Dad's Twins

......AND we're back!

2011-08-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

The Girls started Kindergarten today. Which is odd considering that the just learned to walk yesterday it seems like. :)

Garage almost done!

2008-12-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

Happy LibbyMellyka!

2008-12-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

Libby and Melly are now 3. An advanced 3. I told them to stop, but no one listens to me ;)

We let the girls "help" Nana bake cupcakes for the party, and they got to decorate them!

Melly is really in a repair things phase now. She loves to "fix" things (just like Daddy). Here she is "fixing" nana's armchair.
She loves "her" new tools that she got for her birthday.

Mel and Libby both received these really cool doodle pads (a cross between an etch-a -sketch and those old pads that had a plastic sheet over a black wax board (draw on the plastic, lift it up to remove the image)). So they can draw, move a slider and draw again.

"I'm 3 Birthdays!"

"Oh cake, where have you been? I've missed you!"

"Read to me Daddy! Read to me!"

All my girls reading.

Two of the VERY cool toys they got were a toy bi-plane and a backhoe that has all of these plastic bolts that the girls (ok and Daddy) can take out, disassemble the toy and put back together'

"In the name of the Hundred Acre Woods, I capture you!"

Ok, this next set of photos make me simultaneously Happy, proud, and a bit sad (a feeling I'm aware I am going to have a lot from now on, with both girls).

Melly can now ride a bike (with training wheels).

At age 3. I was like 10 when I got my 1st bike.

"Look Daddy! Elephant! On a stick!" (ok, anyone besides me know where I got that joke from?)

After we opened stockings, Daddy put on "Olive, the Other Reindeer" on the computer so the girls wouldn't get too bored waiting for the slowpokes to wake up so they could open PRESENTS!"

insert witty caption here

We had a Christmas DOUBLE rainbow this year. Very cool.

Nana reads to the girls to help them wind down from a hectic day.

update from Sue

2008-11-16T09:48:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics, halloween and garage update. The garage is almost done but I can't figure how to get the pics from the camera untill Rocky gets home.

Late Summer Fun Part 2

2008-10-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

We have decided that the time has come to tackle the back yard, a huge space that just isn't able to be used any any worth while way.

So we are putting in a large 2 car garage that is going to be both garage and shop space for Sue and I and a concrete patio extending from the garage to the back steps. It will give us a place to entertain and a place that the girls can play and ride trikes and what not.

First thing that needed to go was the apple tree.

Big machine 1 Tree 0.

These 4 photos are the "before" shots of the rest of the yard........

The next thing that had to happen was getting rid of the brush and the downed tree. While the "tree guys" were here, I had them clean up and prune the remaining tree. It was WAY past due for a pruning.

A Big change......

Our tree looks so much better with a trim.

More digging

Still doesn't look like much, does it?

Now the pre-foundation prep begins......

Forms for the foundation "pour" are going up!

They should be about ready to pour the concrete when the rains let up.

Late summer fun Part 1

2008-10-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

We were over at our friends Lee and Tina for a farewell dinner for their daughter Diana, who was leaving for college.

The girls discovered the "bestest thing of all time". See for yourself. :)

When we were in Seattle, we visited the zoo and got (among other things) a little plastic zebra. Libby has decided that "Giraffe" needed a house to sleep in.
So we made the zebra a barn.....

The girls discover the joy of raincoats.

Sue's Birthday 2008

2008-09-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, 4 months is a little long, But WE have been a bit busy

2008-09-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

Around the House

At the Beach

Visiting Family In Seattle

At the Seattle Science Museum

AT the Zoo

Tempera Painting

Melly's Masterpiece

Libby has a different style

Around the dinner table

How did it get to be almost the middle of May? Oh, yeah.....

2008-05-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

"Look Mommy I dressed myself!"

"Look Mommy I dressed myself and I have string! Willow No string."

"Balloon!!!!!"
You may be able to see that Libby has had her "First Haircut".

Libby has decided in the last couple of days that her bath towel is now her security blanket. She can't go anywhere without it. I wonder what happened?

"I'm the Frog Princess!! Happened a couple of days ago."

"Come my tadpole minions! We must conquer the world, or at least the living room."

This is the year for home maintenance and improvement. We were in the backyard and discovered that the house paint was peeling something awful, so now we have a freshly painted house. With Oregon spring time weather, it took the painters a bit over 6 weeks to do a 8-10 day job. It's really nice, tho.

More on the Improvement part later.

Mel also had her "First Haircut". Hers is more of a Page boy cut and it is so cute on her!

The weather is getting better and we can play in the yard more often. If the forecast holds, we may be playing under the sprinkler by the end of the week.

And Daddy may be able to tame the thicket that our back yard has become. *SIGH*

Mel: Plane!
Libby: Willow drink?

I don't think a caption is really needed here, do you?

"Yep, this is a mighty fine batch of moonshine, er, milk."

Why is my life suddenly in Fast Forward?

2008-03-27T07:37:00.001-07:00

The weather in Oregon is powered by a random number generator, I've come to believe. One day rainy and cold, the next sunny and warm(ish). We go to the park sometimes on those days. Mel just LOVES the swing. She would live in one if we let her I think.

Libby, on the other hand,
prefers running and climbing (both up and down). She likes the swing but usually wants to slide (or as the girls call it, go WEEEEEEEEE!).

Mel is getting to the place that riding on Daddy's shoulder is great fun. It makes Libby uncomfortable however.

One weekend when Nana and Poppa were up to visit, Sue heard that the temps were going to be in the 50's and decided that a picnic was in order. In the Morning. In Oregon. In the Winter. I decided to stay home and work on Nana's computer. Two hours later, everyone was home, very cold, but happy to have gone to a new park. This is the "at home" picnic. It did reach the low 50's that day, around 4 pm.

The girls and I (sometimes Mommy gets in on the fun) have been passing cold germs back and forth for a month or so now. This photo and the next are from the 1st go round of the bug.

Oh, we have a brand new couch now, it's very comfortable as the girls are showing here.

We have been trying our hand at crafts now. The girls love Play-doh (or paydough as Mel says). Mellie would rather tear it apart than make anything, so she is more into the texture phase.

Libby, on the other hand tries to make things, with Daddy's help she can make Peas and plates and a cup and snakes.

I am so proud that we are raising such polite, clean eaters.

For being Two, that is.

"Now where did I put that spoon?"

Pity Libby is not a fan of pancakes and homemade strawberry sauce,

Libby and Mel are really into coloring. Hardly a day goes by that they don't color. Their favorite color is Blue. Of course, at the moment, every color is "blue" or "green". They know the names of the primary and some secondary colors, but haven't quite mastered the knack of matching name and color yet. But they will soon.

Easter, 2008

The year the girls discover Easter baskets.

And Chocolate.

Did I mention that they discovered chocolate?

did I mention, oh never mind.

They also discover hunting for Easter eggs. Last year Daddy found some "Willy Wonka anti-gravity" eggs. So Melly found one stuck to the door.

"Mommy may I have some more chocolate?"

"Thank you. "

It took some doing, but I managed to get a picture of Nana and Poppa and Mel and Libby all facing the same direction.

Going into Easter I kept up saying that I didn't want the girls to have too much sugar and chocolate for Easter. Sue didn't believe the stories.
Once we finally got the girls down for naps, an exhausted Sue looked at me and said "Ok, you were right and I was wrong."
Not that it was a contest or anything. LOL.

This is the new laundry hamper for the girls clothes. Or it will be once Mellie gets back from the moon in it.

It HAS to be a coincidence......

2008-02-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

I was talking to Sue this morning at breakfast and I spelled out B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Not 2 seconds later Libby says Banana (or her version of it :) ) Banana Banana. Sue and I just look at each other and go. "Oh no, she didn't... it was just a coincidence. Has to be." We look at Libby "You are not starting that yet."

I love my Life. :)

Another Toddler Milestone

2008-01-20T15:08:00.000-08:00

This morning Melly came up to me and started babbling as she usually does early in the morning, but THIS morning, I was able to understand her (mostly)! She was recounting what had happened moments before...."Daddy in" "Mommy Potty" "Mommy Daddy sit" All we had just finished doing :)

This is my favorite photo of Libby

A New "First"

2008-01-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

Today Mel Managed to get out of Bed, open the door to her and Libby's room and comeinto our room to get us up!

Libmelika 2007

2008-01-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

These are the words we know!

2007-09-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

The girls have really been picking up a lot of words lately (seems like at least 1 a day of late). What they lack in pronunciation they make up for in excitement ;)
Here is a (partial) list, with definitions (most of which Sue and I are "pretty sure" are right.

Poppy/Puppy--any non-human animal
Shhh(uu)--Shoe (usually means I want to wear shoes NOW!!!)
Lill-o--Willow (the doggie)
WOW--I just discovered something really cool (ex. when Libby discovered snails for the 1st time)
Baba--context based usually means Bottle sometimes means Granpa.
E-I-E-I--Please play "Old McDonald's Farm" on the See-N-Say
Pa(sometimes Par)--Park
WEEEEEEE--a playground slide
Nana-- well, Nana
Uh-Oh--Dearest Father/Mother, something is not as it is supposed to be. Please be so kind as to fix it. (Usually it's a gate or door not closed as it usually is, or anything else that is out of place--sadly, toys on the floor don't qualify lol)
Bibby--Libby
Dank-u--Thank you
Mommy
Daddy
Mama/Dada-- I need your attention and I am in too much of a hurry to remember the right name.
Wha-der--(I need a drink of) Water.
Ba--Ball
Apbee--(May I have an ) Apple (to eat) {Actually, can be most any fruit)
Ice--(I want some crushed) Ice (to eat)
Bye-Bye
Pah-tee-- I have to go Potty
Yeah-Yeah-- Yes Yes, usually used when they konw a response is needed, but they don't really know what we're asking
No
Egg-- I want eggs to eat
Hi
Ah-AH--Look! Look! or a Bird or a puppy (they are barking like doggies)
Tika-Tika--Tickle Tickle
Sisder--Sister
Stay
Bukkkk--Book

big girl news!

2007-09-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Well, we had an unexpected milestone this evening!! Melanie went pee-pee in the potty! TWICE!!

They have had a little potty in our bathroom for months, and have been sitting on it sometimes. Also Rocky and I have been excusing ourselves to go "potty". Mel has been saying potty for a few weeks, and over the past few days she has been grabbing her diaper and saying potty. A few days ago I took her into the potty and sat her on it, without any results. Tonight she did that, I took her in there,sat her on the potty and pottied myself, explaining myself. She stood up after a minute and looked in the potty, and looked suprised. She had peed!! We then took the insert out of the potty, poured the urine in the toilet, and said byebye, and flushed! She then did the same thing a few minutes later, and I took her back, not expecting anything, and she pee'd again!! We did our goodbye thing, and she was so tickled with herself!! She wants to sit on it all the time!!

Just thought I would share this big girl step, can you believe she is only 20 months old!! WOW...
Of course Melly has not liked having her diaper changed for a long time, and often pitches a fit during the change.

Libby enjoys having her diaper changed, and asks frequently for her diaper to be changed. She has been uncomfortable with a dirty diaper for a couple of months. I had been thinking this would mean that she would be the first to use the potty. We now know that we are going to have to have two kids potties... Libby was heartbroken she couldn't sit on the potty too especially after Melly got such an excited response!

Boy, these kids are remarkable!!
(Sue)

The Potty (Baby Bjorn Potty Chair) has been ordered and will ship "Real Soon Now". Gotta Love Babies R Us.

new Photos!

2007-09-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

Stuff I should have posted before but didn't.....

2007-07-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

What We did on our summer vacation Part 2

2007-07-21T15:43:00.001-07:00

What We did on our summer vacation

2007-07-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

Yeah,yeah I'm late posting

2007-04-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

spring stuff

2007-03-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

This is by Sue

Well we are excited about spring!! You can tell how excited the girls are! This is the first time this year they have been able to wear springtime clothes!!

The girls have been growing like weeds! They are both walking and really trying to talk. Suddenly they can understand much of what is being said to them... and respond apporopriately!! They are exploring the house, and trying to explore outside as much as possible!

Mel is climbing on everything she can, and is so cool about everything!

This is the first meeting of the girls with the dolls I made for them! Mel loves them and likes to carry one around when she leaves her room. Libby is not sure they are all that interesting!

Some pictures from the Grandparents' most recent visit.

Mel climbing on more things
The girls' new fire engine that Nana and Grandpa brought to them! They love this toy, they can climb on it, ride it, push it, and it has lights and music and moving parts!!

Photos old and new(ish)

2007-02-18T21:14:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of
me with Dad taken yearly 1957 I would guess. Don't I look a lot like Mel?

This is my Mom and Dad on their wedding day. I think. I wasn't there ;) I hadn't been aware that this photo even existed. This would be Sometime in May 1955 (I think). I was born some 16-18 months later.

This is my Mom. From the clothing, I'm guessing that this is my Sister Kate. She was born in November, 1957.

I'm guessing mid to late '60s for this photo. Pictured are Aunt Vivian (Mom's younger sister), Uncle Joe, Diane, my younger cousin Pam, my cousin Craig, and my maternal Grandparents. It must have been a great day, I don't ever remember my Granddaddy and Grandma being as happy as they were in this photo.

Ok, now some random photos from christmas time to the near present......

"You are the funniest doggie I have ever seen"

"Am I cute or what?"

"Is this how I use the toothbrush? Wanna you mean this is a spoon?"

"I think I see the problem. It's a box, not a spaceship."

"Ready or not, here I come."

"What color is purple, again?"

"Piggy, you are my bestest friend."

"Who put that wall there?"

"Wake up Libby. I wanna play and all Daddy is doing is taking pictures."

"The Queen of the toy box surveys her Queendom."

Mel and Libby climbing stairs.....

MelLibaka 2006

2007-01-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

These are the 1st set of photos from christmas. I'll have more later (as well as words for the photos!)

In Memory

2007-01-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

I had planned on posting photos of the girl's 1st birthday, and I will in a day or so, but I got some pretty bad news yesterday (Jan 1).

I got a call from my youngest brother, Larry, that my Dad had died. He had just moved to a new place in rural Florida and no one had heard from him in days, so the police went out to check on him. He was found dead on the floor from an apparent heart attack. It looks like that he had been dead a couple of days.

It's only been in the last few months that I had begun to reconcile with Dad, and he was SO happy to know that I was ok and had married and he got to see pictures of Libby and Mel. I'm happy that I've talked to him and that there was no ill feelings between the two of us.

I think that he knew his time was short over Christmas. When we got home from Sue's folks, he had left 3-4 messages, each a bit more frantic than the last wanting to know if we were ok.

Sue spoke to him that evening (her first time ever to talk to my Dad) and I was to call him the next day. I never got a hold of him.

My brothers (Steve and Larry) are going down today to tie up the loose ends and to cremate the body. The memorial service will be decided on later. I'll keep you informed on that.

I've been going through the roller coaster that is the grief cycle and its tough as I've come to realize that I have never really grieved over my mother's death 28 years ago.

*sigh* Sometimes being a grownup sucks. But then I look into my girl's faces and all seems so much better.

Hi Auntie Mel!

2006-12-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

Don't the girls look cute? Their outfits were made by their auntie Mel (Sue's best friend from Nashville). Libby and Mel are just now big enough to wear them. This is one of the few photos in the set that has them looking in more or less the same direction.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-29T09:06:00.000-08:00

We're planning on having photo Christmas cards this year. This one has my vote.
Yes, I said Christmas, not Seasons greeting, not Holiday but Christmas. I like Christmas. I like Santa Claus. I like finding the perfect present.
If you don't celebrate Christmas, that's cool and if you want to wish me a happy Chanukah or Kwanza or Joyous Solstice or whatever you observe I'm happy to receive it. But I am not now nor do I ever think I will pass as "Politically Correct".
Sorry about that.

"Uncle Steve! Uncle Steve! Can I help? Please! Please!"

"I'm helping my Uncle Steve!"

"Daddy, what are all those good smells?"

Thanksgiving dinner. This was the first time the girls have had dinner with the rest of the family. It was so much fun and I swear that Mel was about 3 pounds heaver the next morning.

They (and we lol) had roast turkey, dressing (Mel, Libby and I anyway...Seems I married into a "stuffing family" but they baked some stuffing for me which I shared), peas, mashed taters, mock mashed potatoes (made with califlower), mashed parsnips (which the girls just LOVED), baked pearl onions and yeast rolls. I know I forgot something, but I was too busy putting food on Mel's tray (oh yes, the girls fed themselves!)

The Giving of Thanks

2006-11-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

I have so many things to be thankful for. A beautiful wife, 2 fantastically beautiful and intelligent girls. This has been the best year of my life.

Mel is doing her darndest to walk and Libby is beginning to crawl.

Nana got to feed the girls breakfast on our 1st full day in California.

I'm not sure how gets more out of me getting down on the floor and playing with Mel and Libby. I think it may be a tie.

Then again I might be wrong ;)

Shoes are baby magnets. Trust me on this. This shoe belongs to my niece Angelina.

Nana and Granpa live on a bay. the girls got almost daily strolls.

Big News, Pics to follow (I Hope)

2006-11-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

Today at about 6:04 am Mel WALKED for the 1st time! We were all in the nursery, Mel was standing, holding on to Mommy's Robe when Mel decided that she wanted to go see Daddy and let go of Mommy and took 3 steps before falling into my arms.

My Life is ever so much more fun now.

3:10 pm PST: Not to be out done, Libby figured out today how to sit up by herself. A major accomplishment , as Libby has a larger than normal head (just like Daddy) and it's been making her too top heavy.

As these photos show, she has a very unorthodox style but it works for her :)

NICU Reunion

2006-10-30T09:16:00.000-08:00

Every year around Halloween, The Sacred Heart NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) has a reunion of everyone (and their Families) that have been under their care. Yesterday was the 21st one (and the girls 1st).

We have been planning on going ever since the nurses told us about it when we were in NICU.

Nana had found these cute Halloween onies and Sue made pants and capes for the girls.

The girls weren't quite sure what to make of all of it (and it was a LONG day, what with the time change and all) but everyone had a good time. We got to see some of our favorite nurses and have our picture taken with Tigger ;)

Oh, and the girls discovered Helium Ballons!

If you have a baby, BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!

2006-10-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

First off, The only thing I get out of this is knowing I've helped someone else ;)

The Girls have been sleeping through the night since they were 3 months old. That's when I started using this book.

I'm not talking 6 hours a night I mean 8-9-10 hours plus naps.

Why the author hasn't won a nobel prize or been made a saint beats me. LOL.

If you are a new parent or know a new parent or need a baby shower present, THIS is the "must have" gift.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

Quick Update

2006-10-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

Sue has made it home safe and mostly sound (She's exhausted and has (so far) a mild cold). I and the Girls are SO happy to have her home.

What I did on my summer vacation (er, while Sue was out of town)

2006-10-09T07:31:00.000-07:00

It's now Monday and Sue is due back tonight. While we ALL miss her, I'm proud to say that I managed to survive pretty darn well. Even if I am exhausted, its nice to know that I can take care of the girls (short term) by myself.

We even managed to make a couple trips (once to Wal-mart and yesterday we went out for coffee and the Sunday paper.

But the really big news is, that after 15+ years, I called up and talked to my Dad. It was probably one of our better conversations. Ever.

It's going to be nice that Libby and Mel will be able to know my side of the family.

More Later.

Three is a magic number

2006-10-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Early this morning (3:30 am AKA Oh-Dark-30) I kissed Sue (AKA Twin's Mom) goodbye as she lunged her suitcase to the car to head out to Eugene to catch a flight to Kingsport, TN. She and her mom (AKA Twin's NANA) are going to visit her mom (AKA Twin's Great-GrandMa) for a few days.
So far, the girls (AKA Da Twins) and I have had a great time, we've slept in (all the way to 6:15 am!) had "baby finger food" for breakfast (cauliflower, tofu, steamed carrots, toast squares)

I'm not worried (much) about be2ing left with the girls (I have a couple of back ups in place) as it's really only a few extra "awake hours" with them. Sue will be back monday night.

More later!

Doctor, Doctor, give me the news.......

2006-09-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Older Photo, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet.
Today was the girl's 9 month check up and they are so wonderful (even if Libby's head growth was a tad bit bigger than expected).

STATS:

Libby

Weight 20 lbs, 4 oz (69th percentile) Length 27.75 inches (48th percentile) Head 18.25 inches (95th percentile)

Mel

Weight 21 lbs (80th percentile) length 27 inches (23rd percentile) Head 17.25 inches (39th percentile).

Mel and Libby are both healthy, happy and right were they are supposed to be.

I couldn't be prouder to be their daddy.

Random photos

2006-09-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

"Hey Willow, come out and play!"

Hey Libby, you got any idea what the heck this thing is?

Ok, we have "T" now on to "S"

Nothing better than a green bean to end a perfect day.

I have a 3 GB a day habit myself, do you really think that it is a gateway veggie?

This is Not a Competition, please no wagering

2006-09-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

The Girls have been doing so many cool things lately that it's hard to write anything or know where to even start. It's been a heck of a great time tho ;)

Let's see in the general movement category, Mel can sit up from just about any position, Libby is just beginning to sit up (with help). Both girls can scooch across the floor.

Mel can crawl (and doesn't THAT make my life ever-so-much-more-interesting?) AND she can pull herself up to standing, a skill she practices on anything that will stand still long enough for her to pull on (Including Mommy, Daddy and Willow)and can hold on to Mommy/Daddy and take a couple of steps). Mel also was the first to get a tooth.

Miss Libby, on the other hand, has the greater range of vocal skills, the better (in my opinion) hand/foot control, and has TWO teeth, with number 3 not very far behind. Hard to believe that they are already 9 months old.

Sue and I have been checking our books, making sure both girls are on track, making all their "milestones", so far as a team, they have hit pretty much all of the advanced milestones, but Libby is a bit behind for 9 months, BUT way a head of her "term" date.

Interesting to see what the Doc says when we take them in next week.

Week 9 photo

MONTH 9 photo

Feeding time at the zoo (er, at home) :P

2006-08-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

Busy Weekend with Nana & Grandpa

2006-08-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

Busy Weekend

2006-07-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

Food Fun

2006-07-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

Mommie's notes

2006-07-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

BIG NEWS!!!:
Libby started making word-like noises last night!! She has said both Da-da and Ma-ma amongst other combinations. It is sad to have been waiting to hear her call me and have her do it only when she is crying not wanting to go to sleep!! Rocky said that she said Da-da and when he got up close to see if she meant Daddy, she smiled at him and said Dada again!! Lucky Daddy

The girls are getting the hang of this high-chair, eating "solid" foods thing... Mel is learning to keep food in her mouth and Libby is learning to like eating. The enjoyment has never been a problem for Mel... she grabs your hands and pulls the spoon in, and flails allher limbs if the next bite is not forthcomming! Libby was not thrilled about this eating thing but has rather suddenly started to not only like eating but to eat neatly and to chew up and down! It is really cute!
Did you notice BOTH girls Have their right foot proped up??? Taking after their Daddy already, feet up, laid back.....

We are making the food for the girls, and this was the first time we ground our own cereal. This one was millet. It rather looked like one of those "tornado in a bottle" things....
(Rocky's note: so far the girls have tried: processed rice cereal, millet, oatmeal; pear (AKA Baby crack as the girls go gaga over it everytime we serve it),avacado, sweet potato,banana, mango; and tomorrow we try butternut squash.)

Yeah, Mel is into this whole eating thing.....

Ahhhhhh... a good meal completed, life is good!

I am 5, OH!

2006-07-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday. My 50th birthday. The big five-O. I don't FEEL like what I thought 50 would feel like (i.e. "OLD").
In fact, I feel better now, than I did when I was 30. I think the girls have something to do with it.

Yesterday Sue and Mel and Libby threw me a party. By tradition (ok only the 2nd time we have done this, but traditions have to start somewhere), We scratched out the zero and we had a party for a 5 year old. Everyone had a great time and I got really cool 5 year old type gifts (crayons, coloring books, water pistols, play-do, and someone gave me 5 dollars)

I don't know how it happened, but NO ONE thought about taking in pictures of the party. *SIGH*

I had asked Sue ages ago to take my birthday off (I get to see her more AND She gets a 4 day weekend) and I thought it would be cool to take Libby and Mel to the Oregon Coast to get their 1st look at the ocean. So we all went to Bandon and walked down to the beach. Mommy and Daddy had a great time and I think the girls were in awe of Ocean.

All in all, This has been the best birthday ever.

6 Months WOW

2006-06-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

The girls had their 6 month well-baby check up on Monday and they kicked butt, let me tell you. Their doctor couldn't find a thing out of place on them, they are right on track (Never had a doubt).
Stats:

Mel:
weight 18 lbs 2 oz (90 percentle)
length 25 3/8 inches (50th percentle

Libby:
weight 17 lbs 13 oz (90 percentle)
length 24 3/4 inches (20th percentle)

The girls are getting so strong. Mel can roll over from front to back and seems to love sleeping on her side and libby is so so close to turning over herself

Catching Up (by Twin's Mommy)

2006-06-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

This was our FIRST FATHER'S DAY! We are so proud of Daddy. He is doing an AWSOME job at taking care of the girls and bringing them up. Since I can't do it myself, I can't think of anyone who could do it better!
THANK YOU DADDY!!!

We were in California over Memorial day, and the Girls met the rest of their family. They got to meet their cousin Angelina for the first time. They had a great time together! Angelina was great with the girls, and hung out with them every minute she could! We all went to her "moving up" ceremony from third to fourth grade. That was very fun. Angelina sings like you can't believe!

Too bad no one had any fun with all this visiting! My mom and the girls in their NANA shirts for her birthday.

We caught up on birthday pictures with Grandpa too! The girls have Grandpa shirts too!

Sitting up is great!

2006-06-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

This is Dad'stwins' Mom. Today was a big day of sitting up! first we sat propped up on pillows. Mel has been trying to sit up for weeks, but keeps falling forward because she can't figure out how to stop herself once she has started to pull forward to be upright. Libby hasn't been as interested in sitting, but when propped today she seemed to just understand about putting her hands out to help her stay steady. She is not strong enough to really sit for long.

These are big developments!

Then the new highchairs we ordered showed up! The girls seemed to enjoy sitting in them. I guess maybe tomorrow morning we might start them on their first cereal!! They are growing up so fast!!!

Libby REALLY enjoyed sitting in her new highchair! Maybe she is just thinking about the yummy foods she will eat from this chair in the future??!!

We will get more pictures of our recent California trip up soon!!

Vacation with the stars (or babies, whateva......)

2006-05-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

This is the 1st of many entries (I hope) this week. We are at the grandparents for the week (note to all the villians reading this, no, the house is NOT empty we have a housesitter who eats bad guys for a light snack so move along, nothing to see here).

This is our niece Angelina meeting Mel for the 1st time.

A Baby is a Baby, but you can build things out of wood

2006-05-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

Don't the girls look cute in these outfits that Auntie Mel made?
Of course they look cute period. But is it just me, or do these outfits look kinda like superhero costumes?

WONDERBUG POWERS ACTIVATE!

Notice the pretty blue background?
It's the covering of top I made for a old trunk that we got from the grandparents so I would have a place big enough for Mel and Libby's bouncy chairs. Sue had the incredibly bright idea to upholster it which has made it ever so much more useful.

I am a pretty great Stay@Home Dad, a pretty darn good salesman (2 individual and 1 team "Circle of Excellance" awards), a better than decent cook. What I really am not great at is woodworking. Right now that p@@@s me off.

I've always been fascinated by the whole concept of taking a tree and turning it into something useful.

I'd say my skill level right now is better than Homer Simpson ( It may not look pretty, but it works) and Tim "The Toolman" Taylor (I only occasionally hurt myself), but not by much (my opinion). But the part that gives me hope is that everything I make, I learn so much. If I had to make this over, It would be cheaper and better looking.

Not stronger. I tend to over engineer things, turns out. The top is so sturdy, that if there is a hurricane, tornado, meteor, etc., I'm hiding under it.

The 3 sided wall partition is an add-on to keep the kids from seeing the TV (according to the American Association of Pediatrics, there is a pretty strong relationship between TV watching below the age of 2 and A.D.D.

Hands can be so so handy Part 2

2006-05-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

We've been using the Avent bottles with Libby and Mel. I had researched them and decided that they were the best on the market. I was pleased (ok, feeling pretty smug) when I found out that the NICU were using the same brand of bottle.

One of the really cool things about the bottles (other than they allow less air into their stomachs) is that they transistion from bottles to sippy cups.

Right now, we've added the handle mod and the girls are learning to hold the bottle. Last night I put the handles on empty 4 ounce bottles and let the girls play with them. here are the photos. :)

"Yes! This formula will be mine. Oh yes, It WILL be mine."

Home Movies!

2006-05-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

This the video that Sue made for her grandmother's 100th birthday celebration, so she could meet her newest great granddaughters. I thought Sue had done such a great job on it, I asked if I could putit on the blog.
It runs just over 28 minutes, and is optimized for a low end broadband connection.

Watch the Video

Oh, We're Having a Heat Wave, A Tropical Heat Wave

2006-05-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

This week has brought us temps in the high 80's to low 90's (F not C), although it is beginning to cool ever so slightly. So we have gone to "Baby Casual" around the house (i.e. Diapers, Oneies if they have to go outside.). I've even shed the Tee shirt once or twice :)

The girls have been handling it really well, even
taking (what passes for) naps in the nursery (our Upstairs stays a good 10-15 degress warmer than downstairs.

The girls have this fantastic bond that is amazing to watch. Whenever they are close enough to touch, they do :)

Oh, Big news, Mel rolled over on her own on Monday. Shocked the heck out of Her and me :) One day I hope to catch it on film (disk whatever). Libby is trying so hard to follow suite, so I expect her to do it anytime.

Monday Monday

2006-05-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

10 am: Today is the day that Daddy, in his not so infinite wisdom, has decided to get the girls on a nap schedule. No more will the girls spend the days asleep in the packn'play or bouncy chairs whenever THEY decide is a good time.
Now after they have been up no MORE than 2 hours, they go up to their room and lie down. If they sleep 20 minutes, fine. If they sleep 2 hours, great, but within 2 hours of waking, they go back down.

Note to self: Talk to sue about making the guest room (which is downstairs) the nursery, or get a ranch house next time. We have too many stairs :)

But, this isn't about what's "convenient" or easy for me, but what, in the long run, is going to be best for the girls. They are NOT happy with this, Let me tell you. I can hear them scream about it over the monitor (ok, I could hear them scream if I had the volume turned up, but the downstairs receiver has a vibrate feature that I'm using. It sounds Like we have a swarm of bees. I do turn the sound up every minute or so to make sure that it's just them being mad and not something really wrong).

It's now 10:15, in about 5 minutes I will go up and comfort them, (but not pick them up) and then leave again. Rinse and repeat until they have slept and woken up or 2(ish) hours have passed. this is NOT an easy thing to do. I, like most parents, are hardwired to want to pick up and comfort a crying child.

10:20 Am: Silence on the monitor. I sneak upstairs, Libby and Mel are sound asleep, looking so peaceful. I feel better now

Ok, on to other things. I remember Sue asking me last night if I had put the memory card back in the camera after I had updated the blog last night. I, of course, said "yup", well, as it turned out I didn't. Fortunately I had the camera configured that if a memory card is in, it stores to the card otherwise it goes to internal memory.
After I had put the card back in and copied the pics I'd taken this morning to the card, I discovered some other pictures of the girls that had never made it to the card, but were hiding in memory, so here are some photos that I'm not sure when they were made (a couple I know,but not others) and then as a special bonus, one of the girls practicing for the Olympics :)

I think this was from around the 1st part of April

Auntie Mel and the Girls :)

Auntie Cecelia, Mommy, Daddy, and Libby

Synchronized Finger Sucking: The next big sport for the rest of us?

So Little Time to post, So Much time to be Amazed

2006-05-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

I know that it's been weeks since I've updated the blog. It hasn't been because of inattention, or laziness, but the girls have been so much alive lately, that I've been hard pressed to do much more than play with them, attend to their needs, and be amazed as they start to react and relate to their new world....

Here are some photos since last update.

The girls entertain a houseguest in "Daddy's chair".

This is Mel holding herself upright in her bouncy chair. She is so Strong!

Mommy and the girls.

Mel helping Daddy make the guest bed

Auntie Cecelia shares a happy moment in this special episode of It's a Mel-iful Life.

Brave Brave Girls

2006-04-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

The girls had their 4 month "well baby" check up today. My, have they grown! The new stats:

Mel
14 lbs 11 oz
23 5/8" long
16" head Diameter

Percentile:
4 months:
weight: 62
length: 18
head: 29

3 month (corrected)
weight: 86
length: 47
head: 55

Libby:
14 lbs 3 oz
23 1/2" long
16 1/2" head Diameter

Percentile:
4 months:
weight: 55
length: 12
head: 66

3 month (corrected)
weight: 79
length: 37
head: 84

The brave part? They had the 4 month round of shots, 2 shots in each thigh. They cried, but they never tried to squirm or kick or tried to get away.

Talkies

2006-04-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite photos from when Auntie Mel was here, before the girls started teething.
It's been a challenge, but so far the girls have been little discomfort. Dr. Talik (the girls doc) suggested that I try Teething Tablets, a homopathic pill that has been a MIRACLE remedy. I put 2 under their tongues (ok cheeks)and they get happy again and usually fall asleep (Happy Happy Joy Joy).

I managed to get a small voice recording of the girls, check out the links to hear them. :) I'll be updating those links as soon as I can get them to alk into the mic.

Life has just gotten interesting

2006-04-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

And that's in the chinese sense of the word. Looks like (and i SO hope I'm wrong) the girls have started to cut their 1st tooth. They are growing so fast they can now stand and support their own weight for a few seconds, although they have zero balance. So far. As of yesterday.

The girls really do sleep in the day. Really. I have proof.

2006-04-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

Visits near and far

2006-04-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy time. The girls have loved "holding court" for their many visitors. Lee and Tina and their daughter Diana came over on Saturday bringing food and our girl scout cookie order. After I finished my "Happy cookie dance" (don't ask, you really don't want to know), we ate and talked to Diana about watching the girls sometimes so Sue and I can do some of the stuff around the house that takes 2 people.

Mel is still deciding if this is a good idea or not.

Mel and Libby's Auntie Mel flew in from Nashville on Monday for what we all think was a way too short of a visit. It was love at 1st site for the girls and their Auntie. I'm threatening to check Mel's luggage when she leaves to make sure that she doesn't "accidentally" pack one of the girls LOL.

RANDOM PHOTOS

"Oh is this the picture they are going to use in the dictionary for the word cute?"

Siesta Time

Hands can be so so handy

2006-04-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

The girls are just learning new skills everyday. Libby gurgles and coos for hours at a time and Mel wants to try to stand just about every chance she gets. I'm guessing that Libby is going to talk 1st but Mel will be the 1st to take her 1st steps. (note to self: finish girl proofing the house). They have been lagging in the use of hands (or right on track shrug). But over the weekend they have both done stuff with their hands:

Libby was so happy to support her bottle and talk to her bestest friend in the whole world (AKA the baby in the mirror).

Mel is so happy to be able to play with her rattle.

Ok, Ok, I'm behind in uploading pictures

2006-04-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

I know it's been awhile since I've updated this blog, but the girls have been keeping me busy (not an excuse, just the facts :P) So here are some new (and not so new) photos.

My Daughter, the Elf

2006-03-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

It's amazing the things you notice at four a.m. during a feeding. Mel has pointed ears. She's my little elf girl (as I'm PRETTY sure neither Sue or I have any Vulcan blood in our systems).
Sue says all babys have pointed ears, as they have to fold to get out of the womb, but how cool would it be if they stay pointed? Most of the people I just to hang out with (Science Fiction Fans, Roleplaying Gamers) would be oh so cool with it.

Ok, now this is a scary thought. As I am the primary caregiver and plan on homeschooling, I am the standard that the girls are going to use for what's "NORMAL" .

We have just passed the 12 week mark with the girls. Just a few more days and the kids will be 3 months old. It's odd, 3 months seems such a short time, yet it also feel like they have been here for ever and ever (Hallelujah! Hallelujah!) :) It is amazing how much they have grown. They are beginning to gain weight faster than my arm muscles can adapt. It won't be too long before they out grow the tiedyed onesies :(

This is the first (of what I'm assuming is many, many, many) in a "before" and "after" photos. The one on the left was taken the day the left the NICU and the one on the right was taken today (3/19/2006). Same girls, same outfits. Almost hard to tell that they are the same children.

So what's new?

2006-03-14T01:14:00.000-08:00

I try to update this at the VERY least on Sundays, but the girls have been a bit more fussy the last day or so. We have been trying a new formula mix (one that's suppose to help with spit ups) and it caused them to have trouble digesting, so we have switched back to a formulation that we know we can handle.

Rocky's helpful hint #1: If you are expecting, have new babies, etc. and are even THINKING of using formula, then signup for the Enfamil Family Beginnings program.
http://apps.meadjohnson.com/forms/jsp/Efb/Efb.do?referrer=156

So far we've gotten something like $40-$50 worth of coupons for formula and not little ones either I think the smallest one was for like $3 off.

These two photos are from this weekend when our friends Lee and Tina came over to see the girls. I used to work with Lee at Dell (He's one of the few people I knew there that I've been able to connect with outside of work). You should check out their Blogs (There is a link to Tina's blog under my cool links and you can go from there)

"TaDa!"

Happy Girl

"Are we done yet?"

"MINE!!!!!"

Maybe if I smile he'll stop with the flash already.

"I hope I'm as pretty as mommy when I grow up."

"I love you Daddy"

On an average day.....

2006-03-09T02:18:00.000-08:00

The one thing I've learned in my brief time as a Stay At Home Dad (SAHD), is that there is no such thing as an average day. They are all so different and special.
There is a basic routine that we're falling into however. For those of you that are interested, continue reading, otherwise just look at the new photos. Lol

12:30 AM - 2:30 AM: Usually Mel wakes up and needs to be changed and fed, sometime in this period. Libby usually sleeps through the night. If it is just Mel (or just Libby) who is awake, I get up at do whatever needs to be done to get her ready to go back to sleep.

2:30 AM - 4 AM: I spend the time after the girls are back asleep to do some house stuff downstairs. The house is quiet (except for the static on the baby monitor and the TV on low, low volume. I have the sound almost off and captioning on as a rule).

I unload the dishwasher, make sure we have enough formula made up to get us to at least mid-morning, check emails, work on the blog, have something to eat. It's the one time of the day I can usually count on having "Rocky Time". (And they said that having a sleep disorder had no upside, LOL).

4 am- 5:30 AM: With a bit of luck, I get some more sleep, usually at least one of the girls need to be at least changed.

5:30 AM- 7:30 AM: Everybody gets up (whether they want to be or not). The girls get fed, changed, and put into Daytime clothes. Sue gets ready for work, I try to get showered and changed into clean clothes. We all move downstairs. Sue heads to work. Hopefully, Libby and Mel have fallen back to sleep.

7:30 AM- 9 AM Daddy and Girls Nap! (This is optional and hapens not as often as I would like).

9 AM-Noon Girls are up and active. We eat, play, etc. I make whatever phone calls that need to be made.

Noon- 12:30 PM: I get to talk to Sue while she has lunch and pumps (breast pumps). The Girls may or maynot be up. Usually I'm feeding one or the other.
Side note: Sue and I are ever so lucky. There are very few times that both of the babes need to be fed/changed at the same time. I usually have time to tend to one before the other needs me. This has the advantage that I'm not usually stressed out, but it also means that most of the time during the day I'm having to be working on a baby. (Don't tell anyone, but I LOVE my new career. Being a caregiver for these two little ones is SO much better than selling computers.

12:30-3 PM: Freestyle. I may get a nap, I may not. The girls are awake or not. It's kinda fun (more fun if I've had sleep ;) ). I work on what I'm fixing for dinner.

3 PM- 4:30 PM Work on dinner prep, feed/change/play with my angels (all 3 of them).

4:30 PM- 5:30 PM: Sue comes home during this time and gets to bond with the girls while I finish cooking dinner.

5:30 PM- 7 PM: Everybody gets to eat during this time, although not all at once. Sue feeds the girls while I'm serving dinner, then Itake overwhile she eats (I always need a few minutes anyway after fixing dinner to cool off and rehydriate). When Sue finishes eating, she takes over and I eat.
If it's bathnight for Libby and Mel, this gets started in this time frame.

7 PM- 7:30 PM: Start gathering up babies, formula, snacks as we get heady for:

7:30 PM- 9:30 PM: We all go upstairs and start the girl's bedtime routine. They get changed into PJs, get fed, Sue reads them bedtime stories while I go back downstairs and clean up the kitchen and start the dishwasher.

9:30 PM- 12:30 AM: Sleep. On a bad night, just Sue sleeps while I handle the girls. Libby is usally good about falling asleep and staying there, Mel not so much. I've learned that if I feed Mel and then hold her so her ear is over my heart and i recline back in my cool recliner in the nursery, she'll fall asleep. So will I. Hehe.

Well that's a basic day.

By request

2006-03-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

This is one of Sue's favorite photos, so I decided to share with all of you.

Shots are a pain

2006-03-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

Today Mel and Libby had their 2 month check up (yes I know they are 2.5 months, but you try finding a baby doc that has 2 slots together when you want them in Roseburg). They are in the 25 percentile (for TERM babies, not Premie) for height and weight. Mel is in the 25 percentile for head size, with Libby (who has a larger head) is in the 50 percentile.

STATS
Libby 10 lb 21" long 15.25" Head

Mel 9 lb 11 oz 20.45" long 14.75" Head

9 6/7 weeks

2006-03-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

So Here we are, the 1st of March, one day short of 10 weeks as a family. Libby is pretty consistantly sleeping through the night (not the usual infant 6 hour "night", 6-8 hours at a stretch. Mel hasn't quite made that leap yet. So During the day when I'm here alone with the girls, One or the other is usually awake. You can tell which one is awake by the noise level coming from the crib. Libby is our laid back child. She really only cries if something is wrong (needing a diaper change or needing to be fed). Mel, on the other hand, is our little drama queen. She will cry for no other reason (that I can tell) than she wants to. If she's a bit wet she cries because "I haven't been changed in DAYS!". If she is the least bit hungry, she cries, "They haven't feed me in MONTHS!". You get the idea. I used to say that watching the girls would be cool because "I'll just sleep when they do. I love naps." What was I thinking?

Willow has had a hard time adjusting to not being an only "child" and not getting the bulk of our attention.
However, she is beginning to realize that Libby and Mel are part of our pack. More importantly, she seems to understand that they are babies and that she can't be too rough with them. Libby (pictured here) and Mel aren't quite sure what to make of Willow. Yet.

Week 9 (week 4, corrected)

2006-02-28T00:09:00.000-08:00

The girls were born 9 weeks ago, but they were 5 weeks early. So to get a good read on how they are developing, the doctors compare them to babies at the same level of development (basically with babes conceived at the same time as Libby and Mel), not with babies BORN at the same time. A lot of books call the 1st 9 months after birth the "second gestation". Any way, here are the latest photos of our angels.

2006-02-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend our friend Jaunus and his friend that is a girl" were in town from Southern California. Jaunus and Sue have been friends for years.
He isn't sure about the whole baby thing, but he looked great holding Mel.

I have the best job in the world

2006-02-27T23:26:00.000-08:00

I'm a Stay At Home Dad and I get to watch these young angels grow....I love it but sometimes I feel bad that Sue has to go to work and leave them. I think I got the better part of the deal.

Let sleeping Mels lay

2006-02-27T23:10:00.000-08:00

Mel always ends up in some of the strangest positions when she sleeps.

2006-02-20T04:42:00.001-08:00

Three generations of the women in my life

2006-02-20T04:42:00.000-08:00

Naps are so underrated

2006-02-20T04:41:00.000-08:00

Am I cute or what?

2006-02-20T04:30:00.000-08:00

Mel practices her pout

2006-02-20T04:29:00.002-08:00

Libby hides her excitement

2006-02-20T04:29:00.001-08:00

Who ever knew that something as tiny as my girls could make such a big change in my life?

2006-02-20T04:29:00.000-08:00

Could Sue BE any happier?

2006-02-20T04:28:00.002-08:00

Willow (the girls older, 4 legged sister) asleep on a feeding pillow next to the crib

2006-02-20T04:28:00.001-08:00

Could I BE any happier?

2006-02-20T04:28:00.000-08:00

Libby and her binky

2006-02-20T04:26:00.000-08:00

Mel and Libby @ week 4

2006-02-20T04:25:00.001-08:00

Funny face Mel (1/17/06)

2006-02-20T04:25:00.000-08:00

The girls at 3 weeks old

2006-02-20T04:22:00.000-08:00

Mel at almost 3 weeks

2006-02-20T04:20:00.000-08:00

Mel sucking her thumb

2006-02-20T04:18:00.001-08:00

Mel and Libby at 2 weeks old

2006-02-20T04:18:00.000-08:00

When the girls (Mel is the one under the hood) came home, they were both so small they both fit in one bassinette.

2006-02-20T04:16:00.000-08:00

Is she cute or what?

2006-02-20T04:12:00.000-08:00

Blah Blah Blah

2006-02-20T04:10:00.000-08:00

Libby sucking her thumb

2006-02-20T04:08:00.000-08:00

Could I be any prouder to be a Dad?

2006-02-20T04:06:00.000-08:00

Since the girls were 5 weeks premature, they needed some help eating enough. The feeding tubes were only in a few days

2006-02-20T04:05:00.001-08:00

Nana with the girls in the NICU

2006-02-20T04:05:00.000-08:00

This is the photo we made for Grandpa. Sue made the shirts. 2/3/06

2006-02-20T04:04:00.001-08:00

Nana Painted the Pooh wall

2006-02-20T04:04:00.000-08:00

Nana and Libby

2006-02-20T04:01:00.000-08:00

If I keep pushing Daddy, will he figure out I need to be changed?

2006-02-20T03:58:00.001-08:00

Happy Family

2006-02-20T03:58:00.000-08:00

I wonder if this is what Chicken tastes like?

2006-02-20T03:57:00.000-08:00

Tired, oh so tired.