TGIF!!!

Hi everyone -

Well, we survived another week - barely.

Last weekend was very nice - we enjoyed a bit of relaxing, but also got a few things marked off our never ending "to-do" list.

Saturday morning, we slept in a bit, trying to catch up on our rest. We then enjoyed lunch and visiting with Uncle John and Aunt Pam. They came down to see Grandma Hart in the hospital, and took the opportunity to see the boys again. I hadn't realized the only time they had seen our little wonders was at the baptism when they were just a few weeks old. The boys are twice the size they were then...and of course, twice as fun.

After lunch, we all drove down to the hospital to see how Grandma Hart was doing. Progress is slow and steady...which is better than none at all! Monday, they took out Grandma's breathing tube, and did a tracheotomy to assist with her breathing. This will also allow the staff to get her out of bed and moving. She is more alert now, and even stood for a few seconds by her bed! We thank everyone for their continued prayers and we hope that we can share more progress reports soon!

Sunday, Brian went to the hospital to visit his mom, and I took the boys on a few shopping trips for food and supplies. Monday evening the three of us also made a formula run!
Tuesday was a very big day...the boys had their 4 month check-up!
Lincoln now weighs 14 pounds even, and is 25 1/2 inches long. He is really filling out, and trying hard to catch up to his little brother.

Jackson tipped the scale at 14 pounds, 14 ounces - still maintaining the "bigger" status regarding size. He measured 26 inches long.

Both boys are doing great in meeting their milestones. The doctor strongly suggested we begin baby proofing the house, as it will take longer than we think, and the boys will be mobile before we know it. Lincoln is already rolling over in both directions, and both of the boys "scoot" along the floor - mostly in circles, but that will change soon. Looking forward to taking the boys to the pool for the first time this weekend, if the weather cooperates.

Nothing to share for the rest of the week, as Brian has been sick. He came down with the flu Wednesday evening, so he's been home for the past 2 days. We hope he gets over this hurdle so that he can go visit his mom and see her progress in person.

Which brings us to Friday...and the weekend again. Nothing really planned except for catching up on sleep, more home projects, and inevitably some more shopping. However, we look forward to our weekends and spending as much time as possible with our little guys.

We hope you all have a great weekend, and we'll write more soon!
Love,
Kate, Brian, Lincoln and Jackson

Week 17 pictures!

It's June already!

Like all parents, we have been on the go non-stop the past few weeks. I guess we better get used to it with two little boys!
We have established a nice routine for our weekdays. Up at 4:30 in the morning to get around for work, feed the boys, and take them to daycare. Work is from 7:30 to 4:30 each day, then we rush to get the boys (we don't have to rush, but we can't wait to go spend time with them!). The fun definitely begins once we pick them up from daycare. They greet us with a smile, then cry once we put them in the car and get on the road. They are usually very tired, but try so hard to stay awake! About half way home, they finally give in to a short nap. This is partly great, as it gives us an opportunity to run errands, or to do a few things up around the house before they wake up (like laundry, washing bottles, making dinner, etc.). However, they have a knack of waking up just about the time that Brian and I try to eat our dinner. How do kids know when your plate is fixed???
The rest of the evening we spend playing with the boys, giving baths, feeding and putting them to bed. We squeeze in a few more chores, then it is off to get our beauty sleep.
Weekends are very busy as we try to visit with family and friends, and also catch up on things around the house.
We made the trip to Grandma Hart's on May 15th to celebrate her birthday.
The next weekend we were preparing for all of the many visitors we were expecting the next week for Grandma Hart's surgery. Grandma arrived on Monday night, Aunt Lori and Aunt Lisa arrived on Tuesday. Aunt Rachelle, Aunt Lyn, Lylah and Knox arrived Wednesday evening to help watch the boys so I could spend time at the hospital with Brian. Uncle RJ came Friday afternoon, and Mawma and Pawpa Muehlfeld arrived on Friday evening, but stayed at Uncle Aaron's house, as "there was no room" at the Hart Inn.
Grandma's surgery went very well. She has had a few setbacks since the surgery, but we are hoping that her breathing tube can be removed today, and that she will continue to grow stronger and stronger in the coming weeks.
Unfortunately, the week was such a blur that we nearly forgot it was a holiday weekend! With family in town, we balanced spending time at the hospital and visiting and enjoying the beautiful weather. Visiting hours are somewhat limited in the SICU, so we usually made 2 trips a day to the hospital, coming home to eat, spend time with the boys, and once in a while...NAP.
Aside from visiting the hospital, Friday afternoon, the boys and I spent some time catching up with some friends. Friday evening included a wonderful meal that Aunt Lyn and Uncle RJ made for us, and winding down from the stressful week. Saturday included a delicious lunch of grilled pork medallions (thanks Mawma) in the middle of the afternoon, then some yummy snacks later in the evening. Sunday morning we made our weekly trip to church, then we ALL headed the hospital. The boys aren't allowed in the hospital to visit, but Great Uncle Bud and Great Aunt Lorae came to visit Grandma, and wanted to meet our little guys. We enjoyed visiting with them!
After visiting hours were over for the morning, we went downtown to enjoy some local cuisine and a few adult beverages at the Taste of Cincinnati. It was a great afternoon, other than it was VERY warm. After a few hours, it was time to take everyone home to cool off and relax.
Brian returned to the hospital to visit, while I took the boys home. That evening, we did the traditional "grill-out" for Memorial day, and made homemade ice cream.
Monday brought the close of the holiday weekend. :-(
Unfortunately, it was time for all of the family to return home, and our house suddenly was very quiet. Brian went to the hospital to visit his mom, while I stayed at home with the boys. Great Uncle Ralph and Great Aunt Janet stopped by in the afternoon to meet the boys before going to the hospital. It was wonderful to share our little guys with them, and we hope we can do it again soon!
Unfortunately, it was time for Brian and I to return to work on Tuesday, and back to our regular routine. Brian went to the hospital to visit his mom after we had dinner that night, and Uncle Aaron came over to help me with baths, and getting the boys to bed.
With the limited visiting hours, Brian was only able to spend about 45 minutes at the hospital on Tuesday. So, we thought we would try another plan on Wednesday to allow him to spend more time with his mom. We dropped his truck off at the hospital on our way to work, then I took him back to the hospital after work. We thought he could visit from 5-6:30, then come home and spend the evening with the boys. Unfortunately, I had to call Brian and he had to leave the hospital around 6:00. You see, after I picked up the boys from daycare, had them all strapped in their car seats ready to go, my truck wouldn't start! Uncle Aaron came to our rescue (again), and drove the 3 of us home. Brian spent the evening calling AAA, meeting the tow truck driver, and then driving to Auto Zone to get a new battery put in my truck. Wasn't exactly what we needed this week, but my mom keeps reminding me that God doesn't give us any more than we can handle. I understand that, but hope we agree that my bucket is about full.
Thankfully, Thursday night went as planned, and Brian was able to visit with his mom more than the other nights this week. He even made it home in time to help me get the boys settled into their cribs for the very first time! Overall, they did well - I only had to get up once in the night to settle Lincoln down. Now, we just have to rearrange all the baby stuff (again), but in the end, Brian and I will get our bedroom back!
Tonight, Brian is heading back to the hospital to see how the breathing tube removal is going, so I'm on baby duty again. Hopefully we can spend some quality time together as a family later this evening/this weekend, but also get some items checked off our "to-do" list.
We hope everyone has a great weekend, and enjoys the start of June! We will write more soon!
Love,
Kate, Brian, Lincoln, and Jackson

April showers bring May....doctor appointments?

Hi everyone -
It's been a rough few weeks at the Hart household. :-(
Over the past few weeks, we thought the boys were fighting allergies. We were doing the saline drops, but weren't seeing too much improvement. However, with Ohio weather, we figured you just have to take allergies as they come.
However, as the boys cough seemed to worsen, we started the week of UNSCHEDULED doctor appointments. First, Pawpa and I took the boys to see Dr. Korn Monday morning (at the urging of Mawma). The doctor felt the boys just had bad colds, but asked us to watch for fevers, loss of appetite, change in disposition, etc., but basically there wasn't much we could do but wait it out. So, that was our plan until Lincoln woke us up Monday night around 12:45 - very unhappy, and burning up. He had a temperature of 103! I called and spoke to the doctor on call, who advised us to give him Tylenol, and see how he was in the morning. His fever would stay down for about 4 hours - then it was time to give him more medicine. With the "no fever" rule at daycare, I worked from home on Tuesday with the boys...who slept the entire day (other than when they wanted their bottle). Unfortunately, Lincoln's fever persisted, so I stayed home with the boys on Wednesday and Thursday as well. Wednesday, I took Lincoln back to the doctor as he was still running a fever, and just wasn't interested in his bottle. The doctor gave us a prescription of Amoxicillin and indicated that Lincoln likely had bronchitis. Lincoln seems to be doing much better now, so hopefully the anitbiotic is just what he needed.
Jackson Never ran a fever - just continued coughing and was a bit more fussy than usual. He's now fighting some yellow matter in his one eye, but still gives us that million dollar smile, so we hope its just a matter of time till he is over the hump.
Thursday night it all caught up with me.
It started out as a sore throat, and just aches and pains throughout my body. By Friday morning, I was hot and cold, exhausted, and just overall not feeling well. Saturday was a bit worse, so I went to the doctor. Negative for strep, but with my other symptoms, the doctor gave me an antibiotic to help fight off any infection. I'm still pretty miserable today...not much of a voice, but who wants to hear me talk anyway?
We also had some scheduled appointments last week...
Monday afternoon, we took Lincoln to the urologist for a consultation regarding his undescended testicle. The visit was very brief and to the point - it most likely will not come down on its own, and we scheduled Lincoln's surgery for July 27th.
Tuesday and Thursday, Brian was off work to take his mom for tests for her surgery. Overall, the 2 days went well, other than the day that they "didn't have them on the board". Seems like everything is in line for the 26th.
We did have some fun since we last wrote. We took the boys to Kentucky for the first time, and they experienced their first Derby on May 1. It was so nice to see the entire Willinger clan, and to visit and catch up with them. The boys LOVED all the attention that they received!
We were supposed to travel to Toledo this past weekend for Brady's First Communion, but decided against the trip, due to the majority of our little family being under the weather. We heard it was a wonderful day for Brady, and we hope that we can celebrate with him privately soon.
I celebrated my first Mother's Day yesterday. Although the day wasn't quite what I had always dreamed of, it was perfect as I got to spend it with my three favorite boys (runny noses and all). The boys got me some pretty flowers, made me a sweet card, and informed me that another gift is on the way. The gifts aren't important - getting 2 beautiful baby boys is the only gift I ever wanted!
Today it is back to our normal schedule. We took the boys to daycare this morning, and I'm at work (although most everyone keeps asking me why I am here!). Hopefully we are on the mend, and will get back to feeling like our normal selves soon!

Hope you all have a great week, and we'll write more soon.

Love,
Kate, Brian, Lincoln and Jackson

The past week...

As usual, we've had a lot going on the past week!
Mommy went back to work on Wednesday, April 21, which meant Lincoln and I headed to daycare for the first time. Mommy cried a few times that morning, and Daddy even got a little weepy. It was hard for Mommy to leave us, as she hadn't spent much time away from us (plus, we are just so darn cute!). Daddy was unsure about "strangers" watching us, but we all know that everything is going to work out. Thankfully, the day went pretty quickly, and we were all able to spend Wednesday night together. I don't really remember what we did that night as I slept most of the time. There was too much going on at daycare for me to nap, so I caught some zzz's once we got home. Lincoln however must not have been too happy about going to daycare, as when he woke up that night, he was a bit of a pistol for mommy and daddy. He screamed quite a bit, and then he wouldn't look at mommy. :-( Eventually he got over it, and smiled and laughed for mommy and daddy. Guess he just wanted to prove a point.
Thursday and Friday were much better days as Lincoln and I adjusted to daycare. We slept a little bit more each day, thanks to mommy suggesting to the nice ladies that they wrap us in a blanket for our naps. The nice ladies give us lots of hugs, and they take good care of us.
Our schedules have changed quite a bit with mommy going back to work, so Saturday we spent the day running errands. We went to Sam's Club, Costco, the book store, and also the grocery store. I know, only 4 places, but it took most of the day! Seemed like each stop took longer than expected, and we had to stop back at the house twice - once to eat lunch, and another time when Lincoln threw up all over Mommy. By the end of the day, we were all pretty tired.
Sunday we traveled to Fort Recovery for cousin Katelin's First Communion. Mommy was excited as she actually got to sleep in (if you can call 5:30 sleeping in). We arrived at church around 9:40, and Lincoln and I barely finished our bottles before church was starting at 10:30. Cousin Katelin looked very pretty in her white dress, and all grown up with curl in her hair. We celebrated the occasion at her house after church, so we got to play with all our "Hart" cousins except for Stefani (who wasn't able to make the trip from Virginia). It was 8:30 when we arrived home that night, which was just enough time for our baths, then we went straight to bed. It was a really long day!
This week, we are preparing for Mawma, Pawpa, Aunt Lyn, Uncle RJ, Lylah and Knox to come visit. We can't wait till they arrive Thursday night. We just hope everyone gets here before we go to sleep!
Early next week, Grandma Hart will be coming to stay with us for a few days. She's going to have some tests run in preparation for her surgery on May 26. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!
We hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week, and a relaxing weekend! We'll write more soon!
Love,
Jackson (and Mommy, Daddy, and Lincoln)

Random Pics...

Just some pics to share...the side shot of me in the blue shirt was the morning the boys were born. I MUCH prefer the "after" shots of me with the boys, and Brian and me with the boys! The other 2 are just favorite pictures of the boys that I think are too cute NOT to share!

Catching up...and documenting "firsts"

Wow - have we been busy, and had a lot of "firsts" since mommy posted last!

We were perfect angels at the eye doctor's offfice - or at least that's what Mommy tells us. Jackson and I both slept the entire time! I figure we must have been good, as Mommy took us to her doctor appointment the next day too. All the ladies enjoy seeing us. Everyone wants to know how old we are, and if we are identical or not.

On March 11, we made our first big "road trip". We traveled to Aunt Lyn and Uncle RJ's house in Toledo so we could celebrate our cousin Lylah turning 2. We just love the car, and we slept the whole way there. It was our first overnight stay at somewhere other than the hospital and home too. The weekend started out a little rough (Jackson kept Mommy up till about 3:00 in the morning), but we slept a lot better the second night. Friday we spent the day visiting with our cousins and Aunt Lyn, and helping to prepare for the party on Saturday.

Saturday was a HUGE day for us. We met lots of people for the first time: Great-Grandma Emmie, Great aunts Marie and Jean, Great uncles Jim and Bill. Cousins Ryan, Tasha, and Chad. And so many other friends of Aunt Lyn and Uncle RJ's that it's hard to mention them all. We handled the crowd pretty well!

On Monday night, we went out to eat with Mommy and Daddy for the first time. We went to Lone Star to celebrate Lylah's birthday. I was a stinker, and fussed when Mommy and Daddy's food arrived, so they took turns holding me and eating their dinner. Figured they better get used to it now, cause this is going to happen a lot! After dinner, we headed back home to Cincinnati.

On Saturday March 20, we made our first trip to Grandma Hart's. We enjoyed visiting with her, and spending more time with our cousins - the O'Connor's. Then on Sunday, Mommy's friend Barb came to visit and spend a few days with us. Mommy was thankful to have Barb around - and to be able to get out of the house for a little while with me and Jackson!

The next weekend, we headed back to Toledo. Daddy had a baseball draft, so we went along to visit and spend more time with our cousins. We had more visitors, and really enjoyed our weekend.

April Fools day brought our first trip to the mall! Mommy really needed her hair cut and "something done with those darn grays", so she had no choice but to take us to the mall so she could get her hair done. We were good for the first part of her appointment, but got a little fired up when mommy moved us so they could wash the color out of her hair. Good thing there were lots of nice ladies in the salon. They helped to rock the stroller, and give us our pacifiers. Jackson was still fussing a lot, so he sat on mommy's lap while she got her hair cut! The blow dryer saved us from a total meltdown. Definitely an interesting experience.

The day after our trip to the mall, Jackson felt the need to be an overachiever. Mommy had him playing on our activity mat, and she put him on his stomach for some needed "tummy time". Jackson rolled over! Mommy couldn't believe it, so she put him back on his stomach again, and he rolled over again. It was quite the day, but he hasn't done it since.

Holy Saturday was an exciting day for us...in more ways than one. We traveled to Grandma Hart's to celebrate Easter with daddy's family. This was the first time that we met Aunt Lisa, Uncle Jerry, and Stefani and Andrea. Then, shortly into the celebration, we found out that we are going to be getting a new baby cousin in November! We are excited to have someone "our age" that we'll be able to play with at future family get togethers! After Easter with the Hart's, we continued our drive to Mawma and Pawpa's house. This was our first trip to their house, but unfortunately, they weren't home. They flew to Phoenix to spend Easter with Uncle Rodney. We hope to go back and visit their house - and them - real soon.

Easter Sunday was a very long day for Mommy and Daddy. We went to church in Blakeslee - and we were lucky to get a seat. It was a full house! Many people stopped to see us, and visit with Mommy after church. We then went to Great Aunt Shirley and Great Uncle Larry's house for a quick visit. We hadn't met Great Uncle Larry yet, and we also met Doug, Jen, Alyssa, and Zoe. Mommy took some pictures, and we enjoyed our visit very much.

Next we headed to another state for the first time! We traveled to Angola, Indiana to celebrate Easter with Pawpa's family. We spent more time with Great Grandma Emmie, and we met more of our Great Aunts and Uncles (Tim, Karen, Todd, Pat) and cousins. We can't wait for a few more years till we can play with Hunter and Parker. More baby news was in store as well - cousin Chad and Cassie are expecting a baby in September! Family get togethers are going to be so much fun! After a long day of traveling, we finally made it back home Sunday evening.

On Tuesday April 6, we had our 2 month check up with Dr. Korn. Mommy and Daddy were shocked when they found out that I weighed 11 pounds, and Jackson weighed 12! We've been continuing to grow and get stronger each day. We smile lots, and stretch - so we aren't done growing yet!

After so many weekends of traveling, we were all ready for a nice quiet weekend at home. On Saturday, we wished Aunt Lyn a happy birthday by sending text pictures. We also had visitors - Aunt Rachelle, Peyten, Addison and Brady were in town for a soccer tournament, and they stopped by to see us. They couldn't believe how much we had grown! Sunday we wished Aunt Lori a happy birthday, went to church, then it was such a beautiful day that daddy and mommy took us to the park for the first time. We even had a "picnic lunch" - bottles sure taste better in the sunshine! At the end of the day, daddy was tired from pushing the stroller, but we all enjoyed the fresh air and quality time spent together!

The next week was our last full week at home with mommy. We ran some errands, and did stuff around the house to prepare for more weekend visitors. Mommy took us out to lunch the one day, and then we went to see where she works. We met lots more of her co-workers and enjoyed our tour of her office. It was a busy week, but we also spent a lot of quality time with mommy.

On Thursday April 15th, it was my turn to surprise mommy. Mommy laid me on the floor for tummy time, and then watched me start to squirm. She watched me pretty closely, and sure enough, I rolled over! She was very proud of me, so when she put me back on my tummy, I was glad to do it again - cause that meant I would get more hugs and kisses! When daddy got home from work that night, I did it again so that he could watch me...he was pretty proud too!

Friday night, Mawma and Pawpa (and Uncle Aaron) came to visit. Saturday Pawpa and daddy went and bought a new lawn mower, and they worked outside most of the afternoon making the yard look nice. We all went to church that night, then Mawma, Pawpa and Uncle Aaron watched Jackson and me so that mommy and daddy could go out on a date. They went to the Melting Pot, and seemed to really enjoy having some quality time without me and my brother pestering them.

Sunday was a relaxing day visiting with Mawma and Pawpa before they headed home. Mommy and daddy did some things around the house again, then we made a trip to Babies R Us to get a few things that we needed. Once we arrived home, it was time for our baths, bottles, then we went to bed.

Jackson and I spent our last 2 days with Mommy on Monday and Tuesday. Mommy was sad sometimes, as she's going to miss us when she goes back to work, but we'll still play in the evenings and on the weekends.

Well, we'll write more about our first few days at daycare soon! Hope everyone is doing well!

Love,

Lincoln (and Jackson, Mommy, and Daddy)