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:

Sick again... & gift opening videos!

We were all healthy over the Christmas holiday! Hooray!

But two days later that quickly came to an end as the babies started getting fussy and not sleeping at night again. So, we're dealing with another round of the twins being sick. Rocco has bronchitis... again. And, Matteo has an ear infection... again. Dang. It's been a tough road for us since September. I'm guessing Gabby brings home a lot of germs from preschool and that's how the little guys are catching the viruses.

We'll get through it. The sleepless nights are tough (mostly for daddy & mommy). The daytime fussy babies are hard to handle. BUT... cold and flu bugs are nothing in the big scheme of life, right?!

And, Miss Gabby must have crossed that immunity hump because she's been healthy since last winter. And... I just knocked on wood. ;-)

And because we like happy blog posts... I'm including a few clips of the kids opening Santa presents. This was a special request from Gammy. Enjoy, Gammy!

HOLIDAZZZE!!

The 2008 Christmas holiday was fabulous! And, I think I've been in a complete hoilDAZE ever since.

This was Rocco and Matteo's first Christmas, and Gabby's fourth.

Gabby's excitement about Santa having visited our home filled the house on Christmas morning. She was surprised and excited and kept asking "But how did Santa fit the Barbie house in his sleigh? How did it get here?" Very smart little monkey! So... we told her that Santa has a VERY magical sleigh that can do anything he wants it to. Santa's quite the lucky guy, isn't he?

Rocco and Matteo really liked the trucks Santa brought them and their new Diego sippy cups. They had zero interest in opening presents... so luckily their sister actually likes opening presents. They also got a big wagon, which Dan built today. Hopefully we can get them out for a ride in it together sometime this week. Rocco rode in it today a little bit and loved it... freedom from the stroller at last!

Here are some photos of the kids with their stockings and favorite Santa gifts:

Our family; and our family with our au pair, Julia (from Germany):

Our Christmas Day dinner table set for 14 adults:

Photos below of Grandma Leo and Grandpa Kenny; Barbara, Kirk and Clint; and Trish, Todd, Courtney and Tori:

And, below is a quick flashback to what I looked like at this time last year. It looks like I swallowed Santa! I look at this photo and my skin begins to itch... I could not stop scratching my belly because my skin was growing and stretching so fast.

And, because I'm usually the one behind the camera... I had to post photos taken of me with each of my angels over the 2 day Christmas holiday. After all, someday this blog will be turned into a book for each of them. And, they've all grown SO BIG! Except Dan, of course... he's pretty much the same. ;-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2008!

Merry Christmas!

We aren't able to be with a lot of our family this year... but know we're thinking of and missing you lots!

















Here are two photos from last night. We went to Trish & Todd's for dinner. We got home around 9:15pm with two babies sleeping hard in their car seats. It was then a mad dash to get the babies in bed, and everything out of the car and unpacked. Then, Gabby chose the treats for Santa... even giving him one of the treats from her Halloween basket (lucky Santa!). Gabby carried the cookie plate and glass of milk to the fireplace all by herself. She sounded very confident that Santa would be coming... even though mommy & daddy did have to call the North Pole's administrative assistant a few times in December.

We're hosting Christmas Day dinner today... so it will be a very busy day here!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Let's revisit the dishwasher...

So... let's revisit the dishwasher magnets.

Here's new footage of them being busted... please disregard my talking!

Holiday get-togethers... GREAT times!

We had two really fun holiday get-togethers recently.

Last weekend our good friends Sara and Brad (& Leo) hosted a dinner party for us and our other good friends, Kathleen and Michael (& Livy and Maddy). It was a great time... super yummy food... lots of wine... and ROCKBAND. Yes, we all ROCKED OUT. It was a blast.

We've been getting together as a group on a regular basis since early 2006. The kids are sort of growing up together and it's so fun to see how they've all changed over time.

We try to take a photo of the kids at each get together... although, we often forget. But, here's one of the first photos and then the photo from last weekend. The group is definitely growing!

And, a few weeks ago one of my very best childhood friends just happened to be visiting the Bay Area because her husband grew up here and has family that still lives here. It's kind of crazy actually. Two small town girls from Minnesota end up marrying two guys who grew up in neighboring cities in the Bay Area. The plan was to take a photo of Jara and I with our kids. But, by the time we remembered to pull out the cameras... all the kids were VERY ready for their naps and a photo opp was IMPOSSIBLE. I tried. Trust me. So... I will leave you with the photo we took back in February. The twins were about 5 weeks old. All the kids were again ready for naps. And... Jara and I were laughing uncontrollably at all the chaos.