So Complete

There is no other place in the world that I would rather be these days then right inside the walls of this home. We have been having an amazing time just loving on these boys. Mom and Dad (Grandma and Grandpa) came last Thursday from Minnesota to help and they have been so amazing. I am trying to prepare myself for the emotional turmoil I will go through when they leave on Sunday!
They are completely in love with their new grandsons and their faces truly light up when the boys start crying and need arms to hold them. Mom and Dad take off running for the nursery to pick them up any chance they get. Our boys aren't getting spoiled at all!
Our days have been busy - but overall are going really well. The boys are eating every three hours or so with a longer stretch of 4 or so hours at night. They seem to be on pretty much the same schedule so that helps us a lot!
I wish I could explain the way it feels every time I pick one of them up out of their cribs. I bury my face into their necks and just breathe them in. I kiss and kiss and kiss their faces and just can't get enough. They have captivated me completely and I can't believe that I am their mother!
There are so many things about them that I am learning and that I adore. I love how they stretch their little bodies when you go to their crib and unzip their sleep sacks. I love how they grunt as they are eating. I love the way they look so deep into our eyes and listen to all that we have to say. I love how they kick their feet when they're having their diaper changed. I love the way they sigh when they sit in the tub of warm water for their bath. There are just so many things about them...and they are changing every day!
Oooh... they are just so loved!

My Life

It is amazing how incredibly different my life now is from my life in early December. The days of bed rest - laying in bed all day, taking naps, watching movies, reading books, eating lots of food
(okay, that's still the same!)... Now I rejoice when I am able to sit down on the couch for a few minutes or have the time to stuff something in my face before I'm off to tackle dirty dishes, laundry, diapers, crying babies, hungry tummies...
I wouldn't trade a minute of these past couple days with Ethan and Grayson. I LOVE having them both home where they belong. It has been so great to get to know them on our own, to see and touch them whenever we want to, to not watch monitors to see their oxygen levels every time we feed them a bottle, to plump down on a comfy couch in our house to snuggle with them, to lay in our bed and hear their grunts coming from the nursery. It has been amazing. I want to capture every single minute of it and just soak it all in.
This morning Chris and I were preparing their food for the day (I have been exclusively pumping and feeding them bottles as that was what they were used to in the NICU) and Chris said that before long all these bottles would be a distant memory. I'm getting teary just thinking about that! (Sappy mother!)
More pictures to come. I need to make time to just get the camera out and snap away before these days pass and I have nothing to document it all.
THANK you ALL for your excitement for us. I can't wait till the day you can all get your hands on them and snuggle them yourselves.
Mom and Dad - just two days until you get your turn! Can't wait! Uncle Schmood - just a little over a week for you!

Our First Night Together

We are all here tonight under one roof - a family of four. I have thought of this day for so long and wondered when it would come. I remember laying in our bed on bed rest thinking about all that had to take place between then and the time that we would hold them in our arms and have them here at home. I remember being a bit nervous thinking of all the uncertainties that lied ahead - When would I go into labor? How would they come into this world? How healthy would they be? How long would they have to stay in the hospital? And so on, and so on, and so on...
My heart is full tonight as I walk into that nursery and gaze upon those two cribs with the names Ethan and Grayson above them and I see each crib filled with a precious little baby boy. There are no words to describe my emotions today as our little Grayson joined us here.
Just a few minutes ago Chris and I were enjoying a few quiet minutes together when Ethan started to cry. In a few minutes he had Grayson going right along with him. I just had to laugh! Again now it is quiet - but I am sure that there are many wild moments that lie ahead!
Let the journey begin.

Ethan is on the left and Grayson is on the right.

Boys with full bellies.

A complete family of four.

I can barely stand it!!!

Chris is on his way to pick up Grayson. Ethan is sound asleep getting all rested up before the big reunion with his brother. I am so excited I think I might burst! Pictures to come of the big homecoming!!! I am such an overjoyed, blessed, thankful mother! My entire family will be home. Oh goodness - now I'm crying!

Already a Month Old!

It is so hard to believe that our little men have already passed their one month mark. It made me realize that I need to get caught up on their baby books before a year passes and I have nothing done!
We are still set for Mr. Baby B Grayson to join us here at home tomorrow. I can't even believe it! It is going to be so incredible to have both of my boys here together. I am going to lay them side by side and just let them reconnect after this week apart. I am sure that they miss each other!
Our week with Ethan has been just awesome. It has been nice for Chris and I to get into a bit of a groove with him. We have been learning all about his personality, noises, eating habits, sleeping habits, etc. He has been a really good baby so far! He has been sleeping great at night and only waking about every 4 hours to eat. During the day he is eating every 3. We took him to the pediatrician for the first time yesterday and the little chunk now weighs 7 lb. 5 oz.! He gained 10 oz. just since leaving the NICU this past Monday. Yeah Ethan! I have just been smothering him in kisses this week...I just can't help it!
Chris went to visit Grayson yesterday morning and he was weighing in at 6 lb. 15 oz. I can't wait to see him tomorrow and hold him in my arms. I am so proud of both of them and the weight that they've gained. It also makes me realize though that they are going to keep on gaining and changing - it is inevitable...they will grow up! I just want to capture them right now and never forget a bit about how they look, sound, smell. I know that it will pass all too quickly.
Here are a few pictures taken of Ethan this morning. You can guarantee there will be some pictures taken tomorrow when my second son comes home!

Settling In

These past few days have been so much fun. Chris and I have been able to get into the groove a little bit and see what life is like with one little guy. Once Grayson comes home I am sure he will shake it all up and throw us for a loop!

I went to visit Grayson yesterday. He now weighs 6 lb. 11 oz.! I just couldn't stop kissing his chubby little cheeks. I was able to feed him and hold him for an hour and a half. It did this mother's heart good. As long as he continues to behave he should be coming home with us on Sunday! It will be something to truly be a family of four and start this journey together.

Ethan is doing great and being a really good baby! I will admit that I have had moments of panic realizing that I am the mother to this child and he is totally in the care of his daddy and myself! There are no nurses, no doctors, no monitors here...and I am still adjusting to that! Overall though I think that Chris and I are handling it just fine. He seems content and happy for the most part, but I know he'll be loving it when his brother joins him here in a few days.

I also wanted to give the status on visitors for right now. Chris and I received a very strong word of caution from the Neonatologist before we took Ethan home on Monday. She told us that she strongly recommends that we do not take the boys out of the house, except for Dr. visits, until the end of winter. She also told us that it would be wise to limit the visitors that we have through the winter months as well. There are many reported cases of colds, influenza, and the flu going around. The fear is that the boys would come down with something that could possibly turn into RSV. Chris and I just aren't willing to risk it. These little guys have been through enough this past month and now we just want them to grow and get to be strong, crazy boys! We have decided to limit our visitors to just the adult members of our immediate family for at least another month to six weeks. This is difficult for us to do because we know that everyone is excited to meet them (and we are excited to show them off!) - but we just don't want to be foolish in our decision making and have any regrets later for not taking precautions. Chris and I are washing our hands like crazy here. I have the chapped hands to prove it!

Thank you for your understanding and patience. Soon enough these boys will be out and about with us back in the groove and enjoying life - but for now I will try to do better at getting some pictures of them on here!

Here are a couple of Ethan's big day home!

I love the excited look on his face about seeing his home for the first time! :)

A full belly and a little bouncer time. I love his little bare foot!

"Mom - enough already!"

ETHAN IS HOME!!!!

Ethan Douglas came home today! Yesterday Chris and I roomed in at the hospital and had him with us in our room for the night. He did so well and we were able to get six hours of sleep! Grayson needs a little more time to catch up to his brother - but we are hoping that in the next week or so he will also be coming home to stay. He is doing really well - so please don't think his extended stay means that he is sick - he is truly just a slobby eater and needs to work on pacing himself during his feedings and not trying to inhale it all at once! :)
I am so proud of these little guys and the incredible progress that they have made over the past four weeks. They are tough little guys and they were in amazing hands with the incredible nurses and doctors that they had. We are so thankful.
It just feels so amazing to be at this point. To think back to all that we have gone through to get these little guys here - and now to be carrying them into their home to begin our life together as a family. It is an amazing feeling.
Thank you for continued thoughts and prayers. Please keep them coming forever and always!

Going Private

Things here continue to go really well. I won't go into all the nitty gritty details - but the boys are catching on to this whole "life outside the womb" thing and doing great! They are making huge progress and I can't believe how far they've come since December 15th! It shouldn't be too much longer before they join us at home.

I love them so incredibly much. I never knew it was possible! I still look at them and cant' believe that they're ours. I am amazed that those two little boys fit inside of me. I can spend hours just studying them, kissing them, touching them, looking into their eyes. I don't want this infant stage to pass too quickly. They have both already gained a pound since birth so I know that there's no stopping it!

I have had so many requests for pictures and I'm sure you've all noticed the lack of them being shared. Chris and I decided after they were first born that we weren't going to share many pictures of them right away. The first reason was that I became so overly protective of them and didn't want their little faces to be posted all over the place. I felt like I just wanted to shelter and protect them and let them have their privacy. We also didn't want people to see pictures of them attached to their monitors and tubes and assume that the boys were really sick and in bad shape. (All of those tubes, lines, etc. can be overwhelming until you know what they're all for!)

I have also decided that it is time to make this blog private so that I can begin posting pictures and videos of them soon. I am going to limit the blog to family and friends just to continue to protect the privacy of our little ones. Some of you that I have met through this blog I now consider as friends, so please feel free to e-mail me.

If you would like to be invited to keep up with the blog please e-mail me at bethhardesty@hotmail.com with your e-mail address or post a comment to this entry so that I can add you. I will give it about a week or so before I make it official.

Thank you so much for your continued love, prayers, and support. What a ride all of this has been!

I'm Lovin' It

Sorry things have been so quiet here on the blogging front. This parenting stuff is full time work! The boys continue to do so well and it is hard to believe that they are almost 3 weeks old...or 37 weeks along...whatever way you want to look at it! :)
They continue to do so well and it is hard to believe the progress we have seen the past few weeks. We are learning so much in the process of them staying at the NICU. We are getting to be pros at taking temperatures, changing diapers, breast feeding, bottle feeding, burping and giving baths. Seeing them is the highlight of my day and I just can't believe they're ours!
I do look so forward to the day we will bring them home with us - but I also know that for now they are right where they need to be and we don't want to rush them home.
Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers for our family.
What an amazing time for us.