Picture update... and the 8 month milestone!

Though it may look like two posts in such a short interval would resemble some sort of New Year's resolution, we're actually posting this because we have some more cute pictures taken with the new camera we finally figured out how to use.  Cheryl was out of town for a bachelorette this weekend, so I had to fend for myself with the kids, and they couldn't have been better.  With the help of some rice cereal added to their formula, they're putting in some solid sleeping hours.  I think Saturday night was a new record; at least 10 hours uninterrupted for the both of them!   Malia is feeding very well these days, taking down full feedings nearly throughout the day - must be a growth spurt.  Austin, too, is feeding well like always, which bodes well for his helmet therapy.  

They're now past the 8 month mark, but the corrected age/true age gap is still difficult to decipher.  They are still a ways off from sitting up on their own, but their personalities are definitely coming through.  Malia discovered her tongue for the first time a few weeks ago, and loves blowing bubbles and making whoopie cushion noises.  She rolls over prolifically, which adds to the challenge of keeping her out of trouble.  Austin is still a bit of a blob, still burdened by the effects of gravity on his burly physique, but is now starting to roll over more regularly and pick his head up.  

We spent Sunday up at my brother's house, and got some cute pictures, so here you go!

Malia bonding with Nana

I helped my brother setup a new backyard playset, and Austin and I took a swing together

Perhaps it's a little late in the game, but we're finally getting the highchair feeding going. They're only taking rice cereal "paste," but they both did pretty well for their first sitting.  And Austin, of course, was amused.

Malia, wearing about as much food as she was swallowing

Austin made a mess too, but was digging the opportunity to sit at the big boy table

Happy boy, as always!

A long overdue update... Happy New Year!

A lot can change in a little time with babies, and I didn't even realize it had been before Thanksgiving since our last update!  So here's a rundown of the developments for Austin & Malia since we last checked in.  We have been keeping their weight tracker up-to-date, and at their last weigh-in, Austin was a hefty 18 lb., 5.5 oz., and Malia was a dainty 12 lb., 6 oz.  Not bad for 7 months, and as you can tell the size gap between the twins is widening, but both are progressing within the range of their doctors' expectations.  Shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday, both kids came down with their first cold, which may have been the result of kissing overload from all of our families.  Malia came down with symptoms first, and we were naive enough to think that we could keep Austin from getting it, but within 24 hours he was showing the same signs of onset.  A doctor's visit gave little more than a confirmation of the symptoms, and an assurance that the cold would run its course, likely getting worse before things got better.  By the weekend, as Malia was passing her peak symptoms, Austin was concerning us with signs of respiratory distress - rib retractions, wheezing, and visible discomfort.  Upon the recommendation of a callback nurse, I ran him to the ER at his old home at CHOC, and they agreed he was in need of some intervention.  They administered an albuterol nebulizer treatment to relax the airways and ease his breathing, but they wanted to admit him for observation since his oxygen levels were teetering in the low range.

Not happy, Austin in the ER

Getting a breathing treatment

What looked like a precautionary night in the hospital actually turned into 2 nights, which began to feel like the old days when the kids were still in the NICU.  Cheryl and I each took a night's stay in the hospital room with Austin, so we were glad to have him finally home and clearly getting better by the second day.  So with that behind us, we were glad to have our first bout of illness behind us - what a doozy!  

We upgraded their stroller from the bassinets to the "big boy" toddler chairs.  You can't really tell the difference from before in the photos below, but they seem to like the new position and being able to sit upright and see everything going on around them on walks.

Dressed for winter on an afternoon walk with Daddy

Malia's peanut head still barely fills out her winter cap

Playtime

The Christmas holiday was a whirlwind, but we tried to keep it simple by not shuttling the babies around to too many places.  Christmas Eve was spent in Lake Forest with Cheryl's brother and extended family, and Christmas day was spent in the IE with my brother and his extended family.  Here are some pictures of their first Christmas.

Austin was spiffed out and having fun in their new walker

Impossible to get a decent shot of these two at the same moment, but this is as close as we got

Since we skipped seeing the mall Santa for a photo, we were fortunate that he made a house call!

No smile, but at least looking in the right direction

Austin and Lolo Manny

Malia testing out one of her new toys, the kids made out pretty well this Xmas!

Partial Family photo

Now that the holidays are over, it's nice to settle down and get back to a normal pace.  Austin had been diagnosed with positional plagiocephaly, a head flattening due to favoring one side during sleep, and was recommended for a band/helmet that corrects the issue before the skull thickens and hardens.  He's only been in the helmet for a little over a week, and the adjustment has been difficult at times.  The helmet makes is head extremely sweaty, and since it is contoured to the shape they hope his head will ultimately take, his head is fighting it out with the helmet in the early stages.  We are told this process is to get easier with time, but since he has gone to 23 hours a day with the helmet, it has been a challenge getting him down at night.  We'll get through it, but our little man is not too thrilled about it in the meantime.  Here are some pictures of our little helmet boy, and a few of his sister recently taken.

Still a cutie with his stunt helmet on

Malia has started to grow a little more hair recently.  She's looking like a fluffball the longer it gets

She loves to flirt.  Different personality from her brother but still a character!

That's all for now!  Happy New Year, and thanks for checking in!