Jude & Sloane | 2 Months

Our babies are two months old!  The second month passed far quicker than the first and at this rate they will be graduating college in a few weeks.

While month one was all about survival, month two was all about growth.  Along with our babies and hours of sleep, our confidence also grew.  We've been able to see glimpses of their personalities, which has been so rewarding.  

We had their two month appointment today and both did great.  They were measured, weighed, examined, and given three shots and one oral vaccine.  We gave them half a bottle before the appointment and the other half as soon as they received their shots.  Both cried a little but didn't seem too bothered by the needles.  Praying neither has my fear of shots!

Jude's Stats at 2 months:
Weight: 12 lbs 11 oz (75%)
Height: 23.5 in (70%)
Head: 16 in (65%)

Sloane's Stats at 2 months:
Weight: 11 lbs 1 oz (60%)
Height: 23.4 in (80%)
Head: 15.7 in (75%)

Our pediatrician was really pleased with their sizes.  After the nurse told her their weights she walked in the room and asked how our "piggies" were doing.  :)

EAT
I'm still exclusively feeding them breastmilk and it's going really well!  They eat every 3 to 3.5 hours during the day and we give them bottles at their last feeding and when we're out.  Sloane usually takes 4.5 oz and we've started giving Jude 5 oz.  The rest of the time I breastfeed, which has become quite humorous. While I wouldn't say they've "found" their hands, they're using them quite a bit more.  When Sloane eats she always has her hands balled into fists on either side of her face.  Jude, on the other hand, gets a little too excited so his hands go all over the place.  90% of the time they end up in Sloane's face or more specifically, her eye.  It doesn't seem to bother her but I spend most of my time moving his hands away and saying things like, "Jude, please quit punching your sister in the face while she's trying to eat."

SLEEP
Their sleeping has improved dramatically during month two.  The first week of December they started regularly sleeping 5-6 hours at night.  After their last bottle we swaddle them and put them down, typically around 10 or 10:30.  They now sleep 7 hours, which I consider sleeping through the night.  After that feeding, three of us are fortunate enough to go back to sleep until 8:30 or 9, while dad gets up and goes to work (sorry dad).  For the first two months they slept in our room.  Jude slept in a pack n' play and Sloane in a rock n' play but we moved them to the nursery last Saturday.  Michael and I have temporarily moved upstairs to the guest bedroom, which is right next door to the nursery. We also set up the video monitor to make sure we completely filled the roles of overprotective parents.  :)  Even though I told everyone I didn't mind them leaving our room, it did break my heart a little.  I loved waking up throughout the night and having my babies three feet away from me.  However, I'm pretty sure I'd still feel that way when they're in junior high so it needed to happen sooner than later.  We only have two nights of nursery experience but they seem to be dealing with it well.  Jude slept through the night both times and Sloane made it until 3a the first night and 4a the second.  We then put her in the rock n' play in our room for the remaining few hours so she wouldn't wake her brother.  Overall, I'm really proud of them!

TRAVEL
We traveled to Fort Smith for an early Christmas with my family when the twins were six weeks old.  We were extremely nervous and I spent an entire week making a list of things to bring with us.  I was embarrassed at how scared I was--Jude & Sloane were champs.  They love being in the car so we woke them up to eat halfway there and then they immediately fell back asleep.  We had a wonderful time with the Besancon clan and loved meeting sweet Adelyn (she is exactly 4 weeks older than the twins).

We stayed in town for Christmas and my parents drove down to celebrate.  We had a wonderful celebration at Michael's parents house and the twins now know the true meaning of Christmas (haha).  We gave them stockings and two Christmas ornaments.  The grandparents were much more generous.  My parents gave them their high chairs and Michael's parents gave Jude a rocking horse and Sloane a rocking snow leopard.  :)  I hate to sound cheesy but those two kiddos were (by far) my favorite gifts this year.  Sloane even had a red bow to boot!

Dear Jude,
My big little boy.  The first thing I see in the morning is your smile and it is the perfect start to my day.  You have the sweetest personality and are as laidback as they come (unless you're hungry, then watch out)! You still have most of your hair and it's just like your dad's... soft, straight, and a wee bit crazy.  Friends always comment on your wild hair, your long eyelashes, and your beautiful lips.  Your mom is jealous of the last two.  You are still Michael's mini-me, both in looks and disposition.  Your blue eyes seem to get lighter every day while your skin is getting darker.  You're wearing size 1 diapers but will probably move to size 2 in the next month.  You absolutely love the playmat and ceiling fans (the "spider in the sky").  You are very strong and I'm already terrified of the day when you're stronger than me (I'm thinking six months or less).  You've been lifting your head for a month now and this past week started using your legs to support you.  You are a loud sleeper and eater, constantly making funny noises that make your dad and I laugh.  You love to cuddle and are happy in the arms of family and friends.  When I'm holding you I can't stop kissing your sweet cheeks.  You put up with it well. While you don't particularly love baths, you've come to accept them and we in turn make them as quick as possible for you.

You are quite the hit on Facebook due to your big smiles and your crazy faces.  As soon as I pull out the camera you become a complete ham, though you were very serious for your two month photoshoot.  Perhaps it's because you were wearing a button-up and felt like a grownup? 

You are a wonderful older brother and we can't wait to see what month three has in store for you. I love you, sweet boy.

Dear Sloane,
Oh Sloaney Bologna.  You are an absolute hoot, though I'm not sure it's your intention.  You cannot keep still, which is why I think you weigh so much less than your brother (flailing arms and legs burn a lot of calories)!  One of my favorite things to do is remove your swaddle in the morning and watch you go--those arms and legs have to make up for lost time!  When you're asleep and aren't swaddled your arms are always straight out with fingers separated--it looks like you're drying your nails.  :) Your Gramsie (my mom) mentioned you may not walk but instead go straight from crawling to running!  Your disposition is the exact opposite of your brother, and we wouldn't want it any other way.  You absolutely love your pacifier and almost always want it when you're awake.  You also love to observe people and items around our house.  You get bored easily so we tend to move around the house when we're holding you.  While your skin is getting lighter, you have beautiful dark blue eyes and dark eyelashes.  You lost most of your hair last month and it's coming back thicker and darker.  We actually think it may be wavy or curly but it's still too early to tell.  You wear size 1 diapers and will be in them for awhile.  You also started lifting/supporting your head several weeks ago and can do it for a fairly long time.  You really started smiling when we were in Fort Smith and while we may have to work a little harder to get a smile out of you, the ones we do receive are big and so precious.  You smile most and sleep best when you're being held by your daddy.  While I should be jealous, I'm too happy to care. 

Friends comment on how delicate and petite you are as well as how much they love your perfect button nose (I can say that because we have no clue who your nose came from--certainly not from me)!  People have started saying you look a little like me and I take that as a huge compliment because I think you're simply beautiful.

Little sister, I hope you know how happy you make us! We love watching you grow!

(I would say I love you two to the moon and back, but that's not nearly enough.)  So I'll simply say... 

Love-Mommy

 

Christmas 2012

 

(New) Visitors:

12/9: Rami & Jenna

12/11: Trish

12/13: Karen R.

12/15: Justin, Michelle, Evan, Braden, Adelyn

           Connie, Ginger

12/16: Patty & Mike

           Mark & Lynn

           Martha

12/17: Julie & Ann

           Melissa, Jennifer

12/26: Craig & Jessie    
12/28: Amy, Julie C 

Instagram pictures: CLICK HERE
December (month 2) pictures: CLICK HERE

Merry Christmas To All...

 

To see more pictures from December, CLICK HERE.

Follow us on Instagram--we post pictures there often!  @merdstheword @mike1622

Jude & Sloane | 1 Month

Jude and Sloane are one month old!  I'm still not sure how I want to handle these monthly posts (personal letters vs. bullets vs. five paragraph essays, etc.) so this is subject to change in the upcoming months.  All I know is I want to capture as much as possible before I forget.

In short, it's been an incredible month.  October 30 will forever be the greatest day of our lives and the following days and weeks have been nothing short of amazing.  I think we've experienced every possible emotion and while the lack of sleep has been exhausting, it's pretty easy to wake up and smile when we see these two kiddos.

Let's get started, shall we?

EAT
Jude's weight at...
Birth: 7 lbs 5 oz
2 weeks: 7 bs 7.5 oz
One month: 9 lbs 7 oz (!!!)

Sloane's weight at...
Birth: 6 lbs 10 oz
2 weeks: 6 lbs 11 oz
One month: 8 lbs 11 oz (!!!)

As you can see from the weights listed above, both kids LOVE to eat.  From day one Jude has been an excellent breastfeeder and Sloane has recently caught up.   I pump at least once a day so Michael can participate in the feedings.  I like to think it's a good bonding experience for everyone. They both easily take bottles from family and friends (and me). When we do use bottles they eat about 3.5 oz every 3 hours but lately they've been wanting to eat every 2 or 2.5 hours (growth spurt?).   After they eat they're awake for a bit and then crash hard.  At night they've been going 4 hours between feedings, which has made us feel more human in the mornings.  Although Jude has always been bigger than Sloane, she keeps up with him on how much and how often she eats.

While I truly enjoy breastfeeding and all of its benefits, it's very time-consuming with twins, especially if I'm alone. The process involves changing two diapers, grabbing two burp clothes, setting up My Brest Friend (stupid name, seriously helpful), picking up the kids and getting both adjusted on the pillow, feeding, burping one, then the other, getting them re-adjusted, feeding, burping one, then the other, and half of the time changing both diapers again before we're done.  Michael wakes up during the nights to help me, which is so nice.

Sidenote: I was totally that mom who took her kids to the pediatrician yesterday so she could weigh them.  I was so nervous they weren't eating enough (a big fear when breastfeeding twins)!  Fortunately they are gaining weight like champs!

SLEEP
Both kids love to sleep, which was not always the case.  The first week they had their days/nights confused, which made all of us cranky.  Once they adjusted it was much better. For the first few weeks at home we did not swaddle them at all.  Sloane hated it--she is a mover and a shaker and a mini-Houdini.  As soon as we finished the swaddle, BOOM!  Both arms and a foot would shoot out.  Jude, on the other hand, would get so hot that we'd pick him up and there would be a pool of sweat in the pack and play (we are now wondering if it was his diaper leaking and not sweat).

A few days ago we decided to give swaddling one more try because they were both waking themselves up with their own arm/leg movements.  I'm not sure if it's because they're a bit older and/or bigger but now it works like a charm and both sleep longer and better.  We don't swaddle them during the day but let them take their naps in whatever they're wearing.  Sloane is our alarm clock--she almost always wakes up first to eat.  Only recently has she started sleeping in the pack and play (two of them are set up in our room).  Before then she was sleeping in a rock n' play right next to me, which kept her from moving around as much.  She also has a harder time holding onto her pacifier so it was nice to be able to reach over and pop it back in!

While I'm not an advocate of co-sleeping, I typically let both of them stay in bed with me after their 5-6 am feeding since Michael has gotten up to go to work.  I'm pretty sure I enjoy it more than they do.  :)  After their 8 am feeding we begin our day!

Dear Jude,
You are all boy.  Your burps could put high school boys to shame and they never cease to amaze us.  For the most part you are as laidback and easy as they come... unless you're hungry.  If we wait too long to feed you the whole neighborhood knows it.  It is shocking how such a loud scream can come from such a tiny person.

When people meet you their first reaction is to mention how much you look like your dad, especially if your eyes are open.  You have the same crazy (awesome) hair and the same beautiful lips (I'm partial).  Your eyebrows and eyelashes are blonde so we're wondering if your hair will stay dark.  Both of you have a pretty good "tan" but you are the paler of the two.  You love to cuddle and will fall asleep on our shoulder or stomach in a moment's notice.

You also have your dad's legs and hobbit feet, which are the cutest things ever (when they are not size 12). You have outgrown newborn diapers and most of your newborn clothes.  Each day we put another outfit away.  It doesn't bother you but it sure bothers me!

You did not care for your first few baths but now you don't mind them at all.  Diaper changes don't bother you either (unless you're ready to eat)!

As you'll see from the pictures below, you are a total ham in front of the camera. I am absolutely crazy about you.

Dear Sloane,
While Jude is all boy, you are definitely all girl.  In the hospital the nurses called you "princess" and "diva." You have the most delicate facial features, which we adore but have no idea who they came from.  You have the longest arms and legs, which also gave us several laughs the first few weeks.  When someone startled you, you would raise your arms in a "What the heck is going on here?" fashion and your arms were as long as your body.  Most of the time you've kicked off your socks and your little legs are crossed.  Absolutely adorable.

You had a full head of hair when you were born but lost half of it while taking a bath last week.  I don't want to point fingers but it was the first time your dad washed your hair.  I will never let him live that one down.

You're still able to wear newborn diapers and clothes, though several of your newborn clothes are too short.  Unfortunately, most of the 0-3 month clothes swallow your slender body.

You enjoy bath time and don't mind getting your diaper changed. The hardest part is keeping you still!

Currently you care more about her surroundings than Jude.  When you're  fussy we can calm you down by carrying you around the house and showing you different things (pictures, mirrors, etc.).  My mom figured this out early on and it was a lifesaver.  If you put your brother and you next to one another he will continue looking around but you look directly at him.

I love my sweet Sloaney Bologna!

SIBLINGS
The pediatrician told me twins don't really acknowledge/recognize one another until four months.  However, we've noticed the two of them reach for one another when they're close.  It's the sweetest thing I've ever seen (and it's not just because I'm their mother).

I learned fairly quickly that we need to get out of the house several times a week (preferably once a day) to keep me sane! Sloane and Jude both fall asleep in their carseats almost immediately once we're in the car.  When they were three weeks old my mom and I put them in their stroller and walked around the Galleria and Northpark mall.  We kept blankets over their carseats so they'd avoid strangers and germs.  I like to think the outings are good for all of us as long as we're careful.

In their short month they experienced two holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving!  They were Thing 1 & Thing 2 for Halloween (thanks to adorable onesies from my friend, Savannah) and enjoyed their first Thanksgiving feast with both sets of grandparents at Michael's parents home.

From everything I've heard and read we have two very easy-going kids. We know how fortunate we are and don't take it for granted!

As we start month two, Michael and I are both eager to see their smiles and watch them become more aware of their surroundings.  At the same time, I'm already mourning the fact that month one is over.  It's hard to believe an infant can teach you so much about life (and yourself).  I think both of us started this journey with zero confidence and we now know that not only can we do it but we absolutely love it.  I'm sure we've already made a million mistakes and will continue to do so but we love these two with every fiber of our being and as long as that's the case, all is well.

Visitors:
10/30: Charles & Susie; Phil & Linda; Karen
11/3: Laurie
11/6: Courtney & Hunter

11/9: Wes & Nathalia

11/10: Brent & Collin; Karen & Myers
11/11: Lindsey & Blake
11/13: Lisa & Bryan; Melanie
11/14: Rachel
11/17: Ryan & Ashley; Lindsey & Johnny
11/18: Leslie & Jonathan

11/24: Kaitlin, Steve, & Leighton

11/27: Lauren

Post-Pregnancy Update

My friend Jenni did this and I thought it was a fun idea.  I've been trying to think of a way to write an update without completely repeating myself on Jude and Sloane's one month post.  This works!

 

How Far Along? We made it to 38 weeks!  Today they are three weeks and three days (my mom made the mistake of saying 3.5 weeks yesterday and she received the evil eye from me.  Time needs to slow down.)  I'm not sure I'll ever write a complete post about the hospital but I have to say it was a wonderful experience for us.  We were there for five days (Tuesday - Saturday) and between the kids and myself we had 745 different nurses (slight exaggeration--it was closer to 600).  There were a few that rubbed one or both of us the wrong way but overall... huge success.  We were excited to come home but a bit sad/terrified to leave.

 

Size of Baby?  At birth Jude weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and Sloane weighed 6 pounds 10 oz.  Both lost weight at the hospital--Sloane more than Jude.  At their two week appointment both were over their birth weight (Jude was 7 lbs 7.5 oz, Sloane was 6 pounds 11 oz) so our pediatrician was pleased. 

Maternity Clothes?  As of last week I am DONE with maternity clothes!  Well, almost.  My non-maternity shirts and pants fit but some of the jeans irritate my lovely c-section scar so I still wear a few pairs of maternity jeans with the oh-so-comfortable elastic bands. Hoping this will be my last week to do so.

Weight Loss?   I gained 40 pounds while I was pregnant and at my two-week appointment I'd lost 43 pounds.  I'll be honest, I was initially thrilled but then remembered my body is solely responsible for the well-being of two babies and I clearly wasn't eating enough (though it wasn't intentional).  Since that appointment I've been eating and eating (and eating).  I lost a TON of muscle mass while I was pregnant and even though I've lost quite a bit of weight I still have a lovely gut that will be with me for awhile.  I now understand the whole "Even if you lose the weight your body doesn't look the same."  Amen.  I tend to avoid mirrors at the moment though I know this belly I'm sporting is the result of two amazing kiddos.  Absolutely worth it.  

Breastfeeding?  I added this one because it is essentially my life right now and clearly wasn't while I was pregnant.  I've been extremely fortunate in this department.  My milk came in while we were in the hospital and I had a wonderful lactation consultant who showed me the ropes.  She'd told me the first day we would not work on tandem nursing (feeding both babies at once) but by day three the kids were doing so well that she decided it was time.  This was great news because it meant I left the hospital with the ability to feed both babies at the same time (and have been doing so ever since).  Otherwise, I would literally be feeding babies all day.  I've also been blessed with a large milk supply so we haven't had to use formula. Since I am no longer working we are always looking for ways to save money and not having to purchase formula is pretty fantastic.  They will (obviously) eat more as they grow so things could change tomorrow but for now their food is free.  :)

Sleep?  I'm sure I'll talk more about this on their one month post, but let's just say it was (very) rough at first.  They had their days and nights confused so they were WIDE awake and wanted to play from 11 pm - 4 am each night.  We now have them on a fairly strict schedule and (as of very recently) are only getting up twice at night to feed.  The beautiful part is how fast they fall back asleep once they're done eating.  GLORY.      

Food Cravings? EVERYTHING.  Heartburn is gone, thank you Lord.  I really don't have any specific cravings but it has been nice to consume blue cheese again.  Mmmmm... blue cheese.  And carbs--oh the carbs.  Goodbye gestational diabetes!

What I Miss?  I really thought I'd miss being pregnant but it hasn't been as hard as I thought.  I didn't realize how uncomfortable (and swollen!!) I'd gotten in the last few weeks until I was no longer pregnant.  Two days after surgery I was able to move around more than I could at 38 weeks pregnant.  And while I absolutely loved feeling their kicks on the inside, seeing their little legs kick on the outside is just as awesome.  

Symptoms?  I'm still an emotional basketcase.  The first night we were home I cried for five hours straight.  I thought we were going to kill the babies due to improper swaddling or them choking on spit-up.  It was, by far, the hardest night of my life.  Emotions have improved since then but it does not take much for me to cry (almost always tears of happiness but there have been tears of frustration too).  

Belly Button?  It's not really either at the moment but if I had to say one it's more out than in.  :(  I'm not sure it will ever look the same again.  As far as the kids go, they both lost their belly buttons when they were two weeks old.  Michael and I cheered--those things were scary.

Best Moment of the Week?  Thanksgiving was pretty fantastic this year.  I know they don't understand the holiday but we sure do and I've never been more thankful.  

I'll save pictures for their one month post.  Michael and I both joined Instagram and post pictures quite often so feel free to follow us there if you're on it as well.  I'm @merdstheword and he's @mike1622.  I've been terrible at taking pictures with our fancy camera but we both have our phones on us at all times so we have about one billion phone pictures.  I already regret the laziness.

Speaking of laziness, I've done a pretty good job of keeping up with your blogs (thank you 3 am feedings!) but a terrible job at commenting.  I'm slowly but surely getting used to this whole mom thing!

Thanksgiving 2012

Definitely my favorite Thanksgiving to date...

(Sloane wants you to think she slept all day but don't let the pictures fool you.)

(I love these babies!!!)

Love this one!

10.30.12 | Jude & Sloane's Birth Story

My alarm was set for 4 am but I woke up at 3:30 feeling remarkably calm.  One of the nice things about c-sections is there is absolutely no element of surprise.  I took a long shower, curled my hair, and put on makeup (I was 38 weeks pregnant with twins, I needed all the help I could get).  I'd set up the tripod the night before and we took one last bump picture and one last picture as a family of two before we drove to the hospital.  We didn't say much to one another and I remember halfway there my nerves kicked in.  Suddenly I wanted Michael to talk to me but I didn't want to respond.  I just needed to know he was there.

Once we arrived we checked in fairly quickly and they took me to a prep room.  I wasn't there long before they hooked me up to an IV, put three heart monitors on my stomach (it took forever to find Sloane's heartbeat and I had a small panic attack), and put the blood pressure cuff on my arm.  I felt very, very hot and then very, very cold.  I am positive the temperature of the room did not change.  Not long afterward the anesthesiologist came in and made a joke about the epidural.  I'm still not sure if I loved this about him or not, but it did calm me down a bit so I guess it was a good call on his part.  I told him how nervous I was about the epidural due to the large curve in my spine.  He took a look and assured me my scoliosis wasn't going to be an issue.  They had me sit up on the stretcher and then bend over as far as I could.  This was the most uncomfortable part of the entire day.  My stomach was so huge and I felt like I couldn't breathe.  The actual epidural felt strange but didn't hurt.  And then the shakes began.  My friend Karen had warned me about this so it didn't scare me but I wanted it to stop.

Michael held my hand until they said it was time and then they wheeled me into the operating room and told me Michael would join me in 20 minutes.  The anesthesiologist and I joked around for a bit (I remember thinking I'd said some pretty funny stuff but I was so drugged at this point I'm sure I just embarrassed myself).  There were also two medical students in the room who were about to watch their first c-section.  They both talked to me and one put her hand on my arm because the epidural caused me to shake so much.  I remember thinking it was very sweet but wishing so badly it was Michael's hand instead.

My doctor came in and then the room became very crowded with people.  Michael walked in wearing scrubs and carrying the camera.  They put the sheet up, he knelt down by my side and it was time.

Surgery started at 7:30 am.  10 minutes later my doctor said, "You're going to feel some pressure" and then it felt like someone was punching me in the stomach (although it didn't hurt at all).  Michael looked over the curtain and told me later they basically were punching me in the stomach. At 7:41, they delivered Jude Sullivan.  I heard a loud cry and then they brought him around the curtain and I saw my son.  He looked big and healthy and then my eyes welled with tears so he became blurry.  They took him away and started performing initial tests.  I felt more pressure and at 7:42, they delivered Sloane Elisabeth.  I heard another loud cry and my tears continued.  Michael squeezed my hand as they showed us our perfectly healthy daughter.

In two minutes we went from being husband and wife to a dad and mom of two.

Someone came over to us and said they were going to take Jude to the NICU to monitor him for a bit.  He wasn't "transitioning" as fast as they'd like so they wanted to keep a close eye on him.  A lady knelt down beside me and told me it was not a big deal at all and very common with c-sections.  I immediately felt nauseous and asked for something in case I threw up (I never did).  Michael took some pictures of Sloane and then they brought her to us.  I was so excited to see her and so sad she didn't have her brother right next to her.





After my doctor finished the surgery she leaned over the curtain and told me how proud she was that I made it to 38 weeks and delivered two healthy babies.  She mentioned the positive attitude I'd had throughout the pregnancy.  She didn't have to say any of this but it meant so much to me that she did.

They wheeled me to the recovery room and I suddenly realized how hazy I felt.  I was like this for the rest of the day and it was the most frustrating feeling in the world.  I wanted so badly to be present and remember every moment and instead I spent all of my energy trying to stay awake.  I know I asked Michael the same questions over and over again and he was so patient with me and told me the same stories multiple times.  We wanted to send a text to our friends and family announcing our news but they took Jude to the NICU before we heard his weight or height.  We felt odd sending a message with all of Sloane's stats and a "TBD" next to Jude so we held off.

While we were in the recovery room Michael was told he could visit Jude so he left me for a short time.  By the time Jude had reached the NICU he was perfectly fine so they only monitored him for the few hours he was there. When Michael came back he told me Jude was doing great and would be joining Sloane within the hour.   It was the first time since I'd been given the epidural that the haze temporarily lifted--my entire family was safe and healthy.  It was such a good feeling and I held onto that moment for as long as possible.  Michael found out Jude's height and weight while he was there so he was able to send a quick text announcing their arrival.





The nurse brought Sloane to our room and then our parents joined us.  Not long after that I was wheeled to the room where we stayed for the next four days.  I tried breastfeeding Sloane and it went much better than I expected.  And then the best part of the day happened: the nurses arrived with Jude and our entire family was together at last.

Random nurses visited our room to look at the "huge twins" and that made me glow with pride.  All four grandparents spent the entire day at the hospital, which meant so much to us and is something we will never take for granted.

I don't remember all of the day's events (Michael had to help me write this) but I remember feeling so happy.  I couldn't stop looking at my son and daughter.  I couldn't stop thanking God for these two incredible gifts that made our family complete. I couldn't stop smiling.

(I will never stop...)