It’s been a long time since we’ve posted pictures so we have 3 new galleries below. You’ll be shocked at how much Gabriel and Zara have grown!

4 months old – Burg visit: The babies are just over 4 months old now and we’ve had a great month! They are starting to coo and laugh a lot more. Gabriel is nearly able to roll onto his stomach (just inches away from going the whole way over!). They love their play mat and Gabe can spend hours just tugging on the animals dangling overhead (Zara has less patience for it!). At last check Gabe was close to 15 lbs and Zara was over 13 lbs! They are also getting very long! We’ve been very fortunate that they’re sleeping through the night now. Generally we put them to bed around 8:30pm and they wake up around 6 am!!

We took our first flight with the babies and were upgraded to first class both ways! (too bad neither of us will have airline status next year – so it’s back to the crappy seats next year!)

The trip to DC was amazing; the babies slept the majority of the way. We rented a hotel suite in DC and a bunch of our friends came out to meet the babies. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a single picture while there but we had a great time catching up with our friends! Thanks everyone for making it out to see us!

We then spent a week in my hometown visiting my family. We had lots of people eager to cuddle the babies and mom cooked some yummy food so it was a very relaxing week for us! Unfortunately, when we returned to Seattle, Gabe and Zara were wondering why they weren’t being held all day (and I was wishing I had mom to cook for me!)! The weather was unbearably hot back east – it has been a cool summer in Seattle so going from 60 degrees to 100 is quite a change!

We were also able to visit with my aunts, uncles, and a few of my great aunts. It was great to see everyone! I wish we could just smoosh the east coast with the west so we could be closer to my family without having to move back east!!

View photos of our visit to PA.

3 Months old! The babies turned 3 months old and my sister Patty, and friends Sue and Emily came to visit. We had a great weekend and the weather was beautiful! We went to Pike’s Place market, the Fish Ladder, and a few other hot spots. Pat, Sue, and Emily spent time spoiling the babies while Z and I had a rare date night out.

View the Month 4 photos.

Tug boat races: Each year there are tug boat races in Seattle. We’ve always wanted to go but this was the first year we made it to the races. There were boats of all sizes and it was a beautiful day to be outside. Unfortunately the tug boat horns are pretty loud so the babies were not thrilled when one boat blew the horn right in front of us.

Check out the photos from the Tug boat races.

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara 70 Comments »

It’s been several weeks since Rita left and we miss her! The first few days were really rough not only because I had to do everything on my own at night and during the day, but also because it was lonely not to have anyone to talk to all day!

I started attending a new parents group every week and have met a few really cool people with whom I go on walks. It’s great to meet others going through things and it forces me to get out of the house! It’s kind of crazy trying to get myself ready, the diaper bag, and all of the odds and ends packed and get us out the door but we try to do it as much as we can. We’re usually never on time anymore (not that we were great at this before!), but I bet we’ll get the “sleigh” packing down to an art soon! With all of the things we need for road trips, I think we’re going to need a larger car!

Gabriel and Zara are doing great! Gabe is 12 pounds now and Zara is 10 lbs. They grow out of clothing so quickly! They’re starting to really notice things around them and smiling and cooing. Gabe noticed Zara for the first time the other day and got a big grin on his face. It’s pretty fun to see them smiling and starting to explore. Gabriel is holding his head up very well and likes to look around. Zara is not far behind him and is starting to hold her head up more as well.

It seems the babies have swapped roles. Zara (formerly known as “Gee”, used to be all chill and calm but she is now the one who cries for no apparent reason (She prefers being held….). Gabriel, while still able to break your eardrum with his screaming, is much more relaxed than he was several weeks ago. He has gone to bed without a fight almost every night in the last few weeks. They have both started sleeping longer as well. There is about 5 hours between feedings. They tend to eat on the same schedule for the most part so we’ve mastered feeding them on dueling Boppy pillows then burping them simultaneously (and sometimes talking skype as well!).

Zvonimir took some awesome 11 wk photos (at the end). It’s like herding cats to get them both awake and looking at the camera!

Check out the new photos from Month 3.

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara 91 Comments »

Time seems to fly by… Gabriel and Zara are 8 weeks old tomorrow! They are both doing very well. Gabriel is now 9 ½ pounds and Zara is 8 ½ pounds! They’re keeping us very busy. Rita and I usually take the midnight and 3am feeding shifts and Zvonimir wakes up early to feed them before work. This allows Rita and I to sleep for a few hours. I’m so thankful to have Rita’s help and will miss her greatly when she leaves next week!

Zara is a super easy baby. She rarely cries loudly… I’ve started calling her “Gee” because she kind of wimpers and it sounds like she’s saying Gee instead of really crying. Gabriel, on the other hand, is like a fire alarm… He’s got some lungs on him and there’s no mistaking that he’s hungry!!! Unfortunately, Gabriel is a night owl and often has a tough time falling asleep on his own… He’s usually fine when you first put him down in the crib but by the time your head hits the pillow, the fire alarm has started! Thank goodness they aren’t waking each other up because he can be a foot away from Zara, screaming at the top of his lungs and she’s sleeping ever so peacefully! Hopefully Gabe will grow out of this soon!! Fortunately Zara is sleeping around 4-5 hours because Gabe is up much more frequently and it’s tough when they’re both crying at once!

We’ve done pretty well at getting out of the house with the babies. We started our twins parenting support group which meets weekly. This has been a great way to meet other parents with twins. The meetings are usually pretty funny with 6 sets of twins it can be rather loud!

We took a trip to Bainbridge Island so we could take Rita on the ferry. We also drove north to the tulip festival. The tulips were beautiful but it was a bit windy so we didn’t get any good photos of the babies with the flowers. Luckily, Gabe and Zara love to be in the carseats and fall asleep after a few minutes in the car. The difficult part is getting out the door and preparing for the adventure… there’s so much “stuff” you need when you’re away from home and we’re still working on packing the perfect diaper bag. Lesson learned – pack more diapers than you think you need!! Thank goodness it’s easy to buy diapers and other necessities on the road!

Check out the new photos from Month 2.

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara 78 Comments »

We’ve had a busy few weeks! We took the babies on their first walk around Green Lake. They both enjoyed the car ride and walk around the lake. The weather was beautiful and it was good to get out of the house! It’s hard to plan outings when they eat every 2-3 hours because inevitably, someone is hungry or cranky or I need to get home to pump. This time, Zara had a little meltdown and wanted food – and when Zara wants food she wants it NOW! She has a tiny bit of a temper and tends to turn as stiff as a board when she’s crying. It’s amazing how strong a 5 lb baby is!!!

I had an outpatient surgery at the beginning of the week because I had some placenta that did not come out and it was making me sick. Again, we were very thankful to have Rita here helping us because she was able to tend to the babies while Zvonimir took me to the hospital and I could relax knowing the babies were in good hands. I feel so much better since the surgery and hope this is my last stay in the hospital for a while!!

Zara and Gabe are both growing and putting on weight. Zara has gained over a pound and Gabe has gained nearly a pound. Zara is finally growing out of her preemie clothing but still isn’t fitting well into newborn clothes. Both of the babies eat a bunch and eat often! It keeps us busy. Rita has been a tremendous help, getting up every few hours to help me feed the babies while I pump (so Z can sleep and be productive at work!). It will be a challenge when she goes home because she has been helping out so much with everything.

It’s hard to believe that nearly a month has passed since Gabe and Zara were born. They both have unique personalities already and are really fun to watch. Gabe is a cuddle bunny – he LOVES to be held and snuggled. He can break out of any swaddle you put him in – especially the hand….he has to have his hand near his face at all times.  Zara makes little chicken and cat sounds that make you giggle. She smiles a lot and has developed these cute little chubby cheeks.  Her legs get stiff as a board when she’s mad or when you’re changing her diaper.  Both of them stick out their tongue as a “warning sign” when hungry…. you have about 5 minutes from the tongue until major tears.  Better hurry and get that food ready or you will hear them scream!!

It’s a lot of work but we’re having fun with them already!

View the latest pictures of Gabriel and Zara .

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara 97 Comments »

We’re all home from the hospital and adjusting to our new routine. The babies are eating about every 3-4 hours so it leaves little time for sleep. Our friend Rita arrived last Tuesday and has been a tremondous help with the babies, doing laundry, cooking, and giving the babies love! We cannot say thank you enough to her! We really appreciate the help!!!!

Both Gabe and Zara are doing very well and are eating a lot. We had our first “hike” with them to Discovery Park this weekend since it was a beautiful day out.

View pictures of Gabriel and Zara’s second week at home.

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara 79 Comments »