13 Months Old!

The boys turned 13 months old on January 24th! Hard to believe. We had a very fun filled December with them. We celebrated their first birthday a little early on December 20th. Their actual birthday is on Christmas Eve, December 24th so we thought that might be too hectic of a day. The boys had their first piece of cake and as you can see in the pictures are not quite sure what to make of it. I think once they started eating it they thought it was pretty good. They received some wonderful first Birthday gifts: toys, clothes, books, you name it!

We spent their actual birthday night at my Mom's celebrating Christmas Eve. The boys were once again showered with gifts although I think they were more into the boxes and the paper at the moment, they warmed up to the toys later! Christmas morning we awoke to yet more gifts from Santa. I guess they were good boys this year! They enjoyed playing during the morning and then it was off to Dayton where we spent Christmas. We arrived there around 3:00 and you guessed it once again the boys were showered with more Birthday and Christmas gifts. Albie at this point was going out of his mind thinking of space issues for all of the toys! :) We spent the next few days in Dayton where the boys had fun exploring Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was lots of fun!

Below are some pictures from Christmas morning and celebrating their birthday. Their official first birthday picture is posted below too! Enjoy, Tricia

Official 1st Birthday Picture

Anthony on Christmas morning

Alex on Christmas morning. (Could he be a little more excited?)

Alex trying out his new horse.

1st Birthday cake

The boys wondering why their cakes were so much smaller than the actual one.

Anthony checking out his cake with Aunt Kathy.

Alex, not at all amused with his cake.  (He hasn't tasted it yet!)

11 Months Old

WOW! Where did the time go? The boys are now 11 months old and are doing very well. Alex is up to 18 pounds and Anthony is tipping the scales at 21 pounds. Alex decided to crawl for the first time on Election Day, November 4th. He has now mastered the art and is crawling all over the place. Anthony is watching him and is starting to rock back and forth on his hands and knees so he isn't too far behind. He is determined to crawl now as Alex has gotten into the habit of crawling up to Anthony, taking the toy he is playing with and crawling away with it. I told Alex to be careful as Anthony is much bigger than him so when he does start to crawl, watch out!

We spent the twin's first Thanksgiving at my Mom's house and had a great time. The babies tried homemade mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes for the first time. Their taste buds must not be up to par though as they preferred the Gerber brand sweet potatoes over the homemade stuff, oh well in good time I guess. There was a lot to be thankful for this year having these two boys with us. I thought back to last Thanksgiving, laying in the hospital and not knowing their fate many times during the day. Thanks to all of the prayers, we are very fortunate to have these babies in our lives today! They have brought all of us so much joy. "Grammy" mentioned them in her toast and got teary eyed. They truly are a blessing and have made the Thanksgiving holiday mean more to us than ever!

Well we are in the final stretch of our first year! The boys will celebrate their 1st Birthday on Christmas Eve, December 24th! Hard to believe... We will post another update after the big Birthday. Happy Holidays! Love you all, Tricia

Anthony and Alex

Anthony

Alex

10 Months Old

The boys are doing great and so are Mom and Dad.  Anthony is now 21 pounds and Alex is 18 pounds as of their last checkup.  Alex has also started crawling and this should motivate Anthony to get up and moving as well - he has a bit more girth to navigate.

The boys celebrated their first Halloween last weekend and we dressed them up as roosters to reflect the early morning risers that they tend to be.  Enjoy the photo of them in their costumes (this was taken before a neighborhood parade and we had to wake them up early from their nap - they were still half asleep when the photo was taken).

Almost 9 Months Old

The boys will celebrate their nine month birthday in a couple of days.  Both boys now have a couple of teeth - they are growing up so fast. Here are some of their latest photos.  Thanks to our friend Mike for taking some of them. 

Alex & Anthony

Alex & Anthony

Anthony

Alex

Anthony enjoying bathtime

Alex is not so sure about the pig towel... he thinks the pig should be Anthony's

7 Months Old

Quick Update... The boys are doing great and are now over 7 months old.  Anthony is 17 1/2 lbs and Alex is 14 3/4 lbs.  They are really enjoying their summer and meeting all of their relatives.

Anthony & Uncle Thomas

Alex snoozing

Dad's Team

Brotherly Love

Fratini Home Cooking

Alex and his cousins

Anthony & Grandpa

Anthony's first meal

Alex's first meal

At Browns' Training Camp (they hated it... wanted to see the Bengals instead)

6 Months Old

The boys are now 6 months old - wow... we made it a half a year.  Tricia and I were looking at pictures from when the boys were born and we both felt like it was years ago.  Both boys are doing very well and are really starting to interact with us (a lot of smiling, cooing, and laughing).  They are also now rolling over regularly and seem to really like sleeping on all sides of their bodies (back, side, tummy) - we never know in what position we will find them in the morning.

Their personalities have also emerged.  Alex seems to be the quieter one and is very content most of the time.  Anthony is much more social and is not happy unless he is around others or being held.  It is obvious that Alex takes after Tricia and Anthony takes after me.  Alex has taken a real liking to his fleece blanket and Anthony loves his stuffed monkey - these are invaluable in keeping the boys in peace.

They boys were baptized two weeks ago and we had a wonderful party for our families.

We wish everyone a terrific summer and have added a couple of new photos for you to enjoy.

The Boys with Cousin Karen and Grandma

Alex with "Blankie"

Anthony with "Monkey"

Alex with his Godmother (Aunt Kathy)

Anthony with his Godmother (Aunt Angie) and Cousin Katie (aka Peanut)

5 Months Old

The boys celebrated their 5 month birthday last week. They also visited their pediatrician last week as well. Alex is up to 12 1/2 lbs. and Anthony is now 15 1/2 lbs. The doctor is very happy with how the boys are developing. With the nicer weather, we have been able to get the boys out to some family and holiday events. They love being around people and they have been known to spit up on people they really like. Watch out!

The boys napping in their bouncy seats

The boys hanging out

Boys with Aunt Mary

Alex flashing a grin

Anthony loves his diaper changes

Anthony with his buddy

The boys relaxing in their blankets at Uncle Thomas' lake house

Alex all worn out by a busy day

Anthony all toasty warm

Enjoying a nice sunset over the lake

Uncle Frank & Alex

Aunt Mary and a hip Anthony

Alex, Cousin Ella, Anthony