Tim and Megan

Connor and Grace are ONE!

2010-03-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Please enjoy Connor and Grace's one year pictures! We had lots of fun taking them.

Connor and Grace Playing

2010-03-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

Notice the number of pacifiers Grace is hoarding?

Playing with Daddy's Hat!

2010-02-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

Connor and Grace found Tim's hat and after playing peek-a-boo together, I made them model for pictures.

Peek-a-Boo

2010-02-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

Connor has learned a new game. Grace plays too, but she hides behind furniture and peeks around it, maybe he will teach her how to do it with her hands.

Long Time, No Post... Here You Go

2010-01-12T18:22:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has been awhile since I have updated this thing. Let's just use the babies as an excuse again!! They are both crawling, pulling themselves up on everything including mommy and daddy, we are their favorite jungle gym and have started practicing their first steps. Connor now has 6 teeth and Grace has 2, with 3 more on the way, they have broke through, thank goodness...but are not that long yet.

There is so much more I could write but I am exhausted, time for bed :) I hope you enjoy the videos.

Playing

2009-12-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

Grace

2009-11-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

Crawling Around!

2009-11-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

Connor and Grace have discovered new superhuman abilities this week. (At least that is what they think) They are crawling and lovin' it. They are so proud of themselves and have been extemely busy exploring every crook and cranny they can find. Connor has especially loved crawling underneath the coffee table and exersaucer. Grace has been chasing the dogs. She loves her puppies.

Grace Playing in a Box

2009-11-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

Connor carving pumpkins!

2009-11-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

7 months

2009-10-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

The babies are now 7 months and we just had their 6 month pictures taken. Boy have they grown fast. They are both sitting up and attempting crawling. Connor gets up on all four's and rocks back and forth but only ends up moving backwards. He also has 2 teeth coming in, yikes. We think Grace will pull up to standing before she starts crawling she loves to stand up. She is working on getting up on all four's but can't figure out how to get both knees underneath her. No teeth for her yet. They are also doing better at sleeping, Grace slept through the night three times this week, Connor none, but at least only one of us had to get up. We are not used to getting this much sleep, it seems to be making us more tired. I have been a bad blogger lately and will try to post more soon.

OH-IO

2009-09-06T10:44:00.001-07:00

The babies enjoyed their first Ohio State football game, although, Connor slept through most of it. They were very excited about their OH-IO fan shirts. Thanks, Melissa for the awesome gift.

Food Faces!

2009-08-28T18:23:00.001-07:00

We have a turd!!!!

2009-08-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

That was the exclamation I heard through the baby monitor the other day while Tim was changing Connor's diaper. Of course, I had to run in and check it out and there was in fact a little turd in his diaper. Has he graduated from the soft runny poop stage??? For all of you wondering, I did not take a picture. It took a some restraint, but I decided a simple documentation in the baby book would suffice. And while we have a solid turd in one diaper, we are still getting runny poop in the other, in fact, princess Grace blew out of her diaper everyday this week. She came home from day care in a new change of clothes everyday and even came home in Connor's clothes one day because we forgot to put another outfit in the bag for her, as seen in the picture above. Who would have thought she would have that many blow outs.

Enough about my favorite subject! The babies are doing great and slept through the night last night :), Yeah, can we get another please? Grace made it to 4:30 and Connor made it to 6:30. Tim and I both woke up to our alarms at 6:00 and were shocked and a little scared that we hadn't heard from Connor yet. I went in right away to make sure he was still breathing, all was good.

New Cousins

2009-08-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since my last post, I apologize to all of those who keep checking back. The last of the nephews were born in the last 3 weeks. My sister Marcy, had Colin (7.15 lbs) and Carter (7.3 lbs) on July 29 and my other sister, Courtney had Parker (10.7 lbs) on August 17. All of the boys were big and healthy. Tim and I made our last road trip for the summer up to Ohio to see everyone, unfortunately, we did not get to meet Parker. He decided to say hi to the world the day after we got home, little stinker. Connor and Grace got to meet their cousins Rollie, Lane and Brooklyn, as well as their great-grandma and several other family members. Grace had a great trip, while Connor developed a stomach virus before we left and therefore puked the entire week. What happened to the vacations where you used to relax and catch up on sleep? Oh yeah, that was before kids. Tim and I struggled with lack of sleep and were at each other's throats most of the week. We lovingly joked that if our nights continued to be that sleepless we may need to find lawyers :) All is well now, we are home, I started back to work and the babies are doing good, still no sleeping through the night, anyone have any tricks?

First Baseball Game - Rangers vs Mariners

2009-08-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

We took the babies to their first baseball game Saturday night! We only made it to the sixth inning, but we still had lots of fun. Grace smiled the entire night and Connor did his zoned out stare because of course he hadn't napped much that day!

Suuuppper Grace!

2009-08-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

No longer hungry, Grace found a new way to wear her bib!

Play Time!

2009-07-26T18:02:00.001-07:00

Somebody found her feet!

Connor loving the exersaucer!

The Clean Plater!

2009-07-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yummy!

2009-07-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

4 Month Updates

2009-07-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

We are a little late with our 4 month updates due to our extended trip to Georgia. The babies went for their 4 month check up today and we are happy to say that they are both doing great. They are both in the 20th percentile for weight with Connor at 14.14 and Grace at 13.8, they are also both in the 70th percentile for height with Connor at 25.75 and Grace at 25.25. They also measured their head circumference and although it looks much bigger than Grace's, Connor's head is only a half inch bigger at 16.5 inches. I did ask about his flat head, the doctor said not to worry that it will round out on its own, but that we should limit his time on his back. That shouldn't be to much of a problem since he has recently decided that he preferes to sleep on his tummy. We got the go ahead to start cereal, although we went ahead and gave them a taste last night. Grace seemed to like it a lot more than Connor, but of course he didn't take any good naps yesterday so that could've had something to do with his grumpiness. I will get a video posted soon with them enjoying their new food!

Margaritaville!

2009-07-21T16:18:00.000-07:00

What do you get at a mexican restaurant at 4:30 in the afternoon on a Tuesday? Drunk grannies that love babies! Tim and I had an early dinner after our drive from Georgia and stopped in to Chuy's, the new mexican restaurant by our house, we were bombarded by grandparents grabbing Connor and Grace's feet and trying to get them to smile. Of course the "ham", Connor, was all smiles and loving the attention. What was supposed to be a quick dinner turned into a babling conversation between 80 year old grandparents and 4 month old babies!

Connor's New Trick

2009-07-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome Lily and Brady

2009-07-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

Connor and Grace got new cousins July 3! Lily and Brady are both doing great and we can't believe that our babies were once about that small.

WTF...!

2009-06-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

Connor was shocked by the sound that came from his diaper!

He is getting to be such a big boy, today he rolled over from his back to his belly. If you recall from earlier posts he rolled from belly to back at 3 weeks of age.

First Play Date

2009-06-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

Clair came over yesterday to play with Connor and Grace! They had fun watching her crawl around and play.

Crazy Hair!

2009-06-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

Our kids have the craziest hair! Connor's is always crazy, but today Grace had an especially "cool" do. I took the babies on a stroller workout today with a group of other women and Grace got really sweaty, I ran my fingers through her hair and when it dried, she had a fun new do!

Grace talking with her mouth full!

2009-06-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

Connor talking!

2009-06-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

First Time Swimming

2009-06-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

We took the babies swimming for the first time last week. They weren't sure about the water at first, but once they got used to it, they liked it. Connor has already figured out how to float. They both looked cute in their bathing suits. Thanks for sending the bikini grandma!

3 months

2009-05-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

The babies and us have survived the first 3 months. We are all doing great, they are almost sleeping through the night. We are down to one nightime feeding and it usually occurs around 4:00, they should be sleeping through the night any day now. Grandpa came to visit Memorial day weekend and took lots of great pictures. We thought we would share a few...

New Family Car

2009-05-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

We did it! We bought a new family car to fit the whole family, including the dogs.

Connor likes it too!

10 Weeks

2009-05-13T18:47:00.001-07:00

Mystery Poo!

2009-05-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

We have noticed that the house has started smelling like baby poo, not just the diaper champ anymore. At first Tim thought one of the dogs pooped in the house but upon further investigation he noticed it was in fact coming from the diaper champ. Note, don't put the diaper pail next to the air intake vent of the air conditioner.

2 month updates

2009-05-09T13:07:00.001-07:00

The babies are now 9 weeks old, boy does time fly. They had their 2 month wellness check on Wednesday. Connor has surpased his sister, he currently weighs 10 lbs 4 oz and Grace is 10 lb 3 oz. They are both 22 3/4 inches and have a head circumference of 14 cm. We thought for sure Connor's head would measure bigger, it is just shaped different. (Like his grandpa's!)

They are both smiling back at us now and laughing. It is getting more and more fun to play with them. They started day care a week and a half ago, things seem to be going good. Everyone loves Connor of course because of his many facial expressions.

The Bumbo Chair

2009-04-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

We introduced the bumbo chair today! Grace loved it and Connor was not so sure. It could have something to do with the fact that he stayed up until 1:00 a.m. again!

The Diaper Champ

2009-04-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

For anyone with babies on the way or who has babies and needs a great way to dispose of diapers, I recommend the Diaper Champ over the Diaper Genie any day. You simply toss the used diaper into the hole at the top and then flip it, the diaper falls down into an air tight receptacle containing a kitchen trash bag. It is much easier than dealing with the diaper sausages that come out of the diaper genie. Only recently have a found a flaw in its design, and I am pretty sure it has to do with the user and not the piece of equipment. Recently the flipper has been getting stuck and I have struggled to get it to flip and when it does I have noticed streaks of poop in the diaper "catcher." At first I was getting frustrated with the diaper champ and then I discovered the real problem... Tim is terrified of getting poop on him and in an effort to dispose of poopy diapers as quickly as possible he is not correctly wrapping the diaper into the tight little poop containing package, he doesn't even want to touch the thing, so he quickly tosses and flips the diaper. Meanwhile the diaper is getting stuck in the shoot and smearing poop along the sides and I have to come along and clean the thing up. I threatened that he will change diapers in the future if this practice continues. Needless to say, Tim is not a Diaper Champ!

Aunt Marcy and Courtney Visit

2009-04-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Our last round of visitors have come and gone. Aunt Marcy and Aunt Courtney flew in for a long weekend to see Connor and Grace. I don't think I changed a diaper the entire time they were here. Marcy is already a pro at changing diapers and Courtney was getting lots of practice for her upcoming arrival of Parker in August. Grace gave her a big scare when she had explosive poop in her diaper. Courtney jumped so high she almost dropped her, it was funny. Speaking of poop, (like always) Connor made all of us laugh when he pooped and peed in Daddy's truck while we were changing him. He made mommy laugh so hard she almost peed in Daddy's truck too. The smell should be great this summer!

Along with all of the help and laughs, Aunt Marcy informed us that there are other types of pacifiers in this world. In previous posts, you will recall the trouble we have had getting Connor to sleep, a lot had to do with the fact that he could not keep a pacifier in his mouth to save his life. He reminded us of Maggie Simpson the way he handled that thing except that after about 3-5 sucks it would come flying out of his mouth. Tim and I would take turns at night holding it in his mouth. I recall holding it in there for over an hour one night before handing the reigns over to Tim. When Marcy arrived and witnessed his pacifier problems she asked if we had tried a different shaped pacifier. I was shocked and excited to find out that there were different types of pacifiers out there. We rushed to Target and bought him a new pacifier and life has been good since. Thank you Aunt Marcy, we will be forever grateful for the amount of sleep you have given back to us.

Happy Easter Visitors

2009-04-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

The babies had their first Easter and they looked adorable in their little outfits, I can't say the same for the Easter bunny however. They didn't seem to mind though as Grace gazed at his big furry cheeks and Connor slept in his arms. Tim's dad "Grandpa" was in town, he acommpanied us to the country club to see Daddy and the Easter bunny on Easter sunday. He was our photographer for the event.

Granpa came in to visit over his spring break. He was a big help when he wasn't at the Harely dealership :)!! He helped me feed the babies, get them dressed in their Easter outfits, took pictures and rode the Harley to the grocery store when needed. Somehow he managed to escape the diaper changes. I don't blame him, I am sure he did his fair share back in the day. We had lots of fun!

We also had a huge surprise visit from Uncle Joe. He flew in friday morning with his Kroger bag and was standing in the kitchen when we got up that day. I got to be in on the secret, but Tim was shocked. He was thrilled to have his brother visit and see the babies. Uncle Joe bought the babies a swing which Connor and Mom and Dad love. Grace has not taken a liking to it yet, but we are thrilled that it helps put Connor to sleep.

Oh... the things we do for our kids!

2009-04-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

The last two days have found Tim and I doing and not doing some rather unusual things. Yesterday, Connor decided to stay up ALL day, we knew he was going to need a nap before he had a major breakdown which in turn would cause Tim and I to have a breakdown. So in the hopes that he would fall asleep, we took a car adventure across town for dinner. We decided that we would drive until he fell asleep even if it meant we would go through a drive-through for dinner before heading back in time for the next feeding. Luckily, the car did the trick and we enjoyed a nice but quick dinner at an actual restaurant.

Tonight, you will find us sitting/laying on the floor in order not to disturb the little beast that has finally fallen alseep on the couch. How could such a little man take up the entire couch? Oh, the things we do for our kids!!!!

Good Twin - Bad Twin

2009-04-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

Our patience is being tested this week! We have a good twin and a bad twin. Grace our little angel sleeps when she is supposed to and only gets fussy when she has to fart, on the other hand our little "devil" is trying our every nerve. Is it possible for a baby to loose his voice before he has even starting talking? He has decided that he is only happy in the arms of mom, dad or any other individual that will hold him. I thought babies were supposed to sleep a lot, I thought wrong, not All babies sleep alot. I might be finished taking advice from the baby books, they are giving me false expectations.

One month updates and visit from aunts and uncles!

2009-04-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

The babies have passed the one month mark and we are still alive and somewhat functioning. They turn five weeks tomorrow and are already growing so fast. Connor now weighs 8lb 3oz and Grace is 8lb 10 oz. He is gaining on herfast. They each got a shot at the doctor today, I swear the needle was as long as their thighs were thick. The poor things had no idea what was coming until they felt that big old needle in their legs.

They just had a visit from their Aunts Heather and Carrie and Uncles Ben and Tim. It was great to have a break from changing diapers and feeding both babies at the same time. They were all impressed at the amount of poop two little babies could produce. I kindly reminded them that they are "Kotulas."

3 Week Milestones

2009-03-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

It has been 3 weeks since our lives have changed and we can certainly feel it. Tim and I feel like zombies and we are not as talkative as we usually are. I am sure that Tim is thankful for that :) Connor and Grace went to the doctor yesterday for a check up and they are both doing great. They have each gained over a pound and they are both 20 3/4 inches long. Grace still weighs more than Connor, but he is definelty stronger. Tim placed him on his belly tonight for tummy time so that he could practice holding his head up and next thing we knew he was rolling over. At first we thought he did it on accident, but he did it three times. He cried the entire time, but he did it. We have a future athelete growing. Connor has also lost his umbilical cord, we are still waiting on Grace to lose hers so that they can take real baths.

Birth of Connor and Grace

2009-03-21T17:14:00.001-07:00

St. Patty's Day

2009-03-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

No drunk fest this St. Patty's day, unless you can get drunk on formula and breast milk. It was a beautiful day, we dressed the babies in their St. Patty's outfits and sat out back to enjoy the weather.

On Our Own

2009-03-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

Well the help is gone and Tim and I are officially on our own. At least for a few weeks until the next round of visitors arive. My mom left this afternoon, her parting words for us were "patience, patience, patience!" We will definetly need it with the babies and each other. Tim is now on "duty" every night rather than everyother night, plus he will have to go to work. We are looking forward to learning how to do this on our own, but I must admit we are scared too. Double the fun!! Who says having twins is lucky? We are thankful, but it is a lot of work. Don't let the pictures fool you, they aren't always this relaxed! We took these pictures just after a feeding session. They were content with full bellies :)

They're HERE!

2009-03-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

The moment we have been waiting for, the arrival of our beautiful babies! We are very excited to announce that Connor was born at 1:13, weighing 5 lbs, 10 oz and his sister Grace was born at 1:16, weighing 6 lbs, 3oz. We are all home and doing well. So far everything has seemed very sureal, Tim and I can't believe that they are actually here and that we are actually parents. It is fun and scary at the same time.

38 Weeks, Last Belly Picture

2009-03-03T18:27:00.001-08:00

Due to popular demand, we have one last belly picture. I don't realize how much it grows until I see it in a picture. I am very thankful that the babies are coming in two days, I don't know if I can handle my skin stretching any further. It feels so bruised right now. I know that after the c-section it will feel much worse, but I am ready. Wish us luck and a healthy delivery!

Nursery Tour

2009-03-01T15:46:00.001-08:00

We can't believe this is our last sunday as a couple. Next sunday we will be a family. Anyways, we think everything is ready. The car seats are loaded, clothes are washed and the nursery is ready. I attached a short video tour of the babies room for all who would like to see. We are going to place some frames above their beds with their pictures and footprints, but of course we will have to wait until they are here to do that. We are going to take one last belly picture on tuesday where I will be 38 weeks. Stay tuned for the big ol' belly!

March 5 Birthday

2009-02-25T17:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I have not updated in awhile. Here is the news most people have probably been waiting for. Grace has not flipped, she is still breech so we have scheduled a c-section for March 5 at 12:30. We are very excited and of course I am a nervous. I have never had surgery before nor babies for that matter. It will be an adventure. Tim has been able to relax a little knowing that they will be here soon.

We think the house is ready, our bags aren't packed yet and we still need to charge the camera's, but other than that we are ready to go. Both grandma's will be here for the event so that will be fun. They, of course, are very excited and we are looking forward to them being here with us. I will send e-mails once we update again.

Doctor update!

2009-02-11T16:59:00.001-08:00

I am now 35 weeks, and it is sounding like the babies will be here during week 38. I thought I was ready until Tim and I attended a birthing class on Saturday, now I feel like I can deal with the uncomfortableness a little bit longer. We learned a lot and had fun. The next day he told me "if I was you, I would be scared shitless!" That was comforting, but you know him, things don't always come out the way they should. One of the many reasons why I love him.

We went to the doctor today for another check up. Connor is still head down and is measuring 5 lbs, 5 oz and 18 inches long. Grace is still head up and measuring 5 lbs, 10 oz and is 18 1/2 inches long. Chances are most likely that she will stay in this position and we will end up with a c-section. I see my regular doctor next week, I will have more news then about the expected delivery date and how they are "gettin" out.

As you can see my belly is continuing to grow, we measured it last night with a tape measure and it is 44 inches around. I wonder how much bigger it will get? HMMMM!

7 Weeks left to go!

2009-01-28T18:19:00.001-08:00

Went to the doctor today! No news yet, but at this stage in the pregnancy, no news is good news. Everything is progressing like it should. I have not started dilating yet and have had no contractions. Tim and I are definitely ready for their arrival. I am definitely ready to get rid of this big ol' belly. It is amazing how the smallest tasks now seem so exhausting. The title of the blog says 7 weeks left, but we are actually hoping they will come in 5. That will put me at 38 weeks. The doctor agrees that if we make it to 38 weeks we will get them out! Other than the no news, good news bit, all is well in Texas.

New Truck and Dr. Update

2009-01-13T16:44:00.000-08:00

Well along with all of the money we have been spending on the babies, go ahead and add a new car to the bill! I got home from work the other day and Tim was playing with the carseats, I was wondering why until he mentioned that he had gone car shopping that day too. He was concerned about fitting them into his truck and of course he was right, they didn't fit. I tried to convince him to get a family car, but he had to have a truck so that he could transport his other baby if needed, the Harley! He did a good job, the truck is nice, has lots of room and we will all fit. At least the humans, not the dogs. We really wanted a car that would fit them, but they cost a lot more.

I also went to the doctor today. Everything is going great, Grace has changed postion, she is now head up, Connor is still head down. They are both measuring 16 inches long, Conner is 3lbs, 11oz and Grace is 3lbs, 13 oz. They are right on target for healthy babies.

Hello Everyone!

2009-01-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

I decided to start a blog to record news about our family since we live so far away from everyone. I thought this might be easier then sending out e-mails all of the time and it might be more fun. My goal is to keep up with it and post pictures and videos of the babies, we will see what happens once they finally arrive.

So far the pregnancy has gone really well, the babies are healthy and growing. They kick like crazy, the boy more then the girl. I tell Tim that he is going to be a a great soccer player. The picture shows me at 29 weeks pregnant. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and he measured my belly and I am showing like I am 40 weeks pregnant. I wonder how big it will get!

I will post a video soon of the nursery, once I figure out how to get get videos made that are small enough to be posted. We got a new camcorder and I think they need to sell classes to go with it. I will post again after our next doctor appointment which is January 13.