Home Sweet Home

The last two weeks, we've been busy cleaning at the new house and getting ready to move in. The girls entertained themselves a lot while Mommy & Daddy kept busy. One night, they were putting on a show from their "stage" i.e. fireplace. I must have heard Brynna say "Gymnastics is tan-tastic!" (Gymnastics is fantastic.) about 50 times. ;)

One day, I found them doing the limbo.

The girls had fun cheering for BR during Sectional week. These pictures were taken at Tuesday night's game (March 2nd).

Daddy & his BR girls
The girls love their cousin Dillon who is a Senior at BR this year.

We were blessed with gorgeous weather on Saturday for the move. Thanks to some great friends, the day went smoothly and we accomplished a lot.

Gramma took the girls on several golf cart rides.

Saturday wasn't just about moving though...For starters, it was Braylee's first t-ball practice! She was so excited and loved it! She has already asked when her next practice is so I'd say that's a good sign.

She told me she wanted to take the helmet off for the picture since you "only wear the helmet when you're batting" but I told her it would be ok for the pictures. :)

First T-ball practice. Receiving instructions from Coach Graber

Then, Saturday night was the BIG game. We had fun cheering on the Vikings to another Sectional win. At the end of the game, we were all jumping and cheering and Brynna asked, "Did our team win the trophy?!" :)

Sunday, we spent the majority of the day organizing things around the house. Alex set up the girls' "village" (all of their little houses, castles, pet shops, etc) in the basement on some scrap carpet. Hopefully all of those little pieces will STAY in the basement. :) I set up the girls' "play house." Our original plan for their playroom upstairs was to use it mostly for arts & crafts, reading, and homework. But on Sunday, I decided to turn it into their own little house. On one wall is their walk-in kitchen, by the window is their table and chair set, in another corner is a TV and some of their comfy chairs, and in another area is the "baby's room" with the cradle, doll clothes, etc. The girls LOVE it. They had to show their daddy around their house. ;) We also had Small Group Sunday evening at Abby & Kevin's.  Lots of yummy food and tons of little kiddos running around.

Monday, Mandy and I headed out on another one of our day-long shopping trips. It was another successful trip. We're guessing our hubbies are going to put a stop to them soon, but it's so fun buying things for our new houses and bouncing ideas off each other. I'm sure people were making fun of us though with our paint swatches and measuring tapes. :)

Tuesday, the satellite people came...an answered prayer of Braylee's I'm sure! I really don't let them watch that much TV, but Braylee loves TV! On Sunday, she told me, "I guess I'll just have to play all day because we don't have TV yet." On Monday, she told my mom that her new house was boring because it didn't have TV! So, I'm guessing the satellite guys are now on Braylee's "People I Love" list...right up there with Santa and the UPS guy.

Even with everything that's been going on, a ballerina still needs her beauty sleep.

We're In!

It's official! We moved in on Saturday and have been sleeping here since then. There is still a ton of unpacking and decorating to do, but it's already starting to feel like home.

Answers

I thought I'd answer a few questions I've gotten about the twins...

No, they are not identical since one is a boy and one is a girl, but I'm sure they will have sibling similarities. ☺

As of yesterday, Hadlee was up to 4lbs. 12 oz. (gained 1 pound since birth) and Kooper was 5lbs. 8oz. (gained 1 pound and 4 oz. since birth).

They are both still getting oxygen...Hadlee 100% and Kooper 65%.

No idea yet when they will be able to go home. From the beginning, they've told them to plan on them being there until their due date...which is 3 weeks from now. Hopefully they will get to go home sooner though.

Twins

My tiny little niece and nephew are 1 month old today! 

Hadlee Maelynn
Owen Kooper

Due to NICU protocol to help reduce risk of infection, the babies can not be touched at the same time. I feel sorry for them...all cozy in the womb together and now they haven't seen each other for a month! ;) Hopefully they will be home soon and can snuggle together!

Monster Truck?!

It's been awhile since I updated. The twins are slowly progressing. They both made it off oxygen/cpap but have had to be put back on due to working too hard to breathe on their own. I haven't talked to Tracee today, so not sure how they are doing. I think yesterday, Hadlee was on cpap but Kooper wasn't. They did pass their eye test on Tuesday so that was a huge blessing (Preemies often have eye problems.) and were moved to open cribs since they are maintaining their temperatures now. They had chest x-rays done earlier in the week. They showed the lungs are still premature but no other complications. Braylee was only in NICU for 8 days and it seemed like forever, so I can't imagine how exhausted Tracee and Nick are by this point. Also, one of Tracee's friends had her twin daughters the same day as Tracee's twins. They have been a huge support for each other during this time. Her friend's babies weren't as premature but have had some issues that may require surgery. :( You can also read a few updates on Tracee's blog as she's been trying to get it caught up...Dixon Doubles.

Anyway...for us, we've enjoyed watching these final stages in the home building process! It's very exciting to see it all come together. We're hoping to move in next weekend. They plan to have everything done inside by the end of this week, but we still need to hang blinds, clean, etc. While building the house has definitely been overwhelming at times, it hasn't been nearly as bad as some people had told us. I heard Alex tell our builder that it wasn't the "nightmare" he had been warned about.

Last Monday, the girls and I felt confined to the house. Not only had it snowed a ton, but Alex took my vehicle to work since it's 4wd. (That's my workaholic husband for you...it had snowed a lot and the bank was even closed due to President's Day, but he still went to work! ;)) Jamie called and invited us down for lunch though. It was an adventure just trekking through the yard! We played some Wii too before heading home for Brynna to take a nap. Braylee stayed behind and played in the snow with Ava and Jake. When Alex got home, he took the girls sledding for the 1st time! Braylee LOVED it! Brynna...not so much. She isn't a big fan of the snow.

Ava, Braylee, and Jake

One happy little girl and her daddy!

When I was gone to SC, Braylee drew this picture. She told me all about it. It's a picture of us at our new house, which she pointed out is obvious because she made 3 garage doors. She drew Brynna peeking out their bedroom window upstairs...looks a little like ET. ;) I'm looking out the window at Braylee jumping on the trampoline (bottom right). She showed me the flower garden she drew for me and then the cutest thing...she drew her dad in a MONSTER TRUCK?! ;) I was cracking up because anyone who knows him well, knows he is not a monster-truck-kind-of person. ha! She said she drew the truck so daddy could drive through the snow, but she must have forgotten this point when she added the butterflies and flowers! I love seeing the girls' drawings, but I love how they describe them even more.

One more picture to share because it's just too cute. She always says she wants to be a cowgirl ballerina!

Toddler Testimonies

I learn so much from my girls. They are little but they have a lot of faith in Jesus. It's wonderful to know they are absorbing some of what they are hearing and remembering some memory verses.

The other day, I overheard Brynna talking to her bears- who evidently were not getting along. She said, "God does not like fighting. Be kind and 'passionate to one 'nothers." (Rearranging of the bears.) "Now tell her you're sorry."

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

A conversation between my big girl and me:

Braylee: Mommy, I love you so much. I love you the mostest. Well, really, I love Jesus the mostest. Everyone loves Jesus the mostest, but I looooovee you, Mommy.

Me: Not everyone loves Jesus. We need to pray for them.

Braylee: Some people do not love Jesus?! I thought everyone loved Jesus.

Me: No, some people do not love Jesus, but we should pray for their hearts to be changed.

Braylee: Momma, do you know anyone who doesn't love Jesus?

Me: Yes. I don't think [name] loves Jesus.

Braylee: He doesn't?!

Me: I don't think so.

Braylee (without missing a beat): Well, he must not then because if he did, you would know.

STOP dead in my tracks.

Me: You are right...so right, Braylee.

Such a reminder that our actions and words speak volumes about our hearts.

Tiny Sweethearts

Yesterday, Tracee finally held her little blessings!! (Nick had gotten to hold Kooper once already when Tracee wasn't there.) They look sooo tiny in their arms. Last weekend, the docs were concerned at their lack of progress. This weekend, they are blown away with how much better they are doing!

Tracee & Kooper
Nick & Hadlee

The hospital gave them these sweet little hats and first V-day bibs. They took them off c-pap long enough for the pictures. They both remain on c-pap for lung support but aren't getting oxygen through it anymore!

Hadlee
Kooper

Of course, I thought my little Valentines were looking pretty sweet yesterday too!! :) We had heart pancakes for breakfast. After cheering on the Vikings in the afternoon, the girls stayed with Gramma & Pappy while hubby and I went out for dinner. We also bought some furniture for the new house! Yeah!

This morning, the girls had heart-shaped cookies with LOTS of icing for breakfast. How mean is it to fill them with sugar and then expect them to sit quietly in church for two hours?! :) Their Valentine's treat from us this year...Minnie shirts! They are very excited about wearing these to Disney!

Braylee could have been a little more lady-like! ;)

Burr, it's cold outside!

As we were driving to daycare this morning, the temp outside showed 9*. I was trying to explain to the girls how cold it was and Braylee got it. She said, "So the little numbers are colder and the bigger numbers are hotter." We started praying for those bigger numbers for our Disney trip coming up. :)

My dad and I drove home from SC on Sunday. The girls attacked me at the door, so I think they missed me a little. :) Braylee was glad I was home in time to help make the football rice krispies before the big game. The girls put on their Colts attire and we headed to Aaron & Mandy's house.  Braylee complained that she looked like a boy so we added braids and some lip gloss. ;) Brynna knew exactly how to make her outfit more girly...adding ribbons to her pigtails, a pink bracelet, skirt, sparkly tights, and lip gloss!

Our Football Rice Krispie treats

Brynna & Willow
Brynna & Emily

The twins are doing a little better! We know they still have a long way to go, but we are so thankful they haven't had any major complications.

Tracee & Nick...ready to meet the twins!

Such a blessing Mamaw was able to be there too!
Owen Kooper right after birth
Hadlee Maelynn- She has dark hair like Kooper.

Hanging out in the hospital. She was really swollen that day...check out those ankles. ;)

This is what I spent a lot of time doing...organizing and decorating the nursery and closet, putting together swings, stocking supplies at the changing table, washing baby clothes, etc.
One of the projects I worked on,
since they hadn't decided on names until delivery day.

Things are moving right along at the house. All of the cabinets are in but waiting on counter tops and sinks to be installed. The trim/molding/casings are all on and being painted. It's amazing how much more "finished" a house looks with trim and baseboards! They started installing the staircase yesterday and I can't wait to see it all done. Carpet (for the bedrooms) is scheduled to be installed a week from today!

Brynna loves the "widdle wadders" at the house.

Update on the twins...

Babies are both still on ventilators and have had 4 rounds of surfactant, a medicine that helps their lungs work better. Both are under the bili-lights due to jaundice. NGs were placed and they have been fed once this afternoon.

Tracee is feeling much better. She was finally able to get up last night and go to the NICU to see the twins.  She was excited to change Kooper's diaper today! :) They are so anxious to get to hold them. Thank you for continuing to pray for all of them!

Tracee and Hadlee

Changing Kooper's diaper

Twins are Here!!

We got the call on Tuesday evening that Tracee was going to have her babies on Wednesday. Her BP was still high and labs had gotten worse over the last week. They were able to wait on us to get to South Carolina before they did the c-section. My mom was especially excited when the doc came out and said, "You've driven this far, I thought you would like to come in for the delivery." She took my camera in and caught some great pictures. Miss Hadlee Maelynn arrived first at 5:36pm weighing 3lbs. 12 oz. and measured 16 3/4 inches. Owen Kooper was born just a minute later at 5:37pm weighing 4lbs. 4oz. and measured 17 inches. While he is bigger, he looks scrawnier than his sister. Hadlee's middle name was chosen because two of our great grandmothers' middle names were Mae and Tracee's middle name is Lynn. Owen is Nick's middle name and also the name of his late Uncle. When I asked mom if they cried right away, she said, "Well I think they were both a little teary-eyed." ;) Mom...I meant the babies! Yes, they did cry right away but were placed on c-pap to help with breathing.

Tracee was having trouble with bleeding and has gotten 3 units of blood. Twins are on ventilators but stable. They will be getting PICC lines and nasogastric tubes in today. Little Kooper had already pulled out his IV 3 times so they decided a PICC line would be better. :) The NICU is being very strict on visitors due to the flu pandemic, so only Tracee and Nick have been in there. :( Nick has taken lots of pictures and videos for us though.

Pictures are from my phone so not the best quality. These were taken last night.

Hadlee

Kooper

I will post pictures from my camera once I'm home. We appreciate all of the prayers and phone calls. Here's the address here in case anyone wants to send a card: Greenville Memorial Hospital, 701 Grove Rd., Greenville, SC 29605-5601