Mom and Mac were out at KinderMusic down the road in the neighbourhood. When she called to say that they were heading home, I decided to get the girls packed up for some time outside in their car seats. We met them at the door and all went down to the local park for some swing and outdoor time. Every "mom" that Kelli passed wanted to chat and see the Girls - Mac and I continued on to the park to have some fun. All in all, quite a nice hour or two out at the park before lunch.

Get them out early and be mobile - great philosophy.

One week checkup with the pediatrician... All went well. The girls were fed and happy for the appointment and were angels. Grace has shot up from 6 lbs 12 oz to 6 lbs 15 oz. Ella is still down one oz at 6 lbs 15 oz from her original 7 lbs. Apparently this is all good. We also get to STOP tracking all the Pees and Poops - YEAH! I hate doing that - your brain is not functional after feeding the second child at 3:30 am to remember if the first one had done a number 1 or number 2 in her diaper.

Ella and Grace are great in their car seats. They are napping inside them right now - they fell asleep on the way home from the Drs. Yup, in case you were wondering, I am keeping the Volvo 850 Sedan. You can get three car sears across the back bench, so we're not mini van destined as of yet. Besides, I can't afford a $400 a month payment to a 2004 Toyota Sienna, unless Grampy Vern decides to let us keep his <g>...

Mom is napping, the girls are napping, Mac is watching ToyStory and I am cleaning up the kitchen putting away the groceries. I should get back and finish that up before Mac notices I am not there.

Kelli gave me a fantastic gift today. She let me go to sleep after the kids were down and Mac was out at play group. I actually took her up on it and managed to SLEEP quality - undisturbed sleep - from 9 AM to 2 PM! I had so much of it, I don't know if I feel better or worse! Girls are experiencing Gas. I have to learn how much and how fast to feed them with burping to get the right mixture. Amazing what you forget after not having an infant to care for in over 2 years!

Both are sleeping right now, so I am responding to emails and working on updating the photo gallery and main web page.

The Girls (Grace, Ella and Kelli) are all home now. They experienced their first blast of cold winter air as the blankets blew up on the car seats as they were being loaded into the car. It didn't phase them a bit - looks like we might have some Ski Bunnies on our hands. Aunt Beth has been up helping us out and has been FANTASTIC by all accounts. Our house is clean and quiet - Mackenzie is still away at his cousins. I am sure that when he arrives, the noise levels will go up and the cleanliness will go down. I'm working on getting some REAL lunch food for Mom, while the girls are sleeping away blissfully in their car seats.

Later this afternoon / evening I PROMISE to get the Twins gallery up and visible to the public.

Having lots of people around and visiting is great. Everyone helps out when then can and how they can. Our support network is great so far. Heck, we even had our neighbour Dave come over to hold Grace while I was putting Mac down for bed.

Once the din has died down, the reality sets in. I have two little girls that I am responsible for. I must feed, burp, play, love, change (and change, and change) and put down for sleep. When they get up - it starts all over again. So far so good. Major Improvements I can make right now:

• Get more streamlined. I need my space organized and tools of the trade handy.
• Schedule. Observe existing and establish one. Hold to it (within reason) when possible.
• Ask for help. One of the hardest things to do.
• Laugh
• Relax

I have to get some sleep and work on creating a Pee, Poop and Feeding spreadsheet for tomorrow. Tracking this stuff is a Pain In The Ass!

I wouldn't change this for the world!

Grace Patricia Claus (Twin 1) 6lbs 12 oz. 10:40 AM

Ella Perry Claus (Twin 2) 7 lbs 0 oz - 10:41 AM

Wonderful experience. Very civilized. The twins were so healthy that they have never left our side since coming out. They have been bathed (by ME) and have eaten twice from Kelli... Lots of poop and pee and all that good stuff. They are GORGEOUS.. Check out the photo gallery for some pictures.

I have to get back - I can't stand to be away from them. I just came home to get the photo camera transfer cable to get some snaps up to the site...

We are on the way out of the house around 7:30 for the big day... God willing, everything will be fantastic! We are very excited and ready for the challenge.

Part of Macs routine is to have some time with Mom and Dad and the TV. Maybe we abuse the TV a little, but it's learning channels like TVO, CBC Kids or PBS... Heck, I was a Sesame Street kid myself... But... Today Mac started counting from 1 to 7 following along with "The Count" as he was announcing the number of the day.

Too Cute!

Oh Yeah - 27 Hrs to go...

Mackenzie had a great time this evening hanging out with his cousins. He also had a chance to meet Jaden and Avah, his cousins from Toronto (Kelli's brother Dan). He was dancing, chasing, sharing, laughing - having a great time. Dan, Dana, Avah and Jaden are going to be moving to Ottawa and possibly living downstairs for a while. This will be Fantastic for Mac to have some cousins so close.

On the way home in the car (it was later then usual, we were having too much fun with the whole family) out of the blue, Mac said "Mommy Happy?" and waited for her answer. He then followed it up with "Daddy Happy?"... Once I answered, he said "I Happy"....

Damn he's good!

Last night Grandpa and I went out to Ikea to buy Mac a brand new BigBrother bed. We need something more functional in his room that will allow us to lie down or take a nap during the day where we can close the door... I found a great bed at Ikea that has an Underbed that pulls out to make two twins in the space of one. Very cool and comfortable.

I set it up today while Mac was out with Jon and Alison at the St Patricks day parade. Mac had a blast watching the horses and cars drive by as the bands played their tunes.

We are slowly crossing off every last item on our Twins to-do list. One by one, they are starting to fall off the list. Kelli is becoming less and less mobile. I find myself having to remind her to take it easy and rest - she can't do it.

I just got out from helping Mac fall asleep in his new bed. He loves it, but it's a little different for him. He is such a little man now. I took him to the airport to see Grandpa out on his morning flight. He had a great time out there with "the boys" ad Grandpa put it. He gave him a big hug and a kiss good-bye from the security line. On the way home, I decided to surprise Mom by getting his haircut. It was probably the best one so far, but still a little scary for him. He sat on my lap and I kept him from getting too mobile. For the most part, it was uneventful and he looks wonderful. He loves to tell people that he had scissors cutting his hair and that he likes the new look. So funny.

4 1/2 days to go.