Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year!

A friend posted the 10 best things about 2012 on his Facebook status, so I'm going to copy that idea for this blog post. I think I'll do the 12 best things in honor of twenty TWELVE, get it?

1. Maddex turned ONE!
2. Watching Maddex meet all kinds of milestones and become a sweet little chatterbox. I'm already missing the words and phrases she's outgrown!
3. Growing closer to the Lord and one another with my life group ladies. I love sharing life with these sweet women.
4. Speaking of life group...having them introduce me to Duck Dynasty. I love that show.
5. Achieving teacher of the year at the school, parish, and regional level. I was so honored and had such a great experience!
6. Getting to feel the Lord's leading in some big decisions. Last spring I prayed about making some choices to change schools and positions. I felt like the Lord told me to stay at DMS and soon after found I was expecting twins. A different position would have been very difficult to manage with the babies.
7. Having TWINS! Being able to experience the pregnancy and birth of these babies and everything that came along with it!
8. The faithfulness of the Lord. I've mentioned this several times, but he has been so faithful to provide for us financially and with energy as we've begun this journey of twin parenthood. We have been so blessed!
9. Watching several friends experience the miracle of parenthood. I've seen several friends who struggled with infertility, and I had the privilege of praying for, come to be parents during this year. I am looking forward to this same miracle in the lives of more friends during 2013!
10. Being a part of the new work of Fellowship Church South Ascension. I'm so excited to see what God has in store for our new church this year.
11. Developing and strengthening friendships. I've been able to get to know several friends much better over the past year and they've been such a blessing to me.
12. Starting this blog! I've loved having somewhere to record my thoughts, feelings, and experiences. And I love sharing this journey with you! I really have started to miss blogging when I don't get around to it.

I'm so looking forward to what is in store for our family of FIVE in 2013!

*Here's an update from my previous post: I think we are past a difficult few days. We had a good night last night (by good night I mean the babies were up every 3 hours and went back down pretty easily - no excessive crying or feeding really often) and have had a great day today. I am hoping we are in for a better week! I met another twin mom yesterday who has a daughter and twins 20 months apart (ours are 21 months apart). She told me its like a roller coaster - things get tough, you adjust, and it gets better, then starts over. I am hoping we are on a calm part of the roller coaster for a while!

Happy New Year!!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

7 weeks

I have to make a confession. This is hard. I think I've skated through the first few weeks of twin-dom with sleepy, predictable, sweet babes. But things have changed. Don't get me wrong, they're still as sweet as can be, but things are all out of whack these days! This has been a rough week for the babies which translates into a rough week for mom and dad.

Both babies have had some congestion but no other symptoms, so we keep running the humidifier and sucking snot from their noses. Harper had a rough night right after christmas. She screamed for hours into the night :/ I'm still not sure what was wrong with her! Major took his turn last night and was up most of the night fussing and squirming. Both babies seem to be having some tummy troubles so we've started using gripe water, which I do think is helping a bit. There has been little time in the past few days that both babies have slept in a swing or rock & play - including night time. Usually at least one is being held. My house is a mess and I'm lucky I've gotten some laundry and dishes done. We've hardly left the house all week! We are taking a family trip to Target today - God help us :)

Maddex has been home all week and she's been an angel. I feel bad that she's had no change of scenery for days! She's been very sweet and ha played and played all day. She has some fussy moments, but overall she has been amazing. She has even asked to nap a few days this week! It's been a Christmas miracle :)

I don't have any official 7 week stats. The babes go to the doctor at 2 months. They are both over 10 lbs, in size 1 diapers - well on their way to size 2, and have pretty much outgrown their newborn clothes. I even put a 3 month track suit on harper the other day!

We are tired but surviving by the strength of the Lord. I'm telling you, without HIM I would not be surviving with the wakefulness and energy that I have each day. Please continue to pray for us - for the babies to settle into a routine again, for them to feel well (congestion and reflux), and for rest for mom & dad. Thank you!!!

Here are pictures of all of our sweet loves on Christmas day.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Lessons & Surprises Revisited

I did a previous post about lessons and surprises during my pregnancy with the twins. I listed a few topics I planned to revisit after they were born, so here I am six weeks later to write about some of these topics.

Birthing two babies (I will try not to give too much information)
This was really awesome! I'm sure I've mentioned before how great my birthing experience was. Everything went quickly and smoothly and I could not have asked for anything different! There were few differences between birthing two babies and birthing one. We delivered in the operating room & I put my feet in these awesome boot things instead of the typical stirrups. The boots were really awesome. After one baby came out, two nurses pushed hard on my belly to keep Harper head down. That probably doesn't happen in most single births. There was a nurse anesthetist in the OR in case they needed to adjust my epidural for a c-section (actually, I think I had a spinal just in case of a section). There were more people in the room than with my single birth. Ummmm....I think that about sums it up. It wasn't very different, but it was way awesome. I really did love everything about my labor and delivery with the twins!

Nursing TWO babies at once
My babies must be rock stars because nursing them has been great! I have an awesome "My Brest Friend" pillow made for twins that has made nursing them simultaneously pretty easy. They are great little nurslings and are growing well, so it's working! I'm so thankful for this b/c formula x 2 does not sound like fun!! Right now, I've decided to try to nurse them back to back. With their reflux, nursing them while they lay on the pillow leads to them spitting up milk immediately & I have not been able to master burping them. Usually one is laying on the pillow while I burp the other and the laying down baby then spits up all over me. Ugh. I am always covered in sour milk! I have found that nursing them one at a time allows me to keep them in more of an upright position & burp them immediately. I can already tell this has decreased their fussiness & kept food in their bellies!

Sleeping habits of twins
I'm not sure that my babies have quite developed any sleeping habits, so I may have to revisit this topic later. They do sleep at the same time most of time & I think that is because they are fed together. We do try to keep them on the same schedule. Basically right now they eat every 3ish hours and sleep between each feeding. I'll have to write some more about their habits when they settle into them.

Changing a baby boy's diaper
Now, guys always like to say that it's soooo hard to change a baby girl's diaper. Heck no! Major always takes WAY more wipes than baby Harper. The problem is the ball sack...all kinds of poop gets trapped under there and it is NOT easy to clean. I've only had a couple of instances where he peed everywhere, so that hasn't been too bad. But give me a baby girl's diaper change any day!

Exhaustion
I have nothing else to say in this section than the Almighty Lord sustains me. Seriously. My babies have eaten every 3 hours or more often for 6 weeks. I've gotten 3 hours of sleep in a row maybe once or twice in six weeks. I probably average about 6-7 hours of interrupted sleep a night. There are plenty of nights where I sleep less than that! I'd say I've napped about once a week. I should be delirious, completely exhausted, and sick. The only reason I can figure I'm still surviving is by the grace of God. He truly gives me the strength to face each day. I will say that this week has really worn me down. I didn't realize how much I rely on Mitch's help during the day and at night until I didn't have it! Last night was pretty rough - of course because I was going back to work today & Harper needed to snuggle :) I do feel like I could be on the brink of getting sick, BUT I just have to survive one more day. After tomorrow, I'll be able to sleep a little later and will have Mitch's help at night. Maybe I can even sneak in a couple of naps over the Christmas break!

Working with two newborns at home
I can't say much about this yet since yesterday was my first day back. I made it home just in time for their next feeding and some snuggles. Both babies slept after eating, and I was able to d some things around the house. In retrospect, I should have napped! Today is a half day, so it's going to be easy! I will say that waking up earlier plus not having as much help at night this week finally took it's toll. I'm feeling a bit sick today - just some allergy/sinus stuff. One sudafed & one tylenol helps a ton!! We'll see how things go when I'm back at work 5 days a week in January. I am really really really hoping the babies are sleeping a bit better or are at least predictable in their night behavior.

Showering/bathing
My husband is awesome and I take one or two baths a day!!! He's always willing to watch the twins so I can go bathe. Usually I try to go when they're sleeping or sometimes I will bring them in the bathroom with me.

A continued testament of how the Lord provides for us
I honestly can't think of anything huge that's happened other than we have more than enough financially right now. We've shopped for Christmas and kept up with our bills without trouble - all while my pay is reduced from leave and we are in Mitch's slower season. We have diapers for months, so I don't imagine having to buy any diapers until a month or two after the babies get into size two diapers. We even have some size threes waiting for them. By the time we have to buy diapers for the twins, Maddex just may be potty trained! I've hardly had to cook and our grocery visits entail a quick trip to pick up a few necessities. It has truly been amazing. Not only has the Lord provided for us financially, but He has given us strength and rest through these weeks. He helped me survive this week with a sick Mitch & (as far as we can tell) the flu has not spread to the rest of us. I honestly don't know how we would survive without our faith, church family, and what the Lord has provided for us.

OK, I think those are all of the topics I said I'd revisit. This post has given me an idea though - maybe in a few weeks, I'll have yet another lessons & surprise post that addresses the things I've learned and been surprised about as a parent of twins. We'll save that for another day (or another three days since this post took me three days to complete!!!)

Monday, December 17, 2012

The FLU

So, the flu has struck our home! Mitch is currently quarantined to the back of the house. I've been vaccinated (while I was pregnant w/ the twins) and supposedly they should be somewhat protected by the antibodies in my breastmilk. I'm not quite as worried about us catching it as I am about Maddex. She interacted w/ Mitch a lot yesterday, so was very exposed. I'm going to go ahead and say it would be impossible for me to take care of a toddler w/ the flu & the baby twins. If you're reading this, please pray for protection from illness for our family!!!!!! This is not great timing either since I'm headed back to work on Thursday! Lord, help us!

In other news...

The babies have been angels today. They were pretty fussy this morning starting around 4:30 & basically until we all left to take Maddex to Mrs. Vickie's. They calmed down on the ride and have been amazing since then. I'm trying to nap some so that I can stay rested & well. It seems like their reflux is getting under control and the zantac is working. They love sleeping in the rock & plays and occasionally nap in their swings. I am pretty sure they have some type of milk protein intolerance. I cut obvious dairy (milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt) from my diet about a week and a half ago and we had some really good days. On Saturday Mitch and I had a day of dating! We went to a wedding for one of my long-time friends & a party with the worship team from church. I ate several things that had cheese in or on them & the babies did some screaming yesterday evening/night & a little this morning. I really attribute that to the dairy I ate getting into their system. Looks like no cheese for me the next year or so :/ I plan to reintroduce it at times in HOPES that they grow out of this! I can do without milk and yogurt and would be sad without ice cream, but the cheese is the hardest!

Babies seem to be growing great! They are filling out their clothes & swaddlers and moved up to size one diapers this week. The last few nights they've given me a great, restful time from around 10 - 4:30. And by restful, I mean they eat late & go right down. They wake up again about 3 hours later & eat quickly & go right back down. Then they wake up again around the 4:00 hour and that's when they've started to get fussy & more awake. I keep hoping that they'll start to settle at that time! They will usually be awake/fussy for the next few hours. Late morning they tend to settle again and sleep well throughout the day. It seems like their fussiest times are in the evening night (like maybe between 7:00 & 10:00) and those early morning hours.

I go back to work this Thursday. I'm so thankful it's just two days before I have 2 more weeks with the babies. I'm feeling OK about going back to work, but am just anxious about my lack of sleep. I've managed to stay well so far, but I'm afraid even less sleep would make me more likely to get sick. I'm hoping the babies will be sleeping a little longer by the time I go back in January. I'm looking forward to adult interaction & putting on real clothes & make-up daily :)

I'm very thankful for our moms this week. Mitch's mom & grandma kept the kids for our day of dating on Saturday! It was SO incredibly nice to get out with my man! My mom kept the twins yesterday for me to take Maddex to a cookie swap with friends from school. She had a great time & loooooved all the cookies. It's been really special to me to have time with just my biggest girl. She was definitely on a sugar high when she was running circles around our host's living room. :) And they are both helping me with Maddex this week while Mitch is out of commission. I'm going to try to keep M out of the house as much as possible even though I've lysoled everything. Despite my efforts, I still think it'll be a miracle if she doesn't get the flu :(

If you want to see the latest pictures, check my facebook album ;) I'll put up some pictures next post!


Monday, December 10, 2012

One Month Appointment & Fears Revisited

The babies had their one month check-up today & they look fantastic!! Here are their stats:

Major
8 lbs. 14 oz.
21.5 inches
Head is 38 cm

Harper
9 lbs. 2 oz.
21 inches
Head is 38 cm

They are growing great and are catching up on the growth charts!! We get to up their Zantac dosage for their reflux, so I'm really hoping that helps with some of their fussiness. We have had some rough nights lately (last night was much better), so maybe a higher dosage will help. I think they are still having some day/night reversal and tend to be fussy late & night and in the morning. The middle of the night is going OK and midday/afternoon is their most restful time right now. We've acquired two rock & play sleepers which they are doing great in! The sleepers keep them at an angle to help w/ the reflux & if they start fussing, I can usually rock it with my foot and help them go back to sleep. I also love these because they fold up easy for "on the go" & we'll be able to take them over to grandparents' houses easily!


Here are some pictures from today...

Conked Harper

Conked Major

Waiting at the doctor's office!

Now that we are one month in, I thought I'd update on my fears that I blogged about here. I also had some lessons & surprises that I mentioned earlier that I plan to revisit soon.


Fear #1: Going into labor. This really wasn't bad! The times I thought that I was going into labor were really annoying, but the final process wasn't bad at all. I am thankful that we left when we did because my contractions weren't awful. I'm sure I wrote that we even stopped to get gas and return a redbox movie on the way to the hospital. I really loved my whole labor experience (aside from the assessment center). Everything was so smooth and quick!!

Fear #2: Exhaustion. So, to be honest, this part hasn't been bad either. Don't get me wrong, I'm tired, but I'm surviving. I do get to sleep some every night...it may only total 5 or 6 broken up hours, but I'm sleeping. Mitch is awesome and helps with the babies when they're both being difficult at night. He also helps me get set up to feed them. I do have my moments where I am so over waking up every 2-3 hours, but those pass pretty quickly. I do still have my fear of exhaustion once I go back to work. Right now, I can stay on the couch until anywhere between 8 & 10 before I get up and start moving for the day. That's going to be incredibly different when I have to be up at 5:30 for work! YIKES!! I am hoping that the higher dose of Zantac and the babies' age helps them to settle in better at night as I get closer to my return to work.

Fear #3: Bathtime. Not an issue! I take a bath EVERY day!!! Either the babies sleep in bouncies by the tub or Mitch relieves me for a few minutes of cleanliness!

Fear #4: Time. I have still struggled with this a little bit. The first weeks were rough when I felt like I missed so much with Maddex. It's gotten better though, but I think this will always be a struggle in our family! I so hope to find time to spend with each child and to work hard to make all my babies feel special. 

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Happy ONE Month

Can't believe my babies are already a month old! Mitch and I discussed today what a blur this month has been! We celebrated by watching a little Duck Dynasty and having our first family outing. We went to Celebrate Christmas at our church. We hope to make it to church tomorrow! Here are a few pictures from our day.

Not too happy about taking one month pictures

Sweet baby twins are ONE month old!!!

Big sis :)

Buddy boy

Sis at Celebrate Christmas

Brother at Celebrate Christmas


Daddy & Maddex on a horse!


Hayride

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Four weeks

Here's the four week update for the sweet twins...

Night time
The babies are doing OK at night. We had a couple of rough nights lately. One night they were just off schedule of each other, so I was up a lot feeding. Last night was a pretty good night! We gave them each a bottle around 9:45, they went to sleep easily (which they had not been doing the last few nights), and I went to bed a little while later. They didn't wake up until 2 for their next feeding which means I slept for over 3 hours straight for the first time in 4 weeks! After that feeding they were a little restless and we had trouble getting them back to sleep. The rest of the night/morning went pretty well & I stayed sleeping off and on until 10! I so hope last night is the beginning of a new pattern.

Reflux
Both babies are on Zantac twice a day right now. I do think that it's helping. They've been a little fussy/gassy today, but I'm wondering if that is due to the shake I drank yesterday and the ice cream I had today! Dairy is the one thing their pediatrician will suggest can make them fussy while breastfeeding.

Schedule
What schedule? Just kidding. For the most part the babies eat at the same time & every three hours. Occasionally they will eat more often. Even though these things are consistent, the times they do them are not. I am hoping that as I return to work the babes will settle into a slightly more predictable schedule. I'd like to know they are going to eat and sleep at certain times every day...it will help my peace of mind while being away & will help mom while she's watching them!

It's hard to believe it's been 4 weeks already! As tired as I can be, I am really trying to enjoy the snuggles and loving that newborns require. It is highly likely that I'll never have another baby this small, so I need to drink it all in while I can. I still truly believe that the Lord has given me energy and a feeling of rest during this weeks and I'm so thankful for that! I don't feel like there is much more to update! I'll have some more information after their 1 month appointment on Monday.

Maddex loving on Harper. She LOVED hugging and kissing her! She did this with Major, too and cried when we took him away!

All dressed up

Don't you wanna kiss those lips?!?!

Ready to go shopping in the sleepy wrap. She loves it!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Harper & Super Dad

I called the babies' pediatrician yesterday because Harper has continued to be congested (for weeks) and she spit up yellow liquid yesterday morning. After a quick google, I found that both of those can be signs of severe reflux. Partnered with her tendency to holler out between feedings like she's in pain, I started to wonder if she has reflux. We went to see the doctor yesterday afternoon and she decided to put Harper on some Zantac. She also went ahead and prescribed an antibiotic to help clear hear sinuses. It's likely the sinuses are being aggravated by the reflux, but she wants to be sure that we can get those snots cleared up. I am thankful for such a great doctor that fit us in yesterday AND called me this morning to check on Harper. She called a few times & I couldn't get to the phone...she was going to keep calling until she made sure that Harper is doing OK. We are just getting the medicine and I so hope that it helps clear up our sweet baby girl. She's really a good baby otherwise, so I'm thankful she'll soon be more comfortable!

Both babies got weighed while we were there. Harper was 8 lbs and Major was 7 lbs 13 oz. Wow! They gained over a pound each in about a week and a half.

Mitch did great with all three babies! I left the babies having "playtime." He got them swaddled and to sleep, fed & bathed the big girl, put her to bed, fed the littles and had them sleeping in their swings by around 9:00. Very impressive if I do say so myself! Then he got up this morning and took Maddex to make a gingerbread house at church. Super Dad indeed :)

Now, check out this HILARIOUS picture I took of the twins at the doctor's office. The goal was to get them in their cute outfits, but this turned out better than expected. I think it'll show up in a couple of wedding slideshows ;)


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Three Weeks

It's time for a three week update! Happy due date baby twins!!! This will probably be a pretty long post since a while has passed since I've blogged. I'll say the babies have gotten a bit more needy over the past week or so - hence the lack of posts. I've spent a little more time holding & snuggling my sweet babes than I did the first few weeks.

Why the fussiness? I'm attributing it to two things - the babies waking up a little more (they really mostly just slept the first two weeks - except, of course, at night) and a growth spurt. They have definitely started eating more often. I'm lucky if I can go three hours without feeding one or both of them. I remember Maddex going through a growth spurt/fussy time around 3 weeks, so I'm hoping this is short lived! Mornings are definitely our best time. They tend to settle pretty easily & I'm able to take a bath and do one or two things around the house. Night time is still a bit of a challenge. They usually go one or two stretches where they eat every 3 hours, but then will eat more often at some points as well. They are still 100% nursing, so it's a big job for this mommy. Mitch is great and usually stays with me and helps me get them situated. He will also take the job of comforting/holding them after their 9ish feeding so that I can sleep. They're also still a little unsettled/awake at night and prefer to be sleeping next to one of us. Definitely not my favorite arrangement, but we're still in survival mode! We've gotten the swings out, but they don't rely on those for sleep right now and will get fussy when we lay them in the pack & play. We keep trying, but halfway through the night I'm too tired to care!!!

We had a great success with wake time & napping today. After feeding the twins late this morning, I kept them unswaddled and had them in the boppy on the playmat. When they started to fuss, I swaddled them back up & laid them in the pack & play. Major just went right to sleep (good boy!) and Harper needed a little extra love to get to sleep, but eventually went down pretty easily and somewhat on her own. I am hoping that as they spend more time awake that they'll learn the swaddle is a trigger for sleep & be able to put themselves to sleep. That's the goal anyway - and it's a far reaching goal bc we still do plenty of snuggling them to sleep right now!

We have also had great success with bottles! Mitch and I each gave the babies a bottle last night and they took to them with ease. Hallelujah! I plan for them to have a bottle each day as I get ready to go back to work. Of course it'd be easy and great to say Mitch could give them a bottle while I sleep, buuuuut I'd still need to wake up to pump. So I'm not sure that arrangement will happen! Speaking of going back to work, I found out yesterday that I go back on December 20th. That is already 3 short weeks away! :( The silver lining is that I work for 2 days and then we have Christmas break. When I go back in January, the twins will be 8.5 weeks & hopefully sleeping a little easier at night! Please pray that I will have rest in those days and weeks and that the Lord will continue to sustain me as He has so far.

I spent time with all three kids alone this weekend! I had the three of them some on Saturday and Sunday and it went better than I could have expected! Maddex was sweet and so good and the babes just ate and slept! Mitch is going to brave the three kids alone tomorrow night while I go to our women's Christmas party. Pray for him ;)

Overall, I'm feeling pretty tired and am starting to feel "over" waking up at night. I'm doing much more groaning when I hear them cry in those wee hours than I did the first weeks. However, I'm trying desperately to enjoy the snuggles and love on these babies as much as I can. Soon I'll be gone from them all day and will miss those kisses. And before I know it they'll be all grown and won't snuggle anymore! I'll start wrapping things up with some stats on the babes & pictures...

-Babies still eat every 3 hours or more often. Always sleep between eating, but are starting to spend some time awake after their daytime feedings.
-They love being swaddled :)
-Harper has been very congested in her nose the last week or so. We are constantly sucking out snot and boogers :( I'm also concerned she could have some reflux. I'm not sure if it's reflux or gas...I plan to make a call to the doctor tomorrow about that.
-Major is still Mr. Laid Back. His favorite song is "Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man? Do you know the muffin man? His name is Major Crain."
-Both babies lost their umbilical cords right after my last blog post :) We have transitioned to baths in the bathtub instead of on the counter and they seem to enjoy those a bit more. I usually bathe them in the morning b/c 3 baths at night is kind of a lot right now!
-We don't go back to the doctor until December 10th for their 1 month check-up.
-The twins seem to be a bit more aware of each other. They've ended up holding hand some and seemed to be looking at each other the other day when I was feeding them.
-Maddex nursed her stuffed giraffe the other day. I laughed so much. I know little girls do this often, but I just didn't think she was old enough to make all of those connections. She made sure I knew she was doing it, too.

OK, picture time :)

Got all three of my babies!

"Playing"

She knows what to do with the snot sucker...

All three babies playing together

Maddex holding Harper's hand

Harper trying to hold Major's hand

Major kissing his sister (in reality he was still hungry and was trying to eat her face)

Maddex nursing her giraffe (notice she is nursing and eating - very talented!)

Friday, November 23, 2012

First Thanksgiving & TWO weeks old!

The sweet babes celebrated their first Thanksgiving and two week birthday yesterday! Looks like Thanksgiving also brought Harper some gas. She spent most of the day crying out at random times & was very squirmy. Maybe she just wanted some extra snuggles :)

My immediate family came over for Thanksgiving lunch. I made tea & Mitch made a pecan pie, but then the fam brought the rest of the food. We also managed to get some serious cleaning done around the house this week thanks to Nana. I really am amazed we cleaned and picked up what we did with Maddex running around. Maddex LOVED playing and reading books with her big cousins Hannah and Sarah. She was hilarious - she would holler "HEEEYYYYY" to people and holler out their names. She certainly kept us laughing. The twins got lots of love from their aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandparents.

After lunch & dessert Mitch took Maddex out to his big family gathering. I did miss getting to see his family, but I will say it made things a little easier not to have to rush around and I am not quite ready to bring the twins out around a larger crowd. Maddex had a lot of fun playing with her cousins there and I got some down time with the baby twins. Overall, I think the day was a success, but I was pretty tired by the evening! The babies had a pretty good night last night - they are still difficult to settle at night. I guess they still have their "days and nights mixed up." And Harper still seemed to be battling gas. They mostly slept on the couch near me, which is not my favorite arrangement, but it's the best way for all of us to get sleep. They sleep pretty well in the pack & play during the day, but it's just must harder to get them down in there at night. They are also staying up a little more during the day. After a feeding they don't immediately fall asleep. I think Harper was awake for at least an hour yesterday when my family was just getting here!

So, overall at two weeks the babies are:
-Sleeping pretty well during the day & starting to stay awake some after feedings
-Developing some tendencies toward gas pains & needing extra snuggles
-Eating every 3 hours (at least - usually there's an extra feeding late at night) and are exclusively nursing. In the past week I think each baby has gotten formula once as a snack or filler-upper.
-Both babies still have their umbilical cords - I'm so ready for those to fall off! Bath time makes me so sad having to sponge bathe them. I know they're cold :(
-Just starting to get to wear outfits & spend a little time unswaddled. They've been in gowns & swaddled for pretty much the first 2 weeks. The past couple of days I have put them in sleep & plays or an outfit. They still love their swaddlers.
-They are pretty hit & miss with pacifiers. They will take them, but don't seem dependent on them.
-Fighting blocked tear ducts - both of Major's eyes have had one & Harper still has one in her left eye.
-Harper still is full of boogers. Poor girl is always snorting and we are forever sucking snot and boogers out of her nose!

That's about it...goals for the next week are to start giving the babies some specific activities for "wake time" - boppy pillows, swings, playmat, tummy time, etc. I also am going to try to introduce regular bottles in the next week. They have done fine with the enfamil samples from the hospital, but I want to get them used to a regular bottle. I have several different kinds for them to choose from, so hopefully it will be a success. I did not do a great job with bottles for Maddex and it was a fight for months until she eventually just took to sippy cups. Hoping for the twins to do well with both bottles & nursing!

OK - here are some pictures to finish the entry...

How can I not be forever thankful???

Turkey dress & tiger hat :) What else would you wear on Thanksgiving day?

Major's Thanksgiving day outfit. Love this onesie from some sweet friends @ church.

Harper's Thanksgiving day outfit. They also have a burp cloth, bib, and blanket to match :)

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Two Week Check-up

Since the babies will be two weeks old on Thanksgiving, we had their two week check-up today. Both babies looks fantastic! Here's a run down of their stats.

-Harper: 6 lbs. 13 oz.
-Major: 6 lbs. 9 oz.
-Both babies are well past their birthweight and growing!
-Both babies measured 19 inches long. Harper was 19.5 at birth, but the doctor said they sometimes have discrepancies between their measurements & the hospital measurements so not to worry. They're both growing wonderfully.
-Major's head was 1 cm bigger than Harper's.
-Their percentile measurements were all under 20%. It was especially weird to hear their head measurements in such a low percentile since Crain babies tend to have large heads :)
-Both babies have a blocked tear duct making them have lots of eye boogers. These should resolve on their own soon.
-Jaundice is looking better! So nothing to worry about there!
-Overall, they are amazing, and we are unbelievably blessed!

Sweet baby twins are still sleeping all day mostly. I feed them and put them down in the pack & play and they will almost always go to sleep on their own. It's miraculous. BUT, nighttime is not quite as easy. The last few nights they've continued to be more restless and taken more work to get them settled and asleep. They end up in our arms a lot more at night! I do think it's getting better and they'll start to wake up more during the day & sleep more at night soon. I have hope!!!!!

They are nursing wonderfully. We are hardly using formula anymore. Last night Mitch gave Harper some formula because she still seemed hungry and I was just out of it tired. The first feeding of the night is always the most difficult for me because I've gotten the least amount of sleep. Once I get one or two more stretches I find it easier to wake up and take care of their needs. We are pretty much all sleeping in the living room since that's where all of the feeding and diapering takes place. Once they start to settle a little better then we'll move them into our room.

We've taken a couple of walks and they do great! They just stay all swaddled in their blankets in the carseats and take a nice nap. Maddex joined us on a couple walks (when there's two adults to push two strollers) and she looooooves going out in the stroller. She's been doing a pretty good job at home this week. She had a great day yesterday, but she was definitely more whiny today. She's only napping for about an hour and still waking up earlier than usual. All things considered, I think she's handling the big sister transition pretty well. :)

We had two sets of pictures taken of the twins this weekend. One set-up involves Maddex laying between the twins. I can't wait to see the pictures! They are going to be absolutely phenomenal! Speaking of pictures, I'll finish up with some sweet shots that we got of the babes today!



Bright eyes

They love each other!!! Insert "aaawwwwww" here :)

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Twin Facts

So I told our sweet dinner bringers earlier tonight that I just don't have much to blog about right now when it comes to the twins. I soon realized that I was totally wrong! It's true that, at this time, they basically eat, poop, and sleep, but I think there's a lot more to my two tiny people than those three habits. Here's a little rundown of what my baby twins are like (as far as I can tell at 9 days old)...

Harper Elle


  • Harpy was born last, so she is our youngest, babiest girl.
  • Since she came out 2nd, she didn't spend as much time in the birth canal. This has caused her to be more mucusy (if that's a word) the first few days of life. She definitely spit up more and was more fussy during those first few days.
  • Harper is a nursing champ. She's usually fairly easy to wake up and seems to get her fill at each meal.
  • I have nicknamed her "Snorts" because she is always snorting like a little piggy! I think it may have to do with her having more mucus or the constant boogers I'm getting out of her nose!
  • She is still slightly more high maintenance than her twin brother. She likes to be snuggled so sleep a little bit more than he does.
  • In case I haven't mentioned it before, Harp is Maddex Jr. She looks just like big sis!
  • Harper has had some jaundice, but not enough to be treated (thankfully! b/c those bilibeds are a pain!)
  • I think Harper will be our blonde child. She has the lightest hair right now of all three kids and I am assuming it will likely get even lighter as it really starts to come in. Mitch and I were both blonde for years, so it's likely we could have a blondey.
  • Surprisingly, she has given me more trouble with diaper changes! Harper has pooped and peed during several diaper changes!


Major Joseph

  • Major is technically our middle child. He was a tad bit smaller than sis at birth, but seems to be catching up to her quickly.
  • This boy makes the best faces! I have more pictures of him than his sister because he's always making the funniest faces when he's falling asleep. My favorite involves him pursing his lips to get some kisses from mommy.
  • Major has the darkest & most hair of all of our kids. Of course that doesn't mean he has a lot of hair - we are destined to have bald kids!
  • Major's nickname is "Squirts" because the boy poops every time he eats. And you can always hear when he poops!
  • Maj is the one to wake when he's hungry. When I hear stirring or fussing in the middle of the night, it's always him. BUT he is a lazier eater and I usually have to work harder to wake him and keep him awake during a feeding.
  • He is our calm child. He's almost always awake after eating and will let me put him down wide-eyed. He'll eventually fall asleep after laying there. Let's ALL pray this habit continues!!!
  • The last 2 nights Major has spit up during the night and he seems to be trying to get it on his sister :) It was in her hair the first night! Boys are gross.
  • I love having a little boy. He just melts my heart every moment I hold him.


I am so excited to see how their personalities develop over the next few weeks. They love sleeping swaddled and next to one another. We currently have their pack & play mattress with a slight incline and I think that is helping them sleep peacefully. I'm curious to see what happens as they start to spend more time awake over the next few weeks and months. Perhaps their personalities will be somewhat similar to their newborn ones!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Big Sis

I think it's time to devote another post to my sweet biggest girl. I have really been missing her this past week since so much of my time is devoted to the baby twins. Thankfully they've been doing a lot of sleeping, so I am able to give some attention to Maddex when she comes home. Usually when she wakes in the morning I'm feeding the babies, so I don't get to hold, cuddle, or snuggle her much, if at all, before she leaves for the sitter. By the time she gets home, we only have two hours or so before bedtime, and I'm usually feeding the babies for part of that. I am so looking forward to the day (hopefully soon) where I can take her out for some special mommy/daughter time. She is getting plenty of daddy/daughter time which does make my heart happy. At first, I was nervous about her being home for the whole week of Thanksgiving so soon after the babies were born, but now I am so excited to have her here. I'm sure it won't be easy to juggle the babes and entertaining sweet girl, but I'm desperate to spend some quality time with her.

She has been so great with the twins. She mostly does her own thing, but she is definitely interested in her little sister and little brother. When she comes in she always wants to see them or kiss them. She's been pretty gentle with them so far. They are mostly sleeping in the pack & play though, so it's hard for her to get her hands on them :)

With all of my hormones I've been having feelings of guilt about bringing these babies into our family & taking away time and attention from Maddex. I just keep feeling like I've done her a disservice because I'm not able to give her as much attention now that the babies are here. Thankfully, a sweet friend pointed out that as they grow up and I can watch them play together then I'll realize that giving her a sister & brother was a great thing for her. Mitch also told me that Maddex needed a brother and sister to love forever. I can't wait to watch her interact with them and love them in the future.

And because I love to include pictures in my posts - here are some pictures of our sweet big sis!

This was from her sitter today. Look at the CHEESE on that sweet girls' face!

This picture is from the day we came home from the hospital. She got to eat a cookie for breakfast :)

We came home from the hospital on Saturday. On Sunday she was just loving on her baby dolls. Right before this picture she was holding the baby and saying "It's OK baby." Later that night she went to church and I'm told she just stood in one spot and held and rocked a baby doll for a long while. Sweet girl!

Sharing mommy's dinner at the hospital.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Doctor's Appointment

The twins went in for their newborn appointment today. Let me first say that I am very impressed we made it on time! I had to be ready an hour ahead of time to be sure we got them fed, changed, and all packed for the trip.

They look great! The doctor wasn't concerned about their jaundice levels and we just have to watch that they don't get more yellow. Both babies are 6 pounds 2 ounces which means they are back up to birth weight! They like to see this by 2 weeks, but these babies are ahead of the schedule!

I am just so overcome with thankfulness for these healthy babies. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure.

They were pretty pooped after their outing and have slept well most of the afternoon and evening. I even got to sleep for an hour and a half! Praying they settle in for the night and I get one or two more stretches of rest.

Big sis has developed an awful cough. We gave her Zyrtec and put Vicks on her based on doc's recommendation, but she is still having trouble sleeping. I am so sad for her and really want her to get some rest. All 3 of my babies are just squirmy and unsettled at the moment. Please pray for rest for my sweet family.

Here are the twins snuggled up to one another after their trip to the doctor...

Monday, November 12, 2012

First few days at home

I'm hoping I can catch a few moments to describe our first few days at home! If I don't do it now, I'll forget...

Oh wait - a baby is crying...

Ok, I'm back :)

We are surviving pretty well in our first 48 hours or so at home! Maddex loves her baby brother and baby sister. She's very interested to see them in the morning and any time she comes home from an errand or church with daddy. She loves to give them kisses :) Yesterday she said "Baby Harper" and "Baby Major" for the first time, but hasn't said it much since.

Night one was pretty rough. The newborn phase with Maddex was fairly easy for me. I would feed her & sleep while Mitch took the "late" shift if she was fussy. Then we'd trade off and he'd sleep. I think I usually had the better shift  and she slept while I slept some more in between feedings. Well, two babies means no shifts! They're usually fussy at the same times night, so we each have a baby. The babies are great at sleeping together in the pack & play during the day, but we haven't quite gotten them to settle in at night. I think we may have gotten a few short stretches of sleep that first night. The best sleep was from about 6 - 7:30...the twins finally settled in as the sun came up!!!

Last night was better. I think I may have gotten one stretch of 2 & a half hours! I'm sure this is probably a miracle :) We are pretty much all sleeping in the living room right now. I'm not sure when one of us will get to make the transition to the bed!

Feeding is going pretty good. Both babies have gotten really good at nursing and I'm trying to do that exclusively, but don't mind supplementing with some formula. The babes seem hungrier at night & we are usually giving them a bit of formula after nursing at night to help get those bellies good and full. I think I'll just give a quick run down of facts and then include some pictures of our beautiful miracles :)

-Harper's jaundice levels are higher than Major's. They are not high enough to be treated yet, but we'll follow up with their pediatrician at their first appointment tomorrow afternoon.
-Both babies were 5 lbs 9 oz before we left the hospital.
-We had a great ride home and our back seat is very entertaining. The below picture shows how BIG Maddex is next to her baby siblings!
-We have had wonderful visitors including friends and family who have provided us with lunches and dinners since we've been home. It's been amazing because there's no way we would be cooking anything. We've been lucky to get a couple loads of laundry, one load of dishes, and our bodies cleaned since we've been home!!!
-I've been home with the twins by myself a few times and it's really not so bad. So far they are such good babies :) Mitch took Maddex to church twice yesterday and then ran some errands this afternoon. He'll be doing some work this week, so we'll be on our own to figure things out :)
-I got a 30 minute nap in earlier! So amazing - I can go all night now :)

I'll hopefully update again soon after we go see the pediatrician tomorrow. Until then, pictures of our baby boy and babiest (daddy's term) girl :)

Holding her baby


Major & Harper snuggling

Ready to go home! Geaux tigers!


Really ready to go home!!! My tiny babes!


Handsome boy

My beautiful girl!!

Major & Harper 


Headed home!

We looooove each other (Major/Harper)

Spooning (Major/Harper)