❄️🎄🤶🏼It's the Holiday Season! ⛄️🦌🎅🏼

We have five month old twins!!! Ahhh! 

We are constantly being asked, "are they twins?" but I hardly, if ever- sit down and think, man..we have twins. Lucy was hilariously repeating after people, asking me, "are they twins, are they twins?" She's caught on pretty quickly now that we just let her field the questions. 

Want to know the hardest thing about having twins? Having two babies. 
They are still the cutest little chunky sweethearts, wearing 9 month clothing at 5 months old.... so we are copying off of baby Lucy's style, no doubt. They are eating baby food or mushy smushy food and Miles is loving it. Callie tolerates it now, so we are headed in the right direction. They are kept up with all of the holiday festivities so far and haven't kept us from any adventure yet. :) 
 I am just so delighted to share their first Christmas!! I am so excited, and Lucy is too! 
 They are starting to move and groove, which is a little scary. They are the drooliest duo you've ever met. The roll, they reach, they play- all fun baby stuff! This also means they are playing on the floor or in walkers and bouncers and that puts them right within reach of big sis...which is interesting for everyone. She's great at entertaining..but also loves them too much with really squeezy hugs and likes to move their heads when they aren't watching her....so don't leave them alone in the room with her. Hehe. 

Callie and Miles don't get 5 month appointments, so no weight/height updates- although we may check in before their 6 month appointment because something still doesn't seem quite right about Miles' breathing patterns..... but he is eating, pooping and screaming just fine, so no doctor is worried about him. We have appointments in January for well checks after little guy has a cardio and urology appointment on winter break... fun. Then a urology surgery scheduled for February for the poor guy. They were so worried about his breathing and respiratory system catching up when he was in the NICU, they didn't snip him. Sooo the deal is, we have to wait until he is six months old, check with cardio and urology again and he has to sleep with anesthesia. So wish him well....wish momma well, and basically anyone who will be around him after all that. 

Speaking of winter break...we have ONE full week left of school before break and I am counting down the minutes. I have big plans... well I have plans. Day one, deep clean this house! I am super great at keeping things put away and pretty awesome about laundry and dishes- all of that is always done. I need a day to wipe down baseboards, mop floors and basically clean the walls of this house! So my big plans consists of cleaning so much and loving it. I am also toying with the idea of switching out car seats. The babies meet the weight requirement, and their little legs are starting to grow out of their infant seats. Ugh, why do they have to grow up?!?! Before changing out seats though- I am super excited to plan a "detail the car" day too. More cleaning!! I actually do love cleaning and the satisfaction you get from living in that clean space. 
School has been successfully crazy busy, between making blankets for Project Linus, making chocolate suckers to sell to the school and coaching girls basketball.... I think everyone is ready for the break! :) 

  

🎃October 2019 (4 months)🎃

Ohhhh these babies!! They are awesome. 

(and yes, they are twins)

They got their 4 month shots on Monday, and although we may have traumatized Callie, Miles handled it like nothing happened. :) Callie weighs 14lbs, 5 oz. Miles weighs 16 lbs even! Miles is just a half inch taller than Callie at 24 and 1/2 inches. 

We totally rocked October and I'd be happy to let it last forever. 

Callie and Miles are the most fun right now! Laughing and smiling and all those giggles. Still slightly missing sleep, but being busy helps! 

Lucy is super fun too, because she can take care of herself and all of us too! She just told us that she, "is so interactive and helpful!" So who wouldn't want her around?!? 

Ms Kelly took our pictures on Sunday and of course they are gorgeous! We are in love with the couple that we've seen and are so excited to see more. I mean...that hat, right??

We are very much looking forward to the holiday season and getting these babies all festive and Lucy gladly buys into all the fun! 

We are living it up because we know they grow fast and every first of Callie and Miles' is the last first we will have! We are totally okay with having our last babies....but also, there will be zero regrets. It's clear that we pack our days full of experiences and memory making! Time may pass quickly, but we are using every moment. 

 Just think about this- about a year ago (Nov 14) we were thawing and transferring two frozen embryos with the high hopes of them "sticking." The couple of days after the transfer were wild and the two weeks were hard to wait through. But then when we found out we were pregnant....nothing compares. 
As my close friend Amy reminded me...there was a time when we weren't sure there would be a baby Bratcher--- and now, three!!!! So many emotions and joy is at the top! <3 

If you ever think that perhaps I take too many pictures, just consider the story! :) 

We continued to have the BEST support system and our friends and family are the greatest! Thank you, always, to the people that are on our team and Thinking Positive with us! That's how we got here!

🕶❤️A three year old and 3 month olds!

She's three!! 

This rock star big sis is crushin' it. She continues to live her best toddler life and also finds the time to explain life to mom and dad while singing Daniel Tiger life skill songs. It's always fun to be greeted with a song in the middle of life's more hectic moments. She is also super into "playing" preschool at home and teaching us how to count and dance- she's got 'leadership' skills...At this exact moment, she's currently counting down her bana slices, "If one got ate'd, how many are left? TWO banas left!"  She will never not ask you what you are drinking and if you are looking. We still cannot tell her about anything a moment in advance, because she thinks she's going to make it happen now. She says, "Momma, I love you!!" more times than I can keep track of. She occasionally tries to steal my phone so she can use the camera as a mirror and say words like water (waaater, wawawaterrrr, wateeeeerrrr) in her silliest voice. It's a hoot.
    She had a blast at her big girl birthday party- which I purposely planned on having out of the house since I new I would be juggling the babies too- it worked out perfectly! Her friends and my friends bounced and ran around until the were tuckered out! She was eternally grateful for the many bath bombs and sweet presents. She is still super pumped to pick out a bath bomb each night and just be so fancy.

These babies....

It is so cliche to say, "They grow up so fast..." but guys, ugh, they look and act completely different than just a few weeks ago. They are three months old and we will have to wait until their appointment in November to see how heavy they are because, man, they can eat! 

They are barely fitting into their 3 months clothes, we're moving on up to 3-6 and 6 month size. They are sleeping longer and making noises that aren't crying. Miles has the sweetest little giggle and Callie is sleeping through the night!  Miles is more of an instant gratification kinda kid and Callie can wait patiently, most days. He naps well and she does too(if you're holding her.) When I was pregnant with them, I told myself I wouldn't dress them alike. HAHA! Look at me now. They are just too cute to not match- and if you know me well, you know my obsession with color coordination. 

Thank goodness for my people!! Friends have provided more meals as I headed back to school and things got harder. My friends sent meals my way through delivery and even came over to hang with the kiddos so Matt and I could use a meal gift card sent by my sweet, sweet aunt. We have a village and this village is continuously helping us. Thank you to everyone who holds babies, visits, texts, sends meals or those positive vibes!! You are very much appreciated! <3

Fall Break is rocking my socks off and I love it so much. We've used the first week to have a little fun and this weekend and next week are about to be incredible! 

🎂🎈September!🍍💦

     

     It's September! That means Miles and Callie are almost 2 months old, Lucy is basically 3 and I have to go back to school. There's a lot going on over here. 

     Let's start with the babies. They are eating as well as ever, growing strong. Callie is weighing in at 10lbs 6 oz and Miles is up to 11lbs 5 oz. He's 22 inches and she is 21. Miles has grown out of newborn size clothes and Callie is right behind him. Although her weight matches the 3 months guidelines, she's not quite as solid as her brother. They also got their first shots today and oh, does it break your heart when they cry because it hurts. 
They are sleeping better!! They only wake up twice a night-  well Miles does.... Callie just wakes up once, pretty early. They are sleeping in their own cribs and in their room. They are now both equally vocal, although Miles is more urgent when it comes to eating. Callie can definitely match his pipes when she's feeling neglected. They really love being held...all the time...so if you have held them for me- you rock. I have a habit of trying to get stuff done and well,  I just run out of hands, ha! They are currently in 'leap one,' according to WonderWeeks. Leap one is described as, "Especially challenging for your baby because this is the first leap. They just got used to their world outside the womb and suddenly, their world changes dramatically. They need you. Note the following signals; cries without a normal reason, only quiet when they are with you, suddenly wants much more physical contact, wants to breastfeed much more often." Sooo there's that. 
     They are noticing and following people and things now, and they know who their momma is! They sleep while Lucy and I play, they love being carried around in the Wee-Go and they tolerate their car seats pretty well. They've been on their first road trip, and they rocked it! 

     Now for Lucy...this girl. So you hear about the terrible twos- now that she's almost three... I miss twos! Haha! She is as independent as ever, she knows what she wants and what she doesn't and is not afraid to be vocal about it. She is frustrating and adorable and funny and a smarty pants (in a good and bad way!) She is almost three, and thinks she runs the world. So, we are having a fun time explaining that she is not in charge of the world and although we love her, we don't appreciate having a tiny dictator trying to rule us. Her favorite day ever is preschool day and her favorite color is all the colors of the rainbow, except the days it is pink or yellow. She can buckle her seatbelt and often chooses to sleep on the wrong end of her bed. She still reprends (pretends) she has friends that don't exist and they still hang out at "Mingo-tech-toe" when they get together. She's got her second dentist appointment coming up as she's chipped her tooth last week.  She is still taking 2 hour naps and that has made our summer amazing! She's fully potty trained and can even refill the toilet paper correctly (although sometimes she takes a little extra to get the the 'telescope' in the middle.) So Lucy is still awesome, but man- she needs limits and consistency because being three comes with a lot of growing and learning. 

     As for me, I am nervous about going back to school. I'm going to have my first day 5 weeks after everyone else. I am excited, of course. I am thankful that I was able to stay home with all three kiddos for 5 extra weeks of summer vacation. We truly lived each day, each moment to the fullest. We didn't waste a second. I think I've kept my stamina up and my energy will allow me to return to a scheduled work life without getting worn out. Heck, I might even feel like school is a vacation! I am feeling fine and my doctor has cleared me, of course. Get this, from my 36 week appointment to my 6 week check in, I lost 34 pounds- isn't that crazy. Get this, from my 36 week appointment to my 6 week check in, I lost 34 pounds- isn't that crazy. 
Am I ready? Thats a heavy question... Physically, yep. Emotionally, eh. I have only done slight research on all the other countries that get a year of maternity leave and how to move to them..... I am sad I won't be able to get a vanilla coke from Zesto whenever I want. I also need to figure out what time to get moving between babies waking up and having to pump before school. Mostly, I am nervous to figure out a pumping schedule at school too. I am interested to see how the new building is working out and how I fit in the puzzle of this school year.