The Russells (and then there were four)

Monday, October 25, 2010

We are Sitting Pretty

Brooklyn's new shoes from SueSue

Tayden's new shoes from SueSue

Brooklyn in her jumper (her feet finally touch the floor)

Tayden in his bouncy seat

The new playroom library

My sweet boy

Assume the crawling position

Celebrating the Steelers' victory

My precious girl

New shoes

Both babies are now sitting up all by themselves!! We converted part of our office into a playroom and they love to sit in the floor and play with all of their toys. Tayden had his monthly therapy session with ECI last week and it went really well. His occupational therapist was once again amazed at the progress he has made. He continues to love solids and eats between 1 1/2 - 2 jars a day. Brooklyn can now move from sitting up to being in the crawling position. She can spin around on her tummy in different directions, but hasn't started crawling quite yet. She is also starting to pull herself up on objects. She likes solids much better now and eats about 1 1/2 jars a day (still not in her highchair). We are looking forward to this coming weekend so that the twins can dress up in their Halloween costumes. Brooklyn is going to be a lion, and Tayden will be a monkey. We are going to try and make it to the pumpkin patch one afternoon this week to pick our pumpkins for carving. I love this time of year!!!!!!!!!!!
In other news, Tim asked to extend his leave of absence at work and was approved, so he will be at home with them for at least another 2 months. This is truly an answered prayer!!! He loves being home with the twins and they love being home with him. That is all for now, but I will definitely have many pictures posted on Sunday!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

8 Months Old and the State Fair

Our picnic spot at the fair

Brooklyn and SueSue

Tayden and Daddy

Mommy's fried butter - YUMMY!

Brooklyn was asleep and then not three minutes later....

She was awake and Tayden was asleep. The fair wore them out!!!

With Big Tex

Daddy and SueSue's Funnel Cake

Brooklyn and the cow

The longhorn

Tayden's first nap in his crib

Brooklyn's first nap in her crib

It is so hard to believe, but tomorrow the twins will be 8 months old! Time has flown by! As of this evening, Brooklyn is weighing in at 19.2 pounds and Tayden is weighing in at 18 pounds. Brooklyn is enjoying solids more, but the trick is not to put her in the high chair. She will eat as long as she is in her bouncy seat. She is eating from 1/2 - 1 whole jar a day. Tayden will eat his solids anywhere and is wiping out 2 jars a day. We have moved bedtime up a little to between 9-10. The babies will then sleep about 12 hours until 9 or 10 the next morning. This routine is working very well for us! At night we have a few hours after the babies are asleep to straighten up or catch up on tv.
The twins successfully survived their first trip to the fair. They didn't want to miss a thing! We visited the barns, Big Tex, the auto shows, and most importantly got to sample all of the newest fried masterpieces. Between Tim, SueSue, and I we had fried Frito Chili Pie, a hamburger and fries, fried butter, and a funnel cake. It was delicious!!! The twins were great and rode along in their stroller without making a peep. We took them out in the barns so they could get up close and personal with the animals. Tayden didn't even seem to notice them, but Brooklyn studied them very closely.
We are still waiting on our insurance company to precertify the twins for the synagis shot. We also found out about a foundation that offers grants to cover the 20% of the shot that insurance doesn't. We applied and should hear back in a week or so to see if we were selected.
Tayden is now sitting up on his own! He gets a little too excited at times and will topple over, but for the most part he remains upright. Brooklyn is now moving from sitting to being on her tummy. She is able to push up on all fours but gets pretty frustrated when she can't move any further. It is hilarious to put them side-by-side on the floor. Tayden will pick up a toy and Brooklyn will take it away, so Tayden will picks up another toy and Brooklyn will grab it as well. She will even pull his paci out of his mouth if he gets close enough.
We are so happy to be celebrating the 8 month milestone and want to thank everyone that has supported us on our journey. The twins, as well as Tim and I, are so fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing group of people that love us so very much! We can't thank you enough for the emails, texts, phone calls, and visits. We love you!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

1st Football Game

It has been a great week! The babies continue to grow and thrive and their personalities are so much fun. We got some good news this week - the twins' pediatrician will be able to give them the Synagis shot, so we will not have to drive to Plano every month!!! The doctor said that during RSV season (October-April) we are okay to take the twins to open-air places such as parks, but we should avoid crowded places such as restaurants, the mall, and church. They will get the shot, which is not a vaccine, but would help greatly if they were to get RSV. Once we get through this first season we should be okay.

Grandma Dorothy (Tim's mom) came over this week and was very impressed with how much the babies have grown. Both babies really showed off for her. On Friday, we took the twins to their first football game. Their Uncle Joey was coaching and we went to cheer him on. They enjoyed people watching and Brooklyn especially loved the band at halftime. They slept all the way home!!!!

We got the babies some winter pjs and they are so precious!! We bought them 12 months thinking they would be really big and the babies would grow into them, but they fit perfectly. To me there is nothing better than a freshly bathed baby, wearing baby lotion and new pjs. Each day is a new adventure for us and as tired as we may be, we realize that we are two of the luckiest people in the world! God has given us two precious gifts and we are so fortunate to have front row seats to watch them grow and change. When I hold them in my arms, hear them laugh, watch them experience something for the first time, the fear and uncertainity of their birth and first two months of life slowly fades. I will never forget how our journey started, but I am able to relax and enjoy where we are and dream of where we are going.