Cute and Funny Pictures of Sylvia

Sylvia is our chub-ster. Check out the double chin. Later in life she will undoubtedly argue it was the angle I took the picture. I love the picture of her with one eye open. She does this a lot when she's half asleep -- she checks out the scene and then either goes back to sleep or opens the other eye and wakes up. Also note she's flashing the peace sign.

Few Cute Morning Pictures of Evelyn

They were just too cute this AM so I had to snap some pics. Here's Evelyn.

Outing with Gram

My Mom, "Gram", arrived about a week ago and has been INCREDIBLY helpful! She helps David with the 9pm feeding while I try to get some sleep. Then, she wakes up in the morning to help him with 6am feeding (don't worry, I'm up at Midnight and 3am feeding!). She's been cleaning bottles, doing laundry, watching them while I'm at doctor's appointments, etc. You name it, she's doing it.

Yesterday after my neurologist appt (my hands are still numb, now we can thank carpel tunnel!), we went to Old Town and strolled by the water on the Mt Vernon Trail. I also attempted to go shopping and was successful finding a pair of shorts and a new t-shirt! Whoo Hoo! Momma's got 2 new things. Ha ha!

My Two Babies

I just love these girls so much I want to hold them both at once!

Wow! More Friends!

Naomi and Ray stopped by to meet the girls. Ray is the "Baby Whisper"...Evelyn fell asleep on him almost instantly! Sylvia greeted Naomi with farts and a poop!

More New Friends

Our friends, Pete and Dori, had their son Max just 14 hours after our girls. He's a ladies man, check him out! Evelyn was all shy (she's on his left), but Sylvia was trying to scoot in for a kiss. So cute and so big! Moms had a great time strollering, changing, feeding and having lunch. They also gave the girls incredibly cute Ralph Lauren sweaters (white with pink stripes)...you'll be seeing them stying in them soon!

Visiting a New Friend

Our good friends Kathryn and Thomas had their son just a few days after us on May 1st. He was 8lbs 2oz and 22inches. Big boy! His name is Thomas Francis Maxwell IV. His Grandmommy has nicknamed him "Max", which we think is adorabloe. Baby Tommy or Max, whichever you prefer to call him, is a cute as can be.

Nearly 3 Weeks Old

At the doctor
Sylvia in front, Evelyn in back

Sylvia
Evelyn (this is a "fake" dream smile, we haven't gotten a real smile yet)

The visit to the doctor went extremely well. All their newborn screenings came back without concerns, their weigh has surpassed their birth weight, and the doctor gave them overall glowing reviews. Sylvia is now 6lbs 11oz (her birth weight was a few ounces shy of 6lbs 1oz). Evelyn is a whopping 6lb 1oz (her birth weight was 5lbs 14oz). We don't go back to the doc until late June!

Burke Lake Park

Yet another outing with the girls. This time to Burke Lake Park where we strolled around the Lake, saw baby goslings and took a break on a park bench.

Squirmy Worms

The girls are squirmy little worms in their day time crib. Evelyn is closest to the camera.

Slings Rock

Thanks to my friend Josie who let us borrow this awesome sling for newborns. Whenever they FREAK out and we've tried everything else, we put them in a sling. This morning, I blow dried my hair with Sylvia in the sling and then wrote all these blog posts. She slept peacefully. They just like to be close to us all the time. It's very cute. Here's Sylvia in the sling.

Bath Time

Their belly buttons fell off and now it's time for a REAL bath 2-3 times a week. Sylvia was OK with it, Evelyn was not. The picture is of Evelyn wrapped in her hooded towel post bath (and freak out!).

Good Eating

See, parents CAN still make good meals with infant children. We enjoyed steak and a spinach salad AND a great glass of Pinot! Yum!

Funny Video Clip of Evelyn

We have a lot of fun laughing at the girls weird facial expressions, especially since they don't smile yet. Here's Evelyn and her scruntchy face.

Another Outing

Sylvia chilling
Me and Evelyn

David and I checked out another new spot -- Pohick Bay Park and Mason Neck Park. 2,000 acres of nature conservancy that's only 15 minutes away from us AND on the water. Very cool. We strolled around and enjoyed the park.

2 Weeks Old

Today is Evelyn and Sylvia's 2 week birthday. We're going to try to guage their growth by this bird. Every so often we'll take a pic of them so you all can get a good idea of how much they've grown. In this picture, Evelyn is on the left and Sylvia is on the right. They were squirming around a bit, so it's not the best picture, but oh well.

Our First Picnic

It's a beautiful Tuesday and we enjoyed a picnic and stroll at Belle Haven Park, right on the Potomac. It was really nice. The girls enjoyed lunch too (my first public feeding went off without a hitch...that means no accidential slippage if know what I mean).

We still manage to get out every day -- yesterday we put them in slings and walked the neighborhood, even though it was cold and overcast. It's sooo nice to get out of the house!

Mother's Day

Wow! Everyone loves Mother's Day. I got tons of cards from friends and family, and David's Dad and Step-Mom sent me flowers! Aren't they beautiful! This only added to the beautiful flowers given to us by David's Mom, my Dad and Step-Mom, and numerous friends to celebrate the girls' birth! Our house is so pretty with all these flowers. It helps with the poopy smell too!

More Cute Pictures

Evelyn on the left; Sylvia on the right
Sylvia on the left; Evelyn on the right

Just a few cute pictures from the last day or so. We got "Miracle Blankets" since they wiggle themselves out of receiving blankets we've swaddled them with. These put the babies in a straight jacket wrapped tightly and they nearly instantly fall asleep! Besides a little fussing for David at the 9pm feeding and a little more before the 6am feeding, it was a good night. This mornin we all cuddled in bed together for about an hour.

Hanging with Daddy

David and Sylvia love to chill together! BTW, under that hat is a HUGE fuzzy head of hair David is refusing to cut while on paternity leave. He wants to start a comb-over!

Tummy Time (or not!)

Thought you might enjoy viewing the ladies attempting tummy time. Their bellies were too full to do it! But, off camera later, they both greatly impressed us! Sylvia is on the left and Evelyn on the right.

Love Birds

Red shirt cutie is Sylvia and Blue trim cutie outfit is Evelyn

These girls love each other, but don't show it all the time. This morning while we were getting ready for our daily outing (today to Old Town to buy Meredith some new clothes!), the girls were nearly on top of each other cuddling when we came back to peek on them. So cute!

Walk 2

Thrilling, I know, but we went for a walk around a small lake in our neighborhood. The girls enjoyed viewing the wildlife...they asked for goose liver pate for dinner.

First Walk

Each day, David and I have been assuming a "normal routine." That means we shower, get ready and get out of the house. Typically this just involves running to the store and either David and I stay in the car with the girls. Today, we ran to the grocery and party store for Mexican Fiesta supplies. Since today was the first nice day since we got home (no rain!), we went for a 3/4 mile walk in the neighborhood. I didn't want to over do it, so it was short.

I'm off my pain meds and have been for days, but I was feeling it a bit later that night. However, the whole day consisted of a lot of up/down stairs (which I'm only supposed to do a few times). David reminds me that I need to take it easy, but it's hard not to resume my normal activity level when I feel good. Plus, I need to get this baby weight off!

One Week Old

The girls turned 1 week old today. I can't really tell if they've changed much, but I know they will soon (as much as Mommy doesn't want them to!). Sylvia is on the left; Evelyn on the right.

David feels left out of the nursing process and the girls have yet to figure out that he's not a source of food. Sylvia found Daddy's nose yesterday to be completely inadequate. [On a side note, this was so funny we laughed for hours!]

Mexican Fiesta!

Since today was Cinco de Mayo and our girls have affectionately been referred to as the "party girls" since they were old enough to be felt in the womb, we thought it was appropriate to put on a Mexican Fiesta! The girls had a great time and enjoyed a margarita (Mom's first adult beverage since August!), chips and salsa, and cheese enchilatas. Although they had a hard time staying awake, they had a great time. Evelyn is on the left; Sylvia on the right.

The Girls First Doctor's Visit

We had our first doctor's appointment today. They are 6 days old!!! The visit went well. The girls have not lost any more weight (which is typical) from their hospital discharge weight. Sylvia weighed 5lbs9oz and now weighs 5lbs10oz...almost regaining back to her old fighting weight at birth. Evelyn's hospital discharge weight was 5lbs5oz and now she's 5lbs7oz. The Pediatrician called Evelyn a little Turkey during the exam, it was so cute. She was happy with their overall condition and we are due back in 2 weeks. Attached are a few pics of getting them ready, putting them in the car seats and at the appointment.

[The doc is examining Evelyn in the picture; in the car seats and of them in their crib, Evelyn is on the left and Sylvia is on the right]

First Night Out

Hey, even if it's for an hour, it still counts right?

We've been home a little more than 24 hours and already have ventured out. Sure, it was only to BabiesRUs, but it's important for us to TRY to do things. We got showered while the girls chilled in their downstairs bed. We put them in their car seats and drove 2 miles down the road to pick up a few things. Daddy stayed in the car while Mommy ran inside (am I one to sit in the car?). It proved to be good exercise, although I've been on my feet all day anyways. I've probably climbed too many stairs, but oh well. I feel good, my incision is perfect and I haven't had any other issues that would point to "over doing" it. After about an hour outside of the house, we returned home for another feeding.

Our day has been great. We've fed the girls every three hours -- combo of nursing, formula and pumping. It's quite the process, but I think we already have it down. Too bad David will have to return to work one of these days. We are just hoping our good luck during the day holds up tonight since we haven't napped at all today!

Crazy Legs Romley

We are starting to nickname the girls. Evelyn is easy...Crazy legs Romley, She loves to be swaddled, but ultimately works her legs out of the mix. These crazy legs go back to her first moments of life when they pulled her out and took her over to the cleanup/assessment area. My first view of her were her legs straight up in the air with her toes all spread apart. I was so funny!

Also, Daddy's nickname for Evelyn is Coo-Baby. She makes these hilarous soft cooing noises all the time. Often, you can coo first (more of a hum or grunt) and she will coo back. The exchange will go on and on. Certainly she will have advanced communication skills as a result! HA!

We're still working on nicknames for Sylvia. Stay tuned.

We Love Our New Home, but we TESTED Mommy and Daddy Tonight

[Evelyn is on the right and Sylvia on the left]

We enjoyed an afternoon at the house on the main floor. I am only able to walk upstairs a few times a day because of the c-section, so we hung out downstairs. All of the feedings went well (we are nursing, but supplementing with formula until my milk comes in), but it is a bit of a process (latch, manually express, provide formula through syringe directly into her mouth while I'm "nursing" to avoid nipple confusion) and takes a while. We went upstairs after the 9pm feeding and set the alarm for 11:50pm. Unfortunately, Sylvia woke at 11:15am so we hung and and she nursed for a bit (it's just a comfort thing since she's not getting anything really...colostrom only lasts a few sucks). We started really feeding her at 12AM, then we fed Sylvia. They both were a bit fussy but went down FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. They were awake ALL NIGHT!!! They were screaming hysterically and rooting, so we figured they were hungry. We'd feed them, they'd scream some more. We'd swaddle, they'd scream. Etc. Etc. Around 5am, I was in major pain (from my incision) and needed to rest. David toughed it out until 8am (again, he's a ROCK STAR DADDY!) and when I woke, he was downstairs feeding again. He finally got them to calm down and sleep!!! We woke them for a 10am feeding and they have been sleeping peacefully (with interrupted hiccups) ever since. I don't know why he didn't wake me (or why I didn't heard it), but he recognized I needed to rest. I am SWOLLEN all over. My legs and feet are ENORMOUS, my incision area is inflamed (not infected) and I was on my feet way too long, so I started to bleed quite a bit. TMI, I know, but I'll tell you the real joys and pains of parenthood! David and I realized yet again that we are a great team and in this together since having babies is not going to filled with perfect days with cooing and smiles.

We think they weren't getting enough to eat and have upped the amount of formula. Babies are born with 3 days of food rersereve and the were not eating a lot in the hospital and now they need more. Since we are nursing and formula feeding we received a lot of conflicting advice from the various lactation consultants who visted us. Hopefully my milk will be in soon, but I am afraid the questions about feeding will always be there if they are fussy! Whi knows if they are crying because they are cold/hot, hungry, dirty, etc.

Today is already a better day. David is napping. I will soon begin the feeding process again.

Going Home

Although we were given the choice to stay in the hospital another night, we decided that it was time to brave the big bad world on our own. We got the girls all dressed in their personal duds (hospital duds were soooo boring!) and headed home. They napped the whole ride (10 minutes plus a stop to get my pain meds at Rite Aid).

Sylvia has the blue hat on and Evelyn is in the pink outfit.

Background on Names

Ok, you all must be wondering -- HOW ON EARTH DID THEY COME UP WITH THOSE NAMES? Picture Above -- left=Sylvia (A); right=Evelyn (B). Not sure why Evelyn's pic came up sideways, but you can still see her pretty face. And the hospital put A and B on their hats...I SWEAR we can tell them apart!

Well, we both love traditional names and those that aren't too popular. I love the top 10 list (Ella, Sophia, Emma, etc), but they are just way too popular. We know it will be hard for the girls to distinguish themselves as individuals, but if they are the Sophia R. in a class of three Sophia's, how will they ever be uniquely identified? So, we thought long and hard. First, we had a name for a boy and a girl -- Benson Thomas Romley for a boy. Benson is my maiden name (duh!), Thomas is David's middle name (his namesake was his father's best friend who died in Vietman). Then, the girl's name -- Sylvia Winters Romley. Sylvia is David's Aunt. Actually, she's his second cousin, but she is sort of his mother's older sister. She is an absolutely lovely woman whom David always held in high regard and loves very much. So, that choice was easy. Winters was easy too. William Winters is my great, great, great grandfather who fought for the Union in the 76th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment in 1861. Louise is my mother's middle name, and she is named after my great Aunt Louise. Evelyn isn't a family name, but we LOVE it! It's one of my all time favorites!

There you have it. We hope you like their names are much as we do!

More Pictures and Update

Day 3 in the hospital and we are feeling great. I've been up walking around the morning after the c-section and the pain hasn't really been that bad. Thank you, percocet! Wednesday was a bit of a whirlwind day with doctors checking both me and the babies constantly (this is a matter of routine, not because of anything unique with us). Both babies are doing great. They have passed every test with flying colors and haven't yet lost the typical 10% body weight that most babies lose (which is good since they are on the smaller side). Also, because of the c-section, I get my share of poking and prodding to make sure everything looks good with the incision and the uterus is shrinking as usual. My belly feels huge, but that's typical, I know.

We have been given the option to go home tomorrow (Fri) or Saturday. We're not sure yet. We have been provided excellent care we're in no rush to go home. Plus, we really want to make sure they are feeding properly and learn as much as we can about nursing. I need to be efficient with feeding or I will never sleep! We met with two lactation consultants today for about 45 min and then about an hour. They were both great, but I have a lot to learn!

Also, it must be said that David is SUPER DADDY! While I always knew he'd be a great father, he is really an INCREDIBLE father! He has pretty much done all the changings and swaddlings, while I've handled the feedings. Neither of us would have been able to do it alone. I can honestly say that this whole experience has just made me grow to love him even more! I better stop now...hormones are making me mushy!

The Romley Girls Have Arrived

We welcome our healthy, beautiful baby girls on Tuesday, April 28, 2009:

Sylvia Winters was born at 7:17PM. She weighed 6lbs and 1oz and measured 19 inches.

Evelyn Louise was born at 7:18PM. She weighed 5lbs and 13oz and measured 19 inches. Mom, Dad and the girls are all doing well after 24 hours of inducement and a c-section.

Both pictures attached are just minutes after birth; in both pictures, Sylvia is on the left and Evelyn is on the right. They do look very different!

Thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement through the pregnancy!!!!