9 Months!

The twins are 9 months old now! Well, they were 9 months like two weeks ago, but we just had their nine month appointment this week so I'm doing the update now (ok, the real reason is that as a stay at home mom, I literally have no concept of time).

Lots of new stuff this month! The boys are both growing and learning everyday and it's so fun to watch. One of my favorite developments of the month is dancing! They both "can't stop the feeeeeling" (but prefer the "Baby Shark Doo Doo Doo" song over Justin Timberlake). It's so stinkin' cute. Also new this month is a real strong clapping effort and some serious kisses. I'm quite confident Mav is saying "momma" but then again he jabbers all day long so I can't be sure.

The BIGGEST development, however, came about this past weekend. THEY ARE TAKING STEPS! Like actual walking. Maverick took one little step Friday night, then by Saturday morning it turned into two. He caught wind that it was fun and within an hour he had taken 10 steps at a time. I was so proud...I shrieked, I think I almost cried, it was magical. THEN... the very next day, Tuck, out of nowhere, just took two steps. Then three at a time, then four at a time. WOAH. They always seem to do things at such different paces but this feat they decided to do at the same time and I'm sooooo happy!!!

A lot of moms would sit here and say "slow down, babies!" but having two babies is very hard. And every new development and step in the growing process is a welcomed relief for me. A little bit more independence means a little less trying to console two jealous momma's boys. So go, go, go, boys! Go walk, go explore, go unravel the toilet paper if it means you are content and happy for a few more minutes while I try and load a dishwasher or something. I'm all for love and affection, but for goodness sake, I could use a little space every once in a while. Ya feel me, moms?

All right, where was I? Lets skip to their doctors appointment.

I will start with this... NEVER AGAIN will I go to the pediatrician with both babies and no help. Usually if my hubby is working, I grab a Grandma or one of the many Aunts to help me. This time I attempted to do it alone but I forgot how mobile they are right now. I got them undressed and then realized there was no place to put them while we waited for the doc. Either I had to hold them, put them back in their carseats, or let them play on the floor (ewwww). Unfortunately, they ended up on the floor. What was I supposed to do? Contain them and make them scream? Ugh. Oh well.

It went pretty well though... except for when Tuck flipped over the carseat and faceplanted in front of the doctor. Nice job, mom. They were a little nervous this time when they got weighed or the doc examined them. I hate that they are old enough to have fear. We knew Maverick was starting to catch up with Tuck so we were very curious about weights and height. They have been consistently about two pounds and an inch and a half apart. But we were right, my little Maverick is catching up! He now weighs 17 pounds, 12 ounces and was 23 inches long. He's jumped up in percentile too, going from 8% to 15% in 3 months. Tucker weighed an even 19 pounds and was 23 and 3/4 inches.  I'm glad to see they are getting closer in size. I didn't want Maverick to be a little shrimp, his brothers would pick on him for sure. Nothing much else to report from the appointment. They are healthy boys, praise God!

I won't bore you with much more. They are eating well, still nursing, and not sleeping through the night. I just don't even know anymore. I'm convinced they will never sleep through the night. Whatever, they win. Moving on... I just got out all the 12 month clothes for summer so that's exciting I guess. Mav can still fit into 3-6 month clothes but I'm so sick of looking at those clothes that I finally put them away. It's nice to finally put short sleeves and shorts on them!

That's about all. Here are a few of the latest pics. Now I'm going to go eat my toast that I put in the toaster before I started writing this and then forgot about. Who am I kidding, it's not toast... it's toaster strudels. They were on sale, don't judge.

And here's a few of Easton. I can't leave him out! My sweet boy is all about the sports lately. I LOVE it!

Shortcomings of a Mother...

Do you ever feel like a train wreck of mother? Like, you love your children and protect them and all that, but you pale in comparison to the mothers on Pinterest doing crafts with their toddler while baby wearing their other child? Or the mom on Facebook who takes her kids to the park 3 times a week and does baby-and-me yoga every Saturday? I mean, good for her, but I'm just struggling to take a daily shower and keep 3 rambunctious boys alive and fed.

Yesterday, I put the twins to sleep and came out to my 2 year old who had taken an entire package of wipes and spread them across the living room floor. Later, one of the twins got a hold of a half eaten bag of Doritos, dumped them on the living room carpet, and ate a bunch before I caught wind. Both the twins have found the toilet and both have eaten a bug in the past two months. I swear, I watch them! But there are three, who insist on going in different directions. And no matter how many times I vacuum, they still manage to find something gross to eat. "Here's a ladybug, wonder what that tastes like!" Or "Mmmmm, mom's flip flop. Seems like a good teething toy!"  It's embarrassing to even type it all out, but I know for a fact that I'm not the only mom who has this issue. I mean, I've perfected the mouth sweep with my finger and I've found that a syringe of water will help rinse out a mouth full of dirt. That's gotta count for something, right?

It can be frustrating. And scary. If those things could happen in two seconds when I look way, what else could happen?! I know for a fact that I can do my absolute best at supervising and something could still go wrong. That's why I'm grateful to believe in a God that has my back, that watches over my children daily and has a plan for their lives. A God that sends his angels to guard them and a Holy Spirit to prompt me when something doesn't seem right. You know that split second where you decide to push the cup of hot coffee back a few inches further or out of the corner of your eye you notice some sort of choking hazard on the ground. Or when it gets way too quiet and you decide to go check on those little trouble makers. Some like to call it gut feelings or maternal instinct, but sometimes I think God has a lot more to do with it than we think. I think He is the one behind that little nudge to check and make sure you shut the propane tank off on the grill or didn't leave the basement door open.

Being a parent is tough, and there are a lot of ways to mess up. But I think leaning on God is the best way to go about it. He is to me what I am to my toddler... I go behind Easton cleaning up his mess, watching over him, and keeping him safe without him ever being aware of it. Like a child without a care in the world, we are unknowingly being watched, cared for, and protected by an Almighty God. That truth gives me such a sense of peace in this crazy journey of motherhood, which I feel like I fail at everyday.  He's got me.