Mostly January (a.k.a The Second Month)

January began with two earthquakes, one week apart, shaking our apartment. They were only about a 4.0, but they were centered 10 miles away and we definitely felt them. My mom and I rushed over to be human shields for the nearest baby. For the first one, I was pumping and for the second one I was nursing. That says a lot about how much my day involves my boobs. And how often they're out.


Julia and James practice their "Walk Like an Egyptian" poses


Julia's foot

James met the activity gym in mid-January (it took longer to convince Julia), and also really enjoyed his vibrating bouncy chair. He also liked to climb up me (Mt. Mommy) to lift his head up and look around.


Seeing how much Julia loves the activity chair, Mark wants to try it too.


James multitasks by playing in his activity chair with learning how to drive around New Jersey

We thought James was too young for tummy time but one of the nurses at the Newborn Club put him on his tummy and he and his horse-like neck took to it like a horse fish to water. When I tried it at home the second time on 2/5 he flipped over from his tummy to his back, which amused us all. A week later in February Julia was doing the same.


James seems uninterested in mommy...


Maybe it's because of her hideous fashion choices...

Julia smiled for the first time on 1/26... well, the first time that wasn't probably gas. James followed suit two days later. Smiles are the best.


Julia tells Mark a secret. It's probably about pooping.


James the pin-up girl

The twins felt rain for the first time on a trip to the Newborn Club. They also went on their first stroller outing around the park on 1/27, followed the same day by their first trip to a restaurant (Lunch with Tony in Alviso) that wasn't at Kaiser. We were really paranoid about taking them to a restaurant because of germs so we kept them in their stroller, covered with blankets. They stayed asleep... until the ride home.


Toga! Toga!


Mark and James go nose to nose

On their doctor visit on 2/8 they received their first booster shots. I heard many horror stories going in ("I don't know who had it worse. The baby was crying. I was crying...") so I was expecting bad times. They both loved their sweet rotovirus vaccine, administered orally. But then came the shots. I held each baby tightly and they did scream, but for only a minute. During this visit both babies peed on the doctor's examining table. It was kind of like taking your dog to the vet.


Don't crawl one step closer!


No, James!

My mom stayed with us for the entire month, until mid-February. She thought she would stay with me until I could get by on my own (since Mark went back to work after the babies were two weeks old), but we discovered that even two adults are no match for two babies. Somehow they still had us outnumbered. Julia demanded a lot of attention and wanted to be held by the hour. I remember weeks 6 and 7 were particularly hard. I made an offhand comment to Mark one Saturday that I wanted to take a shower that day because I hadn't since the previous Sunday. He said "really?" (not in a bad way, just surprised) and I broke down in tears.


These new self-adhesive babies are the greatest


Grandma and her angels

My dad couldn't stay away from his grandbabies for long and he visited for several 4-day-long blocks at a time. When he arrived he'd make a mad dash for a baby and his big chair and hold babies by the hour. We actually had to tell him not to run across the room to scoop up a baby. ("No TV for me," he'd say after hunkering down in his chair. "This is all I need.") My mom and dad both watching babies was great because it freed us to run errands, see friends, and go out to eat. When we'd leave they'd make jokes about how they were going to flee with the babies across the border (whether Mexico or Canada, they kept it a secret) while we were away.


Grandpa masters the art of feeding James


Julia asleep on her favorite place - Grandpa's belly

Weights and Lengths:

12/07/09 (birth)
James - 5 lbs., 9 oz.; 17.8"
Julia - 4 lbs., 9 oz.; 18.1"

1/07/10 (1 month)
James - 7 lbs., 2.9 oz.; ~21"
Julia 6 lbs., 4.4 oz.; ~18 1/2"

2/08/10 (2 months)
James - 9 lbs., 0.0 oz; 21 1/4"; head: 14 3/4"
Julia - 7 lbs., 11.5 oz.; 20 1/2"; head: 14 1/4"