Identical?

To go out and meet R and S & R for brunch the girls got all dressed up in matching dresses. Then they got their lean on, matched their cheeks, and did up their hair just right so now you can't even tell them apart!

Oh yeah, welcome S&R to the blog. They're already famous for their wedding video that I posted on YouTube last year!

Pajama party

It's a big day today!

Lauren and the girls celebrate a big day today - the twin's delivery date! Yep, they got all dressed up to mark the big occasion, then fell asleep.

Will this mean the girls will always be early to their appointments?

Work thank you card

Ok, ok, so the posts haven't been flowing so fast lately. Getting some important things done lately, especially playoff hockey and a recent new addition to the house. But also have been doing some other baby-related work, including making up thank you cards for my coworkers for the very sweet surprise lunch/shower they threw me.

One of the gifts they gave us were the "I'm a Pepper" bibs for the girls. At this point they can almost wear them as dresses! There are a couple of matching blankets on order as well that are waiting for delivery from the company store.

Last weekend we had a couple mini-shoots for the girls. For this picture we put them both into one of their bouncy chairs. The chairs matched the bib color almost perfectly. The late afternoon sun shone in the back windows in the living room where their round seats are most of the time anyway. So it was just a matter of hovering over them for 15 minutes straight waiting for those precious couple seconds where neither was moving, crying, hitting their sister, or crumpling up the bib!

And yes, we're working on the announcements as well!

Mike

Ella's first checkup

Ella met Dr. Miller for the first time today and was not that impressed. Let's just say she doesn't see any reason why a doctor would need to touch her so much!

She tipped the scales at over 6 lbs!

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day Mike started with taking the night shift so all the ladies could sleep peacefully. Miss Ella and Julia did pretty good but each got up for an extra feeding during the night in addition to their usual three hour schedule!

We all enjoyed the Mother's Day Brunch down at the golf course. The buffet was about 50' long and we ran into all kinds of neighbors. It was Ella and Julia's first trip out to a fancy meal so they got all dressed up and slept like champs through the whole thing. Here we are in front of the waterfall on the back patio of the clubhouse. The twins were waking up so it was time to go home and eat!

Little Lamb

We've already moved the girls up to their room. Ok, it is not their room yet, but we've started the transition by putting their crib in there first. (Their room will be the green room at the top of the stairs next to Lauren's room.) So when one of us has night duty they can sleep in the bed still in the room next to the crib.

So the main reason the girls have already moved is that they are pretty noisy, even when they are not crying. Ok, by they I mean Julia. We call her our lamb because she makes little lamb bleating noises all night, in her sleep. Kind of like Lauren's Grackle, but more lamb-like, not so loud, but more frequently. We're waiting to see if the nicknames "Mutton" or "Lambchop" stick.

Back together!

The girls got right back to where they were in the womb and the NICU by sleeping together again. We've already got them on the same routine now, will be interesting to see how long that will keep up.

Miss Ella comes home!

All the i's were dotted and the t's were crossed so Miss Ella got to come home today. No problems to speak of and they were sad to see her go. They said we would get an invite next spring for a NICU reunion. Will be nice to thank the nursing staff who took such good care of our ladies again!

Ella almost 6 lbs!

Ella may be coming home tomorrow!

The doctors like the way Miss Ella is doing her feedings, so she could be coming home at 11am tomorrow. We'll keep you posted!

Are you mocking me?

Here are Ella and I celebrating with a beverage on Tuesday night. Nana Pat took the picture.

A good day to grow

Miss Ella is starting to really focus on the eating. She is doing more and more of her bottles when she gets the chance, so the doctors are starting to add more feedings. Now there is talk of her coming home by Friday this week!

Nothing like playoff hockey!

Last year our neighbors had 4 seasons tickets to the Stars. One night they came over at 5pm and gave their tickets to that night's game since they couldn't go. Looking at the best way to scheme my way to the game I immediately called Meghan's dad, Mike, and asked him if they would like to join me and Lauren at the game. The Penguins and Sidney Crosby were in town, and since Mike is a big hockey fan and player (it is whispered that he played Canadian junior hockey with Mike Modano), and he had spent a couple of years in Pittsburgh, it was a lock.

It turns out that game was probably the game of the year in Dallas. Overtime, shootout, a goal by Crosby, the whole works. A great time. And Lauren and Meghan had a blast. They especially liked dancing to the music!

So when Meghan was coming back into town I immediately took advantage. Before game 2 of the series I bought tickets for all of us and Art & Kathy to go to Game 6 on Sunday night. Of course then the Stars took the first three games of the series, and we were in the awkward position of not rooting especially hard for the Stars to win so we would be able to see a game when Meghan was in town. Well the Stars aligned and Game 6 was Sunday night.

Here is where the planning went awry. The game was scheduled late (8pm) so VS. could show another game earlier. However that game never happened so it was a late game for no reason. Then we also hadn't exactly planned on Lauren and Meghan playing all day full-out, including 4 hours in the hot tub in the burning sun. And we definitely didn't plan on the 8th longest game in NHL history.

The meltdown started when we took our seats. Lauren lost it because she wanted to sit in my seat and not hers next to Meghan. Neither of the girls liked the whole "wave the towels" thing that happens in the playoffs. A rough start.

The first couple periods were excellent. We kept the girls entertained with food (popcorn, then ice cream). The third period is when things fell apart. A goal over Turco's shoulder tied it up. The girls went to sleep. The game went to overtime.

The first overtime was a madhouse on the ice. Scoring opportunities everywhere. The second and third overtimes were shaky, with the Stars players obviously tired and the Sharks seeming to get an abundance of one-on-one opportunities alone in front of the net. But in Turco we trust, and he stood on his head to keep the puck out of the net and the Stars in the game.

So by that time it was 12:45 or so and I couldn't justify spending another overtime or three before getting Lauren and myself home to bed. So I said our goodnights to Mike, Art, and Kathy and I carried Lauren out to the car. About 1:24 in the morning we were nearly home on the interstate when Morrow scored the game winner. Sounded good on the radio!

Go Stars!

Best Friends

Lauren's best friend Meghan came back for a visit from Connecticut for a couple days. They are in heaven being reunited! Meghan also brought her twins, Evan and Emma, so we can get a preview of the fun to come!

Nana Pat arrives!

Nana Pat came in today for a long-term visit! She had warned her boss Rausa a while ago that with twins on the way she would be needed for a couple of months. And now here she is!

After a direct flight from Raleigh via Detroit she finally arrived met Julia. She was good and didn't wake her up to hold her and kiss her despite all her instincts. Here she kissing Julia once she got up for her late afternoon feeding. After that it was off to the hospital to meet Ella!

Thank you Aunt Jamie!

Jamie and Ella

Aunt Jamie went home today after spending a week with us. We are going to miss you! She was a great help.

Aunt Jamie went out of her way to play a lot with Lauren. Lauren was very appreciative, even if she did call her "Colleen" for most of the week. Jamie learned how to be a fairy, and somehow managed to drive Lauren to the mall in a minivan full of zoo animals.

Jamie's done feeding Julia while waiting for Ella to finish her gavage

In good hands

We found out Ella was being taken care of by a Tarheels fan today so that made us feel better. Miss Ella wore some of her Tarheels bling as well. Nurse Michelle vacations with her family each year in Emerald Isle (where Alice and Larry have a place), small world!

Ella's new digs

You know how it goes. The kid moves out and all of a sudden the place just starts to look huge, and now you notice how long it takes to get from one end of the house to the other. Miss Ella went through the same thing so she put her place up for sale and found this cute little cottage. Lauren brought the housewarming gift in the top right.