Double Blessings

The twins were christened on Sunday the 26th. It was very nice. They looked so damn cute, and they were AMAZINGLY good. It was a long day. We left our house around 10am to go up to my parents because I wanted to go over to the hall and decorate a bit. The church ceremony was at 1pm with a party right after. By the time the whole day was over we went back to my parents for a little while, and didn't get the twins home until almost 9pm. They literally did not cry all day, and barely took any naps. I was so proud of them! And they even slept a bit late the next day. Didn't get up until almost 815am, when they usually get up at 645am.

My sister and brother in-law were Hailey's godparents and my brother and Eric's sister were Jake's godparents. They were wonderful and I was so glad to be able to have them stand up for our kids. I'm not going to get up on my soapbox when it comes to the whole religion thing, but I'm glad I did the christening, if only for my mom. It was important to her that the twins were baptized, so now they are. Click on either of pics below to see all the pictures from the Christening.



Besides that, my dad's brother and his wife are visiting from Germany. They are here also with their grandson (Robin) and his cousin (Laura). It was really nice to have them be able to attend the christening.

Yesterday my mom actually babysat for the kids all day so that I could go with my brother and Robin and Laura to Great Adventure. What a fun day! It was so nice out, and it was nice not to be a mom for the day! We just ran around to all the different fun roller coasters. I have to laugh though. On the first coaster we went on, we were slowing going up the hill ready to go down the first big hill, and I was like "Maybe I shouldn't be on this. I have kids now. I need to be more responsible!" ... haha. I got over that though, and went on all the fun coasters.

On a totally different note, I can't believe I'm going back to work in about 2 weeks. I would be lying if I said I couldn't wait! Love these kids and all, but it's a lot of work!

And here are some more random pics.


Enjoy,

Erica and Eric

Look how different they look!

This post is a day late. I wanted to put it out on the 12th. August 12, 2006 they transferred 2 perfect blastocysts into my uterus. Here is the picture my doctor gave us right before they did the transfer.



Crazy right?? And one year later ... Hailey looks petrified! They do get freaked out by the camera sometimes ...



I can't believe that those blasts ended up being those kids. Holy crap that's crazy!

It's been a fun week over here. We started the cereal as you can see in the pictures. No one was a big fan of it! It was very funny to watch them try to figure out what the heck was going on ... Here is my favorite picture of Jake obviously hating the cereal.



Also I would like to send congratulations to my cousin Kristen who welcomed her little girl Mia into the world on Aug 8th and my cousin Julie who welcomed her little man John into the world today!

Lastly, I think I changed the settings so that anyone can comment on the blog, even if they don't have an account! Say hi if you are out there reading!

Enjoy,
Erica and Eric

4 month appt and stuff ...

Yesterday was the twins 4 month appt. Everything went really well. Jake is now 17lbs 15oz. Yup, 1 oz shy of 18lbs. He's my big man! He's in the 95% for weight and 90% for height. Hailey is 13lbs 2oz. She's in the 55% for height and 45% for weight. The doctor was really happy with how they are growing and doing. She was also really please with the fact that we have them sleeping through the nights in their cribs. She said that it's usually at the 4 month appt that she has to start yelling at parents to stop having their kids sleep in swings/bouncy seats/car seats/ etc and to get them into their cribs. So I'm proud of me and Eric and glad we are doing a good job.

They got their shots. Which makes me so sad cause boy do they scream! But I know they need them, and pretty much as soon as we get them back in there car seats and in the car, they fall asleep. There was some mild fussiness last night, but nothing too bad. They still went to sleep at 745pm and didn't wake me until 630am.

And the last fun piece of news from the appt is that we are starting solids! Starting with rice cereal, and then moving onto oatmeal. And after 3-4 weeks of cereal, we get to introduce the fruits and veggies. Should be exciting! I can't wait to start this next step with them. I'll make sure to post lots of pictures of them attempting to eat for the first time!

Besides that, things have been a bit crazy over here. Our AC broke for a week and a half, so we had to stay with my parents. That was a little nutty, but nice to have the extra help. We also got a nice night out at a hotel when our friends got married, and my parents babysat so that we could party and enjoy it!

I'm just getting over a cold, as is Eric. The kids did get it, but not too bad. Both of them were sniffly and coughing a bit, and Hailey had a slight temperature. But it didn't really change their demeanor too much, and they still both slept really well at night, so our first dealing with a family illness really didn't go that bad.

My last comment is that today is Aug 7th. Exactly 1 year ago, we had our egg retrieval. For those of you that aren't IVF savvy, it means that they knocked me out, and went and retrieved all the eggs that my body created from all the meds I was taking. I got 12 eggs. Of the 12 eggs, 8 of them were mature. The performed ICSI on the 8 mature eggs, to create 8 embryos. ICSI is basically taking one sperm and literally injecting it into the egg to cause fertilization. This all took place exactly one year ago today. Which means technically, today is the day that Jake and Hailey were created.

As I'm typing this, I'm watching them both in their swings side by side swaying and sleeping. They sure are beautiful. It's just the craziest thing ever! Modern medicine is so amazing. That is a real miracle.

Ok, so of course, pictures!


Enjoy!
Erica and Eric

What a difference a year makes!

One year ago it all began. Well, one year and 2 days ago. That was the first day of my shots. 1 in the morning, 2 in the evening. I remember saying to Eric that if our cycle worked, we would have a 3 month old kid or kids by this time next year. It's crazy to think that everything fell into place and we really do have 2 kids, almost 4 months old.

I remember how I cried the day that we went to our doctors and took the IVF class. They explain to you how to draw up the shots in the syringes, how to give yourself the shots, how you need to go to the doctor every other day for blood work and ultrasounds. I left that class so overwhelmed and sad. So sad that this was the way we were going to have to make our family. So scared that we would go through all of this, and there were no guarantees when all was said and done that it would even work.

I can't believe it was a year ago. It's so cliche to say "What a difference a year makes", but I can't help thinking about it, because in our case it is just so true! I still haven't even thrown out all the leftover needles and meds I have. I was afraid to throw them out when I was pregnant, because I felt like I was getting too cocky, like nothing was going to go wrong. So I left them in the house. Just in case. Then after the twins were born, I forgot about them! And I didn't really have the time ... haha.

But sometimes I open up that drawer in the bathroom and see all those needles and it takes me right back. Right back to that scary place. All the fears and worries and stress. For me, I was lucky. We tried IVF one time. We didn't even try IUI. We went right for the big guns. We got 12 eggs, 8 mature enough for fertizilation. All 8 fertilized. 2 beautiful blastocysts made it to Day 5 transfer, and 2 weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. And at my first ultrasound, twins!

One of the blogs I read said that I hit was they call "the IVF lottery". First IVF, twins, a boy and a girl. It doesn't get much better than that! And I agree. It's just hard to consider yourself lucky. A lucky person has sex with their husband and gets pregnant the first time they try. A lucky person doesn't battle infertility. But it's ok. Because maybe sometimes the end result makes the journey worthwhile.

My kids are amazing. Eric and I look at them all the time and are just like "Holy crap! We made them" ... and yes, we know that we needed a little help from the doctor. But genetically they are me and my husband and they are so beautiful and it's amazing! So I keep reflecting on what a difference a year makes. I honestly don't think I would change the journey it took for us to get here. I think it some ways it brought me and my husband closer to go through this together. It made us really evaluate how much we wanted a family. And it grounds us on the days when we want to run away from the twins when they are driving us up the wall. Without fail, one of us will look at the other and say "Just remember how much we wanted this". And we do. We remember. Especially a year later.

I want to congratulate my fellow bloggers who got BFPs (big fat positives on their pregnancy tests) recently. Your exciting journey has just begun!

And of course, no post would be complete without some pictures of the babies!






Enjoy!
Erica and Eric

I'm a slacker ...

I know I haven't updated in a while. Yeah, it's a bit busy around here. It's good and bad. The good is that they are sleeping longer and longer at night. They usually go down around 830pm and wake up around 630am. Yeah for 8 straight hours of them asleep! The bad is that all that sleep at night is allowing them to stay up more during the day. It's tough, because that aren't really able to "play" yet, so it's a round robin of the swing, the bouncy seat, the play mat, and then we start all over again. Nothing holds their interest for all that long. So it's tiring on me. I used to be able to get a lot done during the day because they slept so much. Now it's these little half hour cat naps, and then are beckoning for attention again. I love them to death, but boy does it get to be a lot.

I actually am really looking forward to going back to work. I'm sure that isn't a very popular opinion among moms. After wanting to get pregnant so bad, you would think I would be dying to stay home with them. Not so much really! haha. They are great and fun and wonderful, but I miss being smart. I miss using my brain and going to meetings and being creative and actually doing web development. I NEVER thought I would miss work. But I do! I miss adults and adult talk, I miss lunch hours where I am allowed to eat. I miss showering and getting dressed every day. Its HARD to be a mom that stays home all day. I give SAHMs a lot of credit. I just don't think it was meant for me. And being in the computer industry, it's not like I can take a few years off and go back and suddenly just pick up where I left off. The technology changes so quickly. I would lose my position, my sslary, it wouldn't be easy to go back. I'm sure I am going to be so sad when I first drop them off at Christina's, but I know they will be treated wonderfully by her. So I have no worries about that. But I think I will be a better mom for making sure that I don't lose a part of myself that is pretty important to me. I actually like my career.

Ok, enough of that boring stuff! More pics!

The kids had a very busy 4th of July week. Monday we had a visit with my friend Aimee and her two kids, Alexis and Cooper, ages 5 and 3. Then Tuesday me and my mom took the kids down to my sisters shore house. They were so good, and we even brought them on the beach and set up there little tent and put their car seats in it, and they just happily hung out. Here's a cute pic of them on the beach.


Then on the 4th we had a picnic at my parents house with Eric's parents and aunt and uncle. It was very funny and the twins wore cute 4th of July suits.

Then on Thursday Aunt Jen came to visit so the twins could meet their cousin Gracyn who is about 2.5 months older than them. It was very surreal for me and Jen to sit there and look at all the kids who we didn't have in our lives 1 year ago!

Then on Friday me and Eric got a nice break and went back to my sisters shore house, without the kids, who stayed with Grandma and Opa! It was very fun! We hung out on the beach, drank, went to dinner, drank, etc. It was nice to feel like we had a day that wasn't fully centered around diapers and bottles.

So that's the update from the twins front. I decided to do a nice little photo shoot today, so here are some cute pics. I can't get enough of these kids!



And just when you decided its all dress-up and no fun over at our house, here is a picture of Jake with his special binky Aunt Chrissy bought him!


Enjoy!
Erica and Eric

More cute pics

The twins seem to be growing quicker and quicker. I can't believe that they were 5 and 5 1/2 lbs when they were born. I swear that Jake is over 15 lbs now! I remember when they looked so so small in the bathtub ... but now Jake looks like he barely fits in it. And they are out growing their clothes so quickly! All the adorable 3 month outfits we got for Jake won't even come close to fitting on him right now? Hailey is still my little peanut, and she is still fitting in her 3 month clothes though ... so that's good.

We've had a lot of visitors lately. My cousins came over to see the kids last Friday. They hadn't seen them since the day after they were born, so what a difference!




Then this Friday Michele and Michael came over and my friend Nicole with her 2 year old, Lilly. There was one moment where Hailey was in the swing asleep, Jake was in the bouncy seat next to her, Micheal was in the bouncy seat next to him, and Lilly was in a portable high chair next to him. Michele and Nicole and I all went to high school together, and it was just a surreal moment for us to see our kids all lined up together. Oh how the times change ...

And those Bumbo seats are the funniest things ever! We tried putting the kids in them, and Jakes fat legs barely fit!




Does everyone remember Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr Seuss's the Cat in the Hat? Well, here is our version ...


And lastly, here is such a cute picture of Opa (German for Grandpa) kissing Hailey ... I just love it!


It's been overwhelming lately. Twins are SO much work. It's just non-stop. And the kids are definitely having more awake time, and they aren't napping on the same schedule, so when one falls asleep, the other one is waking up. I can't wait for the weekends so that Eric is here with me to help out. People always ask me how the heck I feed them at the same time, so I got a picture. Yes, I do have my hands full. Was life really that bad without kids??


That's a joke. I couldn't love them more if I tried.

Enjoy the pics!
Erica and Eric

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