Happy Mother's Day

We celebrated my first Mother's Day yesterday, and we had a great time just spending time together and reflecting on all that the Lord has given us in our daughters.  Our hearts are full.  Even after 6 months of doing nothing but taking care of Caroline and Ellie, it still feels so foreign that I'm a mother....to twins, no less!  I'm not sure what being a mom is supposed to feel like, but I still feel like me....with a slightly deeper capacity to love and protect that I pray will grow everyday as we learn what it means to raise a family.

Ellie in polka dots and Caroline in stripes....I'm pretty sure!

Ellie on left, Caroline on right

The strange idea of being a mom makes me wonder what it must've been like for our moms raising babies.  I think we all have this strange idea that our mom's were born into their role of motherhood, and it was the most natural thing in the world for them....when in reality, they probably felt exactly like I do....amazed at how life has changed, wondering what the role of a mother is supposed to look like, excited about what the Lord will do in the life of their babies, scared that their short-comings will shine through like a beacon, and desperately praying daily that the Lord will enter the hearts of their babies and keep them close.   

Thank you to Mom and Sharlene for always being there for us.  There's nothing like needing your Mom/Mom-in-law as you try to raise your own babies as we desperately look to you for advice, support, encouragement and just someone to talk to.  I guess the nurturing of your babies never stops....even if they're in their 30's.

We love you both so much!

About at the age that Caroline and Ellie are now

I guess rubber duckies are timeless

Caroline and Ellie have Blake's mouth

From Blake's and my baby pictures, it is clear that Caroline and Ellie won't be getting a haircut for at least a couple years!!

Who is this other Person??

We feel like we can visibly see what Caroline and Ellie are thinking.  They are constantly looking around and studying.  They have discovered that grabbing everything in sight and beyond what I give them credit for being able to reach has opened up a whole new world for them.  Beyond the constant spills with discovering my coffee, cereal bowl, etc, Caroline and Ellie's biggest discovery is each other! They are interacting with each other more and more each day and they are always reaching out to touch each other.  It's almost as if they're thinking, "wait, who is this person that looks exactly like me??"

Ellie in black and Caroline in pink

Add caption

A Story in Pictures

Take a look at this series of pictures.  It pretty much says it all.  Caroline is in the blue and white polka dots and Ellie is in the yellow and blue stripes.

To sum up....Caroline and Ellie are both into their toys lately.  Caroline is REALLY into the toys....especially the ones that Ellie is playing with.  Ellie equally enjoys sucking her thumb and after her initial disappointment that her toys are gone, she's happy to sit, suck her thumb and watch her sissy take over.

Caroline has always been aggressive with the toys even when she could barely hold them.  Stealing them from her sister is her newest trick.  It cracks us up and and its amazing to see both her and Ellie's mind working as they play together.

Both girls are interacting with each other a lot more lately.  They touch each other and respond with smiles to what the other one is doing.  We're loving this new stage.

Sturdy Babies

We have entered a new phase with Caroline and Ellie.  The girls have become noticeably stronger and they seem all around more "sturdy".  They used to be scared if we'd lift them up in the air, but now, they love it and it makes them laugh.  They are showing signs of soon being able to sit up on their own, and they can hang out to their hanging toys from their playmat to help hold themselves up while sitting.

These girls are a lot of fun right now.  They interact with us, laugh when we play with them and always light up when we walk into a room.

As the girls are getting older, they are becoming more and more cuddly.  With all the things that they do, our favorite is when when want to just sit still looking around with us holding them.  They often will sit there contentedly sucking their thumbs.

Snuggling with Ellie early Saturday morning

Cuddle Bugs

Caroline and Ellie are little cuddle bugs and we love it!  I don't usually get to enjoy cuddling with the girls as much as I wished I could just because the fact that the girls don't always want to share one set of arms.

The girls got their 6 month shots last week and they were especially cuddly and wanted me to hold them.  I always feel bad when they have to get their shots, but the rest of the day is enjoyable when all they want to do is suck their thumbs with me holding them.  Those are the days when they don't care if they only get a single arm and shoulder to lean on.  I think I'll always remember this.

Caroline on left and Ellie falling off my shoulder on the right

After this day was over, it was back to normal, and they were loving that my mom was here to hold and love on them.  Mom was loving it too!

With Caroline

With Ellie

Caroline passed out

Come back soon, Mom.  Caroline and Ellie can't wait to fall asleep in your arms!

2 Weeks go by so Fast!

My mom left on Monday after being here for 2 weeks.  It went by so fast, and I was so sad to see her go.  We always feel this way when our family comes to visit - we eagerly anticipate the visit for months before they come, the time flies by when they're here, and we're always sad to say goodbye.

Ellie is in purple and Caroline is wearing pink.

Caroline and Ellie have been changing so much right now.  They are surprisingly more alert than they were even a month ago, and they really interact with us when we hold them.  My mom, of course, couldn't get enough.  Both girls like to be held at all times, and so with my mom here, both girls could be held as much as they wanted.

Grandmom's Finally Here!

We've been looking forward to my mom visiting ever since she left when Caroline and Ellie were 10 weeks old.  The girls are loving the visit because they have immediately been able to cash in on the extra cuddle time that they don't normally get when it's just me!  Mom is here for the next 2 weeks, and it's already been a dream.  I have a feeling these weeks are going to fly by!

Mom holding Ellie.  Ellie sat in this carrier for hours and didn't make a peep.  She was in heaven.

Here are some pictures when Mom was here last time.  A lot has changed in 3-1/2 months!

Holding Ellie

Holding Caroline

With Ellie

Our New Cuddle Time

I have recently discovered the wonders of the Baby Bjorn and I am loving the cuddle time as we do errands or leaving the house for any reason.  Blake is still convinced that the Baby Bjorn would question his man-hood so he still feels like its better to hold a baby while trying to eat a burrito at Chipotle.  I, on the other hand, am happy to eat my tacos with two free hands while I have a baby comfortably sleeping or just hanging out on my chest.  Despite my efforts to try to convince Blake to try it, he's still holding out.  One of these days, I'll sell him on it!  For now, though, I'll just enjoy the sweet cuddle time with my girls.

Holding a sleeping Caroline

Family Photo

Holly gave me these dresses last summer for the girls, and I'm so thrilled they can finally start to wear them!  Caroline and Ellie looked so cute that we just had to get an updated family photo!  

Allison holding Ellie and Blake with Caroline

Thank you, Holly, for the dresses!  We love them, and the girls are completely occupied with endless amount of chewing and drooling they can do on their poofy outfits!  

So, Exactly How Do You Feed 2 Babies?

I get this question all the time.  Everyone is so curious how this works, and if I'm just nursing all day long feeding them one at a time.

Thanks to Teri Thompson, we have discovered this magical nursing pillow for twins made by "My Brest Friend".  [Insert endless amount of jokes here!]  When we pull out this pillow, Caroline and Ellie go absolutely crazy with arms/legs flailing, and they will not take their eyes off of it until they can start eating.

I feed the girls 4-5 times/day right now depending on how they sleep.  After they finish eating, I burp one girl at a time (sometimes both in a crisis) and lay her on the couch on my right side while she waits for her sister to be done.  It sometimes gets a little crazy, but it works and everyone's happy.