New Pictures!

First, Pictures...

Recent photos of Caroline--

Smiling in Her Sleep

Beautiful Baby

Giving me a bad look...maybe she was tired of pictures!

So Sad!!

She is so smart! She has learned how to hold her paci in by balling up her fist and placing it against the paci...it is really cute!

Recent Photos of Elaina--

My Sugar Pumpkin

Serious Face!

Just looking around!

Cute Girl...looks like she is practicing her karate moves!

Just one of my feeble attempts to get a decent picture of all three. They were PRECIOUS! in their matching outfits! (Elaina Left, Caroline Right)

Little naked babies :)

Caroline--Green Paci, Elaina--Pink Paci

This is what my cart at Target looks like now! I have to make a super short list because very little will fit in the cart after adding all the kiddos in!

Rosalyn wrapped up in her frog towel at her school end of the year party

Sweet girl! She was waiting on her Starbucks treat...apple juice and chocolate covered graham crackers :) Just one of the many reasons I love the Baytown Target...Starbucks in the store!

She colored her face blue with chalk!

Now, for a little update...

Rosalyn is 2 years+9 months now and doing great! She is totally adjusted to the babies now and loves helping with them. She is an expert paci-replacer which comes in handy when I am pumping/driving/etc. She loves them so much! She is 33 lb and 35 3/4 inches tall. She is completely potty trained...she was mostly completely potty trained before the babies arrived, but she has now gone two full weeks with absolutely no accidents! I am so proud of her! As usual, she keeps us smiling with her crazy outlook on life and all the silly things she says. Her speech is really amazing. Also, she has learned how to stand on her stool and turn on the lights...right now every light in the house is on because I am tired of going behind her turning them off!

Caroline and Elaina are 6 weeks old now and just as precious as ever. They both weigh over 9 lb. They are beginning to sleep much better at night. Our bedtime routine is: quiet playtime on the living room floor, bath, bedtime bottle, bed. They are usually in bed around 9 pm...they then wake up to eat around 3 am then go back to sleep until about 7 am, eat, then back to sleep until about 9 am. They have even gone as long as 7 hours at night lately! During the daytime they eat every 3 hours and still sleep a lot in between feedings. They usually drink 3.5-4oz at each bottle. They are getting 50-75% breastmilk. They are starting to stay awake a lot more during the day although it is still 30 minutes max at a time! They have started smiling at us a lot when we talk to them...it is the sweetest thing ever! We are so happy we have these sweet girls!


Jason and I are doing well. We are always sleepy, but that is just how it is in this season of life. It is getting better. Thankfully, my mom helps us tremendously...not sure what we would do without Nana! Jason went back to work this week and although we miss him, it is nice to kind of get a little routine going. I use the word routine loosely as this routine does not include much cleaning or cooking, haha! One day I will have time for that stuff! These days I consider my house clean if: dishes are in dishwasher, floors somewhat clean, bottles clean/prepared, counters wiped a bit, toys somewhat picked up, beds with covers at least pulled up, clothes in the laundry basket/washed when overflowing, and toilets clean. Otherwise, I don't really care. Also, a nutritionist would have died if they saw my grocery cart yesterday...I don't think I've ever purchased so much frozen/canned/processed/premade/prepared food in my life! Oh well, I am sure we will all live!

So, there is our little update! Things are hectic, but I am loving life as a mommy of three!

Family Pictures...

We have had lots of visitors lately, so I thought I would post a few photos!

Pop Holding The Two New Princesses...

Uncle Alan and Aunt Kelsey

Jason, Me, and Alan

Nana (She and Pop don't really count as visitors since we see them nearly daily)

My Mamaw and Papaw (my Aunt Gwen and Uncle Mark also came on this visit)

Isaiah, Rosalyn, and Addy (I think Rosalyn was trying to make them paci addicts like her!)

My cousin Quinn came with her two little ones, so we had newborn twins, an almost two year old, almost three year old, and almost four year old in the house for a few days...it was fun!

Rosalyn and Addy (Rosalyn was in heaven playing with her cousins all weekend!)

Uncle Jody and the babies...Aunt B was here too, but she was busy making ice cream!

Anthony, Karen (+ Jordyn), and Elliot came also, but I didn't get any pictures with them :(
I wish I had more pictures to share (I have been terrible at remembering to take them!)....we have so enjoyed spending time with all of our family!

Rosalyn's Camp-Out...

After recently watching an episode of "Max and Ruby" that involves a camp-out, Rosalyn has been obsessed with having a camp-out of her own! Here are a few pictures of her camping out on the back porch yesterday. She stayed out there in her tent for almost two hours...Silly girl! She is so precious and makes me smile every day...what joy she brings to my world!

Here are new pictures of our sweet baby girls...

Caroline

Elaina

They have been sleeping better at night and what a blessing that is! They are so sweet and are growing more every single day! Today, they both sat in their bouncers and looked at toys for about 10 minutes...might not seem like much, but this time last week they weren't staying awake for longer than a minute at a time!

Original Due Date :)

First, a few pictures...

Another futile attempt at a decent picture of all three! They are wearing the sweet "Big Sister/Little Sister" t-shirts I bought them!

Elaina Joy...

Caroline Grace...

Rosalyn Elisabeth...

Mommy and all three Princesses...Do I look exhausted?!?!

Today, May 11th, is my "real" due date, my 40-weeks-pregnant day! I cannot imagine if I had really stayed pregnant until today...surely I would have popped by now!

Here is what our little duo is up to these days:
Caroline and Elaina are three weeks old today. Caroline weighs about 8 lb and Elaina weighs about 7 lb. They are both a little over 18 inches long. Still wearing all newborn clothes/diapers. They are eating every 3-3.5 hours, about 3-3.5 ounces at each feeding. I am pumping breastmilk for them to eat...so far, they haven't had any formula. My current goal is to feed them only breastmilk for their first six weeks and however long I can manage to pump enough after that point. It is getting harder and harder to keep up with their needs though, so we will see how it goes. They sleep a lot in between feedings, but they are beginning to stay awake for a few minutes before/after eating. They have had a few fussy moments over the past few days, but hopefully it will pass soon...We are using plenty of Mylicon and Gripe Water at our house! We are beginning to see more of their little personalities emerging. Caroline can be a little firecracker and Elaina is a little more mellow and reminds me a lot of Rosalyn as a baby. They are both so sweet and precious (most of the time!). We are very much in love with these sweet baby girls.


I am feeling much better now, recovery-wise. This c-section was much harder physically to recover from compared to Rosalyn's birth. I am basically pain-free for the most part now, thankfully. I have lost 43 lb...only 3 more to my pre-pregnancy weight! However, my belly will never be the same :(. I suppose it is a small price to pay for two big, healthy baby girls! I am so tired, truly sleepier than I could have ever imagined. The good thing about having a toddler is that I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel...I know that in just a short time--less than a year--we should all be sleeping at night and eating on a better schedule and able to actually leave the house!


Jason is adjusting to being the daddy of three little girls. He is a great daddy and loves them so much. I could not do this without him here to help me...I am already starting to get panicky about him going back to work in June!


Rosalyn is 32.5 months and just as silly as ever! She has been quite sassy lately with her talking, so I made a little spray bottle of part vinegar-part water and told her it was "sassy mouth spray" and that she would get a spray on her tongue when she talked ugly to mommy or daddy. I have had to use it twice...both times she grimaced/shuddered, but refused to acknowledge that it actually tasted bad. She just smiled after and said she liked it! She is SO rotten, but I love her :) She had to go to the doctor for her allergies last week. She is 33 lb and 35.75 inches. My little chubster! She is talking SO much and knows way too much for her own good. It is amazing (and hilarious!) to hear some of the things this opinionated little girl says! She can count, say/identify her ABCs, identify shapes/colors, and remembers lots of songs/books/stories/etc. She has a wild imagination! She had her Nana playing outside on Sunday pretending they were princesses hiding away in a cave from big polar bears that were trying to get them! She is a wonderful big sister and dotes on the babies. She gets very upset if she hears them cry and demands that we pick them up immediately! She can tell them apart almost all the time. She has transitioned well into her role as big sister and her behavior at home is improving as she continues this life-changing adjustment.


So, thats our little update for the week! Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Sweet Sleepers...

This is what my living room looked like at 3 pm this afternoon...

Three Sleeping Sisters :)

Rosalyn

Caroline

Elaina

2 weeks old...

The babies will be two weeks old tomorrow!! I cannot believe that they are already here in my arms, much less two weeks old. It is kind of a bittersweet thing. I love them so much more than I could have ever imagined...it is amazing to me how that crazy momma-love just kicks right in when they are born! From the outside looking in, it seems insane to have such absolute adoration of a little 7 lb dictator (or in my case, two 7 lb dictators!), but it is all part of God's perfect plan, I suppose! I am so grateful to the Lord for Rosalyn, Caroline, and Elaina...they are the sweetest gift He could have ever given me and I consider it such a privilege to be their mommy. I could never praise Him enough for these three precious, beautiful little girls.

Today, we have: changed 16 diapers (all poopy...gotta love breastmilk!), fed a baby 17 times, given several doses of mylicon/gripe water/zantac, changed baby clothes 6 times, and countless other activities! That isn't even counting taking care of Rosalyn! We have never been busier in our lives!

I am in love!

Caroline

Elaina

One of my many attempts to take a picture of all three...I am going to give up soon!

My beautiful girl

Caroline's first "real" bath

Elaina's first "real" bath...I think she is mad that Caroline peed in the water :)

Both Sweet Baby Girls (Elaina has the paci)

The babies and Me with Dr. Leeds-Richter (My OB). I am so grateful for the excellent care she gave us during both pregnancies...we love her! My two week appointment went well today...I have to go back in 4 weeks for another follow-up but all looked great today! I've lost 36 lb since the babies were born...10 more to go!