Uncle Mike!

Week 6

Kohlden: 9 lbs 2 oz

Madelyn: 8 lbs 12 oz

They are both gaining weight fast, with Kohl becoming a chunky monkey, while Maddy is spreading it around evenly. Both are still quite fussy, and it almost seems they can sense when each other is going to start crying, because they start crying too.

The highlight of this week was my younger brother Mike flew in from California to spend a few days with us before he jets to the Dominican Republic for a month to oversee his business there. This was a both a treat for Tangie and myself, as well as Braelyn, (one) because she absolutely adores her uncle and (two) because we had an extra set of hands to help us with the crying babies. This was the first time he had a chance to see the twins together, since he had to leave for Cali the day after the twins were born and they were separated in the hospital.

I spent a lot of time with Braelyn this past weekend. We wanted to make sure we gave her as much attention too, so she wouldn't feel jealous or replaced. We were supposed to go to Busch Gardens to celebrate Calleigh and Aubree Grodack's birthday, but I felt guilty leaving Tangie with the twins all day, since I also am working a few days a week and leaving her alone as well. We found this community park complete with splash playground in Dr. Philips (southwest of downtown Orlando) and then I took Braelyn to the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford, since she was missing the animals at Busch Gardens. It was very hot and she enjoyed herself with the water play, and eating blue raspberry snowcones!

My parents came over to help us again last weekend. My mother's younger sister, Aunt Esther, joined as well. She is an OB nurse and works with babies at the hospital so she was great with the twins. It was neat to see the sister dynamic between my mother and her. It was like watching two sisters playing with live dolls.

I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again. The twins are vey fussy, and when they both decide to be fussy together, then all hell breaks loose. At this point the only way to deal with it is to join them!

However, once they've settled down and finally fallen asleep, it is the cutest and quite possibly, the best thing in the world. Even better than ice cream.

By the way, the Orlando Magic have clawed their way back into the series, winning the last 2 games. The Celtics still lead 3-2, but they play game 6 Friday in Boston, and Orlando has always been a good road team, and now with momentum on their side, my fingers are crossed!

Have a great Memorial Day holiday weekend everyone! 46 more weeks to go!

And then there was 5.

Week 5 (1 month):

Kohlden 8 lbs 9 oz.

Madelyn 8 lbs 7 oz.

Status: Lots of crying, but a few random smiles (probably because they were about to go to the bathroom) Cries are still indistinguishable between the two. Kohlden is starting to follow movement. Maddy stays fixated on inanimate objects.

I think this is how I'm going to start each post, by stating the week, weight, and status of the twins. That way we can see the progression as well as using this as a reference when we forget.

We are officially "on our own" for the time being. Nana Campbell left for Denver on Wednesday and even though Lolo and Lola will be here for the weekend, Tangie and I have had the past 36 hours trying to make adjustments towards normalcy, if that's what we can even call it. I was able to work Sunday through Tuesday so I could be off the rest of the week, but even staying at home is a lot of work! I think we were able to go out once a day, not counting the times I drop off and pick up Braelyn from school. I'm working 3 days a week for the next month, until the cavalry arrives again in July. That way I can still support Tangie at home and keep my sanity. I honestly don't know how Tangie does it ~ my wife is amazing, I tell you. Last Saturday evening my parents treated us to dinner at Macaroni Grill. We anticipated a very peaceful and enjoyable evening out, but the twins had other plans! As soon as the menus were passed around the table, Maddy started fussing. And if that wasn't enough, Kohlden took cue and joined in. Luckily, the loud atmosphere drowned out most of the crying, but it made for eating dinner quite rushed. We all ate in shifts, trying our hands at soothing the babies, as well as comforting a tired big sister. We received many sympathetic looks from the other patrons and appreciated them not getting too upset! Great food, just wish I could've tasted it.

The twins had a nice outing to my work on Tuesday. Every other month or so, Banana Republic holds a client event at the stores. We are given a budget and create a party atmosphere for our customers, complete with food (this one catered by McCormick & Schmick) and entertainment (polynesian hula dancers) that, unfortunately, scared the living daylights out of Braelyn. Must've been the brightly colored grass skirts. In anycase, the customers usually seem delighted with a different shopping experience, and I, of course, was happily surprised when the gang showed up and I was able to show off my family to my team and clients.

Tangie noticed this week that she receives a lot of stares from people when she goes out with our double stroller in public. Her observations on this are:

(A) When the babies are calm and asleep, people smile and dote along, thinking how cool and great it is to have twins...until

(B) when one starts crying and the other joins in like a nest of robins the people start feeling anxious and sorry for her, relieved it isn't their situation. Funny.

The highlight of the week, aside from getting new tires on the Pathfinder (I had gone over 100,000 miles before changing them, can you believe it?) was meeting our friends Duncan and Corey Grodack and their girls for an impromptu dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. It was great to catch up with the world travelers (seriously, I think they spent more time in the air flying around than on the ground this past month) and share in the JOYS of rearing multiple children. We were grateful for the extra set of hands (thanks Duncan for holding Maddy while I finished my meal) and enjoyed watching Braelyn and Calleigh act silly, although obnoxiously loud inside the restaurant, but hey, that's what you get when you put 2 three year olds together just before bedtime. Ahh, we are still learning! The lowlight this week was that the Orlando Magic lost both home games to start the Eastern Conference Finals down 0-2 to the Boston Celtics. And although I'm still hopeful and optimistic, the realist in me says, yep, it's pretty much over. Dangit you guys! :-(

Another week down, 47 to go! Happy weekend everyone!

A lot.

The babies did a lot of things this week: Cried a lot. Fed a lot. Slept a lot. Spit up a lot. Soiled a lot of diapers. And cried a lot. You get the picture...A lot!The twins have both gained over a pound each. I noticed this as I carried a car seat in each hand ~ I couldn't carry them for very long...man, I've really let myself go! Gotta work out those arms! I spent a lot (see, there's that word again) of time holding them this week, just trying to bond, since I can't breastfeed them. The doc says I should spend at least one feeding session with them and the bottle, so it can be "Daddy" time. Then back to Mommy for the real thing!

One of the many highlights this week was the twins taking their baths. Man, do they love it! Here are some pictures, the first is Madelyn, and then Kohlden. Can't you see the joyous expressions on their faces?

Another highlight was our last trip to Sea World for the year. Our family had gotten the year long pass and it expired this week, so Braelyn and I went for the last time (until we get it again, probably when the twins would enjoy it a little) and played in the kiddie water area, ate cotton candy, and saw the shows.

This week we also ventured out to the mall to get some portraits done for the twins' formal announcement. It was very challenging trying to keep both of them awake, or both asleep, or one not crying. Hopefully we end up with a few we can keep and use. These are a couple I snuck while the photographer was setting up.

And finally to end, last Sunday was Mother's Day, so all 3 moms (Deeda flew back to Denver on Saturday ~ we miss her so much!!!) went to a salon to get pedicures and get their nails done. Braelyn, of course, wanted hers done as well, in her favorite color: green. As you can see, she got her wish!

The last photos: 4 generations of the women in the family and Braelyn showing off her toes.

48 more weeks! Have a great weekend everyone!

Is it Friday already?

Wow. So another week has just passed. Okay, so I thought time was moving quickly with just one kid. I blinked and it's already Friday. The twins are almost 3 weeks old now. Crazy.

We had a pretty eventful week too. Let's begin with the weekend. Sabbath brought Braelyn and I to church while Mommy stayed home with my parents to watch the babies. We went out and were treated to dinner by some good friends of ours, Kent and Kelli Johnson, and then we all headed for a movie, Date Night, which was ironic, since we technically were on one.

On Sunday morning Tangie and I went to meet our new tenants in Apopka. They are a young mid 20's dating couple, very cute and excited to begin the new phase in their relationship by living together. They are non-smokers (We learned from our last tenants; It took an entire month to get that smoke smell out of the house) and seem very responsible, so cross our fingers. They have a year contract with us. That afternoon we walked over to our neighbors, Richard and Catherine Ottati, who just had their baby girl Gabriela Caelen, last Thursday. Very cute and, at 7 lbs 8 oz, slightly bigger than the twins. We had a photo session of the three of them together, in which our two ganged up and started bullying her. Not really but it made for a really cute picture. They will all be good friends and neighbors as they grow up.

On Monday I decided to begin the next phase of my backyard project by adding a terra cotta pot water fountain that I saw at the Home and Garden Show a couple years ago. I was inspired and said, hey, I can make this. I knew the basic concept, all I had to do was come up with a design. I found a beautiful 4 foot pot from Old Time Pottery and started digging in the backyard, 95 degrees and 100% humidity. Well, remember that saying, "Patience is a virtue" or better yet, "Four hands are better than 2?" Actually, I don't really know if the second one is a true saying, but anyway, my impatience got the best of me and putting the water fountain together came to a halt when, in putting the tube and piping through the pot, it tipped over and hit one of the flagstones that surround the putting green and CRASH!, the top portion broke into 7 big pieces. You can imagine my dismay and frustration, which could only be directed at myself. Such an idiot. Fortunately I was able to glue and put the pieces back together (it actually looks pretty cool with the cracks, kind of weathered and old) but it stalled my progress for 2 hours and then prevented me from running the water for another day since the sealant had to cure for another 12 hours, but that's okay since I got the wrong size pump and had to get another one from Lowe's. But it's done and adds some flavor to the backyard.

I returned to work on Tuesday. I wanted to feel productive and needed to catch up with the team so I wouldn't be so lost when I officially go back. Tangie's grandmother leaves this Saturday and her mom leaves in a couple of weeks so I'll have to spend more time at home supporting her, so in the meantime, I'll take a few days here and there to assist and get back in the swing of things at work. Plus there is just a lot of estrogen in the house and I needed some escape. Funny when work becomes your escape, but I guess in this scenario, it's very appropriate!

Wednesday called for my civic duty and I reported to the Orange County Courthouse for Jury Summons. A good friend of ours, Jared Clarke, was also called that same day so we hooked up and hung out in the Assembly Room and had lunch together. Amazingly, we were called to be on the same case as well ~ a man charged with attempted 1st degree murder and assault & battery with a deadly weapon. It was interesting to hear the verbage the judge and lawyers used as they questioned the jury panel to select who was going to be in the actual jury. The man was later found not guilty because the prosecution (the state vs. defendant) had no case and it's only evidence was the guy that was beaten, so basically it was a he said he said trial, most of which couldn't be understood because the witness slurred his speech, probably high and intoxicated. And to think it was over $1. A buck. No kidding, it was incredulous. Seriously?

Tangie took the twins for another checkup to the Pediatric office on Thursday. Both are healthy and starting to put on some weight! Kohlden has almost caught up with his sister, at 7 lbs 1 oz, and Madelyn at 7 lbs 3 oz. I can literally feel them growing in my arms! They are starting to be more alert and stay awake for longer periods of time. They also have become fussy around dusk, their "witching hour", and it takes a while to soothe them, so hopefully this too shall pass. Our nights have gotten shorter and shorter...

Braelyn continues to do well, both at home and school. She stayed home with the women on Wednesday and went to the pool, and came home with great tan lines! Totally from my side of the family! We have seen some glimpses of rebellion and her trying to see what she can get away with, but I think that's because we're always with the babies, so maybe a little jealousy in the mix. But not much.

Zoe had a little episode late last Friday evening. I had taken her out to go to the bathroom before we all went to bed. She started acting weird and loopy, almost like she was drunk, but also shook like she was freezing. At first I thought she had gotten bit, probably a snake or poisonous bug/spider and carried her back inside the house. We observed her in this state, which deteriorated before it got better. She lost her bowels inside and dropped a couple bombs. Then she started acting normal again. We didn't know what had happened until the following day a friend said that it sounded like a Zoe had suffered a seizure. We're going to have to keep an eye on this one.

Well, Sunday is Mother's Day, so we're going to have to do something as a treat for all 4 moms that will be at our house this weekend. Kudos to all you wonderful mothers out there. Keep up the great work; your husbands and children are eternally grateful.

49 weeks to go! GO MAGIC!