Caleb and Matthew...

Go Tech!!! We love mommy's Red Raiders!!!
The boys got a new jogging stroller and are loving it! We went on lots of walks last week when the weather was beautiful and look forward to more when it cools off again. Caleb didn't like being stationary, but once we started moving, he was happy again!
Big grin from Caleb...
Matthew is looking up at his Daddy with those big puppy dog eyes...
Matthew and Caleb just lounging after a good feed...

Attack of the Dry Skin!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, Tim and I were upstairs with the boys one night before their bedtime and I was feeding the kiddos. Tim decided he would read them a story out of their storybook Bible before they went down.

For those of you who don't know this about Tim, he has a dependency on lotion. Actually, he is OBSESSED with lotion. He cannot stand for his feet or hands to be dry and is constantly trying to keep them hydrated. Tim almost ALWAYS has a bottle of lotion on him (he stocks up on those mini-lotions when we stay at hotels) and if he doesn't, I normally carry one in my purse for him.

Anyway, as he started reading the boys their Bible story, he became really dry and started clearing his throat. He asked me if there was any lotion upstairs and I told him to check the top drawer of the changing table/dresser. It was kind of dark, but he was able to find a tube of lotion from the drawer and applied it liberally all over his face and hands. He commented on how nice and thick this lotion was, which is one of his favorite things. about lotion.

As he walked back closer into the light (coming from the hallway), I spotted a glimpse and started dying laughing. He had gotten into the kids' buttpaste and had it all over his face and hands. He looked like a mime...after I started laughing, he asked me why and I told him. He ran into the bathroom and could not stop chuckling. The funny thing was it took him around 15 minutes to try to get the stuff off because it was SO thick. But the funniest part was that when I told him to check the top drawer, I knew the only thing in there was the kid's buttpaste!!

Furr-ternal Twins

Here was an interesting conversation with a elder gentleman at Discount Tire recently.


Man: You got some twins there?

Me: Yes sir, I do.

Man: Are they fraternal (pronounced "furrturnal" or identical (pronounced "denical"))?

Me: They are actually fraternal.

Man: My mom was a furrturnal twin, ya know...

Me: That's great...

Man: You know what they say about furrturnals...they shouldn't have children....

Me: Oh really, why is that?

Man: Well, ya see, my cousin is really like my brother cuz his mom and my mom are furrturnal twins. The doctors told my mom and her sister that really shouldn'ta had kids cuz they'll end up with mutations (pronounced "moo-tations") like me and my cousin, who's also my brother, have.

Me: Oh, okay...I haven't heard that before. What kind of mutations are you talking about?

Man: Well, just all kinds of 'em that have to do with your genes...Ya see,we keep up with all the furrturnal medical technology and that's what they told us...

Me: Oh, I think my tires are ready.....(thinking to myself---what in the world just happened?)

The answer to the question...

To answer Tim's Aunt Bonnie's question regarding "Diaper Olympics..." unfortunately, Team Tim/Matthew won. Team Mom/Caleb are training for 2012 in London.

3 months...wow!

Well, Jeanette called me today to wish the boys a happy 3 month birthday which I thought constituted a blog update since it has almost been a month! Sorry for everyone out of town who wants to see these boys' and how much they have grown! I keep thinking I will do a better job of updating this, and then the days seem to get away from me.

Anyway, the good news from the Bates' household is that we are sleeping more around here (5-7 hour stretches at night). Matthew is the better sleeper of the two. He is all or nothing, meaning he is either lights out sleeping or demanding our attention full time..we also like to describe him as our high maintenance child! Caleb usually wakes up an hour or so before Matthew at night, but we are trying to teach him to stretch his sleep a little further with the aide of a pacifier...it is a work in progress!

Both kiddos are growing like weeds and weigh around 13 pounds now. They have really caught on to the breastfeeding thing and feeding them at the same time is a lifesaver for us. Although lately Matthew has figured out that if he cries enough when eating with his brother, he gets to stop and then be fed by himself at the end which he loves. Two words--- spoiled rotten!!!

The boys are starting to interact more and more and Caleb is grinning lots these days. Tim can really get Caleb grinning and laughing and it cracks us all up. Matthew will smile here and there, but always seems more serious then Caleb. It's funny how their personalities are already coming out. Here are some pictures of the boys this last month...

Matthew is in his "Glendarroch Homes" work gear. He went to visit Daddy at the tour of homes and was pooped out when he got home after a hard day's work.
Caleb in his Texas Tech gear for the opening game of the season...Tim was not home that day so Mommy dressed both boys in Tech clothing. They seemed to really like being in Tech clothes instead of TCU gear...trust me!!!
Mommy and Matthew in the baby bjorn carrier...
Daddy and Caleb in the carrier...we had an hour long dance party with the boys in their carriers...it was great! They LOVE to dance..hopefully they will get their Dad's moves and not their mom's (or lack thereof)!
Dad caught this pose of Mommy konked out with the twinkers after a meal...
"The great compromise" (for those of you who are worried about their psychological well being--we are going to switch the team that they wear every week so they won't get too attached to one team). How well do you know the Bates Twinkers? Which one is in the TCU outfit? answers to follow!!
I wonder who it is?
This one is tricky...
Boy time---no girls allowed. Caleb is grinning big on the left.
The boys playdate with Dustin :)

It was Caleb in the TCU outfit a few pictures above. The next picture is Caleb on the carpet and then Matthew in the boppy.

Diaper Olympics

Well, the boys had their 8 week check-up this past Monday and did great! Caleb now weighs 10 pounds, 5 ounces and Matthew weighs 10 pounds, 3 ounces. They are both about 22 inches long. The doctor confirmed that Caleb does have reflux so we have started him on some meds for 3x a day and we are hoping it will help. We are also working with Matthew on turning his head to the left as he prefers the right and his head has become a little misshapen because of it. The boys had their first round of immunizations and both screamed at the top of their lungs for about 10 seconds then seemed to be okay. However, the next few days were difficult with lots of diarrhea, some low grade temps, and fussy babies. The doctor told us these things were to be expected after shots. The good news is that now that they are immunized, we feel much better about taking them out and about. Tim and I have taken them to the mall, Costco, to Tim's company job sites, and to the grocery store. I braved Target alone with the boys the other night. It surprisingly went really well except for my little argument with a lady at Target. Here was the dialogue:

Lady- "Oh look at the twins! They must be a handful!"

Emily- "They are, but they are so much fun..."

Lady- "Let's see, they are definitely identical."

Emily- "Actually, they are fraternal."

Lady- "No, I've seen lots of twins and they are definitely identical."

Emily- "Well, you can see that Caleb has a lighter complexion and Matthew's nose is different then Caleb's."

Lady- "Nope. They look exactly the same to me."

Emily- "Maam, I promise, they are fraternal."

Lady- "Sure look identical to me."

Emily- (Thinking to myself...why am I arguing with a complete stranger over the relationship between my twins...I really am sleep deprived. Just walk away from the crazy lady...)

The other exciting thing going on at the Bates casa are the diaper olympics. This game was originated by Daddy and involves a 5 point scoring system. I know, we are big dorks, but we LOVE the olympics in this house! The boys bottle feed one time a day right before bed when the olympics are on so we decided to create our own event with the following scoring system:

• Crying: scoring based on quantity and more importantly, volume
• Diaper rash cream: points awarded for even distribution and time required for the application
• Urine: Start with a 10, 1 tenth of a point is deducted for peeing in the "pee pee tee pee" that the Peyton's bought us, 3 tenths are deducted for urinating in the new diaper requiring another new diaper, a half of a point is deducted for peeing all over their clothes requiring a new outfit and a full point is taken off if even a single drop of urine touches the diaper changer.
• Wiping: 2 wipes....good, 10 wipes....bad!!!
• Overall time: The world record is currently around 37 seconds.

So far, team Matthew/Tim are winning, but Mommy and Caleb plan to come from behind for the gold. I attached some more recent pictures. Hope you enjoy!

Caleb snoozing during his tummy time.

Papa (Tim's papa) holding his great grandson, Matthew.
This was Tim's idea to put Caleb on TOP of Matthew despite Mommy's request. However, I must admit that the boys loved it. I guess they probably miss being this close as that's what they were used to in the womb.
Matthew loves his daddy, especially snuggling up close with him.
Caleb is hanging out in the swing...he's actually trying to poop!
Matthew is in his carseat getting ready to go see Dad at one of the houses.

Lots of pics...

This is Caleb getting excited before our stroller ride!
Matthew lookin' pretty cute in his hoodie...
The Salter clan (and Ben) came over for the first time to see the babies.
Daddy is talking to the boys about the Rangers game. The boys love watching the game in their uniforms with their Dad and their Mom loves the break!
Their shirts say "nothing but trouble." We thought their expressions were very fitting for their outfits on this particular afternoon! They were both screaming at the top of their lungs!
Auntie Kelly and Auntie Farron (2 of Mom's best friends from college) came for a overnight trip and were sooo helpful with the boys.
Caleb (on the left) and Matthew (on the right) hanging out on the boppy after eating.

This was the boys first time to church. Both of our families were present for their baptism. It was a very special day in our family and such a reminder of God's faithfulness to all of us.
Uncle Casey and Matthew doing some cuddling!
The Bates and Davis families hanging out with the four little boys!
Cousin Tyler was doing some loving on the boys! It was so cute---he was trying to share his apple juice with the boys because he thought they might be thirsty!

***Just FYI for those who are interested: The boys had their first professional photos done last week and the photographer posted some of their pictures on her blog. If you want to see, go to http://www.simpletreasuresphotos.typepad.com/

Okay, for some reason the link isn't working....try www.simpletreasuresphotography.com and then click on the blog link from her website.