A short logistical summary of the last year...

A quick summary of the last year:

* Dishwasher: In the first 3 months of the babies life, the dishwasher would run 3 times daily. Now it's back to only running once. Rarely do we need to run it twice on a normal day.

* Laundry: In the first 3 months of the babies life, I would do at least 2 loads of kids and baby-related laundry daily. Now we throw one load in every night. Rarely do we need to do 2 loads.

* Diapers: In the first 3 months, we were using almost 30 diapers a day. That's approximately 900-930 diapers and $215 per month.

* Breastfeeding: Didn't last long. It was too difficult for me to manage a very active 2 year old all the while nursing two little boys who treated me like their snack bar. They would nurse and nap and I didn't have time for it. I would have loved to keep nursing them... but logistically, it wasn't working.

* Pumping: I pumped milk for 6 months and then I threw in the hat. It was getting hard to find the time to pump. It was exhausting and sucking me of every last ounce of energy. And, quite honestly... my body was having a hard time keeping up. But, I do admit that at one point I was practically on "cow status", as I pumped 18 ounces+, during a single pumping, on more than one occasion.

* Formula: When the pumping stopped... we went from filling a bottle 50/50 with formula and breastmilk to all formula. This also meant spending a lot of money on formula. At it's worst, we were going through a 38oz package ($27 at Costco) every 2 days. That's roughly $405/month. YIKES!

* Burp cloths: When Gabby was a baby, I always wondered what on earth I would do with all the burp cloths I had. I rarely used them. With the twins, I learned about the love affair people have with their burp cloths. I never had enough (even though I have piles!) and used them ALL DAY LONG. Rocco had really bad reflux and Matt was a good burper and drooler after eating. They'd both always have milkfaces.

* Toys: At one point, our TV room was a minefield of baby apparatus. Now, it's just a minefield of toys. Yes, we trip constantly. Yes, major cleanup in needed daily. But, it's not as crazy as it was at one point during the summer.

Here are photos of the babies shortly after birth:

Photos from the day we brought them home:

A few photos during the first month of their life:

1 month old:

2 months old:

3 months:

4 months:

5 months:

6 months:

7 months:

8 months:

9 months:

10 months:

11 months:

One year ago...

One year ago I experienced the second most amazing day of my life. These are the memories I have of the birth of our beautiful twin baby boys.

We are so very thankful every day for these two little guys and little Miss Gabriella. Life doesn't get much sweeter than this!

A twin thing...

I think this video footage is funny. Dan filmed it when he got up with the babies one morning last week. The lights were kind of dim (I'm sure so daddy could catch some more zzzzzz's on the sofa). So, it may not be ideal for viewing... but it's funny. Not a mommy-approved activity, of course... but I wasn't there.

Let me explain a little first...

Rocco loves his drumstick. And, he loves trying to feed other people. He loves trying to feed Matt and any person around him. Combine that with Matteo who loves putting things in his mouth that are not food and the "twin communication/teamwork"... and you get this:

Another TRUCK... HOORAY!

Here are a couple funny photos of Rocco and Matteo opening their new truck from Gammy and Papa.

The boys simply weren’t all that interested in opening gifts on Christmas… sensory overload maybe? So, this was opened just a few days ago. And wow... they REALLY got excited about opening this gift. It was a true show of divide and conquer! Almost as if they KNEW there was another truck under that wrapping paper! They really had a blast ripping this present open.

Rocco ended up on top of the gift… and we ended up having to take away the drum stick in his hand because he decided to practice his drumming skills on Matt’s head. Poor Matt! But, Matt was un-phased… he was a paper tearing machine! And, he screamed with SO MUCH excitement when he saw the new truck. Then… we spent the next hour trying to get him to “share” the truck with Rocco. So cute!

BIG girl bed!

And... Gabby is finally sleeping in her own big girl bed at night, without Dan or I having to lay down with her!

For the past week or so, Dan or I has brought up her "drinkies", read her a few stories, and then turned on her "moon" light (ceiling light dimmed). And, then he or I will kiss her goodnight and leave the door open a bit.

Last night there was a little hiccup in the process...

I heard little footsteps run down the hall toward our bedroom. I heard our door open. And then I heard it shut. Next I hear little footsteps running back down the hall toward her room and then her crying (via the monitor). Dan went in to see what was wrong and she said she couldn't see her baby so he turned the moon light up a bit.

Then, at about 3:30am, our bedroom door flies open and a little monkey crawled into bed. She said "I slept like a big girl for a little while. Not for very long. But, it's dark. I need to snuggle you now mommy."

I have to say that I actually welcomed it. You can't get better nighttime snuggles than from this little monkey-girl. Not much in life is sweeter than this.

And, we slept happily ever after.

Busy, busy, BUSY boys!

Rocco has been a busy boy lately. He is walking everywhere, trying to escape the safe-zone for the stairs whenever possible, and inspecting everything in the kitchen and TV room. He loves climbing things too... the sofa, chairs, boxes, trucks. You name it, he'll climb it and then stand-up when he's on top. He's my food vacuum cleaner... he'll eat any sort of leftover food off the floor. He carries around his drumstick whenever possible. Future musician maybe? Hmmm…

Here is a photo of Rocco practicing his Russian dance moves that Julia taught him (kidding):

Rocco also LOVES his Elmo chair, just as Gabby did. He'll lounge in it while stuffing things in his mouth and then he likes to stand and sit, repeatedly, as Gabby once did in that chair. He'll roll it over backwards and then try to sit in it sideways.... it's pretty funny. Here's a photo of (Rocco on the left, Gabby on the right... 2 years ago):

And, his latest skill turned hobby is walking over to the stove and turning on the burners. Hmmmm… looks like we’ll need to find a cover of some sort for these knobs!

Matteo love bouncing up & down on the sofa and throwing his head back so he lands on his back… followed by huge belly laughs. He also now loves climbing into and out of the toy box (Rocco does this less now), going up the stairs and putting whatever he can find on the floor that isn’t food, into his mouth. He LOVES anything electronic... he'll spend a half hour turning the TV off and on and then looking at you for your reaction. He is the pickiest food eater I have ever known... wait... I take that back. One of my best friends from high school is the pickiest (Hi Nicole! Love ya!). Matteo loves his trucks. He loves sitting on his trucks so much that I think it would be devastating to him if we had to get rid of them for some reason.

Both boys still LOVE the dishwasher, laptops, the computer printer, cameras and cell phones. They have learned and enjoy the power of turning things on & off... computer, TV, etc. They know what they're doing! They will ambush the TV while Gabby is watching it and turn it off. So... Gabby will put the little toy piano in front of it or try to build her own little barricade to block the boys. Whenever we pull electronic items away from the babies or them away from the items... it results in a meltdown x2. Fun stuff!

1 Year Ago Today. Tuesday - January 6, 2009

1 year ago today, I was:
* Bigger than a house… couldn’t even connect my hands in front of my belly and weighed approx 170lbs. My belly itched SO BAD... I was scratching the skin so much it looked raw. And, every time I would sit down it looked like I swallowed a pinball machine.

*Worried that the babies would come too early and worried about their health. I was 35 weeks and 1 day along. My goal was to carry them at least until 36 weeks, which would have been average gestational period for twins.

* Trying to restore order in our house, after a huge remodel and addition was put on. We moved back in on New Year's Eve day. Not one single door was on a hinge, not one single mirror was hung, eletrical work was still being completed, painting was still be completed, cabinets were still being installed. Pure CRAZYNESS! I was doing all the things that a woman 35 weeks pregnant with twins should not be doing... unpacking boxes, moving boxes, putting things away, staying on top of contractors (reminding them I was crazy!), etc. This is how I spent the last week and a half of my high-risk pregnancy. Not on bedrest as the doctor ordered. But, if I wasn’t going to do this stuff… who was?! Dan had just started a new job, so he was completely unavailable. Rewind 7 months earlier... June 2007... I found out I was pregnant with triplets 1 week after moving into a rental while our house was being gutted. PANIC! If only I could have had a crystal ball... the house project would have been delayed... majorly!

* Trying not to be too emotional about the fact that I didn't have time to sit down and RELAX or enjoy the last few days before two new babIES were going to enter our lives and join me in my ongoing marathon of sleepless nights. Aren't women this pregnant supposed to be laying on the sofa while eating bon bons and watching mindless TV?

* Trying not to show the pain I felt because my feet and legs were swollen beyond recognition from standing and doing housework from 7am-midnight (for almost a week straight at that point). I also had pain from Rocco's head... I was sure it was going to bust out of me at any second. I was in a race against time. In my mind, order had to be restored BEFORE those babies were going to arrive. The thought of 3 under 3 was overwhelming… I mean, when would I find time to even brush my teeth?

* Trying not to get too emotional about the fact that the nursery wasn’t ready yet and not a single item of newborn baby boy clothing had been washed.

* Trying not to cry daily because I was beyond stressed. But, I did. I cried a lot in those last 7 days before the babies were born. I remember one day when Gabby and Dan hugged me and told me it would all be ok. And, then Gabby went back to playing and Dan went back to working or playing PlayStation.

* LOVING that my mom was here, helping me unpack boxes, organize the house, washing clothes and linens that were in boxes for 7 MONTHS, helping run errands, helping with Gabby, starting to organize the nursery and wash baby clothes. You know – all that stuff that only your mother would do for you.

* LOVING that my mom was here to help make sure food was in the house for Gabby and Dan. I’m not sure I even ate much food in that last week… because I was a crazy woman working away like bird building it’s nest for the 20th time.

TODAY...

* I am so thankful for my healthy kids and family.
* I think I was literally a CRAZY WOMAN at this time last year. Poor Dan! I'll blame it on the hormones! ;-)

Rocco and the peek-a-boo closet

Rocco loves to play peek-a-boo or hide-and-seek in my closet. I recorded this a few days ago and think it's sooooo cute!

Sidenote: You may want to turn your volume down...the camera is right next to my face, so you can hear me talking pretty loudly.

Enjoy!

Matteo & his trucks

Matteo just LOVES to ride on his new trucks from Santa and from Gammy and Papa.

Once he gets on a truck, he's the happiest little guy ever. Then, you have to continuously push him back and forth or around the house. If you stop, he'll put on his sad face and start crying. And, if Rocco puts his hand on the truck or on Matt while he's on the truck... Matteo will breakdown and start crying. He does not like to share the trucks... not even for a second.


Matteo does the same thing on the rocking horse... and he'll scream and cry if you try taking him off. It's the funniest thing to watch.


Here's a video... a bit long... but it's funny: