Christmas/NYE/4-Months Old

We've had a busy few weeks. Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Here's a recap of the past month.

In early December, we went to a party hosted by one of Eric's former colleagues. The babies got to meet Secretary Clinton and Eric's other friends from work. They were so well-behaved (the babies that is) and charmed everyone.

A few weeks after that, we went to a tour of the White House for political appointees. We questioned whether bringing the babies was a good idea or not, but they did a fabulous job from start to finish. Fletch loved all the lights and people, and Piper slept through the whole thing.

As Christmas neared, the babies got to meet Santa for the first time. As most babies do, they cried when they sat on Santa's lap. Why is Santa such a scary guy for babies and little kids?!? Maybe it's the beard?

When the babies were visiting Santa, they must have asked for a fantastic Christmas because that's what we had. We celebrated with Eric's parents and my mom and Danny. The babies received so many adorable gifts, and we all just had a terrific time.

Now, the year is coming to a close. The last photo on here is from today--New Year's Eve. The babies are 4-months and 1 day old. They had their 4-month well visit yesterday, and they are doing great. Fletch is 15lbs 3oz and 24.75 inches tall. Piper, our peanut, is 12 lbs 8 oz and 24.25 inches tall.

This has been a roller coaster, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I have wonderful family and friends, including an amazing husband and adorable babies. Let's hope for more good things in 2011.

Bath Time/3-Month Pictures

Piper

Fletch
Here are some pictures of Piper and Fletch during bath time last night. They are getting so big! Piper is even sporting a cute double chin these days, since she's finally gaining some weight. This past Tuesday, they turned 3-months, which means we've all survived the first quarter of their first year. :)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great. The fun started on Wednesday when Mom and Danny arrived. On Thursday, Eric and I ran in our first 5K race since the babies were born, and it was so fun. Thanks go my mom and Danny for watching the babies while we raced. It was so great to be out there again. After that, Eric's parents brought over all the Thanksgiving food (thanks so much for that!), and we had a delicious meal. Friday was spent trying out our new BOB stroller at Huntley Meadows park, and doing a little shopping. Over the weekend, Eric and I just caught up on everything.

This year, we have so much to be thankful for...friends, family, and most of all, two beautiful babies. A year ago, we couldn't have imagined being so blessed.

In baby development news, both Piper and Fletcher have discovered their hands, although they are very frustrated with their inability to fit their entire fist into their mouth. Hate to break it to them that no matter how hard they work on that, they may never acheive their goal of eating all their fingers at once.

That's the latest. This week is back to normal.

The Many Faces of Piper

As promised, here are a few more pictures of Piper. She was especially smiley in the crib this morning when she was supposed to be napping. Even as I type this, I can hear her giggling away in there. She's so funny!

We're so glad it's Thanksgiving here. Today, Mom and Danny come into town. Tomorrow, Eric and I are going to run in a turkey trot 5K and then enjoy turkey dinner with everyone. Then, tomorrow night, we'll watch the Pats game (which we'll record, so don't spoil it for us). Should be a good few days!

Fun Times

Sorry I haven't posted new photos in a while. We've been a bit busy. I'm happy to report that the babies are getting much more fun. We're even getting some smiles and giggles out of them. Here are some photos of them having a blast on their activity mat and Fletch sitting in his Bumbo seat. Unfortunately, Piper doesn't quite have the neck control to sit in the seat yet, but we're working on it. Other than having fun, not much new to report. Next week is Thanksgiving, so I'll be sure to post photos of the babies in their holiday attire. I'll also try to get more pictures of Piper, since it seems like many of these are of Fletch.

Halloween Weekend

We had a great Halloween weekend. On Saturday, Eric and I went to the Jon Stewart rally on the Mall, while the babies spent time at Eric's parents' house. Today, the babies went trick or treating, as you can see from these pictures. Piper is a pumpkin princess and Fletch is a skeleton. The neighbors were all really excited to see Piper and Fletcher, and we got some candy in the process--a win-win for everyone. :)

The only thing missing from this weekend was the Marine Corps Marathon. Eric and I met while marathon training in 2003, so the race is a big part of our lives. But, for obvious reasons (and very good reasons) we weren't able to train this year, so we were a bit sad about missing it. But, we vow to be back next year for MCM 2011.

When I get the photos, I'll post pictures and a recap from my mom's visit. She came last week to see the babies and help out, and it was so wonderful having her here.

A big week ahead for us. Tomorrow, we have the babies 2-month doctor's appointment; on Tuesday, we're going to visit my friends from ICF; and on Friday, my friends from Woburn are coming for a weekend visit. Yay for lots to do!

AC Visit

No, we didn't visit Atlantic City...we have a visit from Auntie Corinne (my dad's sister) and her boyfriend Fred. They spent a few days with us and got to meet the babies and see our house. It was a perfect visit, and it even gave me time to get out and do a few errands while they had QT (quality time) with Piper and Fletcher at home. We were sad to see them go, but hopefully, Eric and I will make a roadtrip to Boston sometime early next year.

Other than this visit, there haven't been too many big things going on with the babies. Our only news is that Fletch has nearly doubled his birth weight! I brought him to the pedi today because he was having some stomach issues, and they weighed him. He weighed 10lbs14oz. Wow! Guess the stomach issues aren't impairing his calorie intake. :) We're so glad he's growing well. On November 1, we have their 2-month pedi visit, and we'll see then how Piper is doing. She seems to be growing well, but she's still our little peanut and weighs quite a bit less than Fletch. But, she's still cute as ever!

Weekend Review

This is the first of our weekend review posts. (I have to give credit to my friend Mandy for the idea because she does it on her own blog.) We had a pretty good weekend.

Saturday: We hung out at home and recovered from the week, gave the babies baths, and then my friends Erin and Tim (my friends from Colgate) and their kids came over to visit with the babies. Not only did their kids hold the babies for us for a while, but they also brought us two awesome chicken pot pies. We were supposed to eat one right away and freeze the other for future consumption, but they were too good and we've nearly finished both of them.

Sunday: Eric and I took the babies for a walk around Huntley Meadows Park and then Eric's parents came over for a while to watch the babies while Eric and I went to the grocery store. In the evening, Eric's friends Jeanette and Keith came over and brought us more awesome food--baked ziti. We had a great time catching up with them.

So, all in all a great weekend. Now it's onto the work week tomorrow. The babies seem to be going through a bit of a growth spurt/fussy period, so I'm hoping they aren't too crazed this week. Nothing too exciting planned beyond starting physical therapy for my knee so I can get it back in shape again. I've also started to get back to running--I did two VERY SLOW miles on the treadmill this weekend.

Maybe Next Year

I wasn't sure whether to title this post "Maybe Next Year" or one of the following alternate titles:

1. Love that Muddy Water

2. Born Into It

3. Stupid Red Sox

If you prefer one of these other titles, let me know. In any case, here is a photo of the babies in their first Red Sox gear. These photos are are a few days late since the season is over, but they are still adorable. I think they are discussing the 2011 prospects in a few of them.

We've had a few good days here. Yesterday, we went walking in Huntley Meadows Park and had lots of awake time at home to read books, sing, dance, etc. Today, we've had this photo session and done some reading. We've been battling some minor reflux issues, but hopefully the new medicine we got will help and we'll all have a good weekend. Happy Columbus Day!

Happy Visit 2.0

A few weeks ago, we had a post titled "Happy Visit" that was about a several-day visit from my mom. This post is "Happy Visit 2.0" because it's about a visit from Eric's parents. This weekend, Eric's parents came to take care of the babies for several hours on Sunday so Eric and I could get out of the house. This isn't their first visit by any means but this is the first one where Fletch got a book read to him, and we got a cute picture. Here he is learning about sea creatures. Between this and his underwater-themed nursery, he'll be ready for scuba diving in no time at all.

Happy One-Month Birthday

We made it to one month. Yay! I have a feeling this was more of a struggle for Eric and me than for the babies, who only had to concentrate on eating and sleeping. If I wasn't trying to do Weight Watchers to take off some of this baby weight, I'd bake them a cake.

Here are some pictures from this morning, after I gave them a bath and put them in some pants, in an attempt to make them look more civilized in honor of their birthday. Since I took these pictures on my own and the babies were startnig to fall asleep, they aren't the best. If the outfits make it through the day without poop, pee, or formula covering them, we'll try to take more tonight.

A Rant, A Rave, and a Photo

As the title of this post indicates, today I have a rant, a rave, and a photo. Here goes:

Rant: I'd like to rant against this swing from Fisher Price. We got two of these swings based on the recommendation of many mom's, including several twin moms. However, within two uses, the AC adapter on one of the swings broke. What a pain in the rear end!?! This does not give me faith in Fisher Price products. But, that does bring me to my rave.

Rave: I have to rave about Fisher Price customer service. I called them about the broken swing, and the nice woman I spoke with went through several steps with me to help determine that it was indeed the AC adapter that was broken, and not the motor or another part. She even held on the line while I took a quick break in our conversation to quiet a crying Piper. The best part is that they are sending a new adapter out today, free of charge.

Photo: Here is a recent photo of Fletch for your viewing pleasure. I'll try to get one of Piper for tomorrow. I love the way his little hands look in this picture, like he's praying that I keep feeding him and don't take the bottle away.