Early bird gets the worm....

One of the questions I get asked often (aside from “Are they twins?”!) is “Are they on the same schedule?” Well, how strict of a schedule are we talking? If you know me, you know I am a very ‘scheduled’ person. I set timelines, deadlines, and try to stick to them. Try telling a 5 month old to do that……let alone two 5 month olds!!

However, Evan and Jaden really have done a great job of sticking to the same ‘schedule.’ Ever since we got home from the hospital in September, I have kept the boys on the same feeding schedule. Initially it was feeding every three hours, and slowly we transitioned to ‘front loading’ the nighttime feedings before midnight. Now in the evenings the boys eat at 6:30pm and 8:30pm and will sleep until about 6am (or 4:45am depending on my workout motivation!). Either way, they both will go back to sleep right away for a nap. And this is where the difference in their schedules starts each day.

Jaden is clearly a morning person. He consistently wakes up before Evan after their early morning nap. And he is full of smiles. Recently cooing and giggles have accompanied the smiles. I really enjoy having that one-on-one time with Jaden the Morning Baby.

Evan on the other hand, will sometimes need to be woken up before the 9:15am feeding. And when evening rolls around, Evan breaks out those smiles. He loves to lie on the floor – cooing at the ceiling fan. He thinks it’s hilarious when I put his toes up to his nose! All this, while Jaden is cat-napping in the swing (after 10 minutes of fussy time!)

So when asked if they are on the same schedule, I do say ‘yes.’ Even though I know that Evan and Jaden are individuals and I cannot dictate their personalities at different times of days which also means a different nap schedule. I am actually grateful that one is a morning person and one more of a night owl as this gives me that one-on-one time with each of them that is often hard to find throughout the day. I would take that before a strict schedule any day!

Jaden - enjoying morning coffee time!

Evan in the evening while Jaden is napping.

Basketball or naptime??

Evan’s top 5 reasons why an ISU basketball game is better than naptime!

5. Reggie! Wow he is so big! I can’t wait to hug him when I get bigger. I am sure mom will want our picture with him, too!

4. Cheering! It was SO loud in Redbird arena! How fun to see all of the fans on their feet cheering on the Birds. Lots and lots of clapping. During the last minute of the game, though, the cheering got so loud that Jaden and I cried. We didn’t know that the loud screams were screams of victory.

3. A winning team! The Redbirds won by a basket right at the last second! I can’t wait to yell ‘Go Birds’!!

2. Redbird apparel! Mom dressed us in our rompers with a picture of Reggie Redbird on my tummy! We wore jeans, too, to keep us warm. I think I need to tell mom that those jeans are getting too tight, though. Time to move to 3-6 month clothes! We are 4 months old you know.

1. The best thing at that game---the lights! WOW! I have never seen so many bright lights. There were lights everywhere. The scoreboard flashed with color, the ceiling had all different sizes of lights. It was so fun to just stare up and look at all the lights. So much more exciting than naptime!!

Evan looking up at the lights with friend, Jonah.

Jaden catching his 10 minute nap during halftime!

Planes, Buses, and Automobiles

Evan- Flying to Minneapolis!

Some may call me crazy – taking a 4-month old on a plane, by myself. I call it “vacation!!” Nathan and I both got to experience single parenting with just one child. Nathan’s reaction on Sunday, “This was not that bad!” Nathan picked who stayed home with him, and it ended up that we each had the best baby! Jaden slept until 7:40 for Nathan and Evan was such a great traveler for me.

Some things I learned while traveling with Evan:

1. It’s okay to ask for help. Most of the time I didn’t even have to ask, people were so gracious and just offered. Lifting the stroller up onto the airport parking shuttle bus was probably the task I needed the most help with.

2. Plan plenty of time for airport security. However I think this really only took two extra minutes. The security staff had me go in a family line. Evan was not happy with me at 7am since I had to take him out of his seat so I could carry him through as his stroller and seat had to be x-rayed.

3. You can take more than 3 ounces of breastmilk on a plane. I did not previously know this. They just do a fumes test with it to make sure it’s ‘safe’.

4. Have the baby well fed, rested, changed, and food ready while traveling. Wait, this is true for adults, too!

5. Even only-children get fussy! Evan got a LOT of attention on this trip as we saw many friends in Minneapolis and made a quick trip to Sioux Falls to visit some family & friends. Since I didn’t have to split my time with Evan and Jaden, I thought Evan would never cry or fuss. I was wrong! Although he really was great, he did have his moments where I am sure he was screaming- mom, really? How much longer?!!

6. It’s amazing how much you can miss someone! I was very excited to come home and see Jaden……and Nathan, too, of course!

Evan couldn't miss Lego Land at Mall of America!! The mall was a great place to walk around while waiting for our flight:)

Taylor, Evan's first girlfriend!! Exactly 3 months younger.

Alyssa's baby

Jaden. Being spoiled by dad watching some football!

4 Months Old!

On January 2^nd, Evan and Jaden turned 4 months old! They have been growing every day and interacting with us more and more. They are starting to recognize each other more every day as well. When laying on a blanket, they will scoot towards each other and their hands often find the other’s or the other’s head and face:) Jaden remains the morning-person and will wake just a little earlier than Evan during their morning nap to have that extra one-on-one time filled with smiles. Evan is more of the night owl and typically doesn’t nap after he wakes from his afternoon nap around 3pm-ish. He loves lying on his back in the evenings and looking up at the lights or ceiling fans and just ‘talking’ to them!

At their 4-month check up, Evan is succeeding at playing catch-up and weighed in at 12 Pounds, 3 ounces, while Jaden weighed 12 Pounds 10 ounces. (Previously there had always been 1 full pound difference).

Full time day care for the semester begins today! It took both Nathan and I to get all 4 of us out the door on time. I loaded the boys up, and Nathan dropped them off.

Thus begins the rollercoaster schedule of the semester!

Evan

Jaden

Christmas Time!

This Christmas Season felt a lot like Thanksgiving to me……minus the late night/early morning shopping that comes with Black Friday!! As I stopped to enjoy the time with family, I looked back on 2011 and saw that we had so much to be thankful for.

Evan and Jaden loved the lights of our Christmas tree. If there are fussy times ahead, we may have to unpack that tree in the summer and have Christmas in July to provide hours of entertainment gazing at the lights. They were spoiled with family holding, reading, and playing with them during Christmas and New Years.

Picture compliments of Lauren Schweizer!

Grandma and Grandpa Schumacher reading the Christmas story to Evan and Jaden. Evan may be more interested in that ceiling fan..... but Jaden will take notes for both of them!!

Family made the trip from South Dakota so we didn’t have to travel this year. Nathan’s parents came for a long Christmas weekend and my family came for New Year’s weekend. Also visiting were the bottle-washing fairy and baby sitters so I could sneak away to work out and shop!

Grandma and Grandpa Raeder- listening to Jaden and Evan tell stories.

Jaden getting ready for take off - 'flying baby'.....a new cure for fussiness thanks to Aunt Laurie!

Friends also made this season special with stopping by to entertain Evan and Jaden some evenings and help with their feedings. Just increasing the ratio by one more adult to baby makes a big difference!! Evan and Jaden love that one-on-one attention!

We wish your family a blessed 2012 and thanks for helping to make our 2011 so special!