First weeks at home

This update is long overdue, however I no longer have any control over my daily schedule…. The girls run the show now – but as they snooze I figured I’d get some new pictures posted from our first couple weeks at home.

"K"

"N"

The girls are doing great and look more and more alike everyday! They each gained nearly a pound during their first week at home! It is hard to believe that the reason the girls spent so much time in the hospital was because we couldn’t get them to eat, but now it seems like they can’t get enough. And when they are hungry they will latch on to just about anything, whether it be a finger, the sleeve of a shirt, or even a nose!!! (I just love this picture!)

Grandma and Aunt Elizabeth were here last week which was a great help!!! It was really nice to spend time with them since it seems like we never have enough time to catch up during our trips home to Michigan. (I miss you guys already !)

So this week has actually been my first week alone with the girls….which hasn’t been as overwhelming as I thought it might be. Don’t get me wrong – two screaming babies at one time happens quite often but can usually be solved with getting them a little something to eat. I thought I was pretty good at multi-tasking before having twins, now I’m becoming a master at it!! The ability to feed or comfort two babies at once has become a necessity. When the girls aren’t eating they love taking walks in the stroller and LOVE bath time!!!

Daddy got a new DSLR camera for Father’s Day – so I’ll be sure to include some pics from his new toy on my next post!

Nine days old

Hello! Well I know many of you have been anxiously waiting for an update on the girls. Kate and Natalie are nine days old today and are doing great. I was discharged from the hospital Monday, but the girls are still in the special care nursery. They are doing very good; the doctors are just waiting for them to start eating more consistently before they will send them home. We’re hoping that will happen in the next couple days. Fortunately the hospital has parent overnight rooms, so we’ve been able to stay overnight with the girls over the past week. It’s also been a good way to ease into the many sleepless nights to come, since at home we won’t have the option of skipping a 2am feeding to just let the nurses do it.

Although the girls are identical, they have already begun to show their individual personalities and funny little quirks…… Natalie likes to sleep looking to the right, while Kate likes to sleep looking to the left. Natalie LOVES to go to the bathroom right in the middle of a diaper change…..she’s caught me, daddy, and even the nurses off guard multiple times. Kate loves to stick out her tongue and sleep with her mouth wide open. (I think she gets that from her daddy)

I have to keep this short as I need to get to their 5pm feeding, but here’s a few more pics….

Daddy & Natalie

Daddy & Kate

Natalie

Kate

Happy Birthday Girls!!!

So Sara and I were expecting to meet our girls on June 4th, but of course they had different plans for us. On Thursday May 29th, the girls decided rather quickly that they were coming. Luckily we were already at the hospital for routine check-ups. After about three hours of observation and contractions going from every six minutes to every two minutes, our doctor decided that Sara would go into surgery that night.

At 9:47pm on May 29th, Natalie Elise introduced herself weighing in at 5 lbs. A mere minute later, Kate Elizabeth arrived weighing 5lb 3ozs. Here are just a few pictures….we’ll post more as we can.

Natalie Elise

Kate Elizabeth

Out in the Real World

I guess I don’t realize how enormous I am until I step out into the real world. Thursday was my weekly doctor’s appointment, which happens to be at the hospital that I will be delivering at. The hospital has a greeter that stands near the front door and helps direct patients to where they need to go. Well, I swear each week I walk through the front door I give the greeter a heart attack. About three weeks ago, he took one look at me and got all flustered like I was going to give birth right there in the lobby. Yesterday, he still kinda got that nervous look on his face and said “I remember you”, but I quickly told him that is still wasn’t quite time yet. It doesn’t just stop at the front door either…..all through out the hospital I get “good luck” wishes or just lots of stares.

So I know I’m big, by my size didn’t really hit me until we went out to dinner that night….yes OUT to dinner!! My doctor gave me a free pass to get out of the house for the night. So for my big night out we met up with some of our friends at one of our favorite places to go in the summer “Maynards” which is a restaurant/bar right on Lake Minnetonka. So getting back to my hugeness, it really hit me when I was in the bathroom standing next to this girl in a cute little tank top and jeans…… I took one look in the mirror at her and then at me and just had to laugh. Now I know what everyone is staring at. HA!

Well, the doctor appointment went well and it looks like the girls will be here soon…….. We’ve set a date for their delivery, but plan to keep that to ourselves for now. We need to leave it as somewhat of a surprise for all of you!! Who knows, maybe the girls will surprise all of us and arrive earlier than even we expect.

I am 34 weeks and 6 days today!! I actually snuck out of the house this morning for a quick hair cut. I chopped it since its been about 6 months since it was last cut due to the bedrest, and I’m sure once the girls get here it will be another 6 months before I cut it again. Well looks like its going to be a nice weekend here in Minnesota. No big plans, just a nice relaxing weekend for the hubby and I. We have to enjoy them while we can.

Still pregnant...

I am 33 weeks and 4 days today! Its crazy to think that the babies could be here any day now! If you can see past my big belly, you'll see that the hubby has been busy putting together swings, bouncers, and a new nightstand over the past week. My bedrest and my need to "nest" are not a good combination for him....every day I think of something new for the 'honey-do' list. :) Not too much else is new here......just anxiously waiting.

Beautiful Flowers!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!! I had to post a picture of these beautiful flowers. Since going on bedrest, Mike has brought me fresh flowers every week to keep my spirits up and brighten my living area. These flowers are gorgeous and smell amazing!!! What a wonderful husband I have! :)

And on top of that, after growing up less than two blocks away from a 7-11, Coke slurpees have always been a favorite of mine. Well in this crazy state of Minnesota, there are no 7-11's and the gas station slushees just can't compete. But this weekend, Mike made a new discovery.... Burger King Icees are about as close to a slurpee as you can get. So right now, I am enjoying a my new favorite beverage....a Coke Icee! YUM!

32 weeks tomorrow!

Good afternoon! It's a sunny, but chilly day here in Minnesota! I wanted to add a quick pic of my belly... I'll be 32 weeks tomorrow, which is a BIG milestone! I can't believe I've been on bedrest for almost 2 months now.

Mike and I will be watching the Kentucky Derby on TV today, wishing that we could be in the infield drinking mint julips!!! When we lived in Indiana, we were able to go to the Derby twice with our Indy friends- and loved it!!! There is nothing better than getting up early on a Saturday morning with the purpose of partying all day!! :) I tried to find some pics to post from our Derby trips but can't seem to find them......so instead I figure I'd post a few random pics of us with our Indy friends. We miss you guys!