Brayden and Ashley: One Month

And just like that we have one month olds! I never knew how fast time could fly until these two came into our lives. I swear we were just in the hospital with them yesterday. Let's take a little look back at all that month one had to offer! (And in case you were wondering, they were most definitely worth the wait!)

February 14th will forever be one of the best days of my life. Our first family picture. 

Their first baths. 

Lots of cuddles with mom and dad. 

They celebrated their first Valentine's Day.

Did I mention lots of cuddles with mom and dad?

They had their first day outside in the fresh air- it was much needed for all of us!

They met their French/German cousin Catalina via video chat. 

And they met their cousins Grant and Emily. 

We had our first walk outside. 

And they enjoyed some time on their play mat. They are staying awake for longer times now and they are getting so fun!

On Madison's birthday they got to visit the cemetery to see her and Ian.

They spent lots of time cuddling each other. 

They met almost all of their great grandparents this month. We still need to visit Great Grandma Flood (and get a picture of them with Great Grandma Blievernicht).

They had their first and second doctor's appointments. At the end of month one Brayden weighs 8 pounds 2 ounces and is 20 and 3/4 inches long. 

Ashley weighs 7 pounds 1 ounce and is 20 and 1/4 inches long. They sure are growing like weeds!

And a picture of them in their cribs from this week so I can remember how tiny they looked in them. With how fast this month has gone, they will be in big kid beds before I know it. 

 A few other tidbits of info I don't want to forget this month...

• They both currently still have blue eyes, but I'm sure that they will both change to brown soon.
• Brayden is the noisiest child. He grunts and moans when he's doing just about anything- eating, sleeping, and while awake. He is a very gassy baby and farts just about as often as his daddy does. He is also pretty congested, but we are trying to stay on top of sucking out his buggers and have just started using saline drops to see if that will help. 
• Ashley loves her swing. And she also loves her pacifier, though she is the absolute worst at keeping it in her mouth.
• At night they love to be swaddled, and we put a heating pad on the spot that Ashley sleeps while she's eating so that by the time she goes to bed and we take the heating pad away, her bed is nice and warm and she (usually) stays asleep when we lay her down that way. Speaking of nights, they usually eat around 9 or 10, then let us sleep until about 1 or 2, and then until around 5 or 6. We have had some really good nights where they have slept 4 or 5 hours in a row. And of course some not so good nights where they have been awake for 3 or 4 hours in a row. Thankfully the sleeping scenario is winning out this month- let's hope it stays that way!
• We bottle feed them at night to speed things up, and they are currently both taking 4 ounces by bottle. Brayden used to beat Ashley done by a good 30 minutes at least, but since switching up Ashley's bottle from a Tommee Tippee to a Dr. Brown's she is getting done at the same time as he is. 
• We go through roughly 20 diapers a day. 
• They are both still in newborn clothing, though Brady can fit into some 0-3 month things, especially shirts. 

What an exciting first month this has been, and I know it will only keep getting better from here!

Madison's Third Angelversary

Madison, yesterday marked three years since you were born still. Three years of longing to hold you, wanting to smother you with kisses, and eager to show you all the wonderful things about the world. Three years seems like so long ago, but yet like it was just yesterday. 

In fact, when your daddy and I took your new brother and sister to visit you yesterday, we commented on how it seems like you were just here. Same goes for your brother Ian. I don't know how time has passed so quickly, but also so slowly. 

I'll never be able to fully put into words how much we miss you. Or how it isn't fair that you didn't get to stay. Or how I will always feel an intense guilt that I get to be happy and experience life with Brayden and Ashley and not you. 

But know that you are always missed. Always loved. Always wanted. And we will always carry you in our hearts until that glorious day we get to carry you in our arms once again. 

Brayden and Ashley: Three Weeks

Three whole weeks with these two! And while our hands are definitely full with two babies, our hearts are even fuller. Words can't adequately describe the love that we have for these two. Every night we just can't stop talking about how much we love them, and how thankful we are that they are ours. I can't wait to see how our love for them grows and magnifies as they grow up. But for now, let's recap week 3 in the life of Brayden and Ashley!

First up was their first Leap Day! We spent the day soaking in all the cuddles. Eric and I also had our first date away from them to Joe's Pizza. It was nice to get dressed up and go out for a little alone time. So many people congratulated us while we were there, even Jill and Gaspere, who gifted us this delicious cannoli (which Eric started digging in to before I could snap a picture) and a big hug. I know they are looking forward to when we bring the babies in for the first time. Also, I somehow managed to take a picture with Brady and Ashley after our date night, but not with Eric. My how things have changed!

On Sunday, we got together with Eric's family and finally got to introduce Grant to Brayden and Ashley. He wasn't too impressed. Hopefully they grow on him as they get older. 

I think one of my favorite things to do is capture them snuggling together. And they had so many good snuggles together this week!

Monday was Eric's first day back to work and my first day alone with them all day.  I know how much he was dreading going back to work and not getting to spend all day with Brady and Ashley. As soon as he got home he basically grabbed them from me and didn't let them go for a while. I can still see the huge smile on his face (exhibited in the photo below) once he had them in his arms and hear his voice when he says, "I just love them so freaking much". He's the best dad. (And on a side note, my first week alone with them actually went really well! I was a little -lot- nervous about being able to handle them on my own. But they were so good to me all week long! Let's hope it stays that way in the weeks to come.)

This is our new nightly routine. And Eric's new favorite cuddle. I mean, I could get used to cuddling with them like this every night. 

Brady and Ashley have been spending a little more time awake this week. I can't wait until they are awake longer and longer and we can actually get some playing in, as opposed to me acting like a crazy lady when they are awake trying to get their attention and keep them awake- earning me the side eye from Ashley.  

With the beautiful sunny weather this week we ventured outside for a little field trip to the mailbox. I have this awesome twin carrier that I'm looking forward to using more as it keeps warming up. I'm picturing lots of walks in our future. I think these two approved of the fresh air and sunshine. I know that I did!

Thursday was officially their due date! It's hard to believe that they technically shouldn't have been here until yesterday. I know we've only had the for three weeks, but it's hard to imagine what life was even like before they were here. 

So today I'm feeling extra grateful that they've been in our lives for the past three weeks. I mean, how could I not be thankful for these two with sweet little faces like these? Happy three weeks Brayden and Ashley!