July 22

July 22, 2013 the top picture of our follicles was taken.  We were told they were too small/poor quality to turn into embryos, but we proceeded with our IUI anyway.  The hardest part of the entire process was enduring all the medication and injections and so we just prayed for God to prepare our hearts for His will.

I spent that afternoon on the couch watching TV and waiting for the announcement of the royal baby's birth.  Matt and I joked that, if we got pregnant, we should name our baby whatever William and Kate named the royal baby.  So once we found out we were pregnant we called our baby "George" jokingly for a few weeks.  Later, once we found out it was twins, I joked we should name them William and Kate (obviously before we knew it was two girls.)  "Williams" is Nana's maiden name and "Kathryne" in the middle name of all the women on my side of the family.  Perfect, right!?

July 22, 2014 the beautiful girls on the bottom of the picture are five months old.  Madeline "Kate" and Molly Ann are the babies we were told we would never have.  And proof that science is never as big and our Lord.

Madeline and Molly: Five Months

Madeline and Molly, 
You are FIVE MONTHS old today! What?!? Adjusted for prematurity this makes y'all about three months old, but to think that y'all have been here for five months just makes my heart skip a beat.  It's gone by so quickly! And I know these next few months will be filled with exciting milestones so I'm holding onto all the newborn baby y'all have left in you.  We love y'all!

The most common question/comment we receive is "How do you do it?" or "You really have your hands full!"  Our answer is always the same, "Yes we are blessed but they are truly the best babies.  They are taking it easy on us!" and that's the truth.  Your brother is ten times more work than the two of you are put together!  And y'all are always so happy and content; I'm almost waiting for the ball to drop and for y'all to figure out that you could makes things a little more difficult for us.  I thank God everyday that y'all are so calm, happy, and easily pleased.

Our days still look pretty similar to last month, although it's now usually Madeline that wakes up at night and y'all are almost sleeping completely through the night.  Not much longer now and we will be able to drop that early morning bottle! Our day pretty much looks like this: Madeline wakes up somewhere between 4:00am - 6:00am and we bottle feed you and put you right back to bed.  I wake y'all up around 9:00ish and I tandem nurse you and y'all hang out in your swings for awhile.  If you don't fall asleep we will do some tummy time and lay around on your activity mat.  You eat again around 12:00ish, hang out in your bouncers, more tummy time, and down for your long nap around 1:00pm.  This time y'all will sleep as long as I let you, and I typically wake you up around 4:30pm.  By then Daddy is home and I either go run errands with y'all or Carter Man.  We try to keep y'all awake but you usually sneak in a cat nap while we are eating dinner.  I nurse y'all for the last time at 7:00 and put you to bed around 7:30pm.  


Madeline Kate,
You are still holding the title as the more "picky" daughter, as you have started letting your opinions be known.  You want to be in our arms as much as possible (rotten) and always want to be rocked to sleep.  You take more work to put down for a nap and almost always are the first to wake up.  You "talk" non-stop throughout the day while you are awake and are free with your smiles and songs.

You have decided that you dislike bottles and give your Daddy the hardest time at night when he is trying to feed you.  You do great nursing, but we will stick with that nightly bottle a little while longer.  You also started rolling over this month! You can roll over both shoulders, from back to belly and back again.  You have always hated tummy time so I knew this was coming soon for you.  Now I can't keep you on your tummy for even a minute! You just roll right back over to your back! You do fine at naps and night while you are swaddled and sleeping in your rock-n-play, so hopefully we can get a few more weeks use out of that before we move you to your crib.

You are still our "bigger" baby, although we only recently moved y'all out of newborn clothes.  You absolutely HATE bath time and scream louder than I've ever heard a baby scream when we bathe you.  Your hair has thinned out and the new hair that is coming in is light like Carter's.  I think we might have another blonde baby! Your eyes have stayed a dark blue color and you have the smoothest skin and squishiest cheeks of any baby ever.  You are beautiful!

We love you sister bear, Maddy Kate, Mads Pads.  To the moon and back.


Molly Ann,
You make us look like rockstar parents! You so rarely cry and are always so happy that people always comment with how good we've done.  The truth is that you have done it all! We've loved you with everything we have, but you just seem to be so calm and happy everyday naturally.  You are happy in the car, in your swing, on your tummy, and new this month, watching your brother run around like a crazy man.  He loves to lean over and talk to you and you just eat it up! I love watching y'all interact with each other.

You are such a great eater, which makes us wonder how you are so much smaller than your sister.  You will take as big of a bottle as we will give you, and nurse as long as I let you.  You do still spit up when we put you on your tummy, but it's very minimal.  You have rolled over one time, from your back to your tummy, but only once.  You love being on your belly so I think as soon as you master that skill you will be a stomach sleeper, just like your brother.  You have be a rock star in the sleep department this month, taking stellar naps and sleeping in longer stretches at night.  You are no longer the one who wakes up at night and now we are following your sisters schedule.

We always said that you looked just like your daddy, but now I'm starting to see more of me in you.  Your hair has come back in very dark and your eyes have stayed a blue/grey color.  I'm anxious to find a baby picture of me to compare to and see if I'm right.  We've been battling the eczema on your face and legs, although I'm inclined to say it's getting better.  We just can't believe how cool and collected you always seem.  You still have a very shrill cry, but reserve it for times when you are really mad.  Otherwise you let you sister do all the fussing while you just sleep and smile.  :)

We love you sister bear, Molly Ann, Molls Balls.  To the moon and back.

Madeline 5 month Stats

Weight: 12ish pounds

Length: 24ish inches

Eating: nursing 4 times a day with one breastmilk bottle overnight.  Typically 9am, 12pm, 4pm, 7pm, and 5am

Bedtime: around 7:45pm

Awake: around 9:00am

Naps: 10:00am, 1:00pm and a catnap around 5:30pm

Diapers: size 1 Huggies

Clothes: 0-3 months

Favorites: being held, your Daddy, smiling, sitting up and "talking" to us

Development: holds head up when pulled from back to sitting position, puts hands, paci and clothes in mouth, plays with toys in front of you and pushes with legs to reach toys, possibly teething, rolling over

Milestones:

6/23- first nap in crib

6/29- first time in church nursery

7/8- rolled over from tummy to back

7/13- rolled over from back to tummy

Molly 5 month Stats

Weight: 11ish pounds  

Length: 24ish inches

Eating: nursing 4 times a day with one breastmilk bottle overnight.  Typically 9am, 12pm, 4pm, 7pm, and 5am

Bedtime: around 7:45pm

Awake: around 9:00am

Naps: 10:00am, 1:00pm and a catnap around 5:30pm

Diapers: size 1 Huggies

Clothes: 0-3 months

Favorites: baths, being on your belly, your paci, watching Carter

Development: holds head up when pulled from back to sitting position, sticks tongue in and out, rolling over 

Milestones:

6/23- first nap in crib

6/25- first solo outing with Mama

6/29- first time in church nursery

7/13- rolled over from back to belly

June Recap

This summer is already slipping by too fast; I keep thinking it's only May! June flew by in the blink of an eye, but we managed to squeeze in lots of fun and family time.  Since Matt gets off work everyday at 3pm we are trying to soak up these days with him at home.

We started off the month of June with Carter's 2nd birthday! We did all of his favorite things: donuts, park, presents, bubbles, balloons, ice cream and tractors. 

Carter learned how to take a selfie

The girls were perfect little twins

They also each had their first sickness (Maddy a cold and Molly a UTI) with antibiotics and fevers

Madeline and Molly were baptized and we celebrated Father's Day

Most mornings Carter and I played outside with his water table

I started the hashtag #carterwashere on IG.  Pretty self explanatory. 

Maddy Kate rocked it out on the bumbo

Molly had an abdominal ultrasound after the UTI which came back perfect.  It was also the first time I had just one of the girls with me without the other. 

And we rounded out the month with the girls turning 4 months old

Tomorrow we are flying to Florida with all 3 kids.  Wish us luck! 

A Day in the Life: 25 Months and 4 Months

So the last time I did one of these the girls were two months old and we still had our moms here to help.  A lot has changed in the last two months so I wanted to document another day to have a comparison.  This is a normal day at home for us, without preschool, any appointments or errands to run, and while Matt is at work.

Thursday, July 3rd, 2014
5:45- Molly starts to stir and I head to the kitchen to heat two 4-ounce bottles.  This is the perfect time for them to wake up as Matt and I can just stay awake when we are done with their feeds.  Anytime earlier and it's hard to wake up after going back to sleep for only an hour.  And anything later Matt will already be at work so I have to bottle feed them on my own.  We still put their medicine in their bottles so this is the only breast milk bottle they get a day.  We each take a girl, Matt takes Molly and I take Madeline.  Usually it is reversed (because Maddy loves her Daddy) but Matt has to leave by 6:15 and Molly will eat faster than Madeline.  While we feed them I pump and play on the iPad.

{Madeline}

6:15- girls are burped, changed, swaddled and back in bed.  Matt stores my milk and leaves for work and I hop in the shower.  It's so much easier for me to get up early and get ready while the kids are asleep than to try and shower while they are awake.  

7:00- most days Carter wakes up around 7:00 but today he was still asleep so I had time to enjoy my coffee in peace while listening to the news and drinking my coffee.  I also try and get ALL THE THINGS done at this time: laundry, dishes, mail, bills, anything on the computer, set out breakfast, make Carter's lunch and making tonights bottles.  

7:30- Carter is UP and knocking at his door for me to come rescue him. We watch and episode of Mickey Mouse together while I rock him and he plays with his tractors.

8:00- breakfast of champions, tractors welcome.

8:30- we usually go outside to play before it gets too hot and before I change Carter's clothes.  Today he went outside and came right back in so he played with his train table while I cleaned up and switched the laundry over.

9:00- brother wakes up sisters with a kiss and gets iPad time while girls tandem nurse.  He is loving Mother Goose Club and Blippi channels on YouTube, PBS Kids app, and anything tractors.

Full bellies! {Madeline, Molly}

9:30- Carter and I brush our teeth, something he LOVES to do.  He has always loved to play with a toothbrush so I'm thankful this is not a battle for him/us.  Girls have tummy time, which Carter always likes to supervise.

10:00- we are hosting a play date at our house today (easier than trying to go some place else) so chaos ensues for awhile.  The girls nap in their swings almost the entire play date.  Our play group went from two toddlers and a baby a year ago, to three toddlers and three babies today!

Tess is one month younger than the girls but about the size of the two of them put together! {Madeline, Molly}

Big day for Carter...he wore goggles! This is a BIG DEAL for kids with sensory issues! 

12:00- girls nurse while Carter, Nancy and Nate eat lunch.  Note to self: do not attach hook-on high chairs to one side of the table or it will fall over.  

Big siblings are a little jealous of their baby sisters! 

1:00- nap time for all! Carter has a rough time falling asleep and I'm in and out of his room a few times.  Once he finally falls asleep I sneak in a quick lunch before Molly wakes up.  I end up laying down on the couch with her and taking a nap. 

3:30- Matt gets home from work and has some free time while everyone is asleep.  He's probably glad I'm not harassing him about the laundry, dishes, packing, etc. 

4:00- all 3 kids wake up at the exact same moment.  Matt heads to Carter's room while I head into our room to nurse the girls.  Matt and Carter join us soon and we all hang out on the bed together while the girls eat.  Carter loves to put on a show running around our bed, making funny faces and laughing at himself.  

4:30- I head out to run some errands while Matt stays home with the kids. Typically I leave and either take Carter or the girls with me, but today they all stay at home with Matt.  On the agenda for errands is a diet coke and dry cleaning.  On my way home it looks like the bottom is about to fall out of the sky. 

5:00- Carter and Matt head outside to watch the rain, hang out with Aunt Sara and Uncle Randy (we share a backyard), and get super started on the grill.  I work on packing our bags for Florida while the girls do some more tummy time and sit in their bouncers.

6:00- dinner.  Carter is protesting any and all food these days so most of his dinner comes in liquid form: milk, yogurt, veggie pouch and baby food.  Textures are hard for him so we don't fight him on the food battle as long as he gets his nutrition from some way.  Tonight I worked with him to eat a pear but eventually he won and I ended up eating the pears myself.  And of course, Madeline has to sit in Daddy's lap while we eat dinner.

6:45- cuddled up with Daddy watching TV before bed.

7:00- the boys head to Carter's bathroom while the girls end up in my bedroom to nurse.  I can always hear the boys through the wall in my bedroom but I never know what goes on during Carter's bath.  Sounds like a war zone.  Madeline falls asleep nursing while Molly is just full of smiles.

7:30- girls get new jammers, diapers and swaddles and go to bed.  Matt and I head to Carter's room for books, play time and prayers.  Carter requests repeats of Jesus Loves Me and Itsy Bitsy Spider before I leave his room and I oblige.

8:00- done!

11:00- we head to bed and fall asleep almost as soon as we lay down.  It's not unusual for Matt to fall asleep with a video on his tablet still on.  I'm in the middle of book 3 of Game of Thrones so I only allow myself two chapters a night so I'm not up until the wee hours of the morning reading.  By this time of night it's a battle to stay awake so two chapters is really all I can conquer anyway.

And that's a wrap!