little rockstar

Unfortunately, Norah developed cradle cap this week.  I've been trying to stay on top of it with baby oil and selsun blue...but it leaves her hair a whole new side of greasy.  But, it's a whole lot of fun to try new hairstyles :)

My little rockstar babe.

road trip

We took our first road trip with these kiddos two weeks ago to visit Doug's family in Iowa.  The first four hours in the car were a breeze.  We stopped at the good ole I-80 Iowa truck stop to feed ourselves and the babes.  Other than Rowan pooping through his clothes right onto Doug, the stop went smoothly.  Unfortunately, the last hour the kiddos started to get restless.  I did the best I could to entertain them, sitting in a non-existent back seat as we had both seats folded down because we packed too much.  I made up many verses to "the wheels on the bus" including a pirate and a sheep on the bus, but in the end we turned the music up loud and did our best to pretend we didn't hear them wailing from the back seat. 

We spent four nights in Oskaloosa and despite three of the four of us battling colds and congestion - Doug lucked out this time - we had a really good time.  Rowan and Norah got a good lesson in smore making and tadpole catching from their cousins.  Grandpa, Grandma, the aunts and uncles gave us a nice break from holding and entertaining these 4-1/2 month olds all day long.  We attempted to enjoy a trip to Lake Red Rock but the kiddos weren't having it in their new stroller, so we packed up and took a nice, reminiscent drive through Pella while the kids slept in their car seats.  I also took advantage to go to Tassel Ridge Winery down the road for some wine tasting with a few others, while Doug stayed home with the twins and grandparents.  Other than that, we got our fill of Rook and other games, many a hot dog on the campfire, frog hunting...well attempting I guess, and plenty of sweet treats.  The ride home was a little worse than the way there...the crying started at hour 3 and lasted until we got home :)


A few of my favorites from the week:

baptism promises

On May 20, we had Rowan and Norah baptized.  Despite the rushed and slightly stressful morning, and the incredibly warm weather (I'm pretty sure the air conditioning in church was not turned on that morning), it was an awesome and precious day surrounded by our family and friends.  Our pastor had such kind and sweet words, leaving a few of us reaching for our Kleenex. 

These are a few lines from his sermon that day:

There is a wonderful little line in our baptismal liturgy. Parents promise to pray for their children and to teach them to pray. This morning Norah and Rowan have praying parents and praying grandparents. And with the help of this church family Norah and Rowan will learn to pray. It is a wonderful promise….
But I can’t shake the deep encouragement that what finally matters is not that they will pray but that Jesus prays for them. No matter how difficult their journey through this world, Jesus prays for them that God will keep them. Never to be lost. Thanks be to God.

Dear friends,
no matter what trouble you’re going through….
no matter how rocky the road….
no matter how dim the light…
no matter how long the journey….
relax, rest, be at peace knowing that Jesus is praying for you.
You will never slip from God’s hand.

Amen.

What an awesome promise.

innocent or guilty?

I walked away for 15 seconds to set Norah down and somehow the entire bite of carrots in his mouth ended up all over his face.  He is already pulling off the sweet and innocent face :)

Happy Thursday!

4 months (and one week)

Again, I am a bit behind with our monthly updates.  The semester finally wrapped up, so I have a bit more time on my hands now.   I am on summer vacation until the end of August and I am thrilled to spend more time with these kiddos.  My main goal the next 3 months is to get these babes into more of a routine. 

Thoughts on Rowan at 4 months...and 1 week:

• He was 15lbs 14oz and 25.5" at his 4 month check up.
• Is not too fond of his cereal yet, but is getting better.
• He is sleeping most of the night in his crib, but still is not sleeping through the  night.  Last bottle is usually around 6pm and he is in bed by 8pm.  He usually wakes up around 12 or 1am, and then again around 3 or 4am.  At that point I usually give up and put him in the swing for the rest of the night.  We plan to initiate the "Ferber Method" just as soon as we get back from our trip to Iowa in a few weeks :)
• Is still eating his hypoallergenic formula...5 ounces every 3 hours during the day. 
• Is starting to grab at toys much more than Norah.  And of course, everything goes to his mouth.  Is sitting pretty well in the bumbo.  Is still getting used to the exersaucer, but usually likes it for about 5-10 minutes at a time.
• Smiles and talks a lot.  Squeals very loud when he is happy, but hasn't given us too many giggles yet.  Unfortunately, both these kids are a bit stubborn and we can't seem to get many smiles on camera. 

Don't mind the outfit change...we had a bit of a spit up issue :)



Anything to watch tv

And Norah:

• She was 15lbs 4oz and 25.5" at her check-up.
• Is doing much better with the cereal than Rowan.  She really seems to enjoy it and will whine if we don't get another spoonful in her mouth soon.
• We "Ferberized" her this past week  without too much complaint.  She now goes down in the crib for all of her naps and bedtime.  She is awake when we put her down and is able to fall asleep on her own just so long as she has her paci and fish aquarium music.  She has never cried for more than 2-3 minutes before falling asleep. Last bottle at 6pm and in bed by 7pm.  Is sleeping through the night usually until 6:30am-ish.  Also eating 5 ounces every 3 hours during the day.
• Is usually very happy if she is entertained...unless she is tired.  In which case, she initiates her "angry cry" and I'm pretty sure all of the neighbors can hear it too.
• Isn't grabbing at toys as much as Rowan is, but she is definitely giving us giggles.
• Also sitting quite well in the bumbo and does okay with the exersaucer. 
• She found her feet today...and soon they will find her mouth :)



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First fight?