Wordless Wednesday

Starting "Solids"

My plan is to start solid foods with the girls around the 6 month mark.  Before we do this daily, our pediatrician recommended just starting with some simple foods during the 5th month.  Two weeks ago, we tried rice cereal.  It was funny to see their reactions to something that wasn't breastmilk.  Jenna liked it better than Rachel.  We may try again with some other flavor added in.

Rachel: First taste of rice cereal

Jenna

Day 2: Let's try again.....

Day 2: "I think I like it!"

Last week, I tried mashed bananas and they like it so much better than the rice.  Jenna loves to grab and hold the spoon.  Rachel smacks her lips and looks like she wants more.  I'm not feeding them consistently now but hope to have more of a routine by the end of the month.  

Rachel's eating bananas

 I've been doing a lot of reading about making my own baby food. There are so many benefits and lots of great resources with ideas of different food to make for your baby.  As we branch out to try some new foods, I want to start making and freezing different kinds.

The girls getting used to their high chairs. 

We made it!

Our month of limited spending is over and I think we did pretty well.  We still bought groceries and made a few trips to Target.  I didn't buy any new clothes (for me or for the girls).  We made lots of home cooked meals and enjoyed sitting down for dinner every night.  Frozen meat and veggies were used up and so were lots of things in the pantry.  I still have the $20 bill in my wallet too!!
During this past month I started to learn a little bit about "couponing".  I've always had a coupon file but didn't realize that there are websites dedicated to teaching you how to get great deals on name-brand items.
Here's my favorite website so far:
Krazy Coupon lady
I've got my coupon binder put together and actually took it out when we went shopping on Monday.  With a little extra time and some pre-planning, I think it should be easy to save money.
One of the main reasons for doing what we did last month was to see if it was possible for me to stay at home and leave my teaching job.  I sent in my letters of resignation last week, so it's official.  I will be a stay-at-home-mom for at least a year and maybe longer.  Some days I think it is harder than going to work (because there is always something that needs to be done!), but it is so rewarding to see all the new things Jenna and Rachel are doing each day.

What's new with the girls?

• Rachel rolled over today from her back to her belly!  She got there and realized that she really doesn't like tummy time.  She needs to learn how to roll back!
• Jenna plays peek-a-boo with herself!  I play this with a blanket, covering their faces and finding them again.  When Jenna was supposed to be napping, she would cover her face with her blankie, kick her legs, then uncover her face and smile.  I watched without her seeing me and she did this for a while!  So cute!

Just some fun pictures:

Rachel

Jenna

5 months old!

Each month on the 26th, I get excited that the girls are another month old. Everyone always says that time flies, but it truly does! As I look at the babies every day, I don't see the changes but then I look back at pictures from 1, 2, 3 months ago and realize just how much they have grown and how much they have changed.

2 Months Old: February 26, 2011

May 26: We're 5 months old today!

Lately, people have commented that Jenna and Rachel are looking more alike.  Other people are saying that they really look different.   I see their differences every day.  As a mom of twins, I'm trying hard not to compare them, but to see them as individuals.  Here are some things I've been noticing recently:

Jenna (Baby A)

*loves reaching and grabbing toys

*chews on EVERYTHING

*loves her soft blankie with tags

*talks quietly and coos (sounds like singing)

*can lift up her head now and pushes with her arms

*doesn't roll over yet

*has the greatest baby laugh

*like to be tickled on the belly and under her chin

Rachel (Baby B)

*loves batting and kicking toys on the floor gym

*holds toys for a few seconds then throws them!

*loves her soft blankie with tags

*talks and gurgles when she's excited

*loves when we sing to her

*doesn't roll over but likes to roll on her side

*her laugh is the cutest squeal!

*talks and talks until I turn on the video camera!

Some more recent pictures:

May 14, 2011: Rachel

May 20, 2011: Rachel and Daddy

May 22, 2011: Rachel and Jenna

May 24, 2011: Jenna and her Sophie Giraffe

May 26, 2011: Jenna in the jumperoo

Mother's Day

What a wonderful day today turned out to be!  I was so excited to be celebrating my first Mother's Day.  Kenny brought me a present this morning and in the typical family tradition, it was wrapped to disguise the contents.  It was a large box and when I opened it, there were new diapers...Yeah! But in one of the diapers was a smaller box.  Inside that box was a beautiful ring: white gold with 2 offset blue topaz stones and diamonds.  Blue topaz is the birthstone for December and Kenny found the perfect ring with 2 stones for the 2 girls.  I know in the previous post we had talked about not spending this month, but I am really glad Kenny got me this gorgeous gift for Mother's Day!
We went to church this morning, played with the girls all afternoon and then Kenny made me Veal Marsala with pasta, biscuits, salad, and apple pie.  YUM!  I felt completely blessed today!

Videos from April and May

Here are some more recent videos of the girls.  They are really becoming more active and making lots of cute noises.  

April 16,2011: Jenna playing on the mat with my dad, Grandpa. 

April 20, 2011: Rachel and her singing grandma!  Rachel was talking while my mom was changing her diaper and singing to her.

May 3, 2011: Rachel found the mirror on her playmat.  She was making all kinds of noises while looking at it:

May 5, 2011: I laid Jenna on the playmat not realizing the little keyboard was nearby.  She starting kicking and making it play.  It was really cute!

May: The No-Spend Challenge

I had read an article in Reader's Digest about a family who would commit to not spending money during a month except for necessities. They went to the extreme including gasoline and internet access as things they could live without.

http://www.rd.com/family/hochman-family-cuts-spending/

We won't go that far! Kenny and I tried this a few years ago and we were amazed at how much money we saved in a month. As I try to make my decision about going back to work vs. staying at home, I decided that this would be a great time to try to make May the month of "no-spending"! Being at home, I often find myself browsing websites and being drawn into shopping online. There are all kinds of incentives and discounts that I find hard to pass up. We've received LOTS of clothes for the girls and as I organized I realized there was no NEED to buy more (but who can walk by the baby clothes without seeing something cute to buy!) So, I will refrain from online shopping for this month! There is a $20 bill in my wallet and I hope it is still there at the end of the month.

Our "rules":

• When meal planning, use what we have first, and then buy just what is needed and only what it on the list.
• No clothing purchases.
• No eating out or ordering in (pizza, subs, drive-thru etc.)
• Check cupboards and use what we have before buying more (cleaning supplies, toilet paper, etc.)
• Be amazed at our bank account and how much is saved!!

A post wouldn't be complete without some photos of the girls.

Jenna and Rachel

Jenna holding up her head! (Finally!)

Jenna in the Bumbo seat looking at daddy:

Jenna and Rachel with Cow outfits from my friend, Crystal:

The cow outfits from behind!