It was a rough week, but we're recovering now!

Well, last week was a rough one. Maddox got really sick last Sunday, and it has kind of lingered on even up until now. Then Brent got some kind of stomach bug on Wednesday and is still not feeling well. Maddox has been super fussy and clingy and I had been doing everything by myself because I didn't want Brent to get near them. Also the babies are still not sleeping through the night, and I was trying to let them set their own schedule. So a typical night had begun to look like this: Put the babies down for bed around 8:30, Addison would get up at 2:30, Maddox would get up at 4, Addison would get up at 5:30, Maddox would get up at 6:30, Addison would get up at 7:15, Maddox would be up by 8! Sounds fun, doesn't it? Needless to say the sleep deprivation had been getting to me, and I had just started feeling overwhelmed. Then on Friday night Jenny and Carrie (Conway small group girls) called and said they wanted to come down and keep the babies while Brent and I did something. That was exactly what I needed. Since they are both mothers, I asked their advice and they really helped. Since then we have turned a new page! Friday night the babies went to bed by 9, and Brent got up with them at 3:30 and then I was up with them by 7:15. Saturday night they went to bed at 8:30 and slept until 5:30!!! Yes, that is 9 hours straight! Then they were up by 8:30. Last night they were in bed by 8:15 and woke up at 4:15 (8 hours) and then were up by 8:15. I feel like a new woman. So I'm going to hold them to this new schedule since I know they are capable of it. But here are some recent pics and a video of Maddox giggling! They are growing up so fast and are just so precious.

Maddox James

Maddox and Addison turned 3 months old on April 14th. Maddox is my cuddle bug. If he had it his way he would be held 24 hours of the day. Thankfully his sister seems to be understanding of this. :) He loves to eat. It's hard to believe he started out at 5 pounds, 5 ounces and today he weighs 12 pounds, 10 ounces! Even though he was 6 weeks premature, he has about outgrown his 3 months clothes. He's very smiley and is trying really hard to talk these days. One of the funny things he does is if he starts crying while he's not being held and you go to pick him up, his lip will quiver while you are getting him from wherever he is to yourself (very dramatic!) He (and Addison) love hanging out on the changing table. I have hung these little toys from their mirror, and they love looking at them and trying to talk to them. Maddox also loves the swing, but he's not that into the bouncy seat. He likes floor time but does not like tummy time. He loves it when I sing "Silent Night" or any made up song that is in a high pitch. He also likes it when I play and sing a silly version of "The Hokey Pokey." One of the cutest things he does is snuggle up to his "lovey" (lion blankie, see above picture). He reached a major milestone last night-- he slept 7 hours!!! So I am hoping for more of that. I love this little man so much!

Addison Blakely

Addison is already Miss Independent. There are many times when she'll be crying or upset and if I just lay her down she's fine. She has the sweetest smile and looks at me with the most adoring eyes. She already has the most beautiful eyelashes, and she is my little princess. She doesn't eat quite as much as her brother, and it shows by her little body. She is definitely still wearing her 0-3 months clothes and probably will be for a little while longer. She weighed 4 pounds, 6 ounces when she was born and today she weighs 10 pounds, 3 ounces. She could spend at least 10 minutes (which is a lot for any one activity) lying on the changing table and smiling at me (or whoever for that matter) and looking at her little toys. She also loves hanging out in her bouncy seat. She's not that into the swing. She likes her floor mat, and she bats at the toys hanging down. She, like her brother, does not like tummy time. She likes it when I sing "You Are My Sunshine", and she loves patty cake. The funniest thing she does right now is right before she sneezes she lets out a loud WAH and you think she's going to start crying. It's hilarious! I love my sweet girl so much! I can't wait to see what the next 3 months hold.

Happy Easter!

Addi with Brent's mom

Makes my heart melt!

Our new family
Everyone (except Brent)
All the girls and two boys

We had a great Easter this year with the 3 new additions to the Tapson family. We went to church with Brent's parents then had lunch and a Easter egg hunt with my family. Notice that Brent is missing from the big family picture. That's because he had tickets to the NCAA tournament and he had to leave before everyone got there.

The Greatest Thing Ever!

Maddox always does this with his hands. We say he's praising the Lord!
Maddox looked so cute in this shirt. This is one of daddy's favorite pictures.
Addison always does the cutest things with her hands when is sleeping. She is just precious!

Another cute picture of Addi!
This was taken at Mimi and Pops (great grandparents) house.

I had been getting little grins at random times from the babies, but Brent did not believe me. On Monday my mom came over and she really got Maddox going, so I ran and caught it on the video part of my digital camera (that's why the picture is kind of dark). Brent was so jealous he wasn't here! :) (Note: The smiling part occurs within the first 40 seconds or so.)

Meet Preston and More Pics of the Babies

Maddox's and Addison's cousin was born 3 weeks after they were. Here is a picture of the cutie (top pic)! Here are also some newer pictures of the babies. They turned 8 weeks old on Monday and are doing great. They have started sleeping for one 5 hour stretch at night. That has been really good, and I feel like I finally have a feeding system down. It is now under 1 hour! They are just precious and so much fun.

Hands

The babies do the cutest things with their hands. I love it! Here are some pictures I have taken.

First Photo Shoot

My talented photographer friend, Jen Harrell (http://www.jharrellphotography.blogspot.com/), came over a week or so ago and took some pictures of the babies. It was a crazy night, but somehow she managed to get some great pics despite the temperament of the babies (particularly Maddox). But I have to say she had the perfect subjects to photograph! :)

A glimpse of our new life!

This was after our first venture out with the babies. Thankfully this began happening on the car ride home, and this video clip occurred moments before we were able to feed them and calm them down. It's funny because one would cry and then the other would start. Very rarely are they both crying at the same time.

We're home!

We got to come home on Tuesday. The babies and I had been in the hospital for 15 days. I feel so fortunate that I was able to be with them the whole time. I couldn't even imagine going home without them. They are doing great! We had our first doctor's appointment on Friday. Addison weighs 4 pounds 11 ounces, and Maddox weighs 5 pounds 4 ounces. They are both up from what they were when we left the hospital. We are having a great time loving on our babies!