First Time in the Baby Limo: A Walk in Potrero Hill

ChickenWolf & FrogPope

ChickenWolf:



FrogPope:

A Few New Pictures

Here's a picture of Grampy with the babies last week.  He and Grandma had to go home to Phoenix, but they will be back next week.  This week Gramma Eleanor is here!  We need to take some good pictures of here with Brett and Mags. The kids sure love having her here!

Dr. Sarah came to visit this week.  She brought us cookies and lasagna and a sleeping contraption for Brett (the latest model of Chicken Wolf trap).  She folded laundry and burped, changed and rocked babies.  And she read a book to Magdalena.  What a fun day! (And what a great friend!!)

Daddy feeds each of the babies a bottle at night -- it's a nice way for them to get to spend some time together.  Here Brett and Daddy, the two buddies, hang out after his bottle.  They are probably watching SportsCenter on TV.

Two of Everything: Alpaca Sweaters!

On Saturday, Brett and Mags got all dressed up in their warm Peruvian Alpaca sweaters. Thanks go out to Jill for what Mommy and Aunt Devon say are the twins' cutest outfits.

What was the reason for getting all bundled up? Well, Brett and Mags accompanied their mom and dad on a little outing Saturday evening to the 10th Annual Potrero Hill History Night. This required getting dressed in warm clothing and hopping in a baby bjorn/sling for the 3 block walk down the hill to our neighborhood school for the event. Both Mom and Dad had been looking forward to history night all year, but were a bit skeptical of how brand-new Brett and brand-new Mags would behave out in public.

"Expect us home in 15 minutes," we told Auntie Devon.

But wouldn't you know it, Brett and Mags were perfectly behaved the entire time and Mom, Dad and the twins stayed for the ENTIRE 2 hour presentation. The adults were excited to learn a little bit more about the neighborhood and introduce the two youngest Hill residents to some of the Hill's oldest residents, including two gentleman who have lived here for 80 years!

To be honest, I'm not sure if the babies were tired or if history simply isn't their thing and they decided to doze instead. Either way it was a pretty great Saturday for two brand-new parents and their 3 1/2 week old Alpacas.

The Truth About Those Baby Names

We've gotten a lot of questions about how we chose our babies names. The answer: Erin and I were taking a stroll in our favorite San Francisco neighborhood a few months ago, when we happened across two alleys. The alleys were charming and uniquely San Francisco - something we hope both our babies grow up to be - and what's more, we really liked the way the names of the cross streets sounded together. Here they are:






I'm kiiiiding. These two awesome photos - with some creative editing - were a present from Uncle Roobz. He actually delivered two beautiful prints of these photos this evening. We can't wait to get them framed and hung in Brett and Mag's room. Thanks Roobz.

There's Another Baby In My Crib!!

Oh, the irony.  Thanks for the mirrors, Gramma Eleanor, and thanks for the cool new setup, Grandma Toni.

Reunion

I just got home from the hospital. I was there for five days with Toxic Shock Syndrome, a very serious and very scary disease. I’ve been away from my babies and Dan and my dog. I experienced a lot of emotions while I was hospitalized:
Guilt and regret that I had to miss participating in the wedding of a close friend.
Jealousy that I missed the party because it sure looked fun!
Respect for the compassionate teams of doctors from the Medicine, OB/GYN, Dermatology and Infectious Diseases practices who got me better and continually explained what was going on.
Humbling gratitude at the generosity of a dear friend who provided breastmilk for my babies when I could not.
Fear and helplessness when I realized the seriousness of my situation and that my fate was beyond my control.
Embarrassment when I once again reconfirmed my theory that I have difficulty sleeping without Lola.
Heartache at watching my husband struggle to fulfill so many roles and put on a happy face when his wife was in the hospital and no one could explain why she was so sick.
Reassurance in knowing that no matter what, Dan will always take care of me.
Awe at the dutiful sacrifices my parents and sister made to care for the babies around the clock.
Sadness as I realized the babies’ needs were being met, they were thriving, and they didn’t need me.
But they will. Because now I get to be with them every day. I’m going to teach them, encourage them, support them. I’m going to fix it when something goes wrong, clean their faces, read with them, help them explore the world. I’m going to introduce them to each other and to Lola, and hope that everyone can be friends.
And I hope that nothing terrible ever happens to my kids and that they never get horribly ill. But if at age 32, either one of them winds up in the hospital and is moaning, crying or screaming, I hope that through it all, just as I did, they are calling out for Mommy.

Some Recent Cute Photos

We love our Grandma and our Auntie Devon!

So hard to catch them BOTH happy at once!

Brett, it looks like you're bigger because your shirt fits! Oh, wait, that's just a new shirt that's really really small.

Maggie focuses very intently on whoever is holding her.

Can you pass the remote control?

When it happens for real, Magdalena is going to have a pretty cute smile!

We're so sleepy!!

Dirty hippie San Francisco babies. Thanks, Katie!

The giant pacifier shows how small they still are. They love their bouncy seats with the toy bar!

Mags likes her pacifier, too. (There's really no "his" and "hers" -- it's just whichever pacifier is closest. They can share!)

Backlash From Our Fans

I apologize for only posting photos of our dog and our table last time. Here are the sweet kiddos as they refuse to be awakened for their afternoon meal.

Another New Addition to the House

First of all, I'd like to give a shout-out to Tim and Liz. They came over on Sunday night to meet the babies.  They helped feed and play with the babies (woot), they brought us Little Star Pizza and delicious homemade cookies (woot woot), and they got us some really cool coasters made out of the centers of record albums (woot woot woot).

Why the excitement over coasters? Because just before Tim and Liz came over, Dan finally finished the end table he'd been building over the last few months.  We wanted something to go between the couch and the rocker, you know, for bottles, beverages and the remote control, but we hadn't seen anything the right size. Having already purchased some minor tools to build Lola's ramp up to our bed in the Spring, Dan decided he was going to build the table himself.  I'll admit, I was skeptical at first, especially as each weekend brought new trips to various hardware stores for more tools and supplies, but the end product is just gorgeous.  It's walnut with a magazine rack made of bamboo from our backyard.  I love my new table. And I'm so proud of Dan.

And of course I can't have a blog post without a baby photo.  Here is Lola letting Magdalena hold her paw.

Sooooooo Big

Ah, perspective shots using everyday objects. What a great way to demonstrate the kids' size. I've chosen objects that represent activities the kids might participate in with Mommy and Daddy when they are bigger.

No gender stereotyping or pigeon-holing intended -- Brett sure likes to eat, so maybe he'll end up being the one cooking with me in the kitchen.  And Mags has Redskins clothes, too -- maybe she'll suit up and humor her old man some Sunday.

Yes, Dan, I washed your footballl before I put it in the crib. :-)

First Sponge Bath

Brett lost his cord on Tuesday and Mags lost hers yesterday. Today's sponge bath was a necessity -- the babies were starting to smell like sour milk.  Also, when you have to ask, "Is this dry skin or crusty milk?" about a few spots on the face, it's time to clean up.  The real excitement will come this weekend when Daddy can give them a real bath.

Speaking of Daddy, here he is hanging out with his kids the other day after work.

More Family Visitors!

Brett and Mags were very excited to meet Gramma Eleanor.  Here Brett gives her a big hug. Notice his awesome hairstyle.  Mommy likes to comb it that way to make him look like a savage.

How Quickly They Grow Up

It's been one week!!  Before Brett and Magdalena were born, I said I had no interest in dressing them alike.  Now I get upset at feeding time if even their bibs aren't matching.  Here is a photo of the kids in their outfits today.  

The kiddos had their first doctor's appointment today.  It was really just a weigh-in to see if they have gained some weight.  Indeed, they have plumped up and soon will be back at their birth weights.  Their feeding progress is astounding.  Maggie is a sleepy head, and for several days we could barely keep her awake to feed her.  Therefore, it was no surprise on Saturday when the home nurse visited that she hadn't gained weight since leaving the hospital.  Brett gained a practically negligible amount of weight from discharge to home nurse visit.  However, this was puzzling because he's a voracious ChickenWolf* with an unending appetite.

Mags had a breakthrough over the weekend, and went from being a poor nurser (too sleepy) and slow bottle feeder to nursing like a champ.  Brett continues to suck away. They each gained a few ounces since Saturday.  Great news.

They now tandem feed at the breast. That's right, that means two babies eating at the same time, just like a litter of puppies.  I can even burp one while the other one continues to eat.  It's adorable, and I'd love to post a picture, but I fear censure by the FCC just like those La Leche League videos that were removed from YouTube.  That and it's probably not wise to post topless photos of myself on the Internet. Also, because they were getting formula supplementation at the hospital, they are familiar with bottles, and I just introduced the pacifier yesterday to help soothe at diaper changes. No nipple confusion for these kids.  At lunchtime today, the two grandmas fed them bottles of pumped milk while I took a nap!

*As so many people are asking us what a ChickenWolf is, we may have to have a blog post soon explaining the legend of the ChickenWolf and how to catch a ChickenWolf.

The Homecoming

Finally.

After 5 days at Baby Boot Camp, the twins were released on Friday and we headed home to The Hill.

The place looks great and it was especially fun to dress them in their own clothes (still a little big) and put them in their own cribs (also a little big). Lola welcomed them with open paws and has been very patient as the babies get all the attention they need.

The feeding schedule remains pretty intense... every three hours. So sleep is coming at a premium but we're making good progress. Brett (aka ChickenWolf) is taking well to feeding. Maggie is a bit of a spitter-upper but after a few bottle adjustments and a few extra burps, we think we've got a good system going for her too. Hopefully, we'll have fat little Michelin Man babies in no time.

When Are You Guys Coming Home?

I hear my family is hopefully coming home tomorrow.  Meanwhile, I have this blanket that smells like my new brother and sister to keep me company in my new bed.

Meanwhile, back on Potrero Hill...

The Big Sister anxiously awaits the arrival of her new roommates.