Some firsts!

Well, today was Katie and Tyler's first Black Friday - and we made it out and about without buying a thing! We did get stopped about 100 times (literally) because they looked as cute as can be in their new Christmas onesies that So So gave them. We also made it through our first visit with Santa - they weren't too excited, they slept in line and Tyler slept while Santa held him! I am betting this will be the most peaceful visit with Santa we will ever have!!! This was also the first time I fed them when we were on an excursion. Before today I always timed it so I could get there and leave in between feeding times, but when we go there right at 9:00 AM today Santa wasn't arriving until 11:00. I didn't want to go home and go back, and I wanted to be at the front of the line to avoid waiting so I decided to kill some time and feed them at their scheduled time and then come on home. So we were quite a sight - I took their carriers and put them in the back of Lance's 4-runner and stood up in the tailgate feeding them both. Of course, Tyler had a massive spit up all over his outfit and Katie refused to eat more than an ounce (because they didn't wake up until 8:00 AM and ate a lot later than usual, our fault - we were enjoying the late sleep), but all in all it wasn't a bad first attempt and now I won't be so scared to be out when it is time to feed them.

Here are some pics of how they looked on Santa Day!

EVIL Katie - she is not happy with me!!! This is after we got home and she of course was hungry because she only ate an ounce!

Tyler looks like he is about to jump! Isn't his outfit too cute - thanks So So!

And one of Tyler laughing at Katie for a change!

Tyler does NOT like hats!

Nana Pam (the wonderful lady who watches the babies during the day) got them adorable Christmas hats and took some very cute pictures. She said that Tyler just got progressively more unhappy alternately trying to eat the hat and get the thing off of his head - you can tell in these pics that he was not a fan! She, on the otherhand, seemed to be having a ball - even laughing in his face!!!

Some Pics!

12 Weeks!

Work has been crazy busy so I haven't had much time to post, but I do have a couple of pictures that I will try to put up this evening. I tried to get a picture of Katie "watching" tv - it is so funny, she will turn her head as far around as possible and just stare at the television. We are probably horrible parents for exposing an almost three month old to tv already, but I figure like Father like Daughter - if she will watch football, or basketball, or baseball, or golf, or any other sport on television with him then he will be in heaven.

They still have a bit of a cold, but they are doing so great and getting so big and both of them are full of smiles and coos - it is so fun! We went out to dinner last night with their Uncle Matthew and Grandpa Fossick and they were excellent, just slept the whole time, which is wonderful news - it will be good if we don't have to be afraid to take them with us if we need to go somewhere in the evening. They are just now getting to the point where all evening hours aren't spent screaming and the quiet is pure bliss!!!

Well, it's official!

Tyler is now bigger than Katie! Well, his "older" sister still outdoes him in length - she is 22 inches and he is 21 1/2, but his head his bigger and he edges her out by two ounces in weight. Tyler is 11 pounds, 6 ounces and Katie is 11 pounds, 4 ounces!!! A baby that is not a preemie is supposed to be around 12 pounds by three months (which will be December 2nd) and they are right on track. In fact, we are supposed to consider them to be about 3 to 6 weeks behind because of their prematurity and they are growing on par with an average singleton right now!!! They really are doing great, eating well, and sleeping as well as can be expected. I am learning that it is easy to worry (ha - you all know that worry is what comes most naturally to me anyway) that we are feeding them too much, or too little, or at the wrong times, or whatever but I think for just a bit I am going to revel in the fact that what we are doing seems to be working (knock on wood) and just be happy about our fat, little chunky babies!

Their colds are not in their chests and they don't have fever - they are just congested and have stuffy noses. Another thing I just need to get used to - I have a feeling that we have many months and years of stuffy, snotty noses ahead of us! If only we could teach a 12 week old to blow their nose...

Picture Time!

I finally remembered to bring the camera card to work so here are some recent pics!

Chubby, naked Katie - she'll hate us one day for taking these!

Tyler's Elvis Impression!

Katie is starting to really enjoy her playmat - thanks Aunt Lori and Uncle Brandon!

Tyler is one worn out little gangster! He is getting to be such a chunker - we love it!

They have both learned to blow bubbles - we are so proud.

Nana Pam's

They seem to be doing great at Nana Pam's. They love their swings and crib over there, and at our house they want nothing to do with laying in the crib when it is not bedtime and could take or leave the swings - Pam must be the baby whisperer! Here are some pics from Monday at her house - they were a day from 11 weeks!!! They are really starting to be able to focus on mobiles, and toys - Katie is our little tv watcher and she has gotten uninterested in eating because all she wants to do is look at you and smile when you are trying to feed her! Tyler is still more serious and thoughtful than her, but he is starting to crack a smile more often and it lights up his whole face - so cute!!!
You can't see much through the mobile here but this kind of shows their personalities. Tyler is just laid back kind of saying "I'm too cool to get excited about stuffed bears," whereas Katie is just loving it!

Here is one of Tyler's smile, and one of Katie! I still haven't captured Katie's full face smile - as soon as I get the camera she stops doing it!!!














They are both pretty darn happy here. I wish they would do that at our house. We put them in their cribs and turn the mobiles on and all we get our pouty faces, also cute but unfortunately crying follows shortly thereafter.

I am at work right now so I don't have my camera, but I do have some other pics to post this evening of 11 weeks!

Freaking out...

Well, we found out that we do not qualify for the RSV shots which is very scary because many preemies die from this very common illness. Despite meeting a number of the risk factors - at least for Tyler - under 5 lbs when born, some respiratory distress in NICU and use of oxygen, born before 34 weeks (they were 34 weeks, 4 days), go to daycare, parental asthma (Lance has had mild attacks periodically), and that they will not be six months old before the end of cold and flu season. Our pediatrician is appealing but it doesn't look good. It is very, very expensive even with insurance approval so I really wouldn't want it if I didn't think it would be good for them. I didn't even think about taking them to Christmas Village Friday night and the crowds of people until we got home and now I am so scared that we exposed them to RSV. We will just have to be extra vigilant when it comes to colds and not hesitate to take them to the hospital if they seem to have any trouble at all breathing!

We had a great time at Christmas Village, but it is kind of tiresome to be such a spectacle. Everyone stops and looks at you and exclaims over the twins and I of course agree with everyone when they say they are adorable, but sometimes you just want to shop in peace!!!

Katie is rubbing a bald spot on the back of her head in an attempt to look more like dad I guess! We need to get a picture, pretty funny!

The other thing I am freaking out about, ALREADY, is that Vandy is now BOWL ELIGIBLE (woohoo), which means that Lance will not miss that game for anything. He really wants me to go with him and I would love to go, but I am not sure we can find someone willing to watch them overnight and I don't know if I am willing to leave them - I guess I have about a month to get used to the idea and to find/train a sitter!

The Smiles

I tried to capture their smiles - they are so precious and both of them are smiling more and more each day but they won't do it on command and I haven't yet figured out a fool-proof way to get them to do it. So, here are some ten weeks pics - you can kind of tell that Tyler is smiling, Katie was being uncooperative but still looks cute as can be of course.

Consignment Sale

So, I went to a consignment sale yesterday and scored! I found a bag of socks for $6 that had 8 pairs of those cute trumpette "mary jane" style socks in them along with about 10 other pairs too!!! I was ridiculously excited about a bag of infant socks, but I felt like such a bargain shopper and I was right proud of myself. Katie didn't have very many footed sleepers, which I have found to be the easiest thing to keep them in, and now that it is getting cold I wanted to pick up a couple. I got the aforementioned socks, 6 sleepers for Katie, Christmas footies for each of them, and a pair of jeans for Tyler and some overalls for Katie all for $40! I was going to put them in the sleepers to get their picture taken with Santa Friday night but unfortunately I got duped - the Christmas outfit for Katie was a pants and top set and the shirt is 0-3 but the pants are 3-6 - since she still fits best in newborn pants I don't think those are going to work! I have a little red and black outfit with scotties on it that I think I will put her in but still...

They have definitely outgrown their newborn outfits but the 0-3 are still too long - I have a feeling this is going to be a recurring theme throughout their lives!!! Poor little shorties!

First Babysitter

Should I be concerned that the babysitter just literally RAN out of the house? Seriously, she said that the babies were good and didn't freak out too much, but then when walking down the stairs she said deceptively nonchalantly - "I thought I wanted twins but..." I oddly get a little cocky when I hear that people finally realize that twins have a flip side to the cute two newborns thing, and when I encounter someone who really, really wants twins I find that I want to tell each and every one of them what it is really like to have newborn twins. A lot of people who see us out and about mention how they always wanted twins, how twins would be so fun, how perfect it is to knock it out all at once, how we can be done now that we have one of each, yada, yada, and I have to bite my tongue not to say do you know how hard this is, how we take pride in them only waking once a night because that is really rare, how we get excited if there is one hour an evening without one of them crying, how we actually feel guilty (or at least I do) that we have to hear them cry and physically can't pick them both up and cuddle and hold them, how it is a real ordeal to even go to the grocery store, and that you feel like such an oddball because moms of singletons would never let their babies cry for even a minute! Don't get me wrong - I feel completely blessed and love being a twin mom but it can be frustrating when people completely underestimate what it is like to have TWO newborns. I have no clue how parents of triplets or more make it, I really don't.

Honestly, the babysitter did great - Katie was asleep when we got in at 10:00 PM and Tyler was fed and that was fabulous - to have one evening that we did not have to do the feeding, rocking, bathing routine!!! Tyler is in there squawking right now and I will probably go in and rock him and love on him a bit, but it is amazing how much easier that is when I haven't listened to screaming and been spit up on A LOT for the last two or more hours!!! It really was quite funny just how fast the sitter left! I don't know if it was because she is a Lipscomb student and probably a non-drinker and she could tell we had indulged in a couple, or if the wrath of Katie and Tyler was just too much, but we came in at 9:50 and she was out the door and in her car at 9:52. All in all though, I rate the evening a success - Lance and I had a fabulous dinner, went to Corner Pub for a drink and really had a good time, and then got home with the fun part (snuggling and cuddling) only left for us to do for the evening! I do believe that this could become a habit - not really - we don't have the money or inclination for that, but we do plan to try to make it out at least once a month - it's good for sanity IMO!

More pictures from daycare!

Katie likes Nana Pam!








Tyler is unamused!




The difference in personalities even at a young age!











If I tell you a secret will you feel better?

Mini-Van

Well, it is pretty obvious now that a van is needed. I never thought I would drive a mini-van, but the car is just way too much hassle and the ease of a van will far outweigh its "uncoolness!" I have been driving around practically eating the steering wheel and there still isn't room for the carseats to sit properly and only the snap and go stroller fits in the trunk - which if they get much heavier the carriers might be obsolete and the snap and go will be useless. So, my car is on craigslist and so far we have had a couple of nibbles. The problem is that we have not had a car payment in almost 10 years, can't afford one now, probably can't even qualify for a car loan in this economic environment, our "extra" money is going to daycare, and if it wasn't imperative to have a safer more practical vehicle it would be completely irresponsible to purchase a new one. That means that we are on the hunt for a van for $6,000 (what my car is listed for) or less - should be a really nice van, with low miles (ha, ha)! I have found a couple of Honda vans in the $6,000 - $8,000 price range - they are old and have been driven quite a bit, but Hondas are good vehicles so I think that is what I am going with! Watch out - I can't even park my little volvo, I am going to be a road hazard in a van for sure!

First Day at Daycare

This is pretty funny - shows the order of events. They first looked like they were not happy at all. The second picture they are calming down some, although Tyler looks like he is about to lose it and then in the third picture they are out!!! I was so happy to get the pics - started missing the little boogers and wondering how they were doing!

Wiggle Worms

Here is a picture of them touching feet - they start out at the top of the positioners and inevitably find a way down to contort their bodies to get their feet against each other. It is really odd, this is not as much as they sometimes do, there have been times that Katie has completely gotten herself off the positioner. I bet if they weren't swaddled and on positioners these little houdinis would really be all over the place!

A couple of ten pounders!

Yep, that's right - both of them are exactly 10 pounds and 21 inches long. His head is a bit bigger but for the most part they are the same! He is still eating really well and she has kind of leveled out so he may even surpass her, but that's ok - boys are supposed to be bigger!!! They had their shots today - Lance took them, I am back at work. He said that Tyler took it pretty well but Katie was wailing before the nurse even got to her, so sad - glad I wasn't there. The doctor was happy with their growth and development and said that if you take into account their prematurity they are in the 50th percentile for weight and the 25th for length - they are a bit short but that shouldn't surprise anyone. They do say that 98% of boys are as tall as or taller than their mother so Tyler should be at least 5' 6" - but height doesn't really matter for professional golfers so no worries :-)!

More pictures!

This is what Katie actually wore on Halloween. We couldn't figure out how to put them in their carseats or stroller with their costumes on and this onesie is cute as can be (thanks Catherine) so she was not only a pumpkin for her first Halloween, but a princess/ballerina too!!!

If you notice the gashes on poor Katie's face do know that we really do cut her nails - Lance has started calling her the slasher because she always manages to gouge her face and Tyler's - this one was the very day that they were freshly cut and filed!

Tyler wore a cute Halloween sleeper as his second "costume." Are you starting to notice a typical pose for Tyler?!? He always has one arm up looking like he is just chilling, taking it all in or about to break into the "sprinkler"dance - one or the other.

"Poor" Tyler sleeps on hot pink sheets because they sleep in the same crib and the proximity of Katie's crib to the changing table, door, etc. made hers the chosen one! Grandma Ratliff is responsible for awesome bedding for the two of them and one day Tyler will sleep on bright blue sheets!!!

Tyler really didn't mind the costume - he just wanted to sleep!
















I had to get Lance to take this picture - you probably can't tell from this angle just how sweet they truly looked at this moment, both sleeping and oblivious to the fact that they were sharing my chest! I really do wonder when they will notice each other - other than the touching feet thing I don't think they know the other one exists!

Two months old!

Tyler and Katie are two months old today!!! I can't believe that it has been two months already since these two were born. Last night we had some friends over (which was fabulous, to feel like we were social again) so we altered the babies schedule a bit so we didn't have to go feed them and bathe them at 9:00. Well, we ended up getting them down by 11:00 PM and they slept all the way until 5:00 AM!!! I, of course, freaked out when they didn't wake at 2:00 or 3:00 and got up to go check on them but they were doing great and even at 5:00 would probably have gone back to sleep. We are getting awfully close to a full night's sleep, I think - woohoo! It worked out great that the time changed because it really was 4:00 AM and we were able to feed them at 7:00AM and get them back on their normal schedule. Too bad that will have to be altered tomorrow since they go to the doctor during one of their scheduled feedings! We are getting to the point where we can be a bit more flexible because they definitely tell us when they are hungry, or sleepy.

One of the cutest things ever is how these two wake up and it is going to be short-lived so we definitely need to capture it on camera SOON. No matter how we put them down if they are in the same crib they find a way to contort their swaddled, sleep positioned bodies to touch feet! It is actually kind of scary because you will look down into the crib and not even see Katie since she somehow manages to get her body parallel with the crib rail to get her feet to touch Tyler - but it is really, really sweet. They are almost beyond sleeping in the same crib and the positioners aren't going to hold them for long so we really need to remember to take a picture.

Here are pictures from Halloween - as you can tell, they weren't real thrilled with dressing up but it was their first holiday and I just couldn't resist!

The differences in twins

Before I had the babies I read articles about not being depressed if your baby was unhappy or not as "perfect" as you imagined and I frankly thought those books and tidbits were quite silly. My naive thoughts ran toward well, of course babies cry and if you think your baby is going to be the newborn you see on movies and tv you are crazy BUT, now I know what they were cautioning about. One of my babies is relatively happy, cries when infants typically cry - when wet, when hungry, when tired and during the witching hours for no particular reason whatsoever and I expected that. She will let out gut wrenching shrieks and cries that you think should shatter glass, but she will also reward you with an hour of bright eyed playing and and tenative practice smiles that will melt your heart. The other whines, fusses, and grumbles constantly when he is not asleep with no real identifiable reason other than wanting to be held which often doesn't even work to quiet the rumbling! He rarely wants to use us has his entertainment and has had very, very few "smiles." Until last night when a friend commented on the baby of another friend I could not put my finger on exactly what was bothering me about Tyler and his fussiness and general discontent - she said to my other friend "your baby is so happy," and then I knew - I am afraid that Tyler is unhappy. You don't realize that there is a real association with how happy your baby is and what kind of parent you are perceived to be - if your baby is crying or upset everyone thinks you are doing something wrong or tries to find a reason i.e., his tummy is upset, he is hungry, he is cold, hot, you should pick him up, you should not pick him up, you name it - people want to find a reason for a fussy baby. I am coming to the conclusion that sometimes the reason is simply because he wants to cry or he is just so not amused by not being able to communicate or get what he wants that he is going to fuss about it! When you think of babies you think of giggles and smiles and coos and bright, happy eyes and sure the occasional crying, but you never envision a serious little being who seems downright reluctant to be happy. I am hoping this is just a phase and it is part of the colicky type of crying and fussing that is normal until 3 months old or so, but if not, if I do have a serious little thinker rather than a baby who lights up the room with smiles and laughs I think I'll have a pretty good idea where he gets it, and it isn't from his dad!
I love my little Tyler so, so much - please don't think I am even hinting at favoring one over the other - I just think it is natural with twins to be able to see the differences pretty easily and to make comparisons. I think for many, many years to come I'll be questioning our parenting, trying to get to know these little ones and trying my damndest not to make them anything they aren't or judge them for not being exactly what I expected them to be - and right now I am really beginning to think that God is using Tyler to try to teach me the patience that I know will be more than necessary in the years to come!

My Sweet Little Babies!