~ The Sorrells Twins are 4 Months Old ~

I have been so busy lately and haven't had time to update each of you on our beautiful little girls. It is hard to believe but they are 4 months old now. As you can tell by all of the pictures I have uplodaed, a lot has gone on in the past month.

The girls have definitely revelaed their personalities to us. Our Sophia Bug is very laid back and quiet. She continues to analyze everything around her which is why we have named her the "thinker" She is very serious until she catches something that brings a smile to her face. Her smile is enormous and lights up the room. She loves to sit and watch her sister who is the active one. Sophia has a difficult time getting in any words/sounds because Claire doesn't ever stop.

Claire Bear is always on the move. Not a second goes by where at least one body part isn't moving. She loves to kick her legs and throw her arms around which often times leaves Sophia on the receiving end. Claire can say so much through her eyes. They sparkle! She uses her voice all day long. She is pretty loud but becomes louder if you aren't giving her the attention she wants.

Both girls notice each other more and more every day. They hold hands all the time and are always sucking on the others hands. It is precious to watch and still brings tears to my eyes.

The 4 month doctor visit was exciting for Matt and I. We love finding out how our girls are progressing. Both girls got an A+ again which makes us both very very happy. They are now on the growth chart and accomplished all of the things expected at 4 months. The girls stats are below.

Claire
11 lbs 15 oz (25th percentile)
24 3/4 inches long (75th percentile)
30th percentile in head size

Sophia
12 lbs 1 oz (25th percentile)
24 inches long (50th percentile)
25% percentile in head size

Dr. Freeman gave me the ok to begin rice cereal. I was excited to begin giving them cereal just for a change of pace. The first feeding was so funny. Neither of the girls knew what to do except spit the cereal out. We had cereal everywhere!!! Since then, the girls are getting better. Sophia now screams for more. Claire still gags when it gets to the back of her throat. She has not figured out the swallowing concept. I have tried blending a small amkount of peaches into the cereal for taste but it hasn't helped Claire. I am sure they will begin to like it more...at least I hope so.

Claire is now rolling over. The first time was September 27th. She first rolled from tummy to back but now is rolling over from back to tummy. It is so cute to watch her figure out these new things. Sophia watches her sister but doesn't seem to have a desire to do the rolling. That is fine by me. She will do it on her own time.

Sophia's foot is doing wonderful. She got her cast off again. We tried using the brace again at night but the blisters began causing problems. We had to go without it for a couple weeks and only use Sophia's special shoe. Thankfully it is doing the job and we don't have to use the brace at all now. She will wear the shoe until the age of 1. I have met with a therapist and we will begin weekly sessions soon to make sure her foot does not regress. We are so thankful her foot is healing!!! The bad part about her shoe is that it can be a dangerous weapon. I have bruises on my chins from her kicking me with it (she is starting early) and her cousin Will found out the hard way that an orthopedic shoe in the eye does not feel good.

Uncle Chris and Aunt Shannon babysat the girls a few weeks ago so that Matt and I could have a date night. We got to go see a movie (The Hangover) and have dinner. I knew we needed a night out but I didn't realize how much. We had a great time! Chris and Shannon did a great job with the girls. Chris even got to change his first poopy diaper. Claire had saved up for it all day. Aunt Shannon got it on video tape...needless to say Claire pulled out all the stops for Chris. She decided to poop a second time during the diaper change. Little Sophia was much nicer to him the weekend before when he changed his very first diaper. The girls had a great time!!

Unfortunately Claire and Sophia lost their great grandpa Anderson this past week. We are thankful that Grandpa was able to meet the girls before he went to be with the Lord.

I will finish this with a funny story involving Sophia. I went to kiss Sophia on the lips and simultaneously she spit up directly in my mouth. I didn't even know what to do except try to spit it out. Matt and I were laughing so hard. The life of a Mom!!!

Sophia and Claire are 3 Months Old

It is hard to believe our little girls are three months old already. I remember feeling their arrival would never come. Now we are three months into an amazing journey. So far the journey has been more than I ever expected. It has had its difficult moments but the majority have been life changing and wonderful. Our girls have become the central part of our lives; everything we do revolves around them. It's almost like it has always been this way. It fills our lives with so much joy.

I will try to highlight many of the girls recent moments!

As I have talked about previously, we have the girls on the same schedule. I knew that was crucial from day one and something we have worked very hard to achieve. We are using the Babywise method which a few of our friends have used with a lot of success. I felt that with twins a schedule was extremely important and I am so thankful we did it. At times I wanted to give up but am so thankful we did not. Our girls are such happy babies. They have been sleeping in their cribs since they were 7 or 8 weeks old. We are glad we made the transition early. Matt and I started to sleep better this way. Sophia and Claire have been sleeping 8-9 hours straight each night since they were 10 weeks old and taking regular naps throughout the day. That has been a blessing and I feel like it is a major achievement with twins! We swaddle the girls after their last feeding, take them upstairs, turn on the sound machine, lay them in bed, kiss them goodnight and walk out of the room. We never hear a sound after that. I would recommend the Babywise method to anyone. It is so nice to be on the same schedule each day and know what to expect.

Both girls have found their hands. Claire was the first to find them while we were visiting Nanna and Pappaw. It was so amazing to watch. She was enamored by them and didn't take her eyes off them all day. Sophia caught on as well and studies her hands thoroughly..often times hitting herself in the head with them.

Sophia produced the first "laugh-out-loud" moment as I like to call it. Her Daddy was talking jibberish to her and out came a big laugh. She still does it once in a while. It makes me laugh each time. Claire has not done the same yet but she makes up for it with her many smiles. I am amazed she finds time to smile because she is always so busy. She is constantly moving her arms and legs and very rarely has time to look at Mommy and Daddy...too much around her to take in. Sophia on the other hand studies everything Matt and I do. When she smiles her whole body lights up just like her cousin Riley. It makes me melt every time.

The girls definitely notice each other now. Claire loves to sit and stare at Sophia. She is even getting a few jabs in...payback time!! I will be doing something in the kitchen and look over to find Claire grabbing Sophia's face. For now it is all out of love..they really seem to be interested in the other. I think it is so cute.

I continue to read all of my baby books and part of me thinks I should stop. I was looking through one book that had pictures of a baby supporting themselves with their arms along with their head held up high at 3 months. I started to become extremely nervous because my girls weren't quite doing that; so like a crazy and over the top Mom I called the doctor and made a big deal about it. They told me not to worry that every child is different. My initial thought was....not my child...they are not different. Aunt Abby came to visit the following day and laughed that I was so worried. She was amazed at how well the girls were holding their heads up and controlling their neck movements. I guess I had nothing to worry about. Thanks Abby for putting my worries to rest.

We had the girls three month photo session this past week. I was positive they would do a great job. I fed them right before we headed into the studio. Sophia and Claire were both smiling from ear to ear until we started taking pictures. The photographer probably thought we had kids that didn't smile. The girls just don't like unfamiliar places. Thankfully they warmed up and we were able to get some great photos. I am so happy with them. One funny thing did happen...I couldn't believe it. We started the photo session and a few minutes into it both girls decided to poop and they were not quiet while doing it. They both had bright red faces with those funny grunting expressions. To top it off...they smelled horribly. I guess they wanted to leave their mark at the studio!!

The girls met their Great Grandma and Grandpa Anderson recently. I think we determined that they now have at least 25 great grand-children. That is quite an accomplishment. Our girls are blessed to have three great grandparents still living.

You will notice a picture below of a rainbow. This is the girls first rainbow. It was so beautiful. I know they won't remember it but I will :)

A couple of weeks ago we made our way to church for the first time. I have really missed being at church on Sundays but have been extremely nervous to go. I don't want to be that person everyone turns and stares at as one of the girls screams. We went to church at Locust Grove where everyone knows us well and wouldn't mind a scream or two. That is good because both girls made sure to yell out at least once during the sermon. I like to think it is their way of saying "AMEN". I hope to get out to church more frequently.

I guess Matt and I were feeling adventurous because we decided to go out to lunch with my parents after church. We have not been out to eat since the day before the girls arrival. We went to the Country Club for lunch to celebrate my parents 39th wedding anniversary. It went very well. I only had to leave and console Claire once. I think that is a successful trip!

Lastly, I thought I would update everyone on our Georgie. I don't think George will ever be the same. He is still not interested in the girls. I hope that changes once they can sit up, crawl and walk. When the girls begin crying he immediately goes to the door to be let outside. He can't stand to hear the crying. He chooses to spend most of his day in the back yard or in Matt's office. We try to give him as much attention as we can. We just don't have much time. Once the girls are in bed and we are all laying down, Georgie takes advantage and curls up with us. He loves the little bit of attention.

Unfortunately Georgie has had a tough 5-6 months and has a few tougher months ahead of him. As many of you know, he had ACL surgery on his left leg about 6 weeks before the girls were born. We believe he will have to go through ACL surgery again on his right leg. A few weeks ago we noticed him limping again. We were told this would probably happen but we were shocked it happened so quickly. Pray for our Georgie.

Also pray that our girls continue to thrive and grow stronger as we move forward. Thank you for all of your support up to this point. We love our girls and are so thankful to have them in our lives. At the end of the day they always leave a smile on our faces.

Newborn Photos

Enjoy the beautiful newborn pictures of Sophia and Claire...aren't they precious!

11 Week Update

I have many updates on the girls. Time is flying by. I can't believe the summer is over. This was the quickest summer ever but the best one by far!

Sophia and Claire have finally gained weight!!! I am so relieved as Mommy was becoming extremely stressed. Sophia is now 8lbs 2oz and Claire is 8lbs 10oz. The doctor was very happy with their progress. I can't believe how a pound can make such a big difference. Both girls have filled out so much and look different by the day.

We call Claire our little butterball. She is the bigger of the two but she is always curled up in a ball while sleeping which makes her feel even bigger when picking her up. Sophia seems to be longer than her sister but is changing by the minute. Both girls are starting to get their Mom's chubby cheeks...I love it! It appears we are going to have a brown eyed girl. Claire's eyes are very dark. She gets that from her Grandma Janet...at least that is what I have been told. Sophia's eyes continue to change....she seems to have hazel eyes right now which somewhat resembles both Matt and I. Both girls are just beautiful!!!

I never thought I would say this but Claire has become our independent child. She is content and happy if you are holding her or if you put her down. She has become so easy. The first two months of her life were definitely different. She loves to lay on her play mat and make noises, look around, and throw her feet and arms around. Claire also loves to watch TV. Regardless of where you are in the family room she figures out a way to get a good view of the television. She even smiles and makes noises as she watches.

Sophia now loves to be close to Mommy and Daddy. I have to admit I love the cuddling and I spoil her. She will lay on the floor and play with her sister for a little bit but grows tired of it quickly and wants to be held. She also seems content when she is pulling on her sisters shirt or throwing Claire a punch or two. It is so funny. I think Sophia is going to be our "tough" one. I do catch the girls holding hands once in a while so their is some love. HA!! Sophia has the biggest smile and I'm sure she'll use it to her advantage when she gets older.

When holding the girls I often find them looking over my shoulder with a huge smile. I like to think they are looking at their angel(s). I really believe that Grandma Janet is one of those angels and that is why the girls have those big bright smiles. I am so glad the girls have such a wonderful person looking over them!

We went back ot the orthopedic surgeon today. Sophia's foot has regressed a little bit so she now has her cast back on. She will wear a cast for the next 4 weeks. We pray that God will take care of her foot and surgery will not be needed.

The girls have officially grown out of newborn diapers. It makes me so sad :( They are now in size 1 diapers....how did that happen?

Matt and I had our first night out recently. My friend Chad got married at the beginning of August. Nanna and Papaw came to our house to watch the girls. I was ready to get out of the house and have an adult evening. I didn't even cry when I left. I knew the girls were in good hands. My Mom and Dad raised four girls...if anyone could handle twins it would be them!! We had a great time with friends but were ready to get home to the girls. We got home just in time to put them to bed!!! My parents did an awesome job..the girls slept over 7 hours that evening.

First Family Outing

Matt and I took the girls out today for our first official family outing. I was so ready to get out of the house and feel somewhat normal. We went to "The Taste of Fishers".

We got the Cadillac of strollers out and pushed the girls around as we sampled food. It was interesting when we got to feeding time. Just giving them bottles was difficult. I couldn't imagine trying to breastfeed both. We got through the feeding, had both girls happy and went back to tasting.

I thought we had such a successful outing....I failed to realize how quickly it could change in the short walk from the event to the car. Both girls decided to have blowouts in their diapers....yes that is right...the kind of blowouts that go up the back and up the front. It seems impossible for two little girls to create such a mess but they accomplished it. Thank goodness I brought two changes of clothes. After an entire container of wipes was used, we had both girls cleaned up. Then we realized Sophia had leaked out of her outfit into the car seat (I wish I had the piddle pad in the seat).

Even with the last bit of craziness, it felt great to get out. I needed that so badly. It made me feel normal again. I am extremely worn out though. Two little girls will do that to you.