First sponge bath

Since the girls umbilical chords were still attached we needed to sponge bathe them for the first couple of weeks. It's scary when they're so little. You want to do everything right. You want to use the right products, wash the right areas the right way. We practiced in the hospital but having them home was a different story. We studied by watching youtube videos just to make sure.

 

Charity

 Harmony

They are such calm, sweet, content little babies. I love them so, so much!!! They are my little miracle angel babies. I cannot get over it!
Another shout out to my mom for coming and living with us. She was only going to stay for four weeks at first. After two weeks I started freaking out. I knew I wasn't ready for her to leave. She woke up with me at nights to help with feedings Sunday night through Wednesday night. Chuck worked four tens so he had Friday through Sundays off. He got up with me Thursday through Saturday nights.

Visitors within the first month

My sweet friend Karly came into town and got to meet my sweet girls.

 The Millers. Our girls love their cousins. I haven't taken enough pics with their cousins on Chucks side whom they love as well.

 My bestie from the choir, AnneMarie. (My friend Kirsten from the choir came over to meet the girls as well.)

 My sweet friend Katie and her daughter.

 My niece Mia. My mother in law and sisters in laws came over with their kids. Mia LOVED helping with the baths.

 Andrea came into town from Cali

 and brought her nieces (who have twin siblings of their own) and Mom, Sue.

 My Aunt Ellen and cousin Sherrie

We also had a number of great friends from our neighborhood stop by. I had one embarassing moment. A couple from the neighborhood came over one night that Chuck and I were getting ready to go out together. (My mom was going to babysit.) I hopped in the shower. When I was getting dressed I heard a baby crying. I came out in my undies to ask if I had a hungry baby and there they were. WOOPS! Luckily he's a retired cop who learned to look away when someone enters a room. The wife was the only one who saw. They were really great about it and we all had a good laugh.
We love, love, love our friends and family who are so loving, supportive, and want to play such an active role in our little girls lives.

Buying a Minivan

Since neither of our vehicles could fit two rear facing car seats Chuck and I knew we needed a new vehicle. We went car shopping on a couple different occasions but we were waiting to get a little closer to my due date. Little did we know my due date would change so drastically. Chuck went shopping on Columbus day to trade his jeep in for a much more responsible automobile.

Chuck and his jeep aka "his baby". He bought it back in 1999. It was his first and only vehicle. It was harder for him to trade it in than he thought. He's so great.

 The new van. I stayed home with the babies but I made him take me for a test drive once he knew he liked this one. He and I were both shocked he settled on a beige van. My car is beige and he has always hated it. When you buy used you have little choice though. It's an 06 with all the bells and whistles. We love it. We settled on a Sienna over the Odyssey because it has more than enough leg room for him. That RARELY ever happens.

We love our van. It is so nice. I love being able to open the doors with the remote. The seats are so accessible to put the car seats in. It's such a smooth ride with so much storage space. We love it!

Chuck double bottle feeding

Let's just say feeding our little miracles was a little complicated. I decided to nurse my little miracles at the same time. It was all made possible with "The Brest Friend" twin size pillow. Chuck borrowed it to feed both babies a bottle. :) My doctor instructed me to nurse the babies, then bottle feed and then pump. It was a two hour process every 3-4 hours. Luckily I had my mom and Chuck there to help with bottle feedings and getting things setup each time.

I love nursing them at the same time. It's a bonding experience between each baby and I and a bonding experience for the babies. They hold hands and look and talk to each other. It is THE sweetest thing to watch. I love my girls! I love that their dad is such a loving, amazing husband. I hear stories of men who won't change diapers, etc. Chuck is such a capable, loving father. He loves his girls. I have the BEST little family ever. :)

Cribs and bedding

When Chuck and I were creating our baby registries we couldn't find any cribs or bedding in our price range that we liked. Chuck talked it over with his dad (who is a finished carpenter) and they decided to make the cribs. I decided to make the bedding.

My parents were in town this summer. I borrowed a pattern from a friend. Chuck and I picked out all of the fabric. I found out I am super picky. We tried about five stores, and all kind of websites. I finally found fabrics I loved at Pineneedles (in Gardner Village). I bought some of the fabrics I found for cheaper online. My mom helped me get things started.

I was about 6 1/2 months pregnant. I just got home from working out with my trainer. Don't judge. :) 



 

 

 

Chuck's dad Gordon. He has an amazing shop at his house. Chuck drove down to Orem to work with him in it.

 

 

My dad was even able to go and help out one of the nights. Chuck went down one evening a week. He went on Thursday nights when I was in choir. Gordon did get some of the things done on his own though. They are talented woodworking men!

A few weeks later: working on the bedskirt. Sewing

Ironing

Ta Da! The finished bedskirt.

The day we brought the girls home from the hospital the cribs got all set up. We set one crib up in our bedroom. They slept there for their first six weeks.  

 

 Chuck is in jail.

 Gordon setting things up. The second crib got setup in their nursery. We moved them into the nursery at six weeks. They shared a crib for the first three months.

 Chuck's mom Carol helping get things setup. Don't judge by the mess in the background.

 My mom left me to finish the rest of the bedding on my own. :) The babies approved. They're so sweet!!! I'm a little nervous for them to be home. It's a whole new ball game.

The finished products. Didn't they turn out amazingly??? I LOVE IT!!!

So beautiful! Our hard work paid off!

Harmony's Crib with the aztec print on the bumper and the paisley print in the skirt.

Charity's crib. The bedskirt and the bumper pads fabric was opposite of Harmony's. The sheet fabric was the same on both.

 We got the walls painted as well. The nursery still needs work before it's finished. I'll blog about the whole room once I get some of the prints made.

 Sweet Harmony waking up from a nap (4 1/2 months)

 Sweet Charity (same day)

I love my girls! I feel so, so blessed!

We're so lucky and blessed to have such amazing, supportive, talented parents. We owe Gordon HUGE for donating so much of his time and equipment for making the cribs possible. They turned out exactly how I described. They are sturdy and are better quality than any of our other furniture. They can transition to toddler beds and twin size beds also. They'll have these cribs forever. :)

Visitors in the hospital

Don't you love technology? I'm going to consider my sister, Denisha, her family and my dad visitors via ipad. :) Chuck was a big fan.

 My mother in law Carol and sister in law Rosanne.

 My friend Tracy.

 Friends Dayna and Blake

 Sister in law Amber and her three kids Seth, Ben and Ainsley.

 Brother in law Austin and Mia

 with sister in law Rosanne and Alyssa.

 I didn't get pictures of my sweet Aunt Ellen or my amazing visiting teachers (who let us borrow her minivan to take the girls home) or my father in law Gordon. We have such sweet, loving family and friends.

We were in the hospital for five days: Tuesday October 2 (10-2-12) through Saturday October 6th. We listened to general conference in the car on our way home. Our friends Dennis, Sarah and their daughter Maggie visited us to watch conference together as well.
It worked out perfect that my six months maternity leave from the choir would end JUST in time for April conference. I'm glad I only had to miss October.

Birth of Harmony Ruth and Charity Ava

I know I already blogged the birth story on my last blog but I just wanted to do a recap on my new blog and move on from here. :)

I had the girls in Murray at the Intermountain Medical Center. They are really well equipped for high risk pregnancies. I was considered high risk because of the twins. The pregnancy was perfect aside from my swollen feet. My delivery was planned for October 16. My doctor didn't want me to carry the girls longer than 38 weeks. I got a call from my nurse on October 1st however. She said because of my high blood pressure, swelling and protein in my urine (all signs of hypertension) I needed to deliver the next day. I freaked out a little. My mom wasn't flying in until the 9th. We weren't ready at all. I called Chuck who I didn't reach for another couple of hours. I then called my mom who changed her flight and was able to make it in that very same night to be there at the hospital with us. Luckily my mother in law, Carol, and sister in law Rosanne were already planning on coming up to help me get the nursery ready. They helped a great deal. We got things organized and were as prepared as we could be for the babies to come the very next day.

Arriving at the hospital at 5:30 am.

Swollen feet and legs. I really wasn't kidding. My doctor said swelling is most common in first pregnancies and multiple pregnancies. I had a double whammy.

 

 

 

 My doctor Natalie Loewen. She was amazing. Love her.

 Chuck all suited up to accompany me in the operating room.

 

 All prepped and ready for the c-section. I was terrified of every little thing: the spinal block, the catheter, the delivery, the babies, etc. I just had to focus on one thing at a time.

I asked Chuck for a play by play once they put the sheet up. The anesthesiologist setup a mirror so I could watch the delivery. I loved it. I got to see my babies enter the world. It was incredible.

 

 Leading up to the birth of the girls Chuck and I had a hard time agreeing on what one of the babies names would be. We both loved the name Charity. It was hard because of the significance behind the name Charity (it's a family name). I wanted something that would sound cute with it and we were both concerned with choosing another name with significant meaning as well. We decided on Harmony because my mothers maiden name is Harman and I love music as well.
There's also the aspect of which name to give which baby. Chuck and I both thought we would have one red head and one brunette baby. We felt we should name the red head Charity and the brunette Harmony. We were right. Harmony Ruth was baby A and was delivered at 7:25 am. She is our little brunette. She weighed 5 lb 9 oz and was 19" long.

 

Charity Ava was born at 7:26 am (one minute later). She weighed 6 lbs 3 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. Even though they were only 36 1/2 weeks along they were good sized babies and were extremely healthy. We didn't have any complications or problems. They were so beautiful.

The story behind the middle names were we were inspired by my side of the family for both of the first names. Ruth is Chuck's grandmothers name and Ava is just a name we like. :)

My uterus didn't contract right away. Dr Loewen had to use a couple different medications to get it. They also used a lot of pressure on it as well. I could feel pushing and such. It was uncomfortable but it finally worked. I was worried at first because my little sister, Denisha, had a really hard time with that as well.



 

Meeting and holding my girls for the first time! They were so beautiful. I was instantly in LOVE. Chuck and I were on cloud 9!

After getting stitched up we were rolled back into a normal hospital room where my mom was waiting.

 

 

Here are the girls. We loved putting them in the same bassinet. The nurses didn't love it because it was hard for them to keep them straight as it was. Our girls just love being close. It was a wonderful experience. We're so, so happy and look forward to fun adventures everyday!