Tummy Time!!

Blaine really likes tummy time but Christian does not. I finally turned Christian on his back while Blaine slept on his tummy. They were too cute. It's neat to see the differences already. Their personalities keep changing. As soon as I think I know one, their personality change and they usually switch. Blaine used to be so impatient, but now he is more laid back and Christian is becoming more impatient. They keep going back and forth. It will be so much fun watching them grow up together with their big sister. They both love her and love to be held by her.

Girlfriends!!!

The boys went and visited their girlfriends for the first time on Wednesday. The boys are 5 weeks older than the girls. Melissa and I were 2 weeks apart on our due date, but she went further than me. Poor thing!!! It will be fun watching them grow up together.

Cades Cove/Papa Dan and Nana Lou Visit

10-18-2009

2 mo check up

The boys had their 2 month check up on Tuesday. Ben couldn't get off work so my dad went with me. I'm still not up to taking them to the dr by myself and also having Abby. The boys got a great report. Blaine weighed 10 lbs 13 oz and was 22 inches long. Christian weighed 9 lbs 11 oz and was 21.5 inches long. Both circumcisions looked good, which is a relief that ordeal is over. The NP said they both looked great and are growing good. She did not hear a heart murmur on Blaine this time. She said last time that it was so faint it could be his breathing. I still can't believe my boys are 9 weeks old. They are definitely showing their personalities which keep changing as soon as we think we are figuring them out. Christian does not like his formula the least bit cool, he will not drink it at all no matter how hungry he is. Blaine will eat anything all the time (hence his weight I guess). Blaine loves tummy time and fell asleep on his tummy tonight while Christian likes his side or back. Blaine is talking a lot more than Christian while Christian smiles more at us. It is a daily adventure with these boys and a little girl.

Abby went on her first field trip and rode the school bus for the first time. I think that was her favorite part. It is funny how neat it is to ride the school bus until you hit a certain age and it becomes uncool. She went to the pumpkin patch and picked her out a pumpkin. She had a great time. Wish I could have gone too. We got our heat fixed, even though it is warming up this weekend. At least it is done and we got a new thermostat installed (which we didn't have to do ourselves). What a busy week. This weekend is the Apple Festival at Washington Presbyterian Church. Life is wonderful!!!

8 weeks old!

After Bath at 4 weeks old!

8 weeks old!!

Well, the boys are 8 weeks old. Time is flying by. It is funny how I miss being pregnant now, even though this pregnancy was a lot tougher than with Abby. Here is an update on me. I don't think my body will ever get back to normal. My stretch marks are hideous (especially since I didn't get any with Abby). I will never wear a bikini again. My uterus is still shrinking (too much info I'm sure) and my joints haven't gone back to normal. I can't sleep on my side at all because my hips don't line up (or something) and I get 'stuck'. My knees can't bend like they used to and it's hard to get on the floor with Abby and the boys. Not to mention the lack of sleep and how crazy I get sometimes. I don't want to complain because it is all worth and I would do it again. Now that's craziness.

The boys are getting bigger, especially my chunky monkey Blaine (or big boy Blaine). Little man Christian is trying to catch up and eating more frequently. They are getting more alert and 'talking' more. It is so cute and adorable. I will admit that I feel sometimes like I do not keep them together enough and they won't create that twin connection. I hope I am wrong about this. It is hard to do and I am trying to make more of an effort. There is more stuff I would like to get done also but haven't. It will come together some day.

Abby and I had a fun time at the Foothills Fall Festival today. It was very cold though. We ate a lot, walked around and she played on inflatables and a trampoline thing. It was nice to have just Abby-mommy time where mommy could actually do something unlike over the summer. Thanks to Papa Dan and Nana Lou for all of their help over the past 2 weeks. Abby had a blast and it was some great relief to have help and get stuff done around the house. Life is easier with some extra hands and help. We can't thank God enough for all of his blessings on the Mooney Family.

7 weeks old!!!

It's been awhile and very busy. The boys are 7 weeks old today, which makes me sad how fast they are growing up. They had a traumatic day yesterday. We had an urologist appointment for their epispadias. Well, the urologist looked at them both and said they did not have it. I then asked him how we went about getting them circumcised. He said just ask him so I did. They got circumcised there in the office. Poor things. It was real hard on mom. They are doing a lot better today and don't cry when we change their diapers. I wish this was done in the hospital in the beginning. Oh well. At least they do not have epispadias. Makes you wonder what the doctors saw in the beginning. These boys are spoiled rotten, which I'm not sure how since I don't feel like I have time to do much except feed and change them. Sleeping, eating, drinking, housework doesn't seem to be happening a lot in my world. They are so cute and sweet though.

Abby is doing great. It is her Fall Break this week which has worked out since Ben's dad and step-mom are in town. They have spent lots of time with Abby taking her to Ijams and to the movies. They also have helped greatly with the boys. I have had a shower almost every day this week. WOW!!

I had a parent teacher conference for Abby last week and it went well. She is above average in all subjects and testing and is doing wonderfully. She will be in the accelerated reading program in the next few weeks. We are so proud of her.

Funny Abby Stories!

Abby has said a couple of funny things yesterday. First story- She was drawing pictures in the hallway for me, Ben and my parents. (the pictures are really good and I hope to post them). She came in the living room and told me she made a big decision. I asked her what that decision was and she told me she decided to become an artist when she grows up. I told her that would be great and that she is a wonderful artist now. She sounded so grown up (like usual).

Second Story- After her making her big decision she was holding Blaine and looked down at him and said it might be the last time she will see him. That concerned me and I asked her why. She told me 'it was time for her, mamaw, and mom mom to move to the cabin in the mountains'. I guess 5 weeks was her limit of living with the boys.

I never know what she is going to say. She is getting better and better at reading.

More updates to come!

Update

Well, it's been awhile and extremely busy. For my birthday we all went to my parents' house and ate supper. My mom fixed me lasagna, salad, homemade bread, and cheesecake!! Yum!!! It was wonderful to get out of the house and be with my family. The boys went outside for awhile which was nice. It was a nice day to hang out and get out of the house. The Friday before that Dawn took me out to eat supper for my birthday which was wonderful also. It's just nice to get out of the house that I have been stuck in for so many months.

Friday we also took the boys to the doctor for their acid reflux problems. The doctor looked at them and said they were doing great and she prescribed medicine for them. Blaine weighed 7 lbs and Christian weighed 6lb 1oz. They are growing great and getting so big. I can't believe they will be 4 weeks old in 2 days. Thanks to mom mom for going with me with the boys. Ben had to drop Abby off from school with us at the dr's. It's difficult trying to manage everything. It was also the first time I drove the van since having them and the first time driving it without being pregnant. Wow, my tummy didn't reach the steering wheel!!! Amazing!!!

Things are going well. I'm doing pretty good and feeling a lot better. I'm not hurting except for an occasional tightening, cramping and sometimes my incision if I twist weird. Abby is doing well at school and adjusting pretty well at being a big sister. She likes to hold them and burp them. She also sings to them which they seem to love.

The difficult time of day seems to be between 3-7am. The boys fuss a lot at the same time and I can't get them satisified. I'm not sure what is going on, but it tends to wear me out and try my patience (especially on going with such little sleep). We will get through it though and it is totally worth it. I love to look at my family and feel how complete it is. We can't be happier with such a beautiful family that we have. God has truly blessed us!!!

18 Days Old!!!

It's been awhile since an update. I can't believe it but my boys are 18 days old. The older they get the more alike they look. Blaine is still bigger which makes it easier to tell the difference. They are getting more alert every day which is fun. Blaine is really strong and holds his head up like a strong little baby. Christian likes to push on my stomach or lap and stand. They both are strong little boys. They take turns at night being fussy. They smile a lot in their sleep, and Christian almost giggles while he smiles sometimes. They are too adorable and spoiled already. Blaine likes to go from quiet to screaming in 1 second. He has learned that we get worried and tend to pick him up. As soon as we pick him up and quits!!! Smart little boy. Christian has learned the same but he does not scream like Blaine. We can definitely tell their cries/screams apart. They are our squeakers still. They have been squeaking since day 1. It's too cute!!!! Blaine's umbilical cord has already fallen off but Christian's hasn't yet.

Update on the parents. We are exhausted (understatement of the year). I'm not sure if I've ever been so tired. I know we were not this tired with baby Abby, but it doubles with twins. I feel like by the time I feed them, we get them changed, get them settled- we might have an hour to sleep before we start all over. I do feed them at the same time sometimes, but it doesn't seem to matter. It's all worth it.

Abby update. She was sick again this weekend. Luckily, we have family that she stayed with all weekend. She just had a low grade fever that went away after 1 day. She did not have any other symptoms but Ben's mom took her to the doctor for us to make sure it wasn't the flu since there is so much of it going around. She did not have the flu thank goodness and the fever has yet to come back. The doctor thinks it might be left over from her respiratory infection from when the boys were born. I just hope we can keep her well to keep the whole family well. It is a challenge with a kindergartener. I think she had a great time at Ben's mom's having some one on one attention. It was definitely good for her eventhough she was 'sick' somewhat.

We will see how this week goes. I will be by myself more often this week than last. We should do OK, but it is difficult trying to get things done around the house when I am by myself and not sleeping a whole lot. Everyone knows I don't do well without my sleep. Hopefully Abby will continue to be a big help.

Abby and Kindergarten

Here is an update on Abby. She brought home a special 'book buddy' bag with 2 books in it. It had her name written on the outside with instructions that she is to read those 2 books to us as much as possible throughout the week and return them on Friday. I think she is supposed to get new books each Monday. One book was 'way too easy' (those were her words) and it really was too easy for her. The other book was a prett good level for her. She told us that she and only 1 other student received those bags to read. I'm so proud of her reading and how fast she has excelled in it. She loves to read and we have started reading the Magic Tree House series to her which she loves. I told her she will have to start reading to the boys. She has been a big helper and a great big sister. It has been a big adjustment for her as well as for us. She helped us a lot with their first bath at home and many other things. She loves to hold them and to sing to them. I know they recognize her and always look for her when she is talking to them. She has her moments where she wants attention and it's not always positive, but we are trying to work through that. I am just so proud of my big school girl and hope she does well. I don't want to be the 'braggy' mom who says her daughter is the smartest, but I'm afraid she might get bored. They are learning (reviewing) colors, letters, counting to 20 (which she can do in Spanish and she can do the alphabet in sign language). She doesn't really say she has learned a whole lot yet, but that time will come a little later in the year I'm sure. She is so big and smart. We are just so proud of our little girl.

10 Days Old!

I can't believe the babies are 10 days old already. Time if flying by. They went to the pediatrician for a very quick weigh in on Friday. They were one ounce off their birth weights. Blaine was 5.8 and Christian was 4.14. The doctor said it was great and they are looking good. We have had 1 pretty long night the other night. Blaine was real fussy all night and Christian liked to go through the diapers. Speaking of that- we are definitely going through the diapers and wipes.

Abby has been doing pretty good with this change. Of course she is desperate for attention and really tries to get it. Sometimes not in the best of ways. She is a big helper picking out outfits for the boys and helping with the baths. It's been hard getting back to the routine of getting her to school, but Ben has been doing a great job. One funny story about that was last week the first night back and getting Abby to school that Tuesday Ben had to wake her up. He was missing and I didn't know what was taking so long to get her up. It had been almost 45 minutes. I went back to our room and bathroom and he was not there. I went into Abby's room and he had fallen asleep on her bed while trying to wake her up. I think it was the first time in a real bed since we had left for the doctor about 5 days before. I thought that was really cute.

It's been so fun with the boys and Abby. Last night we let Abby sleep in a tent and sleeping bag with us in the living room. It's going to be fun when we all can really go camping!!! One day at a time though. I don't want time to go by that fast.

New Pictures Posted Finally!

Blaine and Christian Slideshow!

1 week old!!!

Going home!!!!!


Blaine on the left, Christian on the right. (Top and Bottom)

I can't believe my baby boys are 1 week old already. It has flown by. I can't even begin to sum up the week. Very busy and exhausting. It has been hard getting Abby to school and managing everything. I think we are doing a pretty good job though. It has been difficult for me to move around since I had the c-section. I'm doing a little better about moving than I did when I had Abby. Pain medicine helps and knowing what to expect also helps with that. Ben has been wonderful and doing most everything. I don't think I have changed but maybe 1 or 2 diapers this entire week. He's amazing. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when he goes back to work. Hopefully I will have recovered more from the surgery. I think having twins has put a lot on my body and blood pressure issues and so forth. I'll get through it though. It is definitely worth it. We hope to get more pictures organized and posted. Again, trying to figure out managing our large family is taking some time. I thank everyone who has brought us food so far. That really helps, one less thing to remember or have to do. We definitely want to thank our moms because they cleaned our house on Monday before we brought the babies home. We weren't entirely prepared to deliver on that Thursday and be gone for the entire weekend. Our moms have been wonderful at helping us. We have the best families. These boys are getting cuter each day if that is possible. Abby is enjoying it more because she can be around them now and can hold them. I hope to get more pics of all 3 together. Maybe even getting birth announcements out! Who knows.

The Big Day!!!!

Here is a run down of the big day. Of course Abby had a fever the night before, Wednesday night. We already had the hematologist appointment and OB appt scheduled for 9 and 10 Thursday morning. I had been joking that I hope the Dr. would send me over to have the babies. Who knew!!

Thursday, August 20, 2009
8:00am- Leave to take Abby to my parents house since she was sick and could not go to school. We stopped by McDonald's for breakfast and dropped Abby off. (That was all I got to eat that day, bacon egg and cheese biscuit).
9:00am- Arrived to get my blood drawn at the hematologist. I started to feel real crappy. Couldn't decide why. My platelets were at 96,000 when I left. We had to hurry downtown to see Dr. Tsaltas because appt was at 10.
10:00am- Arrived at St. Mary's. I was feeling REAL crappy by then. They took me back and did the ultrasound. Both babies were head down again. Blaine had once again flipped. I was feeling so sick on the table. They then went and hooked me up to listen to the heartbeats and monitor contractions. My least favorite thing to do, except I like to hear the heartbeats. I was so sick I thought I was going to throw up. They checked my blood pressure and it was high for me. I always have to convince people that it is high for me (it was like 133/82 or something). The nurse practitioner came in while I was hooked up to take a look at me. I had never met her, but she said I looked pretty bad. She went to get Dr. Tsaltas. He came in and said, 'You look like hell, let's go talk'. The nurse practitioner told me she never said hell just bad. That's Dr. Tsaltas for you. Pretty much he told me I had preeclempsia (sp?) and I was going over to the Women's Pavilion. He said unfortunately he had a big meeting or something and the C-section would have to be at 7:00pm since I had eaten at 8:30am. So we headed over.
11:30am- (or so) I had been admitted to the hospital and got a room- Room 25. They hooked me up to be monitored and took some blood for testing. They hooked me up to 1 IV. I was not looking forward to being hooked up till 7 that night.
1:00pm- They got my blood work back and my platelets had dropped to 77,000. I told the nurse I was concerned and she was already talking to Dr. Tsaltas. They had mentioned to me they may have to do general anesthesia. I knew the anesthesiologist working and he came to talk to me. He said he could do a spinal and wondered why I had to wait till 7pm. He talked with Dr. Tsaltas and the c-section got bumped up to 4pm. Lots of phone calls going out and craziness.
4:00pm- They were ready to wheel me back. It was more like 4:15. Dr. Broussard (anesthesiologist) did the spinal (he is the dr that I have known for awhile) which I trusted him completely. I also had a nurse anesthesist in the room. It was reassuring to have so many people in the room. Ben was in there taking pics which the nurses said Dr. Tsaltas doesn't like that. They were talking cameras as he was cutting me open. HELLO!!! Anyway, I will always remember him taking Blaine out, it was my first deep breath in I don't know how long. Then I heard Dr. Tsaltas tell Ben to come take a picture of this. I had no idea what he could be taking a picture of. It was Christian's hand pushing through the sac where you could see it as plain as day. Blaine was born at 4:46pm, 5lb 9oz, 19.5 inches. Christian was born at 4:47, 4lb 15oz, 19inches long. They were both crying beautifully. Dr. Broussard kept coming to me and asking how I was doing and was watching the boys. He then told me he had to run out and tell my mom about the babies. (My mom has taught all of his children piano). It was amazing. I then got wheeled out holding both of my babies in my arms. What a miracle!!! God has truly blessed us.

What a day!!!!!! Happy Birthday to Blaine and Christian!!!!!!

36 Weeks!!!!

I made it to 36 weeks!!! That was the magic number. Now it should be anytime. I went to the doctor today, my last appointment with Dr. Peeden and nurse Sharon. The boys heart beats looked good, like usual!!! Then Dr. Peeden did an ultrasound. Christian is head down and pretty low. He is practicing breathing and looks good. Blaine, being himself, has flipped once again. I think every ultrasound he is in a different position. What a little stinker. He looked good too. My amniotic fluid looks good as does my placenta. I have not dilated any at this time. Dr. Peeden has been very proud of me. I mentioned a few times that I was ready. She told me she is thinking next week. She also told me when I see Dr. Tsaltas (the guy dr who should deliver them- he delivered Abby) I should produce some big tears to encourage him on setting a date!!! I will be practicing my soap opera tears for this Thursday. I also have to go to the hematologist before I go to Tsaltas. It will be a busy day. I will miss seeing Dr. Peeden and Sharon, they have been wonderful, they are the best. I will be sending them pics and running by there to show the boys off. They both gave me a great big hug and wished me luck. You get kind of close when you go so often like me. I proud of my boys, and I will hang in there for them. It is reassuring to go to the dr and get good news. I do have Strep B (of course, this pregnancy has been so different and opposite of Abby). I will have to tell the pediatricians about that. I don't think it is anything to completely worry about. Can't wait to see those little boys!!!

Abby's Cousins Visit

Abby's cousin Max came and visited last weekend from Louisiana (also with his dad Brian). They had not seen each other for about 4 years or so. They had a blast though. They played so hard and hung out talking about Scooby-Doo. They were fun to watch play for hours. It was great to see them and hang out. I think the 'older' kids had fun playing with Legos also and with their cameras.

Brian, Max, and Abby playing with Legos. Abby had never played with real Legos before. She had a good time.

Abby, Max and Brian playing with this spinning thing for a LONG time.

Abby and Max were playing a 'basketball' game they made up. Abby had a jump shot.

Again, playing with the spinning thing which they did off and on all night.

Abby concentrating on a puzzle they were working on.

Abby and Max playing at the Maryville Greenbelt together. I didn't go but they had a good time.
Still playing at the Greenbelt.

Max and Abby saying goodbye with lots of hugs.

More hugs!! So sweet!!!

This was a different day at the Greenbelt with Abby and her daddy. She really wanted to climb a tree.

Abby was playing king of the rock.

34 Weeks!

Abby's First Day of Kindergarten!!!