Until It Sleeps...

The second go-round at the swimming experiment went 100% better than the first. After some gentle coaxing...i.e. look at the claw marks on Dad's shoulders, the girls really took to the water. Even so much as to splash and get water all over their faces and laugh about it. They each have this little boat floaty thing that they sit in and just chill. It was so good to see Allie floating and getting to move her legs around so freely. Back on Terra-Firma it is much harder for her :( (Sidebar: who invented "emoticons"? Whoever it was, please Google thier address and leave a note here...I have a visit to make...and my only luggage will be sock full of nickels!)

Both girls are still battling the "bug" or whatever parents say when they know their kids are sick but are given the brush off medicine by the Pediatrician...Amoxicylin. Amoxicylin is like the noncommittal guy you girls once dated. I love you..BUT not in that full throttle slap-happy love. More like the "you remind me of my sister" kind of love. Not quite sure what good either one of them do!?

I almost hate admitting this but (if you aren't raising at least two children on the exact same age...don't judge) our girls have finally and successfully I might add, gone to sleep directly to their crib two nights in a row. It is officially a habit! Up until two nights ago they fell asleep in their chairs and then Mom and I transported them to their cribs. Not any more!!!

PS: 24 Days 16 Hours 59 Minutes 24 Seconds until 80,000 to the power of 12 gets fired up!

Allie looking stylish in her pink Boonie cap.

Brooke getting her floaty ready for some serious pool chillin!

Think we left them in the pool a little to long?

I know why the caged baby cries!!

Playing with all those toys can take a toll. Nothing a good nap can't fix!

Brooke not exactly understanding the concept of a sippy cup.

Allie giving her best "Norm" as she is served some bubbly juice!

If I...just....reach...a bit further....Tigger AND Pooh will be mine. Rats...foiled again!

Cuz you gotta have friends...

My goodness, another week has gone by since the last post. We are such slackers on this thing! Well, let’s see if we can get you all caught up in our exciting lives. There have been several all night coughing parties lately, so mom and dad are rather tired these days.

Allie started physical therapy this last week. A PT comes to the house and basically shows me (mom) some different exercises and techniques that dad and I can work on with Allie. Her legs and muscles are so stiff, so we are working on getting her loosened up so she can hopefully begin crawling soon. She is getting really good at sitting up by herself for minutes at a time. That’s pretty exciting stuff to us!

Both girls now have two teeth each. One is really visible, and the other one is just starting to poke through. Maybe that’s the reason they have been waking up each night around midnight ready to play! Fun times!

We are officially in the midst of stroller Hades. Buying a stroller is a big deal to me. It’s right up there with buying a car or house (okay, maybe not quite up there, but still…). The girls and I get out and about a lot during the week, so the stroller that I put them in has to be functional, small (HA), and lightweight (double HA). I’m not even asking for a trendy, cool looking stroller. Who cares at this point? With twins, nothing is about looks anymore. It’s all about function. If you go into Babies R’ Us, you will see TONS of strollers. Then this one little section of double strollers. None of them have everything we want in a stroller. Dad is convinced that he can design the perfect stroller and market it to all the twins’ parents out there. And ya know, I bet he could. He’s rather crafty like that.

Dad can tell you the official countdown until the Aggies play their first game. Seriously, down to the days, hours, minutes and probably seconds. We all gotta have something to live for, right? Aggie games around here are serious business. You hear that girls? No talking, crying, or otherwise during the games! That’s the time for naps.

DAD EDIT: 31 Days - 7 Hours - 7 Minutes - 12 Seconds...

...until "Thunder & Lightning 2007" Tour rolls through a Big XII city near you!

Well, I guess pictures will tell the rest of the adventures of the last week, so enjoy:

Allie making faces for the camera. Look at her sitting up all by herself. Way to go!

Not sure why she still has her tongue out...

Allie making more funny faces...

Brooke looks a little guilty of something, doesn't she?

The milk mustache goes on the top of your lips, not the bottom, Allie

I don't know what Brooke is doing here, but she is so darn cute!

Posing just perfectly for the camera as always...

Showing off that six pack, Brooke?

Telling stories...

Allie making more faces...

Better hurry before I fall over...

Allie and Brooke had a play date with lots of other kids last week. They had lots of fun, and sweet Ava shared all her toys with everyone!

Lots and lots of kids!!

Allie and Brooke got to meet another set of twin girls, Shae and Kaelyn. You can see them here in the picture dressed in pink. SO CUTE!!!!

On Sunday, we went to a "going away" lunch for our friend Brittani (2nd from left). She is getting married and moving to San Antonio to be a police officer. We will miss you!

Britt and her fiance...

Family photo :)

Allie showing off her excellent eating skills...

Not to be outdone by Brooke though...

Allie waiting patiently in her new highchair

The Spirit of Aggieland...

Sorry peeps, it has been almost a week since the last post. My bad! I have a good excuse though...EA just released NCAA 08 for the Playstation and I have been leading my beloved Aggies to video game glory winning National Championships like Michael Vick wins...well you know! To my estimation the 2008 Aggies will be National Champions and Goodson, Lane, Franks, and McGee will all be invited to the New Your Athletic Club this winter!
Enough about my unresolved sports hero issues...I didn't get enough hugs as a child. Here are pics of what you really want to know about:

Allie: She is sitting! OK, more like leaning... but it is a good start and a great milestone that she is reaching. Allie is registering about 4 months behind in the developmental process. So we get REALLY excited when she does the littlest things!

Allie: Look really close and you will see a tooth!

Allie: Looks like Daddy on a Saturday afternoon in Fall after eating pizza and watching the game.

Allie: (w/ special guest appearance from Lil' Sis) happy to be getting some air conditioning after a good stroll around the block with mom.

Allie: Getting ready for dinner with a little roll on the floor.

Brooke: hamming it up with her new toy. It barks, meows and speaks in three languages. Someone give me a hammer!

Brooke: No silly caption gives this pic justice. Scroll down to the next picture when you are done snickering!

Brooke: She pulls up on everything: Mom, Dad, dog, TV, toilet...yup...

Brooke: That sneaky tooth is showing up again. Funny how it just bounces from mouth to mouth like that.

Brooke: Another pic that needs no other comment.

Once Bitten, Twice Shy...

So we have hit a milestone here at the casa. The girls have teeth. Well actually one tooth each, but since I deal in constant plurals...it's teeth! Grandma felt Allie chewing on her finger the other night and wouldn't you know there was a tooth peaking out of her gums. Now all they do is put EVERYTHING in their mouth and drool all down their shirts! Seriously folks, two teething babies...envious?

1) Is the fact that I act like a chick when I see Tigger and Pooh stuff make me less of a man?
2) Will my girls enjoy fishing, shooting, Playstation like I do?
3) How do guys bond with little girls once they are seen only as "Bank of Dad!?"
4) 10,000+ people have visited this site...who would have thought?
5) The Aggies play on our girls first birthday...will they miss me at the party?
6) Speaking of party...one cake or two?

Brooke enjoying some sit time with her stockpile of toys. Since she is mobile, she gets all the toys and hoards them. She will crawl right up to her sister and grab her toy and take it to her little pile!

Allie enjoying her light up toys. She is such a sweet baby. She tries so hard to crawl and be like her sister but just can't get it. Hopefully with the upcoming physical therapy she will be able to get a chance to catch up.

Just chillin' like little villains. I am sure they are thinking of a way to sneak something past us. "Hey, Allie...you distract...I will go and destruct!"

One Jump Ahead...

Okay, less talking and more pictures, I know. Here ya go:

Brooke's new trick is pulling up on her knees with whatever is in front of her. Usually she falls backwards and gets stuck in some really awkward position and cries until someone comes and helps her back up. But, she tries to put her foot underneath her occasionally, so it won't be long until she is pulling up to her feet! What a big girl!

Allie is hanging out in her crib with Mr. Elephant. She is going to get an assessment next week by a physical therapist since she is a bit behind Brooke in her physical skills.

Gotcha Allie!

Brooke is sitting still for one brief moment before she gets busy crawling and pulling up on her knees.

Brooke with red, puffy eyes from crying. She was done jumperooing, but she gave a quick smile for the camera.

Brooke showing off the jumper that we just got. These are SO great at night to get the girls all tired out for bed!

Allie's new trick is clapping. She gets so excited if you clap and say "YAY" so she claps along too. SO CUTE!!!

"This is how I roll"

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News...

We've been without internet for a few days so I feel like I've been disconnected from the world (sad, huh). I am up and running now (okay, not literally). I can walk most of the time without a limp though, so that's an improvement. Guess my torn hip muscle is healing all up!

Well, we have our first official DOUBLE ear infection. YIPPEE!! I took the girls to the doctor today b/c Brooke was up ALL night coughing and struggling to breathe. Poor thing. The doctor said they both have colds, and Brooke has an ear infection in each ear. Even her little voice is hoarse. Ahhhhh, welcome to parenthood. It was inevitable that one or both of them get sick being that our church is a monstrosity with about a million kids. Lots of germs to catch. Guess our girls have to build up their immunities somehow, right? We got lots of medicine and antibiotics, so hopefully this stuff will be gone very soon!

Gotta post some pictures soon, but more important things to do right now - like suck out some snot. Don't be jealous!

Big Girls Don't Cry...

The girls had their 9 month shots on Monday (even though they are almost 10 months old). They got one shot and had their finger pricked. Allie didn't even cry at all! Such a big girl! She was even trying to lick her finger when the nurse was pricking it for blood. Brooke cried a little bit but only for about 20 seconds. We forgot to post the update on weight and height, etc... So, here goes:

Allie:

Weight: 18 pounds 7 ounces (30%)
Height: 25 and 5/8 inches (not on the charts yet)
Head: 45 cm (70% - big head!)

Brooke:

Weight: 16 poundns 15 onces (8%)
Height: 26 inches (5% - taller, but thinner!)
Head: 43.5 cm (35%)

Now, the good news is that these numbers are not based on their adjusted age, which would be two and a half months earlier but their REAL age! That is awesome! Our girls are catching up!

I Go Swimming...

I know it is very Jr. High of me...but I get all embarrassed by the word cleavage! I am still deciding if these are under-sized bathing suits or over-sized children. Something wasn't right.

Brooke getting ready for a spin around the pool. She was never certain about all this. The water was too cold and she didn't much like the sensation of floating. I guess memories of being pinned up against mom's belly in the womb by her "Much" bigger sister were coming to the service of her subconscious!

Brooke on her cruise ship. She kind of had the "Clint Eastwood" stare while in the water. Neither happy nor sad, just straight out flat faced. Then of course she balled when she had had enough.

Allie has some grip. Look as Dad's left arm!? She was never certain that Dad wasn't going to dunk her! Which, mark it here, will happen later in their lives.

Allie after her traumatic experience. Maybe we will try it when it gets warmer. All this rain in Texas is really putting a hamper on my babies becoming "water babies."