First night in separate beds

We knew the day would inevitably come when our babies would have to separate. There are many opinions as to when the right time is to separate twins, but we thought the time was now. If our babies were the same gender, we probably would have kept them in the same room but different cribs for a lot longer. But we thought it was time they start getting used to their own space and get used to looking at their own ceiling since they were going to have their own rooms anyway.

They have been sharing a pack and play and then a crib since they were first born, and they have never been apart from one another for longer than a few minutes. Olivia already seems pretty dependant on Luke, and looks for him all of the time. We weren't sure how the transition would go, but we decided to jump in with both feet and put them in their own cribs in their own rooms. Olivia's room is just outside of our room, and Luke's room is down the hall. I think it was harder on me to separate them, and maybe I shed a tear or two...but no time like the present, right?

They actually did ok, and didn't seem to wake up more than normal. If one baby wakes up hungry, we are still waking the other baby to keep them on the same schedule. We don't know how much longer this will last; perhaps only another couple of months once they are eating more solid food. Unfortunately, they have been reverting and not sleeping though the night, and we are having to do a 3/4am feeding once again. We have tried to feed them more during the day, but little Miss Olivia just can't seem to handle much more than 4 oz at a time (sometimes she doesn't even manage that much). So for now, we are creating a new routine of putting the babies to bed in their own rooms, feeding them in the middle of the night in our room, and back to their own beds. So far neither Dan nor I have managed to put one of the babies in the wrong room, but it's still early!

Easter

Easter is an extra special holiday for us, as we found out last Easter (April 12th) we were pregnant. Since this was Luke and Olivia's first Easter, we wanted to make it extra special. I cooked a big Easter dinner (and broke in our new kitchen) and had our folks over to celebrate. The babies also touched grass for the first time! Luke didn't seem to mind, but you can tell from the pics that Olivia wasn't loving it. I think it tickled her back. Hopefully she'll learn to love it as she gets older.

Time for solids

At our 4 month check up, the pediatrician said the babies could try solids when they were ready. Well, Luke already eyes us when we eat, so we thought that meant he was ready. Boy, was he ever!!! They have already had rice cereal mixed with their bottles for awhile because of their reflux, so we decided to start with Stage 1 carrots. We figured the bright orange color would also make for good pics! Olivia did pretty well for her first time, although I think more ended up on her than in her tummy, and Luke started opening his mouth by the second bite. He takes after his daddy! =)

4 Month Check-up with our new Pediatrician

How did our babies get to be 4 months old already? After doing lots of research and getting some recommendations, we met with Dr. Colver today for Luke and Olivia's checkup and shots. We were very impressed with the practice, although we really miss Dr. Mona in Atlanta; we doubt we'll find another doctor we liked as much as her.

Wow, what a difference 2 months makes. Here are their stats:

Luke
14.9 pounds; 50%
25.5" long; 75%
Head circumference: 42 50%

Olivia
11.12 pounds; 10-25%
23.25" long; 10-25%
Head circumference: 39 10%

Olivia is such a little runt! =) Dr. Colver said both babies looked great and we can start solid foods when we are ready, which will probably be Saturday night when we have time to video tape it. Luke is drooling like Niagra falls and has been a little fussier than usual (he is such a chill baby usually), which means he is probably in the very early stages of teething. Olivia is VERY gassy, so we are trying a new formula yet again to see if it helps her little tummy. She has also been spitting up more than normal, so we may have to adjust her dose of prevacid as well.

Olivia is rolling over sometimes while Luke is content to just lay on his arms. Olivia also loves to sit up and will be crawling before we know it. Luke is so vocal and coos all of the time, and his open mouth smile lights up his entire face. We got them an exersaucer, and they both seem to love it, at least for a few minutes right now!

Last night they both slept from about 10:45pm until 6am (YAY!), but we'll see if the trend continues. Usually Olivia wakes during the night from her tummy pains, so we have been getting very little sleep. Let's hope this new formula does the trick!

The beginnings of our nurseries

After waiting four LONG months (really longer if you count the time I was pregnant), I am FINALLY working on the nurseries for Luke and Olivia and I have had so much fun! It warms my heart to see clothes hanging in their own closets, cribs assembled and their own spaces coming together. I have some shopping left to do now that I can see the space in person. Olivia is so lucky; her room is already painted pale pink and green and she will have her very own bathroom in her room. Luke's room is a little bigger and he'll be sharing the guest bathroom. They are lucky little babies to have their own rooms. They seem to sleep a little better in their cribs versus the pack-n-play, but Olivia isn't sleeping through the night anymore. Hopefully once things settle down she'll find her routine again.

Priorites sure do shift as a mom; I don't have one single piece of clothing hanging in my closet, yet their rooms are almost completed! I have waited so long to have a room for my babies, and I smile everytime I see them in there. We have been taking pics as things are coming together, but I'll have to upload them another night. For now, it's time to feed the little ones and get a little sleep before the day starts all over again.

Home at last!

Dan and I are certainly getting used to our new surroundings, and it feels more and more like home everyday. It is very surreal to be residents of NC once again, and we spent some time just exploring the area. It's the little things a person takes for granted, like knowing where the closest post office is located. We are in search of good local mexican, but we did find the cutest breakfast place called The Knife and Fork. I'm pretty sure we'll become regulars.

Our family has really pitched in and helped us unload the truck and look after the little ones while we try to get some things unpacked. Luke and Olivia seem to be adjusting well and I just love them more and more each day (if it's even possible!) I am torn between unpacking and spending enough time with them, and I have told myself that I get unpacked when I get unpacked. They won't be little forever and I want to enjoy this time as much as possible. It really is going by amazingly fast.

Our neighborhood seems very friendly, and people wave as they drive by. There is an Easter egg hunt next weekend, and we are hoping to meet some of the neighbors then. There are a lot of kids as well, and I think Luke and Olivia will have lots of playmates eventually. We can't wait to check out the pool and playground this summer, and I hope to find a jogging stroller soon so I can get back into pre-baby shape. We truly are home at last!

Moving day and closing

Wow, have the past few days been very hectic! Between packing, taking care of the babies and seeing lots of friends before we move, life has certainly been a whirlwind! We are so glad the day we've been waiting for has finally arrived.

Dan and I spent all day Saturday loading a 26' Penske truck with all of our stuff (thanks to everyone who helped out!). Nothing like moving to show a person how much stuff you can accumulate over a lifetime; one truck wasn't enough! Dan is going to have to rent another truck next week and pick up the rest of our stuff. Goodwill is going to love us! We decided nothing gets unpacked unless it has a place; otherwise, out it goes.

We spent a very long Sunday cleaning the house we were renting and getting last minute items packed since we had to leave so early on Monday morning. We stayed with differnt friends Saturday and Sunday night, and at my dad's house Monday night, and finally in our new house Tuesday evening. Four houses in four days; the babies were so confused! They were troopers the entire time, and they have become very versatile. I think Olivia was so excited to have her own room she decided to wake up at 3am and NOT go back to sleep. So we decided to feed them and hit the road to avoid Monday morning rush hour in a moving truck. The drive went pretty smoothly (Dan said he felt like a trucker in the huge truck!) and we got to my folks house around 10am. We were so exhausted, but not time to nap. Off to closing...

Last year, we sold our house on March 22nd, and this year we closed on March 26th...almost one year to the day. We were moving the same weekend 2 years in a row, but not next year. No way! There were some last minute issues that came up and we weren't sure we would be able to close as planned, but luckily everything came together at the last minute.

We're home owners once again!!!

I'll post pics as soon as I can get them uploaded. For now, time to tackle the first box...

Going away party at McCrays

This past Thursday we met some friends at McCrays to see them before me move. It was a bittersweet evening for me. I am SO excited to finally be getting settled and getting the nurseries ready for Luke and Olivia, but I am also sad to be leaving such a wonderful group of people. We have lived here for almost 11 years, and I wouldn't have traded my time in Atlanta for anything. We hope we are fortunate enough to meet some great people in our new neighborhood, and of course, we'll have lots of fun times with our families as well. I know we'll be visiting as often as we can, as Dan wants to make sure we have the youngest Braves fans ever!

Here a box, there a box, everywhere a moving box

Ah, moving with twins. What were we thinking? =) It has been interesting trying to get packed up, but we are getting there. Thank goodness for my sweet neighbor Sally who sat with the babies for a couple of hours yesterday so I could get more than half a box packed at a time.

Dan's folks will be here this weekend to trailer back the motorcycle, lawnmower, etc. That will be a huge help. Then next weekend is the big move! We are getting the truck on Sat, packing that day and Sunday and then hitting the road Monday morning, March 22nd. We can't believe the time is almost here!

3 month pics

Check out Luke and Olivia's 3 month pics at:

http://www.boldimpressionsphotography.com and enter event code: bartlett

We got some great pictures. I may be slightly partial, but I think we have the cutest twins ever! =)

Some random pics over the past few weeks

Happy quarter-year Birthday!

I can't believe our babies are 3 months old today! What a whirl-wind the past few months have been. It's hard to imagine being on bedrest now-although one more day like that would be nice!

The babies are changing so much every day. Little miss Olivia decided she would roll over for the first time (apparently one time was enough for her as she hasn't repeated this feat) while Luke has decided he is quite happy laying on his face on the floor. They are also starting to notice the toys on their bouncer seats and interact with a rattle and other toys. We also try to read at least one book a day, say our abc's, and count to 10. They love to look at the colors in the books and will just smile at the pictures.It is interesting to see how they do things at different times even though they are twins. They have such different personalities!

The babies have grown and developed so much since they were born, and they have shown us more that we could ever imagine. There is nothing like being a parent!

Our sweet babies when they were born



And here are the babies getting in some "tummy time" 3 months later