McKinley Jane and Grant Alan

My friend Misty came to visit this week with her two boys, Tristan and Tyler who are 6 months old. It wasn't much of a "playdate" considering they were oblivious to each other and there wasn't much playing going on, but it was good to have some adult interaction for an afternoon! Below are some pics we took of all 4 of them together. I was laughing hysterically at Misty trying to get them all to look at the camera and smile! 3 out of 4 ain't too bad.... Tyler, Grant, McKinley and Tristan

My mom and dad came down for another visit and they were a huge help while they were here. I didn't realize how much of a help they were until I was left alone with two babies when they left! I'm totally bummed I don't get to go home for Christmas so it was good to at least get to see them during the holidays... Mom with Grant Mom with McKinley in the dress she got her...no mistaking her for a boy with all that lace! Christmas PJ's McKinley getting a good ole sink bath from mom Grant's bath time Mom holding both babies. I just realized I have no pics of dad holding babies, but he was stuck holding babies frequently as well. He even had to sit in the back seat of the car during our shopping trip trying to calm an upset Grant for 2 hours! Worn out after Christmas shopping

Okay, these pics are a little late, but it was rivalry week a few weeks ago and Arizona State University (My alma mater!) played the University of Arizona. Unfortunately, they lost but no bandwagon fans here...we still root for the Sundevils! Before the game....caught both of them smiling!! After we lost...

Chad and I did our annual after-Thanksgiving tree decorating tradition which consists of Christmas carols, hot chocolate, soup and decorating the tree and we were really excited to have kids to share it with this year. I would love to be able to tell you it was a wonderful family evening, but it consisted of lots of crying, some more crying, and Chad decorating the tree by himself for the most part and me trying to help with a baby strapped to me....crying! And the meltdown begins.... They both got reweighed this week and McKinley is catching up! Her current weight is 9 lb. 11 oz. and Grant is 10 lb. 2 oz. Both are getting more and more smiley and interact a little more which is a lot of fun. There is the smile I was trying to catch! Along with mastering pumping while driving I've mastered feeding them both like this and pumping...I'll spare you any pics! This picture cracks us up....her little beady eyes poking into the pic!

Here are some pics from our first Thanksgiving together. Chad's parents and brother came out to celebrate with us.

An awesome husband who is also a great daddy Getting to experience pregnancy...even with as tough as it was Great, supportive friends (sorry to all the friends that aren't pictured, this was the best I could find :-( Our "first" kids (this does not include the cats) A wonderful, supportive family Grandma's and Grandpa's near and far to snuggle with the babies And last but not least I think everyone can pretty much guess what else Chad and I are thankful for this year. When I look back at this time last year I realize what a different place we're in now. Last year we were on our third failed IUI and were starting to think that pregnancy might not be in our future. A few short months later we had a successful invitro cycle that led to a whirlwind of a year with an awesome ending...two healthy babies!

The babies are almost 3 months old actual age (3 weeks adjusted age) and it's amazing how much they change everyday. Both are starting to make eye contact and will actually smile at times. As you read in the last post Grant is now rolling over from stomach to back. I put them to sleep on their stomachs (bad I know, but they're NICU babies and its what they're used to, plus we have the heart monitors) and I kept finding him on his back. The other day we were doing tummy time with him and he kept flipping over. What a big boy! They had another shot appointment with the pediatrician and their new weights are Grant a whopping 9 lbs. 9 oz. and McKinley is 8 lb. 7 oz.! I started back to work last week and all of you that said it would get easier after my first night.....you LIED! I hate leaving them and feel like I miss out when I'm not here. Not to mention that Chad and I never get to see each other and I miss being able to spend quality time with him. We're w...

Guess who's a big boy and rolling over on his own??

A HUGE thank you goes out to Chad's coworkers at John C. Lincoln hospital for having a diaper drive for the babies. They donated over 1000 diapers! Chad and I truly appreciate everyone's generosity...you guy's are awesome!

We officially reached "due date" on Nov. 4. Did anyone get the connection between their due date being on election day and both of their names being presidents names....total coincidence I swear! The babies had another eye appointment to check for preemie issues and were both cleared on that end. Grant has some abnormalities that look like cataracts (who knew babies could get cataracts) so we'll recheck those in 2 months and then both are cleared until 1 year old. I don't have an official weight on them, but a rough weight from when they got their RSV vaccines was McKinley 7 1/2 lbs and Grant 8 1/2 lbs. Both are starting to be more alert and interact a little more. Both tend to have melt downs in the evening around bedtime, which is always fun when you're home alone dealing with them. I head back to work this Monday and am absolutely dreading it. I'm excited to see all my coworkers again and catch up, but become an emotional mess everytime I think about leavin...