Eva & Ella turn ONE!

On Tuesday, November 20th, Abriella Anne and Eva Marlene turned one.  It is so hard to believe that it's been a year.  Brett and I are so blessed to be parents to our sweet miracles.  God has given us this blessing, and we could not be more thankful.

One year ago...

Ella, 3 lbs. 6 oz.

Eva, 3 lbs. 1 oz.

Now...

Ella, 17 lbs. 3 oz. & Eva, 16 lbs. 8 oz.

On Saturday, we were able to celebrate Ella's & Eva's lives with our family and friends.  We have such great people in our lives and couldn't have made it through the first year in one piece without them.  So, thank you to everyone that has been there for us to support us and to just be a friend.  We appreciate you and Ella & Eva say thank you!

Here are a couple of shots from their 1st birthday party!

Ella

Eva

 First sweets... carrot cake cupcakes for the bday girls!

Enjoying their "ball pit"

 Miss Eva

Playing with their new toys

 Eva loving life 

 Enjoying their new chairs from Grandma O.

 Mommy with the bday girls!

How To Keep Twins Happy & Entertained...

A lot has changed in the past few months.  The girls are now crawling everywhere and are on the go constantly!  And most often, they are "on the go" in different directions... which makes sense right?  Why would they make it easy for us? :)  Well, I've decided to title this post, "How To Keep Twins Happy & Entertained..." because that pretty much sums up what we do these days.  We work and keep the girls happy!  Instead of writing about it, I thought I would post pictures/videos of some of our daily "activities".

We play with magazines...

We eat at the same time so everyone is happy...
(Sorry about my appearance, Brett found me like this and decided to take a photo, 5AM does not suit me well!)

We pull all of mom's shoes off the shelf...

We walk together...

We swing...

We fight over toys...

We ride cars...

AND...

We have bottle races...

THE END. :)

One year later...

... we are blessed to have two healthy, beautiful, sweet baby girls!  One year ago, we had no idea if we were going to be blessed with the opportunity to be parents to our twins and see them grow up.  Our girls were very sick and were losing their lives quickly.  I will write a small recap, but would encourage your to read our posts "Our Story" and "Cincinnati" written a year ago in September.  These posts were our first and they explain what we were going through.  Last year around this time, our girls were diagnosed with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, a very serious condition that happens when identical twins share a placenta.  One twin (the recipient) receives all of the blood and nutrients and the other (the donor) is deprived and very malnourished.  Both girls were very sick.  Ella (recipient), because of all of the blood that was going through her body, had an enlarged heart and fluid in her body.  Eva (donor), was 40% smaller than Ella and had no amniotic fluid.  She was what they called the "stuck" baby, as she looked like she was stuck to the uterus/placenta.

We were sent to Cincinnati, OH to have emergency surgery on my placenta.  One year ago, today, I had that surgery.  With many complications, including serious contractions and cholestasis, my girls survived and have grown into beautiful and healthy little girls.  We are so thankful for them and the blessings they are to our family.  When you look at how sick they were, none of our doctors would have guessed they would be happy, healthy 9 month olds.  We were prepared for a lifetime of heart problems and other medical issues, if they survived.  Well, they did survive and they are a testament to God's grace and the miracles He is still doing!

The reality is though, that TTTS is a horrible disease that is still taking the lives of MANY babies.  We hope to spread awareness to women that are pregnant with identical twins and their doctors. Ours was diagnosed VERY late because our doctor did not inform us that it was a possibility.   It is important to have it detected early and get the right treatment quickly.  Please pray for all of the families that are affected by this.  If you are interested in more information, please check out the Twin to Twin Transfusion Foundation Site!

From this....

a very sick Ella 

 our peanut Eva, 40% smaller than her sister

To this...

our beautiful little girls!  GOD IS GOOD!

Family Photos

A couple of weeks ago, Brett's cousin Rachel took some pictures of our family.  She did an amazing job and I just wanted to share some of the pictures with you all.

Sweet Summertime

I figured this would happen at some point... it's been nearly 2 months now since I have updated our family's blog.  A LOT has happened and I will not be able to catch you up on everything, but I will do my best.

I have been off of work since the first week in June and I have been enjoying my time with my peanuts.  I'm not going to lie, it's hard work, VERY hard work.  I've told people that watching the girls is actually harder and more stressful than my teaching job.  So I wouldn't say that I'm on summer "break/vacation" but I am blessed with time, and time with my girls is more precious than anything!  My mom is a saint and still helps me out during the day some.

So let's see... the girls have been making huge strides developmentally.  Long gone are the days when we could set the girls somewhere (couch, bed, ottoman, etc.) and not worry about them going anywhere.  They are on the move!  They roll, squirm, sit, and scoot their little buts all over the place.  They are also much more interested in EVERYTHING around them.  They want to touch and grab anything they can, so that also makes life a bit more challenging.  I used to be the queen of doing things with one hand, well now I'm the queen of doing things with one hand while keeping two other little hands off of what I'm trying to do (get their bottles ready, eat, clean up, etc). :)

We have the girls' developmental assessment this week and will find out how they are doing and if they are on track with where they need to be.  When babies are born early, they get an adjusted age, which goes off of their due date, not their birth date.  They say by age 2, they are able to get rid of the adjusted age.  I'm hoping the girls can "catch up" sooner, but we are so happy with whatever they are doing.  I am reminded daily when I see them what miracles they are!

This summer we have had the opportunity to see and spend time with our families.  We spent a weekend up in Rice Lake with Brett's family, where we celebrated Brett's grandma's 80th birthday, and have also spent a few weekends at my family's cabin.  Traveling with the girls is hard, and it's hard for their schedule, but it's so worth it once we get to where we are going.  I'll leave you with some pictures from our summer so far.  We hope you are all enjoying yours and staying cool in this horrible heat!

 Grandma Swan

With the girls & William

 Uncle Evan & Uncle Nate visiting the girls

 Swimming in the backyard

4th of July at the lake

Mother's Day

This Mother's Day was a very special day for me that brought with it a lot of raw emotions.  First of all, it was my first Mother's Day as a mom, and second of all, I am so blessed to have the mother that I do.  I know I am biased, but I have the best mom in the entire world!  She has been by my side through the good and the bad.

This past year and half have been the most challenging of my life.  From our house getting broken into, to all of the complications with the girls, my surgery, bedrest, hospital stay, c-section, NICU, and having the girls home, we have definitely had a long and crazy journey.  But as I went through all of these challenges, my mom was and continues to be right by my side.  She was in Ohio with me during my surgery and hospital stay, she came a few days a week, EACH week of my bedrest at home, and spent most of the week with me at the hospital, so I wouldn't have to be alone.  She did all of this, while going through some really tough stuff on her own... but no matter what, she was always there for me.

She is one of the strongest people I know.. which I believe to be her best and worst quality. :)  Sometimes the strong turns in to stubborn, but I suppose she takes after my Nana that way.  Who knows, maybe I'll be like that someday, too.  With all of that said, I hope to give my girls what she has given me!  I want them to grow up knowing that I will be there for them no matter what... because life can sure get messy sometimes, and even though mom's can't fix everything, they sure do make us feel better while we go through the mess!

So many people have told me how "strong" I was or how proud of me they were for all that I went through for the girls, but as I thought about it last week on Mother's Day, I realized something.  I believe that God gives women strength and courage to do whatever it takes for their children.  We don't do it because WE are strong, but because God is strong, and he give us strength to do what we HAVE to do.  Any loving mom would have done the exact same thing I had to do put in that situation.  Throughout life we are all challenged in different ways, and as moms, we just do it and make it through because of the strength God has given us.  To all you moms out there, keep fighting and staying strong for your kiddos.  You are making a difference! :)

Here are a couple of pictures from my first Mother's Day!

With my girls! :)

Happy Birthday, Daddy! (Brett turns 30)

This post has been a long time coming, but better now than never, right?  I mean we do have two babies that keep us pretty busy.. so I kind of have an excuse! :)

Well, April 22nd, was Brett's 30th birthday, so I wanted to dedicate this post to him.  It was his first birthday as a daddy.  I have been SO blessed to have such a wonderful, supportive, and helpful husband.  I would be a completely crazy woman without him.  He has totally stepped up and has been a great father and partner the last six months!

I am thankful for him and I am thankful to his parents for raising such a great man.  I am realizing how hard and what true dedication it takes to raise children, so I truly appreciate all that they did for him growing up.

On his birthday, we celebrated by having some friends over!  I took a couple of pictures, that I will share. Here's to the next 30 years, my love!

 Tony, Brett,  (Ella) & Michael

Gina, Lindsey, (Eva), & me

Homemade oreo cupcakes and carrot cake

Oreo cupcake recipe:

24 oreo halves, with cream filling attached

2 1/4 all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temp.

1 2/3 cup sugar

3 large egg whites, room temp.

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup milk

20 oreo cookies, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the wells of 2 cupcake pans with liners and then place half an oreo on the bottom, cream side up.  In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir together and set aside.  In another bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and beat on medium high until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.  Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each one.  Blend the vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients.  Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.  Gently fold in the chopped oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated.  Be careful not to over mix!

2. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Use a toothpick in the center and only take them out when the toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool and then transfer to a wire rack.

Frosting: 

8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

6 tbsp. butter, room temp.

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 tbsp. heavy cream

3. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat on medium high until smooth, about 1 minute.  Blend in the vanilla extract.  Beat the sugar until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on low until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping the sides as needed.

4. Frost the cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with oreo crumbs, and refrigerate.  Serve cold.

Weekend getaway!

Last week was my spring break and Easter weekend. What a beautiful week it was!  I got to stay home with my sweet girls (my mom took a well-deserved trip to Florida!), see some friends, and we got to visit family for a four day Easter weekend.  I was a little nervous about taking care of the girls all on my own at first, but I quickly realized I could handle it.  I got a little taste of what my mom does every day.  They were little angels.  So much so, that we even made a trip to Target and had a lunch date with some friends.

On Thursday, we left in the afternoon on our first LONG car ride and headed up to Rice Lake to see Brett's family.  It had been about 9 months since we were there last, due to my bed rest and the girls not being able to travel, so it was nice to finally get up there again.  The car rides, both there and back, were successful!  We only stopped once to feed the girls and they pretty much slept the rest of the time.  It was really nice.  I'm sure car rides won't always go so smoothly, but we will take what we can get for now!

Instead of writing a long paragraph (or two) about our weekend in Rice Lake, I will post pictures and show you.  We are so blessed to have such a great family.  Everyone was so helpful with the girls, especially Brenda, who got up to help us in the middle of the night.  We are looking forward to our next visit!

 Jack and Jill, two of the four baby goats we got to see and play with

 A precious moment with my smiley peanuts

 Beautiful Auntie Gina and Ms. Ella outside

Daddy and Eva

 Just hanging out, they did a lot of smiling over the weekend, don't you feel like you missed the joke??

Alex and Ning with the girls at my baby shower at Aunt Sharon's

 Alexis and Boyd! :)

 4 generations

 Easter Sunday!  "He is risen, He is risen indeed!"

Happy Easter from Eva and (sleepy) Ella

Smiles

Well, a lot has happened since I wrote last!  Where to start?  Things around the Oftedahl house have gotten slightly easier since February.  The girls' colic has been much better and most of the time they are only upset/crabby for a short period in the evening.  We have been putting them to bed around 10 though each night, so that has been MUCH better than staying up until 1-2 am to listen to them scream.  They are still waking up a few times throughout the night, but one night this past week was the first time they slept for about 5 1/2 hours in a row.  It was fantastic!   Hasn't happened again since, but we are hopeful... :)

In addition to a better sleep schedule, the girls are now smiling!!  It's the best.  Some of the time they will smile at random things on the wall or items around the house, but then they will look directly into our eyes and smile.  It's the melt your heart kind of smile, and it came just in time.  After a few months of feeling completely exhausted, their smiles are just what we need to keep on keeping on.

Ms. Abriella Anne

Ms. Ella and Ms. Eva on game day (darn Badgers..)

Since I last wrote, I have also gone back to work.  I started on March 2nd.  So I just finished my third week, and I'm really enjoying it so far.  I am teaching Spanish 2 and 3 at Verona Area High School.  My students and colleagues are all great, so that has made the transition a smooth one.  Also, my mom has been watching the girls for us, and that has truly been a blessing.  It has made leaving easier to do, since we know they are in great hands.

Nana and her girls

We were also so blessed to have Brett's mom (Brenda), sister (MaryBeth) and our niece (Alexis) come down this past week to watch the girls.  They were on their Spring break and also took some time off of work to come help us out and to spend time with the girls.  They did SO much for us and we cannot even begin to say thank you.  Brenda got up with us at every feeding in the middle of the night to help!  She even took them to the doctor with Brett when they got their 4 month shots and dealt with them after they got their shots (which is never easy to do).  MaryBeth gave up her spring break to help us out.  They washed dishes (bottles especially), walked the dog, cleaned the house, went to the store for some groceries, and most importantly hung out with the peanuts. We are so blessed to have them in our lives!  Thank you guys!  It was so nice to spend the week with you.

Ella and Eva in their cute spring dresses from Nana

Other than that, we bought a double stroller last weekend.  I have decided to call it the "baby bus".  It's a front/back stroller that fits both of their car seats right in it.  So that is really nice and convenient.  We initially wanted a side by side, but I think the one we found will do us just fine!   It has allowed us some freedom.  We have been on at least one walk per night, if not more, since we got it.  After being stuck in the house all winter, it has truly been wonderful to get out.  I think Roxy, who just turned 2 this week, appreciates it too.  Pictures of the baby bus to come!

We are loving the spring and are enjoying seeing all of the new life God is bringing with it.  This year I have noticed it especially because of the little lives He has placed into our hands.  They are such miracles.  Every year I am truly amazed at what beauty can come of something that seems dead.  It continually reminds me of God and His grace!