The One with 1 year ago today...

Wow! It has been WAY too long since I updated this blog. I have some good excuses like going back to work, having 2 sick babies, and not having the internet for 4 days, but I'm back and I hope to post a few more entries in the next week or so because we've been up to a lot! 

The babies are now 4 months old and boy are they fun. We are getting smiles and even a few giggles! I went back to work 3 weeks ago, but thankfully it's just part-time. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for the opportunity to be working just Mondays & Tuesdays while my mother-in-law and mom take care of the kids. I can't imagine being gone more than that right now. Those two days are so busy, I feel like I hardly get a chance to sit and take a breath. I'm sure many of you can relate :) 

Cole & Faith got sick for the first time this month, which was such a bummer. It started with Faith and ended with Cole. Amazingly it skipped Matt and myself, but the grandma's ended up catching it too :/ After 20+ days of sick babies, I will do anything in my power to keep them healthy. 

You might be wondering about this post title and what happened a year today. Well, last year on January 22, I was laying at home on bed rest, afraid to move a muscle after coming home from having 2 embryos transferred. Here is what I wrote the day after...

Yesterday we went in at 11:00am for the transfer. I had to have a full bladder so they could getting a clearer view of my uterus. Once I was in the hospital gown and bed, they wheeled me into the transfer room. The embryologist came in to show us our embryos and talk us through the procedure. Matt was able to sit in the room right next to me and look through a microscope at our embryos waiting in the incubator. It was such a neat and special moment where we were able to pray together, hold hands and watch as our babies were placed in my uterus. Although this wasn't the way we ever imagined we would have a baby, we could feel God there with us, watching over us, our baby, and guiding the doctors.


I am now on strict bedrest for 48 hours, only aloud to get up to use the restroom. I feel great, especially knowing that God could be quite possibly creating a miracle inside of me. Matt has been such an amazing husband and partner through every step of this journey. Not only has be been so helpful around the house and waiting on me hand & foot, he has been encouraging and there for me emotionally. I am so thankful for him. We should know if everything worked next Thursday, February 2, two days before my 26th birthday!

I can't believe it's been a year, and what a year it's been. The best. 

Now onto an update on our 4 month old miracles...

(I drop the ball on scheduling their 4 month appointment, so we don't have their growth chart info yet)

Cole Matthew

You are such a relaxed, kick back little guy. You smile so easily when you're happy, but when you are mad, watch out. You have some lungs on you! You have the softest, chubby little cheeks that I can't stop kissing. I love it when you lay your head on my shoulder and cuddle with me. I prayed many times asking that God would give me a cuddler and I'm so thankful He gave me you. You have gotten much better and holding that big head of yours up :) You are actually enjoying tummy time now. You are also becoming quite the little bouncy. It's so cute seeing you figure out how to bounce up and down in the Jumperoo. You are a great sleeper. You've been sleeping through the night every night since the week of Christmas. You go to bed around 8:30pm and wake up ready to eat at 8:00am. Most mornings I hear you laying in your crib talking away for about 10-15 minutes, until you're ready to tell me it's time to eat. We love you so much Coley boy. It has been so amazing to watch you grow and continue to learn new things. We thank God everyday for the beautiful boy He gave us.

Faith Olivia

This picture describes you perfectly. You are all about your hands right now. That and standing. If you start fussing, I stand you up on my lap or put you in the Jumperoo and you're immediately happy. You are a little mover. Whether it's your hands, feet, or head, you are wiggling none stop. You give us the cutest open mouth smiles, especially right after you're done eating. You still aren't the biggest talker, especially compared to your brother, but every once in awhile we get a cute little coo out of you. You are still a little peanut in size but you act like you are much older than you are. You love looking around and always have to know what's going on around you. That's probably one of the reasons you aren't the best sleeper. You never want to miss out on anything, just like mommy. Your naps average about 45 minutes and you are still getting up most nights crying because you either want your paci or you're hungry. You are such a happy girl when you wake up though. You get the biggest grin on your face when I come to unswaddle you in the morning. What a great way to start my day. We are so in love with you my sweet Faith. You are such a big blessing to our little family. 

And before I go, I thought I would show you what it looks like when I'm trying to capture 

pictures of these 2. Enjoy!

The One with The 3 Month Update...

Well, it looks like I'm only going to be updating every month. I'd like to do it more, but there isn't a whole lot going on over here besides eating, awake time, and napping. We are still on a 2.5 hour schedule which makes it a little tricky to go out and do a lot. Hopefully as they get older, I will have more to update about :)

Looking back at last months update, I can't believe how much they have changed already! 

Cole Matthew

Cole has lost a lot of hair since the last update and is rockin' an old man hairdo...no hair on the top, just around the sides :) He is our little talker, giving us the sweetest, high pitched coos all the time and he loves to give us lots of smiles. His favorite place to be is on the changing table where he smiles and talks non-stop. He is such a daddy's boy. He loves sitting propped up on Matt's knees staring at him with a big smile. It's the cutest thing. He has been wearing size 0-3 months for about a couple weeks now, but I'm sure at the rate he is growing he'll be in size 3-6 before we know it.  Bath time has gotten much better. I think he finally realized he likes it. We are still working on tummy time. He is not a big fan of exercising his neck...probably because he has quite a heavy load to hold up :) 

He is a great sleeper...once asleep. He goes to bed around 9:00pm and sleeps till about 5:30am every night. Getting to sleep is what can be a battle at times. Sometimes he goes to sleep without a peep, other times he throws a screaming fit. He is still getting breast milk (5oz) from a bottle since he's a fan of fast food :) Sometimes he gets formula when I can't get a pumping session in. He is definitely a growing boy, gaining 3lb in one month! 

Faith Olivia

Faith is our little mover. She moves CONSTANTLY! Her arms and legs are moving all the time. I think she will have to be swaddles for as long as possible or else she will keep her self up with all the wiggling she does. She is quite the smiler too. She is happiest after she eats. She also LOVES laying on the changing table and gives us tons of open mouthed grins. She makes great eye contact and follows me around ever where I go. She is going to kill me for saying this when she is older, but she farts all.the.time. It is so funny hearing these these big 'ol farts come out of such a petite little thing. She isn't as vocal Cole yet. I'm sure she is saving all that talking for when she is older, just like her mama :) Faith LOVES tummy time. Her favorite position is being propped up on our knees, facing out. She is quite the nosey little thing, also like mommy :) She just started fitting in size 0-3 months last week, but they are still a little big on her. Unlike Cole, Faith isn't as great of a sleeper, but she goes to bed like a champ. We swaddle her, put her to bed wide awake, and she is out without a peep,  but she usually wakes up a couple times between 2:30-4:30 crying because she wants her paci. I can hold her off till 5:30 though when I feed both of them. One up, both up is our motto! Faith is nursed every feeding, except she gets one 5oz bottle at the 8:30pm feeding and the 5:30am feeding. This way I can feed them quickly while I pump and go right back to bed. 

• They both love laying in their cribs staring at their mobile. They can lay there for 10 plus minutes just staring and kicking away while listening to praise baby.
• We have also turned on their praise baby DVD a couple times and let them watch all the fun colors and shapes on the screen and listen to the calm, soothing music. I know I've heard people say not to let babies watch TV but they absolutely love it! I figured it's made for babies so every once in awhile can't hurt...right?

• Faith loves laying her head to the left and Cole loves laying his head to the right...so much that the sides of their heads are getting pretty flat. We are trying to work on rotating their heads to even it out, but they are pretty stubborn!
• Matt and I have both come up with lots of silly songs and nicknames for the kids. Cole's most used nickname is Coley and Faith's is Faithy Girl :)

November Happenings...

On November, 18, we had Cole & Faith baptized. It was such a blessing to be surrounding by our family and church family on this special day. I am so thankful that our kids will grow up in a church surrounded by such godly, loving, and supportive friends & family. 

 I wish I would've taken more pictures of the kids with all the family and friends that came :/

The Anema Family

The Rollema Family

4 Genderations

With Uncle Ty Ty :)

We had a great first Thanksgiving with the babies...although it was mostly filled with feeding them every 2.5 hours, pumping & naps in between. We went to my Grandpa's on Thanksgiving day, and then to Matt's parent's house on Sunday. It was so nice to be able to celebrate with both families. 

I was bad at not taking pictures on Thanksgiving so the only one I got was in the onesies I made for them :/

My cousin, Heidi, came to visit from Visalia at the end of the month. She was so much help, even getting up to help me feed at night!

 Last year I went to visit her when she had her twin boys. I love that we having matching pictures :)

And I leave you with a video I took of them a few weeks ago. You are welcome to turn the volume way down so you don't have to listen to my obnoxious voice talking baby talk to them :)

The One with 2 Months Old...

Yesterday we went to the doctors for their 2 month check up. Thankfully, Matt got off work so he could help me out, which I was especially glad about when it came to them getting their shots. They took them like champs though, and were their normal selves by the time we got back in the car. Their doctor was happy with their growth and said they are right on track for being 35 week premies. Here are their 2 month stats...

Cole Matthew

Height: 22 inches 

Head: 39 1/2 cm

• Cole has started cooing and has the cutest little voice :) 
• He does a great job at holding his head up and has super strong legs.
• We are still working on his smiling. He makes us work hard to get a smile. 
• He isn't sure about bath time yet. Sometimes he likes it, other times he's not a fan. 

 Faith Olivia

Height: 20 1/2 inches

Head: 37 cm

(I love how they continue to be exactly 1 pound apart)

• We are still waiting to hear Faith's sweet little voice. 
• Faith also has a strong neck and loves to look around while we burp her. 
• Faith gives us lots of smiles. Both of them still don't smile in response us smiling, but the doctor said they should be doing that by the end of the month.
• Faith loves her bath time, especially when she gets her hair washed. 

They are both barely on the growth chart for their age. Most babies (at least dutch babies :) are born the weight they are right now, but the doctor said by 9-10 months, they should be caught up to other kids their age. As much as I am enjoying the longevity of them being tiny, I'm looking forward to them getting chubby cheeks and fat rolls :)

Right now they are eating 4 ounces every 2.5 hours and our mornings start at 8:00am. After they eat, they have awake time and then take a 1 hour nap until we do it all over again. During awake time, they usually lay on their play mat or sit in their rock n' plays while I pump. At night, they eat at 8:30 and go to bed around 9:00. They are both becoming great sleepers. We turn their sound machine on, swaddle them, pop their paci's in and turn on each of their musical sea horse's and they are out. Their first stretch is always the best. One of them wakes up (usually Cole) around 2:00am and the next stretch they go (Faith usually wakes up first) about 6:00/6:30am. 

Here are a few pictures from this month...

Play time on their boppys

Their first election...they were very disappointed by the results.

My cousins, Morgan & Chandler, meeting them for the first time.

Pumpkin Patch with their friends, Molly, Lucas, Millie, & Ella

The slept through the whole things :)

Hopefully next year Faith and Cole will be able to join them on some rides!

For Halloween, they wore onesies that said Trick & Treat with a pumpking & candy corn, along with match beanies made by mommy :)

First holiday as a family.

Trick or Treating with their friends! We can't wait till next year when they can actually get candy :)

We are looking forward to all the fun things to come this month. Cole & Faith are getting baptized next week, my cousin and her family are coming down from Chico for Thanksgiving and get to meet Cole & Faith for the first time, and then my other cousin, Heidi, who has twins herself, is coming at the end of the month to spend a few days with us. 

Happy Thanksgiving :)

The One with The Newborn Pictures...

Cole & Faith were 2 months old yesterday! I love seeing how much they have grown in such a short amount of time. Cole is feeling much more solid and it looks like all of Faith's weight is going to her cheeks :) We go to the doctor tomorrow for their 2 month check up, so I will post pictures and stats after that. In the mean time, I thought I'd post pictures of their newborn photo shoot! It's amazing how much they have already changed since these pictures were taken. Most of you have probably already seen some of them on Facebook, but there are many more where that came from. When the kiddos were just over 2 weeks old, we had their pictures by the extremely talented, patient, and oh so sweet, Shelly Young, of Shelly Young Photography. She spent four hours carefully positioning and propping them up...definitely a skill she has mastered. She used some of her super cute props, along with a few of my own, and I couldn't be happier with the results. Thank you Shelly for the fun experience and priceless memories that you captured of our little blessings! 

This was my Grandma's buggy. I have looked so forward to the day that I got to push my babies in it, just like she did with her kids and grandkids.

 These are antique scales my dad let us borrow. This was probably the hardest set up. I think Shelly only had time to snap one, maybe two pictures before we had to grab both babies so they wouldn't fall off!

Stay tuned for their 2 month update tomorrow...or maybe Saturday :)