Merry Christmas!!!!

Here are the pics of the babies first Christmas!!! They had so much fun looking at all of their presents and are changing so much every day.

We have been having a great time with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Jack. Aunt Joanna and Mark got to celebrate Christmas with us before they left for Philadelphia- we had dinner on December 13th with them and dressed the boys up in their Santa suits.

I am going to post pics and not say too much, since there are SO many pics to post it will take up the whole page!!!

EEEK!

Yes, Yes, I know. You haven't seen a blog post from us in awhile. Being a mother of twins has taken up a lot of free time. I barely have time to shower.

We are all having a great time. The holidays are coming up and we have been so fortunate to have family and friends come and visit the boys. Their first thanksgiving was pretty uneventful since they continued to have their yummy meal of formula and couldn't enjoy the turkey! They did sit at the table with us for a little while though.

They are growing up so fast. They smile, laugh, and even "talk" to us now. They love to play in their jumperoo and their little chairs (they practice sitting up). They still love their gym class and have made friends their. Alex is a flirt and loves this little 6 month old girl named Makenzie. She is adorable, and he talks to her and laughs at her the whole time. Jackson has his eye on a little 6 week old named Bella. So clearly Alex likes the "cougars" and Jackson likes them young!

We can't wait for Christmas!

Here are some pics of Thanksgiving and our visitors. We love having them and hope to see more people soon!

Pic 1 The Boys on Thanksgiving

Pic 2- Alex eyes his turkey leg cautiously.

Pic 3- Jackson is licking his lips when he see's the turkey leg.

Pic 4- Colleen and Kaleigh and the babies.

So Handsome!

Here are some pics for the start of the week. Hope everyone is doing well!

P.S. Alex is teething. This was confirmed by the pediatric dentist that goes to the mommy and me class with me. He's pretty miserable, but in the next couple of weeks he should have some pearly whites (his 2 bottom teeth)

Happy Halloween and 3 months!!

Hey Everyone,

It has been a long time since I have updated the blog and I have to apologize. It has been a little crazy since all the help left, and I have rare opportunities where I can do something for myself. Usually that time involves sleep, or eating, or any other basic necessity that I can't do when I have 2 babies hanging off of me.

The boys are doing great. They have settled into a great nap schedule, and only need 1 overnight feeding. They are sleeping for 6 hour stretches at night without needing to be fed. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!!

This year for Halloween, we stayed at home, and put costumes on the babies. Now, we had to do this fast because you all know how much kids love scratchy polyester costumes. Needless to day we slapped those costumes on, took a few pics, and then ended the torture.

Our theme was "Take me out to the Ballgame". I found a hotdog and peanut costume that would fit infants and went with that. This was after hours of searching the internet, and a run in with backordered costumes....fun fun. No wonder holidays are so much more fun for kids.

It was a fun Halloween, even though we only got like 15 trick or treaters. It is unfortunate, since I practically bought the entire candy aisle at Albertsons. I may begin to regain my pregnancy weight since we have so much left over.

Here are some recent new developments-

- Alex loves to look at the fish mobile above the swing, He talks to them.

-Jackson loves to stick his tongue out at you and wants you to do it back to him. He then laughs and laughs.

-They both have begun to suck their thumbs, when it stays in their mouths. Their hand eye coordination still needs work.

-They love being read to and I do it all the time. Of course the funnier the voice the better the reaction. If a stranger were to hear me, they would think I was a freak.

- They now love their baths. They both splash and kick all the time. Mom leaves the bathroom soaked. I may invest in a wetsuit soon.

- They have begun to move like they are rolling over. This should happen VERY soon. Then it is game on- LOG ROLL through the house!

I am posting a few pics now of everything that has gone on in the last few days....I will try to be better about updating. :)

More Family Fun!

This week more of our family came to visit and we had such a good time. Jackson and Alex met their Aunts and Uncles from Chicago and Florida. They met Uncle Joe and Aunt Cathy, and Uncle Dave and Aunt Cathy. Not only did we get to see them in Huntington, they (Cathy and Dave) have a time share in Escondido, and we got to go visit them there too!

The boys have enjoyed their time with all of their family and friends and hope that the visits continue frequently. We miss being close to everyone, now more then ever.

Milestones:

Smiling all of the time!

Grabbing the rings in front of them on the tummy time mat-they aren't always accurate, but they go for it!

I swear that Alex will crawl tomorrow....he loves to scoot everywhere on his belly and picks his head up SOOOOO high. He moves around his playmat, pushes his upper body up with his arms and moves his back legs.

Jackson loves the ceiling. He looks at it with wonder (what the heck is up there??) . I sing the Lionel Ritchie song "Dancing on the Ceiling" but change the words to "Oh what a feeling, as were staring at the ceiling!" He studies everything and everyone!

That's it for now....

Love to all!

Family FUN!

This last week many family members have come to visit us. It was a fun filled time, with many laughs!

The boys love their Grandpa's and Grandma's, Aunts and Uncles, cousins, and good friends that have visited over the course of the last 6 weeks. I have some pics of family visits. Please don't be offended if you didn't make the cut on pics, I only have so much room. I picked randomly, using the tried and true "close your eyes and point". :)

The boys are 6 weeks old already and we can't believe it. They have been so good!

A few fun facts-

-They are 10 pounds now...little meatloafs!

-Alex likes the big green pacifiers that they give you in the hospital, and Jackson likes the much smaller Advent ones.

- They look around all the time, checking out their surroundings. It is so cute, except at 4 am when after they have been fed they decide to look at any light that is coming out of anywhere in the room, thus prolonging going back to bed. I had to turn off every light and sit in the dark, but they still found light to look at- moonlight coming in from the front doors.

- Alex loves to sleep on his boppy pillow, Jackson prefers to be in people's arms. He isn't picky either. Any ol' stranger will do. They both HAVE to sleep in their cribs at night, NO exception so it is a little bit sticky at times. Some whining when put down, but it goes away pretty quickly.

- They both smile when they are falling asleep. They smile these huge bright smiles and I wonder what they are thinking about. It is too cute.

That's it for now. If I think of more, I will write them in the next post.

One month OLD already!

This week marked Jackson and Alex's one month birthday! We can't believe how fast this month went by and how great these boys still are. They are such good babies and they rarely give us trouble. We were blessed!

This weekend Grandma and Grandpa B are coming in to town with Aunt Jeanne, Uncle Jim, Grace, and Jack. Aunt Julie, Miles and Lucas are coming in to town too! The only thing that is a HUGE bummer, is that Aunt Jessica, Uncle Tim, Dylan and Kyle can't be here too. Hopefully we will see them soon!

Also, in two weeks there will be a visit from my Aunt Cathy, Uncle Dave, Aunt Cathy C and Uncle Joe. They have a time share in Escondido CA and will be vacationing here. We are looking forward to having the boys spend time with their families!

The pics posted above are Jackson and Alex in playtime. Jackson decided to pull his brother's arm over towards him, and put Alex's hand in his mouth. Alex was a trooper, he let it happen and didn't complain. They stayed this way for about 5 minutes. It was a riot to see. It seems like they are already practicing their wrestling skills with each other. 

The other pics are Grandma with Alex, and the boys in their summer hats. These hats are 0-3 months, yet I don't think even a 2 year old could fit into these hats. They are HUGE. Jackson looks like the croc hunter in his and Alex just swims in the hat. It's fun to play with them and dress them up for the fun of it!

Hope all is well, and more blog soon.

 

New Pics

New Pics of the boys from the last few days. They are getting bigger every day!  Pic #1 is Alex in his outfit- I love dressing them up in their little clothes every day. #2 is a family shot- I am holding Alex and Jason is holding Jackson. #3 is Mommy and Alex. #4 is Jackson smiling at us. #5 is Grandpa holding Jackson.

The Brothers Bickler- Week 2

This week has been interesting, fun, challenging and amazing all at the same time. The boys have been doing great, and both parents and grandparents are all tired but still having a great time! We would all trade sleep for time with these guys any day. As worn out as we are, we still have many laughs at 3 a.m. when they do something so random and funny. There is definitely a LOT of laughter happening at the house lately, all hours of the day. Nobody ever told us having kids would be so hysterical!

Some firsts this week-

Both boys have begun to focus their eyes better, so they actually look like they are seeing you when they look at you. 

They now weigh 6 pounds 5 oz.s each. They have been given another clean bill of health from the Dr. 

Uncle Jack came to visit, and Aunt Joanna has been spending lots of time here too!!!

We are anxiously anticipating the upcoming visitors. Grandma and Grandpa Bickler are coming in to town very soon, along with Aunt Jeanne (Uncle Jim) and Aunt Julie (Uncle Stu). 

I have some videos to upload, but can't figure out how to do that yet. Jason is out of town for business, but when he gets home, I will have him explain it to me. It's a new camera, so we are both trying to figure it out right now. 

Hope all is well with everyone! 

Sleep, Sleep and more Sleep

This week has been another week of discovery. Our little guys had their first Dr. appointments and they passed with a clean bill of health. They are growing steadily and are sticking to their schedule (mom is VERY concerned about schedules!!). They did get their first shot which made me cry in the office when I saw the Dr. put it in their little legs. That was not a fun moment for me, but Dr. Taylor said that it is perfectly normal and that all new mom's react that way. I still think it is the hormones :)

The boys also had their newborn pictures taken. I am in the process of sending out birth announcements and we thought it would be cute to do photo cards for everyone. They were such pro's during the session! I was a stress case, taking them out of the house for the first time (other than the Dr office). Even though I had 2 extra very capable helping hands in my parents there, I was a mess. I was exhausted by the time we got home, but it was all worth it. We got great pics and you will all be seeing them shortly.

I am including some of the latest pics from this week. They really like to nap, so most of these are of them sleeping! Till next week!

One week old today!!

Happy 1 Week Birthday to Jackson and Alex!!!

This week has been the best week of our lives. They are so much fun to have around the house and provided Jason and I a ton of laughs. Just this week, a bunch of new firsts happened. 

- First car ride- They didn't even know they were in the car. They slept the whole way. 

- First days home- They really settled into a every three hour feeding routine and sleep regularly.

-First time in their new cribs/ various pieces of baby gear- They readily sleep in pretty much whatever we put them in. We have them napping in their pack and play during the day downstairs with us. Once in a while they fall asleep in their bouncers which is great. We have some tricks we save up our sleeves for fussiness, and we have only had to pull out the heavy artillery one time. Our heaviest weapon is the swing, and they have only had to use it once to calm down. It is our when all else fails trick.

-First (sponge) bath- HATED IT!! They cried like we were killing them the whole time. It was so crazy. 

Now, us parents have had our fair share of firsts this week. 

- Getting Peed on or pooped on during changing them. Dad has gotten this admittedly more then mom, but I got peed on during both of their baths.

- First smiles, facial expressions etc.- They change so much on a daily basis that it has been the best to watch their little personalities emerge more and more.

I am committed to keeping up this blog every other day and will continue to post pics in this location. I will let you know when I have updated, and that way the redundancy of getting pics via email and this source is eliminated. 

We hope all is well, and hope you all understand if we haven't exactly been in constant touch. Life is a bit crazy right now, and the day just gets away from us before we know it. We love you all!!

They're Here!!!

Our babies have decided to make an entrance into the world! Most of you know this already, but I thought I could post some pics and let you know how we are doing.

Jackson Joseph and Alexander James Bickler were born on August 8. They weighed 5 pounds 13 oz. 

They made it known that it was time to meet them, when on Saturday I felt massive back pain and thought it probably a good idea to see if it was them trying to crawl out of my belly.

Well, yes, and after a few hours of Labor and Delivery we were the proud parents to the cutest babies I have ever seen (of course I am biased).

Now we are home after a 5 day stay in the hospital. We are happy to be settled in and looking forward to many sleepless nights to come. Grandma and Grandpa Palermo have come to town to help mommy and daddy get acclimated and to allow us some sleep! We have begun to work out a system and although we have twins, sometimes it feels like we can handle all that comes our way. Mom P and Dad P have taken to cooking meals for us, cleaning the house, running errands (there are all of a sudden a lot of errands to be run every day as we get the hang of what they need) and alternating feedings with Jason and I at night. They love being first time grandparents. We are looking forward to seeing the Grandma and Grandpa Bickler very soon and we know they will also be the best grandparents any little boy and girl could ever want. I have seen them in action- they are tough to beat!! :)

 Also, Jason has taken to fatherhood as a fish takes to water. He is up changing them, feeding them, holding them all the time. We almost have to battle for time because he is so involved.  He has mastered the swaddle, and wraps them up like a pro.  He is still a quicker diaper changer then I am...which bodes well for him because both of the boys HATE to be changed. They cry like someone is trying to murder them!

He knows his soothing techniques and relishes the opportunity to pick them up and "shoosh" them when they are fussy. He (and I) loves every minute of it!!! Even the poopy diapers.

This is truly the best thing that has ever happened to both Jason and I and we couldn't be happier and more in love with these two little people. Everything they do is amazing and they could cry all night, yet I would be so happy to hear the crying because it sounds like music to me. It was a long journey to get here, but now that we are it seems like a miracle. We can't wait for all of our family and friends to meet them!