A Very Merry Christmas....

Do you remember you were a girl and got that doll on Christmas morning and played dress-up all day. Well, this is way better....

More to come...

Reach Out and Touch Someone

Countdown to Christmas--5 days!!

The girls are doing well. We had their 4 month check up and here are the stats...

Addy measured 24 inches and is 13 pounds, 6 ounces. She is very active, spending her time training her legs for future bicycling. She has rolled belly to back but not vice versa and we believe she has beat her sister with the first tooth to break through the gums. She's phobic of needles, the vaccines didn't go over well. Oh yea, and when a big head marries another big head, you get a really big head, she is in the 90th percentile for head circumference. Poor thing, she'll never be able to wear hats. But, doesn't she have a beautiful smile??

As for her older sister, Lilly weighs 14 lbs, 12 oz and is 3/4 an inch longer than Addy. She has officially joined the 77th percentile of full term babies her age in weight, so we are off the preemie charts. She is our resident cuddler, she loves to be held. She also LOVES to watch TV, preferably sitting on someone's lap, but she also stretches her neck to see it from any angle. She gives full blown belly laughs now and believes her daddy is the funniest person on the planet.

4 Months--Family Picture!

Here we go, another birthday--Tuesday will be the big 4 month birthday. Here is a family picture, taken before Jeremy & I had a night out for his company holiday party. The girls look like deer in headlights, but it's a decent picture of us!

Lilly is hamming it up for the camera, sporting her pink Uggs that Aunt Cat sent, they don't really fit, but they are good for the photo opp...
And here are our Christmas Colts girls...they look pretty different that the night of NFL kick-off.

For the blog stalkers, stay tuned, it will be a busy week. We are party hopping with a lot of social engagements, we are planning to meet Santa AND have our 4 month weigh-in (ie. Doctor check-up), so I'll post again!

Monday, December 10
As promised, here is the Santa picture--too funny!

Tis the Season....

To be honest with you, Thanksgiving just about smacked us in the face, I wasn't prepared for the holiday at all. In some ways it feels like it was just August and these munchkins just joined us and in other ways it feels like an eternity ago. Either way though, I wasn't prepared for Thanksgiving, so now, I feel like I'm playing catch-up to prepare for the upcoming holidays. Yesterday, the girls and I baked cookies. Well, I baked cookies and told them how much fun sprinkle duty will be next year. We also took our first (and probably only) outing to the mall for some holiday shopping with Grandma Jody. Let's just say navigating the double stroller through Saturday, holiday shopping crowds was like driving a semi truck through an obstacle course. It wasn't pretty and peopled gawked as they usually do, and that was that. Here are some pics to get you in the holiday spirit!

Addy, striking a pose for the camera...

Lilly, looking wide eyed, as usual these days...

Playtime while mom bakes....

Addy, in her new favorite napping location...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Addy and Lilly were very well behaved on their first Thanksgiving. They sported the outfits below that were sent by their Aunt Cat. Lilly wanted nothing to do with that hat and for some reason Addy just looks like she's a deer in headlights, but these are the things they do for fashion.

I haven't updated in a while because I've been sicker than a dog and my girls are playing tricks on me. Last weekend was pure bliss. We had 3 full nights of the girls sleeping anywhere from 10 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. It was amazing. Jeremy and I thought we had hit the lottery. We have been so VERY patient with the middle of the night feedings. We were warned when we left the NICU and I was told over and over again by other moms of preemies that most preemies get to the 4 month/cereal introduction before they consistently sleep through the night. However, Addy and Lilly have been overachievers from the beginning, so it wasn't surprising that they were setting the curve.

And, quite honestly, I deserve it, if you add in the breast-pumping that I was doing every 3 hours while they were in the hospital and the second and third trimester discomforts AND the 4 time visit to the bathroom to pee in the first trimester, I reckon to say (minus the 1 night we stayed in Chicago and drank too much a month ago) IT HAS BEEN SINCE LAST FEBRUARY THAT I HAD A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP! I mean an honest to God, no checking to make sure babies are breathing good night sleep. I think I deserve it, right???? So, after the 3 night stretch, my body finally gave in and I got some kind of viral sickness that is going around and needless to say, as soon as I got sick, they stopped sleeping through the night and we haven't seen more than a 4 hour stretch since. They are teasing us...showing us who's boss.

All I have to say is that it's a damn good thing they are as cute as they are....

We captured Lilly smiling--it is a beautiful sight.

Addy--She looks like a porcelain doll

Mom & Everything she is so thankful for....

3 Months Old...Lessons Learned

We are fastly approaching the 3 month mark and as cliche as it sounds, I can't remember my life before these girls were in it. Every day presents its own set of challenges and we are prepared for that to be the case for the next 18 years or so. I've learned a lot about myself, we've learned a lot as parents and about life in the last 3 months. Here are some lessons learned.

1. You can love on a different level. Everyone says this, but it is true, I can honestly say that I have a deeper capacity to love since they were born. And just when you think you can't love them anymore, you figure out that you do.

2. Nothing is worse than having a sick baby. We battled feeding issues basically from the beginning. This was not something I blogged much about because I figured with all the really sick babies in the world, I was blessed with a couple that have acid reflux (atleast that was the final diagnosis after countless trips to the peds office). But this meant that they were fussy babies for a good part of the first 8 weeks we had them home. We changed formula, medications, schedules, formula again, bottles, etc, all with the mindset that whatever they recommended was worth a try. I think we have the issues figured out now, but not after I had some serious meltdowns and a few outside interventions about postpartum depression. But the fact is, when your 7 week old baby is projectile vomiting and you can't figure out how to make it better--it breaks your heart. So, the lesson learned here is that if these girls are going to be half as accident prone or pick up half the infections I did as a kid, I've gotta get thicker skin.

3. It really does take a village. Between my girlfriends, Jeremy's family and my parents, everyone has had a hand in getting these girls to their 3 month birthday! The truth is 4 (or 6 or 8) hands are better than 2. Jeremy's job requires sporadic hours and with the building market where it is, he's working twice as hard as ever before. He is around as much as he possibly can be, but when he isn't around I know I can call on his grandparents or parents. My sorority sister Becky has been a godsend because she's also a nurse and talks through my "stupid questions" and comes to the rescue on her days off from the hospital. Then there is my mom, she has basically moved in to take care of the girls on the 2 1/2 days a week I'm back at work. I honestly don't know how people have baby twins without a whole lot of help!

4. We will never be on time anywhere again. I am a very punctual person and nothing irritates me more than people who are always late. Now for the confession, I've become one of them. Even if I start getting everyone ready 2 hours before we have to be out the door, someone spits up, poops or screams and we never make it out when we should. The lesson learned here is--get over it.

5. Somedays, we just don't want to have our picture taken...

6. We should have slept more before the girls were born, if only you could store the extra hours on a good night and cash them in on a bad night...

7. We should have saved more before the girls were born, we knew they'd be expensive, but wow, shopping for myself has become a thing of the past.

8. They can change your day. Jeremy or I can come home after a long, exhausting day at work and after one of them is in your arms for a minute and flashes a smile your way...nothing else matters.

9. We are so grateful.

Lastly, we round out the year of the babies with the birth of Jack Watko. Gretchen & Paul are the proud parents of a perfect 7 lb. 3 oz. baby boy! Welcome to the world Jack...

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from our little Hot Dogs!

Lilly is on the left in both pics, Addy on the right. Seriously, this is way too much fun! We won't be trick or treating this year, but I couldn't pass on the costumes for their first Halloween. This will also probably be the only year they let me dress them alike!

Thanks to Janet & Tony for their Halloween outfits and Becky for their first pumpkins!

As for mom, I return to work part-time tomorrow, so I'm looking for a treat (maybe 6 hours of sleep??) tonight!

11 weeks old/Bathtime Fun

October 19th brought another friend into the world--Claire Elizabeth Baxter was born to Rachel & Brogan Baxter. Whenever I talk about Rachel, I have to tell you that she was the first person to ever sit down next to me and my sister, the "new kids in school" during our first day at Terre Haute South. We became fast friends and I have a feeling Claire, Addy & Lilly will too! I think the last baby to arrive in my group of friends is Baby Jack Watko (due late Nov.), he will round out the year. I'm sure I echo Gretchen & Paul's feelings when I say we are ready to welcome him into the world--hang in their Gretchen!

We went to our 2 1/2 month doctor's appointments and the doctor was pleased at how much the girls have grown! Addison has grown from her birth weight of 4 lbs 5 oz to a whopping 10 lbs 15 oz while her big sister Lillian has gone from 4 lbs 15 oz to 11 lbs 8 oz. They had all of their vaccines and it was traumatic, but I'm sure more traumatic for me and dad than for them! Jeremy kept his eyes closed as he held Ms. Lilly.

They are beginning to like bathtime more and more and it is probably my favorite time with them. I can't wait until they can sit on their own and splash around! Here is my favorite pic (notice how the duck is strategically placed!) Their eyes aren't normally this big, but it is funny to see how much they look alike in this pic.

And how about our grumpiest baby of the day....

This is a fun time with them, they are getting more and more alert and I'm getting more comfortable going out with them. I do have to mentally prepare for our outings as I joke we are a true spectacle, otherwise known as a freak show. The twin pregnancy books I read warned me that we would reach "celebrity status" but seriously it is a little ridiculous! Everyone wants to tell me about their best friends brother's fiancee goddaughter who just had twins and how heroic it is. I just want to walk around with flashcards that read...

• 11 weeks
• no, they aren't identical
• no, we don't get much sleep
• yes, we agree, better us than you

I actually want to make a plug for the website http://www.gabbybaby.com/, these baby clothes are hilarious and originated from a mom that was sick and tired of the ridiculous things people asked her. My favorite is the "Don't touch my hands, I put them in my mouth" onsie.

Then maybe people would just let me run my errands in peace, I'm not in Target for small talk--probably more formula, more diapers, dinner, etc. And, I'm typically trying to avoid a meltdown from one of them, so I don't have a lot of spare time...

Life Outside of Babyland???

Well, we did it, we broke out. Last Saturday night was the night...we left the babies in the care of Grandpa and Grandma Ash and Grandma Linda. We alligned the troops and never looked back. And by never looking back, I mean I called about every 2 hours and drank through the anxiety of leaving the babies for the first time! We attended the wedding of Ben & Kristin Livermore in Chicago and it was wonderful to see them married and see friends, but difficult to stay away. We left early in the morning to get back to see the girls!

As for life inside babyland, we have officially broken just about every parenting rule in the book. The number 1 rule they tell you is not to bring the baby into bed with you...

But, seriously when they wake up at 4 in the morning and they won't go back in the crib, what are exhausted parents supposed to do???

We also don't strap the girls into their bouncy seats, because they hate being confined, so here is their personalities shining through again, Lilly is a little lazy right now and sleeps A LOT, Addy is wide awake most of the day, she loves her dad's IU mobile--Go Hoosiers!

Here's a better look at Lilly--Grandma Jody calls her our Buddha Baby...It's a tough life, huh?

And here is Addy, otherwise known as Nosy Rosy...

So, life is good, but exhausting. Parents always say you never realized you can love so much and it has been true, I feel like I fall more in love with these girls more everyday!

New Friends

I'm delayed in welcoming Chase Palsky into the world. Christina is an OLD friend of mine, (blog linked on the right). Our families vacationed together when we were young and we attended countless Sunday school classes together. I also can speak for her maternal instincts because we played house together so often--she's going to be a great mom! So, there is irony that we enter the world of motherhood so close together! Chase was born on 9/27/07. I can't wait to meet you Chase!

Next, in the year of the babies came Audrey Katherine Spice. Audrey arrived on October 11th, so she is exactly 2 months younger than Addy & Lilly. Amanda and I went to high school together and were sorority sisters at Butler. I visited her last night at the hospital and Mom & baby are doing well! Congrats Amanda & Jarrod!
So, to quote my father-in-law, "Your friends sure are fertile!" Yes, yes they are, but atleast I can rest easy and know that Addy and Lilly have so many friends before they even realize it!

A Day in the Life-2 months old today

I still don't know if we do this age thing by weeks or months, but today is the 11th of October and they were born the 11th of August, so we are saying Happy Birthday baby girls! They aren't happy campers today as we still seem to be working out some feeding issues as Lilly has been throwing up and Addy is more fussy than usual, so we are visiting the doctor this afternoon. However, I've been taking some pictures of what a typical day around here looks like...

When Grandpa & Grandma Sadler are here, we like to walk around the neighborhood--but no stroller for us, we'd rather be cuddled while we walk!

Lilly likes her swing only sporadically, here she is after a feeding, looking a little drunk!
Addy LOVES this mirror from Grandpa Ian, she's facinated with herself. Funny that we've spent hundreds of dollars on chairs & swings & strollers, but she is most content with a 10 buck mirror!

If it is a lucky day, we have a playdate with a friend, here is baby Addy and baby Mallory Cahill

It isn't often we sleep, but we like to sleep most cuddling with visitors. Here is Lilly and Grandpa Ash!

So, the question is, can you spoil babies, because ours seem to be slightly spoiled and know exactly how to get what they want!

Road trip @ 8 weeks old!

Okay, so Aunt Cat needs a baby picture fix, so here it is (please notice clothes & shoes!). Today we went to Muncie so that everyone I work with at Ball State could admire the little munchkins. They were really good in the car and perfect angels around my students. They are awake more and more during the day and we are having fun as they are recognizing themselves in mirrors and reacting when you talk to them. Bathtime is by far my favorite time as they still throw fits, but it is quite amusing. I'll have to post pictures of this another time! Here is one of my students Ashley hanging out with the twins.

Sleeping on mom's lap on her office's floor (they don't sleep at the same time very often)

Exhausted from the day...

This Week in Pictures...

My folks are in Canada and I thought they might be going through withdraw away from girls, so I thought I'd update. Here they are...Addy is at the top apparently on her first date with Jacob Dumas (neither dad approved of her flirting), then we have Lilly in her J.Lo outfit sent by Aunt Cat (she is doing her best to hide from the paparazzi), then both girls enjoying their new boppy pillows. Check out the baby blues!

6 weeks old!

Time flies when you are having fun, right? The girls are 6 weeks old and just when you thought they couldn't get any cuter!? We celebrated mom's birthday last week--I turned 28. Honestly, I said I should have babies more often because the presents seemed to have gotten better. Maybe it was just everyone was more in tune with what my new mom status desired. I got a gift certificate to our professional photographer from my sister to use for buying pictures of the girls. I got a massage gift certificate from my in-laws, a video camera from my husband and among other things, my parents got me something invaluable--5 straight hours of sleep and a night out with Jeremy! Oh yea, and my brother got me new pj's for all the sleeping I did! It was a fabulous birthday and I'm glad I got to spend it with Addy & Lilly. They really weren't scheduled to be born until last Friday, so we've passed their official due date now. And, as promised to my hubby, we made the switch and started them sleeping out of our room and into their cribs in the nursery (big milestone).

Addy has been battling some reflux issues, so we have been to the pediatrician recently, but she seems to be doing much better now. Here is a picture in the last preemie outfits that still fit them (yea)!....Lilly is the one pitching a fit (either she doesn't like tomatos, red isn't her color or she isn't into the hat).

First Boyfriend Arrives/Top 10 Signs You Are A New Mom....

The year of the babies continues with Jacob Michael Dumas--born yesterday at 7:30 a.m. 6 lbs, 13 oz to proud parents Michelle & Paul Dumas. Jacob is ADORABLE and can definately date Addy or Lilly when Dad says it's okay to date, so that is looking like it will be around 2028. Welcome to the World Jacob!

As for a Lilly & Addy update, we had their 4 week check-up and everyone is healthy and gaining weight. Lilly, who was born 4 lbs. 15 is now 7 lbs 2 oz and Addy, who was born 4 lbs. 4 oz is now 6 lbs 8 oz. The doctor was very pleased with their progress!

Okay, so I've had David Letterman on my mind recently as he's been all over the Indiana & Ball State news recently since BSU named a building after him...so I thought I'd put together my own top ten list...

Top 10 Signs You Are A New Mom

10. Five o'clock rolls around and you realize you haven't had anything to eat all day.


9. You leave the house without realizing that you have baby throw-up or even baby poop on your clothes.


8. When buying things for yourself you translate the cost into how many diapers or formula that money could buy.

7. You take an average of 10 pictures a day and your convinced people want to see that many pictures of your sleeping babies.


6. You'll occasionally call a friend in the middle of the day, knowing they are at work, so you can hear their voice-mail and talk to a grown-up.


5. You've never been more excited about season premiere month (and TiVo for that matter).


4a. You will be amazed at how excited you get about a burp after a big bottle or a B.M. (4b. You use the acronym BM for bowel movement).


3. You forget how you filled your days before your babies were born.


2. A walk around the neighborhood, a trip to the doctor, a lap around Target--all milestones.


1. You carry around a brag book of pictures, not only because you have beautiful babies, but in case someone asks you when you are due.

Photo Fun--4 weeks old!

So, the girls had their pictures professionally taken by Kate at This Little Light Photography. She put them up on her blog at http://littlelightphoto.wordpress.com/2007/09/09/double-trouble/

She did an amazing job capturing their personalities and I'd recommend her for any babies or weddings out there! Here are some of my favorites!