New Foods

We have been experimenting with different foods for the girls. Tonight was the first time they tried meat. We made spaghetti with meat sauce for us and took some of the meat before we added sauce and pureed it. We fed the girls meat, pasta, and pears. It was a big meal for them. Gracie loved it and ate a ton. Lizzie has texture issues and wasn't too sure about putting things in her mouth. She slowly ate. But, when I added Cheerios on top of it she ate it fast! The girls love their Cheerios. It's like candy to them!

Party and Hair Bows

Today we went to a new mom brunch with my moms of multiples group. It was the first play date outing the girls have done. I was nervous because it was the first time by myself with the girls in this type of situation. It was a little rocky because it was during nap time and a feeding. They started getting a little cranky because they didn't have their nap and got hungry. I ended up having to excuse myself and ask the hostess for some place private where I could feed them. To my surprise it was easier than I thought.

Us before the party

As I have mentioned before, people have given us their baby stuff. One of the things I found in the boxes have been hair bows. I am usually not very good about putting bows on the girls because they take them off and I forget to put it on them in the first place. However, I thought it would be funny to see what they would look like in them. Surprisingly, they let me put several of them on and let their daddy take a picture.

Fort Worth Botanical Gardens

Today was the girls appointment with the therapist, so we usually make a day of it. We went to their appointment and the girls are doing great! They tested to be at or above their adjusted age and even at their chronological age! That means they have caught up! We were so excited.

The next thing we did was take the girls to visit the nurses in the NICU. We saw several nurses and they all told us how cute the girls are.

Then, we decided to go to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. We had a great time walking around and seeing the pretty flowers and plants. Gracie likes the plants a little too much and every time we put her down she wanted to eat them. Below are some pictures of our day.

Butterfly chair

Lizzie in the grass

Gracie trying to eat the grass

The girls sitting in the grass

Play time

The girls were playing together and I had to get a picture. They looked so cute.

Fun

Nana bought the girls these cute hats that match some cute outfits. The girls got a lot of new clothes from their aunt, grandma, and nana. We were so excited. Between family buying clothes and people giving us their baby clothes, Wes and I haven't really had to buy anything. It is hard to get the girls both looking up and smiling at the same time. It usually requires both of us and a lot of silly noises and faces.



Here the girls are in their Joe's shirts. No child with family from Oklahoma should be without their Joe's shirt. This is a special one for my uncle Tony who loves the Joe's shirt for its diversity. :)

Bluebonnets

Well, we went and took pictures of the girls in the bluebonnets. We always said that we wouldn't and made fun of the people we saw along side the road. But, there was a small stretch of them near the house and it looked like a safe place to park and put the girls down. They really liked the flowers and tried to pick them and eat them. Wes and I joked that they were going to get arrested.

Easter

Not only was this weekend Easter, but it was also the girls 10 month birthday. For their 10 month birthday, they got to try Cheerios and sippy cups. Both were very fascinating and fun. They loved to eat the Cheerios. They even got a few in their mouths on their own.

Easter was fun too. Grandma bought the grand kids bunny ears and they all put them on for pictures! They looked so cute.



Right now, whenever we go in somewhere Wes and I always discuss whether or not we are taking the car seats and/or stroller. Things we have to factor in the discussion are if the girls will fall asleep or stay wake, how much contact with other people we want them to have (if they are in the car seats people are less likely to touch), the location (will the car seats be too bulky for the location) and how long the walk is (the girls are getting heavy).

It was a cold wet Easter this year. Because church is a car seat location, Wes and I had to park far way from the door and walk carrying the heavy car seats. It was pouring rain when church got out. Wes was sick so I was elected to go get the car after church. I ran to the car and was totally soaked by the time I got there. Then I had to drive to the car port to pick them up. It took forever and put me in a very foul mood. Once we got back to the house, I dried my hair so we could take a family picture.



The girls in their Easter dresses and bunny ears.

First Easter

We are on our way to Grandma and Papa's for Easter. It should be really fun. I'm sure the girls will love watching Sydney and Sam collect eggs.

Wes and I always snack in the car which is very bad. We have already stopped for beef jerky and now we are getting fried pies.

Daddy is so funny

Wes and I were getting dinner ready for us and making baby food for the girls. When we cook, we pull the girls in to the kitchen because they like to watch us. I had stepped out of the kitchen and heard the girls laughing. I turned around and there was Wes jumping up and down and the girls thought this was the funniest thing. Both girls were laughing so hard. I grabbed the camera and made Wes jump up and down again. He was exhausted when we were done!

Fun Saturday!

Today, we went to the girls first Easter egg hunt at church. They mostly just sat in the stroller while the other kids hunted the eggs. There were a lot of kids there and the girls love watching kids! We did get to take this cute picture while we were there. This nice lady asked if we wanted to get the whole family which is great because we don't have that many pictures of all four of us!

We met a nice lady who had a 10 month old that was born 12 days before the girls. He was 1 lb when he was born and spent 10 weeks in the NICU. Now he is 15 lbs and healthy! What a wonderful story! We love talking to people about their baby experiences.

The other thing we did today was take the girls to the park. They really like the swings and watching the other kids. We put the girls in the grass for the first time. Gracie liked grabbing it and then throwing it. Lizzie took a little longer grabbing it and just wanted to examine the grass. She wasn't too sure what to do.




Gracie playing in the grass




Lizzie playing in the grass.

We took the girls to the park to play on the swings. It was a nice spring day. This is the girls' second time to be in the baby swings and they really like it. Gracie loved swinging and watching all the other kids. Lizzie acted all shy and bashful but had a great time too.

Bath Time

We decided to try and bath the girls together in the tub. We have been bathing them one at a time in a baby tub. It takes a lot of time and the girls don't get to be together. This is actually the second attempt in a bath together. For the first try, we just sat them in the tub. They don't quite have the muscle strength to stay seated that long and Gracie fell over. We decided that wasn't such a good idea.

Then, I saw a friend of mine's pictures of her twins in the tub in their bumpo chairs. We haven't used the chairs much and were excited we could use them. We filled the tub and put the girls in their chairs and gave them toys. They loved it!

Photo Shoot

We went today and got the girls 9months pictures. We went in saying we would only get the special $9.99 package, but they took so many cute ones we ended up with 4 poses! Wes was so mad at me. The girls did really well. Gracie didn't want to smile because we had just woken her up from the car ride. Lizzie was all smiles. The photographer told us that its really hard to get good pictures of two kids, but we ended up with a lot of good ones. I may have a couple of models on my hands! I doubt Wes would let them have a career in that. If you want to see more of the photo shoot, check out our picasa page under March Photo Shoot. http://picasaweb.google.com/melissapotte/MarchPhotoShoot#

Fun stuff

The girls are getting to be such big girls. They sit in their high chairs and eat their dinner so well. They had a special treat this past weekend. Their big cousins helped feed them their lunch. Sydney fed the girls the last time we were in Oklahoma, but this time Sammy helped out too. He wasn't too sure about feeding the girls, but with his mom's help he did a great job.



Sydney feeding Gracie



Sammy feeding Lizzie

The girls love any crinkling noise. At diaper changing time, we give them the wipes bag and they love to play with it. They take turns each time and both of them end up playing with the bag. The bag is the best, we started using the plastic box and it's not the same.

Relatives

For the last two weeks, we have had relatives visiting. We love having them, but are ready to have the house to ourselves. We had my parents come for Lizzie's surgery, Darlene come for a visit, and then my sister and her family. Here is a picture my sister, her kids, the girls and me. The girls love their cousins Sydney and Sammy. They make the girls laugh!

We really had a good time and as always my sister and brother-in-law have lots of advice. Paul gave Wes advice on the lawn and my sister had advice on putting the girls to sleep. So, we are going to take her advice and give it a try. We went to Ikea, Costco, and the mall. It was crazy busy!

Top Questions for Parents of Twins

I saw this on one of my moms of multiple lists and thought I would share. It's the top 16 questions that people ask parents of twins. Most of these questions Wes and I have gotten on more than one occasion.

The Top 16 questions people ask the parents of twins This is so true......... 16. "Are they girls/boys?" (when they are decked out in pink / blue) "No, they are gender confused girls/boys"
15. "I could never do it." (Oh really. What would you do? Are you suggesting I put them on the curb with signs around their necks that say, "Free to a good home. My parents can't do it."?)
14. "Do they have different personalities?" (No. They are the same human being divided into two parts.)
13. Said by a stranger, "They're identical, right?" Mom answers, "No. They're fraternal." Stranger response, "They are NOT!" (OK. You're right. I have no idea what I'm talking about. These are not my children. I thought it would be fun to borrow them from a mom down at Baby Gap. It's been more than an hour. I guess I should return them.)
12. "Are they 'paternal' twins?" (Yes. They have a father. There was only one virgin birth.)
11. "Just wait till they're older. It only gets harder." (Thank you. I woke up this morning hoping I'd receive a word of discouragement while pushing a cart of preschoolers down the cereal aisle.)
10. "When one cries, does he wake the other?" (No. Twins cannot hear each other's cries because they all communicate with their special telepathic language only.)
9. From a perfect stranger: "Were they in the same sac?" (Hello. Nice to meet you, too. Will you be sharing your gynecological history with me as well?)
8. "Are they developmentally behind?" (Well, let's see. They're 3 years old and thus far, all their graduate school applications have been denied. We'll get back with you on that.)
7. "How do you do it?" (Haven't you seen the Nike commercials?)
6. Said by a dentist: "I was shocked that they didn't have the same bite patterns." (They are two different human beings, not clones.)
5. "You must be SO busy." (Are you volunteering to clean my house?)
4. Said to a mom of fraternal twins who are different sizes, have different eye color and different face structure: "How do you tell them apart?" (I just look at them.)
3. "What do you do when they both cry at the same time?" (Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I go to Starbucks or to the liqure store.)
2. Said to a mom of boy/girl twins: "Are they identical?" (Uh. Not exactly.)

1. Only one comment could be voted No. 1. The choice was clear. Drum roll, please. After a stranger had been informed that the toddler boys were twins, she asked a simple question: "Are they brothers?" (Enough said.)

Honorable mention
Are they natural: No... They're synthetic.
Do you watch Jon & Kate???

Update on the surgery and other news

Lizzie's surgery went well. We were in and out of there in about 2 hours. It was so fast. We spend most of the time in the waiting room and surgery prep. The nurses were so sweet and even gave Gracie a prize even though she didn't have the surgery! It turns out that Lizzie had an ear infection, so that was our sign that we did the right thing. We have been putting ear drops in for the last few days and it is a chore. She hates to be held down and screams when we do one of her ears. I guess it is still sore.

Gracie on the other hand has been a little under the weather. We think she may be teething. She has been running a fever, cranky, not wanting to eat, and not wanting to sleep at night. We've been alternating Tylenol and Motrin every four hours to help her feel better.

The other exciting thing is that the girls had their 9 month check up. Gracie is now half an ounce heavier than her sister. Gracie was 15 lbs 6 oz and Lizzie was 15 lbs 5.5oz. Lizzie is still taller by about an inch and a half. She was 26 1/4 inches and Gracie was 25 3/4 inches. They are getting to be big girls (to us anyway). This actually put the girls on the normal baby chart! We can't believe it. It is still in the lower % but that's ok. The only thing that is average on the girls is their head size. Lizzie is in the 25% and Gracie in the 50%.

Lizzie is trying to crawl on all fours more and more. Gracie is still "army crawling" but getting closer to getting on all fours. Both girls are sitting up for longer periods of time. We are so thankful for our foam floor because it cushions their falls.

Surgery

Tomorrow Lizzie goes for her surgery for tubes. I'm a little nervous about the anesthesia. Everyone I talk to tells me it's no big deal. They tell me that it helped their little one and not to worry. Say lots of prayers for us. So far, only Lizzie needs them. We are still waiting to find out about Gracie.

Because of the surgery, my parents came down. They spent today taking care of the girls. It was a great day for all of them and the girls were so happy when I came home from work.

And I can't believe I missed blogging about this...... The girls turned nine months yesterday! I can't believe how old they are. Both are getting ready to crawl. Lizzie is starting to get on all fours and rocking back and forth. Gracie is looking like she is ready too. The girls do everything differently. They do it around the same time, just different!

Laughing

As I mentioned in my last post that Gracie always make Lizzie laugh. Here is a video of the girls together. Gracie is in the upper left corner with the toy. Lizzie is watching her in the lower right and thinks she is the funniest thing. Both girls are laughing, but Lizzie is the one you can hear.

I haven't had time to blog lately. The girls keep us really busy. I've been home with them the last two days because they've been sick. I had to call Grandma and Papa to the rescue so I could go to work tomorrow. They should be on their way any minute and I should be folding laundry and cleaning the house!

Exersaucers

The girls love their exersaucers. They play in them all the time. They also like watching what the other one is doing. Sometimes they laugh at each other while they are in them. They love to laugh at each other. Lizzie thinks that a lot of stuff the Gracie does is hilarious. Yesterday, I had to take the girls to the doctor because Lizzie was not feeling well. We get to the doctor and I'm paying and doing my stuff and I hear Lizzie laughing. I look down and she is laughing at Gracie. The nurse had to come out and see what they were doing. We are there so often they started calling the girls "our twins".

New Pictures

We went last weekend to see my family in Oklahoma. We had a great time with everyone!



We finally got a family picture since Christmas. It's hard to get pictures of the whole family.

Crawling and first tooth

Over the past 2 weeks both girls are showing signs of crawling. First it was Lizzie and her technique is the inch worm. She sticks her butt in the air and then pulls her feet behind her. Gracie does the army crawl.

Then a couple of nights ago, I was feeling in Lizzie's mouth and she has a little bitty tooth coming in! I can't believe the girls are getting so big.

In other news, Lizzie went to the ENT on Wednesday and she is scheduled to have tubes put in on March 13th. I'm nervous about it but I know that lots of kids have had them and it's ok.

Attention

Whenever we go out with the girls, we always get stopped. We get questions like "do you have twins?" or "is it a boy and a girl?". Anyway, yesterday I had to take Grace to the pedi because she wasn't feeling well. I noticed a man sitting in a restaurant and he held up two fingers and I nodded yes and walked on.

When I come out of the pedi office, the same man comes running up to me and in broken english starts to talk to me. He asked about the twins and then asks me about the octuplet mom. For some reason everyone thinks you are an expert on all multiples because you have twins. So he asks me, "you hear about octo mom" and then he keeps saying "she crazy, she has 8" holding up fingers to let me know how many. I just keeping nodding and smiling and try to get the girls in the car as fast as possible and leave.

I decided since I was off work early and needed to get my grandma a gift I would go to the mall. I get the girls out of the car and pull out the huge double stroller I have dubbed the monster. I bang around JC Pennys and can't find anything. I decide to venture farther in the mall. As I walk, I get stopped by a man working a kiosk. He has to tell me his twin story and asks if I had them natural too. Like it is any of his business. I politely talk to him for a minute and then leave. I finally get to grandma's favorite store and draw a crowd there asking all kinds of questions. The comment we hear the most often is "one's asleep and one's awake".

Now, I know how celebrities feel. :)

Happy Valentine's Day and trip to the Zoo

Here are the girls in their Valentine's t-shirts. I went crazy at the dollar bin at Target. Poor Lizzie has an ear infection and hasn't been feeling well. We go in a couple of weeks to the ENT to find out what we are going to do. This is her third since December.



On Saturday, we decided to go to the zoo. We asked some friends of ours to go with us. We had a great time. It was 4 girls two years old and under. Three of them were infants! It took us an hour and a half to eat lunch and feed all the girls! It was great day, not too hot and not too sunny. February is a great time to visit the zoo.

Messy Face Lizzie

I posted a messy face picture of Gracie. To be fair, I wanted to post a messy faced picture of Lizzie. They both love to eat and Dr. Jim said that we can now feed them food! We bought green beans yesterday and we will see how it goes. Wes still wants to try and make baby food. I'm not sure if we are up for that but we can try!

Holding Hands

The girls are always holding hands, so I decide to get a picture of it...... We are home sick today. Lizzie isn't feeling well and has a low grade fever. We went to the doctor yesterday and it isn't the flu or upper respiratory. Wes has been sick the last few days with an upper respiratory infection. Tomorrow, he gets to spend the day with the girls at home. We have had a good day. We have played and slept. Right now, Lizzie is a little cranky but good. They are fun little girls!

Superbowl

The girls attended their first Superbowl party last night. Gracie loved watching football with everyone. She spent a some time with Amanda while she explained the game. Gracie seemed to understand every word! Lizzie spent the evening loving on anyone who would hold her! Both girls really enjoyed themselves and didn't fuss hardly at all.

They are really good babies and slept pretty good last night!

Lizzie is close to sitting up!

If we support Lizzie, she will sit up for a little bit. She really likes this toy so that helps. We tried yesterday to get video, but she fell over and almost hurt herself (dad wasn't as cautious as he should be). The other exciting thing is that Leo (kitty) came and sat by us yesterday and let Lizzie pull his fur. I think he was so excited that someone was paying attention to him he did care how or who it was!

Messy eater

Gracie loves to eat her yogurt. She is usually very messy, but this time papa fed her and she got it everywhere!

Busy weekend

Well, we thought this weekend would be like any other. Trying to keep up with two girls and do as much house work as possible. Lately, our house looks like a tornado hit the inside. On Friday, I got a call from my mom saying she and my dad were on their way. We haven't seen grandma and papa since Christmas.

On Saturday, they baby sat while Wes and I went to a movie. We noticed a lot of people there and the entrance was blocked off. Wes dropped me off to get tickets while he parked. Out of the theater walks the Jonas Brothers. I knew who it was by my hours of watching day time talk shows :).

Then on our way home, Wes got a call from his grandparents that they were passing through and wanted to see us today! So the girls got to see their grandparents and great grandparents! What a great weekend for them.

Videos

This weekend we took some videos of the girls. Wes decided to see if Gracie could hold herself up and Lizzie was rolling all over the place. She even rolled off the mat (we rolled up our rug and put down foam floor blocks)! Of course when I pulled the camera out, she stopped!

The other update is Lizzie now has an ear infection and Gracie has terrible diaper rash. Another doctor's visit. Thankfully we have insurance!

We also took the girls for a walk around the block in their new Combi Side by side stroller. It is so much lighter than the other tank! Yeah! Molly loved the walk too!

We thought we could get away with it.....

Well, yesterday was a busy day. We took the girls to their therapy session to find out how they were progressing developmentally. For each area, (physical, occupational, and speech) the girls rated about normal for their adjusted age. They gave us some exercises and activities that we can do to help the girls. It was a good session.

Next, we took the girls to the NICU to see the nurses that took care of them. I love going there because they always say our girls look so big. It's the only place we can go that we hear that. After that, we went to the Grapevine botanical gardens and walked around. It was such a beautiful day.

We then came home and fed the girls. Gracie has been having diarrhea lately because of the meds for her ear infection. Because of that, she has been getting a diaper rash that's started looking yucky. Anyway, I thought it was looking really bad and didn't want it to get worse. When she came home from the NICU she had a really bad one. So, we had to go see Dr. Jim. We thought we could go a week without going to the doctor, but it never works that way.

Car Wash

We decided it was time for a car wash. I think the last one we got was when the girls came home from the hospital. That was when they were about a 1 1/2 months old and they are now almost 7 months! The girls were very intrigued by the car wash. They like watching the brushes and lights. I thought they might be a little scared, but they weren't not even by the loud blow dryer.

The Parade

Today we took the girls to their first parade. We went downtown to the Cotton Bowl parade with the girls. They loved it. The watched everything and didn't sleep at all. We took them in their new side-by-side stroller. We had a blast. Their daddy wasn't so sure about going, but he even enjoyed himself.