15 Months

Not only did the kids turn 15 months on 6/5, but they officially reached their 1 year adjusted birthday on 6/7.

Maggie is saying "hi", "pop", "whoa", "baby", "Yea" and enjoying beating up on her big brother.

Andrew is taking a few steps before falling down and leading his little sister into all sorts of trouble.

We had a great time at the cousins summer party...check out some of the recent pictures...

5/3/08 Almost 14 Months!!!

The last few weeks have been busy ones for us. It's amazing how quickly that Andrew and Maggie have changed...Andrew is our strong guy and amazes us with his strength. He has perfected his crawl and loves to go exploring around the house with his little sister. It's so cute watching them move around with Maggie following Andrew as they go from the kitchen to the living room to the laundry room...Andrew has also been working on his "cruising". If we find a toy that he REALLY wants (or a piece of food) and place it on the end of our coffee table, he will walk over to it. And once it a while, he lets go with his hands and stands all by himself.

Maggie has also become much stronger. She can almost keep up with her bigger brother when crawling around the house. Her favorite thing to do, however, is to clap with anyone who is over. She also likes telling everyone that she is "so big".

Maggie even got her first haircut!

As most people can see right away, Maggie and Andrew are very different. Physically, Andrew is bigger by about 4 pounds and looks a lot like his dad. Maggie, on the other hand, has a very petite frame and looks more like her mom. As they are getting older, it's very apparent that their personalities are just as different. Andrew is a bit bashful - especially around big crowds. He takes a little longer to feel comfortable and get his bearings. However, his laughter is infectious. He's a very focused little guy and LOVES to eat and chew on things. He is the best sleeper ever and loves to stick his little bottom in the air when he sleeps. And he is such a cuddler!

Maggie is pretty daring and likes to be off on her own doing things. However, if she wants to be held you will definitely know! She's a very light sleeper and doesn't ever seem to want to sleep. Her sleep position is to have both arms behind her head like she is lounging around at the beach. Maggie picks up things pretty quickly and we love to teach her new tricks!

Eating seems to be our main activity of the day. Both kids are eating pretty much everything...it's so fun experimenting and trying new food. And the pictures are the best! Both Andrew and Maggie are teething (Maggie has 4 teeth and Andrew almost has 3)...



We are attending "swim lessons" and Maggie and Andrew LOVE them. It's so great watching them splashing around in the water. Here are some pictures from the past week. We hope you enjoy them!

4.12.08 - 13 Months

Andrew and Maggie are doing new things everyday....mostly food....they eat everything. Andrew likes to eat his food quickly so that he can steal from Maggie! Bella (our dog) does a great job of cleaning up after the kids!

The kids are starting swim lessons next week and went swimming for the first time. Bath time is getting challenging as the kids are becoming more and more mobile...What is with the fascination of splashing and kids?

Both kids are off of the preemie formula and have moved to "next step" formula...although we keep working on milk. The kids are getting known around town at Meijer Gardens and at the Zoo (they had fun with their cousins Isaac and Rayna). They liked watching the people more than the animals, but they did have fun at the petting zoo.

They also had their first meal at Panera....Mom and Dad are getting "plenty" of rest with the kids sleeping through the night (generally 7 to 7). We also get a little rest by putting the kids in the "Jail." Mom also took advantage of the sneak peak of spring by taking the kids for their first wagon ride around the neighborhood.

We'll keep trying to update more often.

3.23.08 Update

It's been a really long time since we posted an update on Andrew and Maggie. The kids are doing great....here's the update:

Andrew and Maggie
The kids celebrated their 1 year birthday on 3/5/08 and we had a big party at the house (okay, mostly for mom and dad). The kids were the life of the party and enjoyed their first cake. Unfortunately, with so many people in the house, there was bound to be some germs and both the kids and mom got sick (along with about 15 or so of the guests at the party). They officially have more toys than any child should rightfully have!

Andrew
Over the past 3 months (and especially in the last 4 weeks), Andrew has begun cruising around the house and climbing on just about anything he can find. He enjoys pulling himself up to standing and likes to scare mom and dad by letting go! We continue to have regular meetings with the "Early On" therapist who says Andrew has "caught up" with his real age (which is now 1 year 1 month or 10 months adjusted). He is eating just about everything (including carpet and dog bones) and now weighs about 19 or so pounds.

Maggie
While she is physically smaller than her brother (about 15.5 pounds), she makes up for it in her ability to scream and steal toys from her big brother. Mags is not crawling forward yet, but she has got reverse down pat. She also has some insane flexibility that allows her to contort her body to go places without actually crawling! We keep working on her crawling, but her therapist is sure she will go forward very soon. Maggie is also pulling herself up and eating everything she can find...today she found Gaga's hidden stash of Cheerios!

Mom and Dad
Mom and Dad got to take their first trip away from the kiddo's. We spent a week in Costa Rica travelling by boat, plane, car, and bus visiting rain forests, volcano's, national parks, and all inclusive resorts! We are very happy to be home with the kids!

Back in GR!

The family spent the last week in GP, Mi at Gaga and Papa Steve's house...while it was so much fun to see everyone (and get LOTS of presents), we are all happy to be back. Here are some pictures from the last week.

12/2/2007

Andrew and Maggie are changing everyday. We think you will be amazed at the new pictures! It's awesome that twins can have such different personalities. You'll notice that Andrew is the brute of the two and Maggie is our little lady. Generally, Maggie is the easier going baby (always with a smile on her face) and Andrew is our serious guy. However...when Maggie wants something...watch out!

The kids are getting settled in our new house in Grand Rapids and have opted to sleep in different rooms. While Maggie doesn't like going to sleep, once she is asleep, she stays asleep. Andrew, on the other hand, still likes to get up every 4-6 hours.

Both kids are rolling around, eating lots of fruits and veggies, and beginning to sit up in 10-60 second intervals. They have recently started to notice each other and are beginning to interact (and "talk") with each other.

The kids had their 1st Halloween, their 1st plane ride, and enjoyed visiting the Rothstein Family in Florida for Thanksgiving...now they are looking forward to Christmas in Grosse Pointe.

Enjoy the new pictures...

10/7/2007

10/7/2007

Sorry it's been so long since we updated the blog, but the Rothstein family has had many changes in recent months. To recap:

- Andrew and Maggie are both doing great. They had thier discharge followup with the NICU about 1 month ago (at 3 months adjusted) and were both rated at about 4 1/2 months adjusted...which puts them ahead of schedule. They turned 7 months old 2 days ago and are 4 months adjusted today.

- Both kids are starting to sleep more and more with Maggie sometimes sleeping in 8 hour stretches and Andrew in 5-6 hour stretches. They are both laughing, giggling, rolling, and grabbing...along with pooping, sleeping, and crying!

- We started solid food with Rice Cereal a few weeks ago and just introduced squash! The kids love it!

- The whole family has relocated out of Chicago! Dad got a new job with Meijer (a regional Mass Merchant with 181 stores) based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. We are all living in a corporate apartment until the house is finished being built. We move into the new house on 11/5.

- The move has put us very close to more Mastins, Verlindes, Lebsters, Adelmans, and Boohers...so we are very excited for all the additional help!

- Mom and the kids are travelling back and forth between Grand Rapids and Grosse Pointe until the house is finished.

- Bella is temporarily living in Grosse Pointe until we move in the new house (thanks Gaga and Papa Steve)

Check out the new pictures.

Love,

The Rothsteins

1st "Professional" Pictures

7/29/2007
Maggie and Andrew continue to get bigger everyday! Our neighbor April has a baby taking shop setup in her house and she took these pictures...thanks April! The kids are going to be 20 weeks old tomorrow (but are 7 1/2 weeks adjusted).

The kids are doing great...both are smiling all day (when they are not crying). They really enjoy pulling mom's hair.

Monday they go for their last eye doctors appointment and Tuesday they are trying out their new pediatrician (who also happened to be one of the doc's at the delivery back in March).

Mom, Dad, kids, and the dogs are planning their first trip back to Michigan in August...should be interesting...We think Andrew will be strapped to the roof of the car!

Nothing else too new outside of trying to sleep in longer than 3 hour stretches! Maybe in a couple months...We'll write soon!