Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Pictures....We've got pictures
Several newer ones:
Girls getting ready for supper the other night. Girls started fruits this week, applesauce.
Having fun playing. The playpen is something Jenn found online, a piece-together thing that allows us to let the girls roll around and play on the floor, without worrying about them rolling down the stairs or whatever.
More playtime.
Sleepy Time Kayla comes complete with Realistic Thumb Sucking Action and Kung Fu Grip (batteries not included).
Sleepy Time Megan comes complete with Physically Impossible Neck Pose and Remedial "Wave Bye Bye" Action (she really can do this now).
Toes are neat.
Girls getting ready for supper the other night. Girls started fruits this week, applesauce.
Having fun playing. The playpen is something Jenn found online, a piece-together thing that allows us to let the girls roll around and play on the floor, without worrying about them rolling down the stairs or whatever.
More playtime.
Sleepy Time Kayla comes complete with Realistic Thumb Sucking Action and Kung Fu Grip (batteries not included).
Sleepy Time Megan comes complete with Physically Impossible Neck Pose and Remedial "Wave Bye Bye" Action (she really can do this now).
Toes are neat.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
So Mommy's A Prude...
Sometimes I do things for seemingly no reason, except that it’s fun. Dressing the girls in ducky and bunny costumes around Easter, for example.
But it’s not just me. Remember Mike saying how my friends put the girls’ hair in pig tails? Here’s a different view, that shows it a little better.
Mike was mowing lawns and I was alone with the girls. We’d already eaten and it was time for baths. Normally, we use the baby bath in the kitchen sink, one at a time. Well, mommy wanted to be different, so we got out the ducky tub!
The girls seemed to have an okay time. It wasn’t really roomy enough, but that helped them stay upright more easily. At first they were a bit put off by the environment, since they’d never been in the ducky tub before. They’re not used to sitting in water, either. But then when they realized it was a bath, they were okay with it.
But, mommy is a prude, and won’t put naked pictures of them on the internet! So I covered them with washcloths.
Megan decided one wash cloth was a toy at first.
Then she decided it was a snack.
By that time, Kayla was done with pictures (and the giant duck head) so we called it a night.
All in all, it was fun! They’re first bath in a sorta-real tub!
But it’s not just me. Remember Mike saying how my friends put the girls’ hair in pig tails? Here’s a different view, that shows it a little better.
Mike was mowing lawns and I was alone with the girls. We’d already eaten and it was time for baths. Normally, we use the baby bath in the kitchen sink, one at a time. Well, mommy wanted to be different, so we got out the ducky tub!
The girls seemed to have an okay time. It wasn’t really roomy enough, but that helped them stay upright more easily. At first they were a bit put off by the environment, since they’d never been in the ducky tub before. They’re not used to sitting in water, either. But then when they realized it was a bath, they were okay with it.
But, mommy is a prude, and won’t put naked pictures of them on the internet! So I covered them with washcloths.
Megan decided one wash cloth was a toy at first.
Then she decided it was a snack.
By that time, Kayla was done with pictures (and the giant duck head) so we called it a night.
All in all, it was fun! They’re first bath in a sorta-real tub!
Let’s Revisit Easter!
Mike shared a picture of the girls in their ducky and bunny costumes, but they didn’t look all that happy in that one. But they liked being a ducky and a bunny. Really, they did! This shot shows them both smiling even!
Well, the girls just HAD to have “First Easter” outfits. I mean, who could resist those bunny-feet pants?? I’d seen these in a Wichita Target store, but they only had one in small. We went to KC shortly after that, and Mike humored me – taking me to Target store after Target store, in search of the outfit – with no luck. A few weeks later, I found them! At the Target on the west side of Wichita.
Here’s one before church, where Kayla has discovered Megan’s ear. We had new Easter dresses, but they were short sleeved and Easter Sunday was too cold for the dresses.
And the outfits before we went to the mall....hey! you look familiar!
...to see the Easter bunny!
Well, the girls just HAD to have “First Easter” outfits. I mean, who could resist those bunny-feet pants?? I’d seen these in a Wichita Target store, but they only had one in small. We went to KC shortly after that, and Mike humored me – taking me to Target store after Target store, in search of the outfit – with no luck. A few weeks later, I found them! At the Target on the west side of Wichita.
Here’s one before church, where Kayla has discovered Megan’s ear. We had new Easter dresses, but they were short sleeved and Easter Sunday was too cold for the dresses.
And the outfits before we went to the mall....hey! you look familiar!
...to see the Easter bunny!
Friday, May 01, 2009
A little bit of an older picture obviously, but we have to meet the cuteness quota for this post:
Things have been going pretty good lately. Babies had a little bit of a cold last week, but nothing too serious. Last Friday a couple of friends from Jenn's office came and babysat for us in the evening, while we went to eat at Sumo with James and Tricia. After we came back to the house, James and I went downstairs to drink a couple of beers and watch Survivorman, and the girls had a little fun playing dress-up with the girls.
The pigtails maybe weren't that impressive from an overall standpoint, but the girls bald spots are starting to fill in finally, something that is of great relief to their mommy.
I think on the last post I forgot to mention the girls weights; 15 lbs 15 oz for Kayla and 15 lbs 3 oz for Megan. They're definitely getting to be big girls, getting more active and able to explore things around them. We bought an expandable playpen for the floor to "corral" them, and they're quite happy to lay in there and roll around playing with toys for an hour or two easy, as they're doing now. We haven't seen any real crawling yet, but have seen little legs start to get underneath them when they want to go somewhere. No teeth yet either but some unusually fussy girls once in a while, along with a constant need to have something to chew on, so only a matter of time. Kayla in particular has taken to sucking her thumb when she's tired. Megan will sometimes too, but not as much. Grandma Vogts of course loves it, as it reminds her of Linda. We try to discourage it somewhat, but figure that if she's only picking up the habit now, how bad can it really be, and when the girls are crying to keep themselves awake (they take after their mommy this way), seeing that thumb in the mouth is actually somewhat of a welcome sign.
Things have been going pretty good lately. Babies had a little bit of a cold last week, but nothing too serious. Last Friday a couple of friends from Jenn's office came and babysat for us in the evening, while we went to eat at Sumo with James and Tricia. After we came back to the house, James and I went downstairs to drink a couple of beers and watch Survivorman, and the girls had a little fun playing dress-up with the girls.
The pigtails maybe weren't that impressive from an overall standpoint, but the girls bald spots are starting to fill in finally, something that is of great relief to their mommy.
I think on the last post I forgot to mention the girls weights; 15 lbs 15 oz for Kayla and 15 lbs 3 oz for Megan. They're definitely getting to be big girls, getting more active and able to explore things around them. We bought an expandable playpen for the floor to "corral" them, and they're quite happy to lay in there and roll around playing with toys for an hour or two easy, as they're doing now. We haven't seen any real crawling yet, but have seen little legs start to get underneath them when they want to go somewhere. No teeth yet either but some unusually fussy girls once in a while, along with a constant need to have something to chew on, so only a matter of time. Kayla in particular has taken to sucking her thumb when she's tired. Megan will sometimes too, but not as much. Grandma Vogts of course loves it, as it reminds her of Linda. We try to discourage it somewhat, but figure that if she's only picking up the habit now, how bad can it really be, and when the girls are crying to keep themselves awake (they take after their mommy this way), seeing that thumb in the mouth is actually somewhat of a welcome sign.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
6 Months
Girls hit the big 0.5 this month. Had our 6 month appointment at the doctor as well, and everything is looking great. They've also been learning some new skills as well:
Playing the Piano
Cosplayer
And champion MMA fighter
You can definitely see development happening. We can play peek-a-boo with both of them now with some success, and they're happy to play on the floor by themselves for pretty long stretches. They've also been on "real food" for a while now; from cereals through most veggies, all the way up to chicken this week. Haven't seen any crawling yet, but they do try to get their legs underneath them to push off every once a while, so it shouldn't be too much longer for that as well.
Playing the Piano
Cosplayer
And champion MMA fighter
You can definitely see development happening. We can play peek-a-boo with both of them now with some success, and they're happy to play on the floor by themselves for pretty long stretches. They've also been on "real food" for a while now; from cereals through most veggies, all the way up to chicken this week. Haven't seen any crawling yet, but they do try to get their legs underneath them to push off every once a while, so it shouldn't be too much longer for that as well.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Behind The Camera
I know I’m biased, but I think we have some cute pictures of the girls. Anyone with kids will tell you that it’s not always easy to get that perfect shot the first time. Try doing it with two little ones, and it becomes more difficult. I’m amazed that anyone actually gets good family pictures!
So those cute pictures that we have? Yeah, we worked for them. At the hospital, the photographers there took pictures of the girls. They turned out okay, but before they started, we took some of our own. The girls were less than cooperative – but hey! They were only 3 days old!
The purple outfit picture is one of my favorite early pictures, even though we had Megan on the left instead of the traditional right. But in this not-so-perfect shot, Kayla is practicing her evil-twin look – and Megan is about to smack her if she doesn't stop it. Well, it least that’s what it looks like to me….
Our birth announcement photo turned out really nicely. But this earlier shot shows the struggle we had that day keeping the girls from hiding their pretty little faces. But they look so cute, almost as if they're giggling about it!
At Christmas, cousin Nathan was very patient as we tried to get a Christmas photo of him with the girls. Megan—not so much.
It’s always a challenge trying to prop the girls up so they don’t look funny. It doesn’t help when the squirm and slide around – which happens nearly every time.
And sometimes, they just tip, and look at you like, “Mommy? Where am I going?”
The girls have a tradition of spitting up as soon as we put them in an outfit for a picture. I think it took three different nights before we got a good shot for the Valentine’s card. It’s one thing to have to wash the front of her dress, but it’s a whole different ball game when Kayla gloats about it…
Sunglasses on the girls are always a challenge. You have to be quick, because they move, and you end up with a look like this that just doesn’t have the same cool-girl effect.
And sometimes, you get multiple issues. Here we have the aforementioned sliding issue, accompanied by the mid-blink look.
Sometimes, the out-takes are as fun to look at as the successful ones! Just a little reminder of how life isn't always perfect, but that's okay.
So those cute pictures that we have? Yeah, we worked for them. At the hospital, the photographers there took pictures of the girls. They turned out okay, but before they started, we took some of our own. The girls were less than cooperative – but hey! They were only 3 days old!
The purple outfit picture is one of my favorite early pictures, even though we had Megan on the left instead of the traditional right. But in this not-so-perfect shot, Kayla is practicing her evil-twin look – and Megan is about to smack her if she doesn't stop it. Well, it least that’s what it looks like to me….
Our birth announcement photo turned out really nicely. But this earlier shot shows the struggle we had that day keeping the girls from hiding their pretty little faces. But they look so cute, almost as if they're giggling about it!
At Christmas, cousin Nathan was very patient as we tried to get a Christmas photo of him with the girls. Megan—not so much.
It’s always a challenge trying to prop the girls up so they don’t look funny. It doesn’t help when the squirm and slide around – which happens nearly every time.
And sometimes, they just tip, and look at you like, “Mommy? Where am I going?”
The girls have a tradition of spitting up as soon as we put them in an outfit for a picture. I think it took three different nights before we got a good shot for the Valentine’s card. It’s one thing to have to wash the front of her dress, but it’s a whole different ball game when Kayla gloats about it…
Sunglasses on the girls are always a challenge. You have to be quick, because they move, and you end up with a look like this that just doesn’t have the same cool-girl effect.
And sometimes, you get multiple issues. Here we have the aforementioned sliding issue, accompanied by the mid-blink look.
Sometimes, the out-takes are as fun to look at as the successful ones! Just a little reminder of how life isn't always perfect, but that's okay.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Next time, on House
So the girls are sick with colds again. Kayla first earlier this week, now Megan is definitely getting hit. The pattern seems to be Jenn - Me - Kayla - Megan; hopefully we'll find a way to break the cycle of disease sometime in the next 18 years.
Really though this is just a flimsy excuse to post a couple of pictures of "Babies Fist Rook Game" taken at the end of January at Lucille's, that I forgot on my laptop for a couple of months:
The Great Blizzard of '09 has descended upon us, which got me out of work early today. In all seriousness it is kind of nasty out right now, sleet falling with apparently a bunch of snow to follow. If the girls cooperate and keep napping like they are now, there should be some new videos up on the Youtube site later today.
Really though this is just a flimsy excuse to post a couple of pictures of "Babies Fist Rook Game" taken at the end of January at Lucille's, that I forgot on my laptop for a couple of months:
The Great Blizzard of '09 has descended upon us, which got me out of work early today. In all seriousness it is kind of nasty out right now, sleet falling with apparently a bunch of snow to follow. If the girls cooperate and keep napping like they are now, there should be some new videos up on the Youtube site later today.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
March Madness
So yeah, girls ended up being a tad bit sicker than we originally thought. Sick babies were sick.
But once we got them over their first sickness, things got back to normal, including gratuitous pictures of girls in KU gear.
Things have actually been semi-busy lately. I had both girls up to Mom and Dad's last weekend while Jenn went to a baby shower, and we were back up this past Wednesday to see Barb, Paula, Linda and the boys. Then Granny Vogts came down Thursday night, and watched the girls Friday, getting this picture as well:
Girls are also at the point where they can use bouncy seats, which we have been taking great advantage of.
As you can see, playing in the bouncy seat can be hard work.
Girls are also well into eating cereals, and this week we started them on carrots as well, to mixed reviews.
Both of them took to rice, oatmeal, and barley cereal right away, but so far the carrots have been a tough sell. Megan did a little better with them tonight, and Kayla will do OK if it's mixed in with cereal of some kind.
Other than that, things are pretty much business as usual. Girls passed 5 months this month, and are definitely getting stronger (they can pull themselves up a little) and more coordinated playing with toys and such. Both girls can now roll over from stomach or back as well, and can make a little forward momentum doing a little pseudo-crawl every once in a while.
But once we got them over their first sickness, things got back to normal, including gratuitous pictures of girls in KU gear.
Things have actually been semi-busy lately. I had both girls up to Mom and Dad's last weekend while Jenn went to a baby shower, and we were back up this past Wednesday to see Barb, Paula, Linda and the boys. Then Granny Vogts came down Thursday night, and watched the girls Friday, getting this picture as well:
Girls are also at the point where they can use bouncy seats, which we have been taking great advantage of.
As you can see, playing in the bouncy seat can be hard work.
Girls are also well into eating cereals, and this week we started them on carrots as well, to mixed reviews.
Both of them took to rice, oatmeal, and barley cereal right away, but so far the carrots have been a tough sell. Megan did a little better with them tonight, and Kayla will do OK if it's mixed in with cereal of some kind.
Other than that, things are pretty much business as usual. Girls passed 5 months this month, and are definitely getting stronger (they can pull themselves up a little) and more coordinated playing with toys and such. Both girls can now roll over from stomach or back as well, and can make a little forward momentum doing a little pseudo-crawl every once in a while.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
KU Girls!
Wow, are we slacking on the updates!
So – a friend of mine mentioned that he hadn’t seen the girls in much KU gear. I forget the exact wording, but it made me laugh. You see, we have a lot of it – and they wear it frequently! But we don’t seem to have a lot of pictures of them in it! So we’re trying to change that.
So let’s try for some KU pictures here!
Kayla in her swing, and Megan, bundled up from a trip one evening out to see Grandma. It was cold that evening. Her little suit is bigger than she is, but she was warm!
It’s a shame we can’t capture a roll-over in a picture, since Kayla is quite good at it now and can go both ways! Megan goes from back to tummy, but hasn’t gotten back over yet. Yes – both girls went “the hard way” first, from back to tummy.
They’re both eating cereal like champs! We’re getting ready to start the vegetables now. Messy babies! But they get so excited about it, they can’t always stop their little hands from grabbing the spoon to help! Then of course trying to fit their hands in their mouths WITH the cereal – and spreading it across their faces. I guess that’s just what babies do! Cereal mask facials at 5 months old.
We still have the sick baby pictures to do. In Mike’s last post, it’s ironic he wrote “if all goes well…” because shortly thereafter, we ended up at the ER with Megan. Her breathing was too labored and she had no voice to cry with at all. Turns out they had RSV. They suctioned out the gunk from poor little Megan. Kayla wasn’t so bad off and didn’t need it. They’re both doing great now!
Now me, I'm over the RSV/cold/flu/whatever -- but allergies are getting the better of me, and I'm off to bed!
So – a friend of mine mentioned that he hadn’t seen the girls in much KU gear. I forget the exact wording, but it made me laugh. You see, we have a lot of it – and they wear it frequently! But we don’t seem to have a lot of pictures of them in it! So we’re trying to change that.
So let’s try for some KU pictures here!
Kayla in her swing, and Megan, bundled up from a trip one evening out to see Grandma. It was cold that evening. Her little suit is bigger than she is, but she was warm!
It’s a shame we can’t capture a roll-over in a picture, since Kayla is quite good at it now and can go both ways! Megan goes from back to tummy, but hasn’t gotten back over yet. Yes – both girls went “the hard way” first, from back to tummy.
They’re both eating cereal like champs! We’re getting ready to start the vegetables now. Messy babies! But they get so excited about it, they can’t always stop their little hands from grabbing the spoon to help! Then of course trying to fit their hands in their mouths WITH the cereal – and spreading it across their faces. I guess that’s just what babies do! Cereal mask facials at 5 months old.
We still have the sick baby pictures to do. In Mike’s last post, it’s ironic he wrote “if all goes well…” because shortly thereafter, we ended up at the ER with Megan. Her breathing was too labored and she had no voice to cry with at all. Turns out they had RSV. They suctioned out the gunk from poor little Megan. Kayla wasn’t so bad off and didn’t need it. They’re both doing great now!
Now me, I'm over the RSV/cold/flu/whatever -- but allergies are getting the better of me, and I'm off to bed!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Catching up on pictures
Lots happening in February, but first, some new pictures:
Kayla smiling.
Megan smiling.
Kayla playing. They're not quite as steady as they could be in these seats, but they're at the point where they can hold themselves up and try to play with the toy. Both girls have recently been getting better at holding toys (keys, rattles, etc) for a length of time, and trying to get it in their mouth. Somewhat surprisingly, Megan seems to have the leg up on Kayla in this department, but it could just be our imagination.
But Kayla has beaten her sister in another key milestone, rolling over. She's good enough at it now that she'll roll over almost instantly if you put her on her back on a play mat. She hasn't quite figured out how to roll back yet, but does a pretty good job of keeping her head up and getting her arms under herself, and will usually be content for ~5-10 minutes before getting frustrated. Megan hasn't rolled over yet, but then we haven't had her on her play mat very much lately (more on this later), so possible she just hasn't had the opportunity. Megan, however, does win this months "I Can't Believe They Dressed Me Like This" award:
"My names Megan, and I sell propane and propane accessories."
So, February. Lots of first's this month.
First evening out. Granny and Grandpa Vogts came down the Saturday night before Valentines to give Jenn and I a chance to go out for dinner and a movie. Unfortunately we decided to go to Red Lobster an hour before the movie was scheduled to start, so needless to say we didn't make that. We did do a little shopping though, walked around Barnes and Noble for a while, it was a nice evening.
First night away from the girls. Aunt Karen was kind enough to offer us a night of babysitting, which we took advantage of on Valentines Day. Jenn and I went up to KC that Saturday while Karen, Carl, and Nathan took care of the girls. All went well, mommy and daddy had a good time and didn't call to checkup every hour, and the girls by all accounts were little angels.
First Daddy's birthday. Mom, Dad, and Great Grandma Ruth came down on my birthday to take us out to eat, and watch a little of the KU game. We also got the opportunity to get this picture:
First sickness. Jenn got a sore throat last week that eventually ballooned into a full blown cold, which of course everyone in the house (including Ruth) caught as well. As I type both girls are in their swings, looking to be on the mend though still coughing/sneezing up gunk and running minor bouts of fever every once in a while. Considering what a cold must be like when you're 4.5 months and don't know how to blow your own nose or clear your own throat, girls have handled it pretty well. They get pretty fussy once in a while of course, especially when they're running a fever, but still we can get smiles out of them most of the time. We did get some pretty good "sick baby" pictures that I still need to get uploaded from the camera, probably post them next time.
If all goes well today, I should also get some new videos up on the Youtube site sometime today.
Kayla smiling.
Megan smiling.
Kayla playing. They're not quite as steady as they could be in these seats, but they're at the point where they can hold themselves up and try to play with the toy. Both girls have recently been getting better at holding toys (keys, rattles, etc) for a length of time, and trying to get it in their mouth. Somewhat surprisingly, Megan seems to have the leg up on Kayla in this department, but it could just be our imagination.
But Kayla has beaten her sister in another key milestone, rolling over. She's good enough at it now that she'll roll over almost instantly if you put her on her back on a play mat. She hasn't quite figured out how to roll back yet, but does a pretty good job of keeping her head up and getting her arms under herself, and will usually be content for ~5-10 minutes before getting frustrated. Megan hasn't rolled over yet, but then we haven't had her on her play mat very much lately (more on this later), so possible she just hasn't had the opportunity. Megan, however, does win this months "I Can't Believe They Dressed Me Like This" award:
"My names Megan, and I sell propane and propane accessories."
So, February. Lots of first's this month.
First evening out. Granny and Grandpa Vogts came down the Saturday night before Valentines to give Jenn and I a chance to go out for dinner and a movie. Unfortunately we decided to go to Red Lobster an hour before the movie was scheduled to start, so needless to say we didn't make that. We did do a little shopping though, walked around Barnes and Noble for a while, it was a nice evening.
First night away from the girls. Aunt Karen was kind enough to offer us a night of babysitting, which we took advantage of on Valentines Day. Jenn and I went up to KC that Saturday while Karen, Carl, and Nathan took care of the girls. All went well, mommy and daddy had a good time and didn't call to checkup every hour, and the girls by all accounts were little angels.
First Daddy's birthday. Mom, Dad, and Great Grandma Ruth came down on my birthday to take us out to eat, and watch a little of the KU game. We also got the opportunity to get this picture:
First sickness. Jenn got a sore throat last week that eventually ballooned into a full blown cold, which of course everyone in the house (including Ruth) caught as well. As I type both girls are in their swings, looking to be on the mend though still coughing/sneezing up gunk and running minor bouts of fever every once in a while. Considering what a cold must be like when you're 4.5 months and don't know how to blow your own nose or clear your own throat, girls have handled it pretty well. They get pretty fussy once in a while of course, especially when they're running a fever, but still we can get smiles out of them most of the time. We did get some pretty good "sick baby" pictures that I still need to get uploaded from the camera, probably post them next time.
If all goes well today, I should also get some new videos up on the Youtube site sometime today.
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