Aloha!

We spent Thanksgiving week in Hawaii with my parents, Aunt Jill and Uncle Dave. We had a wonderful time. The twins did awesome on the airplane. They loved the swimming pool and even stuck their feet in the ocean. We ate a lot of great food, the boys golfed and the girls had a spa day. We also celebrated my 30th birthday and Uncle Dave's 29th. Happy birthday to us! Can't wait for our next trip!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! The twins had so much fun this year. They delivered treats to daddy's office, had a play date with their friends Tyler and Ryan, went to a pumpkin patch, and watched daddy carve pumpkins. (Click on the pumpkin picture to make it bigger and you can see Peyton looking out the window. He looks evil!) Tonight the babies are going to help pass out candy while they watch the World Series game... Go Giants!

Thank Goodness for Insurance

Got the bill for my hospital stay to deliver the twins... without insurance we would have owed a whopping $60,000!!! With insurance we only owed $250. Thank goodness for insurance!

Fun with Friends

We were so happy that Jessica could come to visit us from Las Vegas. She and Katy have been friends since they were 4 years old! Jessica, her mom, and her grandma spoiled Liam and Olivia with tons of presents. We had a great time catching up. Our other friend Megan was also able to come over to dinner with her family one night. What fun!

Grandpa Tracy Visits

Last weekend Grandpa Tracy (Nathan's dad) came for a visit. He was so excited to meet the twins, and they had a lot of fun getting to know him. He fed a few bottles, but couldn't quite remember how to change a diaper... haha! Nathan and I were also lucky that he cooked us several great meals while he was here.

2 Month Check-Up

The babies had their 2 month check-up last week. They sure are growing!

Liam is 25 inches long (95th percentile) and weighs 14.1 lbs (90th percentile).
Olivia is 23 inches long (78th percentile) and weighs 12.9 lbs (85th percentile).

They have each doubled in size since they were born!

They also got all of their vaccinations. They did so great - they only cried for a few seconds after the needles went in.

The doctor was also very happy with how well they are gripping things, holding their heads up, and tracking objects with their eyes. We are so proud!

Road Trip to Bend

A couple of weeks ago we took the babies on their first road trip. We went to Bend, Oregon to visit my sister Jill and her husband Dave. My parents went too, so we had a nice 6 to 1 adult to baby ratio! We had a great time and the twins did great in the car. Bend is a beautiful town. We can't wait for our next visit!

Go Colts!

Sunday night the babies cheered on their favorite football team, the Indianapolis Colts, as they beat the New York Giants. They looked so cute in their Colts onesies (thanks Greg!) and loved snuggling on their Colts blankies (thanks Mom!). Hopefully they don't grow too fast so they can wear their onesies for the Superbowl this year!

Play Date

Today Liam and Olivia had a play date with their "cousin" Ryan. They had a lot of fun, but I think the mommies might have had more fun than the babies! Thank you, Laura, for the yummy salad and much need adult company and extra set of hands. I know these kiddos are going to enjoy many more play dates to come!

Bad News and Good News

The bad news...

A few weeks ago Nathan injured his arm playing baseball. While playing first base the batter ran right into him and even the third baseman heard a loud pop. With twin babies lets just say this was not the best timing for daddy to hurt his arm. After an appointment with his general practice doctor, an xray, a referral to a sports medicine doctor, an MRI, and a referral to a sports medicine doctor who specializes in elbows, we learned that he separated his ucl (the tommy john's ligament) from the bone... ouch!

The good news...

The elbow specialist has determined that he will not need surgery. He has to wear an arm brace for two months and cannot play baseball or golf, but the doctor thinks he should make a full recovery. Even better news... the doctor cleared him for holding babies!

Taking Care of Twins

Taking care of Liam and Olivia sure is a lot of work... it doesn't leave much time for posting on the blog! A few updates and photos since my last post -

• Nathan has gone back to work full time (makes for one tired family),
• we celebrated Nathan's 29th birthday (the only picture I got was of Olivia in her cupcake outfit!),
• the babies spending more time awake now and like to swing and go on their play mats,
• we like to take walks around the neighborhood,
• Grandma Lori has been coming often to help (she made the cute blankies in the picture)

Play Time

The babies are beginning to spend more time awake during the day. They love to look around and play together on their floor mat. They also love spending time in their swings and listening to music.

Grandma Laura

Grandma Laura just left for home after spending a week with us. We miss her already! Liam and Olivia had so much fun spending time with their grandma, and Mommy and Daddy really appreciated all the help. She held, fed, burped, changed, rocked, sang, hugged, kissed and told stories to the babies... and still found time to do laundry, dishes, cleaning, yard work and errands. Peyton even had a walk every morning. Not exactly a restful vacation, but we are pretty sure she loved every minute.

Watch Us Grow

Liam and Olivia went to the pediatrician's office on Monday for their two-week visit. Everything went great! Dr. Tominaga is thrilled with how well they are eating - Liam now weighs 8 lb. 9 oz. and Olivia weighs 7 lb. 14 oz. That means they are both already one pound over their birth weight. They are also both jaundice free. She said they are doing so well she wouldn't even mind if they skipped their one-month check! As nervous, new parents we decided to keep the appointment anyway and will let you know how they continue to grow.

Bend or Bust

My sister and her husband moved to Bend, Oregon this past weekend. Liam and Olivia were very sad to see their Aunt Jill ("A.J.") and Uncle Dave go, but we are very excited for them to start this new adventure. Bend looks absolutely beautiful, and they have an amazing apartment and great new jobs. We are already planning a trip to visit them in October, and until then the twins will have lots of time on skype!

Family Visitors

My grandpa has been dying to become "great" for years now, and often told me that as his oldest grandchild I was his only hope. Well, with the arrival of Liam and Olivia he officially became a great grandpa! He was so excited to meet them. My aunt Karen and cousins Ben and Drew also came all the way from Chicago to meet the twins. It has been really fun introducing our new additions to the family.

Just a little sleepy...

We have been doing OK surviving on very little sleep, but three nights in a row Nathan has done the funniest thing. When it is time to feed the babies in the middle of the night I tap his arm and call his name a few times. Nathan grabs his pillow, removes the pillow case, and hands it to me. When I ask what he is doing he says he is taking the swaddle off the baby so I can feed it! Wish us luck tonight!

Our first week at home

Our first week at home has gone by so fast. We are SO HAPPY to be parents to Liam and Olivia and are adjusting well to our new family! Peyton loves the new additions too and is keeping careful watch over them.

The babies are eating and sleeping well - not as much as we would like at night, but we really can't complain. Their jaundice is quickly improving thanks to their daily "sun bath" in the window. They had their first real bath and have taken a couple of trips out of the house to visit the doctor. They are gaining weight quickly, and we anticipate they will have surpassed their birth weight by their next appointment with the pediatrician.

We are becoming pro's at burping, changing, and going with little sleep. We are also fortunate to have had lots of help from my parents and sister. Twins are a lot of work, so we really appreciate all the extra hands!

I posted a slide show from the first week on the left. We hope you enjoy the photos! More later...

Welcome to the world Liam and Olivia

We are proud to announce that Liam Nathaniel and Olivia Lauren were born via c-section on Friday, July 23, 2010 at 3:00 and 3:02 am respectively. Liam came out weighing 7 lbs. 8 oz. and measuring 21.5 inches long. Olivia followed quickly after at 6 lbs. 15 oz. and 20 inches long. Coincidentally, July 23, 2010 was our 5th wedding anniversary... what a great gift!

After inducing labor on Wednesday evening it was eventually decided with our doctor that a c-section would be the best option. It was a long battle - one doctor tripped and nearly tore the IV out of my arm, another one knocked the IV stand over on me, the epidural took 8 or 9 tries (I guess I have tight vertebrae), one medicine didn't work and another gave me severe shaking. By about 1:00 a.m. on Friday I had been stuck at 8 centimeters for several hours and it was time to get the twins out. We were a little nervous, but mostly excited to finally meet them! The surgery went great and only lasted about an hour from start to finish.

The babies did great and after getting weighed, measured and cleaned up they were able to come with us to recovery. They are both happy and healthy and we are so proud to be their mommy and daddy. We love them sooooooo much!

More photos coming soon...