We can't believe another week has gone by!!

Wow!! Time sure flies when you're having fun. We are finally settling into some sort of a rhythm in the Leman household. Things have continued to progress well since our last post. Sorry it's been so long - we seem to be a little busy with our two little boys. Both boys are growing like crazy - it's amazing how quickly they change and how different it feels when we pick them up. Kyle actually feels heavy when we lift him. Both boys have lost their cord stumps and their circumcisions have healed, making diaper changes much quicker and easier. Both are eating well and their ability to latch onto the bottle has made feeding easier, although they still like to lounge over a meal once and a while:).

Daddy had to go back to work on Monday, which was harder for Mom and Dad than it was for the boys, although Mommy can tell that they miss Daddy, and they really listen carefully to his voice and are calmed easily by it when he gets home. The part that Daddy did enjoy about going back to work was talking about and showing off pictures of his new boys(what a proud papa)!! We know that deep down, he would rather be home with them, but we have to buy diapers and formula somehow, and the money tree that we planted in the back yard isn't producing anything yet. We'll let you know when that happens:).

Nights seem to be going a little better. The last two nights, Brock and Kyle have had 2 Four hour stretches between feedings, which feels like a long time to Mommy and Daddy!! Yea Brock and Kyle!! If you want to hear some funny stories about our delusional nighttime experiences, let us know next time we talk to you. Those are better off told in person or over the phone. Amazing, the tricks your mind plays in the middle of the night when running on no sleep.

We were able to get some good shots of the boys tonight- hope you can tell how much they've grown and how content they are. WE LOVE OUR LITTLE BOYS!!!!!

Brock is the bright-eyed boy in all of these pictures. Kyle was worn out from the fun of the evening. We tried to be creative with these shots, but neither Mommy or Daddy have much of that creative touch. Enjoy!!

How long does it take 12 day old boys to eat??

Eating is a big event in our household. Food has always been a favorite thing for both Rob and Marla, but lately, mealtime at the Leman household is an almost continual event. For those of you who haven't fed 12 day old boys lately, let us fill you in on how the feeding schedule works for us. First, Brock wakes up and stretches his arms and gives us a big yawn. Then, he starts telling us he is hungry by wimpering slightly. As his wimperings get a little stronger, we start getting a bottle ready for him (even if mommy feeds the boys, we still supplement them with formula). By the time his bottle is ready or Mommy has her things together to nurse him, he is demanding to be fed. Mommy and Daddy rush to pick him up and cuddle him so that he is just asking again, not demanding. Whether Mommy or Daddy feeds him, he eats ferociously at first, then drifts into a milk induced coma, gently filling his belly. Now Kyle is starting to stretch..and the same process begins for eater #2. Sometimes the order is reversed, depending on who got the fullest at the last feeding. After Brock is half-way done he has to be burped, so Mommy or Daddy will pick him up and place him over their shoulder and gently tap his back until he burps (normally, it is pretty polite, but not always). By now Kyle is starting to eat. He also starts out very robustly, and is downing a lot of milk, but then he starts to choke and eases up a little. By now it has been about 20-30 minutes since eater #1 started. Now Brock - remember he was burping - will start his second portion of his meal, and he will look at Mommy or Daddy, then he will start to fall deeply into his milk induced coma. This requires intervention by Mommy or Daddy, otherwise feeding would last forever and they would never get any sleep!! Intervention for both boys is typically a diaper change, and boy is this effective!! In case anyone is keeping track of time, at least 45 minutes have now passed. After Brock has been changed and awakened, phase 2 of feeding time is resumed, and for those of you wondering about Kyle, he is now burping. After phase 2 for the baby that Mommy is feeding, supplementation, or phase 3 begins. This includes a formula bottle being coaxed into the mouth and more "wake you up" interventions. We love the feeding process, but sometimes wonder if our little 7 course eaters will always be so time consuming to feed.

Today we found out that all of our hard work at keeping their bellies full is paying off. We went to the doctor's for a weight check and both boys have surpassed their birth weight. According to Dr. Toohill, this is the goal for a 2 week old baby, and she was very pleased with their progress. Kyle weighed in at 6lb 7oz, and Brock was 4lb 14oz. If we stay on this course, we may be able to move out of our premie clothes within a month.

For those of you who are needing a picture fix--you know who you are. Brock is wide awake and Kyle is sound asleep.

Another "new" addition

Hello again,

You are probably wondering whatever would we be adding on at this point in time. Well, below is a picture of our much needed finally arrived (due to our procrastination) ROCKING CHAIR!! WOOHOO!!! Thanks to Martin's Home Furniture we can now call our nursery complete since we also purchased our cribs (shown in previous posts) there, too. We love Martin's Home Furniture (thanks Brad and Tom)...

The boys are modeling the comfort of the new chair and for those of you who have been counting this is finally a great picture of Brock, while the comfort of the chair was too much for Kyle.

We also experience our first bath time! It was fun for the parents but not so fun for the boys! Here are a couple of photos of Brock (since Kyle got his video taped) for your viewing pleasure- we just can't get everything done on both boys...we are not playing favorites of any kind here!!

We just realized today we don't have any photos of the the four of us. So Grandpa remedied this by taking a couple of shots of the Leman family this evening. As you look at the pictures below, you have to notice two things, one is that the smaller Leman's are much cuter than the older Leman's and the second observation is that both of the older Leman's look like they are getting more and more hours of well deserved sleep. The boys are doing great and mom is getting along well. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers. (we can also see where the boys get their great looks from and it isn't from their father)...

The score is changing...thank goodness

Well, after the first several nights at home, everything seems to have changed for the better. The boys are starting to feel more secure, and a little formula supplementation has gone a long, long way!!! Sorry we haven't updated but we are a little busy... Brock ended up having jaundice also, and with that came another billi blanket. He started on the blanket yesterday afternoon, and today the nurse drew both boys blood at 2:00PM. By 5:00PM we heard the news that both bilirubin levels have gone back to normal, and we have no more blankets!! Thanks for your prayers, they definitely worked. Both the nurse at the doctor's office and the home health nurse said that they have never heard of the levels dropping this quickly! No blankets makes feeding and diapering much easier, although with two it still consumes the majority of the day. We have had several good 3 hour stretches of sleep last night and feel more rested. Marla is still sore but moving around better every day.

Grandma and grandpa Martin and grandma Leman have been a wonderful support team along with Kara and Ruth. Thanks for all your help...we don't know if we would have survived the first few days without you, literally  We know many others have offered to help, and don't worry---we will be taking you up on the offers very soon.

Here are some more pictures of our handsome boys and as you can see they are filling out slowly but surely. We find ourselves watching them grow and love seeing their facial expressions. It sounds very crazy, but we honestly don't know what we would do with only one baby boy!!

 This is a picture of Kyle wearing his billi blanket. It is attached to a three foot hose which is connected to a light box.

A better shot of his face and the vest is around his chest. Isn't he cute!!

Free at last, here we are sitting in a chair together.

Kyle William Leman (top picture) and Brock Martin Leman (bottom picture)

6 Days old already!!! Hopefully Mom and Dad will catch a better picture of Brock very soon - he really is very alert and has his eyes open a lot.

Thanks so much for all your comments and e-mails - it is so refreshing and encouraging to hear from the outside world. More news to come in the days ahead.

And the winner is...

The boys--2 and Mom and Dad--0

After our first day at home we have gone through more clothes, diapers, wet ones, coffee, did I say diapers and clothes than we thought we could go through in a week... welcome home. Mom and dad didn't sleep very well since we had to change their diaper, hold the children, mom had to feed them and when we got Brock settled in Kyle would start to cry...and when we would get Kyle settled in for a while Brock would then wake up and want something done for him. Parenting seems a little harder than it looked when I would hold a child, change their diaper and then leave and hand them off to their parents and be on my merry way. BUT, even with all this, we know how worth while it is when they look at you with their little eyes and seem to say "I love you".

We now know why God gave us two little boys...it is because their would not have been enough baby to go around if we would have had just one. When Marla was asking me to hold one of the two I told her "why not hold the other one, since this one "needs" me." After thinking this through I came to the conclusion we "had" to have two.

Currently Brock is doing well and Kyle has jaundice and is on a "blanket of light". Please pray for a quick transition to home life and peaceful nights and quick healing for Kyle.

We will see who wins the next round...

Kyle William Leman (left) & Brock Martin Leman (right)

Hi all!!
Brock and Kyle Leman have arrived. We are pleased to announce that our sons have made their grand entrance into the world!!
Brock Martin Leman was born at 12:33 p.m. on Friday, February 8th. He weighed 4 lbs 10 oz and 18 in long.
Kyle William Leman was born at 12:34 p.m. on Friday, February 8th. He weighed 6 lbs 4 oz and 19 in long.

Mom and babies are doing well. If everyone remains stable and healthy, we will be going home on Monday.
The hospital has a web site that you can view a picture on, but it may take a couple of days for them to update it. Here's the link: http://www.bromenn.org/

In the meantime, here's a picture so you can get a glimpse of our precious gifts from God.

Brock

Kyle

Today is the day

Wow! We don't know if this day dragged to get here or if the days rushed to get here. We are anxious and excited and filled with all kinds of emotions. We are leaving our home as two individuals and we will be arriving home as 4 individuals. Sometimes this is hard to fathom. We will be putting pictures of our boys on the site as soon as we are can.... we might have to get some rest first from what others tell me. :)

Our bags are packed we have double and triple checked but somehow I think we will forget something. Thanks for your prayers. We will be leaving shortly and can't wait to introduce our little bundles of joy to you all.