Potty Training

Well, we decided to tackle potty training. Weslie was so excited to wear her new panties and even slept with the pack the night before.I sent the babies away and Wes and I spent a whole day together eating salty snacks and drinking lots and lots. There were lots of marshmallow rewards and lots of Peppa Pig on the Ipad while we sat on the potty. We decided to go with the naked method and it worked pretty well for us. The second day we did panties only and she had a hard time pulling them up and down over those plump cheeks of hers. Things were slow going for the last 2 weeks.

Fatsies monitoring

She had minimal accidents, and if she did tinkle a little bit she would tell me and finish on the potty. This last week she's started telling me when she needs to go and she has even gone on her own! Woohoo! We've been out in public several times and haven't had any accidents yet! Today she finally started and ended a poop on the toilette with no troubles. That pretty much means she's graduated potty training as far as I'm concerned! Well...minus the pull-ups at night. I am so proud of her, and glad the hard work is over! She had shown so many of the signs that she was ready but I was still nervous she wouldn't get it or want to do it. She surprised me with how quickly I felt I could trust her without asking her if she needed to go every 5 min. It has been so fun to watch her make such a big transition with such ease and see how proud of herself she has been with every success. Yay for only 2 kids in diapers!

2013 Christmas

This Christmas was very low key, and I think it was just perfect for everyone this year. I took Kevin too a nice steakhouse and got us tickets to see Kenny G. He started the concert in the aisle and played just a few feet away from us! Don't worry, Kevin got me some great gifts too. We also spoiled ourselves and got a nice camera that we've been wanting for a long time. Yay!

On Christmas Eve, all the girls got their new Christmas jammies (Yay for the twins first Christmas Pj's!) and the 3 sisters had a gingerbread decorating contest. However, we couldn't find anyone to judge the competition because they were all afraid to pick a favorite.

Christmas morning was great. I fed Soph and Rem at 7:30 and couldn't go back to sleep because I was so excited for Weslie. As usual, she slept in because we had something going on.

Good Morning

Weslie took her time examining each present before moving on to the next. She has been loving all her gifts and she asks for them constantly, even when we are out running errands...what!

Peppa Pig

What a wonderful first Christmas with these little darlings.

We sure had a lot to be grateful for this year. I am looking forward to 2014 and lots of new goals and adventures!

Sophie and Remi's Baby Blessings

On Sunday Kevin gave each of the girls a sweet and unique blessing. We were joined by lots of family and friends for the special day. Thank you to everyone that traveled so far to be there. Remi got a little fussy towards the end of her blessing but Sophie was just as calm as her big sis was during hers. It went pretty smoothly, especially since we had to change clothes to share the blessing dress. It was a wonderful day spent celebrating our sweet girls and all that they have ahead of them.

Thanksgiving 2013

This year we were lucky to have lots of Kevin's family here in Texas for a joint Thanksgiving. I was a little nervous about hosting so many people but I prepared well enough and my mom did most of the cooking. The meal was delicious as always. Thanks mom and dad for all your help!

Early morning bear snuggles

Arts and Crafts

I was so glad that all of Kevin's immediate family got to spend some time with the twins. On Friday we went to the aquarium. Wes wanted to stay and watch the monkeys (yes, monkeys at the aquarium) all day. Everyone had fun walking around and looking at all the wildlife.

 Afterwards, we had lunch at the mall. Worst idea ever for black Friday. But, it was fun to browse with everyone. Wes hopped in the boys stroller and disappeared with aunt Erinn for a while. When they came back Wes had a cookie in her hand and a new pair of Christmas pajamas. Erinn said, "We went shopping." So cute! Those few minutes of bonding were all that girl needed. She wouldn't stop talking about aunt Erinn after that. We ended the night with Kevin's family falling in love with Pappasitos fajitas. Success.

When you're hurt and can't find daddy, uncle Andrew will do.

On Saturday the boys all went golfing and the girls went and got pedicures. Then we spent time playing at the park. The kids were loving the weather and having freedom outside. Weslie wanted Aunt Erinn to go on the slide with her over and over again. After dinner Erinn and I went on a girls trip to target. I am so glad we did. I love that girl!

Sunday was the girl's baby blessings. Afterwards we all hung out and played games. We enjoyed having everyone here. It was nice for Wes to get closer to her other grandparents, aunts and uncles. We were also very grateful to have Kevin's grandparents and my grandpa Grape all to ourselves as well. Those three individuals have always been people that we love and admire so much. The cousins spent the whole afternoon together and even swam in the hot tub. Those boys sure are cute. We are missing them already! Fingers crossed that Andrew and family can move to Austin in the next few years.

Monday arrived and everyone had to go home. I think everyone was pretty worn out from all the excitement but it was still very sad. It was a very fun week. Having everyone here was so fun.
That afternoon Chloe took Weslie on their first aunt/niece date to go see Frozen. So cute! Wes was glad to have some quiet one on one time with someone more familiar. Remi and I fell asleep on the couch and napped for a good hour or two. I love it when I can relax and sleep with one or both of them on my chest. You just forget about everything and enjoy the moment. Now we are officially ready for the Christmas season.

2 Months

Today marks 2 months since we went from 3 to 5. It feels like I have barely had any time with them and yet it feels like they have belonged with our family forever all at once. All I know is that they're all ours to keep forever and ever.
I have taken a break from blogging the last month and now I realize as I'm writing this that I must blog. I must blog so that I remember all the special baby things. I must blog because they change so much even from week to week and it is going too fast. I love snuggling with them on my chest. Especially when all 3 of us fall asleep. I love their baby smell. They started talking this week and I love that too. I just want to be close and have mommy and me time all the time. I love that Wes has finally warmed up to them and wants to help and be sweet to them.
The girls are so different already. I'm amazed how the capacity to love just grows when you have a baby and that I could love them both so individually so soon. Sometimes I just want to hold both of them in my arms but some days I find myself gravitating towards one or the other if one's particularly snugly or having a rough day etc. I definitely don't favor one over the other. They're just not a twin unit, they're my individual girls just like Wes is. They are so sweet and such good babies. They are starting to get more alert during the day and they have started smiling at us. They aren't very demanding at all.

My only complaint is not being able to meet all 3 girls needs right away when they all need me at once. It makes me sad and feel like I'm spread thin. They had their first Thanksgiving and their baby blessings this last week and I didn't get near enough pics. I never wanted to be the average mom that takes lots of pictures of the first child and gets more lazy as time goes on. I am doing my best to be equal but having 2 new babies at once to keep track of is a lot more stressful and I feel like I'm failing. I feel guilty and disappointed. But I am trying my best and I will just have to settle for putting them back into outfits to get more pics this week.
They are just so perfect and I love them so much. I want to be my best for them. I have been busy  taking it all in during the last month because I know how quick this special time goes.

One Month

How is it that it's been a month already? I feel like I have hardly had any snuggle time with these girls. It is going way too fast already. I want to hold them all the time but it's been hard to balance sleep, snuggles, Weslie time and household duties. I usually neglect sleep and chores to be with either Weslie or snuggle the babies, and occasionally I'll just sit next to all of them on the couch and zone out while Weslie's cartoons are playing on the TV. Overall being at home during the day is easy. These babies are little angels. I thought we were lucky with Wes but these girls are even easier than she was. I don't know what we did to deserve such easy babies. The hard thing is going out. Sometimes all I have to do is get everyone dressed, fed and do diaper changes and it can literally take 3 hours to get everyone settled and ready to get in the car. It's like they can sense the stress I'm feeling from having to be somewhere and they get fussy. It's definitely hard to get everyone out the door and I haven't attempted going anywhere with all 3 alone. Any outings usually start with dropping either the babies or Weslie off with a sitter first. Heck, I can't even fit all my kids in the grocery cart! And Wes cannot be trusted to stay with me. I don't anticipate taking them out alone for a while. The stress of getting out of the house is very discouraging so we've had a lot of pajama days at home, which has been nice for getting everyone on a schedule, but at the same Wes and I get a little cabin fever not being able to just get out of the house without a whole ordeal. I try to get out at least a few times a week and it's always nice once we do. I really do make it harder for myself by stressing out about getting ready and getting out.

We went in to the doc office today to weigh in and they are both heavier than their birth weight. Woohoo! Remi is 6lbs 5oz and Soph is 5lbs 1oz (yay, she finally made it to 5lbs!!). They are healthy but Sophie still needs to be gaining more. So if she doesn't start eating more during the feedings then we have to start feeding her every 2 hours until she starts getting 12oz a day. 

The girls are so different. Their cries are different and I can usually tell who it is right away. Remi doesn't like the car seat but is fine to wait her turn for food if she has a binki. Sophie is the opposite. Remi seems to like nursing and burps easier when she does (although it's still a challenge!). Sophie likes the bottle more and I'm okay with that because that means I can see exactly how much she's eating. Remi is our loud eater and sometimes she forgets to breathe because she is trying to get it down so fast. It's no wonder she is bigger! Sophie will pretend to be hungry just to be held. She usually isn't serious about her meals and she would casually snack all day if I'd let her. They are both so sweet and I still catch myself staring at them in disbelief. I love all the "baby-ness". I love holding their tiny hands and feet. They seem to sleep more soundly when they are close together. Sometimes when they are hungry and rooting we will catch one baby sucking on the other baby's nose, hand, ear etc. They usually sleep through each other's crying pretty well too. Usually the timing is perfect and I am able to feed one right after another and then pump. But there are times when I can't get a bubble out of them and they get fussy. Then I have to go back and forth holding each of them to get them settled down again. That's when nights become long and hard. I don't mind snuggling them at night, I just hate feeling rushed to get one settled before the other one needs me again.

Weslie is so funny. She is curious about the girls and we catch her trying to feed them a bottle or patting them on the head in secret. As soon as she see's one of us she pretends nothing happened and goes back to ignoring them. She likes them deep down and she asks to hold them a little more everyday. It is the cutest thing when she snuggles them. She is such a ham. She is doing a lot better and is back to her happy self. Gosh I love that girl.

Happy Halloween!

From our little scarecrow, Dorothy and the wicked witch.

Life After the Hospital

Sometimes I still can't believe there's two! They are really starting to look identical now that their weight is evening out a bit. I can always tell who it is though. They are both so different. We love them so much. We actually left the hospital a day early. I couldn't wait to get them home and settled.

That Saturday was the perfect day to bring them home. It was rainy and chilly outside and the crisp air was so refreshing after being cooped up in the hospital for days. We got some delicious hot chocolate from Starbucks on the way home, did some light unpacking, and then snuggled right up with them on the couch. It was so good to be home again! After a little time alone my parents brought Weslie over with some treats for us. It was her birthday and we loved hearing all about her day and all the fun things she did while she stayed with them. Wes wanted to stay home with us so we started figuring out how to juggle everything right off the bat. The next day was conference and it was so nice to lounge around and listen to the talks. My mom's turkey dinner was the perfect meal after an exhausting week too. The first few days are always so special. I have been lucky and have had lots of alone time to snuggle my little newborns, as Kevin took this week off. He has been such a great help with everything, especially with giving Weslie special time and attention. Don't worry he's had lots of time for baby snuggles too.

Things are completely opposite of what I thought they would be. Weslie seems to be having a harder time adjusting as the days go by. We have been trying to give her alone time each day and we have been able to go out as a family or just her and Kevin at least once a day to do something fun with her. It has been especially hard on me to see her struggle. I feel like I'm being spread extra thin between two tiny babies that want to be held and close to their momma in this strange new world and my sweet little girl who needs reassurance and extra snuggles. We are just taking each day at a time and letting her warm up to them at her own pace. The times when she wants to hold one are cherished moments right now, and I look forward to the day when she loves playing with them. That has by far been the hardest part of adjusting.

Everyone I know or meet randomly with twins keeps telling me how the first part is the hardest, that they cried all the time and that it will get better. I don't know what they're talking about because these girls are so easy. They NEVER cry unless they are hungry (assuming we don't have to wake them up to eat). Weslie cried way more than the two of them put together. It could just be that they are extra sleepy and still growing a lot because they were born early, but I am going to enjoy every minute of it while I can and hope that it lasts. I love seeing them together. I love waking up at nights to feed them because it's more quiet time I get to hold and enjoy them. I can't believe we've had them for a week already and yet I can't imagine our lives without them.

Sophie & Remi's Birth Story

Has it been a week already?! It felt like the last few weeks of pregnancy were going to drag on forever but I finally made it to my scheduled c-section date last Wednesday. I woke up that morning feeling dehydrated and nauseous. I was so mad because I had purposely tried to drink lots and lots of water in the days leading up to this and even skipped out on a celebratory Dr. Pepper at dinner the night before. Maybe it was because I was feeling sick, or maybe it was because Kevin insisted on stopping off at the eye doctor to get a piece of his glasses replaced on the way to the hospital, but it just seemed like a normal day.

When we got to the hospital the reality and excitement started to sink in - I was anxious to get things going. I told them I wanted my IV as soon as possible because I couldn't drink anything due to the surgery. Of course they took their sweet time getting things hooked up and I got sick right when the nurse was drawing my blood! Yikes. They got my IV setup soon after that and decided to give me some meds to help me feel better. That's when things really went south.

I don't know why they didn't just give me Zofran or Phenergan for my nausea that worked so great during my pregnancy, but they decided to give me Reglan. Apparently I am allergic. I felt like I had restless leg syndrome all over my body. I tried to stay cool at first. Since they had barely adjusted the heart-rate monitors on the babies, I knew I couldn't move and mess it up, "Just pretend your leg is asleep...you can handle that until the epidural", I kept thinking to myself. But soon the feeling was all over my body and very intense. My skin was just crawling! I held off from messing up the monitors as long as I could, but I kept sitting up then laying down, back and forth, one after the other. Finally the time came to get my epidural. By this time it was painful to sit up and be still while the area was sterilized prior to the injection. Moments later I was sobbing into the nurses chest and trying to hold still (when I got my epidural with Wes I didn't even cry!). I think they gave me a little something extra in my IV cause I fell right to sleep and my memory is a little spotty, which makes me sad.

The next thing I knew Kevin was in his scrubs and my doctor was there letting me know it was go time! I fell back asleep and woke back up right as the surgery was about to begin. I guess it was good that I didn't have any time to get super nervous! Before I knew it things were in full swing.

It wasn't bad at all. The most pressure I felt was when they were moving Remi down. I kept looking at Kevin and trying to wait patiently. After about 10 min I heard a sweet little cry from my Sophie. They brought her over to show her to me. I couldn't believe how tiny she was. One minute later our Remi was born. They were perfect. I couldn't see them getting examined so I just closed my eyes and smiled and listened to their little cries. Kevin got to hold their little hands and take it all in. He kept coming back to give me updates. They were both so healthy. I couldn't believe there were no problems. I had been so worried, especially about Soph being so small. What a blessing! Kevin went with them to the nursery and I took a little cat nap while they finished getting me squared away.

Their first picture together, harmonizing their cries en route to the nursery.

Personal space - what's that?

Born Wednesday October 2, 2013

Remi Chanel
5lbs 15oz.
19 3/4"
12:34 PM

Sophie Estelle
4lbs 11oz.
18 1/4"
12:33 PM

Side note: It was so easy to tell them apart at the hospital because of their weight difference. Since they have come home from the hospital, their weight has started to normalize and they're living up to being 'identical twins' more naturally... which makes it more difficult to tell them apart.

Continuing on... Next thing I knew I was in recovery. They brought in my sweet girls and I was able to do my skin to skin and nurse them. I couldn't believe I had two new babies all at once in my arms. They were so tiny and sweet. We were able to spend a few quiet hours alone with them there. It was so surreal trying to take it all in and get acquainted with two new babies all at once. I could've stared at their tiny little faces for hours.

After Kevin and I had a chance to be alone with our sweet treasures, we introduced Weslie to her sisters. As soon as she saw them she started repeating, "baby". We put her on the bed and she smiled at them curiously while Kevin helped her hold Sophie. Weslie is such a sweet and tender girl and sometimes really shy, but seemed to like holding her. Just as her little 2-yr old attention span wore off, Chloe busted through the hospital room door, followed by a curious Grandpa. Then came an upset grandma who wanted to be the next one in the room, and had been waiting patiently down the hall while Wes had her alone time - to grandma's credit, she (and everyone else) hardly received any updates all day (it was a crazy day, and sending pictures and responding to the numerous calls and texts we received was delayed much longer than we anticipated - sorry!). As soon as grandma laid eyes on the angels though, all was forgotten and we spent some great time together as a family.

Time in the hospital is always kind of a blur for me. Nurses are constantly in and out during all hours of the day and night, and it's hard trying to balance visitors, sleep, feeding and special bonding time all at once. I was so exhausted I could hardly keep my eyes open during the night time feedings but I didn't want to put them down - I just wanted to hold my girls every chance I could! Recovery was very different than it was when I had Wes, each type of delivery has their pros and cons. My stomach was very sore this time and standing up straight was the worst! I was encouraged to get up and walk the hospital halls a couple of times a day to help speed up the recovery. I really enjoyed taking one of the babies with me for a walk, and I also thought it was sweet of Kevin to join us when he didn't have to work (poor guy has to work all the time). The pain medications made me very sleepy so I tried to limit my doses as much as I could, and walk-it-off as often as possible.

Friday afternoon the nurses were a little concerned about how much weight the girls had lost. I was so worried that things would start to get worse but Kevin gave the girls a blessing that they would be able to stay healthy. It was so sweet to hear him give these tiny infants such tender blessings while I held them. Their weight stabilized a little bit and we were actually able to go home a day early. I couldn't believe they were able to come home from the hospital with us. We are so blessed! They are so sweet and I am so glad that they are a part of our family. It is so amazing how your heart just gets bigger and your capacity to love grows so much once a sweet baby enters your life. We love our girls so much.