Quick Updates!

I need to make this quick....as I am exhausted and not feeling up to par....

So here are some things the boys are now doing-and I noticed a lot of them this week....

1.) If you say "bye-bye" then Anthony will wave....vs me/Tony/whoever doing it also. So cute!

2.) If you say "Yay!" Nicholas will clap his hands

3.) While singing, "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" both boys will start shaking their arms/hand because you are the Dr. yelling at the monkeys. ADORABLE!

4.) Nicholas totally says Dog-as soon as Sadie walked into the room when he was up from nap today-he said, "DOG!" He's saying it more and more actually...

5.) Anthony is such a HAPPY HAPPY baby. OMG! 

6.) Nicholas loves to laugh-for NO reason whatsoever. People who don't know them-or heck, even family-will say, "He's so serious!" Ya-well he's such a sweetheart and is almost always laughing, smiling-having a good time!

7.) If you say to Anthony, "I'm going to get you" he starts crawling furiously! Nicholas has been doing this for a little bit now.

I'm sure this list could go longer. But those are some big things over the last few days. When talking to my friend who does EI-she said them doing "Bye-bye" without me showing them-is a good thing-so we've accomplished that!

They are such love bugs! I love how they crawl over to me and lay their head on my legs, chest, shoulder-whatever. When Nicholas gets excited and he's happy to see me/be with me...he starts jumping up in my arms and flailing his arms. It's so darling to see!!

Today while on the way home from the park-where we took a walk and had snack-which they proceeded to get all over me(applesauce) as they were so excited to have applesauce(LOVE it!), they were having a good chuckle in the backseat. I could see the two of them trying to lean forward..and they would see each other and laugh. Giggle. So sweet. And they would both hit their heads-and laugh some more. 

I seriously want to stop time. I am beyond enjoying this time. Who knew motherhood was so rewarding???? 

AHHH!! WALKING!

Even though it is WAY past my bedtime...I am posting this. Today-Nicholas WALKED. And I mean WALKED. HE moved from here, to there, to here. AMAZING! When EI was here this afternoon with Anthony, we noticed Nicholas was letting go a bit more and walking. He would take 2 steps, 3 steps, 4 steps...And he went up to about 15 before he stopped. It was the greatest sight to see! Then in the kitchen, he walked from the stove...out to the kitchen floor a bit...back to the fridge. And he was so cute....walking with a bit of uncertainty. Love it!

And then-while Anthony's therapist(for rolling over) was writing up her work for the day, I had Anthony on his back to practice rolling/sitting up. Well...he fussed a little bit, and I made him chuckle. Nicholas came over and the two of them were laughing! It was SO darling! Nicholas would try to kiss Anthony, hug him, he was trying to do handstands...they were LOVING it! I just wish I had that darn video camera on me. It was the most precious sight to see. And now-they just sit there-and sometimes if they look at each other at the right moment-they start giggling. And Nicholas does this thing now where he kinda laughs-and forces it, and closes his eyes a bit. Priceless I tell ya. Priceless.

It is so amazing to watch the two of them grow....and interact...How cool would it be to have another set? Can you imagine being born with your best friend?? What an amazing gift!

WORDS!

It's official-Nicholas has a word! This morning we were in the kitchen and I had the gate up. He was playing by the gate. Sadie was still upstairs, and then made her way down. She walked over to the gate, Nicholas heard her, pointed, and said, "DOG!" Ok-so maybe it wasn't exactly perfectly clear-but trust me-it WAS dog! Later on, I was reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?" And when I got the the "white dog, white dog" part, he turned and pointed at Sadie and said "dog!" What a smart baby I have- the two of them! I worry about the words/speech because boys in general are a bit slower in that category than girls. Well-my boys will show them!

Anthony says mamama and dada. Dada is more prevalent than mama, but that's ok. They love their dada! He says mama more when he's angry-and I guess when he wants me-so that's a good thing! It's funny because the two of them are having conversations with themselves. It's so fun to watch them just babble on throughout the day. It's like they are really talking!

I have to say-they love each other so much! At least Anthony ADORES Nicholas! I will say Nicholas adores Anthony too, but Anthony just smiles from ear to ear when Nicholas comes near! Nicholas tries to kiss Anthony(at least I hope so) when he is near him. It's so fun to watch. Can you imagine me having one baby do this?? Boring! LOL! It's so much better with two! Call me crazy if you want! Anthony has gotten much better at walking with the push toy. And he's getting more, what's the word....carefree??? maybe with cruising. Where he will let go of me and quickly grab something else. I think he's a quick learner-I really do, except when it comes to rolling! That's another story!

Nicholas can practically run around the coffee table! He's taken a bunch of steps-but will not walk! I think he is like his cousin Jackson where he needs to be absolutely sure-and have mastered it to an extent-before he takes off. Trust me, I'm not rushing it-but I also can't wait to see it! 

We went to the Big E today for the last time. It wasn't a great trip as the weather was pretty gross, and then it started to rain. Nicholas was not having a great time-I don't think he could see us well-and started wailing! Poor kid! Towards the end Anthony had had it too. We survived though-they were fine. I did see a younger type mom with a wagon-filled with kids-2 of which were twins. I did a double take and made sure they were twins-boys too-and kept walking. I heard the mother say, probably so I could hear her, "Ya, wait until they are older!" Hey-sorry lady if your kids are hellions or whatever-but I will do everything in my power to raise my children with honesty, respect, love, etc...  I hate people who think they know everything-an b**** about every little thing their kids do. So sad! ENJOY THEM!!!! 

Well-we are FIVE days away from a party. FIVE. I can't even begin to think of all the stuff that needs to be done. A LOT! I am excited for the boys though. They won't remember this party-but I will-and it's amazing to see how many people's lives they have touched over the last year. Simply amazing. Mommy and Daddy's life will never be the same-and we are more than grateful for that! 

Walk, walk, walk some more!

10 steps. TEN. He took ten steps alone today! I can't believe he's starting to walk! And to think that he was so small and helpless once! I am just wondering when he will just GO. Although I will be honest, I don't know if I am ready for that to happen. He's still my baby. I don't ever want him-or his brother-to grow up!

Not too much else to report on. They now know the word Elmo. I think that's 10 words or so that they know. Light, dog, Sadie, ball, TV, phone, dada, mama, book, bear, elmo, and grandpa. I have some smart kids! And I am not sure if I mentioned it before-but I swear Nicholas says dog. About a week or so ago-he was eating breakfast-and I swear he said dog-and he has said it a few times since-to Sadie nonetheless! 

I am getting a cold and I am exhausted. It's been a long long week! It rained today so we were stuck inside and Nicholas wanted to go outside and cried when I shut the door. Poor kid. I need to take them outside more-even in their jackets and sweatsuits!

I got ALL of their laundry done. ALL of it. My mother and mother-in-law thankfully folded it all. I owe them my life. Now I just have to put it all away. Fingers crossed I get that done. 

We are not in full steam ahead mode to get ready for this party. I need to get my rest-we have a busy weekend ahead! Oh-and one small note-Nicholas got his first black eye-from his mommy. I felt beyond horrible for my poorl little boy. I was giving Anthony his bottle, grabbed it quickly off the table, and it slipped and hit him right below his eye. He wailed. I cried. Guilt is the worst. Of course he was fine afterwards-but initially, I felt like the worst mommy in the world. I guess it's all about parenthood... Some things people never warn you about! 

Double this, Double that...

Double everything-and I am LOVING IT! You know... I was in the boys bedroom this afternoon(when they decided to totally SKIP their nap) and Nicholas was standing above me. I was laying there and thinking, "How could I EVER EVER complain about my boys? HOW?" Honestly-there are people-and they have every right I am sure-to complain about their children. I don't mean that they regret them-just that it's hard. I get it. I really do. I don't want to sound mean. But-as I was laying there-looking at MY son-my TWO sons, when at one point, I never thought I would be given the chance to HAVE children, I was grateful. Grateful that I can't complain. That I won't complain. Never. I was given the best gift ever-to be a mother. Why would I complain? Sure-long nights are hard. Constant crying-it can get on your last nerve. But you know what-I will never complain about it. 

Afterall-I was given the chance to be a mom. Hopefully a good mom. And one-who you will never hear complain. I have my miracle boys. And I am glad they waited until the right time-to have me as their mother. 

A BIG THANK YOU!

I want to take this time to thank Lyndsie, who I met on a forum on BabyCenter for redesigning my blog! I am not up to speed on changing backgrounds, etc(which is probably a good thing as I would do it all the time!). She graciously offered to do it for me on her spare time(with 4 month old twins and a 3 year old!). 

I think it looks GREAT and not so boring like it was before! So Lyndsie-THANK YOU AGAIN!!!! It's beautiful!!!! :)

1....2....3....

STEPS! Yes! Nicholas took THREE steps all by himself! Yay Nicholas! He actually took 3 steps yesterday-but he did it AGAIN today! It was funny because we were outside on the deck-just me and the boys-and I see Nicholas stand up without holding onto anything. I thought to myself, "Wow! I think that's a big step for him!" Well-he stood up, bent down, stood up, bent down. It was adorable! And he did all of this without holding onto anything. Once he was done bouncing-he took three steps-all on his own! He is beyond close to walking-it's crazy. 

We had dinner at my parents tonight. The boys were hilarious, as they usually are. Anthony was growling during dinner-it's a new thing-and quite funny. It was mostly when he had his banana-which they are both obsessed about! Then...he was eating some peaches, and mumbling the whole time-again-hilarious. And when he was done with that-he was grinding his teeth! Nicholas was laughing when you turned your head to look at him. While at my parents he is obsessed with the fans and the lights-he is always looking at the ceiling. Kinda funny. We asked where grandma was and he didn't quite respond. We asked where grandpa was, he turned around, smiled, and pointed at grandpa! Grandma was NOT impressed! 

Tomorrow we will hopefully do some type of outing. If it's nice maybe I will take them for a walk at the park. Get them out of the house before we are staying in due to the winter! 

11 Months...It's going by too fast...

Eek. Less than a month. My baby boys are going to be toddlers. In less than a month. Has anyone figured out how to stop time? Seriously this is just crazy. The boys are SO much fun now. They are filled with laughter and little giggles. They smile constantly. They are just such a joy to be around! Sure-they have their moments. Like Nicholas waking up at 11 pm and crying for a good 30 minutes. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. He finally went back to sleep after a bottle-and was up again around 1am... It was a long night. Sure they have temper tantrums of some sort. Yes they cry and try to climb up my leg and want me to hold them. Yes they hate getting their face washed, or their diaper changed. But-will I complain? Never. Do I hate it? Not quite. Would I change it for the world? Never in a million years. I waited my whole life to be a mom and I am still in awe that I am a mom. I was taking Nicholas out of his car seat the other day and it hit me. I was a mom. I had, not one son, but TWO sons. At the same time. And both are what I call my little miracles. Being worth the wait is an understatement!

We are in countdown mode for their party! 13 more days to go! I hope it all goes well as we have never hosted a party to this extent. I want it to be perfect. I want nothing to go wrong. I can only assume SOMETHING will go wrong. Right now-I am praying for a beautiful, sunny day. I don't care if it's 50 degrees out. It beats rain! Now there are about 55 or so people who have responded yes. We have at least another 50 who have yet to respond.... The deadline is this Friday. This might get interesting! 

October is going to be quite the busy month for us! Between birthday parties, their actual birthday, Anthony's surgery, Halloween...we are going to be tired at the end of the month! 

I will keep this short, as there isn't too much to report on. Both boys are doing great. Anthony is cruising more and more-and he even has started to push the push toy and walk with it! He looks so proud doing it! Hopefully I will end with a few pictures.... Enjoy! 

CHEESE!

Look at that face!

Anthony poses for his 11 month photos!

Nicholas poses for his 11 month old photos!

The boys together for their 11 month photos!

**Awwwww**

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my boys??? LOL! They are just the best boys EVER! Over the weekend we went to the Big E with them for the first time. Tony and I were SO excited! The boys could have cared less-but they were really good and we were there for 4 hours. They got quite upset when we were a bit late in getting their dinner. Other than that-they were great! We even took them out of the stroller twice and they sat on the grass and loved it! On our way out I gave them a taste of some ice cream-Anthony LAUGHED when he saw the ice cream. He LOVED it! Nicholas did too!

On Sunday we went to Red Robin for dinner-alone WITH the boys-and again-they were GREAT! They were just so darn cute! There was so much to look at-they had a blast. Nicholas loved looking at the ceiling and the lights-as well as the balloons. Anthony was the people watcher(like his mommy) and that entertained him as well! They had grilled cheese and mac-n-cheese. They ate like champs! On the way out the door we grabbed two balloons-one blue the other green. Anthony's popped in the car(he didn't even react). Nicholas' survived the trip. I asked Tony what he wanted to do with the balloon-either keep it for the boys or release it to our nephews. And that's exactly what we did. I went and put a message on the balloon and then we went outside on the deck and released it as a family. I didn't think it would hit me as hard as it did-but it did. Especially when I couldn't see it anymore...

Today was EI-mostly for Anthony. We are still working on his rolling from back to belly. And today I can say he did REALLY good. He ALMOST rolled over for the first time-on his own. It was so good to see him working so hard. By the end he was pretty done though. He did a great job though! While he was working on his rolling, Nicholas was crawling over to me-all happy-and crawling up me, giving me kisses, and then laying his head on my chest. He would leave, go play for a bit, and then come back over and give the kisses, etc. It was SO CUTE! He did this numerous times-he was soo happy! LOVED it! 

After EI we went to a pasta dinner to support The Ronald McDonald House. The boys of course were a hit. Covered in pasta sauce-which they LOVE-and happy as clams. It came time to leave and I didn't have my keys. I called Tony and asked him if he had my keys(he went with his dad, his mom came with me). He insisted he did not. I checked the diaper bag repeatedly-nothing. I went back into the restaurant-nothing. Finally I was thinking to myself. My mother. I call her and call her and call her. Not home. Not answering her phone. This all started around 6:30pm/6:45pm. The boys go to bed around 7pm every night. Well-at 7pm, I FINALLY got a hold of my mother.

Me: "Mom, do you have my keys?" 

Mom: "No. Why would I have your keys?"

Me: "Can you check?"

Mom: "Now why the hell do I have your keys? How the hell did that happen?"

Yep. She had them. It was 7pm and she had just walked in the door and had to turn around and bring me my keys. So the boys and I, along with my mil and dh, were stuck in the restaurant waiting. Like I said before-my boys are amazingly well behaved-and did great. So all in all it was not a big deal. If they were terrors-well I would have a few things to say! At 7:45pm mom pulled up and we left. The boys were in bed just after 8pm, sound asleep. Not a peep out of 'em!

That was our exciting aventure over the weekend! The boys are now giving kisses-gotta love the wide open mouth attacks! They love their momma! They know the word "bear" now too. That brings the total words known to 6/7! Smart kids I tell ya! Nicholas took some small steps again today-but with one foot(his left). Little stinker can totally walk-if he just did it! And Anthony is officially cruising-that happened more so over the weekend. Oh-and Nicholas can officially climb all 12 stairs. Yep-he did it-I was behind him of course and was he oh so proud! Anthony hasn't tried yet. I think his legs are a little short! Did I mention he was wearing 3/6mth pants?!!?!? 

Dog. Dog. Woof. Woof.

I think it's official. Nicholas has his first word. I don't know what exactly qualifies for a first word. Is it dada? Well-if it is-then this is his 2nd word! This morning Nicholas was in his high chair eating breakfast. I said, "dog." And you know what? He said it too! Now-it wasn't clear-as-day DOG-but it was there-and it was audible. I was able to get some of it on my cell video. My friend who works in Early Intervention heard it and said yes. He can say DOG! Now of course-he didn't say it the rest of the day(well maybe once or twice...)! And whenever I say the word dog-both boys go looking for Sadie!

I just think my boys are the smartest babies ever! DH and I were out this evening-and the two of us were gushing about how much we LOVE our boys-how great they are-how they make us smile, laugh, EVERYTHING. And most importantly-how GRATEFUL we are for the boys we have-and their health. We count our blessings everyday. They truly are a miracle. And I am so glad to call them mine!

I can't wait to see them in the morning. They always make me smile! :)

Humor Me

I am not so sure how many people-if ANY-read this blog(minus my sister who harrasses me about updating-yet has missed three posts, and Jeff. They don't count.).

BUT-it needs help! And if there is anyone out there that is "blog-savvy" and would LOVE to help me-I would greatly appreciate it! For instance-a background. I want a nice cute one, with pictures of the boys on it-like a scrapbook page thing. And-on th sidebar-I would like to add a list of the blogs I read. I don't know how to do that!

And for all you twin mommies(not sure how many...but at least 3), if you could give me the link to your blogs so I can add it to my list-that has yet to be formed on my sidebar! LOL! But I can still add it as a bookmark! Thanks! 

love,

The Savvy-less Blogger Me! 

One SMALL step....

Yep. You read that right! One small STEP. Alone. Nothing to hold onto. Standing on two feet. He did it. Barely. But he did it. And I couldn't be prouder! This evening, Nicholas was playing with his push toy(which I have come to the conclusion that I should have bought two of...but that's a different story!). The toy was a bit in front of him, just out of his reach. He was standing right by me, the toy in front of him, holding onto NOTHING. And he moved. Forward. On two feet. Those two tiny little feet that spent MONTHS kicking me(and yes I enjoyed every minute of it). Those two tiny feet that moved involuntarily for the first few months. Those tiny feet that couldn't keep socks on. Those tiny feet that are just the most precious. They moved. He moved them. All by himself. 

Now-if you blinked-you missed it. It was more like a shuffle. He still isn't so sure of himself. I swear-ANY DAY now-he's going to be gone. Gone from wanting to be smothered with kisses because he can move on his own free will. Gone to go explore a world unbeknownst to him until now. Gone from needing me at every waking moment. Gone from being a baby. On his way to being an independent toddler. I'm not ready. He's still a baby. My baby. And forever he shall be....

DADA! WALKING(kinda...)

Alright alright. It's time for me to start taking out the kleenex. My boys are getting too big. They need to stop growing. Now. Seriously. I am not kidding in the least bit. Here's an update...

While in Italy, Nonni worked on "Where's the light?"-in Italian of course-with the boys. So-now they know "light" in English and Italian. I have been working on "ball" and "Sadie/doggie" with them. They know those. Well tonight, I finished giving Anthony his bottle and sat him on my lap. I said to him, "Where's dada?" He turned to dh, and smiled! HE KNOWS!!! Talk about melting your heart! I did it a few times to make sure it wasn't a fluke-and he would smile-and he even pointed once or twice! How freaking adorable is that?? I LOVE IT!

Nicholas...Nicholas..Last Thursday, September 4, he took his little push toy, stood up, and tried to walk! I was right there-and I had to hold the toy close to him so he didn't fall flat on his face! So that was the first day he tried ON HIS OWN-and he succeeded! Then on Friday, dh said he went up and down the hallway! Can you believe that?? He's sooo ready to start walking! Any day now any day! 

Tony(dh) and I were eating dinner and I was saying how it was funny because I missed the boys(they were in bed for the night). He said he felt the same way. On the weekends, he says it's great he gets to see more of them and all, but the crying gets old quick. He said though when he gets to work, he just sees their picture and wants to be with them all the time. How sweet is that? And it's so true. If we are away from them-we just want to BE with them. You never know what you are going to miss! They just grow so quickly!

Today the boys were playing at the train table in their play room. This is where they pull themselves up to stand, take apart the train track that I have put together 1,346 times, and slam it to the ground! Well Nicholas took a train and sat down at the end of the table, where there was the handle-so you could pick up the table. He would sit down and put the train on the train table, through this handle. Then he would stand up and get it off the table, and do it again. And while doing this, he was talking to himself. Can you believe that? Oh-and we also have a toy that you put the balls in on top and they spin to the bottom. Well Nicholas takes a train, again, and puts it in the space where the ball would go. It falls down. Then he takes his hand, and puts his HAND through the space where the ball goes, and reaches and grabs the train-and pulls it back up-THROUGH the HOLE! I think he's going to be a GREAT thinker! He already is! I don't know. I just find that amazing. It's like his little mind is already doing cause and effect, or something of the like! 

Well-here are a few photos I promised. If I posted all of them-well-I owuld never be able to write! There are just soo many photos of the boys! How can you not love them all????

                                          Their 9 month photo shoot-in Italy

                                             I just LOVE this photo of him!

Gotta love 'em! Tony and I found these shirts at a store in Italy. "Future Italian Captain"

How perfect is that?????

                         I LOVE this photo of Nicholas! The two of them could be models! 

BACK!

I know I know... It's been quite some time since I've written here. I'm getting close to two months! Yikes! Life sure has been busy on our end-it always is somehow. I'll do the quick rundown...

ITALY: Boys were AWESOME. Trip was NOT. We got no rest, no "us" time. Nothing. We got 3 hours away from the boys-and that was our anniversary. That was it. We were back in time to put the boys to bed. We had the boys ALL DAY LONG, 7am-11pm! I kid you not! Sure, my mil might feed one, or change one, etc.. But that's what, 15 minutes of freedom? Not much in my book! I had more free time at home then I did surrounded by family in a foreign country! It was very very tiring. The plane there and back-horrible. Not the boys-just the experience with the plane company(think 9 hours stuck in Rome!). In the end on the way there it was a 26 hour trip. Nicholas got sick on the way to the airport, and on the way back-it was horrible. Something I never want to relive again! So-it will be a good 5 years before we return, if even then. We hope to have another child, and we will not be bringing 2 toddlers and an infant! NO WAY! Eventhough Tony's grandfather has said he would pay for all of our tickets to get there... 

COUSINS: Tony's cousins were here for 3 weeks after we came back from Italy. So they kept us busy too. They got married in December, and this was like their honeymoon. 

WEDDING: Tony and I were both in a wedding Aug 16. I was the Maid of Honor, Tony was a groomsman. It was a GREAT time. We stayed the entire time, and our mothers watched the boys for us. It was probably one of the best times we had at a wedding-ever. 

TAG SALE: We had a tag sale last weekend-and made $200! Now we can afford decorations for the boys' birthday party! HA! 

THE BOYS: They are almost 11 months old! STOP TIME NOW! OMG. They are just amazing babies. Absolutely amazing. I love them to pieces! Anthony got FOUR teeth while we were in Italy, bringing the total to 6! Now-he has another one coming through-so he's up to 7! He started crawling the Monday before we came home from Italy... July 28-my brother's birthday. He has since perfected that! And-he also now pulls to standing like a pro! He still refuses to roll from back to belly-and he gets PT once a week to work on that. He's stubborn! He is such a happy little guy-and he can be the troublemaker! Especially at home! He's got that look! Nicholas just got his FIRST TWO TEETH! At 10 months! They have just come through. He crawled before we left for Italy-on my sil's birthday-July 9. He crawls, stands, and even cruises! And he will let go and just stand there! He holds his balance REALLY WELL! I swear, any day now and he will be walking! So sad! They both are "dadadada" fools! Anthony has said "mamama", but neither one knows what it is. They know where the light is-the both look up-and point. They know it in Italian and English. I'm working on ball and dog. We are getting there. We have a new swingset-and they LOVE IT! In fact, I think Nichoals had a little tantrum yesterday when I went to bring the dog in-and we didn't go on the swing! Oops! Overall-they are just the best babies! I LOVE THEM! And I can't believe pretty soon they will not be considered babies... How sad is that???

So-that's about it. Now-we are going to start getting busy planning their First Birthday Party! YIKES! 126 people or so are on the list. IT'S CRAZY! I don't know what I will do if they ALL come! PRAY for nice weather! PLEASE!

OK. That's about it. I will HOPEFULLY start to keep up a bit more. I am online so much, ya think I would. And at night, I'm just so tired, I don't feel like doing much. We'll see!!