Cool Stuff!

The last couple of weeks have really been amazing for Katie and I, watching the babies grow and develop. What is really fun to watch is that each one of the babies are developing differently and at their own pace. Drew was the first to roll over from back to tummy, Claire last weekend rolled over from tummy to back, she hasn't done it since but we know she can do it! Matt, well bless his cotton socks, he tries but the rolling over isn't in the cards for him yet.

Claire is babbling and has just the cutest little girl personality. Matt is quite vocal to say the least! He can really let you know he is in the room, let's put it that way! Matt is simply, "ALL BOY" he is just solid as a rock and just reminds you of a ton of bricks when you pick him up. Drew is really somewhere in between, he is such a calm, gentle and funny little guy. He loves to play and roll around and he loves to be held and kissed a ton too!

The babies are still sleeping through the night, down around 6:30pm and we start hearing Matt's roar around 5:30am. Katie and I love our evenings together and the fact that we can get a good nights rest. Sleep and rest has really changed our lives and made an impact on our marriage. I am not sure we knew how sleep deprived we were in the first few months when we were going through it. Now, we look back and say, "How in the WORLD did we survive that!?" The first answer is our parents, but it was also a ton of hard work mostly on Katie's part. Really wild looking back even just a few months back in our lives...

Claire went to the eye doctor for a check up on her hymangianoma (sp) on her left eye lid. It isn't getting bigger but not much smaller either. We have to take her downtown to Dallas to have a test run in the next couple of months and the Dr. wants to keep a close look on her eye lid. We are all praying that it will not require any surgery...

One last quick note, our wonderful friend and photographer, Melissa Zihlman was gracious enough to give us a canvas of the babies picture that she took, the Puppy Pile. This picture hung in her doctors office for a few months then she passed it along to us to keep. Katie and I couldn't wait to get it hung over our bed! We are both just in awe every time we look at it! Here is what it looks like hung up! Thank you so much Melissa!!! :)

You can click the picture above to make it larger! I hope that this email finds all friends and family well! We continued to be blessed with perfect beautiful babies and good health and fortune for our family. We are so grateful... Till next time! God speed!

Love,

Todd, Katie, Claire, Matt and Drewbie!

7 Months Down!

Wow, to say that I have been slacking on the blog updates is an understatement! My sincere apologies, I have NO idea where the time has gone.

Well, the babies are now 7 months old and they are all doing just great! I thought with this update I will just do a quick run down on each one. They are really all so different and developing so differently, each one looks different has completely individual mannerisms!

Matt: Well, Matt is the BIG BOY! At his 6 month check up he was just about 18lbs. We call him "Smiley", he just has a funny personality and is alway looking around at something. He eats like a horse! He will just suck down an 8oz. bottle in no time flat and by far he is the best out of the three eating solid foods like carrots, pears (he LOVES pears!) and sweet potatoes. He will also mow down a ton of rice cereal too. Matt is just a tank, he is solid as a rock too. Here is a picture of Matt that we took for Valentines Day! He does LOVE ALL the ladies!

Claire: "Little Sweet Pea!" Claire is just a little doll, really. She weighed just over 14lbs at the checkup. She is such a morning person like her mommy, she will just give you the biggest smiles and grins in the morning it is so cute. She does great with the bottle but not so much with the solid foods. She either doesn't like the solid foods or she really has an aversion to them. She is making a little progress but it is a battle to get her to eat the food off the spoon. She is getting a little hair, not much but it is coming in slowly! Quite honestly, I can't get enough of kissing those cheeks of hers! She is a little girl that knows what she wants and when, trust me! She is just so much fun, she is my little pumpkin!

Drew: "Oh Drewbie!" Where to start with this little guy! He is just a hoot. He is our only one that is rolling over on his own and he now sleeps on his tummy, way to go Drew! He also just LOVES this Jumparoo deal that has these springs and he just bounces his little head off and he smiles and giggles! It is the greatest thing to watch! His skin is so soft and he is so calm and peaceful, he is just a precious little guy. Drew rarely cries or gets upset, he is a wonderful little guy. Drew is the only one that has "real" hair on the top and it is mostly in the middle of his head so daddy loves giving him a little mohawk! He was 16lbs at the 6 month check up and getting bigger. I toss him and Matt in the air all the time and rough house a little with them, they love it!

All three babies are now sleeping upstairs in their nursery. The boys are in their cribs and Claire is still swinging all night long. I got the cribs all set up and I also hung their quilts. These were made by my cousins in Kankakee, IL. My mom was a big needlepointer and cross stitcher, when she passed away my dad gave the thread and material to my cousins wife Linda since she did the same thing. On the back of each one of the quilts is a cross stitched patch with the material and thread that was my mothers with the babies names, birthdates, etc. A special part of my mom on each one of those quilts, very cool. Here is a picture of the nursery as it is right now, we still have some work to do but it works for now!

And here is Claire's crib, right across from the boys cribs.

Mom and Dad are doing well. The babies are now sleeping from about 7pm till anywhere between 5:30am and 6:00am. We actually have our evenings back! WOO HOO!! :) The diaper bill and formula bill is still a whopper but it is all worth it. We are so blessed with these beautiful children! We also have been making it to church every weekend, the nursery at Fellowship Church is the BOMB! Katie and I love the opportunity to worship each Sunday.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers, we feel them all! My apologies again for the delay in the updates, I promise to do a better job updating! I hope this installment finds everyone healthy, well and happy!

Blessings!

Todd, Katie, Matt, Claire and Drew