Birth Announcements

It only took me a month. I promise I'll do a post soon that is more than just a picture or two.

Photo Shoot

Greg's friend and coworker, Kris, came by to take some pictures of the boys. We took off their clothes so we could get some cute, naked baby pictures but the boys did not like that one bit. We put them in diapers and tried to get some pictures, but they were still cold and weren't feeling it. Plus, Evan got hungry, so the shoot didn't last long at all. I was worried that we didn't get any good pictures, but Kris just e-mailed us these. I think they turned out great. I'm going to use these pictures for the birth announcement that we're sending out.

Family Time

Last night my dad and sister, Caroline, came up from Augusta to visit for Labor Day weekend. They came in and met the boys and spent some time with them before going to bed. This morning my dad cooked us all biscuits & gravy and eggs. Then him and Greg ran a couple of errands and worked in the yard for a little bit while me, my mom and Caroline hung out with Carter and Evan. Caroline is going to be a great aunt, she had so much fun holding them today--she was a natural. After Greg and my dad got done working in the yard, him and I left the boys with my family for about an hour and ran some errands. We had to go to Lowe's and the bank and then went to Dunkin' Donuts to get a coffee and sat and talked for awhile. Our little "mini-date" was nice and we have to take advantage of having family here while we can. When we got home, my dad started on dinner. He brought ribs with him that had been marinating since Thursday and he grilled those up for dinner. They were so delicious! They were seriously the best ribs I've ever had. The weather was so nice today, the high was 78! So, after dinner we decided to take the boys on their first walk. We've been wanted to do this sooner, but it's been so hot. Hopefully, the cooler weather is here to stay. I am so ready for fall. The boys did great on their walk, they slept the whole time.

Unfortunately my dad and sister have to go back to Georgia tomorrow. My mom is staying until Thursday. I have absolutely no idea how we would have been able to survive without her. She's been here since we got home from the hospital and she's been such a huge help. She does everything. Besides doing so much for the boys, she cleans, cooks, and makes sure Greg and I are well rested. We've been spoiled rotten these past couple of weeks. Greg's parents are coming on Wednesday night and they'll be out here for 2 weeks, so that'll be great. My mom has offered to come back out when his parents leave, but we're going to see how things are going.

Here's some pictures from today.

Evan and his Aunt Caroline



Carter in the swing for the first time. He's wearing a shirt from Aunt Caroline that says "Auntie Said I Could"



Not the best picture, but the four of us (even though you can't see Evan and Carter) before our first family walk

Lots of Firsts

Over the past two weeks, the boys have experienced lots of firsts. First car trip, first doctor's appointment, first shopping trip, first bath, etc.

The boys are great car riders. They've slept during every car ride we've made with them. Here's some pics on the day they came home from the hospital and had their first car ride.

The boys first doctor's appointment went very well, but the boys had not gained any weight since leaving the hospital, so we had to go back one week later for a weight check and the boys had gained weight and are now back on track. As of Tuesday, Carter weighed 6lbs 6oz and Evan weighed 6lbs 4oz.





Last Wednesday, when the boys were 1 week old, Greg and I decided it was time for their first shopping trip. We went to Target, Babies R Us and Walmart. Then since the boys were being so good the entire time, I ran them by my work to show them off to everybody. They were so good! My mom and I took them out this week to their weight check and to Target and they did just as good.



I was so excited to give the boys their first bath. I have a ton of baby soap, shampoo, lotions, hooded towels, etc. Evan did really well, he cried a little when we got him undressed, before he got in the warm water and when we got him out, before we got him dressed. Carter, on the other hand, hated his bath! He hates having his diaper or clothes changed, so we were prepared that he wouldn't like getting naked and taking a bath. Hopefully, he'll come around.

Carter hating his first bath. :(

Evan not minding his first bath.

Both boys all clean!


The boys also had their first play date last Thursday. There were 3 of us pregnant at the same time-Elena, Robyn and me. Elena had her baby girl at the beginning of June and Robyn actually gave birth on the same day as I did to her baby girl, Aubrey. It was neat being in the hospital at the same time and that our babies all have the same birthday. Aubrey, Robyn, and Robyn's mom came by to bring us some delicious food from an amish run grocery store called Yoders. It was so much fun to compare stories and swap the babies around. Aubrey is super cute and I'm looking forward to many more play dates. We're hoping to have a playdate with Elena's baby girl, Kylie, soon.

Getting 3 one week olds to pose is not easy.



I thought this was such a cute idea for a picture.

One of Those Moms

You know those mom's that are obsessed with their kids? All they talk about is their kids and they can't seem to have a normal, adult conversation with other people that doesn't involve talking about her kids? The moms that think their kids a so perfect and can't do any wrong? The moms most of us, including me, think are so annoying? Well, I'm now one of those moms. I'm obsessed with my boys.

Evan and Carter are so perfect. I absolutely cannot get enough of them. I just want to eat them up. They're so cute. I love holding them and being around them. Since coming home from the hospital on Saturday morning, I have spent almost every moment with them and have loved every second of it. I can't believe how lucky Greg and I are to not only have one amazing and healthy son, but two!

We came home from the hospital on Saturday morning and our weekend has gone so great. My mom (the boys' Mamaw) came in on Friday night so she could be here to greet us home from the hospital, so our first days home have been so nice. The boys have their days and nights mixed up, so they sleep really well during the day, but at night they need a little more attention. We're starting to get the hang of nights with newborns and have decided to try out shifts since there's 3 of us. Tonight is the first night of that, so we'll see how it goes. The boys are eating so well. They eat every 4 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night. They don't really like to have their diapers or clothes changed and that's really the only time they cry (and it's not really a true cry-it's more like whimpering and fussing), which I'm sure will change as they get older.

Tomorrow is the boys' first doctor's appointment and also their first outing. I'm very excited. I will make sure to take pictures and post an update on how it goes.

Here's some picture me and my mom took yesterday of the boys.


Carter is on the left and Evan is on the right. They are fraternal, not identical twins. They look so different right here, but when they have hats on, they look a lot more alike.

I love this picture. They are so sweet! I just cannot believe how lucky we are.

Daddy

It's 5:00 in the morning and before Greg wakes up and we get the boys from the nursery, I wanted to update my blog. This blog is not only going to be our way of keeping our families updated on Evan and Carter with posts, video, and pictures, it's also going to be our way of keeping a diary of the boys' lives. I've noticed that other girls post their child's monthly pictures and what they're able to do, pictures and details of a lot of their "firsts" etc. I think this is a great way to "scrapbook" their lives and a way for me and Greg to look back and see how much they've changed. So, some of these posts will only be interesting to us and I apologize for that.

The first thing that I have to blog about when it comes to Evan and Carter's first 3 days of life is not about Evan and Carter, it's actually about Greg. I have to talk about how incredible Greg has been. I never want to forget all he's done these first 3 days, I want to give him credit and let everybody know what kind of father and husband he's been.

I absolutely could not have got through our time in the hospital without Greg. I always knew he'd be a good dad, but he's been way more than that. He's amazing. Since I had a c-section, I was hooked up to an IV and cathedar and had those blow up, blood clot preventers on my legs for the first 24 hours and was not able to get out of bed until 8:00 in the morning on Thursday. The first day Greg took care of all three of us. He made sure I was comfortable and had everything that I needed within reach. He fed the boys all their bottles, did all the burping, and changed all the diapers. And he loved every second. You could tell how happy and proud he was to be a father. He not only didn't complain at all, but he smiled and doted over the boys. He was constantly making sure I didn't need anything and helping me hold the boys. He got up 4:00am Wednesday and didn't take the boys to the nursery until 9 or 10:00 that night and you would never know he was tired, he was so great all day. On Thursday, I was finally able to get out of the bed, but Greg's behavoir didn't change in the least, he still did almost all of the feedings, burpings, and changings. He showed me how to do everything and also made sure that I was always comfortable and didn't do too much. He was by my side the entire day helping me and taking care of the boys, and again with a smile on his face. He was so happy to be a father and never looked or acted tired or overwhelmed. And yesterday, when I was able to do even more, he still didn't pull back. He was just as involved as the first day. Anytime we need anything, whether it's more wipes for Evan, a clean shirt for Carter, or water for me, he just took care of it. He's been so upbeat and sweet. He's said how much he cannot get enough of the boys, everytime he sees them-he's just as smitten with them. When he got peed on 3 times yesterday, he just laughed and cleaned up. When he changes a diaper, gets the boys all clean and swaddled and then they poop again 5 minutes later and he has to do the whole thing all over again, he just smiles and jokes to the boys about it. When he went to go pick up my mom from our house yesterday so she wouldn't have to worry about trying to find the hospital, one of the housekeeping staff stopped by and said how she can't believe how energetic and happy he is. She said that everytime she sees him in the hall, he's smiling and says "hi" to everybody. She said that I'm a very lucky lady and that is so true.

I realize that I went on and on, but I just cannot say enough great things about him. He's such a great husband and father. I never, in a million years, would guess that he'd be this incredible. I'm so lucky that he's who's beside me raising twin boys. I just wanted to make sure that I gave Greg credit for everything he's done.

Best Day

Today we welcomed Carter Lewis and Evan George into the world at 8:15 and 8:16am. Evan weighed 6lbs 4oz and Carter weighed 6lbs 5oz and both were just over 20 inches long. They are both healthy and we could not be happier. I've posted some pictures on our Shutterfly account. We hope to get some better ones in the next few days, and we'll post them as we take them. We want to thank everybody for their texts, calls, well wishes, flowers, visits to the hospital, etc. We really appreciate everything. We are so happy that our boys are finally here. I'll post more when I have time, but I have a feeling these two boys are going to keep us busy. :)