Funny Story

So this week has been amazing at the Labbe house. Eric has been home all week and we have been sending the girls to day care for part of the day so we have really have got a lot done around the house. This morning Eric was getting the girls ready to go and I was helping him. He gave the girls their brand new toothbrushes from Grammies and he started to sing the "Brushy, Brushy" song from Grease. I was watching as Eric and my precious daughters were brushing their teeth...not uncommon something they do every morning before I go to work. Then I hear Eric say, "Isabella you have toothpaste all over your mouth." I think to myself that is funny because their toothpaste is clear. I say to Eric, "Did you give them adult toothpaste??" He says no whatever is in this tube right here. Well turns out Dad likes to brush the girls teeth with hand lotion!! HA HA HA Eric and I laughed so hard we almost died. The girls were even giggling too!

Christmas Time

The girls are growing so fast! I cannot believe we are about to celebrate our 2nd Christmas together it is totally unbelievable. They continue to amaze me everyday. They are both walking all over the place and it is adorable to see. Both girls are bow legged just like their Daddy. Eric has been out of town working for a month in a half or so and he has been back for about two weeks now and it is such a blessing to have him home! Gabby and Izzy both talk up a storm. Gabby talks more than Izzy but we think that is because Isabella had so much fluid on her ears until just recently and she finally got tubes. She seems to be a whole new baby. They say Mama, Dada, Pops a ru, Bubba, uh oh, juice, ahola, hello, bye, bu bye, toot toot, and my personal favorite do do! They have many other words that they attempt to say. They are so funny together. They have gotten to where they will chase each other around the house and Isabella will tackle Gabriella it is hilarious. They play well together most of the time. Isabella does seem to be our little fireball. She is a head butter and a slapper. She can also pitch some pretty dramatic fits...I have no idea where she gets the drama. Also Isabella has the best toothy grin ever it just melts your heart. Gabriella does not pitch too many fits but when she gets mad enough she will make herself pass out. Because of this we recently had to take her to Scottish-rite (Children's hospital in Atlanta) to have an EEG and make sure she is o.k. We do not have the results yet though but are expecting them tomorrow or Wednesday. So keep us in your prayers. I am pretty confident she is just holding her breath but we will see. There are so many new things to tell about the girls I do not know where to go next...I will end the post by saying that the girls new fun game is to get into Odell's kennel and hide. They love it and just totally crack up when you find them.

My babies are growing up

I know I am getting really bad at this. The girls are growing up so fast it is crazy. Gabriella has begain to take some steps but she still prefers to crawl. Isabella has not really taken any steps yet but I am sure it will be any day now. They continue to bless Eric and I day in and day out. They have mastered saying "Da Da" which they seem to perfer over "Ma Ma". They also like to say "Uh oh" and "bu Bye". They enjoy waving to everyone as well. They seem to be the little Labbe welcoming committee every time we go some where. We took them to the homecoming parade and they waved to everyone in the parade the entire time it was adorable. They continue to very mischevious. Gabriella will empty out a kitchen cabinet and then Isabella will get into the cabinet.

It has been a while

These are some pictures we had taken of the girls in July! They are both getting so big now it is crazy. They both have been teething like crazy. Gabriella has 6 teeth and Isabella has 6 too! They are still crawling all over the place and are fast as lightning. They seem to be trying to walk but I am not helping them in anyway. Both girls will wave and say bye now as well as mama, dada and uh oh. They just might be the two cutest girls in the world. They make Eric and I laugh everyday and I still cannot believe how much God has blessed us. Both of the girls are now in daycare and they seem to be loving it! They usually go right to the people in the morning and wave bye to me. No crying for these girls. They are going to be very mischievous too. Gabriella loves to open and close doors and Isabella is very curious. It is quite the combination. Gabriella opened the kitchen cabinet the other day and Isabella climbed right in...so Gabriella shut her in the cabinet. I opened the door and she was just sitting there grinning. Gabriella also does this crazy spin move that totally cracks Eric and I up. She will be sitting on her booty and she will do a full 360. It is hilarious...who knows maybe she will be a break dancer. She has also started making the most awful face thanks to Grammies Pruitt. Both girls love to go to church they totally rock out during praise and worship it just makes you want to bust into tears. Last Sunday Gabriella danced and held up her hands the entire praise and worship I have to imagine that such pure innocent worship melts Jesus' heart. I have to think that that is exactly how he would like us all to worship. It is crazy that our own children are strengthening our walk with Christ. I pray everyday that I can give these girls all they need spiritually and physically because they have already given Eric and I more than we could ever imagine. What a true blessing from above!

Gabriella is on the left, Isabella is on the right.




Isabella RubyRae & Gabriella MillieMae

Isabella is on the left in the UGA picture and Gabriella is on the right. Go Dawgs!!!!!!

Vacation in Florida

We left on Sunday night to head to Panama City and the girls did wonderful they slept the entire way!!! We have had two awesome days and Gabriella and Isabella continue to bring so much joy to our lives. They did not like the ocean too well and don't seem to care much for the sand but they do love the swimming pool and the lazy river. They also have a baby pool where we are staying with a soft bottom and Gabriella crawls all over the place in it. All the while water will be squirting all in her face and she does not seem to mind!!! Today is their 8 month Birthday and I still cannot believe they are that old. It is crazy how fast time flies. Eric and I feel like Brad and Angelina on vacation because when we come to the pool everyone just stops and stares. Who can blame them we might have the cutest set of twin girls around. I am going to post some beach pictures of the girls later today. Their cousins Macie, Ella, and Lexi have had a blast with them this week and we are so truly blessed to have such an amazing family!

Crazy Times

The girls are both growing so fast and doing so much it is really hard to keep up. They are both crawling at lightening speed now and they are in to everything. Gabriella has discovered Odell's dog bowl this past week so if you turn your head for a second she will be going to town in his water bowl. Isabella has become quite the wild child. She is usually pretty loud and loves to knock her sister over, crawl on her, tackle her and steal whatever she is playing with. They both have two teeth on the bottom that are all the way through and do not appear to be getting anymore quite yet. Also both girls have decided they do not want to sleep all night anymore which is running me very ragged. They are up and down all night long and they seem to want to eat at night. Which I have decided is a bad habit to get in so I am going to do whatever I have to to get them back to sleep without nursing because at this point they should not need a night feeding. Both girls love the pool and would stay outside all day long if you would let them. They seem to be getting little personalities now. Gabriella seems like she is going to be the "mommy" of the two. She is very gentle with her sister and is always checking to make sure she is o.k. Isabella is the exact opposite and seems to always want to be the "wild child"! They really notice each other now too and look for the other one if they are not together. They also like to be touching each other as much as possible. Both girls seem to be getting a little separation anxiety when I leave them now. However they stayed with Erin and Olivia (two beautiful grown girls I use to babysit...man I am old) for a couple of hours last week and loved it!!! I will have to get some new pictures up soon. Their hair seems to be growing pretty quickly now and Isabella is losing her mohawk. We are very excited as a family because on Sunday evening we will be leaving to go on our first real family vacation to Florida...so wish us luck and say a little prayer for our ride there and back!

In High Gear

The girls are all over the place and seem to be getting faster and faster. This week they have both figured out that they can crawl out of their room and into new rooms. So as soon as you turn your head they run for the door. Yesterday I was trying to change Gabriella and Isabella kept trying to grab the diaper rash cream. I got it out of her hands and then she started trying to touch Isabella's butt with the cream on it. So while trying to move Isabella, Gabriella gets up and starts crawling away naked with diaper cream every where. I retrieve Gabriella and begin to put her diaper on while Isabella is now trying to tackle her and lay on her belly...then the diaper breaks. As you can see some thing as simple as diaper changing becomes a daunting task! I started laughing so hard just thinking about how funny we all looked I could have peed in my pants. Gotta love these girls!

Precious Moments

I cannot believe how fast our girls are growing up. It just makes me want to cry! Last night I was just thinking about all of the simple things I enjoy about them being little. When they are nestled up against your neck falling asleep and you can feel the warmth of ever breath they take. When I feed them and they gently rub my breast, play with my hair or grab each others hands as they eat. The soft touch of their little fingers on my cheeks when they look up into my eyes. Their priceless gummy smile that is fading away as they get teeth. Their cute little fat legs that are quickly gaining muscle as they begin to stand more and more. Their sweet little bald spots that have disappeared as they grow more and more hair. How they will still hold on to just one of your fingers with all of their might. When I pick them up at the end of the day how they began to breath rapidly and bounce on their legs because they are excited to see me. That awful face they made the first time they tasted real food. The way their eyes light up every time their Daddy comes home or their precious giggle when you tickle their belly. These are the little things I will miss as they get bigger and bigger. I just wish I could make time stand still for a week or so.

Chewing on Everything

Last night I was fixing the girls crib and I look over in the other crib to notice that Isabella has something white all over her mouth. Naturally I think she has spit up so I go to wipe her mouth but notice it is not spit up. Actually what she had all over her mouth was white paint from her crib!!! Guess we are going to have to put bite rails on the cribs. She was chowing down.

Does it get any better

We made it back from Connecticut all in one piece! It was an amazing trip and the girls could not have been better. They did not cry one bit on the plane even though we had a lay over, flew out of Birmingham, and had a flight that was delayed! It was so great to see the "Yankee" family. I just hope we can go back again next summer because the girls are changing so much every day. They are both crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything. I really will not be surprised if they start walking early. We finally dropped their crib mattresses this weekend because they have started standing up in the cribs. They are both jabbering non stop too, saying, "Mama" and even "Dada every now and then. Of course "Mama" is their favorite thing to say. I cannot believe they are growing up so fast...it just breaks my heart. Mother's Day was great, the girls got me a teething ring necklace that is brilliant!!! I also got a Spa Day which will be awesome...that is if I ever have the time to use it. The girls went for their sixth month appointment and the doctor said they looked wonderful. Isabella is 14 lbs and 12 oz and Gabriella is 15 lbs and 8 oz and both girls are 26 inches. Also they have both cut two teeth on the bottom and seem to be chewing on everything including each other. Their new trick this week seems to be making a motor boat sound with their mouth it is adorable. I only have about 15 more days of school and then I am out for summer...Thank You Lord!! I am so ready to spend a whole week with my girls from start to finish. I don't know what is going to be harder though being away from them is semester or leaving them when I go back to work in the fall!! Both girls seem to really enjoy church these days too. They have begun to shout with joy the entire service!!! We had to exit today because they got so excited about Brother Sid's message. Eric and I are so blessed beyond belief we were discussing tonight how to describe what are life is like because before the girls we were so happy and now we are beyond happy!! There are just no words to describe how we feel!! It does not get any better than this.

Ready to go to Connecticut

The girls are getting ready for their big trip up North. They say no need to put us on the plane we will just ride right here in the suit case! Only kidding, Eric and I were just wondering whether or not their little red seats would fit in the suit case. We just might have to take these with us so that the girls will have something to sit in when we feed them. As you can see they are in a great mood because they just had their carrots!!! The girls cannot wait to meet the rest of the Labbe Family and especially their Great Grams!!!!

Having Fun

The girls are doing so many new things everyday it is hard to keep up. We have started eating foods now and they love it! So far we have had apples, bananas, carrots, and sweet potatoes. I am proud to say I have made all of their food so far myself! We will see how long that lasts. Gabriella and Isabella both keep Eric and I laughing all of the time. They are both still trying to crawl and even though they do not have it down pat yet they can definitely get where they want to go. They continue to notice each other more and more each day. They are always grabbing each others cloths, ears, and hands. Isabella loves to suck on Gabriella's hands it is adorable. Today they were taking a nap and I peeked in their room and Gabriella was snoozing and Isabella was trying her best to peek through the cribs and look at her sister. It was so cute! So I moved Isabella into the same crib as her and she went to sleep too! The girls are almost able to sit up by themselves. Gabriella can actually sit by herself for a minute or two but Isabella is not there yet. They have both gotten very interested in real adult food and try their best to get it if you are holding them and eating. They are just too cute and we are very very blessed!!!

Growing up Fast

These are some beautiful pictures that were taken of the girls at their 3 month photo shoot, which was almost 2 months ago!!

Isabella RubyRae
Gabriella MillieMae

Isabella on the left, Gabriella on the right

FYI photographs by Hardin Fine Art Photography and hats by Mandi Callhan.

Isabella

Gabriella

The girls are growing up so fast it is crazy! I just went back to work from Spring Break and it was like leaving the girls are over again. We had a big Spring Break. Not only did the girls start eating cereal and bannans they started sleeping in their cribs!! The first 4 or 5 nights of the cribs was pretty rough. The girls had been sleeping in cacoons in our bedroom until that point. The cacoons are amazing and I highly recommend them to anyone having a baby anytime soon. Currently the girls are still waking up 2 times at night ever since we switched to the cribs but I am determined we will get though this. They are both trying to crawl and Gabriella is actually starting to move forward quite a bit. During Spring Break my cousins came up from Florida and got to meet the girls plus the girls got to meet their cousins Eisley and Caden. We had a blast! I wish they would all move up to Georgia. Gabriella and Isabella are really starting to get their own personalities and it is so cute. They really pay attention to you know and when I am feeding them they will reach up and touch my face it just melts my heart. They are also pulling hair and pinching. When you put them in the floor together they will turn in all directions and Isabella usually ends up trying to get a hold of some body part of Gabby's and put it in her mouth it is hysterical. They have both started to notice Odell now too and they will just smile and laugh at him. Isabella trys to grab his nose and lips when he walks by. Watching the girls eat is great. Isabella is all about some bannanas and has her mouth open waiting. Gabiella does not really open her mouth and spits everything back out at you while at the same time trying to steal the spoon away from you and chew on it.

Holy Moly

O.k. I know I should be shot. I have not updated the blog for a whole month. Let's just say free time does not come easy with twin girls and a full time high school teaching job! I am always so behind on grading I do not know if I will ever catch up. The girls are growing like weeds. When we went to the doctor about 2.5 weeks ago Gabriella was almost 13 lbs and Isabella was almost 12 lbs. They have so much personalty now it is crazy. They both give huge belly laughs that could make you smile for days. They are both rolling over like crazy and pushing themselves backwards. They are two of the strongest babies and both love to stand up. They have totally stolen their Daddy's heart with the big smiles and laughs. It is just what the doctor ordered after a long stressful day at work. The girls will be 5 months old on April 1st I cannot believe it, it has flown by so fast. I feel like I miss so much everyday by being at work it just breaks my heart. Things have changed a bit. The girls are staying with a new sitter now and it is going great. However, I do have to take the girls to her house everyday which can be quite challenging at times. I am still keeping my crazy schedule in the mornings trying to pump and get as much done as I can. So far we are still just breastfeeding and I have been able to keep up my supply. It is getting very thin though. We usually only have around 6 ounces of extra milk each week. But I only have to make it about another 5 weeks and then they will be getting some solid foods too! That is going to be so much fun when Eric and I get to feed them for the first time I cannot wait!!! I promise I will put some new pictures of the girls up soon. As soon as I have time to download them!!

Thin spots

Last week our preacher spoke about a Celtic point of few that referenced the place where Heaven meets earth. The Celtic refer to this as a thin spot. He went on to explain that to him he realized that he was caught in a thin spot that very morning when he was cooking breakfast and had noticed the red birds flying outside his window. As I listened on I found myself reflecting on life and how it has been for me the last few months. Now I have always been one to take time out and appreciate the little things, whether it be a sun set or the glow of a full moon. However, I had never viewed it this way before. As I sat there I thought of the many thin spots my daughters had brought me to lately. The look in there eye when the recognize there dad, the sound of their voices as the coo and laugh, and the precious bond you experience as Jessica feeds them are enough to fall to my knees and praise god for the gift he has given us. I am captivated by my daughters and pray that I can give them the joy that they have given to me.

Eric

Cute Girls

The girls are growing up so fast it is crazy! They are about 3 1/2 months old now and they are really starting to have the cutest personalities. Gabriella is so sweet when she eats she will rub her head the whole time and she also does this crazy thing with her mouth that looks like she has dentures or she is gumming some food. It is so funny to watch and she smacks so loud when she does it. Both girls are getting very active now. They are rolling over and trying to push off with their legs. I cannot imagine how crazy it will be when they are both mobile. Isabella has started squealing really loud too it is hilarious. She embarrassed Eric in church this past Sunday because she was so loud. School has been crazy this week. Two days in a row I have leaked and I cannot figure out why. One of the days was close to the end of the day and I had not pumped because I went with the girls to get their pictures made. So that day was understandable because they were just full. However, this morning right after first block they started to leak and they have never leaked this early in the day. Plus I feed the girls this morning so they should not be that full.

Almost Friday

The girls are laughing by their selves now! It is the cutest things ever. Usually you can just tickle their little chins and they will let out a little chuckle! Things have been going good. They seem to be over their snotty noses finally! I just hope they do not catch any thing else. Eric and I have both been sick and their cousin Macie has been throwing up. So everyone keep your fingers crossed that they don't get it!! Also yesterday the girls got to stay with their "aunt" Laurie. She drove all the way from Atlanta to keep them at the last minute and I think Laurie enjoyed herself but also realizes what a handful they are. They are the sweetest little things ever. I think they are both starting to get their little personalities. Isabella is an attention hog and loves to be held and cuddle all of the time. Gabriella seems to be more laid back and could not be more like her Dad. When you wake her up in the morning it takes her forever to actually wake up. It is so cute she will just lay there and stretch and then look at you like "really do I have to wake up"! Isabella reminds me more and more of her cousin Lexi everyday. Her little face is starting to get rounder and she has a wrinkly forehead just like Lexi. I cannot wait to see what this weekend has in store for us.

Total Choas

The girls hanging out with Mom.

Gabriella is on the left, Isabella on the right.

I have started back to work and it has been so hard leaving the girls every morning. Luckily we have an absolute God Send who comes to the house to keep the girls every day. She does so good with them and I feel so calm every morning when I leave them. The first week when I went back to work both of the girls decided to quit sleeping all night so I was so tired during the day. They continue this habit on and off but some nights they will sleep all night, you just never know. I have started getting up around 4 or 4:30 AM every morning. Mainly because I need to pump before the girls get up and this allows me plenty of time usually. That is unless they have just woke up and ate at 3 or if they wake up when I start to pump which has happened a couple of mornings. My classes at school right now are so good which is another blessing but the day is still crazy. I teach classes straight until 12:26, then we have lunch. Which is when I lock myself in my classroom and try to pump and eat all in 30 minutes. This has proved to be quite interesting. One day last week I was in such a hurry I forgot to hook the bottles up to the pump and was pumping milk straight out into my lap!! I had to just sit back and laugh at myself. Once lunch is over I teach the kids until 1:40 or so and then I have planning for the rest of the day. I usually lock myself in my room again around 2:45 or so and pump once more before I go home. Once I get home nine times out of ten the girls are ready to eat as soon as I walk in the door. So we eat and sometimes take a little cat nap if they will let me. Then we cook dinner and play until it is time to go to bed. When I finally have them in the bed then I start grading papers and doing school work. I try to not stay up later than 11:30 or so that way I am getting about 5 hours of sleep every night (if they sleep all night)! It is quite the schedule but whenever Gabriella or Isabella give you one of their million dollar smiles it is worth every minute. They are officially three months old now!!! They can both roll over and they have the cutest smiles in the world. Just last week Isabella grabbed my face for the first time when she was eating it was so cute. They have also started to laugh and stare at each other while they breastfeed which is the cutest thing in the world. Some times they will even hold hands! I just wish I could be at home with them all day! I feel like I miss so much while I am here with all of these high school kids. I am counting down though we only have 121 more days until summer!!! Yea!

P.S. The picture of Eric is him reading the girls their nightly bible story. They are so cute when he does this. They just sit back and listen to every word. It just melts your heart!

Cutest Kids Ever

The girls are growing up so fast it is crazy. They will be 3 months old in 2 weeks. I am going back to work on Tuesday and I am dreading every minute of it. Eric and I went to dinner last night and I cried for about 30 minutes just thinking about leaving the girls. He thought I was crazy but boys just don't understand. You carry them in your belly for almost 10 months and then you spent all day every day with them and suddenly you go to spending only about 6 hours of the day with them! It is just heartbreaking. I feel like I am going to miss so much. I will be counting down the days until summer gets here. The girls are beginning to have such big personalities it is adorable. They are in the best moods almost all of the time. Still smiling and learning to make new noises everyday. They are going to be quite the handful when they are older I can already tell. Gabriella and Isabella are really starting to notice each other now so that is really neat to see. Some times they even smile at each other while they are breastfeeding it is precious. I left them in their crib the other day for about 5 minutes and Gabriella started to cry. When I got back into the room Isabella had rolled over on her side and had her hand on Gabriella's stomach it was so cute! They truly just melt your heart!

It was horrible!!!

O.k, so we just got back from the doctor about an hour ago. The girls did not get all of the shots they were suppose to. I only had them give them 2 shots today and it was awful! They were just so peaceful and content and then wham the nurse shoves a huge needle into their legs, not once but twice. Both girls screamed harder and louder than I have ever heard them cry!!! I could not handle it I was crying as hard as they were. Even my Mom was about to tear up. The only good news was it did not take them too long to settle back down but it was terrible. Thank God they did not get all of their shots in one day I think I would have punched the nurse square in the nose and shoved a needle in her butt!!!! Other than the awful, terrible, painful shots we found out both girls are extremely healthy and Gabriella weighs in at 10 lbs 5 ounces and Isabella weighs in at 9lbs 10 ounces! They are getting so big and grown up. We do not have to go back to the doctor again until March and their Dad is going with them at that visit I just cannot handle more shots, but I am not too sure he will do any better. Both of my sweet angels are sleeping peacefully now with their two band-aids on each leg.

Dooms Day

This morning has been great so far. Both of the girls are in a wonderful mood and they both slept until almost 8AM. It is awesome!!! They are just hanging out and giving me the biggest smiles today. But I feel terrible because we leave to go to the doctor in about an hour and they will be getting some of their shots! I feel like I am leading them on by being so up beat this morning they have no idea what is coming. Maybe they will surprise me and be pros and not even flinch at the needle. Plus, I am totally freaked out about the whole shot/Autism thing so I am going to ask the doctor to give them no more than 3-4 shots today and get the others at the next visit. Don't worry I have done a lot of research and it is o.k. to delay some of the shots. So keep your fingers crossed that they do not scream too loud and if they do Eric is taking off work for the next shot appointment!!!

Whirlwind

Well, I have to say I have been slack and have not updated the blog in quite a while. The girls are doing wonderful and are over their colds. However, Gabby sounds a little snotty but I hope it is just allergies. They had a wonderful Christmas and I will post some pictures on the next posting. They had their first pictures made with Santa which were adorable. They slept through most of the pictures and were the cutest in their dresses and pearls. The girls hit their 2 month milestone on New Year's Day!!! I have to say Eric and I were pooped on New Year's Eve and we went straight to bed at 12:01 AM.....I guess that is what happens to new parents. The girls got soooooooo many awesome things for Christmas I do not even know where to begin they are so loved and blessed! They have grown up so much too it is amazing. They are both giving us huge grins and sticking their tongues out. They can both roll over to one side as well and they can pick their chest and head up when they lay on their stomachs. Eric is convinced they are going to start crawling but I think we have a little while longer for that. The greatest news ever is that they are both sleeping through the night!!!!!! They actually just woke up this morning about 7 AM. Last night was the first night that I slept the entire time. Even when they would sleep I was constantly getting up to check on them. Gabriella and Isabella both are starting to get the cutest personalities which is good because they have a lot to compete with considering Lexi, Macie, and Ella (Pruitt girls). I only have about 2 weeks left until I go back to work and I am dreading it more than anything. It is definitely going to be hard to leave them but I am a little more calm because we have a really awesome friend watching them. However, that does not mean I will not be counting the days down until summer arrives. Plus, I cannot wait until we take our family trip to Florida. It will be a blast.