Visitor

For the past week and a half, we have been dog sitting for my sister's dog Andy. He is an 100 pound Siberian Husky mix. He is getting older and his hearing is not as good as it use to be. Anyway, he and Molly love to play together. The girls think that he is pretty interesting too. Both of them have taken a turn playing with him. He is getting a little cantakerous in his old age so I was really proud of how he was so good with the girls. Below are pictures of the girls playing with him.

Play date

Today, we went to our first play date with my Metrocrest Parents of Multiples (MPOM). We had a great time. Our friends Amber and Gerald were there with their adorable twin boy, Trevor and Caleb. The girls had a good time and we did too. We got a great picture of the dads with their babies.

Another thing we learned today is that the girls love Gerber puffs. I bought a generic brand and they didn't seem to like it. But today, they ate some of the boys puffs and they loved it. They crawled all over the blanket to get to them. Now we know how to get them to crawl!

The other exciting thing in our house is that the girls are starting to stand. At first both were climbing up mom and dad. Now, they are climbing on the gate and their little table. Looks like walking is in their near future!

Busy Holiday Weekend

We had a very busy weekend. My sister and family came on Friday and stayed until Sunday afternoon. On Saturday, we went to the park and played in the backyard. The kids also finger painted. Below is a picture of the kids painting. Aunt Laura bought the girls balls for a ball pit and all four kids climbed in! It was very cute. On Sunday, Grandma and Papa came and we did a little shopping.

Random Pictures

As I mentioned in the last post, the girls had a busy week. I thought I would post a couple of pictures. We gave the girls avacados for the second time and they liked it. The first time, they didn't like it because of the texture. This time they loved it. Here is a picture of Lizzie eating.

We have a play yard in the middle of our living room that the girls play in. They seem to be quite happy. They are starting to learn that they can climb up it. Gracie likes to climb and then lick the wall. This is her trying to climb and lick.

Busy Week

This week has been very busy and won't stop until next Monday. On Sunday, we went on a picnic with some friends to the park. We had fun playing on the swings. Then on Monday, Nana Darlene came to visit. She leaves today. She and Wes went to the park Monday, went to the doctor because the girls have ear infections, finger painted yesterday, and are folded laundry today. The girls are having a great time!

The girls have had some firsts this week. They ate ground turkey and chicken that wasn't pureed. They are getting to be big girls. They are both fighting ear infections and been a little cranky. Gracie woke up last night around 3:00 and was very unhappy. We gave them Motrin and feed them. She fell back asleep.

The girls are also getting teeth. Lizzie is up to four and Gracie finally has one!

My sister and her family is coming for a visit. It should be really fun. The girls love Sydney and Sam. Then on Sunday, my parents are coming.

Shopping Spree

Wes and I went on a shopping spree today for the girls. It was the kind of shopping I love best, free. We went to our local consignment shop and spent the last of the money we made off of our bassinets. We bought bassinets for the girls (way too expensive) thinking they would be in them for a while. Then we decided to co-bed the girls (put them in the same crib) and didn't need the bassinets anymore so, we sold them. Anyway, we had a good time picking out shorts for the girls. They have long pants but with 90 degree days, they need shorts!

One of our biggest challenges with the girls is getting them in and out of the car. It's a lot easier now that we leave the car seats in the car but it's still exhausting. Wes and I will not go somewhere just because we don't want to get the girls in the car. To make things even more fun, Gracie has decided that she doesn't want to sit still when you are trying to buckle her in. She wiggles and turns so it takes even longer.

Mother's Day

This was my first mother's day with the girls on the outside. Last year, I was about six months pregnant. Wes made it a great day. First, he woke me up with both girls telling me happy mother's day and gave me my card. The night before, he brought me flowers home from the grocery store. We got up and he made me breakfast while I showered. We got ready for church and then went out for lunch. We picked somewhere were we thought nobody would eat and we were right. Then we came home and I took a nap with the girls while he worked in the yard. After I got up, I went and helped him in the yard. Then the ice cream truck came by and Wes bought me ice cream! It was a really great day! Happy Mother's Day! Below are our mother's (and father's) day pictures.

Another first

The girls were invited to their first birthday party for their friends Caleb and Trevor who are identical boy twins. The girls had a great time! We were a little worried because the girls took a very short morning nap and had no afternoon nap. They slept off and on today so they were cranky on the way there and cranky on the way home.

Anyway, the girls had their first experience with a ball pit. At first they just played with the balls and then we put them in. They did think it was fun and loved watching the other kids play. Below are action shots of Lizzie and Gracie playing together with the balls.

Our Girls and Dog

The girls think that the dog, Molly, is the funniest thing ever. They love to watch her and the cats to see what they are doing. They love to have Molly lick their face and hands. They stick their hands out for her and their face. If they are cranky and I let Molly in, the instantly start laughing. Here is video of the girls with Molly the other night.

Cheating....

I kept a journal for part of the time that the girls were in the NICU. I started it on day 17 and kept it up until the day they came home. I also wrote the story of the girls delivery.

http://wesandmelissapotterfamily.blogspot.com/2008/06/our-story.html

I decided to back date the blog for those entries. I will be posting more as I get time but the first couple are there for you to read. The closer we get to the girls first birthday the more sentimental I get.

The girls

Here are some pictures we took tonight of the girls. I don't know why when we take pictures we always seem to get all the junk we have around in the picture. Also, it takes us about 20 shots to get both girls to smile at the same time. I'm glad we have a digital camera!

Wessie with Lizzie and Gracie

Lizzie

Gracie

The girls playing

Trying to get the girls to look at the camera and smile at the same time.

Me with the girls

Perfume

We learned something today. The girls hate perfume. Since RSV season is over, we have started putting the girls in the nursery at church (before that they were going to Sunday school and church with us). Usually the girls will go to people with no problem, but today Wes tried to hand Gracie over and she screamed. I noticed that the nursery worker smelled strongly of perfume. Once Lizzie got a whiff, she started crying too.

The girls do ok in the nursery except that it's during nap time so they don't get much sleep. When we went to pick them up, they told me that Lizzie had been throwing up. I asked if it was spitting up or throwing up. They said it was more than spit up and slightly discolored. I said that my girls were spitters and they had Cheerios this morning. Lizzie acted fine. I just don't think they know the kind of spit up my girls are capable of and the girls have actualy gotten better!

Our little destroyer

Wes and I were in the kitchen making dinner while the girls were playing in the living room. I looked up to see what the girls were doing. Gracie had somehow taken apart the flooring they play on and had put her body through it. Later that evening, she had somehow taken off her pants. I think we will have to keep an eye on her.

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.