What a trip we had!

We're back home, safe and sound. It was wonderful to see Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Shawn, and Aunt Rita. I'm a little tired because Riley and Colter didn't sleep as well in a new environment. Colter pulled it together for the last night and slept in the crib until 6am. Riley also slept until 6am, but spent most of the night in bed with me. Oh well. They were only rarely sleeping through the night at home, but they were at least making it until 4 or 5am.
The good news is that with Grandma's help, we tried some new things and are liking our new routine, or as Grandpa would say, pattern. The twins are now eating every four hours during the day instead of every three hours. We've also stopped swaddling them at night since it's gotten warmer. Colter really likes this because he has easy access to his thumb. Riley has a harder time sleeping on her back without her swaddle. She's getting better at it, though. We learned they love to lie on the table during meals and look at the light and fan. They like to stare at the fan so much that Jeff says he wishes his face looked like a fan. That's Dadddy, needing his audience to pay attention to him. Colter is babbling a lot more and is very generous with his smiles. They're moving around so much in their cribs that we have moved Colter to his own bed (for real this time!) And it looks like we''ll be doing bathtime together for a while.
Here are some pictures of our trip.

Grandma laughed at how full our van was. We're so glad we got a minivan!

The twins did really well in the car. Very few crying bouts or complaining.

Riley is busy saying that every other baby doesn't have to wear a bonnet. Uncle Shawn thinks she looks like an old-fashioned baby.

Aunt Rita and Uncle Shawn helped us take the babies to the park across the street from Grandma and Grandpa's neighborhood.

Uncle Shawn liked to direct where Riley's head and Colter's head should be during dinner. I think he liked when Colter was closest to him.

Riley hopes Uncle Shawn will give her some strawberries.

Aunt Rita gives Colter a kiss.

Riley loved playing with Aunt Rita.

The twins dressed up for Grandpa's birthday party. Happy Birthday, Grandpa!!

Although they slept through presents, they weren't about to miss cake.

Just being outside helps keep the babies happy in the evening.

Grandma tries to get a smile out of Colter.

At least Grandma is smiling!

It makes Riley's day to have a long heart to heart.

Aunt Rita teaches Riley and Colter to play together.

Colter isn't sure about this...

but Aunt Rita makes it all better!

Thanks for having us. We're glad to be back with Dad, but we miss you already!

Twins on tour - Part 2

Today we went to Sarah's office. She is the acupuncturist I saw on a regular basis for a year during the IVF process. Approximately 50% of her practice focuses on fertility issues. I highly recommend her.

Here I am after a rare outing for a treatment during my time on bed rest.

Needless to say, she was very excited about Riley and Colter's birth. We went downtown to visit with her over her lunch break.

Leaving for this outing was a little less eventful. However, Colter did have another huge spit up incident right after I put him in his car seat. On Tuesday, I thought the timing had to do with the fact that he'd just eaten. Today I realized that he spit up immediately after I tightened his safety belt. Poor guy! I'd spit up too if someone squeezed my belly right after I ate.

Twins on tour - part 1

Now that Riley and Colter have had their shots, we're heading out to visit all the people who were hoping and praying for them along with Jeff and I.

Our first stop on the tour was the oncology clinic I worked at for five years before they arrived. I was very fortunate to work with a wonderful group of doctors and the best nurses ever. They were so supportive during all our attempts to get pregnant. All the waiting made it all the more amazing to introduce the twins this past Tuesday.

Here is Riley with a bunch of the nurses and administrative staff.

Colter got a grand tour of the office with Beth and Twanya.

Riley finally opened her eyes for Tommy and Colter got to snuggle with Kathy for quite a while!

It was an adventure to get there, but totally worth it. I am learning to prepare as much as possible the night before. For example, it's not a good idea to pick out outfits the morning of a trip that still need to be washed. If you do, the chances are high that the washer will fail to complete the last spin cycle, the dryer won't be able to handle the soggy clothes, and a baby (Colter) will spit up all over his matching outfit as you are putting him in his car seat. Riley was fussing up a storm at the same time of course. Notice that Colter wore his outfit anyway (after much dabbing). Isn't it sad when matching is more important than cleanliness? I never thought I'd do that, but...