Happy Thanksgiving!

Greetings!

Happy Thanksgiving to our friends and family! We celebrated the many things we give thanks for this weekend. It was a special time to spend with our kids!

Jonas kicked off the weekend in style by starting to crawl ever so slowly. Elsa's competitive advantage for reaching toys is fading quickly and Jonas seemed very pleased with himself.

Elsa appears to be getting a second tooth. Her cheeks have been especially red and the drool is back with a vengeance.

We took Elsa and Jonas with us as we picked out our Christmas tree. They were both asleep in minutes. We are very excited that the house is decorated with a tree and all our other decorations. Last year, we were on minimal decorations so it is great to be able to fully deck the halls this year.

God Bless,

Dan & Jonas & Elsa & Mari

And the first crawler is...

Greetings!

The past couple of weeks we've had some truly amazing emails, calls, and conversations with people about the progress of Elsa and Jonas. It has been so supportive to hear that people have been rooting our kiddos on and keeping tabs on their current adventures. Thank you!

With that in mind, it is really exciting to announce that Elsa is our first crawler. The past few weeks she has appeared to have been putting the moves together but never all at once. We finally found out what was lacking. Motivation. We placed a cup of water down on the floor for a second while we were rearranging coasters on the table. With laser-like precision, Elsa locked on to the cup and crawled like mad to get to it. She tipped it towards her mouth and took in a great big drink of sweet success. She is a crawler!

Jonas is almost there...he is really thinking about it.

We are getting ready for our first Thanksgiving. Lots to give thanks for!

God Bless,

Mari & Dan & Jonas & Elsa

That is never going to fit...

Greetings!

We joke that we, especially Mari and the kids, are shut-ins. We have to be extremely careful with exposure to illness this first year as Jonas and Elsa continue to grow and get stronger and stronger lungs. However, with lots of hand washing and other precautions, we had a chance for a couple of friends to stop by and say hello to the kids. Very fun!

Jonas and Elsa were old-pros for our doctor visits this past week. We took them in for the seasonal flu shot and were also surprised to find out that we could also get them the H1N1 shot as well. Great news! We will have to take them in for the second dosage of the H1N1 next month. The nurses have the shot system down. First shot...initial baby cry...second shot...done! Next baby please. We like a good system like that.

Jonas is sitting like a champ now. Of course, the second we remove the pillow from behind him he falls but ninety-five percent of the time he is rock solid. Elsa is much more solid sitting than she used to be, but needs a little more support. Elsa's first tooth is coming through and she is always looking for toys, pacifiers, or fingers to chew on.

We took them for a walk in the cold on Saturday and bundled them up in the winter suits in one of the pictures. We ordered these suits when they were first born and when they arrived in the mail we thought it would be long, long time until they could actually wear them. That time has arrived!

On Friday, some students and parents mentioned that there was the potential for snow over the weekend. The snow always reminds us of Elsa and Jonas's arrival so this news brought some sentimental smiles to our faces. Let it snow. Let it snow!

God Bless! (Pictures: Jonas and his girlfriend Sofia; Kate, Nathan, Jonas and Elsa having a party; Elsa and Jonas looking inquisitively; Jonas and Elsa in their West Ham 'Hammers' Soccer attire--Elsa has her favorite hammer as well (Dan's obscure soccer team that he likes to watch at 4:30 in the morning))

Mari & Elsa & Jonas & Dan

Seven months (adjusted age)!

Greetings!

Somewhere along the way this past week, we forgot to mention that we hit another milestone. November 1st was the seven month (adjusted age) milestone for Jonas and Elsa. We like to celebrate actual age and adjusted age--the more celebrations the better I say. We have been asked when do you stop counting adjusted age. Most of the doctors, nurses, dietitians, etc et al. that we see say that the adjusted age is used through the third birthday. At that point, it is not referenced as much because the catch-up weight gain and growth is no longer monitored. I think we will continue to celebrate adjusted age birthday and actual birthday well past age three...again, how can more cake be bad?

Jonas and Elsa were a lot of fun this week. As they become more mobile, it has been fun to see how quickly they can move from point a, b, c, d, back to a, back to d, and then onward to point e.

As the cold season hits we are trying to be very safe and sane. Both kids will be getting a variety of shots in the upcoming weeks to help stave off the various flu-bugs that are out there. They also will receive a "super-duper" (this is not a medical term--although it probably sounds like it...i just made it up) shot once a month that is specifically targeted for premature babies that may be more susceptible to respiratory viruses and other bugs. On the home-front, we continue to wash hands religiously, shower up after coming home from work, and take all the precautions we can.

Thanks for continuing to check out the updates on Jonas and Elsa! Pictures: Playing nice on the floor; post-walk smiles; Elsa (Ladybug), Jonas (Bat boy), and Joshua (Elephant) in a post-Halloween costume photo; three future Lutes. Videos: Jonas with his distinctive voice; and Jonas chomping on a squeaky toy.

God Bless,

Dan & Elsa & Jonas & Mari

Solving a one variable equation vs solving a two variable equation

Greetings.

Another week of doctors' appointments for Jonas and Elsa. We met with the dietitian this week for our monthly check-up on the twins' weight gain. Jonas was right on track but Elsa is a little behind where we would like to see her. She is a skinny-mini:) Over the past month, Elsa had a couple of incidents of throwing up. We initially thought this was due to the introduction of solid foods but as we talked it out with the dietitian we also realized that we had been weening her milk thickener at the same time. After letting out a Homer Simpson "Doh!", we realized that we had been playing with two variables instead of focusing on one at a time. In that past four days, she has actually had a little more success with solid foods and we are ever so hopeful that we will make some good progress in the month ahead with putting some weight on her. Elsa also has her first tooth popping up--big month for Elsa!

Both kids are having a lot of fun. It is such a joy to see them play with toys, with us, and with each other. They both love to laugh! What a great thing to see! We knew they were going to be joyful even when they were really tiny---and now it is great to see, hear, feel their joy each day! Yahoo!

We are so excited that Thanksgiving is nearly here and Christmas is right around the corner.

(Pictures: Halloween Bibs--C'mon Elsa, give us a smile:); Sumner School District Bibs!; The Crawl Club;

God Bless,

Dan & Mari & Elsa & Jonas