Happy Half Birthday!!!

It's hard to believe but it's true....Elliott and Aaron are 6 months old today!!! Sometimes it seems like just a few days and other times it seems like years that they have been here. I have been looking at the NICU pictures lately and I cannot believe that they were that small. I can't even remember that....I wish we had more pictures of us holding them and their entire little bodies in their isolletts....more pictures with our hands holding their hands and feet and on their backs so it would be easier to remember how small they were. They have come so far and are soooo very amazing!!! To start at less than 3 pounds and in 6 months be 14...probably 15 pounds....amazing!!! It hasn't all been easy...I remember freaking out every time one of them threw up an entire bottle and taking their temps ALL the time to see if they had NEC. I remember how hard it was in the beginning to juggle two babies once Andrew went back to work and how incredible our families were during that time. Aunt Sharon spent soooo much time at Annie's house helping me feed babies and giving me rest. How awesome it was for Sharon and our moms to spend the night and feed babies in the night to give Andrew much needed rest. I remember how awesome it was when we found out that the babies loved to be in swings!!! I remember how sad and happy I was when we moved into our house....which we couldn't have done without the help of Julie!!! Heck...we wouldn't even have the house without Grandma and Grandpa Bock!!! We had such a huge mess in the house and would still be working our way through all our junk if Julie hadn't spent weeks here. Words can't express our gratitude to Annie...allowing us to live in her house for 6 Months!!! I don't know how to ever repay her. We should have named a baby after her =)

I don't know when Elliott and Aaron became "real" babies but they did!!! They went from laying all day long being able to do nothing to being able to breathe on their own, then taking milk from a bottle....then losing their IV's....getting in open cribs....now they pick toys up and put EVERYTHING in their mouths...They talk and laugh and recognize people. Elliott usually sleeps through the night (with the exception of the past two nights) and Aaron has his super fun pattern of sleep...getting up and 3 and sometimes earlier. They used to just stare blankly and anything and now they are interested in their surroundings and love to see the people that love them. I think they have a favorite movie...they were both sooo interested in Pirates of the Caribbean yesterday when I was feeding them. Elliott almost rolled from his back to his belly yesterday...and both can move around the floor and in their beds on their backs...Elliott is getting lots of hair and Aaron's head seems to be getting less flat. They love to play in the applesaucer and their new jumperoo. We haven't use the swings in weeks!!! I can now be with the boys all day and not be begging Andrew to take one when he gets home. I have been feeding them at the same time which has been helpful...it used to scare me to do it and I would feed one while the other one cried....it was sad. Andrew and I are still very exhausted and need to figure out that it is best to not stay up until midnight or later when the babies are going to sleep around 8 every night.

My babies are sooooo funny too!!! They don't know that they are funny but they really are. Its a good thing because sometimes I am so tired that I need some comic relief in order to stay sane. We went from living in Elkhart alone with two cars to living in Peoria with twins and a VAN in less than one year!!! I went from a full time social worker to a full time mom...nothing could be better.

Thanks to everyone that has loved our boys, that has come and fed babies and changed diapers, that have allowed me to do a load of laundry or taken a shower!!! Thanks for coming to visit and praying for our family!!! I need a nap...
Jen