7 Months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With all the drooling going on, we finally have some teeth!!!!!!! On Nov. 26th, while at Thanksgiving dinner, I felt a 'bump' in Braelynn's mouth. Her first tooth!!!!!!!! You couldn't see it very well, but it was there. She didn't have any problems leading up to her first tooth either. There was never a fever, no fussiness, nothing..........just a LOT of drooling. So hopefully all the others will come through with no problems too. Brinkley, on the other hand, still doesn't have any. :::(((( I thought for sure she would be the first, since she seems to have excess drool 24/7. But I'm sure her time will come as well.
So about a week later, on my birthday actually Dec. 5th, I was feeling in Braelynn's mouth to see if any more appeared. I was feeling the one that had already popped through and thought to myself, Now this tooth sure feels alot bigger than usual???? So I looked in and saw her other bottom one had come through as well!!!! The two bottom teeth can officially be seen and felt!! She loves to put her tongue on them and 'play' with them, sooooo cute!!!!! Brinkley...............still nothing!!! :)

At Thanksgiving dinner, we tried some table food. They wanted nothing to do with it! Some mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. I thought for sure they would like it, since they eat them in baby food, but something was different. I'm sure the 'real' food had more flavor than there bland baby food. They would put it in their mouth, look at me like, 'what are you doing to me?' and spit it back out. After a couple more tries and having the same looks, I gave up and just fed the rest of their baby food. It will come in time I'm sure, but until then.........supplies of baby food will still be bought.

They are now eating dinners of baby food. They have mac and cheese, veg chicken dinner, macaroni beef dinner, and chicken noodles. Some new veggies we have tried are sweet potatoes and turkey, broccoli chicken, and mixed veggies. They like all of them and eat every last spoonful, so all is good. I have started putting juice in sippy cups and all they want to do is 'chew' on them. Braelynn finally got the concept down the other day, and took a big gulp of juice. Startled her a little bit but eventually got the idea.

Brinkley is sooooo close to crawling. She will get up on all fours and rock back and forth. One of these days................... then I will wish for the days back where they couldn't move at all!!! She will scoot backwards all the time, which puts her feet going under the couch, chair, or entertainment stand. Braelynn will get up on all fours too, but no scooting or rocking yet. I'm not in any hurry to get them moving, just enjoying the time now where I can go switch laundry, wash bottles, etc without worrying about what room their in or what they are getting into.

The talking is becoming more and more......................... Daddy will say 'boo' to Braelynn and she tries so hard to say boo. She will put her lips together and start saying, bu bu bu bu but can never get the 'oo' to come out. Hilarious!!!!!!! Brinkley babbles about something, not sure yet what, but she has some stories!!! Hopefully its all good things to say! :)

We got Jadyn's old Johnny Jumper, which is a chair that hangs from a doorway and enables them to jump. Both of them go nuts!!! Bouncing up and down up and down, while laughing. Sometimes Jadyn will hold them up and let them go in a swinging motion and they LOVE it!!!! The laughter won't stop as long as you keep doing that.

The first encounter with Santa happened on Dec. 13th. We went to Bass Pro Shops in Altoona, because Santa visits every weekend to see the kids. We had to wait about an hour before it was our turn to see him, so we toured the store for awhile. They did great considering they had to be in the stroller and surrounded by a huge crowd the whole time. It was finally our turn and I put both of them on his lap together. No crying!!! :::)))) I didn't know how Brinkley would do since she has a little bit of 'stranger anxiety.' Braelynn just stared at him and Brinkley just looked ahead. I got some pics taken and then we were out of there!!

They have mastered sitting up on their own, which they have been able to do for about a month now. They started at 6 months but wasn't sturdy enough to be left alone. Now, they can sit, then get to their tummy's all by themselves!!!

Our schedule is still about the same.

6:30-7am 6oz bottle
7-9:30am playtime, catnap
9:30 5oz bottle
10-12pm playtime
12pm baby food dinner and fruit
12:30-2:30/3 naptime
3:30 6oz bottle
5:30-6 dinner, cereal or baby food and veggie
6:30-8 playtime, catnap
8-8:30pm 6oz nighttime bottle


Now, its getting ready for Christmas. Their first Christmas!!!!! I'm so excited. Luckily, they aren't crawling yet, so the tree is still safe!! Next year might be a different story. I have yet to get some gifts, but plenty of time since I'm a last minute shopper. :)

Just playing around............Nov.2, 2009

Rolling, rolling, rolling.................... these babies won't stop rolling......... ::)))


Since their first time 'rolling over' at 3 months, they have finally gotten the whole concept down. Instead of rolling over once, then laying there, they are now rolling over on their tummy, stay until they get mad, then roll back over. Back and forth, back and forth. Brinkley gets so mad being on her tummy!!! I don't know what it is, but she hates being on her tummy for a long period of time. Braelynn usually just hangs out for awhile, looks around and chills.
When they are both on their tummies and facing each other, thats when the 'chatter' begins. I don't know if they are plotting a way to get back at me or what, but they sure do 'talk' to each other alot!! And their facial expressions are priceless!!! But usually they just smile at each other and laugh. We'll see how long that lasts, one of these days they will be tattling on each other and trying to get the other one in trouble.

They are such good, happy babies. Brinkley loves to stand up. Of course, she can't stand on her own yet, but she has some strong little legs!!! Once you pick her up off the floor and have her stand, she is all smiles!!!! There are times when you 'let go' for a split second and she will hold her own, so she might be one of those babies who only crawls for a little bit then eventually walks alot sooner. She scoots pretty good while on her tummy, so probably not too much longer and she will be taking off. Oh boy.................

Now Braelynn................. she is just a layed back baby. She could lay on the floor and be content for hours upon hours. She is very good at playing and talking one minute, then you turn around and she is asleep. She can fall asleep no matter where she is. She is our chunky monkey, so in turn makes her somewhat 'lazy' as far as being active. Don't get me wrong, she loves to play, but doesn't roll over as much as Brinkley does. Could it be that she has more of her to roll over?????????? :::)))
If you pick her up, and have her sit on your knees, she is in heaven. She will talk talk talk your ear off.
One more week and they will be 6 months, where is the time going???

My little slobber bucket....................

Playing with daddy on the floor.........................

Braelynn playing in the exersaucer.................

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Our first Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Braelynn was our Bumblebee and Brinkley was a LadyBug. They didn't seem to mind the costumes and kept really warm since the weather was crappy. We stopped at a few houses and ended up at G-ma and G-pa Stricklands for the final stop.

Let the messes begin.....................

We are still feeding them cereal mixed w/some fruit at night along with some veggies. Bananas, pears, prunes, applesauce and peaches are the fruits we started with. Note to self---no more peaches for Braelynn!!!! She was very grumpy and had an upset tummy shortly after eating them, so some gas drops and some loving from mommy cured that!! Carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes and sweet peas are the veggies.
Braelynn opens her mouth wide as can be and will get very upset and start kicking and screaming if she isn't fed fast enough. She is our 'chunky monkey.' Brinkley on the other hand, could care less if she is getting food or not.


Brinkley with more cereal on her bib than went into mouth............

Braelynn licking her fingers clean!!!!!!!!!!!! Never any food left uneaten!!

They are doing very well with the transition from sleeping in their swings to their own cribs. I still start them out in their swings then move them to the cribs around 8:30-9. They sleep all night and won't wake up until around 6:30-7am. An occasional binky run in the middle of night but other than that, very successful!!!

They each have their own cribs to avoid the kicks and clawing at each others face. They are into 'stealing' each others binkies, which in turn makes them mad!!

Getting very sleepy after some playtime and tummy time on the floor.......................

Here is what our schedule is right now............................

6:30-7am 6oz bottle of formula

7-9:30am playtime, tummy time and a little cat nap

9:30am each have a jar of fruit

10-12:00 play some more, then another 6oz bottle

12:30-2 or 3 NAPTIME!!!! :::))))

3:00-3:30 6oz bottle

3:30-5:45 playtime, learning time, etc

5:45pm cereal mixed w/fruit and veggie

6-8pm play, tummy time and little cat nap

8pm nighttime bottle and off to bed!!!

I am finally able to fit in the time to update our blog. Yes!!! Having twins sure does keep you busy! Alot has happened since my last post, so this might be a long one so I can get caught up. :)

At two months old, that only means immunization shots and dr checkup!!! We went to the dr. on July 9th. Brinkley weighs 9lb 4oz and Braelynn weighs 9lb 5oz. Growing soooo fast!! Braelynn has a slight heart murmur but the dr. said it was so faint that more than likely it will go away. I don't know if that was suppose to make me feel better, but as a mother, I will worry until I know its gone! The shots went good, both screamed once the needle went in, but eventually calmed down after they got their red crayon band-aids. ::)) They didn't run a fever or anything afterwards, just very tired and slept most of the afternoon.

After this checkup, I realized I only had a couple weeks left before I had to go back to work. :( I cried for the last week, because I didn't want to leave my babies!!! Aug. 3rd was the dreadful day. They stayed home with Daddy and did very well. I had to send a few text messages to make sure everything was going smoothly and that they didn't forget about their mommy!! I'm working 4 10hr days so I can get one extra day to spend with them. It seems to have helped alot and made the transition a little bit better.

They are pretty much on the same schedule as far as sleeping. Still going down around 9-10pm and not waking up until 4-5am. They have been taking about 4-5 oz, sometimes 6 depending on how hungry or how they ate the time before. Braelynn is the good eater, she downs those bottles, burps, gets changed and off to sleep she goes. She loves sleeping with her arms up by her head and snores!! Soo cute! Brinkley is another story. You never know if she will eat or not, so the guessing game of how much formula to make is what we play. She has a tendency to spit up alot too, so be prepared for the projectile vomit!!!! You never know when its coming or where it will end up! :) The night bottle and early morning bottle are usually the 'big' ones, 5-6oz. They will go anywhere from 4-5 hrs in between feedings, or sometimes sooner. We just go with the flow at times, its all you can do! After the early morning feeding, the next time they usually wake up is around 8-9am. They have been waking up with smiles on their faces and wanting to play! So this is our 'tummy time.' They will lie on the floor and watch any type of cartoon or Sesame Street. After an hour or so they will get hungry, so feeding time again. I will then take them on a short walk and they will take a little cat nap for about an hour. They love their walks and Mommy loves taking them!!! :)

On Sept.1st, Brinkley rolled over for the first time!!! She went from tummy to back. Jadyn didn't believe me at first, so I had to show her. Luckily, she did it again, so I went to grab the video camera. Do you think she would do it then? NO!!! That little stinker started crying and would have nothing to do with it. Oh well, there will be plenty of times to catch her in the act. Braelynn wasn't far behind, she rolled over on Sept. 12th. The look on their faces were priceless as was my reaction. They looked at me like I was a crazy Mom!!! I kept saying,' What a big girl!!!!! Good job punkin' punkin'!!!!' Yep, thats my nickname for them, punkin' punkins'. ::)))

On Sept. 9th, we took them for their 4 month checkup. 4 MONTHS!!!!! Can't believe it!!!! Brinkley weighs 11lb 8oz and Braelynn 12lb 4 oz. Braelynn being the 'runt', she has sure caught up with her sister!! The dr. was very happy with their growth and they are moving up the line on the growth chart, so he suggested to start cereal and then baby food a couple weeks after that. Our first experience with cereal was Sept. 11th. I fed it to them with a spoon. I almost forgot what messy little faces they have!! Brinkley kept pushing it back out with her tongue and Braelynn kept shoveling it in. She caught on pretty quick and did good for the first time. I decided to try it through the bottle the next night. Let's just say it didn't work so well. Mommy got a little frustrated and ended up throwing the bottle. :) I realized that the spoon was probably the best option, for the girls and for Mommy. So our routine is around supper time, at 6 or when we would eat supper, I feed them cereal. Brinkley has now caught on a little better and seems to like it more and more. Braelynn pushes it out now and doesn't want it. I've came to the conclusion that I need to just keep trying and eventually they will catch on. I've grown to have a little more patience, heehee. :)

To top off the feeding, I am also in the process of getting them into their cribs at night! I know, I know.............. but hey, you get to the point you don't care where they sleep as long as they are sleeping and let you get some sleep too!! Anybody with babies would understand, right? Especially those with twins!! After their night bottle, I start them out in their swings. As soon as they are off and dreaming, I move them to their cribs. The first couple nights they lasted until about 3am. So I move back into the living room with them in their swings until around 5am, when they are ready to eat. But then last night, Sept.14th, they stayed in their until 4:45am!!! So we are gaining!!!!

Here are some recent photos we have taken throughout the last couple months. They are in no particular order, just random ones taken. Hope you enjoy!!!!!

Grandma Strickland and family

Little Miss Braelynn snoozing away...........................

Brinkley following Braelynn's lead :)

Sisterly love.......................

Brinkley's prized posession, heehee, she loves her tongue!!!

Braelynn not happy being on her tummy!!

Baxter Fun Days July 10-12th 2009

The celebration of Fun Days for Baxter is a huge event. Yes, small town fun and man do we really go all out!!! This year was the first time I could enter my babies into the baby contest, since Jadyn was too old by the time I moved here. And obviously in the years before, I didn't have anymore babies until now, so yeah for me!!!

I was so excited and of course went all out. Their category was Sun Bathing Beauties, so naturally I was going to put them in swimming suits. However, they also judge for any props you may use. So I brainstormed and was given the idea of using a wagon and decorating it like the beach. So Kip cut out some cardboard to make it look like waves, even painting them blue with white tips. :) We put brown towels down to make it look like sand, and had sand pails and beach balls in it too. I used Jadyn's old Barbie umbrella and taped to the handle so it hung over them to 'protect' them from the sun.

Unfortunately, as cute as they were, they didn't win. It was fun for me to get them all dressed up though and experience something I hadn't yet. There is always next year!!!!

On Saturday morning, they have the annual parade, which was another 'first' for the twins. I got them dressed and put in the stroller and off we went!!! The fire truck sirens were a little too loud, so when they passed we stood in our friends garage so it wasn't too rough on their ears. Braelynn slept through all of it and Brinkley just looked around and wondered where the heck she was at!!! After that was over, we went and watched Jadyn in the Baxter Idol contest. Her and her friend Brigette were dancing. They didn't win either, but was fun to watch them participate. It was then time for a nap, so we went home and took a nap, then Mommy got to go out that night!!!! It was fun that night, but now I know why I don't do that very often. I was a little tired the next day, but was good for me to get out.

At the parade................

My girls.....................