Too funny!

I always put the girls to bed like this....

And find them like this.

I'm not sure if Alisha is pushing Eli over or of Eli moves & Alisha wants to be next to her. It gives me something to smile about every 2 1/2 hours I have to get up to feed them during the middle of the night:)

We've grown

Oh, these cuties are so much fun! I may regret these words (especially putting them in writing) but having twins has been easier then I expected. Either I made the expectations of them too great or I've just been blessed to have really good babies! I'm not saying it's easy but just easier then I expected:)


Eliza is the higher maintenance of the two & likes to be held. She also notices when Alisha is missing & I just love that about her.


Alisha is almost always a very mellow and sweet baby. She's easier to calm down when she is upset & I just love to snuggle her little body.

Overall we've gotten into a routine...the only thing that would make it better is warmer weather & the girls to be a little bit bigger so we can go out more:) I can tell that poor Landon is feeling a little couped up. We've done some mini bike rides...me pushing the stroller with the girls & lots of wrestling. Either my boys have become even more boyish since we had the girls or they've always been this way & I never noticed until now. They love to wrestle & make lots of noise. Landon loves to play different super heroes & exercise his LOUD powers on the girls. The plus side is that they can sleep through almost anything.

Today was the girls two week appointment & they are growing like crazy. I'm usually not one to ask a lot of questions & make the doctor double check everything but I sure did today since I'm not totally sure why the girls were different sizes. So I made him check Eliza's heart really well (in twin-to-twin the dominate baby can have heart issues; we don'tknow if it was twin-to-twin) and look at Alisha's coloring & one of her eyes has been getting goobers. Yes, these sound so silly but I just like to be re-assured they are healthy:) I haven't been a great picture taker since my arms are almost always full but here's some fun ones that make me smile.

Chris and I have been getting really creative with getting the girls around the house. Since we have two full sets of stairs we really feel the need to improvise & take them as little as possible. That means we get very creative when it come to transporting the girls...often done in twos:):):) Today I told myself that it was ok to go up & down the stairs twice as much because its good exercise and boy do I need it. Telling myself that & doing it are two different things:)

We go out very little but when we do it takes a litte bit more work then usual. We try to go between naps, feedings, & diaper changes but sometimes it doesn't always work out perfect. When they start walking life will be a little bit easier but right now I'm lugging two car seats & hoping for some very tone arms...today I used Eliza as my weights because she wouldn't stop crying while I was working out. She was happy & my arms felt the burn!

Mothers Day!

Mothers day definitely takes on a new meaning when you are blessed with two precious angels in the same week.

Chris and I keep talking about what an amazing experience it is to have a child be born & we were both a little sad to realize we probably won't go through the experience again.

As we've reflected back on this week we realize how incredibly blessed we are. We are so fortunate to have two healthy little babies despite so many possibilities of thinks that could go wrong. Statistically our girls had a lot of strikes against them. The two-vessel umbilical cord is only a 5% chance for twins...they both had this. Then to find out little Alisha had a valementous cord insertion which is only an 8% chance in their twin type & to recognize a stillborn baby was very probable with this condition. We are so humbled to be so blessed!

On Friday Jaden had a mothers day program at school that I just couldn't miss. Many thought I was crazy to already be out & about but I just had to be there & it was so adorable. Unfortunately being a little spacey I forgot the video camera & my regular camera but I did these cute pictures that Jaden drew on "Kid Pic". They also did a silhouette of each child to give to their mothers. Last night when I told Jaden how much it looked like him he informed me that it looked like Abraham Lincoln:):):)

Chris likes to take the boys to "Lowes Build & Grow" workshops. Yesterday they did a mothers day project & it was so cute to see them get their aprons and goggles on & to see their excitement to go build something. Jaden built his completely all by himself & was so proud of it. One of these days I'll actually capture pictures of their excitement...it truly puts a smile on my face.

Today I had to have a picture of all my little ones together...I keep forgetting to take pictures. Since Chris was at the church I braved letting both boys hold one baby for the occasion. They were both so proud...me, I was a little nervous & didn't require them to pose for a perfect picture but snapped it as quickly as I could.
I just love all 4 of them and I'm grateful to be their mom!

Two little cuties!

I've been very bad to return phone calls since our life has been a little crazy so I thought I'd add a quick update & a picture of the girls together....unfortunately my picture taking has been few & far between so sadly I have very few.

We were released yesterday from the hospital & they are both doing great. We had a follow up visit today because of Jandice & they both were great. Here's a picture of them at the doctors office. They look exactly the same but appear to be about a month apart.

Last night was a little rough for Alicia but Eliza did so wonderful. Eliza really reaches out for Alicia and loves to touch her while she sleeps. A lot of times they either turn to each other in the same position or mimic the exact same position. Seconds after I took this picture they both spit out their pacifiers at the exact same time.

Our Miracles!

UPDATE: Eliza was re-weighed this morning & there must have been a problem with the scale yesterday. She actually weighs 6 lbs 5 oz which is considerably bigger then Alisha. This may be due to twin-to-twin transfusion OR Alisha's umbilical cord issue. In a way I'm grateful (I had growth ultrasounds every two weeks with the perinatologists) that it wasn't detected because I believe they would have had me have the girls a lot earlier. They are healthy & should be out of the NICU by noon today if they can maintain their temperature.

The girls will be staying in the NICU tonight as a precaution so I thought I'd take a quick moment to share some photos & jot down some of my experiences today.

First off...they are both healthy & beautiful. We recognize how blessed we truely are and I feel wonderful.

We checked in the hospital at 7 am. I was at almost at 4cm and was very insistant I not have pitocin because of complications from it with both boys. I was worried that this would force a c-section so they broke Alisha's water & we waited to see what happened. Just prior to this they did an ultrasound and it appeared that Eliza had turned slightly sideways.We knew that Alisha would not need a c-section, but there was still a chance that Eliza would need a c-section.

Between the anti-naseau medication & epidural I spent much of the day sleeping...I was a little loopy. At around 2pm I was at a 7 & my nurse told me they'd take me to the surgical suite once I was an 8; this is a precaution of an emergency c-section is necessary.

Shortly after she noticed that Alisha's heart rate was dropping & that can be an indication she'd dropped into the birth canal. Upon checking she said I only had a ridge left & they rushed me into surgery & called my doctor. At this point I was throwing up a lot & she kept telling me to try to breath through it because I was pushing Alisha out from the pressure.

Getting wheeled to the surgical suite really quickly. I was on oxygen most of the day to help the babies heart rates...mostly Alisha's.

I only could have two people in the OR so my mom had to stay in the hall. Jenna was the picture taker & took 400+ pictures. It's gonna take some serious time going through all of them:) Chris was the daddy:):):) Thankfully Dr. Leavitt arrived just in time & told Chris he could deliver the babies. Here's their preparation stance.It only took 1 contraction to get Alisha out. I got to hold her for about 3 seconds before she was passed through to the NICU.

Eliza was much higher but with a couple of pushes we got her low enough to get her into position & break her water. 5 minutes later she was born at 4:47pm. Again, I held her for a quick moment & she was passed on through to the NICU. Chris headed to the NICU & I finished up.

One additional blessing that was discovered after my Dr. analyzed the placenta was that Alisha's umbilical cord was attached to the sac, not the placenta (there is a medical term but I don't remember it.) This could have caused some serious complications through out my pregnancy.

This is right after I delivered both girls. I felt so good minus that shakes.
So finally I got a report on the girls & here are the stats.

Alisha Murphy: 4 lbs. 14 oz, 18.5 inches long
Eliza Murphy: 5 lbs. 2 oz, 20.5 inches long

At this point I had to wait a couple hours for the epidural to wear off before I could go see the girls so Jenna went back & forth bringing me pictures of the girls. Here was bath-time. Eliza seems to be more mellow and Alisha more sassy!

A happy bath taker Eliza.

An unhappy Alisha.

Two very happy brothers peaking through the NICU windows.
First time seeing Alisha


First time holding Eliza.
I can't wait for when we can put them together & take some pictures. Because of the size difference we can tell them apart but all their features are the same including a chin dimple. I'm now off to feed both babies:):):)

Easter Celebrations plus a little teeth cleaning

Usually Jaden has went to my dentist to get his teeth cleaned but since Landon is now the age of 3 & I have two to take to the dentist I decided it was time to take them to a kids dentist. I have to say that more playing went on then teeth cleaning. Since it was Landons first visit they did a "Happy Visit" which consisted of looking at his teeth for about 1 minute....I hope his teeth are really ok. Even though he was supposed to be happy he cried. Jaden is used to the drill, hopped onto the table, made his requests, & couldn't have been happier. Since they are a kids dentist there were video games, a movie theatre, car racing track, & a big thomas the train set (Landon's favorite.) After I saw how much they loved all the dentist extras I may just be tempted to sneak them back another day just to play:):):)

Ever year we take the kids to the tautphaus park easter egg hunt & we couldn't miss this year. We also added Gracie & Easton to our family:) They were in different groups so Chris & I separated so that all the kids could go at the same time. They all did very well but it was a little crazy & Jaden ended up getting separated from everyone. The smart kid went to the car & waited for us. Whew!!!

All last week I really made an effort to help my kids understand the REAL reason we celebrate Easter. There's so many fun activities BUT that's the fluff & I wanted to make sure Jaden knew the difference. So daily I'd quiz him on why we celebrated Easter and to help both boys have an even better understanding we chose to do their Easter baskets on Saturday vs Sunday so that they knew Sunday was the day to think about our Savior and the true meaning of Easter. So after the Easter Egg Hunt we came home & surprised the boys with a trampoline and their baskets. It was such a beautiful afternoon & everyone was in such good spirits!

Both boys were so happy & pleasant Easter Sunday. Our home had such a nice, restful feeling before church and I didn't regret doing all the activities prior to actual Easter. Plus, Chris is gone to meetings on Sundays so we were able to include him on all the fun on Saturday. After Church we enjoyed a big family dinner & a small Easter egg hunt BUT not before the kids could tell grandpa why we celebrate Easter...good thing I'd been prepping my boys all week:)

TWIN UPDATE:

Are you sick of these....I kind of am:) It's time to get them out of my belly! Last Thursday the Nurse was going to schedule me for this Friday. Because I had some concerns about being induced I asked her if I could wait until my Monday appointment to talk to my OBGYN about risks or whether it'd need to be a c-section. Assuming that it was a go on Friday either way...I just didn't know how it'd go I told everyone I was having them this Friday.

On Monday when I went in my OBGYN wants to do it this coming Monday. I'm dilated to a 3 and they may come before then but that is the scheduled date & so far it looks like I can deliver them and that is the plan. In addition on my ultrasound the tech picked up hair on both girls....both boys had a good amount of hair so I was very hopeful that my girls wouldn't be bald:) Here's crossing my fingers for the beautiful dark hair that both my boys had a babies. It's kind of strange that they are both blondes now.

The Boys!!!!!

After a funny morning of listening to my boys talking I decided I needed to document it.

When we first got bunk beds over a year ago it was a treat for Jaden to sleep on the top bunk...he had to earn the privilege so you can imagine my surprise when we moved the boys together & Jaden no longer cared to sleep on the top bunk; it was a little bit of a problem. After we'd put the boys to bed Jaden would sneak to the floor & Chris would have to lift him to the top bunk. Jaden doesn't always communicate his feeling & frustrations well & finally I sat him down & asked him why he didn't want to sleep on his bed. Prior to this his excuses were so silly but this time he finally opened up & told me he was scared the top bed would fall off and crash to the floor...I could tell this was truly a fear of his. Of course I want my children to feel safe so I immediately went to work taking the two beds apart, moving furniture & pictures so that there would now be two beds in a bedroom that was already so small. This was two days ago & Jaden is waking up so much happier & perkier & both boys are seeming to enjoy the new bed arrangement.

So for the last two mornings Jaden has woken up early & popped into bed with me. This morning (this was 5 minutes before I was waking up) he came & we had a sweet little talk. I asked him if he was ready for me to have these babies. His honest reply was "mom, I don't want you to have them because I won't get to spend time with you". I thought he thought I was going to have them right now and I told him I meant more like next week. He still was worried and I reassured him I'd always make time for him and that he was a great big brother.

With the big brother responsibility I've been really trying to teach him to help around the house & I reminded him that when Landon woke up he needed to clean his room, make his bed (this is a new responsibility since it was two high for him to make before), and get dressed. He told me he'd be very quiet and set to work.

Yesterday Jaden suddenly took an interest in reading. He's so funny & decides to take interest in things on his own time. After reading lots of books last night he kept telling me which kind I needed to buy so he could read better (I already forgot the name but I'll have to ask him again so I can purchase him some).

So this morning I could hear him cleaning and all the sudden I heard him talking to Landon who had just woke up. His words were something like this..."Landon, I'm going to read lots of books to you. How about I teach you to read also." Then I heard him sit on Landon's bed and start having him repeat words like "I, am, the, little, robot, ect" and pointing to them in the book. I could hear Landon repeating each word carefully. It was so cute & tender! As an added bonus I heard him say "Landon, I'll show you how to make your bed." and I could hear them working together. Their blankets are turned the wrong direction & they certainly aren't show room perfect but I couldn't help smile when I saw both their beds.

When I saw Jaden's outfit I noticed his shirt was getting to be a belly shirt. Both my boys are getting SOOOOO tall and I encouraged Jaden to go and change it because it was getting small. He insisted it fit just fine because it wasn't tight. True but when he moves his arms his belly button pokes out. Deciding not to pick a battle about it I told him that this was the last time he could wear the shirt....I feel bad for his classmates today that will get a couple of belly button views:):):)

When Jaden is happy & helpful it is so wonderful! I wish I could keep this attitude around at all times. He isn't really a messy kid but Landon is and he's been good to help me pick up all the toys on the floor since it's getting harder for me to clean them.

Last week I took the boys to the store to pick out an easter egg kit. Every day Landon would bring it to me so that we could make eggs. Finally last night we pulled it out & the boys got to work. With this kit you put the eggs in a bag, drop different colors of die, swish it around, take the egg out & sprinkle with glitter. They had so much fun with their different color creations. Jaden has become very protective of the eggs since Landon has broken a couple.

TWIN UPDATE:

When I meet with the perinatologists out of Utah it's usually a different doctor every time so I'm never sure what they'll suggest. I do get the feeling they are careful with their suggestions since everything has a risk.

On Monday my OBGYN seemed to think that I'll make it to 36 weeks which he said would be really good (that's next friday.)

Yesterday when I met with the perinatologist he mentioned a study done in Britain of monochorionic twins (shared placenta). The study suggested that past 36 weeks there is a higher still born rate. A different perinatologist mentioned this to me about a month ago. He said that at 36 weeks their could be respiratory problems. I think he wanted to educate me to make the decision on when to have these babies. He said he'd make a note to my obgyn so that on Monday we could discuss and make a decision.

Chris has been out of town the last couple of days & flights into Idaho Falls aren't plentiful so I've been really careful not to do too much so that I won't have contractions. I've had small ones for a while but nothing that would put me into labor. I really would like to not have to be induced or have a c-section but he gets home today so I'm going to weed my many flower gardens (I may only get one done) and start getting my body to think about having these babies. I was at a 1 on monday...with my boys that didn't happen until about 40 weeks (my body holds onto babies:):):)).

So in my estimate I'll have these babies by next Friday at 36 weeks or if I come earlier on my own. I think on Monday my OBGYN and I will have a plan.

This picture is me at 34 1/2 weeks. I hesitate to post because I've put on 45 lbs & it was the end of the day...I look TIRED! Everyone tells me I haven't put on weight in my face but looking at this picture I completely disagree or maybe I'll blame it on the angle. I know at some point in life I'll want to see a picture of me with twins so I thought I better take one. I may take it down in humiliation:):):)