Day 52 - JJ meets Addy!

So much has happened in the last two days!  I joined a gym and ran 5 km on the treadmill yesterday!  It was slow but I did it.  We also had a visit from James and Sam.  Big James held a baby for the first time - Little James.  We will call them BJ and LJ for short.

Today my mom and I took the babies to the lactation consultant because Josie has had green poo for the last two days.  We now have to give her only hind milk (the milk that comes out at the beginning doesn't have as much fat so the body processes it faster making her poo green).  If it doesn't go back to yellow over the weekend we will take her to the doctor on Monday.  On the plus side they are both growing well.  James is now 8 lbs 5 oz and Josie is 6 lbs 8 oz.

Josie also started wearing Newborn size clothes yesterday - no more premie!

The most exciting news of all is that James and Josie got to meet their newest cousin Addison tonight.  She is so adorable.  I am so excited for them to grow up playing together!

Tomorrow I am going to the gym in the morning and then my mom and I are taking the twins to a mom and baby class at the Ontario Early Years Centre.  Tomorrow night I am starting the tradition of Friday night Pizza night!  

Our big girl in her newborn sleeper!

BJ and LJ

Addison, Josie and James.  I know have 3 little loves.

Day 51 - best sleep ever!

Its. 9:30 AM and I feel amazing!  We put the babies down at 9:30 pm after their bath and Josie went to sleep right away.  James wouldn't sleep so Brian gave him an extra bottle of milk (while bfing at 8 he spilled most if it all over himself).  He was asleep by 11.  Both babies slept until 1AM.  We fed them, I pumped after and gave James a little top up bottle.  They both slept from 2:30 AM until 5:45 AM !!!!  I fed them, but them back to bed at 7:00 and they both went down right away.  Now it's 9:30 and I have finished pumping just as they are starting to stir.  This might seem like a crazy post but I got 7 hours of sleep last night!  That is amazing!  I think it means that I have to work out today.  Oh and did I mention that the twins slept the whole night in their own room!  

Day 46 - 48 First trip to the cottage

Well we made it to the cottage!  The twins did really well in the car.  We stopped half way up to feed them and the slept the rest of the way.  

Once they arrived they settled into their recliners and fell asleep in front of the fire (it's a very tough life they lead).  

It's now Saturday afternoon and they are dressed in their matching moose sleepers and enjoying lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa (Brian and I especially enjoy this time because it means that we get to sleep!).

Their second cute outfit of the day!

James' 4th outfit of the day.  We had him in a sleeper after his bath but he peed all over it before we could even take a picture.  

Sunday snuggle time.

Day 46 - A typical tandem feeding - in photos

Josie waits her turn while James starts drinking his bottle - by himself!

I feed both of them until Josie projectile vomits all over herself, me and our sheets

I clean her up, change their diapers and finish feeding them.  All the while one, or both is crying (no time for photos)

Afterwards they both relax.

I finish pumping.  This is what is left over after having fed Josie a bottle and James a bottle and a half.

And by the grace of a God our feeding ends with my two little angles asleep together!

Day 45 - super mom

How do you feed one baby while the other one is fussing?  Like this!  

We had another fantastic night with the babies sleeping for 2+ hours directly after each night feed. I know I can't expect the nights to be like this but I certainly can rejoice when they are!

We are also having a great day.  We had a visit from Lachlan and Sara this afternoon and tonight mom and Marsha have agreed to watch the babies while Brian and I have a date (ie while Brian and I go to walmart to buy more diapers and food for the weekend).  

In other big news: James has graduated from premie to newborn clothing.  He is getting so big!

Day 44 - good night = good morning

The babies slept so incredibly well last night. Brian and I kept them in the basinette in our room and they went directly back to sleep after both of their night time feedings!  And they woke up to feed at the same time!  All together I got 6.5 hours of sleep (spread over 3 feedings).  

The babies were also great all day.  Probably because my dad's cousin Janie came over and we spoiled them with cuddles all day!  

It's now 10:30 pm and the babies, and Brian, are fast asleep.  I must have gotten too much sleep last night because here I am wide awake!  Oh well, at least it gives me time to finally update the blog!  

My sweet little James

My sweet little Josie

Day 40 - Their due date

So today was my due date, if the babies were still inside me I would be 40 weeks. This means it is exactly 38 weeks since Kat and Jason's wedding (wink, wink).  Happy 38 week anniversary!

To celebrate I did a little photoshoot this morning and tonight we are trying them for the first time in their crib in their own room!  I am not sure how this is going to go.. 

Here are some cute pictures of our little peanuts on what could have been their birthday.  

In this one you can see James practicing for his career as a rapper.

Day 38- play time

Today we had a fun morning at home.  The twins are staying awake after feeding more often now so we are getting more opportunities to play with them.  Today we had some great fun on one of their play mats.  They seemed to like looking at each other and kept reaching for each other, even kicking each other.

A downside to them being more awake during the day is that they are also more awake at night.  We feed them around 11 pm, 2 am and 5 am.  Sometimes they go to sleep right away.  Other times one or both of them is wide awake until the next feeding.  As you can imagine, staying awake with a fussy baby from 3-5am is not very enjoyable.  Luckily there are three of us, mom, Brian and I, to share the challenge.  As they continue to grow they may also start sleeping in longer stretches.  We are looking forward to this.  

Day 36 - James' Big Day

So today James took his first step towards manhood and got circumsized.  I was feeling really bad for him before the procedure but the nurse reminded me that Josie will have to endure childbirth so he really doesn't have it that bad.

For me, the hardest part of the procedure was watching the information video at the beginning. For James, the hardest part seemed to be having his legs held down by the nurse. Within minutes of having the procedure done he was happily sucking on his sugar coated pacifier and falling asleep.  

I forgot to mention yesterday that we had the twins weekly weigh in and they are getting really big!  James is now 6 lbs 8 oz and Josie is 5 lbs 9.5 oz.  They are both still below the 3rd percentile but our Dr. Is not concerned because they are growing so well.  

It's 9:30 pm right now and I am snuggling with a slightly fussy Josie - I am a pretty happy mama right now.

Day 35 - best dad ever

Yesterday Brian did Dad duty for a few hours so that I could run some errands.  When I got home he had both babies in the carrier and was getting stuff done around the house.  What a great dad!

One of the errands I had to run was picking up the ring Brian got me for Christmas.  It has all of our birthstones.  What a great husband I have!

Day 33- breakthrough

So today Brian and I attempted to feed the babies their bottles from their bouncy seats.  This is the way I will try to feed them when I am by myself - which is happening sooner than I anticipated - yikes!!  Well it totally worked.  We are going to try it again tomorrow and hopefully I will be ready for Monday morning .  

In another positive note Grandpa Dave came to the rescue again and came over today to help with the babies so that Jane and I could go Bridesmaids dress shopping with Jenn - I was out of the house, without the babies, for 5 hours!  Amazing!

In even more positive news Dave and Vickie came over tonight for some quality time with their Goddaughter.  They made us a delicious dinner and got some good cuddle time with both babies.

All-in-all it was a great day!

Day 32 - Happy 1 Month Birthday JJ

I can't believe the twins are 1 month old. So much has happened in the last month it's hard to even remember.

We celebrated today with a photoshoot.  Both babies cried and/or pooped throughout the whole thing so I am not holding out too much hope for the pictures, but who knows.  We did have a professional photographer so maybe he can work a miracle.

Today was also the end of Brian's first week back at work.  It's been exhausting for both of us and we could not have survived without the help of our parents!

We had some great visits this week including Wendy and Brittney on Wednesday who brought the twins this great tummy time mat.  James is really good at lifting his head.  Josie just fell asleep with her bum in the air.

We also had a visit from my sister Daunet and my nephew Andrew.  Ever since he found out I was having babies Andrew has been very interested so he was very excited to finally meet his cousins.  He spent about half an hour with Josie, singing her lullabies about how he would protect her so she didn't have to be scared.  It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen.  She was mesmerized by him and kept clutching his finger.  

This weekend we are expecting some more visitors and will hopefully be able to get out of the house and run a couple errands.  

Day 30- the best job in the world

There is not much to report.  It is too cold to go outside so we continue to snuggle at home all day.
Here are some pictures of my view during snuggle time .  I know that I am biased but these are the cutest kids ever!

Day 29- bath time

The twins are now 4 weeks old and we are slowly figuring out what works and what doesn't.  Today I introduced both babies to the swing - Josie especially liked it which is great because she can be fussy and this might be a good way to get her to settle into sleep.  We have also figured out that the best way to bath them is at the kitchen table so that we have lots of room to spread out.  Here are some pics of Josie during and after her bath.  

I have also learned the importance of daytime napping to help get me through the night time feedings.  James and I took an especially cozy afternoon nap today - he is the best snuggler! 

Day 28 - busy day

Brian had to go back to work today :(

Thankfully my mom has come to stay and help me with the babies during the day.  We had a busy afternoon today including a trip to the lactation consultant and Josie's first Dr. Appointment.  

Both the LC and Dr were impressed with the twins.  They are eating well, sleeping well and popping well - everything a baby should be doing.  

We also weighed the babies today.  Josie is a woping 4 lbs 15 oz and James is a mammoth 5 lbs 12 oz.  They are both exceeding the goal of gaining 15 -30 grams per day, which makes us very happy parents.

Today we also got to meet our new family Dr. She is amazing.  Very kind, attentive and compassionate.  Because the twins are so tiny she will be seeing them once per week until they are 2 months old so that we can track their weight gain.  Despite being little they are developing well.  Both James and Josie are developing their neck muscles during tummy time and are able to follow our voices with their eyes and heads when we talk to them.

Tomorrow we are going to be having a quiet, easy day at home to avoid the cold.  Bundle up everyone.  

Day 27 - first outing with the twins

So today we took the twins on their first outing.  We took them to meet their faith family at Islington United Church.  Brian and I planned ahead and we actually arrived at church an hour early so that we could feed the babies before the service. As expected we got a very warm welcome.  It was wonderful to get to introduce so many people at IUC to our little ones.  And the twins were great during church.  They both fell asleep about half way through the service.  

At home life is great.  We have had lots of visitors and people have been bringing us  meals and snacks which is so kind and helpful.  We are very lucky to have such great family and friends.  

Tomorrow my mom and I will take the babies to see the Peel Public Health lactation consultant to make sure the twins are growing the way they should be.  Then we have Josie's first Dr.s appointment.  I am sad that Brian has to go back to work, it has been so great being home together.  But someone has to bring home the bacon and I am happy that I get to stay home to snuggle with our little ones.  

Day 25 - lazy day with our babies

So today we are having a lazy day at home with the babies. So far being the parents of twins is pretty easy (probably because Brian and I are both home and because Jane and Dave stayed over last night to help with the 11 pm and 5 am feeding, and brought us dinner, and for lunch today we had food that Kat and Jason brought over).  The twins are currently asleep in their basinette - it is so cute how they turn towards each other as they sleep.  Brian and I have been using this down time to organize the nursery and get some marking done (I am so glad that I don't have marking to do!)

We are expecting a few visitors this afternoon and will probably have a lazy evening and hopefully a quite night.  I am loving life right now!

Day 24 - first day home

It's 3:30 pm.  The twins just finished eating and are now cuddling in my lap. I am so in love with these two it is crazy.  But how could I not be, they are just so darn cute.  

Sammi, Lexi and Dee were there to welcome us home today and they helped with the twins first bottle feed at home.  So far, everything is going smoothly, but will I still feel this way at 3:30 AM?

Day 24 - good bye NICU!!!!!

23 days after our babies were born they have both been discharged from the hospital and we are going home!

We have lots of follow-up appointments booked for the next few weeks but the babies are healthy and happy and ready to come home!

When I first found out I was having twins I decided that they were going to be born January 2nd.  Obviously God had other plans, and January 2 was meant to be the day they came home.  

Those who have been waiting to visit, give us today to get settled and then feel free to come on over!  We can't wait for you all to meet our little ones.  

IUC folks we are coming to church on Sunday - not sure what service yet but probably 1st.  See you all then.

Xoxo MBJJ

Day 23 - a room with a view

It is the day before Josie is set to leave the hospital and she's been upgraded to one of the coveted beds beside the window!  We had a great snuggle this afternoon while we watched the cars drive by.

The pedestrian came to check little Josie today and gave her the green light to go home.  So, now we just wait until tomorrow for her to be 7 days spell free and we can take her home!

Update: before Josie's bath we weighed her .  She is now 4 lbs. 11 oz.  that is 2 oz bigger than James when he came home from the hospital.  We have a dr. Appt for them on Monday and it will be interesting to see how much they grow when they are home with us.   

Day 23 - happy new year

James was wide awake for the stroke of midnight last night.  We had a pretty low-key night with good friends, food and of course Catan. Emily also got to help take care of her little cousin.  She is going to be a great help with the twins this summer!

 James continues to do really well at home.  He is eating more than the required minimum for his size, sleeping lots and seems to have more time when he is awake and alert.

We have established a good night time routine with him but all that will change when we add to Josie tomorrow.

I miss her so much when I am not at the hospital and I can't wait for her to come home and join our family.  Our home just doesn't feel complete when she's not here.