Girls Just Want to Have Fun. And eat cereal.

Elle and Kate LOVE the Exersaucer that Mimi and Grandbob gave them for Christmas.  Elle has been loving standing up for a while now, so I think she feels like a big girl now that she can stand without one of us holding her.  And Kate has recently taken more of an interest in standing as well, so she's also a big fan.

In other news, they had their first taste of cereal this past Saturday!  Elle was ready to go and opened right up when we fed her.  Kate, on the other hand, is still not so sure about it.  She gets REALLY excited when I feed it to Elle and then when I get to her, she makes the "what do you think you're doing, that is the nastiest thing I've ever tasted" face.  It's so funny.  

Love it.

 Hate it.












And finally, Tyler and I celebrated our 6th anniversary on Sunday.  Good grief, I can't believe we've already been married 6 years!  We went to dinner on Friday night while Mimi and Grandbob watched the munchkins and then had a nice family day at home on our actual anniversary.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband.  As I pray for my girls' future husbands, I can only hope that they are as kind, funny, generous and as loving as their daddy.  Now that I've embarrassed him thoroughly and made him giggle by being "tender", I'll just say - I love you!  Thank you for the most wonderful 6 years of my life.

4 Month Stats

My girls are 18 weeks old today and had their 4 month check-up on Tuesday. They are currently in their cribs dreaming of a Texas win tonight. Come on Texas, you don't want to crush 2 precious 4 month old's dreams, do you? DO YOU??!!

Excuse me. Sometimes I get carried away.

They had an excellent check-up at the doctor and were little angels, despite eating about an hour and a half after they normally do. I was totally sure they were going to freak out halfway into our appointment. Turns out I should have been concerned that our stroller was going to spontaneously combust. Tyler touched it and the handle completely popped off and flew across the room. Super.

Anywho...back on track. The stats:

We'll start with Elle. Because she's the oldest. Not my favorite. Next time we'll start with Kate because she's the youngest. And not my favorite.

Weight: 14 lbs 9 oz (suddenly the back pain is making so much more sense)
Length: 25 in

Kate

Weight: 14 lbs 4 oz
Length: 25 in

And while we're at it, let's list some of their likes and dislikes. Just for kicks.

Kate (ha, see, starting with her this time. Can you tell I have an issue with making sure neither they nor anyone else think I have a favorite? I may need therapy.)

Likes: Cooing; Laughing - especially at her Daddy; trying to hold her own bottle; talking to animals - the kind that hang from her bouncy seat; kicking; looking at the world around her; sucking on her fingers; drooling - a LOT; bathtime; cuddling
Dislikes: Her blocked tear ducts; Neck cheese (yeah, I know you all just threw up in your mouth a little bit, but we're all about honesty here); being put down for a nap - even though she pretty much immediately falls asleep; sitting in the bumbo

Elle

Likes: Standing up. The kid would do it all day if my arms didn't get so tired; Making velociraptor sounds - could also be interpreted as pterodactyl sounds; staring intensely - she's going to be excellent at staring contests when her attention span allows; bathtime; laughing; sitting in the bumbo; her pacifier; her aquarium play gym; grabbing things
Dislikes: Not being able to stand up on her own - she arches her back like she really needs to go somewhere and she does not need your help getting there; tummy time; naps

Happy 4 month birthday girls! I can't imagine life without you two.

Talking

So the girls' have started to acknowledge each others existence more and are even "talking" to each other! Except usually it's really just Kate talking and Elle looking at her like she has much better things to be doing. See video below - Elle did actually smile and acknowledge Kate's jabbering, but didn't do much talking back!

In other news - Elle is LOVING standing up right now. The girl is strong as an ox. She will just hang out standing, looking around, for as long as you'll hold her there. Kate however, knows she's got a good thing going with being held and will only stand for a few seconds at a time when she feels like it. She does, however, love tummy time. Elle usually acts like she's being put through some sort of torture after about 5 minutes. They are both doing great sitting and holding their heads up and are smiling and laughing all over the place. So far, I think 3 month old's rock.

Babies as Elves = Hilarity

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Rub a Dub Dub

Kate & Elle LOVE bath time. And it's been HUGE in getting them to adjust to daytime/nightime and sleeping through the night. They also love it because they get to spend some quality time with their Dad. He gets in the tub with them - we like to call it "Spa Daddy". We don't have any pictures of the actual bath - Tyler might kill me if I put pictures of him in a bathtub up, but here are a few post-bath pictures. I especially like how Kate looks like the Flying Nun. Except she's way cuter than Sally Field.



Dear Mom,
I am not amused.
Love, Elle


Dear Mom,
It's me again. Did you learn nothing from the last picture?
Love, Elle


Kate, the Flying Nun



Kate - Show me "coy."

Waking up is hard to do

One of my favorite parts of the day. Tyler's too. He doesn't get to see it as much though, since he's at work. So the girls' asked if they could make a video for him - they're so technologically advanced already.

The Dojo's Newest Members

The Dojo is proud to welcome it's 2 newest members - Kate & Elle Burns. Tyler and I are the proud parents of these 2 little girls, born early in the morning on September 3rd. Aren't they lovely??

I started having contractions around 8pm on Wednesday and after a call to the doctor, reported to the hospital, thinking I'd most likely get sent home. Wrong! When they told us they'd scheduled me for a C-Section, I think both our mouths dropped open. And so Ellerson Anne came into the world at 12:16am weighing 5lbs 9oz and measuring 18 3/4" long, followed by Kathryn Madison at 12:17am, weighing 5 lbs 15 oz and measuring 19" long. It was all so surreal and hard to believe that the 2 little ones I'd been carrying for 37 weeks were finally here! Elle was able to come with me right away, but Kate had to go to the transition nursery for just a little while, as her little lungs adjusted. But she was quickly released and our family of two suddenly became a family of 4. Plus Lily, who we cannot leave out, even if she's not getting much attention these days!

I can hardly believe they are already 1 month old. The first several weeks were tough, but worth it. We continue to fall in love with our two sweet girls each day. And they really are such good babies. They are noisy sleepers, which took this mom some getting used to, but they sleep and eat well and don't cry much at all (hopefully I didn't just jinx us). They are starting to get little personalities already - Miss Kate looks just like her daddy and is already exhibiting his crazy sense of humor. And sweet Elle looks more like me and seems quite introspective and focused like her mom. It's kind of amazing to see already - we'll see if they stay that way!

They have their one month checkup tomorrow - hopefully they will get an excellent report. They've been eating like champs, so here's hoping their weight is up!

As we adjust to this new, crazy life of raising twins, we are so thankful that God chose us to be their parents. And we are exceedingly thankful for our families, who have been SO wonderful and supportive. Here's to the craziness of daily life with twins, hopefully not a crazy mom, and a dad who loves all 3 of his girls so well.


As many faces as she makes, Kate would not make a different one when I was trying to take her picture. She smiles so much!
















Elle is voguing.














Dad and Kate













Mom and Elle

Wonder Twin Powers - Activate!

I can hardly believe our girls' are almost here! In one week and one day, if they haven't decided to come on their own yet, we'll be meeting them for the very first time. I can't really wrap my head around it. We are both so excited and also so nervous at the same time. Or maybe I'm a little more nervous. Unless Tyler just hides it really well. :)

I totally had a dream last night that I forgot about one of the babies while I was feeding the other and then I couldn't remember which one I fed. Let's hope this dream does not come true or heaven help us.

I'm currently 36 weeks and 4 days and the girls' are weighing in at 5 lbs 12 oz and 6 lbs even. Those measurements of course could be off, but apparently we're going to have some big twins! Everything is looking good in the ultrasounds and they are definitely kicking around in there. Mostly on my bladder, which is really awesome.

Tyler has been working like a champ around the house trying to get everything as ready as we can for them. He's working like a champ at his actual place of employment too, so I know he is so tired, but he just trucks right along and has been the greatest through all this. If only he would stop talking in weird pitched voices to the girls' so they will actually recognize his voice when they come out. He sounds a little like a drag queen sometimes, which I must say is infinitely amusing to me.

So all this to say - babies' arrival is just around the corner and here's hoping we have some semblance of a clue as to what to do when they get here! Regardless, we can't wait to meet them.

Babies and Butterflies

A few weekends ago, Tyler and I headed out of town to Pine Mountain, GA to meet up with some dear friends of mine from Auburn. It was a combo reunion weekend/baby shower and we had a great time. It was full of babies - and not just the two in utero - but also a precious little girl and boy belonging to 2 of my friends. We had a great time hanging out, talking, eating and going to Callaway Gardens. Of course we picked the hottest weekend of the year, but we still saw birds of prey and butterflies and everyone was a trooper. Except me who kept having to sit down because I was so dang hot. The ugly, red-faced, sweat pouring down my face, might throw up, kind of hot. It was so attractive. I wish you all could have been there. Tyler had fun playing with all the kiddos, as he himself, is a big kid. He's going to be the greatest dad. And you'll also see some of his artsy butterfly/nature photos below. A renaissance man, he is.

We had a great time and I'm so thankful for great friends - even if I don't get to see them nearly as much as I'd like!

Somewhere, this picture exists with all of us looking at the camera. I have no idea where though.











The butterfly garden has a tropical jungle climate to keep all the butterflies happy. This feels totally awesome when it's 98 degrees outside. I had been in there before, so I sat outside on the cool bench, while Tyler took pictures. It's like I was right there with him. :)














Yes, we are models. And we do our little turns on the catwalk.

The Burns' Girls get Showered

The Burns' Girls were proud recipients of a shower hosted by 2 of their most favorite people this weekend. They were super excited about all of the wonderful gifts they got and can't wait to try them out when they make their grand entrance in September. Or at least this is what they would say were they, you know, not still hanging out in my belly. But I know it's what they're thinking.

We had a bunch of family come in town to celebrate with us. We had a great time visiting with all of them and being together. Below are a few pictures from the festivities. A special shout out to Brenda and Kristin for being the best hostesses a girl could ask for.

Brenda, Me & Kristin. And yes, I'm wearing a crown.












Me and Mom, a.k.a., "Mimi".


















My 2 grandmothers, soon to be great-grandmothers! Nana on the left and Gabby on the right.

















That's the baby daddy to the left and my dad, one of the future grandfathers, on the right. He has yet to choose a name for himself. However, I can't judge as we have yet to choose names for the girls'. So I'll just blame him for my indecisiveness. :)













Tyler's grandmother on the left and mom on the right. MeMaw and Coco.
















The Burns' Girls aunt's and father, who appears to be doing his best Zoolander impersonation.












Get it? Aren't we funny? Wait, I don't hear you laughing.

The Burns' Girls

Well, as most of my blog readers know already, we are expecting twins! My apologies for the huge delay in actually blogging about it. In my defense, I couldn't find the cord that hooked our computer to the printer so I could scan some ultrasound pics in. Now, I have no defense but laziness as I found said cord but still haven't scanned them in. When I do, I will post! Until then, here's a picture of me with my dear friend, Kelley, who's expecting her little boy any day now! This picture is about 3 weeks old and let me tell you, the belly has GROWN since then. This was at about 18 weeks.

Tyler and I are excited and overwhelmed and so thankful for these 2 little blessings! I've started to feel them move around which is so cool and also a little freaky. So far, Tyler hasn't been able to feel them, despite my repeating "THERE! Did you feel that???" over and over again. Weird how it doesn't work like that.

So far, they are doing well and we pray that they continue to grow and develop and stay healthy. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to hear the heartbeats, which is always so fun and reassuring.

We have tons of stuff to do before the little squirts arrive, starting with registering this weekend. I'm not gonna lie, I'm afraid of Babies R Us. It makes me sweat a little bit. But our super cool friend, Brenda, is coming along to stop any meltdowns and help us navigate the craziness that is the baby superstore. Brenda, I promise not to cause any scenes. I can't make any promises for Tyler though. The guy's a loose cannon.

So anyway, I *hope* to be blogging more frequently as we take this journey towards meeting our 2 girls. I know I've said that before, but hopefully this time, I actually mean it. That kind of makes this entry a cliffhanger, doesn't it? Sweet.