4 Month Checkup, First Solids, Olbrich

It's been an eventful week here! First, we had our 4 month well-child visit. Which included another three shots, sad. Actually it wasn't as bad as the 2 month shots. And now they're all better and all protected, so of course it's worth it. As far as stats:

Freya
Length: 24.75 in (58%)
Weight: 13 lb 5 oz (31%)
Head circumference: 41 cm

Signe
Length: 24 in (29%)
Weight: 13 lb 14 oz (44%)
Head circumference: 40 cm

Many people guess that Freya is the bigger one, and we always tell them that it just seems that way because she has a bigger head. And now we have the cold hard evidence! Freya is our long skinny big-headed lady (q-tip) (kidding). Signe is our...let's just say our more "take after mommy" gal.  She really overtook Freya. We'll see if the solids help Freya catch up once again, since Signe is the better nurser.

And on that note: solids! We started with rice cereal on Friday. Pretty entertaining, and we hope will make our nights a little less fussy by stuffing them but good. Once they start eating instead of simply mouthing around then spitting out.

We also had a playdate with Bradley classmate Erinn and her lovely daughter Cora. And we made a trip to Olbrich Gardens. All in all a good week!

Kick kick kick all day long

Poor Signe had to have sock-hand after mama clipped her skin pretty good while doing her nails. Clipping nails is the most difficult baby handling skill, far and away.

Clean Freya

Clean Signe

Watching some Baby Einstein. Those American Academy of Pediatrics doctors can just stuff it with walnuts, no TV til 2 years old. You try doing laundry in the basement while alone in charge of twins.

Short Signe with tall Cora.

Signe's first solids!

And Freya

Lovely

At Olbrich Gardens

Playtime on the grass

So many new things to look at!

Easter, Bumbo, Moby, Teething

19 weeks, wow! It's getting to the point where I refer to them much more often as 4 months old rather than their age in weeks. Milestone!

My week was busy busy with work. The only way the dishes got done was thanks to Jack doing them TWICE. All the dishes. Twice. And he cleaned the cat box area, and he doesn't even really like cats. What a father in law, I tell you.

We had a lovely Easter. Thanks to my Aunt Kris for the cute outfits seen in the pictures below. We got to visit with Rebecca and her little gestating one, visited my family in Watertown, and then hung out with Nick and met his awesome girlfriend Brianna. Call me biased, but anyone who is immediately enamored of my lovely ladies is alright in my book :-)

Baby news: Signe is definitely teething. Kris gave me the great tip of soaking a corner of a diaper in cool water or putting it wet in the fridge/freezer and then letting her chow down on it. Really seems to help. Freya is on her way - no pain yet I don't think but droolier as Signe was/is.

In fun news, we got the Bumbo out yesterday! For those who don't know, it's a baby seat. And SO super cute. See below for illustrations. We could have gotten it out a long time ago probably, I realize now. Actually it was on my enormously huge mental list of "things to do" for at least a month. But Rebecca reminded me yesterday of it and I'm so happy she did. They just look like such big girls sitting in it and seem to have lots of fun. Also, the seat is already almost snug due to cloth-diaper butt.

And in another breakthrough baby-positioning discovery, I put Signe in the Moby facing forward last night and it was WONDERFUL. Again, was on my mental list for ages "figure out how to work Moby facing out." The thing is the manual/website doesn't tell you. There's some people online who seem to think it's bad. But with the amount of warnings and disclaimers on baby stuff, mostly I figure if it doesn't tell me not to it's probably fine. And I know my little ladies well enough now that I know if something isn't right. Anyway. Forward-facing. Yes. Moms online said "it overwhelmed my baby to face out, she wanted to face in and have the security of mom". HA. Overwhelmed, these babies, no. Underwhelmed when facing ol' mom is the problem.

So overall good if crazy week. Situation normal.

Photos! (BTW I've stopped trying to edit myself really...just too many cute ones)

Thanks Marie for the super cute dress!

Where ever did Signe get her bottom lip sad face from?

Happy baby pose!

Shoulder ride/eat some sweet mama hair time

Aw look at Kurt being all handsome

When the stars align I get to start my (late) morning with this. Ah love it!

Bumbo is the best

Truly a pirate baby

Rebecca and Freya! (so in awe that she can comfortably sit on the floor at 32 weeks pregnant)

Rebecca was nice enough to take a family Easter picture. She tried to get the girls to look at the camera. She took this picture and said "well Alli's excited anyway"

Freya sleeping like her mom

Stylin

Great-grandpa Welch

Easter lunch. She had to be a part of the family - no car seat on the floor for her, no sir

Great-grandma Welch 

18 Weeks Old

To answer those who are wondering: for work, I am taking appointments from the WI Public Defender. So I'm kind of like a private public defender - I work for myself but take indigent clients, both trial and appellate level. It's working out really well. I can do a fair amount of work from home, work only part time, but still keep up my skills. I almost went to trial this week (actually the trial would have been today) but it got settled last week. Close one, because of course this week and last our babysitter was gone on spring break. We were going to cobble child care together but I was in a panic for awhile. I now have some good resources if something like that happens again, though.

And I have to say a huge thank you to the best in-laws in the world - Jack and Carol came by yesterday and let me work (and cleaned the entire house), and are helping me again on Thursday, when I have another work commitment. Which is, being on call for involuntary mental commitment hearings. Heh, see what I did there.

Baby news this week: Signe had her first real laugh last Friday! That was super cute. We do think she might be in the beginning stages of teething, unfortunately. I guess it has to happen sometime. She's mostly just drooly now, but does seem to have some fussier times which might mean she's in pain. Freya still has the itchies from her eczema. That all sounds kind of sad. But mostly the girls are in good spirits and we're having lots of fun playing as they gain more neck and back control and are just more and more social. And better at entertaining themselves, yay! They finally have their 4 month doc appt next Thursday so I'll be able to report on their weights and things.

We had our first trip to a playground, with Cynthia and Bjorn (her nephew). We had a fun time, pictures below!

Attempting to have them hug

Holding hands. Slash holding a finger.

Signe is on her way to finding her feet.

What a nice daddy pillow

Papa and the girls

Nana and the girls

Daddy even got a run in

I think Freya liked it but was mostly just kind of sleepy

Skeptical Freya putting up with mommy's silliness

Not a great shot but didn't want to use the flash...just love seeing them sleep, so peaceful :-)

4 Months Old!

Truckin along. Don't have much time now to blog - crazy couple weeks for my work. But I do have pictures, boy do I!

Freya having fun with Aunt Kerry

More fun with Aunt Kerry

Even more fun...wow that Aunt Kerry is awesome

Signe figured out how to play with the rattle this week. And apparently also a rude gesture.

Here she is inspecting its integrity. Structural engineer?

Signe: Brewers fan, ready for sun

And Freya

Sharing a fun link chain Daddy made

Freya's a scooter alright - got here all by herself from sitting up in the boppy

Sister footsie/hand coordination play time

We got to visit Marie and Danny and Hennie on the farm again! Another couch picture to compare against the last one. 

Hennie looooves "playing" with the babies. Don't worry, no one was hurt. Other than Hennie's feelings when occasionally she had to be corralled from her loving embraces

Oh Hennie is fascinating huh girls?

Another shot of them looking at Hennie

Pretty ladies

Signe had a bit of a rough time on our walk because it was really windy and sunny. Danny cuddled her until she feel asleep then held her until she woke up, probably close to an hour. Thanks Danny!

Family + Signe picture (there were threats of stealing little Miss Signe)

Hennie reading