Future Tiny Tigers of America!

The outside photos are Rebekah in blue and Kimberly with the big grin in yellow. The measuring cups are from their helping in the kitchen... Then sitting up in the family room playing with their toys (Rebekah in purple, Kimberly in pink). The tiger is in fact Kimberly!

A new update? Could it be?

Well, they’re not six months old anymore! We’re at 7 ½ months now! A quick update for those I haven’t been talking to directly: They still seem to be gaining weight well, so we’re happy about that. They still really get excited about solid food eating and have had all sorts of fruits and veggies at this point (from apple to zucchini!) as well as rice cereal and oatmeal. They really don’t seem to have a favorite, as long as we put whatever it is in their mouth quickly. Rebekah’s pet peeve is watching Kimberly get a spoonful of food without one also going into her mouth which makes for a fun time trying to feed them one-on-two. They seem to manage just fine, though. Kimberly liked razzing whenever Marty would put a spoonful of food in her mouth, but she’s learned it’s best not to mess with Daddy and has slowed down on that one. Breast feeding is going well, they are pros at this point and much more efficient at it than they used to be.

They love to sit unsupported on the family room floor and suck on anything they can get their hands on. Luckily we have lots of toys just for that purpose! Kimberly is really close to crawling and I’m sure once she gets it down Rebekah won’t have a problem catching up. Kimberly gets on her hands and toes like she’s going to do pushups, so her core strength is definitely there. Kimberly also is working on getting better at going on her hands and knees without doing a face plant or going backwards.

They’ve both slept over 12 hours at night; they just haven’t done it on the same night yet. Hopefully soon! It’s tough to balance their need for sleep with Kelsi’s commitments outside the house in the afternoons, but we’re getting there. Having people help with taking Kelsi to and from her activities sure has helped.

Work is going well for me. I’ve been back two months now and still just work part-time in the mornings while Daddy gets to stay home with his girls.

I’ll attach a few pictures from Aunt Vikki’s visit… more to come, but I make no promises as to when! Hee hee hee. The indoor photos, Bekah is in the green and Kimberly in pink. The outdoor ones it's Kimberly in the green and Rebekah in the pink.

6 months old!!

Well, Saturday they turned 6-months-old, which means we were able to introduce solid foods to our nicely plumping Kimberly and Rebekah. They now weigh 12 lbs 3 oz (Kimberly) and 11 lbs 13 oz (Rebekah) and they're both right about 24.5 inches long. That's more than a pound in 3 weeks for Bekah, so we're excited that she's back on track. They are LOVING the foods so far. We started with rice cereal and are now on carrots. Here's some photos of their first attempt at eating, and also some cute ones of Bekah from this afternoon's carrot adventure. Daddy got to feed Kimberly, and I fed Rebekah. They've gotten the hang of it now and I describe their eating time as being like baby birds. Heads up and ready, eyes and mouth wide and eagerly awaiting the food to come to their mouths.

Our future's so bright...

Some photos of the ladies in their currently plump state.. Rebekah is doing much better and Kimberly is getting her chubby chin back as well. Lots and lots and lots of smiles and rolling and pooping! Kimberly on the left and Rebekah on the right.. and Kimberly trying to figure out who that big person is getting in on their photo session. Wearing their new pants that don't quite fit yet... Some face shots -- trying to show how their eyes aren't gray-blue anymore, but they're not brown either. And the last one... you'll be seeing a lot more of the shades in the future since they're finally growing into them. :) Mostly.

Can you feel the love?

Here are the girls.. very happy and progressing right along. Rebekah is doing better and we think she might actually be gaining again (we'll see next week for sure). Rebekah on the left and Kimberly on the right for all three photos. They're rolling like crazy, holding hands lots (see bottom photo), grabbing their feet, and generally being the happy babies they are. Right before I took the first photo they were both giggling, too. And they love it when I read books to them at night before bedtime. I've been back at work for just over a week now, working a few hours in the mornings while Daddy has his play time with the girls. I know there's more that I'm missing, but since I hadn't updated in a while, I wanted to get this posted.

More Photos

Some holiday photos from Aunt Vikki of us hiking, Kimberly being a card shark, Kimberly helping Daddy sweep Grandma Sue's leaves, Bekah saying hi to the camera, Kimberly ready for Christmas dinner, and back home... their first adventure in snow (Kimberly wasn't too thrilled), and a recent shot of them together in the crib (Bekah on the left).

Reflux info...

I guess I could have put more information up about the acid reflux that the girls are experiencing... It's relatively common as a minor issue with babies, mostly premature and multiples (i.e. twins!), peaks at about 4 months and they grow out of it by the end of their first year. Usually by 7 months it's under control since by that time they'll be eating solid foods and the heavier food isn't as likely to reflux. They just have an immature digestive system. Most of the time no treatment is required, but in Bekah's case, they're going to check on it further to make sure there isn't any damage to her esophagus, stomach, etc. Basically, if the reflux is mild it can't really be treated directly, but we can give her things that help make her more comfortable until she outgrows it. She's been referred to a specialist at Children's Hospital, so hopefully we can get in there soon and have them confirm the diagnosis and treatment. Being breastfed is a major plus for Kimberly and Rebekah, so hopefully their weight will take off again soon. Let me know if I forgot to mention anything, since if you have a question, I'm sure lots of other readers will as well.

Eek! Updates!

Okay.. a much overdue update on the ladies: Rebekah has lost some weight and we're currently exploring why, but the likely culprit seems to be GERD, or infant acid reflux. Kimberly has it a bit also, but no so much that she's losing weight (though she's not gaining much either). They're totally happy and healthy otherwise, meeting all of their milestones just fine. They've been giggling for a little while now, and Rebekah can even roll from her back to her belly.

I'm sorry about the delay in updates... I forget what I haven't posted yet. Hmm. They've been sleeping 10 hours at night for the last few weeks. With the reflux it's not the most solid of sleep, but they're doing really well. They still share a crib and fall asleep by themselves in it. Lots of times I'll go in to check on them and they're snuggled up together asleep. They eat about every 4 hours (sometimes 5) during the day. Enough of a routine that I'm getting ready to go back to work. *sniff, sniff*

We're still loving the cloth diapers, but went to disposable at night so we wouldn't have to change them or have them wake up to soaked clothes. They still love to hold hands lots, and to sit in their Bumbo seats. Lots of smiles, giggles, and "talking" to be had.. which makes it that much harder when they have a reflux attack. It's so sad! But they're troopers and once Rebekah starts gaining weight again, we'll all feel better!

New Year... New Photos!

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures from the holidays! Thanks for your patience.. I know you all understand why I might be busy with something other than blogging! Here's some photos from Grandma Sue's and my cameras.. hopefully more will come soon from Aunt Vikki! They LOVED the Christmas trees and lights that everyone's houses had. First up, Grandma Shirley's.. The stocking that they are in was the one used to bring Marty home from the hospital back in the day..

Then Kimberly checks out Grandma Sue's tree with Aunt Vikki. And all the visitors... Nanny, Mr. Hamilton, Elaine, Libby's Grandma Helen, and Uncle Jimmy. The group shots are of the 4 generations!! And the last two are of the girls enjoying their new Bumbo seats that Aunt Vikki and Uncle Jimmy got them. Kimberly is ALWAYS ready to give a big smile!

Last Post of 2006

Well, the last couple weeks have been busier than usual! First, no power for 5 1/2 days which we spent between Grandma Shirley's house and Uncle Vince & Aunt Suzy's house, then Kimberly and Rebekah's first plane ride down to Grandma Sue's (which they did WONDERFULLY!), their first Christmas, another plane ride home, ferry rides to and from Grandma Shirley's house, and finally back home one more time where we can hopefully get back into our old routine. Phew!

I haven't had a chance to upload the photos yet from the last month or so, but hopefully once we get settled back in around here I'll have a moment. Some highlights: They got to meet their Great Grandmas, Uncle Jimmy, and lots of other friends of the family and they got some very cute new clothes and toys that we'll have to take pictures of them with as they grow into them.

Four-month checkup on Tuesday, so stay posted for more updates soon.

We're doing fine..

...just really busy trying to keep everyone warm and fed! Getting ready to go back to my hometown for Christmas and dealing with the windy weather of the past few days, but we're doing fine. I just wanted to post a quick note from Grandma Shirley's house where we are staying for the night until they (hopefully) get our power back on tomorrow. More soon I hope!