A New Year

Our new year had a great start!  Grandma stayed and played for the first week.;)

On the 11th, our little angels turned 4 months old.:)

Katherine:

Weight: 8 lbs. 3 oz.  (less than 1%, less than 1% adjusted)

Height: 20.5 inches (less than 1%, less than 1% adjusted)

Head: 15.5 inches (less than 1%, 54% adjusted)

Kaden:

Weight:10 lbs. 14 oz. (less than 1% )

Height: 23.3 inches (less than 1% )

Head: 16 inches (14% )

Here are a few sweet pictures from the rest of our month.:)

I love these sweet gowns from my mom.

"For this child I have prayed..."

I love this sweet picture.  They were getting some snuggles from Daddy at the pulmonologists' office.

This picture makes me laugh...Katherine LOVES bath time!

I snapped this screenshot one morning during FaceTime with Grandpa.  We started most mornings with FaceTime with Grandpa singing them a "Good Morning" song. It melts my heart.;) Katherine was clearly mesmerized by it all.:)

Enjoying some play time on their mat...

I caught a sweet smile on camera...

My sweet friend Carrie made these onesies for them... LOVE! I think it's cute how Kaden is "pushing" her out of the way.:)

I think I'll need more of these in many sizes!!!  Love these two little munchkins!:)

Sweet Katherine,

There are no words to express how much we love you!  You are such a sweet little girl!  You have started smiling so much this month and we love every second of it! You have discovered so many things that you love this month.  You love baths, sitting in your Bumbo, and grabbing toys.  Mornings are your favorite time. In fact, we think you'd start your day around 3 a.m. every day if we let you!:)  You are SO happy when we come get you each morning out of your crib.  You have found your hands and you think they are pretty cool.  You are getting SO strong. You are a pro at holding up your head.  Every day, you do something new!  We love you!

Love,

Mama and Daddy

Sweet Kaden, 

You LOVE to cuddle!  When we hold you, you just smile and coo the whole time.  We never want to put you down! You are VERY laid back and content most of the time.  Just like your sister, you are doing a great job holding up your head.  We have started noticing that your hair is really starting to look red.  We both have "redheads" in our family, so we can't wait to see if you will be one too! You love your hands and you LOVE your pacifier! Our favorite thing that you have started doing this month is holding your sisters' hand.  When you are next to her, you always reach for it.  When you are nursing, you always reach across and grab her hand and you hold it the entire time.  It never fails to melt mama's heart...We love that you love your sister. We love you little guy...so very much.

Love,

Mama and Daddy

The Best Christmas EVER!!!

At the beginning of December, Karson wanted to play around a little with his camera.  He hasn't had a chance to do any editing, but I thought some of them were pretty sweet.;)  

I think this one is hilarious!  Kaden is cross-eyed and Katherine is crying.:)

Here are some other sweet pictures from December.  We took this after the morning that Kaden slept his first 4 hour stretch at night.:) 

"Aunt" Alli came to help me one day with the babies.  She has twins and has been SO helpful with everything.  She gave me SO many great tips when she came to help. She stole some sweet snuggles with Miss Katherine.:)

This is another cute picture of "Mommy's BIG guy."  I was so excited that I captured his smile on camera. Kaden has started smiling daily, and his smile just lights up the room!  His first smile was on December 13, and it was while he was helping me do laundry.  I'm hoping he continues his love of household chores.:) 

"Aunt" Haylee came over one day so that we could go on a walk and brought her sweet new little boy Knox.  We weren't supposed to have Katherine and Kaden around any other children, but we figured another new baby would be OK. He seemed to have a little crush...she's not that into him yet.:)

Later in December, Rae, one of my best friends, drove in from Oklahoma to help for a few days. She worked in the NICU for several years, so she was a huge help!  She cooked, cleaned, changed diapers, helped with feedings, and watched babies so I could run errands. It was wonderful!  

Rae discovered Kaden's favorite way to sleep...with his monkey on his face. :)

My sweet Aunt Linda also came for a few days and it was wonderful! I somehow forgot to take a picture!!!;(

On December 11, our little sweeties turned 3 months old!  Kaden weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz. and Katherine weighed 6 lbs.

In the middle of December, Grandpa flew in from Cali for Christmas.  Since we weren't able to take the babies out to visit Santa, my sweet friend Megan let us borrow her Santa suit.  Grandpa enjoyed dressing as Santa, and as my sweet friend Alli said, they will NEVER have a Santa who loves them more.;)

Santa's little helpers :)

Granny bought them these cute Naughty and Nice bibs.:)

And then, of course, no Santa's lap experience is complete without the "crying on Santa's lap" picture.:)

On Christmas morning, they were SO excited to see Snug Seats from Grandma and Grandpa and a Giant Elephant and Lion from Santa.  :) 

Have I mentioned how much I love these two little Santa bums?!?!

Katherine and Kaden's first Christmas was also their first Snow Day.  They spent most of the day cuddling with Grandpa and Grandma, enjoying the view of the snow on the back porch.:)

They also enjoyed a few snuggles with Mama and Daddy.:)

Later, we decided to get out our snow suits from Grammy and venture outside.

They were SO huge on them!  In fact, we kept them in their swaddle and THEN put them in their snow suits!;)

So fun!

At the end of December, we played dress up one last time.:)

When we found out we were pregnant, my mom gave me the "going home" outfit I wore home along with the one that they bought for me to wear if I had been a boy.  It was so fun putting them in them now that they finally fit.

Sweet Katherine,

We adore you baby girl!  You are becoming more and more alert every day.  You love to lay on your side and just look at your surroundings. Your favorite place to rest is by the Christmas tree.  You love the lights! You often sleep with one eye halfway open.  Your Daddy and I think it's because you don't want to miss anything.:) You have started liking your playmat for short periods of time, which is great.:) December was a HUGE month for you! Cook Children's came to pick up your heart rate and respiratory monitor, which was SO wonderful!  December was also a huge month when it came to your feedings.  You still nurse at each feeding, but because you were getting stronger and stronger each day, we were gradually able to drop a few bottle feedings each day.  By the end of December, since you were maintaining your weight, you were only needing a bottle after half of your feedings each day. Mama hardly knew what to do with all that free time!:)  You have started smiling a little.  We can't tell if you are actually smiling at us or not, but we still love every minute of it! When you are not happy, you have two very distinct cries.  One is a very high-pitched LOUD cry and the other sounds like you are talking to us.;) Katherine, you are our favorite baby girl in all the world!  We love being your parents.  We pray that you always love God, your family, and your friends.  We pray that you find opportunities to serve people wherever you go.  We couldn't be more proud of you, our sweet little miracle!

Love,

Mama and Daddy

Precious Kaden,

You are such a joy!  We could look at your sweet smile and listen to your sweet cooing all day long.  Like your sister, you LOVE the Christmas tree and you have started liking your playmat as well. You have really started tracking things more with your eyes and you have started responding more to sounds around you. You LOVE your pacifier, especially when you are sleepy.  Sweet boy, you have the kindest and gentlest personality.  You love to cuddle and you are happiest when you are snuggling with someone.  You have really started to become interested in your sister.  We started tandem nursing some this month and you just stare at your sister the entire time.  It's pretty cute.:)  We pray that you two are the  best of friends and that you love each other, encourage each other, and hold each other accountable.  You are such a blessing to us!  In fact, we think you and your sister are the best Christmas presents ever!!! We couldn't be more proud of you, our sweet little miracle!

Love,

Mama and Daddy

So very thankful...

We ended the month of October with some sweet weekly pictures of our babies. This was the first one with them both home!!!

And then they snuggled a little in their matching outfits from Grandma.:)

I was determined to dress them as Thing 1 and Thing 2 for Halloween, even though the smallest red pajamas that I could find were WAY too big.  My sweet friend Alli gave me the supplies to make the wigs and then my sweet friend Rachel made them.  

Of course, we had to take a few pictures before we took a decent one.  I sometimes think the outtakes are even cuter! Katherine was NOT a fan of the wig...:) 

Kaden was clearly embarrassed by his sister's behavior. :)

In November, they had their two month appointment.  

Katherine:

Weight: 5 lbs.  (less than 1%, less than 1% adjusted)

Height: 17.8 inches (less than 1%, 4% adjusted)

Head: 13.8 inches (less than 1%, 71% adjusted)

Kaden:

Weight: 6 lbs. 11 oz. (less than 1%, 34% adjusted)

Height: 19.5 inches (less than 1%, 53% adjusted)

Head: 14.8 inches (14%, 99% adjusted)

We started doing tummy time on the floor instead of on our chest and Kaden and Katherine were not a fan! They always seemed to "cuddle" while they did it.  It's as if they were comforting each other.:)

Grandpa came to visit when Katherine first came home and they very quickly became big buddies.  He seemed to have the magic touch when it came to soothing her. 

November 14th was their original due date.   Poor sweet Kaden got circumcised AND had his Synagis shot to celebrate. :( He did get some sweet snuggles from Daddy though while we were at the appointments. 

Katherine celebrated her due date by going to the opthamologist. :) She had been diagnosed with Retinopathy of Prematurity and they had to check and see how she was doing. Even though she was NOT a fan of the eye exam, her eyes looked good, and we were really thankful that she didn't have to have surgery. 

Every November, we always celebrate Thanksgiving and we take extra time to remember all of the things for which we are thankful.  This November, we were especially thankful for our first month together as a family of four! Having them home was truly the best feeling in the world and we LOVED not having the fast paced and exhausting busy NICU schedule.  People would laugh when we told them that we finally could relax and get more rest, but it was SO true!  Grandma came to visit the week before Thanksgiving and we all enjoyed her visit.

Grandma brought some sweet little turkey outfits for our little turkeys.:)

Gramps and Granny drove in for Thanksgiving Day and got some good snuggle time with Katherine and Kaden. Katherine spent quite a bit of time sleeping on Gramps' chest.  So sweet...

Kaden enjoyed Gramps' lap as well...

A little double snuggle time...

After all of our Thanksgiving guests left, sweet Dottie, a friend from church, came over to help with babies one day.  She offered to hold both babies, so I had to snap a quick picture.:) It was so nice to have help!

Here are a few sweet pictures from the end of November.  I had to snap one last picture of Kat in one of my favorite pajamas before they got any tighter!:)

My sweet friend Miranda sent me this picture and it just melted my heart.  Her precious son Ranger prayed for our sweeties at preschool.  So sweet!

I had to include this one last picture.  This was my sweet view for much of the day each day when they both wanted to be held.:)  Love these two so much...   

Sweet Kaden,

You are such a joy.  We just love you so much!  November was a big month for you.  By the end of the month, you had really become a very content little guy.  You   are starting to smile, and although we can't tell if you are smiling at us or not, we love every minute! You also make the most adorable little kissy face when we hold you. In the last few weeks, you have really started to like being on your tummy.  You are becoming so much stronger and you can even lift your head up for a little while when you are on your tummy.  You still eat every 3 hours, but you now eat about 80 ml per feeding.  You still nurse and then take a bottle at every feeding, but we are starting to drop the bottle after one feeding per day.  It may not seem like much, but we (especially mama!) are so glad that you are making progress with your feedings. You always want to hold mama's hair while you nurse, which is so very sweet.   You are becoming more and more alert every day, especially during diaper changes. You HATE those!!!  You love to be sprawled out on your back after you have been fed.    You have become a pretty laid back little dude.:)  We pray so many things for you, our sweet son.  We pray that you will grow up to be a kind man - a man who loves his family, friends, and most importantly, the Lord. We pray that God gives us the wisdom to be the best parents we can possibly be for you.  We are so proud of you and love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Daddy and Mama

Sweet Katherine,

You are proof that good things come in small packages!  We are amazed by you.  In fact, you are our hero. You are so strong and have had to go through so much. We are SO proud to be your parents. November was a big month for you as well.  You started having more awake time and you have really started showing us your personality.  Everybody who sees you comments on how alert and wide-eyed you are. You watch everything and everyone. You love to be curled up on your side in someone's (preferably Grandpa's) lap. You absolutely hate noise and lights, so we try as hard as we can to follow your rules.:) By the end of November, we had finally figured out some ways to help you be more comfortable.  Your poor little tummy just didn't want to cooperate!  You still nurse and then take a bottle every 3 hours, but you are now eating 1 1/2 ounces.  That is a huge accomplishment for you!  Now, if we could only figure out a way for you to keep some of it down so you can gain a little weight.:)  You are starting to really like diaper changes, which is good, because you really dislike being dirty or wet.:)  You are starting to tolerate tummy time a little better, and you are starting to try to lift your head a little.  Sweet Katherine,  we are so excited to see more and more of your personality each day.  We pray that God gives us guidance as we raise you.  We also pray that you always know how much we love you and how proud we are of you.  You bless us daily with your sweet cuddles.  We love you to the moon and back!

Love, 

Daddy and Mama