Archive for July, 2007
Ended up having to take James into the Dr. office today. He’d been getting worse with crying and being quite unconsoliable thru the day. Usually it started around 4pm and lasted till 10ish but the last week or so it’s gotten progressively worse and ending at starting around 9:30am and ending around 10pm. I was thinking it was just collic, we started giving him gas medication on Friday on a regular basis-at first we saw an improvement but then it got worse again. We wanted to be sure it wasn’t anything to be concerned about, and am glad we did.
Turns out, he gained 3lbs in the last month (last seen June 29th) so his doseage of his reflux medication was half what it should be for his weight. Or at least that’s what the Dr thinks is the cause, if it doesn’t get better in a week we’ll go back in. So cross fingers and toes that this does it. It is very hard to watch your son cry and cry and cry and there be nothing you can do to help him.
James weighed in at 8lbs 5oz.
Evelyn weighed in at 9lbs 6oz.
I was shocked. We did weigh them on the scale at home (with us and them, then just us) and there was a 8lb difference for James and a 9lb difference for Evelyn but I guess I just didn’t think our scale was very accurate. This is really awesome. It feels totally wonderful knowing that I’m supplying Evelyn with all her nutrition and half of James’ as he is still being supplemented for growth-though I seriously bet he’s more than good now to not supplement anymore.
They are getting closer and closer to doubling their birth weights. Evelyn needs to be 11lbs 6oz and James needs to be 9lbs 14oz.
We won’t see, hopefully, the Dr again till the middle of August for their 2 month checkup and shots-though we have to see the Dr 2 weeks after their 2 month mark as he was so full.
July 24th, 2007
Uploaded a video clip of James watching his starfish on the bouncer, he’s start to talk a bit. Hopefully this will work for you all.
Click here to see the video.
The kids kept us quite busy over the weekend, they must be having a growth spurt as they were hungry almost every hour on Saturday and fussy. They slept and ate at different times and we ended up having them sleep in their bouncers for the first half of the night as James actually decided on his own it was bedtime at like 8pm and he slept thru till 3am. We usually put them down around 10/10:30, which is when Evelyn went down that night.
Last night they were good though-we kept James awake and they both went down with little trouble and slept for 5 1/2 hours. Yey! Nothing else to report. Just wanted to get the video out there.
July 23rd, 2007
Just wanted to update on the ultrasound James had yesterday. It’s all good, they weren’t able to find anything that indicated that he had a dysplasia and at this stage there was still no clicking (an indicator of a possible problem). He will have another ultrasound at 6 months old if I remember the peditrican correctly.
This is awesome news as he would have needed to wear a brace all the time and keep his legs totally straight all the time, possibly thru 3 years of age or more-depends on the severity of the dysplasia I’m sure. Hopefully the next scan continues to show no issues.
Since posting we’ve had a gazillion smiles from James and a ton more from Evelyn as well. James has discovered his hands, which you can see in a few photos in the gallery. I think James may have giggled the other day and he is trying so hard to talk to us, he’s been making all sorts of noises, it’s too darn cute. Oh! and his legs are so strong, I think he may walk before his sister. When we hold him up knees bent he will push up and stand for a little bit and then drop down and stand back up, over and over. Evelyn isn’t very interested in using her legs like that yet-which is odd since she had no trouble kicking me all the while she was housed there! 
We are having visitors on the 18th of August! The kids Great Uncle John & Aunt Mary are coming from Louisiana to meet them. We are super excited for them to come.
I just uploaded some photos from the last week to the gallery-check them out!
July 21st, 2007
Can hardly get my head around it. We have two almost 6 week old children. It’s crazy.
The last few weeks have been good, but busy.
We took the kids and us for some professional photos on the Fourth of July. They turned out awesome, so watch for those in your mailbox soon. It was a long day and the kids first trip to the mall.
They are starting to become so interactive. It’s really wonderful. The hardest part though so far as been, at least for me and for sure on the weekends for James is this adjusting to this period. Because they aren’t sleeping during the day so much anymore and are awake that means we aren’t able to nap during the day either. So this part is taking a bigger toll on us than the feedings every 2 hours thru the night. Granted they feed every 2 hours during the day now though..which takes a toll on this nursing mom. It all is really wonderful though-we are truely blessed and happy.
The kids are sleeping 4-6 hours thru the night now going to bed around 10:30pm most nights and sleeping till around 2:30-4:30 before waking. Then they are up again in another 2-4 hours (4:30-6:30), that sleep isn’t as consistant yet. Now they are taking little hour long naps after they eat during the day. Like today Evelyn took an hour long nap while her brother and I chatted Then he is now napping and she’s been gazing at me while I’m’ typing this for the last hour and a half, she’s dozing off now though.
Roxanne, their 2nd visitor came the day before the 4th to meet the kids, and then the kids had their 3rd and 4th visitors over this past weekend. Friends Silvia & Pete came around on Friday night and then their Great Uncle Randy came over on Saturday.
Monday I took the kids into my work (or atleast my work thru Thursday-I’m becoming a Stay at Home Mom as of then due to daycare costs). I think two of my friends thru work will be coming by next Tuesday night to see the kids on a less crowded level.
I’m thinking I am going to go on my first solo extended period of time away from the kids on Thursday. There is a Mothers of Multiples meeting/get together. We’re meeting at a resturant - downside is that it’s a 25 minute drive one way, so James will be alone for at least 2 hours with the kids. He’s only been alone for at most an hour so far. He’ll do wonderfully, it’s just that he’ll need to bottle feed them both, likely, twice. Normally James is the only one bottle fed, and that’s after nursing so it’ll be likely that he’ll need to be fed much more and he spits up the formula more than what he gets from nursing.
Thought I’d post some milestones/observations over the last 2 1/2 weeks since we last posted about the kids.
James & Evelyn:
- both do this pursed lip thing with serious looks/stares-will have to try to get a photo of this, I was sure we had one in the gallery but I guess not
- they’ve learnt how to cough
- have had first smiles-caught Evelyn on camera but have yet to catch James
- started to copy the sounds of their siblings-Evelyn now cries how her brother has all along, and James now cries like Evelyn has all along-mostly they cry with their original cries though
- follow objects and Daddy & Mommy when moved back & forth in front of them
- turns to look at Mommy and Daddy when they are held by someone else, or hear their voice
- sleep 4-6 hours thru the night, I think we even had a 6 1/2 hour one time
- look side to side when holding up their heads
James alone:
- LOVES the starfish on his bouncer-he gazes at that things and gets very excited to see it spinning
- has upgraded pacifier size-he’d been using a tiny one from the hospital forever because of his size, his mouth also was smaller
- has ‘rolled over’ several times when placed on his tummy on the couch
- makes uhuhuhuhuh sounds, I tried to capture this on video to share, but haven’t quite gotten it yet - it’s his ‘rev’ up to crying
- powerful kicks - so much that he moves himself up your chest if he’s laying on it or along the playmat if he’s there
- hold head unsupported for around a minute
- enjoys tummy time if someone interacts with him aswell
Evelyn alone:
- barely uses a pacifier anymore
- grunts/clears her throat while sleeping-need to get this on video as well, it’s quite cute
- LOVES to be on her stomach, prefers to be on someones chest but the couch or playmat works also
- really studies the person holding her -she is content to gaze at someone for hours making faces
- Hehe, I have something written down for her but it looks like ‘haha/bajngo and’ - so much for writing it down during the 3am nursing
- hold head unsupported for upto 2 minutes
- enjoys tummy time alone for short period of time, prefers someone interacting with her
I’ve started using two signs with the kids-I’m getting emailed a development stages weekly and it has given us Mommy so far, so I looked up Daddy to be able to start using that as well when talking about James or handing them to him as well. I think the kids think I’m crazy and I don’t expect them to use them for another 5 months but it’ll get us/me used to signing them and maybe they’ll actually use them sooner even.
I will try to update again Friday or next week-after James has his hip ultrasound on Friday (since he was breech they need to check for Developmental Hip Dysplasia) and I have my 6 week post-partum appointment.
Kamie
Edited to add:
*A tip for viewers of the gallery-some of the photos allow you to click on them, they then open in a new window with a clearer image. Clicking on the photo in that opened window will bring you back to the gallery. The image is full size as uploaded then, instead of being compacted slightly.
July 17th, 2007
We had to goto the Dr. again on Friday, James needed his weight checked and formula usage evaluated and Evelyn came along to get checked as well.
They are both doing wonderfully!
James weighed in at 5lbs 12oz. He gained 11oz in a week.
Evelyn weighed in at 6lbs 9oz. She gained 7oz in a week.
The peditrcian had said that gaining 2/3-1 oz a day was really good, so Evelyn was on the top end of the gain and James is over, which is good and a result of the higher calorie formula supplement after nursing.
Neither one has to go back until their 2 month old appointment, when they get to have lovely shots. However, James does have to stay on his special high calorie formula in addition to nursing until that appointment. Which is crummy since it’s $26 a week, but we should only have to buy 4 weeks worth and as he gets bigger the amount he gets from nursing should increase as his sucking abilities improve and his mouth gets larger.
The reflux has sort of improved. It’s kind of variable. He did awesome overnight, but just now he spit up what had to be half his bottle-all over Mommy. But he must be doing okay to have gained the weight.
Things are going well here otherwise. They are a lot of work and feedings are still hardest. James is a wonderful help overnight though, which is greatly appreciated since the kids aren’t really napping much during the day. Last night amd the last few days James fed every 2 hours. That makes for a busy day. He did spit up most his before bedtime bottle last night though and he hasn’t been finishing all the bottle after nursing.
The kids got to visit Daddy at work yesterday. Hoping to take them to my work next week sometime. Roxanne is coming over tonight to see the kiddos, their third visitor. Only Grandma Susie and Grandpa Mitch/Grandma Pam have been to see them. The peditrican would like us to limit the touching/holding and contact they get so we’ve spaced out visits accordingly as well as that they get overstimulated quickly and it has led to hours upon hours of crying overnight.
So as long as it appears that James is doing better we won’t go back to the Dr’s , like I said, until they are 2 months old. So everyone cross fingers and toes that things go well. He has good and bad feedings so hopefully we’ll keep seeing more good.
That’s all for now. I think I do have a few photos to upload, but I’ve been forgetting about the camera-with feedings lasting 1-1 1/2 hours and then it’s time to start over again I haven’t much time.
Kamie
July 3rd, 2007