Budding Monets

For Christmas presents to the grandparents this year, we decided to make pottery with handprints and footprints of the girls.  SO much easier said than done!  We went over to Cafe Monet, where you can paint pre-made pottery and then they fire/glaze it for you.  Pretty cool - I had never been there before, but had always wanted to go.

Recapping Christmas, Part III

Christmas Day in Dallas started off rainy and cold.  I ran over to Starbucks and grabbed all of us some warm drinks, and then we spent a leisurely day playing with the girls, eating some great food, and opening presents.  About mid afternoon, the rain turned into SNOW, so we ended up having a white Christmas!!!  It was beautiful (but I was happy we didn't have to go anywhere in it).

Recapping Christmas, Part II

On Christmas Eve, we went over to my parents house, and while we were there Annette came by to visit the girls.  Three Annettes in one house, and all born in March!  :)

Recapping Christmas, Part I

The Christmas recap is broken up into three posts, mainly due to all of the cute pictures.... ;)

We trekked up to Dallas for the Christmas holiday, and spent an enjoyable few days with Matt's family (since Thanksgiving was predominately Griffin-related, it seemed more than fair).  The girls loved all of the attention, and especially loved playing with tissue and wrapping paper! Abby, in particular, repeatedly attempted to eat the paper (she's a very intent little person). :)

Santa, Babies

Back in November, we took the girls to a mini-photo shoot with Santa.  The pictures were taken by Gwen (of Be True Photography - betruephotography.com), who also did our pumpkin patch pictures.

Fortunately, unlike our last visit with Gwen, Hazel wasn't completely against the idea of pictures, but overall she didn't seem to happy or thrilled with the idea.  Abs took a while to warm up to the idea, but soon enough she (not surpisingly) went into "full charm/smiling" mode.  :)

"Buh-Bye"

As Karen was leaving tonight (Monday), she said and waved goodbye the girls, as she always does.  This time, though, Abby said "bye" back!

Papaw Visit!

Papaw visited us the girls this weekend (on the way to a MTV hearing south of San Antonio).  They seemed pretty excited to see him.  He got to help feed Hazel, which ended up being hilarious for all involved.  And I took some cute pictures, too.  Of course!

NINE Months Plus Other Celebrations on 12-12-12

The girls are NINE months old today!  Where did the time go????  Seems like I was pregnant with them only a second ago.  And yet here they are, growing, smiling, sitting up, and about to celebrate their first Christmas.  

Hats, Redux

The girls received the cutest hats (and outfits) from my aunts over Thanksgiving.  With the cold snap this week, we tried them on for the first time...and of course, took pictures:

Visiting Cousins

Matt's cousin Amber, her husband Danny, and their daughter Naomi visited us this past weekend from Houston.  It was great to see them - it had been awhile, since we keep missing the annual family reunion in June (hopefully next year!).  They were able to meet the girls for the first time, and Naomi had a great time playing with the girls (and their toys).

DJ Abtronic & DJ Hazelnut

For the last month or so, the girls have been doing "raspberries," and Matt laughingly joked that they were "beatboxing."  So, without further ado, here are the little dj's in training.  (Not surprisingly, it is somewhat difficult to actually capture this on film...seems like every time you bring out the camera, the girls stop doing whatever it is you planned to film.)

The Food of Champions: Oatmeal & Prunes

Hazel and Abby tried oatmeal with Karen on Friday and prunes with us on Sunday.  Hazel took to both like a champ, but Abby is going to need time to warm up to the idea of food from a spoon, I think.

Thing One and Thing Two

We read a lot of Dr. Seuss to the girls.  In fact, two of their bedtime books are There's A Wocket In My Pocket and Ten Apples Up On Top (the board book/short versions).  Regarding the latter, both Matt and I could probably recite most (if not all) of it from heart.  They are fun to read, but after awhile we begin to start thinking/talking in "Dr. Seuss," if you know what I mean (and I definitely agree it is certainly quite keen).

Twin Turkeys on Thanksgiving

We went up to Dallas for Thanksgiving this year.  It was our first overnight trip with the girls (not counting the NICU, of course), and the SUV was packed to the ceiling with stuff for them.  I think less stuff was taken over the English Channel during the Normandy Invasion!  All went well - the girls got to spend lots of time with their Mimi and Granddad, meet all of their Griffin cousins, and (kinda) watch an epic Bedlam game.  We were sad that the girls weren't able to visit Nina or see Papaw, but hopefully that'll happen over Christmas!

Carry Me Home, West Virginia

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I flew out to Baltimore to visit a college friend and go to the OU/West Virginia game in Morgantown.  It was my first overnight trip away from the girls ... as far as I could tell, though, they had an awesome Dad & Daughters weekend with Matt.  I handled it pretty well too, I think.  ;)

Epic Twin Success: The Power of 2

Matt has had a VERY busy year.  Not only did the girls arrive in March, but he's been working his tail off as a video game producer for a game, Epic Mickey 2, that was finally released today!  When I arrived home from my quick weekend trip, the girls were sporting their Junction Point onesies, Matt was wearing a Mickey shirt, and we headed up to Best Buy to take a picture of everyone with the new game.  And, great news - there was only one copy of the game left in the store!

Animal Friendly

Several people have asked how our animals reacted to the newest family members.  We've generally kept the cats out of baby-centric areas (nursery, cosleepers, etc) and for the most part, the cats ignored the girls (although Little has tried to curl up in the nap nanny several times). Merry, the sweetest dog ever, tends to stay near the girls and seems content with the new family hierarchy.

"Why A Spoon, Cousin?"

"...Why not an axe or a knife?"

"Because it's DULL you twit; it'll hurt more."

- Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman - best part of the movie), in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves (1991)

Hold On To Your Hats

I'm not a huge fan of putting bows on the girls (just not my thing, although it can be really cute).  But I have always loved les chapeaus!  So check out the assortment of Hazel and Abby pictures styling various headgear from the last few weeks.  :)

Eight Months Old: JUMP AROUND!

The girls are EIGHT months old today!  Hard to believe time has moved this quickly…it was about this time last year that Matt and I were about to announce to the world (read: post on Facebook) that I was pregnant.  It’s amazing the difference a year makes.

OORAH & A Happy 237th

Happy United States Marine Corps birthday!  (Coincidentally, that's about the same age of the girls - they are 243 days old today!  How about that...and thanks to google and somebody who actually has a website to figure that type of stuff out.)

Doing Their Civic Duty

Today was the presidential election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.  It was a beautiful day, and Karen needed to go vote, so she took the girls to Kiker Elementary to receive their first civic lesson!  By all accounts, the girls had a great time learning about the democratic process.

Happy Halloween!

No trick or treating for the girls this year, since it hit right at their bedtime.  Plus, Matt and I didn't want to end up with a ton of candy!

Pumpkin Patch Pics

I had wanted to get pictures of the girls with pumpkins this year, but since October is the start of flu/RSV season, I definitely didn't want to do anything that could put the girls' health at risk.  That, of course, meant a toddler-infested pumpkin patch was not a good idea.

Pumpkin Carving Party 2012

We had our annual pumpkin carving party yesterday (Sunday).  The past few years it has been on a Friday night, but given the addition of the Pair of Scates and assorted baby friends, we decided to have it on Sunday afternoon which would allow more people to attend.  As an added bonus, daytime = warmer, plus it gave us more time to get ready instead of frantically scurrying around to finalize things.

Picnicking in the Park

This afternoon we took the girls to Zilker Park to the annual Junction Point picnic.  It was the first time Matt's coworkers were going to see the twins, and so we bundled them up, loaded the car, and headed over.  Even the Merry dog joined us!

Picture Posing

The girls were wearing coordinating outfits, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get some group shots!  (Not that I really need an excuse to take pictures....)  Hazel is wearing the leopard print and Abby is wearing pink with brown polka-dots.

Flashdance!

Oh, what a feeling!

Milestone Leveling Up: Sitting!

I think Hazel and Abby were inspired by their friend Darcy Jane this past weekend...both girls can sit up now!  Hazel was able to sit unassisted yesterday, and Abby was today!  Now, there is still toppling and some faceplants (which are admittedly hilarious), but both girls can sit up on their own!

OU/Texas 2012

Today was Hazel and Abigail's first ever OU/Texas game.  Well, I suppose, technically they were at the Cotton Bowl last year, but I don't think you are supposed to count "in utero" visits.  At least we didn't have to buy them tickets. :)

Seven Months Old!

The girls are SEVEN months old today.  As cute as ever, of course!

A High of One Hundred, or Daddy Went to Disneyland and All I Got Was This Lousy Hat

Pretty eventful week.

Last weekend I came down with a cold (Saturday night was miserable), and, in the spirit of sharing, I think I gave it to Hazel and Abby (who, in turn, gave it to Karen.  Or maybe I gave it to Karen).  Both girls were sniffling, coughing, and sneezing on Sunday and Monday.  On Monday night, I woke up around 2:30-3:00 am due to Hazel's congestion.  I gave her more saline spray, and then checked her temp about 15 times.  Never got a really good read, but it was definitely higher than it was before I put her to bed.  So we stripped off the sleepsack and her pants and after crying for a bit she went back to sleep. 

Let's Go To The Mall!, Footmuffs, and Other Weekend Pics

No major plans this past weekend, which was a nice change.  October looks to be busy, though!

Medela, So Long And Thanks For All the Fish

After 205 days of pumping, my final "strap in" was Tuesday evening, October 2nd.  But who's counting?  Here is the letter to my departing friend:

Dermatology 101

Who knew skin looking like tenderized meat was a good thing?  Well, now I do...and knowing is half the battle (couldn't help it - GO JOE!).

Abby has a hemangioma, or birthmark, on her back.  Birthmarks are most common with girls, with multiples, and with preemies, so Abby covered all the bases! :) Anyway, back in late August, a spot in the middle of the hemangioma ulcerated and bled a bit.  We took her to our pediatrician, who gave us an antibiotic ointment, and after following up with him at our six month appointment, we were given the name of a specialist - a pediatric dermatologist - over near Dell Children's.

Girls' Weekend Plus Four Months Old (Adjusted)

Matt was gone for most of the weekend celebrating the end of Steve's bachelorhood, so it was just me and the girls.  No wild parties or crazy shopping sprees, but we did have a good time spending time together.  And, as a side note, today the girls are four months old, based on the adjusted age.  The other milestone is Abby has been home from the hospital now for four months (yup, that's an easy one to remember - same day)! 

Happy Birthday, Karen

Today is Karen's birthday, and so yesterday (Friday) the girls surprised her with very special onesies!  I think she liked them. ;)  Afterwards we had a mini photo shoot (of course).

Random Shots ...

...otherwise known as a photo dump.  Lots of cute pictures of the girls this week (as always)!

Flying the Friendly Skies

Look!  It's a bird!  It's a plane!  It's...Hazelbear!

A Tale of Two Nights

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...and is a great success story (so far).

Friday night, the girls slept okay, and as usual (lately) Abby woke us up around 7 on Saturday.  Breakfast time!  We did our usual eat-play-nap cycle (with a walk thrown in during the playtime, which Merry especially loved).  At about the normal time, we fed the girls again ("elevensies") and then had a play period again.  But, instead of going down for a nap at the usual time (12:30/1:00), we put the girls in the car and went to the NICU reunion.  So, end result, the girls missed their second nap and never took their third (optional-yet-not-really-optional) nap.

Papaw Visits His Girls

We had an unexpected but welcome visitor this weekend!  Matt's dad called on Friday; his weekend had opened up, and he wanted to make a quick trip to see the girls.  Of course!  And, fortunately, the house wasn't in too bad of shape for visitors (aside from the various baby items strewn all over the living room...but that's par for the course, I think).

It Was A Good Idea, In Theory...

The girls were super fussy and didn't want to go down for a nap on Saturday, so Matt pulled out his guitar and started playing/singing to them, in the hopes it would calm them down.  No such luck:

NICU Reunion

We attended our first NICU reunion this afternoon.  After loading up the car with the girls and the stroller, we took the still familiar drive up north to St. Davids.  The girls napped in the car, but were awake when we arrived, and after shaking off the sleepies had a great time looking around at all of the people and activities (geared mostly toward older kids, like a bouncy house, face painting, and a balloon artist).

Feeding Strategery*

Back when the girls first came home from the NICU, I told several people that (in my opinion) while one person could handle twins, the better number was two adults (man coverage) or, optimally, three adults (Cover 1 defense) for two babies.

Exersaucer-ing Plus the Hollywood Pose

Each morning after breakfast, the girls spend some time playing.  Matt and I enjoy this time (as much as you can instead of sleeping), since both Hazel and Abby are usually in a good mood which equals laughing, babbling, and lots of smiles.  (Smiles are the BEST.)

Two Little Monkeys...

Cute coordinating outfits with monkeys on them...so of course I have to take pictures:

Blog Dump

If there are still any readers out there, sorry for the long delay in posts.  I've been keeping up with writing on the blog, but it took me awhile to finally add all the pictures.  So, without further ado, I'll be publishing the last two months or so of posts and pictures.

And, hopefully, I won't get this backlogged again.  :)

Baby Jenga

Or Twister?  You decide...

Baby Conference

Yesterday morning the girls had a conference to discuss the state of affairs. Topics included milk, playtime activities, and pooping. 

Horseys, Jumperoos, and a Whole Lotta Lovin' Goin' On

My parents came into town this weekend to visit the girls.  They were so excited to see them!  For the 24 hours Mimi and Granddad have been here, the girls have been covered (and covered) with kisses.  It's pretty cute.

Les Petite Princesses

On the way back from a hearing last week, I stopped at the Disney outlet store and couldn't help myself.  So, without further ado, meet Hazel aka Rapunzel (pink & purple) and Abigail aka Cinderella (blue):

There And Back Again

Abby can go from happy to sad to happy again pretty quickly.  Here's a series of pictures from a few days ago...I was trying to capture her recent trick, pouting, on film.  BTW, these pictures are posted chronologically and taken in the span of a few minutes.

Six Month Pediatrician Appointment

It was a crowd!  Matt, Karen, and I, plus the girls, plus two car seats, all in one not very big room.

Hazel weighed in at 13 pounds, 8.5 ounces, and 22 3/4 inches long.  Abby was 12 pounds, 10 ounces, and 22 1/4 inches.  Little chunks!  Dr. Ramirez said they looked great.

Happy Six Months!

The girls are SIX months old today (and 3.5 months adjusted)!  Hard to believe their half birthday is here!  Seems like they knew it was a special day, because both woke up in really good moods (and slept until 7:15 am or so, as an added bonus).

Their six month pediatrician appointment is tomorrow, so that's when we'll get the next length/weight measurement.  I think they get shots tomorrow too, and since Matt will be there, he'll get to enjoy that experience (which includes Hazel turning into a tomato).

Babble Babble Babble

Abby likes talking, which is super cute. But notice Hazel's reaction to all of this chattering in the video...

Best Friends In Training

Such cute pictures of the girls.  They already look like they are going to be best friends....I love that.

Schedules

Current typical day:

0700 hrs  wake up, bottle (6 oz), playtime

0900 hrs  naptime!

1100 hrs  second bottle (6 oz), playtime

1300 hrs  naptime!

1500 hrs  third bottle (6 oz), some playtime

1630 hrs  optional third nap (although the girls almost always take one)

1800 hrs  wakeup, play

1900 hrs  bottle (6 oz)

1930 hrs  bedtime

We've been following this schedule for a few weeks (started the last week of August) and the girls seem to have adjusted really well to it, Hazel in particular.  My joke about that is according to birth order theory, firstborns tend to like schedules/routines/rules, so Hazel being one minute older than Abby (and thus the first born) seems to have made a huge difference!  :)

There have been a few times when the girls - Abby mainly - have woken up during the night.  If it is before Matt and I go to bed, we've usually just waited a few minutes and she goes back to sleep.  If it's in the morning (normally around 5:45/6 am, if they do wake up), we'll give them the Wubbanub (along with this schedule, we also stopped giving them the pacifier to go to sleep - it definitely seems to have lessened the wakeup/pacifier/wakeup/pacifer/etc cycle we had been in for the few weeks prior).

Abs does the touchdown pose in her sleep.

Hazel likes sleeping on her stomach now.

What can happen if we follow the schedule... ;)

Visitors

We've had lots of people come by to visit the girls.  I didn't snap pictures of everyone (bad me), but know that every visit, meal, offer of help, etc, was greatly appreciated.  Thank you so much for being a part of our lives.

The Chavarrias with Abby in June.

Hazel, Darcy Jane, and Abby in early July.

Uncle John and Aunt Toni with sleepy girls in July.

James and Hazel.

Jenna and Abby.

The pot pie (which was really tasty) brought by the Dennehys.

Marshall Parks (his birthday is four days after theirs, but he was full term).

Cousin Matthew, in town for his monthly graduate class in August.

Our NICU nurse Rachel visiting over Labor Day weekend.

Rolling Back to Front

Hazelbear has a new trick!  

Denim Darlings

My friend Lynda purchased denim dresses for the girls when she was here for my shower in March.  The girls fit in them now, and so I got them dressed up for when Matt got home from his business trip yesterday.  How cute is this?

Good Morning, Daddy

With Matt out of town the last few days, it's been just me getting up and feeding the girls each morning.  Fortunately, the girls have been good sports about it, and every day I've been able to feed one (Abby, usually) before the other wakes up (Hazel, usually).  And, afterwards, we get in some play time before Karen arrives (also allowing for a pumping session).

Almost every day, though, I've sent a picture to Matt of the girls after eating.  They like posing for Daddy, I think:

Tuesday:  Abby (l) and Hazel (r) contemplate a week without Daddy.

Hazel likes munching on her fingers.

Abimus gives a quizzical look.  "Where's Daddy again?"

 

Wednesday:  Good morning Daddy!  

Thursday:  Hi Daddy! So far Mommy hasn't let us miss a meal!

Saturday:  Daddy, um, we hear it's football season but Mommy won't let us watch.
You need to talk to her about that.

Sunday:  Hi Daddy!  Playing on the mat is fun.  Can't wait until you're home!

 Life without Daddy.  Has it been a week?  Seems like forever.  

Monday:  Yay!  We hear Daddy comes home today!

Football Season is HERE

Yesterday was the opening day (of sorts) for the college football season.  Thanks to the girls, I was up early and able to watch the Notre Dame/Navy game, which started at 8 am local time since it was being played in Ireland.  Beth came over to watch her Penn State Nittany Lions (who unfortunately lost to Ohio), and then *late* last night my Sooners finally took the stage against UTEP in El Paso.  Ugh, what a miserable performance...they better get better quick, because that wasn't pretty at all.  And, of course, I've gotten used to going to bed earlier now, so a 9:15 start time - with a halftime at 11:30 - just about did me in.  Steve, who came over to watch part of it that night, even told me I needed to go to bed.

But, lest you think this turned into a football blog, no worries!  

Caught Red Handed

It's all fun and games until someone grabs an ear...

Happy Birthday To Me

I turned 36 years old today.  My, it is amazing what can happen in a year...at this time last year I wasn't even pregnant, and now I have 5.5 month old twin girls!  :)

Unplanned Pediatrician Visit

We made a previously unscheduled trip to Dr. Ramirez today for both Hazel and Abby.  How fortuitous they both had issues at the same time, huh?

One cool thing, of course, is every time they go to the doctor, the girls get weighed.  Hazel is 12 pounds 13.5 ounces and Abigail is 12 pounds 3 ounces.  Big girls!!!

On the Hazel front, last Saturday night and again today she did this choke/gagging thing.  It wasn't related to feeding, and both times she never stopped breathing.  It was like she was choking on her drool, best we could tell, but the sound was kinda scary.  Fortunately, Dr. Ramirez said her lungs and heart sounded all clear ("no clunkers in there"), and he guessed it may be allergies, as some of the mold has picked up the last few days.  So he suggested we give her prilosec again for about a week to see if that helps.

For Abs, there was a spot on her birthmark that scabbed and started bleeding Sunday and yesterday.  Matt and Karen cleaned it pretty thoroughly yesterday, and it wasn't happening too often, but I still wanted it checked out.  Dr. Ramirez checked it out too, and said it looked a bit infected, so he wrote us a prescription for an antibiotic ointment to be applied two to three times daily.  So, again, fortunately not a big deal, especially since we caught it relatively early.  But that small little tube of ointment cost $46!  Sigh.

Matt is off at the Gamestop Expo today and tomorrow, so tonight will be my first time completely alone with the girls.  This should be interesting.... ;)

Demolition Man

Ah, sadly, my diaper cake is no more.  We have moved into size 2 diapers, and so tonight Matt gleefully took  the cake apart.  I loved that thing...Ross and Mary did such an awesome job designing it, putting it together, and then decorating it!  Best diaper cake ever.  

Side view.

Front view.

Powerlifting the diaper cake wheels.

Abs watches the demolition derby.

Diaper cake remnants.

Flying & Fantasy Football

Daddy gave Abby a flying lesson today.  She learned about pitch and yaw, but I'm not sure we're quite ready for her to take the controls.  Maybe in a week or two!  :)

Beware of drool bombs.

Meanwhile, I had my fantasy football draft with my cousin's league, so Hazel helped me pick out some (hopefully) good players!

Checking the stats while waiting for the next pick.

Mom, I can't believe you decided to draft THAT guy. 

Zooper Trooper

After hours of research and deliberation, Matt picked out a stroller for the girls.  Several of the most important features for us were size (could it fit through a door?), weight, and durability.  After reviewing the various aspects of the Bob, the Citi, and the Zooper, we picked the Zooper Tango,* and Matt surprised us with the awesome purple version!

* Doesn't Zooper Tango sound like a military operation?  Love it.

Putting it together.

Strapping in the Abs.

Abby agreed to be the test baby for the first ride.

She seems to like it.  

Mom?  Aren't we missing someone?

Checking out the turning ratio.

Fits through the door.  Success!

A test drive through the kitchen for good measure.

Hazel's first time in the stroller.

Everyone has their serious face on.  Or are just tired of pictures.

Ready to roll.

Western Theme Night

After feeding the girls tonight (and changing Abby out of the OU onesie), Matt decided to play horsey with Abigail on his knee.  So I looked up "The Lone Ranger" on my iPhone and played its theme.  Abby LOVED it...she had a big gaping grin the whole time she was bouncing on her dad's knee.  Hazel, who was just finishing up her bottle, seemed to like it too, alternating between smiling at me and staring at her dad and Abby who were bouncing up and down.

To continue the vibe, I then played the theme for "Bonanza" with Lorne Greene.  Who knew the theme actually had words to it? (I didn't.)  This time I wiggled/bicycle-kicked Hazel's legs in time to the music while Matt trotted Abby around the room.  Hazel enjoyed it, but I think she was having a hard time figuring out where that man's voice was coming from!  And of course Abs had a blast.

At that point, Matt veered toward the bedroom with Abby, but in order to complete the western trifecta, I played the theme for "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly."  Hazel and I did the bicycle kick thing again, but she seemed weirded out by the strange noises in the song.  Plus, I think she was getting tired.  So off to bed she went!

Matt Is Not Going to Be Happy

I swear I had nothing to do with the selection of this evening's outfit:

MORE Actual Therapy!

We had our first occupational therapist visit today ... AND, surprisingly, it was not an appointment full of paperwork.  Although, of course, I did receive a bunch at the end, but at least we didn't spend the whole time filling it out.

So, Leslie the OT seemed really impressed with Hazel's strength, torso control, hip movement, and overall body control.  In fact, she said Hazel was "advanced."

Snuggling

Today I got home a bit earlier than usual, which was nice, and so helped Karen feed the girls (who are currently only eating four times a day!).  Afterwards I spent some time with them in the playgym.  Yes, I'm a bit big for it, but Hazel seemed to find it hilarious that the soccer ball looked like it was attached to my head.

I could tell they were getting tired, so I put Abby in the nap nanny, and she dozed off rather quickly.  Hazel was in my lap initially, but I was still sitting on the floor, so that quickly became uncomfortable.  Moving, though, caused her to wake up, and soon she was fussy unless we walked around, which after awhile was untenable for me  So I sat down in the chair-and-a-half with Hazel, tucked her in my arm, held her hand, and whispered calm reassuring things in her ear.  Before you knew it, she stopped fussing/thrashing, calmed down, and went to sleep too.  I probably should have put her down before she went to sleep, but it was so sweet having her snuggled up next to me.  Isn't she adorable?

Hazel and her Wubbanub.

Abs with her Wubbanub.

Abby.  This angle makes her feet look huge.

Hazel:  Whoa!  Hands!

Zonked out.

At some point Abby woke up, so I put Hazel down in her nap nanny and then picked up the Abs, who snuggled into my arm and went back to sleep while I read about strawberry hemangiomas until Matt came home.  :)