Happy Halloween!

The boys decided to get dressed up for their first Halloween as a horse (Gabe) and cow (Elias). Check out some pics:

Kathy and the boys in a pumkin patch at the Moms of Multiples Halloween Party

Gabe posing in a pumpkin.

New members of Red Sox Nation

The World Series Champions Boston Red Sox have two new members of their fan club. The boys enjoyed watching the Sox through the playoffs on Dad's lap.

The boys exclaiming "Look at the size of the Coors Field! You can fit all of Fenway in there."

Gabe intently watching J.D. Drews grand slam.

Elias comtemplating "But who should we start for Game 4?"

This was the boys reaction when we told them that the Yankees lost in the first round of the playoffs......again!

Speaker's Fee: 2 Boobs

We don't have any new photos for this week because we were SSSSOOOO busy this weekend! Saturday morning was our local twins club Clothing & Equipment sale. We went early for the member sale and did some hardcore bargain hunting. We left with an exersaucer, a bag of clothes, a BIG set of foam pads, and 2 baby hiking backpacks -- all for a grand total of $108. While we were there, a mom came up to us and said her boys were 2 years older than ours, that she had two boxes of 1 y/o clothes at her house around the corner, and did we want them now? WE SURE DID! And it was a TON of terrific stuff for twins -- all in good shape, or unused. WOW! We literally had the truck loaded to the ceiling with gear by 9am.

We had the boys' NICU reunion Saturday afternoon in town -- so we decided to burn some time rather than try and go home and back into town. We stopped by a coffee shop and window shopped for a while -- then we went to a local zoo for local animals injured and unable to return to the wild. For a small town zoo, it was very cool. They had wolves, coyotes, tigers, bears, and monkeys in addition to racoons, farm animals, birds, squirrels...even ferral and domestic cats! :-) I think the boys enjoyed it -- mom and dad certainly did! After the zoo, we had lunch out and then headed to the reunion. We saw a couple of parents we recognized -- as well as a nurse and our social worker. The boys were total hams with everyone who saw them. They laughed and smiled and flirted so much that everyone wanted their picture. It was pretty emotional to return to the hospital -- even though it was for a happy reason. We felt so proud and blessed to be bringing the boys back so healthy and happy -- it was great to see other kids who were born with low birth weight and had grown into strapping kiddos. At the same time, there were many other children who clearly had long-term physical challenges. We didn't stay long, but were glad we had gone.

On Sunday, Chris went to his company's golf tournament. I (Kathy) took the boys and went to downtown Sacramento for part of the Northern California La Leche League Conference. I went to see one session on Mothers with Multiples and then sat on a panel of moms sharing their experiences with Lactation Consultants and Nurses. For both sessions, the boys sat on their nursing pillow and eat, slept, and talked as appropriate. Being on the panel was AWESOME. There were 5 other moms with twins from age 3-8. It was so affirming to see these competent, fun, and funny women who had all survived raising and breastfeeding twins. And it felt good to hear that "survived" is sometimes the appropriate term. At one point, someone pointed out that every woman on the panel had been in or near tears at some point while describing parts of their birth or nursing experiences... and these were not tears of happiness. Karen Gromada (a twin mommy who literally wrote the LLL book on mother multiples) stood up and said that even though her boys are almost 20 years old and she works with hundreds of mothers, she still has emotional "flashbacks" after talking with new moms. I think the panel had a strong impact on everyone who attended. It definitely had a positive impact for me.

We worked so hard to get the boys to the breast -- and we don't talk about it much with other people now. We did this insane cycle of nursing, bottle-feeding, and pumping every 3 hours around the clock for both babies -- this went on for weeks and weeks -- 11 weeks to be exact. Finally, at the point where we were ready to give up, the boys figured it out. I still look back and can't believe surivived the exhaustion, the hormones, and the sheer overwhelming feeling of it all. But we did it. And we are so proud of it. It was awesome to be at a conference filled with people who understand and recognize what an accomplishment this is. I nursed the boys with pride while talking on the panel!

On that note -- some proud-if-you-don't-like-it,-don't-look nursing photos to show how far we've come:

Nuring in the NICU (Age 2-3 days)

Breastfeeding is a Family Affair (Age 1 week?)

Elias nursing (age 19 weeks)

Gabe tells a secret to his favorite friend... (Age 19 weeks)

Boys Night

This weekend Kathy was invited out to play Bunco at a neighbors house. Chris generously volunteered to put the boys to bed so she could go. After nursing until 7pm, Kathy left Chris and the babies looking forward to an exciting hour of poker-playing and guy talk...

Boys hanging out together

All went well until the 8pm bedtime, when...well...things got a little dicey! And this is what separates the daddies from the mommies. When the going gets tough, the tough Dad gets a camera:

Gabe (right) bemoans his swaddle

Elias realizes a harsh fact of life.

What do you mean, 'Dad's nipples don't work' ?!?!?

It only took 2 hours of this before the boys went to sleep. Fortunately, Kathy won the Bunco purse and is planning to contribute it to the purchase Chris' hearing aide. :-)

Take Me Out To The...Fashion Show?

The Red Sox have officially advanced to the second round of post-season play! Of course, we take full credit for their success - afterall, how could they be expected to win without our vigilant viewing and cheering?? The boys even got dressed in their Sox colors for the first game of the playoffs!

Go Team!

Gabe stands up for the Sox

Elias Sports Slimming Stripes

Having tiny babies is not without its advantages. We have really enjoyed all the time to dress them in their super-cute newborn clothes! They have finally graduated to 3 months and we are raiding the closet. Jill sent us some super-cute outfits when they boys were born and today they showed them off to the neighborhood on our walk and in a photo session.

Show Me Sexy!

Gabe looks fierce in denim overalls and hoodie; Elias plays it cool in cargos and print top.

Tummy time

Ninah sent the boys a new tummytime mat-combination-spinner. It is super-cool -- even sick, the boys really enjoyed their tummy time!

Elias balances over his mirror --

This morning he demonstrated that he will actually spin around until he finds the mirror and can admire himself. :-) What a ham!

Gabe spins around -- he looks like superman!

SICK!

Well, we have officially had another first -- our first colds! The boys have been sick since about the middle of last week...Of course, Kathy only clued in that the fussiness was actually illness Thursday evening. So we spent the weekend at home -- nursing and recouperating and nursing some more. Breasts are really the ultimate superfood -- helping to make antibodies specific to each baby's needs. Very Cool!

Is this a sick baby, or what???

Gabe does some low-key tummy time

Being sick, the boys had to sleep in their bouncy chairs...

All aboard flight Goddard -- one stop to dreamland!

Ready for an exciting trip

(E is up front)

Sleepy sick Elias on his tummy...