5 months old

Casen & Collins turned 5 months old today! To celebrate, we fed them rice cereal for the first time off of a spoon. Collins didn't hide her dislike of the entire experience. Not surprisingly, though, Casen took the spoon fairly well for the first try. He knows food when he sees it!

Our big boy in his Bumbo seat & ready to eat.

Casen got messy with his cereal, but he did great for his first experience with spoon-feeding. What a champ!

Collins' first taste of rice cereal... yes, that's a frown behind the pile of cereal on her face!

Our picky eater.... Collins is not impressed with rice cereal!

Gram snapped this pic of Case & Lainey "wrestling" on their play mat. It won't be long before they're rolling over!

Case & Collins both grab onto our fingers very well, but this was the first time Collins reached out & grabbed a toy. As you can see, it's on its way to her mouth...

Casen's cute little tongue smile :)

Second Fever

Shortly after Collins recovered from her bout with fever, Casen caught one himself. He spiked up to over 103 degrees after sharing Collins' virus. Like Lainey, he was terribly fussy & uncomfortable for 3 days but is now back to normal. We're so glad our babies are feeling better!

Blue-eyed girl... Collins can rock the Bumbo seat!
Casen loves to play with his tongue! He likes to imitate Bryan when he sticks his tongue out... what a cutie!

First Fever

We experienced our first fever last week when Collins spiked a 102 degree temp on Thursday night. Luckily, we were able to get her into the clinic on Friday morning. She looked good on exam, but because she's still so little she had to have blood drawn, get catheterized for urine, & got 2 antibiotic shots to cover for infection. Her labs all came back normal (Yay!), so she ended up just having a pesky viral infection. She handled it all pretty well - she was pretty fussy, especially with the fever, broke out with a rash, & didn't eat very well for a few days, but her rash is fading now & she's smiling like our sweet little girl again. So glad she's feeling better!
Casen escaped the fever, but came down with croup on Sunday. He's done really well, though & seems to be feeling better himself. The cough isn't too bad & he's been sleeping with his humidifier close by.
Collins got really fussy with fever & did some double-time comfort... she has her thumb stuck into the back of her paci & is sucking them both at the same time. Poor baby!
Collins still rashy, but feeling better... and apparently ready for some football.
Our smiley girl - last week having dinner on the back patio.
Casen loves playing with his tongue! He's too cute!

Mother's Day 2011

I must say that Mother's Day over the past 4 years has been a bit of a downer. This year, Mother's Day was fantastic for 2 very special reasons... well, 3 reasons if you count their daddy. Casen & Collins, I am blessed beyond my most heartfelt desires because I am your Mommy & you are my babies. I love you!!

Casen smiling at his Baby Einstein octopus... he is gradually smiling more & more. Case is getting SO big! He is a stout little ball of muscle - as strong as ever! We estimated his weight the other day at around 13 pounds. He is still an excellent eater, loves to follow us as we walk through the room, & just grew enough hair to mold into a cute little mohawk :) Casen is sitting up well in his Bumbo seat. Here's a video clip of him in action:

Lainey loving her thumb... so satisfying! She started being a little picky with feedings & often doesn't like to finish her bottles, but she's still growing well. We estimated her weight the other day at around 11 pounds. She loves to talk & has a habit of vocalizing with gurgley coos - SO cute!

Growing SO big!

Casen & Collins turned 4 months old last week. They are sleeping through the night now (YAY!) & growing every day.
BINGO... got it! Casen finally found his thumb & is loving it!
Here's Casen in his Bumbo seat for the first time. He's still not quite ready & has to work too hard to keep his head up, but he's really close... it won't be long. He is such a big boy already!
Easter Sunday & the first day in the church nusery. I wasn't quite ready to leave them yet, so I stayed to help. They did great!

Easter dinner with Mike & Caitlin at mom & dad's house.

Uncle Mike with Casen & Collins.

Michelle's college roommate, Chris, came to visit with her family.

Ellia did such a great job holding Collins & Olive smiled so big for the camera. Sweet girls!

We went to Houston this weekend for Laura's baby shower & we took the opportunity to take the twins to their first baseball game. Casen did really well & enjoyed watching all the action; Collins didn't like the noisy stadium, though.

Dedication Sunday

April 17th, 2011 - We dedicated the babies today through our church's "baby blessing" ceremony. We got to pick a dedication Bible verse, or blessing, for each of them & then stand in front of our church family to ask for their support in raising them to know God & love Him. For Casen, we chose Psalm 37:23-24 - "The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he fails, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand." For Collins, we chose Colossians 1:9-10 - "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." They did great on stage & even let Dr. Hall hold them both for a prayer! It was a special time for our little family. Looks like the entire experience wore out Case & Lainey... Wampa & Gram came for the baby dedication.

Pop, Nana, Aunt Megan, & Aunt Lindsey came in from Dallas to see the twins' dedication. Nana with Casen & Collins.

Gram holding Casen & Collins.

Aunt Lindsey (the soon-to-be Aggie) & Casen (isn't he handsome?)

Bryan & Collins enjoying the beautiful weather.

Our little family!

It was such a beautiful weekend, we took the twins out strolling on one of Longview's walking trails Saturday afternoon.

Typical tummy time with the twins... Casen loves to lift his head up & look around while Collins is very content to stay wherever I put her. She can lift her head. We just have to coax it out of her!

Out & About

Casen & Collins saw Dr. Kae on Friday for their well-checks and 2nd round of shots. Case weighed 10.4 lbs and was 22.5 inches long. Collins weighed 9.2 lbs and was 21.25 inches long. They are getting SO big!! They both did great with their shots - we've got some tough little kiddos! We decided not to take them out of the house too much until after their 2nd round of shots. They got them just in time for us to attend the hospital's NICU reunion this weekend. We were able to visit with the doctors & nurses who provided such awesome care when they were first born. Dr. Chen & Dr. Chris holding Casen & Collins Dr. Chen & Dr. Chris took care of the twins while they were in the NICU.

Here we are with Brooke, one of our favorite NICU nurses.

Casen has started socially smiling & is SO cute! He is also spending more time searching for his thumb. He hasn't quite figured out how to make it work, so he ends up sucking on the heel of his hand most of the time.

Casen chillin' in one of the several bouncy seats we've been able to borrow from friends... thanks, Rachel!

Casen & Collins enjoying a little time on their play mat & having SO much fun! Collins Elaine... our smiley girl! Isn't she adorable?!?!