The sun has been out the last few days, which makes it feel like spring is on the way. It is amazing how just a little sunshine can make you feel so happy! Since it looked like good weather, we all bundled up and headed out to the park today only to find that it was 33 degrees outside (and that doesn’t include the windchill.) It had taken us two and half hours to get ready (and that is with lots of help from my wonderful mother-in-law), so despite the cold, we ate lunch and let Annika play. I was determined that after all that work we would have fun! Annika had a blast, so in the end I didn’t mind my frozen fingers too much.

It appears as though winter hasn’t yet relinquished its hold here in Germany. At least I have these tulips, so with the sun shining in (and the heat on), it feels like spring inside.

Having Lucy and Elise in the NICU was harder than I thought it would be, but once again my heart is full of gratitude — to the Lord for giving me experiences that teach me to trust Him and help me grow, for three beautiful little girls, for a husband who cooks and cleans and feeds the twins once a night so I can sleep, for a mother-in-law who has already been extremely helpful, and for so many friends who have sent hand-me-downs and gifts, brought in meals, and offered any help I might ever need. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Welcome home, beautiful baby girls. You don’t know how loved you are.

Meet Elise Katherine and Lucy Abigail

February 8th at  7:11 am and 6:51 am

4 lbs 11 oz 18.1 inches and 4 lbs 10 oz 17.2 inches

The girls are beautiful and healthy and growing and have stolen our hearts already. Since they decided to make their entry into the world a little bit early, they have had to spend some time in the NICU here. We are grateful for wonderful doctors and nurses who have been diligent in explaining the progression and growth premature babies need to make  (regulating their own body temperature, learning to stay awake long enough to eat and gain weight, getting rid of all that biliruben that causes jaundice, and remembering to breathe all of the time.) We had hoped to be out of the NICU in a few days, but soon learned that it would take a little bit longer. Although we were very disappointed, and we long to have our family all together again, we are glad that Lucy and Elise are getting the care that they need and that we have this time to get to know the newest members of our family.

One of my greatest fears in having twins was that I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart and that I would mix my babies up. Lucky for me, not only do Lucy and Elise look different, but they have personalities that are already polar opposites.

Lucy is a little fireball already. She is the one that caused all the trouble when she broke her water sack early Monday morning. She had been baby B the entire pregnancy — the baby that was supposed to come second. However, at the last minute, she pushed her way past her sister and made her way into the world first. She was the one always kicking me during my pregnancy and she is still the most active now. She is stubborn — we cannot make her wake up and eat if she does not want to, and she will purse her lips together and scowl when we try to force her. But, when she does want to eat, she gives 110% and you can hear her chugging across the room. She is my little squirt.

Elise is the more mellow of the two. She is sweet and more patient than her sister. While she had more problems initially, she is doing better now and is just waiting on Lucy to come around so that we can go home. She is full of smiles and rarely cries. She is a better nurser, and nurses for longer, so I get to spend a little more time with Elise than with Lucy. (Lucy gets a bottle more often, so she has been getting more bonding time with Dad.) I already have one Daddy’s girl in the house. Maybe Elise will be a Momma’s girl.

My favorite part is that they seem to love each other already. As soon as they were off of oxygen and glucose drips, we starting putting them in the same bed together. After another day we started swaddling them together so they could get more skin-to-skin time. They love it. I have been nursing them separately until they get the hang of it and can stay awake long enough to not need prodding. Whoever is in the crib will always be fussy until I bring back her sister. As soon as we snuggle them together and swaddle them next to each other they settle down and don’t make a peep. Their bigger sister Annika loves them already too and I am really hoping that I end up with three best friends in my house. (More on Annika and the babies in a later post. . .  so stay tuned!)

We are hoping to have them home within the week, but it may be longer. I am dying to get some great pictures of them and I will certainly post them here when I do. These girls better get used to the sound of the camera clicking!

In no particular order:
I am grateful for a daughter who has sensed that big changes are coming her way. For an almost two-year old she has been incredibly understanding of my limitations and sometimes inability to meet her wants. She knows that Mommy can’t carry her, so she just asks that I “hold hand” when we walk down the stairs. When I am laying down she will run all over the house getting things for me and sometimes even picking things up for me. She likes to steal my chair, but always moves when I ask. She will be a great big sister. She is already a great friend for her mom.

I am grateful for two other daughters that have decided to hold out on making their entrance into the world. It has given me some much needed time to not only get our house physically ready for their arrival, but to prepare myself mentally for the changes in my life (at least somewhat.) I am almost 36 weeks now, and even though I feel like I am going to burst I keep reminding myself that everyday I don’t go into labor makes the babies that much bigger and stronger and healthier.

I am grateful for friends who have stepped in to bring me meals, to babysit Annika, to cut my hair, or just to call and talk. Thanks. It has meant the world to me.

I am most grateful right now, for an amazing husband who has taken the last few weeks without complaining and only a little bit of teasing. He works hard and then comes home and works even harder. He has cleaned the house, cooked dinners, washed laundry, done the grocery shopping, played with Annika, and finished his project of refinishing and painting our kitchen table and chairs. He has bought me peanut m&m’s just because he knows I love them and listened while I shared all of my fears (many of them irrational) about the babies coming. He puts up with extra pillows in the bed at night and extra messes around the house that I don’t have the energy to clean up. Yesterday we drove to Trier to buy Annika some birthday presents before the babies make it extra hard to get out. We hadn’t planned on taking pictures, but at the last minute decided to do an impromptu maternity session to document a size I hope to never be again. I am grateful for a husband that makes me feel beautiful even when I waddle and look like I swallowed a watermelon and by my own admission resemble a beached sea lion when I try to get off the couch or out of bed (at least that is how I feel!) Even though we both laugh at the impossible size of my belly he continually reminds me that I am beautiful, and for that, I am grateful. (Plus, he is a great photographer, no?)

This was my photo from today. I was thinking about Annika’s newborn pictures and I wanted to take a picture of Annika’s no-longer baby toes. She sat down for me and I laid on the floor to get the shot. She immediately laid down across from me, looked at me like this and said “What is Mommy doing?” I never did get a picture of her toes, but this one will certainly do.

I had high hopes that Annika would love the snow, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. She warmed up to it eventually, but still would rather be inside eating a cookie, and she let us know.

I really don’t like posting pictures of myself that much. I have much better subjects in my clients. But, still, this is also my personal blog, and since I have many family members and friends who keep asking for pictures of my belly (it is really not that exciting), I am finally posting one. I would love to have some great maternity pictures where I look glowing and beautiful to show you all, but this is just not the case, for a couple of reasons. First, I don’t have that cute little pregnant belly anymore — I have a big, unwieldy, pointy belly and no shirts that completely cover it. I am pretty sure I did not have this problem last time I was pregnant. Second, Brad is my photographer, and lately he has been working weekends and late into the night, so the only times he is home to take pictures it is dark and cold outside and dark and only slightly warmer inside. I kept putting off taking pictures until we could find some time to go somewhere and I could dress up and take some cute pictures. However, after this weekend we decided that I needed to just take a picture NOW no matter how late and dark it was, which brings me to my story,

I am now 33 weeks into my pregnancy. Despite the higher risks of twin pregnancies, mine has gone beautifully thus far. I haven’t had any blood pressure problems, my back hasn’t hurt nearly as much as I thought it would, the babies have both moved into head-down positions and have developed wonderfully. Every checkup the doctor would say “Looks great! See you in four weeks!” I was starting to have high hopes it would continue this way until 37 or 38 weeks when twins are considered full term. However, this was not to be the case. I started having Braxton-Hicks contractions about the same time I starting going in for my bi-weekly non-stress tests. That is was not worrisome in and of itself, except that they started increasing in frequency quickly, especially for only being 32 weeks along. On Saturday I went out to dinner and to a movie and on the way home was timing my contractions at 5 minutes apart. When I got home I drank water and laid down, but they kept coming for the next couple of hours, so we decided to make the trip into labor and delivery. My contractions aren’t painful like labor contractions, and we really didn’t think I was going into labor, so I didn’t bring anything but my purse, and we woke up Annika and took her along, hoping for a quick trip. No trip to the hospital is quick. They gave me an IV, took lots of samples, monitored heart rates and contractions, and gave me a couple of drugs to stop the contractions. We finally got home around 6:00 in the morning with instructions for me to take it easy for the next few weeks, and to expect to probably have to come back again.

So, I am now on modified bed rest, and the babies are probably going to come sooner than we had hoped. I am doing my best to do nothing and keep the babies in for a few more weeks, but laying around all day is harder than it seems. Annika has been great. We explained that Mommy has to take care of the babies in her tummy so I can’t hold Annika, and I am going to have to lay down a lot. We read books together and Annika has played all morning on the floor next to me without complaining. She frequently asks if the babies in Mommy’s tummy are coming out and seems genuinely concerned. We’ve had so many people ask how they can help, offer to take Annika, and offer to bring in meals. We are extremely grateful. Brad has taken over without complaining and does a much better job of cleaning up the kitchen than I do. He may also be a better cook. On top of that he has been working late to try to finish his project of refinishing and painting our kitchen table and chairs. I think he feels the pressure with the babies coming shortly. I just feel like a lazy bum, but I keep reminding myself that it is just hard in a different way and that we are all doing what is best for these two little girls.

This is getting long. My blog is a  journal for me, so I felt like I needed to record the changes in our lives. I hope I didn’t bore you. As far as photography things go, this also means that I won’t be taking any more sessions until sometime this spring after the babies are here and we feel a little more settled. Thanks to everyone who emailed me about sessions. I am flattered and I really do wish that I could meet your families, and your new additions, and document all the wonderful things in your lives. Email me again in a few months!

I am not sure whether all this bedrest will mean more or less blogging. I guess we will see. Keep checking back!

This was such a fun family to work with; they were troopers, even though it was freezing outside. We took lots of warming breaks in the car, ate cookies and skittles, and played in the snow. You could tell that they all really love each other, and I love when that shows in the pictures. I couldn’t decide which pictures not to include in the post, so here is a little more than a sneak peak. I’ll try to get the rest of your gallery to you soon. Thanks again guys!