Finally Home!

Of course I've had to take a few pictures since we've been home. Not as many as with Addie, but still some good pictures to show you what we've been up to!

A couple of things first:

We went to the doctor for a weight check last Wednesday. Anne Perry was 6.56 at birth and around 6lbs when she left the hospital. She's now 6.15 lbs.  Audrey Kate was 6.375 at birth and around 5.75 lbs when she left the hospital. She's now 6.2 lbs! Yes, Audrey Kate has out-weighed her sister by the slightest amount! We think she's been determine to do this since she was born, especially with how vigorously she eats!

I miss my belly, but I sure don't miss he uncomfortableness that went along with it!

I got my staples out Wednesday and feel like a new woman! 

My mom and I took the girls to the grocery store Friday. I never did think we'd get our shopping done, let alone make it out of there because we were stopped so many times! All 3 girls were perfect angels, with the little girls sleeping the whole time. We did manage to get the few groceries we needed and make it home just in time for Addie to fall asleep in the car!

And without further ado, our little girls!

Anne Perry and Audrey Kate, who was actually screaming at the time!

This is our golden Abbey. She looks like she's pouting here, but I can promise you she's just trying to look pitiful! She's actually getting lots of attention! I thought it was so sweet how she was laying next to the girls!

This is Anne Perry, and one of my favorite pictures of her so far. I took it with my new camera (yes, I need to do a post on that don't I?)

And here she is sleeping.

This is Audrey Kate sleeping in the swing. She's our swing girl. Her hair has definitely settled down since this picture was taken!

And this is one of my favorite pictures of Audrey Kate. She was laying on me, and Paul actually managed to capture her "smiling." It doesn't much look like her, but I thought it was cute!

We were originally going to keep the girls in our room for a few months like we did with Addie, but they have slept far better in their own bed.  So I keep the monitor turned up so we can hear them, and here is how they sleep for many of their naps and at night. Sweet girls! (this was their first nap in their bed!)

And as you can see...we've spent a lot of time sleeping. Well, the girls certainly have. Addie decided she couldn't sleep without her Daddy one night, but we're hoping that was a one time thing. It was a 2 week thing after my surgery! It was extra hard for me to do both nighttime feedings by myself. (I've done them during the day by myself, but not when I'm bone tired!) Lots of juggling and propping; but even if it takes longer, at least I know I can do it even when I'm tired.

The little girls are really sleeping pretty well. They go right down after they eat. We've started using Gripe Water because they were obviously suffering from some pretty serious gas pains. That will break your heart! We only use it at night, and it's worked wonders! Sometimes they go 3 hours and other times they go up to 5 hours between feedings. I can deal with that because, bottom line, they are sleeping (which after those first few nights, I seriously doubted that they ever would, at least at the same time)!!!

I am in constant amazement at the sweet little miracles that we wake up to every morning (and throughout the night! :) I'm not sure that I've completely realized the shear magnitude of our situation, but I've once again been reminded of the amazing power of our God!

And I absolutely love our ever evolving new normal!

Taken from Chris Tomlin's 

How Great Is Our God

And age to age He stands

and time is in His Hands

Beginning and the End,

How great is our God,

and all will see

How great,

How great is our God

Name above all names

Worthy of all praise

My heart will sing

how great is our God!

Family

We are so fortunate to have so much family so close. Anne Perry and Audrey Kate were welcomed by grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and even a great aunt!

Of course, the first to welcome them were their Daddy and Mommy! You think he's smitten yet?

I absolutely love this picture Allison took. As you may remember me saying, she generously blessed us by being there the day the girls were born to take photographs!

(picture courtesy of Allison Lewis Photography)

My mom was so sweet to keep Addie while the girls were being born (and several nights there after). I am so thankful to have her so close! 

(picture courtesy of Allison Lewis Photography)

My Dad and his wife Pat came to visit the weekend after the girls were born. Addie, once again, wasn't into taking pictures with anyone, but I love this shot of them!

Both of Paul's parents were able to be there the day the girls were born. As you can see, they are pretty smitten with the girls too!

(picture courtesy of Allison Lewis Photography)

I love Munga's expression here! 

(picture courtesy of Allison Lewis Photography)

Aunt Millie, Uncle Jay, and Kira were able to come over on Monday. We loved getting to visit with them and can't wait to spend a week with them at the beach (we hope) the end of the summer!

Cousin Kira...isn't she just the cutes thing!?!?!

My aunt (my mom's sister), Nana, was able to come over while we were still in the hospital. Addie loves her Nana; and although you can't see it in this picture, she got a fabulous tutu from Nana that she was wearing here.

Thank you all for being here to welcome our girls!

What A Day!

As you may remember, my friend Allison met us a the hospital the day the girls were born and took some beautiful pictures of our first day with the all of our girls! It was a priceless gift that she gave us and took an enormous amount of pressure off me to take a zillion pictures! Here are just a few of my favorite shots:

This is Addie waiting to meet her little sisters!

My mom was so sweet to stay with her until the girls were born and then bring her to the hospital. They were watching the girls have their baths here.

Meeting her baby sisters...her two tiny babies as she calls them!

I absolutely love this shot because Addie's looking up at her Daddy while she holds her baby.

And this is another one of my favorite shots because she's looking up at me. Such sweet moments!

This is the bow I made for our hospital door. The girls initials are on each "W".  I got the idea from a newborn session DiAnna did but had to alter it a tad for twins.

Thank you again Allison for these beautiful memories!

I have another post ready and waiting with family photos...coming soon!

(grandparents, I will get you copies as soon as I have them; but these (and the ones on the next post) are sized for the blog and wouldn't print out well.)

Wordless Wednesday

Coming Home

After a fairly stressful morning (we found out my mom was going to have to put our very first cat Miles to sleep (who was living with her). Mile's was pushing 16 and diabetic.), we finally had our discharge papers and could be on our way.

...once they brought the wheelchair to wheel me out in. There were 15 discharges that morning; and we were #3 and it was already noon!  But instead of being wheeled out, they let me walk out! Whoohoo!

We got the girls dressed so we could take some great pictures to remember the day. Right? Wrong? My camera ended up in the car, so we had to wait for Paul to go grab it. By the time he came back up with the camera, the little girls were crying and Addie had had enough! So I decided that I would take pictures anyway, crying babies and difficult 2 year olds and all!

Take 1: I think Anne Perry was actually sneezing here;

but by the time I could refocus and click, this is what I got...

Take 2: Audrey Kate was crying.

Take 3: But finally, I at least got one with no one crying!

But when I added Addie to the picture, she refused to look at me (at all) and the tears had started again!

Anne Perry and Audrey Kate. 

Audrey Kate looks very much like Addie here, except Addie had much darker hair like Anne Perry.

Coming home dresses: Addie wore one of these and then my mom and I made a duplicate. They were huge on them!

Addie loved climbing up on the bed to look at the girls all ready to come home in their car seats. My favorite thing that she said the whole time she was visiting us in the hospital was when she stood next to the bassinet, peering into the clear plastic edge and informed the room that, These are my tiny babies, and I love them very much. Uh huh. I do.

Yes...this is real!

Addie thought she was having to leave her baby sisters and had been crying. But we finally got everyone in, only to have Anne Perry start to cry. This in turn made Addie just boohoo because she couldn't help her! We've since then had several conversations about why babies cry and that it's ok for them to cry! She doesn't cry as much with them unless they are really upset or both crying at the same time. Sweet big sister!

...and let the journey begin.

From small beginnings come great things.  

American Proverb

And the Winner Is...

...I must first give an explanation.

My original c-section date was May 10th (thank goodness that got moved!). But it got moved back to May 3rd the day I published this contest. So I let the two people who had voted for after May 3rd revote.

But then the next week, after we'd closed the contest, my OB moved my c-section to May 4th. After the initial I-have-to-wait-24-more-hours had set in, all I could think was WHAT are we going to do about the blog contest?!?!?

Since anyone who voted for May 3rd clearly thought I was going to have to wait until the scheduled c-section date, I've counted the two May 3rd votes and the May 4th vote (who didn't re-vote).

Erin, May 3rd, 12 lbs 1 oz
Allison, May 3rd, 12 lbs
Mark, May 4th, 12 lbs 11 oz

The girls weighed 6 lbs 9 oz and 6 lbs 6 oz, totally 12 lbs 15 oz.

So our winner is Mark, guessing 12 lbs 11 oz! His girlfriend Colleen is the one who actually suggested having people guess in the first place!

Congrats Mark!