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. :)

30 Day Blog Journal-Day 16

Day 16- Song That Makes You Cry

The song I picked for this post is "If You're Reading This" by Tim McGraw, but since any country song that has anything to do with war makes me cry, I thought I'd mention a few others that have brought tears to my eyes. "Letters To Home" by John Michael Montgomery and "Whiskey Lullaby" by Brad Paisley. The Star Spangled Banner makes me tear up-every single time. And last, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

"If You're Reading This" Tim Mcgraw


"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel kamakawiwo'ole


"Letter From Home"-John Michael Montgomery


"Whiskey Lullaby" by Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss


The Star Spangled Banner

30 Day Blog Journal-Days 9-14

I've been such a slacker on the 30 Day Blog Journal, we've been trying to get all the last minute things done because the boys will be here on Wednesday! I knew this would be a hard month to do this, but all I've blogged about lately is my pregnancy and I wanted the excuse to blog about something else. So, here's days 9-14.

Day 9- A Photo You Took.

This was just a day or two after I got my first digital camera and was finally able to take a picture of a sunset. They would never turn out on my 35mm cameras and I was so proud of this picture when I took it.



Day 10-A photo taken over 10 years ago

This is a picture of me in high school. We were in Tennesee for my grandparents anniversary party.


Day 11- a recent photo of you

This was taken last month while we were at a vineyard buying wine for an engagement party. Greg tried some dessert wines for me and bought a bottle that we could share after the boys get here.


Day 12- Something you are OCD About

I'm am ocd about germs. I wash my hands constantly. I will not use anybody else's pen, I keep several on me at all times. Even at work, I have MY pen that I carry around with me everywhere and when patients start to reach for it I have to say "no, no--this is my pen you may not touch" I use alcohol pads to wipe down somebody else's computer/mouse/phone etc before I can use it. And if anybody has used my computer, I have to disinfect it. Nobody but Greg is allowed to take a shower in our shower, the thought of somebody else's feet touching my shower floor grosses me out to no end. If something were wrong with the the other showers in our house, our guests would have to go to a hotel. I cannot place my face on anything that could have possibly had somebody else's face on it, like a pillow. There is no exception for family, it still grosses me out. And my biggest pet peeve of all time is when people lick their fingers before going through a stack of papers that I'm going to have to touch--it's so GROSS!!! I could go on and on about being ocd about germs. My goal is to not be crazy about germs with the boys, I don't want them to grow up being as crazy as I am about germs.

Day 13-A Fictional Book

Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes. I love this book, it's cute, funny, and easy to read.


Day 14- A Non-Fictional Book

A Mighty Heart by mariane Pearl. It's the story of how her journalist husband was kidnapped by terrorists and murdered. It's very sad and I think the book is so much better than the movie.

37 Week Check-Up

Yesterday we had our 37 week check-up. Everything went good, the heartbeats sound great. I have not progressed any on my own since my last appoinment, I'm still just 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. So, my c-section is scheduled for Wednesday, August 18th--just 5 days away. I can't believe this is our last weekend before the boys get here. We're going to take advantage of this weekend and get all the last minute things done. I'm so ready for them to get here, but I'm a little nervous. Luckily my mom will be here when we get home from the hospital and she's staying until Greg's parents come out in early September, & my dad and sister are coming to visit for Labor day weekend. So, we should have plenty of help for at least the first 4-5 weeks. Hopefully, after that we'll be in a routine and be fine just the two of us with the boys. If not, I know our families will be willing to still help us out until we are ok on our own.

We hope to get the nursery, boy's bathroom, and the guest bedroom/bathroom in the basement all set up and ready to go this weekend. I'll post some pictures of our progress. We have posted some pictures of what we've done so far on our Shutterfly account.