So Much to be Thankful For!!!

I am absolutely enjoying every minute of my time off!  We have been quite busy the past few days.  Yesterday we took Tayden to his 6 month cardiologist follow-up appointment.  The first time we took him (at 3 months) the doctor saw an extra vein or vessel in his heart that should not have been there, but she said it was pretty common in preemies.  She wanted us to bring him back one more time to make sure it had disappeared.  SueSue came over to keep Brooklyn so that Tim and I both could go to the appointment and give Tayden our full attention.  I must say that packing the diaper bag for only one baby and having only one baby in the backseat felt very strange.  I am so used to two of everything.  Dr. Hess did an echocardiogram and then came in to tell us that the vein or vessel is no longer there!!!  She said that he has a great heart and is no longer in need of a cardiologist!!!!  This was amazing news!  We spent the afternoon with my friend Ann Marie at various spots in Grapevine as she snapped countless photos of the twins and our family.  It was extremely hard to get both babies to smile at the same time.  Everytime we put the babies on the ground Brooklyn would grab whatever she could find and put it in her mouth.  This included leaves and rocks!  We had a great time and the twins really enjoyed being outside.  Ann Marie is a twin herself, and she said more than once, "I don't know how my mom and dad did this!"
Today we took the twins for their 9 month check-ups.  Tayden has not only caught up to Brooklyn in weight - he has passed her.  He was 19 lbs. 15 oz. and she was 19 lbs. 13 oz.  I have been concerned that Brooklyn was not gaining weight as rapidly as before, but the doctor said that this is due to her increase in activity and that it is perfectly normal.  She was so impressed with how both babies have grown and their development.  She gave us the good news that we can now move the babies from their preemie formula to normal formula!  She does want to monitor their weight for the next month or so to make sure they continue to do well with the new formula.  My other concern has been Tayden's head.  He has always had a good sized head and I wanted to make sure the doctor was okay with it.  She did some measurements and it has grown 2 inches since his 6 month check-up.  She doesn't think there is anything wrong at all, but did offer us an MRI to give us peace of mind.  They should be calling us to schedule within the next few weeks.  The funniest part of the visit was when she said, "There is no easy way to ask this, but did one of you have a large head as a child?"  The answer is yes - Tim did!  He finally grew into his head and we are hoping that will be the case with Tayden.  The twins did get their flu shots and they also did the finger stick test to check them both for anemia. 
That made for a rough afternoon, but they both took good naps on the way home.
Brooklyn has made her first crawls.  She will only go a crawl or two and then get frustrated and scoot to where she wants to go.  She is pulling up on anything she can find, including Tayden.  She loves to be standing up holding on to your hands and checking everything out and also gives kisses.  Her gums are extremely swollen and we think that teeth are going to be coming through any day now.  Tayden is getting extremely vocal.  He is always babbling dada and I am quick to reinforce him with mama.  He still loves to laugh and listen to anyone who is singing.  His gums are also swollen and he chews on his hand.  Surely the won't both start teething at the same time!!!!!!
We hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We are definitely going to enjoy our first one with the twins!  Thanksgiving will take on a whole new meaning for us this year.  God chose us to be the parents of two amazing children and has spent the past 9 months working miracles in all of our lives.  We continue to stand in awe of the God we serve!  We are also thankful for our precious family and friends who have stood by our side, held our hands, prayed for us, cried with us, and celebrated each small victory with us.  You will never know how much your love and support mean to us!  I am also extremely thankful for Tim.  I don't tell him near enough how much I admire him for the dad and husband he is.  He proposed four years ago today and I don't think he had any clue what he was getting himself into.  He has always taken the co-parenting approach and we function as a team - man to man defense.  He lets me be me and he makes me feel loved, happy, and appreciated every single day.  He is truly a gift and I thank God for him daily.