White Christmas madness

Daddy reading to Kate and Ryan about Christ's birth in the Bible.

Ryan's first Eskimo Joe's shirt (guess who picked the color?)

Katie snuggling with her first gift from Santa

To whoever says 'Wouldn't it be lovely to have a white Christmas?' I've got news for you: it is NOT fun! So, like most everyone else around here, the Blizzard of 2009 completely wiped out most of our Christmas plans. Because we couldn't travel we missed seeing Matt's extended family. Then, when we were all set up to go to Blackwell and see all of my family, Kate woke up that morning with a fever which resulted in Matt and I taking her to the ER. She is doing fine now (probably just a little virus) so that is good news. I was told before the babies were born that once you have kids, you better learn to be flexible, so we are already finding that to be true.

I am grateful that both of our immediate families were so flexible as to change their plans and come to see us. And of course this was Kate and Ryan's first Christmas, so that made it all the more special. At this time of year, I reflect upon the many blessings in my life. I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who is a great father, a loving and supportive family, good health, and a good job. Life is not always perfect or easy, but we are learning to take it one day at a time, and following the Lord's plan for us, we can make it through anything that comes our way. I hope that this Christmas found all of my friends and family also feeling grateful for the blessings in their lives as well.

'Twas the week before Christmas

Mommy opening Ryan's 1st Christmas gift (he was sleeping)
Kate "trying on" her 1st gift
Mommy and Daddy's favorite presents ever!

'Twas the week before Christmas and at the Mills house everyone was very busy indeed! This was the first week Matt and I were on our own with the babies, and I must say, I feel pretty good about how we did. Our lives revolve around feeding and sleeping at this point, so we spend a lot of time trying to get Kate and Ryan on a schedule of sorts. Especially because I know that the day of returning to work will come all too quickly into the new year, we are striving to learn a routine now in order to make that transition easier. The babies did pretty well, and last night they slept for 3 3hr stretches of time! This is a huge accomplishment for us.
In other news, last night was the annual Anthony/Bell Family Christmas gathering out at my parents house. We have been getting together with the Anthony Family for as long as I can remember and it is a time we all look forward to each year. This year was different than most, as my Nana's husband Glen lost his battle with cancer this summer. We all miss him so very much. In honor of him, we made his family's recipe of spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. I thought it was a really nice way to remember such a special person that we hold so dear in our hearts. I know that he would have loved to have met Kate and Ryan and taken a million pictures of them. I think about him often, particularly when we picked our new camera and again when we couldn't figure out how to use it. But in the midst of sorrow, there is joy. We know that we will see Glen again some day, and we enjoy the new little lives that God has blessed us with. Ryan and Kate have brought so much joy to so many people in our family, and I am grateful for their presence in my life each and every day.

Santa Clause is comin' to town

Today we had an extra special visitor that came to meet Ryan and Kate for the first time. Santa stopped by to check up on who was being naughty and nice at our house. It was a fun day to take some family pics with the added perk of not having to go to the mall and wait in line to see Santa (as if we could actually make it to the mall right now!) As with most things in life, the babies slept through most all of it, but we know they had a good time anyhow.
We are pleased to report that both Kate and Ryan got good reports at their 2 week check up this last week. Both of them are growing steadily and have now passed their birth weights. Ryan has developed a very strong grip and is starting to work on holding up his head. Kate is still tiny but fiesty with the most expressive face of any baby that I've ever seen. They are wonderfully precious and although we are completely exhausted at this point, we are in love with them too.

I get by with a little help from my friends

Aunt Jess, Cousin Cori, and Kate
Papa and Grammy

Poppy and Nana

We have been home for a week now (hard to believe) and are getting adjusted to life at home. It has been a very exciting/exhausting week as we are getting to know Kate and Ryan and learning how to meet their needs. It is a great challenge to be a new mom to 2 babies, but I am doing my best and love watching them grow and change.

These new challenges in life have been made so much easier to deal with by our loving friends and family. I honestly do not know what we would do without their love, support, and helping hands through these first days of Ryan and Kate's lives. I knew that I would love my children from the moment I first saw them, but I had no idea how much I would love the people helping us. So, this post is dedicated to our amazing support team; you all deserve a great deal of thanks from Matt and I. We cannot put into words what your time, encouragement, and kindness mean to us. Thank you so very much.

Bedlam Babies!

Ryan and Kate enjoyed their first Bedlam game on Saturday (well, at least until the game actually got going...and not OSU's way). Daddy was excited to see them all dressed up in support of their favorite team. We didn't get to see much of the game, as Ryan was trying to spend the proper amount of time under the jaundice lights (aka the torture chamber, according to Grammy Barb). Thanks be to God, he is now doing much better and only had to do one torturous night in there (thanks to Grammy and Aunt Jess for spending the night and making it more bearable).
As of yesterday, we have been to our 1st dr appt with our pediatrician, Dr Colbi, and got a great report (again, praise the Lord). Now we are working on feeding, changing diapers, and getting some semblance of a routine down. We will keep you posted depending on how much sleep we get and who is here to help!