The Terrific Twosome turned three!

Alex, Cole & Zach at the concert

Zach and Alex turned 3 on January 29th, so we all helped them celebrate the big day.  The Sunday before their birthday, Grandma Pat, Papa Bob, Debbie and her boyfriend, Ben, came over for a little party.  The boys had a ton of fun opening their presents, although they were a little confused as to why no one else had presents like at Christmas.  They got a bunch of great games, cars and other toys and even got a set of their very own tractors! After opening the presents, the boys went downstairs to try out the tractors and some of the games. To cap off the day, we had a chocolate chip cake with chocolate frosting that was decorated with Star Wars figures, which they thought was pretty darn cool.

Their checkup was on the 28th, and they are doing great, although they are of course still skinny.  Zach measured in at 25 lb 15 oz (under 5th percentile) and 36.75 inches tall (30th percentile).  Alex was 26 lb 8 oz (under 5th percentile) and 37 inches tall (30th percentile).  Both of those marks are pretty consistent for them so far.  They are doing great in development too - they exceeded most of the development marks expected at their age, esp with speech and reading, and the only thing on the list they couldn't do yet was pedal a trike, which they are close to doing.

On the day of their birthday, Debbie surprised them with a breakfast treat of donuts and then Joe took them to the Children's Museum.  They wore little "Birthday Boy" buttons that they had picked out at the store - they were SOOOO excited to wear them (their "ties" as they called them).  They've been working really hard at holding up just three fingers and telling people how old they are.

We of course have a ton of pictures that we took, and they've all been posted in the Zach and Alex's 3rd Birthday album.  There are also a number of pictures in the new Jan - Feb 2009 album, including photos from Cole's recent band concert.  Cole's band did a fantastic job - we were all so proud of him!

Also, I never posted the link to it, so if you're interested, you can check out the Christmas 2008 album to get a peek at our celebration.

Zach and Alex are Two!

I still can't believe it, but on Jan 29, Zach and Alex turned 2! They did really well at their two-year check-up. They're still skinny, of course - Zach almost made it on the charts at 23 lb, but is still in the 0 percentile, while Alex at a "beefy" 23 lb 10 oz is actually in the 6th percentile for the first time. For height, Zach was measured at 34" (44th percentile) and Alex was measured at 34.5" (60th percentile). The great news is, they are very healthy and are developing quite well. They were so excited to see the doctor, having seen some in books and TV, and went running down the hall looking for her: "Doctor! Doctor!"

For their birthday, we had a little celebration on the actual day with some special treats and some fun, but we really celebrated that weekend with the help of Cole, Grandma Pat and Papa Bob, opening presents and enjoying a special cake. Check out the pictures in the Z & A Birthday album.

There are also lots of new pictures in the Jan-Feb 2008 family album, including a peak at Cole after his band concert, a day at the Children's Museum, and a glimpse at Zach and Alex as they play and explore.

18 month checkup

OK, so I'm posting this just a bit late, but Zach and Alex had their 18 month checkup on 8/1. They are healthy and doing well, although they have apparently inherited their father's body type since they grew in height but not much in weight. Alex measured at 32.5 inches tall (60th percentile) and 20 lb 11 oz (0 percentile). Zach is also 32.5 inches tall but is a little lighter at 20 lb 2.6 oz. The doctor was OK with the weight because their height and development are doing so well (in fact, they demonstrated their climbing abilities for her right in the room).

They are learning new words and new things almost every day. Both can walk halfway up the stairs with the help of the balusters before they crawl the rest of the way. I'll have a pic up on the site soon that shows Zach nearly climbing into his crib. They have learned to say "all done" when done with a bath and can imitate many farm animals. They've become big fans of watching bee-ball (baseball) and wheel (Wheel of Fortune). They still love to read and can often grab a certain book that you ask them to get. They are now starting to figure out how to open doors (uh oh!) It's truly amazing how quickly they learn.

Check out the latest photos in the July-Aug 2007 Family album.

New pics from April posted

About a month's worth of pictures have been added to the March-April 2007 family album. They cover a day at the zoo, playtime, some tasty treats, and some brotherly battles for position.

They had their 15 month checkup recently and continue to do great. Zach is 30.5 inches long and weighs 19 lb 6 oz, and Alex is 30.5 inches long and weighs 20 lb 2 oz. They had their last set of shots before kindergarten, for which I am very grateful.

1 year checkup, birthday pics and more

The boys had their 1-year checkup yesterday, and they are doing great.  They are both now 29" tall.  Zach is the skinnier one of the two at 18 lb 12 oz, and Alex weighed 19 lb 15 oz.  Neither gained much weight since last time, but they are far more active now and don't have as much baby fat.  A few bouts with colds haven't helped their weight either, but the doctor is happy with their progress.

Both of them have teeth coming in on the top.  Alex has one that is out all the way and has a second one breaking through.  Zach again is getting two teeth at once.

We all had a great time at the boys' first birthday party.  Thank you so much to all of you who were able to come celebrate with us!  Z & A had lots of fun with their cake.  Alex picked up the whole thing and tried to fit it into his mouth, while Zach made a mess and ate the pieces.  Pics from the party have been added to the First Birthday album.

There are also new photos in the general Jan-Feb 2007 album, including Z & A playing with their birthday present from us (a Little People garage) and trying some new foods, and Cole playing with his early birthday present - a Nintendo Wii (I have to admit - it's a lot of fun!).

Nine fast months

It's hard to believe, but these boys have been with us for nine amazing months. Both have learned how to sit up really well and are babbling constantly (we think Alex will learn to speak first). Zach is crawling all over the place, and Alex appears to be on the verge of figuring that out. Zach has even figured out how to pull himself to a stand!

Their 9-month checkup went well. Alex is 19 lb 4.8 oz and 28 in long. Zach is 17 lb 14.6 oz and 27.5 in long, although the length measurement isn't real exact.

The boys looked awfully cute in their Halloween costumes, little sweatsuits that Grandma Pat bought for them. Zach was a cow, complete with ears on his hood and a tail on his butt, and Alex was a smiling pumpkin with a stem on his head. Joe, with Debbie's help, brought them to his office and to Karen's office. They, of course, charmed everyone they met.

Lots of new pictures have been added to both the Sept-Oct album and the new Nov-Dec album. Also, Cole's baseball portraits finally got scanned and added to the May-June album (better late then never, right?).

Six Month Checkups

The boys had their six month checkups this week, and they are doing great! Zach is now 16 lbs even and 26.75 inches long, and Alex is 16 lbs 14 oz and 26.5 inches long. They've both been tracking along the 50th percentile for most measurements, except for Zach's weight, which is usually around the 25th percentile. They're both doing really well developmentally. Both of them figured out how to roll over in the last few weeks; this is now one of Zach's favorite tricks. They are also learning how to babble and recognize each other and the kitties (Alex LOVES the kitties!).

Four months!

Zach and Alex turned four months old this week. Hard to believe how fast the time has gone! They had their checkup this morning and are doing very well. Zach is 13 lbs 10 oz and 24 inches long, and Alex is 14 lbs 8 oz and is also 24 inches long.  Check out the latest pictures of our little cuties (this page sorts the photos in reverse order).

Two months old!

Zach and Alex had their two-month checkup yesterday, and they are doing very well. Zach now weighs 9 lbs 1.8 oz and is 21 inches long. Alex is 9 lbs 9.6 oz and is also 21 inches long. :D They are gettting more and more alert each day and are starting to show signs of cooing and smiling. They still eat every 3-4 hours, so, unfortunately, Mom and Dad aren't getting much sleep yet. They are really good babies though, as they are pretty content most of the time.

Baby update - 32 weeks

I had another ultrasound this week, and the boys are doing well. Baby A is still breech, unfortunately, so I will likely have a c-section unless he flips by then. He has grown to about 3 lb 10 oz, and Baby B has grown to 4 lb 1 oz. I now go in every week for a checkup and non-stress test. Ideally, I'll make it to at least 36 weeks, so we're getting close! Grandpa Bob will be painting the nursery for us this weekend, and the furniture is in and ready to be assembled. Pictures from the ultrasound are in the Baby x 2 album.

Baby update - 28 weeks down, about 8 or so to go?

Mom and the boys are all doing well. I had an ultrasound yesterday to check on the babies' growth; they are positioned in kind of a yin yang pattern. Baby A on the left with his head up and his legs curled around the bottom, and Baby B is heads down on the right with his head above A's legs and his backside curled up near the my ribs. Baby A is about 2 lbs 5 oz, and Baby B is about 2 lbs 10 oz., which seems to be about where they should be. The printouts we got have been added to the Baby Vandermark x2 album, as has the latest profile shot of me and my big belly and one of Joe's favorites: me eating ice cream, which is a frequent occurance.