6 month celebrations!!

     Today was a busy day for Brett and Emma! They turned 6 months old today so we wanted to make it special!

We started playing right away!

     After we played with our favorite toys, we went to visit daddy for lunch at the Columbia Cafe inside the Tampa Bay History Center. It was yummy! 

 

     Then we went to Babies R Us to pick up a few things and got a fun new twin umbrella stroller.

We're zooming now, Mom!

            I was excited to pick up Fisher Price Seahorses for B&E as a half-birthday gift. 

They are so cute!! Brett and Emma went to sleep cuddling them tonight...it was the sweetest thing! 

We have our 6 month checkup later this week so I'll update later! :)

Fashion models :)

    We have been having a fun week around here! Brett and Emma tried a new food...apples!!!

Not too impressed?

Hmmmm, whats this?

                                                

I also found these cool little chairs. It is called the My Little Infant Seat and they are only about $20 at Wal Mart, Target, or on Amazon!

Emma loves it!!

If the chair has a really high back, you will need a little booster.

The chairs are pretty secure and they fold up really small and can fit into your diaper bag. GENIUS!

This morning Brett decided to sleep in so I quietly took Emma upstairs to get dressed and imagine my surprise when I saw this...

What a litte cutie!! Just hanging out and enjoying his mobile! 

And then I got them both dressed....check out these little fashionistas!

Emma is wearing an Okie Dokie onesie and Carter's shorts.

Brett is wearing a Carter's polo with Circo shorts and his favorite accessory, a MAM paci!

Splish, Splash!

     One of my favorite times of the day is bath time. Sometimes the babies take a bath in their Bumbos. I like this because they can sit up and we can sort of "play" and have a longer bath time. 


     Brett and Emma had a nice long bath tonight...and they were quite the characters. 

"Hey Brett! Hey Emma!"

"Emma, I have a secret."

"Mom, do you hear what he said?"

"Emma, let me check to see if you have any teeth."

"Say ahhhhhh"

"OK, Brett. Let me check yours now."

"Oh, look! We have feet, too."

             And then they went to sleep...

They are so peaceful when they sleep. You wouldn't even know how hectic the day has been when you look at them in their cribs, sleeping so comfy on their tummies!

A pretty cool invention...

Munchkin Fresh Food Feeders

     Has anyone heard of the Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder? I heard about these from Malia and picked a couple up at Target a little while ago. Brett and Emma love them! They are these cool little mesh bags that you put food into. The bag snaps shut and babies cannot get them open. Heck, I could barely get them open :) But you put food or ice in the bag and then snap it shut and let them go at it. 




 

Yummmy!

More, please!

     Sometimes when I am cooking dinner or doing dishes, I put Brett and Emma in their high chairs to hang out with me in the kitchen. And to help keep them entertained I pop some banana into their food feeders and they are in heaven. Brett usually sucks his dry in just a few minutes and is crying for more! He can be pretty demanding when hungry. 

There is all kinds of fun stuff out there that I know my mom didn't have! I am sure in a year I will be seeing some baby items that are brand new to me. It is pretty crazy. What will they think of next???

The hospital bag!

36 weeks today, YAY! Brian and I are so excited :)

I wanted to have the hospital bag packed by today, but that didn't happen! By the weekend it will definitely be done. The first step was getting a bag. How crazy is it that I do not own one duffel bag! I have a couple of smaller overnight bags and some suitcase luggage, but nothing mid-sized. So obviously getting a cute bag for the hospital was the first step! For my birthday I got a very cute Vera Bradley tote bag from our good friends Adam and Marissa. So I decided to order the matching duffel from Amazon.com. I really love the pattern, it is Buttercup. It should be arriving any day now, and will be filled up with everything we will need in the hospital.

So, what exactly will we need?? That is a great question! After asking around and finding some lists on other blogs and websites, I was able to figure out everything I think we will need.

The List:

• Insurance Card
• Nursing bra and tank
• Nursing pads
• Chap Stick
• toiletry bag (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, hair brush,toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, deodorant, face lotion, body lotion, contact solution and case)
• glasses
• flip flops
• baby's grooming kit
• glasses
• hair ties, headband, and bobby pins
• snacks for Brian!
• cell phone and charger, headphones
• digital camera
• flip video camera
• laptop and charger
• books/magazines
• boppy
• receiving blankets

• outfit to wear home
• coming home outift for babies one newborn and one 0-3 month for each
• car seats installed in car

So for now I am piling everything up in the nursery so that I can fill my new duffel as soon as it arrives! If I forgot anything, please let me know :)

Once the bag is packed, our to-do list will be almost complete! Here is what we have left:

• Change blinds in the nursery to white
• Hang two shelves in nursery
• Hang picture frames in nursery
• Pick out coming home outfits in newborn and 0-3 months
• Install car seats and get them checked at the fire dept
• Trash can for nursery

This week I ordered a cute side table to go next to the glider and a window seat cushion for the bay window. The table is from homedecorators.com, my new addiction! I also ordered the nursery rug from here and LOVE it!

This is the side table, I think the shape of it goes really well with the Dr. Seuss theme!

And here is the faux sheepskin rug, which I ordered in 8 foot round, not rectangle like it is pictured. It is sooooo soft! Brian and I laid down on it and did not want to get up, it was so comfy!

I really need to get some pictures of the nursery on here! Now that we finally have all of the clothes put away and things organized, I can take some good ones. So be on the lookout for that :)

So...we are ALMOST done. It is so hard to believe!!

But, that is enough about that! How in the heck are the BABIES doing?!

"It’s the calm before the storm. Changes in your baby's weight have leveled off with only a few ounces of fat added this week. At this point your baby should weigh in at around 6.3 lbs and 19 inches (with boys somewhat heavier and longer than girls). Happily, as far as internal organs go, they are now developed enough to function in the outside world although the oh-so-important immune system is still developing and will continue to do so after birth. With a large boost of antibodies provided by breast milk when nursing begins. Fighting infection and staying healthy should be well within their physical capacity when your little fighter is born."

And these babies aren't honeydews anymore! Now that I am 9 months pregnant, they are a little bit bigger...

So that is everything for now!! Next week the babies will be measured again and we will know their estimated weights!

20 weeks!!

WOW! I cannot believe I am over halfway done with this pregnancy. Thank God. I honestly am not a good pregnant person. I used to think that after a few weeks I would LOVE being pregnant and I felt a little guilty when other women said they loved being pregnant. I kept thinking "I am sure I will feel that way, soon!" Well guess what. No freaking way. I am way too vain for this. It is a truly humbling experience. Somebody told me that when you are pregnant with a girl, she "steals" your beauty. I must be growing a Victorias Secret model inside of me!!

I feel a little better getting that off of my chest. In a few years when Brian and I decide that we might want more children, please refer me back to this post so that I can be reminded of how very little I am enjoying this. THANKS!!

Here are some updates:

1. We are getting wood floors installed upstairs next week!!! We are very excited. Once those are done we can put together the nursery. I need to get a picture ASAP of the "before."

2. I am trying to decide between two fantastic area photographers for a maternity photo session for me, Brian and the wombmates. I am very torn between Jason Angelini and Dawn Haas. I am sure we will use the same person for a newborn session within the first two weeks of birth also, so it is a tough choice!

3. I went back to work this week and it is so great to be back. I missed my kids! And the week went by so fast. I am actually sleeping much better because my job gets me so tired.

4. We have an appointment on Wednesday to see the babies hearts during an ultrasound called a Fetal Heart Echo. We love seeing the babies so much, they are bigger and bigger at every appointment! And we get to learn a little about their personalities. Someone is always doing flips off the others head or something crazy. Who knows what Wednesday will bring!

20 Week Poll

How far along? 20 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: 20 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes -- every day!
Stretch marks? Nope! Using cocoa butter every day on all the B's and it has done a good job so far!

Sleep: I have been sleeping a lot since going back to work! My job wears me out.
Best moment this week:Feeling lots of kicks!

Movement: Yes, a few times a day I feel something.
Food cravings: Not really.
Gender: One boy and one girl!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out?Almost a total outtie!

What I miss: clear skin
What I am looking forward to: doctor appointment on Wednesday
Weekly Wisdom: Keep smiling!

Milestones: Over halfway!

Until the floors are done and the nursery is ready...here is a picture of our baby furniture piling up :) We ordered the Graco Lauren convertible cribs over Labor Day weekend when they were on sale with a changing table and mattress! Even though we probably won't use the convertible beds (I am thinking car and princess beds!), it was a really great deal. You can see Rusty and Rocco are not that excited, but Brian and I are! And you can catch a little glimpse of the green carpeting on the stairs. The whole upstairs is carpeted that color and in a week it will be wood! The stairway will be carpeted a lighter color that matches the wood very nicely! I can't wait for it to be finished!