1 Month Old

Sophia and Claire are now 1 month old. Time is going by so quickly already. I really noticed today how much they have changed. They are starting to fill out. It makes me so sad. I am not ready for them to get bigger.

We have had a great month. The girls and I are adjusting really well. They have began to sleep really well at night and are getting used to our daily routine as well. I am still amazed how quickly the days go by. I am going constantly...one child is keeping me on my toes at all times. I am lucky if I can find 30 minutes to throw in laundry, take a shower, clean, etc.

I love being a stay-at-home Mom. It is the toughest job I have ever had but the most rewarding and fulfilling. I can't imagine it any other way.

The girls have finally gained weight!!! At the last weigh in Sophia gained 7oz and Claire gained 12 oz in 10 days. We are thankful things have changed in a positive direction. Sophia is now 6lbs 7oz (with cast) and Claire is 6lbs 5oz. Claire has definitely caught up with her sister.

Sophia and Claire are very alert; they are checking out everything around them. Sophia seems to be our thinker. She seems to analyze everything. I love to see the little smiles that spread across their faces throughout the day. It melts my heart. I have to brag a little bit...our girls are well advanced. About a week ago I put the girls down for their nap. When I returned later, our little Claire had rolled over and was sleeping on her stomach. I thought it was a fluke but she since has done it a few more times. Sophia has followed her sister and has accomplished the same task, even with a heavy cast on.

We have started tummy time...needless to say it is 10-15 minutes filled with constant crying. I will just keep trying...hopefully they will become accustomed to it. The good part is that they do pull their head and legs up so I am accomplishing what we set out for.

As crazy as it sounds, the girls have their own distinct smells. Sophia smells like baby powder and Claire smells like flowers. I will be so sad when that goes away.

Many people have asked how many diapers we go through each day. We average about 20-25 diapers per day. We have had moments where we have to change one babies diaper multiple times within a 5 minute period. We just laugh it off and are just thankful the mass number of diapers is a sign of good health.

Many of you probably wonder why you haven't seen pictures of Georgie with the girls....that is because he is completely not interested in them. He checks on them once in a while but for the most part stays away from them. The girls and I were gone a few days this past week and Georgie was not happy to see us return. I think he liked having his Dad, the attention and the house to himself.

Sophia and Claire got to meet their Great Grandma Stella last week. We spent two nights at her house. Grandma couldn't get enough of the girls. She has been making quilts for the girls which I got to take a peek at...so cute!! I am so thankful our girls will have something so special from such an amazing person.

I got to indulge in my first glass of wine in almost a year. Matt and I have been saving a bottle of wine that we purchased at a vineyard (Baileyana) in California over 3 years ago. That trip is when we decided we wanted to start our family. We never imagined it wouldn't come to fruition until 2009. It was well worth the wait though. Matt and I enjoyed our glass of celebratory wine!!!

~ Sophia and Claire are 3 Weeks Old ~

It is hard to believe that Sophia and Claire are already 3 weeks old. It has flown by. At times it makes me sad but we have accomplished so much in those three weeks. Matt and I are definitely in love with our little girls. Each day they do something new that keeps us smiling all day long.

Last week I found out how hard it is to be a Mom and sick at the same time. I got a horrible cold and sore throat that really zapped me of my energy for a couple of days. Being a Mom doesn't stop when you are sick. I have even more respect for Mommy's than I already did. I am thankful to be on the mend.

The girls had their first professional photo session. They did a great job. The few pictures we have seen so far turned out great. I think the girls are extremely photogenic!!! I love pictures so capturing them early on was so important to me. They change so quickly I didn't want to miss getting photos of their little hands, feet, etc.

I met with another pediatric orthopedic doctor on Monday and got a second opinion. I am thankful I went with my instinct. I liked Dr. Berrios much better. He seemed to have much better bedside manners and took the time to really talk with me about Sophia's club foot. He made me feel much better about her prognosis and the process she will go through over the next year or so. We had Dr. Berrios put her second cast on that day and will continue working with him going forward. Sophia did such a good job. She stayed calm while they took her current cast off and only cried a little bit while they applied her new cast. We go back on Friday for her third cast.

The girls and I went on our first road trip this week. Matt had to travel to Cleveland for work. I wasn't ready to be alone yet so I headed to my parents for two nights. My sisters, nieces and nephews were there as well. The girls did such a great job in the car. They slept the entire way! I am amazed at how much stuff I had to take with us for only 3 days. Between the girls and Georgie we had a full car. I am not sure if we could have fit Matt in. HA!! It feels good to know that I can successfully get out and about when I need to. We had a great time in Locust Grove and look forward to many more visits this summer. Their is something so relaxing and comforting about being at my parents house. We are patiently waiting for Matt to get home tonight. I know Matt is so excited to see the girls. He has really missed them but enjoyed a few nights of good rest.

I have successfully accomplished my goal of tandem breastfeeding with the girls. It has made a huge difference in my energy level and opened the door to additional sleep and time for other tasks throughout the day. It is difficult at times but I am lucky to have very cooperative girls. and a wonderful twins nursing pillow. It is an interesting process to watch....my sisters just laugh at the sight of it.

We have good and bad nights of sleep. Sophia is still our easy one. You can lay her down and she'll put herself to sleep 90% of the time. Claire on the other hand wants to be held and close to you at all times. After trial and error, Aunt Meghan found that the one solution that works is to allow Claire to sleep in her car seat. She seems to like it. I guess we'll stick with this solution until we get to Babies R Us to buy something to keep her elevated and snug.

Matt has developed nicknames for the girls. I knew it wouldn't take long. He calls his Sophia "Bugsy" because she bugs her eyes out a lot...she gets so excited and alert. He calls Claire his "Claire Bear" but my family and I just call her "little Matt".

The girls are becoming more alert every day. They tend to stay awake longer after each feeding now. I enjoy being able to sit and talk to them and smile at their funny little expressions. It is so cute!!! I have to admit that having twins is extremely difficult. I often feel guilty because I have to split my time between them. I can only console one at at time which is sometimes hard. Between both of them I don't find much time to make phonecalls, get on email, etc. so I apologize to those of you who feel I have forgotten about you.

We are really enjoying being parents. Our girls are beautiful and bring so much joy to our lives. I can't imagine life without them. They are perfect.

I hope you enjoy the most recent pictures!!!

Welcome Home Sophia and Claire

We brought our beautiful girls home on Sunday, May 31st. We spent most of the day at the hospital but made it home around 7PM. My favorite dinner of roast and potatoes was awaiting our arrival. My Mom, Dad and sisters had the house ready for our arrival and it was nice to know we wouldn't be living off frozen pizza for the next week.

My Mom planned to stay with us the entire week to help Matt and I out. It has been a HUGE help. I don't know how we would have adjusted without her. She has cooked dinner, cleaned, done laundry, changed diapers, and of course has spoiled her grandaughters with attention. I will never get sick of hearing her say how beautiful our girls are.

Our first night at home was interesting. I prepared myself for very little sleep but until you are in the moment it is hard to understand how tiring two girls can be when neither one wants to sleep when the other does. Needless to say we were lucky to get one hour of sleep the first night. Matt looked at me at 3 or 4 AM and said "Welcome to Motherhood". We had a good laugh. Thankfully the following two nights were very different. I actually had to wake the girls up every four hours to eat. They preferred to sleep the night away.

Claire has become our vocal girl who loves to be held. She can be in a perfectly deep sleep but wakes up screaming as soon as you lay her down. Sophia on the other hand can sleep whenever and wherever. The girls personalities are as different as their physical appearances. I love it!! I wanted them to have their own individuality.

The girls are officially a week old. It has gone by so quickly. They are doing so well with breastfeeding. I am so thankful as that was one of my biggest worries. We hope to start working on tandem breastfeeding next week. It will eliminate about 30 minutes each feeding time which will provide more sleep at night and allow me to get more done during the day besides just breastfeeding. I am amazed how quickly the day goes by. I am lucky to find this time to update the blog. I am multi-tasking though (I am feeding Claire).

We have been to the pediatrician twice this week. Our first visit revealed that both Sophia and Claire had lost even more weight since leaving the hospital. Dr. Freeman asked us to supplement after each feeding and that is what we did for three days. Fortunately I was able to mostly supplement with breastmilk. At our second appointment both girls had gained at least 4 oz. which is amazing in three days. We are back on track!!!! They were given a clean bill of health which is wonderful.

We did take Sophia to see the Pediatric Orthopedic surgeon for her club foot. They put her first cast on to begin the process of correcting her foot position. Sophia did not cry once and actually slept through a portion of it. We will go back every week for the next 8 weeks to get a new cast and slowly change the position of her foot. Sophia may have to wear braces after the casting process is complete but we hope that it will only be at nap time and during her nightime sleep. We are going to possibly get a second opinion next week to confirm we are doing the right thing for Sophia. Our pediatrician agreed that was the right thing to do. Her cast is so cute. She can make anything look cute though. She is absolutely adorable.

The girls received their first bath on Monday. I enjoyed it much more than they did. Both Sophia and Claire screamed the entire time. Matt got in on the fun. I am so impressed with Matt. Most men are so nervous to participate in these type of tasks early on but he didn't shy away. He is so good with the girls!!! Claire decided to pea in her bath water and based on the grin on her face she enjoyed it or thought it was funny. Sophia on the other hand waited to mark the event until she was nice and cozy in her towel. She decided to have a blowout while sitting on Nanna's lap that gave us all a good laugh!!! The first bath was an event to remember!

I could go on and on about how amazing, sweet, beautiful and wonderful our girls are. I feel so blessed and lucky to have them. They are truely a gift from God. I believe children are a reflection of his most amazing works. I still find myself crying each night as I thank God for bringing them into our life. It was well worth the wait!!!

Sophia Marie and Claire Abigail ~ May 28th, 2009

May 28th was everything Matt and I imagined it would be and more. We arrived at the hospital at 10:30AM. We were greeted by 3 wonderful nurses who took wonderful care of us. Our c-section was scheduled for 12:30PM but was pushed back due to an emergency c-section for another patient. At about 1:30pm we were taken back to the operating room. I received my spinal which was as uncomfortable as I imagined it to be. I was amazed how quickly it took effect and then all of the commotion began in the operating room. Everyone prepared for the girls arrival. In addition to the surgical team we had two NICU teams in case the girls required special treatment. Matt was able to come into the operating room after everything was prepared. Thank goodness...I needed someone to wipe my tears. I had a difficult time controlling my emotions during the c-section.

Our precious Sophia arrived first at 1:57PM with a very sweet cry. I was able to get a quick glance of her before they wisked her away to be evaluated. Matt stayed with me while they worked on bringing Claire into the world. Claire arrived at 2:00PM but not without challenges. Claire had her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck twice. Thank goodness for a wonderful doctor. Dr. Weber was calm. His experience came in handy and we were able to hear the soft crys of our little Claire.

Sophia Marie weighed in at 6lbs 8oz and 20 1/4 inches long. She had swallowed a lot of fluid so to be safe they wanted to take her to the NICU for evaluation. She had what appeared to be a club foot. This is probably from the way she layed in my stomach and the lack of room she had later in the pregnancy. We know that a club foot can be fixed so it was a relief that nothing else was wrong.

Claire Abigail weighed in at 5lbs 14oz and 20 inches long. She swallowed a lot of fluid as well so she went with her sister to the NICU. Otherwise she was absolutely perfect!

The nurses brought the girls to me before heading to the NICU. That was a wonderful moment. It was amazing to kiss my girls and see their beautiful faces. The moment was everything I imagined it would be. They were absolutely perfect and right then and there I realized the love between a mother and child. Words can't express the enormous amount of happiness and pride I felt for these two amazing angels.

Once both girls arrived, Matt was right by their side taking pictures and enjoying the amazing moment. Like me, he was very emotional and amazed at the miracle that had just taken place. He went with the girls to the NICU while I was taken to recovery. It was so hard to sit and wait to hold my girls. What was only an hour seemed like an eternity.

Sophia was able to leave the NICU first and joined me in recovery. Matt, Sophia and I were able to spend some quiet alone time together and then our little Claire joined us. It was amazing to be together as a family for the first time. It was so hard to take in. We are amazed at how beautiful and sweet our little girls are. They could not be more perfect. We immediately fell in love! At times the girls look very similar but they definitely are unique.

Sophia Marie looks exactly like me...she has a rounder face with chubby cheeks and a head full of light brown hair. For the first few days she seemed to be our outgoing child who wanted to be heard at all times. That has quickly changed. She is now really laid back and prefers sleep at all times of the day; just like her Mommy!

Claire Abigail looks exactly like her Daddy...she has a long thin face with a full head of black hair. She has become the child who wants to be heard and loves being held. Her favorite thing is to lay against her Mommy or Daddy's chest.

We came home the evening of Sunday May 31st. I was nervous to be without the help at the hospital but thankfully I have an amazing husband, Mom and Dad. We came home to a wonderful dinner and what would turn out to be an interesting first night at home. More information to come....when I find time to come up for air.

STAY TUNED!!!