Finally back home!

We are back home and settled in from our Christmas traveling. We had a great Christmas, minus Daddy getting the flu. Wow, those were a rough couple of days! Thank you to everyone for all the presents for the twins! Also, a BIG thank you to RL and Jess for the diapers, clothes, and toys! We really appreciate your thoughtfulness and kindness!

Changing so fast!

We have another one that coos! Brody started cooing at 7 weeks. He doesn't talk a lot to us, but we catch him cooing a lot to his toys. It is quite cute! He is also giggling a lot, although we're sure it is not on purpose! Both of the babies have discovered their hands, especially Brynn. We can usually tell when she is awake from her nap because we can hear her sucking on her fingers. They both are becoming quite mobile and Brynn is rolling from her side to her stomach. She has also started "fake" crying. Whenever Brody cries or she is bored, she starts to "fake" cry to see if she can get some attention. It is hilarious! We can't believe they are changing so fast! I had to box up a bunch of baby clothes the other night that they have already out grown:( It seems they went from newborn clothing to 3-6 months and totally skipped 0-3 months clothing. (On a side note to Grandma Farnan: RIP Chester 12/21/08)

We braved the snow storm!

Yesterday, the twins and I had our 6 week check-ups. Luckily, Daddy didn't have to work or we probably wouldn't have made it to our appointments. My doctor's appointment was first and unfortunately they cleared me to go back to work:( My first day back will be January 13th. I cried as I was typing my email to let my unit know when I was coming back. My only peace of mind in leaving my babies is knowing they will be in good hands with Daddy, Grandma Farnan, and Grandma Madden. Thank God we don't have to take them to daycare! The twins had a great doctor's appointment, minus the shots. Brody weighed 10lb 10oz. and was 21.5 inches ( 25 %, 10%). Brynn weighed 10lb. 11oz. and was 22 inches (50%, 50%). Brody really liked the oral rota virus vaccine and sucked it right down. However, he DID NOT like his shots(3) and cried real tears! Brynn did not care so much for the oral vaccine and kept trying to spit it out. She only cried a little with the shots. They were fussy for a little while last night, but we gave them tylenol and that seemed to help. They don't have another appointment until they are 4 months old!

All smiles!

Here's a couple of pics of the twins smiling. They have been smiling for several weeks now, but it is hard to catch them on film! Brynn started cooing on Saturday and she had a lot to say to her Momma! Brody is trying to coo and moves his mouth all around and wants to talk to you so badly, but he hasn't had a lot of sound come out. We're sure it won't be long before he starts cooing too! Within the last week or so, they both have realized that there are toys hanging from their boppy seat. It is amazing to watch them discover new things. We had been thinking about moving them into their seperate cribs since they are moving and scooting so much. However, no matter where we put them, they end up scooting to one another and cuddling. We have even caught them holding hands a couple of times! So, as of now, we are going to keep them together.

We wanted to thank Grandma Madden, Mia, and Tavia for babysitting Saturday. We got a lot of Christmas shopping done. We also want to thank David and Sarah for inviting us to their Christmas party. We had a really good time!

6 Weeks Old Today!

Our first colds

Unfortunately, Brody and Brynn caught their first colds from Mom last Friday. They woke up Friday morning with stuffy noses that turned into lots of sneezing and runny noses. They definitely do not like having their noses suctioned. We are so thankful that Grandma Farnan was here all weekend to help us out. Today, they are still a little fussy, but their colds are almost gone.

We had a really good weekend, except for the Tigers losing. We had tickets to the game, but only Bryan decided to brave the cold. Plus, Mom thought she should stay home and help Grandma Farnan with the babies. We also got a chance to go to the movies on Sunday, which we do very rarely. Thank you Grandma Farnan for babysitting!

A few pics from bath time last night

A nice and toasty house!

Here's a few pictures for your Wednesday. We are nice and cozy warm at the Madden house! Our furnace went out on Saturday and we were without heat until Monday evening. We said good-bye to our 1987 lovely model and got a new furnace. I think Brody and Brynn are sad they don't get to cuddle up in Mom and Dad's bed anymore, but happy they don't have to wear their stocking hats! Truman sure is enjoying this cold weather. He loves to play outside this time of year, especially when there's snow on the ground.

The twins are one month old today! On Saturday, Brynn smiled for the first time at Grandma Farnan. On Sunday, Brody smiled for the first time at Daddy. Mommy was a bit sad she didn't get the first smiles. Hopefully, she will get to hear the first coo, which they are both starting to try to do:) We had a great weekend and a great Thanksgiving! It would have been a perfect weekend if the Tigers would have won. Hopefully, they will make up for it next weekend in the Big 12 Championship. MIZZOU-RAH! Today we had a visit from cousin John and Aunt Mary Jane, Phil, Julia, and Valerie. Thank you for coming to see us!

Weekend update

Here are a few pictures from the weekend. We had visits from Uncle Jason, Grandma and Grandpa Madden, and Avorey. Last night Valerie, Jake, Denise, Dave, and RJ came to visit. Thank you so much for coming to see us and for bringing us dinner! We took family pictures this weekend. The twins did really well, except we wanted more sleeping pictures and they did not want to go to sleep. Poor Daddy got peed and pooped on during the naked baby pictures (Thank you Brynn for having "clock work" bowels). We did manage to get a few pictures with Truman, although posing is definitely not his thing:) We are hoping to have the proofs back by Thanksgiving so we can show everyone. The twins also got to meet Aunt Amy and Kale this weekend. Truman wanted to thank Kale for playing with him at Grandma Farnan's house. He had a lot of fun and hopes to see you again soon!

Thank you!

We forgot to say thank you to Sarah, Dave, and Haley for coming to visit us last night and for bringing us dinner. It was delicious! Thank you so much! Dave, we hope you come over soon to brew beer with us, Sarah and I are getting thirsty:)

3 weeks old today!

We can't believe our babies are already 3 weeks old. Wow, the time goes by fast! They are changing so much. Brody is staying awake more and more everyday. He has decided that tummy time and the swing aren't so bad after all. Brynn continues to be easy going about everything and helps Mommy keep her sanity:) Bryan and I still laugh everytime she burps, you can hear it from across the street! The last two nights I have only had to get up with them twice. This has been a nice change of pace and we hope it lasts!

Our prayers answered

Today Brody had his big doctor's appointment and his tests came back normal! Amen! He also was weighed while we were there and he is now 8lb. 3oz (however, he was weighed with his clothes on and a wet diaper). We can't believe how big he is already! Now, we are really curious to know how much Brynn weighes. Thank you to Grandma Madden for watching Brynn while Brody was at the doctor. Mom really appreciated not having to lug 2 carseats around KU Hospital! We also want to congratulate Uncle Jason for getting his CDL!

Missing Grandma Farnan already!

Well, our two weeks of having Grandma Farnan here are over:( Thank you so much for staying with us and for everything you have done! We all miss you already! Brody and Brynn say to come back and visit us soon Grandma!
We want to thank Angela and Kellie (and Tyler, Brandon, and Kalyn) for visiting us this weekend and for bringing us pizza. It was really good!
Tomorrow, Brody has a big doctor's appointment. Bryan and I ask for everyone's prayers for our precious little boy.

More visits!

On Wednesday, Great Aunt Ellen and Rose and Great Uncle Gene came to visit. Thank you for coming to see us and for bringing us lunch! The twins are doing well. They are starting to take 3oz every 3-4 hours and sleeping up to 4 hours at a time. On Tuesday, they started sleeping in their cribs rather than in the bassinet or playpen in our room. We have started putting them in their bouncy seat and in the swing. They seem to enjoy the change!

A Great Weekend!

We had a great weekend with a lot of visitors! A big thank you to Kenny, Jennifer, and Sam for bringing us Chipotle. It was delicious! Thank you to Denise, Dave, and RJ for the books. We can't wait to read them to the babies! Also, thank you to Grandma Farnan for watching the babies so Mom and Dad could go out Saturday night. We had a great time! We also had a visit from neighbor Sarah. We hope to have many more visits!

On Sunday, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Maddens. It was the first time Great Grandpa Russell got to see the babies. A big thank you to Grandma Madden from Brody. He told us to tell you he feels a lot better Grandma!

We are hoping to have a long week since this is the last week Grandma Farnan will be here. We are going to miss her so much! Thank you is not even close enough to express our gratitude for all that you do for us.

First Doctor's Appointment

Brody and Brynn had their 1 week appointment with Dr. Gilmer on Thursday. Brody is back to his birth weight, 6lb 7oz and Brynn weighed 6lb 6oz, just 3 oz under her birth weight. She said the babies are doing great and they don't have another appointment until December. I am not looking forward to this appointment because we are giving them a bunch of their shots all at once to avoid having to come to the clinic several times over the winter.
We are expecting a lot of visitors this weekend, so we will post more pictures tomorrow. Please pray for Brody and Brynn's cousin, Kellan. He had his appendix removed yesterday. Wishing you a fast recovery Kellan!

Bath time at the Maddens

Things have been very busy at the Madden house. The twins continue to eat every 3 hours, but have been gradually taking more at each feeding especially in the evening. They have their 1 week doctor's appointment tomorrow. We are very curious to know how much they weigh. Today Grandma and I took them on their first outing to visit daddy at work and to Wal-Mart. They did really well.

Last night we had a visit from Aunt Rita and Uncle Andy. They brought us a very delicious dinner. Thank you so much!

Truman is still not sure what he thinks of the babies and is becoming more and more curious about them. All he knows is that he is supposed to protect them. It is amazing to see his loyalty to his family.

We survived our first night!

We are home and adjusting to a family of 5! The babies did really well last night. They are taking about 1.5-2oz every 3 hours. Thank god Grandma Farnan is staying for 2 weeks! It is amazing to see the difference in personalities between the two already. Brody is very impatient when he is hungry and wants to be fed immediately when he decides it is time to eat. He is quite the messy eater and likes to come back for "seconds" (just like his father) after you think you are all done burping and ready to go back to bed. Brynn is alert more and is very easy going about everything. She definitely does things at her own pace and doesn't seem to be bothered by much. They both seem to do better when they are together, so we have them together all the time except during feeds.

Getting ready to go home!

After a 4 day stay in the hospital for Mom and a 3 day stay in the NICU for Brynn, we are getting discharged! To update some of you, I ended up having a c-section on Thursday evening because I was not progressing past 5cm dilated. During the c-section my BP became very elevated and I had to stay in recovery for a long time and had already started antibiotics for a possible infection (the babies were also started on antibiotics). They decided to put Brynn in the NICU because she had a couple of grunting episodes with breathing after delivery. They had anticipated discharging Brynn from the NICU every day while we were there, but she developed other issues while in the NICU (not eating well and vomiting, episodes of dropping her heart rate and respiratory rate). However on Sunday, they decided everyone seemed healthy and doing well, so we are going home!

A few pictures from the hospital