Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve morning and while I'm up (for the 4th morning in a row Riley has had me up very early...teething pain go away!) I thought I would wish everyone a Merry Christmas and share a few cute pictures from the past few weeks. Our colds earlier this month did turn into ear infections (both right ears again) so we've been busy getting over those and trying (Geoff's sick right now and his difficulty breathing is what drove me out of bed and to the computer, after I had gotten Riley settled back down :) to stay healthy for Quinn and Riley's first Christmas. I feel so blessed and amazed that I get to be their mother and celebrate Christ's birth with them!

We had two Christmas parties in one weekend. We traveled to the upstate for a family party where Quinn and Riley were a big hit! The other one we had to come back to Columbia for, busy weekend!
Aren't they adorable?!? I can't believe how much they are growing up...almost 10 months.

I wasn't letting him touch our tree, and he didn't really try to, but he would only sit still for a picture touching this tree at Grammy and Pop's house. When we got home he decided that was fun and has been grabbing at our tree a ton...keeps mommy busy!

I just love this picture of her, she has the prettiest blue eyes!

They have started eating more table food. Mostly bananas, diced peaches, diced pears, cheese (love cheese like their mommy), mac and cheese, green beans, peas, meatballs, bread...And Quinn eats anything he can con someone into giving him. He hasn't met a food he doesn't like and he especially loves feeding himself, and wearing his food!

Riley had a recent evaluation for the physical therapy and other services she receives. She does have some gross motor and fine motor delays. We were very excited when she used her fingers (fine motor) to feed herself a puff! She won't pick up everything, I don't think she likes slimy things like banana and peaches on her hands...miss priss?!?

Quinn is into everything! He crawls everywhere and then pulls up on most things. He has bumped his head many times and carries on for a few minutes and then is right back on the go again. He discovered the door stop and it was nonstop fun for a few days.

He also likes to drop toys down this one step, he gets quite a collection on the floor and then tries to take himself down over the step. This has lead to a few of the head bumps...gotta learn somehow.

He thought he would invent a new use for the exersaucer...


While Riley is not crawling, she sure gets around. She rolls everywhere! I actually think she is quite happy with her mode of transportation and if it weren't for her therapist working with her she probably would bypass crawling altogether. She also scoots backwards and goes under everything!

Everything...I finally had to move the couch to vacuum up the dust bunnies because she kept getting them all over her!

Have you ever seen a cuter Christmas package? She is definitely my favorite gift, along with her brother!

Did I mention he's into everything?

He noticed Haley playing with her ball and making a squeaking noise. First he just crawled to her and watched for a little while.

And a few pictures later he had the ball and Haley was watching. Poor Haley, she's so good with them and doesn't get upset about anything. They will have lots of fun together!

Riley and Quinn want to wish you a very Merry Christmas! They are excited that we get to stay home for the holidays and host our families. Mine is coming on Christmas Eve, that's today, and Geoff's on Christmas day! I had better go try to get some sleep so I can be ready to soak in every moment of this first Christmas with my babies!

9 Month Stats & More Colds

I meant to post their stats earlier but Quinn and Riley both started coming down with colds the day after their well visit and it hasn't been fun.

At 9 months Quinn weighs 19 pounds (25th percentile), is 27.25 inches long (20th percentile) and has a head circumference of 18 inches (50th percentile-all those brains!).

At 9 months Riley weighs 14 pounds 14 ounces (less than 5th percentile), is 26 inches long (5th percentile) and has a head circumference of 17 inches (25th percentile-all those brains!).

It's funny to me that their biggest percentile is head circumference! They had better be smart since they both go to collage at the same time!

Also, Riley had another head scan last Thurs. and after just 2 weeks we already saw improvement in her head growth and shape. That was very encouraging and just helped confirm that the helmet was the right thing for her.

On Fri. they started coming down with colds (did we get those at the dr's office) and now I'm waiting to see if it seems like they are getting ear infections (so we can go back to the dr's office). Pray that doesn't happen!

In other news Quinn has learned to pull up to a stand by himself. He was getting on his knees but now he's all the way up to his feet! Unfortunately he can't get back down, at least not in his crib. He just stands there and cries until someone comes to help. Because his standing is new he loves to do it so he's waking up early in the morning and instead of rolling over and going back to sleep like usual, he's standing up, getting tired of standing, and then crying. Anyone have any ideas for what to do? I would probably let him cry a little bit and see if he can figure out how to get down but since he's sick I'm not doing that. Crying makes it even harder for him to breath! I've tried showing him how to go back down but he hasn't gotten it so far!

Riley also does this funny thing where she scoots backwards while on her tummy. She has gotten herself stuck way under the couch and coffee table. She also has gone under the Christmas tree. She's the best present, she and her brother!

9 Months

Quinn and Riley turned 9 months on Thanksgiving day! I really can't believe they are 9 months already. They are growing and changing so much and so quickly. They get cuter and more adorable every day (I know I am very biased) and I love just playing with them and laughing with them!

Here's the monthly picture with puppy. I think Riley has gotten especially long recently!

Riley loves animals, especially dogs. She giggles and laughs at them! She also likes playing with stuffed animals!

Quinn likes to pull up on things, he practices in his crib so it's a good thing daddy dropped the mattress all the way down!

Sweet twins, filling out the chair more these days!

Riley has adjusted really well to her helmet. We go for our first check-up on Thurs.

Quinn loves to stand (I'm just not ready for him to walk).

My mom made Quinn and Riley these adorable outfits! They wore them for the first time on Thanksgiving and are so very cute! I did the smocking on Quinn's and she put the outfit together.

Here's Riley with Nana. She's wearing the bishop dress Nana made her! Isn't it beautiful!

Cousin Evan got an outfit that matches Quinn's. I did the smocking for it too. Aren't they adorable cousins!

Sisters and their boys (Riley was napping)!

This was earlier Thanksgiving day before we put them in their new outfits!

Aunt Jana had a Clemson paw to decorate Riley's helmet!

Daddy's Girl!

Quinn loves to read, loves to put books in his mouth too! Sweet of big cousin Ford to read to him!

Hanging out in the kitchen overseeing the food preparations!

We also had some good time with Geoff's family! His grandad came down for a visit, Riley's hanging out with her Pop and Great Pop!

Quinn's checking out Uncle Pete's facial hair (or ear)!

This is my favorite picture! We went over to my mom's house one night after Thanksgiving and all the kids were on the floor. Ford was talking to Riley, Quinn and Evan starting crawling on him, and Nick got in the mix. They are going to have lots of fun together!

Here's some fun facts about Quinn and Riley this past month! It's kinda long but I want it for me to look back and remember...

-They both are growing! Quinn had to move up to 12 month pj's and Riley up to 9 month (That's Children's Place ones, a few others they can still wear a size down). Quinn is in some 9 month clothes still but is wearing more and more 12 month. Riley can still wear some 6 month but is in some 9 month as well. (Can I just say children's sizes confuse me. Some say 3-6 months and others are 6 months, and then you still have to look at the weight, and length, but those aren't really accurate because Riley has some things that said they went to 12.5 lbs that she was still wearing at 14 lbs.) Quinn's in size 3 diapers, Riley is in size 2.

-Quinn is crawling like crazy, he really started just one month ago and had perfected his crawl! He also loved to pull up on things, he started just going to his knees. Now he is trying to get all the way to his feet, but it's difficult on the hardwoods. Riley is sitting up better and also loves to push up on her hands when she's on her tummy. She's not crawling, but she rolls over and over to get around!

-They both interact with each other and Haley so much more. Today Quinn crawled right up to Haley and she licked him on the face. He didn't mind at all! They also have been able to take baths together on occasion (when there's someone else to help). It's so cute seeing them in the water together.

-They both are ticklish and have the cutest laughs! I just love making them laugh! They love when you play peek-a-boo with them and will laugh when you make silly sounds and faces!

-Quinn has gotten scared of a few things. Grammy got them a penguin that is blown up and will kinda rock back and forth. Riley just giggled at it. Quinn got very scared and tried to get away and then started crying. It was pitiful. He did it again when Haley was barking at someone. He was on the floor next to me and scrambled to get in my lap. I love that he comes to mama when he's scared.

-They both say "dada" sound over and over again. Quinn says "mama" on occasion but not enough! They make lots of other "talking" sounds, especially in the car. Quinn makes a sound that we decided sounds like "I got it". He also puts his shoe on his teeth and rubs it to make a squeaking sound. He does this a lot in the car too. In fact they both had their shoes in their mouths on the way home from church Sun.

-Quinn needs a helmet too. Not for the same reasons as Riley. In all his crawling around and pulling up on things he has fallen a few times and bumped his head. This is a problem when he's on hardwoods. He currently has a bruise on his forehead.

-Riley has adjusted so well to her helmet. She wears it for 23 hours a day and gets it off for clothing changes and a bath every day. She has amazed me with how well she has adapted and our only real issue has been that the helmet smells (from her head being hot) and I can only clean it with rubbing alcohol. I've found that drying it in the sun helps, when we have sun.

-They both are starting to eat some table food, mostly soft fruits, cheese and cheerios. Quinn still has 7 teeth. Riley has her two in the bottom and is in the process of getting in at least 3, maybe 4 teeth on top. She has been fussy with these lately so I will be happy when they come through.

-Since the time change (First of Nov.) they have been going to bed about 6:00 or 6:15 at night. They just are tired and need their sleep so I let them go to bed. They don't really see daddy at night but they do get to see him in the morning (and some days when he comes home for lunch). They sleep till about 7:00 in the morning. Today Quinn actually slept till 8:00! He took 2 naps too so he must be growing and need his sleep!

This Thanksgiving I am especially thankful for my children, and my husband! Quinn and
Riley bring me so much joy and I just love taking care of them and watching them grow. Geoff is such a wonderful husband (he cooked me a yummy dinner tonight) and is the best daddy who loves his children so much! I am grateful every day that I get to be Geoff's wife and Quinn and Riley's mom. I am so excited about their first Christmas and the many family traditions and moments Geoff and I have planned with our kids! What fun!

Ta-Da!

Ta-Da Cuteness has arrived! That's what Riley's shirt says!

I've got to make this quick. I'm going to pack the car to head to the upstate for Thanksgiving. I wanted to put up a few recent photos. Quinn and Riley will turn 9 months old (Wow) on Thanksgiving so I will have to do their 9 month post when we get back. For now, enjoy...

Riley in her helmet!


Quinn makes the funniest faces. He also grinds his front teeth, the sound drives me crazy!

Pretty girl!

I found them this way one day when I had stepped in the kitchen and come back. I knew they wouldn't hold the pose long enough for me to get my camera so I actually got Quinn off Riley, got my camera, and then put them back like they were. Is that bad? It was jus so cute!

Riley's thinking "ok mom, are you going to get him off me?"

When I don't actually move Quinn she decided to just roll away!

Finally getting some hair for bows. Although now that she has the helmet she can't wear them.

Morning play time with Haley! Well, Quinn's just posing for the camera (and probably grinding his teeth).

Quinn crawled over to the couch and got himself halfway underneath.

He decided he was unhappy with the situation and wanted to let me know! I took the picture, then I moved him :)

Hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for so many wonderful people in my life. My friends and family that have seen me through so many ups and downs, and especially to have Quinn and Riley as my children and here to celebrate their first Thanksgiving!

Prayers for Surgery

Please say a prayer tomorrow morning at 8:30 am (7:30 Central time) as Kelley and Jonathan are in Houston for surgery to try to treat their boys' twin to twin transfusion. I believe that God hears the prayers of His people and know that Kelley and Jonathan appreciate you lifting them up at this time.

A Day in Our Life

***This is kinda long, so just enjoy the pictures if you don't want to read***

When I'm out with Quinn and Riley, in the double stroller, I am always amused by the looks and comments I get from other people. Often they say things to each other "look at those twins", sometimes talk to the babies "Hi there", and other times to me (usually other mothers) "and I thought I had my hands full" or something like that. I say something like "yes, but it's a good hands full." And we continue our shopping. We get out, for sure, but we also have many days of the week where we just stay around the house, maybe taking a walk if it's nice out. I think to myself how I want to remember what these days are like...what they are filled with and how we spent our time together. So here's Friday of this week...not particularly special but I actually took the time to write down things that happened throughout the day so I could remember it to blog about. Isn't that sad, this is just yesterday we are talking about, but without my notes I'm afraid I wouldn't remember much at least not the details from the day.

Started with the best part of the day with Geoff bringing Quinn and Riley to me. I nursed them (love this part of the day too :) and got them changed and then we cuddled in bed for a few minutes. I went to get their breakfast made and Geoff plays with them for a few minutes before bringing them to the table. I sat down with both babies in front of me, Quinn to the left and Riley to the right and start feeding them. They both got cereal and yogurt and fruit all mixed together for breakfast, Quinn gets prunes (to keep things moving) and Riley gets applesauce or bananas (because things move just fine). I give one a few bites and a drink and then they have to wait patiently while I give the other a few bites and so on. Quinn doesn't like to wait so patiently but is very happy to eat puffs or anything else that I put on his tray while I feed Riley. She, however, waits very patiently...most the time.

After breakfast we moved into the living room to play a little. I get on the phone to order Riley's helmet, based on her appointment the day before, she will have her helmet next week. It's much more pricey than we would like but we feel like it is the best thing to do for her. She will have to wear it for 23 hours a day. Pray Riley adjusts to it well. After some play time Quinn and Riley go down for their morning naps. I check my email and see that a friend would like to borrow some maternity clothes so I go get them down from the attic. Then I fix my breakfast and get a shower. I get myself ready for the day and see that Riley is up from her nap. She gets a bath and then I let her hang out with no diaper (she's looking a little red) while I give Quinn a bath.

After that they both get some lotion (love the smell of babies after baths) and dressed I let them play for a few minutes. I had given them each a toy and I looked back at them and realized they had switched toys, without any fussing, he just had her toy and she had his. They already know how to share! I nurse them (at the same time) and then we go downstairs for some lunch. They had peas and mangos, yum, yum. Then we get in the car and go on our first ever grocery store trip, the 3 of us. Quinn has been one other time to the grocery store with me (Riley was asleep at home with daddy), but other than that I go at night when Geoff is home or send Geoff on his way home. I had this trip planned...list with just a few things that we needed, seat cover for Quinn to sit in the cart, and Bjorn for Riley to ride on me. It worked well and I loved talking to them as we shopped! We even took a picture to remember this first trip!

They start getting tired so I knew I had better get them home and in their beds, but they did really well and were pretty happy the whole time. As soon as we get home I carry Riley to her bed (leaving Quinn buckled in the car with a toy) and get her down for a nap. I go back for Quinn, rock him, and get him down for sleep. Then I get the groceries, and get them put away...why is my shirt wet under my arms...oh, I'm sweating...this how I get my workouts these days. Since it's almost 2 pm I decide that I had better answer the growl in my stomach with some lunch. After lunch I put some laundry in, make a phone call or two and see that my kiddos are waking from their naps. I change them and nurse them and then we head out for the second time today. This is very unusual for us to go out twice in one day but I had been trying to get to the shoe store all week and it was just a half mile from our house. Riley's physical therapist noticed recently that when Quinn is standing he likes to be on his tiptoes and said that we need to help him get his feet flat on the ground so that he will be able to walk correctly. She said that his jumper was bad for this and with how much he loves the jumper I didn't want to have to keep him out of it. She suggested that the baby walking shoes will help him get his feet flatter so off to get his first pair of Stride Rites we went. My great plan was to get Quinn the plain white pair that Riley could then wear (his foot is 1 and a half sizes bigger than hers) but since he needed a wide shoe and Riley does not, my plan does not seem like it will work.

When we get home the kids play, Quinn in the jumper in his new shoes and Riley in the exersaucer. I start making our dinner, a chicken casserole, and call my mom to complain that after ordering Riley's helmet and getting Quinn's shoes I have no money! She explains that it will be like this from here on out, or maybe till they are out of college...I wouldn't have it any other way! It's time to get the kiddos their dinner, cereal with green beans! Shortly after, we get on their pj's and start on our bedtime routine to wind down for sleep. Geoff gets home at story time so he sits down and reads to them and says prayers and then it's off to bed for Quinn and Riley.

Ever since the time change they have been going to sleep about 6pm, I'm trying to move it back just a little so they can see Geoff a little more but they are just tired (and since they've been sick I don't want to push it)! After they are in bed Geoff helps me finish cooking dinner and we finally sit down to eat and relax...and I'm tired! While this day is typical, they are all a little different and I love waking up to each new day with my kiddos and seeing what it holds for us!