Early Christmas with the Darling Family

On December 13, we hosted an early Christmas celebration at our house in Arlington. Jason liked to call it the "Griswold Family Christmas"...for those of you who have seen the movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", you'll get the reference. For those of you who haven't seen this movie, rush out to the video store or get on Netflix and see it now...it is a classic Christmas movie. Anyway, the reason Jason liked to call ii the Griswold Family Christmas was that we hosted 10 adults, 2 kids, 2 babies, and 2 dogs in our house in Arlington. The complete group is shown in one of the photos below. Unlike the movie, the weekend was free of disaster and the twins had the chance to meet some of Jason's relatives, including his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin, and his Grandmother (who they will call "Gigi", for "Great-Grandmother"). Some photos from the weekend and some additional recent photos of the twins are below.

Darling-Dean-Filiciotto Christmas in Boston!

Back Row (left to right): Jason's Cousin Charlotte, Jason, Meghan, Nate, Ethan, Jason's Uncle Frank, Jason's Aunt Mary (holding Isabel)
Front Row (left to right): Allison, Anna, Greg (holding Cameron), Marianne, Jason's Nana Mary




GiGi Mary holding Cameron



Nono (i.e. Grandpa) Darling holding Cameron





Meghan with Cameron and our friend Jess Casaletto with Isabel in front of our Christmas Tree.




Meghan with Cameron and Jason with Isabel at Symphony Hall in Boston. We took the twins to see the Holiday Pops concert on December 12. They behaved very well...looks like we might have some music lovers in our family!




Cameron flashing his winning smile :-)


Not to be outdone by her "big" brother, Isabel likes to show off her "orange slice" smile whenever she can!

Isabel and Cameron sporting their knit sweaters...these were knit by Jason's Aunt Evelyn.

NBA Wingspan?

Hmm....can you tell who in the photos below has the wingspan of an NBA basketball player??

14 Hours to North Carolina...

With the twins approaching 3 months of age, we decided it was time to take them on a trip to North Carolina to visit Meghan's parents, sister and family. The twins had grown so much since Meghan's family had seen them last, so we were looking forward to the vacation to North Carolina. But first, there was the minor issue of the 14 hour drive from Boston to Southern Pines, NC! We decided to try an overnight trip, and left on Friday at 11 pm....after 4 hours in the car, Jason was still driving and feeling a little sleepy...luckily he had brought along a Red Bull and was able to find the AC DC channel on XM...nothing like a little "Hells Bells" and "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" to give a driver an extra shot of adrenaline! Overall, the twins were perfect travelers and we didn't need to stop until 7 am to feed them. They slept 90% of the trip and we arrived in Southern Pines at around 1 pm the next day, only having to stop TWICE for the twins! Our traveling circus of two babies and two puppies was comical at rest areas, but overall it was an uneventful trip.

During our stay in North Carolina, Jason has played lots of golf (or at least TRIED to play golf), everyone has gotten more sleep, we had a Bahler early Thanksgiving, and Jordan and Madison got to "play" with their little cousins :-)

Jim was also able to finally open his 1955 bottle of Canadian Whiskey. In 1987, one of his college buddies gave him the gift of the whiskey "to be opened on the birth of his first grandson." So during this trip, Jim and Jason shared a toast with the whiskey, which literally "warmed" them right up...

Below are some photos from the trip in North Carolina.

Jim and Jason sharing a glass of the 1955 Whiskey.

Grandma and Cameron sharing a glass of the Whiskey :-) Not really, but she looks whiskey happy and he looks whiskey drunk!

Meghan, Jason, Isabel and Cameron in a family photo with the twins at 3 months old.

Jason and Mini-Jason. Mini-Jason is sporting a nice suit with a stylish bow tie.

Chele, Jordan, Madison, Isabel and Cameron....the Bahler girls and Cameron!

Isabel showing off her flirtatious smile :-)

Cameron with a sly little look...he's probably passing gas.

Isabel enjoying some awake time with Mommy...

...and some sleep time with Mommy.

Cameron helping himself to a little snack.

A Series of Firsts...

In the weeks and months leading up the arrival of the twins, I (this is Jason) found myself marking a series of "lasts." The last good night's sleep. The last night out for beer and nachos at a sports bar without having to find a babysitter. The last quiet night watching TV. The last time I could say "I'll be there in 20 minutes." The last easy road trip......

But now that I look back, none of that means all that much, especially given the series of "firsts" which has begun since the twins were born. See below for some photos marking these "firsts."

The first nap for Baby Mama and Cameron


The first time reading a book to Isabel, and the first look of "awe" on her face...


Isabel's first crush...she gave Jack Hayken the "eye" during a recent visit to Northern Virgina.


The first Halloween

Cameron's first dance move? Is that the "running man"?

The first time meeting their cousins

And of course, what made our hearts melt, the first smiles :-)

We're looking forward to a lot more "firsts" over the coming weeks and months!

October 14 Update - Ten Weeks Old

So the twins are already 10 weeks old (today). Here are some of the things we have learned so far:

1. You really can function on less than 5 hours of sleep for prolonged periods
2. After getting 5 hours of sleep for prolonged periods, use of kitchen knives is not advised (Jason has already cut his fingers twice)
3. Using a diaper that is too small for a baby leads to more laundry (due to unfortunate diaper leaks)
4. Poop really can travel across the room in a stream like a water fountain
5. "I'll be there in 20 minutes"....ha! That doesn't exist anymore!

We are sure there are more things we forgot...oh yeah...sleep deprivation makes you forgetful.

Anyway, below are some recent pictures of the Little Darlings.

Auntie Allison and Cousins Anna and Ethan during their first visit with the twins.


The first big family outing. We went to Honey Pot Hill apple orchard, and spent the first hour and a half waiting for bottles to warm, feeding the kiddos, and then changing an unfortunate diaper leak (see #3 above). But it was a nice fall day and we got to enjoy the weather.


After we finished with the feeding and changing ritual, it was off to the Apple Orchard and Pumpkin Patch. The kiddos were comfortable in their carriers, so we decided against pumpkin patch photos with the kids next to the pumpkins.


Isabel just chillin' on the sofa.

Cameron enjoying one of his favorite things....riding around in his carrier while Daddy Darling makes dinner.

Cameron (in white) and Isabel (in pink) after a walk around the neighborhood.

Cameron getting to know his puppies, Dixie (left) and Duchess (right). The pups have been great with the babies.

September 20 Update

Earlier this week (Sept 16), the twins finally hit their official due date! They are now 6 weeks, 4 days old, but only 4 days by adjusted age (based on their due date). Cameron is becoming the feisty one, letting us know when he wants something, although we can't always figure out what that is and he just keeps screaming at us! Cameron is also the resident pig, as you can tell from his weight gain....already almost doubling his birth weight! Isabel is the quiet and contemplative one, with a lot more alert time where she takes in her surroundings with a look of awe on her face. She is more dainty with her feedings, since she is trying to keep her trim figure :-)

Below are some photos of the twins' first weeks at home.

Cameron has three typical states. Sleeping, eating, and the one shown below.


Let's hope they always play this nice together.


Baby Mama learning how to cuddle with two babies at once
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Duchess checking in on her new family members. Both Duchess and Dixie are very excited at the additions to the family. The dogs like Cameron and Isabel so much, we are constantly trying to stop them from licking their faces!


Isabel posing for the camera.

"Oh my gosh" said Meghan. "Cameron is awake and not screaming. Quick, take a picture!"

Happy Homecoming!!

After close to 4 weeks in the NICU, both Cameron and Isabel have finally come home!! Cameron was discharged on Saturday, August 30, and enjoyed one day at home as the "king of the roost." Because on Sunday, August 31, Isabel was discharged...and the adventure of caring for the Darling Twins has begun!!!

Prior to his official discharge, Cameron was supposed to come home on Monday, August 24. But then he mysteriously developed issues with eating and occasionally stopped breathing while he was eating...so this placed him on a "3 day watch", which meant that he needed to go three days without a problem before he could come home. We think he intentionally sabatoged his ability to come home so that he could wait for Isabel. Or, he enjoyed all of the attention from the female staff of nurses. Either way, his eating issues conveniently subsided just in time for Isabel to come home :-) We're going to be suspicious in several years when Cameron tries to convince us that he is too sick to go to school...

So after waiting for many weeks to unite our family, we have enjoyed having Cameron and Isabel home with us. Meghan's parents are visiting and are providing lots of help, and so far the twins have slept well (only one wake up during the night), and we are knocking on wood trying to keep them on such a great sleep pattern. Below are some photos to capture the events of the last several days.

Cameron and Isabel a few days before coming home. Isabel says "Hey Cam, are you gonna wait for me before going home??" Cameron replies "Sure Izzie, I wouldn't want to leave you here all by yourself!!"

Meghan trying to burp Cameron...this picture gives you a good idea of scale. The twins are still both less than 7 lbs!

Busting the twins out of the NICU! This was taken in front of the exit to the NICU, right before we passed through the doors to start our lives as the parents to the twins!

Cameron all snug in his carseat, getting ready for his first walk around the neighborhood.

Isabel also ready for her first walk, in a matching polka-dot blankie. Did somebody throw-up "pink" all over Isabel?? :-)

Mommy Darling pushing the "stretch limo" double snap-n-go down the Minuteman Trail in Arlington.

Cameron and Isabel, all tuckered out after their walk!

Grandpa and Grandma Bahler enjoying some time with their grandkids!

The Darling Family, Labor Day 2008. (minus the dogs, but we couldn't figure out a good way to get them in the picture...a task for our Christmas Photo!)