F O R T G A R R I S O N: May 2014

May 31, 2014

Lina's Senior Prom

My beautiful sister, Caroline, stole the show at Prom.

May 7, 2014

All About /// Benjamin

Our sweet, tiny Benjamin Martin sure did keep us on our toes in the beginning! He is such a joy! Here are my thoughts/facts about Mister Ben the past four months:

As a Newborn:

-Very slow eater. He takes his time.

-He makes the funniest faces. He has no fat on him so his skin just wrinkles like a little old man's. We call him Benjamin Button.

-Always has his hand by his face.

-Big, bright eyes!

-Constantly stuffy and making raspy, snorting sounds.

-Just a tiny little guy that we love to kiss and cuddle.

At 10 weeks:

-Makes lots of smiley faces.

-Still snorts.

-Has a really goopy right eye that we constantly have to wipe, poor thing.

-Very needy. Loves to be held.

-Has a fast metabolism and still eats slowly.

-Losing hair on top :( Looks like a little Franciscan Friar.

-Always grunting, stretching, moving. Grandpa says your spirit is just too big for that little body!

-Super strong neck/head.

-Likes to look this way and that way and just about wiggles out of our arms!

-Slept through the night for the first time--8 hours. Good boy!

Now at 4 Months:

-Super duper smiley! His smiles are big and gummy and just plain adorable.

-A very happy boy. He likes to talk, talk, talk and giggle!

-Nickname: BenJAMMIN

-Starting to finally get some chunk.

-Very tall and lanky still but looks so much fuller and chubby from when he was first born.

-Always needs to cough. Still stuffy but clearing up.

-Eye is all better. And his eyes are so light, bright blue. They are gorgeous. He is our most blue-eyed child.

-Loves the swing and will take a nice, long nap each day in it.

-Wakes up about once a night. And when he does, he is starving. He thinks he's going to die. We cannot get that bottle in his mouth fast enough.

-Getting a little more hair, not much hah.

-Is loving his fingers right now. If his binky isn't in his mouth, his fingers are.

-Still has a strong neck and is so good at doing tummy time.

I love my happy Benjamin! He is perfect in every way.

All About /// Ruby Isabelle

From the moment she was born, our Ruby Isabelle has been such a joy. She is so precious. Over the past four months, I have written down little notes and thoughts about her:

As a Newborn:

-In the hospital she never cried except for when she was being poked.

-She was a fast eater. She always finished her bottle before Ben.

-She snored lots.

-She was so patient.

-She was very, very calm.

-She leaked milk for minutes. It was just a steady stream that cascaded out of her mouth after she was fed. I just wanted to yell, "Swallow!"

-She had a very sensitive gag reflex. She was our spit up baby.

At 10 weeks:

-She sleep through the night--9 hours! It was the greatest gift I had ever received. Having to get up with just one baby during the night was a relief. Thank you Ruby!

-She hated baths. She does not like to get even a teensy weeny bit cold.

-She had (has) the saddest cry and it will just suddenly erupt out of nowhere.

-Still has a sensitive stomach and spits up a lot. I'm talking projectile vomiting. One night, I accidentally fed Ruby with Ben's formula (they are on separate brands). She cried and cried and fussed. I picked her up out of the crib to hold her over my shoulder and she spewed everywhere--all down me, in my hair. It came out of her nose. Then she couldn't breathe and freaked out. I had to hurry and suction the crud out of her nose. Her face was covered. Scott and I were rattled. She was exhausted. Poor girl.

-We call her Flopsy. Her neck/head is not very strong and can barely keep her head up.

Now at 4 months:

-She likes to cry--lots--usually as a signal to PICK HER UP.

-She is still a very fast eater.

-She is not so patient.

-She is smiling more and more but is still my more serious child.

-Still spits up but not as often--though she did just spit up down Grandma's shirt last night :)

-Still has a sensitive gag reflex.

-Wakes up about once a night, eats, then goes back to sleep.

-Loves bath time.

-Her head is much stronger. No worries.

-She is looking so chunky. I love her sweet rolls on her legs and arms.

-Always wants to be held standing up and over the shoulder. She'll wrap her little arm around me and cuddle.

-She has strong legs! She loves to stand like a big girl.

-Her laughs sound painful, like she just can't get the laugh out.

-She loves to coo at her daddy.

-She looks like daddy.

-She has almond shaped, deep, dark blue eyes.

-She is so pretty and fun with the shmoosiest little lips.

Our Ruby Isabelle is perfection.

May 5, 2014

All About /// Jacob

The past few months have rocked Jake's world. At first, he could care less about the babies. Then he'd get annoyed with them and would steal their bottles and run away. Eventually, their crying got on his nerves and he'd say, "Babies! Stop Crying!"

But after a few weeks of getting used to them being around 24-7, he decided he totally loved them. He plays with their ears as he walks by (a sure sign that you've got his approval and love :) and he cuddles them and says "Ahhhh. Baby loves Jakey!" As they get more interactive and fun, Jake loves them more and more. And it makes us so happy.

Jake really has been a trooper. He pretty much entertains himself and is a good boy while I take care of the babies' never-ending needs. Of course, youtube videos and chocolate helps :) But really he is such a good boy and my best buddy. So here are a few little tidbits/experiences/funnies/facts about my besets boy Jake:

Funny things he's said lately:

"Ah nuts!" (Quoting Monster's University)

"It's spooky! Halloween Town! I Jack! The pumpk..." (Jake absolutely LOVES Nightmare Before Christmas and quotes it frequently--though at first he couldn't really say the word pumpkin and it would come out as pumpk. Halloween is by far his favorite holiday.)

"Come here, come here." As he waves me over.

"Momma, help me!

"The Lina (Caroline)", "The East (Easton)", "The Chloe (Chloe)". (At first everyone's name had "The" in front of it. So cute, but he's outgrown it.

We were playing with the play phone in his play kitchen. He answered it and said, "Hello? Chloe's House?" He loves his cousin Chloe and playing in her room.

The family was sitting around talking and somehow the word "butt crack" was brought up. Jake immediately yelled, "Butt Crack! Butt Crack!" It was hilarious and a good reminder that little pitchers have big ears.

I did something Jake did not like, he yelled, "No, Mommy!" Wow, that caught me off guard.

"Nah-wits lights!" (Christmas Lights)

Every Sunday before church, I talk to Jake about sharing in nursery. After I picked him up from nursery one time, he told me, "Share...toys! I nice." It makes my heart melt to hear him talk to me and tell me about his day and that he was being kind.

"Stop it!" --This one makes me rethink the words I choose to say to him. He's definitely mimicking me now.

"Jakey wants milk. Jakey wants bwanket (blanket). Jakey, Jakey, Jakey..." He talks about himself in third person. It's quite funny and adorable. And I love that he thinks his name IS Jakey.

"The pew-pew." (Guns are pew-pews. Cuz well, that's the sound they make!)

Jake broke his arm on January 25th when he was jumping on the bed and roughhousing with Scott. Urgent Care thought it was Nurse Maid's Elbow. We ended up taking him to the ER and it was broken! It was a rough, painful experience for Jake. Poor guy. He got a cool orange cast though and liked to tell everyone the whole story of how it happened: "Jakey jump bed. Jakey fall off edge. It hurt!"

We've been pretty cooped up in the house with the twins, and Jake was really wanting to go outside and do something. My mom was leaving to run errands and Jake saw and ran to her and pleaded, "Jakey needs out! Take Jake!" hahaha. It was hilarious and so, so sad at the same time. Now that the weather's warmer, the babies are older and there are no longer construction workers in the backyard with big tools, we hang outside a lot more :)

"Another Baby?" Sometimes Jake forgets that there's two of them.

"Ruuuuuby."

Jakey wants another tookie!" (cookie)-- He's a demanding little soul.

"Woot Beer (root beer) and Toke (Coke)."

"Where gramma go? Hey, come back!!!"

"I got turkeys!" --Meaning: I'm ticklish. This is probably my favorite of his sayings.

Words that describe him:

Defiant, spunky, silly, smart, sweet and affectionate, energetic but cautious, possessive and stubborn, picky eater! A nut head!

His Favorite Things:

Drinks with a straw. If he sees a big drink with a straw, he WILL steal it and drink it til its gone.

Pirates of the Caribbean song. He loves to sing, "Yo ho! Yo ho! Pirate's Life Me!"

Playing with his 7 month old cousin, Ryder. He thinks Ryder is just hysterical.

Swimming! Clothes and all, he will get right in.

Making gun and car sound effects. Such a boy.

Angry Birds and Bad Piggies. He is OBSESSED. He would sit and watch YouTube recordings of other people playing the games ALL DAY if I let him. So he has also become very possessive of the computer--or "puter." Case in point: One night, Jake came and slept in our bed. Early that morning, I was changing Ben. Jake suddenly woke up and sat straight up and yelled, "NO! No MY puter!" Then went back to sleep. OBSESSED.

Ears. He still has an ear fetish and likes to grab our ears or kiss them or just play with them. He'll walk by the babes and just touch their ears in passing.

Chocolate, candy, soda. It's a never-ending food battle with this one.

Being outside.

Kissing, rubbing and smelling my arms. :)

Falling asleep in the oddest positions and locations. He's started to refuse taking a scheduled nap. So instead, he basically just falls over in exhaustion wherever he's been playing: grandpa's office chair, exercise equipment, my bedroom floor.