The Adventures of Gavin and Aiden

They do run, run, run...

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:03:00 +0000

Lately the boys have decided that it is really fun to get places fast. Why walk when you can run in different directions away from Mommy and Daddy? Although they enjoy running around the house, they love running around the neighborhood. Aiden and Gavin like to explore every sidewalk and driveway. I'm sure our neighbors think nothing of two little boys wandering up their front steps.

While their number of tumbles is decreasing, their utter defiance is on the rise. A command to stay out of the street is greeted with a coy smile and then a quick dart towards the curb. I really think that "stay out of the street" must sound like "blah, blah, blah, blah, street" to them. In other words, they hear street and think, "Great idea Mommy!" Thankfully we live on a quiet street.

On you mark, get set, go Gavin!

The fact that the boys are very easily distracted makes them quite easy to catch. The water cover reeled them in again. Thanks water cover!

Current Statistics:
Aiden - 22 lbs, 14 oz
Gavin - 23 lbs, 15 oz

Yoda and Chewbacca They Were

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:22:00 +0000

This year for Halloween the boys decided to go with a Stars War theme (and when I say the boys I mean Ian and I). While Aiden was none too pleased with his costume when it first arrived, Gavin loved being Chewbacca. Gavin was perfectly content to run around the house and play like a good little wookie. Aiden would get his cloak on and just cry and cry. It was quite sad. Thankfully the night of Halloween Aiden was very tolerant and ended up not minding his costume one bit.

Blueberries, friend or foe?

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:21:00 +0000

Ian and I got some great blueberries at the local farmers market last weekend. Both Aiden and Gavin are big fans of blueberry yogurt so we thought they might enjoy trying some actual blueberries.

*Note how determined Aiden was to eat the blueberries even though they were clearly sour. Such determination is usually reserved for Gavin who will eat just about anything.

Moving to the Country

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:31:00 +0000

...gonna eat a lot of peaches.* These photos are proof positive why diced canned peaches are not a good finger food. The boys had a great time trying to get the peaches in their mouths, but as you can see they were not too successful.

A more informative post coming soon...I promise!!

*Taken from a song by Presidents of the United States of America.

Easter Egg Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 02:26:00 +0000

Gavin and Aiden attended their first Easter egg hunt last Saturday. Although they are still a bit too young to grasp the concept of looking for eggs, they seemed to enjoy crawling in the grass and picking up the eggs Ian and I conveniently placed within their reach.

The eggs were near, but the boys were too engrossed in the grass. Gavin liked the feel of the grass from the beginning while Aiden was a bit leery at first.

Will Gavin go for the hot pink egg or the equally interesting dead leaf? Hint: We pulled countless leaves out of his hands that afternoon right before they were going to enter his mouth.

Aiden reaches for the pink egg passed over by Gavin. He will next try to eat the egg, but realize two things: 1) Plastic is not too tasty, and 2) The egg is much too large to fit into his mouth. Darn.

Gavin and Aiden pose with their bounty, which would have included two more eggs except some pirate six year olds took them. The boys had been playing with two of the eggs in the grass when we decided to take a family picture a few feet away. When we returned to the basket we found 3 six to seven year olds debating whether or not the eggs in the grass were up for grabs. Ultimately they decided that they were. When the basket came up for debate we decided we better step in.

Water Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:00:00 +0000

While we were in Duluth for Spring Break a week ago, Gavin and Aiden got their first chance to go "swimming." Both boys have always enjoyed bath time so we thought they would enjoy a dip in the pool. There was a baby pool that was the perfect size. Gavin and Aiden could stand up, supported of course, and the water only came up to their chests. They also enjoyed going for rides around the pool on their backs and stomachs courtesy of Mommy and Daddy.

Just like big boys, Gavin and Aiden enjoyed hanging out on the side of the pool.

Aiden chilled on the step looking unusually robust.

Gavin loved splashing in the pool and didn't even care when he splashed himself in the face. Aiden, on the other hand, did mind when Gavin splashed him in the face.

The Baby Colosseum...

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:18:00 +0000

...and yes, it was built in a day...or ten minutes. Gavin and Aiden have really been enjoying the plastic blocks that Ian played with when he was a child. The blocks are great for building all kinds of structures. The boys are particularly fond of what we have dubbed "The Baby Colosseum."

An aerial view of Aiden in the Colosseum with Gavin testing its structural integrity.

Aiden thinks that the Colosseum tastes quite yummy for being so strong.

Gavin enjoys the view as he lounges in his new favorite place.

Aside from playing with blocks, the boys are doing all kinds of big boy things like crawling and pulling themselves up in precarious places.

Current Statistics:
Aiden - 18 lbs, 13 oz
Gavin - 20 lbs, 11 oz

Eating, Sitting, and Teeth...Oh My!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:10:00 +0000

Gavin and Aiden have been quite busy since I last posted...six weeks ago...sorry. Their first new adventure was eating solids. They started with the ever popular, always disgusting rice cereal. They were troopers about the new experience, and Aiden figured out the whole spoon thing the first night. Don't let his size fool you, Aiden has always been the better eater. After exploring a number of vegetables: squash, carrots, peas (their least favorite so far), sweet potatoes, and green beans, we could put off fruits no longer. The boys started to eat peaches two nights ago, and Gavin literally started crying when they were all gone.

Aside from both being crazy rollers now, the boys are venturing into the land of sitting. Gavin can now sit for many minutes without any support (we credit his wide base). He will still tip over if he reaches for a toy too vigorously, but for the most part he is a "sitter." Aiden also enjoys sitting, but he is still very dependent on some type of support.

Not to be outdone by his brother's sitting ability, Aiden decided that he would be the first to cut some teeth. Although they are barely visible, Aiden's two front bottom teeth have arrived. It really came as quite a surprise to us. I only discovered he had teeth when he decided to chew on my finger instead of teething ring. Had I not felt them myself I would have not believed it. Aiden has shown no sign of discomfort and has been his usual happy self. You cannot see the teeth in the photo, but they are there.

Gavin and Aiden thoroughly enjoyed their first Christmas. They got to see all of their grandparents as well as two aunts, two uncles, and three cousins - meeting some family members for the first time. It was a wonderful holiday season.

Current Statistics:
Aiden - 16 lbs, 13.5 oz
Gavin - 18 lbs, 15.5 oz

Not So Premature Anymore

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:29:00 +0000

Last week Gavin and Aiden hit the 6 month old mark. It is hard to believe that they have been part of our lives for half of a year already. Wow!

Gavin and Aiden have been up to some new tricks since I last posted. They are both big into drooling. So much so that their bibs have become a permanent fashion accessory. Aiden has mastered the back to front roll...although he is quite covert about it. When I leave the room to go make bottles he is lying on his back, but when I return he is magically on his tummy. Sometimes Gavin is conveinently close by and other times he is no where close. We are not expecting Gavin to roll from his back to tummy anytime soon. He has a bit of a larger base than Aiden...I'll address his size later. Both boys have become quite the little gigglers. Aiden has been known to just start belly laughing for no apparent reason at all. They both thoroughly enjoy being tickled, either on their bellies or with my hair on their faces. I am all about getting the cheap laughs. Gavin and Aiden both sit and stand with some assistance. Gavin may be sitting independently sooner than Aiden (once again, larger base).

At their six month appointment on Friday, both boys were, of course, weighed and measured. Aiden weighed 14 lbs, 14 oz with a height of 23.25" and a head circumference of 44.3 cm (yes, he has a big head). His current weight puts him in the 10th percentile for full term 6 month olds. Way to go Aiden!

Gavin weighed in at a whopping 16 lbs, 15 oz (the 50th percentile for full term 6 month olds) with a height of 25.125" and a head circumference of 44.2 cm. Gavin is living up to his hospital nickname of "Porker."

Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:01:00 +0000

I know that Halloween was a week ago, but I figured that some photos late are better than no photos ever. Plus, I did post the cute Pooh and Tigger photo on the sidebar a few days ago as a teaser.

Gavin and Aiden were troopers about the whole costume thing...especially considering the fact that they were put in their costumes for a short period of time five days in a row. I was determined to get a picture of them both looking at least tolerant of their costumes. Aiden didn't seem to mind his Tigger costume from the beginning. Gavin was a different story. The photos from the first night of Gavin being Pooh are hilarious in the fact that he looks completely miserable. Thankfully, each time Gavin wore the costume he seemed to mind it less. In addition to their costumes, the boys also got some very cute matching "I want my mummy" sleepers from one of my co-workers.

Gavin looks adorable, but is not sold on being Pooh yet.

Aiden as a happy Tigger the very first night.

Aiden wonders why his head is feeling drafty while Gavin tries to hide the fact that he actually loves his Pooh costume now.

Aiden cracks himself up while posing with the pumpkin.

Gavin gives his new friend the pumpkin a hug.

Current Statistics:
Aiden - 13 lbs, 13.5 oz
Gavin - 15 lbs, 2 oz

Me too, me too!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:03:00 +0000

After watching Gavin rolling around for a couple days, Aiden decided it was his turn. Aiden rolled for the first time last Monday and Tammera caught his second roll on video. Although Aiden's initial approach was a bit different from his brother's, he is just as fast now that he has had some practice.

Show Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 03:06:00 +0000

Gavin learned a new trick this week - rolling over! He waited a whole two days after I went back to work to start showing off. Our nanny, Tammera, was kind enough to take this video of Gavin's second roll. Notice that Aiden tries to steal the spotlight by sneezing in the middle of all the action.

Current Statistics:
Gavin - 14 lbs, 1.5 oz
Aiden - 13 lbs, 1.5 oz

Hands...yummy!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:15:00 +0000

Gavin and Aiden have made quite a discovery this past week...their hands! And judging from the frequency that their hands are in the mouths, they must taste absoultely delicious.

Aiden is partial to his left thumb, while Gavin enjoys his entire left hand. Do we have two future lefties on our hands? (no pun intended) If so, I am sure that baseballs will magically appear in their left hands courtesy of their daddy...only joking of course...I think. I was reading in a baby book that many babies take to their thumbs when they are weaning from nursing. So it looks like little Aiden is exhibiting some excellent coping skills. What a well adjusted little baby!

Not that Gavin is not well adjusted, but he was the one who pushed the fast forward button on the whole weaning process. About a week ago Gavin decided he was "so over" nursing and took to just lying there and smiling at me instead of eating. Silly little guy! Sometimes Gavin sucks on his left hand while twirling his barely existent hair with his right hand, a skill I have seen in action many times by my nephew Jack, except that he actually has hair.

Current Statistics:
Gavin: 12 lbs, 14 oz
Aiden: 12 lbs, 5.5 oz

Looking for love again...

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:50:00 +0000

Episode 2: The Basement Stairs

Like many felines, Steve's food and litter boxes (yes, he has more than one box because he is that particular) are in the basement of our house. This works out great for us because he is really quite a messy kitty. Steve likes to kick litter around like he is playing soccer, and his food bowl is constantly surrounded by spilled food that he refuses to eat. A problem with the basement set-up is that sometimes we don't always remember to feed him twice a day. I know what you are thinking, "How can this rather robust cat possibly need to eat twice a day?" Just so you know, his veterinarian recommended that he get a half cup of food twice a day. We are merely following the orders of a highly qualified and well trained veterinarian. Don't shoot the messenger.

When Steve feels like he has been wronged or does not have enough food, he assumes his usual position at the top of the steps and meows. During one of his particularly vocal meowing sessions a couple weeks ago, Ian responded with the following, "I know you still have food down there. I've seen it with my own eyes. Maybe if you run up and down the stairs a few more times you'll get more food." Ouch!

For all of you Steve fans out there, put down your phones and don't call PETA. Steve did actually have food. The majority of it may have been surrounding his food bowl, but it is worth noting that his bowl is on a very nice rug.

4 Months of Amazing

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:03:00 +0000

On Thursday, Gavin and Aiden celebrated their four month birthday. I, of course, subjected them to more pictures with the monkey (we use a stuffed animal monkey to show their month to month growth). You'll notice that the monkey is not looking very big. When the boys were two weeks old the monkey looked huge! In fact, I am confident that it was almost bigger than them.

Reaching four months meant that the boys also got to go in for another well baby check-up on Friday. Something funny happened while we were in the waiting room before the boys' appt. There was a mother leaving with her baby. It was a baby girl, and it appeared to be her first appt. after coming home from the hospital. Compared to Gavin and Aiden, the baby looked tiny. This made me realize two things, 1) This was the first time that Gavin and Aiden looked big compared to other babies, and 2) Gavin and Aiden not only used to be that small, but they were even smaller. People always tell me that you never quite remember how small your babies used to be. It has only been a couple months and I have already forgotten (and am perfectly okay with that). Looking at those early pictures of Gavin and Aiden is so hard now, but also an incredible reminder of how far they have come. They are truly amazing little guys, and we couldn't love them more. Okay, enough sappy stuff.

Since we have been working hard at fattening our boys up, I was really excited about our appt. I couldn't wait to hear what the doctor had to say about their weight gains. At their last check-up, two months ago, Gavin weighed 6 lbs, 13 oz and Aiden weighed 6 lbs, 2 oz. On Friday, Gavin weighed 11 lbs, 10 oz and Aiden weighed 11 lbs, 6 oz. [I am sure you noticed that Gavin reclaimed his title of "Bigger Baby." He let Aiden keep the title for about a week, but day by day he slowly chipped away at the lead. Don't worry, he didn't gloat.] The doctor was recording their new statistics and said that Aiden's length (21 1/8") was good. Then he saw Aiden's weight gain and described it as "impressive." I was a very proud mommy. He was also very pleased with Gavin's growth (he is now 22" long). Since the boys' weight gain is not a problem, we can continue to let them have their new found 7-9 hour nightly sleeping stretch. The doctor saw no reason to wake sleeping babies, and we support his decision 100%.

The two pictures show Aiden (top) and Gavin (bottom) in their car seats before we left for their appt. Notice how excited they are to go to the doctor...are those looks of apprehension or just sheer terror?

Littler No More!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Aiden has some big news to smile about, which is totally possible since both boys are social smilers now. While he is still, and will always be, the younger brother, he is no longer the "little brother." That's right folks, Aiden has passed Gavin in the weight category. At last night's weigh in Aiden was 10 lbs, 7 oz while Gavin was 10 lbs, 5oz. This is quite an accomplishment for Aiden because he has been working to catch his brother since birth. Aiden is being quite modest about the whole thing, "It is just nice to be the same size as Gavin, and for Mom and Dad to call me 'Big Boy' now too."

Gavin is proud of of his younger brother, and has been rooting for him to match weights from the beginning. When asked to comment on their new sizes Gavin said last night, "I think it is cool that he is finally bigger, but I have a feeling this is not the end of the story. I plan to catch him and retake my title as the bigger baby."

In a related story, Steve the cat miraculously lost 2 oz and is now 17 lbs even. How that possibly happened no one knows.

Sooooo Big!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:20:00 +0000

As the boys continue to get bigger, their personalities are really starting to show more. For those of you who have been reading about the boys from the beginning, I think you may be surprised to read that they seem to have swapped some of their earlier personality traits. Here is a recent picture of Gavin and Aiden sporting their Thing 1 and Thing 2 onesies. Aside from the twin factor, these onesies seem appropriate because you just know that one day Gavin and Aiden are going to get into all kinds of mischief like the characters Thing 1 and Thing 2. If Steve somehow acquires a hat, then I will really be concerned.

In the hospital Gavin seemed very laid back, which was probably our perception because for the longest time all he seemed to do was sleep. Gavin is no longer Mr. Chill and has taken to being quite a crybaby (an absolutely adorable and sweet crybaby). In his defense, Gavin also seems to be a very gassy baby which leads to a lot of discomfort [Feel free to insert your own joke about how gassy his parents are here]. Gavin by no means cries all the time and is quite a happy and content baby much of the time. He does seem to tire easily though and once he gets overtired or overstimulated then he gets upset. Gavin fights going to sleep because now that he is awake more he doesn't want to miss anything. In addition to crying, Gavin makes a great wookie noise. Imagine what Chewbacca would sound like as a baby and that is the noise Gavin makes. Although both boys are getting very good at lifting up their heads, Gavin appears to have better control of his head and can be quite impressive during tummy time. The picture above shows Gavin exercising his lungs while Aiden considers joining in.

Aiden is not innocent in the gas or noise making categories. In fact, he is gassier and much more vocal than his brother. Both boys have earned nicknames such as Stinks, Mr. Stinks, Stinker, Stinky, you get the picture. As far as noises, Aiden still grunts, chirps, and squawks, but has added to his repertoire snorts, squeaks, coos, and squeals. He is particularly loud at night when he makes all sorts of noises in his sleep. You can only imagine what kinds of dreams he must be having. Gavin probably wonders how he ended up with such a chatty bedfellow. Thankfully both boys are still able to sleep through the other's noises. Aiden is still a very curious little guy and particularly enjoys looking at light fixtures and drapes (perhaps I should curb my HGTV watching). Sometimes he will be looking at something, but we have no idea what (like in the picture above). Unlike Gavin, Aiden easily falls asleep on his own in a number of different, sometimes strange, places.

Current Statistics:
Gavin: 9 lbs, 13.5 oz, 21" long
Aiden: 9 lbs, 12 oz, 20.75" long

In this corner, weighing in at 8 lbs...

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:02:00 +0000

...Aiden! I bet you thought it was going to be Gavin. Actually Gavin weighs 8 lbs, 3 oz now, but I thought I would give Aiden the big headline for once. Those of you who have been closely monitoring the boys' growth probably noticed two things. To start, we have two very big boys who each gained more than a pound in the last two weeks. Also, Aiden is finally catching up to Gavin. Watch out big brother!

All of this weighing was made possible thanks to a friend of a friend that lent us a scale. We found out we would be getting it a week ago and I have been anxiously awaiting its arrival. Ian pointed out that we probably owe the scale's owner a car because I am that excited (remember I still don't get out all the often). After finding out at the boys' last doctor's appt that we didn't have to return until September, I knew that I wouldn't make it that long not knowing.

We weighed Aiden first and I was shocked to see that he had made it to 8 lbs exactly. After knowing that, I think I expected Gavin to be close to 9 lbs since he has always been so much bigger. You can imagine my surprise when he was a mere 3 oz bigger than his little brother. After always seeing Aiden as "the little one," I really had to change my perception of their sizes. I purposely dressed them in the same outfit yesterday just so I could really see how close in size they are now. Gavin is on the left and Aiden is on the right.

So I also took the opportunity to weigh Steve, which turned out to be a really bad idea. Not because he didn't cooperate, because he actually did, but because I had to face a sad reality that he really has been stress eating. This is almost too embarrassing to blog about, but our dear cat is a whopping 17 lbs, 2 oz. Although, I maintain that he is big boned, I still think I may need to look into Kitty Weight Watchers for him.

Looking for love in all the wrong places...

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:42:00 +0000

So I know this blog is supposed to be about Gavin and Aiden, but I cannot resist blogging about our cat Steve (and he has many fans out there who have requested that he be included).

The poor guy has been desperate for attention since the boys have come home. So I have decided to periodically include a post about Steve and his search for attention. Will he be successful? You will have to keep reading to find out.

Episode 1: The Baby Wardrobe
You can't blame Steve for looking for attention in the baby wardrobe. It is appealing to him on so many levels. One, he knows that we go into the wardrobe multiple times a day (he is a very smart cat). Two, it is full of lots of soft blankets and clothes to sleep on. Three, deep down I think he is quite aware that he is not supposed to be in the wardrobe so I am sure it gives him some secret pleasure to be somewhere he is not supposed to be (he is also very passive aggressive).

For those of you rooting for Steve, this attempt failed. When told sternly to get out of the wardrobe, Steve meowed in dismay (he talks back often) and refused to get out. Although I did get a very cute picture of Steve, ultimately he was scolded and literally pulled out of the wardrobe.

Better luck next time Steve.

Over 7 pounds of love!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:12:00 +0000

It is definitely worth noting that Mr. Gavin is now over 7 lbs. When he was weighed last week he was 7 lbs, 1 oz, but considering how fast these boys gain weight it is probably safe to say that he is well over 7 lbs now. Since Aiden was the star of the last post, I thought I better give Gavin some special blog attention. In the picture to the left, Gavin was giving Daddy some special attention and love, or is it really the other way around? This looks to be a mutually beneficial cuddling session.

Not to completely neglect Aiden, I would like to give him props for some stellar growth. Last week Aiden was up to 6 lbs, 7 oz. If we follow the same reasoning as above, then Aiden is most likely well over 6 1/2 lbs now.

Keep it up boys! Soon your combined weights will be more than Steve the cat.

Magnum or Blue Steel, you decide...

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:26:00 +0000

This blog post has been in the works in my mind for months, but only recently have I had the visual evidence, photos, needed to illustrate my point.

From a very early age, one to two weeks old, we noticed that Gavin would make a look very similar to the one made by Ben Stiller in the movie Zoolander. For those of you not familiar with the movie, Zoolander is a comedy from 2001 about Derek Zoolander (Stiller) a male model at the end of his career who gets brainwashed to become an assassin and looks to rival model Hansel (Owen Wilson) for help. From that description alone you are probably quite surprised that the movie was not nominated for any Oscars that year. I have always found the movie to be hilarious while Ian has never really cared for it (although I do believe he does now see its comedic value).

It was not long before both Gavin and Aiden started doing what we now call the "Zoolander," but like many elusive things (Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot) we could never get a photo of the boys doing "Zoolander." We would even try to bring on the look by encouraging the boys, "Do Zoolander. Come on, do Zoolander." I can already hear the boys telling us that they are not show ponies.

I finally caught Aiden doing "Zoolander" last week. Notice the puckered lips and inquisitive eyes that mark such looks as "Magnum" and "Blue Steel," both looks from the movie. As of yet, I still do not have any visual evidence of Gavin doing "Zoolander," but please believe me when I tell you that he can do it just as well as his little brother. Gavin would tell you himself that he taught Aiden everything he knows about making looks, but is too quick with his looks to be caught on camera. Aiden, on the other hand, seems thoroughly pleased to finally have a blog post almost solely devoted to him.

Current Statistics:
Gavin: 6 lbs, 13 oz
Aiden: 6 lbs, 2 oz
Both boys are now over 19" long.

So this is outside...

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:48:00 +0000

Since the moment the boys have been home I have been very excited about taking them for a walk. One would think this would be an easy task to accomplish. One would be wrong.

There have been many reasons why a walk has not happened. The main reason being that I just haven't had a lot of downtime (also why I have been such a slacker with this blog lately). Taking care of twins is a lot of work! When I have had time, then the weather has been awful. Either it has rained or the temps have been in the 90s with terrible humidity. After weeks of waiting, today was finally the day the boys would have their first walk (ride) outside.

I got them situated in the pram (call me Mary Poppins) and it wasn't 2 minutes before Gavin decided he wanted nothing to do with this "walk." Aiden, on the other hand, fell asleep instantly. Gavin proceeded to cry loudly for at least half of the walk. Just a note, a crying baby does not sound nearly as loud when he is outside. Gavin would cry for about 7 minutes straight, stop for 7 minutes, cry again for 7 minutes, and then stopped for the last 7 minutes. Aiden slept the entire ride. I think I may have caught him shooting dirty looks to "that other baby" in the pram who was disturbing the tranquility of nature that he was enjoying.

Thankfully we did not come across any other walkers, aside from Grandpa Paul and Grandma Judy who were with us, because I would have been a bit embarrassed. I always pictured taking the boys on walks and other walkers stopping to admire my beautiful, not crying, babies. You know, having to fight off all the adoring fans with sticks, "No, I'm sorry but you cannot kiss my babies. I know they are hard to resist, but try to contain yourself." Brad and Angelina: Eat your hearts out.

Current Statistics:
Gavin: 6 lbs, 3 oz
Aiden: 5 lbs, 10 oz

First Date

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:31:00 +0000

On Tuesday night Gavin and Aiden had their first date. The lucky gal, Amelia, is an 8 month old redhead who enjoys long walks around the neighborhood and solid foods. The boys prepped for the evening by taking baths earlier in the day and wearing their best sleepers. The date began around 6 pm when Amelia arrived with her parents Tim and Angela. During dinner Amelia dined on a Bitter Biscuit, being a typical lady she ate dinner before coming as to not eat too much in front of the boys. Gavin and Aiden slept through the majority of dinner, but did enjoy bottles and after dinner conversation in the living room.

It was a very exciting evening for the boys evidenced by the fact that they both required a change of sleepers after they wet through their first outfits (girls can have that effect on boys). Things really got crazy when Amelia almost crawled off during a changing without any pants on. I overheard Gavin say to Aiden at that point that Amelia, "might be too fast for us." The picture to the right shows the scene at 8 pm. As you can see, Amelia, with her mom Angela, is ready to hit the clubs while Gavin and Aiden are out for the count.

Although the word dowry did come up during dinner, you think I am kidding, no official arrangements were made. Both Gavin and Aiden look forward to more "dates" with Amelia, but both admit they are not ready for a "serious relationship."

Watch out, I'm coming over!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:20:00 +0000

Although both boys have been sleeping well since they came home, Aiden has the tendency to chirp and squawk a lot in his sleep. It made us a little concerned he was not getting a lot of quality rest. We talked to the visiting nurse about it when she was here yesterday. She mentioned that many twins like to sleep right next to each other in their crib, and that it might calm Aiden down. We had already noticed their ability to scoot closer to each other, sometimes covering 6 to 8" in the span of 3 hours. We tried positioning them closer together, Aiden got over to Gavin's shoulder all on his own, and they both slept a lot more soundly and quietly. Just when we thought the boys couldn't get any cuter they found a way. :-)

Aside from good sleeping ideas, the nurse also weighed each boy and we were delighted to see that they had both gained weight since coming home. Gavin is up to 5 lb, 8 oz and Aiden is up to 4 lb, 14 oz.

For those of you wondering about Steve, he seems to be doing fine since the boys' homecoming. As Ian pointed out today, we know he has been eating because his food bowl is constantly empty. I think Steve has been coping with the situation by doing a little stress eating. I tried to recommend exercise to him, because let's face it he is big enough, but he pretended not to hear me.

Hey Aiden, Let's blow this popsicle stand!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Russell) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:45:00 +0000

Today around 4 pm Gavin and Aiden were discharged from the hospital. We had known for a couple days that today was probably going to be "the day," but I didn't want to jinx it by writing about it. As you can imagine, we are absolutely thrilled to have them home! Don't they look just precious in their crib together?

In the first two hours home, both boys got changed into new outfits and their crib got a new crib sheet due to their amazing and unparalleled ability to overfill their diapers. We are so proud!

There are many funny stories from their last couple days in the hospital, but those will have to wait until another post...because I will have so much more time to blog now (ha ha). I do have to give a shout out to all the nurses, doctors, and staff of the Genesis NICU. They are incredibly caring, compassionate, and just damn good at what they do. Thanks for taking such good care of the boys (and Ian and I) the past 5+ weeks.

Current Statistics:
Gavin: 5 lbs, 3 oz
Aiden: 4 lbs, 12 0z