Gary and Erica and Madeline and Elizabeth

Car funny

2012-01-11T13:40:00.001-06:00

Scene: the girls in the back seat of the car, each holding a teddy bear, talking to each other as the bear.

Maddie: Aaaah! My shoe!
Lizzy: Oh no! It got eaten by an octopus, and he swam away!

(at no time before that had an octopus entered the conversation, just one of those random leaps that three year olds' brains take)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-11T20:42:00.002-06:00

Eleventeen!

2011-06-13T12:01:00.003-05:00

The girls play hide and seek with each other!

...sort of.

I love how Maddie waits for Lizzy to run off, then proceeds to check the drawer to see if she's hiding there.

A few Random Videos

2011-01-26T20:16:00.002-06:00

My favorite part of this video is 38 seconds in:

Maddie, pointing (note, she's pointing to a flamingo): What's that?
Lizzy: Birdy!
Maddie: Nope. Chicken.
Lizzy: Chicken!

Playing with Cody's Bowl

And a picture from Christmas - lots more in the Flickr album!

Holiday Wrap-up, Part 1

2011-01-02T09:01:00.006-06:00

Happy New Year! Time to unwrap the holidays and share some pictures with you.

Halloween (yes Halloween, sorry) was a special treat for Madeline and Elizabeth, pun intended. It was probably the last time we will get to dress them up however we want, but they were still old enough to appreciate the wonders of asking complete strangers for candy. Who could pass up the opportunity to go trick-or-treating with Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss? Erica made the felt patches and used fabric glue to attach them on the front of plain red onesies. Had I thought about it a little bit more ahead of time, I could have gotten one of those really big red and white striped hats like the Cat in the Hat. The girls were getting all the attention anyways and we got a lot of compliments on the costumes.

We later joined up with Nicholas, the firefighter, and our good friends Carey and Reid Moreland for more trick-or-treats! We ended the (rather cold) evening with quite an impressive stash of candy which the kids were all too happy to devour. Finished off the day with Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin.

We managed to pull off another successful birthday party this year. Maddie and Lizzy are now 2 years old and we are loving it. Not quite as much fanfare as the previous year, but there was a delicious cake made by Erica and the girls had a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone for coming and making it a memorable occasion. Looking forward to number 3! Honorable mention goes to the fabulous new kitchen from Grandma and Grandpa.

Almost Two? You're kidding me!

2010-10-28T06:35:00.007-05:00

Our little monkeys are almost two years old. Since I have spoken to you last we've been on vacation to the beach, had fun visits to see all the Grandmas and Grandpas and took a trip to the zoo.

Every time Maddie and Lizzy see or hear an airplane in the sky, we ask them where it's going. The obvious answer is... to the BEACH! All planes end up at the beach (and occasionally Grandma and Grandpa's house). This is the kind of lasting effect our recent vacation to Holden Beach, SC has had on my girls. They got to meet so many new family members like Great Aunt Gail and Great Uncle Jerry, cousins Sophie and Lily, plus Aunt Tara, Uncle Jamie and cousin Olivia. Playing with their cousins, building sand castles near the edge of the ocean, taking trips down to the local ice cream shop or just hanging out on the porch and swimming in the kiddie pool. There was non-stop excitement for them at the beach and we can't wait to go back again. Oh and note to self: do NOT get one of those double bike trailers for the girls... bad bad bad.

Trips home to Long Island are always eventful. We took an extended weekend and had the opportunity to visit with everyone this time. Pop Pop's house is always a big hit, lots of toys and things to get into. Grandma and Grandpa took the girls on a Blydenburgh Park adventure. Nothing like getting a little dirty to put them in a good mood. Grammie took us out to eat at Smokey Bones and who do you think was waiting tables that night? That's right, Scooby-Doo! Our main purpose for going home was to attend a wedding so that gave Erica and I an excuse to leave the kids with the grandparents and enjoy an evening to ourselves. We even managed to find time to visit with all our friends and their kids.

Halloween is right around the corner and we've got a special surprise in-store for you. Keep an eye out for pictures of what they will be dressed up like this year!

A few Mispronunciations

2010-08-11T23:38:00.004-05:00

Buga = bug (this used to be bugabug, which was even cuter)
flopbop = flip flop

Lizzy has issues with M sounds - she can make them - she says "mommy" perfectly - but for some reason, on some words, the "M" gets lost
Monkey = cookie (or really more like "cuck-ee" - rhymes with luck)
Maddie = Daddy (this is very confusing at times)

Maddie calls Lizzy "Tizzy"/"Sizzy"

And somehow, the girls seem to be convinced that Asparagus is french fries (shhh, I'm not going to tell them yet.)

Aunt Gail sent the girls dolls for Christmas, and lately they've been in the car, and the girls LOVE them. Maddie will spend a good portion of our trip babbling away to the doll. You'll have to turn your speakers way up for this, my phone doesn't record video sound very well.

The girls have also started to notice their shadows. Here are a few videos of them bouncing on their (empty at the time) pool (don't forget to turn your speakers back down if you turned them up for the last video!!)

Just a Few Words

2010-07-15T08:57:00.007-05:00

mommy, daddy, more, snack, kiwi, banana, please, cat, doggie/Cody, silly, dirty, go, outside, pool, car, block, box, socks, shoes, "See-See"(Casey at daycare), Nick (sometimes "Nock"), "Mimi"(Amy at daycare), cheese, water, truck, toys, book, Pop Pop, ball, flip flops, balloon, bird, uh-oh, potty, duck/quack, yay, NO, rain, wind, cloud, sun, wet, stinky, baby, Oso (special agent oso), tree, bug, star, mine, stuck, slide, swing, keys, bubbles, bye-bye, milk, cookie, I don't know, hat, snow, day, pretty, beads, hot, moo, baa, roar(like a lion), seat, "Momo"(Elmo), sticky, coat, let's go!

Say "Cheese!"

2010-05-25T09:19:00.006-05:00

Just when we thought our daughters could not possibly get any more adorable. They do something like this: Maddie and Liz were excitedly streaking around the house in their diapers. Some unspoken signal was conveyed between them and it was suddenly time to climb up and play on Cody's chair. As in most occasions when they are being extraordinarily cute, I plucked the camera up and pointed to shoot. At first sight of the camera, both girls began smiling wide and saying "Cheese!", as clear as day!

Now, we have never encouraged the use of the word "cheese" in any prior photographs. (Besides, what is the likelihood they would even humor us at their age?) Our technique usually revolves around some sort of tomfoolery or wild antics to get the girls to smile. Nope, don't ask me where they pick up these behaviors... probably day care.

Official 18 month photograph for your enjoyment.

Grandma came for an extended weekend and spent some quality time with us and the girls.

Activities included the Children's Museum, lots of outdoor playtime due to the beautiful weather and even a night all by herself with Maddie and Lizzy. Erica and I went to a graduation party for one of our neighbor's kids and Grandma stayed home to watch the girls. Despite our cautions as to how the girls can become very dramatic and cranky, everything went very smoothly and they had a wonderful time together.

We have made some noteworthy discoveries this month. Not least of which is that dancing can be really fun, especially if you can shake your thing on the dance floor!

Erica and I are installing new floors for the dining room and office area later this month. Throughout the process of choosing which to use we brought home samples which the girls delighted in dragging out and stomping around on. They are going to go bonkers when they realize that we will have wall-to-wall dance floors!

Summer is in full swing and what collection of "fun in the sun" toys would be complete without a pool and a water table?

Just to get a feel for how they would react, we put everything up on the deck first. Setting up the pool turned out to be quite an ordeal. (Thanks to my mom for insisting on getting us an electric air pump to inflate it. I think I would STILL be pumping had we used a manual pump.) Next came the water and let me tell you that you're not going to want to swim in it right out of the hose. CHILLY! Many, many pots of hot water later we finally decided to give it a try with the girls. Daddy loved the pool. Madeline was OK with the pool. Elizabeth, ehhh, not so much. She did stop crying long enough to take this picture though so I have some hope for the future.

Who knew that corn could be so delicious and enjoyed in so many ways?!

You are not imagining things, they have discovered the joy of eating corn on the cob. Sometimes you really just have to throw caution to the wind, sit back, and be amazed at the results. You would think humans have some sort of innate ability to eat corn on the cob the way they skillfully handled those.

Plenty of additional pictures over on Flickr from this past month. See you soon.

Dropping off a few Movies!

2010-04-26T20:07:00.002-05:00

This is an older one, but still cute!

Lizzy chatting with Daddy - this must have gone on for 10-15 minutes:

Maddie playing outside:

And here we are at 17 months old! I can't believe they're almost a year and a half old!

Hard to post!

2010-03-29T21:42:00.003-05:00

I know, I know, we haven't updated in ages... It's definitely a lot harder now that the girls are older (and more mobile). In most ways it's a lot of fun - watching them run all over exploring everything, but it's definitely a bit harder - they get into more, they notice each other more (not always, or even often, a good thing), just generally more chaotic.

Lately, the girls seem to have fast forwarded to the terrible twos, at least occasionally. We're definitely seeing more tantrums and more fighting. Learning not to hit, I think, will be a long process (probably full of tears). There's a lot of fun in our house though. The girls are constantly running around, babbling - we're pretty sure they've invented their own language - they're certainly still not speaking any English (though I'm ANXIOUSLY waiting for it.... trying not to get too worried. Kids talk in their own time, and twins are known for talking later... still - any time girls!)

In the last month, we had a visit home, which didn't go as well as we hoped. Unfortunately, both girls came down with colds as we arrived, so we were dealing with cranky babies out of their element. Sorry everyone! Next time will be better - hopefully with the weather getting nicer, we won't be dealing with the constant colds we've had this winter!

Here's one of the few pictures we managed for the trip. Grandpa is showing the girls pictures on Grandma's mp3 player - thanks Pop Pop for that suggestion! It worked great so the girls weren't afraid of Grandpa!

We also had Grandma and Grandpa Carlson come out to visit us here! By then, the girls were better, so we had a really fun visit!

We got to visit the mall and ride the carousel:

Visited the Children's Museum again

And Gary and I got to go out to a real grownup restaurant, all by ourselves! Thank you so much Grandma and Grandpa!

Finally, I leave you with our official 16 month shot!

Late Video

2010-02-21T22:43:00.004-06:00

I know we promised video a month ago, but... well... life happened.

We had our first unwanted milestone - Lizzy was hospitalized for a nasty case of croup. She's totally fine now (and, indeed, was totally fine by the time we were admitted to our room for the night), but that's never a fun thing to do. (Madeline also had it, but a much milder case)

The girls had their 15 month appointments. Elizabeth is 20lbs 2oz, Madeline is 20lb 12oz (they have maintained that 10oz difference pretty consistently since birth. Only a few visits were they any different than 10oz apart!) They are right on track with everything except talking - they're a bit behind there. But the doctor isn't worried - twins tend to talk later, and they are definitely communicating (they sign pretty well - when they want to - and make their needs known (pointing and making sounds), and vocalize a lot - the doctor even said Maddie's daDAAA for Cody (or doggie?) counts as a word!)

Anyway, here are just a few videos to tide you over until I get the latest pictures off the camera!

Lizzy (left) and Maddie (right) sharing the shopping cart. This is actually a scene that more often than not ends up with them fighting over the handle with the loser screeching.

Maddie dancing to the frige farm. We had a better one but it's sideways and I don't have a good enough editor to fix it ;)

...I don't know what was going on this night, but the girls found it hiiiiiilarious to hit themselves in the head.

Lizzy

Maddie

Madeline pushing Lizzy around in the shopping cart. Though I think we actually plopped Lizzy in there that day, she can get up in the cart by herself. (Madeline is not so brave)

Elizabeth feeding Cody goldfish. I suppose we need to discourage this at some point, but it was pretty darn cute to see. Cody, of course, loves this, and has become even MORE patient with the girls than he was before.

Twenty Ten and Toddlers

2010-01-20T10:25:00.006-06:00

A new year brings new laughs, new adventures, new milestones, and a new sense of wonder. Madeline and Elizabeth are now 14 months old and really doing well. Their individual personalities are starting to take shape as they continue to discover and learn new things.

Imagine the sound of laughter filling the house when our daughters find joy in the facets of life that we might consider mundane. Cody barking, playing peek-a-boo, rolling a ball back and forth, reading books or chasing each other around the house are just some of the activities that prompt a smile and a chuckle.

Over the holiday break, we paid a visit to our many relatives and loved ones back on the east coast. Maddie and Liz are such seasoned travelers already that the flight went very smoothly. Our adventure began at Grandma White's house on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day we exchanged presents at the Grandma and Grandpa Carlson's house and then made our way to New Jersey. Erica's Aunt Lori and Uncle Vic were wonderful hosts to us and our girls. Everyone was very excited when we were able to stop by Great Grandma Gempp's house for a little while before heading back to LI again.

Saturday was a day to relax and spend time with our friends the Lathams. Sunday more visitors came to the Carlson house. Monday we spent with Pop Pop and Mema Munson and then Tuesday was time to fly back home to Chicago. Throughout all this excitement and commotion, our girls were just laid back and happy as can be to have so much attention and love. They held up better than I did when the flu hit me hard on Sunday. Luckily noone else got sick and we are so glad to have spent the holidays among family.

Elizabeth and Madeline are walking every chance they get now. Once they figured out that it was much quicker and more efficient to simply walk everywhere, there was no stopping them. It's really adorable to watch them toddling around the house. Very often you will see them carrying around one or more objects that they have picked up in their path. Don't be surprised to see Tupperware, toys, shoes, even boxes and dog bowls in hand when they come around the corner.

Spoons and plasticware are the next challenge Liz and Maddie are faced with. They definitely get the logistics behind the whole eating with utensils idea, but often it dissolves into abandoning them for the trusty ol' hands. As you would expect, we do most of our practice on the kitchen tile floor, hah!

More and more teeth keep popping up and causing our daughters to be pretty uncomfortable at times. It looks like our most recent round is almost over and each of the girls have 4 molars!

Still no "official" words to report, but they continue to put more syllables together and really sound like they are trying to hold a conversation at times. What I wouldn't give for a baby language translator on so many occasions. Thankfully, despite the lack of speech, they have been picking up more and more sign language to help us know what they want or express what they are seeing or doing. Baby Signing Time is by far the most entertaining show right now (which is saying something because they usually could care less about the television). Maddie and Liz get so excited when the title sequence comes on and start clapping and dancing.

One of my favorite things about this age is that they are beginning to mimic us and do what we do. It's hilarious to watch them study you and then attempt to do it themselves. Just last night I was smooshing my face against the glass of our office door (oh c'mon you've all done it!). Suddenly they both started doing it back at me. Erica and I were laughing hysterically and they thought it was the best thing on earth.

It's not difficult to get caught up in the way the girls look at the world around them and share in their sense of wonder at everything around us. I believe that we could all benefit from some time spent in the presence of children. Stay young at heart and if you're all really well-behaved we'll post some videos for you to enjoy :)

It's Christmas Time Again!

2009-12-23T19:46:00.002-06:00

That means that Madeline and Elizabeth get to spread some holiday joy to all of you. Merry Christmas from Santa's adorable little helpers!

We took the girls to the mall one early Sunday morning because we heard that Santa Claus might be making a personal appearance. Apparently we had some inside information because there were not many other kids waiting for Santa when we got there. It's a good thing we got in line early though, because the place filled up very quickly.

All I have to say is that I'm glad we brought our camera to capture the delighted expressions on our girls' faces when they got up to see Santa! (little bit of sarcasm there) (Also, because the camera the photo people used turned out to be WAY out of focus when they printed their picture)

And finally, what would the holidays be like without wrapping your children in a string of Christmas lights? Sure, there are many hazards associated with such a practice but it makes for one heck of a beautiful photograph.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours and may your days be filled with joy and laughter. Since the pictures have been relatively sparse as of late, I have uploaded a whole bunch for you to browse over in our Flickr album.

Giggly Girls

2009-12-17T00:44:00.006-06:00

Our latest "fun thing about having twins" - the girls have finally noticed each other, and find each other hilarious.

The latest things that are really funny? Hitting themselves in the head (with their hand, or even better, with a toy), hitting each other in the head, hitting one's head against her sister's head... notice a theme here? Head bonking is just completely hilarious.

Of course, our series of videos has nothing to do with head bonking, just the girls, who discovered the french doors (we have doors going from our hallway to the computer room and on the other end of the computer room to the dining room. They're pretty much non-functional, but they look nice, so we haven't taken them out yet.)

"Most" babies start laughing around 6 or 7 months, the girls first laughs were after that, and it's only recently that they started laughing a LOT so, this is extra fun for us!

One Year Stats

2009-11-21T13:41:00.002-06:00

In the last year

Elizabeth has:

Gained 13 pounds 3 ounces (currently 18 lbs 8 oz)
Grew 10 and 1/4 inches (currently 28 inches)
Learned to roll over, sit, crawl, stand, and almost walk
Amazed us with her adventurous spirit

Madeline has:
Gained 12 pounds 12 ounces (currently 18 lbs 9 oz)
Grew 10 and 3/4 inches (currently 28 inches)
Learned to roll over, sit, crawl and stand
Delighted us with her love of snuggling

We can't wait to see what the next year will bring!

Madeline and Elizabeth turn One!

2009-11-17T20:19:00.004-06:00

I can't believe just one year ago the girls were born! This year has FLOWN by! Our girls have gone from 5 pound preemies to 19+ pound toddlers!

This past weekend was the girls first birthday party! Grandma and Grandpa Carlson, Grandma White, PopPop & MeMa, and Uncle Troy all came to town to celebrate, and the Morelands and the Schilfs came by to celebrate as well!

The girls seemed to enjoy the party, even if Elizabeth did wake up from her nap with a rather high fever. I think the biggest hit of the day was the curly ribbon that was on a couple of the presents!

Without further ado - the pictures! (As always, more in the Flickr album!)

Finally, remembering this year in pictures (it's long!):

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T22:08:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Erica and I took our little monkeys to visit a few of the neighbors on our block. We didn't even want candy, just the chance to show off our cute little girls. We got these adorable monkey costumes from Old Navy and they were worth every penny, even if Madeline and Elizabeth will only get to wear them once.

480,960 Minutes

2009-10-18T11:43:00.008-05:00

11 Months...
334 Days...
8,016 Hours...
480,960 Minutes...
28,857,600 Seconds...
... and counting.

Madeline and Elizabeth are now just a month shy of their 1st birthday. They have come a long way in just a few short weeks. Both of them are babbling a lot more now. No discernible language yet, but they are very chatty. Madeline in particular has taken to pointing at things and saying, "Dah!", which we accept to mean pretty much everything. There is more clapping and waving as time goes on as well, so we practice every chance we get. They have mastered the art of feeding themselves and pretty much eat whatever we are eating (just cut up into small pieces). Sippy-cups are still a challenge, however.

One unmistakable sign that they are getting bigger is the gradual transition to a single nap during the day. We are still at the point where they sometimes still could use two, but more often it works out pretty well when they just take one nap around mid-day. This is a slight transition for us as well and we tend to get a little less done around the house on weekends.

We picked up some fun new toys for Maddie and Lizzy to play with. The tunnel was definitely a big hit. The girls crawled around together and laughed like crazy. They would get to one end and then race back to the other, sometimes even rolling the tunnel around from the inside.

We had a very special visit from Great Aunt Gail all the way from California on her first trip to see us in Chicago. My dad was staying at our house and flew his sister in to join us around mid-week. Cody might have been the happiest of everyone because he had all sorts of company during the day. We were thrilled to have her stay here and especially fortunate when one day the girls were ill and both Erica and I needed to be at work. I don't know what else we would have done if they weren't here to save the day! Come back and see us anytime, or maybe our family would love to go back to sunny California.

This makes it all worth it

2009-09-12T19:28:00.005-05:00

Twins can be a handful sometimes, but THIS makes it all worth it!

We started giving the girls baths together (why we never did this earlier, I have no idea) and boy oh boy do they find it HILARIOUS. (And so do we!!)

Genetics is funny sometimes

2009-09-07T21:39:00.003-05:00

Gary's mom loves to tell us how when Gary was a baby, he used to do what they called "piggy snoots" - scrunching up his nose and snorting. Now, this is something she told us about, and (not having the fond memories that she has) not something we ever demonstrated around the girls.

Imagine my surprise when a few weeks ago, Madeline started doing it, completely umprompted. (Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth started doing it too, but that could have been her noticing Madeline doing it and getting a lot of attention for it, so I wasn't quite as amazed!

Here's Gary doing it!

I mean, I know hair color, and eye color and all of that is inherited, but what amounts to a REALLY specific facial expression? Genetics sure is funny!

And not to be left out, so far as I know this one doesn't come from anywhere, but Elizabeth has noticed that she can make funny noises with her hands.

Stay tuned later this week for a really adorable video of the girls in the bath together. Apparently bath time is HILARIOUS to them (but only when they're both in the bath together.)

Elizabeth is Catching Up!

2009-09-03T20:24:00.003-05:00

We finally went to the doctor today for our 9 month appointment, and our little Lizzy is catching up to Madeline! Elizabeth now weighs 16 pounds, 14 ounces, and Madeline still just a few ounces ahead at 17 pounds, 4 ounces. Big girls (though actually pretty small for their age, but they were early, so that's ok!)

Last week we had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Carlson! Our daycare provider was on vacation, so Grandma was generous enough to come spend the week with the girls! (And Grandpa joined in the fun halfway through.)

The highlight of the trip was the girls first visit to Wrigley Field to see the Mets (our team, of course) play the Cubs! Thanks so much to the Flannerys for the great seats!

As is usual for our trips to Wrigley to see the Mets, the Cubs won. It was a cloudy afternoon (which had been preceded by three days of rain), but that actually ended up in our favor - for a late August afternoon, it was only in the low 70s, so very pleasant!

When going to the games, it always helps to know the folks operating the signs, so you can have your name in lights! (Gary and I were up there too, but we missed getting a picture of it... oops!)

Also when going to the games, it helps to bring small cute babies to get yourself on TV!

That there at the end is one VERY tired Madeline. Elizabeth took a short nap in my arms during the first few innings, but Madeline wouldn't sleep at all. Poor thing was exhausted by the end of the game.

9 Months In, 9 Months Out

2009-08-19T20:06:00.004-05:00

Well, technically, it was more like 8 or so months in, but who's counting?

Can you believe we've gone from this:

to this?

The girls are zooming along now. Both are excellent crawlers, and they are now both pulling up on anything and everything! Elizabeth can cruise around on the furniture, while Madeline as usual watches her sister figure it all out before she does it herself! We have 13 teeth total (7 for Lizzy, and 6 for Maddie). They're getting better at feeding themselves little bits of whatever we give them (vegetables, or really whatever we're eating) though they still like baby food as well. We next see the doctor (for a no-shots visit, I think!) in a few weeks, so we can get all the official stats then! Until then, I leave you with a few pictures!

Friends for Life

2009-08-08T19:27:00.010-05:00

We celebrated my birthday this year in style. The whole family traveled to California for a visit with our good friends the Olesens. The trip started on an excellent note. The four hour flight that we were slightly dreading went off without a hitch. It's a wonderful feeling when everyone around you compliments on how well they both behaved. The young woman seated next to me turned out to be an identical twin herself. This was the first of 3 identical twins that we would encounter throughout our vacation in a very strange series of coincidences. From the moment we arrived and saw the smiling faces of Oscar (Jake and Lora's 4 year old boy) and Olivia (2 year old girl) we knew it was going to be a trip to remember.

Among the first of our many destinations was the San Francisco Pier. It turned out to be a beautiful day in the city and we enjoyed a stroll along the docks and took in the sights. Another day we all decided to drive out to San Anselmo. Home to Bubba's Diner that was featured on the Food Network program - Diners, Drive-Ins and LIES. No it's actually "Dives", but the softshell crab sandwiches were a big disappointment. We managed to squeeze in a stop to visit with Auntie and Uncle Dom on the way there. It was wonderful to see them and I'm glad we found the time.

Jake's parents were kind enough (and brave enough) to invite us all over to their gorgeous home in Walnut Grove. It was a splendid day of swimming, playing and delicious home cooking, Yum! Madeline and Elizabeth had a chance to show off their adorable new bathing suits and enjoyed soaking in the hot tub.

There was plenty of time spent at home relaxing and playing with the kids, too. Our girls absolutely adored Oscar and Olivia. Maddie and Liz's faces would light up and they would laugh at them all the time. As Livy would say with a giggle, "He's laughing at me!" (Still working on the pronouns, hehe) and Oscar would find any excuse to give them hugs and kisses every chance he got. Sometimes he got way more than he bargained for if one of the girls was especially drooly at the moment. Lots of parks and walking paths in the area made for a great excuse to go outside and have some fun.

Once the little monsters were all in bed, we would play board games and enjoy good conversation into the late hours of the night. What? Did you think I was going to say "wee hours of the morning"? You're kidding right? Sleep deprivation was something we were prepared for heading into this vacation. Plans were made without too much emphasis on baby naps and bedtime schedules. If we were strict about sleeping then we'd hardly have time to do anything. It made for some crankiness and rough nights, but overall it was worth it and the girls were wonderful. They usually are! Can't wait to start planning the next time we can all get together again.

As Requested, More Video!

2009-07-21T22:15:00.004-05:00

This time of their new favorite toy - the doorway jumpers!

Also, they turned 8 months old last week! They're still moving all over, Elizabeth is trying to learn to stand up by herself (she can get the legs straight (with her arms and head on the ground), or the arms up (with legs bent under her), just can't manage it all at once yet.) Elizabeth has 3 teeth now (the original two on the bottom, and one on top. Madeline is still working on her top teeth. They're eating solids, and starting to like them a bit more. They LOVE orange veggies the most - especially squash and sweet potatoes. They also LOVE the Gerber puffs, so we're using those to start teaching them to feed themselves. Madeline sometimes has some trouble getting them in her mouth, Elizabeth likes to grab 4 or 5 at once and shove them ALL in!

Liz is saying here "Daddy you are HILARIOUS!"

This is When It Gets Harder...

2009-07-14T22:07:00.002-05:00

I think I liked it when they stayed where I put them!

Those days are over!

They've actually been moving around for the last few weeks, but keep getting better at it. I think this was the first time I saw Madeline "really" crawling (as in on her hands and knees the whole time, instead of dragging herself by her arms like Elizabeth does) This time they were going in the same direction (lured in by Daddy's keys!), but usually they're headed in opposite directions, towards whatever looks the most dangerous!

I can't believe how big they're getting!

7 Months!

2009-07-08T20:01:00.004-05:00

The girls are now 7 months old! Well, really, they're nearly 8 months, but I'm still in denial about that!

Both girls are now crawling, or nearly so - Elizabeth got up onto her hands and knees first, but Madeline moved ahead in 'crawling' - they're not really crawling on all fours yet, more pulling themselves with their arms (army crawling) and lunging forward, but they're definitely moving around even more than they were when it was just rolling! They now seem to move towards the most dangerous objects in the room - Madeline especially likes power cords. Looks like it's time for us to start babyproofing!!

The girls are also sitting champions - after worrying me because they couldn't do it at their 6 month pediatrician appointment, we realized it was just because we hadn't practiced. Oops! Bad parents! Within a week of that appointment both girls could easily sit independently. Miss Lizzy can even go from her tummy to sitting up all by herself! Maddie hasn't figured that one out yet.

The girls are babbling up a storm, Elizabeth says maaamaaamaaamaaa... but only when she's upset, and Madeline has been saying dadadada. They both also are good at the gagaga, bababa as well. In one of the cutest developments yet, the girls have finally started to notice each other, and every once in a while will smile and giggle at each other (they still don't laugh very much, much to my dismay, but Grandma Carlson tells me I never laughed much either as a baby.)

Grandma and Grandpa Carlson were here to visit for the Fourth of July, and we had a relaxing weekend with them and the girls... even if nobody really napped very well, they were pretty cheerful anyway!

Madeline liked chewing on any glasses she could get her hands on - Grandma and Grandpa BOTH have them!

Elizabeth on the left, Madeline on the Right

Elizabeth trying to get at the very expensive toy Daddy has!

Someday we'll have a nice picture of the four of us, where everybody is looking at the camera and smiling!

From the Desk of Madeline and Elizabeth

2009-06-21T16:10:00.004-05:00

Madeline writes:

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Elizabeth writes:

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68JTLOTYOLKNK,8REDI0DEREDGP;[M-,/';0P;P,=E4R555555555K3TRGG1SCV1GTFVVVVVVVVVgttttttttttbnhi7uykijjjjjfjgjhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhjnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnhgftgfegfdfAAhjnmmmmmmmmmm7i998-=589jp89097ou89upjcaaaaaaaaaaaaa.,,.ajmopa-,m;z;mzvqtvwl

-- 7uhgv v n b

Comments from the Editor:

It may not make any sense to you, but believe me these are bound to be instant classics in the blogosphere. Just look at the use of punctuation, spacing, grammar... and numbers! haha! The girls hope you enjoy their literary art. I'm sure we'll be publishing excerpts from their collection of works in the future.

A New Equation

2009-06-05T20:50:00.007-05:00

The number of blog posts is proportionate to the amount of sleep you get over a period of time. You do the math:

A few short weeks ago (or really what seems like ages), our girls came down with a nasty cold which kept them up at night. After the colds subsided, Elizabeth had decided that she no longer felt like sleeping through the night. With few exceptions, she has been waking up multiple times each night and demanding to be fed. This comes as a bit of a system shock to parents who were, until recently, blessed with all-night sleeping infants. We've run the gauntlet of experiments... putting them in separate cribs, putting them in the same crib, giving her a stuffed animal to sleep with, going to bed early, going to bed later, getting an extra bottle before bed, eating solid foods, whacking her over the head.. ok maybe not that last one. At this point we are down to waking up once at around 3:30 am or so which is a vast improvement, so we're chalking it up to a growth spurt or maybe teething or maybe just a phase, who knows.

Other than the lack of sleep, everyone has been getting along just fine. The girls had their 6 month pediatrician appointment at the end of May. Madeline weighed in at 14 lbs. 11 oz. and was 24 inches tall. While Elizabeth weighed 13 lbs. 12 oz. and stretched out to 23¾ inches tall. This might have been motivation for Lizzy to eat more and bulk up to catch her sister, which she very well might have done since then.

Solid foods were an amusing novelty for a while, but have not really been a big hit with either of them. We've backed off them a bit and will try again in a couple weeks. I think the biggest hits might have been pears or bananas and oddly enough green beans seemed to give them the most problems afterward (maybe gas).

The milestones keep on rolling in. Both Maddie and Liz are able to sit up fairly well on their own now. We've been practicing with them a lot more often. Liz has been giving lessons on rolling over to Madeline and it looks like she has finally gotten the hang of it. Now both our little monsters are rolling around, front to back, back to front. Elizabeth was scarily close to crawling the other day. Just a little more coordination between the hands and feet and she'll be on the move. I think the whole mobility thing is the next biggest step for us as parents. Having the girls not stay in the same place where you put them down is a concept I cannot wrap my head around yet. We also got these little jumpers that hang in the door frame that they can play in to help build motor skills.

Weekends are obviously the time when we get to spend the most amount of time with our girls. During the week it seems like there is barely enough time to get everything done that we need to do before they are ready to go to bed. I envy the stay-at-home parents out there because time spent with your children is so precious and you can never get this time back. So, we try to make up for it on the weekends. There is story-time (we are on the 3rd book is the Harry Potter series, and Dr. Seuss is a household favorite), sing-along-song time (with classic tunes like "Little Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly", "Patty Cake", "Old McDonald" and more), even movie-time is fun to sit and watch with them (Baby Einstein, Baby Signing Time, and even Disney movies like The Little Mermaid). We also try to get out of the house and do things with them when we can. Just last weekend we took the family out to a historic little village northeast of us called Long Grove. There are little shops to explore and just a nice, relaxing day out.

Check out photos on our Flickr album to see a bunch of pictures from over the past month and we'll see you back here again soon. Hopefully sooner rather than later because that would equate to more sleep!

Traveling Babies!

2009-05-09T21:50:00.006-05:00

Traveling with babies is easy...
See the gate agents for tags...

...check your babies at the gate, and they'll be waiting for you when you arrive at your destination!

Actually, the girls were very good on the plane - on the way to NY, they smiled as we took off, fell asleep 5 minutes later, and woke up as we arrived in Islip! On the way back to Chicago, Maddie fussed a bit on the way up, but was asleep by about 10 minutes into the flight (and slept until we arrived back home in Chicago!

We purchased one seat for the girls - figuring that if the flight was full, we'd at least all be able to sit in the same row (you can only have one 'lap baby' per row because of the number of oxygen masks). Turned out, neither of our flights were full, so we ended up being able to carry on both carseats instead of just one, but that meant we had to sit in separate rows. On our flight to NY, the last two seats open on the plane were the two aisle seats next to Gary and me - two women got on the plane at the last minute, and the first, upon arriving at my row, rolled her eyes, muttering "Oh, a baby!"... then walked two steps to see that the next row was no better! Fortunately, the girls were good, and they complimented us as we waited to get off!

Saturday we got to introduce the girls to many of the Carlson/Gempp Grandmas, aunts, uncles and cousins, and Grammie White (plus a surprise visit from John, which we weren't expecting!)

Great Grandma Carlson

Great Grandma Gempp

Uncle Greg

Grammie and JB (as he shall henceforth be known)

Great Aunt Lois

Great Aunt Joanne

Great Aunt Maureen and Great Uncle Tommy

Great Uncle Eric, Cousin (once removed, I think) Jeffrey, and Grandpa

Sunday morning, we got to go to Grammie's house!

Grammie & the girls

And then to "Aunt" Jill and "Uncle" Brandon's, where the girls got to meet all of their honorary aunts and uncles and friends... except we were seriously lax in taking pictures, and this is one of the only ones I got!

Maddie, Lily and "Aunt" Jill

Monday we visited Pop Pop and Mema before we headed off to the airport.

Pop Pop & Mema

As is usual when we get back to NY it was a busy, whirlwind trip, but it was SO great seeing everyone.

There are a whole bunch more pictures in the Flickr album, so go check them out!!

5 Months!

2009-04-18T10:33:00.002-05:00

Three updates in one week? Lucky you!

The girls are 5 months old now!

They found feet:

(Now why couldn't they BOTH smile in one picture, huh?)

They like the park:

Life is good at our house!

Sunday in the Park with Twins

2009-04-15T21:58:00.003-05:00

Easter Sunday was a spectacular day. The sun was shining brightly but there was still a cool breeze in the air... my idea of pleasant and invigorating weather. We took the whole family out for a walk to a small park in the neighborhood. Cody came with us, too, but he was contented to just bark at the local squirrel population while we played with Maddie and Lizzy on the swing set.

The girls are getting so much stronger and able to hold themselves up pretty well now. They fit into the tiny swing back to back with room to spare. Madeline positioned herself on the edge with a great view of the surroundings while Elizabeth seemed to prefer more of a laid back approach.

We spent a while playing around on the swings and enjoying a nice, relaxing Sunday in the park. As the weather continues to improve you'll see more of us out and about as we discover lots of fun (and cheap) activities to do with our girls. As always, we uploaded more park photos to the Flickr album.

Oh and just as a reminder to everyone that we will be coming home the first weekend in May. Lizzy and Maddie are very excited to see their grandparents and to meet all sorts of new and friendly faces. For show times and reservations please call the box office ;)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T19:42:00.005-05:00

Elizabeth and Madeline say Happy Easter everyone!

A picture and video heavy post below, to make up for our lack of updating!

First we have...

Miss Lizzy laughing before bathtime!

Followed by
Miss Madeline laughing at Daddy!

(Mommy doesn't let people catch her on video, which is why all of the videos are daddy!)

Joan, our daycare provider, had the day off for Good Friday, so Gary and Pop Pop got to stay home with the girls all day (while I had to go to work! Boo!)

I got my cuddles in once I got home though!

Both girls like standing up, with support of course - here's Liz!

And Maddie

And finally, I got my parents to scan in some old pictures of my brother and I as babies - I think the girls look just like their Uncle Greg, what do you think?

Two Peas...

2009-03-19T18:08:00.004-05:00

Liz and Maddie continue to get better and better at reaching out and grabbing stuff. The parrot on their playmat is a favorite, and so is the monkey (the monkey perhaps a bit better because his legs are long enough to get into their mouths!) Both girls hold their heads up very well, and Liz can roll from tummy to back pretty consistently (we're not sure if she's doing it on purpose, but she doesn't care for being on her belly!) They're developmentally right on track (despite my worrying, but as Gary says, that's my job!) We even got a first giggle from Maddie this evening after her bath (I can't figure out what she was laughing at, so I couldn't make her do it again!)

The girls are now four months old!

They had their latest doctors appointment, along with the next round of shots today. Miss Elizabeth weighs in at 11 pounds 8 ounces, while Miss Madeline maintains the lead at 12 pounds 5 ounces. Maddie also has a 1/4 inch on Liz in height, though if you look at them in the crib together, you'd swear it was much much more than that! The shots were maybe a little less traumatic this time (though maybe it's just because we knew what to expect this time around!), but they're still not fans (go figure!)

This past weekend, Grandma and Grandpa Carlson came for a visit! They picked the perfect weekend - the previous weekend had been cool and rainy all weekend, this past weekend was sunny and in the 60s! Perfect springtime weather in Chicago!

Everyone who comes to visit us must take pictures of the four of us - we seem to only take pictures of the girls when it's just us!

...as usual, more pictures in the Flickr Album

Thanks to the perfect weather, we got to go out for a few nice long walks (which Cody was happy about!) We all went out to dinner at Olive Garden Saturday evening, where the girls were very well behaved, despite not wanting to eat their dinner. And Sunday night, Grandma and Grandpa babysat, while Gary and I enjoyed an evening out (with dinner at the Melting Pot! YUM!) It was a great weekend!

...and just because a few people asked, the twin sale is a consignment sale put on by the local Mothers of Twins Club. (Actually there were two different clubs BOTH holding sales there that day.)

The Mysteries of Growth

2009-03-10T07:55:00.007-05:00

We're constantly enthralled by the complex and mysterious nature of the development of our daughters. Every synapse firing off in their brains brings them one step closer to a "milestone". (when I see that term I always picture the babies hiking in the woods somewhere with a map and a compass looking for milestone markers on the path of progress, but anyways) Last night, we experienced another one of those small but important milestones.

Let me give you a little bit of back story before the big reveal. Recently, Madeline had begun waking up in the middle of the night. What is so unusual about that you might say? Well, Erica and I are overwhelmingly grateful to have babies that pretty much slept 6+ hours at night since they were a month old. I'll pause here a moment for all those parents out there who are not so lucky and that wish to shout something at their computer screen...... ok, let's continue. I must say that I sympathize with you because after a few nights of this we were already beginning to search online for what might cause this behavior and what we could do to help her sleep soundly again.

Erica came across a very informative article on sleep regression. To summarize the article briefly, it simply states that at certain key points in a child's development their brains are furiously working on new skills. So much so that it causes them to either have trouble getting to bed or stir from a deep sleep. How many times have you laid awake at night staring at the ceiling going over stuff in your head that was causing you anxiety? The same basic principal applies to infants and when those skills are mastered their normal behavior pattern will typically return. Whether or not this applies to my story is up for debate, but it certainly does seem a rather strange coincidence as you will see.

Now that you're all caught up, let me tell you about what happened yesterday. Erica and I arrived home from work with the girls like any other day. The evening activities continued much the same as many days before... feeding, tummy time, reading, playing on their activity mat. You first have to realize that up to this point Maddie and Lizzy have not shown great interest in toys. While they LOVE to look at mommy and daddy (and lights and ceiling fans) there has never been a great attraction to play things. It was getting to a point where Erica began to worry if they were a little behind in their advancement. Her job is to worry, she is the mommy.

Just for a change of pace I picked up Madeline, sat her in front of me on my lap and grabbed what I thought to be a particularly fun toy. I wiggled it in front of her and you could almost see the wheels beginning to turn inside her head. Out of nowhere she grabbed it with both hands and stuffed it in her mouth. It was no fluke, she did it over and over again with different toys. We were ecstatic and cheering at Maddie! Erica described it perfectly when she said, "It was like a light switch being turned on." Elizabeth tried the same thing a little later, but she's not quite there yet. I know we'll be just as excited when her turn comes.

I think everyone who has kids can relate to the experience of those small victories and celebrating them with your child. It's moments like these that you realize what an amazing journey you are on as you look forward to the next milestone. Each moment creates memories that will last a life-time.

The best part of the story... Madeline slept straight through until this morning.

Maddie & Liz say "Hi!"

2009-02-27T19:43:00.008-06:00

At least I think that's what they're saying!

Our official Three Month Shot!

Miss Madeline

Miss Elizabeth

The girls are growing so fast, it's hard to keep up!

Lots has happened in the past month, which is why we haven't had much time to update! My maternity leave, sadly, ended this month. I went back to work February 9th, and Elizabeth and Madeline are now in daycare with our provider, Joan. It's a bit sad, and I miss them even more than I expected to, but they're doing great there, and I think being around other people and other kids will be good for them.

Evenings are pretty busy. Our daycare is up near where we work, so by the time we pick up the girls and get home, it's usually around 5pm. The girls eat when we get home, then we try to sneak in dinner, then they eat again, then baths, then one last meal before bedtime at 8:30. THEN we have to clean up and get to bed ourselves, to do it all over again. I'm definitely enjoying relaxing on the weekends. (And really missing maternity leave - I'm not one of those people you read about who, after winning many millions in the lottery, say "Nothing's going to change, I'll be at work on Monday!" - not me - I'd be calling in rich. Preferably from someplace warm!)

Today, Gary had a doctor's appointment, so he decided to work from home, and kept the girls home with him. He got some pictures, and a few movies (I never remember to take videos).

Missing All My Girls

2009-02-13T19:54:00.002-06:00

Traveling was always an inevitable part of my job, but I've only been away from home for a little over 2 days now and I'm missing my girls terribly. I tip-toed into their room about 5am on Wednesday and kissed them each gently before I headed off to the airport. Little did I know how tough this was going to be. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I have had plenty of work here at the NBA All-Star game to keep me busy and take my mind off home for a while. I really can't complain too much though. These days I am very happy to be working and helping to provide for my family.

So, since things are going so smoothly here I figured I would fill you in on what has been happening with us over the past few weeks. Leading up to All-Star weekend I've been kept very busy working on stats templates and graphics for the signs at the game. If you happen to catch any of it on TV... I made that ;) Erica is back to work as well, which means that Madeline and Elizabeth have begun day care. We found this wonderful lady, Joan, who has a small day care in her home. So far they have been doing very well and Joan occasionally send us reports and pictures to tell us what they're up to (even stuff like how many bowel movements each have had, because we REALLY wanna know, lol). Still, it's nice to see and has helped us a bit with the transition. The whole family commutes together now and getting up and out of the house wasn't nearly as bad as we thought it was going to be.

At home, everyday is an adventure. We've begun having story time when we can fit it in at night. I'm not talking about Dr. Seuss books either (although those are a LOT of fun to read to the girls), I am reading The Hobbit and Erica started reading Harry Potter. Usually we'll just prop them up in seats and they'll just sit and stare and make cute little noises while listening as we tell the stories.

Other than that, life has been cruising along and we've been enjoying all the little milestones with our precious babies. We try to take pictures of all this stuff when we remember but just haven't had much time to upload them. With Erica all by herself with the girls you might have to wait until I get home for another update.

All my love to Erica, Maddie and Liz. Daddy loves you and will be home very soon!

Two Months Old, Visits and More

2009-01-21T15:27:00.005-06:00

Oops! It's been almost a month since we updated - time sure flies! Even when we forget to update, we've been uploading pictures into the Flickr album, so even if you don't see a new post, check the album for the latest pictures!

The new year has been pretty quiet so far. Most of our days are pretty boring! I've been working on getting the girls to nap in their cribs (some days it works better than others.) So we get up, eat, play a bit (tummy time, or reading, or just hanging out in their swing/bouncy), and then we try to nap... rinse and repeat every 3 hours or so until daddy gets home! (And then it's even more of the same - just with daddy holding babies too!)

The girls sleep pretty well. We put them to bed around 10 or so (after bath and one last feeding before bed), and they usually sleep until 3:30. (At least at night, unlike for their naps, they go right to sleep, lucky us!) Usually at that point, I just give them a pacifier and they fall right back to sleep, until around 5 a.m. or so, when they are up and want to eat. (Just as well, once I go back to work, we'll have to be up around then to get out the door by 6:30.) Then they go back to bed until 7:30 or 8 when we all get up for the day! I'm going to miss those extra few hours of sleep once work starts up again!

Speaking of work, my maternity leave technically ended January 12th, so right now, I'm on vacation. I've pushed it about as long as possible, but I have to go back to work February 9th. I'm not looking forward to that!

We also had a visit from Grandma White at the beginning of this month! It was perfect timing, because Gary caught a nasty cold, and didn't want to hold the girls too much (or come to close to me). She was a lifesaver helping me out with the girls that weekend! Somehow, the girls and I managed to stay healthy, which was a relief. (I think that was a first for me - I seem to manage to catch whatever is going around - the cold I caught from Gary when I was 26 weeks pregnant didn't go away until I gave birth!!)

So, the girls are now two months old! They had their doctors appointment today, and Madeline is now 9 pounds 4 ounces and Elizabeth weighs in at 8 pounds 7 ounces! They got their first shots today too, which didn't go over well. Poor things - the needles were so big compared to their tiny little legs! Developmentally, they're so much more alert now, they'd much rather sit and stare at you than anything else. A few weeks ago, we started seeing the first real smiles - I managed to catch one from Liz, but not Madeline yet - but I promise, she is smiling! Madeline also does better at tummy time - she pushes up and looks around for long periods of time, while more often than not, Elizabeth will just scream! If you hold Liz on your chest, she holds her head up and looks around just fine, she just hates being on the ground!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T14:06:00.007-06:00

Baby's first Christmas is here. We hope that everyone got just what they wanted for Christmas this year, we sure did!

Last night we decided to have another adventure with our girls. Armed with a fully stocked diaper bag and a couple bottles we headed out the door to the Olive Garden. The restaurant was surprisingly busy, but we were seated right away and they gave us these little stands to put the car seats on. We ordered our food and broke out the bottles for a quick feeding while we waited. It was a conscious decision to hold off feeding them until we got to the restaurant because it would give us plenty of time to sit, relax and enjoy our meals. At least that was the plan... thankfully it worked. Maddie and Liz were satisfied and the general din of the restaurant was soothing to them.

Erica and I always get lots of attention from strangers when we go out. I think more than anything else people are simply amazed by twins, especially newborn ones. We usually don't mind at all and welcome the opportunity to talk about our little angels. I doubt the fascination ever really goes away as they get older. I can think of at least 3 current TV commercials that feature twins. Plus there was a special on the National Geographic channel (thanks to the folks who gave us a heads up on that). It will be so interesting to discover all the things that make our girls so special.

One Month... Already??

2008-12-18T20:48:00.002-06:00

The girls are already a whole month old! Time really does fly!

We brought them to the pediatrician today for a quick checkup. Our last checkup, the day after Thanksgiving, Elizabeth weighed in at 5 pounds, 2.5 ounces - today she's up to a big 6 pounds, 8 ounces! Back in November, Madeline weighed in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces, and now she weighs a whopping 7 pounds, 9 ounces! It's getting harder and harder to tell who is who in pictures, but it's pretty obvious when you pick them up - even though the difference is only a pound, Maddie feels so much heavier than Liz!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2008-12-12T19:49:00.003-06:00

Elizabeth and Madeline are doing wonderfully. We all shared some birthday cake with Erica on Wednesday. Well, Lizzy and Maddie shared it indirectly, heh. Kathy watched the girls while we went out for a baby-free dinner. Delicious and peaceful, but we were missing them by the time we headed for home.

It's amazing how quickly they have become a part of our everyday life and we just can't get enough of the coos and the silly faces and the poopy diapers and the cranky fits.

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-07T19:10:00.006-06:00

This weekend we came home with a perfect tree and had a visit from Pop Pop and Mema.

On Friday Erica and I went out in search of a Christmas Tree. After a couple stops we found ourselves at a local YMCA. A thorough search of the trees revealed a near flawless 6-footer in the back row. Since we were freezing our butts off we bought the tree and loaded in into the car. Best part was that the proceeds went to the local YMCA.

The next day Glenn (Pop Pop) and June (Mema) flew in for a whirlwind visit. They arrived on saturday morning and left late that night. Short, but sweet. They spent lots of quality time with the girls. The whole family spent the evening listening to Christmas music and decorating the tree. It turned out just perfect, go see for yourself.

Today we bravely ventured outside with Madeline and Elizabeth on a trip to Babies R Us. Despite the temperature outside, we thought it was time to try our hand at getting out of the house. It took us about 45 minutes to get on the road... we'll have to work on that a bit. The trip was fairly uneventful, although I did have ample opportunity to show off my beautiful girls to the other shoppers.

A Day for Giving Thanks

2008-11-27T10:33:00.005-06:00

Thank you for our two beautiful, healthy babies.
Thank you for the opportunity to share our love with these precious little girls.
Thank you to the nurses and staff at Central DuPage Hospital for taking such wonderful care of Madeline and Elizabeth.
Thank you for the quick and successful recovery for Erica after her surgery.
Thank you to our neighbors and coworkers for their help and well wishes throughout the pregnancy and beyond.
Thank you to our family and friends for their unending support and love during this special time.
Among the things that we are most thankful for is to have our entire family home for the holiday.

Madeline was discharged from the NICU yesterday with a clean bill of health. We brought Elizabeth up to the hospital with us to pick her up. After gathering up all of the odds and ends from Maddie's room we dressed the girls up in cute matching outfits and headed off to take some pictures with the hospital photographer. Then we packed up everyone in the cars and headed for home. It was a great feeling to bring both our girls home and Cody was pretty excited too. He liked the one baby so much that we decided to get him another one.

If you didn't think it could get any crazier around here, you'd be very mistaken. Throw just one more baby into the mix and things get exponentially more complicated. Erica and I are trying to settle into a new routine and catch some sleep whenever we can. Grandma and Grandpa C are preparing a scrumptious Thanksgiving Day dinner as I write this. Maddie and Liz won't be able to have turkey and stuffing this year, but we'll enjoy having them here all the same.

Look Ma! No Tubes!

2008-11-25T17:37:00.003-06:00

Grandma and I arrived at the NICU yesterday to a big surprise! Our feisty little Madeline had pulled out her own NG tube during the night. Since she had already started bottle feeding (and was doing pretty well with that), they decided to just leave it out and see what happened. This was pretty much the last hurdle for her to jump before she got to come home, and we got even better news when the nurses told us that as long as things continued to go well, she'd be coming home on Wednesday!

Everything is looking good, and provided things are still going well tomorrow, she'll be home with us! We're very excited to have everyone together at home - something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Hectic Day

2008-11-23T21:12:00.003-06:00

Visited Madeline a couple times in the NICU and she continues to do well. Erica even breastfed her briefly a couple times. (Breastfeeding is very hard work for babies and she tires out easily). We're always amazed to see how much bigger Maddie is than her sister. Even a half pound makes a huge difference. The NICU staff is feeding her a ton of food to make her healthy and she seems to be outpacing Liz.

Elizabeth had some tummy time today. I laid out a blanket to swaddle her and Cody wandered over and laid down right on top of it. He looked at me when I started to laugh as if to say, "What? This isn't for me?" Cody always seems very concerned for Liz when she begins to fuss or cry, it's so adorable.

Liz tried to eat my finger. I took a picture to prove it! We also broke out the tub and gave Elizabeth her very first bath time. Believe me, she was none too thrilled about it. She even got to try out one of the cute towels. Erica and I have a fondness for things with little ears on them. I'm sure you'll understand when you see the picture.

We have a pediatrician appointment tomorrow morning and then I am going in to work afterward for a half day. Best to ease back into these things. Work has been fantastic about time off since the girls were born and I am looking forward to showing off pictures and telling stories from the best week of our lives.

Keep in mind that I'll be uploading photos whenever I can, so be sure to check the Flickr album even if I haven't gotten around to a blog post. Pictures speak a thousand words anyway. I'm off to get some much needed sleep.

Life at Home

2008-11-22T16:03:00.002-06:00

Life at home has been an adventure. While Erica and I wish that we had both of our girls here, we've been sharing wonderful new experiences with Elizabeth.

Our first priority once we had Liz home safe was to introduce Cody to the new member of our family. I've done a lot of research on bringing home a baby to a household with a dog so I had a plan ahead of time. Honestly, we were not too worried about how Cody would react and he really is great around Liz. (Don't worry he isn't secretly plotting to eat her). I'm trying to make sure I still spend some quality time with my baby boy.

Elizabeth was in for a treat while we ate dinner last night. She got to try out the swing and seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Once we put Liz to bed upstairs in the nursery, she looked like a tiny little doll laying in the middle of her crib. Nighttime went fairly smooth once we established a bit of a rhythm.

Today, Erica and I set aside some time to drive up and see Madeline at the hospital. We were overjoyed to enter the NICU and discover Maddie in a big girl crib! To top it off, she even had her oxygen tubes removed. These are signs that she is regulating her own temperature and her oxygen levels are stabilized. Maddie does still have her feeding tube in, but the nurses say that they have been feeding her by mouth every other meal and she has been tolerating it fairly well. Although the doctors didn't offer a specific date, we have high hopes that Madeline will be home for Thanksgiving. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us.

D(ischarge)-Day

2008-11-21T14:07:00.005-06:00

Erica and I have made it through our stay at the hospital and are proud to say that we're pretty darn good at this parenting stuff. Apparently the nurses and doctors agree with us since they are letting us go home with one of our babies today! Yes, you read correctly, only Elizabeth is cleared to come home with us. Madeline is still down in the NICU for now.

Madeline's doctor says that they will be attempting to reach three major goals with her over the next few days. Breathing without additional oxygen, feeding from a bottle, and maintaining her own body temperature are all required to be stable before Maddie can come home to us. She's on the right track because they reduced her oxygen flow this morning. If she keeps progressing she'll be released by next week! In the meantime, we'll be shuttling back and forth to the hospital to visit our baby girl.

Grandma and Grandpa C arrived this morning for a week long visit (Grandma is staying for three). They were so happy to hold their granddaughters for the first time. More pictures up on Flickr as usual.

Side by Side

2008-11-20T02:23:00.004-06:00

Our beautiful daughters Madeline and Elizabeth at only about 2 days old. A lot has happened in even a short amount of time. I'll try and fill you in as best I can.

We had been down many times to see our babies in the NICU yesterday. Even Grandma White, PopPop Munson and Uncle Troy came for visits. Our girls got all kinds of lovin'.

At some point yesterday the NICU doctors decided that Madeline was working too hard to regulate her own body temperature and was using up all that energy that would be put to better use in helping her tiny lungs develop. She was then placed in an isolette, an enclosed incubator that keeps babies toasty warm. Her oxygen was increased again since her levels would still occasionally drop below what the nurses would like.

The biggest news of the day was that Elizabeth was cleared to come up to the room with us! We were obviously elated and surprised because they didn't let on at all throughout the day how well she was doing. Better to be happily surprised than disappointed I guess. As you can imagine, most of my time not spent taking care of Erica and Liz have been spent sleeping. We're all taking it an hour at a time and doing the best we can.

Uploaded a bunch more pictures for you all to enjoy!

On the Topic of Nicknames

2008-11-19T13:53:00.003-06:00

It became apparent to Erica and I that we had never really thought about how we would handle nicknames for the girls. Part of the reason we picked Madeline and Elizabeth we did was because they would have nicknames, a thing Erica and I never had in our lives.

So, in the interest of consistency, we decided on Maddie and Liz. Maddy and Lizzy are also good alternates.

Updates tonight, I promise. Everyone is still doing well. I even uploaded a few more pictures to flickr.

The Morning After...

2008-11-18T09:51:00.008-06:00

Not a whole lot of sleep to speak of last night for either of us. Despite the fact that our girls were down in the NICU, the nurses here are still closely monitoring Erica after surgery so there were many visits throughout the night for drugs and blood draws and rolling Erica around in bed. She even started working with the breast pump.

Early this morning I got restless and was eager to see how Madeline and Elizabeth were doing. No news from the NICU is good news and I made my way down there to discover them comfortable and resting peacefully. There was a new shift coming on so I got to meet their daytime nurses. The nurse for Elizabeth invited me to try out bottle feeding and I excitedly agreed. We both did really well and she ate about 17cc of formula. It's going to be a learning process but we hit the ground running. Liz got dressed up in big girl clothes and was placed into a big girl crib! She might even be able to come upstairs into the room with us tonight if everything goes well.

Madeline is still on the CPAP and has had the feeding tube put in. The doctors are still keeping an eye on her elevated rate of breathing, but some more time "making bubbles" should do the trick. The respiratory nurses seem confident that she will continue to improve. Maddie occasionally makes these little grunting noises that are an effect of her condition. She seems to have become accustomed to the tubes and is usually laying in her trademark spread eagle position in the warmer.

Erica is looking forward to visiting our babies in the NICU and it sounds like that might happen very soon. We'll have more pictures and updates soon. Go check out the new pictures in our album.

Welcome to the World!

2008-11-18T01:04:00.003-06:00

Madeline Grace (left)
Born: November 17, 2008
Time: 7:06 pm
Weight: 5 lbs 13 oz
Height: 17 1/4 inches

Elizabeth Claire (Right)
Born: November 17, 2008
Time: 7:07 pm
Weight: 5 lbs 3 oz
Height: 17 3/4 inches

Finally getting a minute to sit down and get everyone updated. Mommy and babies are doing well. Erica delivered at 35 weeks and 3 days into the pregnancy (by official count). Erica and I are resting comfortably in the Mother and Baby Unit. Our precious little girls are spending at least tonight in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). It sounds worse than it is so don't worry. Because of their gestational age it is very common for babies to visit the NICU for a period of time. Madeline is showing some signs of respiratory distress, so they have put her on a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) to help her lungs mature and assist her in breathing. While right next to her, Elizabeth is doing well and even took her first feeding from one of the NICU nurses with a bottle of formula. A whole ounce!

Words will never be able to explain the overwhelming joy that we feel every time we look at our beautiful daughters. Madeline and Elizabeth, we love you with all our hearts!

P.S. Bunch more pictures over in our Flickr Album.

Hurry Up and Wait!

2008-11-17T15:36:00.005-06:00

Here we are sitting in one of the Labor and Delivery rooms anxiously awaiting a spot to open up in surgery so our babies can be delivered.

But let's take a step back in time and begin with this morning...

It was a day like any other day. I went off to work and Erica went off to one of her many doctor appointments. We were aware of the growing concerns about Erica's blood pressure and the other signs of pre-eclampsia. However, as recently as friday we were told that the pregnancy could potentially go through Thanksgiving. So, it was with little hesitation that we went about our normal routines.

While at work (around 10am) I commented to my cubemate that I had this nagging feeling that I was supposed to do something today. Naturally I assumed it was something job related, but after reviewing my files I just couldn't put my finger on it. Not 15 minutes later Erica calls me on my cell phone at work. Immediately I'm on high alert! To put this in perspective, Erica never calls me at work (we just chat online). Turns out the OBGYN made the call to deliver the babies today. Not an emergency, but they would like us into the hospital by noon.... YIKES!

I said a couple quick good-byes to my coworkers and they shouted congratulations at my back. I calmly drove home and made all the family phone calls on the way.

"I'm going to be a daddy!" My hands are shaking.

Erica and I get to the hospital a little after noon. We're directed to the Labor and Delivery floor where we are shown to a comfortable room. Our nurse explains everything to us as she hooks up Erica and the babies to the monitors. Since we are an unscheduled delivery, the next spot they can fit us in will not be until 3:30pm. Naturally, we break out the laptops to help pass the time. At around 3:15 our doctor comes in to give us an update on the situation. It seems that things are a bit behind schedule and we're now looking to prep for surgery at around 5pm. Talk about hurry up and wait!

Our girls will be arriving in the world very soon.

In the Home Stretch!

2008-11-15T14:24:00.002-06:00

So I am now 35 weeks! Yesterday, we had what will likely be our last ultrasound. Right now, the girls are both head down (finally!), which is very good news. They're also getting SO big. Baby on the right (they keep switching positions so the A and B gets confusing - I always think of the right baby as Elizabeth) is 5 lbs and 13 oz! Baby on the left (Madeline) is 6 pounds and 2 ounces! At this rate, they're both going to be bigger than I was at birth! I don't think they'll make Gary's birth weight though! (If they do, I'm in trouble - Gary was over 8 pounds!)

So, if the estimated weights are correct, just about everybody is under in our poll! I've locked the game at this point, so no trying to update your answers!

I have the full timeline, plus the 33 week pictures in the Flickr Album

Things are going pretty well. My diabetes is under control with diet, but now my blood pressure is getting a bit high. It's not pre-eclampsia, fortunately, and not high enough to need to do anything yet, but if it gets much higher than it is right now, and they'll want to deliver the girls right away! We're shooting for after Thanksgiving at this point - probably that next Monday. Despite our plans, the girls could arrive at any time, so we're spending these next few weeks getting everything ready - well, Gary is doing the work, I'm sitting on the couch to keep my blood pressure down!

Almost there...

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:17:00.000-05:00

We had alot of fun decorating for Halloween this year. Even the babies joined in!

Pregnant women can't explode, right?

2008-10-19T09:27:00.006-05:00

Because sometimes it seems like it's inevitable!

I'm 31 weeks now. We had another ultrasound last week (pictures will be uploaded soon, we have to scan them in!), and the babies are growing perfectly! Baby on the right has moved to transverse across the top, and is 4 pounds, 2 oz, and baby on the left has turned breech and is 4 pounds, 6 oz!

I'm feeling pretty well overall, but I'm definitely getting tired. I'm measuring 41 weeks (if I were having just one), so I'm already bigger than I would be at the very end with just one. I'm planning on stopping work this week (sitting at a desk doesn't SOUND very hard, but it exhausts me by the end of the day), so hopefully that will encourage the girls to stay put!

I was also diagnosed with gestational diabetes a few weeks ago. What that means is basically hormones from the placenta interfere with the insulin my body produces to break down sugars that I eat. If it's uncontrolled, the extra sugar that my body doesn't process gets to the babies, which can cause them to grow overly large, and could also cause them to have low blood sugar after they're born. The growing too much isn't really a big concern with twins, but we don't want the blood sugar issues! Fortunately, I'm managing to control it with diet so far - I just have to watch what I eat (no sweets, and I have to go light on carbs), and prick my fingers 4 times a day to make sure all my numbers are staying in line! Fortunately, this goes away right after the babies are born!

Almost Ready...

2008-10-17T17:31:00.006-05:00

I uploaded some more pictures of our nursery for everyone now that we have a bit more assembled in there. Still a few things in boxes, if you can believe it, but most of the big stuff is ready for our girls. Not that we are in any hurry for them to arrive... Maddy, Liz, you stay in that belly for now!

Thanks to the grandparents for the fabulous cribs and bedding sets. We're not quite sure how the cribs will ultimately be situated, but the twins will be sleeping together in one crib for at least a few months so it's no big hurry. Having the cribs on the same wall leaves plenty of space in the room for a comfortable glider and changing table at least. Plus, having them both set up and ready to go is strategic planning...

Imagine, it's the middle of the night and there has been a tragic leaky diaper all over the sheets and mattress. No worries! Switch them over to the nice, dry crib and worry about it in the morning. Who wants to wrestle with a mattress pad semi-conscious at 2am? Seriously, I think even parents of singletons should consider this.

Okay, How ADORABLE are those pink Baby Pooh blankets? We picked up one for each of our little girls. If either or both of them get attached to the blankets we'll obviously have to stock up on more for the eventuality of one getting lost or irreversibly icky.

I freely admit that I have become a huge sucker for really cute baby things (toys, clothes, you name it) and must be constantly supervised in any baby store or department. It is becoming ever so clear how much these girls are going to be spoiled by us, but me especially. I just can't help myself. Can you blame me?

What's in a Name?

2008-09-26T19:41:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, being pregnant with twins is scary. There are a lot of scary stories out there on what could happen, and you have to just do what you can and hope for the best. A few weeks ago, a couple in our twins class - due just AFTER us - gave birth to their sons. They're tiny, but doing as well as can be expected. They'll be spending a while in the NICU, but will hopefully do well!

Today, we reached our next big milestone (the first one was 24 weeks - the age of viability)! We are now 28 weeks!

The second milestone is 28 weeks, when viability skyrockets. Ninety percent of babies who make it to this stage of gestation survive. Long-term complications — including cerebral palsy, vision and breathing problems — are still a possibility, however.

So along with everything else, we've been trying to get everything ready for the girls - clothes, rooms, names...

Oh did I say names?

Yep! We've picked names for our girls, so we can stop calling them A and B!

Gary and I spent the weekend making some decorations for their room. Once we finally decide how exactly we're going to arrange their room, we're going to hang these on the walls over their cribs!

Elizabeth Claire

Madeline Grace

27 Week Update

2008-09-20T13:52:00.005-05:00

I can't believe I'm already in the THIRD trimester - my how time flies! (Or, I'm almost there, depending on which count you go by!)

So much has happened since my last update (I'm a terrible updater, sorry about that!) First things first - the babies! Everything is going wonderfully so far. I had my latest appointments and ultrasound yesterday, and everybody is continuing to grow on schedule - a bit ahead of schedule actually. Baby A and B have switched places, and now baby B is lower down. She weighs 2 lbs 9 oz already! Baby A is a bit higher up (and breech, the stinker!) and weighs in at 2 lbs 7 oz! So I've officially got 5 pounds of babies in me! I'm also measuring, size wise, about 37 weeks - 10 full weeks ahead!! I'm definitely starting to feel it - it's becoming increasingly difficult to move around (especially getting up!) I try not to complain though, because all in all, I've had a fairly easy pregnancy so far!

(Click for a bigger version!)

Also in the last month was my baby shower! 24 Weeks was about the latest my doctors will let me travel, so the shower was a bit early - it was also my last chance to visit home before the babies come. Grandma Carlson and Grandma White planned it, and it was really nice to see everyone! Thanks everyone for everything!

This is What Happens...

2008-09-17T20:04:00.005-05:00

...when Erica tells me that it's OK to draw on her belly!

We were making cheese fondue for our wedding anniversary last night and I just couldn't resist an opportunity to have some fun. Don't worry, I used washable markers :)

Head of the Class

2008-09-10T09:07:00.002-05:00

We had our first official parenting class this weekend which was held at the local hospital. This particular class was designed for expectant parents of multiples and was taught by a nurse. The focus was on topics that pertained to the unique challenges involved in the pregnancy and birth of twins.

To be honest, there was not a whole lot of new information that we haven't read in books or online already. I believe the the real benefit of attending that class was to meet and interact with other couples having twins. There were 2 other couples there and a woman who came without her husband. One couple about our age was expecting twin boys about the same time as our girls, so it was fun to share stories, hopes and fears with people going through the same thing we are.

We have a few more classes lined up later on and even a Daddy Boot Camp sponsored by the hospital that looked like fun. Hopefully, we'll be able to build relationships with people we meet along the way.

Behold! The Nursery.

2008-08-11T18:42:00.006-05:00

Some people might say that we've got plenty of time to prepare for the arrival of our baby girls. Well, those people probably don't know us too well, lol. I am one of the biggest procrastinators ever! So, when it came time to start working on the nursery I made a conscious effort to get it done in a timely fashion.

Erica and I pored over design ideas for the room once we found out the gender. Some inspiration came from the bedding we picked out previously at Babies'R'Us. We finally decided on a color scheme of half beige and half light pink (I insisted on pink... hey, I might as well embrace my feminine side). Then there was the task of picking out a border to surround the room and there were just so many options. Some with colors that didn't quite match, some too wide, some too baby-ish, some TOO pink. We finally find the perfect border and ordered it off the internet. (You see where this is going, right?) It gets delivered and is completely different than advertised on the website. Blah! We return it and go to the local store and decided upon one that we both really liked.

Edit from Erica: THIS is the border we originally picked - the background of that, to our surprise, was blue.

Credit has to be given to my dad who really helped out with painting and moldings during a recent visit. There was plenty of stuff to clear out of the girls' closet to make room for baby things and new shelves to put up. We even bought a cute little light switch plate and brand new shades for the windows. Check out the pictures over in our Flickr Album and tell us what you think.

21 Weeks and Getting Big!

2008-08-09T16:45:00.005-05:00

Hard to imagine that this is only halfway!

At my last appointment, my doctor said I was measuring 27 weeks. My uterus is about up to my ribcage now (or close) so there's nowhere else to go but out!

Gary should have progress pictures on the nursery later today!

20 Week Anatomy Scan

2008-08-04T21:23:00.002-05:00

We had our official "big" ultrasound this past friday - "big" because it's typically when most people find out their baby's gender - but since we're having two, we get more ultrasounds than single babies!

During the big ultrasound, they take lots of measurements to make sure everything is growing correctly and there are no visible abnormalities (they look for things like open spinal tube defects, cleft palate, and organ development, probably more stuff that the tech didn't even mention during the scan!)

Just in case, we asked the technician to verify the gender:

Baby A is still a girl!

So is Baby B! (what you see between Baby B's legs is the umbilical cord - they're quite positive we've got girls!)

(In both pictures, you're looking up, with each baby's butt on the left side, with the thighs sticking out to the right)

Here's a couple profile shots - Baby A is on the left, and Baby B is on the right. Bigger versions are in the flicker album (along with a few other pictures)!

I'm feeling faint movement more often now - but no big KICKS yet. I'm feeling great lately - what little morning sickness I had (more the "I don't feel like eating" sickness) is gone, and I'm finally getting some of my energy back, which is nice. I'm officially halfway through now (even though it's a bit more likely that the babies will be born before the 'standard' 40 weeks - so I'm probably MORE than halfway!)

It's ...

2008-07-18T16:38:00.003-05:00

I guess we've made you wait long enough! So our ultrasound was Monday, and while it's not the usual "find out the gender ultrasound" we asked the technician to take a peek, and we found out...

It's GIRLS!!

Which means: Gary, Grandma Carlson, Aunt Joanne, Troy, Great-Grandma Gempp, Tara, Christine and Bryan, Aunt Lori and Aunt Gail (from FL) were right! And Jamie was half right (splitting the odds there, huh? Pssst - you cant have identical boy/girl twins!)

This came as a big surprise to me, since I was 100% convinced we were having boys, but we're thrilled with our girls! (And now I'm off to buy frilly little things!)

Just for fun!

2008-07-13T07:41:00.000-05:00

Just as a note, this thing will calculate a 'winner' for each baby, based on how close you are to date, time, and size - the gender doesn't count, so go ahead and guess now!

Growing Babies

2008-07-12T20:11:00.001-05:00

I knew I was getting bigger, but I didn't realize how much of a difference it was until I put these pictures together!

1st Appointment with Specialist!

2008-06-18T09:42:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the delay in updating!

We had our first appointment with the Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists at our hospital on Monday. We were going to have the Nuchal Transluncency screen done (which checks risk for Downs Syndrome, Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18.) They also wanted to check to make sure everything looked good, and to see how many amniotic sacs and placentas we have.

So we started off with the ultrasound tech, who found Baby A low on my left and Baby B higher up on my right. (The babies are referred to as A and B, depending on how close to the 'exit' they are). Baby B was cooperating by laying down on its back so the U/S tech could get the Nuchal measurements, while Baby A just wanted to lay down with its back to us. We found out the twins are very likely identical - they found a VERY thin membrane, and just one placenta (it's impossible to say for sure, since two placentas can grow together and LOOK like one - we'd only know for sure if they are boy/girl or with DNA testing after birth) Finding that membrane was good news though, since having monoamniotic twins is VERY risky. There are still some possible problems with having "mono/di" (that would be monochorionic - meaning one placenta, and Diamniotic - meaning two amniotic sacs), but since they know, our doctors will be watching for them. Both babies had nice strong heartbeats, with Baby A at 147, and Baby B at 171. We'll continue seeing the regular doctor every month, and the specialist every month, so doctors every two weeks (approximately).

Our best profile of Baby A

Cooperative Baby B

More pictures are in the Flickr album!

So, I think I actually felt at least ONE baby last night. Baby A is hanging out low, down near my bladder, and last night, after I had to get up to use the bathroom (as usual), I felt movement after I was done! (Haha, sorry for the TMI!) I've been off and on feeling those "could be gas, could be baby" feelings, but this time, I was pretty sure it was baby! So THAT was pretty exciting!

11 Week Checkup

2008-06-05T08:56:00.005-05:00

We had our latest doctors appointment last Friday. It was a quick one, but the doctor did do a quick sonogram just to make sure everybody still looked good. They both looked about the same size, and had good strong heartbeats, so everything is looking good so far!

This is one of the babies, with the top of the other head on the left.

This is the other baby (I think with an extra foot just under its head)
(You can see bigger copies of the pictures in the Flicker album!)

I've been feeling good. I've heard I have my Grandmother (Dad's mom) to thank for my lack of morning sickness. Every once in a while I get a bit nauseated, but nothing too bad. My biggest problem is I'm so incredibly tired - I think I could sleep 20 hours a day, if I could only find the time! Building babies is hard work!

I go for yet another ultrasound June 16th, so look for more pictures then!

Changes Around the House

2008-06-03T18:35:00.004-05:00

We've made some early changes around the house in preparation for the babies. Our office, where we spend alot of our time, has been moved to the first floor. This is to make way for the nursery right next to the master bedroom upstairs. For the time being though, I just primed the walls and
put my exercise equipment in there until we get closer to our delivery date.

Erica and I really like the new setup actually. It stays much cooler downstairs especially now that the weather is getting warmer. Check out a couple pictures of the new rooms on our Flickr site.

Shocking News

2008-05-04T15:00:00.006-05:00

Friday morning was my first OB appointment. I assumed we'd go in, get some general info, and I was hoping we'd have an early ultrasound to date the pregnancy (although my last period was the beginning of March, I was fairly confident that we conceived closer to the end of March - a difference of about two weeks.)

We went into the ultrasound room, and Dr. Heimburger paused for a moment before turning the screen towards us. "There's the baby," he said. "And there's the other baby!" The OTHER WHAT? There they were, plain as day - both with little flickering heartbeats. Needless to say, we were both pretty surprised. A bit of measuring put us right about 7 weeks, with an official due date of December 19th. Of course, twin pregnancies tend to be shorter than singletons, our goal will be to go as long as we can.

After the ultrasound (with me still in shock!), the doctor explained that with early ultrasounds, they're finding more pregnancies start as twins than originally thought (some statistics I've read suggests one in eight start out as twins!), but that for one reason or another, in the first few months, one twin disappears - it's called vanishing twin syndrome. It's the kind of thing that wouldn't even be detected at a later ultrasound. The early stages of twin pregnancy are pretty similar to a normal pregnancy, so for now, we'll just wait and see (and hope the babies play nice!).

The Future is Here

2008-04-11T10:46:00.001-05:00

It's been a year to the day since we created this blog in anticipation of when it was our time to have children. We're overjoyed to finally have a reason to update it. We have only been trying to get pregnant since February of this year. Who knew it would only take a month?

We've also created our own Flickr album, which you can view by clicking here or by using the link to the right.

Come back to see more blog entries and pictures throughout the entire pregnancy and beyond.

We're Pregnant!

2008-04-07T21:44:00.003-05:00

The pregnancy test came up positive.

I was working at the Chicago White Sox season home opener today. When I got home Erica coaxed me upstairs where I found the pregnancy test on our bed, along with an "I Love Daddy" bib and the book My Boys Can Swim by Ian Davis. Needless to say I was surprised, scared to death and then happier than I've ever felt in my life (all within a span of about 10 seconds).

Planning for the Future

2007-04-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

My brother and his wife kept a blog throughout their first pregnancy so that all of our extended family could keep up to date on all the latest news. We thought it was such a great idea that Erica and I went ahead and reserved a blog site for when the time comes for us. Not that we're planning on having a baby anytime soon! So don't get your hopes up on seeing an update here for a while :)