well hello 5 month cuties!

So the last month has been a whirlwind. We left Grapevine, moved back here to San Antonio, the kids all started a new school, I started working my job remote from home, we've tried (somewhat unsuccessfully) to get the new house in order, and I even went back up to Dallas for a 3 day planning meeting.

I got tired just even typing that.

Mary Beth is as cute as ever, always running into the twins' room to give us diapers and wipes. And she seems to have this incredible ability to just walk into the room and Jack will stop all crying. Man does he love his big sister! The smiles he gives her just melt our hearts. It's seriously adorable.

Erin has really opened up in this last month. Sometimes SHE'S actually the quiet, chilled out baby. And she is smiling up a storm now too. (Well, but not smiling in these photos...) All the teachers at their school comment about how beautiful she is. Well, I can't argue with that.

And how cool is it that we created three blue-eyed redheads? Go go recessive genes!!!

So I'm not sure that we will be able to take their 6 month photo in the lamb together next month. As you can see from these 5 month photos, it's not exactly a happy fit. She was VERY MUCH not happy. But it's still funny to look at, eh?!

Gotta love the progression here...

4 months!

Dear Erin and Jack,

I can't believe it, but you're 4 months old today. And we're all still alive! Laugh if you will, but lately this is no small feat. We're now officially within one week of all of us being under the same roof in our new house in San Antonio, and it CAN'T COME SOON ENOUGH.

Seriously, Mama's tired and Dad misses you both so much during the week.

When he got to the Grapevine house on Saturday, you both greeted Dad with the biggest smiles in the world. I'm pretty sure it made his week. The open-mouth smile you see in the photo above is your newest look, Jack. And it makes all of this single-momdom almost worthwhile.

And Erin - you have actually started smiling now. It's absolutely adorable. Unfortunately the smiles come sporadically within bouts of cries/screams, but we still love ya. Don't believe me? Here's an outtake from our monthly photo session:

Don't worry - there are a TON of photos of me like that when I was your age. Your Auntie Kim and Uncle Rob will be glad to show you those.

So let's review how far we've come now!

 

Please keep up the smiles! We love you!

Love,

Mom and Dad

kim and jack

Apparently Kim and Jack have a bond only the quiet twin would get. I sent her the picture above and here is the conversation that ensued: 

It's hard to argue with her, though. Here are Erin and Jack the other night...

And here are Kim and me with Geimps when we were their age.

I'll let you guess which one I am.

I see her point.

three months!

Yeah, it's getting harder to get them in the lamb together...

3 months

2 months

 

 1 month

 

couple of days!

you mess with the bull...

...you get the horns.

Seriously, she looks like she's about to punch someone. Tough girl, she is. But then there's Jack, who doesn't look like he enjoyed how loud she was getting.

Can't you see I'm trying to relax here?

Oh this is getting fun...

jack--the chillmeister

So the twins' personalities are starting to shine through. And while Erin can be, um, a handful, Jack is the epitome of cool and relaxed. He kicks back and watches Erin yell, and it's almost as if you can just hear him saying "Yo sis. Chill."

Even the pictures are starting to show it:

Stay cool, Jackey-Jack!!

mary beth's baby

Mary Beth calls the twins "her babies" or "her twins." Though I haven't seen her feeding them at 4 in the morning, but hey. Anyway, what do little girls do with their babies? Play dress up, of course! Especially with her shoes. Just so you know, they didn't fit Erin...

boo!!!

mary beth decided to scare us last night...

erin was not amused.

but jack was.

:-)

the babes, they are a' growin'...

Twinkies on day 1. Yeah, they don't look like this anymore...

I took the munchkins to the doctor today for their 2 month appointment. Well, Mary Beth came too, but she escaped the necessary immunizations that the twins had to endure. Poor kiddos. Actually, poor me. I think it hurt me more. Jack cried until I picked him up (exactly 2 seconds after the last shot in his leg). Erin cried just a bit longer, but for the rest of the time there she had a look on her face like I killed her puppy.

There is no puppy.

We joke that Jack is a "Chunky Monkey" because he feels signifcantly bigger than Erin. Well, he definitely is bigger, but I was happy to find out he's not "chunkier" than most other babies his age. As if Bob and I could produce a chunky child...

So here are the stats:

• Erin is now 9 pounds, 13 ounces. WHAT?!?! Remember, she started at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. Poor princess was in the 2nd percentile then. Now she's in the 23rd. Milk - it does the body good.
• She's also now 20.5 inches long. Not going to tell you the wimpy percentile that is because it's just sad. But none of us kids are winning any height contests and we all turned out just fine.
• Jack is now 11 pounds, 7 ounces. That's right. Almost 2 pounds heavier than his sister. No wonder my arms are getting ripped. He is in the 43rd percentile - was born in the 27th. That boy can eat!
• And he's 22.5 inches long. That puts him right at the 42nd percentile. Consistent, isn't he?
• BONUS - I joke that the Francisco boys have big heads, but I'm usually talking about attitudes. But in this case, JACK HAS A BIG OL' HEAD. Like 72nd percentile. Goober.

Dr. Z said everything else looked fantastic, and sang my praises for making it more than 9 weeks without giving them any formula. Mary Beth never had formula and we went direct to whole milk at a year. I can't promise that with these hungry, hungry hippos, but I'll do it as long as my body will hold out.

Poor body... good thing they're cute.



two months...

dear erin and jack,

last week you turned 2 months old. hard to believe it's only been 2 months, and it also feels like just yesterday you were born! i'd be lying if i told you it's been an easy time -- one day we'll fill you in on how your dad started at a new golf course right before you were born. basically i've been doing the single-mom thing for a while now, but dad comes home on the weekends to shower you with kisses. soon we'll all be under the same roof and maybe i'll get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time!!

so far you two are as different as you can be. and once we get used to one of you being one personality, you two switch and throw us for a loop. right now jack is the "chill one." and erin, well, you're quite loud. and belive me it's ironic for me to write that because i believe your grandpa would tell you i was not a quiet infant myself.

your big sis mary beth LOVES having you two around, though yesterday i did hear her asking for erin to stop crying... she hands me diapers and wipes and is constantly giving you "kisses AND hugs!" she even holds the hand of whichever twin is next to her on the way to/from school. it's not easy for her to have so much of our attention given to you two, but i think she's handling it like a champ.

this thursday you two have a doctor appointment that i'm not looking forward to. it's shot time. boooo. this is the one that hurts me more than you (hopefully) because i know the shots are coming. i may have to hand out earplugs for erin's screams though...

and we have continued our tradition of nicknames... the first night we came home from the hospital with mary beth she was donned "baby love." well, erin, you are "sweet pea." and jack, you actually have two nicknames. first, mary beth named you "HER jackey-jack." and i hate to break it to you, but you're also "chunky monkey." you'll understand when you see the pictures. but you're OUR chunky monkey and sweet pea, and we couldn't love you any more.

love,
mom and dad

jack tells erin to back off for his photo op...

 

yeah, you try and get both twins to look at a camera!

 

princess erin FINALLY asleep.. and little jackey-jack shows off his cheeks!

whole lotta redheads...

Being a baby...

is SOOOOOOOOO tiring, people!

Jack imitates Linus...

Freeze!!!