We're still here...

At long last...another blog update.  I hope you all have been well and have coped without having more frequent updates.  Apparently having 3 kids is no vacation!

All kidding aside, we have all been doing very well and Will and Kate are continuing to get bigger and have had a number of good doctors' visits since our last update.  That said, they are both still on oxygen and apnea monitors for the foreseeable future - a necessary evil it seems, especially at altitude here in Flagstaff.

Ben has continued to be a good big brother and is already requesting that we have more kids.  I think he last said that we should have 7 total.  It is definitely cute but I'm pretty sure that he is going to have to get used to the idea of having just one little brother and one little sister.  He continues to make sure each day that he is still three years old.  And, as his mama is, he is ready for the snow to melt for more trips to the park.

In other news, Gammie is leaving Flagstaff tomorrow, marking the end of her nearly 3 week stay.  MH and I will both miss having her here to help cook dinners and help out with the kids and cleaning around the house.  Looks like we'll be on our own again for a little while.  Actually, just a little while.  Kay (MH's mom) is coming back for 2 more weeks on Feb. 5th while I have to be down in Phoenix for about 4 days.

Kay will be heading home again on Feb. 19th, so if any of you out there want an all inclusive (sort-of) stay in Flagstaff let us know and we can hook you up with a place to stay.  You do, as our former guests will tell you, have to work for food (that includes cooking it...)!

Their Time Has Come

Newsflash...Kate and Will were due yesterday, and today had their 3 month "birthday". Things have been going well at home with all three kids and Papa and Gammie. Both Kate and Will have been emptying bottles and look to be packing on the weight. It seems that life with infant twins is really pretty simple: eat, sleep, cry, diaper, eat, sleep, cry, diaper, eat...

Saturday we had a local photographer come to the house and take pictures of the family. There is a little sample below. We've also been spending as much time this weekend as possible outside with Ben, taking advantage of the snow that is still left (there is plenty...). He and Papa built his first snowman last week while on a short hike (the pint-sized one in the pictures) and then Saturday, he and Papa and I built the larger, Frosty Lovekamp.

Home at Last

So...where do I begin. The last time we posted the kids were about to be sent home and MH and I were much more well rested. Just kidding (sort of). As planned, Will and Kate both came home on the 30th. Their big brother was VERY happy to finally see them after not being allowed into the NICU in Flagstaff and having been a frequent visitor when they were still at the hospital in Phoenix (see the video).

Ben was very excited to see his brother and sister coming home!

Although in hindsight their first few days home seem to have been pretty uneventful, plenty has been going on. First, I should preface everything with the fact that they are both still on oxygen and hooked up to apnea monitors. This means that they each have a significant amount of baggage. Taking them from their cradle (which for now is downstairs in our room) to the kitchen 100 feet away is no small task. We do, thankfully, have travel-size oxygen canisters that we can take with us when we go places (like the doctor's office) which makes it more a matter of managing tubing and wires than heavy tanks.

Will and Kate were all dressed up to party into the New Year.
Will was "All Dressed Up" in his tuxedo onesy and Kate
looked beautiful in her "Little Black Dress" onesy.

On Wednesday, after having been released from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon, we made a trip to the pediatrician's office for an initial visit and weight check (Kate - 4 lbs 13 oz, Will - 5 lbs 7 oz). This was followed by another quick visit on Friday morning to the pediatrician's office for another weight check (Kate - 5 lbs 0 oz, Will - 5 lbs 12 oz). Without even taking Kate out of the car, part of the family turned immediately back around and headed to the eye doctor in Phoenix. Phil (MH's dad) and Ben joined Kate and I and hung out at the park in the warmth of Phoenix for a few hours while they waited for us to return from the doctor. This also gave MH and Kay a little bit of a break with just Will at home. As for the reason for the trip, Kate passed her eye exam and was cleared for 2 years and she is officially free of R.O.P. like her brother.
Saturday, sadly, MH's parents said goodbye and headed home to South Carolina. Kay has been here through it all since mid-September and will definitely be missed. These last 3 months would have certainly been much different without her help and support.

Kay and Phil soaked up as much of Ben, Will, and Kate as they could in
their short time all together during their visit

The departure of Kay and Phil meant that, for the first time, it was just MH, myself, and the kids. Very weird.

Since then, MH and I spent the better part of Saturday and all day Sunday trying to adjust to our new routines with two new babies at home. I think the sense so far is that we are definitely going to be more busy cleaning, doing laundry, and feeding people than probably either of us could have imagined and with much less sleep than we are accustomed to. That said, I think we have both really enjoyed the last few days and are very thankful for these two new additions to our family and for their big brother, Ben. I cannot say enough what a great kid we have managed to create over the last 3 years and I can only hope that we can fumble through the next few years like we have the last 3 and end up with two more great kids!
As for the future, my parents, Gammie and Papa, are coming to town on Tuesday. My dad will be here for a week and my mom for almost 3. Since I am going to be back at work with much more regularity, I know that MH will be anxious for the help once again and Ben will be more than happy to have another set of grandparents at home.