Happy Birthday, Mom!

 

What an amazing month we have had.  My mom turned 90 on March 10th, so we rented two houses in Rancho Mirage and gathered to celebrate.  Everyone overlapped for just 4 nights, but it was wonderful and I think Mom loved it.

Craig and I were there by ourselves for five days, then Nicole and her 3 children arrived, then Mom came.  Next Whitney and Ryan and their two boys came for five days then left for a week and came back for another four days.  Steve and Vicki, Heather, Wesley, Laurel (from London), Cami, and John came during the last week.  Holly was the only one not able to leave her brand new job and she was greatly missed.  I almost forgot my son-in-law Chris who let Nicole come early while he worked, and then he came the last week.  Sorry, Chris.

We golfed, shopped, ate, laughed, swam, walked, and talked.  It's getting difficult to get us all together at the same time, but when it works it is great.  Mom is amazing and had a baby on her lap 12 hours a day.  It's all about family.

We found a photographer to capture our family and these are a few of the photos.  The first one is the whole group.  The next is my favorite--Mom with her 6 great grandchildren.

From the left, Truman and William, Isabel, Claire, Mom, Emmett, and Wesley.

Isabel in the spa.

Mom with Claire and Emmett.

Isabel with Easter eggs.

Truman and William

Claire and Emmett

William and Truman 

Wesley

Aloha Christmas

These are some random photos of our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  We spent them with family, family, and more family and couldn't be more thrilled.  The first photo is at Thanksgiving and my birthday celebration.  Our family gave me a family photo shoot as a present, and 535 pictures later we had some wonderful photos to help me remember what a fun week it was.  

Aren't these the cutest boys you have ever seen!  Well, they are to me.

This is Will with me in the pool in Hawaii in December.  Not too shabby to spend the holidays here.  I know how spoiled I am and grateful to have a place where the family likes to gather even when it isn't my year to have everyone for Christmas.  They will come and go all month long.  It is going to be a ball.

We took Isabel, Will and Truman to the country store for a rock on the porch and a treat.

Nicole, Claire and Isabel at the tree lighting party at Keolu.

Hawaiian sunset from the golf cart path.  This cove is where the turtles come to sleep.

Emmett at Thanksgiving.  He's almost 15 pounds.  Not bad for a preemie.

Two sweet boys and a rocking moose.

Claire the fair at Thanksgiving.  Always smiling and the sweetest personality I've ever seen.

Buddies

Just love this picture of Cami!

It was a great birthday!

Our very own princess, Isabel!

Merry Christmas, Everyone

They have come a long way!

Claire is 91/2 pounds and so alert.  She stares at you with those big eyes and looks into your heart.  She is so mellow.  Just sits, looks around, and takes everything in.

Chris was out of town so Craig and I stayed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to help Nicole with the night feedings.  Boy, we are feeling old.  The 2 am and 5 am feedings about killed us.  But, even in the middle of the night they melt your heart.She started smiling about 10 days ago and Emmett started cooing and smiling this week.  Each day they are more fun.

It's hard to believe that Emmett weighed only 5 pounds.  He is now 10  plus and eating and growing just like a boy should.  He wants to be held and loves to cuddle. 
He is so strong and is holding his head up and even turned over.  He is such a character, always making funny faces and noises.

What joy!

Settling in

Here are the latest pictures of Claire and Emmett.  They are doing well and growing like crazy.  Both are over 5 pounds and the nurse said they are outgrowing the isolette. 

The pictures are a little confusing, but Claire is being held by Nicole and was more awake than Emmett.  His skin is darker and redder and he was sleeping like a log the whole time we were there.  Claire has the biggest eyes and just seems to be studying everything.  Emmett is so sweet and quiet and even-tempered.  The nurses say they are the best babies. 

They are working on developing their digestive systems a little more so they can eat enough and digest it.  It just takes time.  The nurses keep saying they are just immature still. 

The NICU is seeming way too much like home as Nicole and Chris are there two or three times a day.  But, they are troopers and doing everything they can to be ready to bring these beautiful babies home. 

A Visit with Claire and Emmett

I got to go with Nicole to the hospital tonight and I got to hold Emmett.  All the pictures of the baby on his stomach are Emmett.  He is so darling and doing very well according to the nurse.  He was off of the billirubin light and Claire was on, but he will be going back on tomorrow because his counts went up today.  When I held him he slept, but gripped my finger and had the hiccups.  He has gained 3 + ounces and is now taking 7 mm of milk through his tube. 

 This is Claire with the eye shades.  She was sleeping very well until they took her out of her nice warm isolette and had Nicole change her hold her and feed her.  It is hard not to worry when they are so tiny, but the nurse said she was doing well too.  She had not digested her last meal, so they draw it out of her stomach and refeed it to her.  Seems a little yukky to me, but they say she doesn't mind and actually she slept right through the whole process.  She has not gained any weight and is a petite 3lb 14 oz.

Nicole changing Claire through the little holes in the isolette.

She is so sweet.

Emmett

Nicole holding Claire.

Kind of funny, Nicole and Claire yawned at the same time

Goodnight, sweet babies.