The twins' first cherry blossoms!

It's cherry blossom time here in the DC-area, and the twins have been happy (so we think) to see these fluffy pink wonders for the first time. My mom happened to be visiting during the Cherry Blossom Festival, so we wedged our way through the crowds of spectators to muster up a few photos with the babies by the Tidal Basin.

Click Here for More Pix of us Enjoying the Cherry Blossoms

Really, they were happy at one point, I swear - we just didn't happen to capture those happy moments on camera. :-) Ah well, we'll try again next year for their one-year-old photos!

First bath!

Good news! The twins' umbilical cords have fallen off, meaning that the time has come for their first bath. Given their small size, we opted for a kitchen sink bath. It went somewhat well - we started with Coralie, who was relatively agreeable and even seemed to enjoy the whole experience. Isn't she a little bathing beauty?!

We think Liam was a little jealous that his sister went first, so he was somewhat fussy by the time it was his turn to hop in the bath. We promised him the first bath next time, though, and that seemed to stop the fussing long enough for us to get a few decent photos. :-)


Click Here for Pictures of Bath Time

Life in three-hour shifts.

In our short time as parents, we have learned many life lessons... one of which being that we no longer see each day as a 24-hour period, but rather, as eight three-hour days in one. Did no one tell us this, or did we just have to live it to learn it? :-) But it is truly amazing seeing how quickly the days fly by when they are broken up into three-hour blocks. It goes something like this: one hour for feeding and burping the twins, half an hour changing and cleaning up messes, and half an hour getting them settled down and/or sleeping again. Now of course, assuming that they actually both do stay settled down after all that, that leaves one hour for us to sleep, go to the bathroom, shower, or eat. Yes folks, we are back to basics! If there is time for two of these extracurricular activities, it feels like a miracle, but if we're lucky, we find time for one. Needless to say, to find time to return calls and emails, and even update this blog, seems next to impossible! We are trying our best to keep up, but all this is to say that it may take us some time. We hope you all understand! Please be patient with us, and feel free to harass us... we definitely answer the phone when we have a free hand, so please keep trying!

Introducing the Snapp twins!

Oh joy of joys! We are so pleased to announce that our little twins have arrived at last! After beginning induction at midnight on March 6, Liam and Coralie joined us in the world nearly 24 hours later in the wee hours of morning on March 7. For the most part, labor was pretty slow-going... so to pass the time, Joe and my sister, Julie, and I spent many hours in the hospital discussing baby names, playing Uno, and waiting for the action to begin. I will admit - there were many points throughout the day in which I wondered why I had opted for an induction rather than a c-section, worried about whether the induction would even work, and wondered how much longer I'd be willing to wait before ending up with a c- section anyway. But fortunately, it all worked out! Active labor finally began at about 7:00 pm, and I began pushing at around 11:00 pm. Once things were getting close, we were wheeled into the operating room - which, by the way, was about 10'x10' big, very 1960s sanitorium-style (photo left), and crammed with about 15 masked medical people that we never quite identified - just in case an emergency c-section was needed. But, the one good thing about the less-than-desirable OR atmosphere was that it really motivated me to get the babies out! I pushed for about 20 minutes, and then Coralie Alexandra Snapp was born at 12:43 am. Liam Xavier Snapp came out only 6 quick minutes behind, and honestly, it didn't even feel that long. After Coralie came out, my doctor said to give just a couple more pushes - which I assumed was for her placenta - so I was completely floored to push only a couple more times and then hear Liam's first cries. Pretty amazing, pretty efficient childbirthing, if you ask me! We felt so fortunate to experience a relatively smooth labor, particularly given that we had twins - and to be able to avoid an emergency c-section. I'll spare some of the labor details here, but if you want know more about how it all went, just ask!

Since Liam and Coralie were born so early on their birthday, they were able to have a long, busy day filled with lots of visitors and well-wishes. Their Aunt Missy even hopped on a train from Philly to see them, which was a great surprise and an amazing help to all of us. We tried to take as many photos as we could between catnaps, which we've saved in the following album:
Pictures of the First Moments

We will undoubtedly have our hands full - literally! - for quite a while, but we will try our hardest to keep the photos and updates coming as our babies grow. Stay tuned!

No, really... let's do this thing.

So, yesterday turned out to be a false alarm, and we did not actually end up being induced into labor as planned. Apparently, it was a busy day at the hospital for babies - just not ours! Instead, our induction was pushed back to midnight last night, and we've just been here relaxing and slowly getting things moving since then. Depending on how quickly things go, the babies are now likely to come later on today or tomorrow. But the Snapp twins are definitely on the way at this point, and we will continue to keep you updated once we have more news!

Okay, let's do this thing.

Well, folks - today is the day. Joe and I are heading to the hospital this morning to be induced into labor. Our doctors felt that the time has come in which it is now better for the health of our babies and me that they be born. They have already well exceeded the average gestation for twins, and besides, we are eager to meet these little ones of ours after all these months! I have been off work since February 23rd, and have been just waiting and spending most of my time on bedrest. Plus, we've checked nearly everything off our to-do list... and I sure am ready to get my blood pressure and skin back to normal (I have been covered in a miserable itchy rash called PUPPPs for the last week - so... not... fun...).

So, the time has come. We are feeling a little nervous and excited this morning, as it is somewhat of a strange feeling to have the birth of your children planned out in this way. Wish us luck today - we are hoping for the smoothest labor and delivery that is possible with twins! And the next time you hear from us, we will officially be parents!

It's March... and still no babies yet!

We are growing continually impressed with our babies' abilities to continue gestating. Here we are now in March, and amazingly, I am still pregnant! All along, we were hoping just to make it to February, knowing how early so many twins are born... so our goal was to keep them hanging on until then. Plus, with Joe's strong family history of February birthdays, were certain that we would be adding two more to the family roster. Fortunately, we managed to avoid our babies being born on Joe's birthday, so we are happy that February 24th remains safely reserved just for Joe. After all, the twins will already have to share their birthday with each other - and I would have felt left out if I were the only member of our family not born on February 24th. :-)

But now, the end is in sight. Although they seem to be pretty happy just where they are, it is looking like induction will be the way out for them. But, if that happens, it is a good thing at this point, as twins should not stay much beyond 38 weeks, nor should I continue to push my blood pressure much longer. We will keep you all posted on their imminent arrival!