All In The Family

Sunday was a BIG day for Brett and Maggie as they had their first chance to meet more than 20 of their East Coast relatives. The twins looked sporty in the new track-suits Auntie Devon bought them, as they socialized and dined at a special brunch arranged in their honor by Grandma.

The event included a very special meeting between Brett, Mags and their Great Grandmother Dunphy. The record should also reflect that Cousin Megan was the first Dunphy sister to hold both twins. She did a great job of sharing them with the rest of the family.

Brett, Maggie and their mom & dad truly appreciate everyone making the drive to meet them. Enjoy the pictures!

Aaaaahhhhh.... Polar Bears!!!

Brett & Mag's first Christmas was a white Christmas. They're in Washington DC visiting Grandma and it's freeeezing. As you can see, they got their first glimpse of snow. It was the perfect occasion to break out the bear outfits their mother has been dying to dress them in.

The day also included visits from Uncle Dave, Auntie Leanne and Uncle Jason and plenty of presents for Brett and Mags. They scored a ton of cute new outfits.

Here are a few photos. Merry Christmas everyone.

Almost Double the Size!

Brett today.
Brett at 10 days old. Same pants, same football.

Maggie today.
Maggie at 10 days old. Same spoon. Those pants are way too small now.
And here are lots more pictures!
Last week, the babies got a special visitor from Boston -- Auntie Sara. She brought the kids books and read to them!

We went to visit the babies' friends Lucas and Shayna this weekend. Well, someday they'll be friends. Anyway, Shayna let Brett try out her exersaucer. Look at the busy boy!

Lola supervises as Maggie does tummy time and Brett stares at himself in a hanging mirror.

Finally, the babies are moving around a lot in their sleep. We have a positioner for Brett so he stays relatively put. Looks like Maggie needs one, too -- their heads were both at the top of the crib when they went to sleep!

Say Cheese!

My Three Girls

Taking a nap.

The Big Boy and The Big Girl

At ten weeks, Brett is our big 10-pounder. Maggie is close behind at 9 pounds, 4 ounces. Brett has always been really strong. At each pediatrician visit, the doctor reassures us that bobble-headed Mags is the normal baby. He can hold his head up, which means he can now sit in this cute little chair called the Bumbo seat. It's an even more impressive feat once you really examine how enormous and heavy his head is. Magdalena has a strong little grip and great concentration. She likes to hold onto the toys on her bouncy seat if you put them in her hand. Here she's fiercely gripping the ring under the dangling monkey. And of course she does this while constantly kicking.

Two of Everything: Cute Bear Outfits!

Thanks, Shara! We're eagerly awaiting the arrival of our new friend any day. Good luck! Get well ASAP, Ben!

Two of Everything: Jogging Suits!

I think these might be my new favorite outfits. Thanks Bob and Candie! We took the kids to the mall today. They slept for three hours while Dan and I did some shopping and had lunch.

Happy Birthday to the ORIGINAL Baby of the Family

He'll Pierce Right Through You With His Wide-Eyed Stare and Scare You Silly With His Wild Man Hair

Yes, of course, more lyrics from Dan. You've all seen the photos of the stare and the hair. And now you've seen his smile. Here's some facts you might not know about Brett.
1. He's growing like a monster and is quickly turning into a giant baby. This is a photo of the preemie onesie Brett wore in mid-October when he was 3 weeks old. Next to it is a onesie that began to fit him before Thanksgiving. He also has huge man hands.

2. Brett's hair is getting lighter and lighter. I think he may end up with hair of gold like his mother.
3. Brett's coos and squeals of delight sound just like the coos and squeals he makes before he starts crying. He likes to keep us guessing.
4. Brett's newest trick is fascinating: he likes to spit out his pacifier so it's right in front of his face. Then he likes to continually lick it.


5. For Brett, feeding time means more than just getting nourishment. It's also time to protect his boob from would-be invaders, grunt loudly and play. He's quite the spectacle at feeding time.
6. Brett is the noisiest napper. His grunts can be heard across the house.

Bonus photo of the day: during today's game of "Kick and Stare," Maggie decided she liked Brett's mirror better. She turned his way and had her arm across him for a good 20 minutes. He didn't notice.

I Once Knew a Baby Named Magdalena, I Think She's Kind Of Cute So Allow Me To Explain Her

That's the beginning of a song Dan sings about Mags. I'd like to explain some things about Magdalena and share some photos to show how cute she is.
1. Maggie likes to kick her legs. A lot. She always kicks her socks off. If she's awake, she's kicking her legs.
2. Maggie's favorite place in the whole world is the changing table. Any changing table. I thought she just liked the one at home because there are puppies on the wall and in the chandelier, but she loved the one in Phoenix as well, and the only thing to look at there is my law school graduation photo.
3. Mags also loves ceiling fans, and of course, her best friend, the painting above our couch. She spends a lot of time each day cooing at the painting.
4. Magdalena has lots of thick, dark hair at the base of her skull, and also some hair on the sides. She had a bit of hair on top when she was born, but it all fell out and she had a shiny chrome dome. While we were in Phoenix, Maggie's head was like a Chia Pet. You could actually see a difference in hair growth from morning to night each day. She'll have long, flowing locks in no time.
5. When Maggie is asleep, she's almost impossible to wake up.

6. Mags likes to stare at things. She has big blue eyes and uses them to stare intently.
Coming tomorrow: the 411 on Brett.
Bonus photo of the day: Another sleeping photo. They were still tired when I unwrapped them from their swaddles.

More Family Fun in Phoenix

As a warm-up to their big visit to Washington D.C. in December, Brett and Magalena has a chance to meet their first relatives from Dan's side of the family (not including Grandma B, of course) when a couple of interlopers from Sedona drove down to Phoenix to pay them a visit.

Here they are with Uncle Dennis and Aunt Cathy. Brett looks appropriately suspicious of Dennis:

Future Babysitter Visits the Twins

This week in Phoenix, we've had the chance to introduce Brett and Mags to a bunch of relatives and friends. Perhaps Brett and Mag's favorite visitor was cousin Mikenna. She did such a great job of holding the babies and Brett couldn't stop smiling at her. Here are a few pics:

Thanksgiving in Phoenix

First, here's some proof that we're actually in Phoenix this week:

Second, since the babies can't eat Turkey yet we figured we'd dress them up in Thanksgiving garb to celebrate the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Brett & Magdalena Meet Santa Claus

This week Brett and Magdalena made their first trip to Phoenix, to visit Grandma and Grandpa. They were SO well behaved on the airplane that they earned an early trip to see Santa Claus. (I guess they figured they'd better see him while they were earning so much praise for being good.)

We were all discussing what Brett and Mags would ask Santa for this year. Mag's favorite thing in the world is the painting above our couch, so she'd probably ask for some beautiful artwork. Following that same logic, Brett would probably just ask for a boob.

Post-bath Bliss

Brett and Mags aren't crazy about the bath yet. But they love the after-bath towel treatment.

More Fun Playing

.





We had a weigh-in on Tuesday at the pediatrician's office. Brett is now 8 pounds, 5 ounces and Mags is 7 pounds, 9 ounces. Way to grow, babies!
My next goal is to capture smiles on camera -- they both do it and it's adorable, but often fleeting and camera-elusive

Fail To The Redskins

Brett is beginning to learn that the things you're most loyal to can sometime break your heart. This Sunday, he and I sat through yet another Redskins loss. What a terrible, terrible team. On the plus side, I think our pants look great.

More Fun Each Day

Brett and Mags are starting to figure out that it's fun to play. Their definition of play is mostly staring at themselves in the mirror and kicking their legs and waving their arms, all while making funny noises. But it's super cute nonetheless, and it's fun to watch them get a bit more interactive. The most popular items in the house remain the puppy sticker above the changing table and the abstract painting above the couch, but hopefully toys the babies can grab will soon replace them. Here are some cute photos of the babies showing off how alert and cute they can be.






Here's also a bonus photo of what the babies look like when they eat -- I think this picture is discreet enough to post. I also like it because I'm all done up and about to leave for a wedding, as opposed to wearing pajamas and glasses even at 5pm, which still happens some days.

Bye-Bye Gramma

Gramma just left this morning after a nine-day visit. The kids will really miss her. So will I! It's nice having an adult around to talk to during the days, but more importantly, she was so great with the babies and her help was essential! Here she is in the mandatory "proud grandparent" pose as well as sharing special moments with Mags and Brett individually.



Bonus photo of the day: Here are the babies waking up for lunch after I unwrapped them from their cocoons. They are rockin' the cute clothes as usual. Magdalena has on a little dress with pink leggings and Brett has a puppy on his chest as well as his butt.