Ma Tante Nancy

Ma Tante (aunt) Nancy came with Dan's parents and then stayed for an additional week after his parents went home. Nan was extremely helpful with the twins and helped me out with the house as well. We had quite a few shopping trips too! Nan even got to go to the twins doctor's appointment and meet the infamous Dr. Shumacher (the kids pediatrician who looks like Jerry Garcia, wears bib overalls and tie-dyed shirts and neon green crocs-he's quite the character!). After Nancy was the last one left she got plenty of quality auntie time with her niece and nephew. Nancy is also the twins godmother and guardian. After seeing her with the twins, we are sure she is perfect for the job!

Memere and Pepere Raymond

Memere (pronounced maymay-french for grandma) and Pepere (pronounced paypay-french for grandpa) Raymond were here to spoil their new grandchildren for a week. They were hands on from the minute the twins woke up to when they went to bed. Both were very helpful by taking them in the morning so mommy could go back to sleep. They got to go with us to take the kids to see their first Santa. There was alot of spoiling going on all week! I hardly had to lift a finger when it came to feeding and diapers! Memere and Pepere had a horrible trip home with snow delays and missed flights but I sure hope it was worth it. I think they had a wonderful time and enjoyed meeting their new grandkids. Next time the twins will be able to remember their spoiling a little more!

A Very Merry Christmas

We had a very nice and relaxing Christmas. It was just us and the new babies. We opened their gifts for them, they were so excited! HAHA, they slept the whole time. They were somewhat awake enough to take some pictures. We are truly blessed this year, twice! We may get twice the frustrations all new parents get but we are lucky enough to get double the joy. We are very lucky to have Luci and Eli and this holiday season was even better because of their arrival.

Uncle Lance...and a first nickname!

As most of you already know Lance has moved to California for a job and is staying with Dan and me until next summer when Gail and the kids can join him here. It's been nice having him around. He's been more than helpful with the twins and helps out a lot around the house too. He's even christened Elijah with his first nickname - "Bean". Elijah will pull his arms and legs into his body really tight and he really does look like a little bean. I think that's how he was in my belly so it's really natural for him to do that. It's cute.

Our first visit with Santa

Dan's squadron had a children's Christmas party on Saturday. They flew Santa into the party on a Cobra helicopter. Too bad the Huey was inoperable because Dan would have flown him in. Wouldn't that have been cool to tell them about? Daddy would have been the coolest for flying around Santa. We put them on Santa's lap and they slept the entire time. It was a nice little outing with them and some of Dan's coworkers got to see them for the first time.

Grandpa and Grandmommy Workman's Visit

Grandpa and Grandmommy Workman came and stayed for a week. If it's possible to thoroughly spoil the twins in a week it was done, haha! Grandpa stayed busy holding each one, sometimes both at the same time. And he even changed quite a few diapers, even the stinky ones! Grandmommy also got some quality time in there when Grandpa wasn't tending to them. When not loving on the twins, Grandpa helped Dan out in the yard and with some other projects that the new dad hasn't had a chance to get too and Grandmommy and I did some much needed shopping. Since I've been feeling almost back to normal and my energy levels have gone up Peggy and I were able to take advantage of some after-Thanksgiving deals in town. I think they enjoyed their time with the babies and I'm sure it wasn't long enough. They were both of great help to both Dan and I, with the babies and with daily chores around the house.

We're 2 weeks old!

Luci and Eli are 2 weeks old today! Wow the time flies by! They had a doctor's appointment last week and all is well and they are gaining some weight. Their doc thinks they look great. They are still very laid back. They eat every 2-3 hours and sleep well. And we are still surviving the nights and getting some sleep. Dan went back to work today so that's another adjustment for him. And now I'm being beckoned by hungry babies so this post is done!

Grandma and Grandpa Arrington's Visit

Grandma and Grandpa Arrington arrived the Saturday prior to the twins arriving. I think Mom was excited to be here for their arrival. It was definately nice for me to have her here. Werter had to leave the following Friday but Mom stayed for an additional week. Such great help! We spent the week just watching the babies and relaxing. Mom enjoyed playing dress up too! Both Mom and Werter were of great help to both Dan and me. Werter helped Dan with some projects around the house and Mom helped with the house and helping me with the babies. Mom was also here for Thanksgiving and we had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving dinner together. I can't express how appreciative I am for all the help. I definately survived the initial weeks because of her!

We're Here!!!

On November 17, at 11:17 a.m. and 11:18 a.m. we were blessed with the arrival of Lucianna Marie and Elijah Stephen. Delivery was by C-section and was very smooth. They both came out screaming! Lucianna weighed was born first and weighed 5 lb. 2 oz. and was 19 inches long. Elijah came one minute later, butt first, weighted 4 lb. 13 oz. and was 17.5 inches long. Both were breathing fine on their own but still had to be placed on oxygen, stay under warmers to regulate their body temp, and have IV's. Dan got to accompany them to the nursery after birth. I got to see them for the first time through the nursery window on my way back to my room after recovery. We got to hold them for the first time on Tuesday. On Wednesday Elijah had to be placed back on oxygen. After a great night on Wednesday though they were both released to our room on Thursday a.m. On Friday we were all discharged to go home. Everything is going very well. A lot of adjusting for both me and Dan. Both babies are quite relaxed and mellow. Luci is a bit more dramatic. Eli is very laid back. We will be posting quite a few pictures as we all go through all those firsts! Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers.

Marine Corps Ball

Last night was the Marine Corps Ball. I decided at the last minute to go with Dan. He was getting his uniform together Thursday night and it made me want to go. So I tracked down a dress to wear and made it out on the town one last time with the hubby. We had a great time, took pictures. I lasted all the way until 11! I was really hoping if I went that the babies would decide it was time to come out but no such luck. And I had no energy to dance them out. Dan looked very handsome of course in his new mess dress uniform. He didn't get to wear it last year because he was part of the ceremony so this was his first year wearing it. He said it was much more comfortable than the other dress uniform. We had a wonderful last night out before the babies arrive.

Yay 34 Weeks!

We've reached our goal of 34 weeks. As of Monday the doc said that if the babies are born now they will be in great shape. They are of above avereage size and weigh about 5 pounds each. Luci is right on the edge of my pelvis, trying to decide whether or not she's ready. Eli is breach and just hanging out waiting for Luci to hurry up and decide what to do. The ultrasound shows no signs of distress and everything looks great. I'm definately ready for them to vacate my belly! We've been told to just be ready for any day now. Really hard to tell. I've been cleaning like a freak! Contractions have started but are really far apart. It's really hard to get clear ultrasound pictures now but if you can make these out they are pictures of their faces. Baby A is Luci and Baby B is Eli. Eli's is more clear and you can see his chubby cheeks. A couple weeks ago you could see little patches of hair on his head. Of course Luci's picture is harder to make but the ultrasound tech said it looked as if she was pouting. Yep, definately going to be a redhead like her mother! Hopefully we will have some exciting news really soon!

The Nub Strikes Again!

As most of you know Dan lost part of his finger in a saw accident last November. Apparently part of the nail bed was left behind and he's been growing part of a nail and also possibly part of a tendon on the rest of the finger. Friday he had surgery to repair and reconstruct the area. All was successful and it should be back to "normal" soon. Recovery was uneventful and thanks to being under general anesthesia he had to take it easy for the weekend. Which was great for us-spent the weekend relaxing and doing nothing!

Baby Update

This week is #31. Yesterday both babies have turned head down and the doc thinks they will be pretty much locked into this position. My stomach has dropped quite a bit which has made breathing much easier! Measurements of the twins estimate their weight to be 4 pounds. They are also measuring 1 1/2 weeks ahead of their real age, which is good in case they don't quite make it to 34 weeks. At an average of a 1/2 pound per week they should be 5 pounds by Nov. That puts them at a safer birth weight and also puts them at 34 weeks. This minimizes their chances of having to stay in the hospital. They still are moving alot! We are predicting the next 2-4 weeks and they will be here! We are pretty much ready. The first crib is together and we just got our car seats. Just getting a couple more necessities here and there.

This Week's Ultrasound

The babies have grown A LOT over the past month. This week they are weighing in at 3 1/2 pounds each. They are within 1 oz. of each other. According to the measurements they have grown almost a week ahead of their real age. I still have anemia and the iron pills haven't improved the fatigue much. Dr. Miller will recheck blood levels in 2 weeks. We have an ultrasound every week now so the countdown has begun! Doc said we have to try really hard to get to 34 weeks (I'll be 31 on Monday) and then we wait and see what the babies want to do. They are very active still (the ultrasound tech had a lot of trouble getting pictures and keeping up with them!) and if they keep up their growth rate Dr. Miller thinks they will be a little earlier than 37 weeks. Plus the anemia could jumpstart things a little early as well. So if we can get to the first week of November all is well.

The 2 pictures are the best the ultrasound tech could get since the twins were just giving her a run for her money! One picture is of Luci's ear. Hopefully you can see the arrows pointing to things. The other picture is of Eli grabbing his umbilical cord. It was really neat to watch him grab it. I wonder if he realizes that isn't a toy! Well, he's already got plenty of toys waiting for him when he and his sister comes out!

Another baby shower!

This past Sunday we were given another baby shower. This was a couples shower with a very relaxed BBQ setting. The guys pitched horseshoes and had beer. Shelly (our awesome hostess) put on a great spread of tri-tip and many veggie dishes. Instead of playing baby shower games our guests brought a package of diapers to enter a drawing. The girls drew for a 1/2 hour massage and the guys drew for a Bass Pro Shop gift card. We came out way ahead with many packages of diapers of various sizes! Due to a flu bug going around we were missing quite a few guests but still had about 10 couples there. Michelle made the cake and it was so good! Our theme was pumpkins and the cake matched perfect. She does an awesome job. We got lots of stuff: clothes, pacifiers, bottles, diaper bag, baby bath tub and all kinds of items to go with them, receiving blankets, toys, bibs, and lots of diapers! We've posted just a few pics of the shower and hopefully when the internet stops acting up we'll have the rest of the shower pictures posted with the link on the left.

Babies and...hunting??

I had nasal surgery on Monday to remove a polyp growing out of control. I had an OB appointment on Wednesday and the babies are doing great. No adverse effects from the anesthesia I had on Monday. Dr. Miller said that if they don't come any earlier they will be delivered by November 24th. He still thinks they may be a little earlier than that. Fetal testing starts in 2 weeks and will be every week until they arrive. From what I understand this is to determine how well they are doing and to see if delivery needs to be sooner.

Dan is preparing for another hunting season. He's been to the rifle range with the boys and they've met to "discuss" their strategies. It's quite entertaining to listen to them! Last year he got a deer and the head is proudly mounted on our wall. Maybe this year he'll get him a friend.

More to come! We have another baby shower and more ultrasounds to come! And maybe if Dan is lucky hunting we'll have some pictures from him too!

Baby Shower

We had our first baby shower yesterday. It was a lot of fun. The shower was hosted by my friend Lynn and I think she did an awesome job. Yummy food and fun stuff. There was a nice turnout as well. We spent a lot of time just hanging out, eating and talking. Then Lynn passed out plain onesies and everyone decorated onesies for the babies. They will be a nice keepsake for the kids. Everyone also filled out advice cards for the new parents. Many great tips! We got a lot of nice things as well. A boppy pillow (which mom has already used to help her sleep!), a nursery cart organizer (which I wasted no time putting together and filling up), clothes, toys, the diaper pail from our registry, blankets, bibs, books, diapers and other great things. Mom made a diaper changing pad that was just amazing. It unrolls and has pockets all the way around to put everything you need at your fingertips. When you're done, roll it back up and tie it and throw it back in your bag. The shower was a great time. You can view all the pictures by clicking on the link that is posted on the left of the blog. When you click on the link then you can click on the date on website under "Recent Pictures" and you can view all the pictures from the shower.

Other news

Dan had PRK eye corrective surgery a couple weeks ago. He's doing great. No more contacts or glasses. He says it gets better everyday. At his checkup last week he was already 20/20. He can't fly for 3 months.
We also have our next orders. We will be going to Camp Pendleton in March. That will probably be for 4 years. For the first year Dan will be instructing current Huey pilots how to fly the new Huey. After that he will probably deploy with the new helicopter. Being in Ridgecrest has been nice because he hasn't had to leave for 6 months at a time. Oh well, back to the normal military life.
It is finally starting to cool down here. I don't think it even broke 100 yesterday. By the end of the month it should be bearable during the day. Good news for me!

Whoa Belly!

This is the 6 1/2 month belly. Dan thought it would be good to let everyone really see how big it is. My clothes hide some of it. Just looking at this picture makes me realize why people look at me nervously-I look like I could pop. Babies are doing well. We had a checkup yesterday. No new pictures of them. We just measured their heartbeats and they are still strong. I will be having another growth ultrasound in a month. I've only gained an additional pound and it seems that as my belly gets bigger I'm getting skinnier everywhere else.

4D Ultrasound

Yesterday we had a 4D ultrasound. It was very neat to see the babies. Elijah of course cooperated and showed his face. We had already predicted Lucy would be stubborn and not show hers since she hasn't on any other ultrasound. Mom says she is determined to keep it a surprise! Elijah's picture is the top one. You can see him really well, his eyes, nose and cheeks. His arm is floating in front. If we had waited a couple more weeks there would have been a lot more definition but we also may not have been able to see anything since they would be so cramped in there. The 2 pictures we posted of Lucy are the best of her. Kind of a profile shot, one has the umbilical cord in the way and the other an arm. The pic on the right she started to turn and stopped. Dan is more and more convinced she's going to be like me-stubborn! Even though we couldn't get a great shot of Lucy, the visit was worth it. You could see arms and legs everywhere!

6 Month Ultrasound

We just had our 6 month ultrasound. All is great. Lucy has her head down and Elijah has his head up. They were kicking each other during the ultrasound. Lucy still won't show her face. They each weigh about 1 1/2 pounds and are relatively the same size. I've only gained just around 20 pounds. Just had bloodwork done to check for diabetes and anemia. The doctor is very pleased with their progress. They are actually ahead of schedule based on size. He's predicting mid-November for their birth. Maybe even earlier if they stay on the course they are on. We are having a 4D ultrasound done next week so we will be posting those for all to see to!

Some Previous Ultrasounds

Just starting...

We are just starting this so this will be our first post. Dan is hunting this weekend up at 10,000 feet. It's bow season. I'm not working anymore so I've just been spending time trying to relax and get some rest before the twins arrive. They are kicking up a storm lately. Very active. I have another ultrasound next week and can't wait. I love watching them. More to come later!