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...