1 Kissin' and Cuddlin'

We have quite a weekend planned!  Soon, we will be taking our first road trip to Dothan.  I am looking forward to going home.  It seems like it has been forever since I have been home and relaxed.  This summer, we only went home once and it was for a wedding.  This weekend we are heading home for an engagement party for one of our good friends. Also, while we are at home we will be taking the girls' first professional pictures!  I am so excited.  We are going to use Mark Broadway photography; and it is really special because he took our wedding pictures as well.  I love his style of photography so I am really looking forward to the results.  We were supposed to take maternity pictures in May but of course that didn't happen!  I am a sucker for pictures and I truly believe that it is worth it to have pictures taken professionally because it really captures this moment in our lives. 

Speaking of this moment, I am really loving being a mom to twins.  When I was pregnant so many people would say things like, "Whoa, you are really going to have your hands full!" but with them being our first I really don't know any different.  The biggest thing right now that is different from having just one child is it takes me longer to feed both of them.  When I have help, I can feed them at the same time but it is still hard for me to do that on my own.  On Wednesday, the girls were being a little fussy so I did actually manage to feed them together with no help.  Boy, was I a site to see trying to maneuver that one! :)  In the hospital, we picked up on general mannerisms of the girls but the more that they are at home the more I am realizing their personality traits.  Typically, Adeline is the fussiest when she has to go to the bathroom.  She isn't as regular as I would like for her to be, but our pediatrician said that she isn't abnormal yet so that is good.  Maralee is usually the one that broadcasts her lungs to everyone but it is usually just for attention.  She either wants her pacifier or wants to be held so if she gets one of those two things she is content.  Right now I have her in our jungle swing with her pacifier in her mouth so she is chilled out!

Another thing that I have discovered about having twins is the double portion of love.  I LOVE my mornings with the girls.  Raleigh heads off to work a little before eight so that is when my day starts to feed them solo.  I am still in my pajamas and as I feed one girl I have the other lying in the bed next to me or sitting upright in the boppy pillow.  Adeline really seems to love sitting in the boppy.  She fell asleep in it again yesterday!  The thing that I love most about this feed is that afterward the girls are alert and we have some play time.  They are so cute and I love watching them kick their little legs in their footed pj's and stare at the ceiling.  This time is the best because they are satisfied but not quite ready to go back to sleep.  Some mornings I will look at the clock and can't believe that I still haven't brushed my teeth!  I don't really care though because I know that I won't be able to do this with them forever so I just want to enjoy this moment.

Adeline in her boppy pillow

Maralee getting some play time

I know it is so hard for Raleigh to head off to work everyday with the girls being home.  He loves his job but I know he misses them during the day.  This morning, after the five a.m. feed, we both stayed up and had the girls on the bed in between us.  It was some sweet family cuddle time :)

Some days the NICU seems like forever ago.  I look down at these beautiful faces and all I see are healthy, happy babies.  All of the nurses told me that I would forget that experience so I am very thankful that I wrote it all down.  That experience is a major part of who we are as a family and it will always be a testament of our faith in God.  This week I watched the season premiere of 19 Kids and Counting and so many memories came to surface as I watched baby Josie in the Arkansas Children's Hospital NICU.  I have not been a regular follower of this show so I had recorded the episode on Josie Coming Home and it really brought tears to my eyes.  They had to stay in the NICU past her due date and then when she finally got to come home she was readmitted two days later.  I think that would be so hard to come back to the hospital.  As I listened to Michelle talk about her experience of being Josie's mom, I understood exactly what she was talking about.  After I watched that show, I just hugged and kissed on my girls thanking God for their health.  They had a rough experience but they survived!!!!  Praise be to God!!!!!

Yesterday we had our follow-up appointment with our pediatrician to check on the girls' blood count and weight.  Both of the girls have around the same blood count (they aren't twins are they?!) and it is average...not high and not low so we will be monitoring it still over the next few weeks.  Also, they gained more weight!  Adeline is 5lbs 6 oz pounds and Maralee is 5 lbs 3 oz.

Adeline and Maralee, 14 weeks

Well, it is getting close to feeding time and I think Maralee is tired of her pacifier.  Oh no, Adeline is starting to cry now too!  Gotta go but I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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