The Next Stage

I've been looking at the girls lately thinking 'Wow, I wonder how big you are."  Grandpa Yitz bought us a scale to put that wonder to rest.  I stood on the scale with each of them and the very unscientific results are.........Nora weighs 12 lbs and Brenna weighs 10lbs.  No wonder the diapers have been a bit leaky lately.  The bigger size of diapers have been ordered and the newborn size clothes are getting packed away.  My arm muscles are obviously getting stronger.

Nora practicing her one eyebrow raise.  I think Brenna does it as well.  It's a  trait from the Johnson side of the family.

Grandma Trish Has Arrived

It's that time again.  The changing of the guard.  Welcome Grandma Trish and farewell Grandpa Yitz! Thank you for all the help.

Brenna's Favorite Things

We took the doors off the closet in the nursery and made a changing table area.  This is Brenna's favorite spot in the whole house.  She could lay there for hours.  We sometimes stick our head under and try to figure out why she loves it so much.  We are considering taking all of the closet doors off in the rest of the house as well :)

 Ted got this kitten wall hanging in Taiwan many years ago.  When we moved into this rental house I decided that all of our wall hanging items were actually getting used.  I'm so glad this one is in a convenient spot because Brenna can stare at it for hours.  It's a more recent discovery for her and apparently she is an animal lover.

Nora Meditating

Housebound

As you probably have heard we have wildfires here in WA, not close to us, but close enough for smoke to blow into our  small city and stick around for a while.  Because of this we stayed indoors for most of Grandpa Yitz's visit.  Thank goodness for two living rooms so we can all get a change of scenery.  Nora and Brenna definitely get tired of the same room just in time for the witching hour.

By the way, between the Grandfather's visits I actually held things together for 2 days by myself.  I kept worrying about the day when I would be home without another adult so I just decided to get it over with (and gain some confidence in the process).  My friend Victoria was on call, but we all did well.  I just kept thinking about my dear friend Desiree who has twin babies as well as a toddler running around.  You are my inspiration!

Nora observing

Nora and Brenna are good luck for Notre Dame football

Calm among chaos

Evening family time on the futon

Twin Carry

For those of you who noticed the green carrier in photos I previously posted I ended up returning the k'tan because it was too big (even though I ordered a size small). I have been practicing with the Moby since then. Today I got both of the ladybirds in at the same time. It was not glamorous, but I'm still very happy with the result.

Grandpa Yitz in the House

Grandpa Yitz arrived Wednesday night and jumped into the routine quickly.  Thank goodness!  The girls are mesmerized when he speaks to them in Hebrew.  It's pretty neat to see their reaction.

Almost a Week Late

Finally here are some photos from the girl's five week milestone (last Tuesday).  At least I am taking the photos even though its taking me almost a week to post them.  Nora is wearing a 0-3 month outfit even though the pants are a bit big!  Brenna fits them too; she wore them the next day.

Farewell Grandpa Kelly

We will miss you!  Hurry back for another visit. Thanks for all the precious help.  Welcome to Grandpa Yitz who arrives Wednesday night.

Mornings Lately

Nora and Brenna ravenously eat and then workout on the floor.  It's as if they haven't eaten all night, but they definitely have awoken to eat multiple times:)  I get to brush my teeth by 11 AM if I'm lucky, but I don't mind (the company might).  I have also started to feed Nora with the supplement nursing system and started pumping again to see if I can get my milk flowing.  It takes a lot of effort hence the lack of blog posts.  The girls and I are still comfort nursing as well.  More to come!

Photos from Four Weeks Old

The girls were four weeks old last Tuesday.  I think time is flying by, but Ted does not agree.  Here we are playing on the activity mat.

Brenna and her new friend the monkey.

Nora giving a thumbs up on play time.  (can't figure out why this is sideways)

The Girls Gabbing

It never gets old watching them interact.  I think these were taken at 3 weeks (tomorrow is 5 weeks - Mom is slacking with current photos!)

Dear old Dad comes to the park

We all enjoyed a walk in the park yesterday.

Extreme Tummy Time

Brenna and Nore sure are strong. When they do tummy time they often lift their head as well as legs at the same time. This is a yoga pose for which I am too tired to remember the name. This is my best photo effort to capture Brenna's acrobatics.

Eat, Drink, Love

First trip to the park

We ventured to the nearby park yesterday and had a stroll along the Columbia river. The weather was gorgeous and we all enjoyed the fresh air.

Cute Faces

Wide eyed Nora and playful Brenna.

Grandpa Kelly learning the ropes

Cleaning bottles, preparing bottles, mixing formula, laundry, laundry, and more laundry. Changing diapers, feeding the babes, burping (and more burping), and when you get a free second go brush your teeth or scarf down some adult food. This is our lovely life and Grandpa is a big help.

Dad Won the Trifecta

On Saturday dear old dad won the trifecta; he was pooped on, peed on, and (you guessed it) spit up on. At least he got some much needed naps and can laugh about it.

Holding one, Burping one

I have been practicing being the solo adult in the house. It can be done and has been done recently. Fyi-Brenna's head was not as crooked as the photo appears.

Quality Time With Dad

Weekday evenings in the Kwartler house.

The Double Pointer

Nora often places her index finger near her mouth while eating. We consider it to be her way of indicating she is enjoying her meal. It's so darn cute. Yesterday she sported some double pointer action while Victoria was feeding her. She must have been REALLY enjoying herself.

Fleeting Smiles

The girls are smiling more often, but it's difficult to capture the evidence. Here my best attempt with Brenna.

The Adrenaline Has Expired

Mom's adrenaline faded fast earlier this week.  The added work of dealing with UPS and legal issues took its toll.  I'm fine - I'm great really.  I just didn't have the energy to do a blog post - big surprise I know :)  Plus I was worried about Grandma Mak's departure.  We survived and actually did much better than I thought we would during the day thanks to great friends who pitched in.  Grandpa Kelly arrives late tonight and he will stay for 10 days.  We can't wait to see him.  Nora and Brenna are getting bigger and brighter every day.  This photo is from Wednesday (3 weeks 1 day old).  Mom and Dad are getting more used to their sleeping sounds and thus getting more rest at night.  I love having them in the co sleeper close by as well as the "off" shift where one of us sleeps on the futon.  

Mom's adrenaline faded fast earlier this week.  The added work of dealing with UPS and legal issues took its toll.  I'm fine - I'm great really.  I just didn't have the energy to do a blog post - big surprise I know :)  Plus I was worried about Grandma Mak's departure.  We survived and actually did much better than I thought we would during the day thanks to great friends who pitched in.  Grandpa Kelly arrives late tonight and he will stay for 10 days.  We can't wait to see him.  Nora and Brenna are getting bigger and brighter every day.  This photo is from Wednesday (3 weeks 1 day old).  Mom and Dad are getting more used to their sleeping sounds and thus getting more rest at night.  I love having them in the co sleeper close by as well as the "off" shift where one of us sleeps on the futon.