Christmas 2010

After their ill-fated run in with Santa Claus, Brett and Maggie saw their Christmas season get a whole lot brighter with visits from some of their favorite people.

First, Grandma and Papa flew up from Phoenix to exchange a few early Christmas presents. Then, then they got a special visit from Grandma B, Uncle Dave-O, Auntie Leanne, Uncle J and Jennifer. It was a wonderful Christmas and we were very grateful for everyone who travelled to spend it with us.

We posted a few photos below. Apologies to our friends who may be trying to view the slide show below on an iPhone or iPad. Send all complaints to Steve "The Grinch" Jobs. Instead, you can follow the link here:

Christmas 2010 in SF

Merry Christmas!

Scary Christmas To All!

Last week we took Brett & Mags to see Santa Claus and let's just say they were none too thrilled with the experience. The photo below speaks for itself and it's also fun to see just how much they've grown since their very first visit with Santa in Phoenix last year.

A quick note on the Santa you see below. He's a bit of a celebrity. He was recently fired from his job at Macy's in Union Square for telling a (debatably) innapropriate joke. But like a Christmas miracle, a local bar stepped up and re-hired Santa for double his original salary. The story earned national attention and even landed Santa a guest spot on Jay Leno. For the record, we (like most San Franciscans) totally sided with Santa on this one and were happy to pay him a visit... even if the twins weren't.

The Walkers

No, I'm not referring to the zombies on AMC's recent 6-episode show. Although that was really great, and Brett bears many resemblances (staggering gait, indecipherable moans, disheveled hair, gnashing teeth).
I'm talking about Brett and Maggie, the babies who have finally decided to walk at 14 and a half months. In the last few days, Brett has started walking as a means to get from place to place (rather than just the "come to Mommy!" few steps). Maggie has never taken more than 4 or 5 steps at a time, although she's very steady on her feet. I jokingly said she would just start walking perfectly one day, and apparently I was right and that day was today. She was walking all over the house tonight.

Knee-walk the Ewok

One of the funniest things about twins is that they copy each other! (This video is from my phone and I can't figure out how to rotate it)

Frankenstein!

This weekend's Thanksgiving trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa gave us a year's worth of blog fodder. The babies had so much fun (we did too!) so we'll plan to post a few updates.

But we should start with Brett and his official initiation into the ranks of the walking. He was quite impressive, taking up to 6 or 7 shaky steps at a time. In fact, Erin said he looked a little like Frankenstein with his uneasy wobble and arms stretching straight out. But he did a great job and we're very proud of him. We'll post some video when we can shoot a good one, but in the mean time here are a few pictures of one of his jaunts between Mommy and Daddy.

I thought this close-up was fun:

Funny Little Babies

Maggie hasn't been drinking as much milk as we'd like, so today we tried something new. Instead of giving it to her in a sippy cup we popped the top and let her drink it like a big girl. She did a great job and wound up with a killer milk mustache.

Meanwhile, one of Brett's favorite things is making animal noises. Recently I taught him The Teen Wolf. I say, "Bretty, what noise does Teen Wolf make?" and he sticks out his lips and lets out a long hoooooowwwl! It's one of the funniest things he does.

Here are a few more recent favorite pictures:

Scooch scooch

Most babies crawl. Some babies scoot around on their butts. Bretty tries to get from place to place on his knees.




That's Maggie being loud in the background. Not unhappy, just loud. We're trying to break her of the "Maggie shriek."
Both babies just started letting go and standing up on their own. They may be walking soon!

Happy Halloween!

Brett and Mags had a wonderful Halloween weekend. While they're still a little too small for trick or treat, they attended a fun Halloween party in Oakland hosted by their friend Mason.

This year, Maggie went as a penguin and Bretty chose to dress as a monkey. Brett wasn't too thrilled about wearing the monkey hat, so we included a couple extra photos from the recent SF Parents of Multiples Halloween party. Look for a special cameo from San Francisco's newest twins!

The Maggie Tumble

Maggie has a new signature move. It goes like this:

1) crawl and come to a stop;
2) put head on floor;
3) stick arm between legs;
4) roll over sideways.

She thinks it's hilarious.



Here's a little clip from Brett and Maggie's birthday party. They really do love each other and they are best friends.



We owe pictures from our trip back east for Uncle Dave and Aunt Leanne's wedding. We'll post those soon and we're sorry for the long delay!

Happy Birthday Brett and Magdalena

Brett & Mags,

Today you turn 1! While this year has absolutely flown by, it's impossible to remember life without you... which is OK because I don't want to. Your Mommy and I love you both more than you can possibly imagine.

-Dad

1st Birthday Party!

Brett and Maggie turn 1 on Tuesday and this weekend we celebrated with their first birthday party. The party had everything two babies could want - lots of friends, a visit from their Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie DeeDee, and Uncles RyRy and DumDum and, of course, CAKE! Two cakes actually, as Mommy ensured both Brett and Mags got their own cake and their own "Happy Birthday" songs.

Here are a few photos. Brett and Mags want to especially thank their friends Lucas, Shayna, Mason, Riyo and Avery for celebrating with them.

Hail To The Redskins

We're ready for the season to begin and Brett is looking tough in his new jersey. Nowhere to go but up after last year. Hail To The Redskins!

Dr. Destructo

Find out if you've adequately baby-proofed! He only charges $10 an hour for his services. Mommy and Daddy will have to bust out the duct tape on this one. Thanks for the fun new playmat, Grandma!




Dan took this picture when I came home from work on Friday.

Wishful Thinking

I always imagined I'd have a little girl with pigtails on her first birthday. Instead, Brett is the one with flowing locks of gold (pictures truly don't do his crowning glory justice), and Maggie has penguin hair. She has the hairline of a penguin, and her hair sticks out on the sides like an emperor penguin.
A few days ago, Dan called me in the bathroom during bath time. "Come see Pippi Longstockings," he said.



A little preview of what her pigtails may look like in the distant future when her hair is long enough...

Heat Wave

93 degrees outside, 91 inside. Too hot for clothes!

Cool Kicks

Thanks, Auntie Big J and Uncle Dickie!



(Yes, Bretty chose his own outfit today.)

A Visit from Grandma!

Grandma came to visit the babies last week. She and Maggie had many important conversations.





Brett liked when Grandma let him bounce in her lap.



And everyone liked cuddling.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Two Babes in a Tub

Who Loves Burritos

Our friend Baco has an awesome shirt with a motorcycle guy on it that says, "Who Loves Burritos" (no question mark). Today, as the babies ate their very first restaurant food from the neighborhood Mexican place, Brett needs a shirt like that.





Dan's at Uncle Dave's bachelor party in New York this weekend, and so the babies came with me today to Macy's. They were very good in their stroller. Maggie waved hi (and talked loudly) to everyone we saw, and Brett was obsessed with his snack cup full of cut-up grapes and spinach puffs. They were in great moods when we got home this evening, so I got some fun pictures.

Brett is shirtless because he enjoyed his burrito too much. Maggie is shrieking at him.



Maggie waves hello to Brett.



Maggie does the splits and gets up on her feet and bounces.

Basic Training

Below is one of my new favorite photos. Brett always climbs over Maggie. She, in return, often tries to sit on him.

Beauty and Brains

Maggie has some boot-cut jeans that fit perfectly. Most women try on 20 pairs to get some that fit this great.



She also is learning her animal sounds.

Mobile Babies

Brett has been scooting around on the floor for about a month now, and Maggie has just joined him. Our new basement, which is almost complete, couldn't have come at a better time. It will be one giant rec room for babies and adults.

Here's a little clip of the babies moving. Note the pacifier switcheroo in the middle (musical pacifiers is a favorite game of these babies) and Maggie's sweet smile at the end.

Maggie Mermaid & The Lobster Man

This weekend we took a trip down to Orange County to see Grandma & Grandpa. The highlight of the trip was the twins' first ever dip in the pool. And they LOVED it. Brett giggled, smiled, kicked his legs and splashed Mommy and Daddy every chance he got. Maggie also did a little splashing but took things a bit more seriously - seeing it as an opportunity to work on her backstroke. She's a very good swimmer.

Click on the album below to see the photos, including a couple bonus photos with Grandma & Grandpa and some shots of their post-swim bath.

Poi Power

It looks like Brett has a dairy allergy. We're not sure how severe it is, and there's a chance he could outgrow it, but until his 1-year doctor appointment he's off of dairy. In the mean time, we're having fun subbing in as many other foods as possible. One of his favorites is poi. He loves the stuff. He also loves coconut milk which means Bretty has some decidedly tropical tastes.

Poi is a staple in Hawaii and if there's any chance Brett grows up to be as tough and strong as other famous Poi-fueled athletes (see Troy Polamalu, Mosi Tatupu and Bu La'ia) we'll keep feeding it too him. There's little doubt he'll keep eating it...