Not So Premature Anymore

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

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!

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

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!

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...

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

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!

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!

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...

...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...

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!

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...

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...

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

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!

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!

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

Gavin proclaims, "I'm huge!"

After rumors had been swirling for days about a possible weight gain, Gavin confirmed in a press conference this morning that he does now weigh five pounds. When asked why he waited so long to speak publicly, Gavin replied, "I wanted to inform close family and friends before alerting the media." Little brother Aiden had a different story to tell, "Let's just say that his weight has fluctuated a bit lately." When asked to elaborate, Aiden declined further comment and took a nap. Gavin maintains that it was his choice alone to delay the announcement and describes his new size simply as "huge."


Aiden spent the better part of the press conference trying to sleep in his crib. Bothered by all the flash bulbs from the paparazzi, Aiden commented, "Is he going to have a press conference every time he gains a pound? When I hit 4 pounds I didn't even get my own blog post." Good point Aiden.

Current Statistics:
Gavin - 5 lbs; 17.5" long
Aiden - 4 lbs, 6 oz; 16.5" long

Movin' On Up

On Tueday night the boys moved to some new digs. They finally scraped together enough rent money to move to the trendier open air cribs. Although both boys enjoyed their time in the warm and cozy isolettes, they agreed that it was time for a change. Gavin explained, "We can both be pretty stinky babies and the isolettes really trapped in the smell of those poopy diapers." Aiden seconded the sentiment, "Warm air plus dirty diapers, you do the math. It was NOT good."

At first they remained at 3310 Comfort Ct., but found it to be not so comfortable out of the isolettes. "We realized that we had some really noisy neighbors. We think of ourselves as pretty laid back guys, but there were some older babies in the neighborhood who were screaming and crying at all hours of the night," Gavin exclaimed. The boys hadn't realized just how quiet those isolettes had been. At the same time Aiden put it best when he said, "We are over a month old now, and that means trying new things like moving into a crib." Although happy in his crib, Aiden was skeptical of his noisy neighbors.

So the boys went hunting for a new room and found a delightful little place at 3306 Rock-A-Bye Rd. Although the room is smaller, it is in a much quieter neighborhood of the NICU. "Our view isn't spectacular, but this place is just temporary until we can move to E. 18th Street with Mommy and Daddy," Gavin stated. He had no trouble falling asleep in the new locale.

Daddy Rocks!

Preemies are at a higher risk of developing problems with their retinas so yesterday evening Gavin and Aiden had their eyes examined. Although necessary and important, the exam is not a very pleasant experience. Their eyes are dilated and numbed with drops prior to the exam so they are not in pain, but their eyes are held open with a tool and a bright light is used. Both boys were troopers throughout the exam. Gavin went first and although he was upset during the exam, and who wouldn't be, he calmed down quickly when he was placed in Ian's arms. Then it was Aiden's turn and he responded the same way. When Aiden was finished, he got to go see Daddy too. Ian got his first experience of holding both boys at the same time. Notice I have not mentioned where I was during this whole ordeal. I opted not to watch and instead used the convenient and true excuse that I needed to go pump. When I returned to their room I got to see the sweet sight of Ian holding both boys who were contently sleeping in his arms.

Both boys passed their exams and have normal retinas. They do not need to see the eye doctor again for another year.

Ian relayed to me that their "twin sense" did not suddenly appear during their eye exams. Both boys slept while the other was crying 2 feet away. Incidentally, the doctor has twins of his own at home. Ian inquired about their "twin sense" and the doctor said he first noticed it with his twins around the age of 4. (You hear that Steve, you still have a few years before the mind tricks start. I would still recommend that you take Christa's advice and learn to tuck your tail now because both boys have one heck of a grasp.) If the boys do happen to have their "twin sense" now and are communicating through ESP, I can imagine a conversation from last night like this:
Gavin: Boy, this is awesome hanging out with Daddy together.
Aiden: He sure is comfy to sleep on.
Gavin: I really like that he has a bald head. I feel like he really understands us.
Aiden: I think Mommy would look funny with a bald head, but Daddy makes it look good!

You might spend too much time at the hospital if...

I was getting in my car to leave the hospital one day last week when I noticed a small sheet of paper under my wiper blade. At first I thought it was an advertisement of some kind, but upon further examination I realized that it was a parking violation issued by hospital security. It stated that I did not have a parking tag and that I had parked in a restricted zone. I found this to be baffling because I was parked on a level of the parking ramp that I had parked on many times in a space that appeared to be completely ordinary.

When I got home, I told Ian what had happened. We decided to ask a security guard about it the next time we saw one. On Saturday night we finally saw a guard and remembered to ask. I explained where I was parked and asked if some levels were off limits. He told me that visitors could park anywhere in the ramp. He asked for my license plate number, make, model and color of the car. He remembered giving me the violation and explained that employees are not supposed to park in the ramp. After seeing my car parked in the ramp repeatedly without a sticker, he assumed I was an employee trying to get a better spot. He apologized profusely and hoped that the violation had not inconvenienced me too much. Ian and I found the whole situation to be quite amusing. Clearly, my car and I spend A LOT of time here.

Wonder Twin Powers...Activate?

To begin with, I have to share that the boys have had an awesome week. They both started nursing this week and are up to two full feedings a day (they are still receiving milk through their tubes the other 6 feedings). They have also been packing on the ounces this week. Gavin is up to 4 lb, 11 oz and Aiden is up to 4 lb, 4 oz. Aiden officially joined the Four-Pounder Club on Wednesday (He is not only the president, but also a member...he he).

Now back to the original subject of this post. So I have been thinking a lot about the "twin" thing lately. I have been carefully watching them to see if they have started to develop their "twin sense." You always hear stories about the connection twins have, and how they are able to feel when the other one is in pain or in trouble. So far, I would say the boys have zero "twin sense." I witnessed Gavin completely asleep without a care in the world while Aiden was wailing not three feet away while getting a new IV. Actually, "twin sense" wouldn't even have been necessary in this situation because they were in the same room. Gavin was simply oblivious to the fact that his little brother was very distressed. I am not putting down the little guy, because Aiden has been equally clueless. I have visions of them getting into trouble together when they are a little older and Steve, our cat, having to come meow messages to me like Lassie. Then again, I have a feeling that Steve would just watch them get into trouble and then decide to take a long nap before alerting me. He is that kind of cat.

As the boys approach being 4 weeks old, their personalities have really started to develop and they are very different. Gavin seems to be quite laid back. He isn't easily bothered and sleeps more than Aiden. This became very apparent when I realized at first how few pictures I had of him with his eyes open. His periods of wakefulness have increased, but he never looks too worried or concerned. If we could get into Gavin's head, his thoughts would be something like, "I get to come out and eat now, cool." Gavin is chillin' while fueling up on some milk through his looped tube.


Aiden is the complete opposite. He seems to be awake more than Gavin and is constantly checking out his surroundings with a wide-eyed look. Aiden has been dubbed "nosy" by some of the nurses for always needing to know what is going on. Sometimes he seems so concerned about what is happening that he furrows his brow, which makes him look very serious. Aiden often looks at the nurses and seems to be thinking, "Who are you and what are you doing to me now?" Aiden ponders the meaning of life while being held.

Despite their differences, I have faith that the boys will eventually hone their "twin sense" and use it to play Jedi mind tricks on Steve the cat. Sorry Steve.

In Both Gavin and Aiden You Find I-A-N

So my friend Ann pointed out after the boys were born that both their names contain the letters needed to spell "Ian." I thought that was pretty darn cool, especially considering it was unplanned and neither of us had noticed it on our own. We put a lot of thought into the boys' names. Early in my pregnancy we had bounced around some names, but we didn't get serious about names until we knew that they were both boys. We both really liked the idea of giving them Scottish names and began our search for the perfect monikers.

Ian was especiallly active in looking up names on the Internet and emailing or texting me his suggestions. I know it may be hard to believe, but not all of his suggestions were Scottish or serious. Some favorites, which many of you may have already heard, were D'Juan & D'Wayney (inspired by NCAA basketball) and Zeus & Jesus (Spanish pronunciation). The latter pair prompted by the idea that you could say "Hey Zeus" and they would both come.

My students were also very interested in the naming process of the boys and gave me daily suggestions. Some of my favorites were Walker & Texas Ranger, Dwight & Michael (one class loved the show The Office), and Anderson & Propes (the last names of the band teachers). Ian's coworkers Wendy and Mikkie suggested Rod & Tod, but we were afraid the hair products that would accompany their obligatory mullets would bankrupt us nor did we believe we could find two matching 1989 T-Top Pontiac Firebirds.

But in all seriousness, Ian took a very active role in the naming process. It was Ian who first found the plethora of websites that listed Scottish names. It was also Ian who first suggested the name Gavin, which we both fell in love with immediately. We tried out a number of names with Gavin, but there were none that even compared to Aiden. Once we had found those two names, we never wavered. To us, they were the perfect names. They are even more perfect now that we know each of their names contain the name of their father.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish Ian a wonderful first Father's Day. He is already a fantabulous father, which I always knew he would be.

Happy Father's Day to Grandpa Paul and Grandpa Neil!

And last, but not least, Happy 3 Week Birthday Gavin and Aiden! You've come a long way babies!

[Photos: Top - Ian with Gavin, Bottom - Ian with Aiden]

We Used to Have Stinky Babies

This week Gavin and Aiden have been lean, mean, pooping machines. They have pooped in the following places: their diapers (which we encourage), the legs of their sleepers (not encourged), on the nurses (not encouraged, but entertaining because Dee gets so upset with herself for not changing them quick enough), and on their bedding and/or isolette (these are some very talented boys). As of yet they have not pooped on either of their parents, but I know it will happen the next time I change one of them because I dared to write it in this blog.

As you can imagine, both boys were getting quite stinky from all their hard work so it was determined that they would get their first tub baths. Since both Gavin and Aiden have extremely busy schedules, we sat down with the boys and their palm pilots and scheduled their first bath for yesterday, Friday, at 12:30 pm. It fit perfectly between sleeping and eating.

The boys were bathed separately with Gavin taking the lead. Ian got the honors of washing Gavin while I took a couple pictures (okay, more like 20). At first Gavin was skeptical of the whole bath thing, but did relax and seem to enjoy the experience. In fact, he was so relaxed that he, yep you guessed it, pooped in his bath. After his bath was finished, Gavin seemed to especially like being dried off in warm towels.


Aiden was more on board with getting a bath from the beginning than his brother. In his usual curious nature, Aiden was wide eyed during the whole event trying to figure out what we were going to do next. I bathed Aiden while Ian was on camera duty. Aiden was in no rush to finish his bath and thus, did not feel the need to relieve himself in the tub. He also thoroughly enjoyed being placed in the warm towels.


Statistics update:

Gavin is up to 4 lbs, 4 oz











Aiden is up to 3 lbs, 8 oz

Gavin may be $7.82 here, but in England he is 4 pounds!

That's right folks, our little baby is now tipping the scales at a whopping 4 pounds! It was a big day for Mr. Gavin who said in a press conference this morning, "This is just so unexpected. Yesterday I was 3 lbs, 14 oz and today I am 4 pounds. I really could not have done it without the support of my fans." Aside from his weight, Gavin is also sporting a new length of 17 inches.

Little brother Aiden, who also had an impressive weight gain and is now 3 lbs, 5 oz, expressed his pride in his big brother, "I am just so glad that he made it and I can't wait to join him in the four-pounder club."

The sudden weight gain of both boys has caused quite a stir among the other babies in the NICU. While both boys admit that they do receive fortified breast milk, their are shocked and hurt that some of their fellow NICU babies have spoken to the local media about the possible use of illegal performance enhancing drugs like HGH. When asked about the allegations, Gavin and Aiden referred all question to their close personal friend and adviser Barry Bonds.

To the Batcave, Aiden!

When Gavin and Aiden are not eating, sleeping, or pooping, they have very busy lives preparing to be superheros. The first part of their training centers around the "caves" that they sleep in (very similar to the Batcave). Their incubators are covered in blankets to simulate the womb. Although it makes them less visible, they both seem to enjoy their dark, warm, little caves. It should also be noted that the boys' Batcaves are equipped with wheels. This came in handy when they had to be moved out of their rooms during a tornado warning on Saturday. The boys, of course, slept through the whole ordeal.

Aiden and Gavin are working on honing their superpowers while in their caves. From the sounds I hear from his cave, Aiden seems to be working on some kind of animal inspired superhero. He appears to derive his power from hiccuping, which allows him to emit a high pitched noise that sounds very similar to either a frog or a whimpering puppy. If anyone can come up with a fierce superhero name linked to a frog or whimpering puppy please let me know because right now I am at a total loss. Aiden, pictured to the left, in his Batcave before his fashion epiphany.


While Gavin also uses the power of hiccups, his skills cannot compare to his brother. Gavin uses his time in the Batcave to work out, usually done simultaneously with sleeping, a difficult feat already. His workouts are characterized by lots of stretching and yawning paired with some pilates and jujitsu. Above, Gavin relaxes after an intense training session and dreams of keeping the streets of the QC safe for all babies.

Once they pair their skills, Aiden and Gavin will clearly be unstoppable.

Anything You Can Do...

In their first act of sibling rivalry, Aiden decided that enough was enough and he no longer would wear just a diaper when big brother Gavin (by one minute) got to wear clothes, even if there are ridiculously too big. So last night Aiden made the decision to got dressed for the first time (well, the nurse decided, but don't tell Aiden that). After an unsuccessful first attempt, the truck sleeper was simply too big to even consider wearing, the nurse found a sleeper that was just right for our little Peanut.

Of course today he is wearing another over sized outfit like his brother, but for one night the little brother prevailed as the hipper dresser of the two, determined only by the fact that his outfit fit.