Another Momo Mom...

I've met a girl here through a mutual San Antonio friend that is a little over 12 weeks pregnant with mono/mono twins, just like I was. Please pray for her journey and safety of her twins. We've met and she is in great spirits and is a very relaxed person so I know she can do it!

Check out our fall pictures on our photographer, Brittany's website. http://blog.britjonesphotography.com/cchalloween/ One of my very favorite pictures...

We closed this past week on a house that we bought with my parents in Ruidoso. It's in Country Clubs Estates by Cree Meadows if you're familiar with Ruidoso. So we're close to the village, restaurants, and have a great view of the ski mountain. Being so close to Lubbock I know this will be a place we utilize a lot. I love to ski and as Dustin tells everyone gamble <---don't worry I'm not hotline worthy. He loves the races in the summer so this will be a year around place for us. And fortunately we have enough room for everyone to have a room plus guests. My parents had been looking for a while for a "safe" place that met their needs as far as the girls go. So we have a relatively flatter lot with a concrete covered porch that goes around both sides of the home with lots of pines....it's perfect, but certainly needs our touch.

The girls are wearing their Doc Bands for only one more week. This has been a very painless process minus the effort it takes to get them to Dallas each Monday. I cannot say enough great things about Cranial Tech and their coveted Doc Band. It has worked wonders for us and the girls will have only had to wear them for 7 weeks total. This really has gone by quickly! They will be 7 months on Saturday....I cannot even believe it. This weekend we are headed to Santa Fe for a long weekend hopefully full of food, wine and shopping. This will be our first full and long weekend away from the girls. At this point, it isn't sounding like that much fun being away, but I know I can use the rest!!!! I will be 29 on Saturday....and that's hard to believe too... boo!

1/2 Birthday

The girls are now officially 6 months! I cannot believe where the time has gone. But I will say in the last 6 months we sure have done a lot! From a NICU stay to selling and buying of a new home, a move to Lubbock, Dustin opening his own firm and being voted on to the board of Yates Pet. It's been a busy 6 months for us and for the girls. The girls can now roll over from front to back and back to front. That is an accomplishment we weren't sure we were going to make being 4 months adjusted (8 weeks early), but Claire was the last one to roll from her back to her stomach and she did it the night before her 6 month birthday -- she loves to keep us on our toes. So we have mastered all of the 6 month checklist of things babies do and this mommy couldn't be any more proud! We love love love to chatter especially with daddy when he comes home from work. We are smiling constantly, but we won't dare crack a smile while in our carseat, haha. Both girls sleep through the night and have for almost 3 months now. I think God knew our boat was loaded and gave us very congenial and easy going babies. At our 6 month appointment. Claire weighed 15 lbs. and 2 oz and Caroline weighed 14 lbs and 14 oz. Putting them in the 30th and 27th percentiles...NOT ADJUSTED! Woo hoo. We started rice cereal yesterday -- they are not sure what to think about that and then we start on vegetables next week. I wasn't expecting all of this at this appointment, but I am so pleased at their progress. We are currently wearing the doc band. Each girl was born with a flat side of their head due to really limited room in the womb. We worked on positioning them early on but the flat spots on their head remained so now we are flying to and from Dallas once per week to get these bands adjusted. In only 3 weeks time wearing the band we have seen a drastic change in their head shape. I am a firm firm believer in this thing and know our time spent in them will be short and so so worth it. We only have 4 more weeks in it! I was a little anxious initially about taking them in public because people just don't know what to think about it and often say what they think but I have mastered the 15 second pause where they have to rethink what they really just said then I tell them why they needed it. But overall it hasn't been near as bad as I thought it would be and the results will be worth it! Below are some pictures from our 6 month birthday party. We are going to celebrate 1/2 birthdays since the girls will forever have to share their birthday.

Happy 6 Months!

Daddy's girls

Claire loves her Gigi

Caroline's first taste of rice cereal.... may be this is an acquired taste???

Claire's first taste of rice cereal

Caroline loves her Papaw

Papaw and his girls

5 Month Photoshoot

Claire

Caroline

Caroline

Claire

5 months!!

Today we are 5 months! I cannot believe how fast time flies.... plus a few other fun pictures!

Meeting Memaw and Russ on our 5 month birthday!!

Aunt Macy and Caroline

Memaw and Claire

Happy Birthday Pops!

Lean on me, Sissy!

: )

Our 5 year anniversary gift. We follow the traditional gifts: "wood"

4 months!

Our girls are now 4 months. Time has flown and a lot has happened in these 4 months. The unpacking is almost complete and for once in our life everything has a place, is organized (to my liking) and our garage is CLEAN. We still have some decorating to do and furniture to come in but we're on the downhill of all that. We have had a ton of help from our families getting settled and a lot of help with the girls as well. We've also hired a former student of mine, Ragen, to help us twice a week with the girls so that I can have outings, go to the grocery store, etc. She is absolutely wonderful with the girls and we feel so lucky to have found her. Our girls have had their 4 month check-up and are in the 16th and 18th percentiles, not adjusted for their prematurity. We're so pleased with their health and progress. Both Caroline and Claire have a flat spot on their heads from the womb and laying on one another so we're getting this evaluated for possible helmets. We're consulting with cranial technologies at the end of the month in Dallas and if it is something we need then we'll be traveling there weekly for the next 2-3 months. Initially, the idea of this all made me sad, but at the end of the day it is cosmetic and I know our girls will thank us for this sacrifice in the future. It's a good thing I am not working! Everything else is going as we had hoped for. Things are becoming more consistent at Dustin's firm and they are all getting settled. He has hired an associate and an office manager. Fortunately, they are very busy and we know feel this was absolutely the best choice to have made for our family. You can check out Dustin's website: http://www.brooks-firm.com/ They are still working on their profiles and it will be up soon! Below are some pictures of our girls over the last two months. : )

Father's Day 2012

Before Tabor & Kaycee's Rehearsal Dinner

Happy 4 Months!

Macys and the C's

Claire

Caroline

Lubbock!

We're here and we love it! We're still getting settled in to our new house -- can you imagine trying to unpack and decorate with two infants around!!?? It takes a while. Busy is an understatement. We moved in to our house last Saturday and Dustin opened his doors to his firm on the following Monday. I'm officially a stay-at-home momma and this, for me, is hard. I am not a "homebody," by nature, but with TWO -- it's usually my only choice. The girls are now over 12 pounds each and will be 4 months tomorrow. (I will post pictures from tomorrow and their 3 month milestone once I find my camera in a box!) Carrying two carriers given their current weights is just about impossible. So far we have had lots of grandparent help--YESSS! The girls coo, smile and laugh -- it's just precious. Caroline is about to roll over -- ANY DAY! Dustin has been in Artesia, NM this week as he was voted on to the boards for Agave Energy Company and Yates Petroleum. He is 1 of 7 board members. He's extremely excited and honored to be nominated and voted in! I will post updated pics soon!

Yep....it's all true!

Yes, we're moving to Lubbock and yes Dustin is starting his own firm: The Brooks Firm PLLC. If you really know Dustin's personality then you know it was only a matter of time. Fortunately for him he did have the opportunity to work for a great firm here, had the opportunity to bring in clients and develop those relationships and really got to see after working at two different firms in San Antonio that he wanted to be independent. In my opinion, it was a great way to self-discover. Everyone close to him have encouraged him to do this for some time as Dustin has the gift of the gab and knows a lot of oil and gas people and businesses in both the Lubbock and Midland areas. He has commitment of work and turned in his resignation this morning, effective immediately.

So having twins is very challenging. Everything now comes with a plan. Dinner must be planned around feeding times and we must have bottles prepared in advance just in-case. Nonetheless, caring for a baby is a full-time job and double that then you will understand why I have decided not to return to work. I'm going to focus on what is truly important in life, our family and my health. I'm going to stay at home with the girls once we make our move. I will be finishing out one week at Alamo Heights and have alerted them to our move. I'm very sad to leave as I have been there 5 years and have developed a lot of wonderful friendships. Ultimately, this move back to Lubbock for Dustin and to Lubbock for me (can you believe I have never lived there??!!) is one that is best for OUR family. There Claire and Caroline will have 6 grandparents, 4 great-grandparents, 6 aunts and uncles and 1 baby cousin Emma that was born just last week while we were out there visiting. ; ) It will be a refreshing move to have so many family members so close. We've learned just how important that help is when the unthinkable happens.

Gigi and her girls

Happy Mother's Day 2012!

Great-grandfather, Papaw and Claire

Aunt Macy and Caroline

Great-grandparents: Nana and Papaw....and it was 8:30, feeding time! OOPS

Happy 2 Months... Caroline left and Claire right

"Wake up sister!"

Yeah, this photo shoot wasn't easy....so the binkies were MUSTS

Aunt Amber and Caroline

We outgrew our bassinets and mommy cried!

Papaw and the girls

Our new house

Favorite part! Love the door and LOVE the gas lanterns.

This pictures doesn't exactly give the kitchen justice. It has enough storage for all of my dishes, a full-size wine refrigerator and wolf appliances -- we. are. in. heaven.