Babies first walk

So I decided the babies were big enough to take their first stroll. They are supposed to be 8 weeks according to the stroller manufacturer but I figured with creative swaddling and propping up of the heads that they would be fine. It did feel good to get out of the house and get some exercise. The babies slept the whole time and then continued sleeping in the stroller while I lifted weights and cleaned out our "new" truck. And then I even got some lunch eaten before they woke up.

Greyson and I have been contemplating getting some sort of truck for years now. We decided to finally go for it. A friend was looking to get rid of his '79 Ford truck and the price of $300 was right. It looks like it will just need a few simple cheap fixes and it should be a great vehicle for going to the dump and getting loads of dirt. It has a number of dents but that just makes it an official work truck. Brian is coming over in the morning to work with Greyson to check it over completely.

We will be at the Shull family reunion in just under two weeks to show off our new babies to who ever shows up. And Grandma Shull- I will have the lemonaide.

-Melanie

California News/ The RV has a washer/dryer

Hi everyone,

Thought I'd share a little bit about California Grandma Sharp's new "friend". Phil and I had breakfast with Grandma and Bernie yesterday. Each time we spend time with Bernie we like him better; he's quite a guy. I'm so happy you will get to see Grandma again and meet her friend, yourselves. He is such a gentleman and could't be a nicer man; they are very cute together. His sense of humor and positive outlook on life makes him so fun to be around. He and grandma have taken dancing lessons. I guess he likes to be on the go and has always enjoyed dancing. At first grandma was too embarrased to dance with him and told me " he'll have to take someone else out to dance". Well, that certainly has changed and I don't think there is any chance of him asking another woman out to dance; at least at this time.

They are together everyday and are on the go, constantly. They never miss their Saturday bingo at the senior center and eat out all the time. Grandma's new car was hit while she was grocery shopping and Bernie arranged all the insurance and car rental. Since he used to own an car repair shop, he knew which auto body company that he wanted use and the insurance company agreed.

I feel very comfortable around him and usually say pretty much what I want to say. Yesterday I told him I wanted to give him a compliment and hoped it wouldn't make him uncomfortable. Told him I think Dad/ Grandpa would have liked him a lot. And he replied " from what I hear about him, I think I would have liked him, too". I thought that was a great answer and he didn't seem awkward about. It's important to me to be able to talk about Dad and his life with Mom and his family. Doesn't seem to be a problem at all with Bernie.

Larry, I think you will really like Bernie. I think it can be harder on sons when they see their mother with another man. I know it still feels a littlestrange to me, but mom is so happy and they laugh constantly. Look like two teenagers; I'm a little envious.

So I'll give the space to someone else. I agree, please keep those baby pictures coming. You'll see new ones in a couple weeks, as the Stephanie and Nate will be here with Noah to attend a wedding in Santa Cruz. And we get to babysit; then over to San Francisco, back to Simi; on an overnighter in our RV and Noah's baptism. It is even more special because Stephanie's husband Nate is also getting baptised with the baby. How cool is that?

Love to all,
Chris and Phil

More baby pictures

Here are some pictures I just took. The first two were Piper and the other three are Samia. They wanted to show off the big bellies they are starting to get. And the last picture of Samia is in the swing which they just love. It is a lifesaver when home alone with the two of them.

Greyson's parents were here this last week and just left this morning. They babysat for us yesterday so Greyson and I could get out (alone) for some lunch. It was nice to get out of the house with just us two. We are going to try to take the babies to the park today and play some volleyball with friends. Hopefully the girls will let at least one of us play.

Guess what- a baby is hungry again.

-Mel

Murphy's new doghouse/ Noah new nursery

Well,

The Mangers made a HUGE decision and bought a motorhome. We love traveling and needed a way to bring along the dog. So we are having fun learning about the world of "rving". We've done some short trips near home and are ready for Stephanie and Nate; especially our baby noah. Michelle will join us for a overnight trip to malibu. Should be great fun.

What cute black and white pictues of the girls; was a treasure they are.

Thanks for letting me share.

More pictures of babies, please!

And any others than you care to post. I check everyday and nothing. Love, Dad

No sleep for the weary

Some of you have probably seen these pictures but I haven't added any new ones on to my computer so you get these old ones to look at. The first is Greyson and Samia and the second is Piper. These were two weeks ago while we were still in the hospital. I will try to get some newer ones posted soon.

So my mother was here for about a week and a half. It was wonderful. She cooked and cleaned and did laundry and fed the pets.... and on and on. The last few days she kept saying she felt really tired even though she got a good nights sleep. She was tired because she was working non-stop for us. I think she was smart to sleep out in the other building. The babies are great but having two to deal with at night can lead to some crying fits. Luckily they are short lived and can usually be fixed with a burp, feeding or a snuggle. The hardest part is trying to keep both babies on the same 2-3 hr eating schedule. Otherwise you are up every hour at night. We go back today for another weigh in. Once they reach 6lbs I can let them sleep longer than 3 hrs if they choose. Last week they still had 3/4 to 1/2 lb to gain.

As for their personalities, Piper is a very relaxed baby who eats and sleeps really well. However if she gets upset this Pterodactyl screech erupts from her out of nowhere. She looks just like Greyson- his hair, face shape, feet, eyes.

Samia is a bit more fussy, but still very good compared to most babies. She takes a bit longer to eat with multiple burping sessions for one meal. She sleeps well, but likes to spend some time snuggling on her daddies chest before she wants to be laid down. She used to cry the second you started to change her clothes or diaper but has realized it is not that bad and only cries now and then during the event. My mother claims she looks much like my baby pictures, just a smaller, skinnier version with red hair.

I am doing fairly well. It is amazing how much you can do on such small amounts of sleep. I even started working out again today. I still have to take it really easy as I still get a bit light headed and out of breath from the anemia and lack of movement these last few months. I have lost 30 of the 40lbs I put on for the pregnancy. I think the birth and breastfeeding just melted the pounds away as I haven't been trying to lose any weight. I just need to be careful that I am eating enough at this point. I am also very happy to have made it through the pregnancy without a single strech mark. I will credit that to good genetics of my mom and grandmas.

Greyson is loving his two girls and has been wonderful with helping out with the babies. He does most of the diaper changing and getting the girls to me to feed and then burping them afterwards. He was worried that he would feel left out not being able to feed them, but I think he sees that there are many other things he can do with the babies to bond with them.

So that is your baby update. I am going to try to sneak in a shower before the next feeding...

-melanie

Sea Spirit Directions

OK. Here is the address to the rental house:

Sea Spirit
120 Bella Beach Drive
Depoe Bay


Hmmmmmmmmmm. I thought it was in Lincoln City; will have to check map. Love, Dad

babies

Ah Mel is amazing. She gave us a scare today.

Samia: 5 lbs 10 oz born 4:19 am

Piper: 5 lbs 11 oz born 4:25 am

Piper is the one with the open eyes, the stethescope, and the striped hat. Samia is the other.

porter update