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getting ready to swim

UV protection swimsuits, hats and lots of sunblock for our little Irish/German girls.

Mommy and Sara having fun in the pool

Sara is chillin and Olivia is smiling after their first swim

They napped for over 2 hours afterward!

http://www.wpb.org/greenmarket/

Hanging out by our yacht HA I wish…

We got hot and thirsty so we stopped in quickly at World of Beer… boy did we get the stinkeye from people! haha Sheeesh, it wasn’t like we put beer in their bottles and it wasn’t like we were getting tanked! We just needed some AC for the girls and that was the closest, most tempting place to stop

Sara enjoying some AC

While there we got a call from a multiples meet-up group in WPB…. there’s a fall fest tonight… short notice but I think it’s important that we go… soooo off we go to our first meet-up event… sooo nervous!!!!

Olivia weighs an even 16lbs

Sara weighs 14.6lbs

We’ve been sooo busy and it’s really hard to keep this blog up… I hope you understand.

How can I sum up the past three months adequately?  I don’t think I can!

Let me see if my milestone calendar will help

crap… I don’t think my new iphone saved everything!!! this makes me sad. I really dislike icloud and itunes backup… they never work

Anyway, sometime between July and now…here’s what’s happened, in no real order:

Livi says Momma sometimes. Sara prefers Dada (we have no idea where she learned that but we think maybe she is trying to say “dog” or it’s just baby babble)

Livi stands… as much as she can… and is learning to sit. Sara says she’ll learn when she feels like it.

They eat baby food twice a day now. We just introduced chicken to the mix.

They mostly sleep through the night but a couple times a week one or both wake up around 3 a.m. demanding a bottle! We’re trying hard to stop this because Mommies need their sleep!

Livi is a great napper but Sara, not so much. She doesn’t want to miss anything.

we went to the pumpkin patch in NJ

Livi and Sara both have found their feet

Sara can sign “milk” but usually while she’s eating. She hasn’t figured out really how to let us know she’s hungry with signing… just by crying or “grumping”. They both are still on a 6-7oz bottle every three hours in the day though! Hungry babies!

I haven’t weighed them in awhile but I’m going to estimate that Sara is 13-14lbs now and Livi is 14-15. I could be over estimating but these girls are solid and great eaters.

Livi claps her hands whenever something makes her happy. Sara claps when she feels like it.

Their eyes are still a gorgeous blue.

Olivia playing in the yard

Their hair is a sandy blonde now.  Sara has more than Livi does and can sport a fun little faux hawk after her bath

Still no teeth but lots of drool.

We purchased a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan. It makes life with twins much easier.

I stopped breastfeeding when they turned 6 months. By that time, they decided they preferred the bottle more and I wasn’t able to pump very much. I was pumping every 2-3 hours and only getting 2oz at a time at most.  It made me feel like a failure and I felt pretty depressed about it (guilty feeling and no more bf endorphins) but as time passed, things got better and the transition wasn’t so bad.

Shannan officially adopted the girls on August 24th!! We’re still waiting for the re-issued birth certificates. There was a back-up due to the voter I.D. issues.

Right after the adoption, Shannan flew to West Palm Beach FL to find a place to live. Yep, that’s right… her job has relocated us to Florida. We’ve been here since Oct 1 and it’s been challenging moving over a thousands miles into a smaller home but it’s also been great. We love it here. It’s peaceful and beautiful and a great place to raise a family.

Brewster checking on his babies

Well, Sara is awake from her nap and is demanding my attention! Till next time, whenever that may be…

They are really sprouting now. We visited the pediatrician today and in the past two months, they’ve both gained 2 pounds, grew 2 inches and are right on schedule. The doctor was very pleased with their physicals and we were happy to brag about some of their new developmental milestones.

Sara and Olivia are 4 months old!

Both girls have discovered their hands (this is hilarious to watch, by the way), can pull things to their mouths, can hold up their heads (for short periods of time), typically sleep 8 hours at night and love to socialize with their moms. I may be mistaken, but I’m convinced Sara knows her name. She has also laughed out loud a few times (which makes me giggle and cry at the same time) and she recently noticed her own foot. Olivia can roll over from back to front (especially when she’s angry or frustrated). She can do baby push-ups, put her hands together, wants to crawl, wants to eat food and reaches for Sara when they’re together (this is always so sweet to see, until it turns into a punch or a pinch).

We’ll be introducing solid foods to the girls within the next few weeks! Olivia is probably ready now, however, we’d like to wait until Sara is ready and the doctor agrees that’s a good idea. Once Sara improves her upper body control and strength, we’ll begin! Commence super messy mealtime in this house!

These are truly the days of firsts. Last week for the 4th of July holiday, we took the girls to visit my parents for a few days. It was our first roadtrip as a family of 4. But Sara’s new thing is to scream non-stop from when she gets in the car until she’s removed from the car. So to prevent a 3 hour nightmare, Chrissy squished herself into the backseat of our small SUV between the girls. We also had 2 dogs in the cargo area and all of our luggage in the front seat.

2 moms, 2 baby girls, 2 dogs and a lot of stuff in 1 Subaru Forester

This was when I finally admitted to myself that we’re going to need a bigger car!  Operation Minivan is underway and we are on the hunt for an affordably priced (but super safe) gently used minivan. So in addition to the tight squeeze, the trip to my parents’ house was rough (bad traffic, multiple stops, etc). However, the trip back home was perfect! Besides, the visit to my hometown with our daughters to meet family and friends was well worth the car drama. We all had a great time and fresh mountain air does a body good.

In the meantime, the piles of paperwork were submitted to the Philadelphia Family Court for our second-parent adoption endeavor. Our adoption hearing is set for August and we completed the final piece of preparation today when we met the social worker for an interview. This was a fairly pleasant experience. Although the social worker was friendly and hospitable (we brought the girls and needed a lot of space and time), we’re still not pleased about having to go through this entire process in the first place and we’ll be relieved when it’s completed. Hopefully the day will come when same-sex couples could enjoy equal rights in marriage and parenting.

To make the most of the day, we tried to enjoy the sights of a part of the city we don’t normally frequent.

Sara and Olivia taking a break to enjoy the misty fountain in the museum-y section of our city

They are amazing little darlings!  They smile constantly. They are starting to grab toys (especially their bright red “Mr. Fox”) and clumsily mash them up into their face towards their mouths. They hold up their heads during tummy time and on our laps. They are fascinated by the kitty cats and the TV replaced the ceiling fan as far as entertainment goes. They love fresh air and a ride in the stroller is always fun, especially at the Philadelphia Zoo (unless it’s 90+ degrees). They are regularly sleeping through most of the night and fall asleep peacefully in their own cribs!

Sara giving Mr. Fox a taste

Although genetically identical, we’re quickly learning to identify and celebrate their differences. Sara is an easy-going, angel baby clown (unless she’s gassy). Olivia is spirited, a little needy and can be a little more intense, though she’s just as easily amused as Sara is by my silly antics.

When I get home from work each afternoon, I’m greeted by 3 smiling ladies who are happy to have me back!

Life is good.

This is how we keep cool on those hot summer days!