Six Months Old!

The boys are six months old today! And get this, Chase has officially caught up to Austin and they are exactly the same size. I know, big shock, given the size of his cheeks and his many chins... For the longest time Chase was about a pound smaller but now, both boys are 14 pounds and 25.5 inches long. While modern medicine gives Austin and Chase two full years to catch up to term babies their same age (that is other babies born in mid-November 2007) the boys are nearly there. It's amazing and we are so proud. It's also nice to not be doing math everytime we try to figure out what clothes should fit, etc. It's so much easier this way! So, as someone recently said, "they like their groceries." Of course, we still correct their age, because while they are six months old, they are acting somewhere in between three and four months, with regard to development, etc. For example, we aren't starting rice cereal or any other solids until at least the end of June.

The boys are really starting to develop personalities. Austin is our cuddler and he suckers mommy into naps whenever he can. He is laid back and really quite content. He talks a lot and is overall happy. Chase is feisty as always. He has found his thumb and seems to prefer that to the pacifier at times. He has totally discovered his brother and when we put them in front of each other, he lights up the room with a huge smile while reaching for Austin. It really is the cutest thing. Chase is our worrier. He just looks so concerned sometimes but luckily he smiles and laughs a lot too - a ball of emotion is the best way to describe him.

The boys were recently part of a "Then & Now" poster campaign (see their poster below) and charity walk sponsored by the March of Dimes. We're in the process of finding ways to become more involved with the March of Dimes in addition to the Dartmouth Hitchcock ICN Parents Council. If we can't prevent some of the hardships we've gone through for others, our goal is to help others cope with premature birth, loss and overall complicated pregnancies. While our journey has felt grueling at times, we would do the past six months again in a heart beat if it gave us the honor of being parents to these amazing little boys. Journey on!

New Pictures

Auntie Kerry and her baby bump! Feeling great, looking amazingly fit and due in July, we got to visit with my sister Kerry yesterday and the boys got to hang out with their cousin...well kind of. This counts, doesn't it?

New Pictures!

Spring Is Finally Here...We Hope

It's official. Our mounds of snow are disappearing, the birds are chirping and people are outdoors again - it's spring! We're getting out nearly everyday and it feels so good! Our weekly appointments with the visiting nurse are done so we won't have new weights until this Friday. Until then, here are some smiles (and serious faces too) to brighten your day!

Compare this!

Do these even look like the same babies? My goodness, look how much they've grown! Sorry for slowing down on posts. We've been busy trying to get out for walks and to visit some friends who have recently had new babies. It's been fun seeing all these new little people who we hope our boys will grow up with. The boys didn't get weighed last week but we're expecting to be nearly 13 and 12 lbs. by the weigh-in this Friday. We've officially segwayed into 3-6 mos. clothes and are practically out of #2 diapers already. The boys have done two nights in a row of sleeping for 8 hours! It would great if they continued but I suspect they'll tease us a few more times before settling into that routine.

So, let's talk about age...we've learned we are supposed to go by their corrected age (using Feb. 4 as their faux birthday) for everything but vaccines. So, instead of being 5 months old on April 12, they were two months old on April 4. If you think it's confusing, you're right. Using the corrected age makes all of the developmental milestones more attainable. Once the boys are two years old, we can simply use November 12 as their birthday. They should be caught up by then.

The boys are smiling socially and when they do, it lights up the room! Of course, I can't keep the camera on them all the time, but I've been able to snag a few shots of these wonderful smiles. They are both really starting to grab at things and get this, we think Austin might be teething. I got teeth at four months, so it's perfectly reasonable that he could as well. In the meantime, his mouth seems to be a little sore, he chews on everything and drools a lot. I dred teething, like I dred turning two and potty training! Maybe we'll get a nanny by then :)

Ok, once I figure out what to make for dinner, we need to go on our walk. In the meantime, here are a few more pictures from the past couple of weeks! Enjoy!

Happy Easter

Ok, so we didn't get the boys picture taken with the Easter bunny...but we did get a visit from Nana & Poppa Cooch, cousin Sierra, Aunt Michele and Uncle Bill. Easter Sunday, we ventured out on our first trip to Grammy and Grandpa Dufromont's house and all in all, the entire weekend was a great success. The boys stayed on their schedule and we actually felt a sense of normalcy for the first time since the boys were born. Here are a few pictures from the week and weekend. We're seeing a resemblance between Austin and Sierra, but Chase is still his Daddy's clone! Enjoy!

New Pictures!