SMILE!!

Logan's first big smile (that I have witnessed), perfectly accompanied by a happy sigh, all while sitting in his new Bumbo seat and amazingly caught on camera!

Want another thing to smile big about?

Dad's most recent report is that his tumors are still SHRINKING! God is good!(Dad & Steven last Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa's 65th wedding anniversary celebration.)

I hope you have something wonderful to smile about today!

Halloween

Here we are in our Halloween gear. We look forward to costumes & trick-or-treating next year, but this year we kept things low key.

This is Lucas, one of Todd's dear friends. He drove in from the Fort Worth area to attend a conference. He was kind enough to come by to meet the boys and hang out for the evening. We went out to eat at Los Cucso; the first time out to eat with the babies. We had a great time. It's always nice to see Lucas. Come back soon, Lucas!

I CAN do this!

First of all, thank you to everyone that offered to help these past few days. I was feeling very overwhelmed at the prospect of keeping my kids fed and safe by myself, if you couldn't tell. Fortunately, I have found that I CAN be a mom to my children without help during the day! What a relief!

My dad came by the past 2 mornings to listen for the boys while I got dressed, washed & prepared bottles, did some housekeeping, etc. Dad even helped me fold a few loads of laundry! I do much better, psychologically, if I can be showered & dressed - even if I'm not going anywhere. So thanks, Dad!

I had a friend that was "on call" to help during feedings. It was very nice of her to be available for me, but I found that I can manage feedings on my own. I feel very proud of that! Sheila, thank you for being available and supportive to me!

Thanks to all of you that offered to help. Also, I just want to say that I completely understand all of you that left comments about how you would love to help, but can't for various reasons. I appreciate your desire... There have been so many times that I have wanted to help others, teach a class at church, deliver a meal, etc., but can't because of work or other obligations and time restrictions. Time is a precious commodity and being willing to give it up for the benefit of others is an admirable thing. This is something I need to improve in my life. It's showing God's love for others through service.

Today, feeling more confident, I took the boys out to run some errands. I made a delivery to Todd at his school, then went by my school to do some paperwork. The outing went very well, except for the rain. It took a little longer than expected, but we got back just before they broke out in protest for making them wait a little too long for their milk.

The boys are up to about 5oz. per feeding. I have started Logan in size 1 diapers. He weighs about 9 pounds. He slept 6 hours last night! Nathan is still in Newborn diapers and clothes, but not for long. He weighs about 7 pounds. He still wakes about every 3-3 1/2 hours.

Okay, I'm really rambling. Sorry. I really just wanted to let everyone know that we are okay. Prayer helps, for sure. And, thank you, again, for all of the offers to help! More updates later.

I hate asking for help, but...

I need it!!
The hard truth is that I am not superwoman and I cannot care for 2 babies at once yet. So, a lot of people have offered and now I really need help to hold, feed, burp, and change babies during the day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Any takers?
If you are willing and available, please email me at natjoacu(at)hotmail(dot)com or call if you have my number.

1 Month (tomorrow)

The boys will be 1 month old tomorrow. It's amazing how time flies! It's also amazing that we're still alive! Ha! I could have never been prepared for what being a parent of twins really means. We definitely love the babies all the time, but we have learned how hard having babies really is; especially twins, and particularly one with colic. We go through a lot of trial and error, we don't get much sleep (Daddy sleeps a little more than Mamaw & Mommy), we worry if we're doing the right things for them, but we wouldn't trade them for anything!

I don't have recent weights, but I assure you, they are growing a lot! Logan is fitting into some 0-3 month outfits and Nathan is out of preemies and some newborns are getting tight.

We went shopping 2 days this week. It seems that they really like being in their car seats and getting out of the house. Pushing them around in their double stroller is a sight. I have found that shopping is another thing I can't do without help. Of course, Mamaw was there to help, thank goodness.

Logan & Nathan in their natural state: Logan's laid back, Nathan's not happy. :-( He does have happy times, I promise.

Our sweet friend, Geran, and her little boy, Garrett, came for a visit and brought us supper. So nice! Geran explained to Garrett that they were coming over to hold babies. He took this job very seriously. He asked to hold the babies; both of them! When they were taken away, he asked to hold them again & again. It was precious!!

Here are some "in the life" pictures. Yes, I got pooped on. It was gross.
This is Nathan's first bath. He has a nickname now, by the way. It's Little Red Man. Poor fella!
More visitors! Uncle Steven, K1 & K2, Uncle Ron, Patsy, & Ken

Getting To Know Them

Logan

Mamaw & Logan

Logan's First Spit-bath

Logan
Baby "B", born first.
Nickname: "Pirate Eye" - Coined by a nurse because he likes to open just one eye. Todd calls him Pirate Eye a lot.
I knew my baby B was going to be laid back, easy going, cool, and calm before I met him. He didn't move much while I was pregnant with him. Boy, was I right! Not much bothers this kid! He is quiet, but alert. He generally doesn't make a peep when I change his clothes or diaper. He eats well, sleeps well, poops well, and burps quietly. Although we try often, he is not good at nursing. He doesn't seem interested, even if he's clearly hungry. I guess the other hard thing about him is waking him up to eat so he can stay on the same feeding schedule as his brother. He doesn't sleep all the time... He often is wide awake just looking around, taking it all in. His face is tomato-shaped, according to his dad. He's my big boy, weighing in at 6lb 8oz at birth. At 2 weeks old today, his stats are: 6lb 11 1/4oz, 19 1/4 inches long. (10th percentile for both measurements.) Logan is a joy. We are so in love with him.

Nathan

Nathan
Baby "A", born second.
No nickname yet.
I knew my baby A's personality before I met him, too. He is active, strong, and a hard worker. Nathan is my little guy, but I wouldn't be surprised if he out-eats, out-gains, and ends up bigger than his brother. He's so sweet. I love to just hold him and watch his facial expressions. Oh, that cute face and how his little puckering lips just melt my heart. There is never a doubt about how Nathan feels about things. His cry is easy to come and hard to miss. It's piercing! Little dude has a hard time with his digestive system. He suffers with so much painful gas and poopies. His face grimaces so hard and turns beat red while he works so hard to get things moving. It breaks my heart that I know he's hurting; and it hurts my ears to hear his cry. His hardest time is during the night, usually around his 3am feeding. He seems to find the most comfort when he is laid chest to chest with his mommy or Mamaw. He looks like a little frog. He's my smaller baby weighing 5lb 4oz at birth. As of today, at 2 weeks, his stats are: 5lb 13 3/4oz (5th %ile), 19 1/2 inches long (25th %ile). We are so in love with him!

Brothers Together! Nathan & Logan

Todd's mom, grandma, and aunt drove in from Ft. Worth to visit the boys for a few hours, then went back the same day. It's very admirable that they would make that long of a trip to visit us. We were glad to see them.

Grandma Alicia, Great Aunt Dena, Great Grandma

Great Aunt Pat came for a visit, too!
Our neighbor kids came to peek at the babies. We have the sweetest neighbors!

More Pictures

Not much time to blog. Actually, not much time to even walk in the computer room and turn the computer on! We're very busy loving on our Nathan & Logan.

Here are more pictures for your viewing pleasure...
Just click on the collage to enlarge, then arrow back to return to the blog.

From top left, clockwise: Logan & Nathan together; Nathan; Logan, Mommy, Daddy & Logan; Me waiting for the Pitocin to work; Dad, my sister, Mom & Me waiting. My sister flew in and surprised me!

Family of 4! Bottom right: Aunt Cary & Great Aunt Paula love on the boys...
In the hospital from Tuesday to Friday... Finally going home! Top right: The best, happiest, most gracious nurses on the planet! We were well cared for.Home. Top Right: Timpa feeding Nathan.
We are doing really well at home. The boys are on a good schedule and sleep pretty well between feedings. We went to the doctor today and she said they are just perfect!!
Our hands are VERY full. We could not survive this without help right now. My mom has been staying with us and has been an amazing support to us.
This week, some church members have been supplying us with food. We are so lucky to have a church full of servant hearts. It's a great feeling to be blessed by their Christian love.

And now... Off to sleep... For about 1 hour, until the next feed.