High Five

I missed my mid-week post this week so I do apologize. Fortunately I can say that it was with good reason. On Wednesday we lost power! Certainly not what you expect to experience in the middle of the summer on a super hot day with two babies. Can you tell I was less than pleased? Unfortunately as I have mentioned in the past, I am slave to my pump and have become SO dependant on it and electricity for that matter!

Now that I have vented, let me get back track. We had a great week. On Monday night the boys and I packed up and headed to Grammie & Dziadz Pt.'s house for a visit. Mike was scheduled to work late for a meeting so we figured, okay I figured that we might as well make the most of our time. We had a long car ride over with 5 "stops" along the way as binky's fell out and bottles were needed mid-ride but once we arrived we had a great time. Driving alone with the boys certainly makes me appreciate all of the times when I have an extra hand with one person to navigate and one person to attend to the boys! Once we made it to Belchertown, we all had a lot of fun. The boys were able to meet Ms. Christian, my high school french teacher for the first time and Aiden & Chris took turns deciding who would be awake to meet and greet versus who would take a cat nap.

Tuesday is my standard day to work so Grammie Hopkins came over to watch Aiden & Chris. She said she really enjoyed her visit and the boys reported back nothing but wonderful comments! It has been so great having her help while I work and knowing that they boys are in such good hands.

On Wednesday afternoon Chris and Aiden made their first trip to visit the Mental Health Association. Yes they are behaving and no, there aren't any issues, it was a trip to visit Grammie Pt for lunch! The boys did great! They were on their best behavior and met so many wonderful people. As always, the loved all of the cuddle time and managed to entertain quite well with their smiles and voices. They were eating up all of the attention and loving being in the center of it all!

They both fell asleep on the car ride home which got my hopes up for some quiet, productive time to pump but that's where the power outage stood in my way :( Unfortunately we got home shortly after 2 and by the time the boys were settled in, the power was on its way out. Being without Internet service at home, I was at Mike's mercy to call Connecticut Light & Power for the latest updates..... several times! Of course the recording was always a hopeful report, stating a two hour wait time but as two hours came and went, a new "two hour" wait time message was produced. When I was on nine hours and counting of hours since my last pump, I called Mike desperate because I was so uncomfortable and fearful of how much long it could be until the power was restored. There is nothing like losing your power on a hot August day with two little babies!

Mike's genius idea was to buy a car adaptor for my pump and what a great idea it was! When Mike got home, we moved the "party" outside. Mike, myself and the boys had a pumping party in the Civic. It's a good thing we don't have neighbors or unexpected visitors! The boys were loving the change of pace as Mike entertained them in the air conditioned car and I was feeling really great after getting some relief. The power thankfully came on later that night before we headed to bed but I again realized how reliant I really am on my pump AND electricity that I take very much for granted these days!

Yesterday we laid low and got out to enjoy the sunshine. We went for a few walks and also played on a blanket laid out on our front lawn. Aiden was very into the grass and made every effort to roll off and eat grass! One of the best parts of being a parent is watching your babies experience everything for the first time, checking it all out and appreciating all of the finer things that we as adults so easily over look.

The boys go for their six month visits and shots next week. I will be anxious to see their progress! The boys are continuing to eat well, enjoying their rice cereal. It's funny because when I was younger and was playing video games, I would always lean in the direction that I wanted my character to move. I now find myself doing the same thing as I feed the boys, I open MY mouth as I am trying to feed them... as if they will follow suite! They have become great helpers at assisting you with getting the food in their mouths.... as well as in the little amount of hair that they have and all over their faces, outfits, arms & legs! It certainly adds to the fun!

Our nights are going well with very little fussing but we are unfortunately regressing with the stretches of sleep that we are getting. Lately the boys have been waking up and are ravenous after about 3-4 hours. I am hopeful that it is just a growth spurt with an end in sight! We may be the odd men out in that starting on solid foods hasn't made much of a difference in sleep:(

The boys have learned to take their pacifiers out on their own and it has become a fun game for them. They are just starting to understand how to put them back in their mouths themselves after about a week of attempts with missing their mouths and faces all together, they are getting better and better with their fine motor skills.

Mike has been successful at making both boys laugh regularly but yesterday was a first for me. I was able to make both Aiden Chris laugh at the same time by saying "here kitty, kitty, kitty.." silly, I know, but I am willing to do whatever it takes.

We look forward to a wonderful weekend with gorgeous weather!
Pictures will be posted soon!