Swimming

Jeff and Chase after leaving the waterfall.
Owen and Jeff goofing off.

Look at those chubby smiles! Susie and Owen, Chase and Jeff

Chubby Owen floating with Mommy.

Owen just LOVED floating on his tummy while kicking his legs. He laughed and laughed, we had the best time.

We were finally able to go swimming again after getting rid of all our sicknesses. We went with Pat, Lindsay and cousin Sophie. Grandma Sandy came along to watch the fun. Chase and Owen had an ever better time than last time. I don't think Owen stopped smiling and laughing with glee the entire time we were in the water. Chase loved exploring, splashing and reaching into the waterfalls. Please forgive our white Minnesota bodies. :)

Friends

I'd heard from many mothers of twins that the babies become good friends and playmates. I believed it, but didn't understand the extent of the "friends" relationship. Chase and Owen LOVE each other. They really do! They smile at each other, look for each other, are comforted by each other and play best when facing each other and playing together. It is such a blessing. I could watch them smile at each other all day. There is a look in their eyes that says, "I know you intimately, we've been together forever". It's really cool. I wouldn't trade the twin experience for anything. Others, such as those who work in the church nursery, have started commenting on it as well and how happy and smiley they are. It's great to hear reports like that.

Owen has been known to take toys out of Chase's hand. Owen's a little more assertive and Chase allows him to be like this. However, today I was watching them from afar. Chase had a ball Owen wanted. Chase had it in the hand closest to Owen and when Owen would reach to take it, Chase would transfer the ball to the other hand and extend his arm out as far as it could go, thus making it farther away from Owen. This happened at least 5 times that I counted. It was hysterical. I'm sure it wasn't purposeful, but it's a good story.

These pictures show Chase and Owen eating (Owen is on the left, Chase the right) wearing "Twins" bibs, Chase's smile, Chase looking at Owen and smiling, the boys playing on the kitchen floor yesterday while I cooked, and Owen trying to drink out of his sippy cup.

On the Mend and Go ISU!

I was looking through the boys' closet and found the ISU t-shirts from Bruce and Deena Jones. For some reason they were in the 12 month section and they are 6 month shirts. Oh no, I thought. Luckily they fit the boys and they look soooooo cute on them. I was excited for them to wear them to church today and others thought they were cute too. They are wearing the socks that look like shoes from my mom. They look like little boys. Go ISU!!!! In the picture of Owen and Chase together, notice Chase looking at Owen with wide eyes. Owen had just taken the remote out of Chase's hands-I don't think he was too happy about it.

The boys are also on the mend. Chase is very verbal and whiny still-but he gets his way when he whines. He gets picked up. Owen is just a little active boy. I didn't remember him being this active before he was sick, but now he's wild! He turns his head at every noise-loves to touch everything, stand, roll, etc. He's hilarious. He's feeling much much better. We are still doing nebulizer treatments and will do so through the week, I think. It's a lot of work but really helps them with their cough. I got a cold, of course, and am working through the cough. Is spring here yet?!

My Mom came over the weekend and helped and now she is home sick. Sorry Mom! She dusted (do you think it needed it?) and even did our plants. She cooked, helped with the boys and provided that comfort that only a mom can give. It was wonderful having her here. The boys just loved time with Mop Grandma. Her hair was so long and in their faces like a mop, so now she's Mop Grandma. She got to feed them, change diapers, help with nebs treatments, bathe them and babysit. What a great time.

Owen has learned to "kiss" and hug. He just loves to grab your face and pull you in to him so he can kiss you. You can see pictures here of him doing that with Jeff.

The boys try to crawl so differently. Owen is up on his hands and knees pushing backwards. Chase is on his face, hands out, feet doing a swimming motion. It's so funny. You can see a picture here. I'll also post a video of it.

Rockin'

Owen has figured out how to get on his hands and knees and rock back and forth! This occurred yesterday and I managed to get it on film. Enjoy!

Nebs

So, being a mom is great but there are times that you wished you were not the one to put your kids through something they don't like-for example, nebs treatments. They are getting better at them, but still cry and get annoyed. Jeff took some video last night of Owen and I. The only thing that keeps Owen from crying is when I sing his favorite songs. Warning: I am singing-it is not good.

I took Chase back to the Dr. today because he was sounding worse. The Dr. clarified that yes, he was worse and prescribed some steroids. Hopefully they will help him breathe better and get over this. Owen is doing much better and seems to be himself. Hopefully Chase will heal soon, too. I'm worn out. Pooped. Exhausted. Drained. My mom is coming this weekend to help out-Praise God!

8 months! (32 weeks) and RSV

We are 32 weeks old today! Mommy and Daddy can't believe we are closer to 1 than to being itty bitty babies! We still have our colds, but we are trying to be in good spirits. We love to smile and we will do so to most people. We especially love smiling and wiggling when we see Mommy and Daddy. We love to take baths! Chewing on cups and letters in the bathtub is so fun. Owen even learned to splash with his hand. We really really like to hang out with each other. We say "huh" and "uh" to each other and laugh and smile. We feel lucky to have a brother. We are getting better at eating and now enjoy it. Mommy seems to feel better about that. She likes it when we eat well and don't make a mess. She is so nice, though, because she gives us our own spoons to play with. How fun! We still like to put toys in our mouth and we like toys we can manipulate. Our favorite "toy" right now is probably the shiny paper towel holder. Boy is it fun to chew on and pull paper towels out of. Hope you aren't getting sick of hearing about us, we just love to talk about ourselves. Mommy says this is developmental and some day we'll think about others, too. What is developmental?

AND, we just found out we have RSV. We are not too excited to wear the mask over our faces as Mommy gives us our nebs treatments. We hope to feel better soon.

Colds

Just when I thought things were looking up and the diarrhea was over along came a cold. Lots of dripping noses and coughs. What is going on?! We didn't go anywhere last week-we couldn't! Poor Chase and Owen. At least we are over the 26 diapers a day-that was intense (not to mention expensive). The boys are no longer sleeping through the night. When they were sick they decided it would be nice to get up in the night to each-which was fine because I knew they needed the nutrients. Now that they are better Jeff and I have had it. No more. There might be some crying at our house tonight.

These pictures are of Owen and Chase watching Jeff play guitar. Chase grabbing for Jeff's cookie. Susie feeding the boys dinner. Chase and his favorite toy-the blue block. Owen and his favorite toy-the seahorse.

We are on the move around here. I thought better put outlet plugs in the outlets, just in case. Sure enough, the next day I find Owen near the wall just staring at the outlet. I just know he wants to put a piece of gum in it like I did when I was little. Owen is moving backwards. He can make it quite far. He also goes in a circle and has gotten up on his knees a few times. Chase goes in a circle and sometimes backwards.

Winter Boredom

What do you do with twins in the dead of winter in Minnesota? You drive them around in the stroller in the basement, of course! Chase and Owen have not had the chance to sit up in a stroller yet. They have always been in their car seats in the stroller, which is nice, but not the same as sitting up. I'm not quite sure what they thought about the ride. They liked it because there was no crying, but I think it almost put Owen to sleep. There are just so many exciting pipes and boards to look at in the basement, I don't know how they could have been bored!

Sick little boys

We have 2 sick little guys at our house. :( Chase and Owen have had some intestinal issues (if you know what I mean) and have thrown up a couple times a week. This has not been a fun adventure for Jeff and I, as you can imagine. Jeff put it well when he said, "We knew it was going to happen sometime so we might as well deal with it now." So true. Owen has fared well-he seems to be acting normal and eating normal. Chase is eating about half of his normal amount and just isn't himself. He's very whiny and needs a lot of attention (like Daddy). This has made the cold winter days seem eternally long for me and I long for the days of summer when I can feel the wind in my hair, the sun on my face and watch the lawn grow . . . ahhhh. I haven't quite figured out why we have chosen to live in the tundra-seriously-there are so many warmer places to live. Basically anywhere else would be warmer. Oh well. We love our summers.

I noticed yesterday that both Chase and Owen respond to their names. I wondered if they would respond to the correct name-given they are always around the other when both names are spoken. They have also started to look for each other and don't stop looking until they see one another. This happens mostly after naps.

Monkey Time

When we need some help calming the babies or just don't know what to do with them anymore we rely on the "Monkey". It is a Fisher Price toy that plays music, has lights and has a monkey swinging from a vine. It's very soothing and the boys have loved it from infancy. We turn on the music and their little heads turn right away to see the "Monkey". Thank goodness for toys like this! The problem now is that the boys have to lay head to head so they can both watch it. Sometimes they end up smacking each other as they reach for the monkey-of course they both need to be touching the toy. Then they roll over by accident and are on their tummies, mad. Oh the joys of being able to roll. It's all very funny.

In these pictures you'll see us being silly-blankies on the heads (they didn't even notice they were on their heads), Owen holding Chase's hand and arm, time in the exersaucers, etc.

Identification

As a Mom of twins I figured I know my babies inside and out and that I would never forget who is who in pictures, etc. Well . . . it's happened. I'm having a hard time telling the boys apart in their early pictures! I can't believe it. I'm so sad. I need to get Jeff at the computer and document who is who so we can remember years down the road. No wonder everyone kept telling us they looked so much alike!

I just can't tell you how special I feel to be the mom of Chase and Owen. Each day I'm amazed by them and the fact they are mine. They bring out the best in me and I want to be the best Mommy to them each day. This is not always easy, but I try to pray and ask for guidance and know God is providing for me.

Today I was at the computer with Chase. I was holding him up with one arm and using the mouse with the other. I got the feeling someone was watching me. I turned my head and sure enough, there was Chase's little face, just inches from mine, staring at me. As soon as I turned he started laughing! What joy for Mommy!

Owen and I were playing together today. He had a few toys around him that he really enjoys. He grabbed one of his favorites and looked up at me to see if I was there and gave me the biggest smile. My heart just melted. It was just a quick smile and he was back to his playing, but it was enough to let me know he knows Mom.

Joy fills my heart.

Sour Apples

My parents have apples trees on their farm, so my Mom decided to make baby apple food for the boys. She brought it up and I finally had the chance to give it to them. Boy were their reactions priceless. Watch the videos to see! The apples were not quite to their sweet stage when Mom used them to make baby food. They were quite sour and even made me pucker when I tried it!

Drinking water

Chase and Owen LOVE to drink from a cup or sippy cup! Whenever they see one they go nuts-waving their arms, kicking their legs, opening their mouths and sticking out their tongues. It's hilarious to watch them. Chase likes to stick his tongue in the cup and lick it. Owen always has his mouth open ready for the cup and then he likes to gnaw on it-up and down his little jaw goes. Actually both of them gnaw. We then let a little water drop in and typically it comes right back out-soaking their clothes. Oh well-it's good practice and quite entertaining! The first video is Chase drinking water. The second video is of Owen and Jeff.

Swimming (but not swimming pictures :) )

Today was a big day! It was Chase and Owen's first day at the swimming pool! I've been dying to take them, as I basically grew up at the swimming pool. I got everything ready-2 swim diapers, 2 swim trunks, 4 towels, outfits for after swimming, extra diapers, extra clothes, etc. and we were off. They LOVED it! I had Chase and walked into the swim area and he just began bouncing up and down and looked around with his eyes wide open. There were tons of kids and it was really loud, not to mention very warm. Owen and Jeff came out about 5 minutes later and Owen had an expression of awe on his face. We took them to the kiddie area where the water is very shallow, they have a little slide and toys that shoot water. We got in and they were able to stand in the water and we put them on their backs and tummies. Owen had a ball, he laughed, splashed with his hands, smiled and just took to the water right away. There was a water feature that allowed the water to fall like a waterfall. He LOVED it! Stuck his hand in and kept getting his face closer until he got water on his face. He didn't seem to mind. Chase is a little more reserved about new things. He looked around at all the people and smiled at a lot of the kids (he's the charmer). He may have been more interested in the people than the water. He laughed and smiled and had a good time too. He was a little nervous to be on his back, but allowed me to move him through the water like that for a little bit. He got some water in his mouth and coughed a bit. Overall it was a great experience. Jeff and I had a lot of fun, too. It felt good to get out of the cold and enjoy a little bit of summer. Can't wait for summer, by the way. Too bad it's like 5 months away . . .

Eating

Chase and Owen have resumed their solid meal times since being sick over Christmas. I wouldn't say it's going the best. Owen gags and Chase can't get his thumb in his mouth fast enough after each bite. Twins mean double the time and double the mess. I just keep lots of napkins, wash cloths and bibs nearby and we go from there. Owen will open his mouth just a little bit and as soon as the spoon hits his lips he closes his mouth. Both Owen and Chase like to hold the spoon and try to "feed" themselves. They really just end up gagging as they put the spoon in too far. Things are always interesting at the Berger house.

pictures: Owen is wearing the blue tractor bib

Laughing

Last night at bedtime I had Owen on the changing table when Jeff brought Chase over. He lowered Chase to Owen's level and the two began to look at each other. Suddenly they were smiling and began laughing at each other. One would laugh and stop, then the other would laugh and stop. They went back and forth for quite awhile. They seem to really get a kick out of each other.

The boys are getting so big. They are sitting by themselves now, which you can tell from pictures. Chase is rolling over daily-getting stuck on his tummy. Owen is less likely to roll over as he is content on his back or side. He does do better on his tummy, though. They both like to eat at times, but not always. They are generally little happy guys, we just love to be around them and can't get enough of their hugs, slobbery kisses and hands exploring our faces. They are a miracle in our lives and bring us constant joy. What a great thing parenthood is!

Christmas with the Andersons

We had Christmas at my parents' house this past weekend. My sister, Kate, and her fiance, Lane, were home too. It was a fun weekend of game playing, playing with babies, opening gifts, eating and laughing. It was nice to be home and felt just like Christmas. The boys got some great gifts, some of which they've already worn. Santa (Dad) even came to visit! We didn't know how the boys would respond, but they didn't seem to notice the guy in the red suit and big beard to be any different than the rest of us. Lane managed to put Chase to sleep one day.

Jeff is holding his new ultimate leaf blower in one picture.