5 Months

This month . . .

• We laid on a blanket outside for 45 minutes for the first time.  They loved it.

• Ate lunch at the picnic table on the 2^nd day of planting with Grandma, Grandpa, mom and dad.

• Stayed with Grandma Karla for the afternoon in Omaha while mom and dad went to a baseball game.  Followed by their first trip to the Cheesecake Factory.
• Had their first tractor ride.

• Spent their first night away from mom and dad at Grandma K's and Grandpa Kurt's while mom and dad were at the State Track Meet. 
• Had Child Dedication on the day they turned 5 months old.

• We have started trying some daytime naps in the cribs.
• Starting the process of transitioning away from swaddling at night.

This is not how we sleep at night because it is a high SIDS risk. 

• Eat about 7 times a day.   They are probably ready to cut it down to 6, but it is hard to break the schedule that we are set in (probably more so for mom than the boys).
• Wearing mostly 6-month clothes. Three-month clothes still fit, but are very tight.

• We go through roughly 14 diapers a day between both boys.
• Wearing size 2 diapers.
• Both roll frequently from back to front.

• Laughing is more common now on a day-to-day basis.
• They play with toys much more than last month
• Spent one partial day at work with mom. (I'm glad I don't have to do that everyday)

• Put everything in their mouth, but show no interest in eating solids yet.
• Celebrated Mothers Days by seeing ALL of their grandmothers and great grandmothers. 

Jase

• Loves books
• Loves listening to people sing silly songs. Especially "If your Happy and You Know It" and "The ABC's."
• Is ticklish on his tummy and neck
• Started rolling over on purpose May 7.  Always likes to be a step ahead of his brother.
• Crosses his Ankles

Jax

• Slept through the night all month
• Falls asleep easily
• Is ticklish under his arms
• Figured out how to roll over on May 8 and did not want to stop after he figured it out
• Started squealing on May 10. 
• Sucks his thumb

First Tractor Ride

We finally caught a tractor ride on May 13 right before all of the planting was done.  

Fitting two people and two babies in a tractor is a pretty tight fit but we did it.  

Jax thought the tractor was pretty cool sitting on his dads lap. 

 Jase slept through the entire thing and probably had no clue he was even in the tractor. 

Something about the loud hum of the tractor and the movement makes babies sleepy.  Jax only lasted a round and a half before he was out too.  

The difference of a year

Last year during this week we found out we were expecting twins. 

I was only 7 weeks along, but since we did IVF they do an ultrasound as soon as a heartbeat can be detected.  When we went in for the ultrasound the nurse (our favorite nurse Sheryl) asked how many we thought there would be and Mike said "two."  With in a matter of seconds we had our confirmation that it was two. 

To be honest, we never had the "I can't believe it's twins freak out."  This was due to the fact that my beta level was pretty high initially and the nurse (Carrie) said that we could be having more than one.  That day my response was "Maybe we will get two for the price of one.  In addition, my dad had been saying for a long time that we were going to have twins.  

With both of my grandma's being twins I always knew it was possible, even thought it didn't happened the way I would have imagined it.  I know we are only 5 months in to this crazy journey, but I still feel like I was made to carry and raise twins.  Some how it just feels right. 

This is where we are one year later.  What a difference a year makes.  

A Few More from Mothers Day

Here are some of our attempts at a Mothers Day picture. 

I have a feeling it will only get harder to take a picture with these two.  

 I thought it would be sweet to give Jax a kiss on the cheek but he felt otherwise. 

I was also surprised with these beautiful flowers from my boys (including the one that doesn't call me mom).

Are they identical?

I am often asked if our twins are identical.  This is a valid question because they are both boys, but they are not identical.  Anyone that spends a significant amount of time with them can tell the differences, in their looks and personality.  Here are two things the distinctly set them apart.

 Jax has a very distinctive hair line that looks just like his father.  It includes the circular cowlick on the front left, the point in the front and the way his hair swoops to the right. 

Jase has two toes that are webbed together on both feet.  It is the second and third toe and they are just connected up to the knuckle. 

Other differences include:

• Their hair color
• Face shape
• Weight
• Smiles
• The way they talk
• Their cries

While I was pregnant we were very concerned about not being able to tell them apart.  It was a big fear of ours.  We are so glad they have their unique differences making our life a little easier.  There are still times that they look similar especially when they are in their car seats with hats on, but they mostly just look like brothers, which is what they are.  

Happy Mothers Day

10 on 10

 Making Plans for the month at 8 am. 

 Putting together graduations gifts at 9 am. 

 Bath time at 10 am. 

 Whipping up some biscuits for lunch at 11am.

 Lunch with Mike and Spencer at 12 pm. 

 One-on-one play time with Jax while Jase finishes his nap at 1 pm. 

 More playtime at 2 pm. 

 Folding laundry at 3 pm. 

 Playtime in the park at 4 pm. 

Making a corn dip for nacho night at 5 pm.  

Recipe from Pinterest found here. 

Visitors

We have had a lot of visitors over the past 4 months, so here is a post dedicated just to them. 

 No words just pictures.