Twin update

 

 Matt's 10 year old cousin is here today and spending the night so she is playing with Cassie which allows me to quickly update my blog!!

Today - Sarah and Cassie painting while Mandy watches

Mandy

Both my Mom and Dad think Mandy has Matt's Dads shape face.   I love hearing that.  I love that both girls have a characteristic of Monkey Papa.  Mandy his face and Emily his smile.  He would really have loved this girls.

The girls are doing great.   The last week or so Mandy has been a pill to put down to sleep.  She used to be so easy and then bam!!!    Thankfully this week she is back to being an easy baby to put down.  I can lay her down awake and off she drifts to sleep.  Emily is the same way.   Its really nice!!

Trying on their headbands

 

Mandy has started on solid foods.  This morning she did really well with it, we may try bananas this afternoon.  Emily is in no way ready right now.   I show her the spoon and she gifts me her goofy grin.

Next I tried hats, that's when Mandy raised her fist at me and pretty much said "That's enough Mama!!"



Mandy also rolled from her stomach to her back on Sunday....twice!!   It is fun to see the girls do these milestones.  Cassie never did any of them.   She never rolled, hated tummy time, never crawled.   I was pretty worried about her for awhile.   It looks like Mandy and Emily are going to make up for Cassie being a very stationary baby. 

Mandy - this girl is in size 3 diapers!

 

Emily - this peanut is still size 1 diapers!

They are fraternal twins!!    So different!

Diaper Change!

 

Every day I let them hang out in just their diapers.  They love it, get really active and kick those little legs.  Its crazy to look at them and think they were both inside me.  What an awesome responsibility to carry and raise 2 babies.  I love the challenge.   Its double the work but double the joy. 

I will hold the girls up to each other and they reach for each others face, smile and "talk".  Brings a smile to my face, its so amazing to watch.  Mandy laughed out loud at Cassie the other day, I stopped in my tracks and just watched.  

"num, num num"

 

Everything is in the mouth these days....including clothes.  Mandy is constantly pulling up her shirt and chewing it.   Yesterday I had to change her twice because of her shirt being soaked with spit!

Talking

Little

Emily

Taken today, Emily in toy and Mandy on my lap

Cassie is an amazing helper.  This morning she took off the girls PJ's and their diapers all by herself.   I put the new diaper under their butt and she tapes them up.  She is a great big sister.   I'm really looking forward for when all 3 girls really start interacting with each other.

Can't believe the girls are going to be 5 months soon!!!

Pictures of the girls!!

Getting ready for solids!

She thought she was pretty cool sitting in the chair.....we are slowly working with the spoon on her.  Emily isn't yet ready to try.

Little Emily



Tummy time Together

Mom cooking dinner with an audiance

Sisters

Pretty in Pink

Hanging out in their matching outfits

Emily SO has her Daddys smile

I have caught Mandy holding Emilys hand a few times

Still holding hands

Play date with Bree and Adelyn

Stacey holding the girls

Mandy looked a bit scared that Cassie is going to drop her....I can't blame her

But she survived and was not dropped

Twins are yet another month older!

Checking out her sister

4 months old!!!

4 months!    They are not newborns anymore!   Things are pretty smooth if they are in synce and on the same schedule.   Yesterday they were NOT in sync.   They didn't eat at the same time or nap at the same time.   It was one down for a nap and the other one up from her nap.  I got NO break, had a cold and was exhausted at the end of the day.   Today I got them back on the same schedule and what a world of difference that makes.   It leaves me time to do housework and of course spend one on one time with Cassie.

Mandy
Sleeps pretty much thru the night.   She is an awsome sleeper.  Weighs 13 lbs

Emily
Sleep - she needs to take some pointers from Mandy.   Em still gets up every 3-4 hours to eat.   She is tiny and doesn't take as big of bottles as her sister so I am figuring this is the reason.  Weighs 9 lbs 12 ounces

Both girls have laughed out loud.  Mandy I have only heard once but Emily is giving them out more and more....the key is to tickle her armpits.  They gave their first laughs on the same day at 15 weeks old.

Both girls have gotten very strong on tummy time and they have both rolled from tummy to back.   Emily did it first at 16 weeks and Mandy a day after.   Rolling from back to tummy is next...I can tell they are close to doing it.  My bet is on Mandy doing it first.  That girl is a contorstionist!!   The way she bends her body to look at stuff behind her....yikes.

Tummy time together

Both girls are grabbing things and trying to put them in their mouth, especially Mandy.   And boy, does that girl get frustrated when she can't do what she is attempting.   She has a favorite ball that she can easily hold and if that ball rolls away from her she lets me know it!

Tuckered out

Both girls do great putting themselves to sleep.   They are up for about 1 1/2  - 2 hours at a time and then its nap time.   After that time I put them in the cribs wide awake and they will put them selves to sleep.  Maybe I hear a few cries of protest but it never lasts long.  

Getting super strong!!

We have thier 4 month checkup yesterday.  I took the girls and Cassie by myself.  They were both up crying so I had to keep them moving.   The nurse told me I was a brave soul to be by myself.    The girls did really well.  They do both have flat heads from favoring a spot so we have to have them evaluated to see if they need helmets.  They have to do everything together which includes flattening their heads!!  The shots were of course were the hardest part.   Mandy went first, turned beat red and screamed her lungs out.   I held her for a few min but then had to put her in the car seat to get Emily ready for her turn.   The nurse stopped and looked at me and told me I was a great Mom.  She said I was meant to be a Mom....that I have an air about me.  That was so sweet to hear.   My Pedi told me the exact same thing.   As he was leaving the room I had Emily in one arm bouncing her to calm her crying and in the other arm a bottle feeding Mandy in her stroller.  He said I was doing a great job and that I really had my hands full.   Its just always nice to hear others say you are doing a great job.....especially when you are trying to calm 2 naked babies after shots and are sweating bullets. 

4 years old!!

My little girl turned 4 last Saturday.  Those 4 years went fast!   I start thinking about how fast the next 4 years will go and then the next.....yikes!   I want my little girls to be little forever!  

Cassie had a butterfly birthday.  She requested this for a long time.  

I usually make a big elaborate cake BUT with 2 babies I don't have the time to spend hours doing that.   Next year should be different.   This year I made cupcakes and got cute butterfly cupcake toppers I found on Etsy.

Birthday Cupcakes!

Decorated Kitchen

It was nice to have our first big party in our new home.  SO much more room!   It was so cramped in our old house.  

Enjoying food

The twins were really good.  I was worred at first, Matt left with Cassie in the morning to run some errands so I could decorate the house and surprise her.  The girls foiled that plan.   Emily decided to NOT nap and Mandy insisted on being fed after only 2 hours and wanted to be held.  I realized my plan was not going to work so I sent and SOS to Matt.  "Come home and help.....I'm getting nothing done!"   Thankfully the girls were super after that.   Not a peep from them all day, they just enjoyed being held by everyone. 

 

 

Everyone singing Happy Birthday to her

Blow!!!

The girls checking each other out

Matching outfits for her and Puppy...butterflys!

 

The birthday girl....waiting for her guests to arrive

My Emily and me

Emily laughing at Papa

Mmmm...cupcake!

Chocolate Hands

Emily

 

 I was thinking how much has changed since we had Cassies 3rd birthday party.  The day after Cassies party last year I started my Lupron shots.....never in a million years did I picture having 2 more little girls when Cassie turned 4.   God has really blessed me!!

Picture Post of the girls

Carving our first pumpkin!

To see the joy and excitment in her eyes is the best!

First Time in this!

Pretty good head control

Watching the celing fan, I swear they are going to give their first laugh to the fan and not Mommy

Mandy smiled at Emily today, it was so sweet

Finding Daddy very silly