Guest Blogging - Mrs. Dad

I’m temporarily taking over Cory’s blog, as you can see he has been a bit negligent lately :-) Between school and chasing after mobile twins, I can’t say I blame him.

The Puterbaugh home has been quite the hub of activity lately, as both of our little ones are on the move-move-move. Gracie began officially crawling around the 6 ½ month mark, and Silas had perfected his army crawl by 7 months. Silas has now followed sis’s lead and is up on all fours consistently, however when the cat is within a short distance, he reverts back to his low to the ground positioning for quickest speed. Poor Mr. Fat Sam still hasn’t learned that a swishing tale within 5 feet of two 8 months old does not a happy cat make.

Over the past week, both of our little ones have decided that crawling is for 7 month olds, and standing up is what 8 month olds do! Grace started us out on the “pulling up” journey, and Si would watch her intently. Once he figured out that she could get to more things up there, he started on his vertical path. Now every item in the house has become a prime spot to use for balance, as they look around the world from this new perspective. Little Goo Goo was actually standing up in her crib when I went to get her this morning, what a neat surprise!

The babies have began to find each other quite amusing, and have frequent yelling contests. One yells loudly while the other giggles and listens, then the other yells back while smiles are returned. It is adorable to watch, and most commonly occurs during feeding time in the high chairs. The interaction continues when we are in the basement for play time, Grace will be quietly on her belly examining the carpet, or crawling toward toys, when Silas sees her. He then scoots quickly to her and climbs up her back, sometimes biting her diaper along the way. Depending on her mood, she either giggles as he flattens her, or screams out to us for help. When the former occurs, it is baby wrestling time, until someone grabs an ear or goes for an eyeball. Until that point, it is quite amusing.

We took the babies to the doctor last week and Silas hasn’t gained much weight (currently around 17.6 lb) but Gracie gained about a pound in a month (14.4 lb)…we were so excited, she is such a little peanut, this was a huge victory! It isn’t a surprise to us that she is little, since she doesn’t enjoy food very much. We have tried all types, all textures, all varieties, and the only thing that she consistently will eat is Yobaby organic yogurt. Needless to say, I would recommend buying stock in Stoneyfield Farms because we are going to have to clear the store out once a week! Both babies are big fans of Baby Mum Mums (an organic rice rusk), they get excited when they see the package. It is adorable to watch them chew with only two bottom front teeth. Silas is our big eater, and he will always finish anything we try (unsuccessfully) to get Grace to eat.



Today we went to Elkhart (rough drive, kiddos still are NOT fans of being in the car for an hour) for my cousin's baby shower. It was a beautiful shower, and lots of fun. Congrats to Kimberly and Michael! Afterwards, we stopped at the Drive In so Papa could see his babies, and so the babies could see the Drive In! Some deep fried pickles and ice cream later, off we went back home. Long, but great day.

All in all, life so much fun, I wake up and want to pinch myself when I realize I get to be their mom for another day!

Look What I found...

What a busy week we have had with lots of new activity, so where do I start? Today we hit the big 6 month mark...hard to believe.



Well let's see, Silas has found his weiner and every given chance he is naked the hand goes directly to it, pretty funny.



Everyone is rolling and scooting all over the place and it looks like within a week or so they will be fully crawling. It seems both have found their voices and love to scream out loud.



Sleeping was getting pretty bad again with all the moving and rolling in bed so we had to invest in some bumpers to keep arms and legs from sticking out of the crib. Since regular bumpers can cause suffocation, we bought "breathable" bumpers that are mesh. It's a certainty one of them wakes up every 4-5 hours to eat and then go back out. You can tell when Silas is up for good when he doesn't wake up upset, instead he wakes up talking and hooting and hollering.




They both can get up on all fours now and Grace has mastered the art of the log roll. The only problem is she only goes one way so she eventually runs out of room so you have to turn her around and back she goes. No teeth yet so I'm starting to wonder if I jumped the gun on the teething time and should have just put "I love to put everything I touch in my mouth" time on the previous blog posting.


It does seem that every milestone we need to hit has been right on track, so it's encouraging to see things going so well. With the eating at an all time high, the supply of milk is gone sometimes and we have to resort to formula. Why does the formula smell so bad? We hate to use it but, lets face it, as impressive as Sarah's boobs are, they can only do so much. She tried to FCC that comment out, but I wouldn't let her censor me!Anyway, we've been lucky we haven't had to use formula earlier on.




Thank you to Kimberly Courtney for the wonderful cupcake book and many cupcakes will be coming your way for you, Greg, and Macy. My first class at Cornerstone is over and wow, I got an A- in Leadership Studies, who knew. Lets get some warm weather already I need to walk off some winter cabin fever.

The land mine field

Having hardwood floors is great, except at night in a quiet house when trying to get a baby asleep. Trying to avoid every squeak is like walking through a mine field and I think I have every spot on the floor mapped out in my head to avoid the squeak explosion.



This weekend's weather was so beautiful we went on a walk through Celery Flats with Nancy, Trevor, and Baby Jack. The walking was well needed on account of my lack of exercise I now get and I was pretty wore out by the end of the day. At my old job I walked about 5 miles a day and now I lay on the floor and play tummy time. Other then the "march of the babies" we perform every night to get them to sleep, this walk was long over due. Everyone did well until about 3/4 of the way through... they got a little restless and wanted to be held. So thankfully Nancy was kind enough to push an empty stroller as baby Jack was the best baby ever and slept most of the way. I think going to the grocery store earlier in the day threw our schedule off a little bit but it was still a wonderful day.



Silas has started reaching his hands out to be picked up now and it sure warms the heart when he reaches out for you. He seems to be doing something new or improving on old things everyday. Grace seems to have learned how to squeal in this really high pitch sound that I'm sure hurts the dogs ears, as it comes at the most random of times. It sounds like a cross between a warrior cry and a hyena. She finds it hilarious and smiles when she does it, which in turn, makes Sarah and I crack up.



Sarah took the babies outside on a blanket today, and it is so strange to think that this is the first time they really were in the sunlight. Even though she had them in the shade, the still kept their eyes squinted. Silas kept rolling over and wiggling his way to the edge of the blanket, and successfully got a fist full of grass twice. Luckily Sarah was quick enough to grab it from him before it made it into his mouth. The time sure is flying by so fast and I hope this warm weather lasts so we can move this craziness outside in the yard. Thank you to all the people who follow and read this blog and for the great feedback.

A Loving Spoonful

We are officially rolling everywhere and when I say we, I mean Silas has finally became an old pro at rolling. It seems like once he figured it out he can't stop doing it which means at night he wakes himself up by rolling over. They both are now getting on their knees and starting to scoot forward to get toys, how exciting! Soon enough it will be total chaos with me chasing them around the basement, and Sam the cat will get quite the work out (which he needs). Feeding with the spoon is in full effect and we had tried many items with no allergic reactions from anyone. Bananas seem to be the favorite, along with green beans and peas. Baby food making has been really successful and quite inexpensive we found out compared to buying jars. Plus we get everything organic so we know what were feeding them. With all this feeding comes the negative which has been the rainbow of colors we get to open up at diaper changing time... and no there isn't gold at the end. I'm starting to think Silas will be a drummer because he bangs his hands all the time while eating and playing. I can't wait to see if he can pick up on playing drums like I did. Grace could be a gymnist with the flexabilty as we were witness to her sucking her toe the other day. Once everyone gets mobile I will be posting video of what we will be calling baby races. I haven't yet decide if bets can be placed but it could be a fun idea. Of course I'm sure we will have our fair share of baby fights too. This week I will be making cupcakes for Jen's baby shower at Sarah's work, so if your attending you will be feasting on a chocolate with strawberry frosting, topped with a strawberry and a vanilla with cherry frosting, topped with a nilla wafer cookie. So I hope they turn tasty for the shower. A big congratulations goes out to Sarah's brother Jay and wife Mandy who just found out they are expecting. On a lighter note nap time has been falling around the same time as the price is right so I've been watching of course. I noticed that either everyone in the audience is having a birthday, or you get picked if it is your birthday. Oh what my life has become lol.

It's Teething time

This week has been a little rough for Silas and Grace. They can't seem to get comfortable or be relaxed when their chompers hurt so bad. Poor Grace is not a happy camper like she normally is and it's affecting her sleep. Silas has his moments and I do all I can to help him rub his gums with teething toys from the freezer, but sleeping is tough. While I know this will pass it's hard to believe that we ever made it with such little sleep before when waking up every four hours now wears me out. I can't wait to see what they look like when those little teeth finally make an appearance.



Feeding time has been fun and they really starting to get the hang of it. We have a pretty good system down. Silas of course out shines Grace in the eating category, but she is catching up. It's easy to see he is such a boy with the way he is always smacking his hand on the tray wanting more, while Grace just sits chewing her fingers patiently waiting. The favorite food so far is bananas, Grace just loves it. Sarah is making our own baby food and has had some success with bananas and pears. It is really tough to find organic fruits and vegetables around Portage for some reason though.



Silas doesn't seem to be getting any better at rolling over and I'm not sure why, since he is strong enough and mobile enough... he just doesn't seem interested. The one thing he loves is his jumping toy, he can sit in there forever and never seems to get bored. Grace on the other hand is a rolling machine, the second you put her down she rolls onto her stomach and pushes up to look around. She also tries to sneak out of her bumbo and has no interest in being in there anymore.



As for me. school is going great; staying up on homework and still working on recipes for cupcakes and cookies. I found out bananas will not cook right in the form of cupcakes. The center fell right in and the taste was like a sweet banana bread, which tasted great but looked terrible ... so on to a different recipe.

Kitchen is Always Open

Busy is my new four letter word. This daylight savings switch for some reason has really messed up naps this week and bed time.



So what has happened recently? Well, we got our four month vaccines (in three shots...the babies are 5 months old, they have us scheduled one month off) and it was not fun. I, of course, get the honor of holding them while it happens because Sarah hates needles. Grace has never screamed like that or cried with no sound for the first few seconds ever. She was so upset she couldn't even catch her breath so she looked for comfort in my arms. Silas actually did pretty good for going second and hearing what sister went through. He stopped crying not soon after he recieved his shots and the rest of the day went well.



Last week Gracie had the worst smelling diaper ever. It was so bad we took it right out of house to avoid stinking the house up. We have recently been getting diapers from amazon mom for a really good deal with coupons. One hundred diapers from Tuesday to Tuesday seems to be how many we are going through lately, so it's not too bad.



We have started spoon feeding with cereal and bananas the past week and everyone seems to understand what they are supposed to do. Grace always makes a sour puckered face with every bite but still continues to eat. Silas, of course, loves it and always wants more and more. He even grabs the spoon to try to feed himself. So with three feedings a day, the kitchen will be busy all of the time especally, when we try and make our own baby food. We plan on attempting that this weekend. It's fun to feed them by a spoon instead of bottle all the time.


Silas loves this jumping toy that he gets into and goes crazy with. I'll post some video soon of him cause it's really funny. Class has kept me busy with homework but I still found time to make sugar cookies for St.Patties Day with green frosting and they were delicious. So tune in next time for video of Silas and Grace rolling around





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Open mouth insert fingers

How much slobber can a baby have? Enough apparently that Silas needs a new bib or outfit constantly and Grace is now following suit. I guess fingers taste good and come in many flavors, some better than others. I can't tell if we are teething, but Grace has been pretty grumpy and that is not like her. So all we can do is comfort her and help rub her gums to soothe her discomfort.

Mr. Si finally rolled over and made it look like he was an old pro at it until Grace showed him up and did it twice in a row. Needless to say Silas seems to be under the impression "see I can do it when I feel like it " and that once was good for now. He has not rolled over since. Play time has been better each time and the giggles are easy to get out of them now. We are learning kids songs on guitar and so far we have Old MacDonald, Pop Goes the Weasel, and You are my Sunshine. Is it ok you think if sometimes we turn the electric guitar on and turn them into a rock songs? I think so.

School for me starts tomorrow and I will be busier than ever, but I probably should get out every once in a while and talk to adults. I hope I don't say everything twice in baby talk or want to stay after class knowing that home work is going to be harder than homework.

Thanks to my in-laws for my new mixer, so now I can really get serious about baking (as if my belly needs it)

As the time flies by

Another week goes by as we hit the 4 month, mark can you believe it?

It seems as though the roll over Grace performed was a one show only event, as she has not done it again. She is really close to rolling from her back to her tummy, but for now she likes rolling on her side to look around.

Silas on the other hand is content with just laying there playing on his back, but he is getting close to rolling. I think he prefers to just have me carry him around instead of going anywhere himself, and I see this in the future also. Grace is very independant so I have a feeling she will do everything first, as big brother Silas watches from my arms.

No big issues this week but it seems there are never enough burp rags within reach when you need them... Silas burps up a little each time on my shirt.

They both really seem to become more aware of each other every day as if it's something new to them. Grace doesn't like to look at Si directly for some reason only she knows. She will tuck her head in your chest, sometimes make a sad face, and turn away. But Silas really loves to look at little sis and stares at her wide eyed. Diaper time has gone from no one liking to be changed, to laughing each time, needless to say there are a lot of laughs each day.

Clothes that were once baggy are now getting smaller and diaper supplies are dwindling. We sometimes have to change the trash after every diaper to make sure the house stays fresh. We keep keeping on, waiting for the day when I'll be wishing they only just laid there. I feel bad that the dogs and cat have no idea what is coming. I see a lot of tail pulling in their future.

I have mastered the chocolate cupcake so now I'll move on to another flavor and keep on improving my frosting skills as my new past time of baking continues. (Wow did I really just say that? What has become of me!? )

Steady We Go

Things at Puterbaugh Central have been going smooth as can be. The schedule is really playing out quite well. Play time seems to be getting longer everyday as they seem to not get tired as fast. So play time gets more and more exciting everyday with new toys we received from Nana and Papa in the form of a exersaucer and Baby Einstein. They both really enjoy standing up and can almost touch the ground in them. We put foam under their feet so they can push off until they grow a bit more.

No rolling has taken place since the one and only time last Tuesday; maybe it was a fluke? They are both close to rolling over every time we play, but for now Sarah and I just try and encourage them.

This past Monday by 8:00 a.m. I already had changed outfits on Grace, myself and washed the couch cushion covers because Gracie decided to give me her morning feeding via projectile vomit. Poor Grace was so upset as Mr. Silas just looked on waiting for his food with no care as to what just occurred. But all was fixed and the day continued just as if nothing ever happened.

I'm finding out my acoustic guitar puts Silas in a trance when he listens to my mediocre guitar skills and bad singing, as if I'm the most interesting thing ever. So it's nice to have a audience and sing silly kid songs to them. I'm hoping when they get older we can all sing together and make up songs. I'm hoping to use it as a teaching tool for counting and trying to make things fun and interesting for them.

This week we made chocolate peanut butter chip cookies and homemade pizza which has turned out to be the best crust recipe ever. If I keep cooking like this I'm gonna gain some pounds so thankfully the snow shoveling gave me some good exercise and I actually turned down a neighbors help with a snow blower ( what was I thinking ).

So until next time GO STEELERS! The terrible towel will be waving in the Puterbaugh house.

Like A Rolling Baby!

It was an exciting morning. Grace decided she was done laying on her tummy and rolled over to her back. I almost thought I set her down wrong or maybe I tucked her arms under her, but no she did it all on her own. And I have the video to prove it! Yesterday when Sarah's dad was here, she was tipping herself and almost rolling over, so this morning I decided to record her for the first session of tummy time and I almost couldn't believe it when it happened. So much so that I had her do it again just to make sure...she was so smiley afterward!

Silas, on the other hand, just keeps trying to crawl and shows no effort to try and roll. Other then the rolls on his legs, he looks like he is going to skip rolling and go straight to crawling. The days seem to be getting better and better, and after the weekend we are back on scheudule for naps and feedings.

This week's recipies were chicken and dumplings, then today I made chocolate chip muffins from scratch that turned out delicious. So far things are going great and no complants from the babies, so all is good.

I Hate To Brag But.......

It's been one full week of just me and the babies since Sarah is now back at work. The morning starts at 4:00 a.m. with Silas getting up for a feeding then going back to bed. Around 7:00 a.m. the whole house gets up and then it is "go" time.

We start our morning with diaper changes, then food with some play time, and back to sleep for about a 30 to 45 min. After our first quick nap, we wake up and do some tummy time and playing on the floor until everyone is hungry. After the noon feeding, it's nap time again, so then I can eat some lunch and start cleaning. After our 12:30 nap, it's more tummy time and playing until we get hungry again. By now the day has flown by and so have the diapers. I had five #2 diapers in one day, so that was fun. Suddently I look at the clock and realize it's close to four already and Sarah gets home around 5:30, and they usually eat and nap for a little bit before Sarah. When she gets home, they eat a little and Sarah gets to play with them. They are morning eaters, and don't each much in the evening though. We usually wind down around 7:30 and both are sleeping on our chests by 8:15...then off to the cribs around 8:45 and time for Sarah and I to eat dinner.

I have found out they sleep alot more than before, so things have been really good...almost too good. Grace and Silas are on the same schedule for eating and naps and these are not forced naps they usually fall asleep eating in my arms. I have found myself totally immersing myself into the homemaker role and loving it. I clip coupons, I made homemade pizza crust and cupcakes, and the house is clean. I try to get everything done so Sarah can have as much time with them at night as possibe and she doesn't have to worry about dinner. I plan on learning at least 2 recipes per week and go from there. I have been addicted to the baby shows on TLC and find myself laughing at the people complaining about one baby being tough only if they knew. I try to blog at least twice a week but for now there is not a lot of action going on. I hate to brag but things have been easier than I thought it would be. It is a lot of fun.

On Monday night, we plopped them in their Bumbos. They are still getting used to it, but it looks funny to see them just sitting there hanging out.

What I've Learned

Sarah is taking control of my blog for this week:

As I prepare to go back to work in two days, I have been reflecting on what the past 12 weeks have taught me.

1. Having kids really does change everything. And they are good changes.

2. I may not be able to fit my wedding ring back on my finger yet, but what that ring symbolizes has grown stronger by the day.

3. Diapers are expensive. I didn't truly grasp this until we started going through 22 per day!

4. Things don't always go as planned, and sometimes it turns out better that way.

5. I should work to live, not live to work.

6. Seeing something through the eyes of Grace and Silas far surpasses anything I will ever see on TV.

7. It is possible to fall in love with someone all over again at 3am while finally eating dinner and watching bad late night comedy with unwashed hair, spit-up stained clothes, and a baby in each arm.

8. I have an amazing, nutty, unique, loving, and fantastic family. My children are as lucky as I am to have them.

9. What took 9 months to gain probably really will take 9 months to lose..and thats okay!

10. I truly understand what it means to unconditionally love. It is scary and astounding all at the same time.

I cannot wait to see what the next 12 days, 12 weeks, 12 months, and 12 years bring. Cory and I are blessed beyond words.