Funny Faces

Maisey and Gardner really enjoy looking out the windows in our master bedroom.  They face the backyard and go almost all the way to the ground.  These are probably the only windows in the house low enough for them to see out.

This weekend, I caught Miss Maisey smashing her face up against the glass, so I went outside to take a few pictures.  This shot provides are rare glimpse at her top teeth.

Gardner was not interested in pressing his face against the glass, but he was excited to see me on the outside.

In the picture below, Kyle says that Gardner looks like him as a baby.  I see the resemblance all the time, not just in this picture.

Maisey being silly.

Gardner and his signature look - the crusty boogers.  Trying to wipe his nose is like an act of torture to him.  I have learned to live with snot on the shoulders of my shirts and a permanent coating of dried mucous on his little nostrils.  We are definitely looking forward to warm weather and the end of runny noses!

Adios Helmet!

We bid a [not so sad] farewell to the helmet a couple of weeks ago.  It was a tad bittersweet - it was pretty cute decorated like a Georgia football helmet complete with "bones".  Gardner wore it 23 hours a day for 14 1/2 weeks.  His head went from being 13 mm asymmetrical to 8 mm.  It is still not perfect, but it is good enough.  I was willing to keep him in the helmet longer if it meant further improvement, but his progress seemed to have stalled out.  At his appointment in December the technician asked me if I was ready to throw in the towel.  "Of course not!" I replied.  Then when we went back in January, I had high hopes that we would be even closer to our goal of 6 mm.  When the scan showed absolutely no improvement and his head grew a minuscule amount, I was ready to rethink my answer.  His forehead is now completely perfect (it used to stick out further on one side) but the back of his head is a little flat.  I think once he gets more hair, it will be impossible to tell.  In fact, I am probably the only one who actually can tell.  The technician also told me that if he were a new patient being evaluated at his age and with his level of asymmetry, he would not get a helmet.  That made me feel better about the decision to stop wearing it.  I love being able to rub my cheeks on his soft fuzzy head and I am very glad I don't have to worry about being bonked in the face by that helmet ever again!

Gardner's first week in the helmet

Wearing the helmet...and nothing else

Helmet-less and happy!

My, How She's Grown

When the photographer took this picture of Maisey in the bowl on my dining room table, I thought it would be neat to look back and remember that she really was small enough to fit in it.  I decided to recreate the shot, but as you can see Miss Maisey is a lot bigger.  I am sure she is going to hate us one day, but we've started calling her by a new nickname - Fluffy.  She just has a fluffy look about her - from her poofy hair to her chubby legs and her bubbly personality.  

Happy Birthday, Gardner and Maisey!!

Wow!  A whole year has passed since these two babies arrived.  

They've more than tripled in size.  

Gardner - was 6 lbs 9 oz and is now 22 lbs.  Maisey was 6 lbs and is now 21 lbs.

  Below - Maisey in purple hat and Gardner in blue.

We celebrated the big ONE, with a party at Gymboree.  The poor things had never been there before, and I knew they would enjoy it.  They are on the move, but neither one is walking.  Gardner crawls so fast and you can hear him coming as he smacks his palms on the wood floors.  Maisey is much quieter and can sneak up on you or sneak out of the room when you are not looking.

The birthday boy

The birthday girl

Maisey - your hair is unbelievable!!

Here they are together just one week after they were born.

Look at them now!  So big!

Cousin Bunker really likes to hang out with Malloy.

Daddy and his little mini-me

"My, you've got your hands full!"  I can't even count how many times we heard that this year.

Happy Birthday to You!

Mmm!  Cake!

Look at you and your spoon.  Go Maisey!

What a proud big sister.  She has adjusted quite well from only child to big sister x2.

Mmm.  Apple juice.  I like it!

There were 4 sets of twins at the party.  They really did have a good time, they were just worn out by the time this picture was taken.

Happy New Year!!

Here are some pictures that my babysitter texted me on New Year's Eve. As you can see, the babies were quite the party animals. Malloy and Miss Jennifer toasted the new year with some sparkling grape juice. 2011 was quite an exciting year for us. I am hoping to get more sleep in 2012!

Christmas Day 2011

This year, we got a new plate to put Santa's cookies on. He really likes the peanut butter ones with the Hershey's Kiss in the middle...or so I have heard.
 The stockings couldn't be hung by the chimney with care.  First of all, we don't have a fireplace and secondly, the babies don't have stockings yet.  Dearie is working on them.  She is a needlepoint expert.  You really can't see all of the detail from the picture, but Malloy's stocking is AMAZING.  There are so many different styles of stitches and threads.  The embellishments are beautiful and they take a LONG time to complete.  It's a good thing Dearie loves needlepoint and her grandchildren.  Big sister got some candy, a Leapster game, My Little Ponies, and an iPad crayon.  Babies got sippy cups and books.

Our little Christmas morning spread in front of our little tree.

Malloy has crazy bed head.  She is psyched about her Barbie's Perfect Christmas set.

Checking out the stocking contents.

G-Man likes his new cup.

Maisey

Twins are checking out their "new" learning table.  It was new to them, but actually a hand me down from Holly's kids.  The best thing about Christmas with babies is that they don't know they don't have stockings and their presents are used!

Malloy entertains on her new microphone.

Love that facial expression!

Gary (no, that's not a typo.  We actually call him Gary.  I was very much against it, but now it has sort of stuck.  It is just a nickname we call him around the house.  He will be GARDNER in school!)

He likes the microphone too.

In the afternoon, we headed over to Granddaddy's in Minden.  It is even harder to get a good pictures of 8 kids and one adult.

Maisey enjoyed the wrapping paper.

Wow, a picture that I am actually in!  Thanks Aunt Amy for offering to take our picture.

Gardner loves his new tractor book.

Maisey checks out her Peek a Boo book.

Barbie Princess Charm School!!  Woo Hoo!!  We've only watched it 100 times.

Daddy and G-Man.

Granddaddy, the LSU fan, with Gardner, the Georgia fan.

Maisey having fun with ribbons and bows.

Christmas was a lot of fun this year.  The babies really didn't understand what was going on, but they enjoyed seeing their cousins and getting out of the house.  It was their first trip to Minden.  I am a very schedule oriented person, so these few days gave me the opportunity to see that the babies can, in fact, adapt to new surroundings.  It won't kill them if they miss their bath (for 3 days in a row) and stay up past their bedtime.  I am getting braver about taking them new places and trying new things.  This is good for all of us!