're used to it.

We also had no idea how we were going to manage with four little kids before Carter and Aubrey were born.  Actually, I think this lasted for the first month after they were born too.  We even considered hiring someone to come over and help out on weekday nights.  Now it seems kind of silly, but you never know what to expect.

I don't know if we were better prepared for the second set of twins, but it is easier than the first set.  No one ever adequately warns you about how hard it is to have a kid.  And not many people have the experience to warn you about how hard it is to have twins.  The best advice I could give to expecting parents is to forget what their life was like before kids.  Your life becomes your kids.

Watch what you say

Calvin said "G%d d@#n it's hot" tonight referring to his french toast sticks.  He already said it once a few weeks ago.  We asked the daycare lady if she knew anything about it and she told us that she said it once when she dropped something.  Perhaps it is a little more of an occurrence than we originally thought.  We'll have to mention something to her again tomorrow.

We don't let the kids watch TV so they didn't get it from TV.  Who knows if they see TV at daycare.  We said that we don't want them watching it, but it's not like we really know what goes on at daycare each day.  We had originally thought we would wait until the kids were two years old to let them watch TV, but now we decided to hold off as long as we can.  I figure it's good for them to entertain themselves with something other than a television.

Speaking of TVs, our new house has a full basement and a media room in the basement.  A media room that is almost never used.  I have a new TV and 7.1 surround sound hooked up, but I'm a little too busy to play video games or watch TV myself.  There are plenty of times that I would like to go down and play the PS3 or Wii, but by the time we get the kids in bed and our stuff ready for the next day there isn't much time left.  I know that if I get started on something I'll continue for a while and won't get in bed until really late.  Then I would pay for it the next day.  And it's not like I have an easy job.  I'm am busy 100% of the time I am at work.

Erin talked to the Pediatrician today about Carter's eyes.  The Pediatrician said that we shouldn't worry about it and that it's completely normal for babies.  Apparently no one knows why it happens, but there is nothing that they can do about it and it will eventually go away.  It's hard not to worry about one of your kids when you see something that is not perceived as normal, but if a doctor says it's normal then we'll do our best not to focus on it.  He seems to do it more when he gets excited or when he's tired.  Of course Carter is always smiling and happy so it's hard for him not to get excited.

Carter has reached the stage where he loves to roll over and over and over.  Unfortunately he does it in his crib and then he won't go to sleep.  So we have to keep going in and flipping him on his back.  I have no idea why he won't flip on his back in the crib, but he will on the floor.  Maybe the matress is too soft for him to flip back?

Aubrey made a mess of herself at dinner tonight.  She has a habit of grabbing the spoon and holding it.  She pretends to feed herself, but really she just gets food all over and like to chew on the spoon.

One of the things that is a little harder with Carter and Aubrey than when Calvin and Brayden were this age is that Calvin and Brayden always were the same size.  They always drank the same amount of formula, ate the same amount of baby food, used the same size diapers, etc.  Carter is a little bigger than Aubrey (which is to be expected) so he has always been one size up from her.  This may not sound like much, but having to check the diaper size and bottles and everything else is harder than not having to worry about it.

Just the Two of Us...we can make it if we try

Carter and Aubrey slept in late today.  They didn't get up until close to 8:00.  Normally they are up by 6:00 or 6:30.  Calvin and Brayden got up at 6:30 today so we were able to spend some good quality time with them without having to care for the babies.  It is definitely hard providing enough attention to all of the kids.  I definitely feel that Calvin and Brayden got much more attention when they were babies than Carter and Aubrey do.  Maybe when Carter and Aubrey get a little older they won't be as needy as their older brothers.  Time will tell.

We had another fun filled adventure to Wal-Mart.  Today was actually fairly mundane regarding the comments we received.  There were several folks that commented on how blessed we are.  I have to say that I can't argue with that statement.  No matter how hard it can be we are grateful to have four healthy children.

We were all alone today.  No one was able to come over and help us with the little ones.  Today actually seemed pretty easy.  Carter was fussier than usual, but other than that all the kids were quite good.  We usually use Sunday afternoon to clean the house, get things ready for the work week, do yardwork or any other thing to take advantage of having other people here to help with the kids.  Fortunately, they all had a long nap so we were able to get some stuff done while they napped.  I'm starting to think that naps are more for the parents than the kids.

Calvin and Brayden had their favorite food for lunch today.  They love Stouffer's "mac-a-moni n cheeeese".  Don't even think of trying to give them any other kind of macaroni and cheese.  These boys go for the good stuff.  It's my fault for giving them the good stuff first.

I was able to get one pile of dirt spread today, but still have another six yards to go.  I plan on staying home this Friday to make sure Erin is okay.  I should be able to get the rest of the dirt spread Friday assuming she is doing fine after her surgery.

It's amazing how simple things become difficult when you have four little kids.  Sometimes I don't get to eat dinner until they are all in bed.  Sometimes I think it would be best to wait until they are in bed before I eat.  Why?  Because Calvin and Brayden have this thing about wanting to sit on dada's lap while dada eats.  They also like to eat dada's food.  Tonight I had some leftover manicotti and they both wanted some "mmm cotti".  At one point in time I could only put one of them in my lap.  This is because they weren't stable enough to sit on their own so I always kept one hand on them.  We're well past that stage.  If they fall, they fall...just kidding.

Calvin and Brayden love to wear their VT hats that my brother got them for their birthday.   I'm not sure why, but they wear them gansta style with the bill to the side.  Tonight they had their hats on and were running around the house.  I'm not really sure what they were doing, but they were having fun.  Carter and Aubrey had already gone to bed some mama and dada just sat on the couch watching the boys run around and laugh.  It must have wore them out because they immediately went to sleep without a sound.

Oh yeah, Aubrey's two bottom teeth broke through yesterday.  None for Carter yet, but I'm sure he won't be far behind.

Pumpkinville, Sweet Frog and American Idol

What could Pumpkinville, Sweet Frog and American Idol possible have in common?  Read and find out.

We took the kids out to Pumpkinville today.  Calvin and Brayden seemed to really enjoy themselves.  We went through a corn field maze, looked at lots of pumpkins, played with hoola-hoops and ran around like wild kids.  They picked out their own baby pumpkins which I think we'll put on the front steps.  They like to hold the pumpkins, but they also like to throw them.  The last thing I need is for a pumpkin to explode all over the floor. 

After Pumpkinville we stopped by Burger King to get some chicken nuggets and french fries.  They started saying "fench fie" as soon as I turned in to the Burger King lot.  Burger King is only about four miles from our house and they had eaten over half of the french fries before we got home.

When they went down for their nap I was able to get some yardwork done.  I had 12 yards of dirt delivered this morning.  I got about 4 yards moved to the backyard before I had to come in because the kids were waking up.  I need to get the backyard leveled out before we can have a fence installed.

After all the kids got up from their nap we loaded everyone in the car and headed to New Town.  We went to Sweet Frog to get some ice cream.  If you have never been to a Sweet Frog you don't know what you are missing.  They have about 12 or 14 different kinds of soft serve ice cream.  You get whatever size cup you want and put as much of any kind of ice cream you want in the cup.  Then they have about fifty different toppings.  You pay based on weight.  Calvin and Brayden had Vanilla and Chocolate swirl with chocolate sprinkles.  We always head outside and eat by the water fountain.  The boys love to run around and eat their ice cream.  They definitely provide lots for entertainment for anyone else sitting around. 

Calvin and Brayden also have started using a toy microphone and sing into it.  Calvin also takes it around to mama, dada, sissy and bubba to have them sing into the microphone.  I don't know if there is a Toddler American Idol, but they might want to start one.  It would be good for a few laughs anyway.  Brayden really gets into it and dances around while singing. 

Carter started doing something that has us concerned.  We noticed it a few days ago, but didn't think much of it.  However, now it's happening much more often.  His eyes will roll up to the back of his head for a few seconds and it appears that he is somewhat out of control.  He doesn't seem bothered by it.  We're quite sure it isn't seizures, but we're still a little worried about it.  This is one of those times where it's really nice to have a wife that is a Physician Assistant.  It looks like it might be Paroxysmal Tonic Upgaze of Infancy.  He is doing great and is on track developmentally.  It appears that this will go away in time, but it varies with how long it lasts.  Hopefully everything is okay with our little man.

TGIF

Perhaps TGIF is a big of a cliche, but after the week I had at work I am glad it's Friday.  There once was a point that Friday's weren't that fun because that meant we had two full days of attempting to appease four little ones.  As they have got a little older it is definitely more fun to have the weekends off.  Not to mention that tonight should be fun because a bunch of guys from the neighborhood are coming over soon to play poker.  I haven't played in over a year so I'm looking forward to it.  Before kids (also known as BK) I used to host poker games all the time.  Maybe we can get to a point where we play once a month or so.  Good luck to me...I need money for diapers and formula.

Speaking of formula.  Thank God that we no longer have to buy the Similac Alimentum for Carter.  That stuff is expensive.  Formula is expensive as it is, but this stuff is twice as expensive as regular formula.  He needed it though because he used to spit up chunks which meant that he wasn't properly digesting the formula.  I guess that's what the Alimentum was supposed to help.  I would have to say it worked since he wasn't spitting up chunks when he was on it.

Carter has been using size 3 nipples for a while now, but Aubrey just graduated from size 2 to size 3 last weekend.  She is doing really well and it takes less time for her to eat so that's a plus.

I forgot to mention a really funny thing that Calvin did yesterday.  He came up to me with his hand out.  I wasn't sure what he was doing until he grabbed my hand.  Then he shook my hand and said, "nice to meet you dada".  I wasn't expecting that.  Must be something he learned at daycare.  I love it.  I also learned that if you say "give me knuckles" to Calvin and Brayden they will make a fist and bump fists like a bunch of college guys or professional athletes.  Craziness.

So my wife has finally decided to have her tummy tuck surgery.  After the first pregnancy her abs muscles had separated.  The second pregnancy finished off her abs and she also developed a hernia.  She has wanted the tummy tuck for a while now to repair her ab muscles.  She had a number of consultations before finally scheduling the surgery.  She'll be going in on Thursday, 10/20.  This should make things interesting since she won't be able to lift anything for six weeks.  That means I'm going to be one busy dada.  I think she'll be out of work for one week and then she'll go back to work half days for a week before returning full time.

Tonight the boys had a great time playing basketball.  My sister-in-law and brother-in-law got them a basketball hoop for their birthday.  They are really good and slam dunking the basketball, but didn't know how to shoot.  I showed them how to shoot from a few feet away and they went at it.  They even made a few baskets (which were immediately followed by some "give me knuckles" fist bumps.

We put Calvin and Brayden in bed around 7:15 tonight.  35 minutes later and they are still chatting away in their room.  How long will this go on?

Time to get ready for cards.

It's like herding cats

The past two days at work have felt like I have been doing nothing but herding cats.  All I have done it tried to get people to do their job and do it correctly.  It's very discouraging to have to spell out exactly what an employee is supposed to do.  Especially considering that these are all educated engineers.  I wish I had people that just get things done on time and correctly.  I'm falling behind at work so I'm going to forego the gym tomorrow and go straight to work so that I get an extra hour or so to catch up.

I'm happy to report that Brayden has not put his hands in his dirty diapers since the last episode.  Hopefully it doesn't happen again.  Calvin and Brayden really like pumpkins and every time they see when on the ride home they always say, "dada, pumpkins".  They also continue to point out every truck that we pass "dada, big truck".

Carter and Aubrey keep saying "dadadada" over and over again.

Tonight Brayden decided to lay on the ground with Carter and Aubrey and he kept playing around with blankets.  He would put the blankets on his head and then over Carter and then Aubrey.  It was really cute.  He then asked to hold sissy so I picked her up and laid her on Brayden.  Aubrey thought it was so funny.  She kept laughing every time she laid down on Brayden.  Brayden loves to hold his little brother and sister. 

We have one of those Halloween boxes that makes a noise when you open the lid.  Calvin has really taken to the box and keeps opening it and putting things in and then taking them out.  They also got a singing horse for their birthday from one of my grandmothers.  They keep pushing the horse's foot to make it sing.  We also have a Frankenstein's monster that sings the monster mash song.  They really enjoyed it last year, but don't seem to care for it this year.  It will be interesting to see how they are on Halloween in a few weeks.  One of my brothers got Calvin and Brayden a Lightning McQueen driver suit which they'll wear on Halloween.  Aubrey has a ladybug costume and I think Carter has a bumblebee costume.

I don't think Calvin ate any of his dinner tonight.  Brayden actually ate his breakfast sausage (which he normally doesn't eat).  He also ate most of his strawberry stuffed french toast.  I love the IHOP frozen breakfast foods that you can buy in the grocery store.  They are very convenient and quite good.  I had some leftover pizza which Brayden decided he wanted some of too.  As soon as I sat down at the table to eat Brayden ran over "up please dada".  So I picked him up and he sat on my lap and ate about ten bites of pizza.

It's funny how we always eat at the morning room (breakfast) table.  We spent all this money on a really nice dining room set and we have yet to use it.  I thought we would have used it when everyone was here for the boys' birthday party a few weeks back, but we didn't.  I guess maybe Thanksgiving will be the first time it gets used.  I'm sure the fact that the baby high chairs and the older boys' table and chairs are in the morning room has something to do with it.

Calvin and Brayden went to sleep without a fuss tonight.  I have my fingers crossed that this trend will continue.  Carter and Aubrey took a few times going into their room to put a paci in their mouth before they went to sleep.  They still are not sleeping through the night.  I think they got up around 1:00 or 1:30 last night.  One thing I can say about twins is that they learn to become deep sleepers.  One can be crying extremely loud and the other will be sound asleep just a few feet away.

We also use sound machines for each of the kids' rooms when we put them to bed.  I'm not sure if it helps or not, but it shoudl help drown out any of the noises from outside their room.

Long Day

Wednesday's have really started becoming days that I don't care for.  It's probably because I have to go in work really early on Wednesday's.  I get the pleasure of attending a 6:00a.m. meeting each week.  It's one of those meetings where Construction discusses issues that they need Engineering help with.  Sometimes I have input and sometimes I just sit there until the meeting is over.  Oh well, it just makes for a really long day at work.  I also don't care for the fact that I have to miss the gym so that I can attend the meeting. 

We also had a power outage at work today.  Not really sure what happened, but it lasted an hour.  I used that time to walk around and talk with my staff about status and progress on our work.

When I pick up the kids from daycare Calvin and Brayden always want a snack for the car ride home.  I went a few weeks without giving them a snack to try and keep their appetite so that they would eat dinner.  There was a lot of screaming and "dada, snack", so eventually I caved and started giving them snacks again for the car ride home.  They really like eating cereal in the car.  Today I gave Brayden a bag of Trix and Calvin a bag of Honeycomb cereal.  I asked Calvin if I could have some Honeycomb and he kept saying no.  Brayden, however, was more than willing to offer dada some Trix.  Eventually I took one of Calvin's Honeycombs and you would have thought I punched him in the face.   He started screaming that he wanted his Honeycomb back.  Eventually I was able to distract him and he stopped fussing.  He even gave me a Honeycomb as we got close to our house.  The daycare place is less than fifteen minutes from our house so it's not that long of a drive.

There is a pond that we always pass on our way home.  As we approach the pond Calvin and Brayden always say "dada, geese?" or "no geese today dada".  It's always a surprise to see if geese are actually in the pond or not.  That's one thing about living in Virginia...there are still geese here in October.  In Northern New York where I grew up the geese leave in August or September at the latest. 

Carter and Aubrey did very well eating their dinner tonight.  In fact, they ate so much that they didn't even want their bottles before bed.  They seem to really like the banana baby food.  It shouldn't be too much longer before we move up to the 2nd foods.  The daycare lady said that she thinks Carter will be crawling within four weeks.  We'll see.  That seems pretty early to me, but it's hard to remember when Calvin and Brayden started crawling.  We didn't keep very good records of their major milestones.  However, we did take more pictures and video of Calvin and Brayden.  Probably because we had more time.

Wednesday nights are bath night for the older twins.  They seem to really like getting in the bath and playing, but they don't like the cleaning part (especially Calvin).  It seems that babies/infants/toddlers go through stages of bath time.  When they are newborns they really hate the water.  This is probably because they are in those hammock things and it's hard to keep warm when you're not actually in the water.  Then when they can sit up in the bath tub they seem to enjoy baths.  Then they reach a stage where they want to play with toys in the bath.  This is where Calvin and Brayden are right now.  They love getting in the bath and playing with toys, but they don't like getting cleaned or getting out of the bath. 

All four kids did quite well going down to sleep tonight.  Carter and Aubrey went down a little before 7:00 and didn't fuss at all.  We let the older two stay up a little later than usual.  Calvin only fussed for about one minute tonight before going to sleep.  He is definitely improving, but I can't wait to get to the point where he doesn't fuss at all.  I also think I'll have to take down the front of their crib's very soon.  Both Calvin and Brayden have started putting one of their feet up on the top of the crib as if to climb up and over.  Should make for some exciting nights trying to get them to sleep without a full crib.

Poopy Picasso

Every artist needs a medium for their artwork.  Apparently Brayden has decided that his poop is his medium.  He put his hands in his dirty diaper again today.  This time it was at daycare.  We'll see if we can figure out how to stop him from continuing this bad habit.

I have to say that one of the things we used for Calvin and Brayden when they were babies and use for Carter and Aubrey are the ITZBEEN timers.  These things are great.  I'm not sure how necessary they are if you only have one baby, but they are a necessity with twins.  I love how you just hit a button and it starts to count the number of minutes since they were last fed, had a diaper change, given medicine, etc.  This way when they get up in the middle of the night we can tell if they are hungry or just need a pacifier based on the amount of time that has passed since they last ate. 

I started thinking today about what we will do when the babies get too big for their car seat carriers.  Right now it's fairly easy to snap them in place in either minivan (we have a 2003 Chevy Venture and 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan).  However, when they get too big (which should be in a few months) we'll have to get car seats which will be backwards facing.  We haven't figured out how we'll have two backwards-facing car seats and two forward-facing car seats.  I suppose we'll just have to climb in the back of the minivan to get the kids in their seats.

I think I found out a way to get people to give me a good deal on services.  Today I had someone come out to give me a quote on grinding a number of stumps in my backyard.  When I walked out back I had Carter with me.  The guy seemed to really like Carter.  He even offered to grind all the stumps for free in exchange for Carter.  I had to think about this for a minute since I already had two other boys.  In the end I decided to pay the guy instead of giving him Carter.  But Carter was smiling at him as we were walking around.  Calvin and Brayden realy enjoyed watching the stump grinder from inside the house.

Now that all the stumps are ground I need to get some fill dirt and top soil delivered.  After that is spread I can have the fence installed.  They are supposed to be out in the next two weeks to install the fence so I need to get the dirt spread this weekend.  I hope the weather holds up.

Back to work

Our Monday's start at 4:00a.m.  At least that's when the alarm goes off.  I am one of those people that needs to hit the snooze twice before I actually get out of bed.  I didn't get to bed until around 10:00p.m. so that's not a lot of sleep.  Aubrey and Carter both got up last night at 12:30 and 1:15, respectively.  I am used to getting by on six hours of sleep each night, but I need to sleep straight through or I get tired during the day.

My wife always drops the kids off at daycare each morning and I pick them up after work.  Our daycare lady watches the kids from 5:30a.m. to 5:30p.m.  That's a long time, but I can assure you that she gets paid very well.  Normally I am able to pick the kids up by 5:00p.m., but sometimes there's a lot of traffic and I barely make it by 5:30p.m.   The daycare lady is really good and never complains on the rare occassion that I am a few minutes late picking them up.

So after loading the kids in my wife's car it was off to the gym.  Yes, we are those people that go to the gym five days a week.  The gym is a great way to wake up in the morning and a great stress reliever.  I normally leave the gym in time to get to work around 7:00a.m.

Work was very busy today.  Being gone on a business trip last week really put me behind.  I was catching up on voicemail and e-mail all day.  Not to mention all the meetings that I love so much (that was sarcasm).  I really hate going to a few meetings in particular where there are people that are a real pain to deal with.  There are people that care about the good of the company and those that only care about the good of themselves.  I can't stand working with people that only care about themself.  Unfortunately, there are lots of those people where I work.  I guess I still think I can change the world.  Anyway, I was happy to get out of work today at 4:30p.m. to get the kids.

I got to daycare and could hear Calvin and Brayden shouting with excitement.  When I walked in the door Calvin said, "Dada, go outside and see leaves and pumpkins".  He is an incredibly smart two year-old.  This morning Calvin was saying that mama drinks coffee.  We asked if dada drinks coffee and he said "no" (I don't drink coffee).  He then said that one of the people that works at daycare drinks coffee and one of the other people does not drink coffee.   So today we asked if they drink coffee and Calvin was right.  I am very impressed with his reasoning skills and how observant he is.

Brayden is the nurturer of the group.  He always does things to help his brothers and sister.  If they are upset he will try to give them something to make them happy.  Sometimes he gets a little overzealous and is a too tough on the babies.  Tonight he was trying to play with Aubrey and accidently bonked his head on her head...twice.  Obviously Aubrey wasn't happy and started screaming.  Brayden looked so sad when that happened so we were very easy on him and very politely asked him to be careful around sissy.  We asked Brayden to get Aubrey's favorite stuffed animal and that seemed to make both of them happy.  Her favorite stuffed animal is some sort of cow/zebra hybrid thing.  We can't tell if it's a cow or a zebra.  Likewise, Carter's favorite stuffed animal is some sort of deer/giraffe hybrid thing.  The babies love them and that's all that matters.

They were all in bed by 7:15p.m. tonight.  Calvin fussed for a few minutes, but then went to sleep.  I guess I'll watch some TV for a little bit before getting in bed.

Typical Sunday

This Sunday started out the usual way.  The kids woke up and had breakfast.  Then after a short play time it was off to Wal-Mart for our grocery shopping.  I'm not really a big fan of Wal-Mart, but I like the fact that we don't have to go to multiple stores to get what we need.  Although, I can say that the Williamsburg Wal-Mart is far better than any of the others in the Hampton Roads area. 

Wal-Mart is always an eventful trip.  We never know what comments or strange people we'll run into.  Today, we had four different people comment on having two sets of twins before we even got in the store.  We normally hear things like "double trouble" and "you've got your hands full".  You can just imagine people's amazement when they notice one set of twins and don't realize we have two sets until 30 or 40 seconds later.  I'm not sure what the mystique is that surrounds twins, but we get lots of comments.  We had one strange lady ask us what we did for a living to be able to afford having so many kids.  What kind of question is that?  I ignored her.  One of my personal favorites is when we get asked if Carter and Aubrey are identical.  I sometimes respond, "Yes, except that Carter has a penis, but the doctor told us we could have it removed when he gets older.".  Some people just speak before they think, I guess.

Everyone did pretty well at taking their nap today.  Calvin and Brayden had a very long nap (about three hours).  When they woke up we noticed that Brayden had pooped.  Apparently he decided to stick his hands in his poop and he got it all over his clothes and the bed.  This was a first for us.  Hopefully it will be the last too.  I was outside working on the yard when it happened so Grammie had the joy of cleaning him up.

My in-laws normally come over for five hours or so each Sunday.  It really helps us to get some things accomplished around the house.  They enjoy spending time with the kids so it's a win-win.  As I mentioned previously I did a bunch of yard work today.  I have been doing lots of yard work since we moved into our new house in March (we moved into the house four days after Carter and Aubrey were born).  The builder only cleared the lot twenty feet off the back of the house.  I have been clearing the rest for the past few months.  I probably have cut down about ninety trees.  Now I just need to get some fill dirt and top soil brought in before we have the fence installed.  I figure I only have a few more weeks of yard work left this year and then I will actually get a little free time on Sunday's.

Aubrey should be getting her first tooth soon.  We can feel the bumps on her bottom gums.  She has been doing very well and not fussing much despite cutting her first tooth.

Carter and Aubrey went to bed very early tonight.  Although they just got up about thirty minutes ago to get a bottle.  They hopefully will sleep through the night since they had a late bottle, but we'll see.  Calvin and Brayden went down very easily tonight as well. 

I also need to mention that I am a Buffalo Bills fan.  We Bills fans haven't had much to cheer about these past number of years, but they are playing very well right now.  Go Bills!  You may wonder why I am a Bills fan.  Well, I grew up in northern New York (Clayton, NY in the Thousand Islands region to be precise) and have family in the Buffalo area.  That's about it.

Time for the babies to start sleeping through the night

I just fed Carter.  Ugh.  I can't wait for Carter and Aubrey to start sleeping through the night.  They are a little over six months old and still wake up one to two times each night.  I remember that Brayden didn't start sleeping through the night until he was eight months old.  Calvin didn't sleep through the night until he was fourteen months old.  Calvin only slept through the night because we stopped getting up when he would get up.  After four nights he was sleeping through the night.  I guess we'll give Carter and Aubrey until they are eight months old before we go cold-turkey.

I NEED SLEEP.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Saturday's used to be a day to relax, play video games, go out to eat, get together with friends, do house/yard work, but most importantly it was time to get away from work.  Now our Saturday's are days where we are just looking to survive.  Being outnumbered 4 to 2 are not very good odds.  At the point you go above a one to one ratio of children to parents you go from a man-to-man defense to a zone-defense (a good analogy for those football and basketball fans out there).  Zone defenses have their place in sports, but when it comes to raising kids it is definitely not preferred.  I'm sure there are people out there that will say that it is not difficult having more than two children.  To them I say, "Did you have four within eighteen months?".  To be fair, my parents had three kids within three years of each other and my wife's parents had three within four years.  All I'm trying to say is that it is hard.  Now that Carter and Aubrey can go in their excersaucers and bouncers it does make it easier.  We don't have to hold them as much which frees up a little time.

The kids were all getting fussy early this morning (probably because they all were up before 5:30) so we decided to go to Bluebird Gap Farm in Hampton.  For those that aren't aware of Bluebird Gap Farm it is an open farm near the Coliseum and it is free.  You only need to bring quarters to buy food if you want to feed the animals.  Calvin and Brayden love that place.  They got to see cows, lamas, deer, geese, ducks, sheep, horses, chickens and goats.  And mama and dada got a few hours of time without fussy children.  It may sound pathetic or insensitive, but honestly we are always looking to things to do that will kill some time and be interesting to the kids.

After getting home and feeding everyone lunch it was time to put the babies down for a nap.  Aubrey has started getting a little more difficult when it comes to taking a nap.  We had to put her in a swing today.  Calvin and Brayden didn't nap at all.  They stayed in their cribs for about an hour and a half just talking to each other.  We finally decided to get them out and were surprised to walk in and see that Calvin had taken off all his clothes and only had his diaper on.  Brayden has his shirt all twisted and half off.  They clearly thought they were quite clever.

The funniest thing happened today.  I asked Calvin if he would give a toy to Brayden and he said "no" (this isn't the funny part).  Then I asked Calvin again and as before he responded "no".  So I asked Calvin "why?".  His response was priceless.  He looked at me and simply said "because".  I don't know where he learned that from, but I couldn't resist laughing.  Kids certainly surprise you from time to time. 

We took all four out for a nice walk around the neighborhood the afternoon before dinner.  It was a perfect day for a walk.  I really enjoy the Fall weather.  Today was the first day that we put Carter and Aubrey in their stroller without using the car seat carriers.  They definitely seemed to enjoy the view.  I guess now we need to find another double jogging stroller.

Aubrey did much better eating solid foods tonight.  I imagine that soon enough she'll be eating as well as Carter.  It's cute to watch Calvin and Brayden helping to feed their brother and sister (bubba and sissy as they say).  They have actually become quite good and getting the spoon in the babies mouths.  Carter and Aubrey got baths tonight.  Carter seems to enjoy his baths.  Aubrey screamed just about the entire bath.

Tonight was a very good night for getting the kids down to bed.  I'm sure the fact that Calvin and Brayden didn't take a nap helped (they did sleep about an hour in the car coming back from the farm).  Calvin didn't complain at all.  Brayden did get a little upset because he was asking for something and we thought he wanted his stuffed dog, but it turns out he was asking for Ritz crackers.  After getting him some crackers are reading a few stories they were down for the count.

I was able to watch the Virginia Tech/Miami game on the DVR tonight.  Go Hokies!

First Blog

I have to admit that I have never blogged before.  I was recently on a business trip and some of my co-workers encouraged me to start a blog to share my story.  If you have read my profile you would know that I have two sets of twins.  The older two (Calvin and Brayden) just recently had their 2nd birthday.  The younger two (Carter and Aubrey) are a little over six months old.  That's right, four kids within eighteen months of each other.
I probably should have started this blog two years ago when Calvin and Brayden were born.  However, the first four months after they were born were utter hell.  No one can prepare you for the life changing event of having a baby, let alone two babies.  I can honestly say that the second time around is easier.  Though there are new challenges since we have Calvin and Brayden to take care of as well as the babies.
You may be wondering why we decided to have more kids after we already had twin boys.  Well...why does anyone have more kids?  It's because I wanted a little girl.  Fortunately I got my little girl and she came with another brother.  It's funny because my wife and I were looking forward to seeing what it is like to have just one baby.  It would appear that we will never get that opportunity.
So enough of the background.  I got home from a business trip today after being in NYC for three and a half days and I couldn't wait to see the kids.  When I picked them up from daycare (yes, my wife and I both have full-time jobs) I was greeted with screams of joy and excitement from Calvin and Brayden.  This was immediately followed by "up please dada" first from Calvin then from Brayden.  So I scooped them both up and off to the minivan we went.  Then I went back in to get Carter and Aubrey.  Aubrey couldn't stop smiling when she saw me.  Definitely was a great feeling. 
When we got home it was a typical night.  We gave Calvin and Brayden dinner and continued to work with Carter and Aubrey on eating solid foods.  Carter does quite well, while Aubrey still hasn't quite figured out how to eat solids.  After dinner and an hour or so of playing with the kids it was time to put them to bed.  Calvin continued his ritual of screaming when being put down to bed.  Everyone else went to sleep right away.  At least Calvin's screaming didn't last very long tonight (only five minutes or so).  We'll see how long this lasts...