Gift to Grandmas

It took us awhile to let anyone but us hold the boys. Once we did, the grandmas were in heaven.

Nana with Grayson

GrimGram with Rogan

NICU Moments

The boys are doing so great! Today they're at 36 weeks gestation, and they're 6.5 weeks old. They still have a couple more weeks to go. The major thing they need to do is take every feeding from a bottle. A few days ago, we went to the NICU and discovered they didn't have feeding tubes in their noses! They'd taken every feeding that day via bottle. The tubes were put back in, though. Sucking on the nipples just wears them out. They'll get there, though...they're so close! They're about to grow out of their preemie clothes, too. They're already bigger than Arden was when she was born at 36 weeks...amazing!!

Grayson...no feeding tube! He weighs 5 lbs 13 oz.

Rogan...no feeding tube! He weighs 6 lbs 1 oz.

Grayson is red, Rogan in green

Whenever we bring Arden, we inevitably end up in the family room. She loves playing with everything in there!

Arden loves her baby brothers! I hope she feels the same way when they come home.

"Baby!"

They were still in their isolettes here. It feels like so long ago! Grayson is on his tummy, Rogan is on his back.

Big Sister!

I think we're both feeding Grayson.

Family!

A few weeks ago, we got to hold them both at the same time. We haven't done it since. I can't believe they're so much bigger than this now. I can't wait for them to come home. It'll feel like Christmas!

Pool Time!

The pool at our apartment opened a couple of months ago, but we waited until last week to take advantage of it. We went just before lunch. The water was so cold! We got used to it, though. I thought Arden would fuss about how cold it was, but she didn't. We stayed out there for about 30 minutes. It's a good thing, too, because I didn't have any sunscreen on and still ended up with tan lines!

Isn't her swimsuit the cutest?! I got it for $2.50 at Once Upon a Child.

Mother's Day

This year was my second official Mother's Day, and I have 3 kids! Crazy! I'd like to say the day was restful, but it wasn't. I took Arden to church all by my lonesome. I then fed her lunch, put her down for a nap, and arranged flowers for my mom, Mary Bernice, and Mayeth. No nap for me! We did have dinner at my mom's house, so I didn't have to cook....that was nice. Then we visited the boys at the NICU. We held them a long time, but we didn't get any pics. However, the boys (with the help of some nurses) made me the sweet card below. It made my day!

I'm grateful for all the mothers in my life. Happy Mother's Day!

The flowers I arranged for my mom.

A gift from Adam: My babies and their birthstones!

This necklace was made for me by a family support group at the NICU. It has all the birthstones of my kids. So sweet!

We're One Month Old!

I can't believe how quickly time flies...and yet it seems like it's standing still. Our boys are one month old today. Wow! They are doing so well! They've come a long way since the beginning. I'm so proud of them.

I was lucky enough to get to spend lots of time with them today. My lovely maw-in-law watched Arden nearly all day long. Here's how we celebrated: bath time!

The boys get their baths on Thursdays and Sundays. This was their second official bath, as in being placed in water. Fun times!

Grayson got his bath first. He was actually ok with it for the most part, although he seems upset in the upper right pic. He became very calm after I clothed him. I also got to bottle-feed him, but he was tuckered out after 15 mL. He fell sound asleep, sweet boy.

Rogan got his bath a couple hours later. Nurse Cathy actually took pics while I was bathing him. So sweet! Rogan was not thrilled with his bath at all. I think the water cooled down too much before he actually got in it. He was so happy when he was clothed, too. I then bottle-fed him, but he didn't take much at all. He wanted to sleep.

I will add a more detailed update later, but this is all I have time for at the moment. G'night!

Our Beautiful Girl

Our little Arden is 19 months old today and a big sister of twin boys! Considering the boys were born the day after she turned 18 months, I totally slacked in giving an 18-month update...so here it is!

Arden is 19 pounds (still off the chart but getting closer to the third percentile) and 29.75" long (5th percentile.) So she's still petite, but she's growing! The doctor says the rear-facing carseat is still safest, so that's what we'll keep her in until she gets too tall. She has 8 teeth...4 in the front and 4 in the back.

Arden loves spending time with all of her grandparents. Whenever she sees my mom, she says "Nana!" She always has fun at Grandma and Grandpa Lewis' house. She probably wears them out by going up and down the stairs, though. Grandpa Randy's house is fun, too...especially with Auntie Jasmine around! She also loves spending time with all her aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Her personality has definitely begun to shine through. She is a jabber mouth! I think that's hilarious since Adam and I are not big talkers. The phrase she loves to use is "Ahhh nahh!" and she says it very dramatically. I'm not really sure what it means, but my guess is "oh no..?" Since the boys have been born, her favorite word is "baby!" She calls all of her stuffed animals babies. I love to hear her talking to them in her crib. I always kiss her goodnight, and she's picked up on that. She says "Muh! Nigh-nigh...bye-bye!" She even kisses her stuffed animals on the mouth (which is funny, because we do not kiss her on the mouth!) She loves to dance. She shakes her hips from side-to-side. She loves Elmo and calls him "Melmo!" Actually, she calls every character on Sesame Street "Melmo"...too funny! Outdoors is her favorite place to be. If she had her way, she'd stay outside and walk around all day long. She loves nursery at church (thank goodness,) and has no problem going in even when other kids are screaming. She definitely throws fits and can be very loud at home, but it's hard to get mad at her when she shows you her toothy grin.

Here are some random pics in a random order. Enjoy!

Duhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuh....Bat Girl!

Sitting very nicely in the NICU...that didn't last long! The lactation consultant let Arden play with this baby doll.

Arden really wanted on dadoo's lap with Baby Rogan. She was not happy when she didn't get her way.

Pointing at Baby Rogan

Pointing at Baby Grayson

Monkey See....Monkey Do!

My Sweet Pea

Hanging out with Grandpa Lewis

She loves her dadoo! Ever since my hospital stay, she's been calling him "mama!"

Arden really loves going to Grandpa Randy's and playing with her Auntie Jasmine. Jasmine isn't always too thrilled, though.

"He loves me....he loves me not....he loves me!"

She loves going over to the Allen's house and playing with their kids. Since the boys have been born, she calls all kids "baby."

She loves to feed herself and flirt at the dinner table. Batting her eyelashes is her specialty!

One time at Steak-n-Shake, she started dipping her fries in her applesauce. I have no clue where she got that from, but she now loves to dip!

She loves sticking out her tongue!

Little Miss Pebbles

My first and only attempt at pigtails...I will do them again!

Gorgeous Child

She loves riding on her zebra!

It's amazing to me how much she's turned into such a little girl...no longer a baby. I love my girl!