That Was Fast

Last Thursday, I was enjoying my January vacation, known in our neck of the woods as "the stock show break." My next-door neighbor and I were having a girls day out. We had been to lunch and were browsing some of our favorite artsy-crafty type places when at 1:52 p.m. I got a text message from Nick that said "Prolly having boys today!"

I texted back "WHAT?!" And he replied, "Liam didn't grow too much this past week so we are prolly having them today we see the doctor shortly."

Mary Lou and I immediately headed home, about a 30 minute drive. I called Patrick and told him to let his boss know that he was leaving. There was some discussion between us of whether he should work until five o'clock and then take the rest of the week off. I'm sure you can guess that my reply was something like I'm packing when I get home and we're leaving. Make arrangements now and meet me at home.

By the time he got home I was packed. He only had to add his things and we were on the way. We were on the highway by the time Nick messaged that the c-section was scheduled for 7 p.m. Without traffic, it's approximately a four hour trip from our house to Nick's house. The hospital is a little bit closer. We were traveling northbound with no problems until we got to the Richmond-Rosenburg area where traffic came to a screeching halt. We sat on the highway without moving for about 30 minutes. I seriously considered getting out of the car and yelling at somebody, but I decided it wouldn't help.

We were pulling into the hospital parking lot when Nick texted that they were taking her back to delivery. We made it to the hospital five minutes ahead of Liam and Logan. Here is their first family picture. We got to see them in their bassinets as they rolled them out of the delivery room and up to the NICU where they spent their first few hours.

Both Mom and babies are doing well. I am so proud of Nick. He was there with her all the way. I really thought he might be one of those dads who just couldn't hang in there for a c-section birth, but he did. He documented every moment with photos.

Here are the vital statistics. Liam (on the left) was born first at 7:34 p.m and weighed 5 pounds 8 ounces. Logan was born at 7:35 and weighed 6 pounds 1 ounce.  I have a whole lot of trouble telling them apart. But I'm beginning to be able to see the differences.

They all came home from the hospital on Monday and life is settling into as much of a routine as you can have with two new babies. The Aggie Engineers are both needing sleep. I've been encouraging them to nap whenever they can. We're all working together to get everything done. I'll be here through next Wednesday. Katy is coming in on Thursday and will stay until Saturday to help out and meet her new nephews. When I go home next week, Marie's family will take over. I think, once Marie is able to recover from the c-section, they'll do fine. They seem better prepared than anyone I've ever seen. It wasn't quite as organized as they would have liked, because the babies came earlier than they expected. But it's definitely getting there.

We couldn't be more delighted.

Now We Wait!

You may remember, when I last posted I told you that our Aggie Engineers are expecting twins.  I know, it was a long time ago. I'm sorry. Time just gets away from me these days.

I thought you might like an update. The pregnancy has been progressing well. There have been little or no complications. Wow! A review of my last post reminded me that I haven't even told you that they're expecting twin boys.

The due date is the around the first week of February, so we are down to the wire here. Nick reported yesterday that the boys are now more than five pounds each. I was surprised at how well Marie is still getting around. She's walking around with around eleven pounds of babies. I have been where she is. Nick weighed in at 10 pounds 5 ounces. In my mind it's a miracle she's able to stay upright.

Due to her advanced pregnancy, a road trip for her was out of the question, so we all celebrated Christmas at their house. We had a great time. But, it was the first time ever that we haven't spent the holiday with our own parents. Patrick's Mom is the last surviving parent we have. It was just different to not be with the rest of the family. But, we realize that the time has come for changes. At some point family traditions have to pass to the next generation. Time will tell what we do in the future.

Nick and Marie have done an amazing job of preparing. When we arrived on December 23rd, Marie was washing dozens of little bitty baby clothes and blankets. It really brought back memories of when I did the same thing. I took advantage of the time there to snap some photos of the nursery. It's all prepared for the arrival of Our Little Princes.

I thought you might like to see the nursery. There is a feature wall done in stained wood and the other three walls are a soft green. They did all the installation themselves. They chose a wild animal theme with soft neutral colors. Marie and I collaborated to make the curtains and the bedskirts. She sewed the sheets and quilts.  The fabric is animal prints, arrows, and chevron. There is a rocking chair all ready for late nights and an MP3 player for lullabies.

Since you've seen it in the photos, I may as well go ahead and tell you, the twins will be named Liam and Logan. They will carry their grandfathers' names as well. They will be Liam Patrick and Logan Arthur.

On the subject of grandfathers, Marie's dad, Art, lost his long battle with cancer the week before Christmas. He died knowing that one of the boys would carry his name. Our hearts broke for the Rojas family as they went through the loss of their beloved father at the holiday season. He really was a person who sparkled with love and personality. His family is a wonderful legacy. Nick and Marie were able to get special permission from her OB/GYN to fly to El Paso for the funeral.

I promise to write more soon.