Twinners

Here are some more pictures of the twins throughout the month of May:


Our clothes are too big!
05/03/11



Little Bright Eyes
05/02/11

Sweet little dolly
05/07/11

Our bottles are bigger than we are!
05/13/11

My outfit matches brother's
05/24/11

My outfit matches sister's
05/24/11

FUN IN THE TUB

So everyone knows that you can't bathe a newborn until the umbilical cord falls off. Well, little mister's cord fell off when he was just one week old, but it took little missy's cord a bit longer so their first real baths were tonight. For being as little as they are, they were great. No crying or fussing. Just bright eyed and beautiful.

Malachi

Madelyn

Home Coming!

We got to bring the babies home today....which for twins is something of a miracle.  They are, as I've already said, absolutely beautiful.  Before we left the hospital, Richard snapped this picture of me and the dollies napping (not the most flattering picture of me, but they're perfect).

And, of course, we stopped at Aunt Jessica's first so all the kiddos could see the babies.  They're so small they both fit in one swing!

Out of the NICU

Here are some pictures of the babies since they have been moved to our room in the hospital.

Proud Papa!

Shhh....sister is sleeping.

More of Madelyn & Malachi

Today we got more time with the babies today—holding and cuddling and feeding them. Grandma and Grandpa came to meet the babies and so did Uncle Adam. We also took some great pictures!


We love to cuddle!



Grandma and Madelyn

Grandpa and Malachi

Madelyn's First Bottle from Mommy

Mommy's Sweet Angels

Madelyn's Pretty Yellow Ribbon



Eyeballs! Malachi's First Awake Time with Daddy.

AND the best news of the day is.......they are going to release both babies from the NICU and we get to have them in our room some time tonight!!!!!

Welcome to the World!

Today was the day! To make it to 38 weeks gestation with twins is pretty amazing and I did it! This afternoon Malachi and Madelyn Couch were born.  Here are my beautiful, sweet babies:



Malachi Conrad Couch
4 lb 12 oz, 16 1/2 inches
born at 12:23 p.m.





Madelyn Ruth Couch
5 lb 12 oz, 18 inches
born at 12:33 p.m.



The babies are in the NICU right now because of minor breathing problems.  I never understood, until today, what it was like for my sister to have her babies taken off to the NICU without being able to hold them.  It was 5 hours before I was able to hold Malachi and my arms literally ached to hold them during that time.  If Madelyn improves some more, I will be able to hold her later tonight.

I am, of course, tired and sore, but so grateful that my little ones are here.  Richard did great and got some great pictures.  We both feel so blessed to have these sweet little spirits join our family. 

I will keep the blog updated as the twins progress.

False Alarm

So we headed down to St. Luke's....hoping (really hoping) that it was time for the babies to come.  Sadly, no such luck.  Actually, I was more concerned that my little man wasn't moving today.  They hooked me up to the monitors and both babies had strong regular heartbeats and the contactions weren't consistent so they sent us home.  Here's the thing: I'm tired of driving to Boise for appointments and hospital stays.  I've decided that if I don't go into labor on my own, when I see my doctor on Monday, I'm going to beg him to induce me.  I'm so ready to be done!  Now, just cross your fingers that we can get all moved into our beautiful new house this weekend. 

IT'S OFFICIAL!

We just bought our first home!  Today we signed all of the papers and this beautiful, big house is all ours.  We have a few more repairs to make and then we'll be able to move in.  The whole process started in March and I was afraid to say anything in case it fell through.  But it was absolutely meant to be.  From start to finish, Heavenly Father has been guiding this transaction and working this miracle for our family.  The following is just a picture of the outside of our new home, but I promise more pictures are soon to come!

Discouragement

I'm feeling deeply discouraged tonight.  My house is trashed, I'm terribly behind at work, and all because I'm on "semi-bedrest" until the twins come.  I want my babies to be healthy, but being unable to work or clean, cook, or even move sometimes is really starting to take its toll.  I can't even play with Aiden because every movement causes pain.  I'm sure the continual insomnia isn't helping my mood.  And, of course, none of this is improved by the problems we're having with Devon.  Despite our best efforts and several therapies, he just isn't making progress.  Maybe I shouldn't be voicing all of this, but I'm just so discouraged and tired. Blogs are supposed to keep friends and family updated, be upbeat and light, so maybe this is too real and dark to share, but there it is. 

Richard has been amazing.  He works all day and then he comes home and takes care of the boys and does as much in the house as he can but there are only a few hours left after the boys are in bed.  He can't do it all and I feel guilty that I can't help out. 

As my sister and I always say, I just need to "pull up my big girl panties and deal with it".  Anybody know how I can do that?

More Good News

Back in May, when Richard was still working at Staples, a man walked into the store.  He and Richard started talking and he offered Richard an internship at the Weiser Memorial Hospital in the IT (information technologies) department.  Rich accepted and started interning around May 17.  In September, the hospital decided to post the opening for Richard's position and he applied.  It felt like the application/interview process took forever, but he found out about 2 weeks ago that he got the job!  His official start date was November 1.  He even got a little raise and we will have benefits at the beginning of December.  The best part, though, has nothing to do with the money or hours or benefits.  The very best part is that Richard loves his job.  He is excited to go to work each morning and happy when he comes home each night.  We are so excited for this opportunity and the blessings that it brings to our family!  (I'm proud of you honey!!!)

Big News

I recognize that it has been a shamefully long time since I posted anything.  I promise (that sometime in the future) I will do my best to blog some of our happenings over the last several months.

That being said, there are a lot of changes happening at our house.  First, I'm pregnant!  Here's the shocker: we are having twins!!!  For those of you who know my history, you know what an amazing miracle and blessing this is in our lives.  It has been a long road full of frustration, doctor's visits, and prayer....a lot of prayer.  We are so unbelievely grateful that our prayers have been answered, even if it means double the trouble.

We found out about our double miracle on October 10 when I had to go to the ER for some minor complications. Below you'll see the first few images of our babies. The first picture was taken October 12, and the second picture(s) were taken on October 25.  I'm about 12 weeks along, and the babies are due May 13, 2011.

Simple Pleasures

Sometimes I get so caught up in life that I forget to enjoy life's simple pleasures.  Richard works every Friday night and I usually dread handling dinner and bedtime by myself.  But tonight, since the weather has been so nice, I decided to take the boys to the park for a picnic.  My dad stopped by to play with the boys for a few minutes and they loved it.  We had peanut butter sandwiches and rice krispy treats and the boys ran their energy off.  It was simple and sweet.

(Forgive the quality, these pics were taken with my cell phone.)

By the way, Aiden is 19 months old today.  The time has flown!

Tired

I'm tired.  We left for Idaho Falls on the 3rd to say goodbye to Grandpa.  We drove home on the 5th.  We had two and half days to clean house, wash laundry, and pack up for another trip.  We drove back to Idaho Falls on the 8th to attend the funeral. 

Grandpa's funeral was on the 10th.  It was a nice service.  Adam, Jessica and I sang "How Great Thou Art" and each of Grandpa's children spoke.  It was a quiet celebration of a good man's life. 

We drove home today.  Two trips to Idaho Falls and back in 8 days.....I'm tired!

Goodbye Hurts

Saying goodbye is never easy.  Whether you're saying goodbye to a friend who is moving, a significant other when the relationship goes south, or a dear loved one leaving this world, Goodbye Hurts. 

Easter Sunday is a day of celebration: a day to rejoice in the miracle of the Savior's resurrection, a day to find eggs and watch little ones dig into baskets of candy, a day of peace, rest, and joy.  But not this year.  This year my family spent Easter Sunday saying goodbye to my grandpa, Lee Birch.  I had the unique—and beautiful—experience of being in the room when the Lord called my grandpa home.  I held his hand, kissed his forehead, and said goodbye.  I watched with aching heart as my grandmother, my father and his sisters mourned the loss of their husband and father.

It seems selfish to say that I wish I could have held on to him longer.  But, at the same time, I am grateful that he is whole, healthy, and free of the bonds of mortality.  I had my grandpa for 27 wonderful years and I am a better person for having known him.

Still, Goodbye Hurts.

Bathtime Surprise

Sometimes, as a parent, I just have to laugh when I feel like crying. Tonight was one of those times. We found out at the last minute that Richard was closing at work which meant I'd be flying solo through dinner and bedtime. So, I decided to take the easy way out and go to dinner at my sister's house. We fed the boys and my sister bathed Aiden. I had a pair of his pajamas in the car and I was thinking I'd just get him dressed, take the boys home and put them to bed. Apparently, my sweet son had other plans:

As much as I felt like crying, I couldn't help but laugh at my silly boy.

Old Friends & New Friends & Birthday Wishes

Yesterday was my birthday.  First thing in the morning Richard and I had the opportunity to go to breakfast with James Mertz and his wife, Jenessa.  James is the missionary who baptized Rich back in 2006.  We hadn't seen James since he was on his mission and we were both so excited when he called and said they were going to be in town.  We met up at a restaurant in Ontario and spent an hour eating and chatting.  It was great to see James again and even better to meet and get to know his sweet wife.  We had such a great morning and we want to send a little thanks to James and Jenessa for taking time in their busy weekend to spend with us.

I also want to thank James for the impact that his service in the mission field has had on my life and my little family.  James: your patience and encouragement and friendship made all the difference to Richard while he was investigating the church.  Our lives have been infinitely blessed because of your faithful service which helped Rich to find the light of the Gospel.  Thank you.

My birthday was great—I got to see an old friend, meet a new friend, get my nails done (thanks dad!), cuddle and play with the most adorable toddler ever, and have dinner with my family at one of my favorite local restaurants.  I finished the day cuddling on the couch with my very handsome husband.  I couldn't have asked for a better birthday!

Sticks and Stones and Broken Bones

So it has happened: our first broken bone—more accurately, Devon's first broken bone.  On the 12th he fell off the steps to the slide at school.  It was a really windy day and Devon said "the wind pushed me".  The wind, combined with Devon's natural clumsiness, was an accident just waiting to happen.

He was super brave about the whole experience.  He kept telling his Kindergarten teacher that it didn't hurt and then, when he finally told me that it had happened (almost 4 1/2 hours later) he didn't even cry.  In fact, he only cried when the ER doctor pushed and poked and moved his hand around.  The ER tech took some x-rays and it turns out his right arm is broken just above the wrist.  Apparently the ER doesn't do casts anymore, so they splinted him and sent us on our way—they didn't even give the little guy anything for pain.

Yesterday, Dev got his cast put on at the orthopedic doctor's office and his cousins had a blast signing it!

Power of Tears

What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul. ~Jewish Proverb

Someone as important to me as life itself has been hurting.  This person has been holding back their pain.  Today, for the first time in a long time, this person gave in to their emotions.  They cried—wept actually.    My heart broke as I watched this person's anguish and I wept with them.  And then the peace came—the realization that the tears had healed wounds that have been festering for many months.  Suddenly the hurt feelings and the imagined wrongs were gone, replaced with a renewed faith and hope.

I love you equal.

Our New Look

You may have noticed that our blog looks a little different.  I have to give a big thanks to my friend, Amber A. for getting me in touch with her friend, Amber K.  And the biggest thanks ever to Amber K. for designing this one-of-a-kind, perfect-for-us blog!  I absolutely love it and it is everything that I wanted! 

Why the change? I wanted something unique for our family that would stand the test of time (at least a year or two *wink*).  I was tired of jumping from one pre-fab background to the next with a standard "template" that didn't fit my tastes or style.  I also wanted a design that allowed more room for writing (less bankground, thank you).  I'm thrilled with the new layout and look! 

So, tell me what you think?

Hope

I have this hope:

This little hope buried deep inside of me.

This tiny hope that I'm afraid to say out loud,
Afraid that it won't come true.

This smallest of hopes, mingled with prayer.

I have this hope . . .