8 months later, Little Turkeys and Christmas cheer - 12/24

The girls are more than eight months old now and their days wrapped in tubes and cables in an incubator are a distant memory!  The holidays are in full swing and the girls have continued to polish up their social skills through the many festivities.  

(Madison on left, Brooklyn on right)

(Madison)

(Thanksgiving family photo)

Mommy enjoys keeping a fresh new wardrobe on hand for our growing girls.  These are just a few of the many Christmas outfits they will be wearing. 

(Brooklyn)

(Brooklyn on left, Madison on right)

(Storytime by the tree)

(Madison doing her part to decorate the tree)

  

(Madison)

 The girls are far more aware of each others presence and interact quite a bit.  Sometimes that interaction means, "borrowing" toys from one another.  No fist fights have broken out thanks to the abundance of toy options but we expect future battles to brew over this topic.

After the first few months of trial and error with her diet, Mom figured out how to make Madison as happy as her sister by eliminating soy and dairy.  It's pretty hard to catch them on a bad day.  Despite the continued oxygen, everyone can pretty much be considered healthy.  The oxygen now stays on pretty much at night and during naps only. 

A wide variety of organic fruits and vegetables are prepared daily at the Abrams house.  Madison anxiously awaits her next meal below.  No one is going hungry as Brooklyn now weighs 14 1/2 lbs and Madi weighs about 12 1/2 lbs. 

Brooklyn has emerged as the family adrenaline junkie.  She is not very content staying in one spot for very long.  She can rapidly kick her legs while on her stomach, but since she hasn't quite figured out how to gain traction while doing this, she depends on others to scratch the adrenaline itch.  You can find her frequently "flying" throughout the house with a giant smile on her face.  Madison happily observes from a more grounded position. 

In fact, Madison has hobbies of her own.  She loves books and music, so it's no coincidence that she has such a big grin while hanging in her "rockstar" outfit. 

Papa J (Dad's dad) visited just before Thanksgiving and showed "Brookie" and "Madi" their first airplane museum.  Again, Brooklyn illustrates her desire to fly while Madison shows a more serious side. 

Apparently skydiving isn't Madison's thing either. 

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Little Blessings

A couple weeks ago we enjoyed the blessing of having the girls baptized in the Catholic Church. It was a private event after mass with our families and the girls godparents, Laura (Lindsay's Sister) and Kevin (close friend). Madison was a champ and quietly observed the whole service. She didn't even peep when the cold water was poured over her head and seemed to thoroughly enjoy being held in the air for all to see. Brooklyn on the other hand was very vocal about her unhappiness with the whole situation. Deacon Ched commented that with all her screaming she will probably join the choir when she gets older. 

(Brooklyn)

(Madison)

(Kevin & Laura lighting the candles which symbolizes the light of Christ).

It was a beautiful day as we celebrated God's love and were reminded of what amazing little blessings these two little girls are in our lives!

Tutu's & Headbands- 11/17/13

Fall is in full swing and the Colorado weather is still beautiful.  We have barely even seen a hint of snow this way which is great for the girls and all the activities which they like to partake.  Even so, much of it is still indoors like the Yoga ball. 

(Madison with her bright blue eyes)

(Brooklyn in one of her less feminine outfits)

(Madison observing the photographer closely)

Here, a few weeks delayed as usual, are a select few Halloween pics of our super babies.  Madison was less than intimidating as a smiley superhero.  They get their fair share of practice sitting up with minimal support but Madison admits to cheating here with pumpkins as back support.

(Our own private security team, protecting the perimeter)

The girls hit 7 months on 11/07/2013 and had some timely pictures taken in their nursery.  Madison, not surprisingly took a fairly serious approach to the photoshoot here. 

 There is seldom a dull moment around the house, but if ever there is a lull, Mommy uses that time to play dress up.  And, while tutu's have been done here before, Mommy just can't get enough. 

(Madison on left, Brooklyn on right)

Continued support of the CSU Rams from great fans like these has helped them get to a 6-5 record so far.  Sadly, this is an improvement over the last several years, so we will continue to ensure that these cute fans keep cheering them on. 

(Brooklyn practicing Yoga too)

Today the girls were baptised in the Catholic church so pictures will soon follow this exciting event.  Oxygen is still on and wont be evaluated again for a couple more months.  Look forward to a video or two on the next post for a change too!

Growing up! 11/02/13

November is upon us and the snow hasn't yet arrived so the girls continue their adventures outside.  While they are just days away from being 7 months old (on 11/07), here is a 6 month picture taken a couple weeks back.

 (Madison of left, Brooklyn on right)

(Brooklyn tailgating with Dad)

(Madison tailgating with Mom)

(The girls visiting their future college)

We haven't done much comparing to the early days to this point but lay out a great example right here.  The "tubs" that the girls took most of their baths in at the hospital are useful at home for a number of reasons but pretty clearly, bathing isn't one of them anymore. 

        (Madison in the hospital)                                                                      (Madison at 6 1/2 months at home)

        (Brooklyn in the hospital)                                                          (Brooklyn at 6 1/2 months at home)

The girls are very aware of each other's presence.  In fact, Brooklyn in particular is very sensitive to her sister when Madison claims to be in distress.  While Brooklyn seems protective on her sister, she doesn't hold back on "borrowing" toys or other objects right out of Madison's hands. 

(Brooklyn on left, Madison on right)

Other milestones and progress include lots of reaching for and grabbing toys, new babbling sounds. sitting up with a little help and more.  Brooklyn has very quickly earned a reputation as VERY social and the center of attention.  Madison is claiming the spot as our analytical child that sits, observes and takes it all in.  Oxygen is still removed during parts of the day but we are at least a couple months away from parting with the tanks completely, unfortunately.  The girls don't mind much though and are happy to keep meeting new people and exploring their environment.