Round one

Today we all survived round one of the twins immunization shots.  It was a doozy!  3 pokers and 1 oral and the oral wasn't even flavored!   I held Kenzington while the hubs held Oakley, my mom gave them to Oakley and her co-worker gave them to Kenzlee.  It was.....traumatic.  Haha, probably more so to me than to them.  They wont even remember in a year from now.  I was hoping that since they got poked and prodded so much in the NICU for almost 2 months they would be OK with the needles....yeah not the case.  Miss K was kind enough to turn a bright purple shade and disfigure her face so that she no longer looked like me sweet child.  Her 2nd shot bled a bit as well, that did not help me! Oakley screamed but seemed to keep a little more calm and not turn a lovely color of the rainbow.  In the end they both got bottles to make them feel better and fell asleep before we could even get out to the car.

So far no fevers and they have slept the rest of the evening.  We'll see if they wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares of their ordeal! 

2 months from now it will be round two of these shenanigans which I hope to be a little better prepared for.    Apparently I never got the memo that when your kid hurts..you hurt! :)  

Pioneer Day

Late but none the less...

Our weekend started out really good.  Saturday morning the girls were happy little campers, awake and content enough we were able to get some pictures of them in their little skirts. :)

We were even having a hard time seeing who was who after taking the photos..but when you know what to look for it's easier.

We took them out back for some sunny pictures but of course it was a bit too sunny! Lol they didn't keep their eyes open much at all.  I guess I need to invest in some baby glasses.  

Most the day we just spent relaxing.  I did some cleaning while Austin went and got some foods for the evening.  We had some friends over for a BBQ around 6.  It was great to have them over with their little ones.  The salads that we had for the dinner were SO amazing!  I ate stuff in one of the salads I swore I never would..I just couldn't resist how tastey it all was.  Now I'm told I have to get the recipe so I can make it for us.  The night went well, we sat out back chatting away into the night.  We were all surprised when it was 10pm.  I guess we should have known it was late once the sun was down. =p

By that time everyones baby was tired and ready for bed, let alone us parents!  Haha, we are such partyers!   The babies were so worn out they slept great.  Although still waking up at 2:30am for a feeding, which wasnt so horrible since we got a good laugh out of one of them burping so hard and loud it scared the crap out of her!  Poor thing started to cry a bit.  <3

Sunday was just as relaxing spending the morning at home then heading over to the parental units for some grub.  I attempted to make cinnamon rolls with my mums supervision.  1/2 with raisons the other half without.  My dad was cheering on the cinnamon so much I ended up smothering the raison half with too much.  =p  I guess practice makes perfect, next time I'll remember it's not all about the cinnamon, even if my dad humors me and loves them either way! 

Later that evening Austin's auntie and cuz stopped by to see the girls for the first time since they've been home.  His little cousin (who's really 13 or 14) held one of the girls till of course she started to cry and it was mom to the rescue.  :) Babies just know how to make people nervous.

It was adorable though and very nice of them to stop by and see us.

I'm really nervous about this Thursday since it's the day the girls get their first set of immunizations.  Everyone has different stories of it either being out of a horror film or being easy peasy.  I'm crossing my fingers that since they were in the NICU so long and getting poked almost every other day that it won't be to rough for them.  The reality is that I'll probably be crying just as much as they will be!  Oh well, it's for the best, right?

Been a while!

It's been a while since I've last updated.  I guess we have just been pretty busy this last week.  What can I say, the girls know how to keep us on our toes!

Last weekend we were lucky enough to have my brother in town!  I miss him so much when he's at home in Las Vegas, so it was nice of him to take the trip up to spend some time with his nieces and us.

He is such a good uncle!  I couldn't have asked for a better one..He took such good care of the girls when he held them and seemed to love every minute of it.  Until they started to fuss and as he put it, "fix it mom", and would hand them off to me!  Not only that, I apparently get a swift hit in the head with a pillow.  Why?  Because I'm a mom....Yeah...figure me that!

We spent a lot of the weekend at my parents house.  It was great to just be out of our house for a bit since the past couple weeks we've been cooped up.  My parents adore the girls and I know they are going to be spoiled beyond belief! 

Specially by their Gampa!  He just loves holding them..we caught him on several occasions falling asleep with them.

With Kenzington

Now Oakley

I guess it runs in the family though cause I find myself every morning with them in bed!

I realized that a lot of the pictures we have of the girls Oakley is asleep or looking away from the camera!  Silly girl doesn't know when to strike a pose.  I did finally catch her awake and even smiling..although again it's still looking away from the camera and at her Gamma.

They really are getting so big so fast.  Every week they have gone up a pound and now are sitting at 8lbs 2oz & 8lbs 4oz.   They still look like scrawny little gremlins though, they just can't seem to stack on that baby fat like most kids.

                  

I've also come to realize that if I want to get a picture of them in their outfits I need to do it fast!  :) They have been very good about having "blow outs" in their cute clothes within an hour of having them put on!   Like their outfits their uncle bought them, he insisted they had to look similar but not match.  <3

(Kenzington must have been acting like a puffer fish, lol)

Not only have these girls been growing strong they are starting to find their feet and their hands.  I tell you first hand, those little hands some how can find a way to pinch you to death if they wanted to!

Kenzington just in the last couple days has realized she can suck on her thumb.  It's a bad habit but it's too cute!

Although the poor thing seems to have a rash all over her face.  We are hoping to get that taken care of this coming week.

All in all they are doing really good.  Even though they keep us up at night, know exactly when we are about to eat, and have learned that crying is their favorite daytime activity! <3  We love them though and can't get enough of how much more observant and fun they get each day.  I'm trying to master the skills of a digital camera but seem to suck horribly at getting the right lighting!  So if anyone has some tips out there!?  

We have been going on a much needed walk every day  this past week.  Even though it's been blazing hot it's really nice to get out and walk around.  For the holiday weekend we'll be having a BBQ with some friends and I'm so excited!  We aren't the best hosts in the world but it's fun to have people over to talk and kick back with.  Especially with burgers and dogs involved!

Little bodies

...Big Spirits

That's how it was explained to me, so that I better understand what a baby may be going through.

My mom, she seems to always have some really comforting things to say in times of chaos.

I was questioning how a baby could be so upset about nothing...literally nothing..that I could tell at least.  It is so frustrating to have done everything and still feel like you did nothing.  Nothing's fixed, cries are still being heard...ugh.  My mom began to explain how she used to look at it with us while we were babies.  She said to think of it this way,  before they are sent to earth they are grown beautiful spirits ready to be sent to their new bodies.  If you were to be smashed into a tiny body you had absolutely no knowledge of how to control said body, how would you react?  Would you get frustrated at times for some of the simplest things?  Need to rely on people to help and support you?  Most likely, yes.  Who's to say that these little babies don't know what's going on?  They just don't have a the means to let you know or handle the situations them selves.

It made me take a step back and realize how much they need me and how every tear is them reaching out to me for help.  I like to think that my girls were sent to us from loved ones who have passed, and that our girls were more than excited to join our family.  I know in my heart that we will do our best to make this life for them the best they have ever known.  Whether it be from providing the material things in life or simply being there by their side during their times of need.  

They have already grown so much in a week, 6lbs-over 7lbs and it's just been a blink of the eye.  Everyone says they grown to fast, I've even been told by people they regret being able to spend those small moments with their babies because they focused and worried about doing everything right. 

 My goal is to focus on those little moments, those smiles, cries, movements that months from now I may regret I wasn't there for or missed.  

We'll make mistakes but no one is perfect...mistakes are what make a person.  It's about learning to love a flaw and to grown from that flaw into who you will be for the rest of your life.

Issues

Le Sigh!  

So we are having some major issues.  The girls don't seem to be eating much at all during the day.  They scream and cry, arching their back as if in pain.  We have tried 2 separate types of gas medication as well as been put on Prevacid for their reflux.  One concern also is that it's the 2 bottles they are getting that is possibly "clouding" their ability to nurse well.  The 2 bottles a day thing will most likely end once this can of 24cal is used up.  So we can't really take that from the equation till then.  I'm seriously hoping it's just a phase of some sort cause I have run out of ideas!  It is definitely wearing thin on both mine and the hubs nerves, more so on his.  Today is the first day we've heard them scream so franticly and not being able to b calmed.  If calmed, movement alone just sets them off again.  

You'd think some parent of twins would have written a sure fire manual to these situations.  

Rule 1:  Always be prepared to comfort the other once baby A is quiet....baby B is just waiting for silence.

Rule 2:  You CAN go through 4 diapers in 5-10 minutes, trust us.

Rule 3:  Binki's...it's a trap!

Haha, and so on!

I'm really hoping to figure out this eating thing during the day.  No if, ands, or buts about it! 

July 12th is/was their due date.  They are officially starting their normal learning curve.  Sadly since they were born early they were considered to be 2 months behind on everything.  They already have done well on so many levels and I couldn't be more proud and happy at how far they've come.  I guess I just needed to be reminded that we are not in the clear yet, not by a long shot.

We just entered the real, War Zone....

Normal

Things are starting to feel a little back to normal these last couple days.  The girls sort of on a schedule, meaning we can predict what time of day they are going to be hungry.  There has even been a pattern of time of day when they are most fussy.  I'm able to actually sleep a few solid hours between 4am-9am.

We took the girls on their first out of the house experience since they got home...where you ask?  The doctors! :)  Since it's been a week out of the hospital they needed their follow up with Dr. B.  My only concern that I wanted to address was that they didn't seem to be eating that great because of their reflux.  Luckily that fear was squashed when we saw that they each are gaining about an ounce a day which is great.  So they gained weight: 6lbs 12oz, 6lbs 15oz.  Their due date is coming up this Monday July 12.  It's when we can actually start tracking their growth even though they are almost 2 months old.  That's something I'll have to get used to.

It was great getting them out of the house though and being able to actually use some of the cute outfits we've received.  

I've had so much great help this last week I couldn't be more thankful!  I have such loving friends and family who honestly have made life much easier.  

We went to dinner at my parents house which was a nice relief as well.  It felt comfortable even with having them not home and still being OK. 

Poopy diapers are always in tow of course.

Kenzington is losing some of her hair around her hair line which in turn has made her look like a boy/old man. She as usual was wide awake staring at everyone.

While her sister on the other hand.....

Sound asleep on her adorable new blankets her Auntie in Washington made for them.

We're tired, worn out, but slowly catching back up to life.  I love that they are starting to look more and more like babies.  They watch us and make faces at us and even smile more and more each day. 

Next week I think will be much better!

Weekend

Well our 4th of July was probably the most uneventful compared to most.  That's ok though, we've been pretty bushed since the girls have been home and working hard on getting some type of method going with the madness. 

I've found that Kenzington likes her bouncer-- She doesn't really know what to make of it I think.  She'll just sit there and stare and on occasion smile. :)

Oakley on the other hand only tolerates it when she's very tired, even then you have to keep the chair constantly moving....or else.

We literally spent most the weekend sleeping when we could or otherwise sitting around with the girls in hand.  Austin's Papa and Sis came by Monday to see them, giving me the chance to get away for minute and run to the store.  It was nice to get out but odd because I couldn't only think about if everyone at home was OK.  These mom worries are nuts! 

This morning was the first morning without someone there with me for the first little bit.  I knew it would be interesting trying to shuffle between who gets fed, changed, held, etc. first.  I tried my hardest to occupy them by keeping them tired and in bed with me till my mum could arrive and lend a helping hand.

Despite my efforts within minutes, it was WWI all over again.  Double the cries, double the grunts, double the stress! In the end I broke down and fed one while the other cried.  That's hard....it was the first time in my life I wish I had arms of an octopus.   Soon the calvary arrived and the day went smooth from there on.  After some good meals the girls slept great!  Leaving me and the mums to relax on the couch.  I wish I could have done a little more for her since it was her B-day! Sadly it was just us watching season 1 of 24 and eating some otter pops here and there. Ha, ha. We did get some time outside playing with the dogs, I know the dogs really enjoyed that.  Every time I stood Kiona was at the door as if saying, "Play with me dangit"!

It's really cool to see the personalities of these little monsters come out, even more so that we are now around them 24/7.  It seems to be easy to tell them apart at times so we figured we should take off their hospital stickers that were on their legs.  Just in case of a mix-up I ended up painting Oakley's toe nails, scratch that, attempted to paint her toe nails.  I got 2 1/2 done before she kicked me and ended up getting a pink foot...I gave up after that.  

Their first doctors appointment is Friday it will be nice to get them out of the house for a little bit.  I feel like we are all kind of cooped up.  OH! They'll actually get to wear some cute outfit that we can show off...oh joys! 

Much better

Today has gone much better than the last.  We actually got some solid hours of sleep, even if it was just 2-3 hours! :)  The kittles seem to have slept better as well thanks to Austin's aunt letting us use her co-sleeper.  When one got fussy we'd either comfort them or feed them depending then were able to go right back to relaxing/sleeping.  

My mom has been kind enough to come by and help out with the girls during the day.  A 3rd set of hands really makes a difference.  Things get taken care of that much faster which in turn usually makes someone happy! Ha ha.  

We were talking today and it's really great having them home finally.  Although both of us still can't seem to feel like it's really happening.  Like these are our girls that we are holding.  We have the connection, we love them with all our hearts it is still just a far off dream.  I suppose it will really set in within a few days.  I will tell you this, I love seeing them in little outfits.  Actually being able to dress them in what we want, use what we want, do what we want....it's strange!  :) 

So, the plan for tonight is.  Bottle, medicine, bath, bed!  Sounds wonderful to me...I've gotten a laugh watching Mr. Adams clean out the baby tub, who knew a man could get so frustrated with something so tiny haha.  

Lets hope tonight goes just as smooth or smoother than the night before!  *crosses fingers and toes, just as baby girl A screams*  C'est la vie.  

One down

So many more to go!

We've survived the first night.  I'll have to say it definitely was not the best night of my life.  The girls seem to not be nursing as well as earlier yesterday.  Almost like they are a little stressed on top of we didn't have their gas medicine for them yet.  We spent most the night up and down, one would cry, the other would sleep.  Soon after they would alternate.  One was hungry the other one wasn't.  It was rough.  They both sleep better on their tummys so Austin and I resorted to having them on our chests for an hour this morning so all 4 of us could get some needed Z's.  

Our pup Kiona spent the night outside their bedroom door watching over them for us though. =D

I'm hoping today goes a little smoother.  So far they are both sleeping in their own cribs and aren't as fussy as last night.  My parents were nice enough to come over and clean up the house for us as we tended to the wee ones this morning.  It's really nice to have people so willing to help out. I don't think we'll get too much done the next couple weeks!  

For those future moms out there who may have twins:  take all the help you can get!  You may think you can handle both at one time...with love of course, you're WRONG! =p  I'm pretty sure they purposely mess with your head just so they can get through the night. We still love them of course and will do anything for them but my oh my....

.....it too shall pass. 

They are home!

Early this morning at 10am I was told our angels get to go home!  I think we were in shock the entire time the nurses were prepping us and talking to us about discharge papers.  I barely remember everything that happened or that we were told.  Good thing they gave us the papers to go home with! Hehe.  

I called the hubs right away to let him know to be there earlier than expected.  It took some time since we fed the girls around their 10:30 feeding then ended spending some time packing everything up from the sleep room and taking it all down to the car.  Once we packed up it was time to get the girls in their car seats and out the door.  

I was so nervous as the unhooked them from their monitors, just watching the heart rates go away makes your own heart stop.  We have been so used to just using those monitors to make sure they are ok, heck breathing!  The nurse showed us how to properly secure them in the car seats.  Who knew something could be so technical! ;)  

(Waiting for their dad to pull the car around)

Oakley has to be monitored while in her car seat for the first month or so.  That meant I would have to squeeze into the backseat between the two of them. 

That's what I call a challenge! 

Of course once they got home they both decided that they were hungry at the same time.  So before we could even get settled in it was lunch time.  Austin's mom and sister came by to pick him up and take him back to his motorcycle at the hospital, which helped a ton.  Hilary was able to hold little Kenzington and calm her down while I fed Oakley.  After they left it was me and the girls.  Kenzington was content in her crib just observing the new world around her while her sister on the other hand did not want anything to do with that crib of hers!  It took some walking and rocking to get her calmed down before I could put her back down.  

Since then I've tried to organize a few things while they sleep.  It's crazy how you really don't have time to sit down even if they are sleeping.  They seem to be more fussy and waking up every 2 hours.  If they even get to sleep.  

Tonight is going to be stressful.  I don't know if I'll sleep at all being worried if they are ok or not. It's definitely going to be an experience!  As Austin puts it, "Let the real fun begin". :) 

Oh boy

So far people are saying we are leaving tomorrow (Today since it's 1am).  The doctor said it could be Saturday but of course they don't like to be too forward in case things could change.  Both babes seem to be eating fine and in fact gaining their appetite.  This last feeding was a bit odd since they acted hungry, ate some, but then wouldn't latch while still acting hungry even after a good 20 min of nursing.  Hard to say what's going on there.  So we just put them back in bed and hope they go to sleep for a good solid couple hours before they act hungry again.  I don't know if they've gained or lost weight, no one has told me and well I haven't asked.  The hubs is freaking out because pumping between feedings has been non existent due to not knowing when the girls will want to eat again.  We don't want me to be empty when they decide they are hungry.  He's just worried my supply will change.  I hope not, since they seem to empty me pretty good sometimes.  What do I know!? I'm a newb. =D

We got to see Eclipse tonight and everyone seemed to like it!  My Sis-in-law was able to make it with us which was great!  I love having her around and cannot wait for her little one to come out to meet us.  

Mr. Adams even liked the movie even though he still favors the wolves.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good cuddly dog any day but how could they beat vampires!?.....that's right...they don't! Ha ha.

We'll see how tonight goes I hope to get a couple hours of solid sleep and pray they keep eating well. I'm great at jinxing myself so....here's to being lucky for a night!

Sigh

So the first 24hrs are up in the next hour.  It was a pretty stressful night to be totally honest.  The girls are waking up every 3-4 hours just fine and seem to be eating for a solid 10-15 minutes, which normally when we test weight them shows that they can get 40+ml in that time.  Well, when the nurse weighed them to see if they gained any weight...they lost a bit.  So now it seems to be coming down to the fact they may not be getting enough calories even if they are eating enough.  The nurse suggested doing 2 bottles a day of the 24cal milk combo in hopes of upping their calories to what they need to be.  I'm honestly ok with that since it means it's only 2/8 feedings that they will not be nursing.  

They haven't taken away my room yet, haha, so I'm assuming that I'm still going to be doing the 24hr bit for the next day.  I'm sure they will let me know though when I'm called for an update at their next feeding.  I'm pretty frustrated and could use a good ride on the ol' dirt bike.  

The nurses said Mr. Adams needs to take me to see Eclipse tonight or tomorrow before the girls get home.  Kind of as a Last Date Night! =D  I'm all for it, mainly cause I cannot wait to see it, also because I wouldn't mind get out of the hospital for a little while.  

We'll see what happens this morning if anything will change or we'll just keep doing what we're doing....*sigh*