19 Months!

We love the fall! Andrew and Maggie went to their first apple orchard and had their first whole apples...they loved them! We are all geared up for Halloween - Andrew is a bumble bee and Maggie is a ladybug. Good thing Halloween is soon because Andrew is rapidly outgrowing his costume. Maggie will probably be able to wear her costume next year! She weighs in at just over a whopping 18 pounds. We figured it was time to turn her car seat around so now she can finally watch videos on long trips with her brother.

Besides that, things are pretty much the same. They are both running around and getting in all sorts of trouble in the house! We hope you enjoy the pictures!

18 Months Today!!!

Here are some more pictures!

17 Months!!!

We have had a GREAT summer! We are sad to see it end but can't wait for the fall! Mom and Dad had a quick visit to our alma mater (U of M) for Andrew's and Maggie's NICU check-up with the neurologist. They passed with flying colors and no longer have to continue to be monitored...yea! Andrew is cruising around the house and has gotten quite quick - he makes a beeline for the bathroom to play in the toilet or heads for our laundry room to play with Bella's food and water. We guess he is our future swimmer! Maggie also has finally started walking...though it took Gaga Rudy and Mom quite a long time to find good tennis shoes to fit her size 2 feet. It's amazing that she can balance on those things! It's so fun as Maggie and Andrew get older and more interactive and independent. Maggie, for some reason, loves Burt from Sesame Street and likes to find him in her toys/books and point him out. Andrew likes our cactus and while he has learned "one finger touch" it doesn't last long...poor cactus!

While Andrew has always been quite bigger in size (we call him Bubba), we have decided that Maggie is going to be our future football player...she is quite the bully and actually throws her whole body at Andrew and tackles him. Poor Andrew is too nice to retalitate back!

We hope everyone has a great last couple days of summer! Please think of Andrew on Sept. 8th as he is having ear tube surgery! Enjoy the pictures!

16 Months

Well, we haven't been so good at updating...surprise, surprise. Maggie and Andrew have had quite the busy summer. Unfortunately, they have had some ear infections so we have an upcoming appointment with an ENT doctor. Besides that, life has been good! Andrew is taking many steps by himself now, though he resembles a drunk sailor. He now likes to walk over crawling. Maggie, our sometimes unmotivated child, still favors crawling - though she does this crab-like crawl over tough surfaces. In the last couple days, she has begun to take a few steps by herself. She also is amazing us with her vocabulary - she mimics anything we say. Her favorite thing though is to drop food off her tray and then say "uh oh". She also says hi non-stop. We hope everyone is having a good summer! Here are some pictures from the past month...

15 Months

Not only did the kids turn 15 months on 6/5, but they officially reached their 1 year adjusted birthday on 6/7.

Maggie is saying "hi", "pop", "whoa", "baby", "Yea" and enjoying beating up on her big brother.

Andrew is taking a few steps before falling down and leading his little sister into all sorts of trouble.

We had a great time at the cousins summer party...check out some of the recent pictures...

5/3/08 Almost 14 Months!!!

The last few weeks have been busy ones for us. It's amazing how quickly that Andrew and Maggie have changed...Andrew is our strong guy and amazes us with his strength. He has perfected his crawl and loves to go exploring around the house with his little sister. It's so cute watching them move around with Maggie following Andrew as they go from the kitchen to the living room to the laundry room...Andrew has also been working on his "cruising". If we find a toy that he REALLY wants (or a piece of food) and place it on the end of our coffee table, he will walk over to it. And once it a while, he lets go with his hands and stands all by himself.

Maggie has also become much stronger. She can almost keep up with her bigger brother when crawling around the house. Her favorite thing to do, however, is to clap with anyone who is over. She also likes telling everyone that she is "so big".

Maggie even got her first haircut!

As most people can see right away, Maggie and Andrew are very different. Physically, Andrew is bigger by about 4 pounds and looks a lot like his dad. Maggie, on the other hand, has a very petite frame and looks more like her mom. As they are getting older, it's very apparent that their personalities are just as different. Andrew is a bit bashful - especially around big crowds. He takes a little longer to feel comfortable and get his bearings. However, his laughter is infectious. He's a very focused little guy and LOVES to eat and chew on things. He is the best sleeper ever and loves to stick his little bottom in the air when he sleeps. And he is such a cuddler!

Maggie is pretty daring and likes to be off on her own doing things. However, if she wants to be held you will definitely know! She's a very light sleeper and doesn't ever seem to want to sleep. Her sleep position is to have both arms behind her head like she is lounging around at the beach. Maggie picks up things pretty quickly and we love to teach her new tricks!

Eating seems to be our main activity of the day. Both kids are eating pretty much everything...it's so fun experimenting and trying new food. And the pictures are the best! Both Andrew and Maggie are teething (Maggie has 4 teeth and Andrew almost has 3)...



We are attending "swim lessons" and Maggie and Andrew LOVE them. It's so great watching them splashing around in the water. Here are some pictures from the past week. We hope you enjoy them!

4.12.08 - 13 Months

Andrew and Maggie are doing new things everyday....mostly food....they eat everything. Andrew likes to eat his food quickly so that he can steal from Maggie! Bella (our dog) does a great job of cleaning up after the kids!

The kids are starting swim lessons next week and went swimming for the first time. Bath time is getting challenging as the kids are becoming more and more mobile...What is with the fascination of splashing and kids?

Both kids are off of the preemie formula and have moved to "next step" formula...although we keep working on milk. The kids are getting known around town at Meijer Gardens and at the Zoo (they had fun with their cousins Isaac and Rayna). They liked watching the people more than the animals, but they did have fun at the petting zoo.

They also had their first meal at Panera....Mom and Dad are getting "plenty" of rest with the kids sleeping through the night (generally 7 to 7). We also get a little rest by putting the kids in the "Jail." Mom also took advantage of the sneak peak of spring by taking the kids for their first wagon ride around the neighborhood.

We'll keep trying to update more often.