Here's to flipping!

Yesterday I had the girls on the floor doing "tummy time" and Ben and Barrett were wrestling off to the side. I was watching the boys and when I looked back over at the girls Raina was on her side...all by herself! Then I just kept watching her and she flipped all the way over! Yea! She flipped from her belly to her back! Now we just need to get Lauren to do it! Man, it has been an exciting week with all the nights in a row of full night sleep and now this...wow!

On a not-so-good note, Barrett has a cold. His nose started running a few days ago and now it won't stop. His spirits are still up, which is good. He just has a yucky nose. The only down side really at this point is that he constantly wants to kiss the girls, but he'll kiss them before I can get to him to wipe his nose, so I end up wiping the girls heads instead. Gross, I know. I think it just comes with having kids! :)

The Blond is Back

Before

After

I Don't Want to Jinx it.....BUT

the girls have slept through the night again!! Lauren has actually slept through the night the past three nights (Raina slept through the night three nights ago and last night....the night in between she woke up one time). I feed them at their regular feeding times throughout the day, stretching the feedings to at least 3 hours apart (no more than 4 hours...but they can hardly wait that long). I was feeding them earlier than that sometimes and the feedings were becoming "snack" feedings and not really filling them up. So now when they eat, they are hungry and they eat well. Then at the end of the day I feed them before I go to bed at 10 pm. Even if they just ate at 8 pm, I'll still feed them at 10 pm for a last minute filler. This has seemed to work the past few nights. Raina's waking up a few nights ago was due to the fact that she didn't eat well during the day. She has been spitting up a lot and she sounds slightly congested. Yesterday she ate better and she slept through the night. Lauren, on the other hand, has been consistently eating well, hardly spits up, and has been sleeping through the night. :)

Yesterday I went to an Osteopathic Manipulator to fix my hip problem. Since delivering my girls I have had a lot of pelvic and hip pain. I haven't been able to sleep on my sides or work out. Even if I went on a long grocery shopping trip I would be waddling by the end. It was bad. Well, the doctor concluded that I have a short leg! My left leg is shorter than my right (I guess it's been this way since puberty) so now I have to wear a heel lift in my left shoe for the rest of my life! Pregnancy loosens everything up and then after pregnancy things tighten back up. In my case things tightened back up, but exaggerated the already existing problem. The short leg made my entire body have to compensate so my body is one long S shape. The doctor also said that on top of the curve, I am also twisted. All this can explain my migraines and my TMJ (my jaw problems), too. He did some manipulating (which actually hurt at some points) and hopefully I start seeing a difference. I have to go back in two weeks for a check up.

Today I go in to get my hair done. This last pregnancy dramatically changed my hair color (I was blond before and now I am quite brunette), so I am going back to being blond. Pregnancy hormones do strange things to your body, I must say!

A Weekend Up North

Cabin and Williams Wedding

We went up to my cabin early Thursday morning to hang out with family and friends. Friday Sue and Del arrived to help out with the kids. Saturday was the wedding over in Interlochen for Trevor and Katie. Sunday was Father's Day so we left the cabin early and then headed over to Sue and Del's for dinner. It was a busy, busy few days, but so much fun! Also, on a positive note, the girls slept through the night last night. I think they were as worn out as we were! :)

Having family fun

Bumbos and Swingsets

Here are some recent pics of our new swing set and the girls' new bumbos. Barrett absolutely loves the swing set and I think all we need now is a sandbox for him and he would be all set. He literally could be outside playing in sand or climbing things all day everyday. :) As for the bumbos, the girls love them! They make cooing sounds and smile so much when they are in them. I think they like being able to sit upright and see what's going on around them. It also helps me to work on keeping them awake after feedings. I want the sleeping through the night thing to become a regular occurrence (which it hasn't happen again since that one night).

Grandpa & Grandma w/their 5 Grandbabies!

So this is what it feels like....

to get a full nights sleep!!! Yes, you read correctly, the girls slept a straight 7 hours last night!!! Yea!!! Eight weeks to the day. This may not be regular yet, but I'll keep my fingers crossed that it becomes more normal. At least its a start. :)

On Thursday night we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to celebrate Sue and Pat's birthdays. It was a nice evening with lots of family and food. The boys got to play outside on the merry-go-round that Grandpa made. Then yesterday cousin Dewey and I went into town and walked the river trail. We also went to the local park and stopped by my mother's tree. It was nice. Barrett then had a haircut appointment. It was so cute watching him sit there sucking his sucker while his hair got cut. He was such a good little boy.


The boys on the merry-go-round.

Say 'Cheese'

My kids by my mother's tree on the river.

An Afternoon @ Dad's

Bouncing on the old wood beam to the fort.

Peek-a-boo!

Look at those eyes!

Of course he had to have his "broom, broom".

Today Ben had a golf tournament all day, so we headed over to my dad's to hang out. Unfortunately I did not get pictures of their new barn and sand box (next time...I promise). Barrett played in the sand box for what seemed like hours! :) He loved it. The girls slept peacefully most of the afternoon in the house. Dad, Trina, and I enjoyed the outdoor by playing a little dice. We ended the day with a great meal and headed home. What a wonderful day with family!

We've Got a Climber!

We left Barrett for a few moments and during that time he had moved the chair from the far left corner of the room to this new location.

He proceeded to climb into the crib and this is where we found him. We used to think the crib was a "safe" place to put the babies.

My babies.

Pacifier drunk...too funny!

This past weekend was Memorial Day and we decided to venture off to the north for the first time with all the kids. We had to take the truck since we couldn't fit all of us plus the dog in our other vehicle. We are quite the full load these days. :) We got up to the cabin Friday and went right to dinner at the local restaurant. It was busy, but very enjoyable. Barrett wanted to move around and Lauren couldn't sit still. The rest of the weekend was nice, too. The weather was great. We did a lot of hot-tubbing and lounging around. The docks were put in Saturday and the big family dinner was Sunday night. Long road trip like this one are interesting now with kids, because you can't just do it all in one shot, but rather you need to take at least one break along the way. On the way north we stopped in Clare (at Jay's Sporting Goods store so Ben could buy some waiters) and there I nursed the girls. Then on the way home we stopped off of M-57 and I nursed the girls while Ben walked Barrett around and then washed the truck. It made for a much longer trip both ways. Overall the weekend was great and we'll be doing it all again here in a few weeks for my cousin Trevor's wedding. :)

How's the Sleep Going?

So the girls are almost 6 weeks old and I thought I would share how the nighttime sleep thing is going. The whole "waking up every three hours" is definitely ringing true in our household. A typical night for us begins with a feeding around 10 pm. I nurse both girls at the same time and then sometimes we follow this with 2 oz. of formula each. We burp both girls, swaddle them, and then put them to bed. This usually goes really well (with the occasional grunting from the girls before they fall asleep). We are usually in bed by 11 pm. Then I am awakened around 1:30 am by one girl. It is usually only one of them (the other one still sleeping peacefully) and so then I change the awake baby's diaper and put her back in her crib. She cries and cries, but I have to wake up the sleeping baby to change her diaper, too. All the literature that I read says to wake the sleeping baby, too. Anyway, I quickly change the second baby's diaper. I then nurse both babies simultaneously. This is only tricky when one detaches before the other and needs to burp before the other baby is ready. Usually what I do is detach the other and burp them both, then I am able to have them both finish the feeding. By feeding them at the same time I can usually finish up the feeding in 30 minutes and then I am back in bed within 45 minutes. If I feed them separately it would take much longer. After this 1:30 am feeding back to bed by a little after 2 am, I am usually awakened around 4:30 am. Again, usually only by one baby. The procedure repeats itself. The girls have not been able to sync up in the night yet. I'm beginning to think that Raina is ready to sleep longer at night, but I haven't given it a try yet. If she is not ready and I wait it out to see if she is, then she'll wake up soon after I hit the bed and I am not ready to give up more sleep at this point. My maybe 2 hour spurts of sleep are very important to me! I think around 8 weeks I'll give it a try. That is when Barrett started sleeping through the night, so maybe one (or both...if I'm lucky) will start to at that point, also. We'll just have to wait and see.

Some of My Favs

Lauren

Raina

"Super" Barrett

Aunt Jocelyn with the girls (Raina on left and Lauren on right)

This past week and weekend was very enjoyable to say the least. Jocelyn came over from Wednesday until Saturday to help with housework and taking care of the girls. She wanted to help out where she could. She also helped get the house ready for the "meet the twins" party that was on Saturday. I didn't take any pics of the party (and actually the above pics are Jocelyn's, too), so you'll have to check out Jocelyn's blog to see party pics. The party was wonderful. A lot of people came by to meet the girls. We definitely felt the love and everyone was so kind and generous. It was great for me, too, to get out of the house and visit with people for a while. This party also allowed for several people to help out with the girls, so that was nice, too. I didn't have to do most of the diaper changes that day! That really is saying a lot since we go through diapers like it's going out of style. I forgot to mention that earlier that day Trina and I went over to my co-worker's house and went through a bunch of her daughters' baby clothes. She had twin girls a year ago, so there was double of most of the clothes and the seasons line up with my girls. We felt like we hit the jackpot! We left with so many clothes...I think I need another dresser for the girls' room! :) Girl clothes are just way too cute!

Sunday (Mother's Day) was a rainy day, so Ben and I lounged around (as best we could with 3 kids) and tried to fit in a few naps. During breakfast I left the room for a minute and when I came back Barrett was holding a card and saying "momma". It was so cute. It was a card from the kids and Ben for Mother's Day. I cried, because it was so sweet. We have quite the amazing family! Later that day we headed over to Bob and Sandy's for dinner and to visit with family. It was a nice relaxing day.

Starting the Competition Early :)

A gift from my friend, Rachel. Hee Hee!

Four Weeks Old Tomorrow

Raina

Lauren and Raina

Lauren

The girls will be 4 weeks old tomorrow! The time has flown by in some ways and then been in a snails pace in other ways. They had a doctor's appointment yesterday and they are growing well. Raina weighed in at 8 lbs. 1 oz. and Lauren weighed in at 7 lbs. 11 oz. They are still very small, but doing well. On good nights they wake up around 2-ish and then again at 5-ish to eat. They are pretty set on their "every three hour" meal. I am primarily breastfeeding with some formula feedings after about 3 meals a day. It seems to work for them (and me). I just can't seem to get enough milk for them throughout the day, so some formula is necessary. I tried to do all bottles on day with pumping in between and I hated it. I don't know how people manage to do the whole bottle thing during the night feedings. More power to you if you can do it, but breastfeeding in the middle of the night is so much easier, in my opinion. Anyway, the girls'' personalities are beginning to really come through now. Raina is very mellow and only cries when she is hungry. She is very curious and often has her eyes open and is looking around the room. She loves tummy time and working on her neck muscles. I also think she enjoys the freedom of not being bundled up. She loves to waves her arms and kick her legs. She has been smiling a lot and has started to show off her adorable dimples! Lauren, on the other had, loves to be swaddled and held as much as possible. She has what I refer to as the "hold me, hold mes". She is happiest being cuddled. She cries a lot more than Raina. Lauren cries with any movement. She cries when she's hungry, but also for no apparent reason. She is more difficult to soothe in these situations. I guess she just wants to make herself known! :) She has adorable little features and very blue eyes. She's started to smile, but only really in her sleep. Both girls have the most beautiful smiles. I can't wait to see them more often!

Jocelyn came to visit yesterday and she is staying for the next few days. She is hepling out with the girls and getting ready for the party. Yesterday after the girls appointment we decided to go out shopping for a bit. It was interesting to say the least. Lauren had to be held most of the time and I tired quickly. We were both able to leave the mall with at least one new cute thing, so we felt pretty good about that. I did have to run out to the car for something though and I left Jocelyn in the store with the girls. I guess someone came up to her and asked her how old the girls were and she told them. They resonded with a "you look GREAT for having 3 week olds!". She did clear this up, but I thought it was hilarious! When I came back into the store Jocelyn was at the register with Raina in the double stroller, Lauren in one hand, and she was paying with the other hand. She was doing the ultimate double (or is it triple) tasking! It was funny!

Today also marks Barrett's 20 month birthday! He is talking more and more every day. He is so much fun to be around. He does struggle with the girls sometimes. We find that we are having to discipline him a lot more often now for hitting the girls. We sit him in time out. Sometimes after he does something that we tell him "no" to he'll put himself in time out. It never lasts long, but I think it is starting to work. He does give the girls kisses and wants to hold them (which we allow with a lot of guidance). I think he's just getting used to the idea of these two new babies, but overall I think he is a great big brother. I love him so much!!!

Happy Birthday To Me

Great Grandpa and Great Grandma meeting the girls for the first time.

Proud Papa

Raina practicing her neck strength.

Lauren and Raina

One tired momma with my girls.

Can't forget about our adorable little man!

So yesterday was my birthday and I was (still am) sick! Three days ago I went to the doctor for my official two week post-op incision check. I wasn't feeling good again and they found my blood pressure to be high and I had a slight temp. So they drew some blood to check for signs of infection. The next day I was feeling extremely sick! I got a call from the drs. office and they told me that my blood work came back and there was some concern for infection, so they wanted to see me again. I went in yesterday and they put me on antibiotics for a uterine lining infection. The dr. told me it's not bad yet, but the medicine should help prevent it from getting worse. The fact that it was my birthday came up and the dr. told me to eat ice cream from bed. :( I needed to sleep she said! So Trina came over that afternoon and I slept in between feedings for the girls and then later my Dad and Dillon came over to celebrate my birthday. They brought dinner and Trina had made a cake. It was a relaxing and fun night, although I felt crummy. Trina spent the night, too, and helped with all the mid-night feedings and burpings. It was great! Many of you called, wrote emails, or sent my birthday cards...sorry I haven't responded. I definitely felt loved yesterday with all the birthday wishes...thank you!

Today I'm feeling a little better. The dr. said that I should begin to turn the corner after 24 hours on the antibiotic, so by this afternoon I'm hoping to be feeling a lot better. I have to go back to the dr. for a check up on Monday. I am ready to start feeling better that's for sure! It's been a real challenge taking care of two newborns feeling so sick. But the kids are healthy and that is a great thing!! The girls are now 3 weeks old and doing well. On good nights I only have to get up twice to feed them. Around 1 am and then again at 4 am. Raina is very active, but gassy (she spits up a lot more). Lauren is very stil and calm when she sleeps, but watch out when she is awake...she definitely makes herself known. They go back to the dr. on Wednesday so I'll know more about their growth then. Jocelyn comes to stay Wednesday until the party. She's going to help out where she can. I am excited to have the sister time with her, too.

A Gorgeous Sunny Weekend

Ben working on our new walkway

Barrett was helping Daddy shovel out the stone

The girls in their first "photo shoot"

Awe...so precious.

This past weekend was a busy one. Ben was helping with the girls, me, AND working out side while entertaining Barrett. Whoa. He decided to begin on the walkway project because of the upcoming "meet the twins" party. He wants everything looking tip top when that day arrives. I think he is doing a great job!

My recovery has been going much better. A few days after posting, I got a few other symptoms that made me realize that what was going on was the flu on top of surgery recovery. So needless to say, I felt a little silly when I was heading to the drs. office. I still have some flu sysmptoms, but I'm getting better every day. The last three nights I've had those gross night sweats where your hormones are balancing out and the fluids are leaving your body. Those have been some gross nights, but it has helped with the swellign tremendously. Back to the drs. appointment...it initally got switched from Friday to Monday because of all these extra sysmptoms I was having. My dr. said that she wanted me to move it. So first thing Monday morning I called in and canceled my Friday appointment and scheduled one for that day. Ben had taken another day off from work to escort me there, too. When we get there and finally settle into the room, the nurse says that I am here to talk about post-partum depression. Ben and I look at each other and immediately said "no". Then she asked "would anxiety be a better word?" and I said NO! My dr. had taken what I had said on the phone and turned it into something completely different. I felt betrayed. At the hospital they give you a list of things to look for and if any of these symptoms appear then call the dr. All last week that is what I did, but in turn all I got was "oh, that's normal" and "you must be anxious about this...you must have post-partum depression". Why do they even bother with a list? I was more annoyed the more I thought about it. I even had a dream last night that I was yelling at my dr. about all of this. What if something was seriously wrong? They wouldn't even notice. To top it off, the nurse informs me that this appointment does not replace the previously scheduled appointment, so I need to reschedule that one. So I have to go back again next Tuesday for an incision check (which they did do yesterday)...it's just frustrating because next Tuesday Ben will be at work and I'll have the girls to move around with me...that much more work. Ugh!

Enough complaining. Sorry. There is a lot to be happy about right now, so I'll just keep focusing on that. The girls are doing great. The nights are sometimes really rough with the rotation of crying, but we're are making it through just fine. Some night are better than others. :)

Recovery is not so much fun

It has been over a week now and my body is still in so much pain. I'm not sure how "normal" any of this is since I have nothing to compare it to, but I keep having to call my dr. about once a day with a new symptom. It all started with my swollen feet and ankles. They were swollen near the end of my pregnancy, but now they are out of control. I can't even wear flip flops. The only shoes that fit are my crocs. When I called the dr. they just told me to keep drinking fluids and the swelling should be gone in about a week or two. Then yesterday I was told I could take my tape off of my incision (this tape that they put on after taking the staples out), so I took the tape off and I noticed that part of my incision was open. After describing the opening to my dr. all she said was that it would heal on its own. Then to top it off, last night we were up with the girls from about 1 am to 6 am. It was during this time (around 3 am) that I felt like I was burning up. I took my temp. and I had a fever of 100.6! I called the dr. (they said anything over 100.4 needs to be of concern) and she said to keep checking it and if the temp persists then I need to go to the ER in the morning. She also wants to have me come in to the office on Monday instead of Friday like scheduled. This morning I took my temp again and the fever seems to be gone (whew). To make it all seem more overwhelming, it still hurts to sit up and move around, my hands hurt (they seem tight and it is hard to open bottles, etc.), part of my stomach is numb all the time (can't feel a thing...it's weird), and I sometimes feel a cool sensation in my back when I bend over. I'm glad that the dr. will see me sooner rather than later, because my instincts are telling me that this all can't be normal c-section recovery. The dr. last night on the hone asked me if I was at my wits end and I said "kind of". Honestly, the stress has nothing to do with taking care of two babies (that is the easy part), but my body seems to be falling apart. That's why I feel at my wits end. I just want my body to feel like it's starting to heal, yet it doesn't. It feels like it is getting worse.

My swollen foot

(Ben told me that people don't want to see my feet, but you can't fully understand until you see them...sorry if you're grossed out by my foot)

One Week Old

Barrett holding Lauren

Lauren and Raina getting some tummy time.

This is their favorite place right now. Gotta love those swings!

The girls are one week old today. It's hard to believe that it has already been a week and that my surgery was that long ago. It's one of those weird things where it feels like the births were just yesterday and yet it feels like it has been years, too. We came home on Tuesday and had a few visitors and the girls seemed to sleep the entire time. The first night home was a different story. Lauren would not stop crying and nothing seemed to soothe her. Raina would then start to cry just because Lauren was crying. It was a night where you seem to try everything and nothing is working. I realized that night that I can't sleep in my own bed because it is flat and I can't get out of bed once I am in it. SO, I have been sleeping on the couch (the recliner part of it). The first night home, the girls ended up sleeping on me most of the night. I just propped them up with lots of pillows and we all snoozed. It worked. The next day we had to take them to the dr. They both got weighed in an Raina was now at 6 lbs. 4 oz. (she was down to 6 lbs. in the hospital. so this was a good weight) and Lauren weighed in at 5 lbs. 14 oz. Lauren's weight was a bit alarming and so the dr. gave us syringes to fill with formula to use during feedings. We go in today for another weigh-in. I have opted to not use the syringes though because I found that they didn't work that well, so instead I have been feeding both girls and then following each feeding with a feeding of formula. It seems to be working well. They both seem to be eating well and pooping well too (which the dr. says is the key to knowing how much the babies are really eating). I'm hoping their weights have improved. The last few nights have been much better than the first. They seem to sleep between feedings and they are now sleeping in their crib. :) I think that the extra food is helping the girls. They get a fuller feeding and they seem less fussy for it. At this point I do not think I am producing enough for them to breastfeed exclusively, but to be honest with you this extra bottle stuff is kind of nice, because Ben (or others) are able to get bonding time and it takes some of the work off of me. Overall the first week with the girls has been a wonderful, blurry, happy time. We are very blessed.

The Twins Have Arrived!!!

Our family of five

Lauren Christine (she had an IV in her left arm) and Raina Susan in their hospital cribs

The girls in their "going home" outfits (Raina on left and Lauren on right)

Leaving the hospital

The girls are now 5 days old. Here is their delivery tale...

Friday April 11th was our scheduled c-section. We had to be at the hospital at 8 am for delivery time to be at 10 am. We dropped Barrett off at Papa and Grandma's and then headed to the hospital. On the way we were talking about how weird it felt to not be in any pain and simply going to the hospital to have the babies. Just to think that in a few hours we would be meeting our babies. It was during the drive that Ben switched radio stations and the song that I heard instantly made me weep. It was "You Gotta Be" by Des'Ree...this was my mom's fighting song and it always makes me think of her. Ben held my hand and said that she's looking down on me and she's thinking of me. She was going to make the day great and make sure we all came out of this healthy and happy. I think I needed to hear that song that morning. We shortly thereafter arrived at the hospital. We were thinking that the 2 hour wait would be just that a wait, but not so much. They put us in a room, had us fill out paperwork, suited Ben up, introduced us to several doctors and nurses, etc. It was a busy, crazy 2 hours. We had no time to think about what was about to happen. Soon enough they wisked me off to the OR. It was a strange feeling walking into this sterile room filled with so many people and looking around at the two baby stations and the hustle bustle of all the people. They then had me sit on the operating table hunched over a pillow to help with my spinal. The first (yes, I said first) spinal they tried giving me didn't take (this was realized after several sharp pains and weird sensations pulsating my back), so I heard the 2nd dr. say to the other that they were going to have to start over. The good thing about that was that as soon as the 2nd dr. gave me my second spinal it took almost instantly. If you've never had this done it is the strangest feeling ever. This strange sensation ran down both of my legs and then I couldn't feel anything. The drs. check your pain/nerves with cold wipes and sharp needles by rubbing/poking your arms first to let you know what they want you to feel (don't want you to feel) in other body locations and then they do the same in the other locations. This was all fine and dandy and so onward they went. I requested to have a mirror. This worked out wonderfully as I could see everything, but the cutting. It was during the prep time with the mirror up that I looked in the mirror and saw that I was laying on the table completely naked and the drs. were giving me a nice shave. So silly. I also realized that I was naked in front of many people that I have never even met. One nurse asked me if it was okay for my husband to come in at that moment or if I wanted him to wait until the drape was up. What a silly question to me, because my husband has seen me naked (well...duh) as where all of these other people have not. :) Ben came in and it was so quick after that. They quickly told Ben that it would be any moment (we had told everyone that we wanted Ben to be the one who announced the genders) and I looked into the mirror. I saw the first baby (Raina) pop out and I instantly saw that it was a girl and I started to cry. I heard Ben make the announcement and then he gave me a kiss. Two minutes later I saw Lauren's foot pop out along with some umbilical cord. She didn't want to come right our and then I felt the drs. pushing and pulling all over the place. Next thing I see is Lauren's head pop out. She was first breech then they pushed her enough that her head came out first instead. At any rate, Ben made the announcment and I cried even harder. I never would have predicted two girls in a million years. People had actually asked me that during the pregnancy and I said I just don't think it's going to be two girls. But man, I was so excited to have two girls. I know Ben is worried about keeping the future boys away, but he is still so excited to have daddy's little girls. Anyway, the c-section simply was not over just yet. Raina was born at 10:12 am and Lauren was born at 10:14 am, but I didn't leave the OR until closer to 11:30 am. I just had to lay there while they finished sewing and stapling me up. I guess I had some arteries that wouldn't stop bleeding so they had to do some extra work on my uterus (which at one point was on my stomach according to Ben). It was while I laid there that Ben brought the girls over to me so I could meet them. Then a dr. came over and told me that Lauren wasn't doing so well and that they were going to take her to the nursery. Surgery wrapped up and they wheeled me over to the recovery room. I had to be in this room for about 2 hours. They put me on so many medicines throughout the morning that it was during this time that I got the shakes really bad and I felt really groggy. I got to nurse Raina for the first time during this time, too. After the 2 hours they wheeled me to the nursery so I could see Lauren and then I went to my private room. At this time Lauren was on extra oxygen, but they already knew that she would be going to the NICU. A few hours after settling in the room, Lauren was sent to the NICU and put on the CPAP (it helps to push more oxygen into the lungs and get rid of the fluid in them). That night I was unable to go see her, but Ben, along with all the grandparents, went up to visit her. The next morning, Ben and I went up to see her and by the time I got to her she was already off of the CPAP and being taken off all machines. She would be coming down to be with us in a matter of hours!! This was such exciting news. We just didn't feel right without both of them together with us. We are very fortunate that her stay in the NICU was so short lived. Once Lauren was back with us, the rest of the hospital stay went along fine. We had many visitors and loved introducing our new girls to everyone. Raina and Lauren are both doing great. Barrett seems to be adjusting well, too. He's going to be a great big brother and already kisses them often. He wants to help out all the time and hold the babies. We have such a great family and we are so truly happy!