Bye Bye binky--We're pacifier free!

Well, it has been 3 1/2 weeks since we took the pacifier away from Miles and it went...............

unexpectedly, amazingly, surprisingly well!!!!

We finally broke down and decided to take it away on July 5th (@ 16 months old) since we had a long holiday weekend to make-up for lost sleep if our nights paci-free didn't go well. To my surprise, we didn't lose ANY sleep! We didn't take them away in front of him, we just put him in his crib for a nap and left the room. He searched for a paci in his bed for a few minutes, whined for about 5 minutes, and then fell asleep! He has actually slept better at night ever since we've taken the pacifier away! The next night he broke my heart when before bed he got down on his belly and was searching under his bed for a pacifier :(  I simply told him "they're all gone" and we haven't mentioned the word pacifier since! 

Although I am relieved and glad that "byebye binky" went so well.....I sure am going to miss his little pacifier face :) 

At two weeks old....his pacifier was almost bigger than his face!

We mainly used the pacifier when they were babies to "hold them over" until the next feeding. Since we fed both babies at the same time and only every three hours, we would use the pacifier if one baby got hungry before the three hour mark to help satisfy them until the next meal.

Sweet boys snugglin'! This was back when Calvin took a pacifier too. He gave his up on his own at 2 months old. Notice, they took different brands....Calvin liked the Avent Soothie brand and Miles liked the Nuk brand. Who knows....did pacifier brand make the difference as to when they gave it up??? Miles was also the fussier baby and Calvin didn't cry (literally...didn't cry!) until he was 6 months old.....so maybe we just gave Miles the pacifier more often than we did Calvin. 

Pacifiers and sunglasses....just can't get any cuter!

Just can't resist that pacifier face!

Snugglin' with grandma Tammy! I think his pacifier made him a better snuggler!

Love those baby blues!

He has always been our sensitive, cuddly, huggable boy....could it be because of the pacifier??

Football+pacifier=tough guy!

Sweet boy!

Two bears sleeping in a stroller. Can you tell which one is Miles?

"I'm a Ladies Man" with a pacifier! HA

What? I am saving one for later!

At about 10 months old we started limiting the pacifier to nap, bedtime, car rides, and ouchies! He was REALLY good about leaving his pacifier in his bed when we said "Put paci in your bed" and he would always drop his pacifier on the floor of the minivan every time the engine turned off without being prompted. Such a good listener and so eager to please!

He was the BEST car rider because he would suck on his paci for 4 hours straight all the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house.....without a peep!  Brother Calvin on the other hand.....HORRIBLE car rider! I am dreading our first road trip without the paci in a few weeks.

The pacifier could always make him feel better even when he was sick with a nasty bug on Valentines Day and his birthday.  Doctors always say that pacifiers cause more ear infections and illnesses....I don't believe that is true because Miles was a much healthier baby than Calvin. If anything, the pacifier made him feel better quicker!

Nothing cuter than a pacifier-boy pushing his pacifier-baby in a shopping cart!

He loves his binky-baby!

Paci made him feel better when his brother bit his forehead :(   

I sure will miss that pacifier-face! It was probably harder on me to give it up than it was for him. Part of me wanted to keep letting him have it because I was afraid I would lose my snuggles, hugs and cuddles. Luckily Andrew is the stronger one of the two of us and he pulled the plug (literally)! I must say....I haven't lost my sweet, sensitive boy....he is still there, just without a pacifier in the way....and now I get kisses too :)  

Twins: They're ONE!! (+a month or so!)

Miles and Calvin are ONE!!!!!

Ok, I lied....they are actually 13+ months old already!! Where does the time go?? I didn't even write a blog post for their first birthday!!! Oops! I left their birthday party decorations up for a whole month because if/when I took them down it would make it "official" that their birthday was over. Sad! I guess you could say I am in denial!

My babies aren't babies anymore :(

but I will say....we ARE excited to not have to take monthly tie pictures anymore!

They just don't SIT STILL!

Wild boys!

Miles:

One year stats:
Height: 31.5 inches (95%)--1/2 inch taller than Calvin
Weight: 23lbs. 5 oz. (78%)--4 oz. bigger than Calvin
Head cir.: 19 1/8 (97%)

Favorite songs-- Likes all music but knows some actions to "Open, Shut them", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Clap your hands", "If your Happy and You Know It", "Pig on your Head", "Bingo" and "I Know a Chicken" (we sing lots of songs around here, can you tell?)

Favorite Books--I don't think he has a favorite. He just likes to shut them and throw them on the floor.

Lover of--His Daddy, when people make funny noises (burps, farts,  silly noises, etc.), his favorite DVD (Praise Baby), his brother, shoes, eating food/stuff off the floor (so gross...and we vacuum several times a day!!), Skyping with Grandma and Grandpa and his pacifier.

Words--"Mama", "dada", "hi", "done", "more". He also signs "more" and "all done".

Favorite toys--Loves his hammer and ball toy from Uncle Jason, new coupe trucks, basketball hoop, stacking cups, cell phones, the remote and basically any truck he can push around. 

Favorite foods--Basically everything, but really loves bread. 

Dislikes--Dogs (he met his first one in January and was really scared of it), fruit (but he is getting better), getting dirty, getting out of the bathtub, and when daddy doesn't pick him up right away after getting home from work.

Other important stuff about Miles--He is still our little snuggle bug and loves to cuddle
-He loves to fake laugh when other people are laughing
-He pretends to blow his nose by making a blowing sound on his hand whenever he sees a Kleenex.
-Is really good at blowing kisses and waving good bye
-Wears size 3 diapers; some 12 month clothes and some 18 month; size 5 shoes
-Used to sleep through the night pretty well until recently when he was sick and got in to some bad habits.
-Has 8 teeth
-Is extremely emotionally fragile--can go from happy to sad within a minute.

Calvin:

One year stats:

Height: 31 inches (87%)

Weight: 23lbs. 1 oz. (75%)

Head cir.: 19 3/4 (99%)

Favorite songs-- "Open, Shut them", "Clap your hands", "If your Happy and You Know It", "Pig on your Head" and "Bingo".

Favorite Books--All books, but really likes the Elmo puppet book, or anything with flaps or animals he can touch

Lover of--Climbing, his favorite DVD (Praise Baby), changing the channel on the remote, looking at books, walking aimlessly around the house, making funny noises, putting on scarfs/hats/helmets, and food.

Words--"Hi", "yes", "uh oh", "peek-a-boo", "up", Also nods "yes" or "no".

Favorite toys--Loves books, stacking cups, basketball hoop, daddy's hat, and his new coupe truck. 

Favorite foods--EVERYTHING! He eats so much food!

Dislikes--Getting his face washed, sitting still for diaper changes or to get dressed, when Miles wants something he is playing with, mornings, getting woken up, and being disciplined.

Other important stuff about Calvin--
-Loves to give wet, sloppy kisses
-Is a WILD child, has no fear and is super clumsy! (not a good combination!)
-He is pretty shy around other people, but he is loud, hilarious, and crazy at home!
-Used to be the BEST sleeper, but has been standing up crying in his bed lately (attachment issues?, teething?, too much sleep? Who knows?)
-Wears size 3 diapers; some 12 month clothes and some 18 month; size 5 shoes
-Has 8 teeth
-Loves wearing shoes. Whenever I ask if him if he wants to go "byebye" he runs over to the basket, pulls out his shoes and tries to put his hat on. So cute!

Here is what we've been up to the past two months (January 20th-March 20th):  

We celebrated Andrew's birthday on January 23rd. We took daddy out to dinner and bought him a new bike trailer so he can haul us around this summer. I don't know if it is a present for Andrew or for the boys :)

Grandma Tammy and Grandpa Brad have come to town a couple of times the past two months. We Skype with Grandma almost every day so this time when they visited us we knew exactly who they were! Here we are snugglin' up with Grandpa Brad!

The weather is still REALLY cold and snowy for these two little bears. We can't wait for Spring!

We still haven't taken the pacifier away from Miles yet. Apparently he knows where to stash an extra one "just in case". Sneaky little monkey! He usually only gets it at nap time and bedtime and if he "really" needs it during the day. If we say "can I have your paci?" or "leave your paci in your bed"....he usually hands it right over. What a good listener!

 

They have both been climbing the stairs for quite a while now (probably shortly after 10 months). Miles learned first and Calvin quickly followed. We usually have baby races to see who can make it up first (usually Miles wins....Calvin is easily distracted). Miles knows how to go down the stairs really well, but Calvin would rather just fall and roll down :) 

We LOVE when Daddy comes home from work. Miles gets very emotional if he isn't picked up within a minute of Andrew walking through the door. He is a daddy's boy! 

Miles is our neat, clean eater. He normally only eats with one hand and uses only two fingers to pick up his food. 

Calvin is exactly opposite--extremely messy! Mom and Dad usually play 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' to decide who has to clean up Calvin after every meal!

Speaking of food...we had our last bottle on Friday, March 1st. Dad just kinda decided not to give us any bottles the next Saturday....and it worked! We are getting to be so big, but now we eat SO MUCH more FOOD!

Miles had to go to the doctor on Valentine's Day and was diagnosed with Croup. Poor baby :(

Calvin was excited to open his Valentine gifts from mommy and daddy--he received a few ice packs! He is the clumsiest kid I've ever met (and I've met/worked with A LOT of kids!)

Miles was excited to open his new toothbrush and dump truck. Miles LOVES brushing his teeth!

And this is how Calvin got sick with croup a few days after Miles......he stole his brother's nasty, snotty, germed-up pacifier! Gross kid! You don't even LIKE pacifiers!

On February 16th we celebrated the boys' first birthday. They were sick the weekend of their birthday party, but the party must go on, right??  They still had fun!

And they got some really awesome toys!

Miles loves pushing around his baby (my dad calls it an "action figure") in the shopping cart. Miles took his first steps without holding on to something on February 15th, but just really started walking well towards the middle on March. 

This is their favorite place to sit and "read". They are getting a little more interested in books, but they really just love to dump them all out. This is a great picture to show how close they always sit to each other. Well.....really, Miles sits close to Calvin. Calvin is definitely the leader and Miles is the follower. 

Here is a picture of them saying goodbye to daddy in the morning. They give lots of hugs, kisses and waves "byebye" in the mornings.

And this is what happens when daddy leaves :(  This doesn't happen every morning....but they DO really love their daddy!

Here is their favorite place to "hang out". This is the BEST craigslist find ever! Every kid loves this little house. I love when they both play in there together....melts my heart!

Peek-a-boo!

Miles is our little drummer boy. He has really good hand-eye coordination and can really hit the drum well! He still loves to dance, clap and stomp his feet to music. He is really good at actions to songs. 

Oh brothers.....Calvin climbs in the back of his truck and Miles takes him for a ride. They are already getting into trouble together at 12 months old!!! What are we going to do?? 

Pajama day....and our last day of daycare :(  With a heavy heart, I have decided to stop doing daycare for a few years while the boys are still little. The boys are at an age where they need to be out exploring the world and we just weren't getting out of the house enough for me or for them. I am sad because I love my daycare kiddos so much and I will miss them, but at the same time...the boys are only little once and I need to focus more on them right now. 

We love playing in our tent!  Mom has to come up with all sorts of ways to entertain us now that we've given up our morning nap. We gave it up a little before 13 months old (way too early for Mom), but we take really good afternoon naps now so she can't complain too much! We nap from 1-3pm (sometimes later) and then go to bed around 7:45pm until 7:00am.

Oh Calvin...what are we going to do with you? Anyone want to predict when we will go to the hospital for the first time for stitches or a broken bone? If he makes it through the summer it will be a miracle!! He has already fallen a few times outside and hit his head on the cement, but luckily he had a stocking hat on so he bounced right back up. Would it be weird if he wore a stocking hat all summer? 

The little monkeys have figured out how to push the car around to reach the things they want. They can climb through the car to get onto the furniture. Sneaky (but smart and creative) little boys!

Our friend Jocelyn (and Adrian and Celeste) came over for pizza on St. Patricks Day (ok...she didn't have pizza....but we LOVE pizza). We are going to have so much fun playing together this summer! 

<3 Miles and Calvin