Two Years

Two years.  How is it possible that time can go by so quickly but seems like it's been forever too?!?!  It's been two years that we have been without our sweet little girl.  I remember this day like it was yesterday and always will.  What a true miracle we witnessed the last week of her life!!

Addi loved life and we loved every minute we had with her.  She loved to carry around anything on her wrists and loved to dance.  I can still see her coming around the corner from the hallway loaded down with bows, bags, whatever dangling from her arm.  And who can forget Mr. G…he was with her twenty four seven!!

Bags, bows, and Mr. G

I'm not going to lie, there are still many days that I ask myself if this is really our life.  Sometimes it is still overwhelming to think that both of our children had to leave us so early.  It's just not supposed to be that way.  We may never know why God was ready for them when He was, but it's okay.  Because of our faith, we know that we will all be together again one day.  Because of Him, we are able to get up everyday and enjoy the life that he wants us to have.  God has blessed us beyond measure in so many different ways.  Knowing where she is and that she is with her big brother makes me smile!  We love you right up to the moon and back Addi!!

Two Months

Look at us…we're TWO months!!

Pictures right after shots…Easton doesn't appreciate them!

"My legs hurt!"

"I don't know what the big deal is."

I feel like I say this all of the time, but time really is flying by!  On March 6th the kiddos turned two months old.  It always amazes me how much babies change and grow month to month.  They both had wonderful two month checkups.  They did great with their shots and they are growing in weight like crazy!!  Both of them really love to eat and the scales are showing it!  They are also getting better about using tummy time to actually lift their heads up instead of sleeping.  They still usually end up sleeping, but at least they are getting a little bit of a workout.  We also have moved both of them from our rooms into their own cribs in their own bedrooms.  The transition was pretty good.  I figured out they do much better when they are swaddled.  I'm going to begin trying to ween the swaddling soon.

All of this tummy time wears us out!!

First nap in his crib (before I figured out to swaddle).

First nap in her bed.  This only lasted about ten minutes (again, much better when swaddled)!

My favorite thing they are doing is smiling and cooing.  It melts my heart.  The other morning I went into each of their rooms to get them ready for the day and they BOTH smiled at me when I reached their crib.  Easton is really close to sleeping through the night (10:00-3:30) and Emerson is right behind him.  We decided that we would start feeding them individually when they woke up (only at the middle of the night feeding) instead of waking the other one up.  Their schedules are awesome, but by waking the other one up we had no idea just how long they could sleep individually.  We learned quickly that Easton can make it an hour or two (just depends) longer than Emerson.

Check out Easton's double chin!

So cute!!

Every day I am overwhelmed with how much love both of them have brought to our family!  These two precious things have stolen our hearts!!

Easton

Weight:  14 pounds 3 ounces

Eating:  5 ounces

*Smiling and cooing.  Loves to hang out on a blanket on the floor. 

Love to smile!!

Emerson

Weight:  11 pounds  11 ounces

Eating:  4 ounces

*Smiling and cooing.  Loves to be held.

I love to smile too!

One Month

February 6th marked one month for Easton and Emerson.  They had great checkups with Dr. Palamountain.  Easton weighed in at 10 pounds 3 ounces and Emerson was exactly nine pounds.  They did really well while we were there.  The worst part was getting their heals pricked!

    

We are eating up every minute!  They are doing really well at home.  They are only waking up once in the middle of the night to eat and then they are up between 6:30 and 6:45 for the day.  They sleep quite a bit during the day.  We have been spending a lot of time at home to keep them away from the flu and germs until they get their two month shots.

Me with both of them…this is how we do it!

We are already seeing a lot of personality from them.  Easton is a lot like his brother Cade.  He is very laid back and can easily soothe himself when he gets upset.  His cry is very soft and he's just a sweet baby who loves to cuddle!  Emerson is a lot like her sister Addi, she has a lot of "attitude".  She is a little high maintenance…she loves to be held and will scream, at times, until someone picks her up (she's just a tad bit spoiled, they both are really).  She has a set of lungs on her.  She is sassy and we wouldn't have it any other way!  She's a sweet girl!

Sleepy Heads

There are times when I look at them and I still can't believe that they are here and healthy!  God is so good and we are looking forward to what the future has in store for both of them!

One Month Stats:

Emerson

Weight:  9 pounds

Eating:  4 ounces

*Follows you with her eyes.

Easton

Weight:  10 pounds 3 ounces

Eating: 4.5 ounces

*Follows you with his eyes.

They're Here

Emerson and Easton are here!  I know many of you have been waiting patiently (and some probably not so patiently) for pictures so here they come.  We've been getting into a new routine and just eating our new little ones up.  Knock on wood, so far they have been the most calm and easy-going babies.  We have to wake them up at night to feed them, so we're pretty excited about that!

We scheduled an induction on January 6th and they arrived early that afternoon.  Emerson was born at 1:47 and weighed 6 pounds and 15 ounces and AN HOUR AND FIFTEEN minutes later Easton arrived.  He was 8 pounds (yes, you read that right).  It's been funny seeing everyone's reactions.

Emerson (I just love the bow on the hat)

Easton (so sweet)

No words...so stinkin precious!

He looks huge in this picture! Ha!

We were able to go home on the 9th and we were ready to be in the comfort of our house and in our own bed!  Friday was our 10 year anniversary and we both forgot with everything else going on.  The only reason I remembered was because of a text I got from a friend.

Our first family picture...getting ready to leave.

Dressed and ready to go

Not too sure about this whole car seat thing!

Love this!

Napping together

A quick picture before the doctor

I cannot explain how happy and excited Darrell and I are.  We are truly in love and just overwhelmed with God's love!  So many prayers have been said for these two beautiful children, and they were answered.  We have two happy and healthy babies!!  This has been such a long and emotional journey and it's finally here.  We are enjoying creating new memories with them every day.

I know I say this all of the time, but thank you so much for all of your continued thoughts and prayers!  We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives!!

35 Weeks

Monday marked 35 weeks! Time has flown by and I can't believe we've already made it to this point. When we went to our check up, Dr. Milner checked the heartbeats and they were perfect. He said I was a tad swollen, I didn't see it. 

The Thursday before I went to see him because my back was really bothering me. They wanted to make sure I didn't have a kidney infection or that I wasn't having back labor. I didn't have either. It was at this appointment that he recommended that I not go back to work. He wanted me to be able to take it easy, and he knew with me being a teacher, that really wasn't possible being at school.

This is my second week being at home and it's probably a good idea I didn't go back to school. I am REALLY uncomfortable! When I sit or stand for even ten minutes, my back and front really start bothering me. I am also now at the stage where NO maternity clothes fit. Everyday my wardrobe consists of sweatpants and a select few of Darrell's large shirts (many of those don't even fit)!

Needless to say... I'm ready for the kiddos to get here. The goal is to get them to 36 weeks, which is Monday! Once we get there, bring it on!!

The nurseries are pretty much ready. We have a few more things that I've ordered to hang on the walls. The bedding came in and we LOVE it!! I'll make a post about the rooms when everything is finished.

So now we just wait! We're praying for two HEALTHY, strong, and happy babies!! Hopefully we'll get to meet them sooner than later!

Christmas at the Cemetery

Darrell and I went out to the cemetery today after church to decorate. That's one thing both of our kids loved (especially Cade)....decorations for ALL holidays!

I know I say every year that this time of year is tough for us. I was just thinking the other day about how much I miss my little movie watching sidekick. Cade loved a good Christmas movie as much as his mom. Every night we would manage to find a movie on TV. All the lights would be off except for the lights on the tree and mantle. Cade would crawl into the hole of my legs and we wouldn't move until the movie was over...I sure do miss that. Addi, on the other hand, was a big fan of the Christmas music specials. She loved to dance and dancing to Christmas music was no exception! Sometimes she would even get mad when the commercials would interrupt the music...I sure do miss that too!!

This year we still struggle with the with not having Cade and Addi here, I'm sure we always will. But this year we also have the excitement of two more precious babies joining our family! I can't even put into words how happy we are about what's to come! 

Happy Thanksgiving

I think that today is one of my favorite days of the year.  It's a time to truly reflect on your life and appreciate all that God has given you.  This time of year is always emotional for Darrell and me because of the time spent with family.  It's tough not having Cade and Addi here for all of the obvious reasons.  But our God is an amazing God and we are forever thankful that we had both of them for the time that we did, even if it wasn't for that long!  Both of them brought so much joy to our lives and we are truly blessed to have had that time with them.  So many times we get asked how we do it...get through life after losing both of our children.  The one and only answer is God!  He is the one constant who never changes, no matter what.  Because of Him we are able to get up every day and live life the way he intended us to live it!  We know that He is in control and He has special plans for us.  We trust him and lean on Him to guide us!

This year I am thankful for a pretty amazing husband.  He knows just what I need and when I need it.  He has a special way of making me laugh (which lately takes it all out of me...if I get to laughing too hard I can't breathe).  He continues to grow in his faith and I love witnessing that.  We started leading a small group with our church in September and watching him lead has been so awesome!  I'm so glad I have him and LOVE that our love grows every day!

I am thankful for children.  Being a parent is something that I have always dreamed about since I was a little girl.  It wasn't until Cade was born that I truly experienced the kind of love that only children can provide.  Who else do you love before you've even met them.  Words can't even describe how much joy and happiness that Cade and Addi brought us.  And now we wait with excitement for two more children to join our family and make it complete.  Darrell and I are SO anxious to meet Easton and Emerson!

I am also thankful for our families.  We are so lucky to have families who we are so close to and can count on for anything.  No matter what, they are always there and will do anything for us.

And I'm also thankful, right this moment, for extra large clothing to cover my extra large belly.  Don't get me wrong, I have always been a lover of a good pair of sweats, but now, more so than ever, they make me REALLY happy!  It's the little things, right?!?!

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!