An Update...

The past 2 1/2 weeks has been a whirlwind. :)

I thought I would give a brief update on how everyone has been doing...

Will, Riley, and Emery are doing wonderfully... They really are. They adore the twins. They kiss them. They hug them. They hold them. They comfort them. It has been precious to watch their devotion in action. And while there has been adjustment issues, things have gone so much more smoothly then I could have ever expected. I am so proud of them and the love they shower on Hadley and Ainsley. These girls are lucky baby sisters.

 Hadley and Ainsley are precious. We adore them! While they look identical, we are already seeing differences in personality! :) Eldest Hadley Paige is more tempermental. She ALWAYS cries when having her diaper or clothing changed. Ainsley is the more laid back... She will often just stare at me as I change her. Oh, and Ainsley almost always goes to sleep much more easily then her big sister. :) 

 We are still working out how to function with two babies. :) We have weathered nursing, supplementing, bottle feeding, weight drops, weight gains, reflux, colic, sleepless nights... It has been a very full life for these two. :) 

FEEDING

After several days of nursing in the hospital, both babies had significant weight drops and were only allowed to come home after we began to supplement. After 24 hours they were still dropping so I had to nurse less and bottle feed more - with a formula change. To Nutramigen(a rediculously expensive hypoallergenic formula). My supply was affected by the steroid shots I received at about 33 weeks to help speed up their lung development. The amount of time it was taking to complete the entire feeding routine was intense. After nursing, pumping, and bottle feeding(with the help of at least 1 other person), feeding time was taking well over an hour. With prescription supplements, herbal supplements, and a hospital grade pump, my supply continued to drop and at 9 days we switched entirely to formula and I haven't looked back!  

SLEEPING

There is no real pattern to their sleep. They do wonderfully during the day, but nights are a totally different story. :) Some nights they do well, eating and then going back down within an hour or so. Some nights we don't go to bed at all. Seriously. Some nights they are simply alert and not tired. Some nights they scream all night long. Both girls are on medicine for reflux and also seem to have some colic. It's a good thing these tiny bundles are just soooo cute. :) Just kidding. We know this is but a brief phase. 

STATS 

At the doctor on Friday the girls were doing beautifully. 

Hadley weighed 6 lbs 3 oz.

Ainsley weighed 5 lbs 10 oz.

 Blake and I are doing well. He went back to work full time today. While I miss him being home so much, the idea of getting back into the swing of life is appealing. I am still recovering from the c-section. It's been harder then I expected, but really I can't complain. I have had so much help, I can't imagine getting anymore rest then I have gotten with 5 kids. Blake's parents came down the day the girls were born and spent 7 days... What a blessing! And my parents... Always amazing. My mom has spent 3 nights a week with us since we came home from the hospital. When she stays, Blake sleeps in the basement. Since two babies require two people to be up for feedings at this point, it can be exhausting so she has been a tremendous blessing, by allowing Blake to rest a few nights a week since he is working. Mom has also been ever present when Blake is gone and I have not had to weather the twins alone yet. 

The exhaustion has been over-ridden by the pure joy these girls have brought to our home. 

I simply can not believe they are mine... I have no way of ever deserving them...

How good is the God that gifted them to me.

*The photos aren't labled because I have no idea which is which - We are working on a better system.*

*If I had to guess - Hadley in the first few photos, Ainsley in the final ones. But I'm not staking anything on the guess.* :)