Finally Four

It is extremely hard for me to believe that the boys are officially four years old. So I thought I'd reflect a bit on some of the good and some of the bad times we have shared. The first two weeks of their existence were probably the hardest of them all. Darren was borderline jaundice and Trevor had lost too much weight. So the day we left the hospital we had a mission. Feed these kids!!! Which meant around the clock feeding every two hours. I would nurse them first, then they would go downstairs and get a supplemental bottle. EVERY TWO HOURS. Thank goodness we had family around to take shifts, but even so, it was exhausting. The first night home was horrible because they didn't sleep at all. The following day we had to take the boys to the pediatrician to be weighed. So on this bitter cold day, we packed up the boys and headed out on our first journey. We had no idea what we were doing. When we got to the doctor's office we realized we had forgotten a diaper bag. No wait, it's not like we left it, we totally forgot to even pack one! Of course, they both peed all over the place. We remembered the diaper bag from that day on. We often wonder how many diapers we have changed over the years. Just having one out of diapers makes a HUGE difference. Darren just recently gave up the beloved "paci", which was a BIG step. Potty training is next on the list!

The first year is really a blur to me. I mean that. I relied so much on schedules because it was the only thing that kept me sane. For the first 18 months we drove them around for their morning nap, and the afternoon nap was usually taken in the stroller during our afternoon walk. Many thought we were CRAZY putting them in the car everyday, but it worked for us. It got me out of the house, I could listen to music, they could sleep, I could breath, and they were safely confined in car seats...PERFECT. They loved the aquarium bouncy seats, the exer-saucer, baby Einstein, and that floor gym. Darren used to seriously bat at the hanging toys, Trevor would gently touch them. Darren was more independent, Trevor was very clingy, wanted to be held all the time, especially in the evenings. We have always been thankful that the boys have always been good eaters and really healthy babies. Except the time when we ALL got the stomach flu, after picking up the bug at the mall changing table-all diapers were changed in the back of the car from that point on!!! That was truly awful.

Let's see, what else do I remember? I remember when Trevor took his first steps. Typical Trevor, it didn't take him long. With the help of lots of attention and praise, that kid went from taking one step to taking seven. Darren followed soon after. It seems that they only crawled for two weeks, maybe a little longer but, not much. They used to love chasing each other around the dining room table. That was so cute, they'd run and laugh.... To me it seems that we spent so much time in the car, I could have made the BEST commercial for the Toyota Sequoia. We did EVERYTHING in that car. The car, the park, the sprinkler in the summer and the mall in the winter....that's what I remember most.

I personally like the age that they are now. Age 2-3 was tough as well. Tantrums and diagnoses made for busy times. Even then, they have always balanced each other so well. Trevor's good day, might be Darren's bad day...and vice versa. This still holds true to this day. They are both really fun right now. Trevor is Mr. Independent and Darren is much more social these days. Family outings are fun...well...fun, but not perfect. I have to laugh because we attempted ice skating at the Reston Town center this past weekend. God bless Bunckle B (Brett) who had to deal with Mr. Independent on the ice....Trevor is still convinced that he CAN do it all by himself and is anxious to prove it to me the next time we go. Darren did not know how to take in any part of that extremely sensory experience. Overwhelmed is an understatement. He cried, but I know he like it as well and would certainly take them both again as soon as the grapefruit size bruise on my knee heals!

So, Happy Birthday boys. We love them so much and look forward to all that the future holds for you both

Trick or Treat

Who doesn't love trick or treating???? I am going to age myself a bit by talking about how fun it used to be running wildly around our neighborhood, waiting in line at each house for candy, and then running to the next house. It seems like we used to trick or treat for hours. We sure did cover a lot of ground and got a pillow case worth filled with candy. What fun.

Trevor decided on the costumes for himself and Darren this year. Not quite sure where the Spiderman craze came from because he hasn't seen the movies or anything. Who knows. But I thought he made a good choice, but we did so at the beginning of October. Which means were talking about Halloween for the entire month. Every night Trevor wanted to read the Berenstain Bears book....EVERY NIGHT! The excitement was contagious. I thought that the actual day of Halloween he would be a total mess due to over excitement. I was wrong. He handled himself well, even napped in the car and ate dinner before heading out for goodies! Trevor had tried on his costume as soon as we had brought it home at the beginning of Oct. So I had an idea of what to expect. But Darren looked so bulked up, those pretend muscles sent me into laughter....he looked more like superman than spiderman. Seeing them in their costumes really made me smile.

So we headed out on the trail. Keep in mind that we live in a townhouse community. They would have to climb a mountain of stairs for candy on this night. Which they did without complaint....just pure excitement. Trevor always wanted to be first (surprise) which was fine. He would ring the door bell and happily chime "Trick or Trick". At one of the houses the man who answered the door said,"well hello...are you spiderman". Trevor responded," no, I'm Trevor". That kid!!! Darren would stand patiently, to my surprise, while Trevor received his goodies and then I would prompt Darren to say his version of Trick or Treat. Which would basically sounded like a combined version of the TKET sounds. Not bad really. Then I would remind him to hold out his hand for candy. They did it over and over. I was really impressed honestly. We went to almost all the houses that had their lights on and then at Trevor's request, It was time to head home. We really went trick or treating. It was normal family fun. I liked that. Not all activities are easy for us. This was. Can't wait til next year!