It's been a while...and good bye, for now.

Hi!...Anyone out there? {echo}

It's safe to say life has been busy. VERY busy!!.

The boys are now running all over the place....I'm loving this stage, they're little people with big personalities already. Can I love them more each day? Yup, it's possible!.

Yesterday was my big race I had been training off and on for. Let me tell you, training for a half marathon with two little ones is not easy!. Just when you start getting into a routine something happens (like a MOLAR!) and you're out of your routine and completely sleep deprived. And we all know how hard it is to get BACK into a routine...

I didn't train as much or as diligently as I wanted to...but I surprised myself BIG time during my race yesterday. I honestly had no plans on running it so fast....but I went with the flow, didn't pay attention to my pace and just let my mind take over.

I completed the 13.1 (13.2 really, but I digress) in 2:02:24!!!!. That's a pace of 9'20''...which if I say so myself, it's freaking awesome!

For the running junkies, here are the splits:

9:04, 9:03, 9:11, 9:11, 9:18, 9:21, 9:29, 9:36, 9:33, 9:17, 9:12, 9:14, 8:53

I hit a "wall" at around mile 8 and thought "what was I thinking going so fast!!!?"...but then thought "well, now I have to keep at it and finish strong". And so I did.

I like to think I was inspired by my sister (a recent marathoner) and my dad (who ran many marathons and triathlons!) and was powered by the thought of maybe seeing my three favorite men at the finish line (wasn't sure if they would make it on time!)...add that inspiration and that power with a couple of energy gels and I just kept going.

So there. I did it!. Hopefully one day join my dad and my sister and become a marathoner too.

If you would have told me a little over two of years ago that I was going to be a runner, I would have laughed. I was never the big "athlete" growing up...I always thought I was pretty slow...and I just didn't think I had it in me. But I do...and I'm a runner.

It's been quite the journey and really the reason why I started blogging. I needed a way to let out all my excitement about running (without driving my close family and friends nuts).

Then I got pregnant and was all about my pregnancy ... wanted a way to share that special moment.

Then the boys were here and I wanetd to document all the love and craziness that comes with having twin boys.

And now..well, now they are MOVING. RUNNING. And the faster the move, the less time I have to sit and do anything. I don't have time to continue blogging....because I simply don't want to miss a moment right now ~ and it's going by too fast. I have a feeling that it's only going to seem like it's going faster!.

I do love to read everyone's blogs that I've "met" in the last couple of years...and maybe one day I'll return with all of my amazingly funny stories (ha!).

Thank you guys for letting me share a little bit of me with you these last two years.

Thank you to my dad, sisters, Isa, mom and friends that ALWAYS kept up with me here and left me the best comments.

So this is good bye. For now.

****

(but you didn't think I would leave without first leaving you with a few pictures did you?)

First, here are a few pictures of my two favorite boys:

And here are some pictures from yesterday!

Self picture of me with the best reasons to not have time to do anything :)

Adios amigos :)

They are ONE!!!!!

Happy Birthday Alex!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Lucas!!!!!!!

I can't believe it. They are one year old.

I don't have time to post now since they are about to wake up from their nap!!...

Here is our first family picture :)

We love you guys!

I couldn't have done it without...

I am in SHOCK. In three weeks the boys will be ONE. Did you read that? O-N-E!!!!!

Do I cry? Do I laugh? Do I do a happy dance? Do I open a good bottle of wine from our wine country stash? Do I try to put them in a swaddle blanket and pretend they are little again?

Probably all of the above, with a few random things in between...but for now I'm going to be posting a series of posts on "I couldn't have done it without". In no particular order of importance because seriously these are the things I could just not have done it without.

Let's start with the obvious one, shall we?

"THE HUSBAND"

And when I say "The Husband", I mean it...that's actually what I call him, "husband". I know "sweetie or honey" are probably more common, but he's my husband and thus that's what I call him!. I think i was so excited when we got married to say "my husband"...that it just stuck, so now I just call him that on a daily basis.

Ok, back to my point.

Seriously couldn't have done it without the husband!. First there is the obvious reason. Yep, really couldn't have fertilized an egg (that would eventually split!) all by myself. So kudos to those little swimmers, or rather that strong swimmer that came by and broke my egg in two!

Then there was pregnancy. The husband was so awesome during pregnancy...what did he do that was so special?. Well, he let a lot of things go. When I had my moments and would lose it for random stupid things, he would always diffuse the topic and very rarely took it personal. Knowing that you have two babies on the way, not knowing if you would make it to week XX, etc can make any mom to be very nervous and emotional...he was always calm and that really helped me through those 9 (8?) months.

There's just one thing he didn't do......he didn't gain any sympathy weight! As a matter of fact he decided my pregnancy was the perfect time to get even hotter. Thanks husband.

Then there is this whole last year. Whoa, this year. I don't even think I can put it in writing but I can tell you that whatever dreams I had of him as a dad have been COMPLETELY blown away. He is the BEST dad I could have asked for my boys. Our lives have been turned upside down and finding that right balance hasn't been easy...but I can say that now we're stronger than we ever were. We are a family.

Alejandro, I definitely could not have done it without you. I love you husband.

Me and my partner in crime, right before we became "mom and dad"

What? You've been gone?

{insert wailing noise here}

Lately I spend a lot of time hiding. I hide in the kitchen, I hide in my office. I hide. From my boys.

You see, they've developed what we like to call "mamitis" in Spanish. They love mommy, so if mommy is around, everyone must be on top of her....which I happen to love...I mean, have you see their faces?. For some reason, mommy also makes them whinny. They can be playing happily, then they see me and it's all over!....here is how hiding helps!.

Usually it takes an awesome couple of toys (aka: empty water bottles, for example) to distract the prey. Once they bite, I sneak out behind them and make my great escape. Mommy gets alone time, they laugh and play happily...it's a win-win situation.

I come out of hiding a few minutes later, they see me and it's over. It's like they realize I was gone and the whining starts....what mommy? you weren't actually here??? you mean we were playing happily alone? Where have you been?....baaaaaa, baaa, baaaa.

And thus the great escape and successful hiding skills were born!

...and then they turned 2!

Really...when did THAT happen?

This morning I woke up to cranky, loud, temper-tantrum throwing toddlers. I'm not kidding....overly dramatic displays from being so EXTREMELY upset. Because you know, being a baby is just not that easy.

I mean, you only have someone (that mean person known as 'mama') doing everything possible so that you sleep, relax, play, eat and enjoy the day. It has got to be tough.

What is up with that folks? Don't I have at least another few months before the temper tantrums start?. By that I mean, flailing legs, throwing toys, arching back and crying like I'm sticking acupuncture needles in their eye balls.

They weren't fooling me either...they would go from crying to laughing hysterically in seconds. They would be wailing (mouths open, of course) then Alex would stick his finger in Lucas's mouth (both still crying)...and then, they would both start cracking up (with tears in their faces) and laugh until they realized they weren't supposed to be laughing, they were supposed to be very upset!. Let crying resume until someone else does something silly.

So yeah, not a good day today here at casa de locos. Hoping they just woke up on the wrong side of the crib (is that possible?...hmm).

Tomorrow I want my happier BABIES back. Please.

Please.

Please.

Please.

Oh and I also want Starbucks to deliver my Pumpkin Spiced Latte over here.

Please.

Thank you.

***

Edited because I wanted to add a couple of pictures. This are the faces I saw today, all day long...the pictures are not from today (believe me, grabbing a camera was the last thing in my mind today!)...but just so you get the idea of the cute misery I had to endure!

And this is a picture from their 10 month "photo shoot" and the faces we're hoping to see tomorrow (I said Please!!!!!!)

17.36 miles....

Is what I would have to run this week in order to meet my goal.....yikes!

This week has been tough. Lucas mastered how to pull himself to a standing position...yay! But at the same time this has meant BEDTIME TROUBLE!.

Goes like this:

We put them down at their normal time (6:30pm or so). They are exhausted (rubbing eyes, yawning, etc). Two seconds later they start laughing, we peek in and we see Lucas standing up, leaning over to see Alex. Alex sitting down cracking up.

This goes on for a while until it turns into crying (he hasn't mastered how to go from standing to laying back down!). They get frustrated, we go in, put them back down, now they are mad, crying begins. We go in, realize that if we leave them there they will just keep getting worked up and cry more and more. Bring them out, let them calm down and hang out with us. They calm down, get very sleepy again, we try again.

Rinse and repeat.

Eventually they pass out!.

So anyway, back to my goal. 17.36 miles. If I ran 4.34 miles 4 times, then I would be ok...I just don't know that I can manage to run 4 nights this week, given how these two are doing!.

Plan B is 4.5 miles, 4.5 miles and 8 miles.

What to do, what to do....I feel like I could do 8 miles. So maybe that's the way to go.

They are 9 months...

Ok, almost 10, what can I say...I'm just a tad behind!.

9 months-- How come the 9 months of pregnancy went by sooooo slow and this last months are flying by?. Or are they really...because I can't remember life without them. I really can't. What did I do before?. So on the one hand it feels like it's gone by so fast...on the other hand I have this feeling like it's been like this forever. Like they have always been a part of my life.

Isn't that crazy?. I look at them sometimes and see myself....and yes, I see my husband (that one is pretty obvious though!). It feels so crazy to see myself though. Sometimes they have a certain smile that just reminds me of me and that's such a crazy and wonderful feeling. They are mine. They REALLY are mine. A year ago I had no clue what this would feel like. Today, I still have no clue how to describe how it feels, how it changes everyday, how my love grows and I just can't imagine loving them more than I already do. Then tomorrow I realize it is possible and I do love them even more.

I am so grateful to be their mom. I truly feel so blessed (yes, doubled blessed!)

So what have they been up to?

Well, we have teeth!. Alex got the first one (literally, just one)...and two days later Lucas got two!. I think Lucas is also getting one on the top and Alex is about to break his second tooth.

They are moving!...not proper crawling, but scooting and getting to where they want to be (for Lucas that is Chepe's water bowl!). Alex is a little behind so we have to do some x-rays to make sure his hips are ok (since he was breech). I think he's fine and I'm not worried, but we still have to check!.

They love to "talk". Alex has a special language...I actually think it's Mandarin and we're just not smart enough to know what he's saying ;) He talks and talks and talks.

Lucas loves to snuggle, he loves to hug. He also has to get everything Alex has (even if he has the exact same thing in his hands!).

Alex is patient....it's almost like he knows Lucas will get easily distracted and that's when he'll go and take his toy back!

They wrestle and they laugh. They laugh a LOT together. It is the cutest thing to watch.

They're down to two naps a day (short naps, but at least they nap!)...I can't really complaint because they do sleep 12 hours per night pretty much.

They love to eat. Anything I give them. They just LOVE to eat!. Bottles are a different story, they're not fans but just a couple more months of formula. I'm hoping they like regular milk better!.

Here are their 9 month pictures...

Houston, we have a tooth!!!

Yep...can you guess who got a tooth?. Both of them were head to head, or should I say, gum to gum? I was wondering if they were going to poke out the same exact day, but the winner of the "First Tooth" contest is:

Alex!!!!!

Lucas is not far behind. I think identicals tend to teeth around the same time...which is a blessing and a curse in itself. You go through a REALLY hard time with teething, but at least it is done at once for both babies. But, did I mention it is a R-E-A-L-L-Y hard time!?

Ok, one tooth down...how many more to go?. Oh my, I better not think about the big picture and just concentrate on the little things!

Photography by Rebecca

My friend, Rebecca Leimbach, took some pictures of the boys and her beautiful daughter.

I knew she was amazing, but these pictures took my breath away. As with all her pictures, you can almost "feel" them. I love the vintage feel to them, the emotion...she is so good at capturing "the" moment. I didn't think we had many "moments" on the beach as both of my boys were a little grumpy and carrying 3 babies with only 2 moms to the beach is not an easy task!...but I was wrong, there were many moments and she captured them beautifully. Thanks Rebecca! :)

You can also visit Rebecca's Facebook photography page to see the rest of the pictures! Make sure you "like" it to get her latest pictures....they are all so awesome!!!.

We're the Champions!!!

Spain won the World Cup!!

People say it's because of Paul...but I know better. Spain finally had two lucky charms showing their support!

The little fellas sported their shirts for every game...and if you ask me, Iker Casillas should come and thank them personally. Just sayin'...

I wish I could say I enjoyed the game...but I didn't. We went to my sister's house, surrounded by awesome people and GREAT Spanish food. Unfortunately, these two gave me hell. I'll spare you the details of how they fought naps and cried every time people would scream at the TV.....but if you saw my internet history on Google then you would know the kind of day I had:

"Nine month growth spurt"

"Teething for three weeks"

"Nine month old nap schedules"

"General baby crankiness"

You get the idea.

I was going to Goggle "How to stay sane when your twins have other plans". But let's face it, Google ain't no Paul.

***

Running update: In order for me to meet my 40 miles in 4 weeks goal, I would have to run 17 miles this week. My babysitter just called in sick...which means I have to juggle them and work by myself. I have a feeling I won't be meeting my goal, but I will try my best.

Planes, bottles and sleep, oh my!

Planes

We're taking the babies on a plane for the first time soon. I'm a little nervous about the plane ride...

I keep telling myself that worst case scenario everyone in the plane hates us by the time we land in our destination...oh well, I wasn't hoping to expand our friend's circle on the plane anyway!

Any tips for keeping 8 month olds "happy" in the plane?. I know they say to bottle feed them at take-off at landing...this may be an issue...

Bottles

I'm also a little nervous about the eating habits they are developing lately. They LOVE food, they can eat "real" food anytime, anywhere and with anyone. Bottles? Not so much. The only bottle they drink without problems is the 7am bottle (because I give it to them before breakfast). After that bottle, it's a constant fight to get them to drink even 4oz.

It is exhausting!....and they are very particular about how they drink their bottles...if there is anything more interesting, then forget it. I keep reading they should have 24-32 oz...I'm lucky if we're getting 18-20 oz!. So while on vacation I hope they don't give me a horrible time when it's time for bottles!

Should I be concerned? Change their formula? Let them be?

Sleep

More than the plane and the bottles...I'm concerned about sleep. Yep, call me selfish :)

They have developed a new habit of waking up at like 5am (sometimes even before!). I don't go in their room until past 6:30am...so they basically just lay there chatting with each other from crib to crib. While we are on vacation we will all be in the same room!....I really hope they "sleep in" until at least 6am.

Funny, in a not funny at all kinda way, how I think 6am is "sleeping in" nowadays! ha!.

****

Even with those "worries" I couldn't be more excited!. The little guys are going on their first plane trip and will get to meet our friends (uncles, aunties and cousins!).

These guys are getting so big that it's crazy to think just a few months ago the newborn diapers were huge on them!. Time flies, and soon, they'll be flying too! ;)

***

On another note, see the little gadget on the right?. That's right, I met my goal for last week!

I wish I had a twin!

It is so amazing to see how the bond between Alex and Lucas gets stronger everyday. They laugh with each other, fight for toys, look for each other....and they comfort each other.

Today I decided to bring them both in bed with me for their last nap of the day (they still take 3 naps...all of them under 1 hour though!).

I can't really sleep very well when they are in my bed, but I love watching them...I did manage to catch a little cat nap though!.

Alex was laying next to me and Lucas was right next to Alex. At one point during the nap, they held hands for like 15 minutes. At another point, Lucas woke up, looked to one side, then turned the other way and saw his brother sleeping. He looked at him for a few seconds, took a quick glance at me and then went back to sleep.

It seriously MELTS my heart.

They came into this world with a companion for life....and that's just so amazing.

Who am I to say what's fun?

I grew up surrounded by women. I had two sisters, one mom, one step mom, grandmas, a bunch of girl cousins, aunts...you get the point. We had plenty of estrogen going around (my poor dad!).

I know how girls have fun! Boys, well that's a different story. Thankfully my husband loves all things boys love to do...but for now, they are too young to go camping, fishing, hiking and the occasional fun bear encounters.

The boys have a fun little play area in the family room. They have a lot of toys to keep them entertained. But what's the favorite past time, you ask?

-- Pulling each other's hair and kicking each other --

They (both) think it's hilarious.

Just this morning, my husband put them in one crib (we do this so they can "play") and we can buy an extra few minutes catching some ZZZs. He heard hysterical laughing and goes in to check what the brothers are up to...

Lucas had managed to put his head in Alex's belly (I'm guessing they were baby wrestling). Alex was grabbing his brother's head, holding on for dear life to his hair. Both of them laughing their chubby bottoms off.

Me? Not a fan of hair pulling (even though this was the way my sisters and I would solve important conflicts!).

...But who am I to say what's fun!

7 months!

Disclaimer: I actually wrote this post ON TIME....but forgot to publish it!. Blame it on pregnancy hormones. Yeah, that's right, I still blame pregnancy hormones for everything even though I haven't been pregnant in well....7 months!

.....

The "little" peanuts are 7 months...I can't believe it!...but they are not little by any means!. A couple of weeks ago we went in for their 6-month check up and they were both around 28'' and 18 lbs!.

Let's see....

Lucas is a rolling machine. Only problem is he can only roll in one direction, so once he gets to an obstacle (aka: wall) he is like those electric toy cars that keep colliding with the wall over, and over and over again. He needs to grab EVERYTHING...but he's been that way since he was "little" :)

Alex doesn't have any interest in rolling from back to belly...so he's content just laying on his back (or in his tummy if I actually put him in that position!). He's great at sitting though and talks up a storm: da-da-da-da, ga-ga-ga -- too cute!

They're loving eating...as a matter of fact it can be stressful at times. I learned that I shouldn't sit them in their highchair unless I am READY to feed them. Otherwise they get very upset while they wait for me to finish making their meal!. I swear if they had utensils they would bang them on the table in protest!.

They can never get enough. I swear these boys never get full, no matter what I give them!. They've tried: green peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, acorn squash and yellow squash...an d on the fruit side: bananas, apples, pears, prunes, apricots, papaya and mangoes!. I'm making all their food and truly loving the process. They eat mostly organic and when possible, local organic (can't get any fresher than that!).

They make "yum, yum" sounds when they eat..it's the cutest thing. Well, that's what they sound like anyway...they may be "I'm annoyed that I have to share this dish with brother and will you just hurry up and get back to me" sounds -- but hey...I'm the baby translator in this house so we will stick to "yum, yum".

Love these boys! but seriously, who wouldn't? ;)

We're here!

The last month has been TOUGH. I'm not sure if it was that dreaded "4 month wakeful", or the shots, or the colds, or the swaddle wars...or all of those things combined!...but we had a tough month!.

Luckily, I have good news to share:

1) Both boys are COMPLETELY swaddle free!!!! They now sleep comfortably in their sleep sacks!!! This is HUGE!

2) They are feeling better from their colds!

3) I started working again!. I'm home so I still get to see them...but I do miss hanging out with them all day. Today I missed a huge milestone...Lucas rolled from back to belly!!!. They are both masters at turning from belly to back (have been for a while since they dread tummy time!)...but neither had rolled the other way. So today, they do it...not while I'm there, but with the babysitter!. Oh well, I'll catch him again I'm sure :)

4) These guys are so much fun. I have never seen babies laugh as loud as they do, they are just hilarious!. They love hanging out with each other and are very much aware now of who's in the room. They do not like it when you leave the room either, so I have to hide from them if I need to run upstairs!.

I think that about sums it up as far as news!

Now we're on full on planning for their baptism in a couple of weeks...and excited because we have family coming to town!

Alex...you are such a fun little guy!!!!. You are so intense...you love to study people (as well as your hands). You absolutely love it when people talk to you...and you love to talk back. You have a hard time concentrating on eating if there is anything exciting going on (like daddy talking). You do great with naps and bedtime (mommy thanks you!!!).

Now you really enjoy tummy time and talk and laugh when you can see the world from a different perspective!. You love all the toys that squeak, they make you giggle!. You have become quite active and try to jump off the couch from your boppy when I' trying to feed you (not so good!)...I think you're just ready to get up and explore around!!

Lucas, you're as sweet as ever!. You have a new friend: Chepe!. You love it when he's near and you can touch his furry coat!. You also love to touch your brother, your mommy and your daddy!. If there is a face close to you, you are going to give it some lovin'!.

You don't like tummy time much, so you roll very quickly!!. you love to grab things in your hands (like your ball)...and when you love to suck on your hands!!!

You still love hanging out with your brother. Every morning I put you in his crib and you smile because you know where you're going!. It's the cutest thing :)

Swaddle rehab update

I am sure you are all eagerly awaiting news from rehab central.

I am happy to announce that the boys are swaddle free!!! Hmm....not so much.

We started this rehab program thinking at the most it would take a couple of weeks to be 100% swaddle free. Little did I know addiction to this "miracle blankets" (aka baby crack) required much more time (and patience).

I'm not brave enough to tackle nights yet, so they continue to be fully swaddled at night. As for naps I've got Alex doing great and Lucas, not so much.

I think Lucas thinks that if he can see his hands that means it's party time. So he'll lay there, talk to his hands for hours and then he'll get VERY cranky because guess what? he missed all his naps!. There are times he eventually falls sleep and is up 15 minutes later, waking up Alex (who really does not appreciate being woken up in the middle of a perfectly good nap!).

So for now I've decided to start swaddling Lucas with one arm out for naps. Maybe one crazy hand out is not as interesting as two!

I owe you guys an update on their 4 months...which may just be combined with the 5 month update at this point!.

Happy Valentine's day and seriously, I know my hands are full!!

From Alex and Lucas :)

It's hard to believe, a year ago I was running a race...and today I'm strategizing on how to get babies to nap without swaddles (yep, the swaddle wars continue!!)

Yesterday me and the boys went to the art festival with my neighbors. My neighbor, wanted to be the one pushing the stroller (which was awesome for me because then I had free hands and could walk around with my tasty beer!).

After about 30 minutes she said she was done!. I asked if it was because it was heavy (the snap and go isn't the friendliest to steer!)...she said no, she was just done with people talking to her! haha ;)

I guess I've gotten used to people feeling like having twins is an open invitation to ask ANY kind of question. I actually don't mind when people talk to me or ask me questions...of course with the exception of a few that take it a bit too far/personal!

Having twins is also a trigger for everyone's favorite thing to say to a mom of multiples: "You've got your hands full!".

So I start pushing the stroller and these two women stop me, they tell me how "I have my hands full"... yadda, yadda, yadda...I nod and smile. Then she goes on to way she ran into a mom of triplets the other day...and she was telling her how she must have her hands full (of course). She tells me she felt bad because the "poor thing" (aka the triplets' mom) looked so miserable. I wanted to break it to her: "Lady, she is NOT miserable...she is just probably sick of hearing the same thing 20 times a day!"

...but it was a beautiful day and I was enjoying my nice cold beer....so again, I just smiled, nodded and walked away!

If I had to do it all over again...

I think I would never swaddled!!!!!!

I've got two swaddleholics that are too big for all the swaddles, break out of most but can't sleep without them...

We've been trying with naps today and it's been a TOUGH day to say the least.

My poor guys need swaddle rehab.

I think I hate swaddles. Scratch that, I know I hate them.

Just when I thought questions would be over...

Knowing they are identical opens a WHOLE new theme for questions!.

I have become one of those moms. You know the kind, the mall walking kind. Who knew this is where most moms go during the weekdays. It's easy, it's entertaining and you're surrounded by your kind. It's also funny how all you find are moms with strollers AND guys that meet there for lunch (coincidence?)

In any case, this new form of entertainment exercise leads to many questions from other mall walking women (MWW) moms. This is how the conversations used to go:

MWW: Ohh How cute! Are they identical?

Me: Thanks!...we don't know!

MWW: What do you mean you don't know?

Me: Well, we couldn't tell

MWW: I think they are identical

Me: (hmmm) Ok

Then there was a whole set of other comments, such as "are they yours?" (because how could I NOT know if they are identical!), etc.

The entire mall walking community agreed, they were identical. Well, these MWW knew a thing or two about zygosity!

When we got the results, I was excited to answer the question. Couldn't wait for the first person that asked me "Are they identical?". I would say yes, and that would be the end of it!.

Not so much...now the questions are just different, people are just more intrigued by identical twins:

"How you confused them?"

"Can you tell them apart?"

and...

"Of course they are identical, how could you not know?"

Were you right?

The results are in!

The boys are indeed IDENTICAL!!!!

How cool is that? Double cuteness ;)