The Combs Krewe

I've seen and pinned lots of ideas on Facebook and Pinterest about keeping babies and toddlers busy. I love the idea of sensory bins and busy bags and water tables but today I thought I'd share a few things that have been working for us.  If you have toddlers you might... Keep a basket next to your bed filled with books you'd like to read, your journal, etc. and of course pens.  Skip cabinet locks. Keep your costume jewelry in a low drawer. Hand them a coloring book and crayons. Watch them throw them down one at a time saying uh oh each time.  Sadly I didn't get a picture of their banana smashing adventure or their favorite educational activity: tearing the entire toilet paper roll into tiny pieces and/or putting an entire roll of toilet paper directly into the toilet.  What are some of your favorite ways to keep baby busy?  Anyone want to babysit? 

Brooklyn and Braelyn are one year old!  Over the last month Brooklyn has learned to scoot around pretty fast and can now pull up on her own. She has crawled a very short distance on her hands and knees a couple of times. She still nurses throughout the day and night and eats solid food well. She is not picky at all! Her favorite toys by far are balls. She actually has a pretty good throwing arm! Braelyn is a super fast crawler now! She has stood on her own twice. Braelyn nurses more frequently than Brooklyn often throughout the night. She still prefers sleeping with mama. Braelyn is a bit of a picky eater. She has to check out what we are offering her. She loves eggs and peas (though not necessarily at the same time). Like her sister she loves playing with balls. She also hugs and kisses her babydolls.  We celebrated the Saturday before their actual birthday with a princess party for the twincesses! Lots of friends and family joined us. We served crown-shaped sandwiches, fruit...

Can you believe the babies are four months old already! We have had such a busy month and a half with graduation then moving back to Alabama that I just realized today that I never even posted a 3 month update! And although we've been without a computer for over a month, I just thought today to search for a blogger app which, as it turns out, exists--yea! So here I am trying it out for the first time.  So Brooklyn and Braelyn were four months on June 26. Just last night Jackie and I happened upon some newborn pictures of them and were amazed at how they have grown and changed! Braelyn still has Brooklyn beat in the size department (no clue how much they weigh since we skipped the four month checkup) but Brooklyn seems to stay just a tad bit ahead of Braelyn developmentally. She is quite alert and smiley and I swear, it sounds exactly like she says mama when she cries. Jackie thinks its a coincidence but I'm totally claiming it. Brooklyn has given up sleeping so well at night an...

Friday marked 2 months for the twins! The last month has been such a special time because the girls have grown so much and there have been so many firsts. The best "first" has been their first social smiles. I noted Brooklyn's in my nursing log on April 9th. Since that morning she's been happily grinning at us each and every morning. It's no wonder because she sleeps SO WELL. Most nights she sleeps 5 hours; one night this week she slept 6 and a half. This is just unheard of in the Combs household! She has also gained great head and neck control. She has been called the "Traci baby" since she was born but I didn't think she really looked much like me until this week. A friend had her on her lap; she sat there looking around wide eyed and it was like looking at one of my baby pictures! I also see a lot of my dad in her. She definitely takes after the Ladd side of the family! Braelyn has definitely been stingier with her smiles. She has suffered th...

Brooklyn has become quite the morning person. After sleeping FIVE WHOLE HOURS, it's no wonder. And her mama is loving this whole sleeping, smiling stage!

  Can you believe it's been one whole month already? I would say no. Jackie might say YES, ha ha. There is a quote I love that says something like "parenthood consists of long days and short years."  The more children I have, the more I appreciate this truth. Now--six children into this life--I can sit in bed at 2 a.m. battling exhaustion and love every minute of it. (Okay, most minutes of it.) I can snuggle my nose down beside their little heads nestled into the crook of my neck and be completely content with life. I know that all too soon one month will be two and the days will slip right through my fingers and before I know it all their tenderness will be concealed beneath a teenager's sharp facade. And then I'll wish again for these sweet moments when it's so simple to convey my love for them. Because for now all they want in the world is a warm embrace in which to find nourishment. But I suppose in actuality that's all we all truly want! I sp...

TMI WARNING! This post contains a candid description of my twins' birth experience which contains details about birth and bodily functions. If the words mucus plug, placenta, or nipple or infant nudity make you cringe, this is not the place for you. = P Okay, so after I reached the 34 week milestone I was kind of like, "Alrighty, babies, come on out!" I was definitely uncomfortable but also totally willing to go the long haul should they decide not to come out for a few more weeks. However, Sunday morning I noticed that I was beginning to lose bits of my mucus plug. This was both really gross and really exciting. I've actually never had it happen before so I felt it was a good sign that my body was actually readying itself for labor. After a self check that night, I knew that I was beginning to dilate. Monday I had an appointment with a chiropractor. (If you're local go see Dr. Rizer at Provance Chiropractic!) Unfortunately he is not certified in the Webste...

A few weeks back my friend Amanda asked if she could throw me a diaper/wipe party. Of course I said yes! Since I've never had a "real" shower I was thrilled at the prospect of a girls night in musing over babies and baby stuff. I was a bit nervous, however, that I might not make it to the shower date still pregnant. One of the reasons I've never had a real shower is because every time someone plans one, I end up having the baby early. I would be just over 34 weeks pregnant this time and I had no idea what to expect with twins. The day finally arrived, though, and I waddled downstairs to Amanda's apartment. This cute sign was waiting to greet me! Then I stepped inside and knew this wasn't your typical baby shower. The lighting was low; candles twinkled here and there. Soft jazz was playing in the background and her apartment was decorated beautifully. The pictures really don't do it justice. And on that table? Some SERIOUSLY delicious food. No...

I feel like we've reached a big milestone! Weeks and weeks ago my doctor told me, "Just get to 34 weeks." If the babies were born at this point, they would most likely be fine to come home with me. So now I'm all like, "Okay, come out babies." Generally I'm 100% for waiting until your body and your baby (babies) decide to birth. I know that due dates are really just guess dates. I've been really encouraged lately by a couple of mamas who chose to go 41 and 42 weeks with their babies. Yep, that's my position on birth...just let it happen as it will! It's hard to keep that in mind though when you get to this point, however. Days aren't so bad; nights are. Doesn't it always seem that way, though? Sickness, loneliness, whatever. It's always worse at night. All day I feel resolved; some nights I accidentally break down and cry. It's truly not THAT bad but there is a culmination of little things that wears me down.  Fir...