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...

Maggie's Got a Toothy Grin

Two weeks ago Magdalena sprouted her first tooth. It's a bottom tooth - aka a lower central incisor for all our dentist readers. It's very jagged and has a sharp little point. (click on the image below and/or scroll a little further down for a closer look at her pearly white.)

The new fun game in the house is making Maggie laugh or smile so big, that you can see her new tooth!

Daddy's Home!!!

Every day is Father's Day around here. This is the exact same scene I'm treated to every evening when I get home from work...

The Little Imp

We've been waiting for Bretty to crawl, but he decided to skip it and go straight to standing up!

Babababababa

And yayayaya, wawawawawawa, dadadadadada, and mamamamama. Maggie likes to talk. That's why we call her Loud Maggie. She can also click her tongue like a clucking chicken.

An Ear for an Ear

The little monkeys really like to pull on each other's ears. They don't grab mommy's or daddy's ears, just each other's.

Sunday on the Swings

Since Summer officially begins this weekend, the twins thought it was a good idea to make what we believe will be the first of thousands of trips to the neighborhood playground. While the teeter-totter may seem like the obvious choice, the twins chose to go for a ride on the swing instead. Maggie is a natural. Brett enjoyed himself too.

CLICK on the slide show below to see all the pictures!

It Won't Be Long Now, Lola

The Latest Weigh In

After attending their first Bay to Breakers, the babies were in need of a bath. Good thing it's Sunday which means... Bath Night and Weigh In!!!

Brett "Potrero Slim" Berthiaume checked-in at 13lbs 8.5oz. Magdalena "Big Fat Maggie" Berthiaume impressed with a 13lbs 14oz showing. Not bad for 7-month old twins.

A Really Fun Weekend, Part II

Maggie recently learned how to make a fun noise, and she does it a lot.



Brett and Magdalena love to grab each other!



These babies love to eat. This meal was moments after Mommy discovered Brett's first tooth! (top right, not a bottom one!)



Bretty Boy is a happy boy.



We actually do have an HD video camera. The only way to easily upload videos to the blog is to make them low quality. Just FYI.

A Really Fun Weekend, Part I

Auntie Devon, Uncle Ryan, Grandma and Grandpa came to town this past weekend to celebrate Devon's 30th birthday. The weather was gorgeous, and Brett and Maggie got to go for a walk in Golden Gate Park and to a fun outdoor lunch. The babies enjoyed playing with their aunt, uncle and grandparents. Here are some pictures of Brett and Magdalena showing off some warm-weather clothes.





I'm having some technical difficulties, but there are videos from this weekend I want to post, too. Hopefully I can post them tomorrow night. One video is of Auntie Devon and Uncle Ryan feeding them green vegetables, pears, and oat cereal. Brett and Maggie are becoming champion eaters. They love sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, zucchini, green beans, peas, pears, and avocado. All of their food is homemade. The babies got a very exciting gift from Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Ed this weekend -- a food mill! Now mommy and Jennie can easily smoosh up their food as they eat more and more grownup things in the near future, like chicken and beans and turkey. Thanks, Ed and Marilyn!!

The Baby Sitter

He's a baby, and he can sit.


Brett went to the doctor three times in three weeks for his bad neck rash. Turns out it's baby eczema. It's looking pretty good now, just a little red patch on his face. He still has problems with spitting up and takes medicine for that (notice the messy clothes).

This blog needs some pictures of the babies with the REAL babysitter, Jennie the world's best nanny. Keep an eye out soon.

Overnight with Grandma and Grandpa

Dan and I went away overnight last weekend. We just went to Sausalito, on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was nice to get away with no babies or dog for a short while. Grandma and Grandpa stayed with Brett and Maggie, and from the looks of it, they had a great time.







In the last week, Brett has gotten much better at jumping with two feet instead of doing a hoedown dance, and Maggie has also started jumping up and down rather than just side to side.

Vote For Your Favorite Nicknames

To honor our twins' recent 6-month Birthday - or as their Auntie Big J would call it, their half-Birthday - we're conducting a poll to decide their best nickname. Please see the choices above. They've each been given approximately 600 nicknames over these last 6 months, but we tried to whittle it down to our favorite six. We look forward to seeing how the vote turns out.

In the mean time, here are some new photos:

Maggie in full shriek...

Brett about to devour Sophie the Giraffe...

The Babies' First Solid Food

Today was a very big day for Brett and Maggie. They ate solid food for the first time! Their first meal was baby oat cereal mixed with breastmilk. Yum!

Monumental Occasions

1) MAGGIE AND LOLA ARE BECOMING FRIENDS




2) WE HAVE ACHIEVED FOOT-IN-MOUTH


Brett just learned how to take off his sock. Immediately, the sock went in his mouth. Then he realized the toes are tasty, too!

Still Growing

Brett and Maggie aren't just growing bigger, they are also much more interactive than the last time they posed with their props.




The babies will be six months next Sunday. They will begin eating solids! I can't wait to post lots of messy high chair pictures over the next few months.

Activities for Babies

These are photos and videos from my fun playtime with the babies this evening.

Brett was busy in the exersaucer and Maggie was sort of jumping (mostly just playing with her pacifier) in the jumperoo.



Brett loves toys. This is a great picture because you can't tell that he actually has the world's worst neck rash from so much slobber, spit-up, and wet bibs.



Maggie is very cute. She is a very silly little girl who loves to shriek and giggle.



I wish I didn't give voice-overs during videos. I hate listening to myself and I say dumb things. I think I do it because my parents did it on our movies when we were little. What's the other option, silent films? BTW, I am a horrible camera operator.