11/10/98 - 11/24/98
Sorry for taking so long to get an update here, but things have been busy all around.
The kids are great The Girl is 10 lbs and The Boy is 15 lbs. The Dr said they are doing great and that we are doing a great job. They got some more of their shots too, and after about one minute of crying and sniffling, they are fine.
This time the shots were combined with a special shot (RSV) that gives them antibodies to fight colds. It seems that when a premmie gets a cold, they can easily develope phneumonia, which can hurt their lungs or give them asthma or worse. So with this shot they stand a better chance. They will get it once a month for 6 months. Its pretty expensive and the Drs. wont even order it without preapproval from the insurance company.
They are both getting cereal, Kristoffer gets more naturally, and sometimes you can't shovel it in fast enough. He also gets apples and bananas and just this week tried green beans for the first time. You should have seen THAT face!
He is also sleeping pretty good, slept until 7:30 am and 8:30 am over the last weekend.
Lindsey gets just a little, she is still learning how to eat it. She gets some fruit but doesnt try the veggies yet.
She sleeps pretty light, sometimes waking every 2 hours at night and crying. I'm all for letting her fall back to sleep on her own but there is descension in the ranks at home. Usually though she sleeps OK and only gets fed once a night.
Both kids coo and smile and laugh really well now. Kris and I coo and gurgle and smile and laugh at each other all the time. He makes a sound and I repeat it and he starts smiling and does it again, its so funny.
Lindsey loves to just screech randomly and doesnt say 'ah goo' she says 'ah gee' which is always good for a laugh.
We do plan on recording some of these and I will put them up here for all to hear.

11/1/98 - 11/9/98
Oh what a busy time its been lately. Firt let me say, thank you for continuing to care enough to visit and read this. Second let me tell you, that I have easily the two cutest and sweetest babies in the world living with me.
Both kids are pretty happy all the time, except for 6:00pm-8:00pm for some reason. At that time, they start to fuss, and cry and get restless. I think it might have something to do with the moon or the tides. I mean, you eat all that formula and see if it influences you.
Kristoffer has made his first squeals, which are pretty funny. He has started his first two sylables (sp?) "ah-goo" and often says them and moves into the squel at the same time. I will see if I can make a wave file for you to hear along with his laughs.
Lindsey is chatting all the time, still not "ah-goo" yet, but what she lacks in sylables she makes up for in quantity.
Both had nice little halloween outfits with cats dressed up as ghosts and witches on them. We took their picture, and they will be up here soon.
They go to Grandma's three days a week now and seem to like it. (Good!)
The Dr appointment is coming up in two weeks, the way they are eating I'm sure both will be on formula three times a day.

10/22/98 - 10/30/98
I know I know, updates have been lagging. I'm sure I am losing the kids following. Yet, I have not received any angry fan mail so it must be OK.
The kids are doing great. Growing and eating and making noise, cooing and starting to laugh.
The laughing and smiles are great, they let you know you are communicating with this little "thing" that only a short time ago could only look at you.
Kristoffer is eating lots of cereal now, the rice stuff. He even gets muched (creamed? crushed? squashed?) bananas now. He doesnt like them much so we mix it with the cereal which he loves. He likes it so much he doesnt even want his bottle, he grabs your hand or the spoon and tries to make you feed him more cereal faster! Little animal!
Lindsey gets her little taste of stuff and she likes it, but she needs to eat more from her bottle. She has made that leap from 2-3 to 3-6 ounces officially. She does it every feeding now.
Kris has outgrown almost all of his outfits. Things that looked WAY to big a month ago are now almost bending his toes backwards!
To solve this, I went shopping for clothes for them (yes I did!) and got him some really cool stuff. Fuzzy warm sleepers and outfits.
Not to be outdone Lindsey got some new things too. Though she is due to receive tons of hand-me-downs from her brother, I had to get her some pink things! Included in that was the first outfit with Snoopy on it!
I might add that I got 11 outfits for $98 at Kohl's department store (brand new store right next to my office!). Quite the bargin shopper huh?
We took their Halloween picture and the 'red eye' effect makes it look really cool. We took 15 pictures and only two were worth keeping. Hopefully I will get one scanned and put it up here.
The time change was hard on the kids and consequently on us. They are used to being fed at 8, which is now 7 and since they still get fed at 8, which was 9, its late and has them all thrown off. Got all that? There will be a test!
We took the kids to Grandma's that day the time changed and oh how bad it was. We were there for 1.5 hours and they cried for 1.25 hours. SHEESH!
We look forward to taking the kids to Grandma's for trick or treating, the kids have told me they have some good tricks lined up! Hopefully they wont cry as much (crossed fingers).

10/13/98 - 10/21/98
Its been a long time since I had the chance to update this, which means that I have been busy busy busy!
The kids went through all last week with the cold. Kristoffer was worse then Lindsey, but both kids were congested and stuffy. Through that, they were still pretty happy, smiling all the time and doing what passes for laughing.
After having them laying down, they were back in their car seats to help them breath better. We also had the humidifier going for them. All this stuff we are doing, when just 4 short months ago we barely knew which end to diaper. Talk about a crash course. Now I know how people get through boot camp in 3 months and kick ass. Its crammed in (on?) you day and night so you have to learn. I think schools should take that attitude and everyone would learn faster and better. (Yeah right, I just want everyone to suffer!)
Sleeping for them was getting better. Getting up once a night for us was easier then twice. Of course we also had the cold so we weren't feeling too well and Lisa is still sick.
They are eating pretty well now that they are feeling better. Kristoffer was not eating as much as he had been, but once his cold got a little better he was a maniac again.
I also got my first official time to feed him his rice stuff. It was fun and if Lisa had let the stuff dry on him like I wanted we would have had a replica of his face. Not that I got it all over him, he did it! But some went in his mouth, well, I should say he actually swallowed some of it. By Monday I was a champ and he didn't need to be changed after I fed him.
Lindsey even got her first taste of the rice stuff. Not a lot, just a spoonful. She handled it well! She eats really well now, anywhere from 3 ozs to 7 ozs. Doing that its hard to believe only two weeks ago she was taking 3 tops and usually 2.5 ozs.
Most of last week was spent in anticipation of the christening on 10/18. When the big day came, Uncle Frank and Aunt Neice are the God parents and showed up to help get them dressed in their outfits. Good thing, there is no way we would have gotten them dressed and us dressed on time.
Lindsey wore a white gown with lots of lace and looked stunning. She was a perfect angel during the ceremony, sleeping most of the time or enjoying the lights.
Kristoffer wore a white tux and was catching the eye of the other girls that were getting christened. He fussed about for a while but for the most part was quiet. When the water was poured over his head he was reminded of bath time and went to sleep.
During the reception which followed immediately at the world famous Lincroft Inn they were passed from relative to relative and friend to friend and they handled it great! No fuss, no muss (well slight muss, but they ARE babies!) and no crying. They even slept despite the noise and commotion. Gotta love 'em!
They were a little tired on Monday when Kristoffer slept almost all night, waking at 4:30am. Not bad.

10/7/98 - 10/12/98
Its been an interesting few days, first off, the Dr appointment went well. The kids are in great health and this Dr seemed to know what he was doing.
Kristoffer weighs a hefty 12.5 lbs. His cradle cap is clearing up really well. The bad news is he has a cold. First noticed Saturday night, he sounded a little congested when he was breathing. Dispite his congestion he was in a good mood all weekend and is handling it like a little trooper.
A FIRST 1 : He got his first taste of rice on Friday, the Dr gave us the OK. He made a mess of himself but got most of it down. Using the bottle after each spoonful helped him realize it was FOOD. By the end of the weekend he didn't need the bottle to help wash each bit down.
A FIRST 2 : He laughed out loud (LOL to you net fiends). It was the cutest thing I ever heard.
Lindsey is doing great! The Dr asked me if I had anything to tell him about her and I said "well, she is so beautiful", he agreed. She weighs 7.5 lbs, more than five pounds heavier then she was on 6/15. That is so incredible.
No food for her for awhile, we will wait a few weeks, and when she consistently eats 6 ozs of formula we will start with the rice. Currently she eats 3-4. After the Drs I told her she has to start eating more and she did, she now eats 3-6.
She does not have a cold, and is a happy kid provided you get there fast enough with her bottle!
Both kids slept without their carseats on the weekend. Lindsey got used to it real quick, however we did move Kris back into it to help him breath easier at night.
They will be 4 months old on Thursday.

9/29/98 - 10/6/98
I think I said this before...WOW, its been a week!
I cant believe that much time goes by so fast. The kids have been having a good time lately. about once a week they have a day where fussiness rules and it grates on us. There were some really great moments though, they smile a lot more now which just makes you melt. The girl smiled at me so much one day last week in reaction to the dancing around the kitchen we did. She lights up when I come home too.
The boy smiles a lot too and utters more of what is developing into a laugh. He "talks" more now too which is usually good for a laugh.
Sunday Lindsey slept in my arms while I watched football, it was so nice. That wont last long though, I'm sure its not long before I'm saying "Hey kid, move away from the TV!"
Lindsey also went for a check up which the hospital wanted to do because she was IUGR. She did great and they are very happy with her progress. They gave us exercises to do with her and Kris and we have started doing them. We make a nice game out of it and couple that with a massage just before bath time. They seem to like it, but who wouldn't? Work out, massage, someone gives you a bath..thats living!
Over the weekend they made their first trip to Aunt Neice's and Uncle Brians. Kris taught Erin how to dirty a diaper, like she needed reminding. We got them home and they slept for 5 hours! Making progress in the sleep department! Just last night (10/5) Kris ate 10 ozs before bedtime and slept from 9:30pm-3:30am. (6 hours if you are trying to do the math) and then ate another 7.5 ozs. Lisa just fed Lindsey at 12:30, and at 3:30, feeling rested, I took care of Kris while Lisa slept, then Lindsey was stirring so I fed her too.
Its great he ate a lot and slept longer, and this week we go to the Dr and they will probably put him on some form of food. We will probably see more changes in the next week. I'll keep you informed!
Bye!

9/21/98 - 9/28/98
Wow, its been a week. I haven't had the time, my apologies to the loyal followers.
Let see if I can remember what has happened.
Pretty much things have been the same, both are into the routine, eating and sleeping with periods of wakefulness (just like me!). They smile a lot more now, and each time we see it we crack up, they are just SO cute.
I went to Babys R' Us (not a paid endorsment, dammit!) and got them little gyms to go over top of them when they lay on the activity mat, I also got another mat, the cant really share one anymore. I also got us those sack'o'baby carriers where they sit in a harness against you. We took them outside in them yesterday and they were pretty amazed.
Lisa had to go to the Carters Store (also not a paid endorsment!) cuz Kristoffer keeps outgrowing his clothes. Lindsey gets his hand-me downs and an occassional new pink outfit.
It was pointed out that I forgot to write about an amusing little trip we took so I will do that now.
A few weeks ago we went to get some more clothing for them. We went to Burlington Coat Factory (you know the drill) which has a really great baby section. Lisa went in while I stayed in the car with the kids.
Well, after about 5 minutes one of them (we dont want to point out the guilty party) started to fidget and cry, then the other started to fidget. Thinking quickly, super Dad decided to drive around the lot as I waited. The car moving should keep them quiet.
Well it worked. Although each time I tried to park, they would start up again.
So here I am driving around the lot, passing the window at BCF and seeing the cashiers, they also see me. I start thinking "I hope they dont think I'm a stalker or something."
Eventually, I see Lisa in the window, she sees me drive by, again and again, as the cashiers give her twins discounts and have their own cashier problems.
Unbeknownist(spell that Lauren!) to me, the conversation went like this in the store:
Cashier1: Two of everything?You have twins? we offer a discount on the second item.
Lisa: Yes I do, and there they go now with their father! They must be fussing!
Cashier2:Is that your husband?
Lisa: (reluctantly if you ask me) Yeah thats him.
Cashier1:He has been driving around here for 10 mins. We were going to call the cops.
Lisa:Oh no, they must REALLY be fussing!
But, shortly thereafter, Lisa bolted from the store and the kids were made happy babies once again.
THE END

9/18/98 - 9/21/98
Friday was the big OUTING! (No not a gay thing!) We fed the kids and off we went to the dinner! The kids slept on the ride over and once there, stayed awake the whole time. Luckily there was no fussiness or such and everything went well. People stopped and peeked, the hostess sat us at the BIG booth at the insistence of the owner who asked if we were leaving one behind (if I could have made up my mind..just kidding!).
Something strange happened though, Lisa and I both found that we could not eat. The food was good, but we just each picked on a crab cake and some mashed potatos and that was it. I guess it because you are paying so much attention to make sure the kids are happy.
But all in all it was good and we will be taking them again soon!
The weekend went really well. The kids slept alot, not all in a row, but between feedings. We were kind of at a loss, not sure what we should be doing. I kept asking, "what did we used to do?"
Saturday night, Grandma and Grandpa showed up bearing gifts (during the week the kids got gifts, these were for us) of FOOD. Any time we dont have to cook is a bonus! They enjoyed the visit and so did the kids.
Sunday we were visited by Uncle Lennie and Aunt Cathy. Again the kids slept between feedings so there wasnt much to be helped with. They ate at 12 and we ate shortly after. It turned into a visit to Lisa and I more than with the kids.
Sleeping at night is going well, not long, but at least they arent waking between feedings.
Monday when I got home Lindsey was all cute and smiley while Kristoffer was drowsy and fell asleep.
I tried to find diapers at the store yesterday that Kris could wear at night when he sleeps on his back. I couldn't find something in his size.
Any mothers reading this email me with what you did to keep your 10-12lb boy from wetting outside his diaper at night. I would appreciate it.

9/14/98 - 9/17/98
Its been a pretty good week! The kids have been sleeping pretty well with one or two events which were no big deal(no big deal because I slept right through them! The advantage of sleeping farthest (furthest?) from the monitor!).
They have been eating maniacs this week which is really cool although we are certainly filling up the recycling cans quickly!
Grandma visited on Tuesday and helped Lisa out. Its a big help to have someone there during the day.
Aunt Dale visited on Thursday and was also a big help, enough so that they all went for a walk. She brought gifts too (we like gifts!). A book about baby nutrition, personalized blankets for each minchkin (1/3 less calories then a munchkin). Winnie the pooh themed with their names and birthday in a balloon. Very pretty.
She also brought some smelly bath stuff for Mom, leaving Mom hoping she can get the time to relax in a bath. (Dad to the rescue!)
The bathing has been going well in the tub although a soapy baby is not the easiest thing to hold. I bet it would make a great Olympic sport. So far no "major" accidents in the tub although we have had a few "minor" ones which required water changing. Usually we know because Daddy feels it on his hand!
Oh, Kristoffer had a case of "cradle cap" which is dryness and flaking of the skin and scalp, common in babies. Using the baby owners manual supplied by the McGovern franchise we read up on it and it cleared very quickly using a petroleum jelly massage. Very handy book to have. It also said to put dark stuff under your eyes when company comes over so they feel bad and offer to feed/change the babies and make dinner. We will try that one out this weekend.
Lindsey has been holding her head up a lot lately and is doing a lot of the grunting her brother used to do when eating (or is it just drinking?). She takes 2-4 ozs most of the time and at the quiet feeding at 8 she has taken 6 ozs.
This weekend our goal is to have them sleeping in the crib and not the car seats (OK its MY goal). We are also going to attempt something so special, so spectacular, I was thinking of alerting the media. Thats right, we are going to try and go to a dinner tonight for diner. Lisa and I have been pep talking all week and we are up for it. So after they eat at 4, we will do some head butting and some butt slapping and go for it! The entertainment value alone should be worth the trip!

9/12/98 - 9/13/98
They didn't actually cry this long, it just took me a long time to get to write again.
It was a pretty good weekend and we learned something new AGAIN.
We took them on their first trip, a shopping excursion down to TOPS in Lakewood.
The first thing we noticed was the, whats the word...apathy, of people.
Here we are, barely getting the stroller through the first set of doors, and people are going in ahead of us, they turn and look at us and let the door close. I was amazed, I mean, I could see if I was wheelchair bound but with a couple kids?
Surprisingly, the double wide stroller fit through most of the aisles.
The Kids were on their best behavior and sometime in the future when they can realize it I will buy them a treat (Hey big spender!).
As we were leaving, it was getting close to feeding time. We raced home and feed the hungry chompers, Kris ate 9 ozs, Lindsey ate 6!
What we realized afterwards was, it would have been better had we found a shady spot or went into a pizza place and fed them. This would have been easier on all of us. Nex time, we will remember to do that.
But it was a good trip and gave us confidence to make the next one.
Bath time has moved from the sling which held them in the tub, to just the tub. They seem to like it and thankfully are not ready to splash much!
Oh! Almost forgot, the Dr said they were doing great and we are the world's best parents (OK so he didnt say that, I did!) They got their shots, distemper and rabies I think, and got "100% Prime Baby" stamped on their butts.
The weekend was topped off with a trip to Grandma's and seeing Aunt Niece, Uncle Bryan, and cousins Erin and Lauren.
We gave them their bath at home, because the last time we did it at Grandma's, they ate, went to sleep for the ride home, and then woke up. We couldn't have that on a Sunday night. See ya later!

9/8/98 - 9/11/98
A relatively good week. They are calming a bit with a few episodes of crying.
Lindsey opps..finish later..the kids beckon! Kris is 10lbs 9 ozs
Lindsey is 6lbs 9 ozs.

9/3/98 - 9/7/98
The Kids are doing much better. Sleeping better at night and even eating better. We got some rest of the long weekend and that helps make things easier. The kids even went to their first family function, a picnic, and they seemed to like it, since they slept through most of it.
They got to meet Erin and Frank for the first time, and look foward to more schmoozing with the eldest cousins.
Mom loved the CD player the kids gave her for her birthday on Saturday.
Dr appointment coming up on the 11th. We look foward to the official weight check. Maybe Kris can start getting some "food" in his formula.
Thanks for stopping by!

9/1/98 - 9/2/98
I think the kids are doing better. There is less crying then there has been, so the formula must work. Lisa still gets some during the day, but she is there more than I am, so maybe she should write this part (interested?). We both hope it clears up and they sleep better and then we will sleep better.
Last night (9/2) was more like it was a couple weeks ago, up every few hours to feed them. I don't know how, but the alarm clock doesn't work anymore. But its only when I am in the room by myself. It works fine when Lisa is there.
Aside from that, they are doing really well and are so cute you could just pinch 'em (but we dont!). The Boy uttered his first "coo" last night. We think thats what it was, we heard something that went "coo" and it wasn't me and it wasn't Lisa.
The Girl is holding her head up really well and likes to push her legs against you and lift herself up.