9 Month Physical

Yesterday the twins had their 9 month physical (see "Twins In A Nutshell" on the left of your screen for heights and weights!). This was actually the first time that I brought both of them together for a shared doctor appointment! They have been "off schedule" from birth: because Evie was in the hospital longer, she didn't see the doctor when Gavin did. Then when they were about to get on the same schedule, Gavin got a urinary tract infection and had to wait a few weeks, and then all of his shots were delayed a bit.

So finally they had a physical at the same time. Gavin still got to skip the shots - he gets to wait til the 1 year physical. (All this waiting is because the pediatrician said we need to maintain the scheduled time intervals between the shots.) Evie got 2 shots and handled it like a champ. She is such a pro at getting stuck with needles, poor thing! After all she's been through, the 2 shots hurt initially and then she was over it. She only cried for about 30 seconds.

Grandpa Vic came with me to help hold onto the kids, since neither of them wants to sit still:


Before we left, Evie got in some undivided time with her grandparents while Gavin napped:


After work, Daddy read the kids one of their favorite stories, Shiver Me Letters: A Pirate ABC:


They didn't feel like paying attention though!

Yummy Toes!

After a couple of busy days, we just hung out at home (and stayed inside; 100 degree heat index!). The kids took good naps and ate and played well! Gavin tried beef for the first time, which I had to mix with sweet potatoes and then he ate it.

The kids also tried out these little mesh food bags. I cut up some banana pieces to put inside. Evie took a few minutes to catch on to it, but then she licked it if I held it for her. Gavin squeezed his in his hands and then rubbed them all over the highchair tray. What more could I ever ask for?

The kids have been into their toes lately:


Evie shows off her flexibility: "See, I can taste my toe just like Gavin can!"


Early morning playtime... Evie is kinda spacey at 7 am, and Gavin is ready to crawl in circles around the house!


"Hey Gavin, what are you playing with over there?"


"This is our Sesame Street remote, Evie. See, it works like this."


"Hmm, well, I'm too sleepy to push all those buttons. I'll play with your new hammer for a while!"

More Visitors...We Could Get Used To This!

Yesterday we had more visitors - yay! First Uncle David and his friend / collegue Bridgett stopped by on an extended lunch break...they had an important meeting with "E & G Development!" They read the blog every day at work, so Bridgett was excited to meet the twins in person.


Bridgett & Evie...Evie spent a lot of time gazing at her!




Evie and Uncle David...she was getting fussy but was still interested in his tie:



Bridgett, Gavin, Evie, & David:



Gavin & Bridgett



Gavin could not get enough of his Uncle David - he kept crawling all over him and didn't want to let go! Here he decided to taste his own toe...



Later, our good friend Carol stopped by. She has a pink cell phone that the kids were fascinated with!


Evie liked sitting with Carol while she played with her toys:




After that, the kids got baths and Gavin pitched in with cleaning. Gavin says, "Mommy said I have to do something called 'chores,' whatever those are. She says, 'I have to earn my keep.' I'm not sure what that means either, but she showed me how to 'dust'."

A Day Full of Visitors

Yesterday the twins had a steady stream of visitors! First we had a long-anticipated visit from Aunt Sharon & Aunt Sandra , 2 of my aunts who live in the Milwaukee suburbs. They are Grandpa Vic's sisters and are regular blog readers!

Aunt Sharon & Evie:

Aunt Sandra, Evie, and me:

Gavin & Grandpa Vic:

"Hmmm, I think you might have a fever Grandpa."

Aunt Sharon & Gavin:

Aunt Sandra & Gavin:

Grandma & Gavin:

Aunt Sandra & Evie:

Aunt Sharon, Grandma, and the kids:

Aunt Sharon teaches Gavin how to hit Grandpa's knee:

Grandpa Vic and Gavin crawled all around the house! Grandpa was worn out but Gavin completely refused to take his afternoon nap.

Later Auntie Di and Uncle Kevin stopped by to help out during dinner/ cereal craziness:

Then, Uncle Mark, Annie, and Sam Flory stopped by to bring Daddy a birthday present (and gifts for Gavin and Evie too!). Too bad Aunt Robin was sick and couldn't make it - we missed you! This was the first time Gavin didn't cry when Uncle Mark held him (or even stood near him)! If Gavin looks tired here, it's because he hadn't slept in about 6 hours!

Annie and Sam had fun playing with Gavin...

..and reliving their own (not-too-distant) infancy playing on the playmat!

Baseball Buddies

Evie & Gavin just love to play with their baseball toy! They can swat at it, chew on it, or use the bat to try to hit the ball. Often they knock the whole toy over and start hitting it.

Gavin loves to take the ball off of the stand:


Evie wants in on the game!


Evie makes her move. She's a very determined little girl!


Looks like Gavin kicked it out of her reach...just wait til next time!




Evie is getting more interested in her pink Bounce Bounce Baby jumper. She used to just stand in it and watch whatever Gavin was doing, but now she plays with all the toys hanging around it. The only part she hasn't quite mastered is rotating herself in the seat.

Gavin likes to stand next to the jumper and play near his sister:




Here, Evie had so much energy that she couldn't stop kicking Gavin, who thought it was pretty funny!

Just Playing Around

I think Gavin has decided that the Boppy pillow is something to be tackled. He loves to crawl over it and hit it, kick it, and chew on it. In these photos, the Boppy was on the floor behind Evie - he crawled over it, sat on it, and just about ended up in her lap:

"Gang way! Here comes my brother!"


Evie is suspicious, "Gavin, what are you about to do?"


"Ooof!"


Here are the twins playing on one of their playmats:


"A little higher, Evie. Aahh, that's the spot!"






Here's Evie chattering away. This is exactly what she does when we put her down for the night - she jabbers in her crib for 10 - 20 minutes. I think she likes to sound of her own voice!

Gavin's New Tricks

Somehow Gavin decided it would be fun to push Evie's Bumbo seat around the house. Sometimes he puts a toy in it, sometimes not. He came up with this idea all on his own - we never know what he will do next!



( I think it's even funnier that he moved the rug out of the way!)
He's so proud of himself - here he goes down the hallway:



Here's the first cabinet he figured out how to open: the one with the Xbox and Nintendo Wii video game consoles! Evie is keenly observing this:



He loves the remote controls! Even though he has his own Sesame Street remote, it's not always as interesting as these:


Who can resist those baby blues?


"Now, pay attention, Evie. You use this big bar here at the bottom to make spaces."


Maybe we'll see a blog post from Evie one day soon!

First Playdate!

Yesterday the twins went on their first play-date! They got to meet 8 other twins & I got to chat (although in fragments) with their moms. We had so much fun and can't wait to do it again! Thanks so much to Natalia, mom to Konrad & Emilia, for opening up her house (and toys, bouncy seats, and highchair, etc) to all of us!

Most of us met last summer when we were all pregnant with our twins. Edward Hospital offers a "Marvelous Multiples" prenatal class, and the friends I have met there have been invaluable resources!

I am sitting here with Evie & Gavin, Emma & Caroline are with mom Gretchen, and Konrad is in front:





Gavin looks on as Emma & Caroline are both interested in their Pooh-Bear book:


Evie meets another Evie (her full name is Evangelina)!


Gavin turned a tin into a drum:


Gavin & Pierre (doing "hard time" in "baby jail"). "It's rough on the inside, yo," says Gavin.



Gavin & Felix (Pierre's twin):


"Hi, I'm Evie!" "Hi, I'm Felix!"


Evie and Felix (getting more friendly!):



Gavin says, "So, yeah, Felix, sometimes it's tough having a sister. But most of the time she's alright!"


Pierre, who is really enjoying his lunch, and mom Kelly. Kelly has some more playdate pictures on her blog.