4 Months Old!

It's hard to believe that the twins are already 4 months. Time has gone by quickly, though when both babies cry it seems like time is standing still. :) We are very excited to have Daddy home with us until January 2, and I'm sure by then he'll be more than ready to get back to work!

We took Jackson to his 3-year-old well child visit this morning and got a great report! He continues to exceed most milestones which always is nice to hear. Physically, he dropped a little in percentages, but still showed a positive trend for the year. He is now 31.5 pounds (48%) and 38.5 inches tall (67%). He didn't have to have any shots, but did get a finger prick to check his hemoglobin. When he was diagnosed with Alopecia earlier this year we found out that he is slightly anemic. Today the test showed that his iron levels have dropped a little more, so we have to keep up the daily vitamins and feed him iron-rich foods. The doctors are not concerned, but will do a recheck in a couple months. Thank you all for your prayers about Jackson's alopecia. He has responded so well to his current treatment and the large patches of hair loss are now covered in hair! He still has thin spots, but we continue to use the meds and pray that no bald spots return. Please do not stop praying! Alopecia cannot be cured and my prayer is that we will be able to maintain the positive results. Thank you all for trusting and believing in God for this miracle.

The twins are a joy and add so much to our family. I've been trying to think of a word to describe the love I have for my children. I finally decided that the word is fierce. I love them fiercely, with every ounce of my being. I am proud of them, exasperated by them, humored by them and a mother because of them. I love them fiercely.

William ate his first rice cereal tonight. He did pretty well with it! It must have stuck to his ribs because I fed him at 5:30 and normally he'd be awake by 8:30 for his last bottle of the night, but it's 11:30 and he'd still sleeping. Maggie doesn't seem as hungry as William so we are going to wait a little while before starting cereal with her. They are both talking a lot, chewing on their hands, batting at toys, have strong head control, etc. Maggie has been rolling over for a couple weeks, too.

We took all the kids to the library tonight and Jackson made sure to let everyone in the place know that we were there. It was pretty embarrassing! He doesn't understand that the library is a quiet place. Oh well...such is life.

Tuesday Fun!

MAGGIE smiling in the bumbo seat.

JACKSON loves his new trampoween. Thanks, Mimi and Doff!

WILLIAM taking his turn in the bumbo seat.
Aren't they cute?!?! :)

Prayers for Peppy

Peppy is having surgery this morning to repair a torn rotator cuff in her right shoulder. She had the same surgery on the other shoulder last October. It is a very hard recovery and I ask that each of you lift my mom up in your prayers for a safe surgery and fast recovery.

We love you, Peppy!!

Jackson's Big Day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACKSON!!!

I can't believe that my big boy is 3 years old! We have had a great birthday weekend, full of family, friends and good times. I can't help but remember back to the day Jackson was born...at 4:00 a.m. I started having contractions, at 12:30 p.m. the doc broke my water, at 8:30 p.m. I started pushing and at 9:59 p.m. my world was forever changed by the birth of my amazing son. I am so proud to call Jackson my child and love him more than I can express. Thanks to everyone who was able to celebrate Jackson with us.

We're Back!!

My laptop has been on the fritz and I just got a new one (wahoo!)...I'll update the blog soon!

To whet your appetite...the babies are almost 4 months (on the 20th) and Jackson is turning 3 this Sunday (the 16th). Everyone is doing well! Pictures and post by this weekend...I promise! :)

12 Weeks!

Life is so busy! The babies turned 12 weeks old on Monday...for some reason this seems like a big milestone. They are both doing great and bless us with many smiles/coo's/chuckles. I have a bunch of pictures to upload and so much to tell you all about the babies and Jackson, but there just isn't enough time in the day. :) The babies are eating every 3.5-4 hours during the day and usually are asleep by 9pm. Sometimes they wake at 3am, but usually we are very lucky that they sleep until 6-7am. They are awake a lot during the day and love to be under their activity gym, in the bouncy seat, on the floor, in their swings or in the stroller outside. They love to be talked to, especially by big brother Jackson. Jackson is still a big help with the babies, but does have his moments. He has stopped taking naps recently, so I put him to bed at 7pm tonight...I wish that was my bedtime!

We spent 5 days at mom's house last week. The change of scenery was really nice...we had a great visit! We tail-gated before the homecoming game...went to Tiger Walk and the Alumni Tent (highlight of the day for Brandon was getting a picture with the cheerleaders and Jackson).
Mom and I took the babies and Morgan home for naps, and Brandon, Jackson, Brian and Jen went to the game. Thanks, Kim, for the great tickets! Brandon had to travel for the first time since the twins were born, which is why we stayed so long in AU...I would go crazy to have all the kids by myself for 24 hours. I am a little stir-crazy already (even though we get out almost every day!) and really miss working...I don't know if the desire to work outside of the home will ever go away for me...I got so much satisfaction from working...although, I do get a whole different kind of satisfaction from the work I do now and wouldn't want to be away from the kids.

My first role as the lead room mom for Jackson's class was to organize the class Thanksgiving Feast. The Feast is next Monday and I think the kids are going to have a great time. Now, I've got to start working on their Christmas Party!!

I'll do a picture post soon...I've got some great ones to share!!

Happy Halloween!!

Picture time! It's been a fun-filled night...

Brandon is very proud of his pumpkin carving abilities!

This is the view of Jackson we see most often (him running away).

Best pic of his pirate costume. Taking a rest after running his little legs off during the neighborhood pizza party.

Jackson and Cole stop for a drink.

Maggie showing off her double-chin!

William just waking up.

Smiley Maggie

William talking

At the end of the night, Jackson had a blast handing out candy to the big kids.

The Perfect Weekend

Thanks to my sweet family, we just had the perfect weekend!! Saturday was my 31st birthday and to start things off, I received 2 dozen roses from the kids (including George!) on Friday. They are gorgeous and are still in full bloom. (thanks, Brandon!)

The babies slept nine hours straight on Friday night :) They've been sleeping through the night for a little over week...what good babies they are! We are very blessed. SO, we woke up Saturday morning well rested and after everyone showered we headed out to breakfast. After breakfast we did a little shopping then ate lunch at one of my favorite places. After lunch we went to the park and played soccer with Jackson while the babies hung out in the tent. By the time we were finished playing it was dinner-time so we headed across the park to a burger restaurant - 3 meals out in one day...we haven't done that in a long time (and don't plan to do it again anytime in the near future!).

Brandon surprised me with a beautiful necklace for my birthday (and for having the twins). The necklace matches the ring he gave me after having Jackson. The jewelry are pieces that I will treasure forever as they signify the love that Brandon and I share...the love that brought 3 precious babies into the world.

On Sunday afternoon we took the kids to the Kinsey Family Farm to pick out pumpkins. Jackson had a blast and kept singing E-I-E-I-O (Old McDonald had a Farm). We rode on a hayride and Jackson got to feed catfish in the pond, then we picked our pumpkin and headed home. That afternoon we got together with neighbors to carve the pumpkins...somehow our ended up with three faces on it?!?! Go figure...Brandon's creativity at work.

The babies turned 10 weeks on Monday...I can't believe how fast time is flying with them! At their 2 month check-up, William weighed 1/10 of an ounce shy of 11 pounds (if we're getting technical) and Maggie weighed 10.5 pounds. They are both meeting their developmental milestones which I was glad to hear! We are getting tons of smiles out of both of them and lots of coo's, too. This week has been their first week in their cribs (they had been sleeping in their swings). We went ahead and put them in separate cribs because they flail their arms and wake each other up. We are glad to have them in their room and to be sleeping in our own bed again (we were camping out downstairs for about a week). Thankfully the transition from swing to bed has been really easy.

On Monday the twins and I went to the Fall Festival at Jackson's school. Jackson had a blast running from station to station (lots of games set up), but his absolute favorite was the blow up jumping thing. He must have gone through it a dozen times. Monday afternoon, I dressed Jackson in his costume and we met Brandon at his office for trick-or-treating. We are lucky that McKesson is such a family oriented company. They do a lot for their employee's and their families. Each person on Brandon's floor had candy bowls at the desks for the kids. It's nice, safe trick-or-treating...I'm all for that!

We are having a neighborhood pizza party before the kids start going door to door tomorrow. We borrowed costumes for the twins...2 pea's in a pod. Jackson is a pirate...argh!!!

We are still getting used to the stares and questions from perfect strangers about the twins. It's really pretty funny. We were in Costco on Saturday and must have been stopped 20 times for people to ask questions and peek at Maggie and William. Later, we were walking through the park and I was wearing William in a sling while holding Jackson's hand and Brandon was pushing the stroller with both carriers...I heard someone nearby whisper not so quietly to her friend..."Look, they have 4 kids...two are in the stroller, one is in the sling and the other is walking!" I quickly let them know that we only have three kids, not four. :)

I think the above picture is funny because if you look at their arms you will notice that they are in the exact same position. I guess it's a twin thing!

That's all I can think of for now. The babies are awake more during the day now so it's hard to find time to update the blog.

Jackson spending time outside with his brother and sister. Check out his new Rice hat (thank you Great Uncle Woody and Aunt Gail! Now he can cheer on his cousin each time he plays)

I've been trying to find the time to sit and write a blog to detail the last 2 weeks of our lives. That's easier said than done with 3 kids! I'll bullet-point some highlights...

*William and Maggie are little butterballs!

*William has slept 8 consecutive hours at night 2x in the past 2 weeks

*Maggie has been cooing

*Neither baby likes to sleep in their crib/s...they've slept in their swings the last two nights (any suggestions?!?!)

*I had a great girls weekend with my friends. Brandon kept all the kids so I could have dinner out Friday night and pedicure time on Saturday. Brandon made brunch for all of us "girls" on Sunday morning. I look forward to girls weekend 2008 when I don't have infants and can spend uninterrupted time with my friends, though it was fun to show all my kiddo's off!

*We spent last weekend in Dothan - great visit!

*Ross went back to Houston this week for a check-up. After a little scare he was sent home in good health. Thank You, Lord!

*Extended family has had hard health news this week. Please pray specifically for healing.

*Brandon (Bronchitis) and I (Sinus and Ear infection) are both sick so Jackson got to spend the day with Marianne, his old babysitter. They had a great time and she has offered to keep all the kids for a day (when I'm ready) so Brandon and I can have some down time. Hallelujah!! We can't wait!

6 Weeks!

Six weeks feels like a huge milestone. A lot of people ask me how things are going with the twins, how they sleep, eat, etc. The short answer is that things are really good. The long answer is that, yes, things are good...the babies are sweet...sleep is hard to come by some nights...some nights we're pleasantly surprised because the babies slept 5 hours in a row...William has fussy time for about an hour some nights...Maggie is the more content baby (though as soon as I say that, she'll start fussing!)...having twins is not nearly as hard as I expected...but it is a lot harder and busier than just having one baby...William is a good eater, but Maggie is better...William loves his binky, Maggie isn't very interested in hers...Brandon and I are tired...William looks like his big brother...I still can't figure out who Maggie looks like :)...I'm surprised to say that I really like my mini-van (shock!)...Jackson is an exceptional big brother...

I'm sure there's more. Things really are good and I'm enjoying being home with the kids. I like to get out of the house at least once a day for sanity sake...today we met Brandon at his office for lunch. Tomorrow Jackson has school and I'm going to Yoga/Pilates at church (I'm writing this on our blog to keep myself accountable!). On Thursday I'm taking the kids to Jackson's old babysitter to let Marianne see Jackson and meet the twins...she's pretty excited. This weekend is my Annual Girls Weekend...I'm looking forward to spending time with good friends from high school and college.

I promised stats from the twins doctor visit last week...

Maggie:

Weight - 8 lbs, 0.4 oz (16%)

Height - 20 1/4" (17%)

Head Circumference - 13.8 (7%)

William:
Weight - 8 lbs, 12 oz (20%)
Height - 21 1/4" (30%)
Head Circumference - 15.25 (51%)

We got a great report for both babies at the appointment!! They have both gained 3+ pounds since birth...little porkers! A PPS heart murmur was detected in Maggie that should resolve on it's own and is not a major concern. We go back in about a month for their next well-baby check and their first round of shots :(

William has been making "cooing" noises for about a week. I love to hear his sweet voice...the first noises are so special! I was talking to Maggie today, tickling her double chin and she smiled in response to me...I loved it! It's so fun to watch their personalities develop.

That's it for now...here are some recent pictures...

Jackson and Daddy at an AU game. He likes to say "Go Auburn, HEY!"

William and Maggie holding hands

Jackson in a fall outfit embroidered by Aunt Fran (thank you!)

Pictures from AU

Sorry so small!

Four generations

William

Daddy feeding both babies
Aunt Meg and Maggie

William and Dr. John

Another Week Flies By...

Where does the time go? I have a feeling the twins are going to have their first birthday and I'll still be sitting here wondering where the time has gone. Our days are fast and furious, but really good. Jackson loves his preschool and gets so excited about going. It's fun for me to drop him off knowing that he enjoys it so much. We have a great after school routine: eat lunch, take a nap, play...we chant this as we drive home from school. This way Jackson knows exactly what to expect out of his afternoon (the sooner the goes down for a nap, the sooner he gets to play). He is still an incredible help with the twins...loves to hold and talk to them and is very good at getting one a binky if I'm tied up with the other baby.

The babies are growing big and strong. They've both gotten really good at picking their heads up and looking around. William has be more awake/alert the last several days and is starting to coo. Maggie is still sleepy, but has spent a good portion of today awake.

We took the babies on their first road trip this weekend to Auburn! They did great in the car...we tanked them up and they slept the whole way there and back. We had a nice, relaxing visit with Mom. Friday night Hank & Susan Moreman came to visit (she's due 9/27 with their 3rd baby!). We also met Kim's assistant coach, Courtney and her family. I love being home with family and soaked the time up! We got to spend lots of time with Meg too, which was long overdue...Happy Birthday to Meg on 9/27!!! Brandon and Jackson went to the AU game on Saturday. Jackson was soooo excited and kept saying "Go Auburn, HEY!" Thanks, Jennifer, for the tickets! Mom and I enjoyed baby time while the guys were at the game and Nana joined us for dinner. The twins have been congested and Mom noticed that William was running a fever. Mom called John and he made a house-call to check William out. He was okay and his fever had dropped by the time John got there...thank goodness!

Sunday was a lazy day at home. Mom's shoulder was acting up so Brandon and I helped her with errands/chores...it was fun to be able to take care of her since she's usually the one taking care of all of us. We got a call Sunday evening that George had gotten out and ran away from our neighbors. We've been looking for him since Sunday night and I'm very relieved to say that he is home now, safe and sound. He was gone for a full 2 days...I'd love to know what was going through his doggy-brain during that time!

The twins go to the dr. tomorrow for their one-month check-up...I'm excited to see how much they've grown. I'll post their latest stats soon...

4 Weeks, Already??

Time has really flown by! We are getting into a groove now and the days run like clock-work (yea, right!). We really are figuring things out, though, and I feel very good about that. William has had a runny, congested nose for about a week and now Maggie has it. Thankfully they don't seem too affected by it, but both were a little restless last night.

We took the babies to church for the first time yesterday. It was the first time I've been to church since starting bedrest in May. I really missed it and was glad to be back! We weren't able to stay for the whole service, but did sit in the lobby and listen to the sermon after leaving the sanctuary for diaper changes.

After dropping Jackson off at school this morning the twins and I ran to the mall for a couple hours. It was fun to get out by myself with the babies. I was able to run a couple errands and they had a good nap in the car & stroller!

When I picked Jackson up from school his teacher came to the car and asked if I thought I could be the Lead Room Mom (considering the twins). I'd signed up to be in the committee, but hadn't thought I'd lead anything. I told her that I'd give it a shot - sounds like a fun challenge. This is the kind of stuff that I couldn't do while working, so I'm very excited to do it now! Once the twins are a little older I think I'll also volunteer at either the American Cancer Society or at church :)

That's it for now! I've got two down and one to go...Jackson and Maggie are sleeping...William is eating as I type and should be asleep soon...

3 Weeks Old!

Sweet Babies...William (left) and Maggie (right)

Yesterday was my first day alone with the babies. It was a successful day, meaning that everyone was fed, diapers were changed and I was able to get Jackson to and from school on time. By the end of the afternoon, I was ready for reinforcement (a.k.a., Brandon). It really was a pretty good day, but I am ready to have some help again from the grandparents. :) (Side note: About an hour after writing this, I got a call from Mimi saying that she was on her way up! Yea!!!)

We took all the kids to the park on Sunday night for a picnic dinner and some play time. Brandon and Jackson played baseball and soccer while I walked the twins around the park. People really are drawn to you when they see that you have twins and love to ask tons of questions. Right now I'm having fun with the attention that the twins get, though I wonder how long I'll think it's fun?!?!

Jackson and Daddy playing baseball.

Maggie snoozed through all the fun!

My guys...

We Love Our Families!!

Aunt Prue snuggling Maggie

Brandon, William, Christy, Maggie and Mimi

Granddaddy, Christy and William

Brandon, Maggie, Alex, Brian, Christy, William, Jackson, Morgan, Jen

Unfortunately, those (Peppy, Nene) who take the great pictures aren't in any of them!

I've got 3 kids sleeping...Jackson's on the couch, Maggie's in the swing and William's in the pack n' play. Hallelujah!!! And, I had a chance to take a bath :) Wahoo!!

Jackson - Alopecia Update

Brandon took Jackson to his 6-week follow-up appointment with his new dermatologist yesterday. The doctor got out a magnifying glass and showed Brandon new hair growth on Jackson's head! It's blond right now, which is what was expected...it will get darker as it continues to grow. The doc also upped his meds to 2x a day since we are seeing some growth. There are no guarantees, but we hope that things are moving in the right direction! Please continue to pray for his hair to regrow or for the miracle of complete healing. Thanks!!

1st Day of School

Jackson started preschool today! We went yesterday morning to meet the teacher and the rest of the kids in his class. There are 12 kids in Jackson's class, including his friend (and next door neighbor) Cole who was in his class last year. Jackson will go M/W/F from 9am-12pm, with the option of staying for "Lunch Bunch" until 1pm. Jackson walked confidently into his class today and didn't seem nervous at all! What a BIG BOY! :)

Happy Birthday, Morgan!

Miss Morgan turned 2 years old last Saturday, September 1st! She had an ice cream party at home after spending the morning playing at Chuck E Cheese. It was very fun to celebrate Morgan with family and friends!!

2 Weeks Old!

(this past Monday, that is...)

It feels like the babies have been with us forever so it's hard to believe that they are only two weeks old! They are very sweet and cuddly...love to snuggle with us or with each other. Jackson is still very gentle and sweet with them, though takes advantage of feeding times to get into a little mischief because he's figured out that I can't get up to stop him :) The babies are really growing...you can actually feel that they are heavier! Peppy and I took them to the doc this morning for a weight check. We were very excited with the results. The average weight gain is 0.5-1 ounce a day, which would have put the twins at gaining 4-8 ounces. They blew it out of the water!! Maggie gained a whopping 12 ounces and William gained 9. Maggie now weighs 5 lbs, 7.5 oz and William weighs 6 lbs, 1 oz. Maggie's face has begun to fill out and even though she is still pretty tiny she doesn't look quite as skinny as she did before. Jackson is also filling out a little...maybe a result of eating too much McDonald's while Mommy was in the hospital (yikes!). The babies eat well, fill their diapers more than any baby should and sleep pretty well. We've had a couple of rough nights, but in the morning things tend to look brighter.

Pictures to come...

"Perfect"

That the word our pediatrician used to describe Maggie & William..."perfect." That's always nice for a parent to hear! They did great at the appointment today. Both have lost a little weight, as expected, but their doc was pleased with their weight/measurements. We go back in a week for a weight check.

Last night was pretty good. William was a little restless around 4am, but nothing that a cuddle with Mommy couldn't cure! Jackson was woken up by a big thunderstorm around 6am, thankfully the rest of us were awake already for a morning feeding.

Jackson is still very excited (but calm) every time he sees the babies. He loves to hold them and is learning to tell them apart. He also likes to sing lullabies to them...I asked him what song he wanted to sing tonight and he sang "I love you, love you, love you." These are the words to a song that my mom sang to me and that I've sung to him for the last 2 1/2 years. It's neat that he has picked up on the words and melody.

The house is quiet...I'm off to bed before the next feeding...

Happy Birthday to YOU!

Today is my dad's birthday...Happy Birthday, Dad!! Hope you have a wonderful day. We love you very much!!

The twins are ONE week old today!! This time last week I was being prepped for surgery. It's hard to believe that it's only been 7 days...it feels like Maggie and William have been part of our family forever! We're all healthy, happy and enjoying getting adjusted to our new life as a family of FIVE!

We're ALL Home!!

Brandon and I picked up our newest bundles of joy from the hospital yesterday afternoon! It was a very relaxed ride home...I remember bringing Jackson home from the hospital and being so nervous. It's nice to feel confident in our ability to take care of the babies instead of anxious like we were with Jackson.

We came home to a quiet house. Tonya, Trey and the kids have been here this weekend, but they were all out (with Jackson) getting lunch when we got home. It was nice to walk in and have a few minutes to get settled (somewhat!) before everyone got back. I was feeding Maggie when the crew walked in...Jackson was so excited to meet his little brother and sister for the first time! We are very proud of him...he went over to each baby and softly talked to them, gently touched them, etc. He excitedly showed them off to Dad and Janine when they walked in. It is very endearing to see him adjust so well to all that's happened in the last several months, and instead of being jealous of Maggie & William he was just thrilled to show them off. Jackson is a very special child and I am constantly proud of him and want to show him off just like he showed the twins off.

We had lots of other family visitors yesterday...Peppy drove up from Auburn to see the babies and drop off food. Brian, Jen and Morgan came over to get a chance to hold/see the babies again. Lastly, Mimi flew in from a Lifeway conference to spend the next week with us. I am really glad to have lots of help as we adjust. As I said, Mimi is here this week, Peppy will be here next week and we're very blessed to have family in town that will also help us as needed.

We had a GREAT first night!! The babies ate and slept all night on a 3-4 hour schedule. Other than some occasional baby noises, we didn't hear from them until mealtimes. Jackson came into our room at about 4:15 this morning...we went ahead and let him stay and sleep in our bed since the twins were also in our room. So, we had two babies in the pack n' play, one dog on the floor, two adults in the bed, plus one snuggly 2 1/2+ year old. Jackson woke up this morning as I was feeding the babies and couldn't wait to hold them again. Like I said, it was a great first night and I hope we have many others like it.

This is Jackson's last week at Marianne's (babysitter) house. She was a huge help to us while I was in the hospital and I know that we will sometimes miss Jackson going over there. She loves him so much and has been a constant during these last several months. Jackson starts his M/W/F morning preschool next week and will be home with me the other days. I'm excited to have more time with him now that we're finished with the hospital and a little anxious at juggling 3 children. I know all will be fine and that we'll just figure it out as we go.

Maggie and William have their first appointment tomorrow morning at the pediatrician. We love our pediatric group and are excited to take them to their first appointment!

Guess that's it for now...it's almost feeding time :)

Making Great Progress!!

The babies are doing very well! Last night they were down to just vitamins through their IV's...this morning their IV's were removed!! Because they are doing so well with the feedings, they are now on an ad lib schedule. This means that they will eat on demand instead of having to stay to a strict "every 3 hours" schedule. I got to dress them in regular clothes (the NICU has tons of clothes for the babies to wear) and they are not having to stay under the heat lamps anymore. All of this is really good progress! They have to prove now that they can regulate their body temperatures and could be home tomorrow or Sunday!

I am feeling pretty great also. I haven't taken anything besides Ibuprofen for pain since yesterday morning...the nurses are very surprised. I went down to the NICU for every feeding yesterday from 8am-8pm, at which point I was exhausted. I was able to pump throughout the night so the babies still got breastmilk. I am being discharged today. I don't have to leave until 11:59 pm, so I'll probably stay through their 8pm feeding then plan to be up hear early in the morning.

We have some cute pictures to share with you all but I can't find the camera cord to load them on the computer. Check back this afternoon for new pics. I'm going to catch a quick nap before heading back downstairs.

They've Stolen Our Hearts!

I wasn't sure how I would feel having two more babies. During the pregnancy I went through periods of excitement and sadness. The sadness was purely linked to Jackson no longer being an only child and having to get used to not just one new baby, but two at once. Well, I can say without a doubt that I love Maggie & William with all my heart! They have done so well since birth...I am very proud of them and feel so protective of them. They are the sweetest (biased opinion) and most quiet babies (fact!) in the NICU. It was hard for me to not get to see them right after they were born. I was taken from recovery to the NICU, but was only able to see them for a few minutes. That first night I had a hard time feeling like they were my babies...I just felt disconnected from them since I wasn't able to hold/take care of them.

The c-section went really well. I was so scared and nervous that I ended I crying through most of it. I'm sure the surgery team was glad to see me leave the OR! It was a bit surreal to have surgery while awake, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It was really fast...seems like I was in and out of the OR in 30 minutes. I'm feeling really well so far. The first day was a little rough, but yesterday and today have been really good. I am religiously taking the pain meds so that I can stay in front of the pain instead of trying to catch up when I'm hurting. This is a much easier recovery (so far) than I had with Jackson...what a relief!

Many of you have asked about Maggie's hair...yes, she's a blond! What a shocker! I could never have imagined a blond child coming from Brandon and I. William looks just like Jackson did and Mimi says that Maggie looks like Brandon did as a baby. They are so very sweet and I love getting to see, hold and feed them. When we go to the NICU for a feeding we take their temps and change their diapers before starting the feeding. It's hard to believe that so much poop can come out of these little babies :) I took last night off from feeding to get a good nights sleep and was so excited to wake up this morning knowing that I would see them shortly. The NICU has been a really great experience for us so far. I know that it will be hard to leave them here at the hospital, but it is very comforting to know that they are in good hands. I am definitely looking forward to them being home with us and having our family finally complete. They nurse that I spoke with this morning doesn't think it will be long before they are able to be home. They have to be weaned off of one last IV (contains vitamins) and will need to be able to regulate their temps...once those goals are accomplished they'll be home with us. I'm hopeful that it will be sometime this weekend, but also realize that it could be sometime next week before they are home.

Jackson hasn't been able to see the babies yet. I can't wait to introduce them all and am anxious to see how Jackson will react. I think he will be very curious and excited. We've shown him a couple pictures and told him that they are no longer in Mommy's belly, but not getting to actually see them makes the situation a little hard for him to understand.

I love the fact that I am now the mother of three and wouldn't want it any other way. I know that we will have some rough moments over the next several months/years, but I really look forward to all of it! When I look at the babies in the nursery that don't have a sibling sharing their bed I feel a little sorry for them. Maggie and William snuggle and are such a comfort to each other. I am proud to have three gorgeous kids and know that Brandon and I are so blessed. Thank you all, again, for your prayers and well wishes. It's been a long, hard road and we couldn't have gotten through it as well without everyone's love and support.

PS...
I was feeding William the other night and singing lullaby's to him. I started singing Amazing Grace...after getting to the second verse I heard a man singing along with me. He continued to sing with me through a 3rd verse also. I didn't realize that others would be able to hear me singing to the babies and thought it was funny to sing a duet with the stranger sitting across the room.

We'll download and post more pictures this afternoon.

Wahoo! The babies are here!!!!

So, at 5:40pm and 5:41pm we had two babies born into the Norris/Lemmings family.

First to arrive was Mr. William Ross Norris - 5lbs. 12oz.
Second to visit was Ms. Margaret (Maggie) Grace Norris - 4lbs. 15oz.

Today is the Day

Due to William's positioning we are having a c-section between 4 and 4:30 this afternoon. Please pray!

OUCH!

No, the pain I feel is not contractions. I feel like my hips are being pulled apart and my belly is so heavy! I walked for a little over an hour and came back to my room to take a short rest before starting again. Here is my belly shot at 35 weeks...

We're off to walk some more!