We Have A Crawler!

Babies' First Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving down in New Jersey with Matt's family. Gabe and Maya got to meet all of Matt's cousins and their great Aunt Luann and Uncle Joe. As always, they loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, Auntie Jamie, Uncle Mike, and big cousin Peyton.



Grandma, Grandpa, and their grandbabies



Uncle Mike did a mini photo shoot with the cousins. Maya and Peyton's matching dresses were a hit.



Our first Thanksgiving as a family



Auntie Jamie, Peyton, Mommy and Maya



Brother and Sister time

Happy Halloween

Maya and Gabe seemed to enjoy their first Halloween - they were kind enough to tolerate wearing their costumes despite the 70 degree day.



Gabe was a silly monkey!



Maya is most certainly the top banana in the Manger household!



Boooooooo



Maya and Gabe were both in the Halloween holiday spirit



We hope everyone had as much fun as we did! Can't wait until next year, it is crazy to think that the babies will be walking and talking while trick or treating!

Six Months Old

Gabe and Maya celebrated their six month birthday last week by showing off their new skill of sitting up. Maya is still such a peanut, one of the moms in our Stow playgroup said "You look at her and think, hey, a three month old sitting up on her own!"

The babies also got their first taste of solid foods, with mixed results.





We are so lucky that Matt is able to work from home for part of the week. It really works best for everyone, at the office Matt has to do a lot of things for himself, but at home he has a personal assistant.



Snuggling with Maya after a bath.



We are all excited for the babies' first Halloween tomorrow, we'll post pictures soon!

Time Flies

It has been quite a few weeks since I posted, so I thought I would write about how Gabe and Maya's first summer has been going. Time goes by surprisingly fast when you are taking care of two infants!

We went to Maine twice in July; Gabe, Maya, and Matt went to Uncle Paul's for the first time on July 4th and a week later we visited Grampy during Grammy and Papa's vacation week.



Family Photo



With Grammy and Papa in front of Wadleigh Pond



Maya and Grampy taking a catnap


Gabe and Maya are both starting to take an interest in Bart and Hilary, which is really fun to see. Bart is a good big brother and seems concerned when the babies are upset. Hilary is a little more apprehensive, but is starting to come around. One of Maya's favorite activities now is watching Bart and Hilary run around outside, she even laughs out loud at their antics.



Mommy, Maya, and Bart enjoying a nice day outside



Hilary gets brave and lays next to Maya



Gabe's onesie says "Bart's BFF"

Gabe and Maya have been growing and changing every day. It seems like they are always doing something new and different. Gabe is getting strong and excels at "tummy time".



Maya has been practicing her grip and hand-eye coordination - she loves sucking on the duckies' beak!

Meeting Peyton

Maya and Gabe finally got to meet their big cousin, Peyton, two weeks ago. Auntie Jamie came prepared with coordinating outfits for the trio!



Uncle Mike showed his baby expertise by holding both babies at once so Matt and I could eat dinner.



Maya flashes her beautiful smile for Auntie Jamie.



I decided to take some pictures of Gabe doing tummy time when he unexpectedly rolled over for the first time! Matt asked if I caught it on film, which I did not, but I snapped this pictures right as he was starting to roll. I don't know who was more shocked, me or Gabe!



Peyton holds Maya like a big girl! She was such a big helper.

Hmmmm, how did Auntie Jamie escape getting any pictures taken of her? I will be prepared next time!

Five Generations

Maya and Gabe got to visit with their great grandfather, great great grandmother, and great great aunt today. We were all excited to be able to take a picture of five generations of the Colarusso family.



Grampy and Gabe in their matching hats. I have never seen Gabe sit so still!



Great Great Auntie Mimi and Gabe



Grammy with her twins



Grampy and Maya spending some quality time together

Welcome Maya and Gabe!

We can't believe our twins are already four weeks old! Now that we are home and getting settled into our routine, here are some highlights from the past month...


Here I am, about a week before the twins' arrival when I was hospitalized at UMass Memorial in Worcester. Little did I know I would only be at home for two days before Gabe and Maya were to make their debut.


This is Matt and I a few minutes before I was wheeled into the operating room for my C-section, which is coincidentally only a few minutes after we found out we were going to have the babies that day! Good thing House was working from home that day and ran over to our house to pick up our camera and drop it off at the hospital - thanks, House!




First pictures, only a few minutes old



Our first family picture.


First Bath in the Hospital


Our Big Day - Going Home!!!


First Family Walk with Bart and Hilary


Maya, Our Little Angel



Gabe's Auntie Alyssa thinks he's "a really big deal"!

We finally did it...

After much thought and debate, Matt and I decided to create a blog to document the weeks leading up to our twins, Baby A and Baby B, entering the world and completing our family. We also wanted a way for our family who we wish were closer to be able to see our babies grow and change and for us to remember all of the little things that will make these babies so special. I have heard these things may be easy to forget when you are in a fog of hormones and sleep deprivation ;-)

As of today I am 29 weeks and I am feeling anxious about getting things ready for Baby A and Baby B, while also trying to take it easy so they don't arrive too early. Matt and I both feel lucky that we have the doctors that we do and know they are taking great care of me and the babies. I also have to give Matt tons of credit for taking such good care of me, the babies, and Bart and Hilary, all while working exceptionally hard during the day at Endeca. So really, he has two full time jobs and never complains - I am very lucky.

I was talking to one of my co-workers yesterday (on my last official day of work!) about how much the babies have grown in such a relatively short period of time. I remember our ultrasound in October where Matt said they looked like gummi bears, compared to seeing their little faces in 3D last month. We can't wait to see those faces in person!!!