A weekend alone

David is preparing to go out of town for the weekend and I am preparing for a weekend of just me and the boys. So it probably won't be just me and the boys, I have enlisted some help from a couple of my friends.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving at my godparents house about an hour from us. We have so many things to be thankful for this year. Starting off with our healthy boys and our wonderful friends and family.

Thomas and Michael are continuing to do well. They are not rolling over yet, but getting closer to it everyday. They are beginning to enjoy spending time on their tummies, working on getting strong. They are also big laughers. I will be changing them, or getting ready to feed them and they will just start laughing, for no apparent reason. They are both ticklish. I find it very easy to get them laughing. Both Thomas and Michael, also are big talkers.

A few of our favorite things.

Thomas and Michael have many favorite things they would like to share with all of you. We like it when mom and dad pat on our tummies. We like talking to mom, dad, and anyone who will listen. Heck we will talk to no one at all. We like to watch and listen to the purple phones that Aunt Jilinda gave us. We enjoy taking a seat in a bouncy seat or the swing. We like going for rides in the car, as long as we are moving, or the stroller. We also like to eat, which is evident by how big we are getting. I (being Michael) laugh really hard when mom tickles me under my chin. I also enjoy sucking on my fist. I (now being Thomas) love to suck on my thumb. Most importantly, we like our sleep! Lastly we like it when mom puts more pictures on the website for all of you to see (which she has done today).

The Poop Monster and Thumbsucker Extraordinare

We call Michael the Poop Monster, because when you hear the sound of him filling his pants, you all know the sounds I am talking about, you don't wait too long before going to change him. You give him just enough time to make sure he has finished pooping and then you go to change him. When you do change him you are afraid to discover where you will find poop. Will it be up his back, up the front or running down the legs? I think in one day he managed to poop through 3 onesies! Thomas does a much better job of containing his poop.

Thomas is the Thumbsucker Extraordianare! He has discovered the joy of sucking on his thumb. We hadn't been able to get the boys to take pacifiers for a while, instead they liked to suck on their fists. Thomas has discovered that he can get his thumb in this mouth and suck on that. I am torn about his thumb sucking. On one hand it is nice because he can pacify himself, if I am busy with Michael. On the other hand, I know from personal experience how hard it can be to stop sucking your thumb and effects it can have on your teeth. Michael has yet to discover that he can suck on his thumb, he is still sucking on his fist.

We did survive the shots. The afternoon and evening after the shots were a little crazy. I think I spent the majority of the afternoon holding one of the boys, while the other slept. I was glad when David got home. Once we got the boys to sleep they did okay, it was getting them settled down that was the difficult part. They were fine the next day.

They boys are still inconsistent when it comes to sleeping through the night. I would say that they have more nights that they sleep from 10:00 pm to 6:30 or 7:00, than nights when they wake up once. They were on a pretty good roll, until last night, when they woke up around midnight. I am loving the full nights sleep that I am getting, especially since my sinsus have been giving me trouble for the last week or so. David is probably not telling much of a difference, as he doesn't get up with the boys, since he can't do much for them.

On the Charts!!

We went fora visit to the doctor this morning. I was shocked at the boys weights. Thomas weighs 12 lbs 3 oz and is 23 inches tall, while Michael weighs 12 lbs and is 23 1/4 inches tall (no wonder their clothes don't fit them anymore!). Their weight and height is on the growth charts, granted they are still smaller than average for their age, but they are catching up. They put on about 3 pounds in the last month and a half. Needless to say the doctor was very pleased with their growth and everything else checked out fine. I was not expecting the boys to get another round of shots, but I was mistaken. The boys got 4 shots apiece. They cried a little, but were fine as soon as David or I held them. I have a feeling that the boys will be a little crabbier from these shots, because they are getting over a little head cold. So when we add the shots on to that, we could have a rough day or so. Luckily they are both taking a nap right now.

2 in a row!

For the past two nights the boys have slept from 10:00 pm to 6:30 am!!! Hurrah for sleep! Last week we moved the boys into the crib in their room. They have made that transition very well. They were used to sleeping in the crib since I had been putting them in there for nap time. During the last couple of weeks the boys have been sleeping for longer stretches, with a couple of nights were they had slept until 6:00 am. While they were in our room, they would wake up and I would wonder if they needed to eat or if they would go back to sleep. So I decided to move them, knowing that they would let me know if when they were hungry! I am very much enjoying the full nights of sleep!

David is continuing his job search for something closer to home. He has a couple of promising leads in the Kansas City area and a couple in the Denver metro. We are very excited for our trip home in December. Although we are excited at the thought of seeing all of our friends and family, we are a little overwhelmed at the thought of making the trip with the boys.

Four Months Old

It is hard to believe but Thomas and Michael are 4 months old today! Time flies when you are having fun!

Thomas and Michael's first Halloween was pretty uneventful. We had the boys dressed in Halloween outfits, but did not go for the costume route. They helped us answer the door to the few trick or treaters we had in our neighborhood. The evening ended with a bath!

I have added more pictures to the website. Some new pictures and some old ones that have been reloaded!

Details, Details, Details

We have nailed down a few details for our trip back home for the holidays. We will arrive in Kansas City on December 20th. We will head to Omaha first and be in Omaha until the 28th of December. We will head to Beloit on December 28th and remain there until we return to KC to fly home on January 6th. We have also decided that Thomas and Michael will be Baptised in Omaha, NE on December 23rd. We don't have a specific time yet, but that will be decided soon.

We return the doctor on November 9th, and we hope to get Michael off his monitor then. I am sure that the doctor will order another download of the info from his machine and then we will go from there. David and I are really hoping that it will get to come off then, as we don't want to have to travel home with the monitor.

One of the boys is starting to wake up, I gotta run! Have a Happy Halloween!

Truly Amazing

Unfortantely it was not as easy to recoup the photo gallery from the hacker as it was to save the rest of the website. I have had to reupload all the pictures. This task has been more difficult than I thought it would be, as I encountered many different road blocks. The good new is that I overcome all of those road blocks and now have the most recent pictures of the boys posted on the gallery. I will eventually get the older pictures of Thomas and Michael loaded, in the mean time enjoy the most recent pictures of Thomas and Michael.

In order to rebuild the photo gallery I had to wade through all the pictures of the boys. While I was looking at the pictures from when they were first born, I am truly amazed at how tiny they were and how far they have come. In their 4 mouth lifespan, they have been through so much and have come so far. David and I are truly blest to have these wonderful boys in our life.

All Smiles!!

While Grandma Dillner was out visiting us in September, the boys were just beginning to smile. We had to work really hard to get either of the boys to smile. While Grandpa Dale and Great Grandma Betty were visiting, Thomas and Michael's smile came easier, but we had to work for them. While Aunt Danielle was visiting, Michael smiled all the time when someone was talking to him. Now both of the boys are all smiles. All you have to do is talk to them, and they start beaming their toothless smile. They also enjoy talking to mom or dad and telling them all kinds of stories.

This weekend we took the boys to a local farmers market and picked out a pumpkin for Halloween. I think the pumpkin is bigger than both of the boys combined!

On Sunday at church, we had to make our first visit to the back of church. Although it was our first trip, I doubt it will be our last! Michael decided he wanted to be awake during mass this week. He was pretty good, finally he fell asleep at Communion time, or so I had thought. Shortly after we got back from Communion, he started screaming. I was able to hold off taking him to the back of church until we all sat down. As soon as people started sitting, we made a beeline to the back of church. Thomas on the other hand slept all through mass. I don't know why it is, but one baby is usually more awake or needs to be held during mass and I always seem to be sitting right next to that baby. David usually has the easy baby during mass, funny how that works!

Company

The Dillner household has been bustling lately with company from the Midwest. Early in October my dad and grandma came out to meet Thomas and Michael for a long weekend. We enjoyed having them in town. It was so great to see family. It was tough having to see them go back to the Midwest. Grandpa Dale enjoyed meeting his grandsons. He also enjoyed holding them, talking to them and cuddling with the boys. I tried, but I was unable to get grandpa to change any diapers (surprise, surprise!) Thomas and Michael do enjoy the Husker stuffed toys that grandpa brought for them. Great Grandma Betty also enjoyed meeting Thomas and Michael.

Shortly after Grandpa Dale and Great Grandma Betty left, Aunt Danielle came for a long weekend. Aunt Danielle has held the boys constantly while she has been visiting. Hopefully the boys can handle not being held all the time, when she leaves. She has also been a great help with doing dishes after meals.

In other news. Thomas and Micheal are beginning to sleep for longer times at night. They typically sleep for a 5 to 5.5 hour stretch, then another 4 hour stretch after being fed. I am enjoying this greatly. They are no longer waking up just as I am ready to go to sleep. I love being able to hit the pillow with out having to feed them. I also enjoy only being woken up once during the night.

We have booked our flights to come home for Christmas. We will be in the Midwest from December 20-January 6. We have not yet determined when we will be in Beloit and when we will be in Omaha, but we will soon. Mark your calanders so you can meet Thomas and Michael. We are also planning on having the boys Baptised while we are at home. We are still nailing down the details for that. Even though I an nervous about the thought of flying with the twins, I can't wait to get back home so all of our friends and family can meet Thomas and Micheal. I know that David is excited as well.

As soon as David fixes the photo gallery, I will have more pictures to upload.

hacked!

As many of you may already have guessed, Jenny, the twins and I have joined a Turkish Communist faction. Ok, in all seriousness our website that you all count on for news about the Dillners was hacked! Fortunately, we sustained minor damage to the site and were able to quickly bring it up to functional operations. I regret to say, however, that the gallery is currently closed due to fact that I need to reconstruct a new homepage for it. In the meantime, you will have to rely on our written record of the twins and our adventures.

All is well in the House of Dillner. The twins have been growing and doing what babies do best. They have been sustaining a routine of eating, sleeping and pooping. The good thing is that they have begun to sleep for five consecutive hours at a time. Jenny is thrilled because she gets to get a little more shut eye, which is very valuable for new mothers. I would update you on even more stuff, but there is not a lot going on around these parts and I am very tired.

Good night!

Not Yet

This week, we have been awaiting a call from the doctor with the results of the information downloaded from Michael's monitor, to determine if he is able to come off of it. Well this afternoon I heard from the doctor and he wants Michael to stay on it for a while yet. He said that Michael's breathing patterns are maturing, but are not mature enough yet. We will look at the information again in another 4-8 weeks. Needless to say we were very disappointed to hear this, but I guess we can wait awhile longer yet.

Over the weekend, we had some tense moments in the house. You see Nebraska was playing Kansas in football. Although we were unable to watch the game, we kept watching the scoring updates during different football games. It was a close call, but Nebraska won in overtime. The Big Red reign supreme again! David and I are both trying to persuade the boys to become fans of our favorite team. Time will tell who will be a fan of who.

Lastly, I uploaded a few more pictures on to the photo gallery. I hope you enjoy!

The Joy of Motherhood!

Yesterday afternoon I was feeding Michael, and he decided to spit up all over my shirt, so I had to put on my second shirt for the day. A while later during his next feeding Michael spit up again, this time all over my shorts (had to change them too). I was beginning to think that Michael was out to get me that day, when I was changing him and he peed on me and the blanket, this time I only had to change my socks. I am pretty quick at getting the dirty diaper off and wiping the behind, I get sprayed upon when I go back in to put desitin on the bottom. I guess it just wasn't Michael who was out to get me, later in the evening Thomas joined it. He had a dirty diaper that went everywhere, including on my shirt (time for shirt number 3 of the day!). Ahh the joys of motherhood! Have no fear today has been a much better day, no extra changes of clothes so far!

We really enjoyed the time that David's mom was able to spend with us. I am struggling getting used to being by myself again during the day. It was so wonderful to have another adult to talk to during the day, not to mention another person to change diapers and hold the boys.

We are now getting ready for Grandpa Dale and Great Grandma Betty to visit. They will be arriving on Friday. I know they are very anxious to meet Thomas and Michael.

Growing Like Weeds!!

Yesterday, we took another trip to the peditrician's office, to check the boys weight and then maybe have shots. I could tell the boys were getting bigger, but I was shocked to find out that both Thomas and Michael were over nine pounds. Thomas weighed 9 lb 5 oz and Michael weighted 9 lb 1 oz. They both put on about 2 pounds in 3 weeks. The doctor was very pleased with their weight gain. Since they put on a good amount of weight, he went ahead and gave the boys their first round of immunizations. Both Thomas and Michael did a good job, they cried of course during the shots, but as soon as they were in mom's or grandma's arms they quieted down quickly. Neither boy has had an adverse reaction to the shots, they were a little crabby yesterday but that was to be expected. As for Michael and his monitor, we are getting all the information that has been recorded on the monitor downloaded and analyzed. When our doctor gets the results of the download, he will then make a decision about wether or not Michael can come off the monitor. We are hoping and praying that he will let us take Michael off th monitor.

For the past week and a half we have enjoyed the company of Grandma Dillner. She is spoiling both mom and dad and the twins. David has enjoyed many of his favorite foods that his mom makes. I have also enjoyed them. Thomas and Michael have also enjoyed meeting their grandma. They will be sad when she has to leave.

Last week, Thomas and Michael learned a little bit about the history of our great country. David took Friday off of work, and we went on an outing to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. We all had a wonderful day, learning about our first president. The boys were great, the slept most of the day. They enjoyed being close to mom and dad in our baby carriers. David also has taken off tomorrow and Friday, so who knows what other adventures the boys will go on before Grandma goes home on Saturday.

Better Late than Never

As promised I have added more pictures to the website. I am sorry that they were not uploaded in the week timeline that I had mentioned, but what can I say, I am a busy person. Enjoy!

Busy, Busy, Busy

The Dillner twins have been busy this past week. The continue to grow like weeds! Getting bigger every day.

On Thursday we took a trip to visit all of our friends in the NICU. They were all so happy to see the boys. They couldn't get over how big they are getting.

On Saturday the boys got their first tour of a Civil War Battlefield. We loaded the boys up in our baby carries, such a blessing, and walked around Kernstown Battlefield and enjoyed listening to a volunteer explain the battle. The boys won't remember much as they both slept soundly.

Thomas and Michael are anxiously waitng for Grandma Dillner's arrival this afternoon. They are excited to meet their grandma. David is excited to have his mom make him some of his favorite foods. I am excited to have some company during the day. Grandma Dillner will be out here for almost 2 weeks.

Perfect Timing!

It never fails, at the end of a busy day, when I am looking forward to falling into bed, and as I am getting ready for bed. What do I hear? Yes the cry of a hungry baby. Which usually then leads to the cry of another hungry baby. At first I was upset by this because I just wanted to go to bed. Then it started happening on a regularly. I finally came to grips with it, when I realized that it was probably better for me to feed the boys as I am going to bed, instead of sleeping for a short while and then being woke up.

The Dillner family went on a shopping outing this weekend. David and I took the boys to Kohls, Target, Subway and Borders. They enjoyed this outing very much, probably because they were getting new clothes. We found cute Halloween and Thanksgiving outfits for the boys. We bought they boys outfits with room to grow. So for the time being they get to swim in their clothes.

Hopefully I will get to post new pictures sometime this week.

Getting Bigger

Both boys are doing great, says the doctor. He is really pleased with their weight gain, around an ounce a day, he would be happy with half an ounce a day. I guess the boys are overachievers! Thomas weighs 7 lb 6 oz and is 20 in long. Michael weighs 7 lb even and is also 20 in long. We opted to not have their shots today. The doctor wanted to wait a little bit longer, so they can get a bigger. We go back again in 3 weeks, then we will have shots and a discussion about taking Michael off the monitor. We will see how things go between now and then. Hopefully he continues not to have many alarms.

Ernesto

This weekend, Thomas and Michael survived their first tropical storm. Tropical Storm, then Tropical Depression Ernesto was forcasted to drop anywhere from 5 - 10 inches of rain in our area. This prompted schools to be closed due to fear of flooding. If Ernesto did what forecasters were calling for, it could have been an interesting weekend. Instead of pounding us with rain and lots of wind, we received probably about 2 inches of rain, but it was a steady rain and a little wind. The kind of rain we needed. We were lucky, some parts of Virginia did get up to 10 inches of rain and had strong winds. Although it was kind of weak, Thomas and Michael can say that they have been through a tropical storm.

The Dillner family is enjoying a relaxing Labor Day weekend. We had some friends over for dinner on Saturday night and otherwise we have been pretty lazy. David is glad that he does not have to work today, so he can spend more time with Thomas and Michael. Tomorrow the boys go back to the peditrician. We will post a full update of the doctor's report, including weight and length, tomorrow.

Lunch Out

Today Thomas and Michael experienced their first restaurant. I decided try and take the boys out by myself this afternoon and meet some teachers from my old school for lunch. I got the boys loaded in their carseats and into the car. I had already phoned one of my friends and she was going to help me carry one the boys into the restaurant. We made the short trip to the Chinese restaurant. Thomas and Michael met many new people and slept while mommy enjoyed some time out of the house and conversing with adults! I decided the trip was a success. Who knows where we will venture in the future!

Yesterday the boys ventured to City Hall to see where daddy works and let daddy show them off.

I am doing okay with the boys during the day. The only time it gets a little stressful is when I am feeding Thomas or Michael and the other is crying because he is hungry. Hopefully as lthe boys get bigger, I will be able to feed them at the same time. Otherwise the boys are very good, they like to lay on the floor and look around, spend some time on their tummy or in the bouncy seat and most of sleep. I like it when they sleep at the same time so I can either get somethings done around the house or take a nap.

We go back to the peditrician on Tuesday. Depending on how much they weigh, they may get their shots. The doctor likes to give baby shots when they reach about 7 pounds. If the boys are not to 7 pounds yet, then we will hold off on the shots for awhile. We also hope to get an idea of how long Michael will have to be on the monitor. Hopefully not much longer.