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.

I really haven't forgotten.

I really haven't forgotten to upload more pictures, but I am having technical difficulties with the photo software. I am going to post a few recent pictures of the boys here until I get the software figured out.
On the left Thomas has tackled Michael and on the right Michael is taking his revenge.

The boys are working really hard on figuring out this crawling thing. Although I am not looking forward to them be mobile, I think they will be happier when they are able to get around so they can get what they want.

They are getting to enjoy new foods and textures. So far some of their favorite finger foods are cooked peas and carrots, small pieces of bananas, avocados, grapes, and pasta. They are also getting much better at drinking from a cup.

Fighting Ear Infections

When we took the boys for their 9 month check up, they both had ear infections. After a month and a half and two rounds of antibiotics they still have ear infections. One of Michael's ears have cleared up, while both of Thomas' ears are still infected. So we are now on our third round of antibiotics and have another check up in 2 1/2 weeks. If they don't show marked improvement we might be going to see an ear, nose and throat doctor, which could possibly lead to tubes in their ears. We are hoping and praying that we don't have to go the route of tubes. We are hopeful that they will get over this ear infection and then be in the free and clear for the summer. We are very thankful that the boys cope well with ear infections. When we went for a check up on Friday we thought they would not have ear infections because they gave us no reason to think they weren't feeling well.

Other than than battling the ear infections, we are working on trying to crawl. I am putting them down on their tummies as much as possible and putting toys just out of their reach. Thomas is really trying to get those toys. Michael usually rolls around until he can get to something to play with.

We have been busy traveling to see grandparents and friends on the weekends and getting our flowers and garden planted. Our vegetable garden seems to be doing well. We will see how this continues since this is our first try at a vegetable garden.

I do have more pictures to put on the gallery, I hope to get this done this week.

Bruiser

Michael has earned the nickname bruiser this week. He earned it by taking a face first dive into a pile of toys and getting a couple of bruises on his forehead! I am sure they won't be his last bruises.

First Tooth

The mystery surrounding Michael's crabbiness this week has been solved. I thought he was teething, but the crabbiness could have been attributed to being spoiled and tired from a weekend trip to Omaha to see grandma and grandpa. Everything was made clear to me this morning when I looked into his mouth and saw that his first tooth had broken through his gums. I'm not sure that David believes me as he hasn't seen it yet, but you can definitely feel the tooth. Thomas has been in a better mood, so he is either coping better or not ready to cut a tooth yet. I looked in his mouth and did not see anything. I bet it won't be too long before he is following in Michael's footsteps.

Both of the boys are discovering their voices. Michael has learned how to make a gurgling noise, it is cute until he decides do this with food in his mouth, and then food starts running out his mouth! Thomas makes this laugh that is hard to explain, it is like 'he he' but coming from way back in his throat. They both go on and on about 'da da da da,' but I can't get them to say 'ma ma' yet.

Officially Kansans Again

On Friday afternoon David and I decided to brave the trip to the DMV to get our new driver license. So I gathered all the necessary documentations and away we went. The worse part of the whole trip was trying to find the place. Since we both had previous Kansas license that was not expired all they had to do was issue a replacement license. We didn't even need all the documents I had gathered. David is excited to be a Kansan again. I on the other hand hold mixed feelings (my true Nebraskan is coming out!).

We enjoyed a nice weekend. We took the boys to check out the new Bass Pro Shop in the area. They enjoyed looking around at all the animals and fish. We also prepared the for summer by getting them their first pair of sunglasses. Michael (top picture) is not sure what to think, while Thomas is loving them. We were also able to meet David's family in Manhattan and spend Sunday afternoon with them. We love being so close to our families.
You can also check out a few new pictures of the boys in the gallery!

More pictures

As promised I have uploaded more pictures to the website. We are all doing well. We are glad the weather has warmed up again. The boys are enjoying going for walks each evening after daddy gets home from work. I hope to soon get things ready to plant a small vegetable garden in our backyard. This could be interesting, as we have never planted a garden before, hopefully it will be a success.

Finally!!!

No we haven't forgotten to take plenty of pictures of the boys lately. We just forgot the correct passwords needed to upload pictures. Finally after some digging we were able to find the correct passwords and I have uploaded more pictures of the boys. Hopefully I will get some more uploaded early this week.