#1 Reason I Love the Weekends...

Daddy's Home!

Pool Party!

It feels like Summer!  Last year, it seemed like we missed the entire summer with cool temperatures. 

The girls like their bath time, so I thought it was high-time for a pool party.  We waited until Jon got home just in case they both started screaming or something.

I am so glad we waited until Jon got home because I probably never would have dreamed of...

Splashing water on their faces, but...

They liked it!

I kept saying, "Jon?" in my warning, questioning voice. 

Spurred on by his success, I am sure I also would have not...

put my head under water and come up with a mouthful of water to spray on the girls, but...

they couldn't get enough.

I am sure I also would have thought they were way too young to...

play bumper Bumbos or have them create a whirpool effect or...

or teach them how to kick! But...

They LOVED it.

Good thing we waited for daddy to get home for our pool party because...

the pool party would have been so boring with just careful ole' Mama!

***WARNING***

If you get the idea from this post that Bumbos are a safe way to let kids play in the water, it actually is a little precarious as they kind of float and aren't super stable.  

A Summer Full of Firsts...

Jon and I both love to be outside and we have discovered our babies do as well! We are enjoying this week of Summer weather and have been outside, a lot. 

Jada is my hot child.  She sweats easily and makes me sweat as she radiates heat. She has been spending a lot of time in her diaper.  I think kids should only wear diapers in the Summer, but then everyone calls them "little guys" and "your boys". 

The sidewalks in front of our house have been getting torn out and replaced all down our street.  This has given the girls hours of pleasurable watching as their has been action. I guess there is a plus to all the jackhammer noises!

It seems like every day we are introducing a new first or they are doing something new for the first time.

The other night before bedtime, we decided it was time to experience the grass!

"Ads, are you there?"

Jada and Adia started sitting up a few days ago.  They only last a few seconds but they get so proud of themselves!  Jada is big stuff!

Adia follows suit.

Following is a sequence of both girls sitting up.  Jada on the left, Adia on the right.

I know I shouldn't laugh when they fall, but this was too funny!

Jada was done after the face-first fall...

Feeling much better on top of Adia...

Adia could have played on the grass for a very long time.

Since the girls have been with us, the caffeine has been freely flowing.  No, not for them, but for Jon and I.  Jada and Adia are convinced they need sips. Someone did teach them how to drink out of a cup and we have been giving them water.  Jon found a way to appease their begging for soda.

After they suck on the can and you pull it away, they are totally satisfied.  Oh, what will we do the day they realize we are cheating?  :)

Our Journey to the Girls Video

Let's hear it for Jon!  YAY!  He got our video done. We have our live Gotcha Day footage in the video. 

It makes me feel so sentimental, reliving the moments when we first saw them in pictures and then holding them...
Love to all,
Jon and Amy

Yay for Long Naps and Solid Foods!

Thank you!  Your advice, suggestions and comments were very helpful.   Most importantly, I believe your prayers changed the girls' sleeping.  As soon as I finished Friday morning's post, I proceeded to put Jada down for a nap and she slept for 3 HOURS!  Adia slept for two!  So, thank you for praying my babies to sleep!  :) We are still praying through our plan on how we are going to work with the girls' fussiness, how much crying should go on, etc, but we have the recommended book on order and are greatly encouraged!

Saturday the girls did really well too!  On Sunday, they started off strong. They laid down for morning naps, so Jon went to SS and I brought the girls to church at lunch time.  In the first part of second service, Adia FREAKS out.  She screamed her frantic scream (which is like her sad, mad, hungry, tired scream all rolled into one ear-piercing shriek).  Sigh.  We had to leave before the service was over.  Poor child.  We decided this afternoon that we need to be more intentional and frequent in taking them into small, quiet rooms and pouring lots of attention and eye contact into them during public events.

Dun, dun, dun DUUUN...Solid Foods!

Our girls have seemed ready for solid foods for awhile now. They watch every bite that goes in our mouth and nearly go crazy when they see a cup.  (Someone in the care center taught them how to drink out of a cup and they do really amazing at it).The other day, I got out spoons so they could become familiar with their feel...

They loved the spoons, but still, we  needed to wait for their systems to totally regulate to 100% Enfamil Gentlease.  I was also waiting for them to be in good moods before a feeding.  This ended up being a little difficult as I would have one in a good mood that was ready to eat, but one really tired baby that would have made the experience stressful.  So, finally, Saturday morning Jon was around and it was go time!

We mixed rice cereal with their formula...

I hadn't thought about it for my early-riser, Adia, so Jada was the first to try it. I am going to have to use sequential pictures here b/c it was hilarious.

She would immediately spit the cereal up, but then had a great time, lapping it all up off her plastic bib.  So stinkin' cute!

Adia followed after her GREAT morning nap...

Adia, like Jada, decided that in the end, she would rather eat of her bib.

Jada woke up, joined the party and swallowed a lot more her second feeding!

It is so fun to watch them grow and learn!  So many experiences are first and because they are so expressive, you can almost see the learning happening!

Hmm...What To Do About This Attachment Stuff?

Reminder: Tonight is the kickoff event for Fort For the Fatherless!  If you are in the Fort Wayne area, it isn't too late to join in!  Come tonight at 7:00 and hear how God is working and how you can be a part of a grassroots movement to defend the fatherless in Fort Wayne!  www.fort4thefatherless.org.

Whoa.  I have been a little MIA...There has been lots of action, just too much to blog about!  I have seriously debated posting today...I have told several of you that I use this blog for my journal, but also, it is sort of like therapy for me.  This week has been a little rough, I know I have written about a lot of the good, but honestly, this week, while we have had our good moments, we have hit the fussies! However, before I launch into this, let me mention, we have NOT regretted having twins even for a moment.  They are incredible gifts of God

Last week, the girls were very content and I actually called and cancelled the help that was lined up for the afternoon to clean and help out because I had so much time.  Maybe they were just good enough to lull me into this sense of "hey-I'm-not-too-bad-at-this-twin-mother-thing"!  Pride comes before the fall...This week, after my husband talked to my Mother-in-law, she decided to come for 2. That is in addition to my Mom for a day and Amy K.  Mom Gerst brought her buckets of cleaning supplies and hit this house, she was like the cleaning fairy!   

Since Sunday, this is a typical scene around the house.  They are still having times of contentedness and fun just significantly fewer than before and not in the evenings. 

And they are both stranging, which is great because it shows they are attaching,but also can make things difficult, especially in the evenings, when they are the fussiest and I am the most tired!

This picture was taken last week and makes me laugh. My mom and I went to take their six month pictures in the park. Jada was soooo sleepy and could hardly keep her head up! 

They are usually not on the same napping schedule. People ask me, "do you have them on the same schedule yet?"  I just laugh because they definitely have me on their schedule called "We Cry and Someone Picks Us Up" schedule.  :)  They are taking very few naps and the past few days, not quality ones.

I honestly don't know what to do.  We are at a point where I think they need to "cry it out" but then I worry because of attachment issues. They not only need to start crying it out in the sleepy times, but in their awake times as well.  Jada has had to be held every minute she has been awake today.  I finally put her down and she is not happy about it.  (Yes, they have clean diapers, they have just been fed and no, I don't think they are teething, although I may just give Tylenol to be safe...or sane...:)) 

I don't want to over attribute attachment and bonding issues.  I also don't want to dismiss it b/c I do think in some ways, they are dealing with low levels of trauma as we are the fourth place they have lived (hospital, Mekele, Addis, us).  With that said, I have heard enough about the difficulties of kids who have never attached or not formed strong bonds and I know we don't want that! I have been letting them cry and then every few minutes, going to reassure them "Mama's here", putting their pacifiers, giving them a new toy, whatever.  However, this seems to refuel them with a heartier cry, convinced now that I am near.  :)

Add on top of this, they are doing construction close to our house and ripping out sidewalks. Jackhammer noises about 40% of the day!

So, I could use your suggestions (no comment is too long or short)...and prayers.  Maybe this Sunday will turn 'em around? :)

Feelin' The Love

We have had incredible support and have appreciated it so much!  From meals, to visitors, words of encouragement, cards, sweeping my kitchen floor, mixing bottles, throwing in loads of laundry, holding a screaming baby and staying late so I don't have to do bedtime/bathtime solo when Jon is working...we are so grateful! 
I am finally going to do a post on some of the visitors we have had pass through.  I have posted a few through various other posts and I have forgotten to get my camera out too many times, but here is a smattering of our visitors. Jon and I are suddenly very popular; however, I suspect ulterior motives... :)

Aunt Kris

Aunt Meika

Aunt Sarah and Paige

Charlie and Adia

Grandpa and Grandma F

Grandpa G

Grandma G.

Uncle Jay

Uncle Jeff

Tait did not know how he felt about Mommy holding a baby on her lap!

Trent and Jada

Miss T and her Mama visited.  Miss T has been with her forever family for one year and is from Mekele, the same region the girls are from. My girls love kids and I think Adia would have been content with Miss T for a long time!

She informed me that the girls' hair would get curly and look like hers. :)  That would be great!

Mitch and Amanda brought over Leigha and Max.  It has been good to have young kids in the house, so we can see where we still need to babyproof!

Haider and Bayan are frequent visitors and dear neighbors. Haider loves the girls and they love him!

Haider was embarrassed to give them kisses, now he loves all over them!

Denise and kiddos.  Yes, the headbands are big faves with the kids that come visit!

You may have noticed that the girls are in a lot of people's arms!  In our house, the girls are really comfortable and we have decided that, if they are in the right mood, visitors can hold them.  We stay in eyeshot/earshot and it has been going really well.