Melts My Heart

I think they both look like him so much!

The Waffle Window

Our friends were here from out of town and we all spent the day in Portland.  The highlight was getting a little snack from this place called The Waffle Window.  So good!
(By the way, this was my first day long venture out while leaving Jude & Ivy behind. I almost shed a few tears when I left them! But in the end, it was nice to get away for a bit. )

Endorphins and Vitamin D

I have twenty pounds to lose and lots of muscle to tone.  I'm starting off by taking brisk walks through our lovely neighborhood.  I've been three times this week so far! Between the weight of the babies in the stroller and the hills down our road, I'm already feeling a bit sore.
Jude & Ivy enjoy the walks a ton....meaning it knocks them out in seconds.  As soon as I stop walking they usually start crying, which is motivation to keep my walks nice and long.
I am absolutely determined to get back into good shape. Pretty soon we'll be running!

Family Photos

Our friend Nathan and his lovely wife Jenny came over to take some pictures. This was back when Jude and Ivy were about three weeks old (look how tiny Jude is!). We are absolutely in love with the amazing work he did! These are just a few of my favorites.

You can see the rest of the photos here.

A Taste of What's to Come

These two "played" with each other for the first time today! It was so wonderful!

All of my posts are about Jude and Ivy, I know. But I honestly have nothing else to post about right now....hanging with them is all I do!

With A Little Help

"Happy" one month you two!

It's been a little rough.  I'm not going to lie.  Jude has really found his voice this past week (Ivy always had hers).  Trying to comfort two screaming babies is trying business, let me tell you.  For a few days I found myself crying right along with them.  I have tried not to let it get to me, but really I just feel bad that I can't give them enough attention. The lack of sleep also doesn't help things. Thankfully we have had family come over a lot these past few days.  Just getting more than two hours of consecutive sleep has made a world of difference (thanks mom!).  Today I feel like a brand new woman...ready to care for my babies with joy rather than tears.

Also, I don't know what we would have done this past month with out all of the help with meals.  Friends, neighbors, and family have been so gracious to us.  We are very thankful.

Some new things to note:
Jude is really filling out and his hair has grown a ton.  He also smiles in his sleep quite a bit, which is just adorable.  I can't wait for the real smiles.
Ivy is eating very very well, more like a newborn than a preemie.  This gives me hope that we can be done with bottles soon!  And when she is calm, her eyes really shine and she takes on this serene look.  It's really beautiful.

Three Weeks

We are settling in to a little routine here with these two.  My world revolves around keeping them well fed. It can be frustrating at times because as preemies, they are still learning how to eat. A few times a week they do really well with it and it gives me enough hope to not give up!  

Life has never been so wonderful and so exhausting all at once. These past three weeks have both flown by, and at times dragged on. A friend of ours gave us some sound advice about this dichotomy.  She said that everything with children comes in stages.  There are good parts to each stage and there are difficult parts.  Make sure to enjoy every bit of the good as it will pass, and know that the difficult parts will also pass. Then it's on to new set of challenges and joys. 

So right now we are trying to soak in those moments when their eyes are open and they look up at us in wonder, those warm cuddles on our chests, and the fun of beginning to figure out their unique personalities and temperaments.  Sometimes we still just can't believe they are all ours.