First Thanksgiving and A Little Hand Holding!

Happy Thanksgiving 2010 - Abby and Jimmy's first Thanksgiving.

Jim and I decided to make the trip over to Muskegon for Thanksgiving this year. I was quite nervous, as this would be our first car ride with the babies that would last longer than 20-30 minutes. The drive normally takes about 2.5-3 hours, so I was nervous about how long it would take to get there with two babies that may or may not sleep during the trip.

But to my surprise, the drive went off without a hitch. I got the babies up when they first started fussing, around 5:30, fed them and got them all bundled up in their car seats hoping they would fall right back to sleep. After loading up the last minute stuff in the Jeep (OMG- travelling with two babies and all their stuff is quite amazing), we were off to pick up Jim at work. We decided it was best to pick him up from work (since he worked the overnight shift of 11pm-7am) since it would save him from driving 45 minutes back home, just to turn around and drive 45 minutes back in that direction later.

When I got to the hospital, Jim was almost ready to go. But not quite yet, so to give him more time to get ready (showered and changed), I decided to drive around Brighton a little bit to help prevent the babies from waking up (it's awesome how well they sleep in the car right now). Well, within the first 3 minutes of my drive on Grand River, I was stopped by a Police Officer. HA! I wasn't actually pulled over, but as I was turning around in a shopping complex, the officer noticed and pulled in behind me. Oh man, I was nervous (weird I know, since I am a LEO myself...but my tabs were expiring at the end of the month and I hadn't replaced the sticker yet! Oops). All the officer wanted (ha!) was to know if I was lost and needed directions (hmmmm...). So I explained that I was picking up Jim and was driving around since I didn't want the babies in the backseat to wake up. She bought it. HAHAHA (j/k).

So after looping back around and waiting for Jim in the parking lot (so not to get stopped by the Police again), we were off within 20 minutes or so. The drive was awesome. Jim napped a little bit in the car and the babies napped ALOT in the car. I snacked on puppy chow (ha - I know it was only 9am, but it was a holiday!) and rocked out to my newly created playlist on my IPOD. So long story short - the trip out there (and back for that matter) was a success!

When we got to Muskegon, we checked in the hotel, unloaded the massive amount of baby stuff we had to bring and fed the babies. And wouldn't you know it, they played a little bit on the bed after eating and then passed out! They certainly have the eat/pass out Thanksgiving thing down already! But when Abby was falling asleep, she did this:

OMG - how precious! Abby grabbed on to Jimmy's hand and held it though part of her nap. Jimmy fell asleep shortly there after too.

Here are a couple more... I just couldn't stop taking pictures of it - it was adorable!

After the babies woke from their naps, we headed on over to Jim's Dad's house for Thanksgiving. It was a great day and so fun introducing the babies to the family they haven't met yet. Abby and Jimmy loved spending time with everyone, so much so that they missed out on most of their naps. Which as I am learning, led to extremely fussy babies. But overall, they were very calm and relaxed and enjoyed all the attention they received.

Spending time with their cousin CJ was probably their favorite part (yes, I know because they told me!). CJ was such a great cousin and would hold them, help change them and bring them toys to play with. He loves his new cousins so much, you can absolutely tell.

So, in true Balow fashion, I busted out the camera to take a ton of pictures. I don't think Jim's family is used to having so many pictures taken of them at one time, but it is something I am sure they are expecting from me! I have to take pictures, it is a horrible habit to take a million of the same shot too (cause really, you never know how it is going to turn out once it is uploaded on the computer!).

Anyway, here are a couple pictures from Thanksgiving day. Please ignore the babies outfits (though their shirts are super cute), I didn't have the motivation to dress them up since they would probably spit up on their outfits within the first few minutes!

Here is Abby hanging out with her cousin CJ (again, ignore the pants):

Grandma holding on to Jimmy (sorry so dark, in the other picture, every one's eyes are closed):

Aunt Jenny cuddling with Abby:

Aunt Lynn, cousin CJ and Jimmy hanging out on the couch:

Since our hosts, Jim's Dad and step mom Carol, were so busy with Thanksgiving preparations, we weren't able to get pictures of them with Abby and Jimmy....on that day! :-) We stopped by on Friday before heading back home to spend some more time with the family. Here are some more pictures!

Grandpa spending time with Jimmy:

Carol hanging out with Abby (the faces on Abby are priceless in these pictures!

CJ and Aunt Lynn enjoying some time with Jimmy (look at CJs face- absolutely adorable! What a great big cousin!)

Uncle Paul and Kelly hanging out with Abby:

The babies first Thanksgiving was a hit! We had such a great time seeing everyone and the babies did great. We are very much looking forward to the next gathering! Miss you all Frybarger clan!

Happy 3 Month Birthday!

Happy 3 Month Birthday Abby and Jimmy. Here is my favorite shots from the 3 month photo shoot. And I love this one - Jim was doing all kinds of stuff to get the babies to smile and laugh. And boy did they ever - but catching it on camera was another story.

Anyways... what's new with the babies? Not too much. Except remember how the last couple posts, I have been talking about how easy-going the babies are. Well, I take that back. Okay, okay, I don't really, since overall they are pretty easy-going. But, wow, if they miss their nap, or don't sleep long enough, they are SUPER cranky!

I have been reading up on different techniques to test out here to get the babies to learn to self soothe and thus then eventually they will sleep longer. I am reading all kinds of books to look for different techniques to employ. Ok, I admit, I am not really reading them, as I don't have a ton of time, but instead I shall call is skimming for the parts that apply to me/us.

I am trying to follow the EASY schedule - which is Eat, Activity, Sleep and You (time for me). It is going fairly well, and it makes sense. The babies get up, have a bottle (pretty much drinking 5.5oz now) and then we play together. Sometime they play on the play mat, sometimes we do tummy time and practice rolling on the ground, and sometime they hang out with their favorite friends hanging from the bouncer. Pretty much an hour after they first wake up, they start to show signs of being tired. So, then I start the nap time routine - which is usually a quick book while in the bouncer, then they are swaddled and I cuddle them while singing My Favorite Things from Sound of Music. At that point they look pretty sleepy (or are just pretending to get me to stop singing) and I put them in their cribs. Usually the start of the nap is successful. However, almost always, they both will wake up after 40-50 minutes and will start fussing/crying. I am trying not to rush in there to comfort them and instead see if they will self-soothe back to sleep. Abby is a pro at putting herself back to sleep. Jimmy - well, not so much. So I usually will have go in to give Jimmy his pacifier, rub his belly while shhhhh-ing. It sometimes work, sometimes doesn't.

Nighttime sleep is going great with Abby. She pretty much has been sleeping between eight and nine hours without waking. Most of the time though, I will wake her up when Jimmy wakes to eat, just so they stay on close to the same schedule. Jimmy does not sleep well at all. When we put him to bed between eight and nine, he sleeps great for the first couple hours. But then by 2 or 3am, he is up every 20-40 minutes or so, crying out. And from there, he pretty much fusses every 30-60 minutes until I get up with him in the morning. I have tried feeding him, giving him his paci, rocking him and anything else you can think of - to no avail. So I have no idea what is going on with him and how to get him to sleep better at night.

And now - a cute video to end the post with. Even though Jimmy is a troubled sleeper, he definitely makes up for it with his cuteness during the day! What a cute little guy!

Who's That Over There... and Other News!

Abby and Jimmy decided to show their patriotism on Tuesday, November 4th - Election Day, though they didn't get out to vote with Mom or Dad, as we decided it was best to vote separately and leave them at home.

The babies may have finally noticed each other. Not for long, and I am sure they thought they were looking in a mirror, but it's progress! We were able to get a couple pictures, but they aren't the best quality, but you can definitely see Jimmy smiling at Abby. Abby has been staring a Jimmy occasionally for a couple weeks now, but Jimmy had no interest in her until just recently!



On November 17, Jim and I took Jimmy to the pediatrician because Jimmy had been very fussy for a couple days and was constantly grabbing at his head. I was nervous and anxious and thought the worst, but Jim was calm and suggested we take Jimmy in to make sure he was okay. And as expected Jimmy was fine. No ear infection (normally babies will pull at their ears if they have an infection, so when he was grabbing his head, we thought it could be that) and no other issues. A side note: Jimmy was weighing 12lbs., 9oz that day. Wow - grow baby, grow!

Jimmy has still been grabbing at his head, but we finally figured out that it usually happens when he becomes overtired. So we are working on getting him to relax and doze off before that happens (and before the meltdown begins). See below for an adorable picture of Jimmy grabbing at his head.



So speaking of Jimmy becoming overtired, Jim and I are starting to notice that both Jimmy and Abby HATE napping. They are both so excited to look around and explore new things, and Jim and I love showing them things, that by the time we know it, both of them are overtired, rubbing their eyes and are CRANKY! So we are starting to take note of their sleepy cues and as we notice them, we start to wind them down and get them ready for their nap. Abby pretty much still needs to nap about one to one and a half hours after she first wakes up. Jimmy usually can last until about an hour and a half after he wakes up. It seems like they are napping all.the.time still, but I think that's what they need right now, otherwise they are whining and cranky most of the day.

To get them ready for their naps, we have figured out that they like to be swaddled again, or at least tucked in nice and tight in a blanket. Jim and I felt bad about swaddling them again (haven't swaddled since they were 2-3 weeks old), but we notice that they both calm down and relax when swaddled, and then are off to sleep pretty quickly after that. There are the exceptions to that, but so far it has been going fairly well (again, as long as we catch them starting to act sleepy). Here is a picture Jimmy, relaxing in his swaddle during his nap!


Usually,both Abby and Jimmy will sleep soundly for 40 minutes or so, then they will stir and start to wake up. Abby is really good at putting herself back to sleep, but usually Jimmy will act like he is wide awake and give us big smiles to fool us. We have figured out that he is faking us out with the smiles and is still tired, because after just 10 minutes or so of being awake and smiling like crazy, he is back to looking sleepy and being slightly cranky. So we are working on getting him to fall back asleep after he wakes in the middle of the nap.

Remember how I mentioned that Jim and I felt bad about swaddling the babies. Well, to make us feel better, we decided to test out the swaddle. My mom and I tested it out first, and then we were able to convince Jim to try it out too (he reluctantly agreed!). It was quite fun swaddling an adult and it was cozy and warm being swaddled up! It was hilarious doing it - see below for some pictures!




A side note: U of M (Michigan) isn't doing so well this year. Nevertheless, Jimmy still gets geared up for the games and busts out the UofM wear. As you can see though by his little pout, he is less than thrilled with the season so far!


Well, we are starting to test out some new gear for the baby. The last couple weeks we were using the Baby Bjorns (still are) and this week we busted out the Bumbo that Jim's sister Lynn gave us (thanks Lynn!). Both Abby and Jimmy enjoying sitting in it and seeing the world (well, the same old boring living room) from a whole new perspective. Here they are, enjoying the Bumbo for the first time.




A milestone has been reached by Miss Abigail! On Saturday, November 19, Abby rolled from front to back during tummy time! We were shocked. All of sudden she just decided she was sick of being on her tummy and rolled towards the left and ended up on her back! She wasn't shocked or surprised at all. Instead she just continued her normal activities and continued squealing in delight! I was shocked that she rolled without assistance and thought it wouldn't happen again for awhile. Surprise, I was wrong...

During tummy time on Sunday, November 20, she did it again - three times. Luckily, I had the camera nearby to get it on tape (ha - video!). Check it out!


The babies sleep habits have also been improving! Abby has pretty much been a good sleeper for a while now. She does really well falling asleep on her own (unless overtired) and then soothing herself back to sleep when she wakes in the middle of the night.

Jimmy on the other hand has struggled with getting good sleep from the beginning. I blame it on the gas issues he had. Well, now that the gas issues are nearing the end (I hope), he is doing much better sleeping. He still needs his pacifier usually to fall asleep and we constantly seem to be putting it back in, in the middle of the night to help him stay asleep.

But just last night, both Abby and Jimmy slept from 8:15pm until 3:50am. Not bad at all. I probably could have gotten them to stay asleep longer, but because it was near eight hours, I figured they would continue fussing until they had something in their bellies. I fed Abby first, then Jimmy, and then they slept another 3 hours. OMG - it was marvelous! Let's hope this continues.

So that's the latest. We are looking forward to the babies' first Thanksgiving, which we will be spending at Jim's Dad's house with all of the Frybargers. It is going to be fun introducing the babies to the family they haven't met yet, and spending time with everyone! Check back for an update and some new pictures soon!

Oh So Much Is Happening!

It's so exciting to watch as Abby and Jimmy learn new things and reach new milestones. I am addicted to reading books similar to "What to Expect the First Year" and the week by week books. So I know what is supposed to happen around certain weeks. And then I wait and watch... and surprise, things start happening.
These are the newest things both Jimmy and Abby are doing these days...

They both found their hands. They stare at them and have started sucking on their fists. I had no idea hands could be so exciting and tasty!

They both have begun following us around the room with their eyes. They are very interested in what we are doing, so much so that it seems to distract them from falling asleep for their naps. So Jim and I have to sometimes hide out behind their bouncer, swing or whatever contraption we are trying to get them to fall asleep in. (no cribs for naps...yet!)

Oh and the smiles... they come all the time now! It is so fun to watch them look up at us, or their favorite toys and smile, sometimes the biggest smile imaginable. They smile when we smile; they smile randomly; and they smile when playing with certain toys. Their smiles most certainly melt our hearts and make the difficult times all worth it. Here are some big smiles while playing on their jungle playmat:


Well, I guess it is hard to get the babies to nap in the bouncers, because they have so much fun playing in them! They love to bat at the animals that hang on the toy bar above them. We have affectionately named the animals for them... Larry the Lion and Gina the Giraffe are some of Abby's favorites in the blue bouncer and Tommy the Turtle, Fred the Frog and Sally the Snail are loved by Jimmy on the green bouncer. Both babies use both bouncers, neither being an absolute favorite. Watching the babies play by themselves in the bouncers is much fun! They smile and (dare I say) giggle up at the toys for a while!


The nights are going much better these days. Both Abby and Jimmy slept 5-6 hours on Oct 31-Nov 1. YAY! I would like to think it was because they were all tuckered out from pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating on Halloween, but they napped during pumpkin carving and we didn't do any trick-or-treating at all. They did participate in a photo shoot (as always - I love pictures) and we came up with this adorable 1st Halloween picture (ha - Jimmy has his sneeze face on... not sure if he sneezed after but it sure looks like he is going to!):



Abby loves looking in mirror on changing table. Thanks Lina for sending us this marvelous gift - I bet you had no idea what a hit it would be! Abs (yes, I have shortened Abigail to Abby, and Abby to Abs!) loves to stare at it, bat at it and push it around. Jimmy isn't interested in it in the least though. Check out our little Abs and her favorite toy:

Tummy time with the babies is going great. Both Abby and Jimmy seem to enjoy being on their tummies and they are doing great with their neck and head stability. Sometimes there are still face plants that happen where their face meets the ground, but those are starting to be few and far between. They make the cutest noises too while on their tummies. It's only a matter of time before they are pros at holding their heads up!




Jim and I are starting to really get to know the babies and figure out what different cries and noises mean. And both Jimmy and Abby are giving out cues to help too. They both are starting to rub their eyes when they are tired. This is new for them and it is nice to use as a signal to start to wind them down for a nap.

Jimmy and Abby are both starting to love being carried around in the Baby Bjorn. It is nice to use on occasion because if one of them is sleeping, but the other is fussy, we can pop them in the Baby Bjorn and walk around getting some stuff down. And it works out because they seem to love it! I guess it is even relaxing enough to sleep in. Ha!



Well, on the not as exciting, and more frustrating front, both Abby and Jimmy hate, and I mean HATE, when we take the bottle away to burp them. We are only stopping to burp them once during the feeding and then after (as the gas issues have significantly improved at this point). Well, it just isn't even possible at this point to get through a feeding without a bout of crying, and sometimes all out screaming, when the bottle is taken away for the shortest second to burp! Jim and I have figured out that the paci in place of the bottle during the burping session works as a nice distraction, but I imagine it is only a matter of time before they catch on a realize our ploy. :-) So far so good though!

And here is my absolute favorite picture right now! I love my Team Mommy/Team Daddy babies.