Big Adventures

I survived my first week alone all day with Bennett & Kendyll (or should I say they survived their first week alone with me!). All in all it wasn't too bad and I think we are pretty much on a good schedule. It was also a good weekend for all of us -- this was the first weekend that our family of four was alone all weekend. And no offense to all of our VERY helpful and supportive families -- it was actually quite nice to be alone just the four of us. We had a little social time on Friday -- Bennett met his future girlfriend and Kendyll met her future best friend, Avery Hoge. The adults had a fun time with pizza, beer and basketball and it was a pretty good Friday night. Saturday we ventured "out" with the twins -- we attended the annual April Fools Free Pancake Breakfast at the plaza by our house (and met a very nice fellow mom of twins -- she gave us hope for the future as her boys are now 3 1/2). We then ran a few errands with B & K and found that although it is a bit of a hassle to get them ready to leave, it is actually pretty easy to shop with them because all they really do is sleep. We also had two very good nights of sleep -- B & K cooperated and slept solid between their nighttime feedings (I can't say the same for last night, but I'm not going to complain . . . the two good nights were golden!).

I actually ventured out with the twins alone today -- quite a big adventure. It took me an hour to leave the house, but we made it to Babies R Us and Target and then back home without any major meltdowns. Having a list and being prepared at each store helped! Because it is still flu & RSV season, we pretty much keep the kids bundled up in their carseats when we go out so that well meaning gawkers don't get too close. It is funny how much attention B & K attract when we go out.

We are preparing for a busy two weeks as Tim is traveling to Georgia this week (Tues - Friday) and then will be in Chicago all next week for a class (Sunday - Friday). Thankfully the grandpas are coming to town for a conference this week, so I'll have a little help in the evenings. We're excited for our new nanny Becca to start next week (my last week at home!) and I'm sure I'll be VERY excited to see her each morning after my nights on my own! :-)

I've finally updated a few pictures -- enjoy! I'll try to write more later this week.

Mom is SO boring during the day . . . (p.s. -- they technically aren't supposed to sleep in these boppy pillows, so there I go winning the mom of the year award again!). :- )


Bennett & Kendyll getting ready to meet their new friend, Avery:



Exhausted after a busy Friday night (chilling with Daddy on the couch):


All bundled up (and worn out) after a day shopping with Mommy:



Picture from today . . . they both seem to be saying "who the heck are you and what are you doing in MY space?"

Sleep Deprivation . . .

Every time I think we have Bennett & Kendyll "trained" to sleep between their feedings at night, they end up becoming party night-owls and we get no sleep. Those people who say "sleep when your baby sleeps" must never have had twins . . . although they are napping together right now, I know the moment I lay my head on the couch to catch a few zzzs one of them will wake up. Figures! And at night we have had a few good nights where they both go right to sleep after their feedings and pretty much stay asleep until their next feeding 4 hours later, but those nights seem rare. Kendyll is still having some stomach issues (especially at night) and Bennett seems to enjoy sleeping all day (even though we try VERY hard to keep him awake). So normally one will be wide awake between the 11p & 3a feedings and the other one likes to be awake between 3a & 7a. ARG!! I know this will get better at some point, but I figured I'd just share why there haven't been very many new pictures, etc. this week. We're just trying to adjust to our new schedule, life, etc.

Us as parents . . .

I am on Day Three of being on my own during the day (well, technically I wasn't alone yesterday -- Tim worked from home -- but he was in another area of the house all day working while I took care of the kids, so I'm still going to count it). All Grandparents and Daddy are back to the day-to-day of their work lives and I'm here as a stay-at-home mom for three weeks. The 2nd most popular question / statement when I was pregnant was "you're going to stay at home with the twins, right?!?". And my response was always a very polite "H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS no! I will be a better mom because I work". Um yeah, I'm sticking by that statement (job security for our nanny, Becca, if you are reading this). I love my kids, don't get me wrong, and I'm sure this will be a LOT more fun when they are older and do more than eat/sleep/poop, but I'm just not cut out to be stay-at-home mom material. So to all of those peeps who thought I would change my mind once B & K arrived -- ha! I win and was right! :-)


Those of you who have known us for a while know that Tim & I are not "kids people". We are not really a fan of babies or other kids and we hoped that we would at least come to like our own children (which is the case, thank goodness). If I hear one of our parents say one more time that they thought we would NEVER have children I may actually develop a complex about it (just kidding). Seriously, we were not planning this and certainly did not expect the twins part (even though they run in my family), so we are slowly coming to terms with the idea of being parents and having these two as our responsibly for life (I know, most people deal with this WAY before they become parents -- or at least while they are pregnant!). I don't want to sound ungrateful for our blessings -- I know that there are many people out there who would give their right pinkie to be up all night with a screaming baby (let alone TWO) and we are very thankful for our two healthy and for the most part easy babies. It just wasn't our plan and so we're still working through that. With that said, to those of you who have asked if we had any "magical" AHHHH moments with the kids, my answer to that is no. They do make us laugh and it still feels like we are watching someone else's kids for a while, but we're sure it will all click with us some day. :-)


We are not your typical parents and are already probably scarring our children for life. For example, our new bedtime routine involves listening to Alternative Rock station 106.7 while we feed the babies their 11 pm bottle in their room. Last night they were rocked to sleep by the Killers song "Somebody Told Me". Today we are jamming to DMX and Snoop Dogg on the rap music channel on TV. And yes, we took up the Grandparent's offer to babysit the first weekend both B & K were home and we went shopping both Saturday AND Sunday all day. And yes, we went to a Riverboat Casino last weekend to gamble while our 5 week old twins spent the night in the care of Nana & Papa. We're already planning a trip to Chicago this summer without them (heads up IL folks!) and we will probably take a trip in October for our anniversary without them. We are not the kind of people who go two years without taking a trip (or even a night) to ourselves. No offense to those of you who are that way -- I admire you, for sure! -- but we are trying to keep some shred of our old lives while we incorporate our little blessings into our new lives. Our family vacations will probably consist of trips to St. Martin and all-inclusive hotels in Mexico (I'm sure we'll fit Disney in there at some point, too) -- I guess what I'm trying to say is that I wasn't your typical gushy pregnant lady and we aren't your typical parents.


Ok, sorry for the ramble. It occurred to me last night while I was up with both babies in the middle of the night that I had mentioned a while back I would discuss how unqualified we are to be parents (and how we're winging it, not your typical parents, etc.). I need to run because Kendyll is stirring and when the girl wants her food she WANTS her food NOW (I swear I'm going to try to catch this on video some day . . . she literally YELLS at you until you feed her). Here is a picture of what our lives are now . . . hanging on the couch in our boppies with my co-babysitter Tabasco (that's another thing . . . our kids are covered in dog hair and Tabasco loves to give them kisses . . . we can't help it!). B & K are also into checking out the swing - Bennett likes it more than Kendyll . . . but they are just now big enough per the weight requirement to hang out it them so hopefully they both start to enjoy it soon.

Happy Easter!!

Bennett & Kendyll hope that everyone had a nice Easter! We celebrated with Grandma Angie, Grandpa Mike, Nana Debbie and Papa Sam. Enjoy the pictures!

Growing Up!

Just a quick update . . . we took B & K in to the pediatrician for a weight check this afternoon. Bennett is weighing in at 5 lbs 13.5 oz and Kendyll is at 6 lbs 5 oz (she LOVES to eat!). Both are growing according to where they should be and we can expect them to add a half ounce to an ounce a day.

Mommy & Daddy are actually going out of town tomorrow night and leaving the kids with Nana Debbie and Papa Sam. We're looking forward to a good night's sleep -- woo-hoo!!

Nana Debbie picked up some new headgear for the kids today. Kendyll isn't too sure about hers . . . I told her she only has to wear it when Nana comes to town. :-) Enjoy the pictures!

Five weeks old

Today is Bennett & Kendyll's five week birthday. My how time flies! I can remember thinking how awesome it was going to be to have help with the twins the first few weeks they are home and now my time has almost run out!! First of all, I have to give a major shout-out to our families again! Everyone has been so great and helpful . . . both sets of grandparents were here last weekend and Tim & I were able to get out and about to shop and do our normal weekend routine. My mom was here all last week and worked the "night shift" with us; this week it is Tim's mom's turn. We're actually trying to change up the routine a little bit. It occurred to me late last week that once my help is gone I'm going to be the one feeding them all day long -- and it will probably be a little difficult to feed them both at once (let me throw in here that I will really only be "alone" for two weeks . . . I am going back to work full-time on 4/14 and our new nanny, Becca, will be starting the week before. I can't wait!). So we're trying to get them on a bit of scattered schedule. We've also increased their feeding amounts and have been able to stretch their feedings from every three hours to every four. This has allowed us to get a little more sleep at night, too -- I've actually slept six hours each night for the past two nights (although not consecutive hours, I'll take them!). Woo-hoo! Both babies seem to still have their days / nights mixed up a bit (and are still getting used to quiet and darkness at night -- one of the drawbacks to the NICU is that they are used to light and noise at all times). We'll see if we can make tonight a third good night in a row (I probably just jinxed myself there).

Nana Debbie and I are going to venture out tomorrow with both babies at the same time for the first time since they came home. Since they are preemies (and technically not supposed to be born yet) we are not allowed to take them out or have very many visitors for at least another month -- until after flu & RSV season is over. So we're taking them to the pediatrician office tomorrow for a weight check, which will be very exciting I'm sure. We think we've found the source of Bennett's lack of eating -- a slight case of reflux. His doctor recommended adding in Maalox to his bottles (he must have inherited the horrible heartburn I had during my pregnancy!) and since we've spiked his bottles he has been eating much better. He still isn't the best at burping and he still LOVES his sleep, but at least we're on our way to getting him to be the same size as his sister. I'll be sure to post their weight updates tomorrow.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

When I was pregnant people would obviously ask me all of the time about my due date. Because we were expecting twins -- and assumed they would come early -- I would always say "sometime in mid-March . . . momma wants a beer on St. Patrick's Day, so hopefully by then". :-) St. Patrick's Day is one of our FAVORITE holidays (I guess because it involves one of our favorite things -- social drinking. We have issues, we know!). Two years ago, when Tim & I were living it up large in Chicago, we planned in advanced and persuaded a group of our friends to take the day off of work (it was a Friday) to go into the city to celebrate in style. We started in the morning and bar hopped all day. We boarded Tabasco at the Doggie Bed & Breakfast and stayed all night in the city (thanks to our good friends Kevin & Sandy!!) -- we had a blast and it was one of the best St. Patrick's Days ever!


What a difference two years makes! We now live back in Ohio and have two little babies -- who would have thought that!?!? Although our plans today do not involve multiple Irish Car Bombs or non-stop Guinness beer drinking, we are still celebrating in style with Bennett & Kendyll. Much like all of their Notre Dame gear, we have decked them out in head-to-toe St. Patrick's Day attire -- just in case you weren't aware that this is their first one! Big thanks to Nana & Papa for the outfits and to Aunt Cindy, Uncle Eddie, Rachel & the boys for the bibs (they are adorable!!). :-)

Maybe we'll spike their formula with green food coloring (and I WILL have at least have one beer today!) . . .

One Month Old!!

Bennett & Kendyll are one month old today!! It is hard to believe that a month has gone by already -- time flies! So what can I tell you about Bennett & Kendyll (aka "Bendyll") now that we have known them for a month. . . .

Bennett:

Very laid-back, mellow baby. We call him "Squeaker" because he makes these squeaking sounds after he eats. He has a temper when he wants something or when you are doing something to him that he doesn't like (i.e. changing his diaper or clothes), but once you have finished "torturing" him, he goes back to being the mellow child. Many think he looks like Mommy and Grandma Angie says he even eats like me as a baby (or as she put it "we threw out more formula when you were a baby, too . . . ").

Likes:
Sleeping, Sleeping and more sleeping.


Dislikes:
Eating (it interferes with sleeping), burping (again, can't do while sleeping) and his sister's shrieks.

Kendyll:

"Miss Social" as I like to call her. The consensus is that she looks like Tim (or as several have said, Tim's mom Nana Debbie). She LOVES to eat and I swear she will weigh 7 lbs by the time we take her in for her next weight check in two weeks! She is a pretty good sleeper as well, but she much prefers to be awake and see what is going on (thus, the "Miss Social" title).


Likes:
Eating, belching like a champ (she's going to kill me for saying this some day), shrieking at the top of her lungs for no reason and looking cute by making funny faces

Dislikes:

Being second at anything (we think is why she eats so fast . . . just so she can go first and get it over with), having a dirty diaper and sleeping next to her brother (she likes to put her hands -- or fist -- in his face while laying in the pack-n-play).

In honor of their first month birthday, Mommy & Grandma Angie had a photo shoot. We tried to snap as many pictures as we could as quickly as we could. Here are a few (they basically look the same . . . we were just trying to get one good picture).

In this one Kendyll is saying "what up, peeps!".

And now they are saying "ENOUGH MOM!"

Bennett & Kendyll Together

We are still adjusting to life with two babies at home. Sleep is totally a thing of the past, but hopefully we'll be on some sort of schedule soon. I don't have too much to update at this point . . . they basically sleep, eat and poop like all newborns do. Not very exciting. We have snapped a few new pictures and I'm going to try my hardest to get a super cute one of them tomorrow on their one month birthday. Keep posted for that. In the meantime, here are a few others -- enjoy!

Bennett

Kendyll

Together in the Pack-n-Play

Family of Four at Home

Bennett came home yesterday and we are now a family of four at home. It was a rough night with two babies, but we are hoping tonight will be a little better. We think Bennett just needs a little more time to adjust to home life . . . and being back with his sister. He was discharged from the hospital weighing in at 5 lbs 3 oz; Kendyll had her first pediatrician visit earlier today and she is now at 5 lbs 8 oz (she was discharged at week ago at 4 lbs 15 oz). We'll update more later . . . here is a picture from the homecoming.

Blizzard of 2008!

So with the crazy amount of snow we have in OH today, we are trapped in our house again. Poor Bennett is stuck at the hospital (but in very good hands) and hopefully we'll be able to get out to see him later today. He is doing very well and had his feeding tube removed yesterday; he is on all bottles and will probably come home either Sunday or Monday (they just want him to increase his volume amounts a little bit). Kendyll misses him and we're trying very hard not to let her get used to being spoiled at home by herself. :-) She has been a very good baby so far -- only crying when she needs something. Daddy Tim was able to take an early flight home and arrived back late Thursday night (thank goodness, too, or else he may have been stuck in Portland -- or his connection city Denver -- through Monday!). We almost have a system down for the nighttime shift, but we're sure it will change again once Bennett joins us.

We don't have many new pictures, but here are a few that Papa Williams snapped during his visit (he's actually still "stuck" at our house because of the storm . . . but we're not complaining!!). :-)

Sleepy Bennett (before his tube came out):

Sweet sleepy Bennett:

Tabasco getting used to his sister's things:

Kendyll getting ready to eat a meal with Papa:

Kendyll at home:

Trying something new . . . Video of Kendyll's homecoming

Kendyll has officially been home for almost 24 hours. We arrived at the house last evening and survived our first night. Tabasco still doesn't know what to make of her (and actually kept me up more last night than she did), but we managed to make it through without any meltdowns and almost 4 hours of sleep! Woo-hoo!! Bennett has been increased to 4 bottles a day, but he still shows no sign of being awake more. But at least he is progressing . . .

So one of the "big" purchases we made before Bennett & Kendyll's arrival was a video camera. We haven't really used it much yet, but since Daddy Tim is traveling, I tried to capture a few moments from the hospital. Pay no attention to the idiot talking in the background (me!) . . . enjoy!! :-)

Kendyll leaving the hospital:

Kendyll at home:

Bennett at the hospital:

Kendyll is coming home (and a new blog look)!

Just a quick update. . . it has been a hectic week and it is only Tuesday! Tim is out of town for work, Tabasco is sick and Kendyll is coming home today. Even though she has not passed her car seat test (she actually failed twice), since there is nothing else wrong with her and she is eating like a champ, Miss Kendyll is being released from the hospital later today. We just need to make sure someone is sitting in the back seat with her to make sure she doesn't fall forward in her car seat (she needs to grow a bit more to fit in it properly). She was weighing in at 4 lbs 15 oz as of last night and both she & her brother are 18 inches long. They had their official "hospital" pictures taken today. Kendyll - the one who is normally wide awake - was not in the mood and kept her eyes closed the entire time. Her brother - who is normally sleeping all the time (which is why he hasn't caught on with the eating thing) - was wide awake and ready for the action. Too funny. Of course, as soon as we put Kendyll back in her crib and took off her picture outfit she was wide awake as usual. Oh well.

I will try to post more soon. Hopefully Bennett will be home by the weekend, but he is on his own time. He is doing well . . . just needs to work himself up to 8 bottles a day (he is on 3 now). As for Tabasco, our first "baby" is OK . . . we think he is having seizures and is scheduled to go to the vet tomorrow. Papa Williams is coming down tonight to help with everything, so hopefully we'll have it all under control. :-)

I have also been meaning to update the look of the blog . . . now that Bennett & Kendyll are here (and almost 3 weeks old) I figured I'd change it up a bit. The old format reminded me of being on bed rest, so I thought it was time for a fresh look. Enjoy!

Nursery Time!

The room formerly known as "The Office" has now been converted into Bennett & Kendyll's room. After wanting to stay in denial about the kids thing and keeping the room modern in line with the rest of the house, we caved in and went with a more "traditional" theme -- bugs. Kendyll's bedding has lady bugs, butterflies and dragon flies; Bennett's is honey bees. Very cute, if I do say so myself. We found a lady online who decorates wooden letters to match Bennett's set, so we contacted her and she was able to also make letters to match Kendyll's set. We are thrilled with the product -- she did a great job!!

There are still a few pieces to wrap up . . . we've ordered the last piece of our furniture set (a toy chest) and Papa Williams is coming over today to help install a new outlet for the mini fridge, but the room is pretty much ready. The only other things it needs are two babies to live there!

Side note to those of our friends / family members who do not yet have kids: LEARN FROM US!! Do not waste your money on cute baby bedding sets! Most of the stuff (comforter/blanket, bumper, sleep positioners etc.) is not allowed in the crib because of SIDS and other suffication risks, we have now learned. Basically you are just supposed to have a crib sheet and the baby . . . that is it. What a gimmick these bedding sets are -- they are cute, but worthless (well, actually very expensive!). I'll post more later on how clueless we are on all of this baby stuff . . . those who know us well know that we are not "kids people". :-)

Enjoy the pictures!

Bennett's crib

Detail in Bennett's letters

Kendyll's crib

Kendyll's letters

Other side of the room

Both cribs

Family Photos

Bennett & Kendyll continue to make progress. The "light bulb" has clicked in Kendyll's head, according to her nurses, and she is taking off with her bottle feeds. She is up to 3 - 4 a day and takes the full bottle; her brother is a little slower (only taking 2 bottles/day and not as much volume), but we are told that girls normally progress faster than boys. Both have been removed from their pumps for other feedings (they were getting their formula over one hour because of their spit-up issues). The nurses asked us to bring in their "picture" outfits and car seat (they have to pass a car seat test . . . they have to sit in the seat for 1 hour and not have any bradys or other issues) -- both are good signs that they will be coming home very soon.

Tim & I were able to hold both babies at one time (a trick we may need to get the hang of a little more). I've included a few photos below.

The nursery is FINALLY finished . . . we are waiting on one more piece of furniture, but I'll try to post pictures in the next few days.