The 4th and 4 years!

We had a great 4th of July at my parents! Matt and I also celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary! Time has flown by! 

Life Lately

Father's Day!

 These two precious babies say, "Happy Father's Day"

to their wonderful, compassionate, patient, tender-hearted, servant-minded, Christ-seeking Dad... 

All your girls love you very much! 

8 Months!

Perfect example: One baby is climbing, while the other is fussing for me! ;) 

To be honest, this month has been tough...really tough. Two teething babies, throw in separation anxiety, poor naps, waking early in the morning...everything has just seemed a bit out of whack! I've tried to hold it together most days...but I sure had my moments! 

There have been some precious moments of having twins, too! They laugh at each other, play with each other, and now have started sleeping as close as possible in their separate cribs! 

Kate:
-Still in 3-6 months clothes, but having a hard time now because they are all getting too short!
-You will probably go to Kindergarten and say your name is "Kate-Kate." For some reason you have so many nicknames! Kater, Kater-tot, Kater-ade, Lil-bits, Squirrely...I'm sorry now for any embarrassment this may bring!
-Army crawl so fast! Yesterday, you dumped the dog's water bowl all over yourself and Maddie! Just a little swim in the kitchen floor!
-4 teeth showing, but top two are still working their way down
-You were NOT a fan of the church nursery! We will keep trying!


Maddie:

-You seem so heavy to us! Growing out of 3-6 month clothes
-4 teeth! Cutting the top two teeth was VERY hard on you! But, you have been one happy girl since they came in!
-Your new favorite noises is this laughing, "ha-ha" sound that is very loud! That is what you are doing in the picture! You do it to the dogs too!
-Started to army crawl, and you rock on your hands and knees a lot. You just tend to be a little more laid back about moving around!
-You enjoyed a few nights of sleeping with me at Matt's parents (which we have never done...but you seemed to enjoy it! ha)...Night one: you really seemed in pain...Night two: I didn't want to leave you to cry/fuss for the whole house to hear...Night three: You totally figured out what you were doing! :) As soon as we came home, all was back to normal!

Eating:


-Finally starting to show more interest in baby food! I have started giving them  Puffs every now and then. It helps entertain them out at dinner too! 
-Still can't get the hang of a sippy cup
-Some days they eat great...others not so much! Bottles 4 times a day, usually about 20-25oz total
-Still on Enfacare (extra calorie formula). They MAY get off at 9 months, but by the looks of how small K&M both are I'm thinking closer to 12 months. Praying that at 12 months they both can switch to whole milk and a "normal" diet. 
-I started both back on Prevacid just once a day. They were both burping a lot, and fussing more when spitting up. We will try again soon to wean off of it!

Sleep:
-Both girls have actually done fairly well with sleep despite teething...but it has still been tough during naps. 
-Still praying for the good nap days to out number the bad! ;) I'm convinced that both just may not be fabulous nappers! Do some babies seriously take a 2-3 hour afternoon nap?!?! I'm happy to get 1hr 30min out of them! :) I keep them in their crib for at least 1hr 15min...and as Moms on Call says, you can either "cry, play, or sleep." If the crying escalates, I go get them...can't take the full crying for long! ;) 
-Sleep still from 7:00ish-7:00ish...but for a few weeks they started waking early...sometimes as early as 6:00! I try to leave them all as long as I can. Most days they talk, fuss, or fall back asleep.
-Gone are the days of them sleeping soundly in the car for trips! Maddie napped a total of 15 minutes last trip! The drive to Fayetteville has become much more difficult! I'm debating on bringing a sound machine in the car and giving that a try!?!


I know I say this every month, but I just am amazed by God's blessings. I have TWO miracle babies! This time last year we were constantly worrying about their growth, blood flow, etc...I have to stop myself in the tough moments and remember how God has chosen us to raise K&M. There is no harder job, but no greater job either! 

First Swim

A few weeks ago we were at Matt's parents' house, and decided to let the girls have their first swim! It was a little chilly, but both loved it! We are all looking forward to having a free pool once we move! 
Plus, swimming+sun+babies=great naps! ;) 

So cute in their swimsuits!

Matt teaching Kate to blow bubbles

Maddie wasn't in the greatest of moods! ;)

Cousin Time

Dad, Kate, Me, Maddie, Henry, Jennifer, and Mary Hannah

The best we could do with 3 infants!

My sister came to visit from North Carolina with her two kids a few weeks ago. It was a quick stop for them here in Little Rock, and they spent much of their time in Jonesboro with my parents. Kate and Maddie LOVED their cousin Henry, who is 4. He loved on them and thought they were hilarious! Mary Hannah (in the carrier napping) is a little over two months younger than Kate and Maddie.




Kate and Maddie had their first time in a swing. They LOVED it! We spent some much needed time outside at the park. It was special to take the girls to this park because my mom, and my sister and I grew up playing in this park. 







It will be awhile until we are all together again. I know that it will be A LOT louder, crazier, and more eventful the next time around! :)

7 Months!

Did I not just write their 6 month post?!? We have had a busy month! The wedding, parties, visiting friends, loading up almost daily to show the house..etc...The girls have done great with a faster pace on many days. The days have seemed to pass very quickly! 

This has been a great age! I know my days of being able to leave them in a room to play together are limited, because they will soon be on the move! 

Kate:

Weight: 13 lbs 4oz last week

Length: 23 1/2 in.

-Two bottom teeth have just broken through

-NEVER stop moving! You roll, flip, kick, twist...won't stay still especially when I'm trying to change your diaper!

-Think it is hilarious when I count with my fingers

-Surprised, but you are pulling up some. You have started doing it holding on to me, but then yesterday did it in a chair on your own. The hard part is you are too short to reach most things to pull up on! ;)

-Again, I'm surprised at how well you are sitting up! You have made great progress in the last two weeks! I still leave a pillow behind you due to your need to move frequently!

-Your crib is the closest to the door. My favorite thing is to see your sweet smile when I walk in!

-Love the dogs, and love being outside

-Still our little talker! We laugh because it sounds like you are saying "boom, boom" sometimes. 

Maddie:

Weight: 14 lbs .5 oz

Length: 24 1/2 in.

-Two bottom teeth

-Our observant one. You are VERY aware of sounds and what is going on around you.

-We are still having some tears with "strangers"...it's odd because sometimes you cry with people who have been around you the most! ;)

-Easy to make laugh! You think Dad is hilarious!

-Sitting up well!

-You are a toy hoarder and have an obsession with trying to chew on your sister! She does not appreciate it with your new teeth!

-Love the dogs, and love being outside

-I love to hear you squeal in your crib...even if it is at 6:30 am! ;)

Lily wanted in on the pictures

Feeding:

-4 bottles/day...still don't eat very much (20-25oz), but are gaining weight!
-Started solids...some days interested, others could care less! Showing some signs of texture issues with less pureed foods. You have meals 2-3 times a day depending on what we are doing
-TRYING to learn to use a sippy cup...we have a ways to go! 
-Maddie is more into solids, but Kate does love anything with pears! 
-Off Prevacid!!! We are still trying to be cautious if the seem like they are hurting again. But so far, so good!

 Sleep:
-Naps have improved SO much! Once they were both able to roll back and forth naps became much better. We still have our rough days here and there. They take a morning nap (9-10:30) and afternoon nap (1:00-2:30ish). I think we have finally reached the point where they don't need a late afternoon cat nap. Sometimes they will fall asleep for about 15 minutes or so.
-It's frustrating at times because when one area improves...another area seems to change...We have early risers! Lately one or both of them typically is making noise around 6:30/6:45...Sometimes they fall back asleep, sometimes they fuss, and sometimes they just play in their crib. I usually don't go into get them until 7:00ish. 
-Bedtime bottle at 7:00, then down by 7:30. 


There are many moment when I look at Kate and Maddie and wonder why God chose us? I feel enormously blessed to have TWO healthy, happy (most the time), beautiful babies. The weight of raising them in today's world weighs heavy on me at times, but my earnest prayer is for all of their days to bring glory to Him.