A visit from Coen & a visit to the Beach

During the Memorial Day weekend, my cousin Broc, his wife Sara, & baby Coen got to come down for a visit! The weather wasn't the greatest so we didn't get the chance to do too much outside, but we still enjoyed our time with them. I wish they lived in SC with us...although Broc & Nick may be thankful we don't live closer together. Sara & I can talk to each other for hours! We were so excited to finally get to meet Coen. Since Broc & Sara didn't find out if they were having a boy or a girl, it was even more exciting to finally get to meet him. He is absolutely adorable! He was born 7 weeks after the twins, but as you can see in the pictures, he is a big boy :-) We thought Kooper had long eyelashes (and he still does compared to Hadlee), but his eyelashes are nothing compared to Coen's! They are gorgeous, needless to say. Although our plans to go see a few waterfalls was cancelled due to the rain, we did manage to go to Weekend Freedom Aloft. We met up with Corby, Katie, Olivia, and their friends from Indiana, Dan, Sara, & their little boy. Todd & Brandy were there too, but I think they ran the other way after seeing all the strollers & babies, ha ha! We all ate junk food, Sara & I nursed the babies, and then we hung around for the concert. It ended up being a very nice evening even though it had stormed earlier in the day. On Monday, before Broc & Sara headed towards the beach, we took a few pictures. It was super sunny outside so we have weird faces, but at least I thought to get a few before they left.
Taking naps together~ so sweet!

Kooper enjoying his first concert with Daddy

"Line'em up"

The stroller gang



The first weekend of June was the beginning of my summer vacation. Nick & I bought a newer camper & were so happy to be taking it & the twins to Myrtle Beach for the weekend. We camped at a wonderful place called Ocean Lakes. It is huge & has houses you can rent along with all the campsites. The pool/play area was directly across the street from our campsite and the beach was just a short walk in front of us. Unfortunately, I got sick before we ever got there on Friday evening. I ended up sick all weekend long. Being stuck inside a camper is not what I had planned our weekend to be. Thankfully, Nick helped take care of the twins so that I could sleep. We did take the twins to the beach briefly on Saturday morning. It was extremely hot & I was miserable so we were there less than an hour. Even though we were there just a short while, we got tons of complements from other beach-goers. Everyone was interested in seeing the twins in their swimsuits.
Chillin' in daddy's sunglasses

I had bought Kooper & Hadlee's swimsuits from Baby GAP way back when they were still in the NICU. I was sure that he would be able to wear 0-3 months by the summer time, but nope, they were still too big so he had to wear just a pair of shorts. Hadlee's swimsuit is a newborn size & thankfully it fits perfect! I think it is adorable :-) Nick's mom sent them several swimsuits too, but they are all way too big for this year.

Here are just a few pics that were taken over the past couple of weeks. We can tell that Hadlee is starting to feel better more & more each day. She is able to stay awake longer & she is starting to track movements & sounds. Kooper has been tracking us pretty good for several weeks now too. He is a big flirt!!! They both love for you to talk to them & they babble stuff back to you. I love it!

Marley & Gage are both starting to accept the twins. As you can see here, Gage is still a big baby & wants to always be touching some part of mine or Nick's body. Kooper thought it was funny to sit on Gage's back.

Oh and yes, Kooper has another gene from his Momma. He's a thumb sucker! I'm not a huge fan of this, but his Developmental specialist says it is a good sign b/c it shows them that he has found his hands and that he knows how to self-sooth. Nick & I love it when he is whining and then all of a sudden you hear him find his thumb & start sucking away on it.

Here is a picture of the twins at 19 weeks old! They went last week to their Developmental Specialist who will work with them until they are at least 3 years of age and can continue to work with them up until 6 years of age. The things that they pointed out to me were things that Nick & I had already noticed. We have daily exercises for each of them to do. Thankfully, I'm taking most of the summer off so I have time during the day to work with them. This picture was taken right after they did their belly time & exercises so I'm shocked that they aren't crying.

They also went to their pediatrician last week for the 4 month check-up & vaccinations. Little Miss Hadlee is now 21 inches long and 9 pounds even! Mr. Kooper measured 23 1/2 inches long and is 10 lbs 11 oz! It is amazing how those few pounds make such a big difference when you are holding them. Kooper tends to feel like a "tub of goo" and Hadlee feels like a "tight ball of dough!"
After spending so many weeks at the hospital and in the NICU, we feel so blessed to have the twins home with us. Although they are not the sickest babies in the world, we are often reminded of how lucky we are that they do not seem to have any major health issues, mainly just some developmental delays. We are still dealing with Hadlee's oxygen, but hopefully this week is the last that she will require it. We should know more tomorrow b/c she is completing her 6 hour multi-channel test today. Wish us luck!

*Side-note: Buying clothes for babies is fun & great for the parents, but it isn't helpful when they are the wrong size for the right season! I hate it, but we have TONS of clothes purchased for the twins, but they were bought in the wrong size/season. Just a thought for those of you out there buying baby gifts- just give a gift card so the parents can buy the correct sizes during the season they need it. (We have also learned that even gift receipts expire and some people remove the tags so you couldn't exchange them even if you tried.)