"A Little Something Extra"

3 months ago today….. I was HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!! Just take a look at my picture J haha! I was 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant with Baby A and Baby B Routzahn (the names we publicly referred to them… at our home we had been referring to them as Jack and Avery ever since we found out it was a b/g set of twins…it was nice to have our little secret to reveal on the day of their birth J )

I can remember going over and over my “To Do” list and re-checking my hospital bags to make sure I was not forgetting something really important. I uploaded all of the pictures and videos from our cameras (we are bad about doing that on a regular basis) and made sure everything was charged up and ready to go.  I was ready for June 18^th to arrive so I could meet my sweet little babes. 

We headed to Lightfoot in Leesburg, VA for our last dinner before we officially became “Mommy & Daddy”  and enjoyed a delicious dinner. Did I mention I was huge????? I was very aware of this, but the stares and facial expressions of the other diners confirmed my thoughts. I think some of them thought I was only minutes away from greeting a new life into the world… it was actually hours at that point AND TWINS… a look of relief generally appeared on faces when I mention I was expecting 2… that seemed to justify my hugeness J

I can remember we talked about the excited feelings. I can remember we talked about feeling so fortunate the pregnancy had gone so well. My initial goal when I found out it was twins was to carry them until 36 weeks minimum without bed rest… check and check… easily made both of those goals! I can also remember the scared feelings and the serious “what ifs” we discussed that evening. Specifically.. what if we had a baby born with Down syndrome??? Other than one blood test early on that indicated a higher chance (still less than 1%) nothing ever displayed as a possible marker for DS, however, the worry was very real to me and constantly stuck in my mind. Looking back I feel as though my “Mother’s Intuition” was right on target the entire pregnancy… I just wanted to be wrong because I was worried and scared of the unknown…. BUT I was not…and Avery Elizabeth Routzahn was born into this world with "a little something extra".

In 3 short months this “little something extra” has proved to be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G on so many levels. We love our Avie Baby and Jackers so much, and could not even begin to imagine life without them. Of course we have our moments when we worry about the unknown, but we have realized you do that when it comes to any of your children. 

On June 18, 2010 the four of us became TEAM ROUTZAHN… on September 18, 2010 we will spend the day with our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and strangers who have all since joined TEAM ROUTZAHN in an effort to raise awareness and acceptance for individuals with Down syndrome. We have to admit we were shocked at how quickly TEAM ROUTZAHN grew in just 13 weeks.  We are so fortunate to be so loved and supported…. All because of “a little something extra”.

Counting down....

We are on the countdown!!!! Only a few more days until the 2010 FRIENDS Buddy Walk!!!! TEAM ROUTZAHN is PUMPED!!

Are you joining us?????

There is still time to join our team! Here is what you need to do:

1. Print this form, fill it out and mail it by Tuesday Sept. 12th (Monday if you do not live in Fred. Co.) If you pre-register your t-shirt will be pre-bagged and you will not have to wait in the long registration line the day of the walk :-) If you are not sure you can register the day of the event.. you will just have to wait in line (we hear it can be a very long line!)

http://www.friendsoffredco.org/pdf/BW2010_Early%20Bird%20Reg_FINAL.pdf


2. Let us know... kharding18@yahoo.com or EvanRoutzahn@aol.com we will be providing a light lunch at our TEAM ROUTZAHN tent (sandwiches, chips, cookies, drinks). We want to make sure we have enough food for everyone :-) If you would like to bring a blanket or chair to sit on to eat that would be great!

3. Come anytime between 11 AM-12:30 to Baker Park to get your t-shirt, TEAM ROUTZAHN button, and eat lunch with us. The walk will begin at 1 PM. FRIENDS will be providing entertainment (Paul Lewis band), Keyote, moon bounce, Kidz Art craft, etc. There will also be additional free food items.

We are not sure where we are setting up yet... but look for our TEAM ROUTZAHN banner and purple balloons :-)

There may be parking around the park or you can try and park in the parking deck on Patrick Street (probably better than parking at a parking meter... the deck is $1 per hour and takes cash/credit). If you need directions e-mail us!

 Looking forward to seeing everyone! We are so appreciative of everyone who is joining us for the walk and/or has made a donation to support this wonderful cause :-)

The past 12 weeks have been simply AMAZING! Thank you friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and strangers for your support. And most importantly THANK YOU SWEET AVIE BABY for opening up a whole new world to us! We love you so much!

More Thank Yous!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wth a week and a half left to go before the 2010 F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Buddy Walk we continue to be overwhelmed by the ongoing support of family, friends, co-workers and strangers!! TEAM ROUTZAHN is thrilled to have so many walkers and donations! We want to send our thanks and a shout out to the following people who have helped us raise more than $4,000.00 for a great cause!!!!!

THANK YOU to Meagan & R.J. Carey, Julie Ruhlen and Patti Keefe for your support and generous contributions! We LOVE our Lovettsville Elem. family :-) The support directed towards TEAM ROUTZAHN from day 1 has been awesome!!

TEAM ROUTZAHN sends a THANK YOU to Annie Hewatt for her generous donation supporting the 2010 Buddy Walk. Annie is a friend from the Selden's Landing days and we have her to thank for introducing us to Joylyn (our fantastic photographer!)

THANK YOU to The Steen Family!!! We greatly appreciate your very generous contribution to TEAM ROUTZAHN! Even though we do not see you often we think of you all so much :-) We are blessed to have you as our dear friends. J & A can't wait to meet you all!

Sarah, Daniel and William Van Orman & Brooke Adams Azer and Family are friends from our UVA days! TEAM ROUTZAHN says THANK YOU for your friendsip and generous contribution. Wahoowah!!!

Jason & Julie Fritz and Melinda Hite THANK YOU for your support and generous contributions! It is great to have old friends from MHS supporting TEAM ROUTZAHN :-)

TEAM ROUTZAHN says THANK YOU to Patrick Word, Greg Ossont and Janet Limmer who are co-workers of our Aunt Lynn! We appreciate your kindness, support and generous donations. It is so nice to have friends of our family members supporting us!

THANK YOU Pop!! TEAM ROUTZAHN appreciates your very generous donation. Avery and Jack are so lucky to have you as their Pop :-) We LOVE you! XOXOXO

Melts Our Hearts...

Often people ask us how we manage twins or make comments like "I can't even imagine" or "Better you than me!" We have several thoughts when this happens:

1. These are our first two children so we know no different

2. We can handle two.... but three would be total craziness!!!

3. We have taken on the Nike motto of "Just Do It!"

4. But honestly we would not have it any other way

During the past 11 weeks we have witnessed countless times where Jack and Avery have provided each other with great company, entertainment and comfort. It has been amazing to see just how strong the twin bond is with these two. We are sure they will have their future moments of sibling issues and arguing but for now we are enjoying the sweet moments they share :-)

We can't even begin to tell you wonderful it is to watch them interact during both the awake and sleeping hours. But it is the sleeping moments that just melt our hearts...Take a look at these pictures to see what we mean... none of them were posed..but they are always touching.. just making sure the other one is always there.

A Halloween Sneak Preview

So I LOVE Halloween!!! I was the kid who was planning my costume for the following year on November 1st :-) Although we are not really planning a big Trick or Treat outing this year J & A had to have costumes to celebrate their 1st Halloween!!

Here is our sneak preview of our cute little spider and ladybug.... seriously the cutest little bugs I know ;-)
Can't wait to add the finishing touches on Oct. 31st!

Info. for Team Routzahn Walkers

Have you mailed your registration form???

Team Routzahn is GROWING everyday!!! We are thrilled!! Thank you friends and family!!!!!!! We LOVE you!

Early Bird Registration forms must be postmarked by Wednesday, September 1 (tomorrow) to guarantee a t-shirt for participants.

Click this link to obtain your form: http://www.friendsoffredco.org/pdf/BW2010_Early%20Bird%20Reg_FINAL.pdf               
                  
Guess what???  If you miss this deadline or are still not sure if you can join us....
 you can wait until the day of the walk to register.  Just be sure to touch base with us to let us know you will be joining the team. We would like a head count so we can plan accordingly... we have a few little treats for our team  and we will be sharing the details a little closer to the event :-)

10 Weeks!

Where is the time going???? It is really almost September!!! The days have seriously been eye blinks since June 18th!!!

We had a fantastic 2 month check up on Friday! Jack and Avery are getting so big! The Dr. was very pleased with how well both of them are growing :-) Jack now weighs 11 pounds 7 ounces and is 23 3/4 inches long. He was only 21 inches at our last appointment..... looks like someone is taking after his Daddy! Avery is now 9 pounds 13 ounces and 22 inches long. She is actually in the 75th percentile for weight and height for a Down syndrome female her age, and is growing so well the Dr. told us she is actually right on track for a typical female her age!!!!! Way to GROW Jackers and Avie Baby (our little nicknames for them)!!!

We have really noticed the babies are coming into their own personalities. Jack is our little flirt!  He loves to smile, bat his eyelashes and look at faces. We tease him and tell him all of the little girls in school one day will have his name written on their notebooks :-) He is going to be our tall, dark and handsome boy. We are pretty sure he is not far off from popping out a little laugh. He is a pretty laid back little guy, but he does seem to fret more than Avery. And if he is hungry or needs a diaper change he will by all means let you know with his cries!!! We have decided if it is something social we see Jack do it first.

On the other hand... if it is a physical task Avery is all over it! She is our active baby and has been since she was in the womb! Believe me more than once I was told they could not find her heartbeat because she was moving so much. We knew she was in there because we could watch her kicking me... just could not get her still enough to catch a heart rate at times! haha! Well when she is awake this is still the case! She loves her activity mat, tummy time, and just being a little squirmy worm. She is the one to reach for her toys, try and get a pacifier that has fallen back in her mouth, and she even flipped herself from her stomach to her back at 3 weeks old. She is a VERY determined little girl. We are sure this will serve her well and possibly add many grey hairs to our heads! haha!

As you can tell we are very proud of our kiddos and how well they are growing. We LOVE being their Mom and Dad and can't wait to see what the future holds for them :-)

Avery keeping a close hold on Jack :-)