Snow Angels

Another 14+ inches of snow with this last storm and my three Snow Angels got out to enjoy it. We took the girls on their first walk with the front loaders through the neighborhood. Titan joined us, of course, and ran like a wild dog through the tall snow. The girls slept for the majority of the walk, but didn't seem to mind the teen temperatures. The sun was so very warm!

Giggles :)

We have now been able to experience the first giggles for both of the girls now. Kevin heard Annellice giggle while I was away the other week. She was in a good mood and giggled while rolling up like a rolly-polly. Alexandra shared her first giggle on Monday morning in the darkness of the day. While laying on the changing table she started giggling after I popped up from reaching to get a new diaper. She was so surprised she layed mute for the next 5-10minutes wondering what the heck that was that came out of her mouth.

The girls are doing well over all. They appear to still be growing and we have been slowly rotating out some of the "spark-plug" like clothing that is nice and round but way to short in the legs for our little giraffes. It's kind of sad to see things go to the been-there-done-that bin; it feels like they hardly got a chance to wear some of them. Yes - I have been told that will be a running theme for the next 18 years but none the less it is a little sad.

Alexandra is continuing to expand her vocabular of non-sensical noises. She often will just set jabbering for what seems hours and when you check on her she goes quiet and just smiles and is just as happy to go back to jabbering when you are no longer looking. Annellice is starting to help herself sit-up after having a bottle. She doesn't know how to actually do it yet, but you can see her tense her abdominals to roll forward because she knows that burping is the next step after eating. Now if only I could get the two of them to enjoy tummy time more! They both get the concept fo the legs going for crawling but it is the upper body that is suffering a bit. If we position their hands under their shoulders or chest it is only a matter of moments before they find their hands to suck on instead. Hopefully, we will have made some progress by the time we go to the developmental clinic on the 24th.

The Art of Napping

So we are trying to figure out how to give the girls the quality nap time that they (and I) so richly deserve. Some days we have ping-pong matches when one will be awake and the other asleep; other days we have surround sound of awake time and rare times of silence. At this point it may lay more on my table of responsibilities to try more earnestly to place them in their crib after feedings or when fussiness arises rather than the pack-n-play. The kicker on this though is they like to go to the crib together, if they are left without their partner for very long (ie: feeding) then WWIII seems to break out and then they are both up and I am pulling my hair out.

Ahh, thank goodness I have a fair amount of patience. I also have the upper hand on Kevin in that I am with them all day every day so I can pick up on cues that will give me a lead in on what to do next. Kevin had his first full day with just him and the babies this week. He thought strategically of course and arranged for errands to be run mid-morning and a workout in the evening (the Y has free child care for members if you want to workout). The only time he was a bit frazzled was the bewitching hour - which typically has been hitting at 5pm or 7pm (and sometimes both). By the time I arrived home at 845pm the girls had fussed themselves to sleep; just 30 minutes before their last feeding time of the day!

On another note, I have learned that the girls just love the sound of voices when they are awake. I am trying to make an effort of not turning on the tv to entertain them when i need to get work done. Does anyone know a good talk radio station that I can tune into while the play in their chairs/boppy's?

Wow - Look how big they have gotten!

Looking back to the Thanksgiving photo is when you realize how much they have grown.

Alexandra and Annellice have been spending the last week perfecting their cooing techniques and helping mommy create mixed music cd's for spinning classes. If they cry the song is a no - go. So far they really like 50's/60's rock for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and Aerosmith. Go figure!

alexandra is showing that she will ever be our little motor mouth. She actively squaks and chatters to thr animals hanging on her bouncy seat and the fan blades on the light fixtures.

Annellice likes to coo... "hooooh, hoooh, hoooh", "haaaa, hhhuhhh, haaah, haaaa, huhhh". The facial expressions that accompany the noises are priceless, now if only she could hold them instead of changing the when she see the camera.

Mirror time is becoming more fun now. They love to see their faces and the person holding them. Smiles are a plenty! Now only if Tummy time were as good.

We have a WINNER!

Kevin was able to guess the girls weights within 2 ounces at the 4 month doctor visit yesterday. I got 2 month visit within an ounce so we are even now :)

Alexandra is weighing in at 9lbs 14ounces and is 23.5inches long. This places her in the .8% (yes that is less that 1) on weight and 21% on height. Annellice is weighing in at 11lbs 5ounces and is 24inches long. This places her in the 7% on weight and 39% on height.

The percentiles are what they are. They are not really meaningful because the girls were 6.5 weeks premature. The main thing is they are growing and healthy! The downer of the day was they had to receive 3 shots and an oral liquid for they boosters. Alexandra took them in stride this time surprisingly; Annellice on the other hand was throwing a fit already just from being undressed to get weighed. The bonus of the day was I got to have two children that ate a ton and then slept solid until their next feedings. Acclimating back to regular life has had its ups and downs today but we are all still standing so that is good.

We will be continuing the 3 hour feeding schedule until the 6 month check-up. The doctor also told us that we should not introduce any solids until then as he is factoring in their prematurity a bit there. None the less I am already reading up on homemade baby foods - lets just hope we can have storage space in the freezer available then :)

On a more fun topic, the girls have discovered how to suck on various portions of their hand. Annellice figured out where her thumb is but hasn't played favorite to it yet. Alexandra is kicking up the smiles and cooing big time. It is fun to banter back and forth mimicing the sounds they make - their eyes just light up when they hear their language back at them. Today was the first time they had meaningful eye contact with each other. Previously they would get a glimpse and then immediately look away - today they heald each others gaze for a good 30-40 seconds, I was just glad Kevin and I got to watch it happen as they both kicked up the smiles and head bobbing when the locked eyes.

Let the good times roll on :)

Sleeping Family

Time Is Flying

Now seven plus weeks post-ironman and still no workouts...and loving the extra time spent with the family! The girls are a trip and a half to say the least.



Both girls are smiling and cooing on a regular basis and will mimic your facial/tongue expressions on occasion. They recognize both Gwynne and I when we are within about 4 feet of their face. This morning I "appeared" over the edge of their crib and both girls smiled at the site of my face.



Annellice has started a nasty habit of whaling when she wants her bottle...totally a fake cry, but she figures if she is loud enough the food appears faster. Some days she is right; others I make her wait until she calms down.



We've been making an effort to do more and extended sessions of "tummy time" to work on their upper body strength. Both girls have met this with varied resistance. Sometimes they spit-up their food, or just lay there, or scream endlessly, or try their exercises for a bit before lapsing into one of the aforementioned states.



Today we are off to the doctor's office for the third round of vaccine shots. Should be a particularly tough visit as there are about four shots per girl. The office will be filled with surround sound crying...are ear plugs included in the co-pay?

Oh well, here we go!