Baby Steps

Well, I think it's official- we have a little walker! Harper has been practicing taking a step or two, and last night she strung together three steps and then four. Harper has been walking between me and Tony reaching her arms out to us as she took those fateful steps. Yesterday, however, she walked from the couch to me and then from me to the toy bin, and today Durinda said she let go and took a few steps across the floor by herself. I love the look of accomplishment on her face when she reaches her destination. I can't wait to see what that girl does next.

Jack is still working on his walking, but he can stand on his own for quite a while without falling, and earlier this week he was even showing off his dancing skills balanced all by himself. I know that once Harper starts to really take off, Jack won't be far behind.

Sorry for the quick post, things at our house have been hectic lately. Tony sprained his ankle last night and is in a walking boot- hopefully it will heal quickly. He is also still on the search for a job, so any prayers you are willing to send our way, we will definitely take them- thank you.

More pictures of the little ones to come- as soon as we can catch a good walking picture in action!

Weekend Fun

Well, I survived my first week back at work in 2014 and I was very excited to see Friday roll around so our little family could spend some time together. I had grown so accustomed to being there when the babies woke up from naps, or played in the living room, or ate a snack- all the little things I missed this week. This weekend was a much appreciated time of rest and renewal.

Friday night Uncle Tanner came out to spend some time with Harper and Jack. The kids had a fun time playing with Tanner and Harper, who had once been leery of him, spent most of the time trying to climb in Tanner's lap. We took Tanner to dinner at Chuy's and all got our Mexican food fix; even the kids chowed down on some fajita meat and tortillas. Tony, Tanner, and I also got to hang out after the kids went to bed, and it was good to catch up. We can't wait to see you again soon, Tan!

Saturday morning we went to the gym, as usual, but this Saturday the women's weightlifting class at our gym had a breakfast outing. I went and took Harper and Jack who were both so fabulous at breakfast that I was amazed. They enjoyed all the activity and waving to everyone. They also really enjoyed the scrambled eggs and pancake breakfast. In fact, they were so good at breakfast on Saturday, that Tony and I took them out again for breakfast on Sunday morning too!

We are still really diggin' the wagon that Santa brought the kids for Christmas and we were lucky enough to be able to fit in two wagon rides this weekend. Saturday the weather was beautiful and the kids were so excited to be able to get out and experience the blue sky; Abby was also very excited to be able to frolic around in the spring- like weather.

 The other "big thing" the kids have been interested in this weekend is a broken down diaper box. I know that sounds silly, but the kids have had a great time today crawling back and forth through the "tunnel". Harper was the first to discover the diaper box and she crawled through it about 5-6 times before she caught Jack's attention and he zoomed over. Once Jack got the hang of it, he spent the rest of the night squealing and going back and forth and round and round the chair to get through the tunnel. I suppose the diaper box will be staying in the living room a little while longer.

On a different note, we did have an eating set back tonight that derailed our dinner. Tony and I are going to the drawing board to come up with some type of plan for moving the kids from bottles to "real food". They only have 2 teeth each, so we're fearful of giving them anything that requires lots of chewing and we are running into "just feed them what you eat", but when we eat Whataburger for dinner, that's not an option (as evidenced by the choking tonight). So, hopefully next week will be better eating for our little ones. Please say a prayer that this minor hiccup doesn't start any aversion reactions and we have two kids who catch on to this whole eating thing sooner rather than later. Who knew eating could be such an ordeal?

Here are some more quick shots from this weekend- enjoy!

Full Circle

It's hard to imagine, but as of today our twin blog is a year old. One year ago today, I penned a post entitled "Double Trouble" and recounted the first week of Jack and Harper's lives. Wow, I can't believe how long ago that seems now. We were counting the kids' weight in grams and we were worried about nasal cannulas and heart rate monitors. I am very proud to report that many things have changed since the first day I sat down to blog, and in a very fitting fashion, we went to see the pediatrician today for Jack and Harper's one year check up. So, I'll start with some stats that shows just how far these little ones have come in just 12 short months:

Jack:
Weight- 19lbs 10oz (40%) One year ago today he was around 3lbs, 4 oz
Height- 28.5 inches (35%)
Head- 18.5 inches (88%)

He got an A+ in his development and the doctor was very excited to see him clapping and babbling. He  didn't fuss at all when he was getting examined and he was interested in the eye exam tool. The pediatrician said Jack looked great; no new teeth are coming in, but he the two he has look great. She wasn't concerned that he walks on his toes; she said at this age, it's pretty common. She said Jack looked like a happy, healthy boy- WOO HOO!

Harper:
Weight- 15lbs 15oz (3%- she finally made it on the non-adjusted, true age growth curve!) One year ago today she was around 2 lbs, 10 oz
Height- 27.3 inches (3%)
Head- 18.5 inches (92%)

Harper also got an A+ in her development. Our pediatrician was very happy with her growth and her progress along the growth chart. We asked about her head size, and the doctor looked at her head measurements for the last year and said she didn't think there was any concern for hydrocephalus. She told us Harper did have a large spike in her growth, but that was also the same month that she started eating and we saw a big spike in her weight and height growth as well. The doctor also thought her head shape and tilt looked better. It was wonderful to hear positive comments!

Both kiddos had three shots, but they took them like champs; the tears were over pretty quickly and aside from early bedtimes, they seemed fine. We also found out that we can make the move from formula to finger foods with the goal of being totally bottle free by April. It's amazing to think that there's an end in sight for the bottle battles, and overwhelming to think that we have another mountain to climb. We're hoping for a smooth transition; I'm sure there will be lots of reading and praying involved...wish us luck!

Here are some pictures of the little ones this week; look at how big they're getting. When I was holding Jack tonight, I realized that he's looking more like a little boy everyday and less and less like a baby. Harper took her first fledgling steps tonight- 3 steps from my arms to Tony's arms; we are so excited for her and she squealed with accomplishment and grinned from ear to ear! To look at the two of them is to see the last fading moments of babyhood leaving our house; they'll be toddlers before we know it and I want to slow the days down so I can memorize all the things that I'll miss later. I feel like I'm constantly asking "where do the days go?"

One year ago today I sat at the kitchen table and blogged about two babies that were miles away and only days old. Now, I'm sitting in bed with my babies sleeping just a wall away and they're healthy, curious, and mobile. Thank you, Lord, for all your blessings. We have come full circle.

Holding Hands After the Doctor

Chatting with Abby

Little Climber

Double Fistin' It

Making a Plan

The End of Winter Break

Our little family of five has had a nice relaxing start to 2014 and we're loving it. We have had time to visit with friends and family and play with all our Christmas toys and gadgets. We've been shopping, wagon riding, and had so many little laughs. I can't remember what Tony and I did before we had these kids, but it couldn't have been this entertaining.

I think the kids have been most excited by our wagon rides. If you'll recall, Santa brought the kiddos a two-seater wagon and we've gotten to try it out three times already this year. The first time we went on our walk, Tony and I strapped the kids in and held our breath- we weren't sure if they'd try and climb out, or make it half way down the block and start crying. As it turns out, all of our worries were in vain because the moment the door opened and we wheeled them out, they were all smiles. The transition from stroller to wagon has meant more visibility, actually sitting upright (they were in their carseats in the stroller), and (their favorite) being close enough to the ground that they can lean out and touch Abby when she walks by. Abby is also a much bigger fan of the wagon than the stroller; the wagon is a little more stealthy and more narrow, and less likely to accidentally clip Abby.

Aside from wagon rides, we've been hanging around the house mostly. The kids really enjoy playing with all their toys (which have taken over our living room), reading their books, and chasing each other around the room. They also really like when their dad gets in on the action and plays chase too. Here are some pictures of the kids playing this week- check out those big smiles.

We also got ready for the Bengals playoff game this afternoon. They were undefeated at home this season...until today. Tony has given up on the Bengals officially- until next season, anyway. The only good thing that came from the game was Jack's game day outfit. Check him out!

I can't believe that I have to go back to school tomorrow and our long awaited winter break is now officially over. I have had so much fun with the kiddos the last two weeks, and I know I'm going to miss so many things when I go back to work. Come on Spring Break, you can't get here soon enough!

Birthday Adventures

I realized this morning that I haven't updated the blog since the twins birthday and I have so many pictures to share. We have been doing some fun things with my two weeks off work, but I'll post about those later...

Harper and Jack celebrated their birthday on Monday with a busy morning and some birthday visitors in the afternoon. The morning the kiddos were born Tony and I were planning on eating breakfast with some good friends who were going to stop at La Madeline and bring breakfast to my hospital room- that was the plan. Somewhere between texting my order to my friend and the actual breakfast delivery, my water broke; needless to say, Tony and I didn't have La Madeline for breakfast that morning. So, after the twins had their bottle, Tony and I started off their birthday with a trip to La Madeline for breakfast. The kids really enjoyed having some scrambled eggs, croissant, and fruit. They also enjoyed "talking to" and waving at a grandmother sitting next to us; she even wished them a happy birthday- so nice!

The next stop on our adventure was Costco to get some supplies. We picked up a birthday cake (vanilla cake with 2lbs of vanilla mouse), some cookies, and plates and then headed to Plano Presbyterian Hospital. I told Tony that morning that I thought we should go by the NICU and he agreed; we thought it was only fitting to bring some sweets to thank the nurses for all their hard work and support. We also donated all of the preemie clothes we used (we kept a couple of outfits for the memory box). It was bittersweet to let go of those little outfits, but I know other little ones will get good use out of them. 

When we got to the NICU we got to see two people that really helped us with our little ones. One was the NICU director who was very helpful when we roomed in with Jack and helped us transition home. The other person we got to see was one of our very favorite day nurses who helped keep us sane when Harper was still in the NICU and Brother was at home. Both ladies thought the kids looked great, and it felt great to be back at the NICU under good circumstances and leaving with two happy babies. I wish I would've taken a picture of Harper and Jack there, but I forgot.

When we got home from our adventure, Nana, Pop, and Uncle Tanner came over to play with the kiddos. They also brought cupcakes, so we sang "Happy Birthday" and let the kids try the cupcakes. They were both a little puzzled at first, but Jack dug in and ate quite a bit; Harper was not happy about the frosting all over her hands and spent a little while trying to shake the frosting off (she finally found a solution to the frosting problem in Abby).

Overall, I think the kids had a great birthday and I think Tony and I started two traditions that we hope to continue for years to come. So, here are our big kids at a year old- holy smokes, where has the year gone?