We are almost two! I can not believe it. This year has seen lots of ups and downs so far and can not wait to see what the rest holds. Avery and Neely are everywhere. I mean. e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e! Places that I can not fathom, and doing things I am not sure how they know to do. What one cant accomplish by herself they have learned to work together and can basically achieve anything. Yay for teamwork, Nay for moms sanity!!!! The girls vocabulary has increased exponentially and I am not even sure if we can count all the words. We still take one to two naps a day and are going to bed around 7:30pm and getting up around 7am. Eating is a constant battle, but I am told this is normal for their growth pattern now, still makes me crazy when they don't eat! But, they are gaining weight and still as rambunctious as ever so I guess the pedi is on to something with, "they will eat when they are hungry." I am pretty sure 95% of their diet is goldfish and I am told this is also "normal" They haven't turned orange yet, sooo....
We love exploring new things, safe or not! So safety proofing our house is a constant war. I am quite positive that there are no amount of safety proofing items to keep two determined twins from doing what they want. For example, while taking the towels out of the drier, I came back to find four feet handing out of it on top of the remainder of the laundry still inside!! What!?! They have figured out which cabinet locks are weak and they attack. The two of them literally broke two of the locks and now have a secret hideout! Neely has figured out not only how to lock and unlock the dishwasher but to start it as well. EEEKKKK!
In August we started a new mothers day out program that is 3 days a week and has extended hours! It works out perfectly for my clinical group on Mondays, and work Wednesdays and Fridays. I leaves me open to be with the girls Monday afternoons, Tuesdays and Thursdays!
Jake has had the opportunity to start in a new drug therapy for his type of CF! So far that is going well. The best part about the study is that when in closes in December/ January, he will be able to get the medication on a continuation study that should reverse the faulty CFTR gene until it is released to the public! Here is a link to a similar drug for a different CFTR gene that has already been released!
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57368992-10391704/cystic-fibrosis-drug-kalydeco-approved-by-fda-what-does-it-mean-for-patients/
He had to be hospitalized in September for a exacerbation "tune-up" which is becoming harder and harder for mommy with two toddlers. Jake had to have an unexpected surgery which complicated his stay. Although the surgery is "minor" for "normal" people is made things difficult for breathing. He came home on oxygen at night and is now starting to feel better.
Monday, October 28, 2013
The next chapter... into toddlerhood
Twelve to eighteen months
Wow, what a difference turning one year old makes!! The girls are starting to communicate with us better, even signing some words, while working on their own vocabulary. We have added mama, dada, doggie, and ball to our solitary "uh-oh." We are also starting to climb on things, including, but not limited to our family dog, Harvey, couches, tables, stools etc. We are really starting to be able to get out and about. We found a toddler play group at the local activities center, which WE love!!! It is so amazing seeing them get out and about and play with new objects. It is also amazing to see how their personalities are shaping up to be. Neely is a go getter, she loves to explore and doesn't really need moms help anymore. She is much bigger than she really is! But, every once in a while she can't find mama in the gym and gets a little scared!! Avery on the other hand is our dare devil, however, does not get more than a foot away from mama. She is so brave and doesn't really know her limitations, yet!
Wow, what a difference turning one year old makes!! The girls are starting to communicate with us better, even signing some words, while working on their own vocabulary. We have added mama, dada, doggie, and ball to our solitary "uh-oh." We are also starting to climb on things, including, but not limited to our family dog, Harvey, couches, tables, stools etc. We are really starting to be able to get out and about. We found a toddler play group at the local activities center, which WE love!!! It is so amazing seeing them get out and about and play with new objects. It is also amazing to see how their personalities are shaping up to be. Neely is a go getter, she loves to explore and doesn't really need moms help anymore. She is much bigger than she really is! But, every once in a while she can't find mama in the gym and gets a little scared!! Avery on the other hand is our dare devil, however, does not get more than a foot away from mama. She is so brave and doesn't really know her limitations, yet!
We are also blessed to have found a mothers day out program that the girls have started going to! They go two days a week and are doing really well! So far they have only been sick a couple of times, without missing school!! Naptimes are going better. Neely, still does not like to sleep as much as Avery so she still naps in the spare room in a pack and play. Girls are doing really well with trying and eating knew things! We love spaghetti and whole milk!!!!
There are still things that are hard to do with two, but we are finding all our obstacles easier and easier!!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Crazy things people say.....
I am sure that anyone who has ever been pregnant or had a baby has been verbally accosted with peoples opinions, questions, and comments. I am NOT sure why people do this, or why they feel like they need to share or ask such personal questions. I wish that I could say that it was just complete strangers that felt they need to interject themselves in my life and our choices, but when it comes to co-workers, family and friends I wish that people would follow the simple, yet foundational, rule "if you don't have something nice to say don't say it (or ask it) at all." Here are the wonderful collection of peoples comments/questions and how I wish that I could respond.
"Oh, are they twins.....?" ----- Yes, they are twins, hence the same clothing, same paci's, same earrings, twin stroller and the general overall look of sleep deprivation and haphazard look of my general appearance. Sometimes I just want to say nope, and walk away because when I answer "yes" we get the battery of the following questions.
"Oh, are they paternal?" ---- yes, they have a father... oh, you meant fraternal... yes they are that too.
"Are they natural?"--- nope, they are plastic. And I am still not really sure why this question is necessarily as if they mean less or not worth as much??!! Still not really sure.
Were you surprised when you found out they were twins??. YES!! I am pretty sure everyone is surprised when they find out they are pregnant, even when you "plan" to get pregnant there is something that takes your breath away when two lines appear.
And expanding on that last one... "Oh, you did fertility treatments, so you knew you were going to have twins...." Nope, I am not God, I can not foretell my future. I went with the recommendations of my team of fertility doctors, who were all in agreence that we would transfer two. And this question bothers me even more when it is projected that I should have known this was going to happen.
My favorite question is, "do they run in your family?" .. YES, I have twin cousins (which is not a lie!). Or, if they don't run in your family.. They do now! Usually if they ask this questions the questions stop!!!!
I know there are some sassy responses that I could never really say, so the majority of the time I just smile and nod and try to not make eye contact. Its really hard when I am just trying to get in and out of somewhere. The deck is already stacked against me having two nuggets to get in and out of the car, keep happy during our shopping expeditions, but to add everyone stopping you with questions it does not help!
"Oh, are they twins.....?" ----- Yes, they are twins, hence the same clothing, same paci's, same earrings, twin stroller and the general overall look of sleep deprivation and haphazard look of my general appearance. Sometimes I just want to say nope, and walk away because when I answer "yes" we get the battery of the following questions.
"Oh, are they paternal?" ---- yes, they have a father... oh, you meant fraternal... yes they are that too.
"Are they natural?"--- nope, they are plastic. And I am still not really sure why this question is necessarily as if they mean less or not worth as much??!! Still not really sure.
Were you surprised when you found out they were twins??. YES!! I am pretty sure everyone is surprised when they find out they are pregnant, even when you "plan" to get pregnant there is something that takes your breath away when two lines appear.
And expanding on that last one... "Oh, you did fertility treatments, so you knew you were going to have twins...." Nope, I am not God, I can not foretell my future. I went with the recommendations of my team of fertility doctors, who were all in agreence that we would transfer two. And this question bothers me even more when it is projected that I should have known this was going to happen.
My favorite question is, "do they run in your family?" .. YES, I have twin cousins (which is not a lie!). Or, if they don't run in your family.. They do now! Usually if they ask this questions the questions stop!!!!
I know there are some sassy responses that I could never really say, so the majority of the time I just smile and nod and try to not make eye contact. Its really hard when I am just trying to get in and out of somewhere. The deck is already stacked against me having two nuggets to get in and out of the car, keep happy during our shopping expeditions, but to add everyone stopping you with questions it does not help!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
We are ONE!!!
I can not even begin to believe that our girls are one!! It is absolutely crazy.
Last year our sweet girls arrived at 6:15pm and 6:16pm. It is unbelievable how much your life can change in the blink of an eye. In the past year we have had many ups and downs but have inevitably “survived.” Here is what I have learned the first year of raising twins:
- Parenting=trial and error
- You can do just about anything while holding two babies (and yes I do mean anything)
- I can now understand how sleep deprivation can be used as a torture device
- Found out just how “natural” breastfeeding really is
- Personal hygiene and appearance take 1,298 on the priority list
- Found out that you can reheat the same cup of coffee about 5 times before you have to throw it out (if you remember to take it out of the microwave after the 5th time)
- A Break= going to the bathroom by yourself.
- All those things I said I would never do, I did them, b/c there is a reason those people did them in the first place
- Laundry, cooking, cleaning… what are they?
- Understand the true capacity of love and patience
Oh the Clamity!!!
ten to twelve months
We are sleeping from 8pm to 7am most days, every once and a while we will still wake up around 5 or 6am. They are eating oatmeal, rice, cheese, crackers, green beans, peas, vanilla wafers, mac and cheese, mum mums, and anything else we can break into small pieces. They are starting to hold their own sippy cups. Which makes more a much easier meal time for mommy. Crawling everywhere in a second. I can not believe how fast they are and how fast they develop from day to day. They both love to talk, babble and laugh. Both girls are wearing 9m, and size 2 diapers. Avery finally has 2 teeth and starting to stand without pulling up on anything. Neely loves following sister around and starting to get into trouble together. Girls starting to "talk" to each other in cribs. We will lay them down for naps or bedtime and hear them babbling. On the monitor they are both standing up in the cribs talking to each other across the room. So stinking funny!!!
11 month
Girls are starting to go to bed closer to 8pm and waking up around 7am. They love to eat and so far have not been very picky, even though our meal cleaner-uper, Harvey, is! He is not a fan of the green beans. They love playing with the food on their trays and are getting better and better at fine motor skills. Doing great with sippy cups and starting to take then in between meals. Neely is so good at opening and closing doors, its her new favorite thing which again, gets them into trouble. They love getting into cabinets, pantry, closets, etc. There is not a day that goes by that we don't baby proof something else that they get into or find. Avery is still wearing 9m and Neely, big girl, is up to 12 month. They are both still in size 2 diapers.Both girls are standing and "scaling" walls, cabinets, and couches. Neely still is not a good napper and doesn't want to miss anything, while Avery loves to sleep still!!!
12th month
Starting to sleep 8pm to some days to 8am!!! We are starting to introduce whole milk and Neely is loving it. After a couple of days she was not taking anymore formula. Avery, however, tends to have a little more of a sensitive stomach and we are starting to mix it. WALKING!!! AWWW! Not ready for that! Neely was almost taking steps for about a week. Avery was still not ready to let go. But, 2 weeks before their birthday, we looked up and Avery took 6 whole steps!!! The following night Neely was walking also. Within 1 to 2 weeks they were walking 75% of the time.They are so wobbly! Neely walks like ET, hobbling side to side, while Avery is much faster than her balance and looks like she is flailing. Girls love to "help" mama with laundry. They love pulling out all the clothes and throwing them. So funny! Neely still wearing 12m and Avery still 9m. We are up to size 3 diapers. Neely has 6 teeth, while Avery still has two. They love to carry around favorite toys and clothes. On of their favorite games is pulling out all the wipes when mom forgets to shut the lid. They are constantly exploring everywhere and getting into everything. Neely weighs 19lbs 11oz and Avery 17lbs 6oz.
We are sleeping from 8pm to 7am most days, every once and a while we will still wake up around 5 or 6am. They are eating oatmeal, rice, cheese, crackers, green beans, peas, vanilla wafers, mac and cheese, mum mums, and anything else we can break into small pieces. They are starting to hold their own sippy cups. Which makes more a much easier meal time for mommy. Crawling everywhere in a second. I can not believe how fast they are and how fast they develop from day to day. They both love to talk, babble and laugh. Both girls are wearing 9m, and size 2 diapers. Avery finally has 2 teeth and starting to stand without pulling up on anything. Neely loves following sister around and starting to get into trouble together. Girls starting to "talk" to each other in cribs. We will lay them down for naps or bedtime and hear them babbling. On the monitor they are both standing up in the cribs talking to each other across the room. So stinking funny!!!
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| Avery at her visit to cooks ER. Both girls got RSV, and Avery seemed to get the worst of it. Poor thing. Got some medication, treatments, and suctioning and we were on our way! |
Girls are starting to go to bed closer to 8pm and waking up around 7am. They love to eat and so far have not been very picky, even though our meal cleaner-uper, Harvey, is! He is not a fan of the green beans. They love playing with the food on their trays and are getting better and better at fine motor skills. Doing great with sippy cups and starting to take then in between meals. Neely is so good at opening and closing doors, its her new favorite thing which again, gets them into trouble. They love getting into cabinets, pantry, closets, etc. There is not a day that goes by that we don't baby proof something else that they get into or find. Avery is still wearing 9m and Neely, big girl, is up to 12 month. They are both still in size 2 diapers.Both girls are standing and "scaling" walls, cabinets, and couches. Neely still is not a good napper and doesn't want to miss anything, while Avery loves to sleep still!!!
12th month
Starting to sleep 8pm to some days to 8am!!! We are starting to introduce whole milk and Neely is loving it. After a couple of days she was not taking anymore formula. Avery, however, tends to have a little more of a sensitive stomach and we are starting to mix it. WALKING!!! AWWW! Not ready for that! Neely was almost taking steps for about a week. Avery was still not ready to let go. But, 2 weeks before their birthday, we looked up and Avery took 6 whole steps!!! The following night Neely was walking also. Within 1 to 2 weeks they were walking 75% of the time.They are so wobbly! Neely walks like ET, hobbling side to side, while Avery is much faster than her balance and looks like she is flailing. Girls love to "help" mama with laundry. They love pulling out all the clothes and throwing them. So funny! Neely still wearing 12m and Avery still 9m. We are up to size 3 diapers. Neely has 6 teeth, while Avery still has two. They love to carry around favorite toys and clothes. On of their favorite games is pulling out all the wipes when mom forgets to shut the lid. They are constantly exploring everywhere and getting into everything. Neely weighs 19lbs 11oz and Avery 17lbs 6oz.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Venturing Out Into the Wortd
seven to nine months
7th month!! Awwwwww! It seems like it has gone by so fast, yet so slow at times.
We are still sleeping our normal schedule from about 8pm to 5-6am. Girls love eating everything! Love rice puffs, teething biscuits, fruits, and vegetables. We have added chicken and yogurt to our diet and love both. I make chicken baby food by boiling it with either sweet potatoes, rice, or green beans. Then blend it up and freeze. Its a lot easier and tastes better than I thought. Girls are really developing fine motor skills and able to pick up french fries and bananas! Avery is taking 6oz of formula and breast milk and Neely 6-8oz. Starting to get a eating and bottle schedule down. We usually do morning bottle, then back to sleep. When the girls wake up we do "breakfast" (2-4 oz of baby food, each) and play time and bottle. Girls then eat lunch (2-4 oz of baby food, each), afternoon nap, bottle, playtime, and then dinner! We are now sitting up unassisted and love to play on the play mat with each other and toys! Girls are starting to really snuggle up with a minky blanket that we now "need" for bedtime and nap time. Neely now has 2 teeth! Avery continues to drool on everything, no teeth yet! Neely and Avery are starting to babble, squeal, and giggle all the time. Girls are wearing size two diapers and wearing 6 month clothes.
9 months already!
They are becoming better and better sleepers. Bedtime is usually around 7pm and starting to wake up around 6am. Eating all kinds of new foods, fish sticks, pancakes, waffles, and grilled cheese. We have tried sippy's on and off with no real consistency, but as we get closer and closer to the "no bottle" benchmark we are starting to really use them with every "meal." Neely is wearing 9 month clothes, and Avery still in 6 month, they are finally getting tighter! We are still in size 2 diapers! Neely got 3 more teeth for a total of 5! Avery just got her first! Girls are starting to pull up themselves and love to play on the activity table. Avery is crawling! A little wobbly now but starting to pick up speed. Neely remains on all fours and rocking but not crawling just yet. We finally got our ears pierced, and of course daddy was not a happy camper and made his mom come with me! It was not bad at all. We took them to Claire's, they did both ears at the same time and the crying was over before I could get off the stool. Avery starting to crawl and pulling up on toys. Girls love to talk talk talk! Neely 17lbs, 15oz Avery 15oz, 8oz
7th month!! Awwwwww! It seems like it has gone by so fast, yet so slow at times.
We are still sleeping our normal schedule from about 8pm to 5-6am. Girls love eating everything! Love rice puffs, teething biscuits, fruits, and vegetables. We have added chicken and yogurt to our diet and love both. I make chicken baby food by boiling it with either sweet potatoes, rice, or green beans. Then blend it up and freeze. Its a lot easier and tastes better than I thought. Girls are really developing fine motor skills and able to pick up french fries and bananas! Avery is taking 6oz of formula and breast milk and Neely 6-8oz. Starting to get a eating and bottle schedule down. We usually do morning bottle, then back to sleep. When the girls wake up we do "breakfast" (2-4 oz of baby food, each) and play time and bottle. Girls then eat lunch (2-4 oz of baby food, each), afternoon nap, bottle, playtime, and then dinner! We are now sitting up unassisted and love to play on the play mat with each other and toys! Girls are starting to really snuggle up with a minky blanket that we now "need" for bedtime and nap time. Neely now has 2 teeth! Avery continues to drool on everything, no teeth yet! Neely and Avery are starting to babble, squeal, and giggle all the time. Girls are wearing size two diapers and wearing 6 month clothes.
Jake update: Jake was admitted to the hospital for his "normal" IV antibiotic regimen to help clean out his lungs. His lung function dropped quite a bit and they felt that it was time for the "big guns" of antibiotics to help with his lung function. He ususally stays inpatient for about 5 days and then goes home with a PICC line and we continue home antibiotics for a total of 21 days. Thank goodness for aunt Susan for coming to the rescue to help us during his hopsitalization, picture above left from the girls visit with daddy!
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| 7th month |
8th month
Girls are sleeping about the same. Avery sleeps sooo well. We can just put her down in her crib and she rolls over with her blanky and paci and goes right to sleep. Neely, however, ugh. This girl fights it! We usually give her about 20 min depending on the cry and go get her. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. She doesn't want to take naps either! So we set up the pack and play in the guest room and she naps in there when she finally gets tired enough. We have finally run out of breast milk and are on full formula. Avery still takes 6oz and Neely takes closer to 8oz. Still on our same schedule. It seems like around 4 to 5pm it becomes cranky city! Now that its cooling off outside we have to get out of the house and walk as much as we can for moms sanity. Girls love getting outside and riding in the stroller. Girls still wearing size 2 diapers and wearing 6 month clothes. Neely 16lbs, 6oz and Avery 14lbs, 4oz  |
| 8th month |
9 months already!
They are becoming better and better sleepers. Bedtime is usually around 7pm and starting to wake up around 6am. Eating all kinds of new foods, fish sticks, pancakes, waffles, and grilled cheese. We have tried sippy's on and off with no real consistency, but as we get closer and closer to the "no bottle" benchmark we are starting to really use them with every "meal." Neely is wearing 9 month clothes, and Avery still in 6 month, they are finally getting tighter! We are still in size 2 diapers! Neely got 3 more teeth for a total of 5! Avery just got her first! Girls are starting to pull up themselves and love to play on the activity table. Avery is crawling! A little wobbly now but starting to pick up speed. Neely remains on all fours and rocking but not crawling just yet. We finally got our ears pierced, and of course daddy was not a happy camper and made his mom come with me! It was not bad at all. We took them to Claire's, they did both ears at the same time and the crying was over before I could get off the stool. Avery starting to crawl and pulling up on toys. Girls love to talk talk talk! Neely 17lbs, 15oz Avery 15oz, 8oz
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| 9th month |
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Sleep, Smiles, and Food!!
four to six months
4th month!!
Sleeping is getting soooo much better. Neely is sleeping about 6 to sometimes 10hours! However, Avery bug is sleeping about 6 to 8hours. Big accomplishment this month we are sleeping in cribs! Sharing crib right now and getting a little wiggly, not sure how much longer we can share one crib. We started cereal and stage one veggies! Some days we really like the cereal and food, while other days we are over it and would just rather take a bottle. I am making the girls baby food which consists of zucchini, squash, sweet potato's, green beans, pears, apples, and bananas. I started making baby food for several reasons, 1) cost, although its not really expensive it does add up with two mouths, 2) nutrition, I am not normally "one of those" that buys only organic and bakes/cooks from scratch. But, a friend challenged me to look at the ingredients in some brands and I was a little mystified about some of the sneaky additions. Also, I could never make myself even try store bought food, to smell it was enough. When you make it yourself, you know exactly what is in it and don't mind trying it. 3) Its SOOO easy. I know it sounds like such a chore and now back at work, I still have time. I can make a weeks worth of food during one nap time. Just boil, blend, and freeze ( I found some silicone one ounce square freezer trays that worked perfectly). Girls are now taking 4 to 6 ounces of breast milk. We are up to size 1 diapers and wearing 3 months clothes! Neely is weighing 11lbs, 2 oz and Avery is up to 10lbs 6oz.
5th Month
We now have a "bedtime!" Girls are going to bed around 8pm and sleeping until 5 or 6am. It feels nice to have schedule! We are still Breastfeeding about once to twice a day and bottle feeding about 6ounces. Due to the significant decrease in my supply we are mixing half milk and half formula. We are using soy formula due to Avery's Milk protein intolerance. At first the girls were very resistant to the formula, but now they are starting to tolerate it better. We are eating more and more fruits and vegetables and love baby Mum-mums. Neely is helping mom by holding her own bottle! It makes for much easier feeding time. Neely has followed Avery and is now rolling from back to front and her brace is off!! Yay! Girls are now sleeping in separate cribs because they are so very wiggly. They are never in the same place they are when we put them done at. We still have to get up every once or twice in a while and re-pacify the girls, but its getting less and less frequent. Girls are laughing and smiling and its so fun to watch and play with all the new developments! Neely is up to 6 months clothes and Avery is wearing 3 month. Both girls are wearing size 1 diapers, although they are getting a little snug! Neely is up to 12lbs 14.5oz, Avery 11lbs 9oz
6th month!! We've made it half of a year!!
Sleeping from 8pm to about 6am on most days. They love all fruits and veggies that we give them, so far we do not have picky babies. Both girls are taking 4 to 6 ounces of formula and breast milk. We have started to switch from soy formula to regular and Avery is tolerating it well. Girls are up to size two diapers. Neely is in 6 month clothing and Avery is wearing 3-6 month. They are starting to take two distinctive naps. Rolling around from back to tummy and tummy to back. They are sitting up with the help of boppy pillows and love sitting and playing in bumbo seats! Starting to love the jumper and figuring out how to roll the rattle and play with all the pieces. I feel like all of a sudden I can breathe and I feel like we can do this!Girls are interacting with us and each other and we are starting to get a routine down. Feeding is getting easier we are all sleeping better, things are looking up! Weights:: Neely 14lb 11oz, Avery 12lbs, 10oz
4th month!!
Sleeping is getting soooo much better. Neely is sleeping about 6 to sometimes 10hours! However, Avery bug is sleeping about 6 to 8hours. Big accomplishment this month we are sleeping in cribs! Sharing crib right now and getting a little wiggly, not sure how much longer we can share one crib. We started cereal and stage one veggies! Some days we really like the cereal and food, while other days we are over it and would just rather take a bottle. I am making the girls baby food which consists of zucchini, squash, sweet potato's, green beans, pears, apples, and bananas. I started making baby food for several reasons, 1) cost, although its not really expensive it does add up with two mouths, 2) nutrition, I am not normally "one of those" that buys only organic and bakes/cooks from scratch. But, a friend challenged me to look at the ingredients in some brands and I was a little mystified about some of the sneaky additions. Also, I could never make myself even try store bought food, to smell it was enough. When you make it yourself, you know exactly what is in it and don't mind trying it. 3) Its SOOO easy. I know it sounds like such a chore and now back at work, I still have time. I can make a weeks worth of food during one nap time. Just boil, blend, and freeze ( I found some silicone one ounce square freezer trays that worked perfectly). Girls are now taking 4 to 6 ounces of breast milk. We are up to size 1 diapers and wearing 3 months clothes! Neely is weighing 11lbs, 2 oz and Avery is up to 10lbs 6oz.
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| 4th month |
We now have a "bedtime!" Girls are going to bed around 8pm and sleeping until 5 or 6am. It feels nice to have schedule! We are still Breastfeeding about once to twice a day and bottle feeding about 6ounces. Due to the significant decrease in my supply we are mixing half milk and half formula. We are using soy formula due to Avery's Milk protein intolerance. At first the girls were very resistant to the formula, but now they are starting to tolerate it better. We are eating more and more fruits and vegetables and love baby Mum-mums. Neely is helping mom by holding her own bottle! It makes for much easier feeding time. Neely has followed Avery and is now rolling from back to front and her brace is off!! Yay! Girls are now sleeping in separate cribs because they are so very wiggly. They are never in the same place they are when we put them done at. We still have to get up every once or twice in a while and re-pacify the girls, but its getting less and less frequent. Girls are laughing and smiling and its so fun to watch and play with all the new developments! Neely is up to 6 months clothes and Avery is wearing 3 month. Both girls are wearing size 1 diapers, although they are getting a little snug! Neely is up to 12lbs 14.5oz, Avery 11lbs 9oz
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| 5th month |
Sleeping from 8pm to about 6am on most days. They love all fruits and veggies that we give them, so far we do not have picky babies. Both girls are taking 4 to 6 ounces of formula and breast milk. We have started to switch from soy formula to regular and Avery is tolerating it well. Girls are up to size two diapers. Neely is in 6 month clothing and Avery is wearing 3-6 month. They are starting to take two distinctive naps. Rolling around from back to tummy and tummy to back. They are sitting up with the help of boppy pillows and love sitting and playing in bumbo seats! Starting to love the jumper and figuring out how to roll the rattle and play with all the pieces. I feel like all of a sudden I can breathe and I feel like we can do this!Girls are interacting with us and each other and we are starting to get a routine down. Feeding is getting easier we are all sleeping better, things are looking up! Weights:: Neely 14lb 11oz, Avery 12lbs, 10oz
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| These are our amazing 6 month pictures taken by JDuarte!!! |
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sleepless, Spit-up, and Swings
Every month brings new challenges, joy, and new developments in our lives. Here is our month-to-month, sleeping, eating, and doings.
1st month
Girls eating every 2-3 hours, taking about 1 to 2 ounces of breast milk. Neely is our good eater and usually finishes first. Avery we have to work with. We have 30 min to feed the girls and it seems like toward the end of the evening it takes longer and longer to feed. After a couple of sleepless nights with the girls in one of the cribs in our room we have re located them to the pack and play in the living room. I got so much more sleep not waking up to their every little peep. Having issues with spit up which we are told is normal for our late preterm girls! Girls are wearing preemie clothes and starting to fit into newborn size. Still need preemie diapers. They are not big fans of tummy time and are starting to focus on objects and gaining more head control. One month weights: Avery 5lbs 5oz, Neely 5lbs 12oz
2nd month
We have made it to feeds every 4 and sometimes when we are really lucky 6 hours!! Girls are starting to breastfeed better and taking about 3oz when bottle feeding!Still seems like we have enless nights, but we still have them on the same schedule and feeding is getting easier, both girls are able to drink bottles faster, making it possible for us to get a little more sleep! Because reflux is so bad Neely and Avery are both on meds and sleeping better upright in their bouncers. Girls are both loving the swing (best invention ever!) and allowing mom to take a couple naps here and there. They are both fitting into newborn clothes and newborn diapers! They are starting to smile and follow objects with their eyes! It is amazing how fast they grow and change. Two month weights: Avery 7lbs, 5.5oz, Neely 7lbs 12oz
3rd month
Girls are sleeping anywhere from 4 to 8 hours! Neely sleeps much longer than Avery and during the first two months if one woke up than we would get the other one up to keep them on the same schedule. I took a chance one night and didn't wake Neely up to see how long she would sleep. It turns out she slept through the entire feed and onto the next... 8hours!! Glorious! The next night lil sister Avery got the hint and slept through the night too! At this point I was just waking up once during the night to feed/pump! We still are breastfeeding and getting a little better at it, but not quite exclusively. Girls are up to 3 to 4 oz when bottle feeding! They are still sleeping in swings and bouncers and needing medication for reflux. However we are starting to take naps during the day in their cribs! Avery started turning over from her stomach to back! Since Neely is in her brace it makes it extra hard to roll with that stinky thing. Girls have started watching Baby Einstein and love it!! Avery weighs 9lbs 3oz and Neely is up to 10lbs
1st month
Girls eating every 2-3 hours, taking about 1 to 2 ounces of breast milk. Neely is our good eater and usually finishes first. Avery we have to work with. We have 30 min to feed the girls and it seems like toward the end of the evening it takes longer and longer to feed. After a couple of sleepless nights with the girls in one of the cribs in our room we have re located them to the pack and play in the living room. I got so much more sleep not waking up to their every little peep. Having issues with spit up which we are told is normal for our late preterm girls! Girls are wearing preemie clothes and starting to fit into newborn size. Still need preemie diapers. They are not big fans of tummy time and are starting to focus on objects and gaining more head control. One month weights: Avery 5lbs 5oz, Neely 5lbs 12oz
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Tummy Time
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We have made it to feeds every 4 and sometimes when we are really lucky 6 hours!! Girls are starting to breastfeed better and taking about 3oz when bottle feeding!Still seems like we have enless nights, but we still have them on the same schedule and feeding is getting easier, both girls are able to drink bottles faster, making it possible for us to get a little more sleep! Because reflux is so bad Neely and Avery are both on meds and sleeping better upright in their bouncers. Girls are both loving the swing (best invention ever!) and allowing mom to take a couple naps here and there. They are both fitting into newborn clothes and newborn diapers! They are starting to smile and follow objects with their eyes! It is amazing how fast they grow and change. Two month weights: Avery 7lbs, 5.5oz, Neely 7lbs 12oz
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| Avery in her Moby Wrap (another great invention) Only way to get anything done with a sleepy baby that wont sleep. |
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| 2nd month |
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| Easter Pictures!! |
3rd month
Girls are sleeping anywhere from 4 to 8 hours! Neely sleeps much longer than Avery and during the first two months if one woke up than we would get the other one up to keep them on the same schedule. I took a chance one night and didn't wake Neely up to see how long she would sleep. It turns out she slept through the entire feed and onto the next... 8hours!! Glorious! The next night lil sister Avery got the hint and slept through the night too! At this point I was just waking up once during the night to feed/pump! We still are breastfeeding and getting a little better at it, but not quite exclusively. Girls are up to 3 to 4 oz when bottle feeding! They are still sleeping in swings and bouncers and needing medication for reflux. However we are starting to take naps during the day in their cribs! Avery started turning over from her stomach to back! Since Neely is in her brace it makes it extra hard to roll with that stinky thing. Girls have started watching Baby Einstein and love it!! Avery weighs 9lbs 3oz and Neely is up to 10lbs
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| 3rd month |
Sunday, January 27, 2013
The perils of breastfeeding twins...
As a nurse who is well educated in helping patients breastfeed and understands the benefits of breastfeeding, you would think that I would have had it down pat. However, that was not the case. I felt like I knew nothing. During our hospital stay I had two wonderful lacation consultants (LC) to assist me in all the wonderful things that accompany breastfeeding. The latches, nursing pads, bras, pumping equipment, pumping rules, nursing pillow... and the list goes on and on.
Because the girls were small and not very vigorous at breastfeeding I would let them nurse for as long as they could and then pump and give them a bottle. When we got home this continued, however, after about a week they were still having problems latching. I was still pumping around the clock and producing more than enough and already had some saved in the freezer. I called our LC and they were able to get me an appointment to work with us. Thank goodness our insurance paid for it! Of course when we got there both girls latched right on and breastfed perfectly. Well, we got home and just like before the girls were having problems latching. I called the LC again and this time spoke with another LC who told be to come back so that we could use nipple Shields. The shield is small and flexible and fits over your nipple to extend to reach the top portion of the babies hard palate (roof of your mouth). This helps to stimulate the baby to suck. At the end of the shield are holes to allow milk to pass into the babies mouth. They are very easy to use and really helped the girls to breastfeed.
We used these for about a month and the girls did pretty descent with them. They still needed additional feeding through a bottle, so I was still pumping a good amount of time. In the morning Jake would be up doing treatments before work and would do a feeding for me so I could get a little sleep. I would wake up and pump and get anything from 10oz to 16oz. However, throughout the day and by the end of the evening it would taper off to about 4 to 6oz (which is completely normal, I freaked out at first thinking that my milk was drying up, but it was not, this is why its good to pump after the morning feed, b/c you have more milk). After about of month of using the nipple shield I started to take it off because Neely was starting the leak all the breast milk underneath the shield and was pulling it off. At this time I was breastfeeding them about 3 times a day and bottle feeding/pumping the other times. Although we had made leaps and bounds with breastfeeding, it still was not enough and we would use what I had pumped to give them a little more ( SIDE NOTE: there is a lot of people that said by just putting them on the breast for as long as they want as often as they want would fix this problem, but for our circumstance it was not possible. I tried this one day and literally continuously breastfed them for 4 hours straight, started with both on, then Avery was done after 25 min, Neely was still on and hungry, switched her sides and then after about another 20 min Avery was rooting around, so then I put her on, in which time Neely was done... this went on back and forth, on and off for 4 hours. At this point I was physically exhausted, had no time to eat drink, go to the bathroom or nap at all. I gave them both a little bottle and they were finally satisfied.)
One bad thing about the nipple shields is that the awful sore nipples come back after not using the shield. So I would alternate to alleviate some of the pain and finally breastfeed them with no shield. At about 3 months I was still getting a significant amount of milk and able to store bag full. However, that all changed when I went back to work (the girls were 3 months). There was not enough time some days to pump as much as I needed to and slowly by 5-6 months I was getting little to nothing out and the girls were exclusively bottle feeding what I had stored up. Thank goodness I had a lot in the freezer and were able to spread it out until the girls were 8 months old.
** I used the breastfriend, twin pillow and loved it. It allowed you to strap the pillow around you and place both babies in the football hold a the same time. At first the girls were so small that we would have to use little blankets to roll up and place under their heads to get them closer to me, but as they grew it got easier. I also used the ameda pump, I chose this one over the medela because it was a lot smaller and I could control the speed and suction at the times that I wanted it. It was small enough to put in the diaper bag or my work bag (so I did not have to carry two bags).
Because the girls were small and not very vigorous at breastfeeding I would let them nurse for as long as they could and then pump and give them a bottle. When we got home this continued, however, after about a week they were still having problems latching. I was still pumping around the clock and producing more than enough and already had some saved in the freezer. I called our LC and they were able to get me an appointment to work with us. Thank goodness our insurance paid for it! Of course when we got there both girls latched right on and breastfed perfectly. Well, we got home and just like before the girls were having problems latching. I called the LC again and this time spoke with another LC who told be to come back so that we could use nipple Shields. The shield is small and flexible and fits over your nipple to extend to reach the top portion of the babies hard palate (roof of your mouth). This helps to stimulate the baby to suck. At the end of the shield are holes to allow milk to pass into the babies mouth. They are very easy to use and really helped the girls to breastfeed.
One bad thing about the nipple shields is that the awful sore nipples come back after not using the shield. So I would alternate to alleviate some of the pain and finally breastfeed them with no shield. At about 3 months I was still getting a significant amount of milk and able to store bag full. However, that all changed when I went back to work (the girls were 3 months). There was not enough time some days to pump as much as I needed to and slowly by 5-6 months I was getting little to nothing out and the girls were exclusively bottle feeding what I had stored up. Thank goodness I had a lot in the freezer and were able to spread it out until the girls were 8 months old.
** I used the breastfriend, twin pillow and loved it. It allowed you to strap the pillow around you and place both babies in the football hold a the same time. At first the girls were so small that we would have to use little blankets to roll up and place under their heads to get them closer to me, but as they grew it got easier. I also used the ameda pump, I chose this one over the medela because it was a lot smaller and I could control the speed and suction at the times that I wanted it. It was small enough to put in the diaper bag or my work bag (so I did not have to carry two bags).
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| Daddy using the twin pillow for snuggle time in the NICU |
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| Girls snuggling on the pillow after feeding. |
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