lots of photos of the babies + checking in

hi guys, man things have been a whirlwind since henry and campbell joined our family. it has been quite the adjustment for me to go from bed rest to on the go constantly. if you follow me on instagram or facebook you have probably seen the updates on the babies. i figure it was high time i sat down and wrote it out. maybe it will even help me deal with it all. 

we were discharged from the hospital with our henry on tuesday the 14th. while our sweet campbell had to stay. she was the smaller twin and was struggling with her feedings. she couldn't stay awake and has lost too much weight. that was one of the hardest things we have had to do, leave one of our babies there and take one home. there were lots and lots of tears from us both. well, she is still in the hospital and making great progress. she currently weighs 4lbs 14 oz. she was 4lbs 7oz at birth. we have been making the trip to see her daily since then. if i can't make it then, dan goes or vice versa. but, most of the time we both go together to snuggle our girl. 

let me tell you how hard this has been on me. every time we leave henry to go see her i feel bad for leaving him and when we have to leave her i feel sad. i hate having to leave my girl there. i know she is the best hands she can be in but, it still doesn't make it any easier for this new mom. i often cry at night because of much i miss her. i am grateful her feedings are the only thing keeping her there right now. we are truly lucky that she has no other problems. trust me, i really am thankful. it still is so hard to see your baby with a tube in her nose. 

she is doing well and the staff love her to pieces. we are truly thankful for the staff at the hospital who are taking such great care of our princess. i want to say thank you to all those who are praying for her and us. we know all our prayers are being answered! 

and now for our sweet henry. he has been such an easy baby to have here at home. he sleeps his 3 hour stretches at night and is feeding so well. something we haven't talked much about with very many people is henry and his club foot. we found out at about 26 weeks that he has a club foot. we were never worried and knew it was something that would be fixable. 

today we had our first appointment for his foot. they ended up casting it right away. we were sorta surprised how fast it all happened. he will end up with a new cast each week for 5 weeks. he did so well when they placed the cast on. didn't even cry, in fact he fell asleep. my heart hurt so bad for my sweet boy when they were casting his foot. the cast is the whole length of his leg. we are grateful for modern medicine and how easy fixing this will be! 

everyone keeps asking how i am doing, i say oh tired and hanging in there. honestly i am emotionally and physically exhausted. it was a lot to handle having one in the hospital, one at home and now having to see my boy with a full cast. as a mom, i want my babies to be ok and it breaks my heart leaving campbell everyday and seeing henry uncomfortable with his cast. 

i know they are both healthy and for that i am grateful. i still am learning to really be thankful we have no serious issues we are dealing with. some days are easier than others and somedays like today i just feel completely overwhelmed with it all. weekly appointments for henry, seeing campbell and worrying about getting enough of my milk for campbell since henry is on formula because i am not getting enough for both yet. i tell ya pumping is stressful. 

i hope this doesn't seem like i am complaining at all, i am not trying to come off that way. i just really needed to write it out for my own sanity. 

i love my babies so much and feel truly blessed our heavenly father sent them to us. they are the biggest blessings in our lives. we love being parents and just love them so much. seeing dan become a father has been one of the greatest things i have witnessed. he is amazing with them, i thought i loved him before they were here. boy i was wrong. i love that man so much more if that is even possible! 

thanks for reading this novel of a post. hope at least enjoyed the photos above! 

xoxo

motherhood series {fordology}

Hey ABCDE Readers!

I’m Kyla Ford from FordOlogy.

I am honored to be here today sharing some of my experiences on becoming a mother.

I am very excited for Eryka as she prepares to bring not one, but TWO babies into the world.

She’s a RockStar!

When I got pregnant the first time it was pure bliss.

Ok, I had some nausea, but no major sickness or complications and my husband and I were THRILLED to be bringing a baby into the world.

I don’t remember feeling too nervous or any type of anxiety that I wasn’t ready to be a mother.

We had so much fun shopping for nursery furniture, clothes and preparing for his big arrival.

We would talk to and rub my belly everyday and take photos of my growing tummy weekly.

During my pregnancy with my son I watched so many friends stress and worry about labor and delivery, eating JUST RIGHT, working out and having a “birth plan” set in stone.

For some reason I never felt the pressure to follow all these “pregnancy trends”.

I did work out a few days a week, took my vitamins, tried to watch what I ate (which is hard when that bean burrito craving kicks in 10x’s a day) and made sure I wasn’t completely clueless when I got to that big day.

We took a tour of the delivery wing, watched a few YouTube videos, talked to some of our friends/family about their experiences and talked a lot with my doctor.

After lots of prayers, Kevin and I decided that we had done all we could do.

We felt that as long as we were at the hospital, we were where we needed to be if something went wrong with the baby or I.

I felt that labor/delivery was so different for every mom that I couldn’t possibly make a plan and have it go accordingly.

And that is exactly what happened.

Our son, Hunter, was born at 36 weeks and 6 days. He scored 8/9 on his Apgar test but after a few minutes of monitoring the nurses noticed his breathing was off.

He was taken to the NICU where he spent the next 9 days on a feeding tube and getting help from a breathing machine.

When we went home, more then a week later, he was still on oxygen, which he had for another month.

It was one of the hardest/heart wrenching experiences I have experienced.

Nothing like I had imagined it all to go, but I am so grateful that I was inspired to have the “whatever happens, happens and it’s in the Lords hands” attitude.

It taught me so much, especially patience and trust.

Patience with the process of bringing a baby into the world and trust that the Lord has a plan, and it’s the best plan even if it’s not what you planned.

It has helped me along the way to trust my motherly instincts when it has come to raising my child and making decisions regarding his health and well being.

I honestly feel that as the mother you will KNOW what is right for you and your baby as you both transition into your new roles as parent and child.

Hunter is 18 months now. He is healthy, handsome, has the best little personality and is growing so much everyday!

We are so excited to be welcoming baby #2, a little girl, due Valentines Day.

I have felt a little more anxiety this time as it sinks in I will have TWO KIDS under 20 month, but I could not be more excited that my family is growing.

It is such an incredible honor to be a mother.

It’s unimaginably rewarding and equally challenging.

I wouldn’t trade one day I have had with my son.

I have enjoyed the good, learned from the bad and mentally/emotionally grown as a woman and daughter of God.

Thanks for letting me share my story Eryka.

Good Luck with the new little ones.

You will be an incredible mother.

See ya Readers!

Be sure to swing by and visit us over at Ford-Ology!

http://ford-ology.blgospot.com

motherhood series {he & i}

Hello! I'm Lex from the He&I blog, and I'm so happy to be over here today. And I'm so happy for Eryka and the arrival of her twins! (She's making me baby hungry all over again!)

We welcomed our daughter to the world on a warm September afternoon. Our lives haven't been the same since. We don't sleep tillnoon anymore, our car is sprinkled with gold fish, and walking through our house is like walking through a maze of toys. And yet, we wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. There's nothing more miraculous than bringing a child into the world (and nothing more nerve wracking!) 

I will never forget the long awaited day that we met little E. After several long months of being kicked in the ribs and enduring never ending heartburn, I finally became a mother. As I saw her head full of hair and her little fingers grasped mine for the first time, my first thought was "I know you! I know you!" I was smitten. I knew her little hiccups because I felt them in my tummy daily. I knew that her awake time was four in the morning. I knew her little kicks and flailing arms. I knew her. Better than anyone else. And the best part was, she knew me. 

A year and a half has gone by since those first and very precious moments. The sleepy newborn smiles have turned into giggles. Tiny onesies have been traded with leggings and tennis shoes. Coos have turned into words. Little feet echo down the hallway as she runs to hug me after her nap. Being a mother is exhausting. It's time consuming. It's hard work, all day and all night. And yet, it's the best job I've ever had. Nothing pays more than feeling those tiny little arms around my neck, patting me on the back. 

I am a mother. And I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. 

blog//instagram @lexzurcher//shop

                                                              

motherhood series {life unfluffed}

I'm so happy to be posting here today while Eryka is on maternity leave. She is just the greatest, don't you think?

Anyway, my name is Erika and I blog over on Life Unfluffed. Basically, it's just a little ol' blog about my life and random things we do. I'm not the most consistent blogger, but I love having all those memories written down. I have two girls (ages 1 year and 2 years) and they are just the greatest. Come visit me on my blog or on Instagram  @erikasenneff (warning: must like pictures of cute babies).

___

When Eryka first asked me to write a guest post on her blog, my mind was all over the place. I mean, I know I'm good at talking about poop and spit up launching across the room... But, I didn't really feel like I had anything profound to say about how wonderful motherhood is, as I'm sure many of the other guest posters will. For me, I just cannot even begin to put into words how much I love my girls, or how much they have changed my life for the better. I'm not that talented.

So! We're taking a different route.

The route I like to call "the best parenting advice I ever received" where I will (can you guess?) talk about the best parenting advice I ever received. Deep? No. Helpful? Hopefully!

1. Before you get mad, take a picture.

Oh gosh, guys. There have been so many times where I wanted to cry when I saw something my girls had done while I was in the bathroom alone (the bathroom is a dangerous place!) ... And each time they do something crazy like that, my first instinct is always to get mad. Thankfully, I received this advice when my first was just a tiny baby, so I have a whole bunch of "naughty" pictures of my kids.

Sure, in the moment it's frustrating. But, it is so fun to look back and see all the crazy shenanagins they got into. I don't even remember feeling mad, I just remember how funny it was after the fact.

2. It's okay to stay in your pajamas all day.

Really! It is.

Some of my best memories with my kids are when we are have a lazy day (or week... You know) just laying around and cuddling in our pajamas. Don't let anyone make you feel like you have to dress up every single day! Motherhood doesn't always have to be glamorous (Actually, it pretty much never is. Dress up or not)

3. It's okay to ask for help.

This one was hard for me to grasp. Actually-- It still is!

I'm one of those people who just wants to do things myself all the time. So when I'm sad, mad, frustrated, etc. I usually just keep it to myself. Or maybe my husband. The same is true with my experience as a mother.

Sometimes I just feel so tired and don't know how I'm going to make it through those dreaded hours of 4pm-6pm when Daddy gets home. But, when I ask for help (so I can take a nap, clean, just be by myself for a few minutes), I notice I am a much happier mama and suddenly those hours don't seem so bad.

4. Be kind to yourself.

This one is important. So I'm going to repeat it. BE NICE TO YOURSELF. Stop looking at the postpartum body in the mirror and telling yourself how fat you are. Stop thinking that you're a bad mom because so-and-so feeds their baby this and this for breakfast and your kids are having toast. Again.

How you treat yourself really rubs of on your kids.

5. Stop reading blogs.

Let me rephrase that, because, I mean, you're already reading ABCD, and I know you're about to start reading my blog (I hope!)...Stop reading blogs that make you feel bad about yourself. You know all those articles about how you're ruining your kids? Stop reading them! You are a great mom and YOU know what if right for your kids. Not some girl on the Internet.

So, there you have it. The best parenting advice I ever received.

Do you have anything to add to the list? Leave it in the comments so we can all benefit here!

Congrats again, Eryka! I'm so excited you are now a mama!

henry + campbell: the birth story

photo by valory jean photography 

here i am finally finding some time to write out the twins birth story, before i forget the details. before i start let me say posting will be sparse but, i have some guest posts lined up for little bit while this new mommy tries to find a routine. things are crazy around these parts. we have our sweet henry at home and our precious little campbell is still in the hospital. she was the smaller twin so she struggled a little with her feedings. she is doing well and making great progress. {more on that later...i promise} 

okay now for the part where we finally met our sweet babies.....

after a false alarm on wednesday the 8th and some high blood pressures, the doctor told us to see him friday the 10th and he would strip my membranes. my mom arrived thursday and friday afternoon we went in at 2:15pm he did his thing {which i might add was not fun!} we were walking out of the office around 2:30pm when i had my first contraction. believe me i didn't think it would work that fast. we went to target to talk around and after 20 min or so i needed to go home i couldn't even walk without doubling over in pain. at home i began timing my contractions, they were about 2 min apart. which i didn't believe. i thought i was timing them wrong. we hopped in the car and got to the hospital around 4pm. they hooked me up and sure enough they were 2 min apart and fairly strong.   

our dr showed up around 5pm and ask the nurse what i was dilated to {still a 4} he said well let's get things started. the started the iv and meds {since i tested positive for strep b} and after 2 hours or so he came back in and broke my water. once he did, things started going pretty quickly. my contractions were about a min apart and getting stronger. they then started picton which caused the painful contractions to start. i think i had about 3 or 4 which were unbearable. it was then epidural time. oh my goodness, i felt so good after that. i believe it was another 2 or so hours when they checked me again i was an 8. doctor said "ok you will be ready to push in 30min-you ready to have some babies?" the nurses began to rush around getting things ready with me and the other nurses were in the OR getting it ready. 

i was in such a daze, i couldn't believe how fast things had gone and we were minutes away from meeting our sweet babies....we were about to be parents! 

once we were in the OR i got pretty nervous. i had no idea what to expect. i didn't know how to push. i mean i have never had babies before. 

once it was time dan held a leg and the nurse the other. my body took over and it was like i knew what i was doing. dan did so well just supporting me. he kept telling me "babe you are doing so good" {between the tears} after about 4 or 5 pushes our handsome henry daniel was born at 11:47pm. i saw him for a few seconds before they passed him through the window to the special care nursery staff. 

once he was out my uterus stopped working and they had to start pictocn again because, precious campbell's head was up higher. doctor said well it's going to be about 20 minutes then he left to go tell all the grandparents that henry was here. dan was pretty excited because this meant the babies would have different birthdays. me not so much. {i have since warmed up to it! haha} 

doctor came back in and it was time to push again. after about 5 pushes {i think} our darling little campbell graced us with her presence at 12;07am on the 11th. i only saw her for a second before they passed her on. dan then went to check on the babies. while the doctor did his thing. yep, my babies have different birthdays. haha! 

they then wheeled me back into the labor room to see our family. i was in a daze, everything felt pretty surreal. after a little two nurses wheeled in our cute babies. i just cried and cried. it was the first time i had seen them. they handed me both babies, i just cried. they were so cute and i was so in love. it was the weirdest feeling meeting the two babies i carried for 35 weeks and 1 day. i tried feeding campbell but, got really sick and they had to take her away and recline my bed. i think it was all the blood loss. {im not even going to talk about how bad the after you give birth part is....all you mommas know what im talking about..pushing on the belly}

around 3:30am is when they transferred us to another room. we were greeted by nurses and they began to tell us all kind of info, half of which i don't remember. they brought me a sandwich. i ate slowly and kind of was just there in the moment. it was a long night of nurses coming in and out. i honestly don't remember much. i believe they took the babies around 6 am and let us sleep for a little but, i could be wrong. i was so exhausted. i had no idea my body could be that tired. 

all in all it was a such a fast experience that i will always remember {most of}. i keep saying i was surprised how fast and easy it was for me. i mean i have nothing else to compare it too, so....

there you have the twins birth story. they are now over a week old and doing so well. henry is such an easy baby to have at home. we just love our babies so much. i will try to find some time to write about what has been going on since then. things are hetic, stressful and exhausting. adjusting to have henry home and going everyday to see campbell. dan goes back to work tomorrow and things are going to be different. luckily my mom is here to help. i know things are only going to get crazier when campbell gets to come home. praying it's soon! 

i want to say thank you to those who have been praying for and thinking of her and us. we truly appreciate it! 

sorry if this was a novel. i figured it was easier to one post since i don't have much time to write more than one post. i promise i will try to post about recent happenings soon. until then you can seen updates on my instagram @erykaann. i usually post about campbell's progress daily. :)

xoxo

Hello World. We're here.

maternity photo session

my cousins wife val {who did our engagements and wedding photos} from valory jean photography came over this morning and took these amazing photos for me. i had the hardest time choosing which to post on here. so i apologize for the overwhelming amount of photos you are about to scroll through. i am so in love. i can't believe how amazing these are. 

as much as i am so done being pregnant, i think i may miss this basketball belly of mine. i will cherish these photos forever. what a way to remember being this pregnant with my precious babies.....

now, hurry up babies!! 

xoxo

word of the year

this year's word of the year comes after much thought and prayer. 

.:TRUST:. 

with the huge changes happening this year in our lives, i need to trust in my heavenly father that i can do all that comes my way + i need to trust myself and trust those around me. i know with a little faith and lots of trust i can do anything that comes our way this year. bring it on 2014. 

so, here's to a year of trust! 

have you chosen a word of the year? 

hello 2014

here we are again a new year...that means everyone is setting a new batch of goals they hope to achieve. i was recently looking back at my goals from last year and was surprised how many i accomplished. you can see them here {i crossed the ones i accomplished or semi accomplished out} 

the last few days i have thinking of what i want to accomplish in this new year. it's been a lot harder for me than previous years. i think part of me is scared for the new year. i mean we are becoming parents literally ANY DAY. that is flat out scary, to think i will have two precious babies to care for and love. scary but, such a blessing. 

last year on my 2013 list of goals i literally wrote "get pregnant" not knowing it would really become a reality. this year, my type of goals have changed due to this baby boy & baby girl joining our family. this year want to call my goals more wishes or hopes. below are a few hopes/wishes i have for this new year. 

+ read the book of mormon {helping me do this is the instagram bofm365-you should join too!}
+ teach my children about the love of our savior 
+ make time for dan and i even with the babies here 
+ not be afraid to ask for help when i need it 
+ take the best care of my babies that i can 
+ not judge others 
+ make time for myself 
+ read more 
+ loose the baby weight and be healthy 
+ attend the temple as much as we can 
+ do more acts of kindness 
+ be the best wife + mom for my family 
+ laugh more 
+ write monthly letters to baby h & baby c 
+ take more pictures 

these hopes/wishes are things i find doable for me. this new year is going to be full of new things for us. there will be many firsts. with all these changes happening to our family i can help but be so grateful for all we have. 2013 was a year full of heartbreak, tears, laughter, memories, adventures, surprises and love. i know dan and i both feel so blessed and grateful our heavenly father has gifted us all we have. i look forward to 2014 and can't wait to see what it brings. it's going to be a tough, new, different, and exciting one that's for sure! 

have you created any hopes/wishes for this new year? even if you don't blog them be sure to write them down somewhere! 

happy 2014, everyone. hope you come back to see what is going on here on abcde this year! 
xoxo