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Just got the babies off to dreamland, so I thought I'd do a little blogging. It started snowing about an hour ago and it's really starting to accumulate. We haven't had much snow this year, so this will be a change for us in the morning.

Speaking of changes, Friday was Grandma Anne's last day babysitting the twins. She said it's amazing how much easier they are now. It was pretty hard to get through the day back when they were 14 weeks old! We have come a long way, baby (or babies)! I'm so glad that she was able to come help us out for a few months, and I'm sure it will be an experience she will never forget. Grandpa Kent was on his way home from Cleveland and got stuck in a Chicago snowstorm, so we had a really nice dinner on Friday night (sans Grandpa). Craig cooked beef tenderloin and shrimp. It was absolutely delicious....a perfect meal to celebrate Grandma Anne's time with us. Thank you Grandma Anne....we all love you!

So tomorrow is a big day for us....our first day at daycare. We are going to a place called Kelly's Kids. It's a small daycare center very close to our house and to work. It will be very convenient for us. We visited several times, and I think I'll feel okay dropping them off in the morning, but we will see how it goes! Craig and I will both go tomorrow morning for the first day. Then on Tuesday, Craig leaves for Las Vegas and I will be flying solo with the twins until Friday. Holy crap....I hope I make it! I've never had to get them to bed by myself or get them ready in the morning (and get myself ready!). Since we are just starting daycare we don't have an established routine. This week will be very interesting and I'm sure it will be exhausting! We met a couple this weekend at our neighbor's birthday party who take their daughter there. She was born 5 days before Ben and Hadley...so they already got to meet a little friend! Wish me luck. I'll post an update next weekend and let you know how everything went. I'm sure we will be fine. :)

And for this week's milestone report....Ben and Hadley turned 6 months old on January 20! We made it half a year. Whew! Ben decided to roll over that day as well, but apparently he only wanted Grandma to see it. We are still waiting for him to show us how he rolls (ha ha)! Hadley is sitting up by herself pretty well now. It's so nice to just sit them down and play. It keeps them much more entertained. This week they ate carrots and sweet potatoes. Ben LOVES his food now...he eats big spoon-fulls and always wants more! Hadley is a little more fussy and doesn't eat a whole lot yet. She will get the hang of it.

And here are a few pictures from the week.

We will miss Grandma Anne, but we will see her very soon!

Abby and I went shopping....pretty new dress!

Little Randy (Christmas Story reference)

Playing together...so cute! In outfits from Aunt Haley and Uncle Thomas :)

Ben always has his tongue out!

Hadley is SO pretty....just like her big sister!

Another week, a few more milestones in the lives of Benjamin and Hadley. I am amazed every day by these babies, and how COMPLETELY different they are from each other! If you didn't know they were twins, you would never guess it. They are definitely not two peas in a pod! They sure do love each other, though.

This week Benjamin mastered his sitting. He can sit up on his own very well now, and this really makes life a lot easier for mom and dad (and grandma). He will sit and play with his abundance of toys for long periods of time. He very rarely falls over now....sometimes Bowie will run by and he will get excited and go headfirst into the carpet. He takes it pretty well. Hadley can sit up also, but she chooses to roll around all over the place. She is much too busy to remain stationary for any amount of time. I think she is going to be our little "trouble". She has a mind of her own, and she lets everyone know it! She can roll across the entire living room now....time for daddy to put up those safety gates! We don't want the babies to follow in mommy's footsteps and go head-first down the stairs. (That story can remain untold for the time-being).

Last night (January 13) was their first meal of solid food! Grandma Anne prepared a butternut squash by baking it in the oven and then putting it in the food processor. It is really delicious! I put it into some little containers and froze most of it, and kept some in the fridge for the next few days. We are going to try to prepare most of their baby food (saves a lot of $$). They seemed to like the taste...a few funny faces but nothing too crazy. They each ate about a tablespoon and they were done. Pretty good for the first real meal! We will try it again tonight. It's so much fun to use their high chairs and feed them. They are growing up so fast! It seems like yesterday that they were born. Time flies when you are crazy busy with twins!

They are sleeping pretty well now. They usually wake up and cry at least once before midnight (for some reason), but they are sleeping until at least 3-5 am before they want a bottle. Not bad! They are usually asleep by 7pm, so mom and dad get some time to get things done (or just relax!). They are such good babies.

Here are some pictures of the cuties over the past week. We sure love these babies!!

Bowie has two new besties! They all love each other.

Benny is such a big boy...sitting up all by himself!

Crawling is just around the corner for little Hadley. SCARY!

Ready for some dinner!

I guess this squash tastes okay.....

So far, so good. What's all the fuss about?

This isn't my milk!!! I'm mad!

Mommy has to work full time now. :o(

Well with the New Year brings another milestone for the Vokohtz family....Craig's 40th birthday! We celebrated the big 4-Oh on Saturday, January 7 with all of his friends and family. I surprised him with a party at our neighborhood restaurant, Toast. Somehow, I actually managed to keep it a secret and I think he really was surprised! I told him that we were meeting our neighbors Katie and Drew for a few drinks to get him to the restaurant. It was a lot of fun...I think about 50 of our friends and family were there! Afterward we went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants (Dish) with some of our favorite friends (Doug and Marci). It was a really good day. We even got to stay at a hotel so that we could sleep in, thanks to my mom and dad who stayed with Ben and Hadley.

I thought I was ready for a night away, but I got really emotional this morning and I kept crying! I really missed the babies. I was glad to get home.

Here are a few pictures from the birthday festivities.

Conner was celebrating!

So was Abby.

There were plenty of grandmas to hold the babies!

So many friends with so many babies!

Craig with our friends Doug and Marci.

Daddy and Hadley, with her strange wig on. She looks like a little doll!

Wow...it's been a while! The last blog post was when we had the babies in July. We really haven't had much down time since then. Boy, two babies are a lot of work! But twice the work = twice the joy. Here are the highlights of the past 6 months:

On July 20, Benjamin Steele and Hadley Mae were born! Since we had them the old fashioned way (plus a good epideural) we only stayed in the hospital for a few days. I think we went home on the following Saturday.

Things were a huge blur for the first two months. The babies slept in our room until they were 2 months old. We found that they slept the best in their *removable* swing seat and bouncy seat. They would wake up every 2-3 hours to eat, and Craig and I would just take turns. I tried breast-feeding for about 4 days...needless to say I couldn't handle all of the feedings by myself! After those first 4 painful days, the breastfeeding consultant at our pediatrician's office suggested that I try pumping to let myself heal. Over 5 months later, I'm still exclusively pumping and bottle feeding them the breast milk. It's a little more work, but this way I get some help with the feedings!

At 7 weeks I had my first nervous breakdown. Ben and Hadley were SO fussy and wouldn't nap during the day. We noticed that their poop looked funny also. We called the doctor and took in some poop samples....there was blood in their stools. They both had MSPI (milk-soy protein intolerance). We had two choices: (1) put them on hideously expensive formula or (2) Jamie goes on a special diet absent of soy protein and dairy. We chose the second option. It took about 6 weeks for them to get better, but it finally happened. Jamie was back in her pre-pregnancy jeans in no time at all without all of that cheese! I guess that was a good thing....but it's been tough!

After we got the MSPI thing figured out, life was a lot easier and happier! We now have two very happy and healthy babies. It is such a joy to watch them grow and learn. Ben is our flirt. He smiles at everyone and shows off his cute little dimples. He loves to snuggle and EAT! He is about 2 or 3 pounds bigger than Hadley...I'm figuring he weighs about 15 or 16 pounds now. Hadley is a very cute and VERY stubborn little girl! She is always alert and looking around her, but she hates to take naps during the day! She will fight it with every bit of determination she has. She screams, pinches, squirms, and swings her arms...while yawning and rubbing her eyes because she is so exhausted. We aren't really sure what to do with her.....she is sleeping right now after fighting and crying for about an hour. Hopefully this nap lasts a little while longer! What a little stinker! She is such a good baby otherwise. They are both sleeping really well at night. I guess I'd rather have them sleep at night and stay awake during the day. It's nice to get a little break, though!

My mom has been staying with us during the week to take care of the babies while we are at work. I went back to work on November 2nd part-time. I start back full time this week. Mom will stay for another 3 weeks, and then the babies will go to day-care at a center called Kelly's Kids starting on January 23. It's a really nice place and it's close to where we live. I'm very thankful for my mom, and that we didn't have to take them to day care until they were 6 months old. Thanks, mom!

Conner and Abby have been taking it all in stride. They are always willing to help hold a baby or get something for us when we are busy. They help clean up the house and whatever else we need. We appreciate both of them so much....I know it's a lot to ask of two teenagers! They are the best kids in the world, and we are so blessed to have them. Ben and Hadley are so lucky to have such an amazing big brother and sister! We love you Conner and Abby!

Well there you have it. The last 6 months in a nutshell. Here are some pictures that help tell the story. Enjoy!

I look pretty good after having two babies!

Proud daddy

Big sister and brother

This is how we could feed both babies at the same time!

Oops...somebody wake her up! Common sight for the first few months.

Three months old!

So tired of bottles.....

Pretty Hadley Mae

Benny!

First Christmas with Santa!

Five months old. So cute!

If you haven't been following along on Facebook, the babies are here! Welcome Hadley Mae and Benjamin Steele Kohtz. They were born yesterday at 5:22 pm and 5:24 pm and weighed 5 lbs 9 oz and 5 lbs 13 oz respectively.

We seemed to wait all day but when the time came, things happened fast. They took us into the OR (just in case, since the boy was breach) and about 15 minutes later Hadley came out head first, followed by Benjamine feet first only two minutes later.

We'll be able to post some pictures tomorrow when we get home.

Jamie and I are at the hospital. The doctor said it would be good to induce since Jamie is having twins, so today is the day. The babies are at 38 weeks today. We checked in at 7:15 am, they hooked Jamie up to an IV (SHE almost passed out, not me) and broke her water. So now we wait. The doctor will be in again at noon. Apparently it's unusual to have twins without a c-section so everyone at the hospital is excited.

One thing we realized we forgot to bring... our baby bag! Good thing for grandparents.

Well we are working on the 38th week now....I never thought I would make it this far! I just have to keep in mind that every week that they stay in there the healthier they will be! I'm glad I didn't buy any preemie clothes or diapers. At this point we may not have preemie-sized babies! I've been posting a lot more lately....probably due to my boredom! Everyone tells me to enjoy the boredom, but I don't think anyone really understands how uncomfortable I am. I know I don't look huge for twins, but try strapping a 50 lb. weight to your front and walking around with it all day. It's tough!! Not to mention the havoc this is wreaking on my digestive system. It's hard to do anything at this point....even laying on the couch watching TV is a struggle. I can't wait until this is over and we have babies!!

We have the nursery almost completely ready! The cribs turned out so cute (thanks mom) and Craig and Conner put the dresser together this morning. I finally was able to put all of the baby clothes away! We commissioned a local artist to do some collages for the walls, and hopefully those will be ready in a few weeks. I have a bag packed for me and the babies, and Craig even has a bag ready. We just need these babies to decide to come out!

Well hopefully these are the last pregnant pictures I have to post on here and we can start posting pictures of actual babies! I go to the doctor again on Monday, and hopefully I've started to dilate so that they can induce labor. I am preparing myself to consider a c-section if I'm not showing any signs....I'm really not sure if I can take being pregnant for another week. At least Conner and Abby have been here to keep me company lately. They have been good helpers (servants) lately! Here are pictures of everyone!

Is is almost over? I sure hope so. Today my discomfort has increased by a factor of 10! I woke up and felt okay, but as the morning went on my back pain became almost unbearable. I called the Dr., and they asked me to come in right away. Craig and I thought, "Maybe this is it!" They looked at the babies on the ultrasound, and the boy has completely turned around! His head is now down closer to the girls head, which puts him in a better position for birth. But, it is making my back very, very sore! They also put both babies on heart monitors and they are both doing very well and aren't stressed at all. So now I am almost completely bed-ridden and can hardly walk. My last day of work was Tuesday, so at least I don't have to worry about that! We are hoping that since the boy is moving his head down we will have good news very soon!

We have officially made it to week 36. This is great news for the babies (but not so great for me!!) Just kidding....I really can't complain. I am getting pretty large and uncomfortable, but I'm doing very well considering the situation. I'm still not retaining any water, and most of the weight I have gained is carried right in front of me! I'm still able to go to work part time (I will be completely done working next Tuesday July 12) and I'm still able to waddle around. I know that many women pregnant with twins have many more complications and problems, so I count my blessings every day that I've had a relatively easy pregnancy and we are soon going to have two healthy babies!

I am still going to the doctor every week. On Tuesday, they checked the babies on ultrasound to measure the amniotic fluid, and then we did the 4th non-stress test. All is still well with both babies. I asked the doctor how long they would let me go if I don't go into labor, and he said 38 weeks is long enough with twins (at which point they will induce labor). That was very good to hear! That means that within the next two weeks we will have babies! They will check to see if I'm dilated at all next Monday, and hopefully we will know more at that time. I had to be induced with both Conner and Abby, so I'm pretty familiar with that process. I was really hoping to go into labor on my own this time, but maybe it's just not to be.

Craig and I finally decided on names, and we will let you all know after the babies are born. We need to keep one thing a secret! I am getting excited to tell everyone. We have everything ready....a swing, bouncy seat, two pack-and-plays, two cribs, two car seats, lots of blankets, clothes, etc. Bring it on!!

Conner and Abby have been in Minnesota with their dad and his family for the past week. They are having a really nice and relaxing time. I'm glad that they get to have a nice vacation before the chaos starts! I miss them a lot....they will come home on Sunday unless the babies decide to come before then.

No pictures this week....I haven't changed much. We will take a final photo before we go to the hospital, and then we get to start posting pictures of the babies! Everyone send good vibes our way...let's get this party started!

Hello all! I've been pretty lazy lately on the blog posts. We moved the computer upstairs to make room for the babies on the first floor, and I've found it increasingly difficult to haul myself plus 45 extra pounds up those stairs! But due to popular demand, I decided to get another blog post in.....possibly the last one before we have babies!!

I've been going to weekly appointments with the doctor. Each week they check my amniotic fluid and the position of the babies, then they hook me up to monitors to check that the babies heart-rates increase when they move. This helps determine the level of stress that the babies are under. So far, so good! Every week the little Kohtz's get stellar reviews....they are both very healthy and somehow aren't too stressed in there. It seems amazing that I have two babies inside of me that are about 5 pounds each. I am not swelling at all now (other than my giant midsection), even with the increased heat outside. I guess I'm a good baby incubator, even at the ripe old age of 38. Craig says that if aliens came to earth in order to reproduce with humans, they would abduct me since I seem to be such a good baby incubator. Oh Craiggers.

My work hours have been reduced to 4 hours each day this week. I actually like going to work for part of the day, as I get SO FREAKING BORED if I'm at home all day long. My back has really started hurting when I sit for long periods of time, so 4 hours at work is perfect at this point. Then I can come home and lay down with a heat pad on my back, which seems to help. I have found that I really can't do anything at home or I start having contractions and have to lay down. Therefore, my schedule is pretty good at this point. I keep a little busy at work, then come home and fight boredom for the rest of the day. I guess I should enjoy being bored now....that will all change very quickly!!

Craig is almost done with the basement and it looks amazing! The carpet was installed today, and it looks so great. I'm sure he will be posting some pictures this weekend. I am really excited to get to know Craig again. I think we have spent about 1 hour of time together (other than sleeping) in the last 3 weeks.

Conner has been keeping busy with some electronics that Craig has him interested in (what nerds!!) and he has been helping out a ton around the house and with the lawn and garden. Abby got her braces off last week and she looks so beautiful and grown up! She is on swim team this summer, and she is doing an excellent job! Conner and Abby got to spend some time in McCook with my parents last week, and today they left for Minnesota with their dad. Hopefully the babies don't come until after the 4th....Dan will bring them back to Lincoln if anything happens earlier than that!

Here is a picture of Abby without braces!

And here is a picture of Conner at the lake in McCook with the shirt that Uncle Stu sent him. It's a little small....maybe one of the twins can wear it.

Well, here is the week 35 picture. I'm pretty large at this point. I figure the babies are a little over 5 pounds now. The doctor wants me to get to 36 or 37 weeks, so hopefully only 1-2 weeks to go! As of now, we are going to have a natural childbirth....the girl is head down but the boy is breech. The doctor said after the girl is born they can "reach up and turn the boy" if necessary. That sounds pretty scary, but it's better than having a c-section as far as I'm concerned. I need a short recovery if I'm going to take care of two infants (with lots of help, of course). We will let you all know when something happens!!