cuteness X2

Winter baby

Fishing with daddy

Beauty in the fall

Leaves in the creek

Levi

Lisa's smile

I love how she smiles with her eyes! My beautiful baby girl. I haven't gotten a picture of Levi's smile yet. His is just as precious.

Exciting news X5

Last night at our friends' house I put Lisa down on her belly on the floor. She pushed herself over and flipped to her back. I put her back on her belly and she did it again three more times!! I don't remember Alex doing that so early. I gotta really watch out now-Levi scoots and Lisa now rolls. Two mobile babies is my only fear with twins. Keep us in your prayers.

They are both continually sleeping at least five to six hours straight at night. A few times I woke up on my own to find that I had slept seven and a half hours. Of course, they proceeded to wail as soon as I checked on them. Oh happy days.

I was blessed with a ton of ready to use formula and am slowly getting through some of it. I have until November 1st to use the two ounce bottles and until April for the eight ouncers.  Since I am not giving them more than maybe six ounces a day (usually more like two), it will be quite a while to use it all up. I have given a lot away to others with new babies but still have a bunch left for us.

The twins used their last newborn sized diapers today and have been graduated to the size ones. Lisa could still wear newborns for another couple weeks but Levi's chunky little self wasn't fitting so well.  They have also outgrown their newborn clothes. Lisa has a couple dresses she can still wear, but most of the newborns have been put away. I can't believe I am already doing that. They were so big on the babies when I first brought them home.

Levi is now over ten pounds and Lisa is almost nine. They are 22 inches long and doing really well. Alex loves showing them off almost as much as I do.  He tells everyone he sees that he has twins. They are his babies. He is also protective of them and tries to snuggle any chance he gets. The only thing that bothers me is that he calls them, "the boy" and "the girl." When I ask what the boy's name is, he answers "Lisa Charles." He got it half right.

Park

I found a new park on the way home from Alex's school. There was a soccer game in the field next to it and this little digger shovel contraption. Alex was in heaven. 

A beautiful walk to the park

What a good big brother!

He loves his baby sister

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Cuties!

Cousins

John and Charissa came to visit with their three girls.  That was quite an exciting time. 6 kids at one table!! Fun fun fun:)

35 weeks

I can't believe they both fit in there!!!!

Sleepy

Levi and Lisa born July 22, 2013 at 11:49 & 11:50 pm.  Levi was 6 lb 12 oz, Lisa was 6 lb 14 oz. 

They are practically perfect in every way!!!!

Roasting marshmallows in the living room

Big bump 33 weeks

Off the beaten path

This is what our weekends here have begun to look like. We start out going somewhere then end up on a long bumpy twisty mountain road. Absolutely beautiful scenery. Alex has fallen asleep almost every trip.  Weekend road trips are definitely nicer in the mountains than in Texas. 

P.S.  Don't tell anyone I said that!  :)

Diggers and dirt make this little boy happy

Train ride happiness

Turtles

29 weeks and counting!

Both babies are now around the three pound range. They are getting pretty heavy. Ended up going to the ER last night with contractions. Apparently my version of taking it easy wasn't easy enough. The contractions went away and all is good. I have an appointment with my OB next Thursday. She didn't seem too concerned about last night since I have been doing so well up until then. No more lifting heavy things for me and the housework load just got a good bit lighter. So all things said, this was a good visit to the ER.  I just hope I don't experience that again until at least late July. I don't want my babies to be in the NICU even for a moment, but then again, who would? God has been good to us and I know he has everything under his control. 

(It is really hard to type with the iPad on my belly and two babies kicking it!)

Dedicated

Alex had given up riding his balance bike because he wanted pedals like daddy. The last few weekends a neighbor friend just a little older than he is has been riding bikes with alex. The neighbor doesn't use training wheels. Alex wants so bad to ride like him. I told him I couldn't take off his training wheels until he learned to balance better. So for the last week, every chance he gets he is practicing his balance on the strider bike. He even has begun riding down the hill in our yard which he was too scared to do on the other bike. I am so proud of his determination.

24 weeks!

I will be 24 weeks tomorrow!  If you weren't aware, 24 weeks is the viable age.  If I go into labor soon, they will try to save the babies.  And they would have a good chance of surviving.  This is a big milestone for me and I am so relieved it is finally here.

I am starting to feel the weight and pressure of this pregnancy.  Can't stand too long or my feet start aching.  My back doesn't like me upright, either.  So far I have gained 23+ pounds.  I am sure that doesn't help with any of the pain.  Walking to the car puts me out of breath.  Ironing made my heart start racing.  Sleep has become a science experiment.  Pillows, blankets, positions.  Then having Alex crawl into bed with me now on an almost nightly basis offers an extra set of its own issues.  I am loving all the cuddling I am getting, though.

My MIL comes today!  Then on Sunday, my parents!!  Alex is so excited to have two Grandmas here.  He really misses having family around.  I totally agree.  I know that the hormones of pregnancy has not made it any easier for me.  I can't go a day without whining about missing Texas.  For example:  The past few weeks we have gotten snow!  That's right, snow.  The good thing is that everyone thinks it is finally over.  I want heat so bad.  Very jealous of the 80 degree weather back home when we got 25 last Monday.  This weekend is supposed to get into the mid 70's though.  That will be nice.   

(Looking at that picture let me realize what all this cold weather has done to me.  I almost blend into the white wall!  Ha!  Hopefully I can start sunning myself and get some color into my arms and face.)

They're moving!

My little ones love to move.  Last night I noticed that Lisa Jane was able to kick hard enough to move my belly!  They are both so strong now.  I love watching them kick.  I know after a while the excitement will fade to pain, but so enjoying it right now.

Good news

I had another ultrasound  today to check up on the babies' growth, heart, etc.  Up until now every ultrasound showed Lisa's placenta right over the cervix.  Not good.  But today, it had moved!  I am in the clear now.  Yea.  I am now 20 weeks 4 days and am able to feel Lisa move and kick.  She has her head way down near my right hip and pushes there often.  Levi, on the other hand has his head right up under my rib cage on the left side.  His placenta is on the front so his kicks and wiggles are not really felt.  He has a big pillow in front of him.  Kind of a bummer because I really love feeling them move.  It is a constant reminder of God's blessings for us.

Also, I went to the twins group here in town Tuesday night.  Only seven people showed up, and three of us were brand new and checking it out.  Everyone was so nice.  One lady was 28 weeks pregnant with boys.  She and I were asking a lot of the others questions about pregnancy, birth and the first few months.  It is really amazing how different everyone's stories were.  I am really glad I went.  They meet once a month and next month is a spa night.  Not sure if I will be doing that, but I am glad to know there are people who are willing to help us out when the kids come along. I am so excited for these next few months.  oh, what wonders await us.

not all maternity clothes will work

After viewing those comparison photos, I can see why I am already having issues. Some of my old maternity tops are already getting too short.  I have been in my maternity clothes just about a month now and already growing out of some shirts!  At least the pants are actually fitting better since my belly is now able to hold them up.  With four months left, I can see I will be needing dresses soon.

Hopefully Friday's snow, which was about a foot deep, will be the last for the year.  Skirts/dresses and snow don't mix too well.  Also, they are already selling summer clothes here!  Don't they know it will be cold for another month still?  I won't be buying a lightweight summer dress until the weather gets quite a bit warmer.

comparisons!

18 weeks with twins                                     19 weeks with Alex

He did it!!!

After 5 weeks at swim lessons, Alex finally got into the pool!!!!  I can't tell you how excited I was-His teacher, too!  The first week he cried, the second he sat at the edge of the pool and wouldn't budge, the third he stood at the side watching, last week he cried and we didn't even get there.  This week he stood at the side of the pool the entire lesson.  Finally, he asked for his Spider-man goggles and sat at the edge of the
pool.  The instructor told the kids they were to have one more jump.  Alex was the last one and he jumped right into her arms!  He was smiling so big.  She let him kick around for a minute before putting him back on the side.  He was having so much fun he didn't want the class to be over.  Hopefully he will remember this next Saturday when we go back for the next to last lesson!

Proud momma!

Belly 18 weeks

Levi's profile

Lisa's profile 18 weeks

Names

For those of you who have not yet heard, we are having a boy and a girl!  We are very excited.  Although I thought I had the names figured out, neither one stuck.  We texted names back and forth while I was in the grocery store.  Eventually we decided on Lisa Jane for our daughter.  I wanted Jane and we could both agree on Lisa.  For the boy, we were kinda at an impasse.  Patrick wasn't quite convinced on Henry William.  We had discussed Levi Charles before and after much thought, I decided that Levi and Lisa sounded better than Henry and Lisa.  So, Levi Charles is our son.  Levi and Lisa.  I am so glad to not have to call them "the babies" anymore and can actually use names.  We had names picked out before we knew Emily and Alex's genders, so this was stressful for me not already having them chosen earlier.

two new things for today

1.  I had to pull out the maternity clothes today.  The elastic waists in all my clothes were getting uncomfortable. Who would think that at 15 weeks I'd be this big already?  The maternity pants all still fit which is amazing to me since I thought I had gained weight in the past 4 years.  They are comfortable, but I had forgotten about how without a true waist, they continually fall and I have to pick them up.

2.  We had four inches of snow in the last few days.   So today we made a trip to Goodwill and bought a sled.  We went to a park with a hill and took turns sledding down the snow.  I wish we could have taken some pictures, but we were having so much fun, the phones never came out.  The snow is already melting away, but with two more months of snow to be expected, we will definitely be going sledding again!

Bike

We caved and got Alex a new bike.  He was determined to have a bike with pedals.  We went to quite a few stores that didn't have his size before someone suggested Toys R Us.  He loves his new bike and rode it all the way to the park which is 0.8 miles from our house.  So proud of him!!  Thanks Grandma Franklin!

15 week belly shot

This past week, my belly really decided to pop out. Alex is getting a kick out of watching it grow. He keeps telling me how huge I am.

Babies

They are 11 weeks in this picture. I get my cerclage at 14 weeks then check back in at the dr. Two weeks later. By then, I should know if they are boys or girls!! I can't wait!!!

I am already fighting the urge to completely do the kids' room just so it is complete. I don't like having things undone. The room is now mostly storage and I really want to see how they will all fit with their millions of things. I have purged down the toys so much already. I guess maybe shelves on the walls will be my only option if there isn't enough floor space. 

Snow

After a week in the upper fifties, we got snow yesterday! It is so thick, Alex got to make snow angels, a snowman, and shovel the sidewalk. He loved it. We were outside for around two hours. Apparently alex and I got a little sunburned. There isn't much snow left on our area without foot tracks from the little guy! He keeps asking if it is Christmas and if we are going to put lights in the house. (We are still working on the difference between winter and Christmas.) oh happy days.

Tractors in the snow

Nothing could be more fun!

Water science

When it's just too cold to play outside.

Ice skating!!

There is an outdoor rink just a few miles north of us Patrick stumbled upon. Alex was soooo excited to skate. We had him in his snow bib and gloves because, even though it wasn't too cold that day, this rink is completely in the shade. In Denver, no sun means no warmth at all. He was able to walk upright I the skates. Most of the younger ones I noticed had their ankles turned out so I was pretty impressed with Alex. He was pretty brave. I only dumped him once, and he smiled the entire time.

Alex is excited to have his bed again!

Before

Tons of stuff with no place yet to put them. Disorganization drives me crazy!! 

Not only that, but when we moved in w,e noticed a huge number of things that needed fixing. 

*Item number one: the washer and dryer. They were not there. When they came the next day, we found out there was no vent for the dryer so a portable vent had to be purchased and the washer wouldn't work because the drain was plugged. We moved in on Thursday but didn't get to use the washer until Monday night. Ugh! (What fun Alex and I had doing all the laundry though!! He loved watching the washer fill up and agitate.) 

*Item number two: the dining room light didn't work. We got a new one put in Monday.

*Item number three:  replace two wall plugs.

*Item number four: no fridge light. Apparently it was a little finicky. Got it working quickly enough.

*Item number five: no mailbox keys. Got them to punch out the old lock and rekey it yesterday.

There are more that I could list, but its a little boring already.

Anyway. We are happy here now with all this stuff fixed and the majority of our things put away. The kitchen is a bit smaller than the last, so it is a challenge- mainly having the pantry in the nook by the coat closet. (You can see it in the top of the picture. We are using bookshelves. So far it works.)

Denver

Yup. We are here. It's cold. Not really much snow on the ground, but sure we'll get some soon. Alex is missing home and the grandparents, but a few good snow toys (tractor with trailer and a digger) and he's a happy boy. It will take some time to adjust to the climate, city, and new lifestyle, but I think we will be happy here. If anyone wants to visit, please come!