365 (or as many as we can remember) days of the Hyems.

Today we found out that our girls love to clean. And they aren't happy with the tiny little broom. Oh no, it has to be the big gigantic one they can poke people (and dogs) with.
Learning to share?

Forever in motion!!!

Rayla and Payton have been changing so fast! They are such cutie pies! Here are a few things that we love about this stage:

Rayla
- She bulldozes her way through everything. She crawls on top of Payton, Zen, Brogan, toys and anything that is in her path.
- She slaps her hand at a toy hoping it flips closer to her so she can pick it up.
- When we say "Uh oh", she says "Uh" and lets the "oh" part hang without a sound.
- She uses her tongue to make a clucking sound that she learned from watching us.

Payton
- She tries to stand up from a sitting position, without help from anything like furniture or large toys. Needless to say she has done a few face plants.
- She methodically picks up toys with her thumb and pointer finger.
- She starts laughing hysterically for no apparent reason.
- She sucks in her cheeks to make a fishy face with a sound. We think she is trying to mimic what a kiss sounds like.

One of our most favorite things to witness is when they are both crawling all over and then they look up and see each other. They get the biggest grins on their faces and then they start to smile, then laugh, then they pump their whole bodies up and down in excitement.

Their 9-month appointment is coming up in a couple of weeks. We can't wait to show them off and see how much they've grown.

Catch UP!!!

Ok so we haven't been the best about writing on the blog but that is going to change ;)! What can we say but we have been a little busy. We will be posting a time log of what has been happening over the last 6 months. We also have some great videos that are posted so check them out. So look out for more catch up over the next few days but here is a start.

Rayla December - Smiled, Moved up to size 1 diapers, Cried real tears, Eating 4oz., Slept more then 3 hours, Went in the big girl tub, Had pictures with Santa, Turned 2 months old, Went to court for adoption, Made bubbles with her mouth, Went sledding, Listen to her first book, Enjoyed her first X-mas tree, Saw and touched snow

Payton December - Smirking/beginning to smile, Cried real tears, Slept more than 3 hours, Eating 4oz., Went in the big girl tub, Had pictures with Santa, Smiled on her two month b-day, Went to court for adoption, Made bubbles with mouth, Went sledding, Listen to her first book, Enjoyed her first X-mas tree, Saw and touched snow

Rayla January - Eating out of a big girl bottle (Nuk), Looking at us and smiling, Bubbles and lots of drool, Slept for 8 hours for Mamo's b-day, Started to talk to Payton, First music class, Wanda starts full time

Payton January - Eating out of a big girl bottle (Nuk), Looking at us and smiling, Bubbles and drooling, Slept for hours for Mamo's b-day, Started to talk to Rayla, First music class, Wanda starts full time, Sees the dermatologist

Rayla February - Smiled when Mamo came home, Shared a spiritual moment with Mom, Rolled over from back to belly, Slept in her own crib, Weighed in at 14lbs 2oz at the doctor, Discovered her feet

Payton February - Smiled when she saw Mom, Shard a spiritual moment with Mom, Slept in her own crib, Sitting up straight with assistance, Weighed in at 13lbs 3oz at the doctor, Slept for 8 hours two days in a row, Blows bubbles

Rayla March - Discovered her tongue and leaves it out forever, Rolled over from tummy to back

Payton March - Put pacifier back in her mouth all by herself, Laughed a full hearted laugh, Slept 10 hours, Discovered her tongue

Quick update at 7.5 weeks

Hi everyone!
Our babies are almost 2 months old, but we couldn't wait to tell you what they've been up to.
We have recently been through our fair share of exploding diapers, where the green gooey mess went all the way up to Payton's chest and I actually cut the onsie off of of her because it was so gross (pictures to follow shortly), bugers the size of a small state, and pungent milk/formula throw up all over our shirts and their clothes. On the funner side of things, Rayla started smiling much more frequently and when she does, her whole face lights up. Payton is in the beginning stages of smiles, and she gives several good smirks, which are so adorable. They both love music... it helps relax Payton, and when Rayla hears it, she stops what she is doing to listen. They both started noticing dangling toys in their bouncy seat and pack-n-play. Payton is so tuned in to movement and light/shadows and Rayla gets so excited that her little eyes go cross-eyed trying to follow everything. and the most amazing part is that they are starting to see us and each other. Their reactions are so fun to watch when we pick them up and talk or sing to them and when they are next to each other in their pack-n-play and you just know they are looking directly at each other.

We are growing girls...

Ok everyone this is Rayla and Payton checking in as it has been a while but we have been really busy. You know eating, sleeping, crying, pooping, peeing etc… As most of you may already know we are now over a month. We had a crazy day yesterday. First we got up and woke up Mom and Mamo and as usual had some milk and got in some new digs for the day. We all jumped in the car and headed out for a whirlwind day. After spending some time at our grandparents we went with Mom to her doctor's appointment to meet Dr McCulloch, the doctor who delivered us. Not only did we get to see everyone who watched us grow since the beginning but Mom got some great news that her incision was doing great and she was discharged… Go Mom! We then went back to our grandparents for a much needed nap and of course some more milk. Now it was our turn to see our doctor, Dr. Lessman. We had an amazing appointment, besides the Hepatitis B shot in our thigh, both of us gained around 2.5 pounds! We are so on the charts and Dr. Lessman is so happy for all of us. We put our new weights below and no comments from the peanut gallery we are growing girls.

Rayla - 8lbs 13oz
Payton - 7lbs 14oz

Next stop was to Costco and Jewel for some last minute Thanksgiving shopping. Once we got home boy were we tired and hungry and to be honest really wet, but our night was not over. Our auntie Shannon and her BF Euan flew in to see us! Right when they walked in the door they got the pleasure of feeding, changing and burping us. Let's just say we broke them in right away, auntie Shannon might need a new shirt ;)! What a day what a day. Well time to go take another nap. We will write again soon so be on the lookout.

1-month birthday

Hi everyone! Rayla and Payton turned one-month old this past Friday. They are doing fantastic! They are clearly growing (doctor's appt on Tuesday will confirm how much they weigh now) and we've started a new routine that seems to be working for the most part. During the day, we feed them every 3-4 hours and they get in their Vitamin D, tummy time, changing, naps, and the best part of all.. cuddles. then from 8p-12a Alyssa takes care of both of them while I sleep. And from 12a-5a I take care of both of them while Alyssa sleeps. Our nighttime routine is feeling good too where we have them propped up on their rigged boppies (so they don't slip down or have the ability to get their mouths and noses stuck on the sides) and we change one and feed one (bottle propped up with the help of swaddle blankets) then do the same for the other baby. Once the first bottle is finished, we burp them and put them back to sleep, and then do the same for the other. This has been working out really well and actually allows us to get at least an hour of sleeping in between feedings.
Even though our girls are still small, you would never be able to tell they were born a little early. They are both able to move their heads on their own, they can almost roll over by themselves, and yesterday they grabbed, pulled at, and played with a multi-colored ball. They also began latching much better, which makes life easier for us all.
I have been doing fairly well too. My incision infection is slowly healing, but it is doing so much better now. I'm hoping my last doctor's appointment will be this Tuesday when he says everything looks great and that I am officially discharged. Great news is that I'm almost down to my pre-pregnancy weight and I can't wait to get the green light to start exercising.
Alyssa went back to work and that has been a difficult transition for all of us. We miss her and try to send her tons of pictures and love. But we love when she gets home!

2 weeks old

Our babies are 2 weeks old today! Wow, it seems like they were just born this morning.. and it feels like they have been here forever. They had a doctor's appointment today and they have both passed their birth weights and the doctor is happy with their growth. Rayla now weighs 6 lbs 6.2 oz and Payton weighs 5 lbs 7.4 oz. They are progressing so well. We have them do tummy time and both of them are fantastic at using their back and leg muscles. They can scoot across the entire quilt we lay down for them, and they can practically roll over on their own.
We will continue to feed approximately every 3.5 hours, to make sure they continue on their growth charts. And this means we still don't get much sleep. But, Yaya and Grandma have been so helpful. We don't know what we would do without them. Yaya is only here for another week, and we will be sad to see her go. She has kept us sane throughout this tough but rewarding time.
We have tons of pictures, but we have not downloaded them to a computer yet. As soon as we do, we will post a link for everyone to see. We are so happy to be parents and to have these beautiful girls in our lives!