Monday, August 18, 2008

15 Weeks - New outfits!

Luke wasn't in a very good mood so there's a lot more pics of Taylor. lol Luke screamed every time we sat him down.









Sunday, August 17, 2008

Hannah Joined the Navy!

Hannah and Luke

Hannah and Luke, he made her leg fall asleep. 

Hannah and I at her High School graduation

It's official. Hannah signed papers and joined the Navy. I'm so excited for her and yet I'm sad she won't be around as much. I'm getting a little taste of what it's like when your kid leaves home. I've been praying for her to find the perfect fit, for her to find God's purpose for her life and I think she's found a good starting point. She did really well on her Navy entry test and I know that she's gonna do great at anything she sets her mind to. She is extremely driven, determined, athletic, competitive, strong willed, and has good common sense. If you'd ever need CPR or First Aid, she'd be the girl to take charge. :) I'm not worried about her at boot camp...I know she is plenty strong. She's gotta get her physical, and then they will schedule her for boot camp for 2 months in Chicago. I will miss her dearly while she is away. She makes me laugh non stop with her stories and dry humor. God has given me the privilege to see her grow up into this awesome young woman with lots of potential. I'll update, but please pray with me that she really grows closer to the Lord during this time and discovers who he is and his plans for her.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Sleeping

I'd say it's official. Luke is sleeping through the night and Taylor is sleeping through the night with some help from the pacifier. The last 2 nights have gone really well. Last night we fed them at 8:30, put them to bed around 9:30. Taylor woke at 3, wanting her pacifier and then they woke up at 4:30, Nick fed them and I fed them at 8:00.  Whoo hoo....the night before Taylor woke up a lot more but she seems content with the pacifier. So I'm hoping this keeps up and we get full nights sleep! Good for us all!

Things I've Learned as a New Mom

  • BJ's brand formula is the exact same as Enfamil and it's CHEAP! 52 oz for $19.99. Taylor's Neosure is $14.33 for 12 oz.
  • It's super helpful when people fix meals for you. We still have a few meals left and it's great for the days when you just don't have the energy.
  • Diapers are an awesome gift. We just now at 3 months started buying diapers.
  • It's important to ask new moms how they are doing, to not blow them off for a glimpse of the baby. It means a lot when people ask how you are, and have normal conversation with you. 
  • Going to the grocery store when your husband comes home is like a mini vacation.
  • Belly skin and belly buttons never return to the way they were before twins.
  • The calmer you are the quicker the baby calms down. (most times)
  • Days pass by much faster at home with the babies then when I worked in an office.
  • Nothing is ever clean enough.
  • There is nothing softer than baby's skin.
  • The days you have headaches are the days the babies cry a lot.
  • A baby's smile will make you forget about all the crying.
  • Just when you forget a baby boy can pee on you, he will pee on you and all over himself.
  • Take a shower every day, put makeup on, do your hair and dress like you'd leave the house. You feel way better about yourself and you can jet out the door when hubby gets home if you need to. lol

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Tummy Time



They like eating their fists better than lifting their heads. lol

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Busy Times

Things have been non stop between taking care of the babies, freelance and regular life stuff. I have trouble keeping track of the days. Nick's been rebuilding our laundry room which is exciting! It was literally rotting. lol So one weekend he tore out one wall and rebuilt it and last weekend he did the other wall. We have two big windows for it from his parents and we're hoping to find some cheap cabinets and counter top. Last night he tore up the floor of the porch above it (the ceiling of the laundry room) and starting rebuilding that. It was all leaking before and running down the walls, causing them to rot. I can't wait to get the big windows in and the flooring in. We're getting the siding today. The project has taken away my free time since Nick is busy but it will be nice when it's done. I don't even wanna think about dry wall again. Not that it's a big room but I'm hoping to get out of that. :)

Our friends Dan and Autumn Tyson had a baby girl August 1st named Ella. I took some meals over to them and wow....she's so tiny. She was 6lbs, 13oz at birth and was also born at 36 weeks like Luke and Taylor. It's hard to believe Luke and Taylor were smaller than that! How fast they grow! Seeing Autumn and the baby reminded me of the new mommy adrenalin. How we survive for that first month is a mystery to me. Only God can provide that type of stamina. For me it was every 3 hrs, feeding two babies, taking 1-1/2 hrs giving me an 1-1/2 to try and fall asleep and then they'd wake up in between that. That first month was crazy and it was actually easier than I thought it would be because of the new mommy adrenalin. Napping never happened for me...everyone said once I get tired enough but I couldn't do it. I just can't rest when I see so much that needs done around me. With two babies....there's always LOTS to be done. lol

Pray for the Tyson's. They also have another little girl Ashlyn. Dan has been experiencing some nervous system symptoms and he's having a lot of tests done to figure out what's going on. He plays drums for our church and Autumn sings. We love them dearly. Now Taylor will have a playmate her age. They live really close to us now too.

While we're on the praying...My friend Alyssa is in the hospital and they don't know what is wrong with her. Please lift her up in prayer. She had cold like symptoms, has pnemonia and sores and is very sick. She's been tested for the scariest stuff like Lukemia and they've ruled the major immune system stuff out. Hopefully they will soon find out what's going on. She's in isolation in there and is being treated with anti viral meds but still no answers. Pray they figure it out and she gets better! I've been able to text her on her cell phone and send her pics and video of the babies to cheer her up. Thank God for technology...I don't know what I'd do without my cell phone.

All Girl and All Boy. It's amazing how different Luke and Taylor are. They are different in personality but it's also fun to watch how boy and girl they are. Luke lays with his hand on his belly. He likes to watch TV in his bouncer with his hands on the toys. He burps like a champ. Loud and long. Taylor likes to play with her hands all prissy like while she talks to herself. She likes to talk sometimes more than she likes to eat. She likes to let out squeals now and again which sometimes scares poor Luke. She likes the grab her shirt and bib and grasp them. She tilts her head and smiles. I wake up to her piggies sticking out of the crib and many times I wake to her talking. I love it. It's funny, even when we swaddled her she would get her feet out. Like her momma she doesn't like her feet covered. With the way she grabs material, it's looking like she's gonna be a blankie girl like her mom too.

I no longer set my alarm clock. I have two of them now. lol They are doing better at sleeping. Last night we fed them at 8 and put them to bed at 9:30. Taylor woke up at 1:30 which is usual...5-1/2 hrs after the night feeding. I gave her her pacifier, she woke at 2, then 3, gave it to her again and she lasted until 4. Nick's been doing the night feeding so I can do the first morning feeding. I would have fed her at 1:30 when she woke but it's working out that Nick lets them go longer. He has trouble getting up. lol It's helping them learn to go longer at night though. Luke can usually go longer than Taylor, but when he wakes crying, there isn't much you can do but feed him. Sometimes the swing works but not very often. Now that Nick feeds at night, it lets the babies go as long as they can without Nick worrying about the morning feeding and getting to work on time. Luke's eating a steady 5-1/2 ounces now. It's so nice to feed him because I can prop him up against me and hold him and he's content. Taylor on the other hand is still having issues with feeding. Sometimes she cries at soon as she sees the bottle. And the crying turns to screaming quickly. Most times she's good for the first 2 ounces until she burps, then it's fighting, kicking and crying for another ounce or at best another 2. I've been giving her a break of a half hour or so and then I try again. It's very frustrating and I'm not sure the medicine is helping. The doc said to up it to twice a day if it doesn't work so that's what I'm going to have to try soon. I hate to do that because it's expensive but it's worth it if it helps. Feeding should be a relaxing time and with her it's not!

Luke is smiling now too and it's so darn cute. I honestly don't think there is anything better than as a mom to see them smile. It's a feeling I've never felt before...it's something I can't even put into words.

Watching the Olympics

Big Boy! 16lbs worth of Love! lol

Taylor loves being on the changing table.

Excited.

Taylor in her boppy

Tummy Time


Playing with her hands as always.

I need a better picture of this because it's so cute. She puts her feet up on the edge of the crib in the morning and all I see is piggies when I wake up.