Basement Conversion

I refuse to turn my "adult" space into a kiddie playground, so we have moved to the basement. Sure, there's still a place to change the girls on the 2nd level, but all their stuff has been moved below. It's actually pretty nice. Today I got foam blocks so I can use more of the floor (it's hardwood, so tummy time is not very safe).

Get Me Out Of This Thing!

Sylvia has been doing this back arch thing. She doesn't want to be held, she doesn't want to be on the activity mat, in the bumbo, in the swing, etc. I think she wants to walk! She's only happy when I hold her up on her feet or sit her up like a big girl. Check her out trying to bust out of the bumbo!

Morning Snacks & Fullness

Cute Pictures From Week 14

The first is of Sylvia trying out the exersaucer. All she wants to do is stand, so I thought this would be a good thing for her. However, her tiny feet don't touch the ground...we have a few more weeks to go. The second is of Sylvia (or "Syl" as David has been calling her) eating her hands. She's always hungry and cries when her bottle is finished and then immediately chews on her hands for 15 minutes after eating. The last picture is of Evelyn on the left and Sylvia on the right. I thought they looked cute (even though Evelyn's outfit doesn't match...we had an accident on her other pants!). Really though, I think they always look cute. My itty bitty babies are looking big! Several people this week have said "Wow, those girls look so healthy!" Random people I've never met...makes me feel good; all that Momma's milk I guess.

Big Bed for Evelyn

I am trying hard to get the girls on some kind of napping schedule. They used to sleep whenever and wherever. Well, I'm first starting with the wherever and that involved no vibration or swinging. We have moved all the toys and stuff to the basement, so moving upstairs to their cribs for napping is not yet feasible since they are not on a schedule. The first nap is pretty much like clockwork at 8:10am, but the rest of the day is random. So, one baby goes in the packnplay and the other goes on the big bed. Here's Evelyn all sprawled out. This isn't ideal, obviously, and I will be working to get them in their cribs because it is the safest option. Right now, E doesn't move much, so we're ok. I have a feeling that will change soon.

Tummy Time with Daddy

We had a very relaxing Sunday -- didn't really leave the house except for a walk. It was nice just hanging out with the girls in our pjs!

Play Time!

Evelyn loves her kick and play bouncy seat and Sylvia loves to talk!

Sylvia Rolling Over

..with a bit of assistance. We haven't yet had a repeat of Sylvia rolling over, but she gets darn close.

When Did The Girls Get So Big?

The girls are definitely going through their 3 month growth spurt. We swear they grew over night. Sylvia is longer and Evelyn is chubbier (notice those cheeks!). And, they have been sleeping a lot during the day the last few days. We are dying to know how much they weigh, but we aren't due for a checkup until the end of August.

Official Soon To Be International Travelers

The girls are all set to travel to Montreal later this month. Evelyn's application was first rejected because the picture was too light (kind of like Sylvia's -- see left), but we redid the picture at CVS and it arrived! How official!

2 Cribs & 2 Babies Back In Swaddles

As you may recall, Evelyn was kicking her sister in the head, so we realized we needed another crib. It's been assembled and in use for the last 2 weeks. All is well. No screaming in the middle of the night caused by one baby hurting the other. However, I do think they miss each other. Also, we've tried several times to unswaddle the girls. Evelyn is fine throughout the night, but is nearly impossible to get to sleep without the miracle blanket swaddle. However, Sylvia wakes up all night long. She cries out and a paci fixes the problem...well, for about 40 minutes. We typically put the girls to sleep with pacifiers (calms them down), but within 15 minutes they spit them out. Therefore, after a sleepless night on Monday, we reswaddled both girls. They were in dreamland by 7:25pm and we didn't have to go back upstairs once! We even had to wake them up at 7am! They are sleepers!

Anniversary Celebration

We celebrated our third anniversary with a night out. It was our first and it was surprisingly easy, probably because our Nanny, Angela, watched the girls. We went to Komi, which is rated the best restaurant in DC and it was pretty amazing. We had 18 courses of yumminess!

Sylvia Rolls Over!

This afternoon, Syliva rolled over!!! It happened so fast, we didn't get it on film, but I will be sure to next time. Go Sylvia!

Busy Sunday

Today was a little out of control, but we like it that way. First, we visited our friend, Jim, in his lovely home in DC. We had an incredible brunch of crab quiche and blueberry muffins. [Bottom two pictures]

Then, we visited our friends Jason and Kelly. Their 7 month old son, Lucas, was scooting all over and nearly crawling. He's the happiest babies around. [Top picture]

Finally, we visited our friends Van, Allyson, Lynn and Brian. They surprised us with an amazing dinner of steak kebabs, pasta salad, beans and an amazing fruite tarte. Delicious! Plus, they sent us home with lots of food. We are really excited about this considering we haven't bought much more that gatorade and milk in the last few weeks. [Forgot the camera in the car for this visit--whoops!]

We had a great day and both meals were enjoyed with both hands! However, I eat so quickly these days, I bet our friends are starting to think I've lost all of my manners! The girls were so good for most of the day too, except Evelyn pee-ed on her cute little outfit so most of the day was spent in the not as cute backup one from the diaper bag.

Evelyn Rolls Over

Today, Evelyn rolled over, not once but FIVE TIMES. She rolled to the right and to the left. It was pretty amazing that she kept repeating it -- I actually got it on film!

Yeah for Evelyn! At just 12 weeks, that's pretty good!

Random Video of Cuteness

Hiccups in the Bumbo

We put Sylvia in the bumbo after she eats to assist in the burping process. We also haven't dressed her yet since she spits up, so we we put this blanket over her so she's not cold. Here she just looks funny, sort of like someone getting a haircut or a jack in the box.

Classic Sylvia

Sylvia is very vocal and spits up a lot. She's so cute and smiley, but be sure to watch the whole video.

Holding Rattles

The girls are very good at holding their rattles now. Sylvia held onto hers today for about 10 minutes.

About to Roll Over

The girls are getting close to rolling over. It's really cute watching them try so hard! Here's Evelyn getting close and Mommy telling Sylvia to get out of the way.

Napping In The Crib

Now that the girls are sleeping through the night, the next phase (which doesn't officially start until Evelyn has consistently slept 12 hours for 2 weeks) is that they have a real daytime schedule, which includes a 1 hour nap in the morning around 9am and a 2 hour nap in the afternoon around 1pm. This should occur in their cribs. I decided to see how daytime crib napping went today -- Evelyn had a bit of a hard time going down (as usual) and Sylvia fell asleep right away.

Evelyn Officially Slept Through the Night!

Well, just like the book said, your babies will be sleeping through the night (12 hours) at 12 weeks. Evelyn achieved this goal last night. She has not eaten several times in the 12 hour period, but we've had to take her out of the crib. Last night, she stayed in the crib until 10 minutes before feeding time (this is our typical routine).

I give full credit to Angela, our Nanny. She came over last night to practice bedtime so things go smoothly when she watches them for the first time on our anniversary. She bathed her, fed her and put her down. I know this is just the first of many great things Angela will do for the girls. She's really wonderful!

Poor Bouncy Seat!

Sylvia had a little accident on the bouncy. So much for the 24 cent each pampers! Poor girl was covered to her toes!

12 Weeks Old

My babies are growing up fast (almost too fast). Here they are on their 12 week birthday (today!).

Sylvia Eats Very Well

We have zero issues with making sure Sylvia eats enough. Yesterday she ate 9oz in the morning. This is really unheard of for a tiny baby. Sure, she pukes up a little, but she keeps most of it in. We joke that when we can't find something that Sylvia ate it. Like, "Hey David, where's the couch pillow." David's response: "Sylvia ate it." She is a mega slobberpuss too. Here she is with a combo of spit up and slobber all over her adorable outfit.

Sleeping Through the Night Update

Sylvia continues to sleep through the night without problem, until her sister kicks her in the head! It's so adorable how they both scoot towards eachother and lie side by side.

Evelyn is almost there, this morning she woke up at 6am, but she wasn't hungry. She was just awake. Remember, I've mentioned before that this little girl thinks there's a whole lot more to do than sleep! So, we just entertained her until we fed her at 7am. She typically wakes at 4amm and we give her an ounce of food and she goes back to sleep. She's also eatin 7oz before she goes to bed now, so it is helping to keep her full. She'll get there soon. I don't mind since it gives us some special one-on-one time in the wee hours of the morning. And, I was up at 5am today anyways to go for a run!

Future International Travelers

We hope to expose the girls to a lot, including international travel. To begin this exposure sooner rather than later, we are traveling to Vermont and Montreal at the end of the summer. Since the State Department now requires passports for travel to Canada, we had to get them for the girls. Taking passport photos was a chore, holding up a baby in front of a white background and trying to keep my hands and the girls' hands out of the picture. I knew Evelyn's photos would be rejected, but sent them in anyways (thinking maybe the government would give us a break since they are tiny babies.

So, we tried to retake the picture of Evelyn ourselves. It sort of worked, but then our printer ran out of ink. This time I went to a different drug store and they had a better method for taking the picture -- set the baby down on a white poster board. Genius!

We've resubmitted her passport request, let's hope it arrives by August 27th!

Nap Time Successes!

Since the 8th week we have been on a 4 hour feeding schedule -- 7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm. After the first feeding, we put them in the bumbo (it helps bring out the burps since they are now pretty much burping themselves), then over to the activity mat for playtime. Typically around 8:15am Evelyn starts to get fussy and Sylvia's eyelids get heavy. For Evelyn, timing is everything, you must get her somewhere she can fall asleep fast or you will be trying hard to get her to sleep for as much as 30 minutes. Lately, I've been rushing her over to the bouncy as soon as her laughs (they aren't really laughs, but you know what I mean) turn into tiny groans. For the last two days now, I have successfully put her in the bouncy and she's fallen asleep without assistance.

Sylvia ,on the other hand, loves to sleep and falls asleep easily in her swing. As I've mentioned before, she is quite addicted to her pacifier, and will wake up and cry loudly if it falls out. But lately, she doesn't seem to need it as much. I hope this trend will continue as I refuse to let my 2 year olds walk around with binkies in their mouths (hold me to this!).

Both girls are getting so grown up, they no longer needs their Mommy! It's kind of sad, really.

Evelyn Loves Tummy Time

Evelyn has a tiny head and can lift it high! Check her out on her elbows! This is a new thing this week for her.

Who Are You?

I put the girls in the bumbos and let them face each other. Evelyn stared at Sylvia the whole time she was sitting there (maybe 5 minutes), but Sylvia was far more interested in watching me than even giving her sister a glance. She's easing into the sister thing.

Megan's Visit

One of my dearest friends from college, Megan, came to visit this week. She lives in Louisville, KY and it was a big deal for her to visit -- she has two young boys of her own. We went downtown to the Natural History Museum and fed the girls by the fountain in the sculpture garden.

Repeat #4 and Big Girl Clothes

Well, Sylvia did it again, she slept through the night -- 7am to 7pm! Amazing! Even when her sister was fussing after her 2:30 bottle of 1.5oz and it takin 45 minutes to put her back to sleep. Evelyn is a little smaller and I she is much more active and alert during the day. I think sleeping 12 hours will be a challenge for her because there are too many things for her to do! Why sleep? She's kind of like her Mommy. Plus, it gives Evelyn and I some extra time together. I don't mind.

Also, Sylvia fit into a 3-6 month outfit I've been dying to dress her in! Isn't she cute?

One more success today--Mommy fit into her smallest sized shorts (no these aren't short shorts, they go down to my knees!). Although I still have some pounds to lose, I'm getting smaller and starting to appear as though I am my old size.

Repeat #3 and First Successes!

Our little peanut, who I didn't think would sleep through the night until she was close or beyond 12 weeks because she is a pound lighter than her sister SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! We fed them at 7pm and put them down by 7:45pm without fussing and Evelyn did not wake up until 6am! David is keeping her occupied to hold off the first feeding until 7am. He has 10 more minutes to go and so far is successful. Our goal is for them to sleep until 7am, but I'm not complianing! This is an incredible success for us!

While I type this, Sylvia is still sleeping. She didn't wake up once either. She fussed a little when Evelyn woke up, but it wasn't anything a paci couldn't fix. I need to wake her up and get her ready for the 7am feeding. This is the third time Sylvia has slept through the night.

Amazing these little girls are doing so well. We are so pleased and swear by putting your babies on a schedule from the beginning. If we fed on demand or cluster fed, Mommy and Daddy wouldn't be able to do anything else with them. The girls get to visit friends, go out for lots of fresh air, do tummy time, sit in the bumbo, play with toys (play is said very loosely...they are too young for play), and we just spend time holding them. Also, it gives Mommy and Daddy a chance to shower and eat, also important.

Babies Galore!

From left to right: Max, Ella, Evelyn and Sylvia
The guys taking care of babies: David with Evelyn, Jeff with Ella,
Peter with Mia and Max

We had dinner at the Markako's tonight and were joined by the Smith's. Together there were 5 children and 4 were babies. Mia is 4, Ella is 3 months, Max is 14 hours younger than our girls, and of course Evelyn and Sylvia are 10 weeks. We dined on the best meal I think I've had since the girls arrived and had a great time chatting it up with Jen and Dori about motherhood.

The Girls Are So Independent!

Sylvia above; Evelyn below
Well, maybe they aren't totally independent, but I'm enabling independence when I'm desperate. Sometimes a Mom has to do what she can to get through the days. Lately, it has been bottle propping. It is reasonably effective, especially since both girls want to eat at exactly the same time and things come up I must take care of (like going to the bathroom, answering the door, etc). And, these girls will scream (Sylvia) or cry (Evelyn) if their bottle is taken from them prematurely.

Multitasking Queen

When both babies fuss and I'm alone, I have to be creative when calming them down. Often it is a walk, but since I ran 4 miles this morning before they woke up and we are meeting Josie for lunch and then visiting friends at FEMA, we stayed at the house. After trying the packnplay, swing, bouncy seat, and boppy, I had to also pick up Evelyn. Sylvia was already in the carrier. They both are asleep in my arms as I type this. All they wanted was their Mommy.

I also took this picture on a timer.

Evelyn in the Bumbo

Evelyn really isn't too small for the Bumbo! My girls are growing up too fast!

Repeat #1-Sleeping Through The Night

Sylvia slept through the night again. This time she was awake around 6:30pm after being fed at 7pm and asleep by 7:45pm. Go Sylvia.

Evelyn is still about a pound smaller and wakes up around 2:30am most nights.

This gives Mommy plenty of sleep...going bto bed around 9pm and sleeping 6.5hrs and then going to bed around 3:30am until 6am! Pretty good for just 1o weeks if you ask me!

Daddy's Final Days On Active Duty

We went to the Pentagon to introduce the girls to David's collegues and staff. They were well behaved, even around feeding time at 3pm.

The other picture is of David feeding Sylvia before work this morning. It was very cute until she barfed all over his uniform and he had to change.

I thought it would be appropriate to take a few pictures of Daddy in his uniform since he is retiring in less than 8 weeks. 20 years of service to our country! What an amazing accomplishment!

Removal of Evelyn's Swaddle

We unswaddled Evelyn last night because we don't think she needs it. I heard Sylvia crying at 2am and was surprised since she usually isn't the first to wake up (bigger girl, bigger stomach, of course!). Well, she was upset with her sister for scooting over to her side of the crib and putting her feet on her head! So, we fed them both and they went back to bed. At 7am when we woke them up, they were sleeping like this. How on earth is Evelyn turning herself upside down and on the other side of the crib? I guess she wanted to be near her sister?!

As you can imagine, we're thinking it's finally time for crib #2. I'm not looking forward to separating them because I love that they are together AND the nursery is so small, it will be a very tight squeeze. We might be converting the office to bedroom #2 sooner than we thought as well.

Meeting the Ross'

My Step-Father's son and his family was in town for their daughter's dance competion. Deana (pictured here right after her dance) won their dances and loved holding the babies.

Big Girl Sylvia In The Bumbo

The bumbo is awesome and is supposed to be used to strengthen neck and back support, AND allows your baby to sit way before it would be possible otherwise. Big girl Sylvia fits (we use a little blanket to fill in some space behind her). I put her in it now after we feed her because she spits up a lot and it's better to keep her up instead of lying her down. She loves it and is quick to let me know when she's had enough. Evelyn has great head and neck strength, but she's still just a little too tiny to fit in their comfortably. Soon she will catch up -- she's only a pound behind her sister.

Cute Pics from the 4th Weekend

Evelyn above; Sylvia below

Meeting Uncle Aaron and Cousin Brandon

David's brother, Aaron, and his son Brandon came to visit over the 4th weekend. They live in the VA Beach area. Brandon is almost 8 and his an old pro with babies.

The Girls' Quirks

The girls are so fidgety, especially Evelyn. She loves to be in the packnplay and kick her legs. It's hard for her to be still. I also think that's way she sleeps a whole lot less than Sylvia. It's like she's afraid she's going to miss something. Then, she gets super cranky when she's tapped out and tired. And, it takes a while to get her calmed down and the only thing that works is holding her close in the Bjorn or rocking her. The girl is a total character and getting somewhat spoiled on her cool down moments.

Her sister on the other hand is very chill. Almost too chill. She sleeps all day. Eats, sleeps, poops. That's Sylvia. However, I should mention that's she's very chill until she loses her pacifer (AKA "crack-ifier")or is hungry! Then, she is the loudest little girl! She screams bloody murder if she's happy as a clam and her paci falls out. We call it her "crack-ifier" because it's like crack to her. Or, say you need to take the bottle out of her mouth or switch sides nursing, she flips. She is a great eater and dang, if you try to yank away her food, watch out. Let's just hope she exhibits some restraint and becomes a lady about it.

We love these girls like crazy and all their little quirks.

Sylvia Stretching After SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!

Sylvia is our sleeper, she slept 11 hours the other night! While we haven't had a repeat yet, it is definitely a step in the right direction. The girls are now eating every 4 hours -- 7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm and then we let them go as long as they can at night. Typically, Evelyn wakes between 1:30-3pm and Sylvia between 2:30-5am. We are also weaning them off the night feeding by a half ounce every 3 days. We are following the book "12 hours of sleep by 12 weeks." Our doc says "Good Luck", but we're not giving up!

Cherry Blossom Stars

4th of July

Evelyn Discovering Her Thumb

This is an older video, but still cute.

Tribute to Oma

Oma (David's Mom) has been incredibly helpful during her stay here! We will miss her terribly!