right this very minute...

the babies are doing this....

and granted i doubt it will last long, it sure is cute while it lasts!

and yes, i had to use my awesome stealth-like skills to capture this picture...the camera almost blew my cover though--they should make silencers for cameras too

Movie Monday

Earthquake Training?

Cloth Diapers 103: Bumgenius Organic All in One

Bumgenius diapers are like the Lexus of cloth diapers. They are snazzy, dependable and a bit expensive...but really i do love these diapers. They are so cute even the babies don't even need pants!


Although Bumgenius makes lots of different types of cloth diapers, we use their newest style, the Organic 3.0 One Size All-in-One Diaper . Bumgenius diapers are brightly colored and very well-made. Here's a pic of 2 of our diapers in Ribbit and Moonbeam.





All-in-One Diapers (AIO) are diapers that have both the absorbent diaper part and the waterproof cover sown together--you only need this one piece, it's by far the easiest cloth diaper system available. Once the diaper is dirty, just like with a sposie, you take the whole thing off and start over with a new diaper.





A one size diaper (OS) is a diaper that is intended to be used for your child's entire diapering years--birth to potty training. There is a weight range for which the diaper should fit: Bumgenius claims their diapers should fit babies from 7-35 lbs. From my experience and from what i have read, most other cloth diapering moms agree that bumgenius diapers do not fit babies very well until they are about 10lbs. This is really a common issue with most OS diapers. The way a OS diaper works is that there are 3 different rise settings on the diaper. The rise snaps are the lowest 3 set of snaps on the diaper. The first picture shows the diaper open to its largest setting ..the 2nd pic shows how to adjust the diaper to its smallest setting--this is the setting we are currently on with no sign of moving up any time soon.


Bumgenius diapers come with 2 types of closures, Aplix (velcro) or Snaps. Depending on who you talk to you will get a different opinion on which closure is best. In general, you can get a more customized fit with Aplix and the diaper change may be a bit quicker and/or easier for big hands (like a Daddy's), but snaps are more durable in the wash and are harder for kids to take off when they reach the age to want to do so. We have not experienced any fit problems so far with the snaps and i feel like because of the durability of the snaps--i am getting more for my money.



The material in the inside of this diaper is made from an ultra-absorbent organic cotton. I love buying organic cotton products whenever i can--so this is a BIG plus for this diaper. If you don't know much about organic cotton, it is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production symptoms replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. Also organic cotton is very absorbent and doesn't retain some of the smells that other cloth diaper fabrics seem to have and lets face it...what more do you want from a diaper than something that is absorbent and not smelly?



The only real qualm that I have found with this diaper is that if you are exclusively breast feeding your child, the poo may not always be contained--at least in the beginning. We really haven't had too many problems with blowouts from Holden, but because of Nora's skinny legs, it's hard to get a tight fit around her thighs and therefore blow-outs tend to happen. Other types of diapers prevent these types of leaks by sewing in leg gussets--a pic of another diaper brands gussets are shown to the right. If Bumgenius had this one feature--it would be the BEST diaper available...that's just my opinion of course. Just now since Nora has hit around 12 lbs am i noticing a drop off in the leaks with her poo and i believe by the time they both get a bit bigger and they start eating solids, therefore resulting in more solid poops, there will be no more leaks.


There are however no blowouts from the top of the diaper. I used to HATE this problem with Nora, because it would run all up her back and get all over clothes. Bumgenius has a wonderful elastic feature at the top back of the diaper to prevent this problem from happening--and i love it!

The last thing i would like to talk about with these diapers are the laundering. I do plan to later devote a whole blog to cloth diaper laundering...that seems to be so many people's main concern with cloth. But for now, what's important to know is that as with all organic cotton diapers, they must be prepped in the beginning to get all the naturals oils off of the fabric in order for this to be absorbent. This process does take a little bit of time, but the more washes you do with your organic diapers the more absorbent they will become..so just stick with it! Also, as is a common problem with AIO diapers, they take a longer amount of time to dry. Usually I just hang them up on a drying rack and they are dry by the next day. They do get a little stiff this way, but if you just stretch the cotton out a little bit with your hands it will soften right up.


So that's it for Bumgenius...I would definitely recommend trying some of these diapers out. They are great to have around for babysitters, resistant cloth diapering dads, or for when you are running errand. They are so easy anyone can do it!


Here's a pic of Holden and his puppy showing off their cute Bumgenius bums!

Picture Day

We had the babies 4 month pics taken a couple of weeks ago and just got them back last night. We're pleased with them, hope you like them too!

Sakes Alive....Already Five?

Haha, how’s that for a corny title? But yeah, the babies are five months old now, and wow what change can happen in a month. They are so much more aware these days. They interact with us, laugh at us, they study on everything and I swear I can see them growing right before my eyes. Every morning when I go to get them from the beds it seems like they have grown since the night before. It really is amazing.

There are a lot of things that are the same for both babies so I will go ahead and talk about those first.

We are not currently feeding the babies anything other than breast milk and the plan is to continue that exclusively until 6 months of age. After 6 months the plan is to leave it up to them—(at least as long as they’re health and growth continues). I’ve done a lot of reading and research and have come to the realization that everyone has their own opinion about how and when to start solids. As their mother, I plan to take the approach that “mom knows best” . Considering they sleep great through the night, they are gaining weight, hitting all their developmental milestones and considering the fact that breast milk is the best possible food for your babies, I see no reason to rush into other foods. I have thankfully been blessed with a wonderful experience in breastfeeding. I seem to have a great supply and have had no problems thus far, so I would like to continue as long as possible. That being said, once they show interest, we’ll get started. I am planning to make most of my own baby foods and have been reading up on what foods to start with first and collecting fun recipes to try.

With Nana going back home and the babies being with me basically all the time, I really have no idea how much they are eating at a time—it looks like Nora can still take as little as 4 oz. and as much as 6 oz. and Holden still somewhere between 5-6 oz. I still have to assume that they are eating much more than that when nursing because otherwise they wouldn’t be growing. I think they are both a little lazy with the bottle and prefer to nurse. I have been told to try out some different nipples, I just haven’t gotten around to getting out and buying some. The babies are both definitely capable of going longer between feedings now. If I can’t get to a feeding right at 3 hours it isn’t the end of their world—usually. This is most helpful when out running errands. They can easily go with only 4 feedings a day, but I have noticed that on those days the babies, Nora in particular, are more likely to wake up in the early morning hours wanting to eat again. If I can limit the length of their naps and squeeze in a 5^th feeding—there isn’t any waking up at night.

Sleep as you can probably infer from above is going well. God thankfully blessed me with some wonderful sleepers. My triumph for this month has been organizing daytime sleep. We now have 2 solid naps a day—1 about 1.5 hours after they wake up in the morning—this nap can last from 2-4 hrs. Then they nap again in the afternoon for at least 3 hrs. sometimes up to 5. Then by 7 o’clock these babies are done with the day and WANT to go to bed. I know that sounds like a lot—but they never fight it and get pretty cranky without the naps—so we just let it happen.

The biggest excitement of the month for both of them is their OH SO SWEET LAUGHS! We still have to work really hard to get them, but when we do get a giggle it’s the best thing ever! I could spend all day trying to get them to laugh at me cause I just love it so much!

~Nora Grayce Burns~

The fifth month is an off month for well-baby visits so I don’t have any weight/length stats for ya but we did try to weigh the babies on the scale a couple of nights ago. It looks like our Norabird is around 12 lbs and judging by the fit of her clothes I would say just a tad bit longer than she was at 4 months. Her 3 month clothes still fit her best.

If I may be prejudiced for just a minute, I just think Nora is so beautiful. Her eyes are light blue especially when hit by the sunlight, we still assume both babies eyes will turn green at some point, but hers are so much lighter than Holden’s we’ll just have to wait and see. She also has a surprising amount of red in her hair—obviously not a carrot-top red, but a dark auburn color. We have had many comments on it lately—but there does seem to be red heads on both sides of our families, so we’ll just have to see. Her feet are still abnormally skinny and we still can’t find one pair of shoes that fit. Thankfully we live in Hawaii! She needs little ballet slippers that can tie up or something.

Everywhere we seem to go Nora demands attention and gets it pretty easily. Her expressions draw people in and her smiles are infectious. Her whole body literally lights up when she gets excited. Thing is she is already a master manipulator…she is happy as long as she is getting exactly what she wants and then she works that boo-boo lip like no baby I’ve ever seen. Where did she even learn that from?? That lip works on most people but Mommy and Daddy know the truth and just let ignore her during these times. I am still hoping she grows out of it!

She has grown out of the continuous crying, thank the Lord. Nora has even started talking to herself instead of crying when she wakes up in the morning. She also spends a lot of her time singing, like in our previous Movie Monday post. That singing just warms my heart. I absolutely love listening to the sweet sound of her voice and it’s so much more soothing than that awful bird-like crying..for which she will always carry her nickname, Norabird.

Milestones for the month are that she is now a proficient roller. She only does it when she wants to, but she is more than capable. We took the babies for 4 month pictures at Olan Mills and we had the hardest time getting a shot of the two of them together because Nora kept rolling over and out of position each time we took our hands off of her. She also is good at moving around…no more leaving her on beds and couches unattended, in the magical baby way, she moves around pretty good. We have even had to develop a way to strap her into the swing while she is swaddled so she won’t scoot out. She also is working on reaching out for things. She can almost reach out for me when I put my hands out for her---the hands go more up in the sky than towards me, but its still a sweet gesture! She can grab our hands and her paci when put in front of her, but hasn’t shown much interest in other toys lately. I have just started working with her on sitting up, the head control is totally there, the problem will be with the bending…Nora likes to be stick straight all the time which cause a slight issue when trying teach her to sit.

Other highlights for the month are her first trip to a waterfall, first trips to the beach and first swim in the ocean.

Nora’s Likes Include

-bouncing and playing the “earthquake game” with daddy

-diaper changing time

-baths

-being swaddled

-swinging

-walks in the stroller

-laying on the floor ---doing her “floor routine”

-her paci

Nora’s Dislikes Include

-waiting on brother

-the jumparoo

-cleaning out her nose and ears

-stopping at stoplights

-laying in her crib during the day

-tummy time

~Holden Reece Burns~

My sweet little boy isn’t really all that little anymore. We are constantly amazed and commenting on his growth. We think he weighs around 15.5 lbs and he keeps getting longer and longer. He is wearing mostly 6 mo clothing and even those things are getting tight in the crotch. As much as I like onesies, it seems that shirts/shorts sets fit him better because of his length. We are beginning to get comments when going out about how much bigger Holden is than Nora—someone even asked me today, in disbelief, if they were twins.

He may be a big boy, his daddy likes to call him “bruiser” even, but inside Holden is the sweetest, softest, most tender baby boy ever. He has the cutest smile I’ve ever seen and he will willingly give it to anyone. When he flashes that grin and gazes up at me it melts my heart, and all I have to say is “Lord have mercy” on all the little girls out there!

Holden is not only growing in size, but he is also hard at work growing his HAIR! It’s slow and steady but we now have a full coverage of fuzz again and it seems to be a bit darker than it was when he was born. It’s not quite long enough to tell about the texture, but when he was born it was a bit curly so we’ll have to see. Holden is in general lighter than Nora, we really have to watch his skin on our outings. Also, he easily gets heat rashes as well as red marks on his face from simply touching or rubbing a little too hard. When he is tired at night and starts rubbing his face sometimes it looks like someone has beat him up because his face is so red and blotchy.

No matter wherever we are and whatever we are doing Holden is the perfect baby to take. As long as he is being held he is content. Some days though he wakes up sad or something and just needs extra love—like today. He woke up crying and I went to get him, laid him on the changing table and stepped away for a second to attend to Nora and get the trash can and he WAILED because I had left him… “How do I know this” you ask? Well, because as soon as I came back and picked him up and got quiet, laid his head down on my chest and grabbed onto my shirt with his little fists…then when I tried to lay him down again, he started crying all over again.

I am happy to announce that Holden is finally getting better in his carseat. I would say only about a third of the time now does he scream in the car—and even on those trips he will eventually stop, which is a GREAT improvement from last month. Sadly though, Nora has gotten worse in her carseat, so there still isn’t much of a break for Mommy. If ever Mike and I meet up somewhere and have 2 cars I always beg to drive the car home so he can take the truck and babies. I just have to say I will never again underestimate silence in the car, or actually being able to hear and enjoy the radio.

Holden’s most favorite thing to do these days is play in his new rainforest jumparoo. This jumparoo can entertain him for quite a long time. The funny thing about this is that when it’s time to get him out sometimes I have a hard time because he is so slippery from all the slobber that has ran down his chest for the past hour or so. Yuck!

Holden’s milestones for the month include: rolling over—although he almost always prefers not to. I was beginning to worry that he couldn’t do it at all and then one night he was just in the mood and started showing off…so I guess he can do it, he just chooses not to..he’s almost perfected going from back to stomach—he gets about 80% there and then throws his legs to the other side and does the same thing, its like a new game for him. He also is very interested in his toys. He reaches for them, grabs them, rolls them, etc. The lights on his jumparoo can really get a reaction out of him and he starts kicking and jumping BIG TIME!

Holden’s Likes Include:

-being held and cuddling

-walks in the stroller

-talking with people

-his fish mobile

-jumparoo

-kisses

Holden’s Dislikes Include:

-being alone

-tummy time

-loud noises

Waimea Falls

This Monday we went to Waimea Falls Park. It's one of those touristy things to do on the Island. We did it soon after we first moved here and then i've been once more with some visitors. It's one of the only easy to get to waterfalls on Oahu, too bad you have to pay to get to it!

On the hike to the waterfall...i should really call it a "walk" considering the trail is paved...there are lots of beautiful Hawaiian trees and plants to look and even some awesome peacocks roaming around showing off their beautiful feathers. This valley was a spiritual center for the ancient Hawaiians, and it's understandable with all its beauty.

For a few years the valley used to be an adventure park...you could jump off the top of the waterfall, kayak, horseback ride, and take other cool tours. Now it's just a botanical garden, there to preserve some of the natural Hawaiian plants and birds. You can still swim in the waterfall though--although we did not try and do that this time.

Some of you may be interested in knowing that this waterfall has been used for some scenes in LOST. In the first season this was the waterfall that Kate and Sawyer found the briefcase in and then again, in the third season the couple with the bag of diamonds had some shots filmed at this waterfall.

Here's a few pics of the day. Holden was super tired so we didn't take him to the water, but i did take Nora down to the edge to put her feet in. Strange enough, a lifeguard came after me and tried to make me put a lifevest on her. I mean, we were both fully clothed and obviously not going very far. I looked at him like he was crazy..do they even make lifevests for 12 lb. babies? Ha.

Finding Our Balance

If you don't already know, either through personal experience, or through observation...Babies really do rock your world.

I mean this really isn't a novel revelation or anything--in no way did we assume that after having the twins our life would be just as it was before. If anything we haven't had any expectations of what life would be like as parents--we're just kinda playing it on the fly right now and learning as we go.

Now we are 5 months in--so far so good. These past few months have been solely devoted to taking care of our newborns. Ya know, feeding, diapering, figuring out sleep, getting routines in place, etc. Not that we are experts after 5 months, but I do think we've got a good handle on things.

So I guess you could say if our pregnancy journey had a TO-DO List, it would look a little something like this...
Step 1: Get pregnant--CHECK
Step 2: Have baby (or babies)--CHECK
Step 3: Come home, learn those babies and get through the first few weeks--CHECK
Step 4: Establish a routine--CHECK
Step 5: Insert our "old selves" into our new lives --IN PROGRESS

If you haven't noticed from our blogs recently we are starting to venture out a little bit more and do some of the things we used to do--pre kids. As I said above when we found out we were having twins any expectations i may have had about having children went away--i really had no idea what to expect other than just knowing that we'd handle whatever would come. I always had thought we'd have a baby spend a few weeks getting adjusted and then just strap 'em on (i have always imagined i'd be a babywearing mommy) and just keep on doing what we do. You may think that idea was a bit idealistic, but i've seen plenty of families do it.

So anyway the twins came and feedings seemed to take up about a third of my day alone (literally i was feeding at least 8 hours) and then there was diapers, laundry, baths, keeping the house in some sort of order, trying to get the babies to sleep, and trying to get some sleep ourselves. Leaving the house to do ANYTHING just really didn't seem worth it--especially when i went in somewhere only to have both babies start crying and everyone looking at me funny.

When Mike left for Cali the babies were still so small, but since he has returned they have changed so much. They are so much more aware now and can handle longer periods of awake times. Other things are starting to catch their attention and keep them entertained. Most of all it seems that we can just look at their faces and watch them learning and soaking everything in. It's really quite amazing. So along with the babies growing and changing, we are learning how to take them out and do some of the things we used to like to do. We've made a few beach trips recently, and this past weekend we went on a small hike to a waterfall. We've also eaten out at restaurants, stayed for lunch after church on Sundays and i've met up with some friends for the day.

Mike being home has made the biggest difference. Knowing we don't have a lot of time left before he leaves has made us really get out and do stuff. It's also easier with him home simply because we aren't outnumbered by babies--and even with the extra set of hands it can still be hard, but at least with Mike, he's the dad..the babies are as much his responsibility as mine so i don't feel like i am inconveniencing him or bothering him when we are out. And most importantly everything is just more fun with him home. I love our family--i love getting out and doing things as a family and i wish it could always be like this.

Not only are we finding new things to do as a family we are each finding our way doing some things as individuals and as a couple again. Mike has started back up with his bike riding and is taking some time to do a few guy things with friends. I am also taking some "mommy time" --going shopping, bunco nights with the FRG girls, and i'm hoping to fit in a pedicure soon! Together, thanks to some great friends and family, we have had a couple of date nights and specifically we went our battalion luau this past weekend. It's so important to have time for each other too!

Being parents is absolutely wonderful--really it's everything i could have ever wished for, but it's exhausting and sometimes you walk by a mirror and look at yourself and you think "is that really me with that greasy hair, those baggy eyes, and spit up stains all over your clothes?" This past few weeks, getting out of the house, dressing up, doing fun things as a family and then also having time to myself has been so great. I feel like me again, but a better version--the "mommy version".

So I guess that's it for now ~our quest for finding balance in our lives~ Trying to be both 'involved new parents' while trying not to lose out on the activities that we used to do and the interests that we used to have...the things that make us who we are.

Movie Monday

Singing in the Car

(yeah the camera angle is terrible...i was filming blind from the front seat)

Ice Cream Dinner

Growing up, at my old church we used to have an 'ice cream dinner' each summer. The main event of course would be ice-cream....but the homemade kind, not store bought. Everyone would make their own ice cream--all different kinds of flavors and the makers would be lined up on tables in rows and you could just go down the row, like in a buffet and fill your bowl (or bowls, if you so needed) with as much ice cream as you could handle. Of course they served hot dogs at this event too, and i do love a good hot dog, but even hot dogs couldn't hold a candle to the level of awesomeness of the ice cream. Oh this was my most favorite thing. Homemade ice cream is still one of my all-time favorite foods--and it's a food that i RARELY get to have.

sidenote: i could use an ice cream maker if anyone wants to donate one to me--not these new fakey kinds, but the old--mix the cream, fill the contraption up with ice and let it loudly churn for hours kind of ice cream maker. I love kitchen aid and all, but they have nothing on the old ice cream makers.

Anyway, although not the same at all (we do the best we can!) Saturday night I convinced Mike that we should have ice cream for dinner. Since it was like 7:00 and we had no plans for dinner and we had a Cold Stone gift card burning a whole in our pocket, it really didn't take much convincing. So we broke our cardinal rule of "never mess up the babies bedtime" and packed everyone up to drive to the nearest Cold Stone for dinner. Mike had the 'Founders Favorite', full of chocolate and peanut butter, and I had a cheesecake concoction with strawberries and cherries. While we ate our oh-so yummy dinner, the babies just sat in their strollers staring at us. We may have even teased them a little just for kicks and giggles (and pictures of course). Kinda mean huh?

Don't worry i told them all about how yummy ice cream is and how one day we would all come back as a family and they could have their own ice cream too--but i would probably make them eat they're veggies first, or at the very least a hot dog! I don't think giving children ice cream for dinner really qualifies as "good parenting" but then it probably doesn't qualify as a good personal choice either, but oh well. Gotta live a little, yeah?

seems like they could care less at this point

teasing Holden...Nora is reaching for it...i better watch out, she's gonna love ice cream like her mommy!

Happy 4 Years!

About this time today, 4 years ago, i was getting ready to marry my best friend and the sweetest guy i know. It was a great day, and its been an even better 4 years. I don't think either one of us could have ever predicted that in 4 years our life would be like it is now. But I love our family and am thankful for everyday i have with them. Mike you are a great husband and father and I love you so much!

I don't have quick access to my wedding pics at the moment, but i did find some fun ones from our engagement! Enjoy!

the proposal... well the second time, discovery cove wouldn't allow mike to take the ring in the water with the dolphins--so he did it again on the beach!

this was my yes...

and here's my favorite dolphin in the whole wide world...Cindy!