2 babies, 4 months - 8/26

The girls hit 4 months on Aug 7th and are already practically at 5 months now!

They are doing great!  They are increasingly engaging, playful and interactive.  It's probably due to all the sleep they get...thanks to them, Mom and Dad consider themselves the most well-rested parents of twins ever, as they have slept through the entire night ever since August 1st (but who's counting)!!

Brooklyn talks so much these days that it's hard for Madison to get a word in edgewise.  Even then, Madison still manages to sneak in a few words.  It's hard to believe that with all the talking (and occasional screaming) that either of them are still on oxygen, but they are.  Brooklyn just passed the oxygen test at the doctor's office yesterday which qualifies her to do the 24 hour at-home test.  We've been down this road once before so we're cautiously optimistic.

Madison seems to like following in her younger sister's footsteps and does so about 2-3 weeks behind, which means we might expect her to pass the oxygen tests a few weeks after Brooklyn.  While Dad works, the girls clearly have fun playing dress-up.

These clothes aren't from the normal assortment as one may notice.  "Papa J" (Grandpa Abrams) sent these to be worn.  Clearly, he supports Dad's cause. 

The girls spend a good deal of time hosting and attending dinner parties and other events although we are still careful about taking them out in too many public areas because of the respiratory risks.  The farmer's market is a Sunday favorite though. 

"Tummy time" is becoming increasingly popular with the girls.  First, they would get quickly frustrated, and Madison certainly wasn't interested in this activity at all but both are coming around and getting quite good at it.  In addition to having strong necks, they often demand to use their legs with a little bit of parental support.  Brooklyn's goal is to skip the crawling stage and get straight to walking.  We'll see how that goes...

Days of Summer - 8/04

Summer is quickly cruising past us and the girls are aging before our eyes.  They turn 4 months old this week and are both loving hanging on the floor much of the day, spend lots of time smiling, and have adapted to a bedtime routine that make mommy and daddy feel like geniuses as the girls are sleeping 7-8 hours a night these last 3 days!!  They retest for oxygen later this week as well.

Grandma ("Gigi") and Grandpa Swanson couldn't resist splurging on some Rockies outfits at the last game they attended and the girls are looking good!  While Tulo is a fan-favorite, it's no coincidence that the number "2" was selected for the jersey they are wearing.  They are also attempting to make the pages of the Rockies magazine with the help of a friend. 

Speaking of friends, the girls have been attending and hosting dinner parties lately.  A new friend, baby Jimmy, came by to hang out recently.  Jimmy's father thinks he already has two girlfriends but we beg to differ.  Baby Jimmy was born just one week ahead of the girls but shows the size difference having been born "on time." 

Oh yeah, and thanks to everyone for their support and votes on the Chic-fil-a picture contest.  Unofficially, the girls reached 9th place in the "herd" category and th 19th spot in all categories with 817 votes.  We don't know if that means anything yet, but it was a good run!

Little Models - 7/25

At the risk of creating little divas, we had the girls participate in their third professional session recently, compliments of a wonderful family friend.    They weren't so sure about it and provided the photographer only select opportunities to snap good pictures, but came out with some great shots nonetheless.  Without picture labels below, you can always tell Madison by her darker skin.

(Brooklyn)

The girls are becoming regular visitors outside the home and do plenty of entertaining already.  Brooklyn and Madison registered at 7 lbs 13 oz and 8 lbs 11 oz, respectively at the last doctors visit this past Friday. The next doctors visit in about 2 weeks will include another oxygen re-test for which we've all learned by now not to get our hopes up.

Lindsay's sister, Aunt Laura, holding Brooklyn; Lindsay holding Madison

(Madison hanging out)

The girls have discovered they like the outdoors so far this summer.  They've done lots of BBQ'ing and really love lying on a blanket in the soft grass....well, Madison has her moments.

Nights are getting better but, as any of you parents already know, it's still quite exhausting.  In fact, Mom and Dad have found themselves saying and doing enough crazy, sleep-deprived things that we easily related to this picture below and have considered creating our own version.  Stay tuned...

It's a bird. It's a plane. Nope, it's 3 cows!

As many of you know, one of Danny's favorite places is Chick-Fil-A.  He dines there frequently, can tell you about the menu, has turned many people on to their breakfasts, and on a rare occasion can be spotted dressed as a cow showing up for free chicken.  When we first found out we were pregnant, Aunt Laura and Gigi (Grandma) found little cow costumes that without question, the future children of Danny must have.  Chick-Fil-A is currently having a cow appreciation contest and given Danny's obsession we knew we had to enter.  Here are a few pictures of our twin calves. We hope you will vote for us.


Vote for Danny and the girls as the cutest cows around!
http://contest.chick-fil-a.com/gallery/photo/2590

Brooklyn (left) & Madison (right)

Daddy and Brooklyn
Not Pictured: Madison who was vocalizing her unhappiness with her outfit

Oh no, O2!

The girls turned 3 months old on July 7th, and despite much excitement and anticipation at home, Brooklyn was not able to come of oxygen after all.  The girls posed for most of their 3 month pics without oxygen though. 

(Brooklyn)

(Brooklyn)

The next appointment is about a week out where we may try the oxygen test again but, at this point, we've learned not to think much of it.  It will happen when it happens and hopefully that's soon.

(Madison)

(Madison)

(Madison on left, Brooklyn on right)

Happy Forth of July!

 Happy 4th of July to all! The girls had a busy day watching the hot dog eating contest in our neighborhood's town center.  However, they were disappointed their dad did not participate this year! Then we BBQ'ed in the backyard with a few friends and family. 

By the end of the day, the girls had had enough of the sun, people, and pictures. They were exhausted and slept their first 6 hour block of time last night.  We appreciated the extra hours of sleep as we were exhausted also from a day of celebrating freedom here in America. 

Happy Days - 7/3/13

The girls are more than twelve weeks old and have a lot to be happy about.  We got our first real smiles from both of them within the last several days and the smiles seem to be coming more frequently.  Brooklyn recently weighed in at 7 lbs 15 oz while Madison tipped the scale at 6 lbs 14 oz.  

(Madison having a blast)

Brooklyn finally passed her "room air challenge" oxygen test at the pediatrician.  Much to Dad's disappointment, she arrived home still wearing the oxygen though as it turns out she needs to hook up to a monitor at home, while not wearing oxygen, and still keep her levels up for 24 hours.  The monitoring equipment company will show up "within a week."  Oh well.

 (Brooklyn thrilled to hear the news regarding her oxygen)

 (More smiles from Brooklyn)

Madison surprised herself at the pediatrician when she passed 2 of the 3 parts to the oxygen test herself.  Maybe she's much closer than we gave her credit for!  

(Madison surprised about her oxygen results)

The girls also had a visit from a great family friend/top notch photographer, Gayle, who took some fun pictures of "a day in the life of" the girls.

Now it's time to enjoy our visit from Grandpa Jeff (Abrams) and get ready for the upcoming holiday.  Have a great holiday everyone.  Let's party!