One Month Old!

I can't believe these little girls are one month old! I was feeling very ambitious when I wrote I would update it soon with details about the hospital stay. That will come sometime but now I will just put up some of my favorite pictures. This last month has been wonderful with lots of family and visitors. Adelyn and Avery are so blessed to have so many people who love them.

Avery comfortably asleep on Uncle David

It looks like Adelyn got startled...no, this is a position she was in for at least ten minutes

I love that O face! They both make it.

I love the positions they put their hands in.

Cousin Kyla loves these babies. She wanted to stay there with them forever.

With some YW and Sister Dester from our ward. I'm going to miss them so much!

I love these dresses on them.

We see this face from Avery a lot.

And this one from Adelyn a lot.

Adelyn with cousin Christopher

Adelyn enjoying bath time.

Avery loving Aunt Chrissy bathe her.

They have quite the chicken legs.

With cousin Devyn

With Aunt Heather

They look so alike in their carseats!

Cousin Brigham sharing his seat with Avery

Their legs and arms are in similar positions so often!

With Kyle and Allie

This did not interrupt her sleep in the least.

The blessing circle (not pictured: Nathan)

Papa admiring his granddaughter

What I should have gotten was a picture of all that was going on to take this photo. Tia was on a chair leaning over to take it, and each of the grandmothers pulled a pacifier out of a mouth when Tia said, "3." Quite the group effort.

With very happy parents on their blessing day.

A Mother's Thoughts (long, sorry) + Pictures

Yesterday was quite an emotional day. The girls needed to get their bilirubin levels rechecked so we went back and they got their blood drawn. I always thought it was so silly when mothers would tell me they would cry when their new babies got shots. Of course it is for their own good and only stings for a few seconds. Well, their little feet were pricked and when they started crying I totally started crying and couldn't stop. (I hadn't cried since the delivery on Tuesday) My heart hurt so bad for them and I wanted to do everything I could to stop their pain. Then I got thinking about how much pain and hurt they will go through in this life and how I won't be able to prevent it. I know it's all part of the Heavenly Father's plan but they are just these sweet innocent angels and it kills me to think about anything hard coming to them. Then I started thinking about how sad it was that they were already that old! I was expecting preemies and their newborn clothes are not going to fit for very long. I absolutely love this stage and just want to hold them and love them 24/7.

Anyways, as you can tell, I was an emotional wreck. We called back two hours later to get the results and their levels were bad enough we needed to get them under the lights. Luckily they have home light systems so we got them and didn't have to take the girls back to the hospital. However, when the guy came to set them up, and told us we needed to leave them under the lights except for feedings and changing their diapers, it was extremely hard. We put their little eye masks on and set them under. Avery was okay, but Adelyn started to cry with a little whimper like she was hurt that we hadn't ever heard before (usually she just starts full volume). Once again, my heart felt like it would break. Of course we couldn't just get them out and hold them because the more they are under the lights the better. I finally left the room and had Tia calm them down. Later that night after Adelyn had eaten and it was time to go back under the light, Tia gave Adelyn a blessing and put her eye thing on and put her back under and she didn't make a peep. Truly a miracle and a huge blessing. These girls are so blessed to have a righteous priesthood holder as their father. Ever since then, they have been much more comfortable and are getting used to being under the lights, thankfully so. We are going back tonight to see if they need to be under the lights another day. It has been hard, especially because it's a weekend and Tia and lots of family and friends want to hold them and are available. However, I am so grateful that they have these home systems and we didn't have to go leave them at the hospital, let alone the fact that they have treatment for this and can help our babies get better.

They are such a huge blessing in our lives; I don't know what we did to deserve two little angels. They bring such a sweet spirit into our home. I love everything about them and seriously can't get enough of them. Tia and I are trying to just soak up and cherish every moment. I knew I loved them when they were inside of me and I knew the discomfort and pain and everything I went through would be worth it, but I had no idea how much I would truly love them. It really is shocking to me how incredibly much I love them. I feel so blessed and they are one of the sweetest gifts from Heavenly Father we could ever receive.

Below are some pictures of the last couple days. I put the ones of them under the lights first because if your like me, they break your heart to look at them. Then I put some happy other ones up.

Avery & Adelyn under Bili Lights for Jaundice :(

Their eye masks they use for protection.

At the hospital with Aunts Jessie & Becky!

At the hospital with the Purcells!

At the hospital with cousins Landon & April!

All ready to go home!

Going home with Daddy.

At home with cousin Brigham (their hands came up at the same time)!

First visitors -- Aunt Barbara & Deborah!

Tumu, Ada, Mathias & family meeting the babies!

Feeling a lot better outside the body :)

I can't believe they were inside me! (*see below for before picture!)

The morning the day they were born.

At home with Grandma Cindy!

Relaxing in their car seats.

First bath with Aunt Chrissy!

At Purcells with Uncle Soli Jr. (his first time seeing them since birth)!

With Aunt Claire (also her first time seeing them)!

Mama & Papa Purcell sleeping with the twins!

Sleeping away in their bassinet!

Avery Lelei & Adelyn Eva Purcell

Details on birth and hospital stay coming soon...

Adelyn & Avery

We are so happy to have our little angels with us! Everything went really well; the twins were born on August 23, 2011. Adelyn Eva Purcell was born at 11:06 p.m. at 7 lbs. 2 oz. and Avery Lelei Purcell was born at 11:15 p.m. at 7 lbs. 6 oz; both were 19". We feel very blessed to have such happy, healthy babies with us finally! More details to follow, but here are some pictures!!!

Adelyn Eva Purcell

Avery Lelei Purcell
Uncle Lynn with twins after wonderful delivery!

Mom & Girls!

Skin to Skin with Daddy!

With Mama & Papa Purcell!

With Grandma Cindy!

Fantastic Four!

Bad and Good News

Bad news first:

1. I said next time I would get on would be to announce some babies...nope.

2. Just had an appointment and no progress in dilation. I was also told that they probably won't come in the next week unless my water breaks.

Good news:

1. They are both head down now. Yay! So hopefully they stay that way and it can make for a nice, natural (natural=vaginal, not without pain medication) birth.

2. I will be induced next Thursday afternoon, a week from tomorrow, if they haven't come by then. So they would either be born late that night, or early the next morning. I am so excited to have a date I can look at that we will for sure have met our babies. Yay!

We Are Waiting!

Hopefully you read the title and recognized it as a quote from Ever After.

Seriously though. Becky asked me if I was going to do another post before the babies and I said probably not. However, I think I am just going to start assuming they won't be born for a few more weeks because hopefully I'll be "surprised" before then.

Last Tuesday I had three appointments. An Ultrasound, Non-stress test and a Doctor's appointment. From the ultrasound calculations, one of them is 5.5 lbs and the other is 6. She even referred to them as gigantic. One of them is head down with the head so low she couldn't see the face and the other is head up and she kept saying how amazed she was at how high into my ribs her head is. So that is where my rib cramping is coming from! And that it why I have a very lopsided stomach. :) So we are very happy they are big enough, but I am starting to get nervous for my arms in a couple months. She also said even though their size is good, we can't tell how developed their lungs are. Then at my Non-stress test the lady said I was definitely having contractions, but I wasn't feeling any. These were the only appointments scheduled and were supposed to help give an indication of if it was safe for Tia to go to Hawaii this last weekend for his grandma's funeral on Saturday. They suggested I meet with a doctor that day and see what advice he would give me. Well he checked me and I was 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced and said that if Tia went it was a 50/50 chance he would miss it.

So here we are Monday evening with no babies to hold. I know I need to be enjoying every bit of time I have with Tia, every bit of sleep I have before they come, and the knowledge that every day that they have in me to continue to develop is really good. But last Tuesday got us a little too excited and we got all ready and have started planning on them coming anytime. I started cramping and feeling what I thought were minor contractions on Friday but I have felt that way ever since then. No progress. And quite frankly, even though I know labor will be much worse, I don't want to make it to my appointment on Wednesday to be checked again for dilation. It hurt!

As you can tell, we are extremely anxious to see and meet these little girls and to hold them in our arms! I am also excited to take really deep breaths, not go to the bathroom every hour or so, to walk and then run in a couple months, sleep on my stomach, and hug Tia (or anyone) without sticking my bum way out. Hopefully the number of stares in public will decrease as well at least when I go out to do something alone. Meanwhile, their carseats are all set up in the car (Tia did that last Tuesday night), their empty bassinets sit waiting, the hospital bag is ready, and all of their newborn up to three month clothes are wanting to be worn. Okay, maybe I'm wanting them to be worn.

I also have to say in the meanwhile, I am being spoiled and taken very good care of. I woke up the other night groaning in pain because I had a really bad charly horse in my calf and Tia jumped up out of sleep amazingly fast to massage it until I fell back asleep. I have also been so blessed to receive blessings very often from him whenever I want. My mom won't let me do or help with hardly anything and the other day she up and gave me a pedicure so my feet would look nice at the hospital. And Jessie and Becky are nice to move whenever they are in a chair that they know I would be more comfortable in and have been super sweet in many ways. I am lucky to be surrounded by people who treat me so well.

Soooo... sorry about all the random thoughts. Hopefully next time we will have pictures and announcements of two little angels who have joined our family!

Blessed

Tia and I feel so blessed in so many ways. Recently we were given two baby showers, one from each of our families. My cousin, Barbara and my aunt Margaret put on the first one and it was simply beautiful and perfect. We had yummy food including little baby cupcakes and personalized m&m's that have their names written on them: Avery and Adelyn. It was perfect because my family had just had a family reunion so a bunch of cousins and aunts were still in town. We got so many darling things for our little girls. Below is a picture of everything. It was such a fun night and we had so much fun going through the items we received and looking at them over and over. Thanks Barb and Aunt Margaret and everyone that came!

The second one I had was a huge surprise. Tia told me we were going to a "family dinner" and looking back there were lots of clues but I was completely oblivious. We drove up to his home ward church building ("because they were going to play basketball after") and he parked in front, which was very unusual. So we walk in the cultural hall and people are sitting and I saw "Avery" and "Adelyn" up on the wall. I don't think I have ever had a surprise party or shower so it was really fun. Tia's sisters and parents put it on. We started with a few games. One was a guessing game on baby foods and then melted candy bars in diapers. I thought I would be really good because my senses are sensitive, but I was quite horrible. Then we had a little relay race and then we had lots of yummy food. Once again, Tia and I were touched by all the nice gifts we got and it only made us more excited for these girls to come! Thanks Purcell sisters and parents and everyone that was able to come!

Now besides feeling blessed from those two showers, Tia got a job that will give us great insurance right away! And, I have been feeling lots better than most mothers of twins. Yes, I am getting large and getting quite a few stares, but I haven't been on bedrest and every time I go to the doctor's, they say they are looking really good! I will put pictures up soon of the showers and our latest activities!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Yes I know that is a Christmas song but I think the most wonderful time of the year is now! I love Christmas, but this late spring/early summer is such a beautiful time. And I love it in Provo. Here are a few of my favorite things about this time of year.

- Waking up to birds chirping
- How green the mountains are
- The smell of lilacs (best smell in the world!)
- The hot sun shining down but it's still cool enough to be outside
- Seeing the blossoms turn into big green leaves
- Tulips
- The clear blue sky
- Seeing tons of people outside just enjoying the weather
- Being able to wear flip flops
- Leaving the windows open in the house for some fresh air
- Rivers running high
- Seeing baby animals outside
- Going on walks with my husband at night
- Driving in the car with the windows rolled down
- Mt. Timpanogas still snow capped




Seriously, it is so easy to be happy when these are the things that I'm surrounded by. I am so grateful for the beauties of the earth!