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!

Few Pictures and Update!

We are doing well and getting adjusted to being a family of five (and being outnumbered as parents!). We have a little routine going and things are getting easier. The babies pretty much eat/poop/sleep on a three hour schedule! They are not very fussy althought they have their moments. Rosalyn loves being a big sister. She is so "motherly" to the babies...when they cry she just talks so sweet to them and calls them names like "little honeybear," "sweet angel," and "precious." Those are all names I call her, but it is hilarious (and adorable) to hear her comfort C and E with them.


The babies are so precious and I am totally in love :) After having Rosalyn, I just never thought I could love another baby so much...however, I was wrong! Caroline Grace and Elaina Joy have captured my heart just as their big sister did 2 years and 8 months ago. They are so sweet, soft, and snuggly. To look at them now is like staring at pure innocence. When I think of all three of my girls, it feels like my heart could burst with pride and joy!


The babies had their first doctor's appointment this past Monday. They both gained weight and are doing well overall. Caroline weighed 6lb11oz (her lowest weight was 6lb7oz) and Elaina weighed 6lb0oz (her lowest weight was 5lb9oz). So, Mommy's milk is working! They go back on Wednesday for their 2 week checkup.

Caroline and Elaina are SO different...I guess I expected them to be more alike, but they are definitely not identical! Here are their differences:

Caroline--bigger, darker/more hair, darker skin, blue eyes (for now), nose/mouth/chin looks more like Daddy's, different shaped eyes than Rosalyn and Elaina, more oval/angular shaped face, looks chunkier like Rosalyn, more tempermental/fiery than Elaina, can go from 0-60 in a second with her crying!, smiles all the time in her sleep, has "stork bites" across her eyelids like Rosalyn

Elaina--smaller, lighter/less hair, much lighter skin, gray eyes, nose/mouth/chin looks more like mine, eyes shaped just like Rosalyn's, rounder face, looks daintier, calmer, more mellow, loves her paci just like Rosalyn, always observing/looking around slowly, has "stork bites" on her neck like Rosalyn

We think they are both beautiful and perfect!!

Here are a few pictures (sorry some are grainy, didn't want to use flash on the babies' faces)...

Big Sister Rosalyn

Caroline

Elaina

In the stroller at the first doctor appointment

Daddy's Three Baby Girls!

Snuggling in to sleep (Caroline is closer to the camera)

Sweet Sleepy Heads!

Babies are here!

Caroline Grace was born at 1:38 pm on April 20, 2010. She weighed 7lb1oz and was 18 inches long.

Elaina Joy was born at 1:39 pm on April 20, 2010. She weighed 6lb2oz and was 18 inches long.

C-Section went well and we are all home recovering. Babies are nursing well and just precious...we are so in love. Big Sister Rosalyn is adjusting fine!

Here are a few pictures!

Elaina on Top, Caroline on Bottom

Tomorrow!!!

I cannot believe that it is finally here! Tomorrow I will meet the precious baby girls I have been waiting for since August! I am feeling nervous about the surgery, but mostly just full of excitement and anticipation...it will be heaven to finally see their sweet faces, feel their soft hair, and hold them for the first time. I can't wait to snuggle and nurse and get to know my new little loves. Please pray Jason and Me, along with Rosalyn, Caroline, and Elaina. My c/s is scheduled for 1 pm! I will update my blog as soon as I am able. If I have the time/energy later tonight, I will try to post some of the maternity pictures we had done at 35 weeks...they are beautiful.

C/S NEXT week!

I found out today that we will be welcoming our baby girls NEXT week instead of the week after like originally planned. I am excited, but a little nervous about them being only 37 weeks instead of 38 weeks.

My OB feels that is wiser/safer to proceed with c/s one week earlier at 37 weeks because the babies are measuring pretty big (80%) and there is a concern about the pressure their weight is placing on my previous c/s scar. Obviously, a uterine scar rupture could be catastrophic. The babies will be technically "full term" (barely) and should be fine.

I agree from a medical perspective, it just took me a while to process today because it is not how I had it planned (type A personality, lol!).

Anyway, I am not sure what day (probably Tuesday)...they will call me tomorrow and let me know.

Easter 2010 Pictures...

We had a wonderful Easter this year! It was really fun because Rosalyn is now old enough to be super excited about going to Church, Easter Bunny Basket, Egg Hunt, Pinata, etc!! Here are a few pictures...

Getting her hair rolled the night before Easter so that she could have "Princess Hair"...

Easter Morning (She was not very thrilled about taking pictures)...

Pictures with Mommy and Daddy (too bad Roger can't take pictures or perhaps we could have had a family photo!)

Easter Basket...

Easter Egg Hunt...

Eating Jelly Beans...

Taking a Swing at the Pinata...

We all had lots of fun (especially Rosalyn) and enjoyed tons of delicious food! Can't believe next year I will be chasing 3 little girls at the Easter egg hunt!!!