Tang recorded this while they were watching a Baby Signs dvd. They love this dvd so I hope all the signs are sinking in.

Dean is on a Lightning McQueen ride on toy I got for $5 at a garage sale and Sam is on one that I won. It's like they are at a drive in, so intent on wathing the screen. When Sam gets excited, he has this weird growling laugh. Dean is unusually calm and his reaction to Sam laughing is so funny to me. I think Tang was trying to get Dean's attention and like his daddy, when the TV is on, nothing else exists.

Sam stood up by himself tonight. He wasn't propped on anything. He wasn't holding onto anything. He stood. Arms outstretched. Looking a bit stunned and excited at the same time. And 6 seconds later, he fell back. He will be walking on his own before too long.

It just seems in the last month or so, they have really been developing. They can't stay babies forever. Sometimes I wish it would slow down so I can take it all in. I hardly get to see them during the week and weekends are never long enough. I know I will miss so much being away but that's how it is being a working mom. I need to win the lottery so I can be a stay at home mom.

We took the boys to have their eyes examined today. Sam had his checked when he was a month old. The concern for him was due to his low birth weight, he may have retinopathy of prematurity. His exam at that time was very good and there were no signs of ROP. The doctor wanted another exam at 9 months. Our pediatrician said it was a good idea to have Dean examined too.

The waiting room was full. There were children with different abilities and special needs. I spoke to a woman who has a daughter with a neurological condition. Megan is confined to a chair. When her mom spoke to her about going to Starbucks way too much, she responded with smiles and laughs. It was so sweet. I was saddened for this mom and all parents who much adjust their way of thinking and way of living in order to give their children the best possible life. Then it occurred to me that children in general have that affect on people. A parent has to adjust their life and way of thinking to give their children the best life so they can thrive and be happy. We are just given hardships in different forms.

I never thought of myself as a loving individual or particularly fond of children. But I looked at these kids and felt such a surge in my heart. These parents are doing the best they can.

As I spoke to Megan's mom, I asked about where they came from. She spoke of the difficult time she was having with the school district. School systems do not look at case by case, they apply rules across the board. And when a parent has to pull a child out of school for treatment, how can that be unexcused? If a child needs physical therapy, why would that count against them in their school records?

I spoke about the difficulties we were having with sleeping through the night. I complained that Sam was such a mama's boy and that he had severe separation anxiety. I realized after the boy's exams were done that I had nothing to complain about. How can I compare sleepless nights with a lifelong condition? My kids will grow out of it but special needs kids don't grow of it.

I am so blessed to have our boys. They are healthy, they are happy and they are thriving. Would I have been strong enough to deal with a child with special needs? I don't know. But I look at special needs parents and am full of respect for their ability to make it work. I will think twice before I talk about hardships with my twins with other parents.

I like this site. It is so inspirational and has a wealth of information.

This is embarrassing to show but I am doing it in hopes of changing it. Visionbedding.com is holding a giveaway for a custom bedroom makeover ($1000 value) for the TwitterMoms blogger who has the most compelling story why a makeover is needed.

This is our bedroom. We have no wall decorations, no color scheme, no theme, no nothing.



Let's start with the bed. We don't even have a bed frame. The box springs are on the floor. It bothers me that the bed is sitting on the floor where any old bug or critter can climb up. I am not saying that bugs can't climb a bed that is on a frame. However, there is much more surface area where they can crawl into bed with us. The bedding is not coordinated and is over 6 years old. It was all purchased on sale or clearance. Do you know how expensive King size bedding is? King pillow cases start at $20-$30.



We recently took down the pack n play and removed the dresser/changing table from the room. The boys would nap in this room during the day and we tried to block out some of the light with trash bags over the windows. You can see the left side where the bags are falling down. And your eyes are not playing tricks, that really is a sword propped up against boxes.

Speaking of boxes, that is hubby's cleaning and storage solution. When he gets in a mood to clean, his idea of cleaning and putting things away is throwing them in a box and putting it in our room. We just have no place to put anything.



We do not have any type of dresser so clothes are thrown in the closet. The only furniture are two particle board night stands and a rocking chair. We have accessorized the room with 2 infant car seats, an oscillating fan and laundry baskets. Sometimes the room is decorated with an ironing board. It is a small bedroom but looks like a large room. That's because we try to keep all the "stuff" against the walls. I think I saw on HGTV that design strategy really opens up the room.

Our room is in desperate need of a makeover. I think if it actually looked clean and uncluttered, it would reduce my stress level. It would be a room I would want to retreat to not retreat from. It would be so incredible to win the makeover with products from Visionbedding.com. I love all the items you can personalize, including pillow and blankets. My favorite item is the Photo Wall Murals. I could get a picture of a Scottish castle and rolling hills. All that would be missing would be Ewan McGregor. Then I might never leave the room. On second thought, hubby would keep bugging Ewan about how he let his young padawan go to the dark side and how telling Anakin to "mind his thoughts" really wasn't the best form of intervention.

You can find details here on how to enter your room.

Today is Sesame Street's 40th anniversary. I grew up watching this and love the show. I am glad it is still on and the boys will probably watch it when they are older.

When I lived in Dallas, there was a Sesame Place, in Irving. I think it was by the Crystal Palace and I would always see the big structure from the highway. I got to go once and I remember having fun but cannot remember any details of the rides or activities. I cannot wait for the kids to get older so they can enjoy amusement parks. I can live through them.

Happy 40th Sesame Street and may you be around another 40.

Zigo from My Zigo on Vimeo.

Hubs and I used to ride our bikes around the neighborhood. I like cycling. I didn't like my bike. I am very short so when I was looking for a bike, I bought a Junior boys bike just so I could reach the pavement while seated. The problem was it was the most uncomfortable ride and the space between the seat and handlebar was too short. I felt like I was going to topple over the handlebar.

I found the Zigo by way of Jolly Mom. She is one of three blogs who are hosting a giveaway for the Zigo Leader. Go Graham Go and Babyluxe are also running the giveaway.

This bike with child carrier is valued at about $1400 and it has several configurations. You can use the bike and the child pod together as well as separately. Get a Jogger kit and convert this bad boy into a jogger. This is the coolest bike with child carrier and it is so versatile. I would love to win this and maybe I can get back into shape toting around two kids.

Go enter the giveaway and don't forget to Fan Zigo on Facebook for another chance to win a Zigo Leader X2.

Didn't I just do a 6 month update? Man, time flies.

I am getting further behind with their updates. So much has happened in the last 2 months. Sam has his two bottom teeth and Dean is sprouting his right now. They are crawlers! They have eaten peas, carrots, apple, green beans and butternut squash. They tried bananas at the end of last week and both threw up on Tang. I am not sure if they just don't like it, if their tummy was upset or they are allergic. Maybe they didn't like what she was wearing. There was no breakout so I am not sure what it could be. I will try bananas later after they have had some other fruit.

They are both such sweet, happy babies. They love to fly around the room. Their ticklish spot is their lower back and they squeal when you tickle them. They are so curious and their eyes take everything in. They love all things electronic and would rather play with paper, trash cans, drawer knobs and DVD players than their toys. Bathtime is so much fun for them and they like to splash the water. But they hate getting their hair washed. They like to sit outside and look at the lights in the sky and down the street. At some point towards the end of their seventh month, they started flipping over in their sleep. These boys are belly sleepers. I cannot get them to stay of their backs.

Developments by baby:

Sam cut his first tooth about late September, early October and now has 2 big teeth sticking up. He loves to smile and show them off. And he likes to bite and has made nursing a painful problem. I think he might be on a strike. He has fierce separation anxiety and cries like a madman when he sees me and I don't pick him up or sees me leave in the morning. I try not to cater to him and let him know that I can't always hold him. For the most part he quiets down after I leave. He hits the milestones a bit earlier than Dean. His personality most resembles mine, he wants his own way, is competitive and a bit manipulative. At least that is what Rod says. He is a momma's boy and knows how to play me. Sam crawls like a champ and gets put in the playpen more often to keep him out of harm's way. He wants to stand so badly and can already pull himself up using various toys and furniture. Rod already caught him trying to pull himself up on the crib and we have had to lower the mattress. Sam's hemangioma is still present and doesn't seem to be getting to much larger. It is the size of a quarter and with it being bright red and on his right thigh, he wants to pick at it.



Dean started his teething about a week and a half ago. They are cutting right now and he is doing much better than Sam did. He always has something in his mouth and if you are holding him, he will grab your face and try to bite it. More hair is sprouting and he might actually need a haircut by his first birthday. His crawl has not quite developed yet but he can move around. Dean takes after his dad and is so laid back. He can sit for hours chewing on some toy. His current favorite is the cloth sword that came with his pirate costume. He is a restless sleeper and can't seem to find a comfortable position. He has bad sinus problems and gets stuffy with lots of big boogies and he hates having his nose suctioned. Dean is developing an aversion to hats and will yank them off as soon as I put them on. This I know is just like Rod.

The boys had their first Halloween season and it was really nice. They got to wear their costumes to 2 fall festival and trick or treating. I know they are way too young to know what Halloween is but their dad wanted to dress them up and show them off. I think he wanted to get dressed up and take the boys to get candy.



You can't see it but there is a genuine sword that is strapped to his waist. Every time he moved or turned, he was banging it into this. I suggested he leave it at home and he thought I was insane. His reaction? "Woman! The sword is what makes the costume look good."

Oh. Ok.

I walked with them so that hubby did not have to maneuver the double stroller alone. We decided to carry the boys instead. Our neighborhood stinks when it comes to this holiday. No one on our street decorates and only one other house besides ours was giving away candy. I have a complaint about modern day trick or treating. If you do not plan to give away candy, turn your lights off. It is just for one night and only for a few hours. You don't have to participate in the holiday and it would help parents out to know what houses to avoid.

Was it 23 years ago that I took my sisters trick or treating by ourselves? There were other kids tagging along, or maybe we tagged along, but there were no adults. We walked for blocks and blocks and amassed tons of candy. I can't imagine how my mom let me take them but it was lots of fun. Back then, it was much safer. I would never let my kids go it alone in this day and age.

There are not many treaters nowadays and it is sad that such a tradition is made so unsafe with all the crazies out there. Next year, I think we will take them to a trick or treating event where it is indoors and the environment is more controlled.

On a separate note, Dolphin Girl won the $15 iTunes giftcard.
Thanks again for all the costume suggestions.

We watched The Proposal tonight and it is hilarious. Love Sandra, love Ryan and love this movie. It doesn't matter that this movie is cookie cutter and predictable, I enjoyed it. Betty White looks great for being 120. At least that is what hubs says.

There is a funny naked scene where Ryan is taking his clothes off on the balcony. Who does that?

And where can I go to witness this?

Last Friday, I was playing with Dean when I looked up at Sam and saw him coming our way.
He was very wobbly but it was obvious he was moving towards us.


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Then tonight, he really crawled.


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*sniff* Where does the time go?

This weekend was so busy. I am still exhausted and trying to recover. We went to my moms of multiple fall social, I volunteered at the Moxie Moms booth at the Katy Kids festival and then I went to a baby shower.

This is the scrapbook I am putting together as my gift. I took pictures and will print them to finish this book. I love the idea of an ABC book to commemorate the event. I received one for my wonderful shower and I still look at it from time to time.



The Moxie-Moms booth was a lot of fun. I got to help some children make hand ghosts. I had to go and suggest hand turkeys too and the kids love to get crafty. For just 2 hours of volunteer time, I get to renew for another year membership for $10. It's a huge cost savings.

Sunday, Tang and I took the boys to an au pair Halloween party held by one of the host families. Tang wore my geisha costume from a few years back and I wore my old pirate/wench costume. I found Dean and Sam pirate costumes from Babies R Us on clearance for half off so I decided to go with that. I loved the tiger and monkey outfits I found at Walmart but I really like the pirate outfits.



The boys did very well and all the au pairs just thought they were the cutest. Sam is a flirt with the ladies. I am going to have to reign him in as he gets older. Dean and Sam won cutest costume. Incidentally, the orange pumpkin girl in the background frightened Sam, it has to be the bright orange hair that set him off.



I need to attend more au pair socials because it makes me feel young. Three different people thought I was an au pair and were very complimentary when I said I was a host mom. I credit looking young and good skin to my mom. She always said to moisturize and moisturize. Pearl cream optional.

Oh to experience pure joy like this would be bliss.





I bought this jumper at a Moms of multiples buy and sell a few weekends ago and it is probably the best $30 I spent on a baby item. Considering these can go for $80-90, it was a great deal and the boys love it. The first time each of them got in it, they didn't know what to do. They started bouncing and that was all it took.

Just seeing how much fun they have in this makes it priceless.