One FULL day

Today was such an amazing day! It started with a visit from Molly and little Walt. We decided to walk the kids up to get lunch. It wasn't exactly sunny outside but it wasn't raining either so we figured we were fine. We walked to this sandwich shop that is near our house...maybe a half a mile from our place. About halfway there we started to feel raindrops so we picked up the pace. Once inside and about to order the sky absolutely opened up. It was a virtual monsoon. It didn't let up and since we had not just one baby but 3 (that means 2 huge strollers) we knew we would never find anyone who would offer us a ride home. So...we laughed harder than either of us have laughed in ages and got absolutely drenched walking the kids back home. The kids were sheltered but we were not...my sandals are ruined and they dyed my feet brown (which I have yet to be able to get out!) but it was hysterical and something we'll remember for a long time (and something that Molly and I figured would only happen to us!). I only wish we'd gotten a picture of what Molly and I looked like once we got home...like we'd taken a shower with our clothes on!
As if that weren't excitement enough...we were visited by our other amazing friend "Aunt" Reenie! She brought the girls some adorable hats that they'll be able to wear in the Charleston sun. We love our Reenie and are so glad that she came over today too.
Finally....something we've been waiting 11 weeks for....the girls got to meet their cousins Grace and Greta and their Aunt Kylie and Uncle Matt who came to visit from Seattle!!!!! It was so amazing to see them because we haven't seen them since Christmas. The girls were absolutely incredible with Reagan and Riley. They rocked them, read to them and helped me to put them to bed (Matt was on his way back from NY) and it was a HUGE help. We're so excited that they are here for the next week while we still are and we'll get to spend a lot of time with them. I can't believe how grown up Grace and Greta seem just since December...it really is true that kids grow up way too fast! I love them to pieces and am so lucky to be their aunt...I just wish we saw them more!
We only have 1 week left here in Cleveland and I'm getting sad about that. Each day I am saying goodbye to different amazing people that we won't see again for awhile and it really makes me realize just how lucky we are and how blessed I've been to live in such a great place for so long and to make so many wonderful and lifelong friends. Lots more goodbyes in the next week which will keep us busy and be hard...but we have a lot to look forward to in Charleston too, so we won't spend our time being sad we just will look forward to our next visit back here and all of the visits that we know our friends and family will make to see us down SOUTH!

Riley's 10 week update

Matt and I were really hoping today at the doctor that Riley would FINALLY reach the 8 pound mark! She's SOOOOOOO close! She weighed in at 7 pounds 14 ounces! She is definitely gaining weight and once again, the doctors aren't worried and said we shouldn't be either! She is 22 inches long (almost as long as Reagan!). She's still going to be on her special formula to help her keep gaining weight (it's hilarious because this formula is a whole 2 calories more than the others!) but she's eating well and always, always happy so we continue to be thrilled with her growth! She's still a peanut but people that see her after not seeing her for awhile say that she's definitely changing and getting bigger. She's getting a little bit more hair (not enough for a bow like her sister!) and it is a mixture of really, really blond and some light brown.
Riley has been going to physical therapy once a week. She was diagnosed with Torticollis which basically means (in Stacey terms) that one side of her neck is very tight and stiff and she tends to only look towards one side. It was likely a result of how she was positioned in my tummy. We've been doing stretches (which she hates) and doing lots of tummy time (which she used to hate but is doing better with lately) and the therapists and doctors are THRILLED with her progress already. They've seen tons of improvement and this week at therapy she actually sat on the therapists lap and held her head up by herself for about 3 minutes. I couldn't stop smiling! It was amazing...but at the same time it almost made me sad that she's growing up so much already. That's a big milestone that I didn't even think about until recently and it's almost here already. Everyone always says that you won't believe how quickly they grow up and how quickly time passes...and we're finding it to be so true. She's smiling a lot more and in the mornings she talks like crazy in her crib. Matt and I just lay there smiling listening to her coo up a storm. I love it so much and could listen to it all day long. She's started sucking her own fingers (not her thumb...but more than one finger!) which really helps when I can't get to her and stick a pacifier in her mouth if needed! She's incredible, and just like her sister...I can't believe she's mine. We are so, so blessed and thank God every day for our little miracles.
In totally unrelated news....we closed on our house today! We are officially renters for the next 2 weeks (we are renting back from the people that bought our place). The movers come on the 28th to pack and then load on the 29th....Matt leaves on the 30th to drive down to Charleston and the girls and I follow the next day with Grandma Susan. We move in to our new house on Daniel Island on July 1st. I can NOT believe how quickly it's coming and we seem to have something on the calendar every day from now until then with going away dinners with friends to visits and bbq's with family up here...it's going to be here before we know it! We're enjoying every minute up here while we can!

Reagan's 10 week update

We had our 10 week check up today and little Miss Reagan is doing so well! She is now 11 pounds 4 ounces and 22 3/4 inches long! She is one of the happiest babies I've ever been around (in the morning) and from the time she wakes up until the early afternoon she is hilarious. She laughs, she smiles and she wants to play and move non-stop. She does take mini-naps and our new swing is her favorite place to be. I actually had to call my mom the other day to ask her to tell me honestly how many hours a day I spent in the swing when I was little. She said... A LOT. And I'm just fine (I think!), so we're not going to worry about it too much. With twins you just have to do what works and she loves it and it gives me some time to either deal with Riley or do laundry or wash bottles or whatever else has to get done. I LOVE the swing! The afternoons and evenings tend to be her fussy time (right about the time Matt gets home from work...poor Daddy!) but it still doesn't seem to be as awful as we've heard it could be from some of our friends.
Reagan is an absolute joy. She has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen and her eyelashes are ridiculously long. I'm so jealous. She'll never need mascara! She looks at us and you can tell that she's loving you....it is amazing. Her hair is still dark but everyone agrees that it's starting to thin out. You can see baby hair coming underneath and it looks really blond....it will be interesting to see if she keeps her hair or if it changes.
She's still having a tough time with acid reflux but the doctor put her on a new medicine today and we're still on her special formula...so we're hoping that this works. If not, they told us to start adding some rice cereal to her formula. She's sleeping about 4 1/2 hours at night and one night she actually slept for 6! Matt and I were too worried about why she was sleeping so much to actually enjoy it and sleep ourselves!!! We won't make that mistake again (if only she'd repeat it for us!). I continue to just be in awe that she's mine...I can't wait to see what she does tomorrow. Every day it's something new!!!

Lunch out with our best buds

This afternoon we met our best friends Molly and Walt and their sweet son Walt (who we can't believe is almost 1 already!) and Kevin and Erin Hardy (Matt's best man in our wedding) and their daughter Ellie. They were in town for the weekend from Boston. Kevin and Erin have already got the girls thinking BIG....they brought them their first HARVARD t-shirts! Daddy said he'd be thrilled if they go there (as long as they earn scholarships!). It was so much fun to see everyone and we had an amazing lunch which was made even better because we had a private room all to ourselves at the restaurant! They must have anticipated the craziness that a 2 year old, a 1 year old and two month old twins might bring. Ellie and little Walt were so well behaved though...hopefully Reagan and Riley will be that good when we go out in the future!
Molly and Walt have been some of our very best friends for what seems like forever and are the reason that this blog even exists, because they introduced Matt and I! They knew that we were perfect for each other and they were right. They mean so much to us and are one HUGE thing about Cleveland that I can't imagine leaving. Thank God for cell phones, email and plane rides. They've already planned their first visit to us later this summer and I've already started looking forward to it!!
Matt and I are so blessed with such an amazing group of friends and we hope that Reagan and Riley will value friendships as much as we do when they're older and recognize that you don't have to see your best friends every day to still have them in your heart!

We're 2 months old today

WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?! My mom and I were talking when she was here and she and I agreed that the days go by incredibly slowly with newborn twins (probably with any baby) but the time in general flies by. The fact that my sweet baby girls are 2 months old today is blowing my mind! They have changed so much in such a short time and are getting so big! They are SO much more aware of everything going on around them and their smiles melt my heart every single time I see them. Their personalities could not be more different...Reagan continues to be a ham. She cracks us up all the time. She loves to be busy and loves to be on the move. Riley continues to be our little peanut and absolutely loves to cuddle more than anything else. She's been put on a special formula to help her gain some more weight, and we think it's working well already! She's still around 7 1/2 pounds but the doctors aren't worried as she keeps gaining weight. She's just doing it on her own sweet time. Reagan is also on a special formula, as they think she has an allergy to cows milk. It seems to be helping her (and us....her feedings are a lot more pleasant now!) and she is ALMOST 11 pounds! Taking them out, that is always the first comment that people make....how Reagan is SO much bigger than her sister. The thing is....she's totally normal for a 2 month old! She just looks like a giant when sitting next to Riley! I wonder if they'll always look so different or if Riley will hit a growth spurt and catch up to Reagan soon. We'll see!
The past 2 months have been amazing and Matt and I fall more and more in love every day. These two little miracles are incredible... we love them so much!

Twins the second time around is a lot more tiring

Gram and Gramp are having a blast with the girls...but I think it's a little bit tiring for them! The girls (and Grandma and Grandpa) seem to be enjoying their afternoon naps today! HA!

Last day of school and G and G visit

Matt is out of town again and so my parents came to stay with us and visit the girls! We've had so much fun already. They are amazed at how much they've changed in just 6 weeks since they were here last. They are being a HUGE help to me and we're enjoying this amazing Cleveland weather (with no humidity!) by being outside a lot. Riley is really loving her cuddle time with Grandpa!
Today my mom went with me and we took the girls to my classroom at Hathaway Brown to visit with my class and to say goodbye. They got presents from the faculty (my friend Lisa gave them their first set of pearls!!!!...so adorable) and I even got the gift of babysitting from 2 of the teachers! I will be sure to take them up on that offer before we move! Reagan and Riley were a HUGE hit and while Reagan slept the entire time we were there, Riley was wide awake and the girls in my class are convinced that she was smiling and waving at them. She did seem to be showing off a bit! They got all dressed up to go to visit but then I never got them out of their stroller! I realize just how much I miss teaching (or at least teaching THIS class of girls...they were the best) but being home with these two is getting better and better every day.
The girls are really starting to enjoy things more. Reagan loves lying on the activity mat and staring at herself in the mirror and smiling and Riley will stare out of the window all day long if we let her. They are smiling so much more and I've even been able to make them smile by acting like a total idiot. They aren't embarrassed of me yet so I'll keep acting crazy for them if they'll smile at me. It's worth it!