Ballard Girls

We checked out the Ballard Farmer's Market with the Hopp Family today.  It was also the first time we ate in a restaurant.  It was called Subway.  We were hoping for something other than formula, but that's what Mom and Dad ordered for us.  Sigh.  Here are some photos from the day.

Mia sports her Ballard gear. She's ready to hit the town!

Hmmm...think Emma is hungry?!

Cole pushes the stroller to give Matt and Megan a break. Thanks, Cole!

Emma and Mia catch some rays on the walk.

A Perfect Day

Emma and Mia miss out on the beautiful view as they sleep in the sunshine. 

 

Today we had one of those days we've been looking forward to for quite a while.  It went something like this...

Sleep in until 8:30am. (Thank you, nurse Linda!)

Wake up to sunshine! 

Spend a lazy morning playing with the girls. 

Take care of a few household chores -- a rarity these days. 

Head out for a walk with the girls to Sunset Hill, a beautiful park on a cliff over Puget Sound. Hard to believe we live so close to such a breathtaking view. Stop for an ice cream cone on the way back to beat the heat.

Come home to feed the girls their dinner. They fall asleep in their swings.

Matt cooks dinner and we actually have time to sit and eat together before the girls wake up.

Play with the girls some more. Marvel at their progress.  Mia was mimicking my facial expressions.  Emma opened her mouth to signal she was ready for more of her bottle.

Feed the girls a couple more times (another growth spurt!) and put them to bed.

Matt goes to bed, while Megan blogs until Linda arrives.  

Good night! 

We can't get over how grown up Mia (above) and Emma (below) look in their car seats/stroller.

A couple shots of the view from the park. The top photo shows the marina with a cruise ship in the distance. In the lower photo you can see Golden Gardens beach.

Emma and Mia love playing with the toys hooked to these links.

Syttende Mai Celebration in Record Heat - Uff Da!

Ballard's two newest Norwegians - Emma and Mia - celebrated their first Syttende Mai this weekend! Ballard hosts one of the largest Syttende Mai (or Norwegian Constitution Day) celebrations in the country.  (Syttende Mai = 17th of May) And it just so happens that the parade route begins at the school on the corner, and passes right in front of our house. 

The girls' Scandinavian relatives were in town to celebrate - Grandma and Grandpa Lund, Uncle Pete, Great Aunt Janis and Cousin Cary.  We lined the porch and the front lawn with chairs, and enjoyed record-breaking heat (high 80s!).  The girls spent most of the day in the shade, of course, but they enjoyed the warm weather and fresh air. And I think they liked wearing their hats - a new fashion accessory. 

Our friends, the Hendersons, joined us for the parade.  Highlights of the parade included the Leif Erickson Hall Ladies' Auxiliary women greeting Emma and Mia, viking ship floats, "Will pillage for seafood" signs, a Troll Vagon, several kids' unicyle teams, the vintage volvos, and the Ballard HS marching band.  Emma and Mia, along with friends Isabelle (4 1/2 yrs) and Kamila Henderson (3 months), attracted much attention from parade participants and passers-by. 

The parade was enjoyed by all, and afterward we moved to the backyard for a BBQ to celebrate Pete and Arlie's May birthdays. This was the most time we have ever spent in our front and back yards, and we definitely plan to spend more time outdoors this summer.

The family even made the Sunday newspaper coverage of the event!  Grandpa Lund picked up the Seattle Times this morning to find a large photo of the parade with Pete, Cary, Arlie and Janis watching in front of our house.

All in all, it was a very fun day for our little Norwegian-American princesses, as their dad calls them.  We're already looking forward to next year. 

This Week's Photos

Sleeping beauties. How could these precious little girls ever make more than a tiny peep?

"WAAAAH! We're hungry, Mom!  Stop taking photos and feed us!"

Mia giggles out loud in her sleep. 

Mia loves her swing! And so do we, as it rocks her to sleep.  So much so that we found a second one for Emma.

Emma is all tuckered out from fun in the bouncy seat.

Megan's First Mother's Day!

I enjoyed a lovely first Mother's Day with Matt and the girls.  We spent a lazy morning at home. Matt picked up some delicious pastries from Cafe Besalu, which we enjoyed once the girls were fed.  The three of them gave me a much appreciated gift card to a spa for a massage.  My back and shoulders already feel less tense! I also received some wonderful notes and wishes from family and friends, along with some beautiful jewelry with the girls' names and birthdates, chocolates, and some items for the girls. We called our moms and put the girls on speakerphone with them. (Well, Mia at least. Emma was sound asleep and we had no intention of waking her.) I also got to talk to Great Grandma Rose to wish her a Happy Mother's Day.

Our big outing that day was a walk in the neighborhood.  We timed it between feedings and the girls were actually awake for part of the ride.  The weather was a little cool, but it wasn't raining.  It was nice to get outside and feel the fresh air.  We think the girls like being outside, and we're excited to take them out more often as the weather gets nicer and we get more organized with their routine. 

Today was also Uncle Pete's birthday. We'll celebrate with him this weekend.  Happy Birthday Pete!

Photos:

1) Megan and her girls (Emma in pink on left, Mia in green on right)

2) Megan poses with the girls in their double stroller

3) Matt's turn to push

4) The girls fall asleep as we round the corner by our house.

5) - 8) Emma (pink) and Mia (green) pose for a few photos in their personalized shirts

Week in Review

Well, we survived our first week alone. (By "alone," I mean none of our extended family was living with us.) Admittedly I had a lot of help throughout the week though, whether our wonderful doula, Carla, was here so I could take care of household chores, or our great night nurse, Linda, spoiled me by letting me sleep in a bit.  Friends and family stopping by has been nice too, as it gives me another adult to talk to (and watch the girls for a minute if need be) and breaks up the day.  Great Aunt Janis, Joy and her 2-year old daughter Cordelia, and my friend Robin from London all visited us this week. Friday was my first full day alone with the girls, and they were very well-behaved for me. The trickiest part is when they both want to eat at the same time, so I've been experimenting with different tactics to figure out what works best. 

Thursday was a big day for the girls. They had their 2-month doctor appointment and immunizations. Matt held the girls while they got their shots so I didn't have to watch. They both screamed louder than we've ever heard for about 30 seconds, and then went back to drinking their bottles.  After a sleepy car ride home, we took them on a walk in their stroller, during which they continued to sleep. Once home, they both woke up and started crying and screaming at the top of their lungs.  We figured they were upset and sore from the shots in their legs, but unfortunately we hadn't picked up baby Tylenol from the store yet.  (What can we say, we're learning as we go!) Once we calmed them down, Matt raced to the drugstore and got back in record time before the girls started screaming again. We got the Tylenol in them, and after another hour of screaming, the medicine kicked in.  Whew! 

While at the doctor's office, the nurse weighed the girls. They continue to grow faster than we can believe!  In one week's time, Mia gained 10 oz. and is up to 8 lbs, 9 oz, and Emma gained nearly a pound and is up to 9 lbs, 4 oz!  The doctor was very impressed.  I realized that each of them are just a couple ounces way from doubling their birth weight.  

It's nice that the weekend is here so the four of us can hang out.  We plan to get out for another walk with the girls - either in their strollers or baby carriers. Tonight I'm getting out of the house to have dinner with my friend Carrie while Matt stays with the girls.  He got to play softball last night.  Someday we'll be able to get out together!  I'm also looking forward to my first Mother's Day tomorrow!  

Photos:

1) & 2) Emma (left) and Mia (right) play on the chaise with their stuffed animals

3) A typical view for Megan during the day: feeding Mia on the boppy while bouncing Emma in her bouncy seat (switch girls and repeat...)

Home Sweet Home

Greetings from Ballard!  We've been home for more than a week now, and we are settling in.  We had a fun, lazy weekend at home with Mom and Dad - our very first weekend here.  The weather was nice on Sunday, but it was a little bright for us.  We got some fresh air when we went outside to get the mail.  This weekend we hope our parents will take us for a walk in our baby carriers. 

We are good sleepers and eaters. We are sleepiest in the morning and late night, and like to be awake later in the day.  We like taking baths. We've been trying out our bouncy seats and swing. The toys hanging on the bouncy seat are fun to play with.  And the mirror on the swing is neat too.

We've had lots of visitors since we got home.  Our pal Hailey came over with her mom Carrie.  She sat with us on the couch. And our twin friends Jake and Joe stopped by with their parents Michelle and Jay.  They even learned how to say our names! Mom's friend Tiffany came to visit all the way from London!  Aren't we special?  Today Cordelia came over with her mom, Joy.  We slept most of the time though.  Our parents are very thankful to all of our friends for bringing them dinners to eat.  We're thankful, too, since they were much happier with full stomachs.

We're hungry now, so we're going to sign off.  

Love, Em & M

Photos:

1) Thing 1 (Emma, right) and Thing 2 (Mia, left) show off their Dr. Seuss outfits

2) & 3) Fun with toys in the bouncy seats

4) & 5) How we spent our Sunday afternoon. Mom has Thing 1 and Dad has Thing 2.