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!!
Monday, December 31, 2012
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.
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!!!)
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!
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...
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.
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.
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 ;)
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 ;)
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