As you can see, our daughters have been packing on the pounds in the past week--Sydney on the left and Abigail on the right in each picture. The top picture was taken just before I left for work this morning; the center picture was from Monday, the 29th--Abigail decided to change her perspective during one of her midday naps; and the bottom picture was taken on Sunday, the 28th--we were able to capture the girl's two month personality, a bit. Thanks to Josh Walters for Sunday's picture.

I'm sure that the absence of posts in the past few days has been an annoyance, but other than the girl's obvious weight gain, nothing big has happened since the last post. Our days are continually filled with activity, and the girl's care takes most of our time. A typical day? No such thing, but I can piece together the milestones of a day for you.

Tuesday, August 30th
Midnight: Rebekah is seated on the armchair and I'm on the couch. Both of us holding a baby and nodding off to the sounds of Conan O'Brien or whatever is on TV. We start the last night feeding at 11 pm but it is usually at least midnight or 12:30 by the time we get the girls settled down.
2:30: The grunts, whining, and burst of crying erupt from the monitor. I ask, 'Honey, do want to make the bottles or take diaper duty?" I usually get the diaper duty. The girls are in 'full-bore' scream mode until they have been changed, picked up, and rocked back into a trance. Rebekah warms the bottles and comes to help out in the nursery. Take the babies to our favorite feeding seats--armchair and couch, respectively. We have been feeding half of the bottle to each and then burping to try and alleviate the large amounts of spitting up that occasionally will happen.
3:00: The girls are halfway through their bottles and unconscious. We have to tickle, zerbert, strip down--anything to wake our sweet girls so that they will complete the feeding process.
3:30: Time to lay the girls back in the crib after holding for ten to fifteen minutes. Being very careful not to jostle and wake, we gingerly set the girls next to each other in the crib, surround them with the noodle/snake thing that the hospital sent us home with, and cover with a light blanket.
3:37: Mama and Daddy are looking forward to hitting the pillow once more, but, inevitably, someone has spit up and is rolling around in it, has a sister's hand behind her head, or some other uncomfortable condition. The whining or blast of crying has us out of bed and tending to the issue. Back to sleep.
5:55: The grunting and crying means that it is time to eat again...Dad had his alarm set at 6:00 in an attempt to get ready for work before the natives are restless--to no avail.
6:00: Feed the girls (see midnight). Dad counts how many minutes (not hours) of sleep he has gotten and wonders if the lack of sleep will be directly proportional to productivity at work.
7:15: Put the girls down for a nap; although, today one sister does not want to sleep. Sorry, Mama, no time for you to take that shower today. Dad gets ready for work and leaves late again. Good thing office culture is such that it is no big deal.
The following descriptions are based solely on conversations with Mama during the day--
8:00: Can you believe it is time to feed one of the girls already? Rebekah feeds the girls in two shifts. I believe the earlier shift today will be with Abigail, and she'll let Sydney sleep until 9:00 or so.
10:15: Sydney has been fed now but does not want to sleep. Mama plays with and calms the older sister.
10:45: Rebekah gets to have breakfast.
11:00: Time to feed Abigail then Sydney
1:00: Rebekah calls Brad to tell of the active morning. Encouragement and praise pours through the line, and all seems to be going well.
2:00: The girls are sleeping well and Mama lets them sleep a bit longer. I think Rebekah has probably talked to my mom, her mom, and a couple of friends on the phone by now. Start a load of laundry. Check email.
2:45: Abigail stirs and is fed. Sydney is still sleeping? Amazing.
3:30: Sydney still asleep--let's let her sleep. Mama decides to try and hold Syndey off until Dad gets home at 5:30.
5:00: Both girls asleep now. Karina Walters arrives with the promise of a scrumptious dinner spread. Thank you Karina and thank you to all who have provided meals and other assistance. I've said it before--raising these kids will take a village. Wait both girls are stirring and are becoming fussy--must be held at this point.
5:30: Dad arrives just in time to feed Sydney. Rebekah feeds Abigail while Karina does her magic in the kitchen. Looks like we will have to hold the girls while we eat tonight.
8:15: Constant activity for the past two hours in caring for the girls. Time to feed them again--can you believe how much these kids need to eat!?!
9:00: As I hold Abigail on the couch and try to pacify--the deluge of partially digested formula erupts from our sweet baby. Change her clothes, clean off, change Dad's clothes, mop up puddles that have formed on the couch and carpet, redress her and comfort. All in a days work.
11:00: Surely you can fill in the blank by now...

Yes, the girls present challenges and are high maintenance right now, but I would not trade it for anything. This is just part of the bonding and quality time that is making us a family. How does that bond work? It's amazing. Note to self: ask for an explanation of the complexities of the parent/child bond when I meet with our Father.