First Trip to MD: Part 2

On Wednesday, Aug 5, we went to Renee's house for some food and swimming. Our best friends Iad and Brandy and their son Carter met us at my mom's house so that we could all head over there together.

Grandma (Wes' mom), Grandpa (Wes' dad), GG (my mom), Aunt Sarah (Renee's daughter & Rachel's sister), Renee, Dave, & Max were all there. Renee loved holding her "grandbabies" (Renee is my fake second mom).

Of course it was time for all three babies to eat the second we walked in the door. Aunt Sarah took Gavin,

Grandma fed Viv,

and Brandy fed Carter.

Once they each had a full tummy, it was time for the three to officially meet each other. Carter, Gavin, & Vivian quickly became best friends.

At one point, Carter tried to hold Vivian's hand...

... but she wasn't having it.

After some time, she seemed to come around.

Then it was time to go swimming! Carter and Gavin got into their bathing suits and hung out while their parents got ready.

Then it was time to swim!

Carter loved the water.

Unfortunately, Gavin didn't.

First Trip to MD: Part 1

Early in the morning on August 3, we loaded the car with all of the essentials (and quite a few non-essentials) and started our long trek out to MD. It only took us 12 hours (it usually takes 10), stopping 4 times along the way. The babes were really good; they slept most of the time.

Once we got inside MD state lines, however, they became really sick of being tied down in their car seats. They were hot, sticky, and hungry. We arrived at my Mom's house around 8pm. Change, feed, burp.

Philip, Wes' brother and the twins' Uncle Flip, met us there.

Meghan, my sister and the twins' Auntie Bird, got home from work around 11 and was very excited to hold her niece and nephew for the first time.

(Meg & Gav)

(Meg & Viv)

The next day was packed with new things to do and new people for the twins to meet. It all started with a trip to Checker's. Wes and I LOVE Checker's and since there aren't any in Lafayette, we always try to eat at one whenever we go to MD.

That evening, my mom held a gathering at her house for the babes with family, friends, and lots of good food.

The twins loved hanging out with Grandma.

And Auntie Bird was really fun to play with.

Gavin liked sitting in GG's lap.

G & V even got to meet their Great Nana (my Nana).

It was nice to see all four generations of women in one place.

The twins also got to meet Auntie Bird's boyfriend Joey.

And Vivian was very happy to see her Aunt Stephanie again.

The party was awesome, but unfortunately G & V became extremely overstimulated by the end of the evening and each pitched a fit for about 3 hours. Let's just say that it was glorious when we finally got them to sleep.

Rachie Rachie Bo Bachie

Rachel is one of my favorite people on this planet. I heart the hell out of her. We've been best friends since I was 2 and I can't picture my life without her in it. As you can imagine, I was incredibly excited for her to meet our kids. Rachel took to them immediately. And, they fell in love with her just a quickly. Like many of our visitors, Rachel was awesome! She fed, burped, changed, and shhhhed Gav and Viv the entire time she was here. She even watched Gavin for us while we took Vivian to the doctor. Thanks Aunt Rachie!

Let me explain something about Rachel. She has a lot of skills, abilities, and hobbies. A lot. Rachel has two Bachelor's degrees and is working on her third in nursing. She currently works as a bicycle mechanic, YMCA swimming instructor, and farmer's market organizer. She has done most of her own tattoos-- and she has many. She recently rode her bike across South America with three other women for three months. She plays rugby and soccer, knits blankets, and plays the trumpet and piano. She's also vegan and is quite creative when it comes to mealtime. Oh yeah, and she's writing her first novel. She's amazing. And now, she's learning to play the accordion. Of course when she came to Indiana she had to bring her new toy with her.

Wes even gave it a try.

On the last day of her trip, Rachel's friend Shelly came to pick her up so that they could continue their adventure driving to Fort Wayne, then Boston, and then somewhere else for a camping trip. We had a good time chatting about our childhood and showing Shelly pictures of us as little girls.

Thanks for coming to visit Aunt Rachie! We miss you already!

Aunt Schweek!

The last weekend of July was spent with the twins' Aunt Schweek (I mean Aunt Erin :-). She came, she saw, she conquered. Erin was 32 weeks pregnant with her first child while she was here. And let me just say that after a weekend at our house, Erin is ready for anything. That particular weekend, we discovered Vivi's first tooth (OUCH!), Vivi had the beginning of a terrible case of diaper rash (OUCH!), and Gavin puked and puked and puked (YUCK!). Needless to say, it was a crazy, messy, crying-filled weekend. Erin was wonderful. She changed, fed, and soothed (like when she held Vivi next to a hair dryer while simultaneously rocking and bouncing her for 30 minutes) both babies all while looking absolutely fabulous and never loosing her cool. We know that Erin is going to be an amazing mama and we can't wait to meet her and Andy's little one.

Thanks Erin for coming to visit!

We can't wait to see you again!

Gavs

(Pictures taken on July 31, 2009)

Late July

Viv

Gav

Gone For 5 Minutes

About two weeks ago, I left Vivian on the floor in her boppy while I went to change Gavin. When I returned, this was the scene:

So cute.

In case you were wondering...

... we've been on vacation. With very limited Internet access. We'll be back next week.

I think that's a...

... a tooth? Yep, it's a tooth! I know, I know, it's ridiculous for a 3 month old to have a tooth, but our little Vivian has one peeking through! We thought it might have been some milk on her gums, but no. It's still there. It's a tooth. And, it hurts. Poor baby.