Bouncing Baby Birches

We're moving... the blog, that is

2009-07-28T06:30:00.002-04:00

We have moved the blog to our own website: http://www.birchbunch.com/blog

All of the old entries and photos are still there, and there is a new update coming soon!

Sarah's first haircut

2009-06-07T18:54:00.002-04:00

We've been getting by with the "whale spout", but Sarah has been taking out the rubber band more and more often. I finally decided to take matters into my own hands (of course I saved the little lock of hair that I trimmed from her bangs).

Before:

During:

After:

There are some more new pictures on the June 2009 page too -- just scroll down past all the Disney photos.

Disney Pictures

2009-06-03T09:32:00.006-04:00

I didn't get to the pictures until this morning... we were all completely exhausted by the time we got home. All 3 kids fell asleep in the car on the ride home, Jimmy was trying to find a spot to lie down and go back to sleep on the playroom floor while we were getting them into PJs, but Katie caught a second wind and was running around for 10 or 15 minutes before she finally climbed into her bed.

Jimmy is really hooked on trains now. Before we left for the office this morning, he was riding around on his turtle saying "choo choo choo!" He found his Thomas the train engine and was rolling it around on the train tracks printed on the "town" rug in the playroom. I think his birthday may be a good time to start on the Thomas train collection.

The Disney photos are on the new June 2009 album page. It was a bit difficult to get pictures since all three of us (Russ, Kirsitina, and I) each had a kid to hold on to and chase after, but we got a few good ones.

First Disney Trip

2009-06-02T19:58:00.001-04:00

We took the kids to Disney World for the first time today and everyone had a great time! There was a bad accident that had the highway closed down on oir way over, so it took us 3 hours instead of 90 minutes, but that was the only snag we hit all day.

We went on It's A Small World, the Pooh ride (formerly Mr. Toad's Wild Ride - this was my first time on it's new incarnation), the steam train, the Tiki Room, and the treehouse. The kids loved all of it, even the parking lot tram and the ferry boat from there to the Magic Kingdom, but their favorite thing by far was the Pooh-themed playground... with fountains of water shooting up out of the ground. All 3 of them squealed and giggled and got SOAKED!! Fortunately it was 90 degrees out & Mommy brought along a change of clothes for everyone.

They had nice naps in their strollers after Jimmy watched the train go past a couple of times ("WOW! WOW!"). At the end of their nap time we took a snack break in the shade just at the right time in Frontierland and ended up with spots right up front for the parade, which had them waving and clapping at all of the characters & dancers.

We had some dinner and a couple of last rides,and then headed for home as we are all pretty worn out after all the ecxitement.

Pictures to come as soon as we get home & get them to bed.

In the Merry Merry Month of May

2009-05-28T05:30:00.004-04:00

If I don't write something here pretty soon, we'll have nothing at all for May, so here goes. It's been a whirlwind month since my last post, with a trip to a baseball game, the March for Babies, new toddler beds for all the kiddies, Mother's Day at our new Ikea store in Tampa, Sarah's first birthday, and a Memorial day cookout with some friends.

We're already into summer here, with hot weather and the return of our frequent thunderstorms. The rain has been great for our drought-stricken lawn, but not so good for the kids, who miss playing outside when it's soggy out there. We've had the kiddie pool out a couple of times already, and we have a couple of fun sprinkler toys as well to help keep cool.

The baseball game was the day after our trip to the zoo from my last post, so we had a very full weekend. A whole group from our multiples club went to watch a local minor-league team play, and the kids loved it. It was the same day as the ballpark's benefit for the Humane Society, where people donate an extra couple of bucks to bring their dogs in with them. Jimmy and Katie spent most of the afternoon saying "Doggie! Doggie! Doggie!" They also got to eat not only hot dogs, but also chips and ice cream, which is always a treat. The biggest hit of the day for the twins was the bounce house they had so much fun in there I am sorely tempted to get a little one for the back yard... or at least rent one once in a while!

Our March for Babies day was a great success, our team raised over $1,300 for the March of Dimes and we had a beautiful morning for the three-mile walk. Thanks to everyone who donated & supported us!

Next up was Sarah's birthday... a whole year old already! I baked a cake and we had a little celebration at home. She was much less tentative about digging into her cake than the twins were on their first b-day, and now all three know the word "cake" and what it means (YUM!).

We found some great toddler beds and got Jimmy's & Katie's set up last month, with Sarah's mattress still on the floor until she figured out how to get in and out of the beds. That didn't take long at all, and Tidbit got her bed shortly after her birthday. Bed time is a little crazy as they all run around the room, lift up the blinds and peek out the windows, pile into each other's beds, and whatever else they do in there (we try not to look :-). It is working out very well, they do settle down eventually (usually in their own beds), they all sleep well through the night, and if any of them wake up early in the morning, they play quietly in their room for a while, at least.

For Mother's Day, Russ and the kids took me to the Ikea store that just opened in Tampa. We had a great time! It's getting easier and easier to take the kids out places with us, and they even seem to enjoy the trips more. We picked up a great table and chairs for the playroom, along with some cute pictures, a rug, and a pair of toy bins, a shelving unit for the living room, and some more little goodies. I had a marvelous time, and I got my first present from the kids too -- Kristina (our wonderful nanny) traced their little hands onto paper and turned them into "flowers"!

The cookout was lots of fun. We kept it small this year, but we are hoping to make this an annual tradition and have it be the big "birthday bash" for the three kids & Russ (all of their birthdays are in May & June). It will be bigger & better next year!

Lots of photos in the April and May albums.

First trip to the zoo

2009-04-18T22:29:00.008-04:00

We took the kids to the zoo for the first time today, and all had a great time. The twins walked around at first while Sarah rode in the stroller, then Jimmy & Katie wanted to ride so I carried Sarah in the sling. She was so comfy she had an extra little nap before lunchtime while we strolled through the Florida exhibit.

J & K loved seeing the animals, though the ones that were far away or sleeping weren't of much interest. Fortunately this zoo has plenty of up-close exhibits, including the friendly goats at the children's area (we might try going into the petting zoo next visit), a platform where you can feed special crackers to a giraffe (we didn't buy any, but the the giraffe didn't know that so was up close anyway), penguins in a glass enclosure, the underwater windows into the fish & manatee pools, and plenty more.

We stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants there, where Jimmy and Sarah stuffed themselves with chicken nuggets and Katie decided that french fries were the order of the day (she'd had a couple earlier, at snack time). We spent a little more time after lunch in the Asian habitat area, which had some really interesting animals like the Sloth Bear and Bearded Pigs, then headed for home when everyone began looking sleepy. Katie conked out before we even got her strapped into her car seat, and Jimmy wasn't far behind. Sarah was well rested from her extra morning nap, but still dozed a little. We drove around for about an hour to let them sleep and managed to time it just right to be home just a few minutes after they woke up, ready for snacks!

There are several more photos from our day on the April 2009 page.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T07:07:00.005-04:00

Happy Easter! We took the kids to an Easter egg hunt, their first, over the weekend. Fortunately the age groups were separated so we didn't get trampled. They didn't quite understand the idea of collecting the eggs, so almost as many came back out of their baskets as went in, but they had fun while they were at it. We got to spend quite a while at the playground there too, and Katie caught on to the "big kid" swing with some help from Daddy -- then didn't want to get off. Jimmy enjoyed swinging with Kirby, and Sarah had fun just walking around and swinging with Mommy.

Another highlight of the day was lollipops -- another first for Jimmy and Katie. Katie went to town on hers right away, Jimmy wasn't even sure he wanted to put his in his mouth (funny, he'll put nearly anything else in his mouth!). Once they got a taste of the sweets, their first reaction was to try to brush their teeth with the lollipops. It made sense once I thought about it -- the only thing they have that tastes like candy is their toddler toothpaste. Funny how those little brains work!

The empty plastic eggs seemed to be as big a hit as anything else, so Easter morning they got baskets full of those, plus some other toys. Speaking of toys, I have determined the toy preference hierarchy: 1. dirty diaper, 2. clean diaper that Mommy needs to put on someone, 3. box of diaper wipes (must be CLOSED when Mommy needs to get one out, but when no one's looking must be OPEN and emptied one wipe at a time), 4. any of the other 190385476573 toys in the room.

New April 2009 album page with photos from the egg hunt, our new backyard playhouse, and more. There's also a new video (as of last week) with some cute twin stuff on our YouTube playlist.

Words, words, words

2009-03-30T21:53:00.007-04:00

The "verbal explosion" is in full swing for Jimmy and Katie, they are both learning new words daily and putting them together in new and interesting ways. Jimmy still does a lot of talking in his own language, with even longer monologues and more expression. Sarah is starting to make a few sounds that seem intentional, I think I've caught a couple of "mama"s, "buh buh buh" when someone leaves (combined with a little arm wave), and something that may be "more". Katie is really becoming our "little momma" more and more. She knows what the other two aren't allowed to do, and lets them know it with a stern "No! No!"

We're creeping up on potty training time. Jimmy and Katie are already fascinated by the goings-on in the bathroom, and with the contents of their diapers ("Poop?" "No poop in this diaper." "Tee tee?" "Yes, tee-tee"). One day last week Jimmy was looking out the window at the rain pouring down. "What's that?" Russ asked. Without hesitation, Jimmy answered, "Tee tee!" Also, whenever anyone, anywhere passes gas, Katie helpfully announces, "Poop!"

Sarah is becoming quite steady on her feet. She now sets off on her own walking, and often makes it halfway across the room before she loses her balance. It seems like she is making the shift from preferring to crawl to preferring to walk when she can and isn't in too much of a hurry (crawling is, after all, still much faster and easier).

We all went to a local fair over the weekend, and the twins spent most of the time out of the stroller. They had a blast collecting sticks, leaves, and pine cones, but were a little shy when people tried talking to them. It is getting easier to get out of the house with the whole family, especially now that Sarah is eating anything she can fit in her mouth. We have to be careful to give her small enough pieces for her to handle with only four little front teeth, as she will attempt to eat anything and everything (and Jimmy & Katie helpfully try to feed her all sorts of things, edible or not). We are also working with the twins on sitting in their seats at mealtimes for a little while before and after they actually eat, and on using plates and forks, all of which is coming along very well.

Bed time has just become a new adventure, as Katie has defeated the Superyard fence and can now climb into Sarah's crib at will. This makes Sarah very unhappy, and Jimmy too since he can't quite manage the climb himself. For now we have relocated Sarah to a pack & play in our bedroom, tomorrow night we are going to try her mattress right on the floor (with some pillows around it) and then it may be time for everyone to move into toddler beds at once. Thw twins have had one side off of their cribs for a while now, and they're fine that way, except that the mattresses are pretty high off the floor. They don't fall out much, but they do have a hard time climbing back in once they get down, especially Jimmy, so he ends up sleeping on the floor a lot. The toddler beds we're looking at are lower to the ground, which would make the up & down a bit easier on all of them.

There are lots of new photos on the March 2009 page and about six minutes of video that I pieced together from the snippets we captured through the month:

Big Sister, Little Momma

2009-03-09T20:52:00.002-04:00

I was nursing Sarah in the (one remaining) comfy chair in the kids' playroom yesterday. Katie climbed up next to us, poked at Sarah's mouth a couple of times and said, very sternly, "No bite Sarah!"

I also managed to capture a few of Sarah's steps on video:

And, while I'm at it, the giggly block-stacking video I mentioned in the previous post:

First Steps, More Words, Eating, Sleeping

2009-03-07T06:51:00.007-05:00

Sorry for the disappearing act, we're still here and doing fine. Shortly after my last post, I started going back to the office full time, four days a week (and diving into some new projects that have me working at home on my "days off" too). and the next thing I knew, the entire month of February was gone.

We have been busy at the house as well as at the office. The kids' playroom and bedroom, which were our old living room and bedroom, have new carpet and paint (after some minor, but much-needed repair work on the walls). Since the kitchen is relatively new, compared to the rest of the house anyway, we decided to just give it a fresh coat of paint and leave the rest alone. It's amazing what a new color on the walls does for the place!

We've also had quite a bit of work done outdoors, fill dirt, grading, walkways, and patio. The kids now have an outdoor play area, which is now their favorite place to be. We moved the Kangaroo Climber out there, added a sand/water table (no water until it gets a little warmer, though!), a couple of Cozy Coupe cars, and some balls & toys, and they love it. Jimmy and Katie, with their rapidly expanding verbal skills, now ask for "outside?" several times a day. Fortunately we have the weather for it, even in the middle of winter!

The twins are both picking up new words every day, it seems, and learning how to put them together to tell us things and (more importantly) ask for what they want. When we decipher what Katie is trying to ask us, she grins and says "yessssssss!" Jimmy still tells us a lot of things in his own language, but he is quite serious about it. He often comes up to one of us and runs through what sounds like several very important sentences before walking away. I wish I knew what his words meant!

They both have quite a collection of animal sounds -- when we read Goodnight Moon they chime in with "grrrrrr" (for the bears sitting on chairs) and "meeeeeeeow" (for the kittens). They are finally learning to put names to people too -- Mama, Dada, Jimmy ("Jee-ee"), Katie ("Kay-ee"), Sarah ("Sawa"). Sometimes they fight like crazy over a toy, a seat, or nothing at all, other times their bond is very apparent. One of those times is at night... they started climbing the cribs (into them first, but we realized that this meant they were also able to climb OUT just as easily), so we took the sides off and put a cushion on the floor for the first few weeks. At nap time they both sleep in their beds, but at bed time they start out in bed but more often than not end up on the floor (with all of their blankies, stuffed animals, etc.), curled up together.

Sarah is learning all sorts of things from the twins, sometimes a little too much (like climbing up on the little picnic table). She started standing on her own and taking a step or two a couple of weeks ago, now she's up to five or six steps in a row and standing for nearly a minute at a time. She also finally took to the sippy cup (we never did get her to take a bottle more than once in a while), which is how I was finally able to leave her at home with our (wonderful!!!) nanny and get back to work. She's now holding her own cup, taking two naps a day and going to bed at the same time as the twins, eating everything in sight by the fistful, and has two (bottom) teeth, a third that just came in (on top), and a fourth ready to make an appearance any day now. She is babbling up a storm, starting to wave and say bye-bye ("bah bah bah"), and she loves giving kisses!

I did take some pictures while all that was going on, a few more back in January and a bunch in February. There is also a new video in our YouTube collection of all three laughing at knocking down stacks of blocks.

Busy Start to 2009

2009-01-20T10:38:00.008-05:00

We had a great Christmas and, so far, a wonderful new year. The house addition got finished just in time for us to put up our Christmas tree in the new living room. It never did get decorated, but it was enough to just have it there.

The babes don't "get" Christmas just yet, but they certainly seemed to feel the excitement and squealed as they ran in to explore their new toys. We got them a play kitchen, a "Kangaroo Climber" with a little slide, and some other toys (some of the biggest hits were ones I picked up at the multiples club garage sale a couple of months back).

Once we had the furniture in the new living room, we were able to turn the old living room over to the kids as their new playroom, and bring the old dining table back in from the workshop... it's nice to be able to sit down for a meal again!

On New Year's Day we hauled our old mattress into our new bedroom (the new bedroom furniture wouldn't arrive until a week later), but realized that we had some drywall repair and painting to do in our old bedroom before we could put the kids in there so we all slept in the new bedroom together for a few nights (fortunately we have a pack & play for each of them). They are all sharing a room now, which is working out better than we expected. The twins are used to sharing a room, but we were worried that they might keep Sarah awake, or vice-versa. Instead, they all seem to keep each other company, and we have even been able to get Sarah to bed at the same time as Jimmy & Katie. She still wakes up earlier than they do most mornings, but fortunately they sleep right through her crying.

This week we are finishing up the wall repairs and painting in the front part of the old house, which includes the playroom, so it's pretty crazy at home right now. Kristina and I took the kids to the aquarium all day yesterday to stay out of the way, then we had to improvise a play area in the dining room for the next couple of days until the drywall work is done. Over the next week or two we'll have it all painted, get the new carpet installed, and be back to normal in that part of the house anyway. Outdoors, we had grading work done last week, sod put down yesterday, and a new walkway and patio are in the works. A little bit of fence for their outdoor play area, and then we should be able to take a breather for a little while before we move on to the rest of the project list.

I have finally uploaded more photos from December, Christmas, and a few January pics too.

More pictures

2008-12-23T11:40:00.006-05:00

Finally got a whole bunch of pictures off the camera, including this gem from the multiples club Christmas party:

Kristina brought presents today since we won't see her again until next week, so we had a little early Christmas fun this morning. Jimmy got a Little People dump truck, Katie got some wonderful books, and Sarah got her first purse... all the new pictures are on the December 2008 page.

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town

2008-12-22T07:13:00.008-05:00

The house addition is finally finished, passed final inspection last week, and is painted and carpeted. We have the new living room furniture in, some of the computer gear into my new study, got a Christmas tree yesterday, and moved the TV stuff over last night. With the space that (and a little playroom rearranging) opened up, we also brought our old dining table in from the workshop, so we have a place to sit down and eat once again!

Today we're headed to Ikea to get closet organizers for our bedroom, furniture for my study, and whatever else we can fit in the U-Haul trailer we're renting for the day. We still have a lot of odds and ends to finish up (things we'd decided early on that we wanted to do ourselves), but it's great to have the contractor's work done and be able to start using the space.

Our house phone is not working -- we have had intermittent problems ever since the electricians chopped through the phone line while doing some work out back. It's been repaired (a couple of times), but it really needs a whole new piece of cable run underground, something that I doubt will be accomplished in the next few days. We're on cell phones and email until it gets fixed. Fortunately we have a cell phone plan with a gazillion minutes, and in fact this might be the last straw for dropping the home phone entirely, which we've been thinking about for a year now.

Oh yeah, the kids... that's why you're reading this after all, isn't it?

I have a bunch of pictures to pull off of my camera, maybe tonight. I did post a couple of new YouTube videos of Sarah's latest accomplishment, eating (and feeding herself, with some difficulty) Kix and Cheerios. in the few days since she first tried them, she now can't get enough Cheerios. She's also eating (baby food) meat and loves it. She cracks us up with a funny scrunchy-face sniffing thing she does -- Katie did the same thing for a while -- and she laughs when we do it back to her.

Jimmy and Katie are full of surprises almost every day. They have conversations with us and with each other, but not in any language we understand. It's clear they're saying something meaningful to them, though, with the facial expressions and body language that go with it. They are getting better at expressing what they want in ways we can understand -- the other night Katie woke up crying, and once I got her calmed down a little, she said, very clearly, "read read" (her word for anything having to do with books). I looked around, and sure enough the book she'd taken to bed with her was on the floor. Once I retrieved it, all was well. She also combines the "eat" sign with the word "cracker" when she wants a snack.

Jimmy gets us giggling when he dances, which he'll do any time there is music playing or people dancing on TV. He also loves the tickle game, and comes after me and his sisters, wiggling his fingers and saying "tickle tickle". He gives us all hugs and kisses too, and he's surprisingly gentle with Sarah even when she grabs at him or pulls his hair.

When they're not pushing, biting, or otherwise annoying each other, the twins definitely show their bond. I love seeing them "talk" to each other, play together, and give each other things. Jimmy will often find Katie's sippy cup and hand it to her, and Katie feeds Jimmy crackers at snack time. Yesterday she took a handful of goldfish crackers and put the whole pile on the couch, then took one at a time to feed Jimmy or me. Jimmy got in on the act too, and before I knew it I had both of them shoving goldfish into my mouth as fast as they could.

We are about as ready for Christmas as we're going to get, and I'm thrilled to have the Christmas tree in the new living room. The smell alone gets me into the Christmas spirit every time I walk into the room. I still have to wrap gifts and put at least a few lights and decorations on the tree, but overall it's a pretty low-key holiday for us this year with everything else going on.

And finally...

Playground Morning and Girls' Night

2008-12-08T20:08:00.004-05:00

This morning we headed out to the larger of the fenced-in playgrounds nearby, and I thought to bring along a pack-n-play for Sarah... best idea I've had in a long time! Sarah played with her toys (and even napped for a little while) in there, and I could spend some time playing with Katie and Jimmy without worrying about Sarah crawling off into some sort of trouble.

We spent a couple of hours there and had a great time. There were a bunch of other kids in and out, which the twins really enjoyed -- especially when they got to play with other kids their own age. It was such a beautiful sunny day I took along my good camera and took lots and lots of pictures, some of which are on the December 2008 album page.

It amazes how easily Jimmy and Katie are able to run, climb, and play on the playground equipment now, and how much fun they have doing it. They don't even mind taking a tumble now and then, they get right back up and keep right on going.

Tonight Russ took Jimmy with him to Home Depot to buy some paint for the addition, and I had some girl time alone with Katie while Sarah was snoozing. What an experience it was having just one of them, even just for an hour! Once Sarah woke up, the three of us played together for a while. While I was preparing Sarah's dinner, I looked over and she and Katie were playing together all by themselves. Katie picked up a couple of rings from the stacking toy, put them on top of the Little People garage (which Sarah had pulled up on), and let Sarah pick them up from there. They just kept doing it over and over, each time Sarah dropped a ring (or Katie took one away). Katie and Jimmy are both doing so well with Sarah now, they seem to realize that they have to be gentle with her, and I think she's becoming more of another kid to them instead of a funny little toy.

Work of Art

2008-12-04T19:54:00.005-05:00

We bought some of these crayons a while back, and have been giving the twins a shot at using them every so often. Up until now, they have been more interested in chewing on them (and the paper) than in drawing on the paper. Tonight was no different for Katie (fortunately the crayons have clever plastic housings that only expose a small bit of crayon at a time to be bitten off :-).

This time, though, the light bulb went on for Jimmy. I taped a piece of paper down to their play table, put one of the crayons in his hand and made a little mark on the paper, and he was off and running. He had as much fun banging on the paper as making lines, but he did seem to understand which end of the thing was making the colors on the paper.

I present here his first masterpiece, done all by himself except for a couple of starter marks guided by Mom's hand:

First Haircuts & Picture with Santa

2008-12-03T19:50:00.003-05:00

Jimmy and Katie had their first haircuts today, and both did very well. We went to a kids' haircut place where they have fun car-shaped seats and video screens at every station, and the stylists were great with the kids. We did have a little trouble right at the end -- the clippers tickled way too much for Jimmy to sit still through that part, and Katie had just had enough by the time her quick trim was done. They do look much nicer now, and no more bangs hanging down in their eyes. Of course we saved their first little locks of hair and even got certificates commemorating the occasion.

After the haircuts there was no one at all in line to visit Santa, so I figured it was as good a time as any to give that a shot. Katie was just fine with it, Jimmy wanted nothing to do with Santa, and Sarah just cried because I wasn't holding her.

We did have a great time running and climbing at the mall's play area with a bunch of other kids, a nice lunch, and I even got some Christmas shopping done while the twins napped in their stroller after lunch (their first stroller nap in many months, hopefully the return of a good habit :-).

Tonight as we were getting ready for bed we had another first. When I brush Jimmy & Katie's teeth, I take them both into the bathroom, get both toothbrushes ready, then do one kid at a time. Tonight while I was working on Jimmy's teeth, Katie climbed up on the toilet, got her toothbrush off the counter, and brushed her own teeth! I think she might have missed a few (she is up to 12 teeth now, including 4 molars), but she definitely had the right idea!

New pictures in the December 2008 album (December?!!?? How did we get here already??) -- playing in the yard, haircuts, and more.

Sarah at the office (video)

2008-12-02T15:52:00.003-05:00

Sarah was hanging out in the conference room with us, then crawled outside and pulled herself up at the window:

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T17:05:00.004-05:00

We just got home from the Thanksgiving buffet at the club and a nice stroll afterwards. We had some good food (alongside the turkey there was shrimp bisque, sweet potato casserole with pecans, and of course pumpkin pie) and family time, the twins loved running around on the dance floor in the dining room, and Sarah even had her own little Thanksgiving dinner of pureed sweet potatoes and oatmeal. The weather is beautiful, though it's hard to believe it's Thanksgiving when we're walking around under the warm sun and palm trees.

There are a few more pictures of our dinner on the November photo page.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, I hope you are spending it with family, friends, or at least something to be thankful for!

The Poop Fairy

2008-11-27T08:58:00.010-05:00

Russ thinks a construction worker is sneaking into the nursery at night and leaving things in Jimmy's diaper. Me, I think it's Sarah's crib that the Poop Fairy visits -- it is hard to imagine how something so foul and voluminous could come out of such a sweet precious little girl baby.

Today's challenge is to have everyone awake, dressed, and ready to eat at 2pm when we have reservations at the club for their Thanksgiving buffet. My plan is to skip the morning nap, then having an early (and light) lunch and nap before we head down there. Should work for me, I don't know what I'm going to do for the babies. Ha ha.

Sarah is pulling up on everything she can, but doesn't know how to get down so just cries when she is tired of standing and waits for one of us to rescue her. Hopefully she will learn the down part as easily as she learned the up part, and soon. I remember Katie going through this stage, I don't think it lasted very long. Jimmy gives us kisses all the time now, very slobbery. He even kisses Sarah and pats her on the head nicely. Katie is picking up a lot of words and a few new signs and using them often. Jimmy only says a couple of words ("tickle tickle", and yesterday I think he said "read"), but he goes on and on in his own language, in a very serious and determined tone of voice, with lots of hand gestures. I have no idea what he is trying to say, but it is fun to watch.

The house addition is very close to finished now. There is some tile work, plumbing, and a few electrical repairs which shold all be done in another week or so, and then we can paint and get the carpet and flooring in. If all goes well, we will be able to have our Christmas tree in the new living room!

I added a few new pictures and some more (out of order) pictures from Holly & Hank's visit to the November 2008 album (don't miss page 2 -- click on the little numbers 1 and 2 at the top or bottom)

Camping & Fireworks

2008-11-24T21:52:00.004-05:00

We had our big fireworks camping trip over the weekend up in north Florida. We took the whole crew, both of us, all 3 kids, and Kristina (our nanny). We spent a lot of time inside the camper because it is cooooold up there this time of year, but we had a good time in spite of the weather. A few photos of our camper life are on the November photo page. I didn't take many other pictures this year, as it was quite busy keeping up with the kiddos, even with help. Sarah was perfectly happy to sleep in the top bunk, which we converted to a "crib" using a mesh bed rail. The twins shared the bottom bunk, which we had to blockade using a board and the bathroom door. They were none too happy about the situation at first, but got used to it pretty quickly. By the last night I realized that continuing the normal bedtime routine (change into PJs, brush teeth, read a story, play music) would help even in a strange place. Duh. the fireworks didn't bother any of the three; they seemed to enjoy watching the ones they saw, and they slept right through even the loud ones later at night.

Jimmy is getting steadier on his feet, starting to sign "more" and "eat", and giving spontaneous, if slobbery, kisses. Katie has become quite demanding, but is also discovering the power of her cute little girl charm. They both love their hide-and-seek game anywhere they can find a little hidey-hole. Jimmy's first molar is finally poking through, and I think Katie has a second one now as well.

Sarah has her first tooth, with the second not far behind. She is crawling, sitting, and pulling up to stand all over the place -- had to rearrange the living room yet again today to keep her out of the TV & stereo. I also put up a more permanent baby gate across the opening into the addition (which is creeping slowly toward completion -- the current delay is finding a new tile company after the last one fouled up the job three times and then tried to cover up the rest of their mistakes in a way that would have caused us major problems a few years down the road), so we don't have to step over play yard fence every time we want to walk in there. She is still eating well and loves everything we have given her -- so far just a few fruits & vegies, plus cereal, but she finishes a couple of ounces and then begs for more.

We were all happy to be back home in our own beds last night after four days away, but it certainly was a fun trip. Everyone even did very well during the 5-hour drive, with the help of some extra toys, snacks, a nice long lunch stop, and a portable DVD player (which actually saw surprisingly little use). I look forward to future camping trips, when it's not quite so cold and the kids have outgrown the wild-chimpanzee stage and can enjoy more activities with us.

I spoke too soon.

2008-11-18T17:04:00.003-05:00

Sarah is definitely crawling now, slowly, but it's real crawling.

She also pulled herself up to standing three times this afternoon.

I think we're in trouble with this one...

6 Months Old! Visit from Aunt Holly! Busy Busy!

2008-11-18T12:50:00.005-05:00

Haven't dropped off the face of the earth, just had a busy couple of weeks. Aunt Holly (Tracey's sister) was here with Hank (her younger son) for almost a week. We had a great time visiting playgrounds, taking a cruise on the boat, swimming at the club, and hanging around the house playing. I have posted some new pics from that visit and more on the November 2008 photo page.

Sarah turned 6 months old on the 7th and at her check-up a few days later weighed in at only 14 pounds, but she's nearly 26 inches tall so still growing well. She was a real trooper through her shots (3 of them). I think having the magic boob at the ready helped a lot -- she nursed right through the shots and only cried for a few seconds. She is sitting up well now, and not really crawling for real, but cretainly getting herself where she wants to go. She finally figured out how to get on her hands and knees (or feet -- the little butt up in the air is so cute!) and pick up a hand without flopping down on her face, so I suspect real crawling is just around the corner. She is still enjoying her solid food -- oatmeal and several fruits & veggies so far.

Next up was our twins club garage sale last weekend, where I not only sold nearly $500 worth of clothing and gear that all three have outgrown (which all had to be sorted and tagged), but also worked on the setup and the sale. I did buy some things too, but st least I spent less than I made and came home with the truck half as full as when I left. My women's club's annual arts & crafts show was also last weekend, and I also spent some time volunteering there.

The twins just keep amazing us with their development. Jimmy has gotten a lot steadier on his feet and is now even doing little dances, turning in circles, even walking backwards (we think it's on purpose). Katie has caught on to the meaning of the "more" sign, and now uses that when she wants some of whatever we're eating. It's a nice change from the whining and crying she used to use. They both love looking at books and finding the pictures they know words for. They are playing together more and more, which sometimes means more squabbles, pushing, and crying, but also seems to be a lot of fun for them. We play a little hide-and-seek game where they run behind the couch, I pretend to search all over the living room for them, and then they pop out to "surprise" me and laugh when I say "Oh, THERE's Katie!"

This weekend is our big fireworks camping trip, in the travel trailer, with all 3 kids and our nanny. We had a great time last year with the twins; this year brings a new set of challenges but also some things that will be much easier. The packing and preparation means that I may not get caught up on anything else until next week, after we return.

First Food for Sarah

2008-11-01T10:27:00.003-04:00

New November 2008 photo page, featuring Sarah's first taste of baby cereal! She had just a little bit of baby oatmeal mixed with a few tablespoons of mommy's milk, and LOVED it. She dribbled a bit, but had no problem figuring out the spoon and swallowing most of what went into her mouth. She wasn't very happy when the cereal ran out, but settled for topping off straight from the tap.

Trick or Treat

2008-10-31T20:16:00.002-04:00

We did go trick-or-treating, and we all had a good time. Moo-Cow Jimmy and Little Lamb Katie enjoyed riding around the neighborhood in the wagon, everyone thought they were adorable, and they shared a mini Snickers bar before bed. Duckling Sarah fell asleep halfway through, but woke up happy when we got home.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T11:41:00.007-04:00

Babies are all sick with head colds, we suspect thanks to some kid's runny nose at either play gym or play date on Wednesday. Mommy and Daddy are thus far mostly unaffected, other than a giant sleep deficit due to babies waking up at all hours overnight.

Went shopping yesterday before Grandma flew home and picked up most of a winter (Florida winter, anyway) wardrobe for all 3, plus some toys, all on sale. I think we made up for some of the more expensive purchases we made earlier in the week, if you average it all out (those words hubby dreads hearing: "Guess how much I saved on all this stuff!").

Sarah is still a little tidbit, with 3-6 month sizes still a little baggy

on her despite her 6-month birthday next week. She is becoming highly mobile, though, rolling around, scooting, and up on hands & knees ready to crawl. So far she mostly gets up there and then flops forward onto her face, but she's getting the idea. She is also beginning to sit independently, and does quite well with the help of a Boppy pillow. I think she's getting ready to cut a couple of teeth, there's a lot of chewing and drooling going on. Speaking of teeth, Katie has gotten one of her molars in and I think Jimmy is working on one as well.

I snapped this picture of Katie when we got home from church on Sunday, and it has become one of my favorites:

We may do some trick-or-treating around the neighborhood later today, depending on how everyone is feeling...

Sarah's Baptism

2008-10-28T18:03:00.003-04:00

Sarah was baptized on Sunday and we had Grandma, Aunt Linda, and big sis Kirby all here to celebrate with us. I made her gown (yes, I was sewing on trim Saturday night), and everything turned out just perfect. Pastor Chris used the baptism as the children's message for the day, which I though made it even more special. He told the kids that Sarah was their new "little sister" and then explained to them why. The ceremony was lovely, the choir anthem was one of my favorite hymns, and Sarah went through it all with a smile on her face.

We also had some Halloween fun with the twins' club party on Saturday and another kids' event Sunday evening. Everyone loved our barnyard theme: a cow, a sheep, a ducking, and a farmer family.
Grandma is here for the week, so it's busy right now, but there are lots of new pics on the October 2008 page.

2008-10-17T12:30:00.002-04:00

Three things I am thankful for today:

A husband who made the triple stroller fit into the back of the truck

A completely fenced-in, toddler-friendly playground just a few miles down the road.

A baby girl who doesn't mind nursing while being carried around like a sack of potatoes.

Twins who want to take naps in the afternoon, and at the same time (I suspect a morning at the abovementioned playground helped).

OK, so that's four things. I could probably go on all day, actually, but then the 19038749837649 other things on my list for the afternoon would never get done.

Pictures from the park this morning are on the October 2008 photo page, enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-12T15:21:00.005-04:00

Today we made one of our seemingly endless trips to Home Depot to get some more lights and ceiling fans for the addition (which has siding, insulation, and drywall now!), and managed to do the whole thing without any strollers! Sarah rode in the sling, and Katie & Jimmy walked from the car to the front of the store and then rode in a two-seater shopping cart. We got almost everything we needed, and there was only one crying incident, when Jimmy poked Katie one time to many and got a bite on the arm for it.

After the shopping trip we stopped at the pumpkin patch at a local church and let the twins run around for a while. They had a blast, picked out a few little pumpkins which we purchased and brought home, braved the hay maze, and got dirtier than I would have thought possible for such an activity.

Pictures of the pumpkin patch and more are on the new October 2008 photo album page.

2008-10-01T09:08:00.002-04:00

Since it's October already, I figured I better finish up the September photo album with the last few pictures for the month. It's been busy as usual here. We are anxiously awaiting completion of the house addition. We have windows now, and they'll start on the drywall as soon as the framing inspection is done. Funny quote from one of the subcontractors yesterday, as he was fixing a couple of things that didn't pass inspection: "You call the inspector an a%*hole one time, and the next thing you know he's red-tagging all your jobs!" Yeah, buddy.

The kiddos are changing every day, it seems. Katie is definitely learning words, she says "bye" and "ball" and "star", and she barks when she sees a dog (or a picture of a dog, or something that looks kinda like a dog). Jimmy is still babbling a lot, but we haven't heard any real words from him yet. He has finally decided he'd rather walk than crawl most of the time, and he is much steadier on his feet now. Sarah is rolling over both ways now, and starting to scoot along and reach for toys. She is happy to lie on her tummy for quite a while, holding her head up and playing with little soft toys. One of her favorites is the same set of soft blocks that Jimmy loved when he was about this age.

Everyone went to the doctor together last week, the twins for their 15-month visit, and Sarah (a couple of weeks late) for her 4-month visit. They all got shots, which always makes me sad, but they got the crying over with quickly. One of the nurses brought out some bubbles, which took the twins' mind off the ouchies instantly! They're still growing well... Sarah is up to nearly 25" tall and 13 lbs. 6 oz., Katie is 30" tall and 21 lbs. 2 oz., and Jimmy is 31" tall and 25 lbs. 2 oz. (yes, he's a solid little boy!).

Communication

2008-09-22T07:24:00.004-04:00

We have been teaching the twins a few signs, and it's starting to pay off as they begin to understand what the signs mean. "All done" when they're finished eating was the first one they caught on to, and I knew Katie understood it when she made the "all done" sign as I was wiping her nose (which she hates). Jimmy picked up "more" pretty quickly, and he used it the other day at lunch. Not really sign language, but Katie also waves and says "Bye!" when she sees us pick up our car keys and sunglasses.

Sarah is beginning to communicate more too. She is rolling over from her back to her belly all the time and lets us know right away when she wants to be flipped back over. She is quite vocal when she's playing, and "talks" to her toys quite a bit. It's easy to tell when she's hungry or tired, and her smiles have turned into all-out giggles when she's having fun:

Wheeeeeee!

2008-09-15T12:24:00.003-04:00

After being sick all weekend (the twins, Sarah, and I... Russ somehow escaped), we were ready to get out of the house and have some fun this morning, though we're not quite fully recovered (especially me). I took some pictures at Rolly Pollies today, and a quick video of Jimmy riding the "roller coaster":

Quick update

2008-09-12T09:07:00.002-04:00

Not much new, but I did add a few more pictures to the September 2008 page. Jimmy has a cold and had a little bit of a fever last night. He seems better this morning, though he still has a cough and a runny nose. Katie is starting to sniffle a bit this morning too.

Sarah is as happy as ever. She goes almost everywhere with me, and is amazingly content and quiet most of the time. She loves to be carried in the sling, facing out so she can watch the world go by. She has discovered her toes, which have become her favorite toy. She has been rolling over from her back to her side and sometimes onto her belly pretty easily, and last night she got from her tummy to her back -- I think it surprised her!

Party Time

2008-09-10T05:06:00.002-04:00

Mommy and the twins went to a fun party on Saturday while Sarah stayed home with Daddy. A friend was hosting a "House Party" showcasing new Fisher Price toys. Jimmy and Katie had a great time playing with the toys and the other kids. I posted some pictures on their own album page in the September batch.

On Monday we had another new adventure, Rolly Pollies! RP is an indoor gym with (loosely structured) classes for little kids. We had been there once before for an open playdate with the twins club, and they had a good time, so we signed up for a 10-week class session. Sarah is still too young for the program, so she and Kristina watched from the sidelines. Sarah did seem to enjoy the fun music they played, and she smiled a lot as she watched all the activity!

Most of these programs require one parent/adult per child, but RP offers a "siblings" class which lets one parent bring two or three kids. Since the class is open to toddlers through 6 year olds, J & K were the youngest in the class, but the staff there was great, giving them a hand when I couldn't be in two places at once. Katie's favorite was a big circular gym mat that was rounded on the bottom. After I sat her on it once, she figured out how to climb on and off it herself and squealed when it wobbled around underneath her. Jimmy loved bouncing on the big exercise ball, and was fascinated by the rock climbing wall. He hasn't yet figured out how to actually climb it, but I'm sure that will come soon enough. This was their first experience with "circle time" and singing songs in a group, which was... interesting. Near the end of the class, we got brave and tried out "Mr. Moon Bounce" -- with slide -- and they loved it! Can't wait to go back next week, and this time I will try to get some pictures.

Monday evening was their swimming lesson (Mondays are busy!), which continues to go well. They love being in the water and even getting a mouthful now and then doesn't bother them much. They're getting better and better at going underwater, Jimmy even managed to blow some bubbles as he went after a toy on the pool steps. I'm hoping for some better weather (fortunately no direct hits from the hurricanes so far, but lots of windy, rainy weather) so that we can do some more swimming between lessons & get out on the boat again.

New clothing line, Playground

2008-09-01T15:35:00.003-04:00

I am going to design a new clothing line for mothers. It will come in several colors: Goldfish-Cracker Orange, Poop Brown, Breastmilk Ivory, Spaghetti-Sauce Red, and Pureed-Vegetable Green. Each item will come with a crystal ball to tell you which color you'll need today.

So here we are in September already, and you know what that means... a new photo album page! It also means that the weather here in Florida is finally starting to cool off just a little bit, mostly noticeable in the mornings and evenings. We had some time this morning before it got unbearably hot outside and the twins were climbing all over everything in the house (we've rearranged the living room / playroom AGAIN because Katie found a way over the end of the couch into the double-out-of-bounds area by the electrical outlet), so we packed everyone up and headed to a park with a nice toddler area at their playground. Jimmy & Katie had a ball climbing up the steps and sliding down the little slides. The metal ramps took a little practice to walk on, even Katie dropped down and crawled her first time up one. They each got some time on the swings before we headed home.

Neighborhood spectacle

2008-08-29T10:52:00.002-04:00

Our nanny is off on Fridays, so I'm home with all three. We bought this triplet stroller from another mom in the multiples club who has twins + 1 a year later (and now a fourth, born a week after Sarah). It was a "just in case" purchase, so I could take all three somewhere if I had to, and I hadn't ever used it before today.

When Russ left for the office this morning, Jimmy was in tears because he just wanted to go outside. With all the construction (and fire ants) out there right now, I can't really get all three out to play by myself, so I hauled out the big stroller and we all went for a walk.

We went for a walk, that is, after I got Katie out from under the end table (which is "out of bounds" behind a section of play yard fence), where she'd managed to climb while I was retrieving the stroller. Then I figured out how to get the twins strapped in so they couldn't climb out. And then Sarah needed her diaper changed. And then I got her strapped in, locked the door, and realized I forgot my cup of coffee. Went back in to get that, and lost my sunglasses. Finally found them, back out with the stroller. Couldn't find my keys. Retraced my steps, finally found them still in the door.

And then we went for a walk. The roofers avoided even looking at me as I walked by, I think they think we're out of our minds. A neighbor, though, stopped her car and got out to talk to me as I crossed the street. "I've heard about you," she said, "and how busy you are!" Apparently we're the talk of the neighborhood or something. At least I got her phone number, so we can call on her two teenage daughters for babysitting!

Swimming Lessons & More...

2008-08-26T12:40:00.006-04:00

It's been very busy here lately, lots going on and not much time to write. I am trying to keep up with pictures, at least, of which there are more in the August 2008 album.

While Kirby was here on vacation, we all went to the Florida Aquarium. Katie had fun walking around on her own, and Jimmy got to see a lot more fish than in our aquarium at home.

Sarah "talks" to us all the time now. She is starting to roll over from her back to her tummy, but doesn't know how to go the other way so we have to rescue her when she gets tired of being face-down. She is sleeping well, eating well, and was about 12 1/2 pounds on her three-month "birthday". We got out the Jumperoo for her, which is fun for her and for the twins, they all like to look at each other when Sarah is upright.

Jimmy and Katie absolutely love the pool, so we started them in swimming lessons at the club. They are doing great so far, we can dunk them under water for a second or two and they come up laughing and smiling. Katie is doing especially well with floating on her back (with someone holding her, of course), and Jimmy is catching on fast to kicking his feet.

Jimmy finally figured out clapping, and now both of them clap along when I sing "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." They have also both mastered climbing up onto the couch, which means we'll have to rearrange some furniture again (we just changed things last week to fence off part of the room for Sarah to play in where the older babes won't squash her. The other day I left them alone in the (formerly babyproofed) living room for a few minutes, and when I returned, Katie was waving the remote control around and Jimmy was sitting ON the end table trying to open the big box of goldfish crackers.

The house addition is coming along nicely, though we're still a couple of months from being completely finished with paint and carpet and furniture. We all made the trek to Ikea in Orlando on Sunday to look at some storage furniture and kids' room things. In the meantime we are trying to keep our growing collection of kiddie clothes and toys and STUFF as organized as we can, which is challenging when we don't want to make any major changes right now since everything will be rearranged so soon anyway.

I have also been trying to capture some video of all the little ones, and I put together some pieces from the past few weeks:

Aye-aye, Cap'n

2008-08-02T10:07:00.002-04:00

We were feeling brave yesterday and took all three kids out on the boat by ourselves. We had a short cruise to the fuel dock, where Tracey fed the twins dinner while Russ filled us up with diesel (ouch!). The weather cooperated and we all enjoyed the trip! It is nice to have space on the boat for all of us (and our stuff), and we are enjoying the amenities at the club too, especially lunch or dinner by the pool after boating or swimming.

We are going out again today for a sightseeing cruise with a larger crew (all 5 of us, plus Kirby, Kristina, and our friends Bill & Barbara), and then to a dinner party at the club while Kristina, Kirby, and the babies hang out on the boat.

Check out the new photo album for August 2008!

Wet n' Wild

2008-07-28T05:23:00.003-04:00

The weekend was two days of water fun for all the babes. Saturday morning was our twins club's annual summer party, held at a local park that has a great kiddie activity pool. The water is less than a foot deep, and there are all sorts of splash and spray toys, even a toddler-size water slide. Jimmy had missed his morning nap, so spent much of the party snoozing in the stroller while Katie hung out with Daddy in the pool. He did have some time to enjoy the water after he woke up, though, and really liked being able to walk around with the water just up to his waist. Even Sarah got to dip her toes in the pool, though she spent most of the party napping as well.

On Sunday we went down to the yacht club and spent some more time in the pool. Jimmy and Katie just can't get enough of the water, and don't mind at all when their heads or faces get wet. We're giving Sarah some little dips in the water too, mostly in the baby carrier. She seems to like that a lot more than she likes her baths right now. We all had lunch by the pool, then another swim and naps & play time on the boat while Russ got some work done to get ready for our next fishing trip.

New pictures on the July 2008 page!

Ha ha ha ha

2008-07-25T06:19:00.007-04:00

Katie has started laughing. Not just baby giggles when she's tickled, but a real "Hahahahaha" laugh when she finds something funny. Of course, it makes us laugh when she does it, which she thinks is even funnier.

Jimmy is taking steps on his own more and more often, and is getting better at it. He's sprouting at least three more teeth, two on top and another one on the bottom, which hasn't made him the happiest little guy lately.

They both seem to understand a lot more of what we say to them than they did just a month ago. They have both figured out how to get down from the couch without falling, and have climbed up onto it a couple of times. Their ever-increasing mobility (along with a couple of biting and hair-pulling incidents) means that we've had to start saying "No!" There's no question they understand it... Katie even hangs her head when she gets in trouble, which is so adorable it's all we can do not to giggle.

Sarah just keeps growing and getting more alert and responsive to us. She's very quiet and content most of the day, but the evenings are a bit of a challenge as she wants to nurse very frequently and be held constantly. I am trying to enjoy it while it lasts, soon enough she'll be scrambling all over like the twins and won't want to be held at all.

We are planning to attend a twins club pool party tomorrow at a local recreation center with a shallow kiddie pool that looks more like a toddler playground in 8" deep water. I'm not sure how we'll do with all three babies and just two of us, but we have to learn sometime, right? :-)

There are more pictures in the July 2008 album, and a couple of quick videos...

Jimmy "dancing" to a music video:

Katie in the toy box:

First time in the pool

2008-07-15T18:16:00.003-04:00

Big sis Kirby is here visiting for the week, and today we packed everyone into the truck and headed down to the club where we are keeping the boat now. We all ate lunch by the pool and then took the twins for their first swim in a real pool. They both loved it! Jimmy didn't stop grinning the whole time, and Katie had fun splashing with her hands. Fortunately Kristina (our nanny) had her camera with her, because we remembered to pack ours, but left it sitting on the boat when we went up to the pool. When we were done, we all went back to the boat and Katie & Jimmy napped on their bed while Russ and Kirby went back for a more relaxing swim on their own.

Kristina even got a little video of the twins enjoying their swim:

Nautical News

2008-07-11T20:04:00.003-04:00

Sarah had her two-month checkup earlier this week, and at 10 lbs. 14 oz., she has now gained just over three pounds from her birth weight. She also got her first vaccinations, which I think was harder for Mommy & Daddy than it was for her.

The big news this week, however, is that we traded in our boat for a larger one, and a "convertible" style that will allow us to take all the babies out with us. Our old boat was an "open" style, which had more outside deck space but did not have nearly as much room inside. We picked the new boat up today and took it to the yacht club that we joined recently. We are looking forward to enjoying the club and the new boat with the whole family, and we hope to get the twins into swimming lessons soon at the pool there.

New pictures in the July 2008 album.

Just a quickie...

2008-07-05T14:58:00.002-04:00

We're busier than the proverbial one-armed paperhanger lately. In the past couple of weeks we have had three new people start work at our office, the house addition has finally gotten moving (they're pouring the slab on Monday), and we're looking into trading in our boat for a larger model. Whew! Tracey had surgery on her shoulder last Wednesday, so it's a quiet holiday weekend as she recovers from that.

All the babes are doing great. Katie has discovered that she can run, and Jimmy is becoming more confident in his walking. He's quite a climber, which has led to some bumps and bruises when he falls off of whatever he's gotten himself up on top of. Both of them are getting a little more picky about their food, and they let us know what they like and don't like. Katie yells "NUM NUM" when she sees something she wants, but don't try to feed it to her -- she wants to do that part herself! Jimmy has mastered the sippy cup, and can even hold it up to his mouth all by himself, though he'd prefer to get someone to hold it for him if he can.

Sarah is growing fast, and we can't wait to see what she weighs at her two-month checkup on Tuesday. She has started smiling at us quite often, especially when Russ sings to her. She is getting better and better at holding her head up too, and she's making all sorts of cute baby noises. She's a very calm baby most of the time, but when something upsets her, boy can she let out a howl! She likes her swings, and her play mat with the lights & music.

There are just a few new photos in the June 2008 album, more to come when I get a chance to get them off of the camera.

Happy Birthday!

2008-06-21T09:37:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was the twins' first birthday... It is amazing to me how far we have come in just 12 months, from 3 1/2 pound preemies in the NICU to happy, healthy toddlers weighing in at 19 1/2 and 21 1/2 pounds!

We had a small birthday party last night with just a few friends, cake, and some presents. They had no idea what to do with the cake at first, but we fed them each a few bites and then they dug in on their own... and then broke out in hives everywhere they had smeared icing! Fortunately that cleared up quickly after we got them cleaned off, and with a dose of Benadryl just in case.

They did enjoy their birthday gifts! Katie got her first purse from Miss Kristina, and Jimmy got a little shape-sorter toolbox, complete with hammer. Nana and Pop-Pop sent them each a pull-along puppy, and a gift card for a "popcorn popper". From Mommy and Daddy they got a new play "house", fun soft chairs, and a Blue's Clues DVD.

Lots of new pictures, of course, in the June 2008 album, and a couple of new videos as well.

Jimmy and his dinosaur toy:

Katie walking:

Fun in the Sun

2008-06-10T17:15:00.002-04:00

Summer is here and we're finding some outdoor fun for the twins. They have a kiddie pool and a pair of swings out in the yard, and they love both.

Katie is really getting the hang of walking, she now walks several feet at a time and can stand up on her own without holding on to anything. Jimmy is cruising around on the furniture, and taking a step or two on his own. He spends a lot of time playing with his big dinosaur toy that makes noise when you put balls into a hole -- Jimmy has mastered that, and puts the ball in over and over all by himself.

Sarah had her 1 month doctor visit today, and is growing well! She weighed in at 9 lbs. 3 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long -- up 2 pounds from when we left the hospital, and 2 inches from her birth length. She loves snoozing, but when she's awake she is very alert, looking all around. She doesn't cry much unless she is hungry or needs a clean diaper, but does make some cute little coos and squeaks.

New photos in the twins' Month 12 album, Sarah's Month 1 album, and June 2008

And a video of the twins' first time on the swings:

Birch Twins... plus one!

2008-05-20T21:31:00.004-04:00

As most of you reading this already know, our newest Bouncing Baby Birch arrived on Wednesday May 7th, 2008 at 9:23 pm. Sarah Jane weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long.

We arrived at the hospital Tuesday morning at 9am and things progressed very slowly until about 6pm Wednesday night when little Sarah decided it was time to get moving... Tracey went from 4 cm dilated at 6pm to 9 cm at 7:30, started pushing around 8:20, and Sarah was born just an hour later. We got to hold her right away, and she was nursing like a champ just a few minutes later.

We spent that night and the next in the hospital and came home on Friday morning. Thank goodness for Kristina, the twins' nanny, who was willing to stay here with them the whole time so that Russ could stay at the hospital! The 10 days since we got home have been a blur, trying to rest, recover, and get used to this new little tiny baby in the house with us now.

Lots of photos, of course, on the Sarah Jane album page (new ones just tonight, too). We will keep up this blog too (in our spare time :-), with the adventures of all three kiddos... and their parents, trying to keep up with three little ones in diapers!

Jimmy and Katie are 11 months old today, with that big first birthday just around the corner. We realized just how big they're getting when we got home from the hospital after being away from them for a few days and holding this new little tiny babe. Hard to believe that less than a year ago they were half the size that Sarah is!

Katie has started taking steps on her own, at first it was just one at a time, but now she is managing two, three, even four steps before plopping down on her bottom. She is also walking away from things now as well as towards them, and when she sits down after a few steps it's more and more deliberate and less like a fall.

Jimmy is still working on the standing and walking (he does have a few extra pounds to balance on those legs), but he is making great progress in using his hands. He has figured out the buttons to push on the toys that make noise, and he presses them expertly using just one finger or his thumb. They both continue to eat everything we can think of to feed them, and Katie is getting unhappy being fed -- she wants to do it herself! Trying to come up with finger foods that they can eat without making too much of a mess will be an ongoing challenge.

March for Babies -- Thank You!

2008-05-02T15:03:00.002-04:00

First off, a big THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the March of Dimes in support of our March for Babies walk last weekend. We met our fundraising goal, and our team (the local parents of multiples club) raised over $3,000 in total! We had beautiful weather for the walk, and everyone had a great time. There are a few pictures form the walk in the Month 11 photo album. With all the fresh air and sunshine, the babes napped for three whole hours that afternoon!

We have settled into a nice schedule lately that includes two naps, three meals, and sleeping through the night almost all the time. Katie has sprouted two teeth on top now too, and we're expecting Jimmy's any day now. He is also catching up with his sister in balancing on his feet without holding on to anything. It will be great to see them start walking, but we're not in too much of a hurry for that.

Surgery update -- all went well!

2008-04-16T13:34:00.003-04:00

Jimmy had his surgery Monday morning and did fine. Our experience at the children's hospital was just great. We were scheduled first thing in the morning, so we had very little wait time. They had toys, video games, and TVs showing the Disney channel everywhere. The nurses took Jimmy's favorite blanket & stuffed animal with them so that he'd have them when he went to sleep & when he woke up. It did seem like forever before the doc came out to tell us everything went well, but the surgery only took about 45 minutes, and Jimmy was out of recovery and back with us less than half an hour later.

He was a little groggy at first, but woke up pretty quickly and even took a bottle right away. The anesthesiologist explained before the surgery that she would use inhaled anesthesia with a mask & "soft airway" rather than intubating him, and then they would do a caudal block (similar to an epidural, but way down at the bottom of the spine so much less risky). This lasts for several hours, so they didn't have to give him any narcotic pain medicine while he was still under or recovering from the anesthesia.

He was back to his old self by the time we got home around 11am, and even had some pureed fruit that afternoon. He did have some pain once the caudal wore off, so he enjoyed a tylenol & codeine nap for most of the afternoon. Yesterday he just needed some regular tylenol in the morning, and today you wouldn't even know anything had happened to him. They sure do bounce back quickly!

Look, Ma, No Hands!

2008-04-11T12:09:00.002-04:00

I have been trying for two days to get photographic and/or video evidence, but it's not happening. In the past three days, Katie has begun standing up, letting go of whatever or whoever she's holding on to, and... still standing for several seconds. She has also started to wave bye-bye (and is doing it right now so that I will wave back and say "yaaaaaay!"). It is adorable.

Jimmy goes in early Monday morning for surgery to correct his undescended testicle. It's a relatively minor procedure, but he will have to be under general anesthesia, which is of course scary for all of us. Fortunately we have an excellent children's hospital nearby with a pediatric urologist, pediatric anesthesiologists, and a great staff & facility set up just for kids.

Up, Up, and Away

2008-03-31T17:05:00.004-04:00

Jimmy and Katie are now both standing up all the time. Our newest addition to the play yard is "the wall", and they have a great time standing on opposite sides of it and laughing at each other. Katie is beginning to "cruise" a few steps at a time along the wall or the play yard fence.

They both have their first two bottom teeth now and are working on the two on top as well. Sleeping through the night was going pretty well until this development, we're hoping that we'll get back into the routine for a while once these teeth pop through.

Lots of new pictures in the Month 10 album!

Spring has Sprung

2008-03-20T05:45:00.003-04:00

Happy Spring! NINE months old today!

I know I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again, but I am still amazed at how fast the time goes and how quickly they change.

They have discovered that it's much more fun to stand up in their cribs and laugh at each other than to nap. They're eating everything we feed them -- fruit, vegetables, cheese, yogurt, cereal, toast, even meat and baby ravioli. Every now and then we run into something that one or the other of them isn't crazy about, but they enjoy most everything. They're both working on feeding themselves, too. They have the right idea, but still have a little trouble getting the pieces of food into their mouths instead of dropping it in their laps.

They are also having fun with some new toys. We had a wheeled walker that they have been using for a while now, and suddenly both of them want to be in it at the same time. We picked up a second one, and now they play "bumper cars" all over the kitchen. It amazes me to see their brains working more and more -- when they started using the walker, they would go until they bumped into something, and then we'd have to turn them around. Now when they hit an obstacle, they back up and turn themselves to go around it. That's some serious thinking for such little brains!

The cold we had a couple of weeks ago is still hanging around. Katie still has a stuffy nose, and Jimmy has a little bit of an ear & sinus infection and is taking some antibiotics. We're all feeling a lot better, but not quite up to 100%.

These are a couple of the pictures we had taken last weekend. There are a couple more shots at the end of the Month 9 album, including one with a live bunny!

Catching up

2008-03-15T06:16:00.006-04:00

In the past week or so -- seems like all at once -- Jimmy has figured out how to go from crawling to sitting and back again, had his first tooth (finally) make an appearance, and yesterday he grabbed the play yard fence and pulled himself up to standing without any help. Whew! No wonder he's been a little extra fussy at nap time, there's a lot going on in there!

While Katie stands up nearly every chance she gets (fortunately she's also figuring out how to get down without bumping her head, too), Jimmy seems happier up on his knees than either sitting or standing. He still needs to hold on to something to kneel, either the fence or one of the big toys they have. They are starting to play together sometimes, which at this point consists mostly of touching each other without someone crying at the end of it.

They both enjoy some time outside the play yard, too, either crawling or zooming around in their walker. Katie has mastered backing up and turning around after she runs into something, Jimmy is figuring it out too. They're bothing getting more and more vocal as well. Jimmy is using b's, d's, and m's in his "talking", Katie is following right along with "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba". They also both enjoy shrieking loudly when they're having fun, I'm not sure whether just to hear the sound of their own voice, or to see the funny faces Mommy and Daddy make. We are beginning to teach them some baby sign language, and although neither of them have the dexterity to make any signs just yet, I think they're beginning ot recognize a couple of them ("bottle" seems to be their favorite... no surprise there :-).

Katie has decided she likes soft baby food now (before she only wanted things she could chew on)
, and we are finding more and more foods they both like. We give them little tastes of many of the things we eat, and so far there isn't much they don't want more of. They are slowly figuring out how to get pieces of food into their own mouths, which will make feeding time a bit easier for us -- keeping up with two hungry mouths is a challenge!

I took a bunch of pictures over the past few days of them playing together and just doing what they do, they're in the Month 9 album.

Moving up in the world

2008-03-10T19:09:00.002-04:00

We knew this was coming soon, but it was still a surprise the first time we looked over from across the room and saw Katie standing up, holding on to the play yard fence. She's pulling up everywhere she can now -- on the fence, on her crib bars, or on whoever happens to be sitting next to her. She's very pleased with herself every time she does it. She hasn't done quite as well figuring out how to get down, but she's getting there. Jimmy isn't far behind, he gets his feet under him, but so far only when he's been leaning on something too low for him to really get upright.

In other news, next month we'll be walking in the local March for Babies to benefit the March of Dimes. Our local parents of multiples club participates every year, and we're hoping to raise over $5,000 this year as a "team" to help fund research, education, and services to prevent birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

Many of the families in our club, ours included, have benefited from work done by the March of Dimes, and this is one way for us to give something back.

Please consider making a donation today!

Sick :-(

2008-03-08T07:46:00.002-05:00

We've all been sick with colds for the past week or so. For the first 24 hours the babes were pretty miserable, but they didn't get it quite as bad as Mommy did. They still have stuffy noses, but it doesn't seem to bother them very much. Tylenol and a humidifier in their room at night helped quite a bit. We thought Daddy might escape altogether as he hadn't shown any symptoms all week, but he came home from the office yesterday with a sore throat and couldn't stop sneezing this morning.

They had their Synagis shots yesterday (next month will be the last of those, hooray!), but their weights haven't changed a whole lot since last month. I think they're finally slowing down now that they have done most of the catching up they need to. I'm sure they're also burning up more calories with all the crawling, "talking", and squealing they're doing now!

Finalization Day

2008-02-26T08:36:00.002-05:00

Shortly before noon yesterday, a very nice judge asked us some important questions and then signed the Final Judgment of Adoption for our babies.

What this means, if you're unfamiliar with the process, is that we have finally reached the end of the long road we set out on nearly 18 months ago. James and Kathryn, says the judge's order, are now our legal children, just as if they had been born to us. We will even receive new birth certificates reflecting this (though they will always know the story of their birth and adoption).

Although there was little doubt things would go as planned, and the last several months were mostly just waiting for the legal machinery to chew its way through the required notifications and filings and hearings, it is a relief to be finished with it all.

First Tooth!

2008-02-23T07:53:00.002-05:00

In the course of investigating the larger-than-usual puddle of drool emanating from my daughter, I stuck my finger in her mouth and discovered that a little tiny bit of tooth has made its way through the gum!

And to make up for the lack of pictures with the last post:

Mobility

2008-02-22T08:57:00.003-05:00

In the past week or so, Katie first figured out how to sit up all by herself, and now goes back and forth from hands and knees to a sitting position all the time. She was quite pleased with herself the first few times she did it, now it's old hat. Shortly after that, she figured out how to move her arms and legs, and began to crawl. She doesn't go very fast, she uses her feet as often as her knees, and she stops to sit up several times on her way to a destination, but she's definitely moving now.

Jimmy pretty much has the crawling movements figured out, but he prefers to flop onto his belly instead of staying up on hands and knees. He can move pretty fast that way, though -- up on hands and knees, move hands forward, push with legs and flop onto belly. If a toy catches his eye, he scoots right across the room to get it. If I sit him up, he'll stay upright for a little while, but he's not very interested in doing it himself yet. He is cruising all over in the walker and zooms around the activity table too.

Both of them laugh and "talk" all the time, especially when they look at themselves in the mirror. They are also interacting with each other more and more, which sometimes results in tears when one steals a toy the other is playing with.

This weekend we'll install their new car seats because they're about to outgrow the "baby buckets". I sure will miss them!

Visit from Nana

2008-02-12T07:11:00.000-05:00

Nana (Tracey's mother) came to visit from New Jersey last week and we all had a great time. We went to the park one day with some other twins moms, and instead of just sitting in the stroller, we got the babes out and played on the ground for a little while. We also did some shopping a couple of days, which they always love, and they made two trips to the airport -- once to meet Nana, and once to pick up Russ, who took the opportunity to go visit his mother for a couple of days while I had some help around the house. We took a bunch of pictures while Nana was here, they're in the Month 8 album.

On Friday we had a doctor visit for their Synagis shots, and we found that Jimmy is up to 18 1/2 lbs. and 28 1/4", and Katie 16 1/2 lbs. and 26 1/4". We'll have to pick out new car seats very soon, as Jimmy is very near the 29" height limit for the "baby buckets" we have. Hard to believe that they went from this picture to outgrowing the seats in just over six months!

They keep making progress in other areas too. No one has crawled yet, but Jimmy gets up on his hands and knees now too, and manages to scoot forward a little bit at a time on his belly. Katie gets her knees and then her feet underneath her, but hasn't quite figured out how to move her hands at the same time. They both hold their bottles most of the time, at least until they get bored and start waving them around instead, dumping formula all over. Sitting up is going well, both are very talkative, and we gets lots of smiles and giggles all around.

Their latest discovery came yesterday afternoon, when they were supposed to be napping. I heard both of them laughing at once, and when I went in to investigate, they were on their hands and knees, grinning at each other through the crib bars (their cribs are right next to each other, in an "L" shape). When we awoke this morning (slept through the night! Yay!), they were doing the same thing. It's adorable, but it also scares me a little... when those brains get working a bit better, there's no telling what they'll come up with together!

2008-01-28T11:04:00.000-05:00

No new pictures today, sorry. Not much new at all, really. Katie is sitting up well without any support at all. Jimmy can manage it in the Boppy pillow, but just isn't very interested. Katie gets up on her hands and knees all the time now, but still hasn't figured out how to move. It frustrates her terribly, we're hoping she will figure it out soon.

I am amazed at how happy these babies are most of the time. Something as simple as a favorite toy or a funny face from Mommy or Daddy elicits shrieks of laughter. They do get fussy (that's such a nice sounding word for it) when they're hungry, tired, or when they finally get bored with the toys within reach, but those things are all pretty easy to fix. The teething pain is a little more of a problem, especially for Jimmy, but as long as we don't run out of Tylenol we should be OK.

A New Point of View

2008-01-22T13:52:00.001-05:00

They just got up from their naps, and I sat both of them in the Boppy pillows and gave them each a toy. To my surprise, they both stayed upright long enough for me to get out the camera and take a few pictures, and then some!

They've been working on this for a little while now, and they seem to have finally caught on. Katie's been quicker about it than Jimmy, he still needs to hold himself up with his hands more than she does.

They seem to really enjoy their new view of the world from this angle, but before long they both flopped over and go after toys and toes.

7 Months!

2008-01-20T08:36:00.001-05:00

Seven months old today! Wow!

This picture was just before their baths the other night. They were both very happy to be free of clothing and diapers, if only for a few minutes.

Still no crawling yet, but they are getting better and better at rolling both ways and using that to get closer to the next toy they want to play with. Katie can sit up on her own (with hands on her knees or on the floor) for brief periods, longer if she's got the Boppy pillow around her for extra support. Her downfall is her toes -- she gets interested in them and flops over forward or sideways to put them in her mouth. Jimmy is catching on to the whole sitting thing, but seems not to quite understand what he's supposed to be doing in that position. He's just as happy lying on his back or his tummy, especially if he has a toy that makes noise!

Katie is still not very interested in baby food, with the occasional exception of one particular banana, applesauce, and pear mixture, but she loves Kix cereal, Gerber puffs, and cookies -- anything she can sink her gums into. Jimmy continues to eat anything and everything we put in his mouth. They're both getting better at holding their own bottles, and are beginning to get the hang of a sippy cup (the one with the handles, at least).

They had a doctor visit on Friday for their second flu shots, where they weighed in at 17 lbs. 13oz. (James) and 15 lbs. 13 oz. (Kathryn). We have started to shop for larger (convertible) car seats, as Jimmy is almost too tall for the infant seat.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-10T14:52:00.000-05:00

We had a great Christmas and 2008 is off to a wonderful start. James and Kathryn continue to surpass everyone's expectations in their growth and development. At their 6-month checkup, they were both at the 25th percentile for weight, and they don't seem to be delayed at all in their developmental milestones. This is awesome for twins born two full months early!

Last month we started on solid foods, and that has been going very well, if a bit messily. Whose idea was it to have them learn to eat baby food and blow raspberries all at the same time? James loves to eat just about anything we put in his mouth, though his favorites seem to be pureed fruits and vegetables, especially bananas. Kathryn is not as interested in the purees, but loves anything she can chew on, especially teething cookies.

Speaking of teething, we are awaiting the appearance of their first teeth. They've been working on them for a little while now, and fortunately it's easy to wipe up the drool from the play mat on the floor. We're also about ready to buy stock in the Tylenol company, that stuff has been a lifesaver.

They have both mastered rolling over from their backs to their tummies, and they will play happily on their tummies for quite a while. James has just figured out how to get his knees underneath him and flip back over, and they're both trying very hard to crawl. I expect any day now to turn around and find one or both of them clear across the room.

We got lots of great toys and clothes for Christmas, just in time because they are rapidly outgrowing the "3-to-6 month" size. They do seem to enjoy having different toys to play with, so we keep a lot of them in their toy box and bring out a different assortment every week or so. They each have a few favorites that make their faces light up, and they're starting to reach for specific toys when they want something different to play with. It's amazing to watch the changes as their little brains continue to develop.

Lots of new pictures in the Month 6 and Month 7 albums. More updates soon, I promise.

Catch-up time

2007-12-03T11:12:00.000-05:00

I don't know where the time goes! The babies are growing and changing every day, and keeping us very busy. They are both smiling, giggling, and starting to play with their toys... and they want to play all the time. They are sleeping more and more through the night, beginning to roll over, and Katie is even starting to stand up with someone to hold on to for balance. Jimmy has so much fun in his "jumperoo" that all he wants to do when he's upright is bounce.

I have a few last pictures in the Months 4 & 5 album, and we're into Month 6 now.

2007-10-27T20:18:00.000-04:00

Today was the twins club halloween party at a local rehab center (for stroke patients, etc.). There was a potluck lunch and coloring for the kids, followed by trick-or-treating around to the patients' rooms. Everyone loved seeing the little ones all dressed up, and there were some great costume pairs -- Buzz Lightyear & Woody, Luke Skywalker & Princess Leia, Captain Hook & Tinkerbell, and a whole family of The Incredibles.

Our little bugs slept through most of the trick-or-treating, but they looked cute doing it!

Update:
Today, Kathryn discovered consonants ("bruuuu") and making raspberries!

Four months old

2007-10-22T10:40:00.000-04:00

They were four months old on Saturday... time is just flying by! Nana (Tracey's mom) is here visiting for a few days, and we all went to get pictures taken yesterday. We got a few great shots, including a spur-of-the-moment family portrait (I hadn't planned on being in any of the pictures this time). See them and the other pics I've finally gotten around to uploading in the newly re-titled Months 4 & 5 album.

We're clearing out a whole bunch of clothes they have outgrown, and they're now wearing lots of the things that just a month or two ago looked like they'd be way too huge forever. James smiles and giggles all the time now, and Kathryn is starting to give us some smiles as well. They are both "talking" away, making all sorts of cute baby sounds. They're also holding their heads up well, holding on to toys & waving them around, and getting closer and closer to rolling over on purpose. Our best time is first thing in the morning, they wake up and play happily on the floor, kicking and swatting at the toys hanging from their play gym or laughing at funny faces we make. Now if they'd just give up that last middle-of-the-night feeding so Mommy & Daddy would be happier in the morning too...

We haven't dropped off the face of the earth

2007-10-17T16:19:00.000-04:00

I can't believe we're halfway through October already! Time really flies when you're having fun! (and still not sleeping through the night, and trying to catch up on several months of to-do list that just keeps growing, and...)

Both the babies are doing great, and we are getting closer and closer to a full night's sleep. When they got their Synagis shots last week, James was up to 13 1/2 pounds and Kathryn was 12 1/4 pounds. They'll see the pediatrician next week for their four-month (FOUR MONTHS!) check-up and vaccinations.

We are settling into a daily schedule now, and their feeding and naps are getting a little more predictable. They are also sleeping longer at night, occasionally up to 10 - 12 hours, but usually not quite that long. Unfortunately, we're still working on getting one last evening feeding into them, so for now their longest sleep is from 6 or 7 pm until too early in the morning. Hopefully we can get them to take that last bottle before we go to bed and wake up a few hours later in the morning. Sometimes they'll take an ounce or two, but they're very sleepy and when they don't want it they clamp their little mouths shut or just fall alseep and dribble the last mouthful all over.

I am way behind in posting (and taking) pictures this month. I will make up for that soon; Nana (my mother) is flying in tomorrow for a visit, and next weekend we will all dress up for the local twins club Halloween party.

James is still smiling and giggling at most everything, and Kathryn is beginning to smile more as well. They are both at their best first thing in the morning, and we have a great time playing on the floor before their breakfast bottle.

2007-09-29T20:50:00.000-04:00

Not much new to report in the past week or so. They're still growing like weeds, we're still not getting much sleep, and they're still getting cuter by the day. I have a couple of pictures in the new Month 4 album. We haven't weighed them since Monday, when James weighed 11 lbs. 13 oz. and Kathryn was up to 10 lbs. 10 oz., which was around a half pound gain for each of them over the previous week.

They are starting to get some longer stretches of sleep, but it will take some work to get the timing right (for us) and turn it into some sort of schedule. Kathryn just won't eat if she's not hungry, so trying to get more calories into her during the day, or "topping off the tank" before bed just doesn't work for her. James will take at least some of his bottle most any time, but he still seems to be on his own timetable for now. The lack of sleep is getting a little rough. We're both pretty exhausted almost all the time, and most non-baby projects and activities are on the back burner for a while, but I know there's light at the end of the tunnel and before long we'll all be able to get a full night's sleep more often. Thank goodness for our weekly reprieve, knowing we get at least one night a week of undisturbed sleep is such a help.

What is changing fast is their personalities. We've gotten over most of the tummy troubles, though they still both have some fussy times when nothing seems to make them happy -- we tell them to stop acting like such babies! :-) Fortunately these are usually short-lived. They are spending more time awake, and happy, and are beginning to really enjoy watching their mobiles and other moving toys. Kathryn studies everything around her and will happily sit in her swing for a long time just watching the mobile go around before finally falling asleep, or in her bouncy chair swatting at the spinny toys in front of her. We get some smiles out of her, but usually she is quite serious. James has turned into Mr. Giggles, smiling and even laughing at almost everything -- diaper changes, toys, and especially Daddy and his silly songs.

Three months!

2007-09-19T09:08:00.000-04:00

Three months old tomorrow! They're still growing by leaps and bounds, and getting cuter every day.

We weighed them the other day on a package scale. Kathryn is up to 10 pounds, and James nearly 11 and a half pounds. As if on cue (our pediatrician said we could start working on sleeping through the night at ten pounds), Kathryn slept for nearly six hours that night, and James almost seven. Last night was two five-hour stretches, but with a lot of fussing in between. At least we're seeing some light at the end of the tunnel and beginning to believe that we may, someday, get a full night's sleep again.

The last of the Month 3 pictures are up, including a size comparison with the same stuffed animal they were holding in their hospital photos (taken just before they went home at three weeks old). They now weigh just about three times what they did when they were born, and have grown over five inches in length -- that's a third of what they measured at birth!

Sleep has never been so sweet

2007-09-13T12:56:00.001-04:00

Last night I slept for almost eight hours straight, thanks to the help I mentioned last week. It was great!

This morning, James rolled from his tummy to his back for the first time! The first time on purpose, at least, he did flail around enough to flip himself once early on, but this was much more deliberate, pushing up with one arm until he got onto his side, then over onto his back (not sure exactly how he did that, I'd looked up to tell Russ to come see). He is also smiling a lot now, making cute noises, and almost giggling.

Last week's formula change (to Enfamil Nutramigen) seems to be helping Kathryn's tummy troubles quite a bit. She's eating better, sleeping better, and has been much happier the past couple of days. During her tummy time, she has been concentrating on trying to scoot herself along with her feet, and does a surprising job of it sometimes. She's also gotten her legs up underneath her with her butt in the air a couple of times.

They both had their last pulmonologist appointments on Tuesday to officially discontinue the apnea monitors and to get their first Synagis shots. We will have to go back monthly through the winter this year and next for the shots, but we're hoping that we'll be able to get our pediatrician to do them instead since they're much closer to home. The shots are to help prevent severe RSV infections. RSV is a common virus which most kids have caught by the time they're 2. It usually causes nothing more than mild cold symptoms, but it can be very severe in preemies and babies with lung problems.

Of course, they were weighed and measured while they were there. Kathryn was 20 1/2 inches long and 9 lbs. 10 oz., and James was 10 lbs. 6 oz. and 21 3/4 inches!

It's hard to believe they'll be three months old in another week...

So this is what they call the "colic"

2007-09-09T22:58:00.000-04:00

Last night at around 3 am, Russ handed me the baby girl (he was on late shift last night) and said "See if YOU can figure out why she's been crying for the past two hours."

I put her in the sling and walked and walked and walked and walked and she settled down and fell alseep and I could finally sit down. By the time James was hungry again at 5:00, I was, fortunately, able to put her down in the crib without waking her.

This scenario has repeated itself several times ofer the past few days, at different times of the day and night. When it happens, she's pretty much always happy to be in the sling and walking around, sometimes happy in the sling and sitting down, sometimes happy in the front carrier, and eventually she'll settle down enough to be put down.

Poor thing has been having all sorts of apparent tummy discomfort, for which we are trying various remedies. A side effect of this is that what feeding schedule we had is out the window, as she'll get hungry, take an ounce of forumla, and refuse any more until an hour or two later, when she wants more NOW.

On the plus side, I ate lunch and a bunch of sweets and then had a four-hour nap / sugar coma this afternoon. I woke up about every hour, but I couldn't convince any part of my body to move, so I went back to sleep. I feel much better now.

And we got a pair of Bumbo seats, which they're still just a tad too young for, but they seem to enjoy them in small doses already.

Help is on the way

2007-09-07T09:44:00.000-04:00

I am slowly beginning to dig my way out from under the piles of chaos and laundry that have overtaken the house in the past couple of months. Eventually I will work my way down to the suitcase that still needs to be unpacked (yes, from July). Fortunately I always segregate dirty & clean clothes when I pack to go home from a trip, and dump the dirties into the laundry first thing, so there shouldn't be any new life forms in there.

The nursery has been somewhat organized, but not really. Now that the babes are beginning to outgrow some clothes (no more preemie sizes! yay!) and we have received a number of larger size outfits as gifts, I'm getting them separated into "too small", "too big", and "just right", and finding homes for each stack. The organizing binge has extended into our bedroom, where I'm slowly working the closet back into a state where I can find he clothes I want to wear (not that I'm wearing much besides sweat pants and T-shirts lately, but I do go out on occasion).

This productivity boost has come from a couple of sources. First, the babies are settling into a decent schedule and sleeping much better at night. We put them down around 7 or 8 pm, they sleep until midnight or so, get another bottle, and sleep until 4 or 5 am. Of course it's not always this easy, sometimes they're hungry at 11 pm and then 3am; this morning it was 1 am and 6 am (which wasn't bad at all, especially for Russ, who had gone to bed shortly after 9 pm). Most nights I'm still on the "late shift", so I handle everything -- feeding, fussing, whatever -- from 9 or 10 pm until at least 3 am (usually 4 or 5 am), then wake Russ and grab 2 or 3 more hours of sleep myself until he leaves for the office. The biggest improvement so far is that they've been fussing a lot less between feedings at night, so I can snooze instead of jumping up every 15 minutes to calm one or the other of them.

Our other good news is that we'll have some help starting next week. We'll have a post-partum doula for a 12-hour stretch Wednesday night into Thursday morning, so we'll both get a full night's sleep and a relaxed morning. She comes highly recommended, and will also share her experience and knowledge with us. We have also enrolled in a program with alocal non-profit organization that offers a few hours per week of help to families with multiples.

Yesterday the kiddies looked so cute in their outfits that we had a little photo shoot on the sofa. The results are on the Month 3 page. There are also a couple of shots Russ took of Kathryn and I after story time.

How babies survive

2007-09-04T15:12:00.000-04:00

And then, when I'm running on perhaps 3 hours sleep, and they've been fussing and crying and being generally uncooperative, they do this:

And my heart melts all over again.

(A few more new pics in the Month 3 album, too.)

New trick

2007-09-04T01:22:00.001-04:00

Why are they screaming and screaming and screaming at 12:30am?

At first, it appears to be hunger. They don't both awaken at the same time, the second one waits just long enough after the first to let me think I can get away with feeding one at a time. Then everyone's crying because I've taken the bottle away from the first to get the second one up, find the Boppys, and get another bottle prepared. Once we're settled again, they're happy for a few minutes, and then start crying again.

Is it gas? Try burping each of them (again, prompting cries from the one who is without bottle while I burp the other), aha, success. Happy again for a few minutes, and then both start up again, crying so hard they don't even want to eat. OK, try diapers. One poopy, one wet. Clean pants should feel better, but that's not the problem. Try wrapping, unwrapping, different positions, and finally stumble upon the solution...

They want to be held while they eat (Why is this a surprise to us? Not that long ago, it was all we could do to keep them awake long enough to suck down an ounce and a half of formula). At the same time. At midnight. And they're now both too big to scoop up in one hand.

More sleeping stuff; Increasing cuteness

2007-09-02T06:34:00.000-04:00

Sis demanded new baby pictures, so here's one. I took this the other day because he looked so cute and peaceful, snoozing away. That's about it for pictures this week, other than Daddy trying to assemble the new swing. I'll have to take some more over the weekend. They keep getting cuter, so we sometimes find ourselves incapable of doing anything but sitting and watching them even when they are sleeping. Doesn't do much for household productivity, but it sure is fun.

On Tuesday we had an appointment -- hopefully our last! -- with the GI specialist for Kathryn. Her reflux has improved and she'll be off the medication (Zantac) completely in another few weeks if all continues to go well. The other news there was the weighings: 8 lbs 5 oz. for Kathryn and NINE POUNDS for James.

I'm not sure where the week went. I have spent most of my time in a sleep-deprived daze. The house isn't falling apart yet, but it's teetering on the brink. If you don't hear from me in a week, send in a search party. Have them look under the collapsed mountain of laundry first.

This week both babies started sleeping through the night, just not at night. They've gone 6 hours between feedings, but from 6pm to midnight or from 4am to 10am. This is despite keeping things dark and quiet at night, even during feedings, and having them out in the light & noise pretty much all day, even for naps. Friday night they ate at 7pm, midnight, and 5am, which was wonderful. I wish I knew how to stop the dial right there and have it stick for a while.

Of course, 5 hours between feedings doesn't mean that we get 5 hours of sleep, but it's better than the 3-hour schedule they were on for a while. Preparing bottles, feeding, changing diapers, and clean-up takes at least an hour, even feeding both at once, and usually closer to 90 minutes. By the time both get rocked., pacifier'ed, and otherwise settled back to sleep, it can be two hours or more. Sometimes one or the other of them -- occasionally both at once -- will just need to be held while they sleep. Sometimes for an hour or two. Sometimes without moving at all. By the time I unwind and get sleepy again, my brain is eyeing the clock and telling me no sense in sleeping now, they'll be awake again in an hour (And that's the time they'll go ahead and sleep for another 3 hours :-).

We've got our schedule working pretty well. I take the "late shift" while Russ goes to bed around 9 or 10 pm. I take care of feeding and anything else needed from then until 4 or 5 am, though I sometimes wake him a little earlier if they're ready to eat and I can't keep my eyes open any longer. Then I sleep until 7 or 8am, depending on when he leaves for the office and when my internal clock wakes me (I have a lot of trouble sleeping late, or sleeping at all during the day, and once I'm awake past around 3 or 4 am, I might as well make a pot of coffee because I'm up for the morning). After several days of this, I'm a basket case, because sleeping in one or two hour naps just doesn't do it, even if it adds up to 6 hours a day.

Fortunately, a couple of nights a week, we switch and he takes the late shift while I sleep. On those nights I get in bed as early as I can and read or watch TV. Even if I don't actually fall asleep until 11:00, I can be up at 4 am feeling (relatively) awake and refreshed. An hour or two of quiet time and five or six hours of uninterrupted sleep during normal sleeping hours does the trick, as long as something doesn't awaken me in the middle of it. That hapens sometimes, and it makes me very cranky. I'm still pretty zombie-like even with the good sleep, but it gets me through the next several days of up-all-night.

Yesterday they suddenly spent much more time awake and wanting to play & be entertained during the day -- James in the morning and Kathryn in the afternoon. I think they planned that out during the night to make sure we'd have no time to get other things done. I am hoping this is a sign that they are starting to get night & day figured out, and that we might be on our way to sleeping at night and being awake in the daytime. Stay tuned...

Be sure you get my good side...

2007-08-27T22:58:00.000-04:00

I took the babies out by myself tonight for the first time, since Russ was supposed to have a Dad's Night Out (which he skipped in favor of some alone time... can't say as I blame him!). It was fun & nervous-making at the same time, especially the driving.

I went to my favorite mall to spend time with a couple of friends, and also made an appointment at the cute photo studio there. We got some great pictures, and the babies were good through the whole thing and the hanging-out time afterwards. I planned it as a surprise for Russ, and brought home a couple of nice framed prints for his office & the house.

The kiddos just keep growing and growing, physically and mentally. They are looking at more and starting to hold on to things -- toys, me, whatever's nearby. James is enthralled by story time and watches me intently the whole time I am reading. Kathryn is really beginning to use her legs, both kicking at the ball on the new play gym, and scooting herself forward when she's on her tummy. She doesn't do that consistently, but she's made some big moves here and there

Plenty of new Month 3 photos, including highlights from tonight's photo session.

Sleep...

2007-08-24T09:55:00.000-04:00

"Just sleep when the baby sleeps," they say.

They don't tell you the long version, for twins:

Sleep when the baby sleeps, and the other baby sleeps (This happens only when one or the other isn't eating -- 6-8 times a day -- having their diaper changed -- also 6-8 times a day -- awake and alert and ready to be stimulated and entertained in developmentally positive ways, fussing and crying over some crushing soul pain such as dropping a pacifier, or just wanting to be HELD).

AND the laundry is done (holy moley, bibs alone, nevermind poop and spit-up stained outfits (theirs and ours) and the normal stuff... yeah, I'd love to be green and use cloth diapers and all, but right now I would wear disposable pants myself if I could), and the bottles are washed, and the cabinets are stocked with diapers and formula, and the cats & dogs & fish & Mommy & Daddy are fed, and the cat box is cleaned, and the bills are paid, and your brain isn't going "HEY, it's the middle of the day! No napping, it's AWAKE TIME!" and spinning around trying to figure out which household tasks are truly essential and which of those you've forgotten altogether for the past 3 weeks (showers anyone? bathe the babies before they reek of stale formula cheese?)... you do the math.

New pictures coming soon. Right after my nap.

Two Months Old!

2007-08-20T16:04:00.000-04:00

Today is the babies' two month birthday! To celebrate we went into the office for a while, then to the doctor for their first round of immunizations. :-(

They weren't very happy about the shots, but they've gotten over it now and are sleeping peacefully. James especially needed a lot of extra Mommy cuddling when we got through, and they've both had some Tylenol for their sore little legs.

We got great news at weighing time... Kathryn is up to 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 inches long, and James is 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long! They're just barely onto the growth curve for two-month babies, but they're right around the 50th percentile line for full term newborns (their adjusted age). Also, their weight, length, and head circumference are all catching up to "normal" -- that is, they're not only growing well, they're getting closer and closer to where they should be for their (actual, not adjusted) age. It's hard to tell yet where they'll be developmentally, as there isn't much they're even supposed to be doing yet, but they are doing well with their tummy time and picking their heads up, and they're focusing on things more and more with their eyes, even turning their heads to look at something making noise alongside them.

I have started a Month 3 page in the online photo album. Just a few pictures in there from this morning, but plenty more to come throughout the month.

Picnic Outing

2007-08-19T16:43:00.000-04:00

We had an outing yesterday, to the Summer Celebration Party held by out local parents of multiples club. It was at a nearby park with a nice playground and a shelter with plenty of picnic tables, and the club rented an inflatable waterslide to go along with the kiddie pools and water toys brought by members. Our two slept through most of the event, but it was fun watching and taking pictures of the dozen or so sets of twins & triplets, plus their parents and siblings. The pictures are in my online album along with a few new ones in the Month 2 album.

It's hard to believe that tomrorow starts month three! We see the doctor in the afternoon for their 2-month checkup, shots, and weight check. I can't wait to find out how much they've grown! Kathryn has already outgrown one of her "preemie" outfits, and there are several more that are getting tight on both of them. The newborn sizes are starting to fit too -- still plenty of room to grow in them but they're wearable now, at least.

Both kiddos are getting a lot more active now. They're spending even more time awake, and they're really pushing up off the floor with their arms when they are on their tummies. They love it on the Boppys, they can see a lot more of what's going on and still work on picking their heads up. They also seem to like it when I read them stories, they're paying a lot more attention to me as I read.

First two months in pictures

2007-08-17T09:52:00.000-04:00

Eight weeks!

2007-08-16T06:58:00.001-04:00

The babies' original due date was Tuesday, and yesterday they hit the eight week mark! Monday will be their two-month checkup, we will see how much they weigh and they'll get their first round of vaccinations.

We took them into the office for a few hours on Monday and again yesterday, and I got back to the gym yesterday for the first time in three months. Yes, I am a little sore today! I did get a nap in when we got home, which was wonderful!

The babes are doing great, but we're pretty wiped out right now. They are eating more, and more often, and are not sleeping as much in between. They don't yet know the difference between night and day, so they're just as likely to be awake and looking for attention at 3 am as any other time. We are setting a day/night routine for them -- night-time sleeping in their crib in a dark room, daytime hours spent wherever we are with more activity around them -- but I'm sure it's going to take some time for them to get the hang of it.

New pics in the Month 2 album -- bath time, office, and more.

What I need...

2007-08-10T23:42:00.000-04:00

What I need is not a nanny, a night nurse, or a babysitter.

What I need is someone to sit next to the crib and put the %&*#! pacifiers back in when they fall out of the babies' mouths.

Shopping spree

2007-08-08T23:01:00.001-04:00

My sister and nephew are in town visiting for a few days, and this afternoon Sis and I went shopping. She's a baaaad influence. See the new pics in the Month 2 album.

I have been wanting to find the babies some more "nice" clothes, dresses and things other than onesies and sleepers, so we went to my favorite mall where they have Gymboree, Children's Place, Janie and Jack, and Nordstrom. Almost everything we bought was on sale, much of it marked down 50% or more. The stores had their fall & winter lines out, and the summer clothes were on the sale racks... Perfect! They'll have to grow into some of the outfits, but that's happening pretty fast these days.

When I got home, James was wide awake, and Kathryn woke up not long after. Russ put a Baby Einstein video on the TV, propped them in their Boppys up close, and they both watched it intently. It was adorable! I had fun talking to them about what they were seeing on the screen. We got the OK from the pediatrician's office to use some infant Mylicon drops to help their apparent gassiness (we'd been warned at the hospital not to give them any over-the-counter medicines without checking with their doctor), and it's made a big difference, especially for Kathryn. She is much more alert and happy than she's been lately, and they've both been snoozing peacefully since we put them down affter their last feeding (I will be doing the same very shortly).

Sleep eludes us

2007-08-07T10:15:00.000-04:00

When we reported the latest weights to the pediatrician's office on Friday, the nurse called back to tell us we no longer have to do the weekly weight checks, yaaaaaay! (That's what she said, "Yaaaaaaay!"). Our next appointment will be their 2-month check-up & vaccinations in another couple of weeks.

Most everything else is going very well. James is completely off his monitor now, and we only put Kathryn's on at night and when she's napping and we aren't in the room. She is having fewer and fewer episodes, which is great. We go back to the pulmoologist in just over a month, and she may be off the monitor even before then.

Sleep, on the other hand, is not going so well. They are fussy and awake from 10pm until 2am. Feeding times have become totally unpredictable; fortunately the medication is down to a point where we don't have to stick to quite as precise a schedule. This too shall pass, I know...

Look, Ma, no wires!

2007-08-02T13:17:00.000-04:00

This morning's doctor visit was with the pediatric pulmonologist, and it went well. James is up to 5 lbs. 15 oz. and Kathryn is 6 lbs 1 oz. -- SIX POUNDS!

Both of them are doing much better with the bradycardia and apnea. Kathryn is still having a few episodes here and there, probably due to her reflux. James hasn't had any problems in a week or so, and we can begin weaning him off the monitor (though, as the doctor pointed out, it's the parents who need to be weaned in this case, not the babies). Kathryn will still need hers while she is sleeping, but we can take it off when we're watching her.

Double Trouble

2007-07-31T22:35:00.000-04:00

I am learning different ways of handling two hungry babies at once when I'm on duty solo:
1. Two reclining highchairs
2. Two Boppy pillows in their crib or on the floor
3. Double stroller (reclining side-by-side model)
4. Both propped up on a sofa pillow
5. Feed one baby while the other one screams like someone's sticking a pin in it, focus all of my mental energy on willing the first to finish faster so I can get a bottle into the other one's mouth before one of our heads explode.

It does get a bit tricky when one needs to be moved or have its chin wiped or something, but tonight I did manage to burp Kathryn while James was still sucking away. It helps that she often burps with no more help than a change of position.

On the fun side, James has started smiling a bunch of times in a day. Hard to tell if he's smiling at us or just at random, but it's still wonderful to see and melts my heart every time.

Tummy time

2007-07-29T22:42:00.000-04:00

Big sister Kirby was here for two days and finally got to meet the new additions. She jumped right into the big sister role and did a great job, helping with feeding, changing diapers, playing, and cuddling.

Other than that, there's not much new. They're still changing and growing every day -- I uploaded a batch of new pictures to the photo page. We're sleeping less and less every day, or so it seems. The babies have been looking for attention in the wee hours the past several nights, and it's starting to take its toll. On the plus side, I'm finally getting tired enough to be able to nap during the day! They let me get to bed a little earlier last night, so today was a bit better. I even made it out to the store this afternoon, though I almost fell asleep on my feet waiting in the checkout line... I was OK walking around the store, but standing still was another story!

I am amazed at how much they have grown and how different they look and act today compared to their first couple of weeks, or even the first few days here at home. We're starting to see some personality in them now. Kathryn makes lots of noise when she's awake (and sometimes in her sleep), which gradually turns into a cry when she's hungry or uncomfortable. James spends a lot of tme just quietly looking around when he's awake, but lets loose with a piercing cry when he's unhappy about something. When they have "tummy time" on the floor, they both pick their heads up and turn them from side to side, and also pick their legs up off the floor and squirm around. They are fascinated by lights, whether it's a lamp in the room or daylight outside. I took them for another walk in their stroller this afternoon. They slept through most of it, but James woke up in time to enjoy some of the scenery on the way home.

Announcing...

2007-07-29T22:20:00.000-04:00

(click for a larger version)

Weights & Measures

2007-07-26T16:57:00.000-04:00

Update after the babies' appointment with the GI doc this afternoon: James is up to 5 lbs. 7 oz. (up 12 ounces from a week ago), Kathryn is at 5 lbs. 10 oz. (up 10 ounces from a week ago), and both are 18 1/2 inches long!

Full-on new mommy mode

2007-07-26T11:21:00.000-04:00

Now they're definitely becoming regular babies. The schedule is mostly out the window, except that we do wake them up for bottles if they don't wake up on their own after 4 hours. The babies make no distinction between night and day in either their feeding or wakefulness patterns. I have also lost track of what day and time it is, though at least I know what the bright light outdoors means.

We are sticking to the "one eats, both eat" rule (if one wakes up hungry, the other gets a bottle too) to forestall utter chaos. Splitting up the night time duties is also working out fairly well. We each get a shot at 4 or 5 hours of relatively uninterrupted sleep each night, barring monitor alarms or extreme crying.

I am still having trouble napping during the day, though it's getting easier as I become more zombie-like. Putting a snoozing baby on top of me is also a great sleep-inducer. Someone should bottle that and sell it, but it's probably even more addictive than what they've got now.

On the upside of regular-baby-ness, they are spending more time awake, and are more alert and aware of what's around them. They're both getting better and better at lifting their heads, looking around, and focusing on interesting things. On the downside, they are also getting better and more insistent at expressing their displeasure at being hungry, having a dirty diaper, or being subjected to the indignity of a diaper change. They are also soiling things (clothes, bedding, blankets, Mommy, etc.) in various ways at an alarming rate, times two. But they're really cute doing it.

The week everything broke

2007-07-23T14:11:00.000-04:00

Perhaps it's required to maintain the cosmic balance, but we've had a string of bad luck in the form of things breaking all around the house. Shortly before the babies were born, one of our (wall unit) air conditioners conked out, and Russ had it replaced with a "mini split" unit that's a nice step up. We also had a new roof put on as the old one had a slowly growing leak.

Snice we've been home, the other air conditioner quit (no replacement yet... July in Florida is a bad time to expect a call back from the A/C man), the clothes dryer broke (on the plus side, I now have the new washer and dryer I've been eyeing for several months), and the Truckster is in the shop having its transmission replaced. Whew!

Other than that, we're all doing fine. We go see a specialist later this week for their reflux, which we hope will continue improving. They have been taking less medicine since Friday's pediatrician visit and seem to be doing alright.

The lack of sleep is beginning to catch up with me. If I write everything down, I have a shot at remembering what I need to do next. If I remember where I wrote it down.

One month old

2007-07-20T15:48:00.000-04:00

The twins are one month old today! This morning was their weight check and one-month doctor visit. Kathryn tipped the scales at five pounds, and James weighed in at 4 pounds 11 ounces. They have both grown to over 18 inches long too. They are eating like crazy and doing better and better with their other problems. Since they are doing so well, we are going to start decreasing their reflux medicine to see how they do with less of that.

My mother arrived on Tuesday and will be here until the middle of next week, so we have another pair of hands around for a little while -- very helpful! We're getting everything a little more organized around here, but we are still short on sleep and the to-do lists just get longer. We'll catch up eventually. Or not.

Drink 'til ya puke

2007-07-17T10:56:00.001-04:00

Who knew they'd be such partiers already?! :-)

We don't have to measure everything as carefully anymore, so they get as much as they want (within reason)... the doctor assured us that they'd "give back" whatever formula is too much at a feeding. Last night they were both looking for more after finishing their bottles, so more they got. So far it hasn't been too much, though their appetites are starting to fluctuate through the day and night. We go back to the doctor on Friday to weigh them again and make sure they're still gaining.

Last night they both fussed a lot during the night, so we didn't get much sleep. James and Kathryn are becoming more and more alert and active as Russ and I become zombies. I can hardly believe it's Tuesday already. The weekend went by in a blur. We have many things to catch up on, and people to catch up with, but we've been in a daze most of the time since we got home. I expect to keep updating this blog, but the updates & pictures will probably be fewer and farther between.

They are starting to act more and more like regular babies, changing by the day. It's hard to tell what to expect next. They're nearly a month old, but also still 4 weeks from their full-term birth date. We know they'll likely be somewhat delayed, especially on some of their early milestones, but it's impossible to predict which ones and how much. The best the books can tell us is that they'll probably do things in roughly the same order as a full-term baby, but maybe not at the same age. Or maybe so. Yikes. They are starting to lift their heads and look around when on their tummies, they seem to focus on our faces and voices, they find their fingers to suck on sometimes, and no matter how we put them down in the crib or how nicely swaddled they are, they manage to squirm around until some part of them is touching each other.

First doctor visit, Settling in

2007-07-14T11:10:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's doctor visit went well. Both babies gained some weight -- they're getting weighed with diapers now, and on much less precise scales, but James gained about an ounce and Kathryn almost two ounces. We will have to go see specialists to monitor their reflux and bradys/apneas (monitor their monitors?), but they should outgrow both problems soon enough. Other than that, they continue to be healthy & growing well. We see changes in them every day!

We are beginning to find a routine that works for now, so we were both able to get a little more sleep last night. After their 9:00pm feeding, I napped & watched TV for a couple of hours, did the 1:00am feeding by myself and then slept until around 7:30am; Russ went to bed earlier and got up for the 5:00am. It takes about an hour altogether to prepare medicine & bottles, feed & diaper both babies, and get them settled back to sleep. Fortunately they are are so far sticking to the 4-hour shedule they were on at the hospital, though sometimes they need some distraction before feeding time or a little bit of an early start. We're trying to stick with it at least while they are on the medication to keep things simple and avoid waking them (or us!) up between feedings just to take medicine.

They are both eating very well now, taking almost 2 ounces at each feeding, and we can turn off the alarm clock because they're having no trouble waking up for their feedings and letting us know they're hungry! The home monitors are a little clumsy to handle, but we have had relatively few alarms, and they both fix the problem themselves usually before we even get into the room. It's reassuring to have the monitors, because every now and then they do need a little stimulation to get their heart rates or breathing back up. I am amazed at how well my sleeping self can tell the difference between the "problem" alarm sound (rush in to make sure they're OK) and the "loose wire" (someone moved the wrong way, just wait a few seconds) alarm sound!

I finally got the camera out and added a batch of new photos to the baby album!

Home at last

2007-07-13T06:02:00.000-04:00

We got home around 8pm last night (Thursday) and all is well. The drive was long, but not too bad. We made a stop at Babies R Us so I could run in and get a few necessities -- diapers (we had two cases of newborn size stocked up, but only a few packages of premie size), formula, baby monitor, spare crib sheets, etc.

Just now got the laptop in from the car. Haven't dug out the camera with going-home photos yet. Cats have been demanding attention all night, as have babies. Just fed them breakfast (babies, not cats). We have both managed to get a little sleep. Unpacking the car little bits at a time, haven't really made a dent yet.

We got see the pediatrician at 1 pm today, then right back home. One of us will have to go food shopping sometime, the leftover Chinese food we had delivered for dinner won't last forever.

Babies are sleeping, back to bed for me now!

Ready to GO!

2007-07-12T05:33:00.000-04:00

It's 5 am and I have been awake for a couple of hours now. After an hour or so, I realized that I wasn't going to get back to sleep, so I got up, dressed, reorganized the diaper bags for the trip, made a pot of coffee, and I'm pretty much ready to go right now.

Too bad the babies won't be ready to leave for three or four hours yet. And Russ is still sound asleep. At least I got a few hours of sleep, and he's driving, so I can nap in the car (time to practice "sleep when the babies sleep", right? :-).

We have a pair of bulging diaper bags from the hospital, filled with enough formula, bottles (they'll still need their formula measured carefully for a little while), and diapers to last a couple of days. Loading those up really made the whole "times two" thing hit home, as did trying to cram enough into one bag to last for the whole drive. Then again, my idea of "enough" is probably more like "enough, even if we get stuck in traffic... for three days."

The NICU staff has been very helpful in getting us ready to go without much stress at all. Everything that could be scheduled or done a day or three in advamce, they've done. The babies have had a whole day to rest without pictures, procedures, baths, and so on. They've been on the home monitors (along with the hospital monitor) since yesterday, so we know those are working well and that we can hook them up correctly. Last night we practiced measuring and giving the medicine that we'll have at hme. The doctor even said he'd get the babies checked out and ready to go first thing this morning so we can get an early start (their usual schedule puts NICU discharges in the afternoon or evening). By the time that and all of the paperwork is done, we should be able to get their 9am feeding into them just before we leave, so we shouldn't have to stop for the first few hours. It's usually an 8-hour drive, but it will take us at least a few hours longer with baby stops, so it will be late tonight before we get in.

I can hardly believe that we are taking them home today, after all that has happened -- especially since they aren't even supposed to be born for another month. I'm amazed at how far they have come in just a few weeks. I'm also amazed at how good they are... when they wake up early, before feeding time, they usually just lie there quietly and look around, or make cute little waking-up noises. They've rarely cried or been fussy at all unless someone was doing something unpleasant to them. Is it too much to hope that the behavior and the schedule will keep going this smoothly?

Even if it doesn't, at least we'll be home, and everything should be a lot easier to handle there. There are many things here that we will miss when we leave, but it will be nice to sleep in my own bed again after two months away!

Stay tuned for Twins... The Home Game!

One more day!

2007-07-10T22:50:00.000-04:00

Barring any major problems between now and then, the babies will be released from the hospital Thursday morning and we will all be heading for home!!!

Today was a whirlwind of preparations, insurance company phone calls, a photo session (this picture is a quick one I took of them in the outfits they wore for their photo shoot... I crocheted the sweaters and pants while I was here awaiting their arrival), training for the home monitors (they'll be on monitors for a few months to alert us if their heart rate drops too far or if they stop breathing), James's circumcision, and the Tuesday night weighings and baths. We're all pretty well exhausted, but both babies are still gaining weight and both took their whole bottles tonight. Kathryn is up to 4 lbs. 3.4 oz. and James is up to 4 lbs. 2.4 oz.

We had yet another moment of hilarity in the NICU toinight... we let down our guard for a moment with his diaper open (one of the many rules there -- go without pooping for 12 hours and you get a glycerin suppository), and he retaliated by squirting Dad right in the face. Fortunately this time it was just pee. We both jumped to get things under cover, and lost a blanket and his pacifier to the floor (another hospital rule -- once something hits the floor, into the trash or laundry it goes) while trying to keep all the fresh post-bath bedding from getting soaked.

We are very excited about heading home so soon, and very happy that the babes are doing so well. We'll be pretty busy between now and then getting the truck packed up and everything ready to go, so I may not post any more until we get home. Maybe not right away then either... don't worry, it'll just mean we have our hands full of babies with no nurses around to help out!

More of the same, but closer to going home

2007-07-09T23:05:00.000-04:00

Not a lot of news today, other than James finally catching on to the bottle feeding thing. The nurses say "the light bulb went on." At his overnight feedings, and all day today, James sucked away like a champ at his bottles. A few he even finished faster than his sister. He's certainly using less energy than he was to get through them, and he seems to be enjoying the whole process a lot more.

If the babies keep up this progress with the feedings and weight gain, we may be able to take them home as soon as the end of this week! They will have to be on apnea monitors for two or three months at home, but even though it's an added hassle, it is reassuring to us as they are both still having some episodes of bradycardia and we'll feel much better knowing about it if they need some help. They did pass their car seat tests, which is reassuring.

Although this is right around the doctor's initial optimistic estimates of their stay in the NICU, the actual preparations for their discharge caught us a bit off guard. We've suddenly gone from a sort of holding pattern in the nursery and here at the apartment to making ourselves ready to leave this place. Fortunately all of the nursery essentials are already set up at home!

One of the nurses, who has been off for a few days, asked about their last weight gain and remarked that Kathryn's face seemed to have plumped up quite a bit (on babies this size, even a few ounces can make a big difference). It made me think about all of the changes we've seen in them just in this short time, and how different they are now than just a couple of weeks ago. They have been transformed from strange, spastic little naked creatures, surrounded by tubes and wires in plastic boxes, to nearly normal babies -- on the small side, but they look and act much more like regular babies now.

Sunday baths

2007-07-08T23:12:00.000-04:00

We had a nice surprise when we got to the hospital this morning to find that both Kathryn and James ahd their NG tubes removed! Kathryn was doing well enough feeding that hers was removed overnight, and after James pulled his own out (again), they decided to leave it out unless he needs it again.

We gave them bottles at four of their feedings today (9am, 1pm, 5pm, and 9pm). We don't go in for the two overnight feedings (1am and 5am)... we're getting our sleep while we still can! Kathryn is a real champ with the bottles, but is still having trouble with the reflux and accompanying bradycardias. James is having more difficulty with the bottles. At their 5pm feeding, right after their baths, he was so tired out that he only took half his bottle. He got another chance to escape the tube because that was right after a bath, and those baths really wear them out. At 9pm he did somewhat better, but he still had a lot of difficulty finishing the whole feeding. We're hoping he continues to do well enough to stay on the bottle, but he does need to get enough nutrition and gain weight at the same time.

Speaking of weight, they both gained weight again! Kathryn is up to 4 lbs. 2.4 oz., and James is at 4 lbs. 0.4 oz. The bottle feedings are more work than the tube feedings, and they're no longer on the high calorie formula, so they didn't gain very much this time. We're happy as long as they're on the plus side, even a little bit. They are both getting very close to the 1.9 - 2 kilograms (around 4 lbs. 3 oz.) that the doctors like to see before they are discharged. The weight is not an absolute requirement, but they do have to be eating well from bottles at every feeding, gaining weight consistently, and not having major apnea or bradycardia issues.

Our babies will get their first shot at the "car seat test" sometime tonight. They're placed in their car seats for an hour or so, with the monitors all on, to see how well they tolerate the position they'll be in for the ride home. We'll probably end up going home with them on monitors anyway, but they'll still need to pass the car seat test.

There are several new photos on the week 3 photo page, including their faces with no tubes and tape, and their first baths with no tubes or wires attached (the monitor wires are usually removed for bath time, but the NG tubes and oxygen weren't so they always had something still attached before)!

Ups and Downs

2007-07-07T22:27:00.000-04:00

Today was a day of ups and downs, fortunately bigger ups than downs. The babies are making great strides and took bottles at four feedings in a row today. James sort of pooped out at the last one, and had to get the end of the feeding through his NG tube. This is disappointing because it means the tube can't come out just yet. Kathryn's might be out by morning if she keeps up her 10 minute bottles. She is still having the reflux and bradycardia episodes fairly frequently, though. The doctor has increased her medication, but it will take a little while to see if that helps.

They seem to be happy in the crib together (you can tell me he's not really smiling in this picture, but I won't believe you :-). We didn't put them down like that, they tilt their heads together all by themselves. Amazingly enough, one of them can be crying and fussing, even get a diaper change and all the associated business, and the other sleeps right through it. One plus to the NICU environment is that by the time they get home they should be able to sleep through anything -- there are near-constant lights, noises, babies crying, machines beeping, and people talking all around them, and they snooze away peacefully. This hospital does what they call "clustered care", where everything that needs to be done for a baby is done at one time, right around their feeding, so that they have several hours of uninterrupted sleep in between.

They are getting closer to going home, but James will have to take the bottles better and Kathryn will have to get over the bradys before they can be released. She may end up going home on a monitor as well. We're hoping that won't be necessary, because we are really looking forward to being rid of the tubes and wires. On the plus side, with all the practice we're getting now, changing clothes and diapers will be a breeze when the tubes and wires are gone!

It's a little frustrating when they take a big step forward and then backslide a little. We know it's normal and expected, but we want so badly for them to be strong and healthy that it's a bit of a blow each time there's another brady or a feeding issue. We also get a little nervous when we're feeding or holding them because we don't want them to "lose points" for our ineffectiveness at getting them to suck or burp, or because we've got them in a bad position that sets off a brady or breathing problem. It's a silly thing to worry about, especially because we have to do all of these things ourselves before they'll even discharge the babies, but we can't help but feel a little bit of personal failure when they have a setback, however minor.

Together again at last

2007-07-06T23:06:00.000-04:00

Today was full of fun stuff. We gave the babies their bottles this morning, and then Kathryn had her oxygen removed completely, and they got moved into the same crib!

Russ and I spent the day shopping at a nice mall in Atlanta. We both needed a day off, and I found some very cute baby clothes at Janie & Jack and Oilily (on sale, too :-). It will be a little while before they grow into most of them, but I couldn't resist. There was another store there, Strasburg Children, with absolutely precious outfits, but about the only things they had in these babies' size were their doll clothes so we'll have to check them out again when they get a little older (or mail-order from their catalog).

After dinner, we went back over to the hospital to give them their night time bottles too. Kathryn moved her feeding time up by a whole hour by being cranky and fussy and HUNGRY. We tried to settle her down, but the pacifier just made her mad when no food came out of it. Meanwhile James fell asleep again and didn't really want to wake up to eat, but once Russ got him started, he did fine. They're both sucking well and finishing their bottles in good time. They are also emitting some tremendous burps for such tiny creatures. It's hard to believe there could be enough gas in them to make those noises!

Kathryn is still having quite a few bradys, maybe due to the reflux. It doesn't seem to be getting any worse with the bottle feedings, but it needs to get better before we can go home. James is doing much better with those, he only had a few last night and today. Otherwise they're making great progress, and several of the nurses have commented that it won't be long now before they're ready to head home. They have been very good babies so far, but they're starting to be awake more, and aren't entirely happy with the NICU's 4-hour feeding/diaper schedule.

We also heard from the lawyer's office that the interstate paperwork that has to be approved before we can take them home has been sent on its way and should be back (it has to go through some approval process in both states) sometime next week. We're hoping it all comes through in time, because neither we nor the doctors want these little ones to spend any time in a germy hotel room.

Nippling!

2007-07-05T22:48:00.000-04:00

Both James and Kathryn took bottles tonight, and emptied them in short order -- both sucked down 40ml, or an ounce and a third, in about 20 minutes. They also weighed in at four pounds each!

We gave them both baths tonight, which they are starting to enjoy a little more. It takes both of us to maneuver a slippery, soapy baby and a wet washcloth in the little plastic bath tubs they have at the hospital, but we have fun. We had a hilarious diaper incident with James tonight involving three new diapers, and poop and pee everywhere. Yes, I know you're supposed to keep things covered, but you have to open the diaper at some point in order to change it, and he had perfect timing with both barrels. It would probably be less humorous at home, but here any poop is cause for celebration, even if it's all over your pants.

We have been at the hospital almost all day, and it has been an exciting one, so I'm pretty tired right now. I uploaded a few pictures to the new Week Three photo album page. Tomorrow I'm hoping to be able to give them a bottle myself (the nurses have to give the first one, at least, to make sure everything is going alright).