First Family of Five Vacation!

We decided to take a big adventure over the 4th of July weekend. This was our very first family vacation! We decided to make the 5 1/2 hour drive to Chicago to celebrate Independence day in the Windy City. The kids were an amazing in the car, in the hotel, at restaurants, really everywhere they did a fantastic job. Maybe we had low expectations, but we were really amazed at how well it all went.

We only had to stop one time both ways. We found an adorable little park in Rock Falls, IL that was perfect. When we got into Chicago, we checked into our hotel than set off to Millennium Park with Aunt Carrie and Maeve. Josie loved the fountains. The boys loved the grass with the symphony playing. After that we met Uncle Jay and Uncle Danny back at our hotel for pizza.

Friday we ventured off to the Aquarium with Uncle Danny. It was very helpful to have an extra set of hands! After naps we walked over to go on a boat ride. The kids did a great job. Will napped on the way there and Ben napped on the boat. Then we walked over to Ed Debevics for an old fashion dinner with all the family.

Saturday we met Uncle Jay, Aunt Carrie, and Maeve at Foster's beach just north of the downtown area. The boys had their first sand experience and I think they only ate a minimal amount. After heading to the hotel for naps and baths, we drove to the Lincoln Park Zoo to walk around for a bit. Then Logan Square was our next place to go and we met everyone at El Cid for a delicious Mexican dinner on their back patio. Getting to the restaurant was probably our only hiccup. We got a little turned around then had to cross 3 streets with 3 kids and lots of crazy Chicago traffic. But we survived! If that was our only stressed part, it's safe to say it was a successful trip!

Will is on the left in every picture. The one on the boat is just Josie and Will. Ben was sound asleep on me by then.

Something Fishy...

Ben has figured out a few things this past weekend. For starters he started making a fish face. (See video below). Plus tonight (on his sister's birthday) he started to wave...sort of. He puts is whole arm into it really. But when you wave he definitely responds!

Will has a new trick of his own too. He started putting his hand over his mouth to mimic me. It's similar to old fashion indian noises.

Our boys are sure fun!

May 15th, 2010... Will's hospital stay

This post should have been updated last month... Poor Will spent two nights in the hospital. It started with Josie getting a two day flu bug. It didn't really slow her down a ton. But than Will got it on a Tuesday. The poor kid would puke than cha cha cha at least once a day. I took him to the doctor on Friday since he didn't seem much better and they said make sure he has three wets a day. Come Saturday he couldn't keep anything down and didn't have three wets. At Midnight I brought him into the ER. They tried all night to get him hydrated. He has an IV and they did three different fluid bolus thinking at least one would surely make him urinate. Then at 6am they admitted him into the Children's hospital. We ended up staying there Sunday night and getting to check out at 6pm on Monday. It was so scary. William has been healthy ever since!

The pictures above are the cage like crib he had in the hospital. The Monday he came home and his first night in the ER.

Wrestle Mania!

We've started a new habit at the Bemis' household. Every night before we put on pajamas, we wrestle! It was the boys' idea. They love crawling all over each other so the rest of us decided to join in. Josie even says, "Let's wrestle!"Here are some picture of one of our nightly events AND a video.

What's the difference?!

So the question we get asked the most, which I am sure all parents of identical twins is asked, is "How do you tell them a part?" Well my friends... I am about to disclose all of the tricks to distinguishing the Bemis Boys.

Will

• He has a big raspberry (or red marker as Josie calls it) on his tummy. But if the clothes are all on (which they not always are) then keep reading
• He is a little smaller than Ben
• He squints when he smiles. His nose scrunches up and he furrows his brow
• He is fast!
• He is more laid back like daddy. He gets that there are a couple other kids in the house so he is content waiting his turn.
• He has a higher laugh, like a squeal to be more honest.
• He may not greet strangers with a huge smile, but he is definitely more comfortable with them than brother.

Ben

• He has a little raspberry on his head, behind his left ear.
• He is a little bigger, only a couple of ounces.
• He has a small dimple on his left cheek when he smiles.
• He likes to be on the move, but takes his time getting there.
• He is more demanding, like mom :) If both boys are crying I will pick up Ben and put a hand on Will to calm them down. If I try to do this the other way around, it doesn't work well.
• He growls when he talks and when he eats. He just learned how to spit when he eats (joy!)
• He will greet a stranger with his best smile. He will make them think he is cool with them. Once they get closer, he isn't too keen on them being so close after all. He is a trickster that way.

Almost 8 months...

I checked and rechecked and sure enough, the boys will be 8 months on Saturday. Wow. I can't believe how fast these 8 months have gone. Billy and I will be married 5 years on Friday and if you ask Josie how old she is, well she will tell you "two and three quarters". So yes, time is getting away from us. And now I intend to write in here as well as Josie's Journeys at least once a month. That seems like a reasonable plan... hopefully.

To get everyone up to speed on the boys, here are the highlights:
-They both army crawl, sometimes even get up on those hind legs, everywhere. They move towards everything they shouldn't have. Put a glass of water or my phone on the floor and the are more likely to get that than the 800 toys all around them. They have good determination when they see something they want.
-Will has a tooth coming in! It's bumpy little guy and the one next to it is on it's way. Ben should be right behind him.
-Ben is still slightly bigger, but when they wrestle it doesn't seem to matter. Yes they wrestle. They get into each others personal space like there is no tomorrow. Sucking on toes, eating hair/pulling it too, and crawling over each other. They giggle when they do this and they have both left marks on each other from scratches/war wounds.
-They eat cereal, veggies, drinks of water, puffs cereal, biter biscuits, and cheetos. The last two are the messiest
-They share a swing at the park. One faces one direction and the other the opposite. It's fun to watch them laugh and laugh in the swing.
-They LOVE big sister. She walks in the room and they light up. Flap their arms and giggle all at once. It's awesome.

Attached is a video of the boys just to give an idea of how big they are getting.

12 weeks, where did it go?

Today is the boys 12 week birthday. I have no idea where the time has gone. The first 12 days were spent in the NICU, but after that I've lost track of everything. It seems like such a blur, but I feel like we have figured so many things out since our two baby boys came into our lives.

Will is slightly smaller than Ben, each doctor's appointment he is only one ounce less. He still has that "big red marker" (as Josie refers to it) on his belly. So if all else fails we strip them down to identify who is who. He tends to wake up first and is starving, but never finishes his bottles or eats just a little less than Ben. Will just seems to take his time when he eats (just like dad) When he smiles he smirks first then does a full smile. It's like he isn't sure about you at first then decides ok that is funny.

Ben's extra ounce of weight is all in his cheeks. While Will is starting to catch up he is definitely a little more round and cheeky than Will. Ben will slam his bottles so fast. He doesn't mess around when it comes to his food (just like mom). He smiles from ear to ear instantly when he thinks something is deserving.

Both boys just idolize their big sister Josie. She walks into the room and they instantly follow her every move. She talks or sings to them and they coo right back. The love between them warms my heart. I am cherishing these moments as I am sure in the future they will be yelling at each other!

I thank God everyday for blessing us with 3 beautiful healthy babies. Josie may be 2, but she is still my baby too!