❤️Half a year for Callie and Miles! 🎉

January!! WOo Hoooo! 

We started the year by leaving babies with Gran to take the cousins to Opryland Hotel and dive into the splash park at Sound Waves and it was wonderful! Lucy had the tale end of a cold and generously passed it to the babies. So we got to experience "Babies first cold" when we got home and all the first week of school being back in session- but we survived. :) 

Lucy is still living that preschool life, acting like she's big stuff. She makes the babies laugh so hard and is absolutely a ridiculous three year old. The stuff she says....its so perfectly three. It makes sense most of the time until she forgets to mention the most important parts. She was telling me a story about her cousins playing outside with her and they and they made bodies...they made bodies and laughed.... so, of course I'm  asking what in the world is she taking about. She tells me every detail except CHALK. So when I figure out that piece of the puzzle, everything makes sense. Hehe! Everyone is enjoying or at least tolerating coming to my basketball games on Saturdays. Lucy told me she might play basketball when she gets big. :) 

   Miles and Callie are big stuff now, rolling around, pulling blankets around, Miles is clapping and Callie is yelling Dadadadada. Miles is 19 lbs and 26 in and Callie is 18 lbs and 25 in. Callie has two adorable teeth that you wouldn't even notice when they were coming in. Miles has no teeth but acts like he's teething all the time.... Both babies love to splash, so we will have to take them to the water park next time! Both babies are eating purees, Callie prefers orange foods (pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots).... and Miles prefers whatever you put on a spoon. hahaha! Growing nicely, still terrible sleepers. 

They both checked out fine at their wellness appointment. The nurse did mention that they are big enough that they shouldn't be waking at night- and I laughed. And Mr. Miles has been cleared by his cardiologist to have surgery next month. He still has a PFO, which is a tiny hole between the top two chambers of his heart. It doesn't affect anything and will likely grow together before he is two. We will get it checked again in a few years. He absolutely charmed the nurses and doctors, was extremely well behaved and enjoyed hanging out with momma. The cardiologist also referred us to a pediatric ENT to look into his noisy breathing. She thinks he may have a condition called floppy airway or tracheomalacia. It happens when babies have a weakness in the walls of their windpipe. Generally, babies outgrow it by 12-18 months. It causes loud labored breathing, sometimes throwing up and gets worse with overexcitement or crying.... so the cry-it-out method is out the window, it just gets him worked  up and stresses his body out. So this may be a HUGE factor in the lack of sleep situation. 

     I mean, we've tried a few things...lavender bath soap, lavender lotion, vicks on feet and chest, sound machine, swaddle/no swaddle, swaying, rocking, gripe water, elevating their heads, consistent routine, essential oils in the air and on the baby, cool mist humidifier, benedryl, tylenol (not together of course), crib, bassinet,co-sleeping, rocker, heartbeat baby (plays the sound so baby doesn't feel alone), bottles/no bottles- although sometimes it is impossible for them to go back to sleep without eating....so I'm not sure what else to try. If there are suggestions, please help me. 

Just another night...

A slightly better night...

My best Christmas present.....I took one night off. One glorious night. Lucy had a big girl sleepover with cousins and Matt stayed up all night with babies. I left after bedtime routine and stayed at the new hotel in New Albany on Daisy Summit. My muscles were sore when I woke up from staying so still, I slept that hard. I recommend it to every single momma. Take a night off. I was a much more pleasant person when I got back in the morning and when I start missing sleep, I just think about that night. Ha! That hotel is so nice too! I bet there were about four people there and it's brand new so everything was shiny and sparkly! 

So if there are any suggestions other than take a night off, I'm all ears.

Pictures to prove the babies doooo get tired too! They get it! 

❄️🎄🤶🏼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!