Happy New Year!

We hope all of you had a Merry Christmas. Our Christmas seemed a little crazy and is not yet finished. Last weekend we took a shortened trip, due to sickness and weather, to Beloit for Christmas with the Dillners. We had a quiet Christmas at home with the boys and are heading to Omaha for Christmas with the Krehers this weekend. Besides all the traveling the boys are working on getting over a bout with croup. They are both feeling much better. They are also enjoying playing with all their new toys. Well I suppose I should go and finish packing. I just wanted to post a couple of pictures from Christmas morning. Michael is wearing the yellow and Thomas the blue. We hope you all have a safe and happy New Year!

Changes

There will be some big changes in the Dillner household in the near future. I will be returning to work full time after the new year. Sorry to disappoint all of those who thought I was going to say I was pregnant. I know lots of you were thinking that, but not at this time. Starting January 3rd I will be teaching 5th and 6th grade Special Education at Wheatridge Middle School is Gardner. The local school district does not offer contracts in the middle of the year, so I will be working as a long term sub. I have an understanding with the Special Education Administration that if they like me and I like them, then I will be offered a contract for next school year. I am excited to begin working again. I am saddened at not being able to spend the days with my boys, but I am thankful for the time I was able to spend at home with them. I will be working to find daycare for the boys between now and Jan. 3rd. We have met with one person and I have a couple more interviews lined up.

The boys got tubes in their ears on Thursday. By Friday they were back to normal. We got the boys' picture taken with Santa on Friday night. This picture was taken a few seconds before Thomas started crying.

Catching up

The last couple of weeks have been busy around here. I thought it would be a good time to sit down and catch you up on all the things going on around here. Early in November we took the boys to see and Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. At that appointment it was decided that the boys needed tubes in their ears. So on Thursday, assuming the boys don't get sick between now and then, the boys will have tubes put in their ears. It is a simple surgery that takes 5-10 minutes per ear. We are hoping that this might help with their weight gain. Also regarding the issue of weight gain, we went to see a GI doctor last week. We finally saw a doctor that had some common sense. He pretty much ruled out any GI problems for the boys. He took a look at them and said, they aren't skinny. Their weight is proportional to their heights and he was not concerned. Although he did want to make sure the boys were in taking enough calories. So I have been spending the last three days tracking how much they have eaten so a calorie count can be done.

We enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving with David's family. The twins and Dominic had a good time playing together. Since we were getting a family picture taken after Thanksgiving, we decided it was time for the boy's first hair cut. I have posted pictures of the event along with this post, Michael is the one looking to the side. It was more of a trim than an actual haircut. The boys did good, they sat on David's lap and looked around, Heidi our hair dresser cut their hair while they were looking around.

That pretty much brings you up to speed on life at the Dillner household. We are getting ready for Christmas. We are slowly pulling the decorations out of the basement. The tree is not up yet, and I'm not looking forward to putting it up. I wonder how many times it will get pulled down???

Making new friends

The boys have been busy making new friends. There was a cat sitting at our back door. The boys spend quite awhile trying to play with the cat, through the glass. The cat stayed around for a while, probably because it thought we were going to open the door. It was probably a good thing that there was glass between the cad and the boys, I don't know what they would have done to the cat if they could have gotten to it. David found a fuzzy caterpillar on our front step and brought it in for the boys to see. The boys were very interested in it. They wanted to feel it. We were afraid the feel would turn into a crushing of the caterpillar. So after a couple of minutes the caterpillar was taken back outside before the boys could terrorize it.

Pictures of Michael!

Pictures of Thomas!

My little pumpkins

The boys were pumpkins for Halloween this year. They are ready to go in their costumes. I had to work until 7:00, so David took the boys to the Halloween Party that the City of Edgerton hosts and then they came home to answer the door for trick or treators. While I was at work, the boys did get to share a piece of candy. They enjoyed it so much that Michael was using his sign ( I have been working on teaching them a few basic sign language signs and more is the only one he knows) for more. He wanted more, but daddy would not give him anymore. When I got home from work, we took the boys to a couple of our neighbors houses to trick or treat. Michael thought he figured out a way to get more candy. He put one of his pieces of candy in his mouth, wrapper and all. It just hung out of his mouth while we went to a couple more houses. I wish we had our camera with us. All in all, the boys enjoyed their Halloween and David and I will enjoy the little bit of candy we got from trick or treating!

Good People

It is nice to know that there are still good people out in the world. Last Friday, the boys and I took a trip to the grocery store and between paying for the groceries, holding one of the boys and trying to get out of the store, I must have forgotten or dropped my debit card. I did not realize this until Monday when the boys and I were at Walmart picking up a few things. I went to pull out my debit card to pay and it was missing. Needless to say I was upset, worried and mad at myself for losing it. I tried to remember when the last time I used it and decided that it had to have been at the grocery store on Friday. I had decided that I was going to call and see if by a long shot my card had been turned in and if not, then call the bank to cancel the card. In the mean time I was scared to check our checking account balance online, figuring someone had picked the card up and started using it. Luckily the call to the grocery store was a success. Someone had turned it in to Customer Service. When I told David all of this he, said, "I guess there are still good people out there". He is right and I am thankful for that.

In the picture the boys are 'helping' fold the clean laundry. Last week the boys and I spent sometime at my parents house, while David was in Pittsburgh, PA for a conference. We all had a good time. It was nice to spend some time at my mom and dads. It was also nice not to have to handle the boys by myself.

The boys are getting better at walking along things and walking while holding our hands. Their favorite things to play with right now, are cars, balls, their play telephone and anything they can walk along. The also enjoy getting their mail everyday, which is the junk mail.

15 months old!

Here is a picture of the boys swinging with their cousin Dominic. The boys had a good time playing together when John, Jilinda and Dominic visited over the weekend.

Yesterday brought the boys 15 month check up. We were relieved when the boys gained about a pound, and grew almost an inch. The boys are weighing in right at 18 pounds, their weights are within one ounce of each other. They are both about 29 inches tall. Again the difference in height is very small, only 1/8 of an inch. Other than being small and still not on the growth curve they were on, the boys were given a clean bill of health. We will keep giving them the pediasure and lots of good food to eat, and hopefully they will continue to gain weight.

Yesterday David and I bottled a batch of home brew beer. This beer is a holiday ale and will be ready to drink around Christmas. David is heading off to Pittsburgh, PA on Saturday. The boys and I will be heading off to Omaha on Sunday to spend time with my folks. I also think their will be a visit from David's folks this weekend. We are busy, busy busy!

Spelunking Fun!

Here a few pictures of the boys doing one of their new favorite activities, spelunking! Besides spelunking on the cart and the bookshelf, the boys enjoyed spelunking in the fireplace. That is until we covered it up with the toy box.

Success!!!

I am happy to report that it is now safe to say that the boys have been successfully weaned from breastfeeding. We had been down to nursing right before bed. We quit that feeding a week ago. The boys have done a great job going to sleep without being nursed. I am thankful to have a little bit more freedom and not have to be around to put them to sleep.

In other good news, all of the test results, that we had done on the boys because they aren't gaining weight, are back. Everything came back normal. We go back to the doctor in a couple of weeks for their 15 month check up. Hopefully they will have put on some weight and we can put this issue to rest.

Future Architects

Here are a couple of pictures of the boys playing with one of their favorite toys, the blocks. They love building with their blocks. Michael is in the blue and Thomas in the white. They also love to play with balls, they are getting good at throwing as well. They aren't limiting throwing to just balls, they like to throw whatever they have in their hands. We also love to sit and read books.


Otherwise all is well at the Dillner household. They boys are finding new things to get into everyday. They love to stand, anywhere they can pull themselves up to. They are getting very brave and are beginning to let go of what they standing against. David brewed a batch of Holiday Beer this weekend, so that should be ready to drink around the holidays this winter. Otherwise not too much is going on around here.

The answer is.

If you said that Thomas is in the green and Michael is in the blue, you guessed correctly!! Congratulations!

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

We never tire of finding new places to try to stand up and see the world from a different view. Unfortunately we usually only get up on our knees. We can't always up to our feet. We also never tire of finding new places to hide our toys. The only problem with this, is that we also can't remember where we put all of our toys. We really like to take them over the the stairs and drop them and listen to them fall down the stairs until they reach the bottom. We really hope that dad doesn't hurt himself on the toys in the morning when he is on his way downstairs to iron his clothes. We also enjoy playing with cars, we like to make them move on the carpet. Thomas is learning how to throw a ball. I, being Michael, haven't quite figured that out yet. I do know that my brother likes to beat up on me. His preferred method at the moment is pulling my hair. When I get the chance, I like to bang toys on his head, but when we do these things, mom puts us in time out. Mostly we like to explore the house, play with cars, build with blocks and read books.

I guess this weekend we get to help Aunt Jilinda, Uncle John and Cousin Dominic move. They are moving to Wichita and we are going to miss having them close by. Wichita isn't too far, nothing like Virginia, so we will still get to play with our cousin sometimes.

So who thinks they can tell us apart??? Is it Michael or Thomas is wearing the green????

Mad Science

This morning I have felt like a mad scientist. I have to collect urine and stool samples from the boys and this is my reason for feeling like a mad scientist. I will spare you the details, but just say that it requires putting samples into different vials. Oh the fun!!

Now you may ask why am I collecting the urine and stool samples. The boys are not gaining weight as they should be, so we are doing some investigating. We went to the doctor on Friday to recheck their ears and check their weight. The good news is that both of their ear infections have cleared up, while the bad news is that they haven't gain much weight. So since this is not normal the doctor wants to run a bunch of tests to determine if there is anything causing them not to gain weight, that is where the urine and stool samples come into play, along with blood test, and appointments to visit a couple other doctors. David and I are pretty confident that they are healthy and active boys, but we want to be sure that is the case.

In other news, I am working again. I am tutoring math a couple of afternoons a week up in Olathe. I am working to find daycare from about 2:30 to 5:00 on those afternoons, so I can go into work earlier. I am enjoying it. I love getting out of the house for a few hours. I also enjoy talking to other adults, and doing things non mommy related.

David is getting very excited to take 3 qualifying laps in a Stock Car at the Kansas Speedway this weekend.

Getting Around

The boys are getting very good at getting around the house, and getting whatever they want. Above are pictures of the boys showing off their new skills. Thomas is stuck on the bottom shelf of the cart. We won't be surprised to find him completely on the in the near future. Michael has recently discovered how to get up off his knees, as shown in the other picture. If the boys aren't thinking about what they are doing they will crawl for a short distance, but if they want to zoom across the kitchen or living room they will go to their tummies and the army crawl. They are pulling themselves up to anything they can reach. If the object is shorter they can get to their feet, but if it is a little bit taller then they just get to their knees.

Well the boys just woke up from their naps and are ready to explore the house, so I had better get away from the computer so I can chase them around the house.

We are in trouble now!

Here is a picture of Thomas showing off one of his newly mastered skills, pulling himself up to his knees on anything taller than he his. Another one of his favorite things is trying to climb onto the bottom self of the cart behind him.

It has been a crazy week around the Dillner household. The week started with a job interview for me and crabby teething babies. The job interview turned into a job for me. I will be tutoring math in Olathe a couple of afternoons a week. The crabby teething babies turned into crabby teething babies with ear infections. Since I will be going back to work, I now need to find daycare for the boys. Until we are successful in the daycare search I will work from 5:00 until 7:00 when David can be at home with the boys. One more thing to add to the busy week is trying to get my car fixed from the fender bender we were in during July. We are going to finish the busy week off with a trip to Omaha for the weekend.

Good News

We were giving Thomas some iron supplements because earlier blood tests indicated that Thomas had a low level of iron in his blood. The doctor was not sure why his iron was low, but wanted us to give him extra iron. We were back at the doctor last week to see if Thomas' ear infection had cleared up and while we were there, we had another blood test to see if the extra iron was making a difference. The nurse called with the lab results yesterday and the doctor saw significant increases in the iron so we don't have to give him the iron any more!!!!!! I wonder if the low iron was due to the fact that he had been sick when we did the initial blood tests. We waited until he was over his ear infection to check again, so we didn't have to wonder if the ear infection had anything to do with it.

Last night while we were eating supper, the boys were in their high chairs and sitting pretty close to each other. They thought it would be fun to hold hands, then they thought it would be fun to share their food. Michael gave a cracker to Thomas who willingly took it and ate it. When Michael got another cracker, he wanted to share again, so he gave it to Thomas. Thomas decided to eat a bite of the cracker and give it back to Michael. This went on for a couple of minutes until the cracker was dropped. The boys thought they were pretty funny and the fact that David and I were laughing at them contributed to that idea. Now if we could get them to share their toys, instead of taking them from one another. I have a feeling that supper time is going to get very interesting.

A Busy Week!

This past week, the boys enjoyed doing many things for the first time. My sisters and brother came for a visit and we all went to the boys first baseball game. We took the boys to a Kansas City T-Bones game. They are a minor league team. Besides the heat, the boys had a good time,

they enjoyed looking at all the people and all that was going on. The boys also experienced their first car accident. I got rear-ended while waiting to make a right hand turn. Thomas slept through the whole ordeal and Michael was happy as a calm in his car seat. Nobody was hurt, the back end of my car is all busted, but otherwise no harm done. David's folks came down this weekend. On our way to the Amelia Earhart Festival in Atchison, we stopped at Cabela's. The boys really enjoyed looking around at all the animal displays and the fish in the aquarium. Later that night the boys enjoyed their first fireworks display. Enjoy might not be the right word to use there. They pretty much clung to who was holding them, but they did not scream. After the busy week we had last week, I think we are going to keep it pretty low key this week. In the picture above Michael is in the white and Thomas in the red.

Priceless!

Thomas is enjoying his first OREO!!!! While Michael is double fisting it already!!!!

12 Month Check Up

On Friday we went for the boy's twelve month check up. All in all they are doing well. Thomas weighed in at 16 pounds 7.5 ounces and his height is 28 inches. Michael was just a little bit bigger than Thomas, coming in at 16 pounds 11.5 ounces and 28 1/8 inches. The doctor was a little concerned with the boys weight gain. So in the next six weeks we are going to pump up the amount of protein that they eat, and start drinking whole milk (yeah!!!! some freedom for me!!!) Then we will go back for a weight check. If they are gaining weight then we will continue what we are doing. If the doc is still not satisfied with their weight gain then we will probably start looking into why they are not absorbing what they eat. I don't think that we will have to go that route. The boys have pretty much switched to all table food. I have a small amount of baby food that I am trying to get rid of, once that happens we will be all table food. They are very good eaters. So I think that once they are on all table food they will gain some weight and all will be good.

The boys are getting very good at getting to where they want. In fact right now Thomas is exploring under the desk as I am typing this. They don't actually crawl, but they can get where they want. Above are pictures of the boys enjoying their birthday cupcakes, Thomas is on top and Micheal on the bottom.

One Revolution Around The Sun

As David put it, on Sunday the boys completed their first revolution around the sun. It is truly amazing how far they have come in a year. On the left is a picture of the boys sitting on their new swing they got for their birthday, Thomas is in red and Michael in white. On the right is a picture of the boys a couple of weeks after they were born. What a difference a year can make.

They boys enjoyed their birthday. We had a small party with mostly family. Thomas and Michael enjoyed being the center of attention. They were a little unsure about unwrapping their presents, but they loved all the goodies inside the presents. The highlight of the birthday party was the boys diving into their cupcakes (I will post pictures soon), and getting frosting and cake all over!!!!

Many Firsts

This past weekend was a weekend of many firsts. The Dillner's experienced their first Edgerton Frontier Days. The boys got their first taste of pancakes, which they enjoyed. They also watched their first parade. The boys loved it. We didn't know how they would do with all noise, from the fire engines and police sirens. They watched with big eyes and smiles. After the parade we enjoyed some of the craft tables and various events going on. We had to come home for a nap and a break from the sun. That afternoon David brewed his first batch of beer in Kansas. We had some friends over to help in the process. The brewing process was successful, but the true test will be the taste of the beer. After dinner we went back downtown and the boys enjoyed their first live concert.

It is probably safe to say that Thomas is mobile. He is not actually crawling, but he will do what ever he deems necessary to reach where he wants to go, including rolling, army crawl, scooting, and using his brother to push off of. Michael has yet to master the art of going forward, although he goes backward very well. He also pivots on his tummy. He can get himself pointed in the right direction to go backward to get where he wants. The boys are also enjoying standing, with out support, and are also beginning to pull themselves up on things.

In the top picture, Thomas is in the blue and being attacked by Michael. In the bottom picture Thomas is in the green.

The boys are quickly approaching another big first. Their first birthday!!!! The boys will be one on Sunday. We can't get over how fast this year has flown by.

And the Winner Is!!!!!

Last night Frontier Days began here in Edgerton. One of the first events is a cute baby contest. So we decided to enter the boys into the contest.

We figured the sooner we start the competing between them, the better!!!(HA
HA). Since David had a meeting, I had to take the boys by myself. So we did out little thing standing in front of the judges. It was a little difficult for me to hold both of the boys. There were a total of 5 boys competing in the 7-12 month group. When all the tallying and judging was complete. Michael took third place, while Thomas took second place. I was so busy trying not to drop either of the boys that when I got back to our seats that I forgot who came in second and who came in third. So after all was said and done, I went back to the judges and asked them to refresh my memory. I took one of their sharpies and wrote names on the bottom of their trophies. Here are some pictures of the boys enjoying their trophies. Thomas is in the white and Michael is in the red.

Swimming

Here are some pictures of the boys swimming. I have Thomas and my cousin Lyssa has Michael.

Good Times

The boys and I had a great time in St. Louis. It was wonderful to see some of my family that I

had not seen for a while. The boys traveled very well. The boys enjoy riding in the car. To the left is a picture of my grandparents (dad's parents) and the twins and I. I am holding Michael, while Grandma Betty is holding Thomas. On the right is a picture of the boys getting ready to go swimming for the first time at my aunt and uncles pool. Thomas is in front while Michael is in the back. We put the boys in some floaters and then in the water. They really enjoyed the pool. They were a little unsure when some of the big kids were splashing, but they had a blast. Also on our trip Thomas figured out how to go from sitting to laying on the floor.

Next week is Frontier Days in Edgerton. Hopefully it will be a good time. They have a cute baby contest that people at the City Offices are encouraging us to enter the boys in. We haven't decided if we are going to do this or not. David is planning on brewing his next batch of beer next weekend. I think it is going to be a honey wheat. It should be good!

All Clear!

Yesterday afternoon we went to the doctor to recheck the Thomas and Michael's ears to see if the ear infections had cleared up. We were very relieved to discover that neither of the boys had an ear infection!!!! That saves us a trip to the Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor.

The boys and I are getting ready for a trip to St. Louis with grandma and grandpa. We are going down for the Kreher Family Reunion and to see all of my dad's family, some of which who have not met the boys yet. It should be a good trip!

Playing Together

It is so interesting to watch the boys play with each other. When we were giving them a bath the other night they were playing with a couple of toys in the tub. Michael would have both of them and Thomas would be having fun splashing. Soon Thomas would decide that he wanted both of the toys, so he would reach out and take them from Michael. This did not phase Michael at all, he would go back to splashing, until he decided he wanted the toys. Michael would then take them away from Thomas. Thomas would go back to splashing and eventually take the toys back. They played like this for a few minutes. Nobody got upset, they were having a blast!

Recent Pictures of Michael

Michael enjoys sitting in dad's chair, he even put himself to sleep in it one night. He also enjoys the rocking chair that is a little more his size. He found some new toys in the kitchen!

Recent Pictures of Thomas

Thomas is enjoying sitting in mom's chair, he is also enjoying some good food, playing on the floor and sitting is a rocking chair more his size. As usually Thomas is hamming it up for the camera.