Our Week in Review

Now that I'm back at work, I can sneak in a few more blog posts. I'm working on some longer ones about the first few months with twins, breastfeeding, and necessary gear but for now, here's our life:

The biggest question I got asked this week was "How are you doing back at work?".
Honestly, I'm doing really well. No tears. In a way, having to leave my babies for 7 hours at a time to go to my mom's chemo sessions helped prepare me. I also only had a three day week last week and only have a three day week this week so that helps tremendously! It also helps that I have an amazing husband. We are very organized and get everything we need together the night before and line it all up to take downstairs to put in the car.

I've learned that I have to take a shower the night before if I want things to run smoothly. I wake up at 5:45 and pump for 20-25 minutes while Jay snoozes. He gets up, showers, takes the dogs out, puts the diapers in the dryer, wakes up the kids, changes their diapers and puts them in carseats. I quickly get myself ready and join him in time to carry the kids downstairs (big help... I know). I drop the kids off at my mom's, get their bottles, warmed up, kiss 'em goodbye and head off to work.

Lucky for me, as a teacher, my day is jammed packed and I don't have a ton of down time. My kids are always on my mind but I know they are in such good hands! I often find myself looking at the clock though and thinking about what they're doing. I try to get home as soon as possible to see them at the end of the day and am able to see them by 3pm most days.

The following pics are all from my phone so I apologize for the quality!

Monday- Dropped the kids off at Gigi's for the first time

They were sad to see me leave....

Tuesday- Caught my little thumb sucker, Emma Cate

Wednesday- My Halloween babies! My Grandpa's girlfriend sent these cute Halloween outfits for the twins.

Trick or treating as a family of lobsters and chefs.We had a pot to carry them in but the night was chilly and the babies sleepy

Thursday- I took the pictures because I am amazed at how long and lean my little guy is!

Friday- I was off work Friday morning and we enjoyed hanging out in bed and cuddling

Watching TV and holding hands

Saturday- I spent most of the day coaching my girls! All three teams I coach took first place in their divisions! Whooo hooo! Wish the Wolfpack would have had as great of day :(

6th grade

7th & 8th

On Saturday night, we went to my parent's old neighbor's house to celebrate Mrs. Campbell's birthday. This is a picture of her son Matt holding Holden while we sat around making smores. 

Sunday- I had an end of the season party for my 7th grade cheerleading squad and decided to take Emma Cate with me at the last moment. I'm a little nutty in that I like the twins to dress alike all the time. Emma Cate has a few cute outfits that don't match Holden's so I took the opportunity to dress her up in her sassy cheetah outfit for a day with the girls!

4 Months

Emma Cate and Holden,
You are four months old!

This was NOT the easiest month to photograph. In fact, you were a week shy of 5 months in these pictures. With daylight savings time and starting to work, I never got home in enough time to take your pictures without using the flash. You were both pretty fussy during these pictures because I had JUST woken you up to take them! Here's to better luck at 5 months!

What our life is like:
I wake up at 6:40 and pump. I'm pumping around 20 ounces each morning. We wake you up around 7:00am for a diaper change and morning feeding. You sit in your high chairs and drink your bottles. Holden normally drinks 6-7oz for breakfast and Emma Cate is happy with 5oz. Holden's reflux has gotten much better and while he still spits up after a bottle, it isn't as much as it used to be. After breakfast we play until 8:30. We do lots of tummy time. Holden is awesome at holding his entire body up and Dr. Patt thinks you'll be an early crawler. Emma Cate does not like tummy time and we have to do 2-3 minute increments to keep her happy. She can hold her head up but isn't doing "baby pushups" yet. Since you've been sleeping through the night consistently since you were three months old, we have switched your schedule. You go down for morning nap at 8:30 in your cribs. We are working on stopping the swaddle. So far I've been putting you in a sleepsak for morning naps and it has gotten easier and easier each day. We are waiting until this weekend to do an overnight without the swaddle. It makes mommy and daddy VERY nervous. We've come to enjoy sleeping through the night!

You wake up from nap between 9:45-10:15. We hangout until 10:30 and then you eat again. From 10:45-11:15 you both hangout in your high chair and I put toys on the tray and just recently you've taken an interest in touching the toys. You like to grab at the rings and taggie toys. We play until 12 and then you go down for a mid-day nap. During playtime we do tummy time and back time. You are both getting good at grabbing toys that dangle from your playmat. You recently started noticing each other and its so sweet to see you both stare at each other. You also still grab at each other when laying down playing. I normally your next bottle around 11am.

A week or so ago, Holden was having a little redness on his tummy from his diaper so I let you play naked on your "sheet saver" (best invention ever!!!) in the family room. Emma Cate "dirtied" the sheet twice and I had to move her closer to Holden. I went to grab something on the changing table and turned around to hear screaming. Holden had decided he had to "go" and I saw a curved stream hitting Emma Cate right in the stomach. She was screaming and Holden was just a laughing and smiling. I foresaw my future with boy/girl twins!

At 12pm you go down for a nap and are "supposed" to sleep until 2pm. We aren't having much luck getting you to sleep in cribs so I put you in the swings and turn them off once you are asleep. When you wake up we hangout and cuddle until 2pm when it is time to eat again. After "lunch" we play until 3 or 3:30 then its back down to nap until 5. This nap normally takes place swaddled in your swings. As the day goes on, you both get fussier and its harder to get you back to bed. At 5:30 Daddy normally feeds you supper while I'm at practice and plays with you until 6. You take a little catnap until 7pm and then are SOOO fussy until dinner at 8:30. We play music and cuddle to get you both to be calm. I'd like to play from 7-8:30 but you both just scream! I like to nurse you at the 8:30 feeding while Daddy gives one of you a bath. You are both in bed by 9 and we say our prayers as you both fall fast asleep :) You are great sleepers and usually go down without much fuss.

You have started giggling this month and we LOVE it! We sing "Ram Sam Sam" and tick your tummies on the gouli gouli gouli part and you both just laugh and smile! You both still love music together class and have the best time. Emma Cate started making the ah noise and is the more chatty of the two. We have little conversations now and are learning the beginnings of language development. I will take and pause in between statements and Emma Cate will "respond". Holden does this occasionally, but more often fills responds with a huge smile rather than sounds. You both hold your heads up really well and are "hip" babies, meaning we can carry you on our hips and you're good at sitting upright. We sit you on the couch and prop you with pillows. You are both great standers and Holden is the funniest when he is standing and music is playing. He likes to move his hips. Too cute!

We had a rough month. Your great grandfather passed away this month and it was so sad for everyone. He was 98 years old and such a wonderful example of a truly Christian man. He LOVED you babies soooo much and I was so glad he got to spend time with you the day before he passed away. You hung out with him at his room at the hospice house and cuddled, played, and took lots of pictures and even a little video. I always felt like he had a little something special with Emma Cate. You and Papaw loved to nap together and you seemed very calm and happy in his arms.

You were both baptised this month on the 21st (I guess that should technically go in the 5 month post but oh well!) It was a beautiful day and will get it's own post once I return to work. We are so excited to acknowledge God's grace and to affirm that we will raise you in a Christian home and teach you the best we can about God and Jesus.

Emma Cate:
Nicknames:  P (daddy's nickname for you), Emma Tate, Taters, Cate
Weight: around 10lbs 12oz 1%
Height: 22.5 inches 1%
Hair: It's almost all gone and you are looking more like Gigi than PopPop without your little horseshoe. Not a lot has grown in and it looks like you'll be a cute little bald baby for quite awhile.
Eyes: Blueish grey
Clothes: You are in 0-3 month, newborns don't fit at all. I tried on your newborn hats and they don't fit anymore either! I've tried a few 3-6 month things and they aren't too huge.
Diapers: Using the Bumgenius 4.0 and Freedom. We LOVE the freedoms. You are still on the smallest size setting.
Eating: 5 ounces 4-5 (depends if we nurse before bed or not) times a day, one nursing session at night before bed.
Likes: watching tv, playing after breakfast (this is her happy happy time), laying next to/cuddling with Holden, her soft pink blanket, the ball with holes in it, grabbing at toys, the tambourine, singing ram sam sam, the beehive song, being sung to, diaper changes, nuk pacis
Dislikes: falling asleep on her own (but she's getting better), tummy time
Development: started laughing this month and having "conversations"
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet!


Extra: Compared to last month's post, your cries have gotten much less. You are more of a whimper unless you REALLY really need something. I love that I am now able to interpret your cries. You are still so smily in the morning. You pay attention very well at story time and music class. You notice mommy and I have to sneak away from the crib when trying to get you to sleep. You are a very pretty little girl and everyone comments on how much you look like a girl.  I love how you look in hairbows! I think you love it too! You've plumped up a little this month and we often tease you and call you "double butt" because your little upper thighs have rolls that make you look like you have two butts from the back. You little hands have become pudgy and you have adorable little dimples where your knuckles are. 
Holden
Nicknames: Holdy, Holds, Handsome Holden, Golden Holden, Franklin, Fwankwin, Fwank
Extra:



Weight: around 11 pounds 4oz
Height: 24"
Hair: blond. Slowly its growing longer. Very slowly.
Eyes: Blue
Clothes: 0-3 month, 3 month and some 6 month. You are long and lean so a lot of your clothes are either too  wide or too short.
Diapers: Bumgenius 4.0 and freetime. They are set one snap bigger than the smallest size.
Eating: 7oz bottle for breakfast, 3 5oz bottles throughout the day and a quick but efficient 10 minute nursing session at night.
Likes: smiling, quivering his lip when crying, screeching, tummy time, being held, sitting up, looking around, 
Dislikes: being hungry (boy likes his bottle!)
Development: You do very well at tummy time and have rolled over a time or two. You like to do little baby push ups too. You've started to play with the links that I leave out on your tray after bottles and you'll also bat at the elephant that hangs from the carseat. When you nurse you like to rub you hand back and forth across my chest. Too sweet.
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet!

Holden, you are really showing us your relaxed personality. You love sitting in your swing with a blanket draped over you and watching everyone. You make the most adorable faces. Sooo cute. You have eyes that are always inquisitive. You still like to stand up and dance and although you're daddy is not a fan of me when I do this, you LOVE when I move your arms all around (like cheerleading motions). You giggle and smile! Your tummy is getting better and better and you are an awesome eater and nurser. You usually only spit up once or twice, instead of your entire bottle. Hopefully you'll put on more weight now that you are keeping more down. 

3 months

Emma Cate and Holden,
You are three months old!

What our life is like:
You still wake up between 6:00 and 7:30 for a morning feed. We've figured out that bottle feeding at this time is much easier on all of us. :) I try to get up a little before you both and do my morning pump. You normally go back to sleep until 9:30 or 10 and I get up, take my shower and get our home ready for the day. If I need to get anything done it pretty much has to happen between 7-9am. You both take around 4-4.5 ounces when you wake up and then we change diapers and play! You are now to the point where we are playing more! You both are starting to enjoy tummy time more and are champs at holding your heads up. It's amazing to see your little bodies getting stronger. You both like music and love to sit in your boppys and watch me play musical instruments for you. The dogs normally join in on our little band with their barking. Both Boomer and Sophie like to lay down and snuggle with you guys. I put you both in the pack n' play and y'all love to flail your arms around, hit each other in the face, chew on each others' arms and ears, and kick kick kick! You have both started to reach for objects and like to bat at the toys that hang above your crib. You've both really started noticing your mobiles and love when we turn them on. After the 9:30 feeding we either stay home and play for about and hour before you go back to sleep or hop in the car and head to the park to walk with friends. You both eat a bottle at 12-1. Our routine pretty much consists of eat, play for an hour and then nap for an hour before it's time to eat again. We count the minutes until 2pm when Gigi gets home from school. She loves to play and sing with you guys. Unfortunately, we learned that Gigi is sick this month. She has breast cancer. Gigi has had lots of doctor's appointments so you guys have been joining mom at cheer practice :) You take a bottle at 3 and both of you are great a taking a bottle whenever from whomever. We get excited to see Daddy when he gets home around 5. Both of you love to be held by your Daddy. He throws you up in the air and plays airplane and zooms you around. You both take another bottle around 6pm and then the fussy period begins! Around 7 or 8 you both will fall asleep in our arms and we enjoy the cuddles. At 9pm we start bathtime. Daddy is the official bath giver while I nurse you. Once you finish nursing, Daddy puts you both in your swaddles and puts you down for the night. About a week before your 3 month birthday you both started sleep through the night, 9:30-6 or 7am. Mommy and Daddy are SOOO happy! We also put you in separate cribs. Emma Cate was a wiggler and would end up getting kicked in the head by Holden and waking up. So far you've (and us!) enjoyed your own space in your own cribs.

You are both smiling when prompted. You started music together class this month and love it! You both love the tambourine and all of the musical instruments  I like to sing all the songs to you and I can tell you enjoy it by the huge gummy smiles you give me! We've even gotten Daddy to sing a few rounds of the hello song. Towards the end of month 2, you both have been making more noise (besides crying). I love listening to your developing language skills. It is so fun to interact with you both! One of my favorites is when one of you screams, the other will smile and coo.

Emma Cate:
Nicknames:  Emma Tate, Taters, Sweet Pea (especially by your daddy), P 
Weight: around 9lbs
Height: unknown
Hair: girlfriend is sporting a major horseshoes and bows are a must to adorn your pretty little head. Emma Cate is taking after Pop Pops in the hair department. Good think this mama loves little bald babies :)
Eyes: Blue
Clothes: We just packed up all of your newborn clothes and are officially wearing 0-3 months. Your 3 month onesie was carter's size 3 months
Diapers: Using the Bumgenius 4.0 and Freedom. We LOVE the freedoms. You are still on the smallest size setting.
Eating: Takes 4-4.5 ounces every 3 hours, 6 feedings daily. Nursing once a day before bedtime.
Likes: watching tv (especially football she sneaks it while she's in the pack n play), mornings when I get her from her crib, laying next to/cuddling with Holden, her soft pink blanket, swatting at the baseball in the pack n play, being sung to, diaper changes, nuk pacis
Dislikes: falling asleep on her own (but she's getting better), tummy time, dirty diapers 
Development: starting to do baby push ups in tummy time, standing when held, learning to sit (still far from it),  is very alert and looks at the person speaking
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet!

Extra: You are the sweetest baby but girl, you have the most attention getting cry! I think that people think I'm being mean to you! You let out these wails and in between you turn beet red and don't breath. It scares me a little. You love to be held and that normally stops the tantrum. You are just so sweet. You love to smile and I love receiving those smiles. You adore storytime at the library and music together. You love to read books and will pay attention to anything that catches your eye. You have started to deliberatly reach out and grab things. It is so fun to watch you grow and learn! You are a very pretty little girl and I love how you look in hairbows! I think you love it too! You are growing long but still are skinny. You have little thighs that only touch when you stretch out really long on the changing table. Your legs are definitely straightening out after being cramped in mommy's tummy for so long. You are mommy's sweetie!


Holden

Nicknames: Holdy, Holds, Handsome Holden, Golden Holden, Franklin, Fwankwin, Fwank
Weight: around 10.5 pounds
Height: unknown- 
Hair: blond. Slowly its growing longer. Very slowly.
Eyes: Blue
Clothes: Just packed up all of your newborn and your 0-3, and 3 month fit you well. You've got some 6 months but they're pretty big on you.
Diapers: Bumgenius 4.0 and freetime. They are set one snap bigger than the smallest size.
Eating: 4.5-5oz of breastmilk every 3 hours by bottle, around 15 minute nursing session at night.
Likes: sitting up, looking around, being held, the mobile in the crib and pack n play, seeing what's going on, tummy time, being naked, bath time
Dislikes: being strapped in your car seat (before the car gets moving, but you're getting better), being hungry (boy likes his bottle!)
Development: You continue to be our strong boy, you've got great neck control and like looking around, you like to flail your arms but aren't necessarily deliberate in your movements. You do great at tummy time and give us lots of baby push ups!
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet!

Extra:
Holden, you are so fun to be around! You make awesome faces and are just plain cute. You get fussy and your lip quivers and you snort and it is hilarious. I try not to laugh! You still like to stand up and dance. You let me move your arms around. Your cry sounds like a little girl (we need to work on that). It is super high pitched! Your tummy has been feeling sooo much better recently, you hardly spit up anymore. You can still let out some monster farts (yuck!). Your dad is very proud of you... You have a long neck and like to stick it out (hence the nickname franklin, as in franklin the turtle!)

Cancer

We learned yesterday that my mom has breast cancer. She found a lump, had a mammogram, had a biopsy and the doctor called with the results yesterday morning. They biopsied two lumps in her breast and a lymph node in her armpit that was swollen. All three were positive for cancer. She will meet with her surgical oncologist on the 18th to learn how they are going to treat it and we will know more information about the cancer, how far it has spread, etc. Luckily we have been referred to one of the BEST oncologists in our area and are praying for him and his team. We are very fortunate to have good friends in the medical community :)

Surprisingly, I am very at peace with this. I KNOW that she will beat this and that cancer will be small dot on the timeline of her life. I'm struggling in how to keep her confident that she can beat it. I know she has doubts and that she is scared. I have never been through something like this and I've never seen my mom so visibly nervous. I'm not sure what to say, but know that I need to stay positive. Do I talk about cancer, do I avoid talking about cancer, do I act like things are normal, do I treat her like she is sick, am I burdening her if she watches my babies (she normally does this 2-3 afternoons a week while I'm at cheerleading practice), or am I taking something away from her if I get someone else to watch them? Where is the manual to dealing with your mother's breast cancer?!

I am lucky I have my sisters. We are all positive and ready to do anything we can to support my mom as she fights this. We are also very lucky that my mom is back in Charlotte. She has sooo many friends here and people that care about her. I believe that God knew this was coming and sent my mom back to Charlotte and had them buy a house in a neighborhood where tons of her friends live (and is 3 miles down the road from me!), he did it at a time where I am not working so that I can care for her. He gave my Dad a new job where his boss is very understand and he can work from home and will be in Charlotte whenever he needs to be. My mother in law is now retired and can help watch the babies while we help my mom. I believe that God set this all up so that my mom can beat this disease.

I'll continue to update as we know more but please pray for my mom, that she knows she can beat this, and for her doctors and those that care for her, for my Dad who is by himself right now and so worried about his wife, and for all of the women that are suffering from this terrible thing.

Thank you!