Month 3, Week 1

I attempted my first outing with just me and the boys today. The local library has a Mother Goose on the Loose book reading every Wednesday. My goal was for us to attend. I was pretty nervous and kept going over different scenarios in my head last night, stressing myself out.

The boys woke up from their nap at 9:45am, pretty much the perfect time. I fed them and plopped them in bouncy chairs while I took a shower. They think the bathroom is so cool, probably since we never have them in there. Afterwards we went downstairs, changed some diapers, and headed out. There was a little initial Zach fussing when I put him in the carseat, but otherwise they were happy. The library is about 15min from our house. By the time we got there, Alex was asleep, so Zach and I voted him as the carseat baby. I put Zach in the baby carrier and we all headed in.

Unfortunately, there's a limit on the number of people that can attend and they were full. I managed to get a shower and have two happy babies at a place 5 minutes early and we were turned away! I'm STILL disappointed. I went ahead and got a library card in prep for lots of baby book reading in the future. By now the boys are looking at me (still happy!) like "Now, what?" I called Jim and we picked him up for lunch. So the trip and the stress wasn't a total loss. I got to eat lunch with my favorite boys.

Dispite the lack of actually getting to participate in the event, just practicing getting the boys up and about was good for me. I feel a lot less trapped in the house. If I need to, we can always pack up and go somewhere. I'd feel a lot better if my stroller would come in. Supposedly it'll be here early next week. I've heard that twice now, though.

In less Marcie-centric news, Alex and Zach continue to hone their toy batting skills. Both are able to pick out a dangling toy and hit it with either hand. It's hilarous watching them get all focused and intense on a blue jingling elephant, then reach out tentatively with a fist. Sometimes they miss and hit another toy, or they get too excited and the fist they weren't watching will fly out and hit things.

We've started rigorous tummy time training this week. Each boy gets 5min on a playmat. Zach is really good at holding his head up high, but tends to get tired pretty quickly. He'll just lay there like a splat, waiting for the time to run out and for me to pick him up. Alex is able to roll onto his back once before getting too tired. By the time they're done, they're so exhausted that they have to take a nap. hehe

Alex will practice sitting while I support him but Zach only wants to stand. Neither want to sit in the baby tub for baths (that I do by myself now). I have to keep one hand on their mid section and say "We sit in the tub." about a million times. Maybe eventually they're get it.

Zach is close to discovering his feet. He likes to stick his legs up in the air so I think it's only a matter of time. Normally the boys wear footed sleepers but we've been doing some diaper time during the day, too, which they love. There's so much kicking and arm waving when they're in their skivvies.

Both boys try to do an open mouthed kiss when you smooch their cheeks. I'll do an exaggerated kiss then hold my face still while they slobber all over it. hehe I've also been doing raspberries on their tummies during diaper changes. Theiy're not sure what to make of it. I just get surprised, wide eyes.

I went through all of their baby clothes the other night, sorting out what they can't wear and getting what they can fit into organized. I have the 0-3 mo clothes from Nina and Stacy ready to go back to their respective owners the next time we see them. It was so sad, packing away their little clothes. They were so small and contain such good memories.

Month 3!

The boys turned 3mo old this past Friday! Chii-Wey came over for their photo shoot. Right now the boys have semi-predictable eating and sleeping schedules, so we were able to get some good smiles in. This was MUCH less stressful than the last two times. You can view their pictures here (pw: jma&z). I hope to have their 3 month candids up there soon.

I've already mentioned that the boys graduated into size 2 diapers, but over the past few days their clothes have also gotten tight. We broke out the 3-6mo outfits yesterday and they fit much better. Target was having a baby sale so we stopped by today and got a few more sleepers.

We also decided that they've pretty much reached full capacity on the co-sleeper. It holds 30lb and combined they're at 27lb (Alex 14lb, Zach 13lb). They've also started waking each other up in the co-sleeper. When one of them gets fussy, they like to lift their legs waaay up in the air then slam them down, causing the entire thing to shake. A couple of those and you've got two boys trying to bring the house down.

So tonight we moved them into the nursery. I'll admit that I'm a bit sad to see them go. I like having them close by and have been known to just sit and watch them sleep. It'll be a good thing, though. The boys aren't quiet sleepers and this should give Jim better rest for work. Likewise, sometimes Jim's snoring startles the boys. I'll probably be the only one that doesn't improve their sleep. hehe

So... Our little boys are growing up. I know they're still small, but for some reason I expected them to stay really small a lot longer. Goodbye Dino On The Loose outfit. We barely knew you.

In other baby-related news, I officially quit my job last Thursday. I left on good terms and my boss wants me to give him a call when I want to get back to engineering again. I'm now a stay-at-home mom, a sentence I never thought I'd type. It feels good, though - far better than the alternative. I'm pretty passionate about the boys. I can't say I ever felt that for any of the engineering jobs I've had.

I started on the boys' Halloween costumes this week. Alex is going to be a ninja and Zach is going to be a pirate. I'm making them out of fleece so they can wear them over normal clothes and be warm enough. I think they'll turn out ok. I'm not the best at sewing but they should at least hold together long enough to go around the neighborhood.

We ordered a double jogging stroller last week and I hope it comes in soon. I have no problems with taking care of the boys 24/7 but I'm starting to climb the walls around. One weekly grocery trip isn't enough non-home time for me. With the stroller I should be able to at least walk around outside for a bit. I'm hoping (and praying) that the boys like it. They enjoy the outside and watching things go by, so it has a chance to work.

Trips in the car have gotten a little easier. I can shake various toys and the boys will stop fussing to watch them. The toys we have for this are pretty limited, though, so I ordered some car toys from Amazon. The first "toy" is a set of wrist bands and striped socks that rattle when the baby moves. They love eating their hands so I hope they like these, too. I also got a activity bar that clamps on their carseat and a peacock that's supposed to be good to chew. hehe

In baby development news, the boys have been honing their chomping skills. Fists and individual fingers get gnawed on a lot. Alex spent some time today just staring at his hands, tasting them, then staring some more. Zach has started sucking on his hands before going to sleep. They have also become more particular about things. Alex refused to nurse in the cradle hold, and would only start eating when I moved him to the football hold. It looked pretty silly feeding one baby like that, but whatever works I guess. Zach will fuss and fuss until I'm holding him just right to go to sleep.

One last tidbit. I came across this picture the other day. It's me when I was 3mo old. I think the boys look a little like me, especially in the no hair department.

Month 2, Week 3

It's been a rough week around here. On Monday both boys and Jim came down with a cold. They had sore throats and runny noses, but luckily no fevers. Zach was up most of the night last night, angry at his stuffed up nose. He'd just drift off to sleep and a loud snort would wake him back up. When he did sleep, Alex would be awake and generally grumpy. They really didn't like the suction bulb (much screaming in angst) but it seemed to help some.

Along with the stuffed up noses has been extra spitting up (which also makes them mad). We've gone through just about every outfit they own, plus a ton of burp cloths. Zach managed to projectile vomit while breastfeeding, creating an interesting ricochet of milk.

Jim took half the day off work to try to rest up. I don't think he succeeded with the babies being extra fussy in the afternoon. I think the worst of it is behind us, though. Tonight their breathing is much improved, although around their eyes and their little noses are still red.

In baby milestone news, both boys are able to concentrate on a toy and bat it. It's really cute watching them make a fist and swing it at the dangling bug toy. Zach especially loves it. He'll lay on the playmat and just chatter away while trying to hit it. Alex is more somber, prefering to concentrate with less noise. Both also love sucking on their hands, sometimes really loudly. They've experimented on their thumbs but seem to prefer their whole fist instead.

They have also started having opinions about where they are and what they're doing. They'll cry until you've figured out what they want, whether it's in the bouncy chair or being held face out so they can look around. They also recognize me versus Jim. I was holding Zach when Jim came in the room. Immediately Zach saw him and started squirming. I handed him over to Jim and he was happy again.

I think I see the beginings of them holding their arms up when they want picked up. Their control isn't all that good just yet, but it seems to happen more than what I'd consider coincidence.

We've been able to put them down to sleep at 10pm in the evenings, fairly consistently. That's an improvement over holding them all evening and gives us a few hours to get things done around the house (or relax if it's been one of those days). My over protective side kicked in, though, and they now wear baby beepers at night. It's this little thing that clips to their diaper and detects their breathing. If they don't breathe for 15 sec, it vibrates. If they still don't breathe for another 5sec, an alarm goes off. We've ha d a couple of false positives on the vibration (Alex knocked his off one night) and even that seems enough to wake me up. The downside happened Monday night when Jim's phone kept vibrating for low battery and I thought it was one of the boys.

The mothers of multiples sale is this Friday. The plan is for me and Nina to meet up somewhere for dinner then head over there. I'm hoping to pick up a few things, like 3-6mo sleep sacks. It'll be nice to get out of the house, mainly. Jim's going to watch both boys, his first time attempting it. Hopefully they'll be good.

Month 2, Week 2

It's day 3 of me staying home with the boys solo. Things have been going pretty well so far - no major breakdowns of them or me. Our normal day consists of them waking up between 6am and 6:30am. They get fed and their diapers changed. Jim will help out with one before he heads off to work. Once he leaves, me and the boys settle in for some cuddling time between 7:30am and 8am. They'll normally sleep another 3-4hrs with a snack break in there. Jim has been coming home during lunch and watching them while I get a shower and eat. The boys will stay up for another couple of hours and take a nap around 2pm.

Both boys really like the swing and bouncy chair now, which makes things SO much easier for me. It's to the point where sometimes they want one of those instead of being held. Right now I'm bouncing Zach in the chair. He cried and cried until I stuck him in it. Alex is sleeping on me, though, so at least one baby still wants me around. hehe

In milestone news, the boys have become ticklish under their arms. They laugh and coo whenever you get them there. They've been spending a lot of time on the floor, either on the playmat or resting in the boppy. Both are really good at following a rattle now. They have also graduated into size 2 diapers. They really seem to love breast feeding. I have to careful they don't overeat and throw up. Zach especially likes to drink himself to sleep. Neither wants a pacifier anymore, which is good because I think we've lost most of them.

I spoke with my boss on Monday. Things at work are a better (they're back to 40hrs per week) but it's all little projects. He couldn't tell me what I'd be working on if I came back next week. Things are that much in flux. I brought up the idea of taking at least a year off and he thought that would probably be a good thing, both from a business perspective and his personal feelings on raising kids. He's going to call me next week to finalize everything.

I think this is the best option for the boys right now, with swine flu, regular flu, and RSV seasons coming up. I also don't like the idea of someone else taking care of them. Financially I've drawn up a budget and we should do fine until they're ready for kindergarten or so.

Month 2, Week 2

Well, it's been a busy week around here. The boys have discovered that licking things is fun. They'll lick their hands, whether it's their hand, their brother's, or if it has a sock on it. They also like to lick the shirt of the person holding them. I was wearing a Clemson paw print t-shirt and Zach tasted each toe print just to be sure they weren't food. I got out a teething toy and they've enjoyed licking it during diaper changes. There's no real gnawing or chewing - just licking. hehe

Another big step for them is I've started breastfeeding them. With Lucy going back to school next week, anything that makes things easier on me during the day is appreciated. I was a bit worried they wouldn't know what to do or get frustrated like before, but besides a little irritation at being on their sides, they've done great!

LG's HR called yesterday to be sure I knew I only have 2wks left of maternity leave. I'm supposed to go back August 27th. I called my boss and left a message to that effect. I was hoping to find out how things are going, like if they're still on reduced hours and what their project workload is like. I guess I'll try him again tomorrow.

Jim and I have been going back and forth on whether I should go return to work or not. There are pluses and minuses on both sides. I think the main deciding factor so far is I don't want to leave the boys with someone I don't know.

Second Month Check-Up

The boys had their routine doctor's visit yesterday. They got weighed and measured, poked and prodded. Alex came in at 12lb 6oz. Zach was 11lb 11oz. Both boys were 22in. Alex still has Zach on head size. The gains in weight shot them pretty far up the percentile rankings. Alex went from 29th to 65th, while Zach jumped from 22nd to 48th. Unfortunately they're still behind in length, hovering around the 15th percentile. I guess we have short, chubby babies.

The nurse practitioner seemed to think that the boys should be eating less frequently and sleeping for longer stretches. Both boys still get up every 2hrs or so. She wanted them to go 3-4hrs at night. I'm not sure how we're supposed to change that. Personally I think this is one area where their 3.5wks prematurity comes into play. I'm going to just wait a little and see if they switch on their own.

Along with their visit was 5 vaccinations, and only one was oral - so 2 shots in each thigh. Alex got upset at the liquid vaccine and kept trying to spit it out. The nurses were really fast and had them done at lightening speeds. The boys were troopers and calmed down pretty quickly. I hugged them and wiped away their little tears.

Afterwards we went to Publix and got them some infant Tylenol. Sure enough, even with the medicine they ran a low fever most of the night. They weren't too cranky - mostly sleepy. Zach needed a lot more holding and rocking than normal, too. Even this morning both boys are a little on the tired side. What normally takes the a minute or two for them to wake up and announce they're hungry, took 15min today. They would whimper a little and fall back asleep. hehe

The boys have taken the concept of grinning and run with it. Here's a couple of pictures from yesterday before we left.

Zach in the swing

Alex getting ready for the doctor's

Month 2!

The boys officially turned two months yesterday! We celebrated by going to Wal-Mart, meeting some friends for lunch, and getting their pictures taken. After the first two adventures, the boys were pretty cranky when it came time to say "Cheese!" Luckily Chii-Wey managed to get some good shots. I also updated their candids AND added a video of Zach enjoying the changing table window. You can view them all here! (pw:jma&z)

In other news, Zach had his first non-routine visit to the pediatrician's last Thursday. He woke up with yellow crustiness on his right eye. It also didn't seem to be draining correctly. Tears were running down his face. A quick Dr. Google search brought up "eye infection". Yikes! So I called and Dr. Jones (hehe) saw him right away. Apparently he has a narrow tear duct that will fix itself as he grows older. We just have to keep it clean with a soft cloth and water, and message the duct. Almost a week later, it seems to be fine.

We went to Poppa and Granny J's house for dinner on Sunday. Poor Alex had a diaper blow-out on the way and got his carseat messy. The boys were awake most of the time but did pretty well. Wayne held one while Jim ate and the baby kept grinning at him. Red was there and held them on his own for the first time. Just as everyone was getting ready for a tractor ride, the boys fell asleep. They love the outside, so I was a bit sad for them that they missed it. I think they would like the sound of the tractor and watching things go by.

The boys really like being rocked, especially outside in the evenings. The problem here is that the sun sets in their faces if we're on the back patio. There's also no roof over the swing, and explaining to a baby that it's raining is difficult. So we bought some rocking chairs and they were delivered yesterday. Aunt Lucy was nice enough to put them together for us last night.

Also on the rocking front, we tested out the glider a Poppa's to see if the boys liked it. It appeared that they did, so we might get one. They also liked the rocking recliners, so that might be an option for the living room.