Happy Feet

How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
--- Isaiah 52:7 (NKJV)

...and more pictures...

Pictures!

I wanted to share more pictures of the girls. Included are professional pictures made of them wearing their dedication dresses (made by their Yaya out of their Great-Nana's wedding dress), a few pictures of them playing together and just hanging out, Madelyn falling asleep while in her high chair and a few others. There are so many that are too cute, I just have to share!

5 Generations

This picture was made when the girls were only a couple of months old, but it includes the girls' great great grandmother, great grandmother ("Great-Nana"), grandmother ("Yaya"), and me. I was able to know my great great grandmother when I was little, and I think it is such a blessing that my girls have also met their great great g-mom.

Hard Work

Jumping is hard work for the girls! That's Maleah in the picture sleeping, (Madelyn is in the other picture). Both girls love jumping in their "Jumperoo". Maleah usually jumps - well, sort of sways back and forth and jumps at the same time, and will fall asleep, wake back up and repeat. She can entertain herself for hours in that thing.

Madelyn enjoys it too, but she jumps straight up and down, and after about 30 minutes of it, she's done.

Learning to like veggies!

The girls started eating rice cereal a couple of weeks ago, and now they've moved on to green beans! Today was the first day of vegetables, and green beans was the first to try. Maleah loved the beans at first bite. Normally with the cereal the girls don't react so well with the first couple of bites until they get used to it, but the green beans were a wonderful new experience for Maleah. Madelyn however... it still took her a few bites to acquire the taste, but once she got going with it, she loved them as well. (Madelyn is in the first and third pictures down, and Maleah in the others.)

Also for another update... They went to the doctor for their four month checkup last week, and Madelyn weighs 13 lbs. 3.5 oz., and Maleah weighs 13 lbs. 7.5 oz! They are right on average for where full term babies would be at this point. I have prayed all along that there would be no evidence that they were premature, and they have been an answer to that prayer! They are not only on track for their weight, but also developmentally. I'm very proud of my girls!

Just a reminder...

Don't feel forced or anything, but Maranda and I love getting feedback and stories of your own left on our blog as well. So please feel free to leave comments!

Easter Morning

One of our first mornings back to church and it took about 2 hours to get us all ready! In the pictures, Madelyn is on the left in the sleeveless dress and Maleah is on the right.

We attempted to get pictures before church, and you can see our success... One would smile while the other pitched a fit, and by the time the camera would take the picture, they were both mad.

It was really cold here on Easter morning. Below is a picture of Maleah where we had to bundle them up.
We all had a great Easter day, and hopefully next year it will be much warmer so they can try their hands at hunting some eggs.

Anything You Can Do

Not to be outdone, Maleah rolled over today right after I posted the last picture. So I snapped a couple more and updated again. She's still not so sure what to do with that arm, but she's determined to get the hang of it. ~A

Grin and 'Bare' It

This picture was right after the girls' dedication ceremony, and they just shed those dresses. As cute as they were in them, they were much happier cuddling with Mommy and Daddy in the big chair.

We have been noticing lately that the girls have been looking for each other when they are not turned toward one another. They continue to wiggle closer together at night so that their heads touch. Not being a twin myself, it's hard to imagine such a strong bond at such a young age. It excites me to think how close they will be in months and years to come. ~A

The Nursery's Next Top Models

Today was 84+ degrees in Tennessee, and it was time to take the girls out for their first springtime stroll. Finally the girls get to sport some of the clothes that have been waiting for warmer weather in their closet.

I just needed another excuse to show you how cute they were yet again. Again, it is getting more and more difficult to tell them apart. We may have to invest in the online DNA test that has been recommended to us by other parents of multiples.

I actually hear one of them trying to get my attention now. So I should go... ~A

Subscribe for Updates

Thanks to the technologically savvy Christy Broxton, you can now subscribe to Twin Type for updates on Madelyn and Maleah. We really hope to update with more pictures and more stories as the girls do more than just sleep, eat, and poop.

Choose your best method to sign up for updates at the right of your screen. This will tell you when to visit the blog and leave comments whenever we update, so you won't have to continually check back only to see an old blog.

Let us know if you have any problems. I am sure Christy can tell me how to fix it! Thanks again, Christy.

~A

Roll over, roll over

This is just a small update in the girls' development. The other day, Madelyn discovered that she could roll over! She does this now once or twice a day, depending on her mood. She has gotten really good at it. It's really funny watching her do it because she sometimes has a hard time finding the floor with her foot. She has to kick to find it sometimes.

Maleah has no interest in rolling over whatsoever. It's just so funny how two that are so alike can be so different. ~A

Dedication Service Picture

The girls are actually in dresses made from their great grandmother's wedding dress... Truly the Bride of Christ will have a double portion. ~A

The Pair at 3 Months

Maleah is on the left; Madelyn is on the right.

As of today, Maleah is 11 lbs, 4.5 oz. Madelyn is 10 lbs, 10 oz.

Discovering Each Other

Recently, we have noticed the girls being able to interact with each other more and more. We were certain that they were aware of each other's presence, but now they seem to be looking for each other and knowing when they're apart.

While at Mom and Dad's, we tried to get them to hold hands, but they just wouldn't be coerced. However, as soon as we stopped, they did it on their own. When they take naps, often times they will reach for each other and be touching in some way. At night, when we lay them in the crib, they will start out about a foot apart, but they will slowly inch their way back together--either touching heads or being side by side.

Madelyn seems to want to kiss on Maleah. We've noticed that she will position herself to where her mouth is directly on Maleah's forehead or crown. The next morning, Maleah's hair is matted down with dried saliva...evidence of her sister's love. ~A

Over the river and through the woods...

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I haven't been very diligent about posting new pics like I intended. Things have been a bit hectic in the Coulter home, but now hopefully we will have new pics as the girls begin learning new things around the house.

The girls are right at 3 months, and they have more than doubled in size. Madelyn is quickly catching up with Maleah, and they love trying to talk with each other and us. As time has progressed, we have started really noticing personality differences. Madelyn is much more demanding than Maleah, with Maleah sleeping a lot more. Both are sleeping well through the night, but of course, there are 'those nights' when they just don't seem to want to go to sleep.

We were able to go home and visit my family this weekend. This was the first time that my grandmothers have been able to see the girls. The picture above is the whole clan with my Granny--my father's mother. On Maranda's side, we were able to take a picture with five generations. It's neat the my girls will have pictures of themselves with their great-great-grandmother. All of the grandparents are thrilled to spend time with the girls, and of course, they always comment about how cute they are.

Baby Dedication Date Set

Maranda and I felt that it was important to dedicate our babies back to the Lord on their first visit to church, and now that date has been set on the church calendar. Madelyn Rayne and Maleah Grace will be dedicated at Spirit of Life Church on March 18, 2007.

All friends and family members are welcome to attend. This is a very special and important day for us as a family, as we declare that we will raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Immediate family members of both sides will be in attendance. We hope that you all will join us for an exciting day as Madelyn and Maleah meet their spiritual family for the first time. ~A

Sleeping Beauties

I had to put this one up today. Nana and Papa (my parents) babysat last weekend, and they snapped this pic.

This is one of the miracles of Madelyn and Maleah sleeping at the same time. However, this is starting to happen a lot more than it was. They are beginning to eat more and sleep longer at night. At 7 weeks old today, three to four hours at a time is a long nap for them. ~A

Our Family