New Years Eve Miracle

It has finally happened!  Last night, both girls slept through the night on the same night!!!  Both have been sleeping through the night here and there but not consistently and never on the same night as her sister.  I kept telling them if they were going to wake up to wake up the same night as their sister so they can sleep the same nights as their sister.  Well, they finally got the message.  For the first time since they were born both Shane and I got 8 hours of sleep straight.  We've both had nights of continuous sleep individually but it has usually been in a separate bedroom, separate floor of the house from everyone else in order to do it.

Here they are this morning after they got up and ate.  I kept telling them they were my New Years miracle.

We've been working hard to get them sleeping through the night as next week I am going back to work.  It's going to be a very hard, long week but if they keep this up even a few nights here and there, then it's going to make it a lot easier on all of us.  There has been a lot of sleepless nights this last few weeks as we have been trying to get all of us on a schedule in preparation with many tearful nights and mornings when it hasn't worked.  But maybe, just maybe it's going to pay off.  And if you want to know, yes I'm dreading going back to work but it needs to be for now.

Wish us luck and lots more sleeping through the night!

And here is a little bonus picture of the girls watching the BYU Football game yesterday.  Shane and I both think they look like little hoodlums, but cute little hoodlums they are.

Raise your fist

Siena has started this new little habit that Shane and I think is hilarious so we take a picture of it each day.  She does this about 90% of the time she's awake and when we go to swaddle her for naps, I sometimes have to put her arm down just to get it in the swaddle.  And as you'll see in one of the pictures, even Aria has started doing it a little.

Gaining and losing

Someone is getting more hair....

And someone is losing a lot of hair...

Aria is so funny in that she moves her head back and forth constantly.  It's always moving.  So much that not only does she have a bald spot, but she has a whole bald ring around her head.

Siena on the other hand, although she moves her head, she prefers one side of her head much to the dismay of her parents who are paranoid about her getting a flat spot.  However, the top of her hair is growing in a lot more and thickening up.

People are telling me more and more that they look more alike than they used to.  They are evening out in size and hair which has a lot to do with it I think.

Christmas

We had a great Christmas day.  It started early but was so much fun.  We officially started the day at 7am, although unofficially we had been awake since 4am settling girls back to sleep.  So at 7, we got up fed the girls and then opened up our presents.  Santa brought the girls an exer-saucer and a bumbo like chair with a toy tray.  The girls are loving it so far.  Aria has a little work to do to keep her head up all the time but can sit in them for a few minutes and enjoys it when she does.  Siena is doing great and will stay in the exer-saucer for quite a while before her head gets tired.  She's not a big fan of the bumbo yet and tends to arch her back and want out fairly quickly.  They also got some fun toys from us, from Grandma and Grandpa and some books from all their cousins.  Our house has gone from having hardly any toys to all of the sudden being full of toys.  It's going to keep the girls entertained for a while.

After presents we got ready for church while the girls napped and then Shane's sister, Margene, came over for waffles and bacon and then we all went to church.  Church was really nice and I enjoyed hearing our bishop speak and singing Christmas songs.

After church we headed over to my parents house where we spent the rest of the day.  We ate a big turkey dinner, watched some old home videos and just relaxed and talked.  The girls didn't nap or eat that well with everything going on so by the end of the day they had had it.

After my parents house we stopped by Shane's brother's house for dessert and to say hello.

Although the day started early, it ended fairly early as well.  We put the girls down a little after 9 and I was in bed by about 9:45, exhuasted!

Merry Christmas, we hope everyone had as great of a day as we did.

Christmas Eve

This year for Christmas Eve, we went over to my sister Jennifer's house.  Everyone from my family was there except for Lori's family.  We did a different menu than our traditional roast beef dinner and had mexican food.  It was delicious.

The grandkids acted out the nativity as is tradition and this year we had two Mary's...and it just so happened we had two little babies for them to hold.  Avery and Abbey were so excited to each hold their own baby.

We also had our 'open one gift' for Christmas Eve, that always just happens to be pajamas.  So Siena and Aria got to open their first present.

It was a fun, low key evening.

All 3 cousins celebrating their first Christmas

Afterwards we came home and got everything ready for Santa to show up.  I was hoping the girls were going to give me one present for Christmas and both sleep through the night on the same night...it didn't happen.  Sad...It made for a tiring Christmas but I keep thinking next year they will sleep past 4...right?  Please tell me I'm right!

Merry Christmas

More details to come on our fun Christmas weekend...

3 months

Last week the girls turned 3 months.  I am loving their little personalities that are shining through more this month but at the same time sad they are already getting so big.

Here is some information about this last month. 

We separated them into different rooms to try to get them sleeping through the night.  Then they got sick...no sleeping through the night but they aren't waking each other up anymore.  Here's looking to next month.  They both kick their legs constantly.  So much for putting a blanket over them when their awake, it's kicked off in about 10 seconds. We took them out in public together for the first time.  We've gone to church, to my families, the doctor, etc. but never to the mall or to dinner, etc.  So one Saturday night we packed them up and to the mall we went to return something.  It's a little crazy steering a long, double stroller and in the actual crowded store it got even harder but we managed and although I saw some stares no one really came up to us which I was grateful for.  I was feeling so confident that afterwards we went and ate dinner at Jason's deli...it was nice and quiet there and the girls just slept so it was perfect.  It helped build a little confidence in taking them places...then they got sick and we haven't been anywhere else except to see Santa.

Siena

Siena decided to roll over from her tummy to her back this month.  Part of it was a fluke and she's only done it a couple times since but now every time we put her on her tummy she knows she can roll over and tries and tries and gets so frustrated that it's pretty much ruined tummy time.
She is lifting her head all the way up and is getting really strong at holding it up.  She also puts pressure on her legs to stand when I'm holding her.   All in all it's good but now when I try to burp her and cuddle her she just wants to lift her head up and look around.  Where did my cuddly baby go?  And as I mentioned before she got her first sickness.  We took her to the doctor and everything is fine but they offered to suction her with their suction machine.  Who knew about this and why don't they have one for adults when we get colds?  It was HEAVEN and she could actually breathe for a few hours.  Where can I purchase one?  ok kidding but seriously it made my day and you cannot believe how much came out of her.  Even the nurse was dying at how much came out.

Siena has some new friends...I'm still waiting for the girls to interact with each other but it's not there yet...anyways, her new friends are the butterflies on the bouncy seat.  I always ask her if she wants to go talk to her butterflies.  She'll sit in her bouncy seat and kick her legs which makes the butterflies sway and then she smiles and coos at them for a long time.  It's so cute to watch.

Aria

 Aria I call my little lizard.  She is hysterical with her tongue.  It's always going in and out of her mouth and if there is anything even near her mouth she is licking it. ( ie bath towel, sweatshirt hoodie).  I love it and think it's adorable.  Hence the reason for the picture of them together with Aria's tongue.  Even though it's not the best picture of Siena, I couldn't resist it with Aria's tongue like that.  She is also cooing and talks to me non stop after I feed her.  I imitate her sounds and without fail it makes her smile when I imitate her and we go back and forth making sounds.  She is also holding her head up pretty good and is getting stronger by the day.  She also got sick from Siena although it didn't seem quite as bad at first but has taken just as long to get over.

I'm excited for the next few weeks.  I know they don't realize it's Christmas but it's been so fun to get a few things for them and I'm tempted daily to get them out and just let them start playing with them early....they won't know the difference.  I haven't done it yet cuz I know I'll then be disappointed on Christmas morning.

I'm Over it

I'm over....

I'm over the sickness that has plagued our house this last week.
I'm over the girls deciding they don't want to eat.
I'm over listening to their raspy breathing in their nose.
I'm over the cough and tickle in their throat that makes them throw up the entire bottle we just finished feeding them.
I'm over having to suction them and listen to their very sad scream while I do it.
I'm over having to wake them up to suction them so they can breathe and sleep at the same time.
I'm over doing 3 loads of baby laundry a day.
I'm over seeing my sad girls faces knowing they don't feel good.

However, I'm NOT over seeing their smiles even when they don't feel good.  There is nothing that makes a mom's heart melt more then when after making them cry and suctioning them so they can breathe they break into a huge grin.

I love you my little sweeties, I'm not over you and never will be. Feel better soon.

PS We are on the tail end of this, I can feel it...just had to vent for a minute.

Meeting Santa

Siena and Aria met Santa yesterday!

A free Santa meeting at a grocery store, means you get what you pay for.  Hence, the milk and food in the background.  It was free and I wasn't about to pay the money the malls charge this year for a photo op.  However, props to Kohler's market in Highland for doing this.  Santa is there every Monday from 4-8pm in December.  You have one Monday left to go down there.  They even had fresh glazed doughnuts and chocolate milk for free.  Since my day had been too busy, it was my lunch as well.  And every kid got a little gift from Santa.  And...the Santa was really nice and not creepy at all.

Aria wasn't crying because of who was holding her, they could care less at this age.  Rather she wanted to be asleep with her pacifier. 

It's still a tradition

 5 years to the day that Shane and I went on our first date, we went on another first date...our first date since having twins.  It just so happened that Kurt Bestor was performing his annual Christmas concert sso at the last minute we got tickets and went.  We usually get tickets well in advance but not knowing what was going to be happening in December this year we didn't.  So there was some last minute planning but it all worked out.

The concert was great as always, it always brings back memories of our first date and the night we got engaged, etc.  It was fun for just Shane and I to get out together as well.  However, I admit towards the end of the concert I found myself getting a little anxious for it to end.  I was ready to get back and pick up our girls.  They did fabulous without us and I'm sure didn't even miss us, but I sure missed them.

The week before we went to the temple as well and then the night after Kurt Bestor we went to our ward adult Christmas party.  So in one week we left the girls with babysitters 3 times.  They did fantastic of course and so did the babysitters.  Jennifer watched them twice and Michelle watched them while we were at Kurt Bestor.  A big thanks to both of them for being so willing and excited to watch them.  And a big thanks to my parents for being willing to watch them one night only to have me cancel on them.  The next time we go out, you're babysitting!

Sleeping

Sleep and twins...it's an interesting combination.  How much sleep do we get, how much do the girls get, do they wake each other up, do you wake them up, do they sleep in the same room, in the same crib... etc. etc.  There so many different factors of getting 2 babies to sleep.

I won't go into all the details but here is where we stand.

Both girls are now in separate rooms for naps and at night.  This has not always been the case and will not always be the case but for now it needs to be to get them sleeping through the night and to not wake the other one up.

The other night, I went into Siena's room and found her like this:

 Yes she started on the burp rag.  It made me laugh....Then I walked into Aria's room and found her like this:

All I could picture were 2 little worms wiggling around.  Not sure where they were trying to go and why, but it looks like they found what they wanted and fell back asleep.  Maybe they missed their sister and were trying to find her.

And last night Aria slept until 5:00am and Siena until 6:30am.  We're making progress people.

2 month doctor appt.

I never posted about the girls 2 month dr. appt. and first set of shots.  The appt. was technically at 2.5 months.

Siena - Weighs 11 lbs 8 oz - 50%.  Height is 23.5 inches - 85%

Aria - Weighs 9 lbs 14 oz - 25%.  Height is 23 inches - 75%.

Considering they were barely on the percentile charts when they had their first appt. I would say they're growing really well.  I guess all those 3 hour feedings in the middle of the night at the beginning paid off.

The shots were very sad.  The poor little things didn't know what had hit them.  They screamed but luckily they took their pacifier and stopped pretty quickly.  Overall they were troopers and did really well.

I had come with a list of questions about each girl so it took a while to get through the appt.  All in all we were there 1 1/2 hours.  I guess I really got my money's worth since I do pay for the double appt. I might as well use the time right?

When we got home both girls went down for a nap and slept for a while.  Siena woke up first screaming, raging mad.  Shane gave her some tylenol and when that kicked in it settled her down.  Then we had to do the same with Aria.  After that though they slept fine and didn't have any other problems.

And what would a post be without some pictures.  These are my new favorite things...little hoodies on them.  They're so cute.  The only thing is Aria won't stop licking the side of her hood whenever she has it on, it's pretty funny.

Thankful

We had a great Thanksgiving this year and spent the whole day at my parents house.  We had 11 adults and all 17 grandchildren there...and actually although we thought it would be crazy, the kids were all very well behaved and it was such a nice day.  It was fun to just go over there and hang out for the day.

Of course my whole family died at how cute the girls looked in their little turkey shirts.  They were even more impressed when they found out I had made it!  Well I can't take all the credit, Brigitte found the idea and made one for Holland and helped me make theirs too.  They turned out so cute though.

I really am so thankful for our new little family we have.  I still look at both Siena and Aria and wonder how I got so lucky and blessed to have them as part of our family.  Not only am I grateful to be a mother, I'm thankful for their good dispositions.  I'm also so thankful for the rest of our family.   I love going over to my parents and just hanging out with everyone.  It's so nice that we all get along and have a great time together.  I'm thankful that my mom has been responding so well to Chemo...that it is working and that she hasn't had too many bad side effects.  It's nice to see some of her energy returning little by little.

Siena and Aria are catching up to Max.  When Max came over when the girls first got home from the hospital, he looked so huge next to them and now look at them...