Archive for August, 2007
Our visit with John & Mary was lovely. The weather ended up causing them to leave earlier as we got pounded with rain. Lucky they did as around 8pm that night the Milwaukee/Chicago area got pounded with rain and flooding. Glad they made it home safely. They saw Susie and Wendy & family first so it was nice that they shared their photos of that portion of their trip with us as well. I printed off some for around the house.
However, while they were here Evelyn decided she was no longer going to accept a bottle of expressed milk. So that meant I was off nursing her 
Monday she also wasn’t having it so I took her with me to my meeting.
The kids went to the Dr. last Tuesday for their 2 month checkup and shots. James wasn’t able to come as he had a meeting at work, so I went solo. I was sure I could handle it but knew it’d be easier with two people… I was worried they’d both be screaming and crying and me unable to calm them both together in the clinic setting. It all went well though.
They both got 3 shots (which was a cocktail of 7 shots) and 1 oral liquidy stuff.
Evelyn went first as I thought she’d be quicker to calm, as she only really gets upset if she is hungry and she has to wait longer than she’d like (we always change them before eating). But I was wrong, she did worse than James. She has this cry that is just horrible, she holds her breath and gasps over and over again. But within 30 seconds she was no longer doing that, but still sort of sniffling which she kept up for a good hour after we left. You know, the little sniffle/breath type thing you do after a good cry and your ‘recovering’. Evelyn slept a good 2 hours.
Next was time for James, he did really well. He did do the same thing as his sister only less gasping and longer holding, but he took only about 15 seconds to calm. He actually gave me smiles as I was redressing him too 
He then proceeded to zonk out and didn’t wake up for 3 hours.
They are both doing wonderfully! Yey! Right on target, and healthy too.
Evelyn weighs 11 lbs exactally and James is just behind her at 10lbs 6oz. They are both in the 25% for their weights. (the % means that they weight the same or more than 25% of the reference population and that they weigh less than 75% of the reference population)
They both have the same length and head circumference. They are 22″ long and 38 whatever they measure in on the head circumference. James is 3% (as tall as or taller than 3% the reference population, and shorter than 97% of the reference population) for height and
10% (has a larger or equal to size head as 10% the reference population but 90% have larger heads) for head circumference and
Evelyn is 10% (as tall as or taller than 10% the reference population, and shorter than 90% of the reference population) for height and
25% (has a larger or equal to size head as 25% the reference population but 75% have larger heads)for head circumference.
Life is good. We’ll go back to the Dr at 4 months old.
We went to a picnic for the multiples club on Friday night. The weather between here and 20ish miles north was crazy. It was sooo cold so we ened up leaving earlier than we’d have liked. However, we stopped to eat before heading home and actually ate INSIDE a resturant for the first time since having the kids. Granted it only lasted 10 minutes, but it’s a start.
The kids are sleeping wonderfully thru the night as of lately, 7+hours at a stretch. Last night it was from around 9pm til 6am this morning. Some nights they aren’t as good but they are fewer and farther between these days.
This does however mean they are more active during the day… which can drive a Mom insane. Evelyn wants to stand all the time… and she can’t do this on her own at 2 2/3 months old so I need to help her… but James also likes to stand OR he likes to sit on your lap facing the window and he can gaze… and I havent’ quite figured out how to successfully meet both their needs fully on this level yet. We manage though to keep them at least happy. Even if it means alternating every few minutes who gets their prefered way to be held.
Next weekend the kids will be 3 months old. I seriously don’t know where the time has gone. The past months have been really wonderful, tiring and rewarding. I love to see the look on James’ face as he notices what James and Evelyn are doing as of lately. LIke when Evelyn found her fist and has proceeded to chomp on it whenever she can. Or how she explored his face the other night. The squeals of joy that James gives Daddy as he tells him ‘a story’ or the faces that boy makes… it melts my heart.
We have some video but turns out we need some type of thing for the computer before we can get the video off our camcorder-so it’ll be just a bit longer. However, there are a TON of new photos in the gallery… I’ve been slacking.
Well I have got to get going, James is waking up and we have a few errands to run today before it rains this afternoon.
August 28th, 2007
Mainly writing to share this video, James talking to everyone with a touch of upset at the end. The kids are well as are the parents. Also, there are a few new photos in the gallery, including the ones we had done professionally when the kids were almost a month old.
We have more video to share off our camcorder but this video and the previous one of James are off our photo camera - we need to take the time to sit down and go thru the process of taking the video off the camcorder and editing it, ect then we can share those clips as well.
The kids had more visitors on Tuesday some friends from my old work came round to visit, and last night Roxanne & Caitlin came for a bit to see the kids. I think I’m headed to the Moms Club get together tonight, but we’ll see how things go after Daddy James gets home from work.
Still prepping for Aunt Mary & Uncle John to visit this weekend, hoping they are having a good time in Canada and had/have a safe trip.
August 16th, 2007
I started this post on the 8th of August, when the kids turned 2 months.
Having a slightly emotional afternoon. I’ve been having a few tears as I went thru some photos that I’ll be uploading shortly. I’m just so happy, takes me back to my previous post about being so happy before the kids were born. I’m just overwhelmed with joy and happiness. I honestly don’t see how things could be more perfect.
I have a wonderful husband, he still gets up with me whenever the kids eat first thru the night (like this morning it was 4:30am and he has to get up for work at 6:10ish and we didn’t go back to bed till 5:15). He changes one of the kids and carries them to me and places them in the right positon on the Boppy to be fed. He then stays with me, usually going to sleep, but still stays and then wraps a baby and goes back upstairs to put them into their crib until the next feeding. That was SO helpful when James was being supplemented, but now they are both on demand nursing with only expressed as supplement when we have company or are our or whatever the reason calls for. So he is truely amazing.
Finishing the post on Monday the 13th….
We are good though, I can’t remember somedays where the time went. I seriously feel like they were 1 month the other day and the day before that we were in the hospital having them. I have to stop and enjoy these moments, but I digress sometimes it is hard to remember that in the moment of changing them and feeding them -actually I do stop to gaze at them when they are eat, so I should reflect on that more…. I used to journal while they ate, but James now likes to grab at whatever I have (food, magazine, whatever) so I’ve had to stop. I certainly don’t want to forget these moments.
They’ll go for their 2 month checkup/shots on the 21st, it was the soonest they had two appts back to back I weighed them at a shop we were at on the 1st and Evie was 9lbs 9oz and James 8lbs 11oz. So they are growing well, I think… we took James off his supplement-he was refusing the bottle most times and if not then he’d just loose it all over one of us. He’s been off it for at least 3 weeks now and that first week gained 6oz, so I am positive he’s getting enough from just me to gain.
James it seems has an umbilical hernia-so we aren’t sure now if he had collic, or if that would have caused him pain… all we know is that he was quite upset most ALL DAY for a week or two, but after we took away the formula he got better and better day after day. It was a good two weeks before he was significantly better though. The worst peaked a night where I was up from 10pm till 1:30am with him crying non-stop unless you were walking him around the house … now he’s only really mostly upset at 9pm when he is ready for bed-it’s cute that he lets us know.
The kids are sleeping almost all the way thru the night. Usually from 10pm till between 4 and 5:30am. It depends from day to day.
They both roll over, from belly to back. James has been doing it for about 1 1/2 weeks, Evelyn just did it on Wednesday, when they turned 2 months.
James talks to us ALL the time. Evelyn mostly just grunts but in the last few days she has started to seem to be making new noises.
They both LOVE, though James more to stand. He can actually support himself totally with just our help balancing. He’s going from a sitting postion to standing on our laps.
Evelyn started last night also doing this with her daddy. Both can ‘crawl’ themselves up our stomachs without help and across the blanket or their playmat with our help on their feet.
James is totally loving sitting straight up. So most times after nursing he’ll sit on my lap looking at the world. There is a new photo in the gallery of him and I on the stairs with him just happy as can be.
Evelyn is becoming more vocal in her wants, previously she’d only get upset when she wanted to eat. Last night she got a tish upset when she wanted to stand.
They both recognize me-the other day James said he saw James watch me put Evelyn in her bouncer which was on the left of his own which he was sitting in. Then he followed me all the way to the right side as I walked past his bouncer and went up the stairs on his right.
They are just too cute and had a big weekend. We went to a friends welcome shower Friday night, they adopted a little girl, Mihret from Ethiopia and only just returned from picking her up from there. She is a doll, tiny tiny thing. She just turned 6 months old and is only 12lbs 6oz. Hoping that our kiddos and she are good friends in the coming years.
Saturday was James’ company picnic at a local park. So they had tones of new faces and places to explore. They did really well, and we were there for almost 3 hours before it was time to head back home for James to take a nap (he’s so good at giving us the I need a nap clue).
It’s going to be another busy week or so for the kids, tomorrow my former co-workers are coming around to see the kids. I think it’ll be at least 6 people, upto 17 though doubtful. Thursday night they’ll be alone with Daddy (I think) as I have another Mother of Multiples get together. Then, Saturday James Uncle John & Aunt Mary are coming from Louisania for a visit, by way of Canada first. They are going to visit James’ Mom and sister first. So we are looking forward to seeing them, it’s been almost 2 years. That means however, that I’m on house cleaning duty this week :) Sunday marks 10 years since James flew to WI to meet me for the first time. I am hoping to attend the Executive Board meeting on Monday for the Multiples Club and Tuesday they goto the Dr. for their nasty shots and the following Friday is the Multiples Club Family Picnic.
Going to work on James making a post, it has been FOREVER and he rambles less than I do plus I think he should weigh in on his prespective, right?
August 13th, 2007
Well the kids will be 2 months old on Wednesday. I’m still in amazement that they are growing so quickly. Somedays I just want to be able to shove them back in and be pregnant again, I do miss parts of that. I can hardly remember what it felt like to be kicked or have a baby bum push out.
Yet as I type James is lying on a Boppy squirming around and making noises but everyone once in awhile when I glance down at him he smiles and that melts my heart. And so I take a break-as I just did-and let him stand and walk up and down my tummy/chest and he looks around the room as if he’s seeing it for the first time. Evelyn is still asleep in her crib
Hehe, that happy smiling boy is now crying out after each hiccup.
They are both doing so wonderfully though. THey both smile at us everyday, they are standing and lifting their head and even using their arms. We started putting them in the Boppy and they seem to love that. They also scoot up our bodies when we hold them belly to belly so we’ve started putting them on the playmat or a blanket and our hands on their feets so they actually move along. James has been able to move himself even on ocassion as well as roll over. We got a roll over on video the other night, it only took 3 tries of taping. Will post some vidoes again soon, need to figure out (well just go thru it once) how to get the video off the camera and onto the computer. I had used our old photo camera for the video of James with the starfish.
We are pretty sure now that James’ crying/screaming is not reflux but instead is collic. The medication isn’t helping really-we aren’t sure I guess since we took him off the formula supplement at the same time so it could be a combo of both. Anyhow, the crying does get better sometimes, but other times it’s worse.
Like Thursday night when I was up from 10pm til 1:30am walking around bouncing him because that was the only way he’d not cry. Eventually he did take a bottle and calmed enough for me to lay down on the couch with him and fall asleep, waking every 20 minutes or so but I only needed to bounce him for a few seconds and he’d go back to sleep. But 4am came soon enough and Evelyn was hungry, she hadn’t eaten since she went to bed at 10ish. We made it thru though.
James discovered on Saturday night that the vaccumn works wonders. He turned it on while holding James and it was like a switch, James stopped crying and went to sleep. We used it last night again to calm him enough to nurse before bed. We’ve been leaving a white noise machine on in their room the last two nights to help him sleep as well. Just 1/2 more months.
Oh, I just uploaded some new photos.
August 6th, 2007