is someone stacking the poll?

Aubrey was clearly in the lead, and Quinn is now coming out of nowwhere for a tie..
We'll find out who it is soon..they are both so close!!!

Babies Birthdays

How does time go by so quickly? It seems like yesterday that I was pacing the halls of Christ Hospital waiting for those babies. I remember the really strangely uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room and I remember staring at the double doors, nose pressed again the tiny windows, the world inside gridded by the little lines in the window glass. Seeing the babies for the first time was a little surreal, I saw them before seeing Christie, and as beautiful as they were, and as excited as I was to be with them, I kept thinking that they should be with Christie and I should be seeing all three of them. It took awhile, but finally everything was perfect and Christie was sitting in the hospital room holding the two sweetest babies I've ever seen. Obviously, by now the babies are way too big to hold at the same time, but if I had to choose a time that I loved in this past year, it would be holding both of them at the same time, heads lined up next to each other...It gave me the same feeling that having Walter and Lucy both curled up next to me does...which is good..

I promised Christie I would post some photos of the first birthday party. It was crazy and fun. There were a lot of kids there..mine were part of the wildness. The babies were super well behaved. Aubrey spent some time trying to hit me, and then spit at me..but, I have to believe that this is a phase (right? right? right?) I was shocked to find that Aubrey and Quinn made it through the whole night without crying at all..just the amount of people and attention is usually so overwhelming that most kids are bawling. write more and add photos tomorrow.

photos of the little ones

Here are some recent photos of the babies. Aren't they beautiful? In the photo Aubrey is pointing. If you could listen to the photo, you would hear her saying "dat?" as in "what's that?". It is interesting to compare her very demanding curiosity to Quinn's, who is curious, but more willing to wait and soak it up as it comes.

atomic energy

Matt was probably wondering why I was asking about pro tron and neutrons and atoms during teeth brushing last night, we moved on and I never got to explain why I had asked. (Matt is the repository of all information that I am not..math, science, political history, geography..I could go on, but it would just further highlight my deficiencies so I'll stop there.) The reason behind the questions was Walter. I am searching for the appropriate analogy for his boundless energy. About 2 years ago I noticed a serious ramp up in his energy levels...but over the summer it reached a new frenzy and is now at, what I really pray is the high point. Walter is like a neutron ..constantly, moving, constantly...I don't know where he finds the energy..In the midst of this new energy high, Walter has taken to literally climbing the walls. Grammy Sheila caught him on film, so I'll add the photo.

Don't think because I've been ranting and writing about my own kids that I have been neglecting my sweets..Aubrey and Quinn-Quinn. I usually call Aubrey "Aubs" and Quuinn, Quinn-Quinn, I don't know why, I've just fallen into the habit. I regret to write that Quinn is quickly growing out of his baby body. He is looking more and more like a toddler every day. They are both lightening fast and pulling up, but Aubrey still has more of tiny, baby look. Quinn also has a full mouth of teeth to compliment his toddler look. I'll try to get Christie to post soon, but these babies are keeping her pretty swamped these days.

recent news

Unless you have been living in a cave you have probably heard about the recent news in Cincinnati..the mother who left her 11 month old in her car while at work, and came out to find her dead in the car. This happened about a year ago as well, very similar circumstances, same outcome...there was a big media circus about it, tons of radio time and editorials dedicated to trying to figure out if the mother was a fault, or if she should be prosecuted, etc. (she wasn't)..this time there was a similar media frenzy when the story broke, but now it seems to have passed. It is as if the community has already become hardened to this..or has the media just determined it to be "old news", or are they trying to be more conscious of the family? I don't know, but this case pushes my buttons and since I have a place to rant, I think I might. I don't know whether or not the mothers should be prosecuted, I don't know much about the law..but I agree with the argument that in the end it probably won't matter...they are suffering and they will continue to suffer in a way that make prison look like Christmas morning. I can't imagine how they must feel, how their older kids are feeling, how their marriages will survive...I don't have much to say about that end..but I'm just getting warmed up to the part I feel so strongly about and that is this...

I really believe these 2 instances (and countless other ones) point to a bigger societal issue that is not being addressed by the media frenzy, or even among the co-workers and family members I have talked about this with...there is a major problem with women in our culture at this point in time trying to do way too much. Women of my generation were raised to believe and embrace the idea that they could have it all, and we all set out to do that...but the reality is very different from this vision...our culture still lacks some of the fundamental support systems crucial to the success of this idea. There is not affordable childcare for working women, there are not mandatory paternity leaves, there are not professional part time positions available for women who want to decrease hours and stay at home with young children..and yet there are huge expectations on women to achieve this harmonious vision of a family life that just can't happen. It is frustrating and heart breaking to see the fall out of this situation. Clearly, it can be a matter of life and death. Is it really worth that? Can we look at how we are supporting families? moms and children and the poor dads that have to deal with the overloaded-over stressed-burdened by unrealistic expectations -women?

Update

Ok - been meaning to update. Aubrey's appt went well - she has a mild abnormality of her right hip which they will not treat unless it causes problems with her mobility. I will take her back at 13 mo (assuming she's walking by then) They are both very active, crawling & pulling up like crazy and wearing me out! They also fight over every toy - just the beginning, I'm sure. I cant believe they're almost a year old I'll have to start planning the shindig soon:) I'll add some pictures, you can check out their new haircuts. Poor Quinn screamed the whole time but his hair is ok. Aubrey sat like an angel and got chopped!

Quick update

I have not written in awhile, I've been busy, busy, busy. And so have Aubrey and Quinn. Quinn is crawling everywhere. If I knew how to post video I would, because the way he crawls is really cute, very deliberate and very quick. He is also saying a few words, dada, dog and mama..I'm working on Aunt Carrie, but I'm thinking it might be awhile. Aubrey is also on the move. She is currently spending a great deal of energy trying in vain to stand up..but she can't quite manage it, so she holds her legs straight and keep her head on the floor, sort of bear crawl style. She has also proven to be a bit of a trouble maker. Ask Christie and Marc about the Sushi restaurant! Aubrey also has some tricks up her sleeve and like to do " so big" and then clap. She is a super star! Chrisite got their hair cut over the weekend, they both look really cute, but Aubrey's is a little on the waif-model-wispy side, which she doesn't quite pull off. I'm not willing to call it a bad haircut though, because she is still so beautiful. Aubrey also has to go for a visit with the pediatric orthopedic for a check in on her hips. I'm sure Christie will let us all know what happens....

Aubrey & Quinn are having a fun summer. They love to go swimming and swing :) They had their 9 mo check up and are doing well. Quinn weighs 21lbs and Aubrey 16 1/2 lbs. Aubrey is crawling all around...Quinn somehow finds a way to get around but I would not call it crawling! Their personalities are really coming out and Aubrey is feisty, feisty. Quinn is much more laid back unless he is tired or going to bed (ironic huh?). He has been screaming his head off at night before falling asleep - it's very heart wrenching but I have been doing better at letting him cry it out. Once he falls asleep they are both still sleeping a good 12 hrs at night so I am lucky in that regard. We are heading to the zoo this weekend - ugh, I HATE the zoo - and I'm sure they're too little to care but I feel like I should take them for some reason. Maybe I'll just go in, get a picture or 2 to show we were there and then leave :) Here are a few new pictures

These are some photos from recent days..

Lucy painted my toes, Walter's last soccer game and another of my beautiful boy.

parenting

So, I was driving yesterday, thinking about Lucy and how big she is getting. She will be five in a few weeks, and starting kindergarten in the fall...but these weren't the things I was thinking of, I was thinking that for the first time when she stretched her legs out over my lap the other day, I could see in the glow of afternoon light a little layer of peach fuzz on her legs....this led me straight into thinking about how old Walter is getting. He'll be in second grade this fall and is currently riding a "2-wheeler". As I was thinking about these things a girl drove by..her hair was pulled back and she had sunglasses on..talking on the phone..o my gosh, I think, that will be Lucy soon..and Walter..I can barely stand to watch Walter ride a bike. Seriously, it makes me a little nauseous to see him careening around, so close all the time to falling and getting hurt, while I stand and all I can do is WACTH. How will I survive letting my kids grow up? Then this image popped into my mind of cartoon firefighters with their little bulls eye trampoline thing...always showing up to catch the person falling at just the right time. (I imagine their yellow coats and heads unchanging, but their feet moving very quickly..animation has come a long way since this image was imprinted in my brain in the 70's)..Can I be the cartoon firefighter, and show up to catch my kids if they fall?Is that crazy talk? Do I need therapy?

I apologize for having neglected the Blog for so long - I'm sure everyone has been checking it daily for updates :) . I had Jury Duty and was assigned to this terrible dog fighting case that went for 2 weeks and we sold our house - which is good news in this market but bad because we were completely unprepared and had 2 weeks to find something. We finally decided on a house close to Mason - I am going to do a 5 year experiment in the burbs! I will be doing the long commute now instead of Marc but the house is great (picture here) and yard will be good for dogs and babies. I am sad to be moving so far from Carrie & the kids and to be giving up my house that I love (even with its flaws & inconvienences!) but we'll see how it goes and hopefully Carrie will be heading North soon.

Aubrey & Quinn are doing well - they are both sitting, playing and trying to crawl now. Aubrey babbles away, says dada (of course) and waves. Quinn has no tricks. He came very close to crawling last night - he's really trying - but other than his teeth and being so big, which he has nothing to do with, he's kind of a slacker! They get very excited to see and interact with each other these days which is cute to watch. They are eating all kinds of babyfood but I am super paranoid about choking so I dont give them much finger food - Carrie & my mom are always getting on me about it but it makes me a nervous wreck. So they get tiny pieces of moistened cheerios (hee) and banana and sometimes crumbled crackers. Poor babies, they'll be a year old and still eating babyfood! Aubrey still seems tiny to me, she hasnt been weighed lately, we'll see July 1 when they go to the Dr for their 8mo check up but Quinn is huge - he definitly has Walter's huge (to hold such a large brain) head!

Some new photos....

thoughts

Walter and Lucy constantly surprise me with their real affection for Quinn and Aubrey. Walter loved Quinn from the very beginning, in utero. He said Quinn would be his favorite, and true to his word he connected with Quinn first, but he has softened since and showed some real love for Aubrey as well. Walter is a nice kid (most the time). People tell me this all the time. I generally roll my eyes, not because I think he is a rat, but because I feel weird taking credit for his niceness. It would be like taking credit for the sun in the sky, he just IS nice. Having said that, it is really good to see. He talks in a baby voice to the twins and holds them so carefully, worried all the time he might hurt them... I wonder where all this has come from and I suspect it might sort of overflow love from Christie..the babies are a part of her, and she has shown Walter a great deal of love and support from the very beginning (I mean she was, like, the 3rd person to hold his big baby self), or maybe it is just his inherent niceness I was referring to above. What do you think?

Lucy has a whole other approach with the twins..I think she is more competitive with them for attention, etc. But, also she is just a fierce little person. She loves, plays, fights with a passion. So when she pats Aubrey's head, she more like rubs her hand into her skull, when she hugs them, she generally squeezes all the color from their faces. She would never hurt them on purpose, but she doesn't reign in her strength much for them so we are all careful..I hope they will end up being close enough in age to play a little bit in a few years. I have a whole childhood full of memories with my cousins. I can't imagine growing up without those close relationships, and I want them so badly for all the kids involved.

Call me esoteric if you'd like, but there are my thoughts for what they are worth.

I did finally get a new camera, as Carrie mentioned below, here a few new pics. Aubrey & Quinn are doing great. We visited Stephanie and my friends from high school on Friday night. It was quite a job to pack them up for the evening and head out to Cleves but it was nice to see everyone! I did learn that they will not go down in the same pack and play. I think they would have gone to sleep just fine if I would have had 2 pack and plays (ugh - more stuff - in reference to Carrie's post below) as it was , poor Quinn just wanted to sleep and Aubrey was rolling all over kicking and grabbing at him the whole time like a maniac....I eventually just got them up & drove them home.

Aubrey & Quinn are enjoying the warmer weather and love to go for walks - I have walked them to the park a few times to try out the baby swings. They like them but Quinn HATES the sun in his eyes, I'll have to dig out the sunglasses Mala bought them.

Carrie's update

I am currently writing from Christie's house..the babies are sleeping, Christie is at class, Marc is golfing. I am going to watch the babies for a bit...I'm even going to attempt a feeding by myself. I'm going to try to look around for the new camera Christie got because I'd like to take some photos to go along with this post.. for this post I'm going to try to describe life with multiples, of course from my own perspective as the mom of singles.
First off, there is a lot of stuff involved...double of the basics and just more of the other things you would see in any house with babies. The bat cave is looking more like a day care than a family room. In this room there are: 2 bumbo seats, one large baby swing, an excersaucer, the bouncy thing Quinn so loves, the pack and play, the rocker chair, and a baby gym..and that does not include the toys and blankets, etc. Upstairs in their room they have 2 cribs, 2 dressers, 2 boppys..2 double strollers, 2 high chairs, 2 car seats...see? a lot of stuff! Also, in this case, the vast amount of stuff needed can't be stored away to save for another baby, it is all just outgrown when its time here is done...good for the expectant friends wanting good hand me downs, bad for Christie and Marc who have to buy doubles of things to just give them away in a few months.
I've heard of mom's clubs for multiples that have yard sales or whatever, but I don't think they happen often enough to get what you need in a timely manner.
The other reality check with multiples is that it is really hard to go anywhere even remotely fast. Christie can't run into target with both babies.. their car seats are now to heavy to carry both at the same time..so they require separate trips in and out of the house...not good for a store.
Twins are hard..one is always waiting..parents are always on double duty..but on the positive side..I already see Quinn and Aubrey responding to each other. They relax when the see their sibling, in a way I think it would be easier to leave them, knowing they always have each other..
I feel this way about Walter and Lucy now..when I leave them somewhere, but it took awhile since they were at separate places for awhile.
I can't find the camera..the description of the bat cave does not do it justice, the glory and splendor of all this colored plastic and sweet little animals hanging from bars.. is something you can't miss..I'll have to find a camera and catch you all up another time. For now I have to go, the babies should be waking up any min. and I have to be ready. Have a great weekend.

Park Trip

I forgot to write about our first park outing. Walter had his friend bday party at Ault park. It was really nice out so I packed up Aubrey & Quinn and joined the party. They had a busy day! We went for walk in the new jogging stroller and they both tried the baby swings (as you can see in Aubrey's picture below) - they loved it. They both got a little sun because bad mommy forgot sunscreen until 1/2 way thru the day (I guess I will learn). They went home for naps and then had Mala's bday dinner at Outback that night. They were great until @ 7:45 which is almost bedtime. The babies had a great time at Walter & Mala's bday parties!

6 Month Checkup

Sorry I havent been posting but will catch up now. Our digital camera is broken so I dont have any new photos to post :( but hopefully we will be replacing it very soon!

Aubrey & Quinn had their 6 mo check up yesterday. All went well - Aubrey weighed 14.1, is still only in the 20th % and has to stay on the high octane formula (darn) Quinn weighed 17.11. They are both in the 95% for height. Aubreys latest hip xrays show her left hip is developing faster than her right. The ortho says this often corrects itself - we will re-do the Xray in 3 mo and see. Let's see...we wont go into Quinn's constipation other to say that it's still an issue and he hates prune juice bottles! They are almost caught up developmentally - Quinn will sit up for awhile on his own , Aubrey...not so much. We'll have to practice. They are eating cereal, fruits and veggies pretty well - squash and bananas are favorites so far. I think Quinn is getting his third tooth - still no teeth for Aubrey. Poor Aubrey, it always sounds like she's behind but she's much more mobile that Quinn (probably because she's so small!) she rolls all around and scoots herself. Quinn pretty much just lays there.

We're looking forward to the warmer Spring weather and getting out of the house for walks!

photos of weekend

I'll leave the writing up to Christie because it is her turn to post, but here are some photos. Enjoy!

what about the teeth?

Quinn has another one. TWO!

poop & teeth the finale

After the prune juice and suppository, Quinn slept.. Later on I called in to see if there had been any pooping. Surely, right? Well, it seems the suppository wasn't correctly administered because 1/2 of it ended up in the diaper. Still, the other 1/2 did the job and Quinn was really straining hard to go..Christie ended up having to do a hands on method of getting poop out..YUCK. This happened a few times, until the large amount was cleared out. GROSS. She isn't the only mom I know that has done this, so I guess it isn't as weird as it seems. I think she should get mom of the year for that though, I mean it is one thing to have to change as many diapers as necessary for twins, but then this poop business. Over the top, I say..hand over the awards.
On another note, I stopped by the bat cave for a surprise visit yesterday. The babies must have known I wasn't supposed to be there because it took them longer than usual to give me a big smile. The clearly love Kait..Aubrey was looking at her and laughing and laughing..that, to me, is a good sign. She was also loading them up for a walk. They are going to have so much fun this spring. Having been born right before winter, they have yet to experience the great outdoors for the most part. I can't wait to see them in the pool this summer. Can you imagine Aubrey's chicken butt in a swim suit? It makes me laugh just thinking about it.....

Poop & teeth

Sometimes being a parent is really gross. I'm constantly reminded of this at home..especially when everyone is sick. This time though, it was the babies that reminded me.. Quinn has developed a bit of a constipation issue lately. Christie is blaming the cereal in his diet. This past Sunday was his 5th day with no poop..calling for drastic measures. I ran up to the store from prune juice, baby prune and apple juice and prune baby food..this Quinn took, but with a face that really told us he was not happy about it. (using Aubrey as the control for this meant she got prunes as well, but wouldn't you know it? She liked them!) The prunes went down, but it wasn't enough..Chrsitie ran and got baby suppositories. She gave Quinn one.... I'll finish this later..I'm leaving you all hanging..waiting to see.. Did Quinn poop? Tune in next time to find out.

Aubrey & Quinn had a busy holiday weekend - Walter's birthday party on Friday, a visit with their Great Grandma on Saturday night and then Easter Sunday. As Carrie posted below Quinn has his first tooth :) which explains his fussiness this past week - we took him to the doctor and they changed his reflux medication but I bet it was the tooth causing the problem. They are doing great and had a great Easter although they really missed their Aunt Carrie and Lucy! Aubrey is rolling all around and Quinn is babbling away, they both have discovered their feet and love to chew on their toes - along with their hands, my arm and anything else they can put in their mouths! They are also eating cereal and fruit really well these days - they will try sweet potatoes next. We have been using our video camera a lot so I dont have many pictures to post. Here are 2 from Easter and I will download ours tomorrow!

Shoo Flu part II

I have some time. Matt and I are both home, sick..Lucy is doing a little better. The fever is down to a small one with no medication and her breathing is ok so far. I heard that Quinn sprouted a tooth yesterday, but I didn't get to see it. I gazed at the twins through the car window, trying to catch a glimpse of the Easter outfits I missed yesterday..I only saw the hats..and no tooth. I often speak of parenting as guilt management.. like, my decisions are often influenced by how guilty I will feel if I don't do something. Booster seats are a good example of this. I came from the era of no seat belts and certainly no boosters. I remember lying across the floor boards, trying to balance my hips bones across the bump that divided the backseat floor, it was rather hot and stinky. So, I can definitely relate to the argument that the chances of something happening are pretty slim. Nevertheless what forces me to grab the booster 98% of the time, boils down to guilt. How bad would I feel if something did happen and my kids were not properly restrained? I can't even imagine. I'm bringing this up to prove I'm fairly used to parent guilt. I never knew I would have to balance parent guilt and aunt guilt. It is really pretty bad. So, now I feel bad I exposed the babies to the flu. I missed their first Easter and Quinn's tooth. I think I suck as an aunt. I promise I'll listen more closely to the parent voice and not send my kids over sick. I promise I'll be at the next major family event. I promise I will not miss Aubrey's tooth.

Shoo Flu

This story begins on Monday when Lucy and Walter both woke up with a little cough. Since Lucy's cough often turns into wheezing and labored breathing and also because I'm more than a little paranoid about sending her to school with any hint of an asthma attack brewing, I gave her a breathing treatment and sent her off to school. When I picked her up she seemed totally fine.The voice in my head was screaming ("you are seriously over reacting and you just gave a 4 year old steroids for no reason."). The week went on, aside from the small morning cough all seemed ok. Until yesterday. Lucy woke up with more than a little cough and 2 bright spots on her cheeks. Not good. But, because I was trying hard not to be paranoid and because I REALLY thought it was just a cold, I sent her to Christie's in the ,morning while I went to work. She and Walter hung out in the bat cave with the babies. Last night she woke up at 3 am with 102..we went to the Dr. today, she got a strep test and a flu test, the flu test was positive. I feel awful about exposing the babies. I forgot to ask Chrisite if the got the vaccine. Do they give those regularly to babies? UGH, so I guess I'm playing a waiting game to see if they will get it or not. We'll keep you posted. (no pun intended.)

Here are the photos

That is what Blogs, I mean sisters, are for?

So, Christie feels free to tear down my blog entries, but I'm fine with that.. That is what sisters are for right? And blogs are meant to engage people in meaningful dialogue, right? Yeah, yeah, that's right...so, bring it on, I can take criticism. Oh, and we all did in fact make it home safe and sound. Here are some photos to document the weekend. I'm including a not so good one of Christie on purpose. ha. Blogger is not letting me add photos right now, so I will have to try again later, sorry!

In comparison to that very DEEP MEANINGFUL post from Carrie - here are my thoughts - it is definitely snowing......they are predicting 12inches. Marc is driving home now so that Kait can head home before it gets too bad. We had lots of plans this weekend which will probably be cancelled so we'll spend the weekend at home. That is not all bad because one of the plans was class on Saturday. I'm thinking if we do get all this snow we should bundle Quinn & Aubrey up and take some pictures which I will post here on Monday!

White out in Cincinnati

It seems natural phenomena always make things both painfully complicated and crystal clear. Every winter there are a few storms that basically shut down the city. No school, no mail, roads closed, etc. Somewhere in the distant past there was a time that I would contemplate being really stuck at work (I remember sleeping in a booth while waiting tables during a snow storm, but I don't think I was STUCK, but there was no one out.) It seemed sort of exciting..Now, with kids to worry about picking up and getting home safely, this has all gone out the window and I run out of the door at work at the slightest hint of bad weather so that we can all be stuck at home...together...this part is crystal clear, my priority. The past few weeks have been pretty busy with this (see my last post if you have forgotten)...and there is another snow storm starting as I type..so, plans are being cancelled..phone calls made, to make sure we all arrive with children in tow at home in time to be safe..this is the complicated part, right? When to leave..who will leave work first? Can the babysitter drive home? Is there a supply of milk and diapers and formula? Salt for the driveway?..But once that is all over, we will all be at home, it will be eerily quiet outside, and really beautiful with all the fresh white snow, and suddenly there will be loads of unplanned free time..I'm sure there will be some baby Einstein and jumperoo at Christie's and at my house some Dora and connect four..there will be no where to go, there will be nothing that has to be done, no one will be running to the store..So, I'm trying to look forward to that part, and trying to forget the mountains of work I'll be leaving behind here. I'm secretly hoping for some baby time during this storm. I was joking with Christie about seeing her again when the twins are 5..it is hard to get together with us both working and both with kids now...
well, I could keep writing but I need to go deal with the complicated stuff of making plans for the snow day....so I can get to the clear part, being with my family safe and sound, while the snow falls all around.

Aubrey & Quinn had a good weekend. Saturday night was Grandpa's 60th birthday and they had lots of fun at his party. Sunday night they had cereal for the first time - Quinn did a great job, opening wide for each bite. Aubrey was a little more hesitant (& messy!)but that could have been feeder error - Betty was visiting and did a much better job feeding Quinn. It seems like they are growing so fast - I know everyone says that but I can't believe they are sitting up in their high chairs eating cereal already. They also love their jumparoo - Quinn jumps like crazy and screams the whole time. Aubrey is more low key but she likes it too! Its fun to watch their different personalities as they grow - Quinn is so loud and outgoing while Aubrey is much more quiet and reserved - at least for now :) Here are a few new pics...

A few photos to finish up with...

There is one photo here that doesn't belong..but I couldn't resist..I love this picture of Walter and his cousin's..in a few years Quinn will be there there hanging out with the boys.

Snow Days

Winter has been pretty mild here in Cincinnati. There have been a few near misses, but for the most part no major winter storms..until yesterday. I got a call about 2 that I needed to pick up Walter & Lu, school closed early. Christie was in Chicago for the day..Kait (I hope I'm spelling her name correctly) was at the Davis house with the babies...I thought Kait might want to head home early with the bad weather and I was planning on watching the babies for a bit in the afternoon anyway, so I headed over there from school to relieve Kait and hang out. Aubrey and Quinn were awesome! They are in such a great schedule..Aubrey started getting tired so I put her in her crib, turned on the music...and never heard another peep out of her..I put Quinn down, stuck his pacifier in his mouth..and never heard a peep out of him. It was like magic! My kids would have never done that, so I was really impressed! Anyway, that gave me some time to wash bottles and play some connect four with Walter..Poor Marc spent 2 hours driving from Mason to get home..later that night Christie made it back into to town but was stuck at the airport..I went back down to the Davis house so Marc could run a rescue mission and go to get Christie. The evening shift was more difficult because I am a bad bottle feeder..Quinn always ends up upset, which then makes his belly upset, which then makes him refuse the bottle..it is really my fault, but I'm not sure what a better strategy is (any advice from you all reading this?)
And Aubrey just never seems to eat enough for me..ARGh. Stinkin' babies. Christie made it home in time to put Quinn to bed, which I'm sure was a nice ending to a really bad day. The moral of this tale, if you're looking for one, is that I became aware of, and very grateful for my close proximity to my sister's house. Thanks goodness it didn't sell last year. I would miss out on chances to even out the score..Christie has been helping me out with Walter and Lucy for almost 7 years now, and also to spend more time with Quinn and Aubrey. I know the circumstances really were not ideal, but I had a great time anyway.

4 month check up

Aubrey & Quinn had their 4 mo check up yesterday. All went well - Taking 2 babies to the doctor by yourself is quite a challange. Lugging 2 car seats in & out of the office, undressing/dressing etc is hard work! Quinn weighed 15.2 and Aubrey weighed 12.2 - Aubrey has moved into the 15th percentile so that is a little improvement. They met all their developmental milestones and physical checks. When you hold Aubrey's legs up like your changing her diaper her little fat rolls (she has a few!) dont line up - I guess this is some very small cause for concern and she will need a hip Xray - sounds weird to me but we'll see. They both got 5 immunizations - so hard to watch! I was all ready to start them on cereal this week but the doctor wants me to wait until they are 6 mo's - he recommends this for all preemies. Dont know if I will actually wait this long - maybe I'll compromise and start them at 5 months :)

Here are a few new photos - had to include one of Mala riding the bull this weekend at Ashley's bachlorette party - I'm sure this will make the baby book (I have, or course, left out the picture of mommy riding the bull).