April 2010

What an action packed, exciting month it has been! We've been through a lot since our last post so this will be a long update! We'll start with a cute random picture of both babies smiling at the same time...always a good shot!

In early April, Ava had surgery to remove a small lump from her lower lip. It had been there since she was about 3 or 4 months old and wasn't going away so the doctors thought it was best to remove it. It turned out to be a granuloma which is a benign inflammatory lesion...aka, nothing to worry about! The surgery seemed to be much more traumatic for us than for Ava, as she didn't seem to know anything happened to her. She never complained or acted like she had any pain. Her lip was quite swollen for a few days, but it is now just about normal. She's a tough girl! Here she is after we got home from the hospital, with her bandage and hospital bracelet taking up half her arm. Her lip was numbed for the surgery so she couldn't stop chewing on it :)

Poor swollen lip!

Ava playing with one of her favorite toys...

I caught this picture of Ava standing on her own for the first time! I didn't even see her stand up. I just sat her next to this toy and turned around a few seconds later to see her standing up!


Elliot has been doing well. He is growing exponentially and we can see walking is just around the corner. This is going to be quite the challenge as he is a very active boy and already into anything and everything! He crawls at lightening speed so we can't turn our backs for a second anymore. But he's always happy, as usual, so we usually can't help but laugh even when he is causing trouble :)

Elliot after eating a teething cookie. Yep, food is pretty much his favorite thing!

Snuggle time with mommy...these precious moments are fleeting since he's usually very busy and on the go! My little tiny baby is not a baby anymore! :(

FUN WITH DOGS....

The dogs have been incredibly patient with these new little creatures crawling all over them and taking over their turf. They are actually wonderful with the babies and let them get away with just about anything! We have noticed an interesting trend forming...Ava is very partial to Jake and even crawled for the very first time just to get to him, while Elliot just adores Dothan and follows him around. At least they each have a fan!

Elliot tries to fit in with the dogs just a little too much. He is fixated on their bones and will take them out of the dogs' mouths and chew on them if we turn our back for even a second! Case in point.....

This picture was not posed! Chris went outside for a few minutes and all three of his loyal fans followed him and waited at the door for his return!

~OFF TO DAYCARE~

Jamie has been incredibly blessed with an AMAZING boss (Aunt Cindy) and very patient coworkers that have enabled her to bring the babies to work with her every day for the past 8 months. One of the exam rooms in the clinic was converted into a makeshift nursery and we would have a babysitter there to help care for the babies while Jamie worked. It has been such an amazing gift to be able to keep the babies with Mommy for their first year!! We are SO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL for being given this opportunity by 'Aunt Cindy' and for the support of the rest of Jamie's coworkers for putting up with a lot of screaming and crying over the past 8 months. You guys are all amazing and we will be forever thankful!!

But the time came that the babies outgrew their surroundings and really needed a safer and more appropriate environment to learn and explore. So we moved on to Daycare on April 26. Here are a few goodbye pictures of their last day at the clinic....

The twins favorite babysitter, Jenah. She cared for them during the entire 8 months at the clinic. We couldn't have asked for a better caregiver and we wish her luck and success as she starts nursing school! We love you Jenah!

Some of the crew (aka Elliot's girlfriends)...Carol, Haley, Florence and Sarah.

First day at daycare....

...not sure the privacy policy when posting pictures on the web, so some of the eyes have been blacked out to protect the innocent! ;)

Playing with one of their caregivers and some of their new friends....

The twins have done fantastic at daycare and seem to be thriving. They seem to really enjoy it and it's close to work for both of us so we can visit them during lunchtime. Aside from the crazy illnesses that come along with any type of school experience, we are very happy so far!

Here are some videos from the past month.....

Ava learning some new tricks....

We were sure she would never crawl! She's getting very quick lately :)


I took this video in the car (we were stopped at a light!) while Ava was babbling away. It was just too funny. Since her carseat faces backward, I had to film her reflection in the mirror!


Elliot learning to walk. He does this all the time now!

Just an example of what the dogs put up with every day...