life with twins....

Its getting colder here. Thanks to Joseph Ari was going out in style with his new toque.

Bath time is fun now that we have two baths. Here are Ari and Noah just hanging out.

People often ask what life is like with twins and the question sometime stumps me because its hard to put into words what life is like. Its days that flow together, its double the feedings, its double the catnaps, its lots of diapers, its double the smiles, double the coos, double the hugs, double the baths and double the clothes. Its double the happiness, double the laughs and double the love. Its full. Life is full.

I keep telling people I kind of feel like in the last few weeks I have come out of a cloud. My days are more regular and becoming a bit more routine. The first few months were a blur. Trying to figure out how to take care of two and it feels like I was just treading and trying to stay above water. Now we are swimming and it feels good. I enjoy my days so much more. The boys stay awake longer and the three of us talk and play which is fun. They are so expressive. There little personalities are coming out too. They are different in so many ways.

Ari is my relaxed baby, he is pretty laid back in most ways although he is quite the eater. He loves to eat maybe that’s why he is bigger than Noah now.

Noah is more aggressive and excited. He is expressive and he knows what he wants. Especially when he is hungry. They have different cries now. And they only cry when they are hungry, scared or they just want to be put down and go to sleep.

Our feeding schedule is pretty routine. They each get a breast and it takes about 20 minutes to feed, burp and feed some more. Then when you think you are done the other guy wants a turn. It amazes me somedays that I stuck with it; the beginning was so hard but now its normal and easy. I would encourage everyone to stick with it. It does get better.
We go through lots of diapers each day..I have never counted but I would estimate about 10-15/day.
They still sleep quite a bit during the day but for shorter amounts of time. Our nighttime routine is to feed them around 8:3o-9:00. In their crib together by 9:30 or 10:00 and they are so good now that they just fall asleep usually within 15 minutes with no crying no problems. Then our little angels sleep till about 4:30 or sometimes 5:00 - I feed them and back to bed till usually around 9am. We are happy with that for sure and the best part is that we didn't have to do anything to achieve this it just happened.

So that is the practical stuff. I was trying to think of things people always ask me about having twins so I could enlighten you...
*They have just started to notice each other. They will sit together and suck on each others arms and turn their heads when the other makes a noise. There has only been one attack when Noah scratched Ari so bad on his face it was bleeding. Other than that they are pretty calm with each other. They sleep in the same crib and do not seem bothered by each other. If one is sleeping and the other one crying the sleeping guy won't budge.
*Breastfeeding is much easier than people would think. I have tried to tandem nurse and don't really like it. So usually I feed them seperately which I like cause it gives me private cuddle time with each one. One gets one side, burps then back on the same side. Switch Repeat for the next guy. Its true that you can feed two. I have never had any problems with supply and I still pump once a day which is ok with me.
I think thats about it.. Like I said before I really feel like I am coming out of a cloud and enjoying life more. I am not a fan of hearing how my life must be full of double trouble because in all honesty I can't imagine life with one and I feel my day is full with double blessings. I mean seriously look at those faces. Noah's smile here is awesome. How could that be trouble?

16 weeks

can you belive its almost been 4 months since the boys were born! yesterday we saw the doctor and she was so happy with how the boys are doing. Ari has surpassed his brother and is now the heavyweight at 13lbs 10oz and Noah not far behind at 13lbs 7oz. the last time we were there they were in the 12th percentile for their age and now they jumped to the 45th percintile. the boys are becoming so much more independant. they enjoy being put down and they are content to sit and watch me rush about or content to have all three of us lay on the floor and watch each other. they have taken to talking lately. especially if i talk to them or sing (their fave) they respond with little bird like sounds that make their whole face light up. melts your heart.
i have been enjoying reading other multiple moms blogs which i will be putting links too soon. i am amazed each time i stumble across another mulitple mom and get to hear her stories and see how their life has been blessed by two. another multiple mom reminded me that i too don't mind hearing people always feel like they have to say "double trouble" because us twin moms know there are the sweetest secrets and treasures to be had by having two. sometimes my heart feels as big as it could get and then they do something to make it swell even more.
the down side to the last two weeks is we have all been sick. noah got a cold first then me and now poor ari is struck with it. its sad watching little guys so congested they have to struggle to learn to breathe through their mouths. we are hoping this will be behind us soon and not turn into a vicious cycle of us infecting each other over and over. all i can say is its getting tiring trying to remember which breast is ari's and which is noah's.

growing so fast..

seems like a long time since i have posted pics of the boys. they are growing so fast and changing daily. its amazing how much more interactive they are these days. noticing their surroundings, playing with toys, smiling.. its a joy to watch. here are some favorite shots from the last couple weeks. (In order: Noah, Ari, Brothers, Ari, Noah) Ange also has some awesome shots of the boys on her blog and the cute camo pants are thanks to her as well)

two years ago on a beautiful day

we were married (it was actually yesterday)

a mothers voyage..

as the title of this blog i have been pondering what it means to voyage. Voyage: meaning to uncover the events of a journey with exploration and discovery. this is what life is about right? well being a mother is definitly a voyage and journey; filled with ups and downs and more downs some days. there are often thoughts of wondering if i am capable of raising these boys in light and love as much as they need. some days i feel as if i have nothing to offer them... my frustration gets the best of me and in most circumstances i just hold on. i guess thats what alot of life is about.. just holding on. i also have been journeying through my own expectations that i placed on myself as i became a mother. so many things i have had to lay down and some things i thought i would never pick up i have had too. but in this journey of self discovery i guess i am learning that perfection is not the aim... if thats my aim i will always fail. my boys love me for what i give them; they love me!
if i keep aiming for perfection i will always let myself down. i must journey to discover what is best for us and not worry about everything else that doesn't get picked up along the way..
so in this journey of self discovery here are at the moment some of my favorite things...
1. sharpie markers - i love sharpies not the big fat ones but the fine point ones. great for writing in cards and sending loving thoughts to those i miss.
2. paper - pretty paper. i love to go to scrapbook stores and find great paper.
3. coffee - yummy - i love good coffee. i miss that about vancouver. coffee also makes me miss audrey cause she loves good coffee too.
4. along with coffee i love my big starbucks mugs. one from vancouver and one from seattle. every morning i love to sit with my boys and enjoy a big mug of good coffee.
5. avacados - these are a recent passion of mine. did you know they are good in almost any form. but especially in this mexican salad that Crystal introduced me too. as Racheal Ray would say YUM-O!
6. Chantal Kreviazuk - really looking forward to her new cd coming out on august 29th. i love honest acoustic music where you can tell the song writer means what she writes. not too mention she is beautiful and i want her hair colour.
7. stain remover - when you have poop up the back at least once a day its a miracle for baby clothes.
8. Carter's clothes - thanks to Carly i have the cutest clothes around. you can wash and wash them and they look the same as the day you bought them. now thats good quality.

thats it for now...i'd love to hear how you are discovering yourself and what you love and how that fits in your life.. i hope to write more on my self discovery especially as i venture into motherhood. love to you all.

i know i am not objective...

but come on. how cute are these brothers?

102 Combines, 162 acres, 11 minutes 16 seconds!

Yesterday Winkler played host to World Harvest for Kids which was done in an attempt to raise awareness for the children's camps being held in various countries around the world. By breaking this world record the goal is to tell the world about the valuable work of children's camping - raising needed funds and awareness for programs around the world. they have camps in India, SriLanka, Cambodia and Nepal all connected to Winkler Bible Camp. Check out the website for cool photos like these and to read about what they are doing. Oh and by the way yes they did break the record.

i love my boys!

10 weeks

can't believe the boys are 10 weeks old... we got the final results of the placenta test yesterday and they were right all along. we have identical twins. we were pretty sure about it anyways but its nice to know for sure.
they have been changing so much lately. smiling lots more and just generally maturing. they are so strong already.
we had a good weekend..its been so hot here though which is hard because we don't get a chance to be outside much. tommorow is suposed to be not as hot so maybe we will get out for a walk.
we are looking forward to this month as we have a few visitors coming our way.. auntie evelyn will be here next week for the whole week..jamie and craig come see us on the 22nd...daves parents are here the 20th for 10 days and our ywam friends will get to meet the boys on the 25th..we can't wait.

here is a picture of noah fresh out of the bathtub (in the blue towel) and ari right after his bath.

splish splash

i was taking a bath... this is ari he loves the bath.. only got a good shot of him cause noah was not as happy to be wet.. next time.
well the weekend was a success. we all had a great time. it was nice to have a change of scenery and really get to relax.
i figured it was about time i wrote about my mother... there is no chance i could have survived the last while having the babies home without her. faithfully she walks in the door at 9am and helps me all morning..she helps me feed, change, wash dishes and clean and just spend time with ari and noah. she gives me time to shower and make coffee and we share a chat over toast with crunchy peanut butter. i look forward to her coming each day. then she either comes back in the afternoon to help me (usually returning with groceries of some sort and usually dinner) or i pack the boys up and we head over to her house. its hard around feeding time with only two hands. usually they are both hungry and if not being held they tend to scream and scream and scream and that makes the mommy stressed out!!! having my mom here really calms me down.
i just wanted you all to know how much she means to me and how sane we are only because of her. i am panicking a bit for august as they are taking some much needed time to tour around on their Harley. they planned there week long vacation for when my inlaws were supposed to be here but then my inlaws bumped there trip back a few weeks and now i will be left alone.. without my mom. she is panicking too which doesn't help but i know i have people i can call up for help its just not the same. so if anyone wants to come visit me.. just ask audrey how much fun it can be to hold babies all day long.. maybe this will be good for me as it will for sure make me appreciate my mother even more. she really is one terrific mom and a superstar grandma.
we love her. mom we love you...
love heather, ari & noah

firsts...

i wanted to blog quickly this morning before we left for the weekend. it will be our first weekend away and we are excited to be going up to the cabin with grandma and grandpa. its amazing how much stuff i have to pack anticipating a whole weekend away. last night i said to dave "is 80 diapers enough?"
we have had a good week - many firsts.. first doctor appointment which went well she was happy with how much weight they are gaining. noah weighs 9lbs2oz and ari weighs 9lbs. little porkers. she wasn't too concerned with ari's hernia and told me what to look for if it should take a turn for the worse. its huge but not painful for him. they both are awake alot more and staring at me and SMILING!! oh my what a feeling when they gaze up at you with these goofy little smiles. i love it!
dave and i were looking through my birth pictures (our midwife was allowed to take crazy pictures of the c-section) anyways we came across this picture taken a minute before we walked into the operating room. scary - remember i had been in the hospital for 4 days already which doesn't do much for your looks (or hair ugg)... enjoy. i will post when we get back... love to you all.

Harley Davidson...

so this will be our tribute to the Harley...if anyone knows my dad he is slightly into riding motercycles and loves his Harley... of course before the boys came we got the onesies and now that they can wear them i must say they are absolutly adorable. here is our first family photo and of course a photo of the boys with grandpa and grandpa who incidently are also dressed in fine Harley gear. sunday my dad and i hopped on said bike and headed for Miami to look at the amazing huge windmills they have up there. it was a beautiful day and i forgot how much i liked riding. it was a great day! thanks dad.

new friends and other things...

hi guys we wanted to introduce you to our new friend Jesse. he was born on July 8th and we are so happy he is here to play with. yesterday morning we spent some time lying around and hanging out with him. he's just like us you know lays around eating and burping and pooping. we've been having a blast. although he's only a week old we are all about the same weight. we imagine in a few months we'll all be beating up on each other and william will be bossing us around. we can hardly wait!

yesterday was a good day. we hung out with grandma at her house. we love going there it makes mom much happier and we get lots more cuddles that way.






then today you'll never guess what happened it was hilarious. we spent the morning cuddling and then I (Ari) wasn't feeling so great and had some projectile spit up that landed all over my brother. he didn't seem to mind although it sure made his hair all curly. mom and dad got some pictures see below. i doubt it will be the last time...
enjoy your day as we enjoy ours. love ari & noah

chubby tubbies

i figured it was time to write a real post. i find myself with the time as my boys are lovingly being held by their dad and their grandma which is nice for mom... not sure what i would do without either of them. don't even want to think about it. life is busy to say the least. my days fly by filled with lots of feeding, changing, burping, cuddling and basic hygene (for me). the boys are so good for the most part they sleep well at night which we are extremely thankful for. i find the days hard when i am alone as feeding two is time consuming and can be stressful when one gets food and the other has to wait - man those little tiny mouths when they scream make life a bit heartbreaking. like today all three of us cried and cried. we sing the patience song alot and i am trying to teach them that as humans we only have two hands.
yesterday our midwife came over and we weighed the boys. Ari has caught up and passed his little brother he weighed in at 8lbs 11oz. Noah is just a bit behind at 8lbs 8oz. Incredible.
Its amazing how fast they are growing. I hope you continue to read this as I promise to try to be more creative in my writing.

sad goodbyes at 6 weeks old

audrey left us on saturday. having her here was a lifesaver for me. the boys loved to cuddle with their madrina and i definitly loved the company she provided. after i dropped her off at the airport on saturday i drove away and had the feeling that there are just some friendships that will never leave you no matter how far away you are or how many years go by without seeing each other. i love you audrey and am inspired by you and your life.
its been a good weekend other than that. yesterday the difran family had there first big outing (minus the walmart outing last week) we went to our church picnic. it was nice to get out and of course not many people have seen the babies. the boys did really well and we were thankful for the shade of a big tree.

the boys also got to meet grandma difran yesterday afternoon. she was passing through with a group on there way to regina and they stayed for a few hours. grandma got to cuddle and change both boys. i think they liked meeting her.
dave is home today which is nice and the boys are sleeping right now which is nicer. the days are long but i have to admit our nights are pretty good. they sleep a good 4-5 hour stint (as long as for the last hour or so they are in bed cuddling with us) i can't complain about that.

.. took me a few days to post this. yesterday the boys were 6 weeks old! noah weighs 7lbs8oz and ari weighs 7lbs5oz. they get bigger and bigger each day. today we went to the chiropracter to get the boys adjusted with the hopes that it will help their sore tummies which have a hard time digesting their food. they did pretty good considering we woke them from nice naps.

motherhood is a mix of emotions for me these days. extreme emotions. i am amazed at how much i love them and some days am amazed at how selfish i want to be. they are teaching me so much about myself and i am daily learning how to let go of things that really in the long run don't matter. its about choosing the best for them and learning how to stay sane in the midst of that.
to all those who go before me i commend you and am thankful that i can learn so much about motherhood from you.

tales of two monkeys

yes we are still alive. its busy these days! we are blessed to have audrey here this week which has been so nice. we missed her and the boys are having fun cuddling with their madrina! i will write a post this week filled with more details on how we are and what we are up too but i wanted to get some cute pics up from this past weekend. our little monkeys are just too cute!!

happy fathers day

well we are making it.. every day seems to get better and better. its amazing to see the progress our little guys are making. they get bigger and bigger each day. on thursday our midwife came and weighed them and noah was 6lbs1oz and ari was 5lbs14oz.
i plan to write a better blog this week but here are some more pics to tide you over till then.

we are home!!!

so happy to be home and in our own crib together at last!
we will update you more later... when we are not all so sleepy!

and then there were three...

well we have had our little noah with us since friday evening. what a wierd feeling taking him from the hospital without his brother.. it has been going real well. he is so sweet. he has done so well in the midst of these circumstances. its amazing how adaptable they are. we are staying at a house offered to us by complete strangers (friends of the fabulous friends we had been staying with). we go in to see ari when we can and although it doesn't feel like enough ari is resiliant and continues to be a champ at breastfeeding and the most mellow easy going guy.
we are hoping to be bringing ari home with us tommorow. we all need to go home. i have been in winnipeg for far too long. today is the boys 3 week birthday and although time has flown by its long overdue to head home and settle into life with our new family.
we will update you more as the week goes on. i really appreciate having this medium to share with you all whats going on and know that we have so many people sending positive thoughts our way. hopefully next post it will be just the four of us enjoying snuggles in our own bed at home.

almost home

well the journey looks like it has an end in sight... we are hoping to be home by the end of the weekend. noah is ready to go and ari needs to have no breathing episodes and he can go too. they both have grown so much this past week. its amazing to see their progress and how they have turned into little newborns all of a sudden. noah is over 5lbs and ari is quickly catching up. in the last couple days ari has been eating like a little piggy. they are allowed to eat whenever they want and however much they want now as opposed to their schedule. so that is the update for now we are hoping to be ready to go saturday or sunday morning. we will keep you posted. for now enjoy some newer pics of the two of them. they are taken this week. notice how much their faces have
filled out..my little piggies.

*the picture of little noah in the carseat is him passing his first test making him ready to go home!
*ari and mom
*ari and noah together again (these two were taken today - thursday)

my 100th post

well last night i slept in my own bed and it was nice.. it was wierd coming home yesterday without the boys especially since everything is ready for them to be here. it was nice to sort through some stuff and it will be good to get some stuff done today before we go back later this afternoon. in no time the boys will be home and i will not have time to tie up loose ends.
we called the hospital this morning to check on them and they had a fabulous night!! both gained weight and noah is almost at his birth weight. ari had no breathing spells all night which is amazing. and ari took a whole feed by bottle which is amazing!! we have to get them full feeding by breast and bottle so that we can get rid of tube feeding them so they can come home. we were so pleased with the progress they are making. hopefully by the end of next week we will all be cuddling at home.
dave and i are good a bit of an emotional roller coaster we feel we are on but its been good how it has brought us closer together and we see them extreme need for each other. this is a crazy experience and there is no one i would rather share it with.
so now that my pregnancy is over and i have beautiful babies i will leave you with some of the things i notice and love every day that i can do now that my belly is gone..

1. i stare and stare at my feet and ankles as they are so small - finally!
2. i can lay on my stomach whenever i want (as long as its not close to pumping time)
3. i can turn over and move around when i sleep which is a great feeling
4. no more nasal congestion and no more snoring
5. i do not have to run to pee every 5 sec
6. dave does not have to bend his back to hug me anymore
7. i have the most beautiful babies in the whole world!!

(can you tell who is who?)