ya gotta have friends ...

Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Not like I have much going on over here ... haha

Anyway, the twins are doing great. Still not sleeping through the night, but they are usually only waking us once, so I can't complain.

I'm getting a bit antsy over here. Not that I want to rush this time with them, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to going back to work. I miss the normalcy of getting up every day and going to a place with only adults where no one throws up on me and I don't have to clean anyone's diapers. At least that hasn't happened yet at work ... 8-)

I've been trying to get out more and do things with the kids just so I can get out of the house. Thank god for my friend Michele being home because we seem to talk on the phone all day long just to pass the time. We did make a visit over to her place last week to introduce the twins to her new son Michael, who is 5 weeks younger than the twins. He has the most amazing hair ever witnessed on a newborn!


And a few of my collegues from work came to see the babies, which was wonderful! It's so nice to have adults come see me during the day!

The twins also got a visit from their triplet cousins, which was fun! They live all of about 2 minutes away from us, so we will be visiting with them a lot this summer while I am home. Their backyard is like a playground/waterpark, so mommy will be hanging out their a lot! Thanks Christina! And the triplets mom (Christina) will be the one watching my kids when I finally go back to work. She's an AMAZING mom and I know I will be able to trust her implicitly with my kids. Plus, the triplets are amazingly well behaved and good kids, so I know she will whip mine it's shape! haha ... Another exciting fact is that the twins were born on the triplets birthday, and were delivered by the same doctor! Go figure! So April 5th will be a very busy day around these parts!


Lastly, I would like to mention that Father's Day was Sunday, and there isn't enough I can do to talk about what a wonderful husband I have! Having twins is hard work, and I can't imagine how much harder it would have been if I didn't have a husband who was truly committed and involved. Twice a week Eric lets me sleep all night and he takes the overnight shifts, even though he has to get up and work. He's constantly giving me a break and taking care of both kids so I can just have some me time. I couldn't ask for a better partner or father, and I know just how lucky I am to have him. And the best thing about it is that he doesn't think he's doing anything special. He just wants to be the best father he can be. And he is. Love you, babe.

Enjoy,

Erica and Eric

Busy Weekend

Hi everyone. It's been a busy weekend here in the Dunn house. Of course, the kids are doing great. They've been having some great sleeping stretches, which are really nice! We've been putting them down around 9pm-ish, depending on when their last bottle is, and they only wake us once overnight, around 3am for a bottle, then back to sleep until morning. Pretty good!

I have lots of pictures to share, as they are rewarding us with tons of smiles! Jake was smiling all the time, but Hailey rarely wanted to give us a grin ... until now! Suddenly she is non-stop smiling! Look at this cute pic!


So Friday was busy. Aunt Chrissy and Grandma K came over and we all went out to lunch and to Babies R Us. And look at the cute bathing suits that were purchased for the twins!


On Saturday, we took the twins to meet their new best friend Kai! He is the son of our close friends Chris and Megan, and he is Hailey's future husband! Jake and Kai will be the best of friends, just like their Dads. Hopefully future college roomates too! But they will go to Harvard, not Trenton State.


And Sunday the twins had lots of family over! Grammie and Aunt Carol came to sit with them while Mom and Dad got out to see Knocked Up. Very funny movie, by the way. Then Aunt Chrissy and Uncle Anthony came over and Grandma and Opa. And Grandma bought them a rocking elephant. Just what they need! I have a feeling Eric and I might need to buy a new house just for all the stuff my mom keeps buying ... Not that I want her to stop. 8-)


And here are some more cute onesies that Aunt Chrissy bought. His says "Hung like a 5 year old" and hers says "Daddy drinks because I cry". Love them!


Enjoy,

Erica and Eric

Happy 2 Month Birthday!

Today, Jake and Hailey are 2 months old. I have no idea where the time has gone. They are getting SO BIG! Yesterday they had their two month doctors appt. In the past month, Hailey went from 7lbs 8oz to a whopping 9lbs 13oz. She's doing great!

Her chubby brother went from 8lbs 10oz to an overwhelming 12 lbs 8oz. We couldn't believe how big he got! The doctor was very happy with their size and how much they are eating and how they are doing ... She did mention that we will probably start cereal at 4 months. That should be interesting ...

Then they got their first shots! Oh, that was not fun to watch! They did ok when they got them... some crying and what not, but we gave them tylenol and once they were back in their car seats they went to sleep. After we got home, we fed them, they were a little fussy, but then they went to sleep. And about 2 hours later, all hell broke loose. Jake started screaming bloody murder. I've never heard him yell like that in my life. And the only thing that would console him was me holding him. He would finally fall asleep on my belly, I would try to put him down, and he would start screaming again. Not fun. And she was doing the same thing with her dad. Finally Eric brought both swings upstairs, and Hailey went right to sleep. Jake wouldn't calm down, so I decided to change his diaper. Well, needless to say, after a HUGE poop, he wasn't crying anymore. Suddenly, he was all smiles.

So by 9pm, everyone seemed to calm down and pretty much go back to normal. Shots are no fun. But I know they are necessary. I'm just glad they seem to be back to themselves now. I don't know what women do with colicky babies, cause I couldn't handle them crying for 15 minutes, much less all day and all night! God bless all you women that deal with that!

Anyway, here are some new pictures. Look how fat Jake is!


And here is Dad with his number one Mets Fan! No, Jake wasn't really into this picture taking session.


And here are Jake and Hailey in the onesie that Aunt Chrissy bought them. They are so damn cute!


Enjoy,

Erica and Eric

When do they sleep through the night??

Hi everyone. I guess it's time for a baby update. Things are going well. Babies are as cute as ever, and getting SO BIG! We go for our 2 month doctor's appt on June 4th, and I can't wait to see how much they weigh! My mom thinks Jake is easily over 11 lbs. He certainly is large, so we'll see!

They are doing pretty good with sleeping. We have good nights and bad nights ... but recently it's been them eating around 10pm, going to sleep, eating again around 3am, going back to sleep and waking around 7am. So not so bad.

Eric and I did get a break on Friday night when my mom took Jake for the night and my sister took Hailey. And surprise surprise! they both went to bed around 1030pm and didn't wake up until 5am! Figures right!

You know what one of my favorite things to do with these kids is? Dress them up! Aunt Chrissy buys them so many cute things, and I love trying them on them. I'm sure the babies would just rather sit around in onesies all day, but oh well!

So, of course, here are more pictures. Even though most twin moms say that the babies don't really "notice" each other until about 4 months, I am always trying to force them to see each other, To no avail. But here are pics from a mommy photo shoot where I tried to force them to hang out!



And here are cute little pjs given to the twins by Aunt Christina! I just love the feet on them!


And Aunt Jen gave them these adorable summer outfits!


And look at their cute running suits!


And here are just two of the billion outfits Aunt Chrissy bought! And their first sunglasses! How cute are they??


And last, but certainly not least, Jake has been a bit constipated! So this onesie, from Crazy Aunt Chrissy, says it all! Look at the size of his thighs!


Enjoy,

Erica and Eric

Mother's Day

It's my first Mother's Day. I spent a lot of time thinking about what exactly Mother's Day means to me. Even as the day progressed yesterday, I had to stop and remind myself that it was my day too now. I guess its still hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that I'm somebody's mom. 2 somebody's!

One year ago, I didn't even know if I would ever be a mom. We knew at that point that for us, IVF would be our only good chance at having kids. And that was a very daunting thought for us.

I don't want to take away from any other moms in the world, but there is something so special about Mother's Day for someone who battled infertility. I think it's because you are faced with the realization that you might NOT be able to have kids, and that makes you realize how truly truly much you want to be a parent. Most people just have a fun night at home, and boom! They are expecting. It's easy and seamless. They don't have to pay anyone, don't have to go through shots and surgery and all kinds of medical intervention. It's just all very normal and natural and every woman's god given right.

Not true for someone battling infertility. We had to go through such a long and hard process to get to the point where we were pregnant, that I feel like it means so much more to me. All the shots, the surgery, the retrieval, the transfer, the fears, the cost, the wait. It makes you really think about what it means to you to be a parent. Nothing makes you realize how much you want something like the thought of not being able to have that something.

And now I look and see two of the most perfect beautiful babies in the world. And I am so thankful for the amazing doctors at RMA who helped make me and Eric's dream come true. I'm so thankful to my parents who basically paid for us to go through the process. I'm so thankful that my body was able to carry those fatties to 36w3d.

Mother's Day is probably the hardest day in the world for those who battle infertility. Everywhere you look, people are celebrating something that seems like a God given right, and yet you aren't able to get there easily. And it sucks. So my Mother's Day wish is that all the women in the world who really want a baby are able to have one.

I know how lucky Eric and I are. As overwhelming as IVF was, it worked for us the first time we tried. 2 embryos in, 2 babies out! Can't ask for better than that! And I'm thankful every day for all our friends, all our support, our amazing families that saw us through that difficult and emotional time.

So I guess Mother's Day to me is so much more than just a day to celebrate my mother, or have my kids celebrate me. It's more than a day where I expect to be pampered and get flowers or breakfast in bed. It's a day for me to celebrate my kids, and how lucky and happy I am to have them; a day to celebrate modern medicine, that made it possible for me to have my babies; a day to celebrate my parents, who helped make my wish of having kids possible. So Happy Mother's Day to all you mother's out there. Really take the time to appreciate what a blessing having children is, because although it seems like everyone is having babies all the time and it is the easiest thing in the world to have a child, it's not that easy for everyone.

And of course, I can't finish any post without pictures of the kids! Here are pictures from celebrating Mother's Day at Grandma's house!

The babies are fat!

Well, We had our 1 month doctor's appointment yesterday, and boy have they grown! Jake went from 6lbs 2oz to a whopping 8lbs 10oz! and Hailey went from 5lbs 10oz to 7lbs 8oz ... We love these little chunks!

Otherwise, doctor's appointment went fine. Everyone is on schedule. Jake is eating like no one's business! He's downing like 6oz a feeding! Hailey is trying to watch her figure, so she's eating closer to around 4.5oz ... Remember, she is concerned about the size of her butt!

Next doctor's appt is at 2 months, and then they get some shots. That is not going to be fun!

Besides that, they are doing well at night. Still waking every four hours, but I'm getting about 6-7 hours of sleep a night, in 2.5 hr stretches. It's not too bad.

So no post would be complete without new pictures!

Here are Hailey and Jake when we took them to the park. Love the clothes!

Hailey and Jake's Great Grandma came to visit, and that was fun!


Here's a picture of the little buddies holding hands!


And Mommy and Daddy posing with their little miracles!



Enjoy!

Erica and Eric

Still alive ...

Hi everyone! Eric and I are still hanging in there! It's been a bit crazy, as expected, but a lot of fun as well. The babies are thriving and growing, and really getting fat! There next doctor's appt is Monday the 7th, so we are excited to see how much weight they gained! I can't believe tomorrow is their 1 month birthday! time sure is flying!

Eric is back at work, and Grandma Kanzler came for a week to help out. Plus Aunt Michele, Aunt Nicole and Aunt Christina all came to visit! Boy do those twins love being held!

Needless to say, Mom is very nervous about next week when she is on her own! But it will be fine!

Anyway, lots of new pics for you! It's amazing how much these babies seem to change on a daily basis! Click on any of the pics below to see all their new pictures. They all link to the same place ...

We have some pics of the #1 Mets Fan! Check out the awesome bat that Jake was given by his Uncle Anthony!



And some pics from their first baths in their tubs! No more sponge baths for them!


And here is Hailey in her "Does this diaper make my butt look big" onesie!


Enjoy!

Erica and Eric