Jack eating food from a spoon for the 1st time

Many different camera angles. Momentous occasions call for more than one photographer

Ella waiting very patiently for her turn, not yet, but soon...

Booster seat and a spoon...now the only thing I need is food

Ella's sitting in the booster chair for the 1st time

I'm not sure I like this...

yea I do

Grandma and Jack looking 50's tough

It's the holidays

"Step One: Rig ourselves out in stealth candy cane disguises.
Step Two: wait until the cover of night.
Step Three: knock over the candy factory."

sweet cheeks

Ella hamming it up

Buddha Jack posing by the Christmas Tree

"If you want to make a festive apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe, Grasshopper."

Jack prebuddha

Grandma dressing up Ella

Jack watching a little TV

Jack looking suave

Ella learning to play

Jack, Dad and Ella's feet

Ella and Dad

"See this tic tac? I'm going to set it on fire."

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Ella hanging in the crib

"Live long and prosper."

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Grandma Betty and jack

Boomer the cat wanting in on the action

Jack fighting the power

Jack in the big chair

Ella in the big chair

Ella mugging for the camera

Jack mugging for the camera

Jack at two months

Ella in Aunt Stacey's dress from 1968

ella at 2months

ella is a little sleepie

The Bill Chill 2007

Today we ran our first road race. Mom pulled a Rosie Ruiz and we skipped the whole middle of the race route. 

An older but a goody--Jack around two months

Jack and the Gram at 11:00am

Jack and the Gram at 3:30pm

Grandma, Grandpa Richter and little Jack and Dad

Curious George, Grandpa, Dad and Jack

Another Chronologically challenged photo that I really like.
Three generations of Richter men.

Ella as a little nootchie

Grandma and Grandpa with the Nootchies, the day they came home from the hospital

Because I started this blog well after the kids were born, on occasion I have to include photographs which I really like, but are chronologically challenged. This one for instance was taken the day the little ones came home from the hospital. This might also be the first picture taken of my father holding an infant.

Hospital Calender

Mary was in the hospital for 63 days, beginning May 22nd, with her leaving the hospital July 22nd. During her 63 day stay, we created a calender so I could cross out every day she made it. As you can see, on the right in blue are numbers that correspond to what gestation week Mary was in. Because of her high risk pregnancy, our goal was 27 weeks, but as you can see she went home at 34 weeks and only delivered in the 36th week. Long hospital stay, but worth it.

The Official "these could be the names of our children" board

Before our twins were born, on our refrigerator was a white board (as seen in picture). If you have children you will know that where ever you are, someone is giving you advise on what to name your kids. So every time Mary or I had a name thrown at us, we put that name on the board. the good ones we circled, but no matter how ludicrous, we still put them on the board. Its fun to look back, and so will the kids at what there names could have been.

How we got here

It all started innocuously at our 7 week prenatal visit. Mary and I had gone in for our first ultrasound. It was exciting times. We knew Mary was pregnant and it was a long time coming. The doctor comes in does a quick ultrasound, not saying much. At the end, she says the babies are doing great, we'll see you in three weeks. Mary and I look at each other and almost simultaneously say "babies". In stunned silence, we leave the doctor's office, get in our cars and go to work. As I'm sitting at work for the 1st three hours staring out my window thinking what could the doctor have possibly meant by "babies", Mary calls confirming what I had thought--we were having twins.

It was great for the next three weeks, then the trials and tribulations began.

At 10 weeks, Mary had emergency surgery after collapsing at work with internal bleeding
At 22 weeks, Mary went on bedrest
At 25 weeks Mary went to the hospital in pre-term labor
At 34 weeks and 63 days later Mary came home from the hospital
At 36 weeks Mary delivered Ella then Jack at St. Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ
4 days later, Ella and Jack come home from the hospital with Mom and Dad

Then the fun began...