PICS

These are not in chronological or any other kind of order! You think I have time for that?! I've got twins! Ha  :)

5 days old

Burping x 2! Big sister (age 2.5) Brianna was very eager to help with burping. We had to work on being GENTLE! 

Lots of IN-YOUR-FACE snuggling and bonding :)

After breastfeeding on the special twins boppy (LIFESAVER!) They often fell asleep and continued their nap together. I just slid myself back, and gently move them from the pillow onto the bed or floor, wherever we happened to be nursing at. I rarely nursed anywhere besides sitting on a bed or carpeted floor.

Daddy got really good at relieving me from fussy babies in the evenings! When we had tried everything else, including nursing 892 times, something he just had to walk around with them while I got a quick breather outside. We were tired but happy parents!

My dear friend Michelle came over many times times after my mom left. She was a saint. An absolute angel. Here she is helping me with the babies' very first bath! They shared a tub while they were small.  

I just love this picture.  Love it.  A reminder that it could always be harder - what if I had QUADRUPLETS?!?!  :)

My mom came from Spokane and stay a week with me (or maybe it was 2 weeks? Can't remember!) She was a lifesaver! Especially with keeping Brianna happy and keeping us all well fed and the house clean. I loved having my mom there to share this amazing experience! I loved hearing her brag to people about "her" twins.  =)

Brian's new job: house cleaning!  He did pretty well for a first-timer :)  Poor guy was so used to a wife who did most of the more active house work.  Not because I was a subservient brainless uber-domestica... I just like burning more cals :) But he did great on his hands and knees keeping things clean.

Brianna had some regression issues  :)  Not anything too severe - she was fully potty trained and never turned back. But she did want to hang out in our bed, be cuddled a LOT, and increased her thumb sucking. Brian spent a lot of extra time with her, and I tried to include her in the baby care as much as possible. 

Learning to roll around, and starting to notice each other more!

What fun is having twins if you can't dress them up for holidays?! 

These doorway jumpers were fun to have. I'm not sure how safe they are, so I stayed next to the babies while they jumped.

When friends came over, I took advantage and gave them both babies so I could have two hands free for a few minutes!

Bad mommy time - we put the Bumbos on the table! So much easier for mealtime! We stayed right next to them of course :)

We found ways to play with both babies at once. Doing Peek-A-Boo is a classic favorite, and is even more fun w/ 2 babies! 

I got this Graco double stroller at a yardsale, thinking it might work to have Brianna hold one baby, or me have one baby in my front carrier (mei-tai and moby are favorites). But I ended up re-selling this one when I got one where the kids face me. 

We love Bumbos!  Oh my word - I can't believe my big babies were once this little. I hardly remember it. I'm so glad I have pictures! Such a fun age!

Daddy doing double duty

Big sister doing double duty - and loving it! (sortof?)

OhMySnugglies....

Just being silly here - I didn't usually walk around like this. Not safe at all - in fact, one of the big safety tips with twins it never to walk around holding both, in case you trip - no hands to catch yourself! Scary!  Also scary - my obvious lack of shower and makeup in quite awhile...

Honestly, Brian LOVED holding them both. I think it was just that overwhelming feeling of joy that comes with one baby  - but DOUBLED!

We did some nursing lying down. I never experimented enough to see if I could get a good position down to do tandem nursing lying down, but I've heard other moms of twins have.  But I definitely tried to lay down and close my eyes whenever possible!  The babies slept best when near me - meaning that they woke up to eat quite frequently, as they should at this age.  Looking back - yeah it was tough, but it was a short period in my life, and a crucial period in their life.  Remember that - whenever it gets hard - it's a short time in your life, but a crucial times in theirs!!

Poor babies... latching on to each other's faces....all burrito wrapped.... someone go get their mother and put those babies where they belong!  :)

My little "nest."  I hung out here a lot the first few weeks - when I had someone at the house to help bring things to me :)  Notice the laptop next to me - so I could keep up on blogging :)  And there's the pumping equipment next to me, so I could pump after feedings. Because that was my plan to increase my milk supply - nurse the babies completely, then pump for a few minutes, to train my body to make more milk. But usually I was too lazy to pump, and everything worked out fine. My babies were the best pump and the only one I needed :)

Exactly two weeks post-delivery, I headed out on my first run. I wasn't very fast, and had a giggly belly, but it felt great to get back to running and exercising! 

March 2012 in SLC running a 5K.  Great family time :)  I LOVE this stroller! I did a ton of research on triple jogging strollers. This one is Safetech brand - but I don't think it's available anymore.  So just look for one with SWIVEL WHEELS! And a weather cover, and safety bar.

This is us during church.  Out in the foyer. We stay out here during most of Sacrament meeting. Because our kids are WILD. I have no idea how to get them to sit quietly for the whole 70 minutes. We bring toys, snacks, activities... they last 15 minutes if we're lucky. So we hang out in the hall. It's just easier, and I don't feel guilty as long as I remind myself to just be happy we're there at all!

Out and about. The babies are about 17 month here, and I'm feeling comfortable enough to do outings solo with all 3 of them. We're at Petco here, checking out the fish. Notice the lack of shoes/socks, not exactly cute outfits on some.... we're not all about appearance. We just have a good time and don't worry about looking a little trashy  :)

Playing on the floor - we spend a LOT of time here. Having TWO little babies/toddlers jump all over you is twice as much fun!   But sometimes gets a little rough and one or both end up sad  :(  Note: mommy's not wearing makeup. Probably hasn't worn it in many days. Probably has been in those jammy-clothes alllll day. 

"Here kids.  Eat something."  Can't always have balanced meals in proper seating positions. 

Halloween!  I wish I had a better picture, because there were really cute and I was quite proud of myself for doing a THEME.  Darth Vader, Yoda, and Princess Leia.  (Costumes were a killer yard sale find!!) That's another great part about having twins - fun Halloween costumes! The possibilities are endless!

At a Halloween 5K in Saratoga Springs - we had to get a picture of us with our twins and the awesome minions. 

Formal dinners are rare! The goal is just to get everyone fed. Even if that means Courtney has to feed Daddy.  

Courtney and Bennett fell in love with this mini trampoline at Three Little Monkeys toystore. I saw it as a great way for them to get their energy out during the cold winters! So we took this thing home (though we barely had the space for it!) Very worthwhile purchase!

Of course, I have more pictures, and may add them in the future.... if you want them?  Anyone actually WANT more pictures.... or am I the only one that could stare at pictures of these darlings ALLLL DAY LONG!  :)
Take home message:  Parents, take TONS OF PICTURES!  You'll wish you had more of just the day-to-day images of life with baby twins!