New Pics

New Pics of the boys from the last few days. They are getting bigger every day!  Pic #1 is Alex in his outfit- I love dressing them up in their little clothes every day. #2 is a family shot- I am holding Alex and Jason is holding Jackson. #3 is Mommy and Alex. #4 is Jackson smiling at us. #5 is Grandpa holding Jackson.

The Brothers Bickler- Week 2

This week has been interesting, fun, challenging and amazing all at the same time. The boys have been doing great, and both parents and grandparents are all tired but still having a great time! We would all trade sleep for time with these guys any day. As worn out as we are, we still have many laughs at 3 a.m. when they do something so random and funny. There is definitely a LOT of laughter happening at the house lately, all hours of the day. Nobody ever told us having kids would be so hysterical!

Some firsts this week-

Both boys have begun to focus their eyes better, so they actually look like they are seeing you when they look at you. 

They now weigh 6 pounds 5 oz.s each. They have been given another clean bill of health from the Dr. 

Uncle Jack came to visit, and Aunt Joanna has been spending lots of time here too!!!

We are anxiously anticipating the upcoming visitors. Grandma and Grandpa Bickler are coming in to town very soon, along with Aunt Jeanne (Uncle Jim) and Aunt Julie (Uncle Stu). 

I have some videos to upload, but can't figure out how to do that yet. Jason is out of town for business, but when he gets home, I will have him explain it to me. It's a new camera, so we are both trying to figure it out right now. 

Hope all is well with everyone! 

Sleep, Sleep and more Sleep

This week has been another week of discovery. Our little guys had their first Dr. appointments and they passed with a clean bill of health. They are growing steadily and are sticking to their schedule (mom is VERY concerned about schedules!!). They did get their first shot which made me cry in the office when I saw the Dr. put it in their little legs. That was not a fun moment for me, but Dr. Taylor said that it is perfectly normal and that all new mom's react that way. I still think it is the hormones :)

The boys also had their newborn pictures taken. I am in the process of sending out birth announcements and we thought it would be cute to do photo cards for everyone. They were such pro's during the session! I was a stress case, taking them out of the house for the first time (other than the Dr office). Even though I had 2 extra very capable helping hands in my parents there, I was a mess. I was exhausted by the time we got home, but it was all worth it. We got great pics and you will all be seeing them shortly.

I am including some of the latest pics from this week. They really like to nap, so most of these are of them sleeping! Till next week!

One week old today!!

Happy 1 Week Birthday to Jackson and Alex!!!

This week has been the best week of our lives. They are so much fun to have around the house and provided Jason and I a ton of laughs. Just this week, a bunch of new firsts happened. 

- First car ride- They didn't even know they were in the car. They slept the whole way. 

- First days home- They really settled into a every three hour feeding routine and sleep regularly.

-First time in their new cribs/ various pieces of baby gear- They readily sleep in pretty much whatever we put them in. We have them napping in their pack and play during the day downstairs with us. Once in a while they fall asleep in their bouncers which is great. We have some tricks we save up our sleeves for fussiness, and we have only had to pull out the heavy artillery one time. Our heaviest weapon is the swing, and they have only had to use it once to calm down. It is our when all else fails trick.

-First (sponge) bath- HATED IT!! They cried like we were killing them the whole time. It was so crazy. 

Now, us parents have had our fair share of firsts this week. 

- Getting Peed on or pooped on during changing them. Dad has gotten this admittedly more then mom, but I got peed on during both of their baths.

- First smiles, facial expressions etc.- They change so much on a daily basis that it has been the best to watch their little personalities emerge more and more.

I am committed to keeping up this blog every other day and will continue to post pics in this location. I will let you know when I have updated, and that way the redundancy of getting pics via email and this source is eliminated. 

We hope all is well, and hope you all understand if we haven't exactly been in constant touch. Life is a bit crazy right now, and the day just gets away from us before we know it. We love you all!!

They're Here!!!

Our babies have decided to make an entrance into the world! Most of you know this already, but I thought I could post some pics and let you know how we are doing.

Jackson Joseph and Alexander James Bickler were born on August 8. They weighed 5 pounds 13 oz. 

They made it known that it was time to meet them, when on Saturday I felt massive back pain and thought it probably a good idea to see if it was them trying to crawl out of my belly.

Well, yes, and after a few hours of Labor and Delivery we were the proud parents to the cutest babies I have ever seen (of course I am biased).

Now we are home after a 5 day stay in the hospital. We are happy to be settled in and looking forward to many sleepless nights to come. Grandma and Grandpa Palermo have come to town to help mommy and daddy get acclimated and to allow us some sleep! We have begun to work out a system and although we have twins, sometimes it feels like we can handle all that comes our way. Mom P and Dad P have taken to cooking meals for us, cleaning the house, running errands (there are all of a sudden a lot of errands to be run every day as we get the hang of what they need) and alternating feedings with Jason and I at night. They love being first time grandparents. We are looking forward to seeing the Grandma and Grandpa Bickler very soon and we know they will also be the best grandparents any little boy and girl could ever want. I have seen them in action- they are tough to beat!! :)

 Also, Jason has taken to fatherhood as a fish takes to water. He is up changing them, feeding them, holding them all the time. We almost have to battle for time because he is so involved.  He has mastered the swaddle, and wraps them up like a pro.  He is still a quicker diaper changer then I am...which bodes well for him because both of the boys HATE to be changed. They cry like someone is trying to murder them!

He knows his soothing techniques and relishes the opportunity to pick them up and "shoosh" them when they are fussy. He (and I) loves every minute of it!!! Even the poopy diapers.

This is truly the best thing that has ever happened to both Jason and I and we couldn't be happier and more in love with these two little people. Everything they do is amazing and they could cry all night, yet I would be so happy to hear the crying because it sounds like music to me. It was a long journey to get here, but now that we are it seems like a miracle. We can't wait for all of our family and friends to meet them!