Sick Babies, but Lots of Cuteness Still Going Around:)

Gus loving Raleigh chasing him. How Precious!!!

First as a side note, if you have not watched the "spaghetti" video in the last post, please watch it. If you listen carefully you will hear Gus say "it's good" and Raleigh say "I like." I know, I know, 10 months and they are already talking;) Geniuses, no?

Well, with all the cold weather we have been experiencing it is no wonder that the boys are a little sick. Seriously, it was colder here one day this week than it was in Seattle, that just seems wrong! Raleigh started getting sick Friday with a faucet nose and now Gus has it to. All clear snot, but man does it run. I was hoping it was just from teething as Gus is working on that eighth tooth & Raleigh constantly has his finger back in his left molar, but alas, it seems to be a little cold. Hopefully it passes quickly! We had just gotten them back into an awesome sleep routine, and now they are up basically every hour and a half if we are lucky. That makes for one tired mommy. Dad even got up last night a few times when both of them started crying. Unfortunately, he has to work this Saturday, so he is pretty tired too. Good news is that both boys are sleeping now:)

We had a lot of fun this week before they got sick. We went to the mall and met a few other moms there. This was a first for them. They have walked the mall with us, but never went into the play area. Mom thinks they are very germy...could this be the cause of the cold??? At least they are exposed to a few germs so hopefully they build strong immune systems! The boys had a great time climbing everything. It was all the right height for them to start exploring, and boy did they!

Then we met some other multiples at the aquarium. That was also a blast. The boys were let out of their cages, er, strollers for the first time at the aquarium too. It was hilarious to see three double strollers corralled around six 10 & 11 month olds and one almost three year old. Of course the boys were the first to pull themselves up on the giant aquarium (from floor to ceiling probably 40 feet) and start licking the glass. I should not be surprised, they do it all over my house too. Speaking of which, I need to scrub down all the walls again soon...and windows, etc.

Thursday we went to another set of twins house for a play date. We did a "rolling nap" on the way there & back since it takes an hour each way. They then had fun playing & eating their lunch at their friends Emma & Brooks' house. Raleigh tried out the horse that can hook up to a TV and the actions the kids do on the horse make the TV do different things. He just sat on it, but we are excited that his feet reach since we have the same toy still in a box at home. I am thinking it will be used as a birthday present:)

Raleigh leaning on Emma, looks like he is up to no good to me;)

Gus, Brooks, Rals, Em - caged monkeys.

Raleigh on the horse

Thinking of a few other little things I love, I forgot to put in that Augustus now loves to look under things, and when he does he scoots his little butt in the air with his head down, it is adorable!!! Gus has also started to "yell" at me and other people. If you tell him "no" he sometimes stops and looks at you and yells in this very commanding little voice. Oh boy, we are in trouble...

This video is Raleigh doing his little dance I love so much. We had Dave Matthews Band on this particular morning & he was rocking out. Mom is so proud;) Plus, you can see what I mean by licking the glass, ugh!

Short video of the boys playing together, squealing:)

Favorite Little Things

Boys holding hands - so grainy because I had to shoot quick - it does not last long!


Raleigh - it is all in the eyes!

Boys playing together - check out those thighs!

Augustus letting me know how much he was enjoying his spaghetti - tastes better when it is in the hair...make sure you check out the video at the end of this post!

So everyday I think to myself, I want to remember all these great little things the boys are doing...well, I guess the best way to remember them is to put it down to "paper." Since I am not a big writer in an actual journal, this blog will have to do. Plus it gives those of you far away a chance to hear about the little things the boys are doing.

I love when the boys hold hands, even if their excitement about it only lasts a little while before someone inevitably ends up in tears. I swear, they do like each other, right?

I love that Raleigh now sits up on his knees without hand support & does little dances.

They both can pull themselves up to stand, and can get down, mostly by sumo-style throws to the floor on their bums.

I love that they look for Matthew to come home when they hear the key enter the door. I hate that they get sad when he leaves and even stand at the door looking up after he goes. So sad:(

I think it is hilarious that they love meat...any kind! I would get so sick eating chicken and ham with these guys while pregnant, I thought for sure they would be picky eaters like me. I am pleasantly surprised that they love everything!! Especially meats & veggies. The sounds they make while eating these two food groups makes me giggle every time they eat.

I love that the boys love books, even if most of the time it is just because they want to stuff them in their mouths. They are now really into touching the "touchy feely" books and can sit through at least one reading of most books. Yay!

I love their full belly laughs. Especially when they are laughing at each other.

I also love that they have such distinctive laughs, sounds, voices, and cries. They are so unique even if they start to look more similar every day.

I love that Raleigh will crawl after Gus squealing all the way, it is like he is telling his brother he is coming...or that he is going to get him, I cannot be sure.

I adore Gus' curly hair. It is so long now, but I don't have the heart to cut it before the summer when it will be really, really curly in the humidity. Raleigh's hair is also getting curlier, it just has some catching up to do before it reaches Augustus' length.

I love that Gus will stop playing just to throw himself at me for a cuddle & then go right back to playing.

Augustus is a bulldozer and will take the shortest route over anything & everything. Raleigh likes to think his routes out a little more, although he loves to climb over anything too.

I think Raleigh will be left-handed and Augustus will be right-handed.

Raleigh seems to enjoy music & dancing. He does a little dance we call "CPR" because his arms flail up and down like he is giving someone CPR.

Augustus seems fearless! Scary sometimes. Raleigh seems to be more cautious to try new things. This completely throws off my in-womb thoughts about them & their personalities. I actually thought Augustus would be calm...ha!

It is hilarious to see them tease/taunt each other. Both will hold out toys & then pull it back when the other reaches for it. Even better is seeing them body block the other from getting their toys. I know eventually we will work on sharing, but for now, it is just hilarious to watch their little minds work.

Speaking of their cribs, here are some pictures (click on them to enlarge). We have had to become really creative with to stop them from eating them. Raleigh figured out the rings, so now he has an Ace bandage around a towel to stop the gnawing...we have to stay one step ahead for survival!

Raleigh's crib

Augustus' crib (right)

MOVIE - spaghetti day at the Hamiltons -

Yes it is messy, but everything is easy to wash - so chill!

The Boys First Visit to our Local Manatees

Raleigh checking out the manatees, or the fence, not sure which was more exciting. Again, mini-King Kong

Dad's new buzz, and Raleigh

Manatee love

Emma, Brooks - so cute, he slept the entire time

Augustus & Raleigh

Waving/sunbathing manatee

Raleigh watching Emma & Augustus "share"

Yesterday the boys had some great daddy-time in the morning while I attended a tea for new moms. They had fun and so did I! So many tiny, tiny babies to help out with.

We also had lunch at our house with another couple who have twins a little older than ours come . It was nice to see the boys play with others, and try to emulate them when they left. Emma was in the toy bucket, and I could see Raleigh trying to figure out how he was going to get in this morning! Crafty little things. My favorite part of their play date was when Augustus was rubbing his hand on Emma's face (with my help saying "nice Emma") and he would smile and shyly look away into dad's shoulder. SO CUTE!

Then, we went to see some manatees. It has been cold the past two days so we figured we would have a good shot at seeing some, and maybe even the boys would notice them in the water too. There were so many manatees, I have never seen the water so full of them! We got some great shots. The boys seemed to see them, but they were not really that interested. Nonetheless, they were well behaved. The only incident was Raleigh getting his finger bitten while sitting next to Augustus in the side-by-side stroller. They have this nasty habit of putting their fingers in each others mouths & the other one just cannot help himself and bites it. I think they are trying to get love from the other one by doing it. They always put their fingers up to our mouths & we kiss them (especially when they are eating their bottles - it really is sweet). So hopefully they figure out what is causing the pain soon. The expert who spoke at our moms' tea said that some children bite for excitement or love because they don't know how else to express it. I will try to move them to something else they CAN bite the next time this occurs. They love the chewie raspberries (if you have not tried these with teething babies I HIGHLY recommend it), so we'll give that a go next time.

Raleigh swinging

Augustus swings

Small enough to still swing together

Nonnie's Birthday!

First, I have to report that my husband and my dad now have matching hair cuts...um, that's right Matthew has a military cut now. And he paid for it. What can I say? At least hair grows back I guess;) You know pictures will be taken when he is not looking!




Today the boys had an adventure out for lunch with Nonnie & Pickles, and dad was even able to join us for lunch too:) We ate at a Greek restaurant, and man, it was so good. The boys enjoyed helping Nonnie open her present, and singing the birthday song. The best part was that the waiters/waitresses threw napkins & yelled "opa" after they were done. The boys were entranced! This is one of my favorite restaurants, too. At night they even have belly dancers who will make you dance, or at least attempt to dance, it is good fun particularly with a few cocktails:)

Here are some pictures of their day out.

Nonnie's picture frame & the boys watching/helping:)

Cake arrives, their faces were priceless, "Opa"

The napkins were everywhere...which made me feel better about the mess the boys left behind!
The funny face Raleigh is making is because he "stole" the lemon from my mom's water.

Augustus has started the funniest thing. Whenever Matthew tickles him he talks so that his voice quivers & shakes. I caught a short video of him at the restaurant (he had the waitresses in stitches) but it is taking far to long to upload, maybe next time;)

On a side note, we just want to pass along our prayers & good thoughts for Lauren & her four beans. Keep positive! http://laurensblog.greenfamily.net/

Gasparilla for Kids

So this afternoon Matthew & I took the boys to the Children's Gasparilla Parade. This was our first experience with Gasparilla, although we have been in the Tampa area for years. We were slightly disappointed, but heck, it was beautiful out and the sun was shining on us, so can we really complain? No!!! Next year we know to go earlier, but this year we had to wake up Raleigh from a nice nap to get there for any of the celebrations. Their web site for those of you who do not know about Gasparilla: http://gasparillaextravaganza.com/extravaganza2/childrens_parade.html

Here are a few pictures of the afternoon.

Augustus & Raleigh checking out the massive balloons being played with next to them!

Dad & Raleigh - yes he was holding on to the fence & shaking it.

I have started to call him "King Kong"

Gus & Rals watching the parade


Dad, Gus & Raleigh

Mom & Gus

Gus laying on mommy's lap enjoying touching the grass!

Dad wrapping up the day pushing us back to downtown Tampa

The boys have been sleeping very soundly during the day and keeping us up at night with random wake-ups...but last night was a super good night sleep for all! Here are a few pictures of the boys at nap time. No, I could not help myself:) Augustus even fell asleep (finally) sitting up. So strange sometimes!

The video is of Raleigh walking himself around his play table that he has been running in for months...I can't believe he can walk himself around it on his own now. Amazing!

We Heart Beef Roast

Here are two videos of the boys enjoying them some beef roast. Definitely Matthew's sons with their love of meat and potatoes. Mom...not so much!

Augustus Cardiologist Update

Raleigh & Augustus snuggled up in their car seats.

Raleigh screaming because Gus is touching him...and Gus loving it. Man, do we have our hands full.

Augustus sleeping, could he look any sweeter?

Raleigh & Augustus' great escape.

Raleigh yelling at Augustus who was standing at the window banging.

Augustus & Raleigh in their Pumpkin Patch shirts from Nannie & Poppy - how cute!!

Augustus in his PP sweater vest, man that is the best store for baby boys clothes!

Today Augustus & I braved the cold winter weather to visit the cardiologist. It was literally in the thirties this morning, brr! The good news is that Gus is doing great, and his numbers are all about the same. Which means his pulmonary stenosis is still very, very mild. The great news is that the hole in his upper heart chamber appears to be closed. This was their expectation all along, so it is nice to actually hear that it has happened. He does not have to go back for another 9-12 months, so we can hopefully coordinate his next visit with Raleigh's next visit after April.

The boys are so mobile now I am having a hard time pinning them down to feed them their bottles (yes, the lazy men still want mommy to feed them...). Not to mention trying to change their diapers and clothes is almost a full contact sport now! I can't wait to see how things change when they are able to run away:)

In three days the boys will be ten months. Time has flown so fast, I can't believe they are here, let alone almost 10 months old. I still remember my baby shower last February and looking like I had a basketball stuffed up my dress! Hard to believe the babies are no longer babies; they are really toddlers trying to walk and having a good old time crawling all over anything & everything. Raleigh even cut two more teeth this week. Augustus is still working on the next two bottom teeth erupting. That makes 8 for Raleigh and Augustus has 6. Next up the 12 month molars. I figure by that time we will just have them back into a sleep routine from our trip to Oz, and then they will be miserable again while their molars come in. Oh well, that is the fun of parenthood:)

Hoping everyone is well & staying warm if you are in the U.S. and those of you in Australia, hope you are staying cool!