Goodmorning Girls

Note: This is NOT typical of their 2am and 5am wake-ups for food. Those videos would not have the title "goodmorning" anywhere in them. More appropriately, they would be called "Screaming Girls".

Sitting Pretty

The weather has been really ugly here the past few days, but we've been sitting pretty inside. The girls are able to hold their heads up for short periods of time, so they sit in their Bumbo seats for Music Appreciation and Story Time every day.

The first time they tried it, the girls were a bit skeptical...

Anni: This is a bad idea.
Elli: Umm, I'm frightened.
(Click pic to enlarge and see their expressions.)

But now they are old pros...

Both: 'Sup?
(Note their mirrored positions... weird.)

Sitting pretty, indeed!

Bumbos and Play-Trays brought to us by Auntie Marie, "My Very Own" Sheryl, and Uncle Ben!

Preemie Princess

This was too good to not post immediately. Our little Anni is getting so big! And so are her smiles...

Born at 3lb 15oz, she was 8lb 2oz at an appointment almost a month ago. Not to mislead you, she's still wearing preemie clothes. It must be all muscle since she's a little scrapper (and did Tai Chi 24-7 during the last 3 months of my pregnancy).

This great little outfit brought to you by Uncle Don, Aunt Jean and cousin Michaela!

False Advertisement

See if you can find the un-truth in this picture.

Anni and Elli rock their presents from Uncle Ben.

Okay, let's use deductive reasoning. Twins? Check. Love? Abundantly. Peace? Not so much.

Well, it depends on your point of reference. I hope that the lack of peace in my life right now is fostering inner peace for my girls. Are they not the cutest?

Girlz n the Hood

The girls and I had a big event to attend today - a chili donation lunch to support one of the aviation battalions. It was a bit chilly out so the girls decided that being warm and cute was in order. (Haha. Chili and chilly. Get it?) Don't they look like they are skipping and holding hands?

Elli and Anni in their new hoodies.

Upon closer examination, you can see that they also decided to represent for their daddy in these fly onesies. (Haha. Fly. Get it?) They read "My daddy flies helicopters." and "Mine too!"

Thanks Auntie Kristen!

Apparently chili has the same affect on babies as it does on adults, because these ladies totally blew out on the back of these outfits. This required a good, long visit to the utility sink. To make us all feel better, we decided to bake brownies, during which I decided to give the girls an impromptu lesson on economics and money management. Here is the girls' response to my singing and interpretive dance set to the song "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems."

Watching Mommy sing, dance, and wave a spatula.

Clearly, they were amused. They actually ended up smiling, but I can never catch those elusive moments with the camera!

Woman Who Stares At Babies

I don't know about the science behind the story/movie Men Who Stare At Goats, but there is something powerful behind the look a mother gives her baby (or babies, in my case). No, I'm not talking about that loving, rapturous gaze only a mother can give... I'm talking about my capability of waking up my children just by looking at them.

I am constantly checking on the girls when they nap to see if I have time to shower/cook/pee/breathe. Inevitably, if I check, they wake up right before my eyes. Thus, nothing ever gets accomplished around here. (Today I called myself productive because I cleaned the toilets.)

Not to get all new-agey, but I really do believe there must be an energy transfer between moms and their kiddos. (Perhaps we can measure this energy once scientists lasso the "God-particle"?)

On the other hand, the presence of a father seems to create an energy deficit, because whenever the twins hang with dad, they pass out.

Halloween Smiles

A great weekend is ending. A few highlights...

Pumpkin carving didn't go as planned, as I completely ran out of time, but I'm pleased with the overall results. Luke is pleased that I didn't end up using his Dremel and getting it dirty. I was reminded how much I don't like touching pumpkin guts, but the roasted seeds will make it all worth it!

Pumpkins carved.

This morning Elli smiled at me! It's been a long time coming. I could tell for the past week or so that the girls were "smiling with their eyes", and this morning it happened. She gave me a big "toothy" grin, and then projected vomit into my face... and I coaxed her into 3 more afterward. Since identical twins typically make their "milestones" within hours of one another, I thought Anni might perform too. Alas, she is a little more stingy about these things, and I could only get a few "almost" ones. I couldn't get to the camera in time, so here are a couple smile-worthy shots.

Elli talks to Uncle Zack through her binky.
Anni questions her post-bath hairstyle - a la Luke.

Oh, and Anni and Elli eat candy! Well, not really. It's Prevacid for their reflux which has to melt on their tongues. It's pretty funny to watch them eat it. Guess I should probably NOT call drugs candy. Hmm...

Panties

When the little ladies of the household need a diaper change, I usually say something like "let's change your panties". Here is a little conversation that Luke had with himself (I was in the other room) earlier this week after I made such a remark:

"They don't wear panties...
They'll never wear panties...
Only granny underwear."


I'll never wear panties, Daddy. ~love, Elli

Dear Daddy, I'm dumping my piggy bank and getting panties at the first sign of an allowance. ~signed, Anonymous

iLove

Those of you who know we well are aware of my mental list of "Products That Have Changed My Life". On that list (which will be the topic of some future blog post, I'm sure) is the iPhone. I heart my iPhone. I heart it very much. It is only appropriate that the girls should learn to appreciate it also. Little did I know that Elli would do so sooner than later.

Behold. What is this beautiful thing!?

Joy of joys - an iPhone!

Resistance is futile. Must. Touch.

POTD

Picture(s) of the day.

Anni has a real hard time keeping her pants on. Figuratively (she is impatient) and literally. Here, Luke scooped her up, and they just fell right off. And, yes, the girls are still wearing Newborn size pants, so that gives you a clue of how small they still are (even though they are growing like weeds).

Wait, Dad! I left my pink pants on the floor!

I told you. I hate naked time.

Pumpkins for Pumpkins

It was a perfect fall day today, and a perfect day for our first family outing (aside from trips to the pediatrician). Since there are no cider mills to be found around here, we ventured up to our local market to let the girls "pick" their pumpkins.

Obviously, you need the appropriate attire. (Thanks Mrs. Leach!)

The girls pass muster with Lucy.

Elli deems this to be her pumpkin, clearly.Anni makes her choice, in a Johnny Bravo sort of way.
Elli basks in the sun.

Anni is over it.
Me, my pumpkins, and our pumpkins.

g = 9.81 m/s^2

For those of you a little hazy on your high school physics, g is the constant that defines the gravitational acceleration with which objects travel toward the earth. It being a constant, it is proven and not debated within the scientific community.

However, I believe there is ground-breaking science happening here in the Anderson household.

I have witnessed the excretions of my babies defy gravity.

Case 1: While holding a sitting baby, diarrhea travelled upward to hit my hand, which was supporting said baby's neck. How did this diarrhea circumvent the absorbent layers of the diaper? Is there some mysterious property of the diaper's inner layer that requires a particular angle of entry?

Case 2: While changing a baby, diarrhea arced approximately 5 feet across the room t o hit a sofa, the carpet. (Oh, and me, see right.) How is enough force generated from a preemie's sphincter to make this happen? (Why did this event coincide with the one day I decided to wear white?)

Case 3: While changing a baby, urine was propelled several inches into the air toward the changer (me), and still managed to spontaneously appear beneath the baby in enough volume to completely soak all baby attire and require an immediate bath. How can one thing be in two places at a time? (This sounds like a mystery for Schrodinger. Shiver.)

Case 4: While burping a baby facing away from me, vomit was projected back to it's origin, landing precisely in my cleavage (where it sat for the rest of the day because I just plain forgot about it - don't judge). How can the directionality of a propelled liquid be changed mid-air?

Is there a Nobel Prize for Physics in our future? Does gravity truly apply to babies and their excretions? Can their trajectories be predicted with any accuracy? These are the things I think about... More on that later.

1 Month!

Hard to believe our little ladies are already a month old!

We had our 1 Month appointments with the Pediatrician this morning. The doc was very happy with the girls' progress. The girls received their first shots, and only gave out one holler each. Maybe that was because they had been screaming the whole appointment already? (They really hate to be naked. One point to me for modesty.)

AND, we are finally on "the charts"!
Ellsa went from being 5lb 1oz to 6lb 6oz in only 2 weeks, putting her in the 1.34 %-tile. She is also 19.5 inches long (2.84 %-tile). Anneli is now 5lb 6oz, up from 4lb 3oz at our last appointment, which put her in the 0.15 %-tile. Her height was 18 inches, which is the 0.01 %-tile. Yes, that decimal is appropriately placed. Oh, little Anni!

I have had a growing concern with how discontent the girls have been for about the past week (since I started exclusively breastfeeding). Doc thinks it could be reflux, and, in a twisted way, I hope it is. It would be comforting to know that I am not just bad at making my kids happy. So, we started Zantac today from teeny-tiny syringes... I'll keep you posted on that.

The MAJOR news was that I made it on time to the appointment. With make up on. And my hair did. :) Another point to me. So what if it took us 2.5 hours to make that happen? I really don't know how we could possibly cut down on prep time unless I omit all hygienic practices from our routine.

Did I mention the incessant screaming at this appointment? I'm awarding another point to me for filling out 2 of each form, while conversing with the doctor, all the while clenching my abdominals in order to keep one foot up and rocking each car seat.

The fourth point I'm awarding myself today is for my baby-blocking skills. I took the earliest appointment of the day to avoid the funk brought in by the masses. Unfortunately, I did not account for all of the elderly people who would already be at their appointments in the medical building. Many of them saw us in the waiting room from the glass windows in the hall and made a point of coming in to say hello. I fearlessly put my body between them and the babies to avoid any wandering hands and kisses. Then, on the way out, a gentleman followed me to discuss twins (apparently he has twin sons) and my mommy protective powers kicked in. I regret to inform you that I was a total b*tch to him because, in my mind, I knew that these were the cutest babies in the world and he would want to kidnap them upon visual.

By the way, I cashed in my 4 points for a Starbucks on the way home.

The Doubleshot Goes High Tech

This video was captured the first time Anni & Elli spent time together after being discharged from the hospital. Courtesy of Uncle Zack, who bought us this sweet HD Flip!

Weeks 2 & 3

We're back! I'll save my excuses for my next posts. Trust me, I've been getting major flack for slacking on blogging. Have you ever brought home preemie twins, haters?! I think not.

After making unexpectedly quick improvements, the girls were released from the hospital last Wednesday. Taking that ride home was a major reality check.

Now what?

The girls spend most of the day chillaxin - with dad, with grandma, with themselves. Anni almost always appears to be plotting against her nemeses, and Elli seems to be narcoleptic.

Lucy was pretty sure these were just temporary guests and was excited when One and Two (that's what I've decided she calls them in her head, because she always seems to count them) left for the first time to visit the pediatrician. But, One and Two came back, having gained a good amount of weight in the 3 days they had been home. Lucy seems to be getting used to the idea.

I'm figuring out how to manage caring for 2 babies at once. Feeding, burping and carrying them simultaneously have been my greatest accomplishments. I'm still working on getting even half the amount of sleep I need.

Double-Baby Burp & Double-Baby Feed

Typical post-feed activity: 5 minutes of stolen sleep. Yes, I am white.

Luke is in charge of all baths, because I am not tall enough to reach into the tub when its on the counter top. :) I handle the rest of the process, though, including the use of bunny and bear towels.

Elli contemplates sleep during her bath, then poses for me after.

Anni seems excited for her bath, then changes her mind and starts plotting something.

The girls are changing daily. Their immature nervous systems are becoming more controlled. They are "looking" at things, moving and holding their heads better, and getting their arms and heads under better control. They tend to do the same things at the same time: sneezing, their leg and arm positions and movements, etc. It's pretty weird.

Same head, hand and leg positions! Note, Newborn pants are still too big for us.

Grandma B is making all of this possible. She is cooking, cleaning, stocking the freezer, feeding babies, entertaining babies, making nursery curtains, and making sure my head stays on straight. Thanks Mom!

A Dialogue On Size

Elli (right): Pssst! Anni, some people don't think we are very small.

Anni: Hmmm, sounds a bit silly to me.

Elli: Yes! Some people just lack perspective.


Anni: Well... I guess I can understand that. Pictures are deceiving.

Elli: Let's think of some way to demonstrate our size.

Anni: Okay, but thinking is such hard work.


Elli: Hmmmm...

Anni: I've got it! Let me transfer my idea to Dad telepathically.

Elli: Great idea, sista!
Anni: Sigh. I know. I'm a genius. Make it rain, Pops.