Wow! How Things Change...

One of the things that I have noticed over the past 4 weeks is that time is very different now. What used to take me 5 minutes, now takes days… Maybe it is because my priorities have changed... Maybe it is because I can only do so much on top of watching 2 boys that need my every bit of attention… Whatever the case, it is amazing to me how much life changes just by having these two little guys.


Here are my top 5 changes that I have noticed so far…

1) I can’t seem to get anything done on time. I used to make time every Monday to get my blog updated. Now, I have to take time in between feedings and during naps. With two boys, often one of them is awake and the other is sleeping. So, my time has been seriously cut…And, getting out of the house to go anywhere is a whole different story!

2) My washer and dryer are really taking a beating. OMG! I have done more laundry in the last 4 weeks than I have done in the past 4 months! It is amazing to me considering the boys’ clothes are so tiny! However, it never fails that they will pee through or on at least 2 outfits each a night. Crazy, huh? And, that is just their pajamas! I never would have thought that I would do so much laundry!

3) Shower time is awesome!! I always used to laugh at my friends when they told me this, but it is true…The time when you can take a shower and just have a little time to yourself is awesome! It is amazing how great you can feel after just taking 15 minutes to relax in a warm shower.

4) TV time is SO different! When I can watch TV it is normally only while they are napping. DVR’s are great, but when you only have 20-30 minutes you are really limited on the number of things you can watch. So, my favorite shows like Fringe, House, Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, etc are all very limited. They are stacking up like crazy in my DVR queue. And, I have just now gotten back to being able to watch the news for a few minutes while I eat lunch. I completely missed the news on the Tucson tragedy. How sad is that?

5) Preparation is everything!! I have started keeping the boys on my own now that Chris has gone back to work and I figured out that procrastination is not in my best interest when it comes to feeding and caring for the boys. Even though we have them on a very tight schedule (and yes, they honestly keep it very well), you never know when one of them just needs to be held or wants an extra snack. So, I have figured out that I can feed them both at the same time, take turns changing diapers and then put them down in their bouncy seats to play with them until they fall asleep. And, then it starts all over. So, as soon as they fall asleep, I have to wash the pump and prep the bottles, etc for next time. That way, I am ready for the next feeding as soon as it comes. And, if I have time in between I can update my blog or even get a little work done.

Wow. Life changes so much with babies. You hear it all the time, but I don’t think it really hits home until you experience it.

And, speaking of time management, if I haven’t sent you a thank you card yet for the gift you sent me, please know that it is in the works… And, be on the lookout for our announcements. I hope to have them out in the next couple of weeks. My intentions and reality may be two different things, but that is what I hope for…

Best wishes to all and please know that I am VERY thankful for all of the gifts, prayers, and food that you all have provided! It has kept me sane during all of these changes!

3 weeks!

I can not believe that my boys are now 3 weeks old! Time has really flown by!!

We went in to see the doctor last week for thier 2 week check up and we found out that the boys are both back up to their birth weights or more. So, that is great news! Cooper weighed in at 4 pounds 15.5 ounces and Emory weighed in at a whopping 5 pounds 3 ounces. I love that they are eating so well!

We do go back in to the doctor this week to recheck their weight and make sure they are still growing like they should. We were told by the doctor that we could reduce the number of food supplements we were giving them. So, that has made our lives a little easier.

We are also going to have to start adjusting to a new plan this week as well. Chris is going back to work on the 25th. So, we are doing a couple of days where I take care of everything before Chris goes back to work just to try and get all of the kinks out of our system. So, please pray for my sanity over the next couple of days. We are going to try to pump and then feed the boys bottles during the day to get them used to it for when I go back to work too. So, it may take a little adjusting at first. But, I am confident that the boys will adjust accordingly. They have been so great so far.

Mommy update: I have officially lost over 50 pounds!! I know I am not supposed to say stuff like that, but I was so miserable in my last couple of weeks and I gained so much weight. It has been nice to lose some of it so quickly. I still have a little ways to go before I am back down at my pre-pregnancy weight, but at least I am closer... Also, I am feeling overall pretty good. I am tired of course, but other than that, I am trying to get out and take walks as much as possible to stay fit. I can't do anything too strenuous until I go back in for my 6 week check up, but this will keep me happy until then hopefully.

Thanks again to everyone that has brought us meals and brought us presents for our boys. You can't imagine how helpful that has been! It is such a blessing to have such wonderful friends and family!

Thankful

This past week has left me feeling very thankful. I am so thankful that my boys are two weeks old today. This past two weeks has been so amazing with them! I am thankful for all of the precious moments that I have gotten to spend with my little boys. It has been so great being at home and getting to know them as their personalities develop.

I am thankful that my swelling has gone down and I can actually wear my wedding ring again...

I am thankful that my dogs have both started adjusting to the boys well. They both like to sniff around them, but are very cautious. This transition could have been so much worse. So, I am so thankful for that!

I am also so thankful for all of my friends and family who have helped us with food and time. Without you, we would have had a much harder transition at home. It has been very time consuming handling two newborns. So, your gifts of food have really helped.


I am also extremely thankful that our night last night ended well. Chris and I had to call 911 for the first time ever last night. Cooper ended up having an allergic reaction to a vitamin supplement that we gave him. His tongue got huge and cut off his air supply shortly. Chris and I jumped in and were able to push his tongue down and clear his airway. Eventually the swelling went down and he returned to his normal color and started acting normal again. Luckily that was right when the paramedics arrived. So, it wasn’t going on for too long. However, it was probably the scariest moment that Chris and I have ever had. So, we are very thankful that we were able to get him to respond so quickly and it didn’t end up so much worse. We went to the doctor today and Cooper checked out fine. So, there is nothing else to worry about for now. We just need to avoid that supplement and we should be OK. We are keeping a close eye on him though just in case. We are so thankful that everything ended up being OK.

So, we have a lot to be thankful for. Last, but not least is that we are so thankful for our boys to be home and be adjusting well. Here are some new pictures of our precious boys for you to enjoy…

Proud parents...

Dear friends - They brought us dinner and spent some quality time with Cooper and Emory.

Proud grandparents. I love watching them fall in love with our boys.

Aunt Rachel and Uncle Scott enjoying some quality time with the boys...

Cousin Sean holding Cooper for the first time. I loved watching Sean's eyes light up as he realized he could hold him. It was so adorable!

Ellie was equally as cute. Her face lit up when Emory smiled at her.

Our precious Emory. He is our little "high maintenance" boy. I love that he has that McDowell personality!

Our sweet Cooper. He loves to snuggle and is perfectly content in most situatuations. I love that he gets that from his daddy.

Proud grammie. Kim was so sweet to stay and help us the first couple of days that we were home. I am so thankful for everything she did. We would not have been sane without her help! Thank you so much!!

New Year's Resolutions - Ask Me How I Lost 35 pounds in 5 days!!

So, I have discovered the key to losing weight! All you have to do is deliver twins! Seriously though, we are so excited to share our little boys with you! Here are all of the stats for you...

Emory Charles Langdale

Born December 28, 2010

Weight: 4 pounds, 15 ounces

Length: 18.5 inches

Cooper Lee Langdale

Born December 28, 2010

Weight: 4 pounds, 15 ounces

Length: 19 inches

Highlights of the week so far...

- Breastfeeding Twins is not as easy as it looks, but I'm excited to say we have actually been able to breastfeed both at the same time! I am so excited about this! I can actually get some sleep now!

- I got to see projectile poop for the first time in my life. Chris actually got to experience it though... I was left laughing so hard I was crying!

- Vibrating/Bouncy Seats are worth their weight in gold!

- The boy's first sponge bath. Both our boys love their hair to be washed, but hate for their bodies to be washed! I sure this is just the beginning of our bath time woes...

- Friends and Family are such blesssings! We have been so lucky to have so many friends and family help us out in this first week. It has made things so much easier on us. Just getting the boys on a feeding schedule has been hard enough. I don't think we ever would have eaten if it weren't for Chris's mom and my parents. I am SO grateful that Chris's mom could stay with us until tomorrow. I'm a little nervous about things once she leaves, but I think we have been able to at least establish somewhat of a system for now that will help us be able to handle things on our own.

- Our dogs and their response to the boys... We have been keeping Payton and Manning away from the boys for a while, but eventually we had to introduce them. Payton is our spastic dog and we were a little worried how she would handle these two new additions to our family. However, she has been pretty good. She has had her moments when she goes over the top, but not too many. She is still learning... Manning seems to have taken the approach that she would rather not get in trouble. So, she pretty much ignores the boys at all cost. Payton did have a break through last night though. We let her sleep in the same room as us for the first time. Chris got up once because Emory was crying. Apparently Payton didn't think he was doing a good enough job and ran back into our bedroom and licked me in the face and just stared at me until I woke up... Such a smart dog!

- Pacifiers are not such a bad thing... Both our boys were feeding really well. So, our doctor told us it was OK to introduce a pacifier to them. It has been so helpful and they are still eating really well. I'm so thankful for this!

I'm sure that I will have many more stories to share with all of you, but I'm sure for now you would rather meet these little guys. Take a look at our new additions!

Proud Grandparents

Ellie being introduced to her new cousins!

Scott, Ellie and Cooper

Proud grandma

Showing a little brotherly love...

(Emory on the left and Cooper on the right)

Grandpa Tom

Snuggle time!

Going Home Outfits. How adorable!

I just love this picture. Emory slept with his hand on Cooper's head. So cute!

 

The nurses were so nice to take this picture of us. What a great family memory!

Decked out in our Clemson colors! Go Tigers!

I finally got some rest...Emory snuggled up for the moment.

Thank you all for sharing in this great moment in our lives. It is such a blessing to have such wonderful friends and family. We are sending out big hugs and kisses to you all! This first week has been a blast with our boys. I know it is only going to get better!