Finally, here are pics of our trip to the beach for our first official family vacation and for Houston’s first birthday. We went for a week in late June and had a blast. Granny and Grumps were there nearly all week, and Gramsey and Papa were present Tuesday through Friday. As you can see, Houston absolutely loved eating his chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. Click the above photo to see all the other hysterical shots of the birthday boy letting loose on his special day.

As always, Houston had no problem making friends. These are three of his buddies from Ohio. The “little mothers,” as their mom called them, taught Houston the proper way to make sand castles, dig motes and write your name in the sand, as well as a bunch of other cool beach activities. (It’s funny … it seems like all of Houston’s pals are girls. Like Daddy says, he already has a way with women!) Houston immediately took to the many fun possibilities of wet sand — including throwing, eating, digging and rubbing it onto others — and it only took him a couple of times to get really comfortable with the ocean. Click the above photo to check out all of the sun, surf and sand shots.

We also spent lots of time lounging around the cottage, and going for strolls and bike rides. Currently, Houston is walking and running, barely faltering (except when he’s tired) and never crawling. But it was at the beach that our boy truly perfected his mobility skills. Click on the pic below to view these misc shots.

Twins update: I had an appointment with my OB, Dr. Stringer, last Thursday and an ultrasound with my fetal specialist, Dr. Joy, on Friday, and all looks well with my post-surgery progress. In fact, Dr. Joy said the babies are getting harder to tell apart — a sign that equilibrium of growth is indeed occurring. Zeke moved more than I’ve ever seen him move, and Gabriel’s heart readings are getting better, as well. I have an echo tomorrow morning, which will hopefully show more positive developments as far as the boys’ hearts go. Moreover, I will be 24 weeks on Tuesday, and so the twins will finally be “viable” — a major, life-saving milestone indeed!

As one of the Cincy docs explained it, TTTS improvements after laser surgery are like a big ship in a small harbor; yes, the boat is turning in the right direction, but it is just a slow, methodical process, requiring much patience. But Gabriel and Zeke are definitely on their way!