Like Father Like Son

It's been fun to see pieces of ourselves in both of our boys. As their features change I am beginning to see my eyes in Jack and I see so much of Jared in Carter. Check out the picture below of baby Jared and the picture below that of baby Carter. I see lots of similarities!

Jared as a baby

Jack and Carter doing their morning exercises.

XOXO
Mom

My Sweet Boys

Rachael and I packed up the babies in front packs today and took the boys out for a walk in the woods. It was a beautiful day to get out and enjoy a warm winter day.

Jack all ready to go

Carter in his big boy outfit and ready to go.

Jack relaxing in the morning sun.

Carter bean

XOXO
Mom

A Weekend with Friends

Suppers!

So I'm always talking about how hungry these boys are and how they eat all the time, but I forgot to mention that Mom and Dad like to eat too. However, when you have two babies crying and your own stomach growling you immediately put the babies needs first...and might I remind you that feeding takes about an hour. After the hour of feeding our boys it's time to think about our own meals. Thankfully our neighborhood has stepped up here and has been preparing meals for us each night that we've been home. They are AMAZING!!!! We've only lived in this neighborhood for 9 months and everyone has been so generous. We've had lasagna, macaroni and cheese, taco salad, shephards pie, and an assortment of other amazing meals. We couldn't be more thankful to our great neighbors for keeping our tummy's full and our minds sane.

XOXO
MOM

One Month!

Happy One Month Birthday, Jack and Carter!

What an amazing month it has been with the two of you little munchkins in my life. You boys have taught me so much already. You've taught me love like I've never felt before, you've taught me patience, worry, happiness and an overwhelming sense of joy. Your presence has also taught me why I married your Daddy--he's an amazing father and husband and I would not be able to do any of this without him. I've wanted to be a mother since I was a little girl caring for my dolls and now I'm living that dream. While I'm definitely sleep deprived and super busy, I'm also so happy to be your Mom and can't wait to see all of your dreams come true.

Love you boys to pieces,
Mom

Jack and Carter

One month old boys!
Laughing at Carter's face and posture here.

We had a nurse come to the house today to check on the boys and they are both just under 8 pounds! No wonder some of their newborn clothes are starting to get a bit snug.

Just Because...

...they are so sweet.

Happy Carter...well fed and hanging out in Momma's lap.

Carter Bean

Jack

Popeye--what a goof!

This week is flying by! I can't believe that it's already Thursday and I'm just updating my blog now. It's been an interesting week that's for sure. This twin thing is definitely tough. Thankfully I've had the help of family (Katie--thank you!) and friends (Dana and Rachael are arriving tomorrow!) to pull me through.

XOXO
Mom

Our New Cousin!

The boys have a new cousin! Patrick and Rachael had a little boy on 2/21/2012 named Josiah Gordon. Rumor has it that he's a pretty big boy weighing in at a hefty 8lbs 9oz (and he was two weeks early!). We are now force feeding our children all day so that they can pack on the pounds and keep up with Josiah. We couldn't be more happy for Patrick, Rachael and Lydia.

XOXO
Mom

PS--My c-section was originally scheduled for 2/21/2012. It would have been wonderful for our boys to share a birthday with their cousin. But it would have been miserable for their Momma to carry these two boys for that long.

Our Weekend

My brother Craig and his beautiful girlfriend Danielle spent the weekend with us and were such a huge help. They dove right in and fed the boys, gave them lots of cuddles, changed diapers and wiped up spit. Then on Saturday morning we woke up to Danielle cleaning the house and Craig making us breakfast. They were amazing and are welcome to visit ANYTIME!

And to top it off, Danielle cut and colored my hair while visiting. I'm not sure what could make a tired Momma happier!

XOXO
Mom

Amazing cooks in the kitchen.Danielle with Jack and Craig with Carter.

Sweet Peas

I'm excited to start seeing the different personalities of these boys come through. Right now all we do is eat and sleep so I can't really define their personalities outside of these activities. One thing they both have in common is they love to eat. And when feeding time is over, they want to eat more. I sometimes prepare two, three and four bottles for them in a single feeding. This is why it can sometimes take almost two hours to get these boys fed. Ugh!

Jack -- "Pokey Puppy"

Jack loves to take his sweet time enjoying a bottle. He'll take a few sips, take a few moments to breathe and enjoy those sips, need a few burps, fall asleep, then wake up and take a few more sips, spit up everything he just took in, then need another bottle because he's still hungry because he spit everything up. He'd rather have smaller meals more frequently or graze all day. I know that for adults this way of eating is recommended but for a Mom and Dad who can't wait to get more than a 3 hour stretch of sleep this way of eating is not ideal. He's really sweet and is always reaching a hand out to touch his brother. He also makes the sweetest pips and peeps when he's sleeping. He's pretty calm, loves to be held and seems very observant. We think he's all Franck from his looks to his farts.

Carter -- "Gobby Guts"

Wow can this child eat!! He eats so fast and then is completely milk drunk. He's not quite as gassy as his brother but has already shown Mom and Dad a few blow-outs in his diaper. When he's awake he loves to look around and is slowly starting to make eye contact and watch Mom and Dad walk around a room. He has very fair skin and looks so much like his Dad. Carter just goes with the flow and will be carried around in your arms, he'll swing, or sit in his boppy and hang out. I can't get enough of his sweet face and love that he loves to be rocked and swayed back to sleep at night.

Love my boys to pieces.
XOXO
Mom

Hogan

Many people have asked us how our dog, Hogan is handling the new babies. As anyone who knows us can tell you, Hogan is like our first born child. He has been spoiled since the day we brought him home almost 4 years ago. He's not all that interested in the babies but now misbehaves more to get attention. For instance, as soon as my hands are full feeding a baby or pumping he'll pull something down from the counter or grab a baby toy. And his latest obsession is the babies binkies, which is a real problem seeing that the binkies live in the boys' mouths. Hopefully soon he'll adjust to the lack of attention and learn that these babies are here for good!

XOXO
Mom

PS--Notice the large boxes in the background? We ordered about 1,000 diapers from diapers.com over the weekend. We go through about 20 diapers a day, which means we'll be getting these shipments quite often. Free shipping and delivery right to your door...what more could a busy Mom ask for.

Beach Boys

Yesterday was a fairly mild day so we decided to venture to the beach with the boys. It felt great to let Hogan run free and to let the boys smell that lovely Atlantic Ocean air. I can't wait to bring them to the beach as they get older.

XOXO
Momma

A Rockin' Good Time!

Today I had lunch with my good friends Marshal and Jane Clunie. They have both been a dear friends of mine for the past 13 years and Marshal read the poem "Hands" at our wedding five years ago. As the caring individual he is, Marsh surprised me with matching rocking horses that he made for the boys with his signature pine wood and wooden dowel design. Bullet and Lightning have adjusted well in their new home and I anticipate they will be the source of many photos in the future.

- Papa Bear


Marsh reading at our wedding in August '05
Bullet and Lightning after the evening groom and feed.

Encouragement For The Week

Yesterday was a rough day in this twin household. The babies were always hungry, Momma was overtired and the dog was neglected. After a tearful phone call to hubby, he came home, took over baby feeding duties and sent me to bed for a 2 hour nap. I woke up to a vase of tulips, quiet babies, folded laundry and a clean house. He's amazing. I now feel rejuvenated and ready to take on the rest of the week. How did I get so lucky.

XOXO
Happy Wife

The boys meet Papa John

Anyone that walks through the door to my house gets put to work. So when my Dad showed up yesterday afternoon around the 2pm feeding time, I immediately warmed a bottle and put Jack in his arms. It was pretty cute to see my Dad feeding my son. My boys will have such a special relationship with my Dad and I can't wait to see it flourish.

XOXO
Proud Momma

PS-Happy Valentine's Day! I'll be sure to give my boys an extra kiss from Mommy today.

Papa John with Carter (left) and Jack (right).

P U

The amount of gas around this house is incredible. These boys have these deep, loud burps and the loudest, stinkiest farts. I'm talking you can be upstairs while the babies are downstairs and hear their flatulence. Keep in mind we also have a stinky dog so you can only imagine what our house smells like. Who knows where these boys got their gas from?!?!

XOXO
Mom

My two little stinkers.

The birth story of Jack and Carter

On Sunday, January 22nd Jared and I were taking the afternoon to rest and watch football. He had a hockey game around 8pm and before he left I told him to keep his phone on him just in case. I was feeling pretty uncomfortable and was having pelvic pains, lots of pressure and it felt like I was kind of peeing my pants. Nothing alarming at this point, but I knew that it would be best to get to bed early. The last thing I wanted was to go into early labor since I was only 34.4 weeks along.

When hubby got home at 10:30 pm, I woke up to go to the bathroom. As soon as I walked in the bathroom my water broke. There was no question in my mind that we were having these babies soon. I called my doctor and she told me to get to the hospital. Jared and I finished packing our hospital bags, took out the trash, did the dishes and dropped our dog off at the neighbors. I was having very mild contractions so getting the house prepared for our departure was totally doable at the time. Once I got into the car my contractions increased and off to the hospital we went. Upon arrival I was 3cm dilated and having regular contractions. Baby B (Jack) was still breach so we decided on a c-section. By 2:00 am I had two healthy baby boys! Jared and I cried as we heard their first cries and saw their perfect little faces for the first time. Everything happened just perfectly and my heart was filled with so much love on that night.

Both boys were breathing great but had to go to the NICU for monitoring. They ended up staying at the hospital for two weeks as they learned how to eat (suck, swallow and breath at the same time). Once they mastered that they were able to come home. It was a tough two weeks but it allowed me to recover from my c-section and prepare the house for their homecoming.

Jared was so relaxed during the whole process. We were both just so excited to meet our sons for the first time.

Talking to the doctor before going into the OR.

Jack Ammarell Gordon

Carter Craig Gordon

It takes a village to raise a child.

We've had lots of company here to meet and hold the babies. In addition to Mom and Dad's love, they are surrounded by so many people who adore them.

XOXO
Mom

Our first family walk around the neighborhood.

Daddy and his boys cuddling on the couch watching the Superbowl. This was taken on our first night home from the hospital.

Baby Jack with Grampy Gordon

Grammy Terri, aka, the baby whisperer with Jack and Carter.

Cousin Lydia and Uncle Pat meeting the babies. Lydia will be such an amazing big sister in a couple of weeks. She kept saying that they babies were "so cute."

Double Baby Routine

We are all settling in at home and getting into somewhat of a routine, which I thrive off of. The boys are on the same feeding schedule and eat every three hours. Our days look like this:

Wake up to either Jack or Carter stirring in bed (usually Jack is the first one up), change his diaper, prepare two bottles, give 1st baby to my husband to feed, wake 2nd baby, change his diaper, feed 2nd baby, put both babies back to bed (sometimes one of them will need a little rocking), pump for 20 minutes, wash all bottles and pumping supplies, go back to bed. All in all this takes about 1 hour and happens at 5am, 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm, 11pm, 2am. If my husband is not here then I usually feed each baby about 15 minutes apart.

During the day we try to have "play" time after their feedings in hopes that they sleep better during the night. We'll either have them on the activity mat, listen to some music, or just hold them and talk to them.

They are the sweetest little boys and have completely stolen my heart.

XOXO
Mom

Best buds.

C in the bath

Hogan watching over the playtime.

Our Family

We welcomed with love our two little boys, Jack Ammarell and Carter Craig on January 23, 2012. We couldn't be any happier right now as our growing family adjusts to these two new loves. They melt our hearts each day.

XOXO
Mom

Jack Ammarell

1.23.2012

2:07am

5lbs 4oz

19.2 inches

Carter Craig
1.23.2012
2:08am
5lbs 13oz
19.2 inches


Bringing our family home after two long weeks at the hospital.

Their middle names hold a very special place in our hearts. They are the maiden names of both of our Moms. Ammarell is my husband's mother's maiden name and Craig is my mother's maiden name as well as my brother's first name. I knew as soon as we were having at least one boy that I wanted to somehow honor my mother and using her maiden name seemed just right.