Harris Hospital Girls

I miss all my nurse friends at Harris Hospital! Such a great group of people work there....Before I quit (worked until 31 weeks pregnant) they threw me a fabulous baby shower.

Joy, Sara, myself, Barbie, and Diane who hosted the shower at her house - thanks Diane! I'm 29 1/2 weeks pregnant in these photos :)

The super cute cake that Joy brought. I LOVED IT!

If you looked under the little blankets you could see a cute little baby bottom :)

We all had a super yummy dinner and then it was time for cake!

Time to open gifts

A whole group of them went together and bought the twins crib!! AHHHH!! I was SO excited!

It was such a great shower! Thanks again everyone!
















So while living in Texas with my parents those first 4 1/2 weeks, the twins just slept in their pack n play. We didn't want to put up a crib only to take it right back down and move it to New Mexico! So just a couple days after we arrived Mark set up the twins crib.

Mark setting up the crib in the twins nursery. 

First nap in their crib! (Aksil in the blue, Avery in the cream in case you couldn't tell!) They have quite the collection of stuffed animals huh? The baby monitor (bottom left corner) is suppose to attach to the wall but we haven't gotten it up quite yet.

They love it!!

The day before we left for New Mexico, Mom and I took the twins up to the hospital to meet some of my previous co-workers. I wish they could have met everyone! Thanks for all your love and support throughout everything guys. Really appreciate y'all! Hoping I can visit again when we make trips back to TX.

Bedrest

Yup, I avoided bedrest all throughout my pregnancy, but haven't been able to avoid it now. Monday my midwife put me on bedrest for increased bleeding so here I am! Lying around in bed all day isn't all it's cracked up to be....

So today I'm doing much better and hoping I can come off bedrest soon. I think the thing I hate the most about it is not being able to get up to soothe the twins when they cry or put them to bed or change their diapers or take them downstairs to go in their swings or spend a few minutes with them outside. The longer I'm in bed the more excited I get every time Mom or Mark brings one to me. They are the cutest little babies and I just love them to death! Here are a few pictures I snapped today.

Time with my sweet Little Man. This is the intent look he gets when he knows he's about to get fed! 

All smiles! Just a couple days ago I was sitting in bed talking to Aksil and he gave me this big ol' grin. I was so excited!! Such a special moment that first time he smiled at me - don't think I'll ever forget it. Now he smiles more every day! Most often in the mornings when he's slept all night and is in a good mood :)

Avery is SUCH drama! Oh my gosh, she cracks us up with the millions of faces she makes. She is always wide-eyed and looking around at what is going on. That girl doesn't miss a thing!

She also smiles some but not quite to the extent that Aksil does. Although she often smiles in her sleep!

A little snuggle time with my sweet girl.

Look at how much bigger Aksil is than Avery! As far as weight gain, Avery is right there on target....Aksil on the other hand is way off the charts! That little guy is a chunk! Avery weighs 9lbs 4oz and Aksil weighs 12lbs 9oz! Oh and I like how in these pictures they just happen to both be missing their left sock :)

Mom is still here helping us out - have NO clue what we would do without her! She cooks meals, brings me food, organizes the house, makes sure I take my pills, picks up/cleans, runs errands, gets up in the middle of the night, and answers my millions of "well why are they...." questions. I appreciate and love her 100x more now that I have kids. She is leaving on Saturday and we will miss her for sure! The twins just LOVE their Nana and she's always been around so I know they will miss her a lot. Mark is on paternity leave through the 2nd which is so nice and Aunt Faith is coming to visit and help out March 1st-7th so we are super excited about that! Then the 8th-18th we are going it alone....hopefully the kids will be more adjusted by then and not so mixed up on their schedules. Mark starts his intense Paramedic training March 14th so he has to get good sleep and not be up with cranky babies! And then we are hoping on the 19th or 20th that Grandmommy (Mark's mom) can come for a couple weeks! Yes, I know, we are super spoiled with such awesome family to help us out :)

I'm not even close to where I thought I'd be at 6 weeks postpartum with myself or with the twins. But we've had a rough six weeks starting with the NICU stay for five days, Mark back and forth from NM, going through those first super rough weeks without him, multiple drs appointments and errands in preparation to move, packing up and driving 12hrs to Albuquerque, unloading, getting settled in, being a family and together again as a couple for the first time in 8 months, and now my complications postpartum *sigh* That's just a LOT! So I need to give myself some slack and put aside all my wishes of being a super, on top of it twin mama from the get go. We'll make progress soon enough :)

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for us! We love and miss all of our Fort Worth family and friends!

Quilts

My Mom's mom and the kids Great-Grandma Judy can sew anything, she is amazing! She was so sweet and sewed each twin a quilt - Raggedy Andy for Aksil and Raggedy Ann for Avery!

The twins Great Grandma Judy - meeting her for the first time! This was the day after they both came home from the hospital so they were just 6 days old.

Left: Aksil's quilt is ready! (Aksil almost 3 weeks old) Right: Avery's quilt is ready! (Avery almost 4 weeks old)

They love them! Thank you Grandma Judy!

Drive to Albuquerque

The morning of February 11th Mom and I woke up at 4am to start getting ready for our trip. I fed the twins and put them back down and we started getting ready....last minute packing, filling the cooler with snacks/meals for the road, loading up the UHaul with last minute stuff, and all the other million things you have to do to travel and travel with newborn twins! We finally had the SUV and little UHaul trailer loaded and pulled out of the driveway at 8:12am - headed to Albuquerque, NM and our new home with daddy!

About three hours after we left the twins woke up and were ready to eat....the plan was for me to pump, then give them bottles as we drove, then pull over to burp, change, and wash the pump parts so we could do it all over again! Let's just say that things weren't that scheduled and easy like I thought they'd be! (surprise, surprise...haha) That first stop was pretty chaotic and funny....took us over an hour. We pulled into a McDonalds parking lot and I got the crying twins out of their carseats to stretch. Mom and I got them to take more from their bottles, burped them, I nursed them a little, took a potty break, washed pump parts in the bathroom (that was interesting...so glad no one came in while I was doing it!!), and got hot water to thaw some frozen milk we'd brought. Mom changed their diapers in the passenger seat while sitting in the drivers seat (too cold to open the door and do it) and both babies decided to have awesome blowout diapers that first stop so it was new clothes for them! Finally we made it back on the road! The stops after that went better and after 12 1/2 hours of driving we finally pulled up to our new home! It was so crazy though that I don't have any pictures of our trip - sorry!

Finally with daddy!!

Those first days were rough. Before we left the twins were on an every three hour feed, awake, sleep schedule that was completely destroyed by the trip! Poor babies :( Those first few days/nights they were super fussy and I pretty much just slept, ate, changed diapers, and nursed babies. One day I didn't even get out of bed until 3:30pm! I would lie in bed and nurse one baby, then roll over and nurse the other baby. When they were awake and happy Mom would come get them (Mark was at his EMT classes), change their diaper and put them in the swing or keep them happy so I could rest. When they got fussy she'd bring them back and I'd do it all over again. I had snacks by the bed and she'd cook me meals and bring them up. Finally after three or four days they started to get back on their schedule and we all began to feel human again! Mom and I both agreed that those few days felt like that first week home did after they were born.

Avery, why aren't you sleeping??

This picture makes me smile because not only do both kids have crazy looks, but you can see the complete chaos of our room in the background! We were definitely just in survival mode!

The day I got to shower and put on some makeup! This is us in front of our new home :) The twins are now doing much better on their schedule and are actually sleeping in the nursery for the first time tonight!

Left: So glad daddy got to come home a little early! Right: the babies loved being outside in the sunlight.

Getting some sun :) My amazing Mom is here for two weeks to help me get settled and organized. She is amazing!! I'm not sure what I'd do without her help. She cooks great meals, keeps the kitchen cleaned, the house picked up, the laundry done, and is organizing and helping to set things up. You definitely appreciate your mom in a whole new way after kids! 

At some point I'll post pictures of the inside of the house. Mark did an excellent job unpacking everything before I got here! He had all the boxes unpack and everything put away....I was super impressed! When he was home over Christmas we packed everything up and the morning of January 2nd he and another PJ friend (thanks Derek!!) drove the UHaul to New Mexico. 

Mark and Derek early in the morning

Thirty seven weeks pregnant with the twins. Once Mark left I moved in with my parents and 8 days later Mark was flying home for the twins birth! 

Ok, so I think I got a little sidetracked :) Anyway, kids are crying so that's all for tonight.....

Yes, we've made it!

Sorry for not posting lately.....the 12hr drive to Albuquerque really messed up the twins schedule so it's been a little rough this week! I can't believe we've been here almost a week! So happy to be a family :) And so grateful my Mom is here to help out - she is amazing!

Finally together as a family! Standing outside our new house on Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico.

I'll update more later, but at the moment *both* twins are sleeping! So this mommy is going to quick go to sleep herself before they wake up hungry! :)

Almost together again....

Three and a half weeks ago the twins and I said good-bye to Mark as he headed back to the base in Albuquerque....so hard to be separated yet again. That first week of him being gone was especially rough. All I wanted was to have him there, to be a family, to not feel so alone. Yet the thought of moving to Albuquerque with the twins was overwhelming. About five o'clock every evening it would all hit me - I was exhausted and missing him so bad! The babies would be sleeping and I'd just curl up in bed and cry. Then I'd pull out my little devotional book that I had by the bed and God always had just the perfect thing in there for me. I'd be reminded yet again of all the miracles He'd done - so many I could never write them all down. His hand was amazingly obvious, I just couldn't deny it. If He'd led us so specifically, blessed us with these babies, given Mark the strength to be where he was in training, wouldn't He take care of me now?? Then I'd realize, I wouldn't change a thing even if I could. God was in control and He never asks you to do something that He doesn't walk right along with you and give you strength to do.

Saying good-bye. Smiling for the picture yet crying at the same time....I love him more than words could ever say.

Spending some time with the babies that morning.

Our family of four....so blessed.

So here is it, just one more day before Mom, the twins, and I head to Albuquerque! I'm so excited, thrilled, so ready to be a family after almost eight months! I love being a wife, a mommy, love what God has called me to do. He has answered my hearts deepest desire.

We can't wait to see you Mark! The twins love their daddy! They don't even know yet how amazing you are....but I do :) Thank you for always loving me so purely, so deeply. I admire so many things about you. How blessed to be married to a man who loves God, loves me, loves his babies - you make me happy :) I'm so proud of all you've accomplished, of how hard you've worked, how determined you are, how you rely on God's strength. I'll always support and stand by you. I sure am one lucky girl to be married to you! Love you more than ever! See you Friday!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

First baths!

Ok, so yes I'm sleep deprived and spend countless hours nursing, holding, and changing babies, but no, they didn't just get their first bath :D These photos are from a couple weeks ago. Both babies were pretty calm about it. Of course Avery had to let out a few little cries. And it seems like every bath since she's gotten more dramatic! haha

Avery didn't like her hair being washed!

Aksil was calm through the whole thing. He's a pretty laid back little guy :)

All clean and sporting their butterfly and shark bath towels! I like how in the picture on the left my purple shirt matches the purple rings around my eyes....those first two weeks I was pretty much in a sleepy fog. I remember when week three hit and I started getting several 2-3hr stretches of sleep. Such a difference!!

We love Grandmommy! On days Nana was busy or had to be somewhere, Grandmommy would come over to help out with the twins. After that first week home I was able to load them up and drive over to her house to hang out. We've been over there several days and its been great practice for me to get the twins and myself all ready to go and out the door! Quite the task...planning, preparation, and organization have whole new meanings for me.

Aksil and Mommy 

And have I said yet that I LOVE BEING A MOMMY!! The best job ever!! 

Three Weeks Old! Snow Days!

On Monday and Tuesday our babies turned three weeks old. Hard to believe! On Tuesday we got a blanketing of snow and after the twins afternoon nap I quick dressed them in their little hoodie outfits and ran outside for a quick snow picture. Little did I know it would last another 3 days! haha

Neither one was too happy about getting dressed up and were both crying, but as soon as I walked out the door and that cold air hit them they got real quiet! Avery is like "Mom, seriously, what are you doing??"

Three weeks old and the twins first snow! I love how Aksil's little belly sticks out :)

Spending their awake time on the bed looking out the window. It was cute to see them squint their eyes when looking at the bright snow.

#1 Daddy

The twins and I are blessed with an amazing daddy and husband! From the moment our little ones arrived he knew exactly what to do....he could get them quiet faster than mommy could! He's a pro at swaddling, changing diapers, and keeping them happy. He loves them so much and we can't wait to be all together again in Albuquerque. Only 8 more days!

Daddy and Avery at the Ronald McDonald house downtown near Cooks where we stayed after I was discharged from Harris SW.

Avery safe with daddy....best place to be.

Giving Aksil a bottle in NICU

The day Aksil got to come home!! Such a happy moment.

Welcome home Aksil and Avery!

Happy and content with daddy :)

Watching football....and taking naps :)

Left: The morning Mark had to leave for Albuquerque...

Right: pro daddy holding both his babies!

Avery on the left, Aksil on the right (yes, wrapped in a pink flowered blanket....Sorry little guy. I think he had a blue one underneath!) 

January 17th, daddy kissed the babies and mommy goodbye and headed for Albuquerque to complete his EMT training with Pararescue. We will soon be headed up there and will finally be a family! Can't wait to see him....we all three love him so much.