Total Opposites- Almost

AARON

• spits up all the time
• sleeps on his side
• rolls all over the place
• loves his thumb (& sometimes his toe)
• very round head
• loves solid food (cereal, pureed vegetables)
• splashes HARD in tub
• can be aggressive with toys
• when he's done eating, he'd DONE
• red hair
• drools A LOT (his shirt is always soaked)
• can be more demanding and cranky if he wants something
• makes funny slurping noise in the back of his throat with his saliva
• VERY ticklish
• moves around a lot in his sleep
• if he wakes up & is still tired will sometimes go back to sleep on his own

ANDREW

• rarely spits up
• sleeps on his back
• stays in one place- he's in no hurry; very laid back
• eats 'solid' food but prefers a bottle
• doesn't splash much in tub
• more gentle and soft with toys
• will keep eating until it's all gone, most times (thus the chubbiness)
•  light brown hair- we think.  It sometimes looks red
• drools a little
• more laid back & patient
• makes this hilarious fake coughing noise
• not so ticklish- only on back of neck
• only moves his arms while sleeping
• rarely goes back to sleep once he wakes up (even if it's only been 30 min.

SIMILARITIES- both babies....

• use a lot of diapers, wipes, & formula
• are very happy - smiles a lot
• sleep through the night-mostly (7p.m.- 6a.m.)
• love to chatter or "talk"
• very curious
• have their hands in mouth constantly
• are the cutest babies ever!
• are totally loved by their parents

Who Is That Strange Woman?

When I walk by a mirror I still am initially surprised at who I see.  When I left Monday to get my hair done it was NOT my intention to do what I did.  I'm not exactly sure why I decided to go dark- and so short.  I guess one reason is my natural color is brown and since being pregnant it has turned an even darker brown.   Plus, with a schedule that's not as flexible as it used to be, more time goes by between hair appointments causing my dark roots to show faster. So this was pretty much a spur of the moment decision.  It'll definitely take some getting used to. 

Steve's reaction when I walked in the door was pretty funny.  He was shocked at the drastic change and couldn't stop saying, "Oh my gosh!!  Wow!!  It's different!"  The twins were already asleep when I got home but I wasn't sure what their reaction would be to this strange person.  So far they've carried on as normal.  As long as they get fed, diapers change,and loved, it doesn't matter what I look like (at least for now).

Two little monkeys sitting on the couch...

... neither one fell off and bumped his head (thank goodness)

Aaron (L) & Andrew (R)

As you can tell we dressed the boys as monkeys for their first Halloween.  I bought the costumes about a month ago and they must have had a growth spurt because the suits were a little tight.  At least they only had to wear it for a couple of hours.  Their Halloween was pretty much on Thursday when we attended our Ward's Trunk or Treat.  Normally we begin getting Andrew and Aaron ready for bed around 6:30.  Since they hadn't had great naps that day and the Trunk or Treat was at 6:00 they were TIRED!  Andrew fell asleep before we even went around to the cars and Aaron was CRANKY and had to be held.  The nice thing about trunk (or trick) or treating with babies is the parents get the candy!   I'm not sure who had more fun- them or us.   On Halloween we didn't go trick or treating but we did dress them up in their costumes while at my parent's house.

Aaron(L) & Andrew(R) with Grandma & Grandpa Rawlings

In Nevada Halloween is considered a holiday- a state holiday- so there's no school and many employees have the day off.  So we decided to go to St. George to visit with my parents.  Now I know why we haven't gone out of town much since the twins were born (only to Lake Tahoe and a 1 night trip to St. George).  It felt like we took all we owned-- between the two of us we took only 1 bag.  Everything else was for the babies- bottles, diapers, wipes, plenty of clothes (which came in handy), formula, cereal, spoons, toys, blankets, portable cribs, bibs, burp cloths.... need I go on?  All just for two days!  Anyhow, even though it wasn't for long I'm glad we went.  It was good to see my parents and other family who came by and just to get away.  We were planning to stay until Sunday night but Aaron had a slight cold when we left and Andrew caught it while we were there.  They didn't sleep too bad at night but they basically had no naps during the day. For babies who had such little sleep they were VERY content and happy, except when we had to suction out their noses.  If any of you have ever had to do that (which, if you're parents I guarantee you have) it's not fun.  It's sad to see/hear them screaming but it does the job at clearing them up- for a little while anyway.  We ended up leaving Saturday evening so they could benefit from a humidifier and sleeping in their own bed.  They've still got this cold and aren't feeling well.  We hope these little monkeys get better soon.

Recently we began feeding Andrew and Aaron solid foods.  Sometimes it's rather entertaining to see the variety of faces they make when fed something new.  This morning they were given green beans for the first time and Andrew stuck out his tongue, perhaps to let us know how he feels about them.  

Both Aaron and Andrew LOVE sucking their hands, fingers, thumbs- pretty much anything they can get into their mouths.  After returning home from our ward trunk or treat a little early we got them ready for bed and fed them when we caught Aaron doing something new.  Aaron discovered his toes and found something new to suck.  I guess his thumb wasn't good enough.

More Recent Pictures

Andrew and Aaron spending some tummy time together

Andrew and Aaron brothers for ever

Aaron is finally getting the hang of eating cereal

Andrew is already a pro at eating cereal

Aaron has already learned the fine art of TV watching

Andrew helping Mommy bake chocolate chip cookies

Twins By Another Name

Today anyone who has twins or is a twin must have been told to be at Costco around 2 pm.  It seems like everywhere we turned there was another set of twins.  Before doing our shopping we were eating lunch while everyone around us admired our twins.  And naturally so... who wouldn't think our boys are adorable?  One of the admirers was an older gentleman who asked me if our twins were identical or fraternal.  When I replied they were fraternal he said, "Oh, you have a boy and a girl."  Uh, no, our twins are two boys.

Perhaps this man, and others like him, would benefit from a lesson on the differences between fraternal and identical twins.  In order to do that I'll need to go into the science of it a litle. Identical twins are always either two boys or two girls.  They develop when one fertilized egg splits into two separate embryos.  Usually they share a placenta and are in the same sac but this is not always the case.  Although they are not *exactly* the same, their DNA is very similar. 

 Fraternal twins, however, can be two boys, two girls, or one of each and they come from two separate fertilized eggs.  They each have their own placentas and sacs.

One of the couples we met at Costco has 4 year old twins- a boy and a girl.  We were talking about the confusion many have between fraternal & identical twins when she told me she'd been asked before if her twins are identical. The last time I checked there are distinct differences between boys and girls.  Anyone who has ever changed a diaper would know this.

Always learning

I LOVE my boys! (L-Aaron, R-Andrew)

Andrew having fun with Daddy

It's hard to believe that Andrew and Aaron will be six months old on Saturday-- time sure flies. Even though we have enjoyed them from the very beginning they are more fun now than ever. And we hear that it keep getting 'funner' all the time.  Can't wait.  One thing I love is to watch them learn new things, which is basically all the time.  This evening, when Aaron was in the bath I was pouring water into the tub he was in via a large cup.  He was fascinated with the waterfall from the cup and reached out his hand as if to hold the falling water.  He was intrigued with the fact that his hand went right through the water.  I think I was having as much fun as he was.

  

Today both Aaron and Andrew were experimenting with their voices.  Aaron let out a piercing scream (a happy one) and then seemed very surprised that he had the ability to do that. Andrew was making loud grunt-like noises that were hilarious.  Up until the the last couple of days only Aaron could giggle-- and it is SOOO cute-- but now Andrew can laugh.  There's no words to tell how much we love these little guys.

Another busy week

Every day for about the last week I have planned to update our blog.  However, once the babies are asleep at night I am exhausted and say to myself, "I'll do it tomorrow."  Since I am worn out and tired this post will be rather scattered and probably not make much sense.

For about the last week or two my energy has been zapped because their naps have been VERY short naps... if they even fall asleep at all.  Along with that it's been a struggles to get them to eat.  Up until a couple of weeks ago Aaron and Andrew were guzzling down their bottles, but now we're lucky if they take a couple of ounces at a feeding.  If only they could talk and tell us why!  Our guess is that they are teething.   Everyone else must think we're crazy because when we take them anywhere else they are on their best behavior-- giggling, smiling, and kicking.  But when it comes time for feeding or napping you'd better watch out!

In the last couple of weeks there have been some fun changes.  Both Andrew and Aaron love it when we do peek-a-boo with them and they have fun playing with new toys- an Exersaucer and a jumper.  We have very few door frames downstairs so the only place we could put the jumper is between the laundry room door and the kitchen.  They haven't quite learned just how powerful those legs can be but they seem to have fun 'standing up'.    Aaron and Andrew are so much fun!

This last Friday a friend of mine from Utah and her family were visiting in Las Vegas and came by for the afternoon and evening.  Her name isn't hard to remember- Katie.  When I was in high school she and her family moved to Fremont, CA and during my junior and senior year we were inseparable.  People called us the Katies or Katie Squared.  It has been about six years since I have seen her so it was great to visit with her and get to know her husband and two children.

Yesterday morning the phone rang... it was a friend of ours that used to be in our ward and had recently moved to Meredian, Idaho.  Before she moved I had told her a brother of mine, Eric, and his family live there and then thought nothing more of it.  She was calling to tell me that while cleaning the chapel with her ward members she learned Eric and his family live in her ward.  What a small world.